January - Authors Lost

January 2010 has been a significant month in literature with the deaths of several prominent authors. Here are some quotes from characters in their work.

Iconic, reclusive novelist J. D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, 91 (January 28)

"What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though."

A People’s History of the United States historian, activist Howard Zinn, 87 (January 27)

"One percent of the nation owns a third of the wealth. The rest of the wealth is distributed in such a way as to turn those in the 99 percent against one another: small property owners against the propertyless, black against white, native-born against foreign-born, intellectuals and professionals against the uneducated and the unskilled. These groups have resented one another and warred against one another with such vehemence and violence as to obscure their common position as sharers of leftovers in a very wealthy country."

Novelist of manners, literary critic Louis Auchincloss, 92 (January 26)

"We'll get you dressed up in the finest dark suits and white stiff collars — no color except for a gorgeous Charvet tie ... "

Spenser mystery writer Robert B. Parker, 77 (January 18)

"I sat at the end of Hayden's street with the motor idling and the heater on until nine o'clock, when I ran low on gas and had to shut off the motor. By ten fifteen I was cold. The hamburgers were long gone, though the memory lingered on the back of my throat, and I was almost through the bourbon. During that time Hayden had not come to me and confessed. He had not had a visit from Joe Broz or Phil, or the Ghost of Christmas Future. The Ceremony of Moloch had not shown up and sung 'The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi' under his window. At eleven o'clock the lights in his living room went out and I went home--stiff, sore, tired, crabby, dyspeptic, cold, and about five-eighths drunk."

Love Story novelist Erich Segal, 72 (January 17)

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."

Filmmaker, story writer Eric Rohmer, 89 (January 11)

"... thoughts rather than actions."

Feminist Mary Daly, 81 (January 3)

"Women of the world unite! Stand up and fight! Say our own names! Go up in flames!"

LACMA Launches Online Reading Room

This is a special announcement from the library at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

LACMA recently announced the launch of its Reading Room (www.lacma.org/readingroom), an online space devoted to the presentation of the museum’s publications. In an effort to make books available that are otherwise difficult to access, the initial group focuses on out-of-print offerings and features ten catalogs highlighting the development of the Los Angeles art scene including:

Six Painters and the Object. Lawrence Alloway. New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1963.

Six More. Lawrence Alloway. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1963.

New York School: The First Generation, Paintings of the 1940s and 1950s. Maurice Tuchman. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1965.

Edward Kienholz. Maurice Tuchman. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966.

Robert Irwin Kenneth Price. Maurice Tuchman. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1966.

Late Fifties at the Ferus. James Monte. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1968.

Billy Al Bengston. James Monte. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1968.

A Report on the Art and Technology Program of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1967–1971. Maurice Tuchman. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1971.

Art in Los Angeles: Seventeen Artists in the Sixties. Maurice Tuchman. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1981.

The Museum as Site: Sixteen Projects. Stephanie Barron. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1981.


The museum intends to launch another group of catalogs this spring.

Brand Library owns all but two of these catalogs and several must be used in the library. Take a look at the online versions and stop by Brand Library if you want to see the actual catalogs!

Here are some of the latest biographies to come to Glendale/Pasadena libraries!


Harvard Psychedelic Club, by Don Lattin. Lattin brings together four of the most memorable figures from the 1960s (Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Andrew Weil, and Huston Smith, all Harvard professors at the same time). Some laugh-aloud passages make this an entertaining read, but the underlying exploration of the sociocultural reasons for the extravaganza that was the 1960s merits attention, especially from those interested in the period. (quoted from Booklist and PW reviews)



Racing Odysseus, by Roger Martin. Informed that a deadly cancer will soon end his career as a college president, Martin defies the medical prognosis and then embarks upon an unlikely sabbatical adventure: enrolling in a small liberal-arts college as a 61-year-old freshman. Alternately amusing and poignant, Martin's personal epic offers a much-needed perspective on cultural dilemmas both ancient and modern. (from BL)



Living Oprah, by Robyn Okrant. Could you live each day for an entire year following every piece of advice Oprah Winfrey shared with you on her television show, magazine, and web site? That is exactly what Okrant, a yoga instructor and performer with an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, did throughout 2008. Her project and subsequent blog and now book were designed to take a firsthand look at the impact of celebrity advice-in this case, Oprah's Live Your Best Lifer advice-on the average woman. Her informal social experiment, dubbed "Living Oprah," was a yearlong journey of dieting, exercising, remodeling her apartment, analyzing her marriage, finding her passion, and experiencing Oprah's "favorite things." (from Library Journal)

New Books in the Library: Health and Diet

A sampling of new diet and health books that have recently been added to the Glendale Public Library (just in time to follow through on that New Year's resolution!). Click on the title or the book cover to go to the library's catalog to place a hold, or go to the GPL Catalog to search for more titles.


Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide, The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding From the author of Eat This, Not That: Restaurant Survival Guide, the follow-up Cook This provides tips and recipes for healthier cooking habits at home.







The Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat Well, Enjoy Life, Lose Weight by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research “Just in time for New Year's resolutions, experts from the Mayo Clinic present a well-rounded plan for dieting right. Editor-in-chief Donald Hensrud, chair of the Mayo Clinic's Preventive and Occupational Medicine division, packs this straightforward guide with useful tips, concise lists, charts, and color photos. Eschewing fads and quick fixes, the diet sticks to an involved, long-term, but indisputable plan for those willing to make significant lifestyle changes.” (Publishers Weekly, Dec. 2009 #1)



Prime-Time Health: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Feeling Young and Living Longer by William and Martha Sears “Baby- and child-care experts, the Searses present a healthy aging book for their patients' parents and grandparents, featuring an eight-week self-care nutrition and exercise plan to achieve and maintain optimum health. Now a 12-year survivor of colon cancer, Bill Sears restored himself after surgery and treatment by researching, developing and implementing the LEAN (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitude, and Nutrition) regimen around which this book is centered.” (Publishers Weekly, Dec. 2009 #3)



The Full Plate Diet: Slim Down, Look Great, Be Healthy by Stuart Seale, Teresa Sherard, and Diana Fleming The authors present a diet plan that focuses on adding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains as staples to your diet.

City Of Glendale Evacuation Information

The City of Glendale this morning announced mandatory evacuations in response to the heavy rains and the threat of mudslides in the area. The City of Glendale homepage has information on the areas being evacuated. The City has opened the Glendale Civic Auditorium to receive evacuees and household pets.

Updated information will be posted on the City's homepage and on GTV6 as it becomes available.

The City's Emergency Information Center phone number is (818) 548-3301.

Glendale History: Albert Einstein at the 1932 Rose Parade

The City of Glendale has a long, rich history of participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade, dating back to 1911. The photograph above, taken after the 1932 Parade, features Albert Einstein greeting Glendale float designer Georgia Chobe and rider Esther Muhlman Garate.

Katherine Yamada's January 5, 2002, article in the Glendale News-Press provides additional information about Georgia Chobe and her contributions to Glendale's successful Rose Parade legacy.

As for this year's parade, while the Glendale entry in the 2010 Tournament of Roses did not win an award (snapping a 4-year winning streak), the City can take pride in knowing the 33-foot float, featuring a soaring bald eagle, was selected by Tournament of Roses officials for the Parade's patriotic finale. See the Glendale News-Press article for a full recap of the parade and photographs of Glendale's beautiful entry.

The photograph above is one of the thousands available to library patrons and researchers at the Special Collections Room in the Glendale Central Library.

The Special Collections Room is currently open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m and 1 to 3 p.m. and by appointment. Please call (818) 548-2037 for additional information.