Literacy Tutors

The Rowan County Literacy Council (201 W. Fisher St., Salisbury) is in desperate need of tutors. RCLC requires that tutors be 18 or older and have a high school diploma, attend the training sessions and be able to tutor 1-2 hours per week. RCLC provides tutoring in both basic literacy and ESL.

If you don't live in the Rowan/Stanly/Cabarrus County areas of North Carolina, contact your local public library to volunteer.

Mr. Dixon Disappears by Ian Sansom

I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Case of the Missing Books, more than I did this second installment. However, Mr. Dixon Disappears does provide some laugh-out-loud moments. From London, Israel Armstrong is currently living in a rural area of Ireland serving as the bookmobile librarian. To say he is a fish out of water would be an understatement. Israel misunderstands and is misunderstood by the local residents, which often leads to those laugh-out-loud moments.

Reluctantly, he has gotten himself involved in another local mystery. While setting up his five-panel display of the history of Dixon and Pickering Department Store, he becomes entangled in a missing person case and ends up a suspect himself.

The book is a quick, light read, but don't expect any deep philosophical meanings or commentary on social issues. This one is purely for fun!

50 Websites for Book Lovers

Mashable Social Networking News has developed an annotated list entitled Books Toolbox: 50+ sites for Book Lovers. The list really has something for everyone who loves books. There are sites devoted to reviewing, swapping, sharing, cataloging, and publishing. This is worth checking out.

North Carolina Bookwatch

Tonight on North Carolina Bookwatch, hosted by D. G. Martin, author James Peacock will discuss his new work entitled Grounded Globalism: How the U. S. South Embraces the World. "The book looks at the impact of globalism on the Southern identity." The author is the Kenan Professor of Anthropology at UNC-Chapel Hill. It airs on UNC-TV at 9:30 PM and will be shown again on Sunday at 5 PM.

A complete list for this season can be found at the website.

Paperback shelf

On the first floor of the library, there is a small section that contains paperback books that you can take out on the honor system. Just browse the shelves, arranged alphabetically by author, and take what you want. There's no due date. Simply bring it back when you're finished. Let's face it -- sometimes you just want to read something that has absolutely nothing to do with school!

Daily Lit

We're all extremely busy and have little time for our hobbies and passions -- like reading. Daily Lit makes it easy to find a few minutes during the day to savor some classic literature.

DailyLit sends small installments of books via e-mail. They're all in the public domain and available for free. It's easy -- simply choose the book you want to subscribe to and choose how often and even the time of day for the e-mail. With over 400 titles, every reader should be able to find something to suit their interests. The e-mail installments can be read on various portable devices, as well. If you have the time, they have recently added a forum where readers can discuss the books, as well.

The Careful Use of Compliments: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel… by Alexander Mccall Smith

This is the latest in the Sunday Philosophy Club series by Alexander McCall Smith. The author is best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, which is good. But, if you haven't yet read anything else by this author, you are in for a treat.

I look forward to each new book in this series with anticipation. It is classified as a mystery, but the mystery is really secondary. What stands out is the language, setting, and the main character, Isabel Dalhousie. In fact, I find myself wanting to read this book aloud because the author's descriptions are so vivid. I have never been to Scotland, but I will go some day, and these books just whet my appetite.

Isabel Dalhousie is a moral philosopher and the editor of the Review of Applied Ethics. McCall Smith has a wonderfully dry wit that comes through in all his novels. Isabel is a very well-rounded character, and the reader gets to know her intimately through her interior monologues. She thinks about even the smallest things that happen during her day. She debates with herself the morality of inaction versus taking specific action.

But, where some characters may come across as judgmental or "preachy", Isabel does neither. She is very human and readily admits her faults. At heart, she is an optimist. This book and all the rest of the books in this series are a pleasure to read.