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  • 93 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Riverdale, NJ 07457

Friday, December 28, 2012

What's your Reading Resolution?

What's your Reading Resolution? More books? More variety in your selections? Read the classics? Join a book club? Think about it, and have a happy and healthy New Year!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Holiday Hours

The holidays are fast approaching! Just  a reminder that we are closed on Monday, December 24, Tuesday, December 25, and Tuesday, January 1. We will be closing early on Monday, December 31, at 5 p.m.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Seasonal Reading and Media

Stop by our book and media display in our gallery. We've purchased many of the classic holiday movies for you to borrow, and we have fiction, and non-fiction titles to put you in the holiday mood.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Book Discussion Club Meeting Date in December

Because the 4th Monday of the month is Christmas Eve, the Riverdale Public Library Book Discussion will meet on Monday, December 17, at 6:30 p.m. Room by Emma Donaghue is the book selection for discussion. Copies of the book are available at the front desk.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Seasons Reading

Many authors like to put out a holiday title. Which ones? James Patterson, M.C. Beaton, Richard Paul Evans, Anne Perry, Debbie Macomer, Fern Michaels, and Melody Carson to name a few.

Whether heartfelt stories or a mystery (Mysterynet has a great list of Christmas mysteries), check our catalog for some readings to enhance the season  MAIN Catalog


Friday, November 2, 2012

National Book Awards

The National Book Awards will be announced on November 14, 2012.

Established in 1950, the National Book Award is an American literary prize given to writers by writers and administered by the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization.


The finalists for Fiction are:
Junot Díaz, This Is How You Lose Her (Riverhead Books, a member of Penguin Group USA, Inc.)
Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King (McSweeney's Books)
Louise Erdrich, The Round House (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk (Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers)
Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds (Little, Brown and Company)

For a complete list, check out The National Book Award

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Scare Yourself for Halloween

On display in our gallery are books and movies about ghosts, hauntings, vampires, etc. Visit our display, make a selection, and prepared to be scared.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Author Visit on Thursday, 10/25

Ghost Stories
What a great way to celebrate the Halloween season! Linda Zimmermann, ghost investigator, appears here on Thursday, 10/25 at 6:30.

Zimmermann has written many books on ghost appearances. in local haunts in Rockland County, and the Hudson Valley region, and across America. She is the author of more than 20 books.

This Thursday, she'll be discussing how she does ghost investigations, and will have books available for signing and purchase.

We have a number of her books in our library collection, available for borrowing.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Our Online Catalog

Riverdale Public Library is part of the Morris Automated Information Network, a consortium of 37 libraries. You can use your Riverdale Public Library card to order books from us or the other libraries, and have it delivered at your home library. Check out what's available through our online catalog.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

October Reads and Movies

Batty over Halloween?
Looking for a seasonal read - maybe a scary story or movie? Here's some great picks:

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films award the The Saturn Awards each year. The 2012 winner for Best Horror Thriller Film was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Other nominees were:
CONTAGION (Warner Bros.)
THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (Lionsgate)
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (Sony)
THE GREY   (Open Road Films)
TAKE SHELTER (Sony Pictures Classics)
THE THING (Universal)

A great list of classic scary movies, some based on real-life stories, can be found at Buzzle

You are sure to find a BOOk here!
In the mood for some midnight reading?
Check these sites for some books that may keep you awake...

Goodreads has lists, and more lists, of ghost stories, gothic novels, horror, vampires...and more. Goodreads describes themselves as "the largest site for readers and book recommendations in the world".

Booklicious blog is "all things books". Ten great classics are listed here.

 Monster Librarian reviews horror books for adults and young adults




Saturday, September 22, 2012

Book Discussion Group Meets Monday

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is the book discussion club selection for this month's meeting. Join us for the discussion on Monday, September 24, at 6:30 p.m.

What's up for October? Dracula by Bram Stoker. A must read  - widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time.  Castles, coffins and vampires - what's not to like in this gothic novel.
Join us for the discussion Monday, October 22, at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Movies on the Big Screen

Like a good movie and popcorn? We are showing "Big Miracle" on Friday, September 21 at 2 p.m.
Movies are shown on the big screen, and refreshments are served.

In small town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his ex-girlfriend - a Greenpeace volunteer - on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. \
Rated PG

Friday, September 7, 2012

Author Events at the Riverdale Public Library

Two authors are lined up for appearances this fall:

Linda Zimmermann, Ghost Investigator, and Author of more than 20 books discusses her latest book and ghost investigation, Thursday, October 25, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
A few titles Zimmermann has written- HVZA: Hudson Valley Zombie Apocalypse, Ghosts of Rockland County, Ghost Investigator Volumes 1 - 10, and Bad Science. Aside from the supernatural, Zimmermann also writes about the history of Rockland County, and has also published several Civil War history books.

Join us as award-winning columnist, and author, Rob Errera, presents information about his book, Autism Dad, on Wednesday, November 14, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Learn about raising an autistic child from a father’s perspective.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Are you getting our suggestions for great reads?

Each month we can email you highlights from our new acquisitions. You can click on the links in the email that go directly to our catalog, where you can put a request in for the title.

Through our library consortium, you can subscribe to email newsletters for Mysteries, New Fiction Bestsellers, Books on the Air, and other great categories. Each email has links to our catalog, so you can request titles. How easy is that, to find your next great read!

Sign up for the email newsletters at Bookletters

Friday, August 10, 2012

September is a Big Month for New Books

Many new books are published in September. Check out our automatic ordering list, found in our New Books section.

We have many authors we know our patrons like, and we arrange to purchase their new books automatically.

We are notified months in advance as to what books will be published by these authors.

Check the list to see what's coming, and place your requests with the circulation desk. We'll put a hold on it for you so you are at the top of the waiting list for what are sure to be popular books.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Awards for Best Thrillers

Are you a fan of Lee Childs, Stephen King, Catherine Coulter, or other writers of thrillers?

Annual awards are made by the International Thriller Writers Association at their July conference.

The awards for 2012 are:


Best Hard Cover Novel:
11/23/63, Stephen King (Scribner)

Best Paperback Original Novel:
THE LAST MINUTE, Jeff Abbott (Sphere/Little, Brown UK)

Best First Novel:
SPIRAL, Paul McEuen (The Dial Press)

Best Short Story:
HALF-LIVES, Tim L. Williams (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Also receiving special recognition during the ThrillerFest VI Awards Banquet:

Jack Higgins, ThrillerMaster
in recognition of his legendary career and outstanding contributions to the thriller genre

Ann Rule, True Thriller Award

Richard North Patterson, Silver Bullet Award

See past winners and get more information at ThrillerFest.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Book Discussion Group Meets Monday

Why a book discussion group? Great fellowship and refreshments, lively discussion, and the commitment to reading - some of the reasons people say why they've joined a book group.

This Monday, the group discusses Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

Join us ! New members are always welcome.

Friday, July 13, 2012

In the mood for a movie...

Sometimes it's just too hot to be outside! Cool off inside and watch a great movie. Borrow our movies for 7 days (some juvenile movies go out for two weeks). You can borrow up to 5 movies on an adult card. We have recent hit movies, classics you may want to see again, and many television series on dvd.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Personal Journaling

Do you want to put your thoughts on paper? Creating a journal can help you develop the writing habit. Many find a journal helps them get in touch with emotions, and sort our their feelings.

Join Emil Vernarec on Saturday, July 28, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. as he leads a workshop for the would-be journal-er.

Call to register (973) 835-5044 or register online at www.riverdalelibrary.org

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Keeping the Books Coming...

I hope you are using our reader advisory tools in our catalog and online on our website. When you do, you'll find many titles that sound great. Maybe too many. You don't want to request them all now, but you don't want to forget to order them in the future.
Or you want to make sure you have something great to read on vacation, but don't want it to come in yet.  To control the timing of books coming in for you, stagger the books you request from our catalog....

When placing your hold, put a future activation date for the hold. For instance, I saw a  favorable review about  Wicked Autumn by G. M. Malliet. Sounds like the perfect read for late September, early October. When I requested it through our catalog, I put an activation date of September 15.

You can stagger your requests so you always have something to read, but don't feel you're overwhelmed.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Book Discussion Club Announces July Selection

"In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, "old same," in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she's painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart."

Join the Riverdale Book Discussion Group on July 23 at 6:30 p.m. for a great discussion and refreshments.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Summer Reading

Summertime and the reading is easy....
Summer often brings more leisure time, and therefore more time for enjoying a book.


We've recently added some great summertime reads to our fiction collection, like Summer Breeze : [a novel] by Nancy Thayer, A Killing Coast : a DI Horton mystery by Pauline Rowson,  and Grey Expectations by Clea Simon.

Want to browse a list of recommended beach reads? Here are two sources:

Oprah's Summer Reading List

National Public Radio's Summer Reading 

And of course, ask us for reading recommendations! You can be sure we'll find you something you'll enjoy.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Book Discussion in June

Devil in the White City


Erik Larson—author of #1 bestseller In the Garden of Beasts—intertwines the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

Join us on Monday, June 25 at 6:30 for an interesting discussion, fellowship, and refreshments!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Summer Reading

Our summer reading programs are scheduled, and we have a lot! planned.
Early Literacy program
Dream Big - Read! for students entering Kindergarten through 5th grade
Own the Night! for students entering 6 through 12 grade

See our website for program descriptions, online registration, and program brochures to view or download.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to our patrons!

Buying Mom a Kindle or other e-reader? Library books are available for downloading.

See us for tech support if downloading seems confusing - we have how-to handouts, and can assist in setting up the e-reader for library downloads.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Staff Picks

On display at the library: Staff selections of their favorite books.

We have access to so many books and reader's guides. See what we have been able to find, and think you'll enjoy!

On display through the month of May.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Library E-Book Seminar

There's still room in the Monday, April 30, 6:30 p.m.  informational workshop on library e-books. Learn to search the DigitalLibraryNJ catalog, "check out" a title, and prepare your e-reader to download your selection. Tips and tricks handout.
Register online or call 973-835-5044.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Pulitzer Prize Awards 2012

Pulitzer Prize winners  were announced on Monday. Here are the results for Letters and Drama:


Fiction --No Award (the last time was 1977 that there was no award for Fiction)
Drama --Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes
History --Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by the late Manning Marable (Viking)
Biography --George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis (The Penguin Press)
Poetry --Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith (Graywolf Press)
General Nonfiction --The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton and Company)




See awards press release at http://www.pulitzer.org/files/2012/longlist2012.pdf

Friday, April 13, 2012

A New Feature in our Library Catalog

Want to see what's new at the Riverdale Public Library? In the library catalog, click on New Titles in the navigation bar at the left side of the screen. You have four choices: New Books, New Videos, New Sound Recordings and New Large Print.

Click on one of these choices, and see what's been added into our collection in the last 31 days.



Thursday, April 5, 2012

April Book Discussion

Join us for a great discussion and refreshments on Monday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. We'll be talking about Wedding in December by Anita Shreve. The author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Light on Snow" returns with a powerful new novel about old friends, a wedding, and a gathering that will change their lives.
Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Hunger Games, the movie blockbuster, is the first book in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins (Catching Fire, and Mockingjay are the other two books).

How did I know? I checked Novelist, a database available to our library patrons. Check out your favorite authors, series, author read-alikes, plot lines you would like to read, etc.

Use Novelist, and you'll never be at a loss as to what to read next.

You can access Novelist from out library catalog, or from the Riverdale Public Library website, or click here

Saturday, March 24, 2012

This is it! The annual Friends of the Riverdale Public Library Book Sale.

Haven't gone yet? There is still tomorrow, from noon to 3 p.m. to buy great books at great prices - music and movies, too!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Looking for something "Irish" to read?

Here are a few fiction titles in our collection with a plot set in Ireland:

The Dublin Saga series by Edward Rutherfurd
Ghost Light by Joseph O'Connor
Ireland by Frank Delaney
Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchey
The Night Swimmer by Chris Bondurant
On an Irish Island by Robert Kanigel

Only a few of the "green" titles we own. Stop by and see us for a recommendation!


Friday, March 9, 2012

The Breakfast Book Club

Our Breakfast Book Club, for children in grades 2-4, meets every other month. Here is how it works:
  • Stop in for your copy of the book to keep! Generously provided by the Friends of the Riverdale Public Library
  • Read the book
  • Join us for a potluck breakfast to discuss the book, and do a craft.
The Breakfast Book Club will meet Saturday, March 17 at 10:15. The book for discussion is March Mischief by Ron Roy, a volume in the Calendar Mysteries series.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” 
 - from Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday to You!


Saturday, February 25, 2012

Bestsellers

Have you checked the best sellers lists in our New Book room? We post the week's  New York Time's bestseller lists for fiction and non-fiction, and check mark which books are in our collection. Check out what's on the list - it may sound like a great read for you.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Book Page

BookPage is available at the library, through the generosity of the Friends of the Riverdale Public Library. BookPage is a great resource for finding your next good read.

The editors of BookPage review what they think are the best books published each month in a variety of categories.

Whether you are looking for a whodunit, romance, or a cookbook, you are sure to find something you'd like to read.

Stop by and pick up a copy.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Donations Accepted for the Friends of the Library Book Sale

Donations are now being accepted for the Friends of the Riverdale Public Library Book Sale.
Hardcover or paperback books in good condition, music on CD's, and DVD movies are welcome.

Mark your calendar for the Book Sale! Friday, March 23, 4 - 8 p.m., Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Our Book Club Announces Their Selections

The Riverdale Public Library Book Discussion Club is a great group! Join them for the upcoming discussions. Sign up by calling the library at 973-835-5400 or register online at www.riverdalelibrary.org

Book club books are available at the front desk.

February 27 – The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Steig Larsson

March 19 – The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis

April 16 – Wedding in December by Anita Shreve

May 21 – Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford

June 18 – Devil in the White City by Erik Larson


The group will select the July - December books later in the  year.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

American Library Association Book and Media Awards

The American Library Association announced the winners of the  2012 Book and Media Awards  on Monday, January 23rd.

Click here to see the winners.

Friday, January 13, 2012

eBooks at the Library

Our class this week "eBook Lesson" was well-attended. Many of our patrons now own an eReader, and are learning to download eBooks through the library.

Did you miss the class? Call the library at (973) 835-5044 and arrange a one-on-one consultation on downloading eBooks to your reader.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Upcoming Book Discussion

It's a New Year! Is it your year to join a book discussion group?
Join us at the next meeting of the Riverdale Library Book Discussion Group on Monday, January 16, at 6:30 p.m. We'll be discussing The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson.