Celebrate "Bless Me, Ultima" as a Community

Rudolfo Anaya's novel Bless Me, Ultima has recently been adapted into a film. The Plaza Theater will host the movie's worldwide premiere on September 17, and it will then be released in area theaters on September 21. In anticipation of the movie, the El Paso Public Library has partnered with CommUNITY en ACCION to create a community-wide reading event to promote literacy and celebrate this classic novel.

Read the Book
Extra copies of the novel have been purchased for the library system and Sun Metro. A limited number will be available on various bus routes (read the press release here). Bless Me, Ultima will be available in English and Spanish at all library locations, but if they are all checked out, you can request a copy here.

Attend a Program
The Dorris Van Doren Library will have a special presentation entitled The Medicinal Herbs of Bless Me, Ultima this Saturday, September 15 at 2 pm.  Jose O. Rivera, Pharm.D. and Armando Enrique Gonzalez-Stuart, Ph.D (Alt. Med.) will discuss the healing properties of local plants and herbs.

eReader Raffle!
Win a free eReader by entering our essay raffle each week! We have already had 3 winners, but there are still 3 more chances to win. Just read the book, answer a short essay question, and you'll be entered into the raffle. Enter online by clicking the links below or pick up and submit your entry at any library location. Entries are due on Saturdays and winners are drawn on Wednesdays.

Question 4 deadline is September 15, 2012:
English
Espanol
Question 5 deadline is September 22, 2012:
English
Espanol
Question 6 deadline is September 29, 2012:
English
Espanol

Read Essays by Local Authors
The El Paso Times is also participating by running guest essays in the Sunday issue:

• Ultima the Healer by Denise Chavez (8/19) 
• Like Characters in Bless Me, Ultima, El Paso isn't Easily Defined by Cecilia Weddell (8/26) 
• Bless Me, Ultima Also Helped Guide Us to This Place by Bobby Byrd (9/2)
• Bless Me, Ultima is Story of Faith vs. Evil, Never of Satanism by Felipe de Ortego y Gasca (9/9)
• How 'Ultima' Changed Course of This Writer's Life by Daniel Chacon (9/16)

Watch and Listen to local celebrities read from the book here.

Watch the Movie Trailer:

Visit the official site.

Cook the Book Club: July/August

July

You would think that a cookbook of salads would make for one boring and unfulfilling potluck, but quite the opposite occurred. A medley of fresh and flavorful salads abounded that included leafy greens, legumes, pasta, potatoes, and fruit. You really need to check this cookbook out! Each recipe is accompanied by a beautiful photograph, and the recipes have creative and unlikely flavor combinations. Reserve a copy by clicking here. The only problem that our group encountered was the lengthy amount of preparation time that went into the recipes. Also, some ingredients were expensive, but were easily substituted without compromising any flavors.

Top, left to right: Cooking Light Big Book of Salads, BLT Bread Salad, Candied Walnut, Pear, & Leafy Green Salad.
Middle, left to right: Farmers' Market Potato Salad, Pasta Salad w/Green Beans, Pistachios, & Lemon Thyme, Grilled Peppers & Lentil Salad.
Bottom, left to right: Romano Bean Salad, Romaine Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette, Winter Jeweled Salad.

August

We're trying something different this month by allowing participants to vote for this month's featured cookbook. Stop by the information desk to peruse the three selected titles, then vote for your favorite one by August 6.

Perfect Ten

Happy 10 Year Anniversary 

to The Bookmark!!!

The Friends of the Westside Libraries group is a non-profit organization that raises funds for all four Westside region public libraries, including the Dorris Van Doren Regional Branch library. Funds are raised through donations and sales from their bookstore, The Bookmark. 

The Bookmark is a gem of a used bookstore that sells books, magazines, CDs, and more. Most of the books are in excellent condition, and are even recent bestsellers or popular titles. If you haven't visited the Bookmark, now's the perfect time to go! To celebrate their anniversary, they are having a 50% off sale on everything in the store. Hurry, the sale ends tomorrow, July 21!

They are located at 7348 Remcon Circle, across from the post office.
Phone#: 833-2342
Hours:
Wednesdays 3pm-6 pm
Thursdays 9am-3pm
Fridays 3pm-8pm
Saturdays 9am-3pm

Check out their great selection! Book and magazine donations are gratefully accepted. You can become a member for only $5 a year and receive 10% off all purchases.

Cook the Book Club: June/July

What looked like a good cookbook full of colorful pictures and potluck friendly recipes turned out to be a bit of a miss. Everyone had a hard time selecting a recipe and agreed they didn't much care for the cookbook. Nigella's newest cookbook was oddly organized and many of the recipes contained hard to find ingredients. Nonetheless, good food and conversation was shared by all.

Big thanks to Lizzie for taking pictures!

It's been so hot lately, I doubt anybody has felt like cooking or being near a stove. This month's selection is perfectly seasonal and the latest offering from Cooking Light Magazine. Big Book of Salads contains over 150 recipes for starters, sides, and easy weeknight dinners.

Sign up for this month's potluck by Monday, July 16. By the way, Dorothy had the fantastic idea of bringing several storage containers. We almost always have more than enough food, so feel free to bring your own containers to take home any leftovers.

Get a Clue @ Your Library!

We can't believe that we're already halfway through our Summer Reading Club, but don't worry there's still time for children and teens to register! The last day to register is July 7, 2012 and the last day to turn in reading logs is July 14, 2012. After registering, participants must read (or be read to) a minimum of 8 books or for 8 hours.

There are also still plenty of fun programs left to attend!

For children of all ages on Saturdays @ 1:00 pm:
June 30 Desert Weeds Printmaking by Oscar Moya
July 7 Special storytime and meet & greet with Chet Gecko
July 14 EP Police Department K9 Unit Presentation
Closing parties with Randy Collins (magician):

• Wednesday, July 18 @ 5:00 pm: Awarding of certificates for last names A-M (begins at 4:30 pm & continues after the program).
• Saturday, July 21 @ 1:00 pm: Awarding of certificates for last names N-Z (begins at 12:30 pm & continues after the program).

For teens on Tuesdays (crafts) and Thursdays (video games) @ 4:30 pm:
July 3 Make Paper Lanterns
July 10 Make & Eat Onigiri (Japanese rice balls)
July 17 Make Shredded Paper Bowls
Thursday, July 26 @ 4:30 pm: Mad Hatter Tea Party (crafts & awards)

Don't forget to turn in your reading logs to help us reach our goal of 7,000 books read!

Cook the Book Club May/June

Last month's Cook the Book Club had a good variety of delicious dishes, and a few new faces! We even had a discussion about organic and raw foods. Did you know that you can order and pick up harvest boxes of regional organic produce from Skarsgard Farms? Check out their website for more info.

Join us on Saturday, June 23 at 2 pm for our next Cook the Club potluck. This month's featured cookbook is Nigella Kitchen. Don't forget to choose a recipe and sign up by Monday, June 18 at the Information Desk.

Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

The Recipes (click each title to get the recipe):
Chickpea Snack, p. 48
Vegetable Quesadillas with Corn Relish
Kale Salad, p. 120
Pasta with Peas & Ricotta
Quick Navy Bean Stew, p. 97
Teriyaki Tofu
Stuffed Poblanos
Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, & Cilantro
Creamy Lemon Squares, p. 346

Summer Reading Kickoff!

It isn't officially summer yet and for most, school hasn't let out, but the library is ready for its annual summer reading club program! Beginning this Saturday, children and teens can register for the summer reading program up until July 7. Infants on up to teenagers will be required to read (or be read to) a minimum of either 8 books or for 8 hours in order to get prizes, a certificate, and goodie bag. For more information, visit the library's website at elpasolibrary.org. You can also download the children's events brochure here. Don't forget, all events are free!

Saturday, June 2 @ 1 pm: Kickoff: Asombro Animal Adaptations Presentation
The children's summer reading kickoff event will feature a special science presentation from the Asombro Institute (formerly the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park). Learn about the interesting animals around us and the differences between physical and behavorial adaptations in animals.

Saturday, June 2 from 6-10 pm: TeenFest 2012
The teen's summer reading kickoff event will feature an after hours indoor/outdoor festival of art, games, crafts, info booths, and music. Local band Skunk will perform at 8 pm.