Best Places
Every year "The Progressive Farmer" publishes a list of what they consider to be the best places to live in rural America. Looking at the Northeast region of the country, New York state garnered 37 spots in the top 100. Nine of the top 10 counties in the Northeast were in New York state. They were Montgomery County, Madison County, St. Lawrence County, Fulton County, Cayuga County, Herkimer County, Otsego County, Livingston County and Orleans County.
The ratings are based on home and land prices, crime rates, education, economic factors, the environment, and availability of health care, among others. If you'd like to look at all the ratings, visit their website at http://www.progressivefarmer.com/farmer/bestplaces/top10.html for more information. Of course, since we already live here, this isn't any news to us that it's a great place to live, right?
Fall Reading
"Pea in a Pod" by Linda Goldberg is a complete guide to pregnancy and childbirth. This book answers your most commonly asked questions, provides easy-to-follow exercise plans, gives guidelines for baby proofing the house, and has helpful tips for successful breast-feeding. There are hundreds of photos, graphs and other charts.
Public records abound throughout our country, but knowing exactly where to find the information you need can be difficult. "The Manual to Online Public Records" by Cynthia Hetherington and Michael Sankey is a guide to online resources of public records and information. The authors explain the basics of searching public records online, and how to use search engines for locating this information. To give you just a few examples, you can use this book to learn how to find copyright information, company information, military records, criminal records, genealogy records, court records and much more. State-by-state listings, along with the type of records available within each state, make this a very valuable resource.
Daria Gradov has never told her children or her neighbors who she really is. She claims to be the widow of a Russian immigrant but is really the daughter of Czar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra, grand Duchess Tatiana. In her youth she lived a life of comfort, but when war broke out the family was imprisoned. Tatiana saved the life of a young soldier and he in turn helped rescue the Imperial family from death. "The Tsarina's Daughter" by Carolly Erickson is for fans of historical novels.
John Chatterton and Richie Kohler are deep-sea divers who research sunken ships. Their latest exploit involved investigating the Titanic shipwreck. Based on evidence uncovered by these two, readers will learn of compromises that were made building the ship and how those decisions doomed most of the passengers. "Titanic's Last Secrets" by Bradford Matsen exposes a cover-up that had issues of greed, which was then passed off as business as usual.
Children will enjoy Jason Skog's "Dolphins." Did you know that dolphins love to chase ships and get in front of them to ride the waves as surfers do? Dolphins also have very sensitive skin just like humans and it can get scratched when they rub up against something rough. When a dolphin exhales, air leaves its blowhole at speeds more than 100 mph. They have great eyesight and hearing, too. Children and even adults will be amazed by these sea creatures.
When it's time to go to bed, old Best Bear is the best companion. With Best Bear in your arms you can face anything "" the dark, and other unknowns. "Best Bear" by Emma Dodd shows how a worn out old bear is the best thing in one little boy's life.
Library Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sunday.
Marie Bruni is director of Huntington Memorial Library in Oneonta. Her column appears in the community section of The Daily Star every Thursday.
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