After almost two years of campaigning, primary elections, debates, and political commercials, election day is finally here. It's time to do your civic duty and cast your ballot. The right to vote is an important one, hard fought for many Americans, and elusive to many people around the world. Since this year's presidential election could be won or lost by one state, it's especially important that you exercise your right. Even if you have to wait in line for a long time, be sure to stick it out and make your voice heard.

Polls will be open in Nashua from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Whether you are an early bird or a procrastinator, you have plenty of time to cast your vote. If you missed the registration period, fear not. You can register at your voting location. If you're not sure where to go, take a look at the election page on the city's website. Not only will you find your polling location, you can also look up your street to find which ward you live in, and see a sample ballot.

Google maps also has an election tool. If you enter your address into the search field, it will tell you where to vote.

Once you have voted, you can follow the election at any of the following sites:
CNN
MSNBC
FOX News
National Public Radio (NPR)

Mark your calendars, November 21st is the big day. At least it is if you are a fan of the Twilight book series written by Stephenie Meyer. It's the day words come to life, the release of the movie based on the first book in the series. This series now in its 64th week on the NY Times Bestseller list has a cult like following amongst teens and even some adults I know. While many attribute this series to an increase in the popularity of vampire fiction, it seems to be the love triangle that has grabbed the attention of many readers. You may have seen someone you know sporting a "Team Jacob" or "Team Edward" t-shirt. While I don't have a t-shirt to show it, I will proudly state that I side with "Team Jacob".

I'm anticipating this day because I am interested to hear the movie reviews from the die hard Twilight fans that have been keeping me on my toes as the movie production progresses. Already I have heard more than one person question the actors that were cast to portray certain characters. It seems this is often a consequence of watching the movie and seeing someone else's interpretation of the story after having read it oneself. I'm trying to remain open minded until I see the film myself on November 21st. However, I will not be surprised if there are a few disappointed readers after the film's debut.

I'd like to invite you to return to this entry after you view the movie and share your review in the comments section.

If you are interested in other movies based on young adult books here's a list created by Mid-Continental Public Library: http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/movies/movie.cfm

I have been reading diet books since fifth grade. Diets have changed a lot since then along with cookbooks and food trends. We now have the food pyramid to replace the 5 food groups diagram. I remember a key ingredient of my first diet was the Ritz cracker topped by cottage cheese and a little bit of corn relish on top. I’d have this when I came home from school so I wouldn’t get too hungry and eat a lot at dinner. It doesn’t seem like a diet staple to me now though I still buy non-fat cottage cheese from time to time and eat it on Ak-Mak crackers. Weight Loss Clinic turned me on to Ak-Maks. Five of these pretty tasty crackers are only 116 calories with 2 grams of fat. In the last decade, we’ve gone from a raging Atkins revival to the even more popular South Beach diet to Fat Smash, dieting according to blood type and outsmarting your metabolism. My cousin dropped a lot of weight on Alkins and he managed to keep it off as did the mother of a man who I talked to in the deli department of the grocery store. Neither ever had a problem with weight ever again! So, of course I tried it but the 6 pounds I lost came back. Then I read that Atkins could be very bad for your system and that was after buying the special pills and snack bars, etc. The promise of going on a diet and then never having a weight problem again would be a dream come true. But diets and going on diets has gotten a bad name of late, what with yo-yo dieting putting your body into starvation mode and exercising being the best way to take off pounds. Just browsing the stacks in the 613’s puts me in the frame of mind to try yet another diet.

Diet books are cataloged under “Personal health and safety” in the Dewey Decimal System which is 613. But some of my favorites are in 613.2, dietetics, like this new one,
The Blue Zone : lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest. by Dan Buettner. Weight losing books are shelved under “613.25”. “613.26” is used for specific dietary regimens and “613.28” and numbers that start with “613.28” are especially for diets emphasizing certain nutritive elements.
Some of the best diet books I have read and enjoyed, not just for the information contained there-in, are:
613.2 P –
Super Foods Rx by Steven Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews. William Morrow, 2004.
613.2 R –
Healthy at 100 by John Robbins. Random House, 2006.
And here are some of our newer titles:
Crack the fat-loss code
By Wendy Chant.
Flat belly diet!
By Liz Vaccariello
The ultrasimple diet
By Mark Hyman
The South Beach diet supercharged
By Arthur Agatston
Good calories, bad calories
By Gary Taubes
The rice diet cookbook
By Kitty Gurkin Rosati

I LOVE the holidays! With Thanksgiving approaching, and fast (!), you may be thinking about what you would like to do for the holiday.

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m happy either playing it low-key by going to a nice restaurant and seeing a movie (yes, movie theaters are open) or having a great feast with family. If you need ideas for Thanksgiving, the library has great books to get you going.

For the host:
Thanksgiving 101 : celebrate America's favorite holiday with America's Thanksgiving expert / Rick Rodgers ; photographs by Ben Fink.

How to cook a turkey : and all the other trimmings / from the editors of Fine cooking magazine.

Magazines are also a great source for recipe and decorating ideas, particularly around the holiday. Two magazines that offer great ideas include Fine Cooking and (one of my favorites) Country Living. The library has these periodicals and other great magazines, located in the Stern’s Room, available to check out.

For history buffs:
Greenwood Daily Life Online – an online database available from the library that offers a look at daily life of many cultures throughout history.

Thanksgiving : an American holiday, an American history / Diana Karter Appelbaum.

For children:
The Children’s Department at the library has a great selection of holiday books. For books on Thanksgiving, search under subject keyword ‘Thanksgiving Day’ and limit your results to the Children’s room. Click here to see the list!

Videos:
Jacques Pepin's Thanksgiving celebration [videorecording] / KQED ; director, Monica Caston.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday. Leave comments about how you like to spend the Thanksgiving holiday!

Faced with the current economic drama, some of us are looking for an escape from the bad news. Others prefer to face the problem, dive in and take control of their finances. (And some do both.) For either approach, the library is the place to go.

For those who'd like to escape the news and lose themselves in a good book or movie, we have a wide selection of bestsellers, classics, and hot DVDs available for checkout--for free! We also offer a variety of programs including our film series, also free. Check out our calendar of events for details.

Those who want to take a hard look at their budgets and cut back on their spending can borrow one of our many titles on frugal living. (Suggestion 1: Borrow it from the library, don't spend money on your own copy.) You'll find many books on this topic in our Business collection, particularly at the 332.024 call number. Here are some frugal living titles to get you started:

The ultimate cheapskate's road map to true riches : a practical (and fun) guide to enjoying life more by spending less / by Jeff Yeager. Found at BUS 332.024 Y.

Live your life for half the price : without sacrificing the life you love / Mary Hunt. Found at BUS 332.024 H.

How to pinch a penny till it screams / by Rochelle Lamotte McDonald. Found at BUS 332.024 M.

America's cheapest family gets you right on the money : Your guide to living better, spending less, and cashing in on your dreams / Steve and Annette Economides. Found at BUS 332.024 E.

And for those who are just getting started and facing a mountain of student loans, you might be interested in Suze Orman's "The money book for the young, fabulous & broke". Found at BUS 332.024 O.

For additional titles on this and related topics, try a subject search for "Finance, Personal", "Consumer Education", or "Home Economics". And be sure to stop by the reference desk if you have any questions!

Do you have a favorite tip for living economically? Leave us a comment!