Charlotte's library hosts Dorothea Benton Frank, queen of beach reads

Since she published her first novel in 2000, S.C. author Dorothea Benton Frank has borrowed some of South Carolina's most popular beaches -- Sullivan's Island, Isle of Palms, Pawleys Island -- for the settings and titles of her books.

On Monday, June 17, she'll discuss her writing and answer questions at a fundraiser for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. The $40 ticket price includes a copy of her new novel, "The Last Original Wife."

Her talk begins at 7 p.m. in ImaginOn's Wells Fargo Playhouse. For information or to buy tickets, check here or call 704-973-2828.

Charlotte's ImaginOn named top children's library

Livability.com, a website that writes about America's best places to live work and play, has named Charlotte's ImaginOn the nation's No. 1 children's library.

Livability editors looked at 500 communities and consulted library experts to determine criteria for their ranking. Among them: The library's responsiveness to community needs.

ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center, "is the model of what a children's library can be," Livability editors write. The facility, at 300 E. Seventh St., opened in 2005. Along with numerous library services for children and teens, it also hosts Children's Theatre of Charlotte performances.

Other children's libraries ranked in Livability's Top 10 include facilities in Cincinnati, Iowa City and Birmingham.