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Groundhog Day

Steve — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:09:14 +0000

Lately it sure seems like we’ve skipped over winter and have jumped right into spring. Hope you are all enjoying this unusual treat. I know we are hoping for a continuation of this pleasant warmth and an early spring, and cheering for Punxsutawney Phil to deliver some good news tomorrow. This gets me thinking, now is a great time to see, or re-see, the comic classic Groundhog Day. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s about a weatherman, played by Bill Murray, who is trapped in and relives the same day, February 2nd, over and over. And yes, we do own a copy in our collection. Years ago I had attended a presentation given by the writer of the movie, Danny Rubin. I always remember the story that he told about the studio executives wanting him to write a part into the movie explaining how Murray’s character got sucked into the same day vortex. The way he told the story was he had resisted but then one of the movie industry guys told him to just write something, anything, but not to worry about it, as the studio head was going through a divorce and would never remember asking about it anyways and it would be forgotten. Rubin wrote in a part about a cheesy gypsy curse, that alas was forgotten, and thankfully we never had to suffer through. Rubin’s ambiguous plot stayed, and grew into the classic it is today.

Steve

Rosemary’s Best 11 of 2011

Rosemary — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:42:15 +0000

Last week we had about an inch of snow and my dog was beside himself with happiness. Jack loves the snow! He loves it when I kick it up into the air and he can launch himself at it. As we were heading back home from our walk, I noticed how his small footprints and my big ones were intersecting all the way down the sidewalk. I wonder if we will have a white Christmas? I know Jack is dreaming of one. My top 2011 books were all read and savored in the company of my faithful companion.

Dark Inquiry by Deanna Raybourn

The Call by Yannick Murphy

Velva Jean Learns to Fly by Jennifer Niven

Emily Alone by Stewart O’Nan

Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope

Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly

To be Sung Underwater by Tom McNeal

South of Superior by Ellen Airgood

I Beat the Odds by Michael Oher (nonfiction)

Top 11 for ’11

Maureen — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:50:38 +0000

Ah, the time of year for lists! Here we go:

1. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett – totally engrossing reading with amazing character development!

2. The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht – like reading a fable but for grownups!

3. Please Look After Mom by Kyong-suk Shin – heartbreaking family drama!

4. Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward – not every family has secrets like these!

5. Velva Jean Learns to Fly by Jennifer Niven – loved the first Velva Jean and loved the second too!

6. The Sisters by Nancy Jensen – a generational tale spanning decades!

7. Summers in France by Kathryn Ireland – French farmhouse living + decorating + style = LOVE it!

8. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson – compelling novella!

9. Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe by Alisa Huntsman – I bake in my spare time!

10. The Road by Cormac McCarthy – I finally got around to reading it and WOW!

11. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl – read it with my kids this time and it is still awesome!

Happy Holidays!

˜Maureen

Savory and Sweet Eats

Rosemary — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:39:18 +0000

It’s full steam ahead for the holidays with all their magical delights! The food and music of the season add that special touch to any gathering of friends and family. M.F.K. Fisher writes in An Alphabet for Gourmets: ”Gastronomical perfection can be reached in these combinations: one person dining alone, usually upon a couch or a hill side; two people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good restaurant; six people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good home.”

Here are seven recent cookbooks that the library has purchased to help you attain a semblance of perfection in the kitchen: All About Roasting by Molly Stevens; Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible by Paula Deen; Lidia’s Italy in America by Lidia Bastianich; Food52 Cookbook by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs; Ruhlman’s Twenty by Michael Ruhlman; Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi; and Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe by Alisa Huntsman.

No matter which of Fisher’s combinations you fall into, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

~Rosemary

It’s Read-a-Thon Time!

megan — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:17:11 +0000

Are you overwhelmed by a massive pile of books to be read? Do you need a little motivation to tackle the list? Do you love games and winning prizes? If the answer is YES, I have just the thing for you!

I suggest you join Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-Thon, which takes place this Saturday, October 22. This online event began in October of 2007 and has been growing ever since. I participated during part of the April Read-a-Thon and it was tons of fun. I had to work that day so I wasn’t able to do the entire 24 hours, but that is my goal for this weekend! It’s so easy to join. Simply go to the website, 24hourreadathon.com, fill out the form, find your start time (if you are here in the Cleveland area with me it’s 8 a.m.) and get ready to read! If you are near a computer, be sure to follow the blog for mini-challenges and chances to win prizes. The website offers lots of tips, but from experience I can say comfy clothes, coffee, and lots of snacks are read-a-thon essentials. I am all signed up, now I just need to pick my books…

Anyone out there care to join me? C’mon, you know you want to! You can follow my progress on my YA blog, YA? Why Not?

˜Megan

Latest Additions

stacey — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:11:14 +0000

Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone is able to enjoy having some part of the day off; or maybe look forward to the gift of a time off at a later date? Because the library is closed, the staff all get Monday off too. How exciting! (For us!) So if you’re lucky enough to have Monday as a bonus day off, what are you planning to do? Maybe do a little reading? Hey! Me too! Maybe I’ll finish off something that’s been on my “to be read” pile far too long, or maybe it’ll be something completely new? I’ll let you know later on this week! What are you reading? Are you ready something you’d suggest to a friend? Or are you finishing the book because you think you should? Go ahead… share a title! It’ll be fun!

— Stacey

Latest Additions

stacey — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:04:35 +0000

Uh oh. Trouble ahead… I’m about to reveal a dangerous fact for avid readers everywhere… Are you ready? (I’m not sure *I’m* ready, but here it comes anyway.) Um… Ar… Er… Ooo, this is hard… So, here’s the thing. There aren’t any books newly added to The Reading Room to share. There! It’s out. And that wasn’t so bad, right? Right.

So how will you know what to read this week? How about getting some personalized suggestions? Maybe this week is a good time to try out our Reader’s Request form?! Yep! I like that idea, don’t you? Let the personalized requesting begin! (Oh boy! The anticipation!)

— Stacey

Happy Fourth of July!

stacey — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 09:00:53 +0000

I’m both happy and sad to tell you, “The library is closed today!” I’m happy that everyone has the chance to chow down on one of my favorite holiday treats: s’mores! And sad that everyone has to wait until Tuesday to see what the new Summer Reading basket will be! I hope that happy wins the day for everyone!

Have a sparkly -and safe- Fourth of July!

— Stacey

Random Favorites

Janet — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:31:50 +0000

After you read through the following list I hope it will give you a springboard to think of your own fiction titles and you own categories that you will share with a friend. There are so many ways to find books but I still find my best recommendations are “word of mouth.”

Brave Irene by William Steig is my favorite children’s book.

My favorite teen book is Holes by Louis Sacher.

Fortunes Rocks by Anita Shreve and A Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon are two of my favorite adult works of fiction.

It’s hard to believe that The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Help by Kathryn Stockett are debut novels.

Keeping Watch by Laurie R. King is my favorite war-related book.

A quirky book that is worth reading is The Girl I Used To Be by David Christofano.

The best book dealing with all sides of Teenage Pregnancy is Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavit.

An author that I believe deserves a larger readership is Kaye Gibbons.

A strong work of historical fiction that was overlooked by readers is The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvavi.

Two books that had my undivided attention from the first page are – American, America by Ethan Canin and The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

The book I’ve been recommending lately is The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard.

—Janet

Daffodils

Dori — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:00:26 +0000

I read an article by Connie Schultz in The Plain Dealer the other day reminding me that it’s National Poetry Month and then saw another about where to go see the daffodils in Cleveland. Thus, the inspiration for sharing the lovely poem”Daffodils” by William Wordsworth:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee:
A Poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

~ Dori