It seems like every day brings a new health warning or piece of advice...Make sure you do this! Don't let that happen! Call your doctor to ask if this medication is appropriate for you! It can be overwhelming.

Each person is different, and that's where our Body & Soul collection can help. We have books and resources for children's health issues, adolescents, young or middle-aged adults, and seniors, all in one easy, browsable section. Whether you want a yoga DVD, the latest nutritional information, diet advice, research on a specific illness or condition, or help finding an excellent doctor, this is the place to start. We've taken some of our most popular health books and created a special display -- please stop by the 2nd floor and let us help you find peace of mind AND a sound body!

Photo by Flickr user Darwin Bell.

September 25-October 2 is Banned Books Week, and to celebrate we are proudly displaying books from our Classics and Nonfiction collections that have formerly been banned or challenged in America.

Banned Books Week began in 1982, and it has been held annually since then across the country.  To quote the American Library Association, this week, "highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States." (www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/bannedbooksweek/index.cfm)

Some titles may suprise you, and listed below are just a few examples of what you will see here on the second floor display: 

Image courtesy of Flickr user Karen Horton.

Autumn officially began last week on our calendars, but crunchy apples, colorful squash, and beautiful, shiny pumpkins have been tempting us at local farmers' markets and food stores for a while...what to do with all of that delicious fall bounty?

We have a great collection of books at Darien Library that give us plenty of recipe ideas for local produce and home-grown fruits and vegetables. Soups, crisp fruit pies and tarts, sandwiches, and piping-hot casseroles -- this is the time of year for comfort foods that bring us together and warm us up. Our list of recommended titles is just the start of what you'll see on our 2nd floor Harvest Cooking display table!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user NatalieMaynor.

Image courtesy of flickr user thetruthabout

One of the challenges many people face is what to do with all the stuff they have lying around, that they no longer need or use. Can this stuff be recycled, and more importantly, where can they take it?

Well, if you've got a smartphone (Android or iPhone), the FREE app My Recycle List takes the guesswork away. According to the website, the app lets users quickly find recycling locations nearby that accept items you pick from a list. Easily organize locations you want to use by adding them to your list. My Recycle List takes the pain out of recycling by making it easy to accomplish your recycling goals in the least amount of trips.

But hey, don't take my word for it. Head on over to the mobile section of  the website for details.

If you don't have a smartphone, not to worry — you can still use the 1800recycling.com website for information about where you can recycle various products.

So go ahead, get rid of that stuff!

Earlier this month, physicist Stephen Hawking made headlines when some of the theories from his new book, The Grand Design, were made public. Hawking has tackled one of the most basic questions in human history: How did we get here? He presents the argument that the universe began more or less spontaneously, without divine intervention or direction. Hawking also explores "M-theory," the still-evolving idea that our universe is simply one in a series, dispersed among different dimensions. Mind-boggling enough, but wait until you get to the part where he explains that each of these universes is a slightly different variation of ours, taking place somewhere beyond our perception.

Since he became a household name over two decades ago, Hawking has never shied away from controversy or slowed down in his pursuit of scientific knowledge. He's made physics accessible to millions and won international awards for his research, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. If you managed to get through A Brief History of Time (or even if you didn't and it's still sitting unopened on your coffee table), this is a more philosophical partner to that ground-breaking book, written for readers with curious minds who just may not happen to have a PhD in physics. The Grand Design is brilliant, shocking, and thought-provoking...believe it or not.

 To begin, simply text the keyword “AskDL” to 66746. A standard reply, asking the user to save the number as “AskDL,” will follow, creating quick and reliable access for text messaging with Darien Library. (Standard text rates apply.)

You'll find all the details right here.

Carrie Bradshaw has nothing on us! Fashion Week came to a close on September 16th, but you can still strut your stuff on the catwalk with these ready-to-wear reads:

(Flickr photo by Danzden)

Health and wellness are some of the most important things in life.  This list of books, featured in a book display this week, contains resources for maintaining healthy bodies, minds and lives, and for coping when illness strikes or life changes.  In addition to our print and electronic health resources, this fall Darien Library will add A Picture of Health, an extensive series of lectures, expert panels, computer workshops, and films, to our scheduled events. We will be offering sessions on a variety of health issues, including nutrition, stress management, personal safety for children & teens, pain management, holistic medicine, sleep disorders, and medication management.

According to Deborah Tannen, "they can be the best of conversations, they can be the worst of conversations." She is referring of course to mother-daughter relationships. Whether it is a new mother and baby, hip mom and teenager, or aging mother and adult child, these stories travel the path of a shared lifetime.

Featured as one of our recent book displays in the second floor non-fiction area, "Food for Thoght" provides both intellectual nourishment and, in this case, inspiration for a literal feast.  Food is so much a part of our daily lives and our cultures, and these books explore the food itself, it's history and it's meaning.  As Mark Kurlansky wrote:

"Food is about agriculture, about ecology, about man's relationship with nature, about the climate, about nation-building, cultural struggles, friends and enemies, alliances, wars, religion. It is about memory and tradition and, at times, even about sex."