Sidney Sheldon - 1917-2007

Best selling author and screenwriter Sidney Sheldon died Tuesday.

Besides novels like Rage of Angels, Windmills of the Gods, and The Other Side of Midnight, Sheldon also created movie and television hits like The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, and I Dream of Jeannie.

“For his part, Sheldon said: ‘I don't write for critics. I write for readers.’” LA Times 1/30/2007 Click here for the full article.

Books and Reading

Did you know we have a “Books and Reading” page on our website? If you like our blog and want even more information about books, you should definitely check it out! On this page you’ll find lists of bestsellers, book clubs, reading lists and other resources about books and reading.

http://www.glendalepubliclibrary.org/books_and_reading.asp

BOOK GROUP TO GO-- BOOK GROUP KITS

Do your book group members have difficulty tracking down enough copies of the title they want to read? The Glendale Public Library now has Book Group Kits-- canvas bags that contain everything a book group needs to to read and discuss a book: 15 copies of the same book; a notebook containing discussion questions, book reviews and author information; and enhancements (photos and maps) that add life to your conversation. Right now we have 15 different Kits--all with books that are great to read and talk about-- and plan to expand the number. The Kits can be checked out for 8 weeks. And, for those who have always wanted to start a book group, the Kits also contain tips on how to conduct a book group. For more information, to see the the list of Kit titles, or to borrow and/or ask questions about Book Group Kits click here.

THE READER'S CALENDAR

Notable events in reading this week:

January 21, 1789 - The first American novel was published anonymously in Boston.

William Hill Brown, The Power of Sympathy, or the triumph of nature.
It was an “epistolary romance,” a story told in the form of letters from one person to another.(Glendale Public Library's copy will be on order)

Writers Born This Week:

January 22, 1788 – Lord Byron, British, poems
"Behold! in various throngs the scribbling crew." in The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry. This database of over 200,000 poems in full text is accessible with your library card number through the Online Resources page of the Glendale Public Library website. Look him up and read his poems. http://www.glendalepubliclibrary.org/online_resources.asp

January 22, 1849 – August Strindberg, Swedish, plays
Miss Julie, The Father, Ghost Sonata, A Dream Play

January 22, 1937 – Joseph Wambaugh, American, novels and true crime
Hollywood Station, The Blue Knight, The Onion Field, Fire Lover

January 23, 1783 – Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle), French, novels
The Charterhouse of Parma, The Red and the Black

January 24, 1732 – Pierre Beaumarchais, French, plays
The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro

January 24, 1862 – Edith Wharton, American novels and stories
Ethan Frome, The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence

January 25, 1759 – Robert Burns, Scottish, poems
Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, among them “Auld Lang Syne”

January 25, 1874 – William Somerset Maugham, British, novels and stories
The Painted Veil, Of Human Bondage, The Razor’s Edge, The Moon and Sixpence

January 25, 1882 – Virginia Woolf, British, novels and stories
A Room of One’s Own, Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse, The Waves

January 26, 1929 – Jules Feiffer, American, plays, novels, cartoons, film
Little Murders, Knock, Knock, Feiffer’s People, “Carnal Knowledge”

January 27, 1832 – Lewis Carroll, British, mathematics, children's books
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Jabberwocky

January 27, 1931 – Mordecai Richler, Canadian, novels
Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Joshua Then and Now

Recommendations of Benny Goodman biographies by jazz historian John Tumpak

Much has been written about jazz legend Benny Goodman who is credited for kicking off the Big Band Era at his August 1935 engagement at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles. A Google search verifies the voluminous amount of available material on the pioneering clarinetist. However, two fairly recent books thoroughly cover Goodman's career in music, his idiosyncratic personality, and his private life. They stand out as the best available.

The first is Benny Goodman and the Swing Era by James Lincoln Collier, published in 1989. The second is Swing Swing Swing by Ross Firestone, published in 1993. Both give in-depth treatment to Benny Goodman. However, musicologist Collier's book also covers the rise of the American dance band along with a seldom found examination of the impact of Ben Pollock, who first hired Goodman, on the Era. Both are recommended for a penetrating insight into Benny Goodman and his prodigious body of work.

John Tumpak will be presenting a Tribute to Benny Goodman at Brand Library on Saturday, May 19 at 2:00pm.

Brand Library selected for prestigious Libraries We Love!

Glendale Public Library has won a spot in Heart of the community : the libraries we love : treasured libraries of the United States and Canada, the first book to sing the praises and show the beauty of America’s beloved public libraries.

Chosen from hundreds of nominations, Brand Library was noted as a powerful asset in the community. It is one of the eighty libraries selected that as a group display the full range of the diversity, potential, style, history and contributions of libraries in the United State and Canada. A complete list of accepted libraries can be found online at http://www.librarieswelove.org/ .

Library reference publisher Berkshire Publishing Group spent four months searching for libraries that are the cherished centers of their communities. These libraries are honored in Heart of the community : the libraries we love, a beautiful full-color coffee table book that is currently available. Brand Library has one reference copy to view in the library but additional copies will be added to the collection soon. Visitors to Brand Library can also pick up a 2-page color copy of the pages from the book.

Click on the book cover to check availability in the Library's online catalog.

Librarian With a Lust for Books!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have an action figure created in your image? This librarian and die-hard book lover knows first hand. Her name is Nancy Pearl and she's the author of Book Lust and More Book Lust. Check out Nancy's website for great tips on what to read next: http://www.nancypearl.com/

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

Sara Gruen takes the reader back in time to a 1930s circus in her novel about two would-be lovers, the star of the horse act and the circus veterinarian, and a very unusual elephant. Told in flash-backs by the now ninety-something vet Jacob, the reader gets a real sense of what circus life was like for everyone from the roustabouts to the stars of the show. Gruen, who did extensive research for this book, has created a fast-paced adventure for those armchair dreamers who just might like to runaway with the circus for even a short while.

This book was just awarded an Alex Award for 2007 which is given to ten outstanding titles that while originally written for adults have appeal to readers ages 12 to 18. As this title deals with mature themes, it would be best for older teens and adults.

Click on the book cover to check availability in the Library's online catalog.