Lady Chops (Elizabeth Vidos) will be performing at our DeRidder branch today!

Vidos is a former rhythm performer of the international and American performance group STOMP, and her performances are lauded as supremely engaging for the whole family.

Join the library staff in welcoming Lady Chops as she performs on buckets, washboards and more!

Lady Chops!

We are in the heart of vacation season and many people are planning long car trips. One of the best ways to make the miles fly by is to pop a book on CD into your car’s player and listen to a good story. This week we received a few thrillers sure to make your trip an exciting one. (Just be sure you don’t get too lost in the story to keep your mind on safe driving!)

Check out Murder Games by James Patterson and Howard Roughan. Dr. Dylan Reinhart is a renowned author and expert on the subject of criminal behavior. When a copy of his book and a threatening message turn up at a gruesome murder scene, it seems that someone has been taking notes. The killer also left a playing card by the body, which ties him to other murders. NYPD Detective Elizabeth Needham recruits Dylan to help her find this killer, now known as “The Dealer”. With the city in a panic, Dylan must get inside the mind of the criminal. But after thinking like a criminal could Dylan actually become one?

If you like some humor with your suspense, check out Dangerous Minds by Janet Evanovich. This is the second book in the Knight and Moon series featuring the brilliant, eccentric, and wealthy Emerson Knight and his assistant/babysitter Riley Moon. This time they are attempting to locate an island that has mysteriously disappeared. Its owner wants it back and hires our heroes to figure out what has happened. Their investigation leads to a dark and sinister secret that is being guarded by the National Park Service. Along with Emerson’s cousin Vernon, this unusual trio embarks on a worldwide adventure that will expose a conspiracy one hundred years in the making.

These and many other books on CD are available for you to check out. Happy listening!

The staff of the Beauregard Parish Library stand ready to help you find what you need! All you have to do is to fill out a request form, either in the library, or online and they will track down what you need and have it ready for you to pick up.

When you fill out the form, you'll need your library card number, and an e-mail address, phone number, or mailing address where we can contact you, to ask any questions we might need to fill your request, or to let you know that your material is ready.

Requests can be very specific. You might have heard about a new book by a popular author and want to get it as soon as possible. Give us the title and author, and we'll do what we can to get it for you or put you on the waiting list.

You might also ask for a more general request, such as "Do you have any books on cyborgs for a science fair project?" With this kind of request, we will try to find the best books the library has available on the topic that are appropriate for a school-level science project. The online request form even gives an option to include the grade level and how many sources you need.

Just remember, the more you can tell the us about what you want, the better we can find the right materials for you!

Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you.

Spaceman by Mike Massimino

A few of you might know Mike Massimino as the NASA astronaut who guest-starred on several episodes of The Bing Bang Theory. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s okay. In this autobiography, Mass, as his friends call him, tells the story of growing up in a working-class Italian family on Long Island, working through his education until he was finally part of the astronaut corps, and eventually going on two separate Shuttle flights where he spacewalked and serviced the Hubble telescope.

Massimino is a natural story-teller, and this book flows with ease. He avoids overly technical language that would be hard for non-scientists or engineers to understand. He presents himself as an everyman who earned the success he has in life through hard work and by being a team player who cultivated a network of friends and respected colleagues who helped him. I dare you to read his descriptions of seeing Earth during his space walks and not be moved.

This book is for those who are at all curious what the life of a real astronaut is like. If you’ve ever been curious about astronomy or practical space-travel, this is for you. If the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing has you curious, there are a few cameos from Neil Armstrong sprinkled throughout the book.

If Spaceman interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.

For our teen Summer Reading activity this week, the theme is Building a Better World Through Weather Predictions. Talking about the weather is one of the most common forms of small talk, but in some parts of the world, it is more than that. Weather involves people's safety and livelihood.

Teens, if you want to see this program, you can find it today (Wednesday) at our Ragley branch at 1:30. If you can't make it, there are repeats at our other branches.

What did the snail say while on the tortoise's back?

Give up?

"Weeeeeeeeeeee!"

As you may have guessed, we can't wait for our afternoon of edzoocation! The Animal Architects will be at the DeRidder branch at 2 p.m. today.

Live animals and their handler will be here for an hour of entertaining education about the critters and the homes they build.

To get a preshow glimpse at our visitors, check out their website here.

This week we received an interesting new book for people concerned about the health issues that many experience as they grow older. The Longevity Plan: Seven Life-Transforming Lessons from Ancient China is written by a doctor who was experiencing many of these issues.

Acclaimed cardiologist Dr. John D. Day was only 44 years old but was overweight and suffering from insomnia, degenerative joint disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. He was taking six medications and still in pain. He knew he needed to make a change. While lecturing in China, he heard about a remote area in the mountains where the people did not suffer from any of the major problems associated with aging and living past one hundred was common. Dr. Day visited this area, known as Longevity Village, and learned everything he could about the place and its people. This book describes the seven principles that he discovered in his research.

Dr. Day spent six months in Longevity Village and spoke to many of the centenarians living there. He followed the seven principles that work together to create health and happiness. During that time he lost thirty pounds, dropped one hundred points off of his cholesterol and twenty-five points off his blood pressure. In 2014, he began a series of four-month-long support groups for patients who agreed to follow the principles. Ninety-two percent of the participants were able to stay on the plan and reach their health goals.

While it may be what most of us focus on most, it is important to note that only the first of the seven principles concerns food and what we should eat. The rest involve other aspects of our lifestyle and can best be summarized by the word “simplicity”. The people of Longevity Village live a very simple life due to the remoteness of the area, but Dr. Day says that it is possible to enjoy the benefits of their lifestyle even in our modern world.

Zinio digital magazine users, we regret to inform you that new issues of Dr. Oz: The Good Life magazine will no longer be available in our digital collection after the June 2017 issue. This is through the vendor and not a choice from Beauregard Parish Library.

Despite the inconvenience, users will have access to all the backissues that the library has purchased.

Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you.

Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

If you like mystery, you will like The Girl on the Train. It is about three women, Megan, Rachel, and Anna. These woman are connected, but how they are is a mystery. It goes through their lives. Rachel, who always rides the train, watches Megan. Rachel is not most unreliable source, so when she sees something, the police did not believe her. As Rachel starts to remember the events of her past, she realizes how connected all of them are. She was the victim, too

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing until the end who the bad guy was. This is a book that will keep you on your toes until the end.

If Girl on the Train interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.

Henry David Thoreau was born 200 years ago today.

"He is remembered for his attacks on the social institutions he considered immoral and for his faith in the religious significance of nature. The essay 'Civil Disobedience' is his most famous social protest. Walden, a study of Thoreau's experiment in living close to nature, is chiefly responsible for his literary reputation." [Source]

Beauregard Parish Library has many resources to help satisfy your curiosity about Thoreau and celebrate this important birth anniversary.

Harper Lee's modern classic To Kill a Mockingbird was originally published on July 11, 1960. Beauregard Parish Library would like to help you enjoy it all over again.

A quick search through our online catalog will show we have the novel in our physical and digital collection.

Most of us are concerned about our health and for many of us that includes our diet. There are so many diet books available and the library has most of them in our collection. However, this week we received a new book by a health and wellness consultant that is a little different.

The book Body Love: Live in Balance, Weigh What You Want, and Free Yourself From Food Drama Forever is by certified holistic nutritionist, wellness expert, and celebrity health coach, Kelly LeVeque. She says that the secret for losing weight and being healthy is to attune ourselves to our bodies’ needs and free ourselves from food drama. She calls her book an “essential anti-diet guide.” She has studied most of the popular diets and says that while they may provide limited temporary weight loss, they are not sustainable. She offers a better choice: her four-step program to find your wellness balance between eating enough and deciding how you feel. Once you achieve this balance, she says you will not only lose weight and increase muscle mass, but also see a remarkable improvement in the appearance of your hair and skin, enjoy increased energy and better sleep, and experience a reduction in joint pain and other illnesses.

Kelly’s program shows you how to eliminate cravings, mood swings, and other symptoms caused by food drama. The book is filled with recipes, tips, and resources to help you learn to change your eating habits and change your life. She says we need to feel empowered, not overwhelmed by food and nutrition. Her approach is rooted in the science of human nutrition and puts the power in our own hands to build a healthy lifestyle. You feel the positive results because you are giving your body what it wants and needs.

As always, remember that you should consult your medical professional before beginning any health program or making any changes to your lifestyle that could affect your health. This book is not intended to diagnose or treat any specific conditions or illnesses.

Library closed and you need to return some books? All branches have drop-off boxes available for just that purpose! The rural branches have boxes outside of the buildings, while the DeRidder branch has two drop-off slots on the north side of the building (the Second Street side) under the drive-through. This can help you avoid fines!

Another way to avoid fines is to renew books online from the My Account link on the home page. If you've signed up for an Online Resources account, you can log in check what books, audiobooks, magazines, and videos we have, renew any books that can be renewed, as well as place holds for new things you want to explore!

Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you. This is a quick pick that you can use while participating in our Summer Reading Program activities.

She's Not There by Joy Fielding

This is a page turning mystery.

This is a blending of the present and 15 years ago when their 2 year old daughter was kidnapped from her hotel crib. It explores the family dynamics past and present and leads up to a dramatic surprising ending.

If She's Not There interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.

Tomorrow!