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The library will be closed beginning at 5 pm Saturday, March 30

Normal Public Library at 206 W. College Ave. will be closed beginning at 5 pm Saturday, March 30 for asbestos abatement and renovation. The building will remain closed for the duration of the project. Limited library services will be available at 201 W. College Ave. beginning at 9 am on Monday, April 1.

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How to Raise Kind Kids

Thomas Lickona

We all want our kids to be kind. But that is not the same as knowing what to do when you catch your son being unkind.  A world-renowned developmental psychologist, Dr. Thomas Lickona shares with parents the vital tools they need to bring peace and foster cooperation at home. Kindness needs a supporting cast of other essential virtues—like courage, self-control, respect, and gratitude. With concrete examples drawn from the many families Dr. Lickona has worked with over the years and clear tips you can act on tonight, How to Raise Kind Kids will help you give and get respect, hold family meetings to tackle persistent problems, discipline in a way that builds character, and improve the dynamic of your relationship with your children while putting them on the path to a happier and more fulfilling life.

 

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How to Break Up with Your Phone

Catherine Price

Do you say you want to spend less time on your phone--but have no idea how to do so without giving it up completely? Award-winning journalist Catherine Price presents a practical, hands-on plan to break up--and then make up--with your phone. You'll discover how phones and apps are designed to be addictive, and learn how the time we spend on them damages our abilities to focus, think deeply, and form new memories. You'll then make customized changes to your settings, apps, environment, and mindset that will ultimately enable you to take back control of your life.

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How to Suffer Outside

Diana Helmuth

Part critique of modern hiking culture and part how-to, How to Suffer Outside helps novice hikers get started without spending a fortune-even seasoned hikers will find plenty of tips. With a blend of self-deprecating humor and good-natured heckling of both experienced backpackers and urbanites who romanticize being outdoorsy, Helmuth coaches you along one step at a time. Her motto: "If I can do it, and not only survive, but enjoy it so much I do it again and again, you probably can, too." Featuring illustrations by artist Latasha Dunston, each chapter focuses on an essential topic: gear, food, hygiene, clothing, and more, along with useful tips, checklists, and resources. Knowledgeable and practical, Helmuth shows walkers, hikers, and campers of all stripes how to venture outdoors with confidence. 

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Lightly

Francine Jay

Each day we add more possessions, more commitments, more worries, more stress to our lives. Striving for fulfillment, our closets become overstuffed, our calendars overscheduled, and our spirits overwhelmed. Instead of feeling happy, we just feel heavy. Whether you want to strip down your life to a backpack or free up some space in your closet, overhaul your schedule or gain back an hour in the evening, Lightly helps you identify what you treasure, while letting what's unnecessary fall away. Without a strict regimen,Lightly puts the power back in your hands to take control of your life. 

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The Disaster Preparedness Handbook

Arthur Bradley

The Disaster Preparedness Handbook will motivate you not only to become better prepared but will also show you how to prepare effectively. It offers well-researched advice that can be put into practice in the real world by normal families. This book contains crucial advice about staying alive, finding and storing food and water, and creating shelter. It has advice about light, electrical power, heating and cooling, clean air, and practical instructions for safety when sleeping, communicating, along with medical and first aid advice. Each chapter contains an example scenario to help you determine your current level of readiness and contains a quick summary of points for easy reference.

 

 

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Live Debt Free

Ted Carroll

An updated guide to financial planning outlines a common-sense approach to reducing personal debt by controlling expenses and planning major purchases wisely, and discusses using credit cards sensibly, planning for retirement, real-estate, and other key topics. 

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Beginner's Guide to Pottery & Ceramics

Jacqui Atkin

Clay is an exciting material that has been used to make both practical and decorative items since prehistoric times. With this practical guidebook, learn all the skills you need to start creating your own beautiful ceramics. Step-by-step photographs and clear instructions will guide you through the core techniques, including pinching and coiling and throwing and trimming. Discover inspirational projects as your skills progress, from simple coiled vases with painted decoration to marbled clay boxes with transparent glazes. Learn how to decorate and fire your clay vessels with myriad textures, using methods such as inlays, slips, sgraffito, feathering, burnishing and resist. Following the impressive projects inside, you can put your new-found skills into practice and develop your creativity.

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How to Care for Aging Parents, 3rd Edition

Virginia Morris

How to Care for Aging Parents is an authoritative, clear, and comforting source of advice and support for the ever-growing number of Americans—now 42 million—who care for an elderly parent, relative, or friend. And now, in its third edition, it is completely overhauled and updated, chapter-by-chapter and page-by-page, with the most recent medical findings and recommendations. It includes a whole new chapter on fraud; details on the latest “aging in place” technologies; more helpful online resources; and everything you need to know about current laws and regulations. Also new are fill-in worksheets for gathering specifics on medications; caregivers’ names, schedules, and contact info; doctors’ phone numbers and addresses; and other essential information in one handy place at the back of the book.

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How to Tempt a Fish - A Complete Guide to Fishing

Various

Intended as a practical guide to all types of fishing, as well as fishing lore and 'how to' hints that would take a lifetime to amass alone. Extensively illustrated with text and full page diagrams, drawings and photographs. Contents Include: Fly Casting; Bait Casting; Salt-Water Fishing; Tempt 'Em With Live Bait; More About Casting a Fly; Plugs and Spoons; Care and Repair of Your Bed; How to Recondition Bamboo Rods; Reel Needs Care and Service; The Line of Most Resistance; Hook Is Big 'If' in Fishing; Knots and Ties; Where and When to Fish; Variety Is the Bait for Bass; Special baits That Tempt the Carp; Catfish Require Technique; Lessons From the Hatcheries; Fishing Through the Ice; Retrieving Lost Lures and Lines; Get a Boat You Can Rock; You Can Mount the Big Ones; You Can Stock Your Own Fishpond; Your Feet Go Fishing Too; Even Fisherman Have to Eat; Some Fish You May Never See; and Fishless Fishing Is Fun. 

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Popular Mechanics How to Fix Anything

Popular Popular Mechanics

From quick fixes like linking broken chains and patching drywall to more involved projects like replacing a fuel line and bleeding your brakes, Popular Mechanics How to Fix Anything is the handy and reliable go-to guide for the most common household problems offering a primer on plumbing, unexpected hacks like using a golf tee to fill a stripped screw hole, instructions for tuning up the garage door, and so much more. Throughout the book Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics' senior home editor, answers questions about the trickiest fix-its, including how to deal with a recurring ceiling cracks or get rid of that stench from the kitchen sink.. And because it's organized room by room, from basement to bathroom to bedroom, it's simple to find the solution you need--so you won't have to hire someone else to do the job.

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How to Raise Capital

Jeffrey Timmons

Fewer than 40 percent of entrepreneurs seeking new business funding each year actually get that funding. How to Raise Capital improves those odds, providing prospective as well as current business owners with the knowledge they need to prepare an effective loan proposal, locate a suitable investor, negotiate and close the deal, and more. The all-star team of entrepreneurial experts behind How to Raise Capital gives readers top-level educational theory with hands-on, real-world knowledge. This thorough examination of the inner workings of the venture capital industry explores: 1) Resources available to entrepreneurs, from SBA loans to angel investors; 2) Proven strategies for identifying and approaching equity sources; 3) Characteristics of a "superdeal"--from the investor's perspective.

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How to Listen to Great Music

Robert Greenberg

Whether you're listening in a concert hall or on your iPod, concert music has the power to move you. The right knowledge can deepen the ability of this music to edify, enlighten, and stir the soul. In How to Listen to Great Music, Professor Robert Greenberg, a composer and music historian, presents a comprehensive, accessible guide to how music has mirrored Western history that will transform the experience of listening for novice and long-time listeners alike. You will learn how to listen for key elements in different genres of music--from madrigals to minuets and from sonatas to symphonies--along with the enthralling history of great music from ancient Greece to the 20th century. How to Listen to Great Music will let you finally hear what you've been missing.

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How to be Happy at Work

Annie McKee

Based on extensive research and decades of experience with leaders, this book reveals that people must have three essential elements in order to be happy at work: 1) A sense of purpose and the chance to contribute to something bigger than themselves; 2) A vision that is powerful and personal, creating a real sense of hope; 3) Resonant, friendly relationships. With vivid and moving real-life stories, the book shows how leaders can use these powerful pillars to create and sustain happiness even when they're under pressure. By emphasizing purpose, hope, and friendships they can also ensure a healthy, positive climate for their teams and throughout the organization.

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The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers

Sean McManus

Caring for outdoor plantings can be intimidating, especially if the process is completely new to you. Before running to the hardware store to stock up on plastic bags of mulch and tools you don’t really need, arm yourself with the know-how to plant and tend outdoor areas correctly and safely. Doing so saves you time, money, and energy—and helps make the process a whole lot more fun! You will close the book not only knowing how to care for your home's outdoor plantings using earth-friendly methods, but also knowing the satisfaction of a beautiful, all-natural landscape.
 

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National Geographic Photo Basics

Joel Sartore

This entertaining book from beloved National Geographic photographer and Photo Ark founder Joel Sartore shows aspiring photographers how to take great pictures, from framing and F-stops to editing and archiving. Whether you're using your phone or a DSLR camera, you'll learn the fundamentals of photography--and how to put them to work every day. In a series of short lessons, Sartore explains the basics, from choosing a camera and gear to understanding focus, exposure, composition, and lighting. Using examples from his own work, he applies the basic rules of photography to family, pet, travel, nature, and street photos, and how to get a great shot with the camera on your smartphone.

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How to Sew a Button

Erin Bried

“Waste not, want not” with this guide to saving money, taking heart, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. As your grandmother might say, now is not the time to be careless with your money, and it actually pays to learn how to do things yourself! Practical and empowering, How to Sew a Button collects the treasured wisdom of nanas, bubbies, and grandmas from all across the country–as well as modern-day experts–and shares more than one hundred step-by-step essential tips for cooking, cleaning, gardening, and entertaining complete with helpful illustrations and brimming with nostalgic charm. 

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