Did you know that September is Library Card Sign-up Month? During this time every year, libraries and librarians do their best to remind their communities of the power a library card holds, and of the many ways they can use it.

Staff members from our library will be in a couple different spots in town in the next week to promote library cards, so get ready!! Tonight (September 7th) at dusk, weather permitting, Brownsburg Parks and Recreation will be showing The Lorax out on the front lawn of Brownsburg Town Hall. You will see our table set up, where people can enter a drawing for a $10 gift card from Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt, and also sign-up for a library card (that is not required to enter the drawing). The drawing will take place after the movie but you do not need to be present to win.

On Friday September 14th, our staff will be present at the Brownsburg High School football game against Avon. We’ll have a drawing for a Brownsburg Athletics sweatshirt (Large) and a $10 gift card from Orange Leaf—two separate winners. Winners will be announced at the end of the third quarter, but you do not need to be present to win. Once again people can sign-up for a library card at the table.

In the column to your right, you'll find a slidehow featuring 60 ways to use your library card. Enjoy, and as always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at (317) 852-3167 or askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us.

Next Good Reads...on Goodreads!

There are so many books that come out every month, I quickly get distracted with my current list of books to read...scratch some off, add more, forget about others. Believe it or not, I have actually gotten better about keeping things organized. My Goodreads account has really helped me do that. If you are not familiar with it, Goodreads is a social cataloging website that you can use to keep track of what you have read, what you are currently reading, and what you would like to read in the future. You can use it to group your books by genre, rate and review them, and to connect with others who have read similar books. It is sort of like Facebook for book lovers!!

Below are just a few of the books that are on my to-read list. What are you looking forward to reading next?? Comment below!

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball (Request this item)

In this book, Kimball chronicles a year of her life on her (and her husband's) sustainable farm. I live in the city, but an urban farm is something I long to have (chickens and all!), and I'm betting this book will inspire me to create it.

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin

The first in a trilogy, this book follows the adventures of a young wizard named Ged. Wizards, dragons, magicians...count me in! 

Dearie: The remarkable life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz (Request the book cd)

Julia Child is a huge inspiration to me. In fact, I just hung up a pegboard to display our pots, pans, and kitchen utensils, ala Julia Child (if you have never seen pictures of her kitchen, take a look!). I am very much looking forward to this audiobook-will make for a great car ride!.

Late Summer Gardening

Did you know that you can still plant certain vegetables in late summer and even into September? While I am no gardening expert myself, I have come to learn, with the help of a very knowledgeable mother, that swiss chard, green onions, peas, radishes, and more can survive the frost and some lower temperatures. The key is knowing both how long crops take to mature, as well as the average first killing frost in your area. Check out a few of our gardening books below, or contact us to find out what else we have, at (317)852-3167 option 2 or askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us.

Nothing beats the taste of vegetables from a home garden, and with Vegetable Gardening it's never been easier. With over 80 varieties of vegetables to choose from, eating delicious, just-picked produce is a snap. Learn every step of creating and maintaining a cornucopia of garden-fresh vegetables: from choosing and planning your plot, preparing the soil, selecting seeds or cultivating seedlings, proper watering, harvesting, and storing. From composting and mulching to caring for and harvesting vegetables, it's clear that most gardeners want to use organic methods and avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But what happens when things go wrong and organic solutions don't seem to be working? The two authors of this book have different answers to this question. Jane Courtier takes the view that organic methods are the "first, best choice," but she occasionally uses chemical fertilizer and will resort to chemical pesticides if a serious problem arises. Fern Marshall Bradley writes from the viewpoint of a longtime organic gardener who's chosen to never use any chemicals in her garden. Together they've created a book that looks at vegetable gardening from both points of view. There are substantive issues on both sides-and in the end, it's an individual choice. Let them help you make up your own mind! Request this item 

More and more home gardeners are discovering the rewards of growing their own vegetables. But along with the pleasures of homegrown produce come a host of problems: bugs, diseases, and mysterious ailments that don't have an obvious cause. What's a gardener to do? Don't panic — help is at hand. What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? teaches you how to keep your vegetables healthy so they're less susceptible to attack, and when problems do occur, it shows you how to recognize the problem and find the right organic solution. Among the book's highlights are: Clear information about how to team with nature to create the best growing conditions for your vegetables. Detailed portraits of the most commonly grown vegetables, including growth habit; information on the plant's season; temperature, soil, light, and water requirements; and best garden uses and planting techniques. Illustrated problem-solving guides that enable you to identify at a glance what's ailing your plant. Discussions of the most effective organic solutions, ranging from how to modify the growing conditions in your garden to how to cope with and eliminate specific pests and diseases. If you care about raising the freshest, healthiest, most problem-free vegetables possible, then What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? will quickly become one of your most essential tools. Request this item

 

More and more, people are demanding fresh foods free from toxic chemicals--so this book on growing organic vegetables at home couldn't be timelier. Whether the gardener has a spacious suburban yard or a small city windowsill, all the necessary information and inspiration is here--from choosing the hardiest, most nutritious varieties to harvesting the crop. There's also vital instruction on getting ready for spring by starting plants indoors, and using safe, natural methods for dealing with pests and diseases. Request this item

Camping

I have such fond memories of going camping with my family growing up...campfires, hiking, and smores of course! It is still an activity that I try to sneak in on a weekend here and there, and one that can likely be done into the Fall season, with as warm as it's been. So far I've only been to Turkey Run, Mounds State Park, Brown County, and Clifty Falls...so I have a lot yet to explore!

If you're looking for a good location to take your family or friends camping, check out the Indiana State Parks site, where you can search depending on what type of camping you're interested in. Tent? RV? Cabin? And you can limit it to locations near Brownsburg or whichever city you are wanting to camp near. You can also find camping and state park info at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources site, such as park entrance fees, and even camping etiquette!

But before you pack up that tent, you'll want to check out some books from our collection! Find out what gear and tools you'll need to handle various situations, as well as ideas for games, outdoor activities, and campfire recipes! Call us at (317) 852-3167 option 2 if you have any questions, or e-mail us at askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us. What are your favorite Indiana camping spots?

Plan your family camping adventure! Whether you're a first-time camper or a veteran backpacker befuddled by the challenges of carting a brood--and all the requisite gear--into the great outdoors, here you'll find all the tips and tools you need to plan the perfect nature adventure with your family. Humorous and irreverent, yet always authoritative, this guide to camping with kids, from babies through pre-teens, is filled with checklists, smart tips, recipes, games, activities, and art projects. Helen Olsson, a seasoned camper and mother of three, shares lessons learned over the years of nature outings with her own family. Learn the basics of family camping, from choosing a destination and packing gear to setting up a campsite and keeping little ones safe. Create the perfect camp menu with simple and tasty recipe ideas. Discover foolproof tips and tactics for keeping kids happy and entertained while hiking. Explore nature through clever and creative camp arts and craft projects. This guide is your game plan to unplugging from the digital world and connecting your kids to nature. Whether it's roasting marshmallows around a crackling campfire or stretching out on a camp mat to gaze at the stars, the memories you'll be making will last a lifetime. Request this item

The Happy Camper is a comprehensive, heavily illustrated, highly entertaining compendium of basic wilderness instruction and well-tested campsite advice. One of North America's top canoeing and outdoors experts, Kevin Callan explains how to get the most from your camping experience -- no matter where you pitch your tent, what you forgot to pack or what the weather. Step-by-step, the book shows: How to plan a trip for a day or even a few weeks, How to pack only what is needed, How to beat the bugs, stake a tent, build a fire, ward off unwanted wildlife, paddle a canoe and much more. Other crucial topics include: Choosing the perfect campsite, Using maps and compasses, Camp cooking, Camping with dogs and kids, Bruises, blisters and Band-Aids, Canoe and kayak camping, Wilderness photography, and Cold-weather camping. Request this item

From "Commissioner's French Toast" to "Chicken Dutchiladas," The Scout's Dutch Oven Cookbook highlights hand-picked outdoor recipes, plus cooking methods and tips for a Scout-friendly cooking experience. This is the must-have resource for Dutch oven cooking in the outdoors, whether you're a Scout, hiker, camper, canoer, kayaker--or anyone who eats in the wilderness. Request this item

From "Glacier's Edge Burritos" to "Dirty Socks Peach Cobbler," The Scout's Backpacking Cookbook highlights hand-picked outdoor recipes, plus cooking methods and tips for a Scout-friendly cooking experience. This is the must-have resource for cooking in the outdoors, whether you're a Scout, hiker, backpacker, camper--or anyone who eats in the wilderness. Request this item

There is a movement upon us and it's full of parents who refuse to let their children become a statistic of childhood obesity, and who understand the fate of the environment rests with connecting their kids with the outdoors. Outdoors Parents, Outdoor Kids shines a much needed headlamp on helping parents accomplish this and more. With an informative and entertaining look at biking, camping, swimming, paddling, snowsports, hiking, fishing, climbing and more, award-winning author Eugene Buchanan extends parents a helping hand in getting their kids outside and instilling in them a respect for their health and the environment. It's a set of training wheels for first-time parents and an essential guide for hair-pulling veterans. Request this item

Back to School Reads for Adults

Whether you dread back to school time or can't wait for it to arrive...it's here! Below are a few Adult Fiction titles about school to get you in the mood for studying, secret societies, and...ghosts??? Call (317) 852-3167 option 2 for more info, or message us at askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us. What other school-themed titles would you suggest for Adults? Comment below!

"Do you know what it took for Socrates' enemies to make him stop pursuing the truth?" "Hemlock." Storied, fiercely competitive Mariana Academy was founded with a serious honor code; its reputation has been unsullied for decades. Now a long-dormant secret society, Prisom's Party, threatens its placid halls with vigilante justice, exposing students and teachers alike for even the most minor infraction. Iris Dupont, a budding journalist whose only confidant is the chain-smoking specter of Edward R. Murrow, feels sure she can break into the ranks of The Devil's Advocate , the Party's underground newspaper, and there uncover the source of its blackmail schemes and vilifying rumors. Some involve the school's new science teacher, who also seems to be investigating the Party. Others point to an albino student who left school abruptly ten years before, never to return. And everything connects to a rare book called Marvelous Species . But the truth comes with its own dangers, and Iris is torn between her allegiances, her reporter's instinct, and her own troubled past. The Year of the Gadfly is an exhilarating journey of double-crosses, deeply buried secrets, and the lifelong reverberations of losing someone you love. Following in the tradition of classic school novels such as A Separate Peace , Prep , and The Secret History , it reminds us how these years haunt our lives forever. Request this item

A warm June evening, a local tradition: the students of Nantucket High have gathered for a bonfire on the beach. But what begins as a graduation night celebration ends in tragedy after a horrible car crash leaves the driver of the car, Penny Alistair, dead, and her twin brother in a coma. The other passengers, Penny's boyfriend Jake and her friend Demeter, are physically unhurt - but the emotional damage is overwhelming, and questions linger about what happened before Penny took the wheel. As summer unfolds, startling truths are revealed about the survivors and their parents - secrets kept, promises broken, hearts betrayed. Elin Hilderbrand explores the power of community, family, and honesty, and proves that even from the ashes of sorrow, new love can still take flight. Request this item

Set in a four-hundred-year-old boys' boarding school in London, a chilling gothic thriller by the author of the critically acclaimed A Good and Happy Child . . . A fierce and jealous ghost . . . A young man's fight for his life . . . The Harrow School is home to privileged adolescents known as much for their distinctive dress and traditions as for their arrogance and schoolboy cruelty. Seventeen-year-old American Andrew Taylor is enrolled in the esteemed British institution by his father, who hopes that the school's discipline will put some distance between his son and his troubled past in the States. But trouble danger seem to follow Andrew. When one of his schoolmates and friends dies mysteriously of a severe pulmonary illness, Andrew is blamed and is soon an outcast, spurned by nearly all his peers. And there is the pale, strange boy who begins to visit him at night. Either Andrew is losing his mind, or the house legend about his dormitory being haunted is true. When the school's poet-in-residence, Piers Fawkes, is commissioned to write a play about Byron, one of Harrow's most famous alumni, he casts Andrew in the title role. Andrew begins to discover uncanny links between himself and the renowned poet. In his loneliness and isolation, Andrew becomes obsessed with Lord Byron's story and the poet's status not only as a literary genius and infamous seducer but as a student at the very different Harrow of two centuries prior'a place rife with violence, squalor, incurable diseases, and tormented love affairs. When frightening and tragic events from that long-ago past start to recur in Harrow's present, and when the dark and deadly specter by whom Andrew's been haunted seems to be all too real, Andrew is forced to solve a two-hundred-year-old literary mystery that threatens the lives of his friends and his teachers'and, most terrifyingly, his own. Request this item

Downton Abbey Readalikes

Have you heard about Downton Abbey? It's all the rage! It is a PBS television series which follows the lives of those at the Downton Abbey Estate - the Crawley family and the various staff members who work for them. The first season begins right after the great tragedy of the Titanic, an event which creates a crisis of inheritance amongst the Crawley family. Season 2 lets us in on how the family is affected by the Great War, while Season 3 takes us into their lives after the war, amidst great social changes and romantic drama. Below is an image of the main building featured on the television show as being part of the Downton Abbey Estate, which is actually the Highclere Castle in Hampshire, UK.

Highclere Castle (Hampshire, UK) is the main setting for Downton Abbey.

If this sounds like something you would enjoy, then perhaps you might want to try some of our Downton Abbey Readalikes, suggested by Jesse, one of our very talented librarians. She has been creating a number of wonderfully helpful Readalike bookmarks based on various authors and series, which are meant to help you find your next great read. These can be found on top of our NEW bookshelves, but just ask a Librarian for help if you cannot find them. If you have any questions contact us at (317) 852-3167 option 2, or askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us.

Downton Abbey Readalikes:

A.S. Byatt

The Children’s Book

FIC BYA

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Jude Deveraux

Remembrance

LP FIC DEV

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Ken Follett

Fall of Giants

FIC FOL

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E.M. Forster

Howard’s End

FIC FOR

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John Galsworthy

Forsyte Saga

FIC GAL

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Anna Godbersen

The Luxe

YA FIC GOD

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Daisy Goodwin

The American Heiress

FIC GOO

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Kazuo Ishiguo

The Remains of the Day

FIC ISH

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Kate Morton

The House at Riverton

FIC MOR

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Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited

FIC WAU

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Edith Wharton

The Buccaneers

FIC WHA

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Are you ready for Batman?

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters this Friday, July 20th...are you going to see it? I know I can't wait! If you are just as excited as I am, or are a Batman-iac, then you may be interested in some of the Batman-related materials we have here at the library. If you have any questions or requests, contact us at (317)852-3167 option 2 or askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us.

The Golden Age of Batman: the greatest covers of Detective comics from the 30s to the 50s
741.5 GOL - Request this item

The Dark Knight
by Dennis O'Neil
FIC O'NE - Request this item

Batman: the ultimate evil
by Andrew Vachss
FIC VAC - Request this item