saturday september 29
Ken Burns’ new series, The War, which debuted on PBS last week, has generated an enormous amount of buzz in the media the past few weeks. And why not? Not only is Ken Burns responsible for a number of absolutely terrific award-winning documentaries but World War II remains the most important event of the last century.
Despite this, I bet there’s more than a handful of folks out there who, like me, have only a sketchy understanding of the war that changed the world. Lucky for us, quite literally hundreds of books on the subject have been published. On the other hand…the sheer volume of titles can be bewildering. With that in mind, here are a few titles—some old, some new—to get you started.
Continue Reading…
An acquaintance* was facing legal difficulties. She didn't know what to do. Finally a solution came to her: she would write to John Grisham and ask for advice and money. I felt sorry for my acquaintance's desperation and ineptitude. But apparently writing to a public figure when in bad straits, or just for the heck of it, is not uncommon.
I was surprised to learn just how much time Eleanor Roosevelt spent corresponding with non-famous Americans. The book I have before me, If You Ask Me (1946), is a collection of letters from regular people along with Mrs. Roosevelt's responses. Eleanor Roosevelt died in 1962, and other editors have compiled collections of her letters since then, including Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters from Children of the Great Depression (1998) and Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Letters to Eleanor Roosevelt Through Depression and War (2004).
Continue Reading…
friday september 28
For those of you who think that British chick lit begins and ends with Bridget Jones's Diary, do I have news for you! The chick lit genre is teeming with great British authors. For a hilarious (and mostly true) introduction to British chick lit, check out A Yankee Girl's Guide to Brit Chick Lit. According to the author, some of the differences between British chick lit heroines and their American counterparts: the British "drink like fishes", "slather themselves with scent", and "always seem to be wearing disreputable, grayish underwear when Mr. Right finally comes along and sweeps them off their feet." Did I pique your interest? Then read on for a list of some of my favorite British chick lit authors and their most recent books:
September 29-October 6 libraries and booksellers across the country will celebrate Banned Books Week (BBW.) Now in it’s 27th year, BBW celebrates “the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them.”
In 2006, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom received 546 challenges (formal, written complaints), a 30% increase over the previous year. They estimate the number of unreported challenges to be four or five times this amount.
How many banned books have you read? It’s probably more than you think! The most frequently challenged books of the past ten years include those titles we hear a lot about- The Color Purple and The Catcher in the Rye, but also some that might surprise you such as Martin Hansford’s Where’s Waldo, appearing at no. 88 on the list. Apparently quite a few people have spotted a topless sunbather on one of the spreads.
Continue Reading…
wednesday september 26
I just read Stuart M. Kaminsky’s The Dead Don’t Lie, the latest Abe Lieberman mystery.
I’ve enjoyed the series since its 1991 debut with Lieberman’s Folly. That volume introduced the Chicago police detective—sixty-ish, feeling the first twinges of mortality in his arthritic knees, a world-weary basset hound of a man whose mild manner hid decades of street smarts. We also met Lieberman’s partner, Bill Hanrahan, a decent but troubled man who was drinking too much since his wife left.
Great minor characters rounded out the cast, from Lieberman’s energetic wife, Bess (leading light of their local temple); to Iris, the quiet Chinese waitress whom the Irish-Catholic Hanrahan found himself courting; to Lieberman’s brother, Maish, and the chorus of “alter cockers” who frequent Maish’s deli.
In The Dead Don’t Lie, our heroes have a few more years on them. And this time around, they’re working a pair of puzzling mysteries.
Continue Reading…
tuesday september 25
This past weekend, I was looking at my mom’s September/October issue of The Bark magazine and saw a dog on the front cover that looked quite similar to our late family dog, Daisy. This dog had the same cute black-and-white face and was also a mix of Beagle and Border Collie, a fact I soon discovered as I turned the page and read the Editor’s Note.
The dog’s name was Nellie, and the owners are the founders of The Bark. Nellie sadly died of cancer this summer, but pictures of her can be seen in this issue and on the front cover of Dog is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World’s Oldest Friendship, a touching anthology of dog writing compiled by the editors of The Bark magazine.
When our dog Daisy died of cancer, a good friend made a Pet Memorial Fund donation to the library, which was used to purchase a dog book to remember her. And if your child is grieving the loss of a four-legged friend, I highly recommend the tender children’s book Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant.
wednesday september 19
Ok--I am breaking a longstanding blog silence. It took another best-of list, this one from a webzine, to make it happen. This particular list really gets me going: The 50 Greatest Rock Drummers from Stylus Magazine (for some strong opinions and lively expletives, see the comments at the end of the article). I am going to exercise great restraint and not complain about how one defines "greatest," or why only 50 drummers, or the overt subjectivity of such an exploit. It is obviously in the nature of some people (librarians among them) to make lists. I will also refrain from the arrogance as to suggest that I am an expert on anything (public librarians are generalists, remember) but, being a drummer for 30 years and listening intently to other drummers for even longer allows me at least a few additions. For other remarks on librarians, music fans, and lists, please see this blog.
Continue Reading…
