Book Talk

Our Top Ten Most Requested Books

2011-10-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Glendale History Drive 2011!

2011-09-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Glendale Public Library is pleased to announce the launch of History Drive 2011!

In the Library's first History Drive in 2009, when we invited folks to share images from their collection with the Library, we collected over 100 images documenting the history and culture of the Glendale and the surrounding area.

One set of photographs, donated by former Mayor John Drayman as a part of the History Drive Kick Off event in March 2009, fetures the work of local professional photographer Glenn B. Ward. Ward's images, taken primarily in the 1950s, provide a rich history of a specific time in Glendale and the nearby areas of Montrose and La Crescenta.

For History Drive 2011, we're asking for information about these pictures!

Flickr users can leave comments and tags that will help tell each picture's story: who, what where, when, anything that describes the image and its context. Those without a Flickr account can still view the images on Flickr and participate by emailing their comments to the library at centlibref@ci.glendale.ca.us.

Click here to get started!

For more information on the History Drive, please visit the Glendale Public Library website.

Glendale Public Library Is Now on Historypin!

2011-07-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Glendale Public Library is now sharing photographs from the Special Collections Room on Historypin!

Historypin, a collaboration between We Are What We Do and Google, allows individuals and institutions to share photographs (and video and audio clips) geographically, "pinning" images to their current street view on Google Maps. The image above compares Brand Boulevard in 1934 to its circa 2009 counterpart.

Click on the button below to explore the Glendale Public Library's collection of images, and feel free to share your comments and recollections.

Once you've got it down, set up an account and post your own images!

For more information on what Historypin is and how it works, check out their introductory video:

Follow the Glendale Public
Library on Facebook!

Follow the Glendale Public Library on Facebook!

2011-05-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Glendale Public Library is now on Facebook!

Follow us to find out about events, lectures, new books and materials, and other important information by "liking" us.

And while you're at it, here are a few more Facebook pages you might like to follow:

Brand Library and Arts Center

Glendale Public Library Children's Room

One Book One Glendale

Friends of the Glendale Public Library

The Book Talk blog may continue to publish posts from time to time, but the Facebook page will now be the easiest way to keep up on GPL news and events. See you there!

Our Top Ten Most Requested Books

2011-02-07T14:40:00.001-08:00

New KCET/LA as Subject Blog: SoCal Focus

2011-02-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

A photograph from the Special Collections Room of the Glendale Public Library was featured in a post last week on SoCal Focus, a new blog on the KCET website.

The blog, a collaboration between KCET and LA as Subject, incorporates local history materials from archives, museums, libraries, and other institutions across Southern California and will cover myriad topics related to the culture and history of the region's past (as well as an occasional glimpse into its future).

Only a month old, the blog has already posted some great stories (and some really wonderful images), so be sure to check back regularly!

February Events for Adults and Teens at the Glendale Public Library

2011-01-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

Gallery events and a Library Renovation Community Meeting at the Brand, free movies at the Central Library Auditorium, teen book groups at Central and Montrose, and Microsoft Word instruction en Español at Pacific Park!

Plus Central Auditorium lectures by authors Krikor Beledian (Mantraner, Armenian Futurism) and E.J. Stephens (Early Warner Bros. Studios) in the continuing Authors, Artists, and Friends Series sponsored by the Friends of the Glendale Public Library!

There's plenty going on in February at the Glendale Public Library, so come join in the fun!

Click on the images below to view a larger version of the February Events and see what's happening throughout the Glendale Public Library system.

January Events for Adults and Teens at the Glendale Public Library

2011-01-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

Art talks and openings at the Brand, free movies at the Central Library Auditorium, a Harry Potter vs. Twilight debate for teens at Central, plus a dulcimer talk and ongoing book clubs! And, a one-day only Armenian book sale!

There's a lot of things to do in January at the Glendale Public Library, so come join in!

Click on the images below to view a larger version of the January Events taking place throughout the Glendale Public Library system.

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December Events for Adults and Teens at the Glendale Public Library

2010-12-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Gallery events at the Brand, free movies at the Central Library Auditorium, a teen gaming tournament at Central and a discussion of Kathryn Stockett's The Help at the Montrose Adult Book Club meeting! There's plenty going on in December at the Glendale Public Library, so come join in the fun!

Click on the images below to view a larger version of the December Events taking place throughout the Glendale Public Library system.

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Glendale History: Thanksgiving Friday Shopping on Brand Boulevard?

2010-11-24T11:37:00.000-08:00

While the picture on the postcard above probably wasn't taken the day after Thanksgiving, it's certainly a good representation of how the scene might have looked on Brand Boulevard at the kickoff of the holiday shopping season, circa 1958.

In observance of this year's Thanksgiving holiday, the Glendale Public Library will be closed from 5 pm on Wednesday, November 24 through Sunday, November 28. Regular hours for the Central Library, the Brand Library & Arts Center, and all of the neighborhood branch libraries will resume next week.

This postcard is one of the thousands of images 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.

TWO MEATY TITLES

2010-11-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

Both of these titles share a common subject, meat. Cleaving by Julie Powell, author of the inspiration for a blockbuster movie Julia & Julie, is a memoir of a cook who becomes fascinated with butchery and her path to become a butcher. My Year of Meats, while a work of fiction, chronicles a year in the life of a young filmmaker who has been hired by beef lobbyists to create a series of television documentaries to be shown in Japan.

As a long-time dedicated vegetarian, meat is not a topic on which I am particularly fluent or even interested. My Year of Meats by Ruth L. Ozeki came my way a few years back when it was recommended by a local bookseller. At the time she thought it was one of the best things she had read in a long while and she was right. The author is telling several stories here, the American filmmaker's, the Japanese wife's and that of the beef industry. While the later might now sound enticing, the author manages to craft an entertaining and unique story. One reviewer said that this is a book that even a vegetarian could enjoy...and they were right.

Cleaving: A story of marriage, meat and obsession by Julie Powell is a much different story. Why it was intriguing I am still at a loss to articulate. Parts are a bit gross and descriptions of separating meat from sinew and bone were not enthralling and often difficult but for some yet to be discovered reason, I liked this one and am glad that I don't read the reviews, even though they were in part correct, until after I finish. See what you think.

A TREAT FOR HALLOWEEN

2010-10-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

A dark look at a possible future for mankind is presented in this engrossing novel by Justin Cronin. The entire world has been infected by a lab created virus. Originally developed to create super soldiers out of condemned criminals the experiment made them into monsters with the capability to infect and spread their disease throughout the population. These "virals" have reduced the world's population to a few small scattered enclaves of healthy humans who struggle to live off the land but with resources are running out have to seek other solutions. This must be done while avoiding the the virals who are very similar to vampires in that they are sensitive to light, infect humans by biting them on the neck and are capable of a degree of mind control. Ultimately the survival of mankind rests on the shoulders a six-year-old girl who will have to face the enemy in a battle of wills to determine the fate of the humans.

An unusual take on vampires is a perfect read for Halloween weekend--spooky enough to make you want to keep the lights on and suspenseful enough to keep you reading. Since the current weather forecast is for rain, this one is also a good reason to stay inside curled up with a good story.

LA as Subject Archives Bazaar Follow-Up

2010-10-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

(Photo courtesy USC Libraries/ Marius Constantin)

The (new and improved!) LA as Subject website has posted a slideshow and feature article from last Sunday's Archives Bazaar, held at the beautiful Doheny Library on the USC campus.

Roughly 80 exhibitors, including the Glendale Public Library's Special Collections, filled the library's two first-floor reading rooms, while panel discussions and film screenings took place throughout the day a floor above.

It was our second year in a row taking part in the Bazaar, and once again we had a great time sharing our collection with researchers, students, and local history buffs (with their own Glendale stories to share in return). Plus, we visited with plenty of wonderful museum, archive, and library folk with great Los Angeles-themed collections of their own.

We're already looking forward to the 6th Annual Bazaar next year--see you there!

LA as Subject's 5th Annual Archives Bazaar, Saturday, October 23rd

2010-10-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Glendale Public Library will be participating in the 5th Annual Los Angeles Archives Bazaar, presented by LA as Subject and hosted by the USC Libraries on Saturday, October 23rd.

The free event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Doheny Memorial Library on USC’s University Park Campus.

LA as Subject is an alliance of libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions dedicated to preserving and celebrating Los Angeles's rich history and culture.

The complete Archives Bazaar program, with parking information, a list of participating institutions, and a schedule of panels, film screenings, and author events is available here.

One Book/One Glendale 2010: Los Angeles Noir

2010-10-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

The Glendale Public Library is proud to present its 2010 Citywide Reading Event: Los Angeles Noir.

The book, edited by Denise Hamilton, takes Noir into the 21st century with an anthology of short stories, written by well-known local authors, and set in different Los Angeles neighborhoods. Each story reaches into the hardboiled roots of Noir, but with a modern twist and a diverse locale.

Visit the Library's One Book page for complete information on the book, the authors, and the events taking place throughout the month, and become a fan of One Book/One Glendale on Facebook to receive updates and reminders.

The One Book/One Glendale...for younger readers title for 2010 is the graphic novel Amulet: The Stone Keeper, by Kazu Kibuishi. Visit the Glendale Public Library's Children's Room Special Programs page for complete information on events taking place in October and November.

ANOTHER CHALLENGED TREASURE

2010-10-01T14:22:00.000-07:00

Written in 1985 by relative of an assassinated Chilean president, Isabel Allende's The House of The Spirits continues to weather challenges against it because of the inclusion of certain language and sex. Fortunately this work of magical realism endures and we get to peek into the lives of the very unusual Trueba family as their story unfolds against the backdrop of a politically turbulent, yet unnamed country.

The original review: Starred Review */ A strong, absorbing Chilean family chronicle, plushly upholstered--with mystical undercurrents (psychic phenomena) and a measure of leftward political commitment. (The author is a cousin of ex-Pres. Salvador Allende, an ill-fated socialist.) The Truebas are estate-owners of independent wealth, of whom only one--the eventual patriarch, Esteban--fully plays his class role. Headstrong and conservative, Esteban is a piggish youth, mistreating his peons and casually raping his girl servants . . . until he falls under the spell of young Clara DelValle: mute for nine years after witnessing the gruesome autopsy of her equally delicate sister, Clara is capable of telekinesis and soothsaying; she's a pure creature of the upper realms who has somehow dropped into crude daily life. So, with opposites attracting, the marriage of Esteban and Clara is inevitable--as is the succession of Clara-influenced children and grandchildren. Daughter Blanca ignores Class barriers to fall in love with--and bear a child by--the foreman's son, who will later become a famous left wing troubadour (on the model of Victor Jara). Twin boys Jaime and Nicholas head off in different directions--one growing up to become a committed physician, the other a mystic/entrepreneur. And Alba, the last clairvoyant female of the lineage, will end the novel in a concentration camp of the Pinochet regime. Allende handles the theosophical elements here matter-of-factly: the paranormal powers of the Trueba women have to be taken more or less on faith. (Veteran readers of Latin American fiction have come to expect mysticism as part of the territory.) And the political sweep sometimes seems excessively insistent or obtrusive: even old Esteban recants from his reactionary ways at the end, when they seem to destroy his family. ("Thus the months went by, and it became clear to everyone, even Senator Trueba, that the military had seized power to keep it for themselves and not hand the country over to the politicians of the right who made the coup possible.") But there's a comfortable, appealing professionalism to Allende's narration, slowly turning the years through the Truebas' passions and secrets and fidelities. She doesn't rush; the characters are clear and sharp; there's style here but nothing self-conscious or pretentious. So, even if this saga isn't really much deeper than the Belva Plain variety, it's uncommonly satisfying--with sturdy, old-fashioned storytelling and a fine array of exotic, historical shadings. (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 1985)

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO....

2010-09-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

The American Library Association publishes a list every year that references those titles that were challenged during the last calendar year. After 21 years in publication, John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany still has the dubious honor of making the list. The enduring story of the friendship between two boys and its ability to survive even the ultimate tragedy is one of this prolific American authors treasures. While not without it's flaws, it does meander a bit, the reader is rewarded with a multi-faceted story that contains elements of mystery, pathos and humor. It's also one of those that Hollywood made into a movie several years ago starring Jim Carey. It was an entertaining but the book was so much better, check it out and see for yourself. (Click on the cover art for current availability.)

One of the original reviews: /* Starred Review */ Irving's novels, which often begin in autobiographical commonplace, get transformed along the way: sometimes into fairy tale (The Hotel New Hampshire), sometimes into modern-day ironic fable (The World According to Garp). This one--set in New Hampshire in the 50's and 60's--is a little of both, but not enough of either: its tone is finally too self-righteous to be fully convincing as fiction. In 1953, Owen Meany--a physically tiny man with a big voice who believes he's God's instrument--kills his best friend's mother with a foul ball. His best friend, Johnny Wheelwright, is the book's narrator: from Toronto, where he has lived for some 20 odd years, he tells the story of Owen Meany, who has a voice that "comes from God," of his own "Father Hunt"--Wheelwright is the product of his mother's "little fling"--and of growing up in the Sixties, when some people believed in destiny, others in coincidence. Sweetly moralistic, Wheelwright, who became "a Christian because of Owen Meany," sometimes launches into tirades about Reagan and the Iran/contra fiasco, but mostly he tells Owen's story: Meany, who always writes and speaks in the uppercase, is the real mouthpiece here, though Wheelwright is his Nick Carraway. Meany, after hitting "that fated baseball," no longer believes in accidents: his parents, in the granite business, convince him that he's the product of a virgin birth (we learn late in the book). His sense of destiny serves him well: not only does he play the Christ child in a Christmas pageant and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, but his pontificating "Voice" becomes a great power at the prep school he attends with Johnny (there are some marvelous sent-ups of prep school), and he "sees" the circumstances and the date of his own death. After much inventive detail (as well as much slapstick and whimsy dealing with Meany's tiny size and strange voice) and the working-out of a three-way relationship involving Meany, Johnny, and his cousin Hester, Meany saws off Johnny's finger in order to keep him out of Vietnam, dies as he foresaw, and reveals to Johnny from beyond the grave that the local Congregationalist minister is his real father. Vintage Irving--though here Dickensian coincidence, an Irving staple, becomes the subject of the book rather than a technique. The result is a novel that seems sincere but turns too bombastic and insistent in its opinions about literature, religion, and politics. (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 1989)

CELEBRATE READING

2010-09-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Banned Book Week, a time to recognize and celebrate our freedom to read and create an awareness of the importance of our First Amendment rights, is celebrated yearly and this year the week of September 25-October 2 has been designated for this event. It is an important week for those who care about reading and the Libraries and a good time to read or reread one of the titles that has been placed on the list.

Every year I am surprised to find that many of the books which are regulars on the most challenged list are also on my list of personal favorites and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee certainly tops that list. Targeted regularly for racial bias, inappropriate language and containing themes that are not suitable for younger readers it fortunately is still on most Library shelves.

Told in the voice of an eight-year-old girl this work deals with a variety of themes that range from coming of age to prejudice and injustice, Lee’s book creates a vivid picture of an unusual family, the small town atmosphere of the South in the 30’s and issues that still haunt our country. If you have not read this one, add it to your list. If you have then it may be time to revisit an old friend. To check availability of this in the Glendale Public Library collection, please click on the cover art.

One of the original reviews for To Kill a Mockingbird:

/* Starred Review */ A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy -- and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference -- but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends. (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 1960)

Glendale Noir Films at Brand Park!

2010-06-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 27th marks the beginning of Glendale Noir Films series in Brand Park, presented by The Glendale Historical Society and the Community Services and Parks Department.

As the series title suggests, each film in the series features scenes shot in Glendale, so keep a lookout for Jewel City landmarks!

The first film in the series, Mildred Pierce, starring Joan Crawford, will begin at 7:30. As all screenings will take place under the stars, attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket, a picnic, and a flashlight.

The series continues with Double Indemnity (July 25th) and concludes with Gun Crazy (August 22nd). Additional information is available on the Society's calendar of events page. Or click here for the flyer.

All three showings are free admission (and free parking) and will begin at 7:30 pm.

New Self-Help Books at the Library

2010-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Ten Things to Do When Your Life Falls Apart: An Emotional and Spiritual Handbook
by Kingma, Daphne Rose
Kingma writes for readers whose lives are being wrenched apart by sudden job loss, the death of a loved one, financial ruin, or a dire medical diagnosis. When any of these things happens, either separately or simultaneously, Kingma offers a list of ten ways whereby readers can eventually learn that their difficulties have meaning and purpose. A particularly helpful lesson urges letting go of coping strategies that no longer work. For those lost in the turbulence of life, Kingma offers a genuine hand through. (LJ)

Happy: Simple Steps to Get the Most Out of Life
by Smith, Ian K., M.D.

Smith's fat-smash diet has helped millions loss weight. But he soon realized that it's not the momentary thrill of getting something you want but the long-term sense of being someone you want that really delivers the goods.

The Undervalued Self: Restore Your Love/Power Balance, Transform the Inner Voice that Holds You Back, and Find Your True Self-Worth
by Aron, Elaine N.

Psychotherapist and "social psychologist" Aron (The Highly Sensitive Person) presents a "rich, complex and deeply layered" approach to building self-esteem, suitable for studious readers ready to work for understanding and change. … dedicated rereading will give readers a sophisticated understanding of low self-esteem, and concrete steps to improve it.

New History Books at the Library!

2010-04-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

America and The Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation
by May, Elaine Tyler
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of FDA approval of an oral contraceptive for women (the pill) historian May, whose professional focus has been on marriage, divorce, and the family in America, offers a notably uncontentious précis of the pill's half-century in American life. (Booklist)

Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace
by Lieven, Dominic
For this groundbreaking contribution to the study of Napoléon's demise, historian Lieven researched once-forbidden Russian archives to tell the story from Emperor Alexander I's point of view, and from the perspectives of his officers and soldiers. On the ever-popular topic of the Napoleonic Wars, Lieven's distinctive achievement is a must-have. (Booklist)

Hoboes: Bindlestiffs, Fruit Tramps, and the Harvesting of the West
by Wyman, Mark
Wyman details how the railroads were the means by which workers as well as crops were moved from place to place and how such "hoboes and tramps" came to occupy the lowest rung of the social order. With broader historic sweep than recent sugar-beet industry and migrant-labor studies, Wyman's book is highly recommended for both academics and the general public as a scholarly yet accessible history of a rather neglected topic of the American West. (LJ)

New Titles at Central Library Job Center

2010-04-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Looking for a new job? Looking for a way to re-market yourself? Times are tough, perhaps these titles can help:

Career C omeback: Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want by Lisa Johnson Mandell

"...offers the ultimate makeover to-do list: From 'botoxing' your resume by deleting dates and early jobs, tech-savvy tricks for starting and improving your website or blog and online networking, to updating your wardrobe, Mandell shares the secrets that will get mid-career job seekers noticed and on the payroll." (amazon.com)

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Recession-Proof Careers by Jeff Cohen

"Keeping your job is job one. In these uncertain economic times, secure employment is more important than ever. [This book] presents all of the information needed to make an informed decision about choosing a career that ensures your continued employability." (amazon.com)

Over 40 & You're Hired!: Secrets to Landing a Great Job by Robin Ryan

"Recent U.S. Labor Department reports have shown that those with the longest period of unemployment—an average of eight months—are age 45 and older. Ryan’s tips are specifically geared to the more experienced over-40 audience, and her advice is relevant regardless of whether you’ve been laid off, want to change careers or are looking for a promotion." (BookPage Reviews)

The 10 Laws of Career Reinvention: Essential Survival Skills for Any Economy by Pamela Mitchell

"Mitchell (founder, Reinvention Inst.) lays out the ten 'laws' of career reinvention, from creating a vision and forming a network of resources to speaking the language of your new career. " (Library Journal)

Unlock the Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times Are Tough by Duncan Mathison

"...focuses on high-level careers, reflecting the authors' experience with executive placement and leadership communications." (Library Journal)

Fired to Hired: Bouncing Back from Job Loss to Get to Work Right Now by Tory Johnson

"Tory Johnson's New York Times bestseller, Will Work from Home, was comprehensive and inspiring. Now, the Women For Hire CEO and Good Morning America workplace contributor returns with advice and real-life stories for finding the right job after being let go." (amazon.com)

April is Poetry Month! Got one in your pocket?

2010-04-07T17:05:00.000-07:00

April, poetry and libraries go together, and the Glendale Central Library is celebrating National Library Week (April 11-17) along with National Poetry Month.

This year’s Poetry Month theme is “Put a poem in your pocket,” creating the image of making a favorite poem as familiar and personal as the things we keep in our pockets – things that form part of our everyday lives. The Central Library’s display case develops the dual themes of favorite poem collections and pockets full of poetry.

In addition, library users are encouraged to submit copies of their favorite poems, many of which will be displayed in the display’s fanciful poetry pockets. Drop one in the basket next to the display in the Central Library. -- John, Reference Librarian

For further information, call the Central Library reference desk at 818-548-2027.

Glendale History: March Madness, 1909 Style

2010-03-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

(click on the photograph to view a larger version in a new window)

With men's and women's NCAA Tournaments beginning this week, it seems apropos to share this picture of the 1909 Glendale High School girls basketball team. (Unfortunately, no information on how far they advanced in their bracket is provided on the back of the photo.)

This photograph 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 also contains news clippings, books, maps, and other materials that cover the history of Glendale, neighboring cities, and California in general. The collection is particularly useful for local history and genealogy research projects. Special Collections also houses the Cat Collection, one of the largest collections of feline-related materials in the world.

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.

New History Books at the Library!

2010-03-11T14:59:00.001-08:00

Here are some new books hitting the shelves soon at GPL:

Holy Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades
by Phillips, Jonathan

A fresh, no-nonsense take on the causes, human cost and continued relevance of the medieval Crusades. A straightforward, pertinent study replete with passionate personages both Christian and Muslim. (Kirkus)

Rebel Land: Unraveling the Riddle of History in a Turkish Town
by de Bellaigue, Christopher

A brave investigation into the buried history of Armenian massacre and Kurdish violence in a small Turkish village. Conversant in Turkish and charmed by the cosmopolitan nature of the people, foreign correspondent de Bellaigue was posted to Istanbul for some years before he began to question the official Turkish story that the forced deportation and massacre of Armenians during World War I had been provoked by their rebelliousness and collusion with Russia. (Kirkus)

Strange Days Indeed: The 1970s: The Golden Days of Paranoia
by Wheen, Francis

The meat of Wheen's lucid discussion is what can be considered a golden age of the paranoid style of politics, as the historian Richard Hofstadter put it, and of widespread paranoia in general. Literate, authentic to period detail and often entertaining . . . (Kirkus)

New Books at the Library!

2010-03-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the books that are coming soon to GPL:

Ideas That Matter: The Concepts That Shape the 21st Century
by Grayling, A. C.

Grayling, a well-known British philosopher, has attempted a task worthy of Voltaire and Pierre Bayle. He has given us a philosophical dictionary of important ideas. All readers interested in the issues discussed (and who isn't?) will gain much from this book. (LJ)

See What I'm Saying: The Extraordinary Powers of Our Five Senses
by Rosenblum, Lawrence D.

An eye-opening look at the mechanics of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Rosenblum's enthusiasm is contagious and his prose accessible, and he is mostly successful in explaining massive amounts of information about sensory abilities we take for granted. (Kirkus)

The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You've Been Told About Genetics, Talent, and IQ Is Wrong
by Shenk, David

Journalist Shenk, who has a flair for explaining scientific subjects in everyday language, challenges the simple notion that genes determine whether or not a person is gifted. [H]ighly readable. Upbeat and entertaining. (Kirkus)

Reader's Notes for February

2010-02-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-23T15:39:00.001-08:00

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!

2010-02-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

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.

January - Authors Lost

2010-01-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

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.

[LAST] This Week in Reading Dec 27 - Jan. 2

2009-12-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays, readers! TWIR bids a fond adieu.

It's done now. This is the last appearance of This Week in Reading, our blog blurb for authors' birthdays. After two years it's pretty much complete. If we still have errors or omissions, (and we expect we might,) please leave a comment on the blog and let us know what we need to fix.

If you want to know which authors were born on your birthday, or someone else's, it will be still available through the Books and Reading page. Just drop down the menu to the desired week.

We'll try to get more varied content up on Book Talk. Thanks for following and keep reading.

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Novelist, storywriter, poet Rudyard Kipling (1907)

Novelists and story writers
Theodor Fontane, Mariano Azuela, Horacio Quiroga, E. M. Forster, Louis Bromfield, Robert Ruark, Paul Bowles, William Gaddis, Elyne Mitchell, J. D. Salinger, Wilfred Sheed, Manuel Puig, Michael Nesmith, Douglas Coupland, Chandle Burr, Nicholas Sparks, Wendy Coakley-Thompson

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Danil Kharms, Arthur Hugh Clough, Robert Nathan, Charles Olson, Patti Smith, Joshua Clover Playwrights: Carl Zuckmayer, Christopher Durang, Paul Rudnick

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Mortimer Adler Scientists: William Masters, Jack Hanna, Bjarne Stroussstrup Biographers: Oscar Levant, John Denver, Stanley Tookie Williams

Humorists, Essayists, Editors and Critics, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Stephen Leacock, Don Novello, Paula Poundstone, Sarah Vowell Essayists: James Frazer, Gilbert Murray, Simon Wisenthal, Ermest Tidyman, Ian Buruma Editors and Critics: Ellen Datlow Journalists: Sebastian Hafner, Brian Redhead, Lawrence Schiller, Cokie Roberts Officials: Woodrow Wilson Media and Others: Cliff Arquette, Joe Bologna, Diane von Furstenberg, Barbara Olson, Tracey Ullman, Sean Hannity, Gerina Dunwich

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Crime: Edward Bunker

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Susan Shwartz, Lewis Shiner Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov, Bob Shaw, Connie Willis

Visual Artists
Graphic Novelists: Steve Rude, Christopher Ware, Ariel Schrag Manga: Noake Urasawa Cartoonists and Cartoon Writers: Stan Lee, B Kliban, Lynda Barry, Julie Doucet

Events to read about this week:

New Year’s Day with its Rose Parade and Rose Bowl, the birth of J. Edgar Hoover, Benazir Bhutto, first paying audience for a movie, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Endangered Species Act, Thomas a Becket's murder in a cathedral, the first freeway, Henri Matisse.

Obituaries
Film Critic Robin Wood (78); Novelist Loren Singer (86); New York Review of Books illustrator David Levine (83).

This Week’s Questions:

Can you tell us what you would like to see and read about in our Glendale Public Library Book Talk blog? Please leave a comment so we can make this blog more useful and interesting to you.

Would you send in a few lines about a book you've recently read from the Glendale Public Library and think other readers would like? (All submissions will be assessed for appropriateness and edited for size and readability as well as content restrictions but will be considered by blog editors. Please include the name of your branch library. Only a first name and last name initial will be used to identify the submitter.)

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:

"If I would have realized that the stories in my head would be as intriguing to others as they were to me, I would probably have started writing sooner. Believe in your own taste." - Twilight series creator Stephenie Meyer

"There was never a question in my mind. Ever since I could hold a pencil, I wrote poems, skits, plays. We put a velvet curtain up in the garage and the garage was our stage and people sat in the driveway." - Romantic suspense mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark

Glendale History: Snow Golf, 1949

2009-12-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

1949 started with a pleasant surprise in mid-January: snow blanketing the area for three straight days. The duo above embraced the winter wonderland for a round of golf (at the very least they took the time to run out onto the course to snap a photograph).

This photograph 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 also contains news clippings, books, maps, and other materials that cover the history of Glendale, neighboring cities, and California in general. The collection is particularly useful for local history and genealogy research projects. Special Collections also houses the Cat Collection, one of the largest collections of feline-related materials in the world.

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.

This Week in Reading December 20 - 26

2009-12-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Poet Juan Ramone Jimenez (1956); storywriter, novelist Heinrich Boll (1972)

Novelists and story writers
E.D.E.N. Southworth, Rene Bazin, Albert Payson Terhune, Henry Miller, Giuseppe Lampedusa, Norman Maclean, Alejo Carpentier, Anthony Powell, Hortense Calisher, Calder Willingham, Christopher Buckley, Sandra Cisneros, Donna Tartt, Elizabeth Kordova

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Thomas Gray, George Crabbe, Matthew Arnold, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Filippo Tomasso Marinetti, Kenneth Rexroth, Jean Toomer, Robert Bly Playwrights and Screenwriters: John Fletcher, John Baptiste Racine, Dion Boucicault, Rod Serling, Nicholas Meyer

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Suzanne K. Langer, Sidney Hook, Rene Girard Believers: Roger Williams, Carlos Castaneda Historians: James Burke Biographers: Quentin Crisp

Humorists, Essayists, Editors and Critics, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Steve Allen, Alan King Essayists: Edward Hoagland, William Kristol Editors and Critics: Robert Ripley, Rebecca West, Deems Taylor, Dana Gioia Journalists: I. F. Stone Officials: Norman Angell Media and Others: Phil Donahue, Jane Fonda, Uri Geller, John Walsh

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: Seicho Matsumoto Crime: Peter May Suspense: Mary Higgins Clark

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Edwin Abbott Abbott Science Fiction: Fritz Lieber, Nalo Hopkinson

Visual Artists
Illustrators: Otto Soglow Graphic Novelists: Mark Millar, Tony Moore

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Johnnie Gruelle, Eduard Uspensky, Avi Teens: Robert Muchamore, Stephenie Meyer

Events to read about this week:
“It’s a Wonderful Life”, “The Night Before Christmas”, “The Glass Menagerie”, US Poets Laureate; Winter Solstice, Christmas and Christmas Eve, Kwanzaa; Puccini, Kit Carson, Charles Babbage; Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock, Washington crosses the Delaware, words cross each other, a tsunami wave crosses land, the Red Sox cross their fans.

This Week’s Questions:

Which authors born this week said these?

"If I would have realized that the stories in my head would be as intriguing to others as they were to me, I would probably have started writing sooner. Believe in your own taste."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:
V. S. Pritchett (Literature) - "One recalls how much the creative impulse of the best-sellers depends upon self-pity. It is an emotion of great dramatic potential."

William Safire (Writing) - "... avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives."

Lester Bangs ( Music) - "It is a fact that nine-tenths of the HUMAN RACE never have and never will think for themselves, about anything."

Roger Fry (Art) - " ... the artist's business is not merely the reproduction and literal copying of things seen: -- ... he is expected in some way or other to misrepresent and distort the visual world."

Jean Genet (Drama) - "To achieve harmony in bad taste is the height of elegance."

This Week in Reading December 13 - 19

2009-12-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Novelists and Story Writers
Jane Austen, Mary Russell Mitford, Italo Svevo, Saki, Ford Madox Ford, Erksine Caldwell, Betty Smith, Laurens Van der Post, Penelope Fitzgerald, Shirley Jackson, John Kennedy Toole, Edna O’Brien

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Heinrich Heine, John Greenleaf Whittier, Paul Eluard, Rafael Alberti, Muriel Rukeyser Playwrights and Screenwriters: Aphra Behn, Carlo Gozzi, Maxwell Anderson, Noel Coward, Abe Burrows, Jean Genet, Kenneth Patchen, Stephen Spielberg

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: George Santayana Believers: Jaroslav Pelikan Scientists: Margaret Meade, Freeman J. Dyson Historians: Carter Woodson, Alison Plowden

Humorists, Essayists, Editors and Critics, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Essayists: William Safire, Frank Deford, Chris Matthews Editors and Critics: Roger Fry, V. S. Pritchett, Alan Bullock, Leonard Maltin, Michelangelo Signorile, Miles Marshall Lewis Journalists: Mary Livermore, Drew Pearson, Ellen Willis, Lesley Stahl, Lester Bangs Officials: George Shultz Media and Others: Jacques Pepin

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: Ross MacDonald Crime: Mike McAlary

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Alred Bester, Jack L. Chalker, Michael Moorcock, Tamora Pierce Science Fiction: Arthur C.Clarke, Randall Garrett, Philip K. Dick

Visual Artists
Graphic Novelists: J. M. DeMatteis

Young People’s Writers
Teens: Jacqueline Wilson

Events to read about this week:
Steroids in baseball, Nostradamus, reaching the South Pole, Bill of Rights, Basketball, Beethoven, Boston Tea Party, “A Christmas Carol”, the Wright Brothers, “The Simpsons”, Paul Klee, NFL, Poor Richard, “The Music Man”

This Week’s Questions:

There are a lot of critics of various kinds this week and some authors wrote criticism. Which ones said these?

"One recalls how much the creative impulse of the best-sellers depends upon self-pity. It is an emotion of great dramatic potential."

"Avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives."

"It is a fact that nine-tenths of the HUMAN RACE never have and never will think for themselves, about anything."

" ... the artist's business is not merely the reproduction and literal copying of things seen: -- ... he is expected in some way or other to misrepresent and distort the visual world."

"To achieve harmony in bad taste is the height of elegance."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:

Willa Cather was one of a few Americans who most deserved a Nobel Prize in Literature but was not awarded one, although she did win a Pulitzer. One American winner of the Nobel prize, Sinclair Lewis, suggested she, among others, should have received it. Perhaps she lamented not having been given it as one of her later novels, The Professor's House, shows the disillusionment of a winner of a very prestigious literary prize. Cather, who is known more these days for the frequently assigned O Pioneers! and My Antonia, wrote often about unfullfilled desires. Though decidedly reactionary, lamenting the past, and not at all feminist for an ambitious woman on her own, she probably was not able to admit to herself or to others her true feelings about her own nature in that time.

This Week in Reading December 6 - 12, 2009

2009-12-09T09:44:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Novelist, poet, playwright Bjornstjerne Bjornson (1903); poet Nelly Sachs (1966); novelist Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (1970); novelist Naguib Mahfouz (1988)

Novelists and story writers
Gustave Flaubert, Willa Cather, George Grossmith, Joyce Cary, Robert Enriques, Manes Sperber, Rumer Godden, Clarice Lispector, Jim Harrison, Carmen Martin Gaite, Thomas McGuane, Ki Longfellow, John Banville, Mary Gordon

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Horace, John Milton, Nikolai Aleseevich Nekrosov, Emily Dickinson, Pierre Louys, Kahlil Gibran, Joyce Kilmer, Delmore Schwartz, Grace Paley, Carolyn Kizer, Ahmad Shamlou, Thomas Lux Playwrights and Screenwriters: Alfred de Musset, George Feydeau, Odon von Horvath, Dalton Trumbo, Ernest Lehman, Reginald Rose, John Osborne, Peter Handke

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Noam Chomsky Scientists: Robert J. Sternberg Historians: Barry Cunliffe Biographers: Eve Curie

Humorists, Essayists, Editors and Critics, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Joel Chandler Harris, James Thurber, Douglas Kenney Essayists: Osbert Sitwell, Bill Bryson, Norman Finkelstein, Mark Steyn, Ann Coulter Editors and Critics: Paul de Man Officials: John Jay, Tip O’ Neill, Tom Hayden, John Kerry Media and Others: Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis, Jr., Susan Powter

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: George MacDonald

Romance / Historical Fiction Writers
Romance: Diana Palmer Historical Fiction: Patrick O'Brian

Visual Artists
Cartoonists: E.C. Segar, Marge, Frank Springer, John Buscema, Ashleigh Brilliant

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Jean de Brunhoff, Sonia Manzano Teens: Jacquelyn Mitchard

Events to read about this week:
Pearl Harbor is attacked, John Lennon is killed, Blago and Bernie are arrested; uber-librarian Melvil Dewey, uber-filmmaker Georges Melies, uber-crooner Frank Sinatra, and uber-muralist Diego Rivera are born; Nobel prizes are given out, Hannukah begins, the Encyclopedia Britannica is published; NAFTA is agreed upon, Human Rights are celebrated by the UN; and Al Gore agrees that George Bush won the election.

This Week’s Questions:

Which author born this week described what you find in the library?

"Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand — a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods — or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values. "

"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:

Two satirists share November 30 and two religious fantasy writers share November 29.

"The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it." - Mark Twain

"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own." - Jonathan Swift

"There's more to life than just the things that can be explained by encyclopedias and facts. Facts alone are not adequate." - Madeline L'Engle

"The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity." - C. S. Lewis.

This Week in Reading Nov. 29 - Dec. 5

2009-12-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Historian Theodor Mommsen, historian and Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Novelists and story writers
Louisa May Alcott, Samuel Butler, Ellis Parker Butler, Joseph Conrad, Henry Williamson, Hans Helmut Kirst, Rose Wilder Lane, F. Sionil Jose, Joan Didion, John Crowley, Sue Miller, Tehar Ben Jelloum, T. Coraghessen Boyle, Eric L. Harry, Ann Patchett, David Nicholls

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Sir Philip Sidney, Anafasy Fet, Christina Rossetti, Rainier Maria Rilke Playwrights and Screenwriters: Nunnally Johnson, Howard Koch, David Mamet

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Believers: Tom Wright, Benny Hinn Scientists: Anna Freud Historians: Thomas Carlyle, Jacques Barzun Biographers: David Hackett Fisher, Adeline Yen-Mah

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Jonathan Swift, Mark Twain, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor, Garry Shandling Essayists: Nigel Calder, Calvin Trillin, Abbie Hoffman, George Saunders, Editors and Critics: Russell Lynes Journalists: E. J. Kahn Officials: Paul Simon Media and Others: Dick Clark

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: Rex Stout Crime: Cornell Woolrich, James Lee Burke

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: C. S. Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle

Visual Artists
Photographers: Gordon Parks Graphic Novelists: Joe Quesada, Chris Claremont, Keith Giffen Manga: Cartoonists: Morris

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Lucy Maud Montgomery, Daniel Pennac, Wil Mara Teens: Peter Pohl

Events to read about this week:
Vin Scully, Lucy, Vietnam draft, Napoleon, Monroe Doctrine, Manifest Destiny, Dickens' first public reading of A Christmas Carol, Enron, the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley, the LA Times, Charlemagne, Walt Disney, prohibition ends, Phi Beta Kappa starts.

This Week’s Questions:
A pair of fascinating pairs share birthdays this week. There are similarities in their two forms of writing and thinking. Who, born this week, gave us these quotes?

"The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it."

"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own."

"There's more to life than just the things that can be explained by encyclopedias and facts. Facts alone are not adequate."

"The value of myth is that it takes all the things you know and restores to them the rich significance which has been hidden by the veil of familiarity."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:
Two café society authors who wrote before and after World War II have not been considered serious authors with as much critical acclaim given to others, perhaps because they both were witty satirists about the love relationships of intelligent people. The one you may have heard of, but not read yet, is Nancy Mitford, an English woman who lived in Paris. Her writing was praised as “a-shimmer with wit”, but she was considered, by at least one critic, the author who in our “sadisto-sentimental age has gotten to the sane simplicity of Jane Austen.”

The other one you may not have known either is Dawn Powell, a Mid-Western American who lived in New York City just after the heyday of the Algonquin Round Table. She satirized the poseurs and wannabes. One critic said “that she is closer to this high social comedy than to any accepted brand of American humor--and the English do not insist on having the women in their fiction made attractive. Miss Powell's books are more than merely funny; they are full of psychological insights that are at once sympathetic and cynical."

Read about both, and many more authors from the last hundred years or so, in the Biography Resource Center database available from the Glendale Public Library website Online Resources page. You must have a valid GPL library card barcode number to log in.

This Week in Reading November 22 - 28

2009-11-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Novelist Andre Gide (1947)

Novelists and story writers
Laurence Sterne, George Eliot, Carlo Collodi, Eca de Queiros, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Helen Hooven Santmyer, Dawn Powell, Nancy Mitford, Jin Ba, Alberto Moravio, James Agee, Randolph Stow, Marilynne Robinson, Alexis Wright, Arturo Perez, Ahmadou Koroouma, Arundhati Roy

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: William Cowper, William Blake, Alexandr Blok, Paul Celan Playwrights: Felix Lope de Vega, Stefan Zweig, Guy Bolton. Eugene Ionesco, Garson Kanin

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Baruch Spinoza, Friedrich Engels, Claude Levi Strauss Believers: John Bunyan, Hal Lindsey Scientists: Norbert Weiner, Lewis Thomas, Keith Ablow Historians: Charles A. Beard, Jennifer Michael Hecht Biographers: John Bigelow, Ishmael Beah

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Terry Gilliam, Bruce Vilanch, Jon Stewart Essayists: Dale Carnegie, William F. Buckley, Jr., Guy Davenport, Gail Sheehy, Harry Edwards, Dervla Murphy, Thomas B. Kohnstamm Editors and Critics: Thomas Cook, Ward Morehouse Journalists: Gail Collins, Caroline Kennedy Officials: Gary Hart, Chuck Schumer Media and Others: Harpo Marx, Ben Stein, Dick Morris, Sam Seder

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: Robert Barnard, Valerie Wilson Wesley

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: L. Sprague De Camp, Victor Pelevin, Steven Brust Science Fiction: Nelson Slade Bond, Forrest J. Ackerman, Frederick Pohl, Poul Anderson, Spider Robinson

Romance / Historical Fiction Writers
Historical Fiction: Nigel Tranter

Visual Artists
Graphic Novelists: Roy Thomas, Marjane Satrapi, John Kovalic Cartoonists: Charles Schulz, Roz Chast

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: P. D. Eastman, Tom Ungerer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Henkes, Jenna Bush

Events to read about this week:
Happy Thanksgiving, thanks to Andrew Carnegie for all the library buildings, but President Kennedy and Harvey Milk were assassinated; while Life magazine, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, and Motown's Berry Gordon all started life.

This Week’s Questions:

Which author born this week said this?: "Satire is people as they are; romanticism, people as they would like to be; realism, people as they seem with their insides left out."

Of which other one was the following said?: " ... difficult art at its best is so fine, so beautifully a-shimmer with wit and nonsense and gaity, that it creates a standard of its own."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:

Humorist, columnist Franklin Pierce Adams, who is responsible for the librarian - like quote among dozens of others, and comic playwright George S. Kaufmann were both founding members of the Algonguin Round Table of wits in New York in the 1920s and 1930s. Comic actor Harpo Marx, born this week, became a member as well though he never published anything, nor let the general public hear what he had to say, until he published his autobiography, Harpo Speaks. It is one of the most enjoyable bios ever, showing that he belonged there among the literary wits.

This Week in Reading November 15 - 21

2009-11-18T10:44:00.001-08:00

The National Book Awards for 2009 were announced this week, including the most loved National Book Award book in sixty years of fiction as voted by today's public.

Fiction - Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin

Poetry - Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: a trilogy

Nonfiction - T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: the epic life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Young People's Literature - Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: twice toward justice

The Best of the National Book Awards Fiction - Flannery O'Connor, The Complete Stories

Distinguished Contribution to American Letters - Gore Vidal

Literarian Award - Dave Eggers

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Novelist Selma Lagerlof (1909); poet, novelist, playwright Gerhart Hauptmann (1912); novelist, poet, story writer Nadine Gordimer (1991); poet, novelist Jose Saramago (1998)

Novelists and story writers
Gregorio Lopez y Fuentes, Joan Lindsay, Klaus Mann, Marilyn French, J.G. Ballard, Chinua Achebe, Vassilies Vassilikos, Rodney Hall, Auberon Waugh, Don de Lillo, Margaret Atwood

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Marianne Moore, Allen Tate, Nazim Hikmet, Dalie Ravikovitch, Victoria Tokareva, Sharon Olds Playwrights: William S. Gilbert, George S. Kaufman

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Voltaire, Jacques Maritain, Robert Nozick Scientists: Lev Vygotsky, Benoit Mandelbrot Historians: Shelby Foote Biographers: Danny Wallace

Humorists, Essayists, Editors and Critics, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Clarence Day, Franklin Pierce Adams, Peter Cook Essayists: Wyndham Lewis, Peter Drucker, Tahir Shah Editors and Critics: Arthur Quiller-Couch, Sacheverell Sitwell, Christopher Tolkien Journalists: Rita Cosby, Christopher Noxon Officials: Norman Thomas, Robert F. Kennedy, Joe Biden, Howard Dean Media and Others: Lee Strasberg, George Gallup, Alistair Cooke, Larry King, Jack Welch, Dick Cavett, Ted Turner, Marlo Thomas, Rupaul, Rocco DiSpiritu

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Suspense: Richard Marcinko

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Christopher Paolini Horror: Science Fiction: Alan Dean Foster

Adventure / Westerns
Westerns: Jack Schaeffer

Visual Artists
Graphic Novelists: Alan Moore, Jill Thompson Manga: Cartoonists: Chester Gould

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Elizabeth George Speare Teens: Robin McKinley

Events to read about this week:
The Articles of Confederation, Sherman’s March to the Sea, painters Rene Magritte and Georgia O’Keeffe, the Warsaw Ghetto, the Elizabethan Age, the first Congress, the Shakespeare and Co. bookstore in Paris, Twain's jumping frog contest, Mickey Mouse, The Gettysburg Address, The impeachment of Bill Clinoton, Dia de los Revolucion, The man the Hubble telescope was named for, the Nuremburg Trials, Longfellow’s first pubication, Edison’s phonograph, and Einstein's famous formula.

This Week’s Questions:
How many of this week's authors were members of the Algonguin Round Table in New York? Which one of them said what most librarians can say? "I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:
"Either you or I, but both together is out of the question!" While it’s perfectly understandable you may have thought that Robert Louis Stevenson wrote it in his novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it was Fyodor Dostoyevsky whose short novel, The Double, depicted the case of a government clerk who is driven mad by confronting a sudden doppelganger of himself. In his mind, the double steals his identity and ruins his good name by acting badly in society as if he was the original.

While the Russians of the nineteenth century were not specifically Victorians there was certainly a strain in that century’s literature, from Gogol through Chekhov, coincident with the burgeoning field of psychology, of beginning to deal with the complex dualities of human nature. Europe caught on as well, and American writers began to explore these threads of psychological understanding tentatively in the last century. Dualities are now bursting forth in speculative and fantasy fiction and visual entertainment reflecting the psychological impact of America's social and political tensions.

This Week in Reading November 8 - 14, 2009

2009-11-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Novelist Imre Kertesz

Novelists and story writers
Oliver Goldsmith, Ivan Turgenev, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Winston Churchill, Arnold Zweig, Margaret Mitchell, John Moore, Eric Malpass, Howard Fast, Kurt Vonnegut, Carlos Fuentes, Kazuo Ishiguro, Mary Gaitskill, Katherine Weber

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Frederic Schiller, Jose Hernandez, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Vachel Lindsay, Anne Sexton Playwrights: Martha Gellhorn, Ronald Harwood, Garry Marshall, Wallace Shawn

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Believers: Martin Luther, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Scientists: Carl Sagan, Amory Lovins, Michael Fitzgerald Historians: Frederick Jackson Turner, C. Vann Woodward, Alistair Horne, Biographers: David Bret

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Marc Favreau, P. J. O’Rourke Essayists: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Naomi Wolf, Ayaan Hirsi, Ali Editors and Critics: Roland Barthes Journalists: Dorothy Day, Harrison Salisbury, Morley Safer, Peter Arnett, Tracy Kidder Officials: Louis Brandeis, Barbara Boxer Media and Others: Whoopi Goldberg, Gordon Ramsay

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: John P. Marquand

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Michael Ende, Neil Gaiman Science Fiction: Stephen Baxter

Romance / Historical Fiction Writers
Historical Fiction: F. van Wyck Mason

Visual Artists
Illustrators: William Hogarth Graphic Novelists: Rivkah Cartoonists: Bill Mantlo Manga: Mashashi Kishimoto

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Jacob Abbott, Astrid Lindgren, William Steig Teens: Neal Shusterman

Events to read about this week:
The Bodelian Library, the Marine Corps, Teddy Bears, and Sesame Street get started; the Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, and Moby Dick get published; Germany undergoes the Nazi Kristalnacht and the Berlin Wall falling down; the Mayflower Compact is made and Veterans are honored; Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Aaron Copeland, and George Patton are born; Tim Berners-Lee explains the World Wide Web.

This Week’s Questions:

This week gives us some major authors of classic gothic fiction. Today's sexually tinged vampires are currently the entertainment and publishing world's big thing. They are obviously drawn from Bram Stoker's classic Dracula, but Stoker himself was actually almost prudish and he would be surprised at what psychological traits could be seen to be lying underneath his character's surfaces.

In that vein, which other writer born this week, far beyond standard, had one character say the following to his inner double? "Either you or I, but both together is out of the question!" It may not be the one you think.

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:

"A character is never the author who created him. It is quite likely, however, that an author may be all his characters simultaneously." - Albert Camus

"A man said to the universe:

'Sir, I exist!'

'However,' replied the universe,

'The fact has not created in me

A sense of obligation." - Stephen Crane

"All art is a revolt against man's fate." - Andre Malraux

This Week in Reading November 1 - 7

2009-11-04T11:52:00.000-08:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature

Philosopher, novelist Albert Camus, poet Odysseus Elytis

Novelists and story writers
Stephen Crane, Sholem Asch, Robert Musil, Martin Flavin, Herman Broch, Moa Martinson, James Jones, Christopher Wood, Geoffrey Wolff, Charles Frazier, Thomas Mallon, Michael Cunningham

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: William Cullen Bryant, C. K. Williams Playwrights: Thomas Kyd, Charles MacArthur, A. R. Gurney, Sam Shepard

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Edward Said Believers: Billy Graham Historians: Will Durant, Henry Troyat, Paul Johnson

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: Will Rogers Essayists: Eugene Debs, Andre Malraux, Diana E. H. Russell, Shere Hite, Stephen Greenblatt, Bernard-Henri Levy, Joe Queenan Editors: Karl Baedecker Journalists: Ida M. Tarbell, Grantland Rice, Walter Cronkite, James Reston, James Kilpatrick, Pat Buchanan, Maria Shriver Officials: Joseph C. Wilson Media and Others: Mike Nichols, Larry Flynt, Dennis Miller, Morgan Spurlock, Jenny McCarthy

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Gordon Dickson

Visual Artists
Manga: Goseki Kojimba

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Samuel Marshak Teens: Joyce Maynard

Events to read about this week:
Standard Time, Election Day, Weather Bureau, Stamp Act, Hydrogen Bomb, George Boole, first woman voter, TS Eliot naturalizes, Spruce Goose, GB Shaw theatre lights, Quiz Show scandal, federal income tax, PBS, King Tut, Guy Fawkes, Meet the Press, MOMA.

Obituaries
Spanish novelist Francisco Ayala (103)
Anthropologist Claude Levi Strauss (100)
Suspense novelist Lionel Davidson (87)
Illustrator Don Punchatz (73)

This Week’s Questions:
Who, born this week, said:

"A character is never the author who created him. It is quite likely, however, that an author may be all his characters simultaneously. "

A man said to the universe:
"Sir I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

"All art is a revolt against man's fate."

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:
"I like to think of poetry as statements made on the way to the grave." - Dylan Thomas

"If poetry comes not as easily as leaves from a tree, it had better not come at all." - John Keats

"Too many people in the modern world view poetry as a luxury, not a necessity." - John Betjeman (Who was not born last week. Misread Berryman for Betjeman. Was on vacation, sorry. Small fonts on a borrowed laptop.)

"Words should be an intense pleasure to a writer, just as leather should be to a shoemaker." - Evelyn Waugh

This Week in Reading October 25 - 31

2009-10-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

Authors born this week -

Novelists and story writers
Andrei Bely, Vincent Starrett, Enid Bagnold, Evelyn Waugh, Dominick Dunne, Nawal el-Saadawi, Maxine Hong Kingston, Anne Tyler, Kinky Friedman, Pat Conroy, Joseph Boyden, Zadie Smith, Irina Denezhkina

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: John Keats, Paul Valery, Elizabeth Madox Roberts, Ezra Pound, John Berryman, Dylan Thomas, John Hollander, Sylvia Plath, Andrew Motion Playwrights: Richard Sheridan, Jean Giraudoux, Zoe Atkins, Ruth Gordon, Louis Malle

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Erasmus, A. J. Ayer Scientists: Paul Farmer Historians: Thomas Babington Macaulay, Henry Steele Commager, Martin Gilbert Biographers: James Boswell, Robert A. Caro, Daniel Mark Epstein

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: John Cleese, Fran Lebowitz Essayists: Emily Post Editors: David Remnick Journalists: Dan Rather, Jane Pauley Officials: Theodore Roosevelt, Warren Christopher, Hillary Rodham Clinton Media and Others: Napoleon Hill, Fred Friendly, James Carville, Bill Gates, Matt Drudge

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: Dick Francis, Anne Perry

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Science Fiction: Frederic Brown, Neal Stephenson

Visual Artists
Graphic Novelists: Jan Duursema, June Brigman Cartoonists: Bill Maudlin

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Henry Winkler

Events to read about this week:

Chaucer is buried in Westminster Abbey, Henry Fielding becomes a justice of the peace and starts British detective work. The painter Picasso and costumer Edith Head are born, and the Erie Canal, the Patriot Act, the Federalist Papers, Harvard, and the Internet are created, while the Statue of Liberty is dedicated, much of it during Halloween week.

This Week’s Questions:

Who, born this week, said these about writing?

"I like to think of poetry as statements made on the way to the grave."

"If poetry comes not as easily as leaves from a tree, it had better not come at all."

"Too many people in the modern world view poetry as a luxury, not a necessity."

"Words should be an intense pleasure to a writer, just as leather should be to a shoemaker."

Answers to Last Week's Questions:

Winning it in 1967, Miguel Angel Asturias is so far the only Nobel literature prizewinner from Guatemala, while all the others last week were from countries that had other winners. Like some other Nobel prizewinning authors he also wrote in exile about the struggles of social cultures under totalitarianism. Asturias said, according to Contemporary Authors in Biography Resource Center, "Latin American literature is still a literature of combat ... The novel is the only means I have of making the needs and aspirations of my people known to the world."

This Week in Reading October 18 - 24

2009-10-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Philosopher Henri Bergson (1927), storywriter Ivan Bunin (1933), storywriter Miguel Angel Asturias (1967), playwright, novelist Elfriede Jelinek (2004), novelist Doris Lessing (2007)

Novelists and story writers
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, Thomas Hughes, H. L. Davis, Emily Kimbrough, Marghanita Laski, Norman Rush, Terry McMillan, Nick Tosches, Bao Ninh, Patti Davis, Carrie Fisher, Rick Moody, Tracy Chevalier

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Leigh Hunt, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alphonse de Lamartine, Arthur Rimbaud, Will Carleton, Denise Levertov, Robert Pinsky, Ntozake Shange Playwrights: Heinrich von Kleist, Sidney Kingsley, Moss Hart, Wendy Wasserstein

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: John Dewey Believers: Deepak Chopra Scientists: Neltje Blanchan, Martin Gardner, Joyce Brothers Historians: Lewis Mumford, Tariq Ali Biographers: Randy Pausch

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: John Gould, Art Buchwald, Lewis Grizzard Essayists: Thomas Browne, Logan Pearsall Smith, Frances Fitzgerald, Michael Eric Tyson, Deborah Blum, Augusten Burroughs Editors: Pierre Larousse Journalists: Jack Reed, A.J. Liebling, Jack Anderson Media and Others: Harvey Penick, Bobby Seale, Michelle Malkin

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Mystery: Edogawa Rampo, Frederic Dannay (Ellery Queen), John Le Carre Crime: Ann Rule, Andrew Vachss Suspense: Michael Crichton

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Ursula LeGuin, Phillip Pullman, Lynn Flewelling Science Fiction: Charles Stross

Visual Artists
Illustrators: N. C. Wyeth Cartoonists: Bob Kane

Young People’s Writers
Children’s: Sara Josepha Hale Teens: Laurie Halse Anderson

Events to read about this week:
Mason Dixon line, Cornwallis surrenders, architect Christopher Wren, Bela Lugosi, HUAC, Nelson wins at Trafalgar, Alfred Nobel, Anti-Vietnam War march, Liszt, Timothy Leary, Sarah Bernhardt, Johnny Carson, the IPod, the UN.

This Week’s Questions:
There are five winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature this week. Most from countries that had other winners but which one is the only one from a country?

Answers to Last Week’s Questions:
The National Book Award finalists were announced last week:

Fiction

Bonnie Jo Campbell, American Salvage

Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin

Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders

Jayne Anne Phillips, Lark and Termite

Marcel Theroux, Far North

Nonfiction
David M. Carroll, Following the Water: A Hydromancer's Notebook

Sean B. Carroll, Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species

Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City

Adrienne Mayor, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy

T. J. Stiles, The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Poetry
Rae Armantrout, Versed

Ann Lauterbach, Or to Begin Again

Carl Phillips, Speak Low

Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon, Open Interval

Keith Waldrop, Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy

Young People’s Literature
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith

Phillip Hooose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

David Small, Stitches

Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times

Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped

Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters - Gore Vidal

Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community - Dave Eggers

This Week in Reading October 11 - 17

2009-10-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Authors born this week -

Nobel Prize in Literature
Playwright Eugene O’Neill, (1936), novelist Francois Mauriac (1952), poet Eugenio Montale (1975), novelist Gunter Grass (1999)

Novelists and story writers
Michael Lermontov, Elinor Glyn, Katherine Mansfield, Nathaniel West, Conrad Richter, C. P. Snow, Ann Petry, Sumner Locke Elliot, Kathleen Winsor, Mario Puzo, Miguel Delibes, Italo Calvino, Colin Channer

Poets and Playwrights
Poets: Virgil, e. e. cummings, Paul Engle, R. H. W Dillard Playwrights: Georg Buchner, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Miller, Alice Childress

Thinkers, Believers, Scientists, Historians, Biographers
Thinkers: Friedrich Nietzsche, Hannah Arendt, Michael Foucault Believers: Mary Daly Scientists: Robert Atkins Historians: Arna Bontemps, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Biographers: Hugo Young

Humorists, Essayists, Editors, Journalists, Officials, Media and Others
Humorists: P.G. Wodehouse, Lenny Bruce, Dick Gregory, Stephen Clarke Essayists: John Kenneth Galbraith, John W. Dean, Thomas Boswell, Katha Pollit, Ariel Levy Editors: Noah Webster, Robert Fitzgerald, Robert Coles Journalists: Jimmy Breslin Officials: Dwight D. Eisenhower, C. Everett Koop, Sarah Ferguson Media and Others: Aliester Crowley, Lee Iacocca, Tim McCarver, Jim Palmer, Suzanne Somers, Chris Wallace, Richard Roeper

Mystery / Crime / Suspense Writers
Crime: Ed McBain, Elmore Leonard

Fantasy / Science Fiction Writers
Fantasy: Robert Jordan Science Fiction: George Turner

Romance / Historical Fiction Writers
Historical Romance: Alice Chetwynd Ley

Adventure / Westerns
Westerns: Elmore Leonard

Visual Artists
Photographers: Paul Strand Cartoonists: Herbert Block Comic Book Writers: Jerry Siegel

Events to read about this week:
Initialisms abound this week, DAR, SNL, USN, and WMDs. Also the Normans conquered Britain, and Gibbons conquered Rome. The Germans found October was the best time to drink beer, but nearly half of October was taken away when the new calendar was made. (Just that one year.) Columbus found an island but thought it was Asia, the Cardiff Giant was unearthed but it was not what it was purported to be, the World Series was held in California but didn’t get started. At least we’re grateful that the Disney Company was started so that Teen Readers and the ever growing world population could ignore the bad stuff.

Obituaries
Mystery Writers of America Grand Master mystery novelist, screenwriter Stuart M. Kaminsky (75). He wrote over seventy books, and is credited with helping to start the career of Sara Paretsky. His most recent popular character was Lew Fonseca, a process server who works for an investigation firm. Other characters were a Russian Inspector, Porfiry Rostinkov, and a Hollywood private investigator, Toby Peters.

This Week’s Questions:
The National Book Awards finalists for this year were announced this week. Who are they? And what other two awards are being given to persons of letters?

Answer to Last Week’s Questions:

James Whitcomb Riley of Indiana, the “Hoosier poet,” wrote, “When the frost is on the punkin, and the fodder's in the shock .. When the heat of summer’s over and the coolin’ fall is here," in a poem entitled by the first phrase. ‘Fodder’ means food for livestock, and ‘shock’ means usually the stalk it grows on, such as corn stalks that would have been harvested and put away in storage bins and barns to be used throughout the winter.

Riley, probably much forgotten now outside of Indiana and library children's rooms because of his too child friendly sing-song rhymes, also wrote a poem entitled “Little Orphant Annie,” from which has grown comic strips, books, Broadway plays and movies, and another one called “The Raggedy Man.” The dollmaker of the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, also from which grew stories, comic books, and screen features, took the name from those two poems by Riley which he found in books on his nearby bookshelf. Riley has had a huge effect on America popular culture because of his prolific writings.