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Recent research done in the United States shows that among Americans aged 16 and above, 23% read an e-book in the past year, up from 16%. The number of people who have read a print book in the past year though fell from 72% to 67%. (Source)

What about you? Are you reading more and more e-books as well?

The National Library Board offers access to eBooks from our eResources site – from current popular titles to classics and a lot more.

Certainly, there are many other sites that offer e-books for free, where you can legally download them. Here’re some suggested sources:
Read more »

 ‘Thomas Nast was the first artist to depict Santa Claus in the red suit that became  his traditional garb’

Image and quote retrieved from:
Nast, Thomas: “Merry Old Santa Claus.” [Photograph]. In Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Library Edition. Retrieved from: http://library.ebonline.com/comptons/art-100703

[Ho ho ho! As a child, I always wondered how Santa Claus would be able to leave his presents in our HDB flats since there were no chimneys! The only other way would be the garbage chute, but then poor Santa might stink! Or he could always pull a 'Spiderman' .] 

According to Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition: “The legend of jolly old Santa Claus, or St. Nick, began with a real person: St. Nicholas. Although he is one of the most popular saints honored by Christians, very little is actually known about him. He lived during the 4th century in Lycia, a province on the southwest coast of Asia Minor. Tradition says he was born in Patara, a seaport, and traveled to Egypt and Palestine as a young man. Eventually he became bishop of the church at Myra. During the period of persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Diocletian, he was imprisoned, but he was released by Diocletian’s successor, Constantine the Great. 

St. Nicholas was credited with many miracles. In one story, he saved three officers from death by appearing to Constantine in a dream. Another tale had him bringing three murdered children back to life. St. Nicholas also developed a reputation as a great helper of the poor. One legend tells of him providing bags of gold to a poor man as dowries for his three daughters. Through such stories, St. Nicholas became associated with children and gift giving. His feast day, December 6, was marked in many European countries by children receiving presents. 

Santa Claus emerged in the United States from the traditions and beliefs of a variety of cultures. The name Santa Claus is derived from Sinterklaas, a Dutch word for St. Nicholas. The color of Santa’s outfit is thought to be based on the red bishop’s robe commonly worn by St. Nicholas. In Germany and early German communities in America, tradition held that the Christkindle (Christ Child) brought gifts on Christmas Eve. Children would leave goodies for him to eat during his visit and would set out straw for his mule. The word Christkindle eventually turned into Kriss Kringle, an alternative name for Santa Claus. Some of his other names include Father Christmas (Britain) and Pere Noel  (France).” 

Reference:                                                                           
—Santa Claus. (2010). In Britannica Student Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 24, 2010, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition: http://library.ebonline.com/kids/comptons/article-9276889 
If you want to read more on the topic, here are books that you can check out at our libraries. 

All Rights Reserved, Phyllis Fogelman Books, c2001. 

The real Santa Claus by Marianna Mayer
Publisher: New York : Phyllis Fogelman Books, c2001.
Call No.: JP 394.2663 MAY
Click here to check for item availability 

 
All Rights Reserved, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2006. 

The autobiography of Santa Claus as told to Jeff Guinn
Publisher: New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, 2006.
Call No.: English GUI
Click here to check for item availability

All Rights Reserved, PPP Co., 2003.
The true history of Santa Claus by Nury Vittachi
Publisher: Hong Kong : PPP Co., 2003.
Call No: J VIT
Click here to check for item availability 

All Rights Reserved, Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2003.
The legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi.
Publisher: New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2003.
Call No.: J 270.2 DEM
Click here to check for item availability 
All websites are last accessed on 24 Dec 2010. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue. 

Ms Isabel Tan
Librarian, Children’s Services

Below are some reading recommendations:

Fiction titles:
1. An innocent soldier / by Josef Holub ; translated by Michael Hofmann.
Summary: A sixteen-year-old farmhand is tricked into fighting in the Napoleonic Wars by the farmer for whom he works, who secretly substitutes him for the farmer’s own son.
Call No.:  Y English HOL

2. Kipling’s choice / written by Geert Spillebeen ; translated by Terese Edelstein.
Summary: In 1915, mortally wounded in Loos, France, eighteen-year-old John Kipling, son of writer Rudyard Kipling, remembers his boyhood and the events leading to what is to be his first and last World War I battle.
Call No.: Y English SPI

3. Sunrise over Fallujah / Walter Dean Myers.
Summary: Robin Perry, from Harlem, is sent to Iraq in 2003 as a member of the Civilian Affairs Battalion, and his time there profoundly changes him.

Call No.: Y English MYE

4. The burning bridge / John Flanagan.
Summary: Will is forced to overcome his fear of Wargals, the foot soldiers of rebel warlord Morgarath, as Araluen’s army prepares to battle Morgarath’s forces.
Call No.: Y English FLA

5. Search and destroy / Dean Hughes.

Summary: Recent high school graduate Rick Ward, undecided about his future and eager to escape his unhappy home life, joins the army and experiences the horrors of the war in Vietnam.
Call No.: Y English HUG

Non-fiction titles:
1. The war in Iraq / Tom Lansford, book editor.
Call No.: Y English 956.70443 WAR

2. The hundred days offensive : the Allies’ push to win World War I / by Andrew Langley.
Call No.: Y English 940.434 LAN

3. The Vietnam War / Hal Marcovitz.
Call No.: Y English 959.7043 MAR

4. Living through the Korean War / Charles W. Carey Jr., book editor.
Call No.: Y English 951.9042 LIV

5. World War II / Nathaniel Harris.
Call No.: Y English 940.54 HAR

If you intend to check the availability of any title before visiting our public libraries, you may do so via the online catalogue at: http://searchplus.pl.sg/

Posted by Yen Yen Toh, Associate Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

[1] Title: Moonlight
Author: Rachel Hawthorne
Call No.: Y English HAW
Description: “While working as a wilderness guide in the national forest where her parents were killed twelve years earlier, seventeen-year-old Kayla is powerfully drawn to Lucas, who she learns is her appointed guardian–and much more–as she discovers her true identity and destiny.” Book 1 of the Dark Guardian series.

[2] Title: Blood and chocolate
Author: Annette Curtis Klause
Call No.: Y English KLA
Description: “Having fallen for a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she belongs and with whom.”

[3] Title: The summoning
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Call No.: Y English ARM
Description: “My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again. All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. I don’t even know what that means anymore. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens. Yet the home isn’t what it seems. Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. The question is, whose side are they on? It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House . . . before its skeletons come back to haunt me.” Book 1 of the Darkest Powers series.

[4] Title: Wolfsbane and mistletoe
Author: Edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
Call No.: English WOL -[HO]
Description: “New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Keri Arthur, and Carrie Vaughn—along with eleven other masters of the genre—offer all-new stories on werewolves and the holidays, a fresh variation on the concept that worked so well with birthdays and vampires in Many Bloody Returns.”

For the locations and availabilities of the above titles, please use our online catalog

Originally answered by Farah Abdullah, Associate Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

Yes indeed, you have heard it right..

There’s an upcoming anniversary (50th in fact!!) of the publication “To Kill a Mockingbird”, which will happen on 11 Jul 2010. More details can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/books/25mock.html?ref=books

In the local context, it appears that some schools have used Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” as text/readings for the students in their curriculums:

“All students will study Romeo and Juliet, Oedipus Rex, and Of Mice and Men. Additional readings may be taken from the following: To Kill a Mockingbird…”
Source: http://www.sas.edu.sg/hs/Catalogs/English.html

“Teacher initiated inquiry into the understandings of how societies have evolved or what factors have shaped the nature of societies through the study of your Literature texts, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and…”
Source: http://www.chijsec.edu.sg/main/history_1.html

“The course will force students to analyze one core text in depth (for now either The Crucible by Arthur Miller or To Kill a Mockinbird by Harper Lee) while training them to…”
Source: http://www.hci.sg/studies/highSch/literature/?page=blurbs

There’s also a posting done up by my colleague Reena, about this publication at Y.O. blog from NLB as well.

If you wish to borrow a copy of this “Pulitzer Prize” title (print or AV format), please check our online catalogue for its availability and holdings.

** All websites above are last accessed 18 Jun 2010 **

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

The Orange Prize for Fiction was first established in 1996. This is a unique prize as it was awarded to and judged exclusively by women.  You can find out more about this award and its  past winners here.

And now for the winner…*drumrolls*

Marilynne Robinson!    

She picked up the 2009 Orange Prize for Fiction for her work ‘Home’.  What is ‘Home’ about? As extracted from the book cover: ’Glory Boughton, age thirty eight, has returned to Gilead to care for her dying father. Soon her brother Jack – the prodigal son of the family, gone twenty years- comes home, too, looking for refuge and trying to make peace with a past littered with trouble and pain. Jack is one of the great characters in recent literature. A bad boy from childhood, an alcoholic who cannot a job, he is perpetually at odds with his surroundings and with his traditionalist father, though he remains Boughton’s most beloved child…’

 ’Home’ is available at our public libraries for borrowing. Please check our online catalogue for availability and locations.

  Answered by Yen Yen Toh, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

Recently a member of the public tried to remember a title of a book which he forgotten but vaguely remembers the plot. Based on his tweet entry, it’s known to be of thriller genre… Well, how then does one recall back such titles in his/her mind, especially for those fiction lovers when they have read heaps of fiction titles in the past?

Of course, besides asking around your friends and colleagues (ed: preferably those who are avid fiction readers!!) for help, one such tool you can use is AquaBrowser Library’s Fiction Connection. Besides the usual author, title, and publisher search, the interface allows you in addition to use by settings, time frame, genre and even by character traits.

Alternatively, you can also use EBSCOHost’s NoveList to assist your searching as well. It specifically has an option to allow you to enter keywords to search by story plots even. Most useful!!

** For the above mentioned tools, please access them from NLB’s eResources page. For Fiction Connection, you can access it from “Global Books-in-Print” Database. For NoveList, select “EBSCOHost NoveList” Database accordingly from the list of databases. Do note that GBIP Database is available for onsite access only at Lee Kong Chian Reference Library, whereas EBSCOHost NoveList can be accessed onsite at any of the 22 Public Library branches or remotely from home **

If you have any enquiries or comments, please drop us an email at ask@nlb.gov.sg and we will reply within 3 working days.

Posted by Mr Justin Tan
Librarian
Adult & Young People’s Services

1.
Title: Naked in Death
Author: JD Robb
Call No.: ROB
Summary: In the very first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Eve Dallas gets involved with Roarke, a suspect in her latest murder case. But passion and seduction have rules all their own.

2.
Title: Cover of Night
Author: Linda Howard
Call No.: HOW
Summary: In the charming rural town of Trail Stop, Idaho, accessible to the outside world by only a single road, young widow Cate Nightingale lives peacefully with her four-year-old twin boys, running a bed-and-breakfast. Though the overnight guests are few and far between–occasional hunters and lake fishermen–Cate always manages to make ends meet with the help of the local jack-of-all-trades, Calvin Harris, who can handle everything from carpentry to plumbing. But Calvin is not what he seems, and Cate’s luck is about to run out.
One morning, the B&B’s only guest inexplicably vanishes, leaving behind his personal effects. A few days later Cate is shocked when armed men storm the house, demanding the mystery man’s belongings. Fearing for her children’s lives, Cate agrees to cooperate–until Calvin saves the day, forcing the intruders to scatter into the surrounding woods.
The nightmare, however, is just beginning. Cate, Calvin, and their entire community find themselves cut off and alone with no means to call for help as the threat gathers intensity and first blood is drawn.
With their fellow residents trapped and the entire town held hostage, Cate and Calvin have no choice but to take the fight to their enemies under the cover of night. While reticent Cal becomes a fearless protector, Cate makes the most daring move of her life . . . into the very heart of danger.

3.
Title: Rumor Has It
Author: Tami Hoag
Summary: Katie Quaid could never refuse a dare. It was the quality that had once made her a world-class equestrian. And it was the reason she’d been elected to introduce herself to Briarwood’s intimidatingly gorgeous new resident. It took one week to make Nick Leone the focus of the Virginia town’s rumor mill. So far he was a CIA agent, a male model, a fugitive–maybe all three. Whatever Nick was, Katie learned one thing right away: she liked him. And that made him the greatest danger she’d faced since the accident that has ended her riding career.

4.
Title: Say Goodbye
Author: Lisa Gardner
Call No.: GAR
Summary: For Kimberly Quincy, FBI Special Agent, it all starts with a pregnant hooker. The story Delilah Rose tells Kimberly about her johns is too horrifying to be true–but prostitutes are disappearing, one by one, with no explanation, and no one but Kimberly seems to care.

5.
Title: Silent Thunder
author: Iris Johansen
Call No.: JOH
Summary: When her brother is killed, brilliant marine architect Hannah Bryson must discover the volatile mystery behind a decommissioned Soviet submarine, Silent Thunder, that was recently purchased by the U.S. government for use as a maritime museum. Though the U.S. government tries to warn Hannah away, she’ll stop at nothing to find the ruthless mastermind behind her brother’s death. Even if it means joining forces with a mysterious man who may be even more dangerous than the enemy she has sworn to bring down.

You may wish to use our online catalogue to check the locations and availabilities of the above titles.

  Answered by Ms Eleaner Ang, Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to ask@nlb.gov.sg instead of sending a comment

[Editor: Have you ever had the itch to want to go back a chapter and rewrite it because the ending of the book was not satisfying? What about staying in your seat until the last movie credits appear only because you were recovering from the disappointment of the movie’s last scene and wished the ending was different?

I experienced that last week when I watched the movie 'X-Men Origins:Wolverine'. The itch of wanting to change the ending was so strong especially how growing up, Gambit has always been my favourite X-men in the comics and cartoon series. For those who are planning to watch the film, I shall not spoil it for you. All I can say is the movie could have ended better!

This is why I love books from the 'Choose Your Own Adventure series'. You are less likely to feel let down by the ending because as the reader, you are given choices and can decide on the course of the story by turning to different pages. The series is interactive and written in a way that makes the reader play the role of the story’s main character. There are many possible endings and side stories. Some books have more than 100 alternatives.]

Here are some titles from the Choose Your Own Adventure series available in our libraries.
With so many endings to discover, the books are hard to put down and can occupy you for a long time.

Image source: //news.cnet.com/crave/?keyword=adventure

The abominable snowman By R.A. Montgomery
Call Number: J MON

Book Description:
Beware and Warning! This book is different from other books.
You and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens in this story.
There are dangers, choices, adventures, and consequences. YOU must use all of your numerous talents and much of your enormous intelligence. The wrong decision could end in disaster – even death. But, don’t despair. At any time, YOU can go back and make another choice, alter the path of your story, and change its result.
You and your best friend Carlos have traveled to Nepal in search of the fabled Yeti or abominable snowman. Last year while the two of you were mountain climbing in South America, a guide told you about the legendary creature and you haven’t stopped thinking about the Yeti since. Carlos arrived and went straight into the mountains when a Yeti sighting was reported. He hasn’t been heard from in three days. A late monsoon storm has moved in and the mountains are almost impassable. You know Carlos will depend on you to do the right thing. But what is it?

Image source: www.amazon.co.jp/Cup-Death-Choose-Your-Adventure/dp/1933390646

Cup of death By Shannon Gilligan
Call Number: J GIL

Book Description:
You are looking at another long, cold day of New Year’s vacation, when your good friend Kenichi calls to report the theft of a rare tea bowl from a famous tea ceremony school in Kyoto. You leap at the chance to hone your detective skills and help Kenichi’s brother. But several confrontations later, you realize you may be in over your head – as in glug, glug, glug…
Good luck!

Caravan By R.A. Montgomery
Call Number: JS MON

Book Description:
Have you ever read a book that’s about you? This book is!
You live in Tibet with your family. Once a year, your father travels with a caravan of people, ponies, camels, and dogs to far-away India. The caravan brings yak wool from Tibet and beautiful silks from China to India, where they are traded for spices and tea. Your father’s helper can’t join him this year – are you brave enough to take his place? The caravan crosses a dangerous mountain range, and travels through places very different from your home.
Do you join forces with another caravan?
Will you try to sneak past bandits in the night?
Can you trust an old man dressed like a monk?
YOU choose what happens next! Good luck…

All websites are last accessed on 28 May 2009. Please refer to the terms and conditions on the homepages for use.
All images and book descriptions are extracted from http://www.amazon.com unless otherwise stated
For the availability of the above book titles, please check the library catalogue.

Answered by Ms Farah Adilla Bte Abdullah
Librarian, Adult and Young People’s Services