A Poem to Share April 26, 2008
Posted by Donna in Non-Fiction.add a comment
Here is one of my favorite poems to share for National Poetry Month. Naturally, it is about books and reading. It is from the collection by J. Patrick Lewis, Please Bury Me in the Library.
Are You a Book Person?
A good book is a kind
Of person with a mind
Of her own,
Who lives alone,
Standing on a shelf
By herself.
She has a spine,
A heart, a soul,
And a goal–
To capture, to amuse,
To light a fire
(You’re the fuse),
Or else, joyfully,
Just to be.
From beginning
To end,
Need a friend?
Are you a book person? I know that I am! Happy Reading!
~Donna
“God Bless America” – the unofficial national anthem April 25, 2008
Posted by Emma in Non-Fiction.add a comment
Browsing through a favorite reference book, Chases Calendar of Events, I always stumble across an interesting fact, event or anniversary. May 1, 2008 will mark the 99th birthday of Kate Smith (1909-1986). Kate Smith and Irving Berlin’s composition “God Bless America” are forever linked. The song, written during WWI for an army camp show, was rejected by the show’s producers and stored in a trunk of rejected manuscripts. 20 years later it was resurrected when Kate Smith’s manager approached Irving Berlin for a new patriotic song for Kate Smith to sing to mark the 20th anniversary of the Armistice that ended WWI. This became her theme song, a timeless masterpiece for all of us.
“God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.”
~Emma
April is National Poetry Month April 21, 2008
Posted by Emma in Non-Fiction.Tags: Add new tag, Poetry
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St. Benedict of Nursia April 17, 2008
Posted by Dori in Uncategorized.Tags: Current Events
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The other day, 
when I was listening to the radio about the arrival of Pope Benedict the XVI, I was intrigued when a commentator said that he had chosen his name from St. Benedict of Nursia, a monk born in the 5th century who was the founder of western monasticism. After a little digging, I found that St. Benedict created the Benedictine Rule, organizing monks into communities and outlining guidelines for behavior and expectations within those communities. St. Benedict thought that, in addition to prayer, monks should perform manual labor and scholarship, studying, writing and copying ancient manuscripts and holy works. If not for St. Benedict, many ancient and medieval books would not have been preserved. So hats off to St. Benedict for valuing the written word!
~Dori
National Library Week – “Join the circle of knowledge @ your library®.” April 13, 2008
Posted by Emma in Non-Fiction.comments closed
First observed in 1958, National Library Week (April 13th-19th) celebrates the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians and seeks to promote library use and support. I think the people of northeast Ohio have much to celebrate when it comes to their public libraries. Within a few miles we have access to several excellent libraries which have earned top ten ratings by Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings (HAPLR) http://www.haplr-index.com/.
# 62% of adults in the U.S. have public library cards.
# There are more public libraries than McDonald’s in the U.S. – a total of 16,220 including branches.
# Americans check out an average of more than six books a year.
~Emma
Who Doesn’t Love a Winner? …or a Finalist? April 10, 2008
Posted by stacey in Non-Fiction.add a comment
The Pulitzer Prize winners for 2008 were announced and I’m not embarrassed to say that I have heard of the books listed, but not read them. It’s a very lofty list. More importantly, I was hoping to look at the 2008 Winners posted here -The Pulitzer Prizes- and find Regina Brett declared tops for the “Prizes in Journalism -Commentary” category. No such luck. Maybe next time. And there will be a next time!
This does prompt me to send out a personal “Thank You” though. First -Ms. Brett is the reason I can say I’ve read something by a nominee. Second -Even if she had never been named a Finalist for a Pulitzer, I enjoy reading her thoughtful column in The Plain Dealer. It’s not that I agree with everything she writes -that would make me a pod person and it would be boring- but it helps me think about why I don’t agree. I appreciate that even more. A column might inspire me to try looking differently at something in my own life. Or even try doing something differently. So, again I say, “Thank You” to Regina Brett for giving us all reading material that makes us think! It’s appreciated.
Stacey
Reading and Travel April 8, 2008
Posted by Ann in Fiction, Non-Fiction.comments closed
Dori and I seem to be on the same reading track lately. I am currently also reading The Geography of Bliss 
by Eric Weiner and just finished Jar City
by Arnaldur Indridason, the first book in the Icelandic mystery series featuring Inspector Erlendur. I am adding Iceland on my list of places to visit. I frequently visit places I’ve read about; that’s why I took a trip to Castine, Maine for example. I read the book Castine by Patricia Chute, tried to figure out if it was a real place, and then later included the small town in the itinerary of a trip I took to Maine. I also visited Prince Edward Island, Canada largely because I had read all of the Anne of Green Gables books as a girl. ~Ann
A Tribute to Grandma Brown April 7, 2008
Posted by Emma in Fiction.Tags: Families, Small-town life
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After reading Miss Julia Paints the Town by Ann B. Ross, I have decided that Miss Julia reminds me of my husband’s late grandmother. Vera Brown -like Miss Julia- was feisty, outspoken, determined, devoted, caring, devout and adventurous. She spent her life in rural Missouri and Nebraska. She loved being around children, with 8 of her own followed by many grandchildren and many more great grandchildren. She worked as a cook at the local high school. Money was tight so she always planted a huge garden which provided an abundance for canning and plenty to share with neighbors. She excelled at sewing and needlepoint, often entering her handiwork in county fair competitions, earning some blue ribbons and a little extra cash. The coffee pot was always on at Grandma Brown’s house ready for a neighborly visit with anyone who stopped by.
Later in life Grandma Brown became an avid reader. I know she would have loved reading the Miss Julia series and would have valued the comparison between herself and the character of Miss Julia.
~Emma
It’s Springtime and My Thoughts Have Turned to…Iceland? April 5, 2008
Posted by Dori in Fiction, Non-Fiction.add a comment
Yes, I know it sounds crazy that when warmth seems to be returning to northeastern Ohio, my book choices have led me to chilly Iceland.
It all began with The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Place by Eric Weiner. Iceland, according to his informal research, is surprisingly a very happy place. 
Why? Well, it seems that Icelanders are not afraid of failure and so enjoy taking risks and seeking new experiences, particularly in the arts. At the same time, I began reading Voices, third in a mystery series by Icelander Arnaldur Indridason. His portrait of Reykjavik is one of gloom and desperation. Will the real Iceland please stand up?
Maybe the next book on my list, Windows of Brimnes: an American in Iceland by poet Bill Holm, will provide the answer. Returning to his ancestral land, Holm spends summers in an isolated cottage by the sea, a la Thoureau’s Walden, meditating on the contrasts between America and Iceland.
Maybe I’ll just go home and put on a little Bjork instead of trying to figure out this complicated place. Better yet, I’ll take a walk in the warm spring sunshine.
~ Dori
Joshua: A Parable for Today April 1, 2008
Posted by Emma in Fiction.add a comment
Recently I read my book club’s selection titled Joshua: A Parable for Today by Joshua F. Girzone. According to The New Oxford American Dictionary a parable is “a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.” The old Sunday school definition of a parable is closer to “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” Joshua … does not fit either definition. This book is more a retelling of various New Testament miracles along with Jesus’ experiences on earth in the character of Joshua in a contemporary setting.
I struggled to get through this book and would prefer reading the actual events as recorded in the New Testament. I enjoy inspirational fiction that is more realistic in nature or historical inspirational fiction that relates events and people from Biblical times. When I look for a book with spiritual pick-me-up, I think of the Harmony series by Philip Gulley and the Biblical biographical fiction by Marek Halter. Both are authors I recommend to others as well.
Emma
