Club de lectura en español (Spanish Book Club)

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Free downloadable e-books

Reading a book in digital form may not match the pleasure of curling up to read a real book— nonetheless, there are circumstances when it proves wondrously convenient to download free e-books onto your computer or PDA.

The following websites offer tens of thousands of free, downloadable digital books-- especially all of the “must read” classics:

• www.gutenberg.org
• http://manybooks.net
• www.bartleby.com
• http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu
• http://fax.libs.uga.edu
• www.classicauthors.net
• www.authorama.com
  

And don’t forget that OCPL now offers over 800 e-audio books to checkout and download from our own digital catalog.

Still searching for some holiday gifts?

Avoid the frightful hustle of the retail book, music, and video stores with some thrifty holiday shopping at the library-- and be happy in the knowledge that all proceeds will be used to improve our collection, programs, and services!

The Friends of the Library Mollie Burke Bookstore, located across our courtyard, offers exciting gift finds of new and used books, music, movies, and more—all at wonderfully affordable prices. Let the Friends' bookstore staff help you locate some unique and inexpensive holiday gift items for your friends and family.

And when you first enter the library itself, don’t forget to check the carts and shelves in the foyer, featuring more excellent sale items. Due to a generous donation, we now have hundreds of popular movies used on VHS at just $1.00 each. There are also many never-used items, new books and still-packaged audio/visual items, including the following:

The unabridged audio version of The Shelters of the Stone is the latest in Jean Auel’s best-selling prehistoric novel saga that began with The Clan of the Cavebear. The retail price for this item is $59.95 but the Friends of the Library booksellers offer several copies of the still shrink-wrapped book-on-tape at only $8.00!

The Deluxe CD-Rom Edition of the World’s Favorite Encyclopedia™, World Book, includes every article from the popular 22-volume print edition while also providing additional features like interactive maps, videos, and panoramas. A number of unopened 2004 editions of this valuable reference tool are on sale for $5.00-- a perfect stocking stuffer for school-aged children.

The children were reading all snug in their beds . . .

If the weather outside is frightful, books are so delightful! What better way to spend a wet wintry day than sharing books with your child? Turn off the television, make some hot cocoa and snuggle up with a good book. Introduce your child to one of your favorite books or discover a new favorite together. The San Juan Capistrano Library offers both old classics and great new books for readers of all ages, to read alone or to read aloud.

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Overwhelmed by the choices we offer? Ask our library staff for suggestions – we’re always glad to make recommendations! And sharing books with your child doesn’t have to end when your child learns how to read. Your children love to spend time with you and reading together is a great way to do this. Plus, children’s books help to expand your child’s vocabulary. Studies have shown that parents use only nine “rare” words per thousand in conversation - but there are three times more rare words in children’s books.

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A great resource for parents who are nervous about reading aloud to their children is The Read-Aloud Handbook by noted read-aloud expert Jim Trelease, available at our library. The book gives tips on reading aloud, as well as lists of some of the author’s favorite books. With winter break approaching, the weather growing colder and the sun setting earlier, now is the perfect time to connect with your child through sharing books.

Film for January