Spring Reading List & Featured Book

Featured Book

A Long Way Down
by Nick Hornby

Other Recommended Reading Selections

A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan
A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy
America the Beautiful by Ben Carson
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
Cold Days by Jim Butcher
Collateral Damage by Stuart Woods
Coolidge by Amity Shlaes
Cross Roads by William Paul Young
Dream Eyes by Jane Ann Krentz
Ever After by Kim Harrison
Ghostman by Roger Hobbs
Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman
Hit Me by Lawrence Block
Insane City by Dave Barry
Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
No Easy Day by Mark Owen
Private Berlin by James Patterson
Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd
Robert B. Parker’s Ironhorse by Robert Knott
See Now Then by Jamaica Kincaid
Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley
Suspect by Robert Crais
The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin 
The Black Box by Michael Connolly
The Blood Gospel 
by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell
The Dinner by Herman Koch
The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer
The Husband List 
by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly
The Intercept by Dick Wolf
The Last Man by Vince Flynn
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
The Light between Oceans by M. L. Stedman
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The Power Trip by Jackie Collins
The River Swimmer by Jim Harrison
The Third Bullet by Stephen Hunter
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
The World Until Yesterday by Jared Diamond
Threat Vector by Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney
Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner
Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child 
Until the End of Time by Danielle Steele

Compiled by FOSL Volunteer

Time Is On Your Side by Mary Daudelin Opens In Art Gallery

My name is Mary Daudelin and I'm a painter. Not an artist – but a painter. If you were to meet me on the street and ask me, “Who are you?”, I would be more apt to answer you, “Math major and computer geek”. That's how I see myself. That's who I am inherently.

I'll be turning 60 this year and didn't start painting until my 40's. I had decided to enroll my daughter into Chris Didomizio's Old World Art class for some extracurricular activity to keep her busy. She said the only way she was going was if I went with her. Chris, being the person that he is, said I could stay with her as long as I did the exercises along with everyone else. So I bought some pencils and pastels and thought, “only for my daughter would I do this – I haven't an artistic bone in this body”.

Well, the way Chris teaches evidently caught hold of me, because when my daughter dropped out six weeks later, I was hooked and have been coloring, drawing, painting and occasionally water-coloring off and on ever since. He opened a whole new world to me that I didn't know existed. I had my first art show at Smyrna Library in the late 90's. I showed what I had at the time of my pencils and pastels. He strong-armed me into the oils class one day and I went kicking and screaming to Binder's to get the tubes/brushes/canvases he had on his list. I really didn't want to paint in oils – they scared me – and I loved pencils and pastels – you could erase the mistakes. Oh well, he knew best and I fell in love with oils and the Old World Master's techniques w/glazing that he taught us.

Anyway – he taught us using the Masters' as example. If we could learn to reproduce or get a feel as to what they had done, then it couldn't do anything but help us create better pictures of our own. I'm just now getting to where I paint what I want. The mistakes that you see here are all mine - the ones that work and you really like are probably the ones that follow the rules and the techniques that Chris has taught me . . .

Painting has been a life saver these past years – I've gone from working full-time for various communication's companies, getting my Master's overseas, being 'retired' when the economy took its dip, taking care of a mother through cancer treatments and then Alzheimer's, going through a recurrence of cancer myself, losing my two dogs of 16 years and, blessedly, having a new grand-baby! Being able to paint has seen me through these times and has transported me to a different place when I needed to escape.

I hope you enjoy them. If you want me to paint you up anything, give me a call. I tend to paint and give away to family and friends – but you can always become a friend if you can't afford the prices. Or better yet, learn how to paint yourself. Chris still is teaching after all these years, albeit over in Dunwoody and no longer in Vinings.I'll let you know if I ever get to the stage that I consider myself an artist - if that day ever comes, you'll be able to find me here at the library, yet again.

Mixed Media by Jackie Chapman Exhibit Opens In Display Gallery

I received my specialist degree from West Ga. College in special education in 1989 and retired in May 2005 after 29 years where I worked as a teacher, educational evaluator and program coordinator for Douglas County Schools. I have been married to Robert Chapman for 39 years and we have one daughter, Rebecca, who is married to our favorite son-in-law, Mitch.

I began exhibiting my crafts at shows in 1980. I’ve worked with many different types of crafts and media including tole painting, soft sculpture, sewing, and woodworking. I have always had a love of pottery. After taking classes from a dear friend, I purchased a kiln and some clay in 2000 and started on a journey that would be more fulfilling than any other media with which I have worked.

Each piece has its beginnings in a 25 lb. bag of stoneware clay and is hand built or hand thrown and then decorated with flowers, leaves, birds, frogs, turtles and glazes. My inspiration comes from nature, whimsy and just about anything that I come into contact with. My subconscious is always looking for a way to translate the things I see into pottery.

My pottery is a little different in that I bring a crafter’s background to the pieces that I make. I find it difficult to make a plain piece of pottery. It has to have something attached to it! I enjoy making pieces that are unusual in some way or bring a smile to your face.

Whether you’re browsing or would like to purchase a little something for yourself or a friend, I hope you receive as much pleasure from my work as I had in its making.

FOSL Sponsors Black History Month Celebrations at Smyrna Public Library

The Smyrna Public Library will offer two exciting programs for children, families, and adults in celebration of Black History Month. Thanks to the generous donation and support from the Friends of the Smyrna Library, these programs are free of charge and are open to the public. No reservations are necessary to attend. Both programs will be held in the first floor meeting room of the Smyrna Public Library.

On Saturday, February 23rd, the library will host a storytelling program for children and families from 11:00 AM- 12:00 PM. The Cobb Cluster of the Southern Order of Storytellers, members of the Kuumba Storytellers, and the youth Tattle Tales group will be featured. Children and adults alike will share stories about notable African Americans and African dolls will be featured at the program as well. Storyteller Margaret Edinburgh says, "We can preserve our history by preserving the art of storytelling." These storytellers will educate and entertain while also paying homage to important figures in black history. Edinburgh will be joined by storytellers Esther Culver, Amy Johnson, and Mama Koku, as well as by several youth storytellers. This program will be fun for the whole family!

On Sunday, February 24th from 2:00-4:00 PM, the library will offer a special Black History Month program for adults featuring two speakers, Ms. Robin Washington Banks and Mr. Charles Black. This program, also sponsored by the Friends of the Smyrna Library, is open to the public and will offer light refreshments.

Ms. Robin Washington Banks, educator and author, is the great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington and the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman. Her great-aunt was also one of the co-founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first African American sorority. Ms. Washington Banks focuses on promoting the philosophies of her great grandfather. "It has become my life's work to keep my great grandfather's legacy alive by doing things that will draw attention to his philosophies and his work." Ms. Washington Banks' presentation, "Colors, Character and Choices," will include stories about her family and will highlight character as a powerful tool in bringing our diverse nation together in harmony.

Mr. Charles Black is a professional actor on stage, screen, radio, video and television, a Special Correspondent for The Atlanta Inquirer newspaper, and a community activist. Mr. Black served for many years on the Executive Committee of the Atlanta Branch of the NAACP of which he is a Life Member. While attending Morehouse College, Mr. Black was one of only eight students taught by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mr. Black served as chairman of the Atlanta Student Movement in the 1960s, where he implemented the desegregation plan for lunch counters in Atlanta, negotiated desegregation of all theaters and movie houses in Atlanta and negotiated desegregation of Grady Hospital. He will focus on "Hidden Heroes of History" and will share his experiences as a civil rights figure in Atlanta.

New Kids Catalog Launched

The Smyrna Public Library has a new kids' catalog!  

Kids and adults, meet Scout the dog, who will help you along you way in finding the perfect book!  As part of our Scout catalog kick off, we're raffling off several plush Scouts. Stop by the library to use the new computer and to complete a Scout activity sheet.  Drop your completed activity sheet in the Scout raffle box and you could win a Scout of your very own!  

Winners will be drawn on March 1st.

10th Murder Goes South Festival Held Today

The 10th Murder Goes South... a Festival of Readers and Writers of the Southern Mystery, was held today. FOSL thanks the writers, moderators, volunteers and attendees who made it a success.

WRITERS:

TONY BURTON, writer, educator and publisher. His novels include Blinded by Darkness and A Wicked Good Play. He edited Seven by Seven and Crime and Suspense Anthology: 2005-2006.

LEE KELLY’s work in the medical and pharmaceutical industries was put to good use in her novel Vengeance in Blood.

BRANDON MASSEY, published his original novel Thunderland in 2002. He has since published a number of thrillers including The Other Brother, Twisted Tales, Dark Dreams and Covenant.

JOESEPH MORGAN, author of Blood Beneath My Feet: The Journey of a Southern Death Investigator, was Senior Investigator, Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, Atlanta, GA for 14 years. He investigated 200 - 300 deaths per year.

MIRANDA PARKER, writes fun, feisty, redemptive stories about “bad girl” gone good. Her iconic character Kensington Dafina is featured in her comic romance suspense novels.

CHERYL RITZEL, works include Runner’s High and Beginner’s Luck. She is a teacher who is also pursuing a Private Investigator Certificate.

FRAN STEWART, a free-lance editor, has written many novels which include Violet as an Amethyst and A Slaying Song Tonight. Her mystery series, Biscuit McKee, is set in a small town in Georgia.

LESLIE TENTLER’s Midnight Caller is a finalist in the 2012 International Thriller Awards for Best First Novel. It is the first book in her Chasing Evil Trilogy.

JO ANN COOK is a Smyrna resident who has written short stories, poetry, children’s books and novels which includes her southern mystery, entitled Murder, Magnolias and Mansions.
MODERATORS:

KAREN KIRKPATRICK KENNEDY has been an active member of Sisters in Crime for many years. She has served as president, vice president, treasurer and more for the Atlanta Chapter. She has written several mysteries, has an agent she loves and respects, and looks forward to the day one of her books sells.

VR BARTKOWSKI is a native Californian now living in Atlanta. Winner of the 2012 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold for Mystery, and a finalist for both the 2012 Claymore and Daphne Du Maurier Awards, VR’s short fiction has appeared in Mysterical-E, Spinetingler, and Vine Leaves Literary Journal. At present she is researching her third novel while pondering a fourth. VR is a member of both Mystery Writers of America and Sisters-in-Crime.

Mary W. Moore Hired as Smyrna Public Library Director

The Smyrna City Council voted 7-0 last night to hire Mary W. Moore as Library Director.  She is replacing Library Director Michael Seigler who retired on December 28 after 18 years of service in that role.

Mary was the sole finalist for the position after a 6-month candidate search and extensive interviews. In joining the Smyrna Public Library she leaves her role as an award-winning adult services and reference library manager for the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library system in Huntsville, Alabama.

Please join the Friends of Smyrna Library in welcoming Mary to Smyrna!