For anyone wanting to get fit this summer, but find their budget is the leanest part of their lifestyle, a quick trip to the Chelsea District Library for a free pass into MI Big Green Gym is the first step to getting started.
MI Big Green Gym is a partnership with Michigan Recreation and Park Association, the Department of Natural Resources, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. It is designed to show just how easy it is to get out, get active and get healthier.
The DNR started the Park & Read program in 2010 as a way to provide free passes to state parks. Now, with support from Blue Cross, the program has been rebranded to promote outdoor fitness and provides free one-day passes into any state park, state forest campground or pathway, as well as includes family-friendly destinations at select community recreation facilities.
MI Big Green Gym encourages Michigan residents to take advantage of the state’s extensive network of quality parks and recreation options. With 101 state parks and hundreds of community recreation agencies that offer a wide variety of physical activities, people can easily pursue fitness interests year-round, from yoga and swimming to hiking and paddling.
No matter their fitness level – from beginner to enthusiast – Michigan residents will be able to find the right fit through MPRA member agencies, which offer plenty of affordable activities, classes and programs. Contact your local parks and recreation department for programs near you, or visit www.michigan.gov/stateparks for a complete list of state park activities.
Passes allow one vehicle into a state park for one day, and with many parks offering free, intro-to programs with all the gear and expertise provided through the Rec 101 program, that one day can lead to lifelong memories.
Passes will be available at the Chelsea District Library Check Out Desk starting June 1, are valid for seven days from check-out and can be used for day-use only, not for use at prearranged/ multiple person private gatherings, or overnight camping.The program is available June 1 to October 1.
People judge books by their covers all of the time, and book marketers are aware of this trend and design covers accordingly. Earlier this week, Young Adult author Maureen Johnson wrote an insightful article on the difference in the public’s perception of male and female authors– ending by highlighting book marketer’s tendency to design covers that convey a fluffier read for books written by women, even when the books have depth and substance.
To further emphasize the difference a cover design makes on the reader’s perception of the book, Johnson encouraged her Twitter followers to submit “Cover Flips”–redesigns of book covers imagining that the author was of the opposite gender. The results are worth the look.
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner dominated the best seller lists, has been read by millions of people and in 2007, became a major motion picture. His follow up, A Thousand Splendid Suns, also hit number one on the bestseller lists and has been widely read and admired.
Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.
If past performance is any indicator, this book will make a big splash! Place your holds early and keep your eye on our New Shelves to maybe catch a Lucky Day copy.
This tomorrow is CHS’s prom. Ralph Guenther was hired to take pictures of couples in the 1963 Chelsea High School Prom; take a look at how the hair and dress styles have changed in the past 50 years.
After the surprise of last year’s Pulitzer Prize committee opting not to honor a fiction book, the procedures returned to usual this year, awarding winners in Fiction, History, Biography, Nonfiction, and Poetry.
The Fiction Winner is Adam Johnson’s The Orphan Master’s Son. Set in North Korea, this literary thriller follows its young protagonist from his beginning in an orphan work camp to work as a kidnapper.
The Embers of War by Fredrik Logevall, this year’s History winner, is a well-researched history of the lead-in to the Vietnam War.
Tom Reiss’ The Black Count, winner in the Biography category, covers the life of Alexandre Dumas’ father, the likely inspiration forThe Count of Monte Cristo.
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King is the Nonfiction winner. A story of the fight for civil rights, it shares Thurgood Marshall’s work in the 1949 “Groveland Boys” case.
Finally, this year’s poetry winner is Stag’s Leap by Sharon Olds. This raw, open collection of free-verse poems chronicles the author’s divorce and its aftermath.
Among the fiction authors, poets, playwrights and songwriters performing that day will be poet and novelist Jack Driscoll.
Driscoll is the author of four poetry collections, four novels, and two collections of short stories, most recently The World of a Few Minutes Ago. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, the Pushcard Book Editors’ Award, the Barnes & Noble Discovery of Great New Writers Award, and more.
This marks the author’s second time winning the Michigan Notable Author award – his 2005 book How Like An Angel also received the honor.
Driscoll will be reading with fellow Northern Michigan-based author Michael Delp at 2 pm at Back to the Roots. Be sure to drop in and enjoy the performance!
“…the foremost repository of facts, opinion and media relating to RMS Titanic. Featuring Titanic survivor stories, comprehensive Titanic passenger list and biographies, detailed Titanic research articles, in depth discussions and rich media including Titanic pictures, archive recordings and the Titanic movie player.”
Many books have been written on the subject, but here are a few recent nonfiction titles dealing with various aspects of the ship and its sinking:
There’s been an increase in fiction about the Titanic as well, inspired by the 2012 centennial of the disaster, ranging from Christian romances to zombie lit to alternative history. Here are a few fiction titles taking place on or around the Titanic:
And of course, no Titanic list is complete without James Cameron’s epic film, Titanic.
Kate Atkinson’s latest book, Life After Life, was released on April 2 and has already garnerned stunning reviews. Atkinson is best known for her Jackson Brodie series, starting with Case Histories.
Life After Life is a departure from her recent Edinburgh settings and dogged investigator protagonist. Life After Life begins with the birth of Ursula Todd in 1910, immediately followed by her death. And the cycle repeats. Ursula Todd is born, dies and reborn time and time again throughout the novel as Atkinson explores the mysteries of time, history, life and death.
USA Today summed it up as: “Originality is the jumping-off point for this especially unique novel, and readers looking for something fresh should take a chance. Readers already in love with Atkinson’s novels, and equally besotted with Jackson Brodie, will be just as pleased with the life — the lives — of Ursula Todd.”
Meg Wolitzer for NPR said: “Kate Atkinson didn’t choose one path for Ursula Todd, and she didn’t need to. Instead, she opened her novel outward, letting it breathe unrestricted, all the while creating a strong, inviting draft of something that feels remarkably like life.”
Publisher’s Weekly gave Life After Life a starred review, calling the book “inventive” and “fresh.”
Still not convinced? Here is a trailer for the book:
Let us set you up with a good read! Visit our Blind Date with a Book display located on the 2nd level anytime between Monday, April 8 and Sunday, April 21. Choose a wrapped book based on the descriptions written on the cover, check it out, and don’t open until you get home. Inside you’ll find a “rate-it” card. After you’ve read the book, share your thoughts, and return the card to any Information Desk by Sunday, April 30 to be entered into a drawing for read-themed prizes.
About 5,000 people voted in the poll and some interesting patterns emerged. The most voted for book in the “other” category (not included in the original 60 titles) was Lonesome Dove. Only two female authors broke the Top Ten – one is Margaret Mitchell for Gone with the Wind and the other is Harper Lee in the #1 slot. Check out the Publisher’s Weekly wrap-up article for more!
What titles would be at the top of your list? -- Sara
