BookClique

The JIF (Juvenile Illustrated Fiction) Collection at TCPL is a treasure trove of
provocative titles.  JIF may also be defined as ‘picture books for older audiences’ and I would like to suggest that these are great titles for adult to enjoy reading aloud and sharing as well as for families with school-aged children.  My eye was caught recently by a display title, The Greatest Skating Race.  Written by Louise Borden and illustrated by Niki Daly, it tells the fictional tale of some Dutch families during World War II and how one young man’s skating abilities provide an escape avenue to Belgium for two Jewish Children.  Daly’s brown palette nicely captures the look and temper of occupied Holland.  I can still hear the swish, swish, of the skates on the canal!

Amy P.

Filed under: Children's by stacyw
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I am attracted to the settings in novels, and very much so when a book is set in a familiar place.  In this case, Vicki Delany’s More than Sorrow, is set in Prince Edward County, an island county in the province of Ontario Canada.  Now a very popular area for country homes for Toronto’s rich and famous, it was my grandmother’s respite area for many years and I am very familiar with its highways and byways and its United Empire Loyalist history.  Delany, a Toronto systems analyst, turned novelist mines both the UEL tradition and devises a contemporary story whose protagonist, journalist Hanna Manning, is recuperating at her sister’s farm after sustaining brain injury while covering the war in Afghanistan.  There is even a nearby Afghan refugee and a Taliban-inspired sub-plot!  For me, the time-twisting UEL story was the best part of this book, and I hope that Delany writes some straight historical fiction set in this lovely part of the land I call home.  In addition to this stand-alone title, Delany is also the author of the Constable Molly Smith books, set in Trafalgar, British Columbia.

Amy P.

Filed under: Fiction, Mystery by stacyw
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My new favorite magazine is Mental Floss, whose tag line is “Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix”. This is a fun read filled with all kinds of random facts. The magazine covers topics about everything from Einstein to Coffee. If you like quirky information then you’ll appreciate this magazine. If you love learning interesting things or maybe you just want to come off sounding smart at parties – Mental Floss is for you. In November’s issue, the Left Brain/Right Brain section features an article on Bill Cosby which is,  in part, a wonderful review of Cosby’s early comedic albums; the Go Mental section takes us to West Africa where Togolese women rule the textile industry; and ‘Scatterbrained’ explores the controversial subject of candy. Whether you love literature and trivia, are into science and history, or just curious about how many green beans are served every Thanksgiving, you will undoubtedly find many things to enjoy in each issue.

Tia L.

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The Magnificent Trees of the New York Botanical Garden is an evocative walk through the seasons in this very special civic garden. The photographer, Larry Lederman, is a lawyer by profession, and landscape photographer by avocation. He spent over 10 years practicing in the garden after work and on weekends! His enthusiasm for photography is evident in his 2-page introduction. A brief history of the garden follows. The next 240 pages are filled with photographic portraits of notable trees arranged by seasons. Very brief accompanying notes provide both the scientific and common name of the trees along with the provenance, and whether native to North America or imported. The book concludes with a short chapter on stewarding the landscape followed by ten photographic tips from Lederman. Magnificent Trees is a beautifully designed book from Monacelli Press that provides an enticement for a visit to the 250- acre Botanical Garden, or a wonderful remembrance of past rambles. Highly recommended.

Amy P.

Filed under: Non Fiction by stacyw
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The New York Times Book Review Essay is often a wonderful place to find titles of interest.  In an article devoted to the familiar essay, I stumbled on Susan Hand Shetterly’s  Settled in the Wild,  set in Prospect Harbor, Maine.  Shetterly left the New York city suburbs in June of 1971 and many of her essays describe all that she has learned from the land, animals, and her neighbors. The 26 essays are written simply.My favorites involve the animals — a raven called Chac, and another about a garter snake.  Better known for her childrens’ titles, including The Tinker of Salt Cove and Shelterwood, Shetterly has also written another book of essays, The New Year’s Owl.  Like Annie Dillard, this author’s clear perspective on nature is not to be missed.

Amy P.

Filed under: Non Fiction by stacyw
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I love a story with an unreliable narrator and the unnamed, disgraced professor in By Blood by Ellen Ullman is as unreliable as they come.  The stage is set in the early 1970’s San Francisco. The Zodiac killer is on the loose, Patty Hearst is toting a gun, and our narrator is inserting himself in matters that don’t concern him.  He takes an office in the city to work on a series of lectures.  The walls are thin and the patient of the psychiatrist in the next office hates the white-noise machine designed to keep their conversation private.  The patient has problems with her same-sex lover and her adoptive parents.  He is content to just listen until the patient decides to find her birth mother.  He is completely absorbed in her story and decides as a researcher he can help her to reach her goal faster. He does the research and sends it to her under a false name from an adoption agency.  The patient’s story, as well as her birth mother’s story unfolds in twists and turns akin to a Tilt-A-Whirl. I was as captivated by her story as much our unreliable narrator.  If you like a great page turning, suspenseful story this is the book for you.

Sherri M.

Filed under: Fiction by stacyw
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Birds of a Lesser Paradise is a book  of short stories that is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking. In my favorite story of the bunch “Housewifely Arts” a woman drives for hours with her small son to a zoo to see a parrot her mother once owned. Her mother is dead and the bird can mimic her voice. I get that, the pull to relive the past or a moment to the point of irrationality. All of these stories include animals and nature. They obviate our connections to both in surprising ways. They are smart and tough, but also compassionate. I look forward to more from this first-time author.

Sherri M.

Filed under: Fiction by stacyw
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I came upon the work of British Sculptor, David Nash, in a circuitous way.  I subscribe to an email art alert service called ArtFinder which brings much of British modernism my way.  I use it as a way to learn about artists.  Interestingly enough, the artists’ work that attracts me the most is quite often that of sculptors who also work in paper. Such is wood sculptor, David Nash.  Nash, who lives in northwest Wales sculpts exclusively in ‘found wood’ around the world.  He does not cut down trees, rather relies on nature to identify and fell his raw materials.  His work is amazing so I was delighted to read David Nash  published by Abrams New York with a fine introduction by Norbert Lynton.  This 170-page full color art book relates Nash’s career to date with much of the text written by Nash himself.  You get real insights into the artist’s process and can explore his metamorphosis from solo artist to collaborator.  The pictures often tell the story of the wood from ‘found item’ to finished work of art.  Many are site specific, so it’s great to see them in situ in this fabulously illustrated book.   Not sure about exploring Nash’s work?  Try dipping into the various Youtube videos, especially the 57-minute “David Nash:  discovering Heartwood” that captures his artist’s residency in North Carolina..  And then, don’t forget to check out this book!

Amy P.

Filed under: Non Fiction, Uncategorized by stacyw
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420 Characters by Lou Beach is a book of very short, short stories that began as a series of Facebook status updates. All are limited to 420 characters but feel surprisingly complete. Let me give you an example: THERE WAS A MOUSE that lived behind the big metal trash can in the kitchen. Mother weighed the can’s lid down with a brick to forestall rodent encroachment. She wrapped a piece of twine around it, tied it to the handle at the center of the lid. One day she returned from the mill to find the twine chewed through. The brick lay on the linoleum, looking guilty. This is a story in its entirety! The range of subjects is crazy diverse. They are like little worlds where the common and unusual meet up.  This is a great book when you don’t have much time but need a short diversion. Recommended to the open minded.

Sherri M.

Filed under: Uncategorized by stacyw
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Little Boy Blue by Kim Kavin is an exploration of a puppy’s life before he was saved from death in an animal shelter.  Kavin’s story about Blue may not be shocking to those already familiar with animal rescue but it is shocking to her.  Blue was rescued from a shelter with an over 90% kill rate that still utilizes a horrific gas chamber to euthanize their animals.  Doing research, Kavin finds that many shelters spend more money on killing than on trying to adopt out their animals.  She is appalled to learn that many states allow shelters to immediately kill any animal that is surrendered by their owner. She has some interesting observations about how geography plays a big role in how our citizens behave towards animals- in some areas hardly anyone spays/neuters their animals. In other areas where most animals are “fixed” everyone tends to ignore perfectly good shelter animals in order to buy from pet stores and breeders.  Attitudes are changing but at too slow a pace for Kavin who notes that if it took you 3 days to read her book, 42,000 perfectly good (not sick or vicious) animals were put to sleep in that time.  She also discovers that not all kill shelter directors are totally evil and not all rescue people are good.  Eye opening.

Stacy W.

Filed under: Non Fiction by stacyw
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