NYPL Blogs

100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2012: Con Artists, Besotted Toads, and Evil Puppet Masters - The Best in Children's Fantasy

Stephanie Whelan, Seward Park Library — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:55:38 -0500

I'm a big fan of the fantasy genre and have been reading it most of my life. So, of course when it comes to our booklist this year, I'm very happy about the Fantasy titles included, and delighted to talk about them. But before I do, I wanted to talk about the nature of the fantasy genre itself.

The best fantasies are real.

I know that sounds all wrong, but it's the truth. The best fantasies reach right into you, make you believe in that world and characters. In the midst of impossibility, readers are suddenly back dealing with very real issues. Friendship, courage, determination, fear of failure, not fitting in, finding your own purpose in life, making hard choices, winning love and acceptance and risking rejection. The best fantasy works let readers explore these issues in themselves as they journey with the characters. These are things they will take into their own lives. Kids already know there are dragons in the world (in our world those dragons are bit less concrete: war, poverty, bullies, etc) what they need to be told is how to slay them — and be given the confidence that they can do so. The journey and struggle might not be easy, it might even mean a lot of hardship and sacrifice, but most fantasy will bear out the message that they can face their problems and succeed, despite how dark it looks at the outset.

Now... I'm a huge fantasy fan. I'm also a huge fantasy critic. I have no patience for bad fantasy (and there's a lot of it). If a writer thinks they can throw in some dragons, a wizard or two and slap a castle on the cover and get by me, they're sorely mistaken. If a book can't pull me in and make me care about the world and characters within the first ten pages it's usually not worth going further. I'm really tough on fantasy, mostly because I know how good it can really be. Fantasy, unlike realistic fiction, faces a rather distinct challenge. In realistic fiction, there is a general consensus what reality is and what it looks like. You know what the rules are. But in fantasy, all that is up in the air — and a good fantasy writer knows how to engage in solid worldbuilding to create a world and a set of rules without falling into the overused clichés, creatures and settings. The best fantasy stories are original and creative with their world building, and if they use clichéd subjects at all, they know how to give them a fresh spin . . . or turn them on their heads. The best fantasy stories feel "real" while the reader is immersed in them. And that altered reality is where they can don the armor of the hero, or heroine and maybe help to save the world. That alone is a powerful message — and an important one.

So... onto the books themselves.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Michael Healy — I trust you all know your fairy tale stories. They are some of the first doses of fantasy any of us are fed. There are fairly few people who don't know of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, and certainly we all know that these famous ladies of lore were rescued by Prince Charming. But wait, let's take these famous stories and try them from another angle. What if Cinderella just wants to go adventuring, Rapunzel is completely self sufficient, Sleeping Beauty is a bitch, and Snow White just needs some quiet time to herself? Well, it sure as heck means trouble for four Prince Charmings! There's Liam, the golden boy who suddenly isn't so popular anymore, and Frederick who is afraid of everything — though he's very charming! Then we have Duncan who is weird — incredibly lucky, but weird, and Ivan, a brawny hero with a short temper and a lot to prove. These four princes find themselves thrown together in an effort to save their kingdoms (and possibly set a few stories to rights). This story is tremendous fun and pokes fun at many fairy tale cliches. But it's also a great story of friendship, and how it's possible to overcome weaknesses and work with your strengths to achieve results.

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz — we've more than one book that references fairy tales this year. But this book doesn't so much twist the storylines as harken back to the darker, bloodier and nastier types of stories first laid down by the brothers Grimm. Jack and Jill and a talking frog have their work cut out for them on their quest. Jack and Jill's world has the rules of the old fairy tales, and our hero and heroine will have to discover the power within themselves to thwart the evil magic and find a suitably "happy" ending. If you love fairy tales that haven't been "disneyfied" this should fit the bill!

Sometimes though, the tales drawn upon to create our fantasy may not be the ones we know. Grace Lin's Starry River of the Sky weaves Chinese myth and legend into this story of the village of Clear Sky, where the moon has gone missing. At it's heart, this is the tale of a young boy who has run away from home, but the many of the characters he encounters are more than they seem, making the story at once familiar and utterly magical.

So far we've talked about fantasy in terms of traditional tales and fairy tales. But my favorite sort of fantasy stories are those that recognize the overused cliches of the genre, and profoundly turn those cliches on their head. The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farey is probably my favorite fantasy read this year — and for good reason. We all know about stories of prophecy. Stories with chosen ones, noble heroes saving the world. Even non-fantasy readers are likely to have encountered these cliches of the genre. Every year, the town of Vengekeep brings forth a new tapestry — a tapestry that was made long ago by women who "saw" into the future and could predict what would happen in that year. Before now, those special tapestries have helped the townsfolk by warning them of trouble, but this year? This year's a real doozy. Fires, lava men, monsters... and the only people able to save them? The Grimjinx family. The members of the Grimjinx clan aren't surprised by the predictions, after all this family of con artists arranged to swap out this year's tapestry with one of their own design. What does surprise them is when the made up prophecies start to come true... and these ne'er do wells are the only ones that can save Vengekeep! With their cunning hubris come to bite them in the collective bottom, it's up to Jaxter to figure a way out of this pickle. This a great story, with plenty of excellent world building, and a fresh and delightfully irreverent take on fantasy tropes.

Now I'd say the hardest type of fantasy to write is one that attempts to adopt the world building and characters of an earlier work. Capturing not only the landscape, but the tone and style of a well-known story and applying it to a new tale is difficult to do in such a way that it honors the old without repeating it. I'm happy to say that Return to the Willows by Jacqueline Kelly succeeds magnificently at this task. The author takes us back to the world of the Wind and the Willows for a new story with beloved characters and landscapes. Her deft hand invites both tried and true fans and brand new readers to encounter and enjoy this anthropomorphic fantasy adventure.

Sometimes fantasies take place in our world, or at least in a version of our world that's recognizable. Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz is an atmospheric thriller set in Victorian London and full of intriguing characters and dark mysteries. An evil and manipulative puppet master with dark designs, a witch with a curse that's killing her, a poor little rich girl who vanishes in the night, and two talented orphans straining for independence are all bound up in this dark fantasy that will keep you turning pages to find out just what happens next. Adding a touch of magic, or a spark of the fantastic to a historical or contemporary setting can entice readers into exploring times and places that they wouldn't otherwise have thought to discover.

I think perhaps the biggest error non-fantasy readers make is assuming that a fantasy must contain magic. That's not exactly true. While many stories do feature magic in some form or another, it is possible to write a fantasy with no magic at all. Thus my last book to discuss, The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson. This book is what might be termed political fantasy. Though I do think that tends to do it the disservice of not imparting all the action and adventure in the story. Our story opens with the thief, Sage being chased by an angry butcher with a cleaver. He manages to avoid the butcher's wrath, but soon finds himself roped into a very strange, and very dangerous contest. He and three other boys must train and practice to impersonate the long lost prince of the kingdom. Out of the four, one will be chosen to become the false prince, and to convince the court of their authenticity. Winning means a life playing a dangerous game with people all too ready to betray. Losing... means losing everything. Without a drop of magic, the author weaves an astonishly breathless story of intrigue and betrayal that will leave the audience wanting more.

I want to finish by saying that these are just a few of the great fantasy books published this year — there are lots more out there I didn't get to touch on, but will be just as exciting for the right readers. I hope you'll take some time to consider fantasy in the future if you haven't before, and that you'll be ready with a book in hand for the next fantasy fan that crosses your path with a need for something new to read.

"Private Empire" by Steve Coll

Kenneth Johnson, Science, Industry and Business Library — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:18:12 -0500

Crude. Oil that is. Black gold. Texas tea. Politics. Lobbying. Old boys. Influence.

Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, by Steve Coll.

It may shock the gentle reader to learn that petroleum is power. Well, maybe not. Look around — at the street, at houses and businesses. Without oil we'd stop, and maybe freeze (but we'd have light, since oil is rarely used for electricity generation).

Author Steve Coll's book is more concerned with other types of power. Political power, though in Coll's portrayal it seems admirable that ExxonMobil rarely is seen trying to influence politics except where there is a direct tie to its business. Corporate power, including the dynamics of succession to an almost imperial CEO position, mind-bogglingly large corporate acquisitions (remember Mobil Oil as a separate company?) and the corporate mindset of managers and employees that balances groupthink with business innovation and success.

As befits a global corporation, the action here takes place not just in Texas and Washington D.C. (and Alaska, lest we forget the Exxon Valdez), but in Africa — Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Nigeria — and in Asia — Aceh in Indonesia. Plus some side trips to Salkalin Island in Russia and to Iraq. But no matter where or when, all of ExxonMobil's activities remain tightly structured and controlled.

Overall, Private Empire is a dynamic and forceful, magnificently well researched and written tale. A worthy contender indeed for NYPL's Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism for 2013.

Five Questions for… William Moeck, curator of NYPL's Charles Dickens: The Key to Character Exhibition

James Murdock, Director of Multimedia Content — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 07:22:29 -0500

Charles Dickens: The Key to Character, on view through January 27, 2013, at the Schwarzman Building, explores the men, women, and children who populate the fictional universe of English author Charles Dickens (1812-1870). William Moeck, the exhibition's curator, teaches British literature at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York. We spoke with him about what he learned while selecting items from NYPL's Berg Collection of English and American Literature and the collections of the Library for the Performing Arts.

Why did you focus on Dickens's characters?

I wanted to explore how Dickens's characters are emblems or types. My academic background in Renaissance allegory and the poetry of Edmund Spenser and John Milton might seem a far cry from the prosaic world of the Victorian novel. But Dickensian figures like Scrooge and Miss Havisham display to me an affinity with an emblematic way of representing character that stretches back to Sin and Death in Paradise Lost, or to Mammon and Orgoglio in The Faerie Queene.

Who is your favorite character?

I like John Jarndyce in Bleak House, who takes three young adults under his wing. In Dickens's world, biological fathers are very seldom beneficent providers or exemplary role models for their children. But the bachelor Jarndyce — like Mr. Brownlow from Oliver Twist and Daniel Peggotty from David Copperfield — belongs to a long line of fatherlike figures who are responsible, loving, and humble. Jarndyce's essential goodness is at odds with a world gone awry, and his vexed helplessness can be sensed in his complaint about unpleasant drafts and wind.

Which character do you find the least likable?

It's hard to disagree with Oscar Wilde about laughter being the natural response to the death of Little Nell in The Old Curiosity Shop. Little Nell is a tearful orphan who is pursued across the countryside by an evil dwarf, and Dickens lays on the sentimental pathos so thickly that the story reads nowadays as a sidesplitting farce. You need an especially perverse sense of humor to get through it.

What's your favorite item in the exhibition?

An antique wooden leg. Inspired by Victorian cabinets of curiosity, the exhibition designers created nooks and cubbyholes in the gallery and filled them with oddities-seashells, machine parts, a real stuffed alligator-that connect to themes from the novels. In Dickens's imagination, people can turn into things and things into people; the physical props evoke those magical transformations. For example, an umbrella always signals Mrs. Gamp from Martin Chuzzlewit, while the wooden leg on display relates to Silas Wegg from Our Mutual Friend.

Did you find anything unexpected in NYPL's collections?

I was moved by illustrations of African-American slaves in Martin Chuzzlewit and American Notes. Dickens's experience of slavery during a trip to the U.S. in 1842 confirmed his strong support of the abolitionist movement at the same time that his disillusionment with America sharpened the satirical bite of his fiction. But racist remarks he made later prevent us from projecting our own beliefs about equality onto him, just as the introduction of a "gentle Jew" in his late work still smacks of the unpleasant, if unthinking, anti-Semitism found in his representation of Fagin in Oliver Twist.

The Reader's Den: Edith Wharton's New York Stories

Corinne Neary, Jefferson Market Library — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 05:40:06 -0500

Happy New Year and welcome to 2013 in The Reader's Den!

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born in Greenwich Village into the wealthy New York Society that she would be famous for depicting in The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence. Although she spent much of her life living in Newport, RI, Lenox, MA, and Europe, especially France, where she spent years in her later life, she is best known for her treatment of the stiff, conformist, aristocratic world of New York that she knew so well.

In addition to numerous novels and novellas, Wharton wrote poetry, books on travel, architecture and decor, including The Decoration of Houses, and dozens of short stories. She wrote prolifically despite the disapproval of her family, mental and physical health issues, divorce, and active participation in French relief efforts during World War I. Her short stories are housed in many collections, including The New York Stories of Edith Wharton.

Over the next three weeks, we will be discussing three of these short stories, all of which deal with their New York characters' attitudes towards, and sometimes obsession with, the past. Please leave any responses, thoughts, or questions in the comments section on each post to start the discussion!

January 7th-13th: The Other Two (1904): When Mr. Waythorn marries a woman already twice divorced, he doesn't worry about what people might say. Once married, however, he begins to be bothered by the same carefree manner that had attracted him to her. He begins to worry that she is " 'as easy as an old shoe' — a shoe that too many feet had worn."

January 14th-20th: Autres Temps (1916): After years of self-imposed exile, Mrs. Lidcote is returning to New York after learning of her daughter, Leila's divorce and remarriage. Horrified, because of her own divorce that cut her from New York's social circles, Mrs. Lidcote is repeatedly told that times have changed, but have they really?

January 21st-31st: Roman Fever (1934): Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley, of numbers 20 and 23 East 73rd Street, have been friends and rivals for years. When these two Upper East Side widows vacation together in Rome with their daughters, the mood goes from nostalgic to vindictive, and a shocking secret is revealed.

Thank you for participating in The Reader's Den!

Dance Special Libraries and Museums

Miranda J. McDermott, Grand Concourse — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 07:07:00 -0500

The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has an extensive dance collection. I love the kinesthetic artistry of physical movement. I was curious about dance libraries and museums, and below are some that I found.

Special Libraries

from the Directory of Special Libraries and Information Centers, 40th ed., 2012

Cross-Cultural Dance Resources Library
518 S. Agassiz St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001-5711 USA
928-774-8108
Dance, performance, folklore, ritual, ethnomusicology, manufactured arts, ethnographies

Dance Collection Library
141 George St.
Toronto, ON, Canada M5A 2M6
416-365-3233 / 800-665-5320

Dance Films Association, Inc. Archives
48 W. 21st St., No. 907
New York, NY 10010 USA
212-727-0764
Dance on film and videotape

Dance Notation Bureau Library and Archive 111 John St., Ste. 704
New York, NY 10038 USA
212-571-7011
Dance notation - Labanotation, Benesh Movement, Eshkol-Wachman Movement; notation theory and reconstruction

Dancer Transition Resource Centre - Main Library
The Lynda Hamilton Centre
250 The Esplanade, Ste. 500
Toronto, ON, Canada M5A 1J2
416-595-5655 / 800-667-0851
Dance - career, financial, legal and personal counseling, resources, grants/awards for re-training

Duke University - American Dance Festival Archives
PO Box 90772
Durham, NC 27708-0772 USA
919-684-6402
Institutional records of the American Dance Festival and manuscript collections on the history of modern dance

English Folk Dance and Song Society - Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
Cecil Sharp House
2 Regents Park Rd.
London NW1 7AY, United Kingdom
Phone: 44 20 74852206
Traditional music, song, dance, and customs; storytelling; social history; folk revivals

India National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama Library
Rabindra Bhavan
Ferozshah Rd.
New Delhi 110001, Delhi, India
Phone: 91 11 23381833
Music, dance, drama, performing arts

Israeli Dance Institute Inc. - Resource Information Center
JCRC, Ste. 700
225 W. 34th St.
New York, NY 10122 USA
212-983-4806, x143
Israeli folk dance, history of Jewish dance, Israeli and Jewish music, Jewish dance costume

Julliard School - Lila Acheson Wallace Library
60 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023-6588 USA
212-799-5000, x-265
Music, drama, dance

Laban Library and Archives
Laban
Creekside
London SE8 3DZ, United Kingdom
Phone: 44 20 8469 9533
Dance - history, education, choreography, movement, science

Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies Library
520 8th Ave., Ste. 304
New York, NY 10018-6507 USA
212-643-8888
Human movement studies, dance, dance movement therapy, cultural studies, artistic inquiry, anthropology and sociology, management styles and corporate team building, conflict resolution, dance and somatics in education, injury prevention and rehabilitation, dance history and philosophy

Library of Congress - Performing Arts Reading Room
101 Independence Ave., SE
James Madison Memorial Bldg., Rm. LM 113
Washington, DC 20540-4710 USA
202-707-5507
Music and music literature, dance, and theater of the world, emphasizing Western civilization, American music, opera and librettos, and chamber music; music organizations; literature about music in various languages (excepting Hebraic and Asiatic)

Liverpool John Moores University - I.M. Marsh Learning Resource Centre
Barkhill Rd.
Liverpool L17 6BD, United Kingdom
Phone: 44 151 2313179
Education, dance, sports

National Ballet of Canada Archives
470 Queens Quay, W.
Toronto, ON, Canada M5V 3K4
416-345-9686
Founding and development of the National Ballet of Canada, research and scholarly work in dance

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts - Jerome Robbins Dance Division
40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023-7498 USA
dance@nypl.org
212-870-1657
All forms of dance

Ohio State University - Music and Dance Library
166D Sullivant Hall
1813 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43210-1307 USA
614-292-2319
Music - history, education, theory and composition, performance; dance

Pacific Northwest Ballet Library
301 Mercer St.
Seattle, WA 98109 USA
206-441-2435

Swarthmore College - Underhill Library for Music and Dance
500 College Ave.
Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399 USA
610-328-8231

The Lloyd Shaw Foundation - Lloyd Shaw Dance Archives
5506 Coal Ave., SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108 USA
505-255-2661
Dancing - square, round, contra, social, folk

University of Copenhagen - Dance Studies Section Library
Bldg. 21, 5th Fl.
Karen Blixens vej 1
DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
Phone: 45 35328195

University of Kansas - Thomas Gorton Music and Dance Library
Murphy Hall, Rm. 240
1530 Naismith Dr.
Lawrence, KS 66045-3102 USA
785-864-3496

Vancouver Ballet Society Library and Archives
Scotiabank Dance Centre
677 Davie St., 6th Fl.
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 2G6
604-681-1525
Dance history of Vancouver British Columbia, Canada, North America and the UK

Western Michigan University - Harper C. Maybee Music & Dance Library
3006 Dalton Ctr.
1903 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008 USA
269-387-5237
Music, dance, music theatre

Museums

Dance Art Museum of the Americas
National Museum of Dance & Hall of Fame

Find New York Times Bestsellers at NYPL - December 30th, 2012

Adriana Blancarte-Hayward, New Dorp Library — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:43:53 -0500

For the week of December 30, 2012 we have hardcover fiction, hardcover non-fiction, and hardcover advice & misc. books.

If you have an iPhone, iPad or Android phone, download our free app! Use it with your library card/username and pin.

Click on any of the titles below and place a hold to request the item. Remember to update your contact information (phone number or e-mail address), so you are notified when the book arrives for you at your local library. Don't have a library card yet? It's simple! Find out how to get one. Titles are available in regular print, large print, audio, and in electronic format — for FREE!

Week of December 30, 2012

Hardcover Fiction

The Racketeer, by John Grisham
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
Threat Vector, by Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney
Notorious Nineteen, by Janet Evanovich
The Forgotten, by David Baldacci

Hardcover Nonfiction

Killing Kennedy, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
Thomas Jefferson, by Jon Meacham
Killing Lincoln, by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
America Again, by Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Tom Purcell et al.
No Easy Day, by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer

Hardcover Advice & Misc.

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, by Ina Garten
Guinness World Records 2013
Help, Thanks Wow, by Anne Lamott
Fifty Shades of Chicken, by F.L. Fowler
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, by Deb Perelman

For more information on this week's best sellers, visit the New York Times website and check out the full list. There is also a special section for Best Sellers in the Library's catalog, BiblioCommons.

Books I Read in 2012

Jay Barksdale, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, General Research Division — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:18:51 -0500

It's amusing to keep track of the critters, and helps me read more non-fiction, novel-hound that I am. The Library has most of these books, but I've only linked a few, as not to clutter and overburden the post. At the end of the list I award prizes, or "the Barkies," for various categories. But just two things first: Re-reads (always a good idea) are in bold, and if you have a taste for rhetorical but highly passionate drama, do read some Thomas Otway (1652-85).

I'm lucky enough to know some of these writers. Robin Hirsch, a poet and all around brilliant guy, is the guiding genius of the Cornelia Street Cafe. Jean Strouse, biographer extraodinaire, runs that great boon to the writing community, the Library's Cullman Center in which T J Stiles wrote most of The First Tycoon. If you think the high Victorians had a monopoly on energy and indefatigable industry, read this biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt and be dis-abused. Gary Marmorstein of the Wertheim Study, a room here set aside for writers to read, think and write, wrote a very sympathetic and touching biography of Lorenz Hart, of the musical team Rodgers and Hart. It will also give you a pretty good picture of New York Broadway life between the wars. Laurie Lisle, also of the Wertheim, specializes in memoirs — lucid, candid and beautifully written. And last, but far from least, is Susan Jacoby of the Allen Room. I'm embarrassed to say, being an atheist, I had never heard of Robert Ingersoll. He was a tireless, courageous and courteous advocate of secular reason in 19th century America. An extremely skillful orator, he did more than anyone to help us toward using reason, not myth, as a means to live our lives.

Gilbert White - The Natural History of Selborne

George Meredith - The Egoist

Edward Gregg - Queen Anne

Izaak Walton - The Lives of John Donne, Sir Henry Wotten, George Herbert

Robin Hirsch - F*E*G: Ridiculous [Stupid] Poems for Intelligent Children

G M Trevelyn - History of England

J S Mill - Autobiography

Thomas Middleton - Women Beware Women

C S Beaton - Death of a Chimney Sweep

George Saintsbury - The Peace of the Augustans: a Survey of Eighteenth Century Literature as a Place of Rest and Refreshment

Michael Crichton - Micro

Thomas Otway - The Orphan

William Maxwell - Bright Center of Heaven

Brontë - Shirley

Nancy Mitford - Madame de Pompadour

James Schuyler - What's for Dinner

Hawthorne - Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny by Papa

Georgette Heyer - The Grand Sophy

Richard Jeffries - The Amateur Poacher

Dorothy Wordsworth - Journals

Trollope - The Warden

Otway - The Soldier's Fortune

Schuyler - Alfred and Guinevere

Nescio - Amsterdam Stories

Mitford - Frederick the Great

R S Stirling - Island in the Sea of Time

Christopher Buckley - Boomsday

The Classical Era [music from the 1740s to the end of the 18th century, Neal Zaslaw, ed.]

J K Galbraith - 1929, the Great Crash

Evelyn Nesbit - The Railway Children

Alexander McCall-Smith - Tears of the Giraffe

Kipling - Just So Stories

C V Wedgwood - The Thirty Years War

Frank O'Hara - Lunch Poems

Beaumont & Fletcher - Thierry and Theodoret

Naomi Novik - Crucible of Gold

Robert Bird Montgomery - Sheppard Lee

Otway - Don Carlos

Gary Marmorstein - A Ship without a Sail: the Life of Lorenz Hart

Laurie Lisle - Four Tenths of an Acre: Reflections on a Gardening Life

John Wyndham - The Chrysalids

Store of the Worlds: The Stories of Robert Sheckley

Disraeli - Sybil

Kenneth Fearing - The Big Clock

John Reed - Snowball's Chance

John Collier - Fancies and Goodnights [stories]

Trollope - Is He Popenjoy?

William Gerhardie - Futility

Oliver Goldsmith - She Stoops to Conquer

Jean Strouse - Alice James

Eugene Thacker - In the Dust of the Planet [philosophy]

T J Stiles - The First Tycoon: the Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt

Madly Singing in the Mountains: An Appreciation and Anthology of Arthur Waley

Shakespeare - The Rape of Lucrece

Walter Scott - The Heart of Midlothian

Christie - Evil Under the Sun

Eric Hobsbawm - The Age of Revolution, 1791-1848

Susan Jacoby - The Great Agnostic: Robert Ingersoll and American Freethought

Shelley - Alastor, or, the Spirit of Solitude

A. A. Milne - The Red House [mystery]

Trollope - Barchester Towers

Georgi Vladimov - Faithful Ruslan

Dickens - Hard Times

Adalbert Stifter – Rock Crystal [a Christmas story]

Barkies of 2012

Best of Show - Thirty Years War (nonfiction); Hard Times (fiction)

Most enjoyable re-read - The Grand Sophy

Most elegant stylist - Nancy Mitford

Happiest surprise - both of the Schuyler novels

Happiest - Lunch Poems

Most bragging rights - The Heart of Midlothian, for it wrapped up a 20 year project to read all Scott's novels (take that, comprehensivists!)

Most tedious, but oddly captivating - either Sybil or Shirley

Free Programs at New Dorp Library: January 2013

Jennifer Gaeta, New Dorp Library — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 06:01:43 -0500

What do you have in mind for your New Year's resolution? Maybe you want to work off those holiday feasts? Learn how to use that new computer you got from the kids this holiday season? Have a little more fun or even just take up some extra reading? Well you can do all those things right here at New Dorp Library! Stop by for the Zumba or Stay Well exercise classes. Try out some computer skills programs, like Wireless Wednesday! Adult Social is a great place to make friends and play awesome games, and don't forget our Book Clubs in English and Spanish! We have everything you need and more!

For Children:

Picture Book Time
For ages 3 and up
Enjoy hearing books read aloud, finger plays, action rhymes and coloring.
Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m.
January 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30
No preregistration is needed.

Board Games, “Bowling” & Gaming Program
For ages 7 – 12 years
Enjoy playing board games, recycled bottle bowling & Wii gaming.
Thursday, January 10th at 4:00 p.m.
Preregistration is required and will start 1 week before.

Baby Rhyme Time
For ages birth through 17 months, and their caregiver.
Friday, January 11th, at 10:30 a.m.
Bring your baby to an interactive program featuring simple books, songs and movement.
Preregistration is required and starts 1 week before.

Preschool Program
For ages 2 ½ to 5 years and their caregiver.
Wednesday, January 23rd, at 11:00 a.m.
Enjoy books, finger plays, action rhymes, and coloring.
Preregistration is needed and will start 1 week before.

Free - Math and Reading Tutoring
Math tutoring: for children Pre-K to 8th grade
Reading tutoring: for children: Pre-K to 3rd grade levels
Presented by Staten Island Technical High School volunteers,
Tuesdays, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m..
Saturdays, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m..
Presented by Stuyvesant High School volunteers, Saturdays, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.. Space is limited. Register at the library that day.

Movies at the Library!
Here is the list of the New Dorp Library's FREE movies, for January 2013.
The films are shown on Saturdays, at 2:00 p.m., for all ages.
Free coloring sheet provided - to take home.
Caregivers need to stay with their children throughout the film.
1/5/13 - DISNEY MOVIE - Rescuers Down Under
1/12/13- DISNEY MOVIE- Ice Age Meltdown
1/19/13 -DISNEY MOVIE- Lady & the Tramp II

For Teens:

Teen Café Remixed
January - 1/7, 1/14, 1/28
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Come join us for fun in the community room. Play your favorite games on the PS3 and the Wii. Come hang out with your friends! You can bring your snacks, soda, coffee, homework, iPod. Check out a laptop and browse the internet! For ages 12-18.

Teen Club
January - 1/9, 1/16
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Your two favorite programs – Teen Art & Anime Club have combined !! Talk Anime and Draw Manga or Talk Manga and don't draw Anime. It's up to you. For ages 12 to 18.

For Adults:

Zumba Workout
Thursdays, January 3, 17 & 31, 2013 at 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Exercise for Adults
Zumba is a fusion of Latin & international music combined with dance fitness moves. Come in sneakers and comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle.

Knitting Group (in Spanish)
Monday, January 7 & 14, 2013 at 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Crafts
Participants must supply their own yarn, needles, and hooks.

Stay Well Exercise Program
January 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2013 at 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Exercise Program for Seniors
The Stay Well exercise program is geared for all seniors, ranging from the fit to those with disabilities. The curriculum includes aerobic exercises as well as routines designed to enhance balance, build muscle strength and aid in the performance of the tasks associated with daily living. Classes end with stress reduction exercises. Classes normally run 40 - 50 minutes and are held once a week.

Adult Social
Friday, January 11, 2013 at 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Friday Afternoon Social at the Library
Come with your friends and enjoy listening to oldies music, playing board games and American Mah Jongg, and meeting new friends. For ages 40+.

Writing Workshop
Tuesday, January 15, 22 & 29, 2013 at 2:30 p.m.
Creative Nonfiction/Fiction/Poetry Writing Workshop
With Ellen Aug Lytle. This event was funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc. To pre-register for any program, please call (718) 351-2977.

These are just a few of the many programs New Dorp Library offers — look at the online calendar for more programs! Bookmark this blog post and the online calendar, or print it out and share it with a friend!

Happy Public Domain Day, 2013!

Bob Kosovsky, Library for the Performing Arts, Music Division — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 05:19:56 -0500

Our markets, our democracy, our science, our traditions of free speech, and our art all depend more heavily on a Public Domain of freely available material than they do on the informational material that is covered by property rights. The Public Domain is not some gummy residue left behind when all the good stuff has been covered by property law. The Public Domain is the place we quarry the building blocks of our culture. It is, in fact, the majority of our culture.
—James Boyle, The Public Domain, p.40f, 2008, quoted on the Public Domain Manifesto.

Happy Public Domain Day! Public Domain Day occurs on New Years' Day, signifying the expiration of copyright on unpublished material whose authors who died 70 years ago.

[We are actually in a period of playing "catch-up": In 1998 Congress extended copyright for an additional 20 years, resulting in 95 years of protection for published works. Their actions were unprecedented, placing some public domain works back into copyright (despite the Constitution's guarantee that once entered in the public domain, works can not go back into copyright). So since 1998, 1922 has been the last year that published work went into the public domain. The "catch-up" year will be 2019, when published material from 1923 finally goes into the public domain.]

While we wait for 2019 to freely use material published in 1923, we are fortunate that the copyright period for unpublished work is only 70 years after the death of the creator. That means that for creators who died in 1942, their unpublished work is now in the public domain as of January 1, 2013.

You can see a list of people who died in 1942 on Wikipedia.
You can read more about Public Domain day at www.PublicDomainDay.org.
Read the Public Domain Manifesto
See also the Center for the Study of the Public Domain (at Duke University)

For those people interested in music, two people who died in 1942 are Emma Calvé and Leo Ascher.

Emma Calvé (1858-1942) was a French soprano, particularly known for her portrayal of the title character in Bizet's opera Carmen, as well as other roles in the French repertoire. She made a number of recordings (between 1902 and 1920), many of which are available in reissues, and some of which are available on YouTube.

The Music Division has several signed calling cards and a few letters by Calvé.

Even though this letter was written on May 24, 1903 (nearly 110 years ago), until January 1, 2013, the rights to this and other letters written by Calvé rested with her heirs or estate. Now, anyone can transcribe and use its contents without having to seek permission.

Leo Ascher (1880-1942) was a composer of operettas. He lived in Vienna, but after Kristallnacht, he fled to the United States, where he lived out his remaining years. Even though the bulk of his papers reside at Millersville University in Pennsylvania, the Music Division has a number of manuscript full scores of some of his operettas. (Unfortunately, Ascher's manuscripts — like many tens of thousands of scores the Music Division acquired prior to 1971 — do not appear in the online catalog.)

This page, from the manuscript full score to Ascher's operetta Bruder Leichtsinn, can now be legally reproduced without permission. In fact, the entire manuscript can be reproduced and published without permission.

We also have a series of sketch books where Ascher sketched musical ideas.

On the page above he has sketched a tune with the word "Böhemisch," i.e. gypsy-like.

Even though Ascher has vividly crossed out this idea, it's still visible beneath the blue pencil. Compositional sketches and sketch books such as the one above are of incalculable use to musicologists and those studying the genesis of musical composition. Therefore, in a very real sense, the creation of new work is based in part on access and use of existing work. Knowing that this work is freed from legal entanglements makes it more usable for those to want to study it, perform it, or reuse it in other ways.

A few other performing artists who died in 1942 were John Barrymore, George M. Cohan, Arthur Pryor, Erwin Schulhoff, and Alexander Zemlinsky.

So even though copyright ties up published work until 2019, we can take consolation in knowing that unpublished work is still freed on an annual basis.

Happy Public Domain Day!

Conquer Clutter in 2013

Lauren Lampasone, Reference and Research Services — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 08:14:09 -0500

Happy New Year's Eve! This year remember that the New York Public Library can help you in achieving any of your self-improvement or lifelong learning goals.

One of my favorite things about being a library user is that I don't have to go bankrupt with my info obsession. I can simply borrow anything that interests me, even a little bit! If it turns out to be a reference book or a beautiful work of fiction I can't do without, I can try before I buy. For someone who lives in a tiny New York City apartment with bookshelves already taking over most of the walls, this is a big deal.

Not only that, but I can borrow books digitally! Even less bookshelf clutter. But sometimes I still feel like other kinds of clutter can come into my life faster than it can be removed: junk Whac-A-Mole. Here are some tips on reducing physical and digital clutter:

Physical Clutter File Management

Get your paperwork in order. Consider investing in a handheld scanner to digitize important receipts and paperwork. Consult USA.gov's guide on how long to keep household records.
There are numerous scanner apps for iOS and Android that can adjust text and convert images from your camera to PDF.
Search for manuals for your appliances and electronic equipment online and recycle the paper version. Use Google Advanced Search to enter the name of the product and any model number, then limit the file type to "Adobe Acrobat PDF (.pdf)." Keep in mind that if you think you might end up reselling the item, it might be better to have supporting documentation intact.
More on what to documents to digitize and what to keep in paper at PCMag.
Another resolution idea: finish your taxes early this year!

Junk Mail

I get so little real mail nowadays, that I set a little time one day of the week to go through it — the night before my recycling day. At that point I shred things that have personal information on them, and log in to my account on Catalog Choice to get off whatever new mailing lists I am on. Catalog Choice uses your address and account number with the company to reach out to them on your behalf, so in a few days you might receive an email message from the company stating that you have been removed from their list. In the case of a company that doesn't let you do this by email, Catalog Choice will give you a phone number to call and tell you what to say. New York City is just as sick of junk mail as you are, and GreeNYC wants New Yorkers to take part in their effort to reduce waste and conserve resources. They have partnered with Catalog Choice to make it easy to get off mailing lists, so you can sign up with them right on nyc.gov. Catalog Choice also has an iPhone app.
You can also register with the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service.
Enough credit cards already? Remove your name from lists used for credit offers with OptOutPrescreen.
Most of us probably Google search to find contact information these days... so you might want to opt out of delivery of the Yellow Pages (but we'll always keep our memories.)
My building has a sign, but that doesn't seem to stop the restaurant menus and circulars from ending up on the stoop. Learn how to file a complaint (this is in violation of the New York State Lawn Litter Law) and stop junk from piling up outside.

Stuff

How To Get Rid of Things might help, whether you're talking about possessions or a pesky cold.
NYCWasteLess has a guide to Get Rid of Stuff. Search by the name of the item you are trying to get rid of to find places to donate or special city rules for disposal.
NYC Stuff Exchange - Where to Donate
Take it Back NYC
E-Waste Program at Lower East Side Ecology Center

Digital Clutter Notifications

One of the complaints that I hear about tablets (iPads in particular) versus dedicated e-readers is that the iPad is full of distractions. How can you read a book when your friend just pinged you about playing your turn in a game, or you need to check the number of likes on your Facebook status the weather, or some other alert pops up that you MUST attend to immediately? It's simple: turn off notifications. Turn them off! They can't distract you if you never see them.

Consider turning off email notifications for services like Facebook and unsubscribe to e-newsletters you're not really reading (except we know you'll want to keep ours.)

File Management

Consider using a cloud-based service to keep your files accessible and safe at the same time. Depending on the type of file (whether it's media, text, or images) there are many different services that you can try for free with limited features and storage space. Not endorsing any of these services in particular, but some of the more popular ones include: Evernote, Dropbox, Amazon Cloud Drive, Amazon Cloud Player, Apple iCloud, Microsoft SkyDrive, Google Drive, Google Picasa. You can have your digital content synced between multiple machines, including handheld devices, to access wherever you go.

For a much more thorough look at personal digital archiving, please see this extensive resource guide from the Library of Congress.

Here is a list of print books and ebooks in BiblioCommons about conquering clutter.

Any decluttering tips or tricks you'd like to share? What else will you try to do in 2013? Some ideas from past blog posts:

Learn a new language
Learn English
Apply to graduate school
Get your GED
Take online courses (at home or at the library)
Learn to cook or make your own food
Start a creative project
Start a new hobby
Get your finances in order
Learn a computer language
Practice yoga
Read more books

Have a happy and healthy 2013!

Free Job Training in Hospitality

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:59:00 -0500

Looking for a career in hospitality?

The Chinese-American Planning Council, Workforce Development Division, provides a free training program in hospitality careers.

The curriculum for this program is from the American Hotel and Lodging Association which is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, students and faculty members, and industry suppliers.

This is a 10-week training program, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This training program includes:

Introduction to hospitality industry
Organization and structure of hotel
Communication skills
Job readiness skills

Participants will learn the skills needed to obtain various types of entry-level jobs in a hotel such as:

Room Attendant
Houseman
Kitchen Stewards

Average salary is $13.66 per hour

There will be job placement assistance for graduates.

Minimum Eligibility

18 years old and up
8th grade reading level
U.S. work authorized
High School Diploma/ GED preferred

How to apply

In order to apply, you must attend an orientation which is held every Monday at 9:30 am at 165 Eldridge Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10002

Travel directions: Take B/D train to Grand Street or F train to Delancy Street.

No one will be admitted to enter after this time.

For more information, please call Chinese-American Planning Council, Workforce Development Division at 212-941-0041.

If you want to learn more about free job training programs, please visit Job Search Central, Science, Industry and Business Library at 188 Madison Avenue and 34th Street.

A World of Digital Pictures

Jaqueline Woolcott, Ask NYPL — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:37:42 -0500

We here at AskNYPL get regular requests for digital images on different topics and we're always happy to share the New York Public Library's very own Digital Gallery. While the NYPL Digital Gallery does a wonderful job with its collection, making things easy to find and accessible, we don't always have the content folks are looking for. These instances lead us outside NYPL's resources and we've found some spectacular image resources.

So, here are my top 10 non-NYPL online digital photo collections and image archives in no particular order, along with some honorable mentions.

1. NYC Municipal Archives
The city provides online access to over 870,000 images including collections from The New York City Fire Department (FDNY), NYC Parks, Ports & Terminals, Maps, and Bridges. I've spent hours looking at Police Department Evidence and Tax Photos. Also, interesting, the Sanitation and Street Cleaning collection has some fun stuff!

2. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online
Several Cartoon Drawing Collections, Ansel Adams, Baseball Cards, Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs, Wright Brothers Negatives, plus so much more. The Library of Congress continues to add to their online picture resources and to surprise me with their wonderful collections.

3. National Park Service Digital Image Archive
Explore your National Parks virtually! Yellowstone, Denali, The Grand Canon (flickr), The Everglades, The National Park Service has photos from Alaska to Florida. The interface is a big clunky and there aren't many photos on the main page. I included the NPS image guide because it links out to the individual park websites with the good stuff! The individual parks maintain their own photo galleries and that's where the fun is.

State parks often have some fun photos in their online galleries. If you do a quick search using the state name along with 'state parks' will generally get you a link for the state park office website. If the park doesn't have 'photo gallery' or 'image collection' on their homepage, look for links called 'explore,' 'education,' or 'multimedia.' NYS Parks Photo Gallery

4. National Geographic Photography
If this list were in a particular order, National Geographic Photography galleries would probably take the top spot for lovely to look at photos. National Geographic still lives up to its reputation for spectacular images even in an online environment. The photography collection has several galleries dedicated to their finest photos. It's easy to get lost in these terrific photographs. The 'Pictures We Love' and 'Travel 365' are my favorite galleries, but any of the 'Best of' galleries are great too!

Don't forget National Geographic Kids. Their photo gallery has some great stuff too: Women Scientist and Explorers, Awesome Athletes, Best of Kids, National Parks, plus they also have some other fun stuff and places to explore.

5. europeana
Discover European culture on a digital platform. A collection of many of the leading European digital images and resources are available through europeana. This site works better searching than the browse features many digital collections rely on, but if you click on 'Exhibitions' on the top you can browse the different photos in a more serendipitous fashion. The europeana site is in English but clicking outside the site to one of the contributing institutions, you might need to toss the new URL into a translation service.

6. ARKive
Explore these photos with the entire family! Everyone will love exploring these top quality photographs of endangered wildlife and watch videos of animals. Uncover insects that roam the desert or learn about the reptiles that roam the rainforest. There is a lot to discover on this site. You can explore by animal type, geographic location, eco-regions, their place on the conservation list or even find resources based on age group.

7. Smithsonian Collections Search Center
Smithsonian Collections Search Center is a fun way to explore the museums from afar. The Items on Exhibit feature allows users to see the materials currently on display at the different museums. I generally jump to the Browse by Category option or explore their 'Search Highlights' section. Plus, if you'd like to contribute, the collection welcomes you to tag the images to help make things easier to find.

8. Google Art Project
Google always seems to get it right. The Google Art Project has a huge collection of popular paintings from almost 200 collections from museums all over the world, which include big name artists, and over 36,000 individual artworks. With the smooth and easy to use interface, you'll be happily lost with the high quality images. The project seems especially fun on tablet computers and smart devices.

9. MIT's Visualizing Cultures
My colleague Raymond Pun recently introduced me to MIT's Visualizing Cultures. This image collection allows you to discover cultures via “Image-Driven Scholarship.” The photos are high resolution and often accompanied by scholarly works, a visual narrative, and a related image database. Depending on your selection, you might also find video or animation which makes the site all the more exciting.

10. ESPN Image Gallery
I didn't forget you, sports fans. ESPN has a wonderful collection of sports photographs. You can browse by 'photos of the day', sport, or city. The site offers galleries dedicated to influential coaches or popular athletes. There's even a gallery dedicated to U.S. Presidents enjoying their game of choice.

More Image Collections

There are thousands of free image galleries available on the web all put together by different organizations. The ones included above stand out in one way or another but if they don't meet your needs or you're looking for some extra pictures fun check out these honorable mentions.

Australian National Maritime Museum Flickr (Thank you Mariel for bringing this up)
Digital Portrait Index
British Library's Online Gallery (Thank you, Bernard for this mention)
Henry Ford Museum Online Collection
Library of Alexandria (Nasser, Sadat, Suez Canal Collections on top right)
National Gallery of Art
National Library of The Netherlands
Retronaut (Thank you, Serena)
Shorpy (Thank you BoingBoing for bringing this to my attention)
Smithsonian Libraries Galaxy of Images
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
University of Washington Digital Collection

Other Lists

I'm not the only one who has put one of these lists together. If you're still looking for Digital Resources, these might be helpful.

What are your favorite digital image collections? Any aditional lists you know about? Share in the comments!

Michael Kors Analogy Generator

Robert Arrighi, New Dorp Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:25:58 -0500

It's the end of an era. Michael Kors will no longer be a judge on Project Runway as it starts its 11th season, which means we can no longer enjoy his slicing and dicing analogies aimed at the designers' runway miscues.

Who could forget such classics as

"She looks like Barefoot Appalachian Lil' Abner Barbie."

"She looks like a pole dancer in Dubai."

So I spent some time in the lab and after watching hours and hours of Project Runway I have created the Michael Kors Analogy Generator (it's actually a formula, you have to generate the analogy yourself, but I liked the initials MKAG so it's a generator). This is how it works, you take something you would never want to look like and place it somewhere it would never want to be.

She looks like a Christmas ham at Studio 54.
She looks like a matador without a bull to fight on prom night.

There is also the more advanced version of adding a style icon or pop culture reference into the mix.

She looks like Grace Kelly attending a Star Trek convention after working an 8 hour shift at the slaughterhouse.
She looks like Joan Crawford trying to occupy Wall Street during a San Gennaro Festival.

It is my hope that my work in developing the MKAG will make the loss of Michael Kors as a regular Project Runway judge more bearable. In the event the MKAG does not meet your needs the New York Public Library has previous seasons of Project Runway available to borrow.

It might be too early in 2013 to call the MKAG the greatest invention of 2013 but I see potential for this to change the world. If you have any analogies you created using the MKAG please share in the comments.

Free Job Training in Construction Trades

Magdalene Chan, Science, Industry and Business Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:19:24 -0500

Are you looking for a career in the construction trade?

The Chinese-American Planning Council, Workforce Development Division, Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program can get you there!

Construction Pre-Apprenticeship is an intensive 17-week training program whose graduates go on to work in the construction trades, including carpentry, sheet metal, electrical, environmental assessment, and lead and asbestos abatement.

Certifications can include Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA 10), 40-hour Hazardous waste worker, CPR, scaffold and much more…
Training, transportation, and licensing fees are provided at no cost to you.
Average salary per hour $16.
Job Placement Assistance for graduates.

Eligibility Requirements:

Able to perform 8 hours of physical labor each day
Travel to job sites throughout the city every day
Between 18-25 years old
An American Citizen or Naturalized Immigrant
Have a valid State ID card or Drivers License
Able to pass a math and reading test at the 8th grade level
Possess a High School Diploma or GED at the time of application
Be unemployed and/or have a low income
Able to attend class Monday thru Friday 8:00 am to 3:30 pm for 17 weeks

How to apply:

In order to apply, you must attend an orientation which is held Every Monday at 9:30 am at 165 Eldridge Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10002.

Travel directions: Take B/D train to Grand Street or F train to Delancey Street.

No one will be admitted to enter after that time.

At Orientation you MUST have the following documents with you:

Birth Certificate/Citizenship Status
Social Security Card
Valid State Identitication
Proof of Address
Proof of Income
High School Diploma/GED

For more information, please call Chinese-American Planning Council at 212-941-0041.

If you want to learn more about free job training programs, please visit Job Search Central, Science Industry and Business Library online or in person at 188 Madison Avenue and 34th Street.

Reader’s Den: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, Week 4

Lois Moore, Mid-Manhattan Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:28:03 -0500

This is the last week of our book discussion of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. In my first post, I mentioned that it is a post-9/11 novel, published in 2005, but during the past month of discussion, I haven't focused on that aspect of the work. The book talks about Oskar's reaction to the 9/11 tragedy and his father's death at the World Trade Center as well as the reactions of his mother, the people Oskar interviews while trying to find the lock for his key, and various other characters. Foer's intent is to describe the aftermath of 9/11, rather than the event itself, although he uses some details of the event in his story.

EL&IC was somewhat controversial when it was first published because it was relatively soon after the event and feelings were still fresh and painful. For example, the last photos in the book showing a body falling from the Towers, even though it is designed as a flip book to show the body falling upwards (Oskar's attempt to reverse the tragedy), were too graphic for some. As I read, I was reminded forcefully of things from that time that I had forgotten, such as the many signs posted for missing friends and relatives, hoping they were still alive, and the empty casket burials. I don't know what my reaction to the book would have been if I had read it when it was first published, but I expect it would have been more emotionally intense. I don't know how a non-New Yorker or anyone who was not in NYC during the event itself would react to this book. Nor can I imagine what the reaction will be ten years (or more) from now when a teenager who wasn't born at the time reads it. Perhaps the key to what establishes a novel as definitive of an event is how powerfully and effectively it evokes an emotional or visceral response, one not based on personal memory but a kind of collective emotional truth.

In the first post I noted that the definitive novel about 9/11 has not been written yet, while novels immortalizing other wars and events have been identified. Here's an abbreviated list:

Civil War (1861-1865) – The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, 1895

World War I (1914-1918) – All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, 1929

World War I American novel (1917-1918) – A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, 1929

World War II (1939 - 1945) – The Thin Red Line by James Jones, 1962

Alternate titles - The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer, 1948, From Here to Eternity by James Jones, 1951, and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, 1961

Vietnam War (1955-1975) – Fields of Fire by James H. Webb, 1978

Alternate title – The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, 1990

As a point of interest, I've noted the dates of the wars as well as the dates the books were published. What might be interesting is to see how many of the authors actually served in the wars. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for the list.

In an interview with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Foer answers the question of the significance of the title to the book itself. In his view, the book deals with love and war, both of which are loud and close, yet many of the characters are silent and distant, (see Week 3 post). Foer hopes the book causes the reader to feel loudly and closely its messages about love and war and the pain of loss. In my opinion, the silence and distance of many characters in the book emphasize feelings that are the exact opposite of the title. For example, Oskar is looking for closeness and afraid of it at the same time, as are his grandparents. It is ironic that amidst all the noisy events there is an internal core of silence, that while some characters are reaching out for love, others are putting up walls to avoid closeness.

After reading EL&IC, I think its overall theme is loss, including dealing with loss, fear of loss (especially loss of love) and fear of dying. There are so many examples throughout the book. While Oskar is dealing with the loss of his father, his grandfather is still mourning the loss of his beloved in the Dresden bombing, and his grandmother is mourning the loss of her family in the same disaster and the distant relationship with her husband. These fears transmute into a fear of living that manifests itself in two different ways, inactivity (the grandfather abandoning his son before birth) or extreme activity (Oskar's prolonged search throughout New York City for the lock for his key). Either way of attempting to run from life and its fears ends in a circle. No matter which path you choose in running from your life, you eventually come back to the same fears and the need to confront them. In other words, it is through living that one overcomes the fear of living. Oskar found the lock for his key, but the solution wasn't what he was expecting. He worked through his loss and his fears indirectly by searching for a last message of love from his father, by living in loving hope instead of withdrawing. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “Where there is love there is life.”

I hope you enjoyed EL&IC and the discussion. In January Reader's Den will explore The New York Stories of Edith Wharton. Mixed Bag: Story Time for Grown-Ups and Mixed Bag PM are also featuring stories by Edith Wharton in January. Have a wonderful holiday and please join us in the New Year.

Financial Literacy Programs at George Bruce Library

Heather Caines, George Bruce Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:22:40 -0500

Now that the lazy, hazy, care free days of summer are a distant memory, and the crisp, cool days of fall have given way to the chill of winter, it may be time to turn our thoughts to more serious endeavors. What activity could be more serious or sobering than getting our financial house in order? Are you saying, "Yes that’s true, but it is too daunting. I need help."?

Well here at the George Bruce Library, we may have just the ticket for you. Through the generous support of the McGraw–Hill Companies we are continuing our Financial Literacy Series of programs (titled Money Matters) this Winter. Topics covered will include:

Savings
Credit Cards
Budgeting
Mortgages
College Costs
Retirement
Financial Planning for Business Owners
and more

So take the plunge and let us help you navigate those scary financial waters. Attend one of our programs, browse our special Finance Collection of books designed to support this series of programs. The programs will take place on various Thursday mornings at 11:30 a.m. and Wednesday evenings at 5:30 p.m. throughout the winter. Visit our branch page for dates and times. The next program, Success Over Survival (designed to help business owners) will occur on Thursday January 10, 2012 at 11:30 a.m.

New Plant Patent Color Images at SIBL: Through December 25, 2012

Kenneth Johnson, Science, Industry and Business Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:16:00 -0500

Here are scans of the color plates of U.S. Plant Patents received at SIBL for the weeks of December 11, 18 and 25, 2012.

For additional Plant Patent plates for 2012, these have been listed, with links, in the table posted here.

As before, please be careful in using these — they're really not appropriate to use for prior art or other similar searches. Otherwise, please enjoy!

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published December 11, 2012; Nos. PP23246-PP23253

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image December 11, 2012 PP23246 Stoppel Variety of strawberry plant named 'MALWINA' USPTO PP23246 December 11, 2012 PP23247 Donahue Lantana plant named 'ELEORAN' USPTO PP23247 December 11, 2012 PP23248 Snoeijer Clematis plant named 'Zoang' USPTO PP23248 December 11, 2012 PP23249 Uebelhart Physalis plant named 'Queen' USPTO PP23249 December 11, 2012 PP23250 Hornig Centaurea plant named 'Black Sprite' USPTO PP23250 December 11, 2012 PP23251 Egger Tradescantia plant named 'Regal Charm' USPTO PP23251 December 11, 2012 PP23252 Bergman Chrysanthemum plant named 'CIDZ0007' USPTO PP23252 December 11, 2012 PP23253 Danziger Impatiens plant named 'DANMU77' USPTO PP23253

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published December 18, 2012; Nos. PP23254-PP23268

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image December 18, 2012 PP23254 Meilland Hybrid tea rose plant named 'Meimonkeur' USPTO PP23254 December 18, 2012 PP23255 Nelson et al. Strawberry plant named 'BG-4316' USPTO PP23255 December 18, 2012 PP23256 Nelson et al. Strawberry plant named 'BG-3.324' USPTO PP23256 December 18, 2012 PP23257 Nelson et al. Strawberry plant named 'BG-4315' USPTO PP23257 December 18, 2012 PP23258 Francis Leucadendron plant named 'Ebony' USPTO PP23258 December 18, 2012 PP23259 Burton Coprosma plant named 'Midnight Martini' USPTO PP23259 December 18, 2012 PP23260 Fraser Coprosma plant named 'Inferno' USPTO PP23260 December 18, 2012 PP23261 Klemm et al. New Guinea impatiens plant named 'KLENI10128' USPTO PP23261 December 18, 2012 PP23262 Bartels Phlox plant named 'Barseventyone' USPTO PP23262 December 18, 2012 PP23263 Bartels Phlox plant named 'Barseventy' USPTO PP23263 December 18, 2012 PP23264 Bartels Phlox plant named 'Barseventytwo' USPTO PP23264 December 18, 2012 PP23265 Lemberger Phlox paniculata plant named 'Shockwave' USPTO PP23265 December 18, 2012 PP23266 Yates Begonia plant named 'YASPRINK' USPTO PP23266 December 18, 2012 PP23267 de Wet et al. Aloe plant named 'X5' USPTO PP23267 December 18, 2012 PP23268 Korlipara Campanula plant named 'Summertime Jazz' USPTO PP23268

United States Plant Patents: Patents Published December 25, 2012; Nos. PP23269-PP23287

Date Patent Number Inventor Title Text Color Image December 25, 2012 PP23269 Bedard Floribunda rose plant named 'WEKbijou' USPTO PP23269 December 25, 2012 PP23270 Johnson, Jr., et al. Blackberry plant named 'HJ-6' USPTO PP23270 December 25, 2012 PP23271 van den Hoogen Veronica plant named 'Alllady' USPTO PP23271 December 25, 2012 PP23272 Nakano Bougainvillea plant named 'Koiro' USPTO PP23272 December 25, 2012 PP23273 Pieters Chrysanthemum plant named 'Bronze Pamplona Jogger' USPTO PP23273 December 25, 2012 PP23274 Pieters Chrysanthemum plant named 'Nerola Orange' USPTO PP23274 December 25, 2012 PP23275 Pieters Chrysanthemum plant named 'Mika Orange' USPTO PP23275 December 25, 2012 PP23276 Konst Alstroemeria plant named 'Koncamambo' USPTO PP23276 December 25, 2012 PP23277 Kientzler New Guinea impatiens plant named 'Vinfsalbis' USPTO PP23277 December 25, 2012 PP23278 Beekenkamp Dahlia plant named 'Bkdapr' USPTO PP23278 December 25, 2012 PP23279 Verwer Dahlia plant named 'HDPI117' USPTO PP23279 December 25, 2012 PP23280 Jepsen Kalanchoe plant named 'Justine' USPTO PP23280 December 25, 2012 PP23281 Yates Begonia plant named 'YASPWHIT' USPTO PP23281 December 25, 2012 PP23282 Michalik Petunia plant named 'Pactoyel' USPTO PP23282 December 25, 2012 PP23283 Miedema-Jorna Petunia plant named 'FIPETROBICO' USPTO PP23283 December 25, 2012 PP23284 Laviana Echinacea plant named 'B's Knees' USPTO PP23284 December 25, 2012 PP23285 Pavlich Heuchera plant named 'Berry Marmalade' USPTO PP23285 December 25, 2012 PP23286 Ault, et al. Monarda plant named 'Fire Marshall' USPTO PP23286 December 25, 2012 PP23287 MacKenzie Sedum plant named 'Nonogo' USPTO PP23287

Creepy Carrots With a Message: Writing Well for Children

Emily Nichols, Chatham Square Library — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 04:10:14 -0500

I think an overt moral lesson (such as don't take other people's things, or be yourself even if that is different from those around you) can flatten an illustrated story. Recently I saw the children's author and illustrator Peter Brown (Chowder, Creepy Carrots) speak about his creative process. One of my clever colleagues asked him about moral messages in children's books. His answer surprised me. He said each of his books contains a message and teaches a lesson.

Mr. Brown cited Maurice Sendak as an influence and I think that Sendak's attitude was different. His wild rumpus was an overdue antidote to preachy adult controlled books for children. His revolutionary work focused on children as they often are (messy, mean, willful) instead of as we would like them to be (polite, receptive, tidy). Max does not, to my mind, learn a lesson on his adventure.

Two authors have recently grappled with overtly moral tales in absorbing chapter books for middle grade readers. Both Grace Lin (Starry River of the Sky) and Adam Gidwitz (In a Glass Grimmly) have fashioned stories of depth and ambiguity out of lessons similar to Brown's (don't take other people's beautiful gifts from the emperor) and (be yourself, not what other people want you to be. Or you'll die.) Part of the books' success lies in their excellent writing. Lin builds a beautiful tale with believable characters that seems quiet and real among the fantastical elements. Gidwitz plays at gruesome middle grade horror worse than any Goosebumps but his language and narrative surprises give this page turner depth and feeling.

Brown pays homage to dozens of old movies and TV shows, especially The Twilight Zone. By borrowing from longer works, he gives the short book a depth that otherwise would be difficult to achieve. Both Lin and Gidwitz borrow from age old stories for dimension and inspiration. As a reader, I don't like to be preached at but I love a heroes journey, deftly told. Dear authors, feel free to borrow and steal as needed to add layers to a short well told tale. And, like Brown, Lin, and Gidwitz, be honest about it.

Want to Talk About Reading? Reader's Den 2013 Online Book Discussion Schedule

Ryan P. Donovan, Mid-Manhattan Library — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:28:01 -0500

It’s hard to believe that 2012 is almost over. As we look forward to the new year, I am proud to present our upcoming Reader’s Den online book discussion titles for 2013. With an eclectic mix of book discussion leaders hailing from Jefferson Market, Columbus, Mulberry Street, Spuyten Duyvil, and the Mid-Manhattan Library, this is sure to be our best year yet!

Unlike previous years, the Reader’s Den is sticking to a thematic element for 2013: books by New Yorkers or about New York. If you are a member of the social network Goodreads, be sure to join the Reader’s Den group — there are handy notifications reminding you which book is coming up next. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter if you don’t already.

Without further adieu, here is the Reader’s Den schedule for 2013:

January: The New York Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton
February: Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon
March: Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner
April: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
May: The Contract With God Trilogy by Will Eisner
June: Time and Again by Jack Finney
July: Watchmen by Alan Moore
August: Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz
September: Unterzakhn by Leela Corman
October: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
November: The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye
December: The Alienist by Caleb Carr

For previous books covered by our online book discussion group, please visit our schedule page. It includes an archive of every title discussed since 2009.

Winter Fun for Kids and Cats

Jessica Pigza, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Rare Book Division — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 09:19:44 -0500

This snowy Saturday afternoon has brought to mind a couple of scenes from nineteenth-century children's books in the Rare Book Division. First, a scene of "Wintervergnügen" (winter fun) from Jugendspiele zur Erholung und Erheiterung (Tilsit, 1846). This is a two-volume work, one devoted to girls and one to boys. Sledding is categorized as one of the boys' games (Knabenspiele), but of course that needn't stop ladies of all ages from joining in.

And next — since it is Caturday after all — here's a cat hunting on a wintry day. This wood engraving is from Noch funfzig Fabeln für Kinder (Hamburg, 1837), a book of illustrated fables for children.

Enjoy these snowy last days of 2012 as much as these children and this cat. Happy new year!