The Meeting of the (Mark) Twain

Mark Twain visited the Mentor Public Library last week. (Apparently the rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated.)

Twain was gracious enough to answer a few of our questions before speaking at the library.

For more information on visiting authors--both the living and the posthumous--visit www.mentorpl.org.

Get your controllers ready for International Games Day at Mentor Library

Teens compete in Super Smash Bros during Mentor Library's Wii Wednesday.

When you think of the library, you think of books, right?

There's nothing wrong with that. We love books.

We love music and movies too.

But we also love—and this is one that people forget—video games.

That's the big reason we're participating in International Games Day, which is Saturday, Nov. 16, at Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch. 

Gamers from 12 to 18 years old can come to the library from 1 to 3 p.m. that day and compete in Super Smash Bros Brawl and Mario Kart tournaments with teens from 1,400 libraries across the United States and world.

It'll be a lot of fun, and it will also give teens a chance to connect with people from around the world.

In addition to video games, there will also be board games—including Ticket to Ride, Gloom, Tapple, Cross Ways and Rodeo Rummy—throughout the library that people can play.

(If you love board games, but haven't really tried anything beyond the staples—Monopoly, Scrabble and the like—you owe it to yourself to try some of these newer games.)

By the way gamers, we circulate PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii games at the library. So after International Games Day, you can check a couple of cartridges out. (Do they still call them cartridges? I feel old.)

Teens can register for the Wii tournaments on the library’s website or by calling 440-255-8811 ext. 215.

Commemorating Veterans Day at IndieFlix

Mentor Public Library is closed today in honor of Veterans Day; but, like I've said before, you still have access to all sorts of movies, books and music even when the library's buildings are closed.

Specifically, IndieFlix has several films and documentaries that are appropriate reminders of what today is all about. You can stream the videos to your computer, tablet or phone for free with a library card.

They include:

1) Coming Home (14 min) Ages 13+
This moving personal documentary was made by Vietnam War veteran Herb Sennett. I learned that if I am not able to help the people in another land, I can sure help the people around me, Herb says. Coming Home features his recollections of that time, his impressions of Vietnam and its people, and the legacy it left on his life.

2) December 7th: the Pearl Harbor Story (82 min) All ages
December 7th, 1941. No American will ever forget this Sunday morning in Hawaii. This restored, full-length version of the film stars Walter Huston as Uncle Sam and is set in Honolulu on the day before the Japanese attack. The attack on Pearl Harbor, the battle that sent the U.S. into World War II, is vividly illustrated as only Hollywood can do.

3) Who Will Stand (112 min) Ages 13+
This feature documentary takes a close look at what happens to 21st century veterans when they return home: the joy of reconnecting with loved ones, the pain of dealing with lingering wounds.

4) A War to End All Wars (120 min) Ages 13+
Fascinating and unique tales from World War I, narrated by UK broadcaster Robin Thompson.

Here's a list of other digital services that are also available 24/7--even when the library's buildings are closed.

The Awesomeness of the American Girl Book Club

There aren't a lot of book clubs out there for elementary school-aged girls.

But considering how popular our American Girl Book Club is, maybe there should be more.

Isabella Glauser and Molly at our most recent book club meeting. Isabella made Molly her new necklace from recycled magazine pages.

Since we started the book club in January, anywhere between a dozen and 30 girls have come to each meeting. A lot of them bring their dolls with them, but a doll isn't mandatory.

The girls are always eager to talk about the American Girl book they've read over the last month.

They also make a craft. This year alone, they've made everything from dream catchers to jewelry to guacamole to God's eyes.

This month, we met Kit. Then we turned old magazine pages into beads for a necklace.

Aylish McNevan uses the wire for her necklace

Kim Sidorick, our children's services manager, had the idea for the book club after we held an American Girl-themed tea party last year. She thought the book club would help bring together girls with like interests to learn and just have fun.

“We had an American Girl tea party here last spring that was very successful,” Sidorick said. “The dolls are classics and the books circulate well.”

Emma McCue laughs while she and Libby Henrikson make necklaces at November's book club meeting.

Our last meeting of the year is Dec. 4. (The meetings are always 4 to 5 p.m. at our Main Branch on the first Wednesday of the month.) The girls will meet Samantha.

If you have a girl who is between eight and 12 years, then they can join the fun. They don't need a doll or anything like that. However, they should read Meet Samantha beforehand so they can participate in the discussion.

You can register your child for the book club on our web site or by calling (440) 255-8811 ext. 221. Registration isn't mandatory, but it makes it a lot easier for us to prepare if we have a good idea how many kids are going to be there.

Chatting with Maria Isabella, the author of 'In the Kitchen with Cleveland's Favorite Chefs'

Earlier this week, Maria Isabella -- the author of the cookbook, In the Kitchen with Cleveland's Favorite Chefs -- visited Mentor Public Library.

She talked about how food has affected her life and family and how she wrote her book.

Isabella compiled appetizer, dinner and dessert recipes from 35 local chefs, including Jonathon Sawyer, Eric Williams, Michael Symon, Dante Boccuzzi, Zachary Bruell’s and Karen Small.

For more on Isabella, you can visit her website or blog. You can buy her book at your local bookstore or here. (You can also check it out at your local library.)

For more author visits and other programs at the library, visit www.mentorpl.org.

Jedi, Princesses, Superheroes & Colonel Mustard: Halloween at Mentor Public Library

We take Halloween seriously at Mentor Public Library.

We believe that, at least once a year, a grown person should be able to dress like their favorite Clue character.

We believe that an awesome child who wears an equally awesome costume deserves to be rewarded with candy (if it's OK with their parents or guardian.)

We also believe in sharing some of the photos we took of awesome kids in their costumes for you to enjoy. (Once again, we get parental approval first.)

So without further prologue, we present Halloween 2013 at Mentor Library.

Stop me if you've heard this one. A princess, a jedi and Batman walk into a library...

Rowan makes for an adorable ladybug.

Sam, I mean Batman, checks for candy.

It's a Lord of the Rings family! Jedidiah as Frodo, Josie as Arwen, Sadie as a fairy and Adelaide as Lady Galadriel.

What does the bear say? You'll have to ask Ava Marie.

Madeline emulates Tinkerbell.

A Power Ranger and Spider-Man? Now that's a super team-up!

Brayson tests his heat vision. Or his x-ray vision. Or maybe it's just his superhero stare down. Either way, we don't want to make this Kryptonian angry.

And in case you're wondering what our reference staff dressed as...

Ms. Peacock, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, Mrs.White and Mr. Green.

For more Halloween fun, check out our Facebook page or this video of our annual zombie walk.

Bring the Film Festival to You With IndieFlix

Let's say you want to watch I Love Sarah Jane, but you can't afford a trip to the Sundance Film Festival.

(If you haven't heard of Sarah Jane, it's a neat short film about 13-year-old named Jimbo with a crush. Also, there are zombies. It's one of my favorite entries in the post-apocalyptic, teens-with-bows-and-arrows oeuvre.)

Meet Jimbo.

So what can you do without a ticket to Park City, Utah?

Well, if you have a Mentor Public Library card, you can watch it for free on IndieFlix.

Not just Sarah Jane either. You can watch hundreds of shorts and feature-length films from cinematic festivals all around the world. Sundance, Cannes, places you can't imagine -- their films are available to you for free.

You can stream as many of them as you want on your computer, smartphone or tablet. And all you need is your library card.

IndieFlix also has classic films too.

Like zombies? After you finish watching Sarah Jane, check out George Romero's Night of the Living Dead -- one of the scariest and most influential movies ever made. IndieFlix also has classics like Nosferatu, The Little Shop of Horrors and The Invisible Man if you're putting together a Halloween playlist.

If you fancy yourself a cinephile, you owe it to yourself to check out IndieFlix. If you don't consider yourself a movie buff, you should still give IndieFlix a look. You'll still find something you love -- something you wouldn't find on NetFlix or YouTube.

No excuses: We even made a step-by-step video, explaining how to sign up for and navigate IndieFlix.

So catch a short during your lunch break. Watch a movie with your family when you get home. (I guess you could even watch a movie during your lunch break if your boss doesn't care about that sort of thing.)

But you should check out IndieFlix. You have not idea what you're missing until you look.

If you prefer streaming video to downloading movies or checking out DVDS, you can also check out Hoopla for more mainstream offerings. They have music too. And it's all free with your Mentor Public Library card.