Reader's Notes for February

The 2009 finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes have been announced. Winners will be awarded before the Los Angeles Time Festivals of Books on April 23, 2010. In addition to ten book categories, author, editor, and publisher Dave Eggers will be given a new Innovator’s Award, and novelist, short story author Evan S. Connell will receive Robert Kirsch Lifetime Achievement award. The finalists are:

Biography
Kirstin Downey, The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’s Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience
Linda Gordon, Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits
Michael Scammell, Koestler: The Literary and Political Odyssey of a Twentieth Century Skeptic
Melvin Urofsky, Louis D. Brandeis: A Life
Kenneth Whyte, The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise of William Randolph Hearst

Current Interest
Dave Cullen, Columbine
Dave Eggers, Zeitoun
Tracy Kidder, The Strength in What Remains
Nicholas D. Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
T.R. Reid, The Healing of America: The Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Healthcare

Fiction
Jill Ciment, Heroic Measures
Jane Gardam, The Man in the Wooden Hat
Michelle Huneven, Blame
Kate Walbert, A Short History of Women
Rafael Yglesias, A Happy Marriage

Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction
Petina Gappah, An Elegy for Easterly
Paul Harding, Tinkers
Philipp Meyer, American Rust
Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
Wells Tower, Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

Graphic Novel
Gilbert Hernandez, Luba (A Love and Rockets Book)
Taiyo Matsumoto, GoGo Monster
David Mazzucchelli, Asterios Polyp
Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe
Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza

History
Richard Holmes, Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science
Martha A. Sandweiss, Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line
Kevin Starr, Golden Dreams: California in an Age of Abundance 1950 – 1963
Amy Louise Wood, Lynching and Spectacle: Witnessing Racial Violence in America, 1890-1940
Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic 1789 – 1815

Mystery / Thriller
Megan Abbott, Bury Me Deep
David Ellis, The Hidden Man
Attica Locke, Black Water Rising
Val McDermid, A Darker Domain
Stuart Neville, The Ghosts of Belfast

Poetry
Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Apocalyptic Swing
Amy Gerstler, Dearest Creature
Tom Healy, What the Right Hand Knows
Brenda Hillman, Practical Water
Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval

Science & Technology
Marcia Bartusiak, The Day We Found the Universe
Graham Farmelo, The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Mystic of the Atom
Bill Streever, Cold: Adventures in the Worlds’ Frozen Places
Richard Wrangham, Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
Carol Kaesuk Yoon, Naming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science

Young Adult Literature
James Cross Giblin, The Rise and Fall of Senator Joe McCarthy
Frances Hardinge, The Lost Conspiracy
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwin’s Leap of Faith
Elizabeth Partridge, Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You Grow Weary
Shaun Tan, Tales from Outer Suburbia

Authors Lost in February

Poet and children's writer, Lucille Clifton, 73

Horse racing mystery novelist Dick Francis, 89

"Mystery writing powerhouse Dick Francis first came to the public eye as a victim in one of the most unusual sports mishaps of the century. The incident happened just after Francis, then a jockey, and his horse headed towards the finish post, after having just cleared the last jump at the Grand National. The Grand National is a British steeplechase race considered by many to be the world's most prestigious horse racing event, and Francis was riding Devon Loch, the Queen Mother's horse. Suddenly and inexplicably, the horse that had seemed destined to win collapsed, and would not complete the race. Francis never figured out what startled his horse that day, but that singular occurrence turned into a triumph than the seasoned jockey could never have imagined the morning of the race. The accident actually marked the beginning of his writing career." "Dick Francis." Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 21. Gale Research, 1997. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center through Glendale Public Library Online Resources.

New Craft Books at the Glendale Public Library!

Looking for inspiration for a new craft project, or a little help in designing your own clothes?

Here's a sample of new craft books for design-it-yourself types that have recently been added to the Glendale Public Library's collection! Click on the title or the book cover to place a hold, or go to the GPL Catalog to search for more titles.

Make!: Over 40 Fantastic Projects With 16 Exclusive Designs
by Cath Kidston

"Inspired by retro vintage prints found at garage and yard sales, and reinvented in cool modern colors, Cath Kidston’s instantly recognizable designs have garnered fans all over the world. Now you can create your own projects using Cath’s original motifs. Make! includes over 40 projects, all with complete step by step instructions, and for the first time, pattern templates for many of her best loved motifs." (Publisher's description)


One-Yard Wonders: Look How Much You Can Make With Just One Yard of Fabric!
by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins

"For both novice and accomplished sewers, this spiral-bound guide offers directions that are precisely, clearly, and buoyantly written as the authors share 101 sewing projects requiring only a yard of fabric, including apparel, toys, accessories (human and pet), dresser organizers, and stuffed animals. For each "recipe," the authors, in well-ordered fashion, list necessary materials and then take the reader-crafter through clearly numbered, carefully explained directions to create a successful final product. For each project, too, a pattern schematic is matched on the opposite page with a full-color photograph of the finished project. This is a fundamental crafts book appropriate for most crafts collections." (Booklist Reviews, December 2009)


Sew What! Bags: You Can Customize to Fit Your Needs, 18 Pattern-free Projects
by Lexie Barnes

"By now, thanks to increased eco-awareness, most of us have purchased a few canvas totes—and maybe even remember to use them at the grocery store. With Sew What! Bags: 18 Pattern-Free Projects You Can Customize to Fit Your Needs, crafting veterans and amateurs alike can go a step further by designing and making their own totes, plus 17 other bag-esque projects. Author Lexie Barnes puts her experience as a handbags and accessories designer to work in this great guide, which includes detailed instructions, inspiring photos and plenty of you-can-do-it encouragement. Spot-on tips for hemming, choosing fabric and breaking out of the pattern mold help ensure this book is a crafter’s delight".(BookPage Reviews, August 2009)


Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified
by Cal Patch

"A former Urban Outfitters designer provides five key projects (with four variations each)--including a perfect-fitting dress, T-shirt, button-down shirt, A-line skirt, and pants--and explains how to take measurements, draft the patterns, choose fabrics, and add darts, waistbands, pockets, and ruffles." (Baker & Taylor)

The 2010 Census is Coming!

The United States Census Bureau will be sending out 2010 Census questionnaires to every household in the country. Much of the Federal funding the City of Glendale (and every other city, for that matter) receives is based on population figures derived from the census, so it is incredibly important that everyone fill out and return the questionnaire.

Check out the Census Bureau's fact sheet for Glendale, for instance, to see the valuable types of demographic information the Census provides.

In an effort to increase local participation, Glendale will be holding a Census Outreach Project throughout the city on March 20th. Volunteers are wanted to help inform the community about the Census and answer questions.

More information regarding the Census Outreach Project (including volunteer information), the Census in general, and other Census job and volunteer opportunities is located on the City's 2010 Census page.