Readers Roundtable Book Club

Three Cups of Tea Website

2008-09-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

Three Cups of Tea, the book for our October meeting, has a pretty interesting website if you're want to learn more about the author and his education project. There's list of links to book reviews and articles as well as links to various author interviews.

The most recent interview was aired 9/14/08 on CNN. It's about 5 minutes long.

SFGate: Saroyan Centennial

2008-09-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

California author William Saroyan's life and work is commemorated in SFGate article on the centennial (or thereabouts) of his birth, August 31, 1908. Saroyan's best known works include The Time of Your Life and The Human Comedy.

Apparently, there was a celebration last night (9/3) in San Francisco, where he lived for many years. But if you missed that, Fresno, Saroyan's birthplace, has been having a series of festivities that run through to the end of 2008. Click here for more information.

Roundtable Meeting: Saturday, September 6

2008-09-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that Reader's Roundtable will be meeting this Saturday (9/6) at 2:00 pm in Conference Room B (check the lobby monitor just in case we get bumped) to discuss the novel Sweetness in the Belly.

Also, we'll be deciding on what books to read for our February, March and April 2009 discussions, so please bring some book suggestions.

BTW: I'll have copies of the October and November books at Saturday's meeting. We're reading Three Cups of Tea for October and Loving Frank for November. (FYI: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was moved to January. I probably won't have copies until later this month.)

Apologies again for infrequent postings. I'm hoping to resume regularly blogging in the next few weeks.

Thanks for your patience!

Bad writing at its finest

2008-08-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

It takes a special kind of literary genius to mangle the English language this horribly. Thanks Linda for forwarding the results of the 2008 Bulwar-Lytton Contest!

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
2008 Results

Theirs was a New York love, a checkered taxi ride burning rubber, and like the city their passion was open 24/7, steam rising from their bodies like slick streets exhaling warm, moist, white breath through manhole covers stamped "Forged by DeLaney Bros., Piscataway, N.J."
Garrison Spik
Washington, D.C.

The winner of 2008 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is Garrison Spik (pronounced "speak"), a 41-year-old communications director and writer from Washington, D.C. Hailing from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, he has worked in Tokyo, Bucharest, and Nitro, West Virginia, and cites DEVO, Nathaniel Hawthorne, B horror films, and historiography as major life influences.

Garrison Spik is the 26th grand prize winner of the contest that began at San Jose State University in 1982.

An international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory (if not the reputation) of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The goal of the contest is childishly simple: entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels. Although best known for "The Last Days of Pompeii" (1834), which has been made into a movie three times, originating the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword," and phrases like "the great unwashed" and "the almighty dollar," Bulwer-Lytton opened his novel Paul Clifford (1830) with the immortal words that the "Peanuts" beagle Snoopy plagiarized for years, "It was a dark and stormy night."

You can read other cringe-worthy entries at the Bulwar-Lytton website.

Have a laugh

2008-08-12T15:02:00.001-07:00

Two NYTimes articles tickled my funny bone this past Sunday...maybe they'll tickle yours as well.

Mary Roach, author of the macabe, but weirdly fun and fascinating book Stiff, writes a droll review of a new book called Traffic. A subject ripe with comic potential, and Mary Roach totally makes hay with it, exploiting many of the book's fun facts to hilarious effect.

Slow-Moving Vehicle

Traffic jams are not, by and large, caused by flaws in road design but by flaws in human nature. While this is bad news for drivers — there’s not much to be done about human nature — it is good news for readers of Tom Vanderbilt’s new book. “Traffic” is not a dry examination of highway engineering; it’s a surprising, enlightening look at the psychology of human beings behind the steering wheels. An alternate title for the book might be “Idiots.” (Link to article.)

The second article that gave me a chuckle explores the disease gout and its literary connections. The last paragraph is priceless.

My Literary Malady
So, it has come to this. It’s official. My doctor has confirmed what I had suspected for some time, that despite some “nonstandard presentation” and my solid belief that this sort of thing happens only to other people, I have gout. I am a member of that shadowy, shameful group, the “gout community.” (Link to article.)

2008-08-06T18:27:00.000-07:00

Talk about convenient, finish one book and then grab another from your chair's armrest. Cool!

Picture "borrowed" from BookDaddy blog.

NYTimes: R U Really Reading?

2008-08-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

There's a heated debate among educators, academics, and others about how literacy is evolving in our digital age. They are trying to determine if and how people's reading ability and comprehension (not to mention our thought processes) are adapting to the nearly constant distractions of text messages, blogs, cell phones, YouTube videos, etc. This long, but very interesting New York Times article explores the issue from several vantages...and to my mind, is a bit more positive than other articles I've read.

Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?
...As teenagers’ scores on standardized reading tests have declined or stagnated, some argue that the hours spent prowling the Internet are the enemy of reading — diminishing literacy, wrecking attention spans and destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books.
But others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write.
Even accomplished book readers like Zachary Sims, 18, of Old Greenwich, Conn., crave the ability to quickly find different points of view on a subject and converse with others online. Some children with dyslexia or other learning difficulties, like Hunter Gaudet, 16, of Somers, Conn., have found it far more comfortable to search and read online. (Link to entire article.)

Readers Roundtable Meeting: Saturday, August 1

2008-08-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

We're meeting tomorrow to discuss Madhur Jaffrey's memoir Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India.

Since much of the book revels in the flavors and aromas of India, we're having a potluck, featuring food from India. A couple people have indicated that they'll attempt to prepare a recipe or two from the back of the book, while others said they may pick up something from an Indian restaurant.

I'm going to get an assortment of appetizers and breads from Favorite Indian Restaurant, located in Hayward. So, there should be enough food for everyone to enjoy at least a taste of India.

Feel free to bring an Indian dish if you like...or not. This is an OPTIONAL potluck. So, if you just show up with critical insights into the book and a healthy appetite, that's perfectly fine.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Early Entries for My Top Ten Covers 2008

2008-07-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

This cover will definitely make my top ten list for the year. So witty.

And this one will make it for its graphic impact and evocative lettering...not to mention its uncanny ability to make me crave a plateful of Oreos.

Patron's Picks & Pans, 2008

2008-07-16T17:12:00.001-07:00

Check out what what your fellow patrons are reading. The newsletter Patron's Picks & Pans is a selection of book comments penned by members of the Summer Sleuths, the summer reading program for adults.

You view it here:
http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/bookletter/showlist.html?sid=6131&list=CNL2

And you can have new issues delivered to your mailbox by signing up here:
http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/bookletter/addnluser.html?sid=6131

Steinbeck Festival

2008-07-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the schedule for this year's Steinbeck Festival -- "Steinbeck & Mexico" will take place August 7th through 10th in Salinas. This four-day event features all sorts of talks, tours, screenings, and visual and performing arts.

http://www.steinbeck.org/eblast/online/fest08blastO.html

Photos from Chinatown Trip

2008-07-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've posted pictures from our Chinatown trip on Flickr.com. Feel free to download any you'd like to keep. Kudos to the photographer Bill Sherwood for remembering to bring his camera and for taking such fine photos!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27957500@N03/

Reminder: Chinatown Tour Sign Up

2008-05-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that I'll be taking signups for the Chinatown tour on June 21 at tomorrow's (May 3) Roundtable meeting. The trip fee is $25 per person and includes bus transportation, 2-hour walking tour, book and museum fee, as well as a dim sum lunch. (FYI: The Friends of the San Leandro Library are generously chipping in to help cover the costs of this trip.)

The Chinatown Tour has generated a lot of interest, but Readers Roundtable members will get first crack at signing up. Tour registration opens to the general public on Monday, May 5.

Discussion: Dancing to Almendra

2008-05-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, May 3 at 2pm, the Readers Roundtable book group will discuss Mayra Montero's novel Dancing to Almendra.

Note that we're back in Conference Room B on the second floor (yeah!), but check the meeting room monitor in the lobby just in case they switch us.

Also, we're going to select the books to read in September, October and November. I'll bring my file of recommendations that members have suggested in the past 6 months or so. (I didn't lose it after all.) I think they're some very good suggestions in there.

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. So many projects, so little time.

See you tomorrow!

It's that time again...

2008-04-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

...time to select new titles to read and discuss.

In the next Readers Roundtable meeting on Saturday May 3, we'll be selecting the titles we'd like to read for our September, October and November meetings.

Please bring your book ideas to the meeting, or email me with your suggestions and I'll add them to my list. Remember, the books must to available in paperback two to three months before we read them.

So many books, so little time!

SF Chronicle: Bookstores bracing for the next chapter

2008-04-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

In the 1970's my parents investigated opening a neighborhood bookstore, but they reluctantly gave up this pipe dream when they saw how unlikely it was that they'd ever break even, let alone make a profit.

If anything, the economics are worse today, yet independent bookstores still manage to hang on. I can't help but wonder how...but I'm so grateful they do. Browsing the shelves in my neighborhood bookstore is one of my favorite past times.

In his latest column, SF Chronicle columnist John King examines the strategies some local independents are using to keep the lights on and the shelves stocked.

Bookstores bracing for the next chapter

Only a few years ago, bookstores helped define neighborhoods. They were physical and cultural markers on the landscape - showcases of what mattered, there and then.
Now, instead of perking up when I step through the doors of a good bookstore, I wonder morosely how long it will last.

"It's an antiquarian business model in a changing world," admits Melissa Mytinger, manager of Cody's Books in Berkeley. (Link to article.)

18 Sexy Trips to the Stacks

2008-04-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Entertainment Weekly pays tribute to sexy (& not so sexy) movie scenes that occur in libraries.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20190897,00.html

Whatever happended to...

2008-04-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

...the Whitbread awards?

Linda, longtime RRTable member, sent me an email saying that they had "morphed" into the Costa Awards. In Britain, the Whitbreads were second only to the Booker award in terms of prestige. They were founded in 1971 and sponsored by Whitbread Breweries and administered by the Booksellers Association of Great Britain and Ireland. They were renamed Costa, after its new sponsor (a coffee company), in 2006.

There are five Costa/Whitbread genre prizes each year--best novel, best first novel, best biography, best book of poems, and best children's book--from which one is chosen as book of the year. Authors who have lived in Great Britain or Ireland for over three years are eligible. Category winners receive £5000; the overall winner, for Book of the Year, receives an additional £25,000, one of the richest of all literary awards.

Here's a link to the winners: http://www.costabookawards.com/awards/previous_winners.aspx

Reminder: Book Discussion Sat., April 5

2008-04-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, April 5 at 2pm, the Readers Roundtable book group will discuss Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Half of a Yellow Sun. We're scheduled to meet in the Trustee's Room on the first floor, but check the meeting room monitor in the lobby just in case they switch us.

There's a good website on this book and author that you may want to check out before coming to the meeting, http://www.halfofayellowsun.com/.

There's also a website listing discussion questions: http://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm?book_number=1860

Finally, please note that there are two other events happening this Saturday.

The Friends of the San Leandro Library spring booksale opens it's doors to members at 9 a.m. and to the general public at 11 a.m. There's a terrific selection of books at terrific prices, so you may want to build in some shopping time before or after our book discussion. (Hopefully, you won't get so engrossed in the sale, that you forget to come to the book discussion.)
If you're signed up for Baby Boomer Focus Group, you'll be meeting at 12:30 in rooms B & C.

NYTimes: It's not you. It's your books.

2008-04-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Forget about money or looks. According to this New York Times essay, us literary types judge our romantic partners by the books they read.

Some years ago, I was awakened early one morning by a phone call from a friend. She had just broken up with a boyfriend she still loved and was desperate to justify her decision. “Can you believe it!” she shouted into the phone. “He hadn’t even heard of Pushkin!”

We’ve all been there. Or some of us have. Anyone who cares about books has at some point confronted the Pushkin problem: when a missed — or misguided — literary reference makes it chillingly clear that a romance is going nowhere fast. At least since Dante’s Paolo and Francesca fell in love over tales of Lancelot, literary taste has been a good shorthand for gauging compatibility. Link to article.

Were you born between 1946 & 1964?

2008-03-22T13:48:00.000-07:00

Are you a Baby Boomer? Were you born between 1946 and 1964? If so, tell us what you want at the library!

What do you want to read?
What do you want to learn?
What do you want to achieve?

Your participation in a Library Focus Group will help us get a state grant that will fund library programs for your generation--the Baby Boom generation!

Join us at one of these two focus groups.*

Focus Group 1: Dinner & Jazz Concert
Enjoy a complimentary light dinner, have a conversation with us, and experience an exciting concert featuring the Midnight Sessions.

Friday, April 4, 6 to 9 PM
San Leandro Main Library

Focus Group 2: Lunch
Enjoy a complimentary lunch and have a conversation with us. (Note too that this focus group occurs just before our next book discussion.)

Saturday, April 5, 12:30 to 2 PM
San Leandro Main Library

Get your free focus group tickets by calling or stopping by the Main Library’s Information Desk, 577-3971. You can bring one adult guest (who may or may not be a Boomer).

*Sponsored by San Leandro Public Library and funded by the Library Services Technology Act

The Edgar Awards: 2008 Nominees

2008-03-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Since I'm a big fan of the mystery genre, the annual list of Edgar nominees is one of my favorite sources to consult when I'm looking for a good book to read. (The Edgars recognize the best mysteries of the year in various categories.) The 2008 nominees were announced a few weeks back to very little fanfare. In case you missed it (like I did), click here for the nominee list. The winners will be announced at the awards dinner in New York City on May 8. Local mystery writer Bill Pronzini will be honored as Grand Master.

Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures

2008-03-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

The library just received a lovely, oversized book, featuring very small books that are fascinating works of art. I'd love to share some of the photos with you here, but I don't have a scanner. However, if you're interested, Amazon.com has some nice page shots.

Click here if you interested in finding the book at the library or putting it on hold.

Website: Garfield minus Garfield

2008-03-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb."

http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/

Quill Book Awards Ended

2008-02-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

The sponsor of the Quill Book awards, Reed Business Information, has shut down the Quill Book Awards. These awards were the publishing equivalent of the People's Choice Awards, but I don't think they ever caught on despite all the celebrity endorsements, glittering award shows and literacy programs.

Sponsor Shuts the Book on Glitzy Quill Awards
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. book award program created three years ago to bring glamour to the world of publishing and promote literacy has been shelved, its primary sponsor Reed Business Information said on Tuesday.

In a statement on www.publishersweekly.com, the publishing company gave no reason for its decision to end support for The Quill Literacy Foundation and the accompanying black tie Quill Awards, which were televised every year by NBC. (Link to article.)

People DO read!

2008-02-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

Finally, someone has something positive to say about reading! In a New York Times blog called Opinion, author Timothy Egan rebuts Apple CEO Steve Jobs' comment saying that "people don't read anymore." While Egan praises Jobs' product innovations, he scolds him for his inability to see another market opportunity. After all, 40% of the population DOES read. Jobs has revolutionized the music industry, so why not the book industry? This is a witty and thoughtful piece.

Opinion: Book Lust
Every now and then, someone who is brilliant says something stupid — often the result of spending too much time riding a jet stream of high praise. Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive of Apple Inc., did such a thing last month when he all but declared the death of reading.
Asked about Kindle, the electronic book reader from Amazon.com, Jobs was dismissive. “It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is,” he told John Markoff of The Times, “the fact is that people don’t read anymore. Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year.” (Link to blog.)

P.S. Even though I'm both a book worm and gadget geek, I'm not really lusting after a digital book reader. However, I would be very tempted to buy a book reader that was designed and manufactured by Apple (the iRead?) because it would probably be the easiest to use, have the best features, and look the coolest.

One feature that would absolutely cinch the deal for me would be the ability to both read and listen to the book. For example, let's say I'm on the couch engrossed in a good mystery, but have to leave for an appointment. So when I get in my car, I'd just plug my iRead into the car's speaker system and pick up the story where I left off...but I'd be listening to the book instead of reading it. How cool would that be?!

America's Most Literate Cities of 2007

2008-02-20T20:42:00.000-08:00

San Francisco is once again in the top ten of the most literate cities in the United States, according to the annual study conducted by Central Connecticut State University:

http://www.ccsu.edu/amlc07/

If you check previous years, you see that San Francisco has been moving up the list. I wonder why. The website says that the "...study focuses on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment, and Internet resources. I wonder if one particular indicator is boosting S.F.'s literacy or if it's a combination of factors.

Guardian's Top 10 Romances

2008-02-15T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Guardian's top 10 lists are always fun, but I found this one especially amusing. The synopsis for each of these top 10 romances may be wittier and more insightful than the book it describes. Here's one sample. If it's your cup of tea, check out the other nine!

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
If Defoe can be revered as the godfather of the romp, his spunky protagonist, Moll, is the godmother of feisty literary heroines. The pace is frenzied and the plot outrageous. Our heroine marries every eligible male between Lancashire and Virginia - including her brother. She's a very modern icon - whatever befalls her, she picks herself up, dusts herself down, rearranges her cleavage and rampages off again.

Coen Brothers to film Michael Chabon novel

2008-02-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

For fans of Coen Brothers films or of Michael Chabon novels, here's some intriguing news that I found on The Guardian's website. It sounds like a great match-up.

Coens take on tale of alternate Alaska

The Coen brothers are to take on Pulitzer-prize winning author Michael Chabon's novel The Yiddish Policeman's Union, about an alternate-reality Alaska.
The siblings, who have scored their most commercially successful movie with the Oscar-nominated No Coutry for Old Men, will adapt and direct Chabon's book, which centres upon a private detective who is called upon to investigate the present-day killing of a heroin-addicted chess prodigy in the frozen US state. (Link to article)

Blog: Book By Its Cover

2008-02-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

Book By its Cover is a blog that features books that are little works of art. The blogger, Julia Rothman, is a pattern designer who, along with some guest writers, features distinctive looking books she's come across. There are all sorts of books, loosely organized by categories such as childrens, design, comic, fine art, etc. If you like books that are a feast for the eyes, check out this blog.

Book for May 2008

2008-02-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

I had to switch the book we planned to discuss in May because I couldn't get ahold of enough copies from our vendors. So, selfishly, I chose a book that I'm eager to read from the New York Times 2007 List of Notable Books. It sounds fun! See what you think.

BTW: It will be available at the Readers Roundtable meeting of February 1 and at the Main Library's Reference Desk after that.

Dancing to the Amendra
By Mayra Montero

Havana, 1957. On the same day that the Mafia capo Umberto Anastasia is assassinated in a barber’s chair in New York, a hippopotamus escapes from the Havana zoo and is shot and killed by its pursuers. Assigned to cover the zoo story, Joaquín Porrata, a young Cuban journalist, instead finds himself embroiled in the mysterious connections between the hippo’s death and the mobster’s when a secretive zookeeper whispers to him that he “knows too much.” In exchange for a promise to introduce the keeper to his idol, the film star George Raft, now the host of the Capri Casino, Joaquín gets information that ensnares him in an ever-thickening plot of murder, mobsters, and, finally, love.

The love story is, of course, another mystery. Told by Yolanda, a beautiful ex-circus performer now working for the famed cabaret San Souci, it interleaves through Joaquín’s underworld investigations, eventually revealing a family secret deeper even than Havana’s brilliantly evoked enigmas.

In Dancing to "Almendra," Mayra Montero has created an ardent and thrilling tale of innocence lost, of Havana’s secret world that is “the basis for the clamor of the city,” and of the end of a violent era of fantastic characters and extravagant crimes. Based on the true history of a bewitching city and its denizens, Almendra is the latest “triumph” (Library Journal) from one of Latin America’s most impassioned and intoxicating voices.

Book Discussion: Philadelphia Fire

2008-02-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that the Readers Roundtable will be meeting tomorrow, February 2 at 2 pm to discuss the book Philadelphia Fire.

The meeting is scheduled to meet in the Trustee's Room which is on the 1st floor, located on the Estudillo Ave side of the building. (The same room where we met in January.)

I'll not be able to attend tomorrow because of family business. Another librarian, Patty will moderate the meeting in my absence. She also loves to read and I think you'll like her.

Below I've added links to a few news stories about the Philadelphia incident in case you want to learn more about the it.

Police Drop Bomb on Radicals' Home in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, May 13-A state police helicopter this evening dropped a bomb on a house occupied by an armed group after a 24-hour siege involving gun battles. A 90 -minute shootout this morning came after a week of growing tension between the city and the group, known as Move. Residents in the western Philadelphia neighborhood had complained about the group for years. The only known survivors from within the house were a woman and a child. The fire spread to 50 to 60 other houses in the neighborhood, said the Fire Commissioner, William Richmond. He declared the fire under control about 11:40 P.M.

Philadelphia MOVE Bombing Still Haunts Survivors
Twenty years ago, Philadelphia's Osage Avenue was the site of a stunning use of force by city police. After a long standoff, police dropped a bomb on the headquarters of a radical group called MOVE, sparking a fire that gutted a neighborhood and left 11 people dead. Five were children.

Philadelphia, city officials ordered to pay $1.5 million in MOVE case
PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- Eleven years after police dropped a bomb on a row house occupied by the anti-government group MOVE, a jury has ordered the city of Philadelphia and two former city officials to pay $1.5 million to a survivor and relatives of two members of the group who died in the subsequent fire. [Note link to essay by Alice Walker]

Robert Frost's Home Vandalized

2008-01-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, some local teenagers decided to hold a raucous party in a Vermont farmhouse previously owned by poet Robert Frost. They did considerable damage, but stopped short of burning the place down. The New York Times columnist Dan Barry has written a lovely meditation about the incident titled A Violation of Both the Law and the Spirit. It's accompanied by an audio slide show that's narrated by a local college professor and filled with beautiful photos of Frost's home, nestled in the snowy woods he made famous.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep

Feeling Witty Today?

2008-01-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

Drawing by Mick Stevens
Then don't delay! Enter the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption contest. Here's the scoop:

Each week, we [The New Yorker] provide a cartoon in need of a caption [see drawing above]. You, the reader, submit your caption, we choose three finalists, and you vote for your favorite. Finalists for this week's cartoon will appear online Monday, February 4th, and in the February 11th & 18th issue of The New Yorker. Any U.S. resident age eighteen or older can enter.

There's a new contest every week. So if this drawing doesn't inspire you, maybe next week's will. Or, if you're wit-deficient like me but appreciate it in others, you can vote for your favorite captions and have some laughs browsing past winners.

NYTimes: Great Adaptations

2008-01-19T12:56:00.000-08:00

Linda found another thought-provoking article in the New York Times.

Great Adaptations
By: Sophie Gee
Instead of dumbing down the classics, mass-market popularizations sometimes make them even better.

The History of Sweeney Todd

2008-01-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the Sweeney Todd tale may date back to the 1700's? Or that the first actor to portray him on film was named Tod Slaughter? (How's that for typecasting?)

The Guardian newspaper investigates the origins of Sweeney Todd and attempts to resolve the mystery: Did he really exist or is he simply a manifestation of man's darkest impulses? A fun and fascinating read.

On a Knife Edge
As Tim Burton's new film version of Sweeney Todd is released, Louise Welsh looks back at the Victorian 'blood and thunder books' in which the demon barber first captured the public's imagination. (Link to article)

Destination Bookstores of the World

2008-01-18T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Guardian newspaper has posted its list of the 10 Best Bookshops in the World. The excellent blog Bookdaddy questions whether the honor is based more on decor than on the quality of the bookstock. But given the splendid beauty of some of these bookstores, who cares? I probably couldn't read the language anyway. I think it would be fun to compare the book covers and displays to what I'm used to seeing in the USA. I also think that soaking in the aesthetics of a beautiful, but less touristed space would be pleasant detour from the usual traps.

Pictured above is the Livraria Lello in Porto. With that glossy red staircase, it looks like a set from the movie Pan's Labrynth. Very surreal.

Destination Bookstores

2008-01-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

Linda forwarded me this Seattle Times article of distinctive, unique bookstores in various cities throughout the U.S.

Take a literary tour of unique U.S. bookstores
"When is a bookstore worth a tourist's time? When it's more than just a place to buy books.A destination bookstore can make you feel like you're part of the community, whether you're grooving on the laid-back vibe at Powell's in Portland, or tuning into the Beltway buzz at Washington's Politics and Prose." (Link to article.)

Pictured is the Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle. It looks like the perfect spot for book browsing and latte sipping.

Redroom: MySpace for the literary set

2008-01-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

Redroom is an ambitious new social website for writers. According to a January 8 article in SFGate.com, called Literary Web site Redroom a new chapter for authors, book lovers:

"It features 150 authors (with 400 more to come), ranging from Amy Tan and Salman Rushdie to Edinburgh Castle Pub owner Alan Black; Graham Leggatt, executive director of the San Francisco Film Society, who moonlights as a sci-fi writer; and local mystery writer Cara Black."

Authors, both fledgling and famous, are given their own webpage and blog, where they can post their book tour schedules, promotional materials, reviews, reading list, influences, etc. as well as share their thoughts & have online conversations with readers. The site is targeted to both the public and members of the book industry.

So check out Amy Tan's blog or seek out your favorite author's webpage or blog. I think it's a great idea, and the site seems well-designed and easy to navigate. I hope it will become a popular online destination for booklovers like you and me since it looks like a potentially great resource.

NYTimes: "A Year of Books Worth Curling Up With"

2008-01-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Linda forwarded me a fun New York Times article, revealing what books their critics consider to be their favorite reads of the year. According to the article, these books "meet criteria that any reader will recognize. These are the books that are disappointing only because they have to end. They’re the ones we [NYTimes critics] mention to friends. They’re the ones worth taking on vacation, and they are well executed, whatever their genre or subject matter." (Link to article.)

Maybe you'll find a title or two here that you'd like to nominate for Readers Roundtable summer reading list....

Book Discussion: Special Topics in Calamity Physics

2008-01-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting tomorrow, Saturday Jan 5, at 2 p.m. to discuss the book Special Topics in Calamity Physics. I'll be interested to see what you all think about the book. (I'm still racing to get through the last 100 pages. This is a long one!)

Meanwhile, if you want to see what the critics say, Metacritic.com has a good collection of reviews.

Penguin Books also has a nice reading guide for the book, including an interview with the author Marisha Pessl as well as a set of discussion questions.

Looking forward to seeing you. And don't forget: We'll be selecting the summer books, so if there are any books you'd like to nominate, please speak up!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-21T09:35:00.001-08:00

We'll I'm going to kickback & enjoy the holidays over the few weeks. But I'll be back next year for our Saturday, January 5 book discussion of Special Topics in Calamity Physics.

Meanwhile, here's a fun rendition of one of my favorite holiday tunes. Wishing you safe & happy holidays & many good reads in the new year!

The New Yorker: "Twilight of the Books"

2007-12-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

For those of us who read for pleasure, there's a grim article in The New Yorker magazine titled Twilight of the Books. It analyzes the statistics on our national reading habits.

More alarming are indications that Americans are losing not just the will to read but even the ability. According to the Department of Education, between 1992 and 2003 the average adult’s skill in reading prose slipped one point on a five-hundred-point scale, and the proportion who were proficient—capable of such tasks as “comparing viewpoints in two editorials”—declined from fifteen per cent to thirteen. [Scary! I would of thought at least 20% of the population could do this.]

It also explores how our brains process written versus oral language.

Whereas literates can rotate concepts in their minds abstractly, orals embed their thoughts in stories. According to Ong, the best way to preserve ideas in the absence of writing is to “think memorable thoughts,” whose zing insures their transmission. In an oral culture, cliché and stereotype are valued, as accumulations of wisdom, and analysis is frowned upon, for putting those accumulations at risk. [Does this remind you of Orwell's 1984?]

It also wonders how a primarily oral/visual culture will differ from a literate one.

It can be amusing to read a magazine whose principles you despise, but it is almost unbearable to watch such a television show. And so, in a culture of secondary orality, we may be less likely to spend time with ideas we disagree with. Self-doubt, therefore, becomes less likely. In fact, doubt of any kind is rarer....A comparison of two video reports, on the other hand, is cumbersome. Forced to choose between conflicting stories on television, the viewer falls back on hunches, or on what he believed before he started watching. [Sounds an awful lot like "truthiness" to me: "truth that comes from the gut, not books."]

The article is a little dry and scholarly, not at all hysterical, but even so, it was hard for me to tap down a rising sense of panic as I read it. Still it's fascinating and well worth your time, providing much food for thought to those who are still literate.

Patrons' Picks & Pans

2007-12-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

If you're curious about the books your fellow patrons are reading and what they think about them, check out the Patrons' Picks & Pans newsletter. Published bi-weekly, it's a random selection of book reviews written by patrons who participated in last summer's adult reading program. It's fun to see the variety of interests, opinions and tastes amongst library patrons--sort of like reading the Inquiring Reporter column in the San Leandro Times. (The first page I turn to every week.)

Also, check out all the other newsletters the library offers on the BookLetters page. There are newsletters for most every type of reader as well as for those who like watching DVDs. And you can get the newsletters delivered direct to your email address when you subscribe.

HINT: These newsletters are great way to find out what new stuff the library will be receiving. Then you can put an early hold on your favorite titles/authors and be among the first to check them out once they come in.

So sign up! The newsletters are free and the library does not share your email with any other organization. It's a great way to keep up with all the new materials and events at the San Leandro Library.

Salon.com's Best Books of 2007

2007-12-14T09:41:00.000-08:00

The book editors of Salon.com have posted their Book Awards of 2007. I like their selection criteria:

To make our list, a book has to keep us up late and be the first thing we reach for when we open our eyes in the morning. These are the books we thought about on the way to work and rushed through our dinner dates to get back to at night, the books we blocked out whole weekends to read and propped up next to our bowls of breakfast cereal. However beautiful an author's prose or important his or her subject matter, it doesn't go on our list unless we sigh every time we close the cover and just can't wait to open it again.

Salon also has a seasonal guide to the Look Books of 2007, offering insightful annotations that help explain what makes these picture books so stare-worthy.

Writer's Almanac

2007-12-12T10:04:00.000-08:00

One of my daily pleasures is opening up my email and reading a poem that Garrison Keillor has sent me. I subscribe to an email newsletter called Writer's Almanac, which is also a the name of a 5 minute radio program produced by Keillor and National Public Radio (NPR). If you listen to KQED-FM at 9:00 a.m. weekdays you might have heard Keillor reading, in his soothing, distinctive voice, a poem for Writer's Almanac.

Keillor does not select pretentious, difficult, academic poems for Writer's Almanac . He prefers those that have "Stickiness, memorability.... You hear it and a day later some of it is still there in the brainpan." These poems tell story or create a picture and are very accessible. Even people who say they hate poetry will find many to like (or even love) on Writers Almanac. Here's one of my favorties:

Otherwise
by Jane Kenyon

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It might have been
otherwise. I ate
cereal, sweet
milk, ripe, flawless
peach. It might
have been otherwise.
I took the dog uphill
to the birch wood.
All morning I did
the work I love.

At noon I lay down
with my mate. It might
have been otherwise.
We ate dinner together
at a table with silver
candlesticks. It might
have been otherwise.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls, and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know,
it will be otherwise.

If you go to The Writer's Almanac website, you can both read and listen to the poems. You can also subscribe to the email newsletter (which contains some literary history as well as a poem) by clicking on the "Newsletter" button.

If you get hooked on the poems, you may also want to check out the two book collections of Writer's Almanac poems that Keillor has put together. The library carries both: Good Poems and Good Poems for Hard Times.

Video Promotions for Books

2007-12-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

Some publishers are creating short YouTube videos to promote new books. The two below are for the Douglas Coupland's, The Gum Thief. They're about a minute long and very funny, if a tad bitter. You can find more videos for this title on YouTube. These two were my particular favorites.

I also liked a disturbing, controversial 7 minute video promoting The Shock Doctrine, a book about political persuasion. It was directed by Alfonso Cuaron who also directed the excellent 2006 film Children of Men. It's a very provocative video, but very graphic. View at your own discretion.

Best Covers 2007

2007-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Book Design Review blog has chosen its best book covers for 2007. Vote for your favorite. There are so many I like, that I haven't been able to select a favorite.

The Book Daddy blog, usually more focused on industry news and book content, has decided to branch out a bit and posted its four favorite covers in its November 20 post. All interesting, beautiful choices.

So in the spirit of posting favorite 2007 covers, I'll post a few of mine not featured in the other two blogs:

This book has absolutely mesmerizing high-resolution photos of animals photographed on a white backdrop. What I like about the cover is how the stark white & black contrasts with the rounded outline and soft fur of the panther cub. I also like how the cub seems to be heading toward the edge of the book, leading you to explore the photos inside.

This cover makes me smile. We have several copies in the library and my eye is always drawn to it. Besides being eye-catching, I also think it's clever depiction of the book's premise. The Greek gods, in a millennial-long decline since being usurped by Christianity, are now just trying to eke out a living in modern day London when, once again, their selfish, debauched antics create difficulties for us mere mortals. The book is getting decent reviews, most saying it's a fun, if lightweight read.

Understated wit and black humor. What's not to love?

This is my brain on Mozart. Don't try to find this cover in local bookstores; this is the U.K. cover. Unfortunately, the U.S. cover is dull. It looks more like my brain on muzak.

I like how the designer cropped this iconic image. To me, it is more provocative than using a picture of Charlie Brown and it avoids being cliched or overly nostalgic.

So those are some of my personal favs. If you have any, email me! You can browse more bookcovers on the Covers blog.

Time to pick the summer(!) books

2007-12-07T14:41:00.000-08:00

The city is starting to compile the Summer 2008 activities brochure, and my deadline to provide them with the Reader's Roundtable book selection is mid-January.

So, if you can spare a moment during this busy holiday season, please mull over what books you might like to read next summer when the sun's shining and the beach beckons. Perhaps when you're out gift shopping, you'll run across something that appeals. Or while browsing the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2007 you'll find a book blurb that provokes your curiousity. (Just remember the books need to be available in paperback by April 2008.)

Then email me with your book suggestions and/or bring them to our January 3 discussion.

Thanks!

Movie: Atonement

2007-12-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

The movie version of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement starts tomorrow, December 7. I've read some good to great reviews of the movie and the trailer looks intriguing. All the reviewers says it's a splendid looking film, so if nothing else it'll be a feast for your eyes.

I've not read the book yet, so I may try to fit that in before going to see the film. If you do see the film, let me know what you think.

NYTimes: Top Ten of 2007

2007-11-30T13:39:00.000-08:00

The New York Times Book Review has announced its top 10 books for 2007. Luckily, one of the few fiction books I read for pleasure this year is on the list: Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. I didn't read it for bragging rights, but since I have the opportunity...why not? I also happened to think that it was a terrific book--especially for those that experienced the boom/bust cycle of the 90's first hand.

BTW: Notice how the page edges in the NY Times illustration are inscribed with the article's headline? This graphic technique seemed a little familiar to me. Then I remembered that Martha Stewart Magazine did something similar in its "Good Things" section earlier this year.

Although the techniques are alike, I love how different they are in execution. The NYTimes version is brainy and hurried looking, while the Martha Stewart version is pretty and so meticulously crafted. Good examples, I think, of how graphics can reinforce a publication's editorial voice.

In Memoriam: Mary Rea

2007-11-28T14:06:00.000-08:00

Today I learned that Mary Rea, one of the first and most loyal members of the Readers Roundtable, passed away last week on Thanksgiving Day. Her unique insights and sly humor will be sadly missed.

Her obituary was printed on Tuesday, November 27 in The Daily Review, and her online guest book will remain up until December 27.

NYTimes: 100 Notable Books of the Year

2007-11-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

The New York Times has published its list of 100 Notable Books of 2007 on its website. (The print version will be included in the Holiday Book Issue of December 3, 2007.) This is another good gift guide for book lovers. I also use it to help me find titles for our Reader's Roundtable book discussions.

Gift guide for library (& book) lovers

2007-11-24T10:14:00.000-08:00

Do you have someone on your Christmas gift list who loves books and libraries? Or looking for some goodies to add to your own Santa wishlist? Here's a handy list of websites that sell book and library-related gifts sure to delight any bookworm.

Gift Guide for Library Lovers
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listgiftguij.html

This purse was made from a book cover. You can find this purse and others like it on Treehugger.com.

Newsweek: Books aren't dead

2007-11-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

Steven Levy (one of my favorite technology writers) has written a superb cover article in this week’s Newsweek. Ostensibly, it’s about Amazon’s new e-book device the Kindle, but mostly it’s about how book authors, book readers and the book format itself are evolving in this digital age.

It’s an easy, but provocative read, filled with fun facts and fascinating information about books and reading. For me, it was a totally ludic reading** experience.

The Future of Reading
"Technology," computer pioneer Alan Kay once said, "is anything that was invented after you were born." So it's not surprising, when making mental lists of the most whiz-bangy technological creations in our lives, that we may overlook an object that is superbly designed, wickedly functional, infinitely useful and beloved more passionately than any gadget in a Best Buy: the book. It is a more reliable storage device than a hard disk drive, and it sports a killer user interface. (No instruction manual or "For Dummies" guide needed.) And, it is instant-on and requires no batteries. Many people think it is so perfect an invention that it can't be improved upon, and react with indignation at any implication to the contrary.
"The book," says Jeff Bezos, 43, the CEO of Internet commerce giant Amazon.com, "just turns out to be an incredible device." (Link to full article.)

** In 1988 Victor Nell coined the term “ludic reading” for the “trance-like state that heavy readers enter when consuming books for pleasure.”

NYTimes: Publishers Woo Book Groups

2007-11-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

According to this New York Times article (11/19/07), publishers are realizing the marketing potential of book clubs.

Publishers Seek to Mine book Circles

In early June, at Book Club Expo, a gathering of reading group members and book lovers, the author Khaled Hosseini opened the first session with heartfelt thanks to the attendees.
“He said that ‘The Kite Runner’ wasn’t being read until book groups got hold of it,” recalled Ann Kent, who put together the event, which was held in San Jose, Calif. “He acknowledged their power in putting his book on the best-seller list and keeping it on the best-seller list. It was pretty profound.”
Profound or not, the message had resonance. Increasingly, authors and publishers are tipping their hats to the power of 8 or 10 or 12 women (and usually they are women) sitting around a dining room table, dissecting their particular book of the month, then spreading the word to their friends. (Link to full article.)

NOTE: Below I've listed two of the web resources mentioned in the article in case you want to check them out. When I get the chance, I'll also add them to the blog's list of book links.

AuthorBuzz
AuthorBuzz is a marketing service that puts authors directly in touch with readers, reading groups, booksellers and librarians allowing them to offer excerpts, phone chats or visits with reading groups, material for newsletters, info about contests and freebies, mentions of new reviews — anything and everything authors want to buzz directly to the people who buy, read and sell their books.

DearReader.com
Sign up for any of the email book clubs and every day you'll get a 5-minute sample from a book. By the end of the week, you'll have read 2-3 chapters. If it's a book you've just gotta finish, visit the library or your favorite bookstore and pick up a copy. Have fun.

The Maltese Falcon Returns

2007-11-17T08:55:00.000-08:00

As you may recall, one of the original falcon statues used in the movie The Maltese Falcon was stolen from the San Francisco restaurant John's Grill earlier this year. Well, according to an article on SFGate.com, the falcon, albeit a new & improved version, has returned to its roost.

Maltese Falcon rules roost at John's Grill
The bird is back and it's bigger than ever.

Nine months after someone snatched a replica of the Maltese Falcon from its perch on the second floor of San Francisco landmark John's Grill, owner John Konstin and 90 bird and mystery lovers welcomed a new replica of the fowl made famous by Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel and Humphrey Bogart's 1941 film noir classic.

"The falcon's going back upstairs, but this time it's going to be bolted down, locked in its case with security cameras, the whole thing," said Konstin, who kept a nervous eye on the new bird throughout the Friday afternoon unveiling. (Link to full article.)

National Book Award Winners

2007-11-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

The 2007 National Book Award Winners were announced today, November 15. The winning titles with publisher descriptions are listed below. Click on any title to see if it's available at the library.

I've not read any of these books yet, but have read quite a number of terrific reviews about the fiction winner Tree of Smoke. Maybe a good read for the Roundtable once it comes out in paperback.

Fiction Winner
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

This is the story of Skip Sands—spy-in-training, engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong—and the disasters that befall him thanks to his famous uncle, a war hero known in intelligence circles simply as the Colonel. This is also the story of the Houston brothers, Bill and James, young men who drift out of the Arizona desert into a war in which the line between disinformation and delusion has blurred away. In its vision of human folly, and its gritty, sympathetic portraits of men and women desperate for an end to their loneliness, whether in sex or death or by the grace of God, this is a story like nothing in our literature.
---------------------------------

** According to an SFGate.com article, Denis Johnson is a resident playwright for the San Francisco theater group Campo Santo.

Non-Fiction Winner
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner
For the last sixty years, the CIA has managed to maintain a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, burying its blunders in top-secret archives. Its mission was to know the world. When it did not succeed, it set out to change the world. Its failures have handed us, in the words of President Eisenhower, “a legacy of ashes.”

Now Pulitzer Prize–winning author Tim Weiner offers the first definitive history of the CIA—and everything is on the record. LEGACY OF ASHES is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA itself, and hundreds of interviews with CIA veterans, including ten Directors of Central Intelligence. It takes the CIA from its creation after World War II, through its battles in the cold war and the war on terror, to its near-collapse after 9/ll.

Poetry Winner
Time and Materials by Robert Hass
(On Order. You can place a hold.)
The poems in Robert Hass's new collection—his first to appear in a decade—are grounded in the beauty and energy of the physical world, and in the bafflement of the present moment in American culture. This work is breathtakingly immediate, stylistically varied, redemptive, and wise.

His familiar landscapes are here—San Francisco, the Northern California coast, the Sierra high country—in addition to some of his oft-explored themes: art; the natural world; the nature of desire; the violence of history; the power and limits of language; and, as in his other books, domestic life and the conversation between men and women. New themes emerge as well, perhaps: the essence of memory and of time.
----------------------------------------

** According to an SFGate.com article, Robert Hass is a U.C. Berkeley professor and served as a U.S. poet laureate. On a personal note, Hass has written some of my all-time favorite poems. Here's one I love for it's humor and emotional punch:

Forty Something
She says to him, musing, 'If you ever leave me, and marry a younger woman and have another baby, I'll put a knife in your heart.' They are in bed, so she climbs onto his chest, and looks directly down into his eyes. 'You understand? Your heart.'

Young People's Literature Winner
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie (On Order. You can place a hold.)

In his first book for young adults, bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

The March book is in

2007-11-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

Copies of The Thirteenth Tale, the book for the March 2008 book discussion, have arrived. Now, the Main Library is stocked with all three books for the January to March meetings. You can register for any or all of these meetings at the Information/Reference Desk. It's only $10 per meeting and you'll get a free copy of the book.

Jan '08 - Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Feb '08 - Philadelphia Fire
Mar '08 - Thirteenth Tale

NYTimes Article: Gaelic Slang

2007-11-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today's New York Times (11/9) has a swell (sóúil) article about American slang words that evolved out of Irish Gaelic.

Humdinger of a Project: Tracing Slang to Ireland
By COREY KILGANNON

Growing up Irish in Queens and on Long Island, Daniel Cassidy was nicknamed Glom.
“I used to ask my mother, ‘Why Glom?’ and she’d say, ‘Because you’re always grabbing, always taking things,’” he said, imitating his mother’s accent and limited patience, shaped by a lifetime in Irish neighborhoods in New York City.
It was not exactly an etymological explanation, and Mr. Cassidy’s curiosity about the working-class Irish vernacular he grew up with kept growing. Some years back, leafing through a pocket Gaelic dictionary, he began looking for phonetic equivalents of the terms, which English dictionaries described as having “unknown origin.”
“Glom” seemed to come from the Irish word “glam,” meaning to grab or to snatch.
Link to article.

Flash Fiction

2007-11-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

The book blog titled "The story as one-liner" in today's Guardian newspaper talks about a literary form that's new to me: Flash Fiction. It's basically a very, very short story of 2,000 words or less...sometimes much, much less. Here's a example pulled from the article.

Untitled by Ernest Hemingway
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Flash fiction is nothing new, but in this age of distraction, it's becoming more popular. What differentiates it from poetry or even a joke isn't always clear to me:

My Father by Mike Topp
My father was a snowman.
He got depressed and blew his brains out with a hair dryer.

Obviously, it takes some skill to write effective Flash Fiction. If you want to learn more about it, checkout the Wikipedia entry, which also has several links to websites and articles.

February Discussion Book

2007-11-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

After being on backorder for several weeks, the book for the February discussion, Philadephia Fire, has finally arrived. You can pick up a copy at the Main Library's reference desk if you want to read ahead.

I also ordered the March book, The Thirteenth Tale. That should be in by next week.

I'll also bring both titles to the January meeting as usual.

-Lori

Book Discussion: Slaughterhouse-Five

2007-11-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Readers Roundtable will be meeting tomorrow, Saturday November 3 at 2:00 p.m. to discuss Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughter-House Five.

Elizabeth has been doing a bit of research on the firebombing of Dresden and kindly forwarded me this message with some fascinating weblinks.

Kurt Vonnegut may be the best known writer to survive the firebombing of Dresden, but as you would expect, he is not the only one.

For the last year or so, I have been working my way through the diaries of Victor Klemperer, who escaped deportation by the Nazis and survived the firebombing of Dresden (rather, he survived because of the firebombing of Dresden).

I am only as far as the summer of 1943 in my reading of the diaries, but here’s a link to an article in Der Spiegel which excerpts from his diary.

About the time I started rereading Slaughterhouse Five, I found an online gallery of old photos and drawings of pre-war Dresden, but I failed to bookmark the page, and now I can’t find it again. I wanted to get some mental picture of the city that looked like “Oz” to Vonnegut. I’ll keep looking, and if I find it, I’ll send you the link.

Elizabeth

PS: During the Hitler years, in addition to his diaries, Victor Klemperer produce a study of the language of the Third Reich and how the National Socialists changed the German language, redefining old words and creating new ones for propaganda purposes (similar to “Newspeak” in 1984).

Boo!

2007-10-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

What literary character scared you the most?

Abebooks.com polled its customers to find out who they thought were the scariest characters in literature. Nineteen Eight-Four's Big Brother was voted the scariest while author Stephen King has the distinction of having two of his characters make the top ten. Check to see if your favorite monster is on the list.

BTW: As an adolescent, Dracula scared me the most. As an adult though, Big Brother is definitely my worst nightmare.

Anne Enright, Essayist

2007-10-18T13:35:00.000-07:00

Today's New York Times book blog Papercuts mentions that Anne Enright, winner of the 2007 Booker Prize, is a frequent essayist for the London Review of Books.

Her current column (as of 10/18) is about her obsession with the McCann missing child case. The opening paragraph alone is very compelling and discusses in some detail the risks of sedating a child.

It is very difficult to kill a child by giving it sedatives, even if killing it is what you might want to do. I asked a doctor about this, one who is also a mother. It was a casual, not a professional conversation, but like every other parent in the Western world, she had thought the whole business through. (Link to full column.)

Winner of Booker Prize 2007 Announced

2007-10-16T15:44:00.001-07:00

Anne Enright wins Man Booker Prize for Fiction

LONDON (AP) -- Irish writer Anne Enright won the Man Booker fiction prize Tuesday for "The Gathering," an uncompromising portrait of a troubled family.
She is the second Irish writer to win the prize in the past three years, after John Banville's "The Sea" in 2005.
Enright had been considered a long-shot to take Britain's most prestigious, and contentious, literary trophy. The award, which carries a prize of $100,000, was bestowed during a ceremony at London's medieval Guildhall. Link to full article.

Link to Man Booker website.

Link to San Leandro Library catalog record of The Gathering in case you want to check out the book or put a hold on it.

Photo: Andy Rain/European Pressphoto Agency

Kite Runner Author Weighs In

2007-10-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Today's SFGate has an interview with author Khaled Hosseini about the delay of film version of his book The Kite Runner.

Kite Runner author supports late release to protect young actors

Jose resident Khaled Hosseini has led multiple professional lives: medical doctor, international bestselling novelist, envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and, now, Hollywood consultant and spokesperson.
On Monday at a press junket in San Francisco, the 43-year-old author said he commends Paramount Vantage for postponing the release of "The Kite Runner," the film adaptation of his bestselling novel, in order to protect three adolescent Afghan actors who appear in the movie. (Link to article.)
Thanks for the tip Linda.

The Machine is Us/ing

2007-10-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

While this video, The Machine is Us/ing, isn't directly book related, I thought it worth posting. It's a clever, provocative summary of how digital technology is not only changing how we share information, but how we live our lives.

Shakespeare Tube Map

2007-10-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has devised an ingenious map that shows the relationships between Shakespeare's characters. And to make it super easy to use, they based the design on London's iconic tube map.

The lines include lovers (red), mothers (pink), fathers and daughters (green), villains (light blue), heroes (dark blue), strong and difficult women (turquoise), warriors (black) and fools (orange). Interesting intersections include Henry V who meets on the warrior and hero line, and Lady Macbeth on the strong and difficult women and warrior line. (Quote from the British Theatre Guide.)

You can buy copies of the map at the Royal Shakespeare Company's online shop as well as totes, coffee mugs, tea towels, etc. with the map printed right on them. What a great Christmas gift for the Shakespearean scholar in your life!

Thanks to the BookDaddy blog for this item.

National Book Award Finalists Annuonced

2007-10-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

The finalists for the 2007 National Book Award were announced today. The only nominated title I've read is Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris, which I loved for its cynical humor and slightly spooky, but spot on narrative voice. In fact, I was going to suggest it for our Summer or Fall 2008 reading list since it should be out in paperback by then.

Christopher Hitchen's book God is Not Great is one of the non-fiction nominees, which is sure to provoke controversy and garner some publicity for the awards.

Finally, according to a librarian at UCLA, "...there are some California writers on the list of 2007 National Book Award finalists and special medal recipients.

Robert Hass, ex-Poet Laureate of the United States, nominated for Time and Materials
Arnold Rampersad, Stanford professor, honored for his biography of Ralph Ellison
Kathleen Duey, YA author of Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One
And of course we count Joan Didion as a Californian!"

Release of "The Kite Runner" Delayed

2007-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

As discussed in last Saturday's Readers Roundtable, the release date of the movie The Kite Runner has been moved to December. Apparently, the family of the boy who stars in the film and lives in Kabul is afraid that fellow Afghans will be offended by a rape scene and retaliate against him. It's widely believed in Afghan culture that such things should not be shared in a public forum.

The New York Times ran an article on this situation, as did the San Jose Mercury News which included interviews with members of our local Afghan community.

Thanks Ron sharing this news with the Roundtable.

Movie Trailer: Atonement

2007-10-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

The movie version of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement is scheduled to be in limited release December 7. Judging from the preview, the movie looks like a beautiful, but tragic romance. Here's a preview with fairly good picture resolution from YouTube. BTW: Early reviews are excellent.

Patrons' Picks & Pans

2007-10-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

The library has launched a new online newsletter called Patrons' Picks & Pans. It's a random selection of book comments from patrons who participated in this past summer's adult reading program. It's a kick seeing what your fellow patrons are reading and what they think about what they're reading, so check it out.

Patrons' Picks & Pans: http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/bookletter/showlist.html?sid=6131&list=CNL2

BTW: there are hundreds of comments to share, so we'll be publishing the newsletter once or twice a month. Sign up for email delivery so you don't miss a single issue! http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/bookletter/addnluser.html?sid=6131

NYTimes: Stephen King on the Short Story

2007-10-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

These days my reading time is limited and frequently interrupted, so I have trouble remembering who's who and what's what when I'm reading a novel. As a result, I've come to prefer reading essays and short stories.

And every Fall I've reason to rejoice because Harper Perennial releases new editions of its "The Best of American" series. This is a terrific series and it has a number of different titles. My favorites are the The Best of American Crime Reporting and The Best of American Mystery Stories (while The Best of American Travel Writing and The Best American Science Writing jostle for third place). However, all the titles usually contain good to excellent pieces, and I try to get through most of them before the next set of comes out the following Fall.

This year Stephen King is the editor for The Best of American Short Stories 2007, and I'm eager to read the stories he's selected. While the Lit Police may sneer at a bestselling author of horror novels editing the 2007 collection, I'm betting that King can be trusted to pick stories that are literary page-turners: i.e. They're fun to read and good for you too.

Anyway, in The Sunday New York Times Book Review King talks about his year of reading American short stories.

What Ails the Short Story

By STEPHEN KING

Published: September 30, 2007

Why do so many short stories feel show-offy, written for editors and teachers rather than for readers?
The American short story is alive and well.

Do you like the sound of that? Me too. I only wish it were actually true. The art form is still alive — that I can testify to. As editor of “The Best American Short Stories 2007,” I read hundreds of them, and a great many were good stories. Some were very good. And some seemed to touch greatness. But “well”? That’s a different story. Link to article.

Endpapers

2007-10-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

The paper that lines the front and back covers of a book are called endpapers. Today, they are mostly left blank, but they were once festooned with patterns or illustrated with pictures. There's now a website that has a gallery of charming endpapers from childrens books. Take a look.

The end paper above is from A House of Pomegranates,
Written by Oscar Wilde Illustrated by Ben Kutcher 1925

Thanks to boingboing.net for item.

Next Book Discussion: The Road

2007-10-02T10:27:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that we'll be meeting this Saturday, October 6 at 2 p.m. to talk about Cormac McCarthy's book The Road.

Below are some websites about the book in case you want to do any preliminary research.

Oprah's Book Club
Oprah chose The Road for her book club several months back (transforming the book into an instant bestseller). Besides analyses, background information, and discussion, Oprah's website also features her television interview with the publicity shy author, Cormac McCarthy.

New York Times
Janet Maslin's book review says, "The Road would be pure misery if not for its stunning, savage beauty."

Author William Kennedy wryly observes in his review that, "McCarthy has said that death is the major issue in the world and that writers who don’t address it are not serious. Death reaches very near totality in this novel."

Image: Viktor Koen, New York Times.

Washington Post
Ron Charles' review points out that, "The fear of dying, so prevalent in McCarthy's previous novels, is balanced here by the fear of surviving.

Newsweek
Malcom Jones book review says, "...the question that the novel implicitly poses—how much can you subtract from human existence before it ceases to be human?—takes on heartbreaking force."

SF Chronicle
In his review, librarian David Hellman interprets McCarthy's message as "...in the end, we have only what we can hold onto right now, in this place and at this moment."

For more in depth literary analyses, search on these two databases: Novelist and Literature Resource Center. You can find them on library's Online Resources webpage. (You'll need you library's barcode number to access them.)

DailyLit

2007-09-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

Kelly, another librarian here at SLPL, forwarded me this item about DailyLit (see below). She said that she now begins her mornings by reading a brief installment from Dracula (my all-time favorite horror novel). WelI, I guess that's one way to wake up your brain and get your blood pumping.

DailyLit

"DailyLit sends books in installments via e-mail. DailyLit currently offers over 400 classic public domain titles that can be subscribed to and read in their entirety for free." Includes some in French, Italian, and Spanish. Search, or browse by title, author, or category. The entry for each work includes a preview of the first installment and the number of installments (such as 675 for "War and Peace" and 149 for "Pride and Prejudice").
URL: http://www.dailylit.com/

Annotation from Librarians' Index to the Internet, lii.org.

BTW: Kelly said that each daily installment is about a 5 minute read.

Movie: No Country For Old Men

2007-09-22T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Coen Brothers, the directing duo that brought you the movies Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou (among many others), have made Cormac McCarthy's novel No Country For Old Men into a movie. It's being released on November 21. I've not read the book, but the NYTimes blog Papercuts calls it "McCarthy's Murder Ballad," so it's a safe bet this movie will have its share of violence and gore. Still, I'll probably be in line the opening weekend. I'm a huge fan of the Coen Brothers writing and directing, the cast looks great, and the trailer leaves me wanting to see more. Hope it delivers!

Why Women Read More Fiction Than Men

2007-09-12T16:19:00.000-07:00

The same recent AP/Ispsos poll that found that the typical American read only four books last year, also reported that men accounted for only 20 percent of the fiction market.

In an essay called Why Women Read More Fiction Than Men, Eric Weiner, a National Correspondent for NPR, examines what's know as the "fiction gap" and offers up some interesting, if speculative theories as to why it exists.

Why Women Read More Fiction Than Men
NPR.org, September 5, 2007 · A couple of years ago, British author Ian McEwan conducted an admittedly unscientific experiment. He and his son waded into the lunch-time crowds at a London park and began handing out free books. Within a few minutes, they had given away 30 novels.
Nearly all of the takers were women, who were "eager and grateful" for the freebies while the men "frowned in suspicion, or distaste." The inevitable conclusion, wrote McEwan in The Guardian newspaper: "When women stop reading, the novel will be dead."Link to article.

Man Booker Prize: Short List Announced

2007-09-12T15:14:00.001-07:00

The short list for the Man Booker Prize was announced last week.

The six titles shortlisted are:

Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)
The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton)
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray)
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)

For the full story, here's the link: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/stories/82

The above titles that are underlined, link directly to our library catalog. You can click on them to see if they're checked in. If they're checked out, you can put them on hold.

I've put in an order for two of the books: The Gathering and Mister Pip. With any luck, they'll be added to the collection within the next month or so.

And as best I can tell, the other two titles, Darkmans and Animal's People have not been published in the U.S.A. yet.

Books We'll Be Reading Next Year

2007-09-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

At the last Reader's Roundtable meeting we selected the books we'll be reading for the February to May 2008 meetings. It's quite a diverse list this time around, but it seems to strike a nice balance between serious and light reading. Anyway, it's always an adventure to discover new books. The chosen titles are listed below along with a brief description.

Philadelphia Fire: A Novel by John Edgar Wideman

In 1985 the police bombing of a West Philadelphia row house owned by the back-to-nature, Afrocentric cult known as Move killed eleven people and started a fire that destroyed sixty other houses. Inspired by this incident, this novel follows Cudjoe, a writer and exile who returns to the neighborhood a decade later to search for the lone survivor of the fire, a young boy who was seen running from the flames.
Saturday, February 2

The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
Author Vida Winter is old, ailing and ready to reveal the truth about the violent and tragic past she has kept secret. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida mesmerizes her with a life of gothic strangeness, and together, they learn to confront the ghosts that have haunted them.
Saturday, March 1

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Half of a Yellow Sun re-creates Biafra’s struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria in the 1960s, by following the lives of three characters swept up in the turbulence. Thirteen-year-old Ugwu is employed as a houseboy for a university professor full of revolutionary zeal. Olanna is the professor’s beautiful mistress. And Richard is a shy young Englishman captivated by Olanna’s twin sister. As Nigerian troops advance and the three run for their lives, their ideals and loyalties are severely tested.
Saturday, April 5

Timothy, or Notes of an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg
Timothy, the world’s most famous, most studied tortoise, once lived in the garden of eighteenth-century curate Gilbert White. Here, he speaks out on his life in the garden, his nine-day adventure outside the gate, his observations of the curious habits and habitations of humans, and the natural world around him. Wry and wise, unexpectedly moving and enchanting at every–careful–turn, Timothy surprises and delights.
Saturday, May 3

DVDs: Great Writers

2007-09-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

The library is currently acquiring two DVD series featuring documentaries on literary luminaries. One series is called Great Writers with DVD's featuring writers such as Joseph Conrad, Truman Capote, Salman Rushdie, and others.

The other series is called Great Women Writers. Currently, we have DVDs on Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters, and Emily Bronte.

You'll find the DVDs in the Biography section under the author's last name. They can be checked out individually for two weeks. Each DVD is about 45 minutes long and contains biographical information, commentary, archival documents, and interviews.

I find documentaries like this helpful for several reasons. First, they are an easy way to bone up on authors I'm unfamiliar with and get a handle on their major themes. Two, I'm fascinated to see tangible proof of their existence: where they lived, the type of people they knew, and the ephemera they produced. Finally, if I can see an interview with a writer or hear his or her voice, it sometimes another level of appreciation for me.

If you're interested in watching these DVD's, they are being ordered and cataloged on an ongoing basis, so keep checking the catalog for the latest additions or ask for them at the Information Desk.

NYTimes: A Space for Us

2007-09-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

In the New York Times Sunday Book Review, 9/2/07, there's an amusing essay called "A Space for Us," by novelist Pagan Kennedy. In it she reflects on the how the relationship between author and reader is becoming more interactive in the age of online networking sites such as MySpace.

But for authors and readers, MySpace offers something entirely new: a forum where we can finally meet and get to know one another — or even collaborate in literary games. For instance, soon after the novelist Matt Haig put up a MySpace profile to promote his book “The Dead Fathers Club,” he received a message that would make any writer’s heart thump. Someone wanted to “friend” him, and that someone was none other than ... William Shakespeare. Shakespeare “sent a message telling me how much he enjoyed my work,” Haig explained to me (via MySpace mail). “I returned the compliment and told him ‘King Lear’ was pretty good, too, and that I’m sure he has a solid career ahead of him.”

Link to full article.

Books as Objects

2007-08-28T16:18:00.000-07:00

It seems to me that sculpting books into art is a somewhat newish trend in the art world. Given some people's reverence for "the book," this trend would seem almost sacrilegious. However, there are so many old, unwanted, worn, dirty books going into landfills, that to me this use of books seems like a creative, if provocative solution to dealing with the piles of paper an information society produces.

Check out the book sculptures below and see what you think.

Jonathan Callan is a British artist whose work as been featured recently on the Rag and Bone blog. The color and form of some pieces are very organic, reminding me of tree rings. Other pieces are more surrealistic. The piece below suggests to me some of the more difficult books we've read in Readers Roundtable.

You can see more of Callan's work on London's Houldworth Gallery website.

Jim Rosenau is a Berkeley artist who describes his work as "funny and functional art made from vintage books." To appreciate the wit of his pieces, look closely at the titles of the books and consider how they relate to each other as well as to any other objects he incorporates into the sculpture.

Finally, Brian Dettmer cuts the book cover so it frames the contents of the book. Then he painstakingly sculpts down through the pages inside (without actually cutting out the pages) to reveal the various pictures and text contained within.

Check out his work at the Aron Packer Gallery website. He also works with maps and cassette tapes. I love the name of his show: Altered States (explorations in media modification).

Thanks Reference Librarian Pam for turning me on to Rosenau's and Dettmer's works.

Book Talk: Black Artists in Oakland

2007-08-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Arcadia Publishing has a very nice set of local history books. This particular title, Black Artists in Oakland, was just published in July, and it's on order here at the library. Here's the description:

Oakland's famous and vibrant arts heritage is known throughout the country, but many people are unaware of the extent of this city's contribution to the national stage in terms of music, dance, visual arts, and literature. Black Artists in Oakland celebrates this amazing story over the past half century through vintage images, from the early days of Slim Jenkinss nightclub to the changing styles of Esthers Orbit Room and the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts. More than 200 photographs lift the curtain on many inspiring artistsmasters in their chosen aesthetic and neighbors to the community. Among the artists highlighted in these pages are Ruth Beckford, Raymond Saunders, Alice Walker, and E. W. Wainwright

Books , Inc. in Alameda will be hosting a talk and signing with the book's authors on Friday, September 7 at 7:30. I think it'll be a fascinating hour of local culture and history, and maybe I'll see you there.

Jerry Thompson and Duane Deterville at Books Inc. in Alameda

Time: Friday, September 7, 2007 7:30 PM
Location: Books Inc. in Alameda, 1344 Park Street, Alameda, 510-522-2226
Jerry Thompson and Duane Deterville authors of Black Artists in Oakland will discuss Oakland’s famous and vibrant arts heritage is known throughout the country, but many people are unaware of the extent of this city’s contribution to the national stage in terms of music, dance, visual arts and literature. Black Artists in Oakland celebrates this amazing story over the past half century.

BookTour.com

2007-08-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

If you like going to author book talks, you may want to visit and subscribe to BookTour.com. It's an easy to use website that tells you which authors are currently speaking in your area. You can also use this site to contact authors who you want to speak at your organization or event. Find out more in the About Us section of the website.

I subscribed to their newsletter and they sent me this email notice today:

Greetings from BookTour.com! This week we introduced a new section of the site devoted to stories of authors' misadventures on the road: http://booktour.com/stories.

-Lori

How many books did you read last year?

2007-08-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

I'd guess considerably more than the average American. Here's the new AP poll on America's reading habits.

Here's the story on CNN's web site:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/08/21/reading.ap/index.html

And the poll from AP/Ipsos:

http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/client/act_dsp_pdf.cfm?name=mr070821-4topline.pdf&id=3613

Thanks Kelly!

Article about Uyghur People of Western China

2007-08-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth forwarded this link to an article about the Uyghur people, which she mentioned in our Heaven Lake book discussion. It's a fascinating, but sad article. It doesn't sound like the Uyghur are living the happy, nomadic existence that Vincent witnessed.

"In Heaven Lake, the Uyghur people of western China figure prominently.

This is a link to an article by Ted Rall that I ready recently. He's basically a political cartoonist, but he has taken a particular interest in Central Asia, and has traveled there quite a bit."

http://www.uexpress.com/tedrall/?uc_full_date=20070703

- Elizabeth Kallquist

Movie Trailer: The Kite Runner

2007-08-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

The movie version of The Kite Runner is scheduled for a November 2 release. Here's the preview.

Another Library Blog

2007-08-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Williamsburg Regional Library in Virgina has very nice blog of librarian-authored book reviews called Blogging for Books. The reviews are well-written, insightful, and fun to read. If you find a reviewer whose literary tastes are similar to yours, you can click on their name at the end of the review to get a list of other reviews they've written.

So, if you like to browsing for books, check it out.

Blogging for Books
Read a new review every day, Monday through Friday! The staff of the in Virginia bring you short reviews of books, movies, and more! A different staff member picks favorite reviews for each different week.

Thanks for the tip Kelly!

Book Suggestions

2007-08-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've just been given a 9/18 deadline for selecting the Spring 2008 booklist for Readers Roundtable. So, please email me with any books suggestions you have or bring them to our next Readers Roundtable meeting on September 6. We'll be selecting 4 books for the months February to May.

I've received a few suggestions so far. One person proposed that we read more African-American authors. Good idea! Does anyone have any favorite titles/authors they'd like to recommend? I'd think it'd be interesting to read something by a contemporary African-American author on current day issues. But whatever title/s the group picks is fine by me. There's lots to choose from. I'll also bring some suggestions to the next meeting.

Here's a list of other books (in no particular order) I've gotten so far from Roundtable members and librarians. Please review. We can discuss them at the next meeting.

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai This book about India won the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the National Critics Circle Award.
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. Taryn, a Reference Librarian, just gave this an intriguing write up in "Staff Recommendations."
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Anne Dillard. A meditation on nature that won the 1975 Pulitzer Prize and as since become a modern classic.
Carmelo by Sandra Cisneros. Apparently a good, sprawling read on the Mexican immigrant experience in 20th century America.
Timothy, or Notes on an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klinkenborg. An unusual book that was enthusiastically recommended to me by several people and the critics also loved it...and its only 200 pages.
Half of the Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This book was a finalist for several prizes and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. The person who recommended it liked it for its well-drawn characters and history of West Africa. I'd like to read it for these reasons and because I've read so few books about Africa actually written by Africans.

So, look these over and see what interests you, and feel free to suggest more titles.

-Lori

News: "Austen on YouTube"

2007-08-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

For those who enjoy Jane Austen movies, Linda forwarded me a New York Times article on a new trend that might tickle your fancy:

Austen on YouTube
By CARYN JAMES

Published: July 29, 2007

"A look at a few clever YouTube videos that capture Jane Austen in a
contemporary way."

If you don't have time to read the article, below are two of the YouTube videos mentioned in the article that I thought were good, silly fun. Each video is roughly 4 minutes long and consists of Jane Austen movies outtakes edited to current pop music hits. The editing is done by amateurs so it's a tad rough, but the enthusiasm shines though and the song choices are amusingly apt.

"Jane Austen Ladies 'Maneater'"

"Regency Men Bringing Sexy Back"

Man Booker Prize for Fiction

2007-08-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Linda alerted me that the longlist for England's Man Booker Prize for Fiction was just announced yesterday.

"The longlist of 13 books, the ‘Man Booker Dozen’, was chosen from 110 entries; 92 were submitted for the prize and 18 were called in by the judges....The 2007 shortlist will be announced on Thursday 6th September at a press conference at Man Group’s London office. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 16th October at an awards ceremony at Guildhall, London. (Link to full article.)"

Let me know if there's any on the list that you've read and liked. I only recognize two titles on the list: On Chesil Beach and The Reluctant Fundamentalist--neither of which I've read yet.

You may also want to check out the Man Booker Prize for Fiction online magazine called Perspective. It features author interviews and news as well as a debate section where readers can hold interactive debates.

Reminder: Book Club Meeting

2007-08-03T10:46:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the Reader's Roundtable will be meeting this Saturday, August 4 at 2 pm to discuss the novel Heaven Lake.

If you have time, visit the author's, John Dalton's, website. Besides some reviews and interviews, there's also a link to pictures of India and China, including the real Heaven Lake.

Which do you prefer? Print or Audio?

2007-08-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

Do you listen to audiobooks? Generally, I don't because they don't hold my attention the way print does. My focus wanders, and I lose my place too often to keep track of the narrative. Also, I've held onto the habit formed in college of underlining key passages and making comments in the margin. And finally, I just find it restful to occasionally look up from the page now and then and mull over what I've read.

But I know many people who prefer listening to books and they seem to get just as much out of listening as I do from reading. This makes me a bit envious since listening to books allows them to multi-task. They can take care of mundane tasks like cleaning, cooking, exercising, driving, etc. all the while being entertained by an audiobook. So now, some of my audiobook-listening friends not only lead more productive lives than me, they actually look forward to doing their chores!

But according to an article in today's New York Times, Your Cheatin' Listenin' Ways (8/2/07), some hardcore readers sneer at those who listen to audiobooks. And some book clubs don't even allow their members to listen to books. This seems a tad extreme to me. Okay, maybe if the club is a scholarly group, then yes, you should probably read the book in print. Otherwise, lighten up folks. To my mind, it's the content of the book, not the format that matters.

And for some, listening is not only a time saver, it's also an easier way to absorb information. Whether from deteriorating eyesight or learning differences, some people hear better than they read.

So for the record, I don't care if you read or listen to a book for the Readers Roundtable Book Club. What makes the book club worthwhile is that we enjoy thinking about and discussng the ideas, experiences, and information contained in the books we read--or listen to.

Your Cheatin' Listenin' Ways

JANICE RASPEN, a librarian at an elementary school in Fredericksburg, Va., came clean with her book club a couple years ago. They were discussing “A Fine Balance,” a novel set in India in the 1970s by Rohinton Mistry and an Oprah’s Book Club pick, when she told the group — all fellow teachers — that rather than read the book, she had listened to an audio version.

“My statement was met with stunned silence,” said Ms. Raspen, 38. Link to article.

Illustration by Christopher Sharp, The New York Times.

NY Times Article: Settling Down in a City in Motion

2007-07-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Since the next Readers Roundtable book, Heaven Lake, is set in Taiwan and China, I thought you might be intrigued by this New York Times article, Settling Down in a City in Motion. It's about this woman who moved from NYC to Shanghai last year. As she finds out, there are two ecosystems coexisting in Shanghai: the Westernized life and the "old lane life."

THE first week I lived in Shanghai, I was walking down Nanjing Street, in front of Cartier, and a man tried to sell me tiger paws. I was near one of the main high-end shopping plazas, a glittering mass of high-rise office buildings and luxury stores, when the man — rustic looking, darkly tanned and wild-eyed — approached me. Nearby, on a cardboard box, I saw his wares: the dried-out skins of indeterminate animals. He walked up to me and thrust out the two giant paws, clearly those of a long-gone big cat. He peered at me expectantly and waited for his money. I looked down at the moth-eaten paws and up at the diamonds in Cartier’s window, and I felt as one often does here, like part of a Surrealist painting. (Link to article.)

Still More Summer Reading Suggestions

2007-07-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

Still looking for summer reads that won't rot your brain? Here are a few more articles with some helpful suggestions.

The fourth installment in Salon.com's summer read series is called Thrills and chills. These mysteries and science fiction novels will transport you to a higher plane.

Slate has asked a number of its contributors to recommend some recent books of note. Pack them up for the beach or sit down next to the air conditioning, and enjoy.

For London's Telegraph.co.uk it's summertime and the reading is easy - unless, of course, this is the year you do Tolstoy.

BTW: My guilty page-turner this summer is Tina Brown's book Diana. (Yes, believe it or not, Princess Di is back on the bestseller lists.) What I love about the book is Tina Brown's sharp wit and crisp writing style. And while there aren't any new, earth-shaking revelations about Diana in it Brown is very deft at delineating England's social milieu and capturing Diana's troubled personality and incandescent charisma. My favorite witticism is a quip from a reporter who describes the group of tabloid reporters that first stalked the 19-year-old Lady Di as the "creme de la scum."

Have you read a good page-turner this summer that you'd like to share?

NYTimes: CEO Libraries Reveal Keys to Success

2007-07-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's one of my pet theories that great leaders are intensely curious people and one of the ways they feed their curiosity is by reading. There's an article the business section of New York Times today (7/21) titled CEO Libraries Reveal Keys to Success that seems to confirm my theory. The CEOs mentioned here pass over the trendy business bestsellers to read the classics, history, politics, contemporary fiction, poetry, philosophy, science, etc. Books on wide-ranging topics that expand the imagination, spark creativity, generate ideas and foster new insights.

Some people think business is about staying busy and making money, and that reading is mere escapism, a waste of time. It's heartening to find out that there are some highly successful business leaders who believe that reading is actually worthwhile, that it can enhance not only their business endeavors, but life itself.

CEO Libraries Reveal Keys to Success

Michael Moritz, the venture capitalist who built a personal $1.5 billion fortune discovering the likes of Google, YouTube, Yahoo and PayPal, and taking them public, may seem preternaturally in tune with new media. But it is the imprint of old media — books by the thousands sprawling through his Bay Area house — that occupies his mind. (Link to article.)

Event: Hurricane Sam & the Hotshots

2007-07-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Music in the Summer Air
Saturday, July 21, 2007
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
At the Main Library - 300 Estudillo Ave.

Hurricane Sam has been called “one of the most unique and accomplished pianists on the planet...” by Albert Salerno of Bay Area Music (BAM). He and the Hotshots will provide an exciting, high energy performance of swing, blues, R & B, and funk. Their jazzy, improvisational style will have you moving to the beat. You may even be inspired to jump up, grab a partner, and take a turn on the library plaza! These incredible musicians have worked with some of the biggest names in jazz music and are sure to provide a wonderful afternoon of FREE entertainment. Don’t miss it!

Free Talk about at Main Library

2007-07-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

FREE Talk About
Nobel and Pulitzer-winning
Playwright Eugene O'Neill
at the
San Leandro Main Library, Karp Room
Thursday, July 19 at 7pm

Join us for the first of three events in the San Leandro Reads "Long Day's Journey into Night" summer program.

Professor Dan Cawthon, longtime board member of the Eugene O'Neill Foundation, Tao House will discuss the events of O'Neill's tortured life and how they inspired the brilliant masterworks that went on to transform the American theater in the 20th century.

This free event "sets the stage" for the other two San Leandro Reads events this summer: 1) A free showing of the movie "Long Days Journey into Night" on Wednesday August 15 at 5:30 pm; 2) An all-day field trip to Tao House, O'Neill's beautiful home in Danville on Saturday, September 8 at 8:30. (Space is limited and registration required.)

This free talk is open to all and refreshments will be served. No tickets necessary.

For more information, call (510)577-3971.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Carl Van Vechten collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-54231]