theme day: library

The other day I started thinking what books have I read that feature libraries or libraries. I'm sure there have been a good deal but I could only remember adult reads where the centrality of the library has stuck with me over the years. One is Umberto Eco's fantastic historical mystery The Name of the Rose, it's been a really long time since I read this book, but I remember being swept away by it's labyrinthine plot which centers primarily on events in a labyrinthine medieval library. The book was later adapted to film - I recall liking the film but like most adaptions of books to film it was not nearly as compelling as the book. The film could have actually sucked, but I would have liked it anyway as it starred Sean Connery, and I've always had a soft spot for Sir Sean. I'm sure this has to do with having watched this as a wee lass.

Another adult book that has stuck with me over the course of many, many years is Gillian Bradshaw's The Beacon of Alexandria. Ironically (or coincidentally) I read this book around the same time I read The Name of the Rose - obviously in the mid to late 1980s I was into historical fiction concerning libraries. I'm sure I've read other (adult) books that have highlighted libraries and librarians, but at the moment only these two come to mind.

There is a relatively new book that is out about a cat that lived in an Iowa library for many years. Apparently the cat transforms and saves the town and the library. The book is Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat it was written by Vicky Myron. I remember hearing an interview on NPR with Myron, who is the librarian who discovered Dewey in the book drop one cold winter day. The story is fascinating and sounds really heart-warming, one of these days I will have to see if there's a copy at the library available.

Does anyone know other (adult) books set in libraries or that feature librarians?

There are quite a few books for children that feature libraries and librarians. On Tuesday I ran across The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians written by Carla Morris and illustrated by Brad Sneed (is Brad any relation to Merle??).

This book is a charming story about a curious boy named Melvin who spends a great deal of time at his public library and Melvin's relationship with Marge, Betty, and Leeola, who are three of the coolest, most helpful librarians one would ever hope to run across. The book is a beautiful tribute to librarians.



Another delightful children's book which takes place in a library is Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk. The hero of this book is Sam, very intelligent and gifted mouse who happens to live in hole behind a wall in the children's department of a public library. Sam is the epitome of a bookmouse and spends all his waking hours reading the books in the library. One day Sam gets the idea that perhaps along with reading books he should try and write and illustrate a book about about his life. And one night does just that and writes his memoir Squeak! Although Sam doesn't intend to write for anyone but himself, one day a child discovers Sam's book - and after this happens.... well, you'll have to find a copy of the Library Mouse yourself and see how it ends.

theme thursday: statue

today the blogosphere is celebrating statues on theme thursday. unfortunately, I've been neglecting the cleveland bookmouse and perhaps I should try and remedy that.

I have a few photos of statues of famous authors in my photo archive, unfortunately I didn't think of this until late this afternoon. this is the only one I could quickly find!

this statue of oscar wilde was snapped in a park in dublin. I few years ago I read a very entertaining mystery by walter satterthwait called wilde west. here's a blurb from publishers weekly:

In this perfect blend of mystery, satire and travelogue, Satterthwait ( At Ease with the Dead ) follows Oscar Wilde in his 1882 lecture tour through the American West. Wilde greatly amuses his audiences and Elizabeth McCourt Doe in particular, initiating a torrid (and to the reader, surprising) affair with her. Meanwhile U.S. marshal Bob Grigsby connects a series of murders and eviscerations of prostitutes to the cities where Wilde has delivered his disquisitions and accuses the writer of the crimes. Wilde steers the hard-drinking marshal to the other members of his tour, including an alcoholic reporter, a slick-talking business manager, a sophisticated countess, a frail valet, a retired Prussian officer and even gunslinger John "Doc" Holliday, who has been following the tour. Wilde and Elizabeth narowly escape being killed by cowboys to whom Wilde's wit is no laughing matter, but the identity of the serial killer is not revealed until the harrowing resolution. One more surprise waits in the wings, and its delivery is just as smooth as those that the playwright himself once put to paper.

after I read this book I checked out of the library another book by satterthwait and read it - that book was called escapade - the book was another historical mystery, this time featuring harry houdini and sir arthur conan doyle. it was a stitch. I don't know if satterthwait has written anything else - well I guess he has since the blurb above mentions a book I'm unfamiliar with...I'll have to do a search, I hadn't thought of him in a while - my memory was jogged by thinking of oscar. speaking of oscar wilde, if you are ever in paris, make sure you check out his grave.....like wilde, it is a wild experience - I written about it a couple times on the mouse - you can go here and here.

louie, louie

last night the bookwomen were joined carolyn's new pup louie. louie is a wheaten terrier, a breed which originated in ireland. I didn't have a chance to ask about louie's story before he joined carolyn's family, since he's just about a year old I expect he has one.

louie is very, very soft and very, very friendly.

last night's book was Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey. perhaps louie is trying to tell us that he is salivating thinking about the tasty treats that our host prepared.

in order to restrain louie from said tasty treats, carolyn has louie secured in a loving leg lock.

incidentally, everyone in the group enjoyed jaffrey's memoir. we were disappointed to learn from carolyn, our discussion leader, that jaffrey has no intentions of writing a sequel. jaffrey was born in 1933 and this book covers the first eighteen years of her life. these were important years in the history of modern day india. although the book is primarily a personal memoir about family and food, jaffrey personal story overlaps with topics such as the relationships between hindus, muslins, and christians in india, the caste system, arranged marriage, the nonviolence movement of mohandas gandhi, india's involvement in wwII india's independence from britian in 1947 - resulting in the partition of india, and so on.

the book is a quick read and very enjoyable. the final section of the book includes family recipes from jaffrey's most delicious childhood!

theme day: leaves

Dead Leaves

When these dead leaves were green, love,
November's skies were blue,
And summer came with lips aflame,
The gentle spring to woo;
And to us, wandering hand in hand,
Life was a fairy scene,
That golden morning in the woods
When these dead leaves were green!

How dream-like now that dewy morn,
Sweet with the wattle's flowers,
When love, love, love was all our theme,
And youth and hope were ours!
Two happier hearts in all the land
There were not then, I ween,
Than those young lovers' -- yours and mine --
When these dead leaves were green.

How gaily did you pluck these leaves
From the acacia's bough,
To mark the lyric we had read --
I can repeat it now!
While came the words, like music sweet,
Your smiling lips between --
"So fold my love within your heart,"
When these dead leaves were green!

How many springs have passed since then?
Ah, wherefore should we count,
The years that sped, like waters fled
From Time's unstaying fount?
We've had our share of happiness,
Our share of care have seen;
But love alone has never flown
Since these dead leaves were green.

Your heart is kind and loving still,
Your face to me as fair,
As when, that morn, the sunshine played
Amid your golden hair.
So, dearest, sweethearts still we'll be,
As we have ever been,
And keep our love as fresh and true
As when these leaves were green.

Edward Booth Loughran

theme day: windows

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light

Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) Welsh poet

The human soul has still greater need of the ideal than of the real. It is by the real that we exist; it is by the ideal that we live.

Victor Hugo (1802 -1885) writer and human rights activist

photos: top tea shop and bookstore at the Dylan Thomas museum in Swansea, Wales; Maison Victor Hugo - 6, Place des Vosges - Paris

key to the next year of reading

on september 10th 2008 my bookgroup gathered for our annual book selection potluck. one long time member remarked that she recently realized that the group has existed for 20 years! wow- now there's a cause for celebration. I expect there are few book groups that have marked their 20th anniversary.

over the years, the reading group has experienced many changes - even though several of the founding women remain active in the group, as time passes and life goes on, bookwomen have come and bookwomen have gone - but the passion for reading, discussion and sisterhood remains.

as is custom, the september potluck extravaganza was held at jeanne's lovely home. as always the food and wine made spirits soar and fueled a lively discussion of the selection of the books for the upcoming year of reading. in august the group selected food as the theme so everyone came to dinner with piles of books to consider. it was a difficult process, who knew there were so many good books out there where food is a major character? we ended up with a lovely, eclectic array of books and a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction.

the monthly meetings center around a focused discussion of the featured book, however, the host for the monthly meeting also creates a table of treats to stimulate both the senses and the discussion. since our books in this upcoming year center around food I can't wait to see what treats will be in store!

the key for the year of reading is as follows:

october 8 Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses by Isabel Allende host lillian

november 12 Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlien host melody

december 10 Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey host carolyn

january 14 Soul of a Chef: The Journey Towards Perfection by Michael Ruhlman host freddy

february 11 The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean host mariel

march 11 A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage host kim

april 8 Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran host susan

may 13 The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones host marjorie

june 10 Too Many Cooks by Rex Stout host georgeann

july 8 The Passionate Epicure: La Vie et la Passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet by Marchel Rouff host anne

august 12 Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver host jane

theme day: wing

When books are opened you discover that you have wings.

Helen Hayes (1900-1993), american stage and film actor

be a high flyer read a book!! when you are thinking about buying books think seriously about supporting your local independent bookseller!!

in the cleveland area we still have a few independent bookstores. high on my list is the crooked river reading club the only independent bookshop in downtown cleveland. the proprietor gail is a very knowledgeable, friendly, and community oriented bookseller. I always enjoy chatting with her and always walk away with feeling happier and feeling as if I've learned something that will enhance my life! gail is most happy to help you find just the right book and will happily place a special order when she doesn't have the book you desire in stock. although I'm trying hard to use the library instead of buying books for my own reading pleasure, when I give gifts, I still prefer to give a book - when you give a book you give someone the gift of flight!

crooked river reading club is located in the galleria at erieview at 1301 E 9th St. click here to find your way.

a relatively new independent bookstore in cleveland is visible voice books located at 1023 kenilworth avenue in the tremont neighborhood of cleveland. visible voice sponsored this year's bloomsday event and it was the first time I visited the bookstore. I wish it was in my neighborhood, I'd be in all the time - for is is way, way more than simply a bookstore. check out the link and see all the happening stuff happening at visible voice! to find your way there click here

since I just got back for a few days in nyc, I thought I'd mention another wonderful indy bookshop we stumbled on in the park slope neighborhood of brooklyn. unnameable books featuring both new and used books. it's located at 456 bergen street, between 5th and flatbush