THIS WEEK IN JULY

  1. Friday Jul 17 ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN FRIDAY, JULY 17; 12 NOON – 1:30  PM @ The Greene  (Line numbers beginning at 11 am) ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN will discuss his book, Magnificent Desolation.  Forty years ago, he became the second human being, minutes after Neil Armstrong, to...
  2. Saturday Jul 18 KID’S STORYTIMES SATURDAY,July 18; 11:15 AM @ T&C To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon, we’ll decorate a balloon moon and put 2 astronauts on it; learn about the space shuttle and the features of a space...
  3. Sunday Jul 19 LIVE MUSIC SUNDAYS  SUNDAY, July 19; 4-6 pm @ T&C RICK FANNIN entertains with World Folk Music....
VIEW FULL CALENDAR >>

HOT BOOKS

  • THE SHALLOWS: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

    In The Shallows, the author of The Big Switch brings us a fascinating look at how technology is changing our brains. We are surrounded with the wonders of technology, and while we delight in it, is it good for us? Can we get too much of a good thing? Are our brains being “taught” to scan and skim rather than delve deeply into a matter? Are we losing the ability to think for ourselves? Is our attention span dangerously short? Are we losing our capacity for “concentration, contemplation, and reflection?” These and many other topics are addressed in this thought-provoking book.

  • THE POPULARITY PAPERS by Amy Ignatow

    Kids who love the Wimpy Kids books will enjoy this one. It is funny illustrated journal covering a year in the life of 5th graders Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang who are bemoaning the fact that they don’t think they are popular. They develop a research project to try to figure out what makes a kid popular. They want to crack that code before they start middle school, and that’s when the fun starts. Their quest to gain popularity may not turn out the way they planned, but it surely keeps the reader in stitches.

  • SEAWORTHY: A Swordboat Captain Returns to the Sea by Linda Greenlaw

    The author shared her deep-sea fishing experiences with us in The Hungry Ocean and The Lobster Chronicles. Now, after a 10-year hiatus, she returns to captain a swordboat, and once again captures for us the thrill of pursuing and capturing the majestic and elusive swordfish. Besides following her thrilling adventures on the water, the reader walks with her as she unexpectedly sits in a jail in Canada jail, accused of trespassing into Canadian waters. Written in a conversational style, you’ll feel that Linda is having a chat with you about her seafaring adventures, and you’re sure to enjoy it.

  •  

ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN

FRIDAY, JULY 17; 12 NOON – 1:30  PM @ The Greene 

(Line numbers beginning at 11 am)
ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN will discuss his book, Magnificent Desolation.  Forty years ago, he became the second human being, minutes after Neil Armstrong, to set foot on a celestial body other than the Earth.  The event remains one of mankind’s greatest achievements and was witnessed by the largest worldwide television audience in history. Few people have not seen the iconic photograph of Aldrin standing on the surface of the moon with the blackness of space behind him and the lunar module reflected in his visor. It has forever changed the way we view both the moon and the earth.  

That flight made Buzz Aldrin one of the most famous persons in the world. While we knew a great deal about his life as an astronaut, he has never shared much of his personal life, until now. Following his career in the Air Force and as a public relations representative for NASA, he experienced the twin demons of depression and alcoholism. Redemption came when he finally embraced sobriety and gained the love of the women who became his wife, Lois. He has now dedicated himself to being a tireless advocate for the future of space exploration, not only as a scientific endeavor but also as a thriving commercial enterprise. 

Magnificent Desolation, which are the words Aldrin used to describe the moon, is not only an adventure story, but a searing memoir of self-destruction and self-renewal.  CROWN PUBLISHING

On July 20, 1969,  Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed their lunar module on the Sea of Tranquility and became the first humans to walk on the Moon.  He has founded a rocket design company, Starcraft Boosters, Inc. and the ShareSpace Foundation, a nonprofit organization devoted to opening the doors to space tourism for all people. Joining him at this event will be 
Ron Kaplan, Executive Director of the National Aviation Hall of Fame.

ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN