The JTPL Blog

Today the library book group met to discuss The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

Most people had read this “most American of books” before. It’s always interesting to revisit a classic and see how your adult self responds in comparison to how you responded as a student. I was surprised by the humor in the story. I somehow don’t remember thinking the book was funny when I read it as a Sophomore in High School

I gave this entry the title “Rollin’ on a River” because that Tina Turner tune was going through my head as a re-read this book. The Mississippi River was central to this book, and according to Huck “We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”  He also opines “It’s lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened.” Sort of made me want to float down the Mississippi myself!

Books like this are called “classics” for a reason. They can be read, and re-read, and discussed on many levels. We had a wonderful discussion about Huck’s character, his morals, and his imagination. The book was popular with everyone, earning a 8.5 rating out of a possible 10. I highly recommend Mark Twain if you’re ready to revisit the classics!

Here are some of the newest biographies in the library’s collection:

Bowie: A Biography by Marc Spitz

“ Marc Spitz, formerly of Spin magazine and the author of a look at the punk band Green Day (Nobody Likes You), concentrates on the complex evolution of Bowie’s music to deliver an evenhanded, critically thorough, while still reverential life of the Thin White Duke.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 9/09)

Phish: The New Biography by Parke Puterbaugh

“In the wake of Phish’s wildly successful summer reunion tour, journalist and Rolling Stone contributor Puterbaugh delivers a consistently lucid and revelatory look at the 26-year-long career of the legendary jam band.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 11/09)

Thank Heaven: A Memoir by Leslie Caron

“Caron went from Parisian ballerina to Hollywood movie star at 17, when Gene Kelly tapped her for a co-starring role in the 1951 hit An American in Paris…here (she) “provides countless dishy details about her exploits, which are sure to entertain film buffs, Caron fans and aspiring actors.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 12/09)

Doc: The Rise and Rise of Julius Erving by Vincent Mallozzi and Dave Anderson

“Before young basketball players wanted to Be Like Mike, they aspired to fly like Julius Erving.  Noted basketball writer Mallozzi was one of those kids who modeled his game after the man they called Dr. J, and his biography does justice to one of the greatest basketball players ever.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 12/09)

Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America by Peter Biskind

“In his refreshing biography, Biskind (Easy Riders, Raging Bulls) examines Beatty’s dual—and often dueling—status as Hollywood legend and notorious womanizer without letting either subsume the other. ” (Publisher’s Weekly, 1/10)

“IMAGINE at the Meadowlands” is a promotion by the New Jersey Library Association and the Izod Center. You can enter to win four tickets to Izod Center events just by reading! Visit www.njlibrarychampions.org and find out all about it. There’s still time for you to enter to win tickets to the Harlem Globetrotters on February 13 and 14; Nuclear Cowboyz Freestyle Motorcross on February 26 and 27; The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus on March 10-14; Smucker’s Stars On Ice on April 10; and the Nets, February-April.

While you’re visiting the website, find out about becoming a Library Champion, and how you can support New Jersey libraries.

And, of course, visit the Jefferson Township Public Library, select your books, and keep reading!

RUSA, the Reference and User Services Associatioin of the American Library Association, has chosen books in eight genres in their 2010 Reading List. This list “helps ALA begin to recognize more than literary fiction as worthy of recognition.”

This list is a great starting point for book groups!

Category: Adrenaline (Action, Thrillers and Adventure)

       Winner: Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (Runners-up: Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell; the neighbor by Lisa Gardner; Shatter by Michael Robotham; and The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer.)

Category: Fantasy

       Winner: Lamentation by Ken Scholes (Runners-up: Red Wolf Conspiracy by Keith Redick; Turn Coat by Jim Butcher; Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson; The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett.)

Category: Historical Fiction

       Winner: Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell (Runners-up: Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran; Etta by Gerald Kolpan; Grace Hammer by Sara Stockbridge; The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland.)

Category: Horror

       Winner: Last Days by Brian Evenson (Runners-up: The House of Lost Souls by F. G. Cottam; The Little Stranger by Sara Waters; The Seance by John Harwood; The Unseen by Alexandra Sokoloff.)

Category: Mystery

       Winner: A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn (Runners-up: The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny; The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson; Dog on It by Spencer Quinn; The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.)

Category: Romance

       Winner: What Happens in London by Julia Quinn (Runners-up: Chemistry for Beginners by Anthony Strong; Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare; The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig; Vision in White by Nora Roberts.)

Category: Science Fiction

       Winner: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Runners-up: The Empress of Mars by Kage Baker; Flood by Stephen Baxter; The Quiet War by Paul J. McAuley; Steal Across the Skies by Nancy Kress.)

Category: Women’s Fiction

       Winner: Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani (Runners-up: After You by Julie Buxbaum; The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNail; Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas; Shelter Me by Juliet Fay.)

Everybody’s doing it, so I might as well too. Here is my list of the best books I read in 2009,  in no particular order:

I read mostly fiction. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (a first book, and I can’t wait for her to write another.)  is historical fiction at it’s best. Similar in theme (the race issue) is another favorite, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. David Small’s Stitches ( autobiographical graphic novel) was absolutely relavatory. Who knew I’d enjoy a graphic novel so much??

Moving on, we have Little Bee by Chris Cleve. I was attracted to the cover of this book, picked it up and never put it down. The voice of the refugee narrator is both comical and tragic. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout sneaks up on you, gets inside your head, and stays there. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa  (translated from the Japanese,) is about a math genius who, after an accident, has a memory that lasts only 80 minutes. This one was totally original. 

Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen has the best ending! Loved everything about this one, plot, characters, setting, theme and tone. Don’t miss it. An oldie by goodie just discovered was The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. Read it and watch the DVD with Edward Norton. Old School by Tobias Wolff is wonderful for those who love literature.  Cost by Roxana Robinson examines the cost (mental, financial, emotional, etc.) to a family whose son is a heroin addict. William Boyd’s Restless is a historical mystery of hidden identity.

I do read some nonfiction (more than I think I do, looking back on it.) I enjoyed Barbara Ehrenreich’s eye-opening Bright-Sided: How the relentless promotion of positive thinking has undermined America, and Elizabeth Edwards’s Resilience: Reflections on the burdens and gifts of facing life’s adversities. I had a preconcieved notion of her that was proved wroong by this book.

Right now,  I’m reading Andre Agassi’s Open: An Autobiography. It’s honest, funny, and insightful. I can’t wait to get home to finish it! (A tip: it was “ghostwritten” by J. R. Moehringer, who wrote The Tender Bar, one of my favorite memoirs of all time.)

Today we celebrated staff member Heather Nilson’s completion of her master’s degree studies at Rutgers U. She is now an official “Master of Library and Information Science.”  We are proud of Heather and all her hard work, and wish her well with her new responsibilites here at the library.

We all enjoyed a delicious chocolate and strawberry cake, so I suppose the post-holiday diet will have to be put off for yet another day

I am so excited about the all new miniseries Emma coming up on PBS! I know I’ll need to talk to someone about it, so a book and film discussion will be held here at the library. And since it’s Austen, we’re having afternoon tea as well.

Put it on your calendar now! Read the book, watch the broadcast (Sunday, January 24, January 31 and February 7, 9 p.m.) and come to the library to talk about it and enjoy some tea. The new adaptation will star Romola Garai in the title role as Emma, the tireless matchmaker, and Johnny Lee Miller at Mr. Knightly. I’m sure it will be wonderful, as most Masterpiece Classic productions are.

From Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia, we learn that “charming and willful Emma Woodhouse has no responsibilities other than the care of her indulgent father. To amuse herself, she plays with other people’s affairs, planning their lives the way she sees fit ” and that “the book is much concerned with the themes of self-delusion and notions of class and decorum fundamental to English society.”

This is a nice way of saying that the snobby, impetuous and often clueless  Emma causes lots of problems, meddles and interferes with everyone’s business, and is a  notorious matchmaker.  

There is lots to talk about in Austen: class and social rank, family, relationships, status, an intricate plot, great character development, and the bucolic setting for starters.

Please register at www.jeffersonlibrary.net.

If you have a few minutes to spend thumbing through a book, one of the best to browse is the Old Farmer’s Almanac. You may also enjoy their website at www.almanac.com, which has recently been redesigned and offers many free features.

Published yearly, the 2010 Old Farmer’s Almanac is the 218th edition. Founded in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas, who stated “My greatest ambition is to make myself useful to the community,” the almanac continues to embrace this mission.

In the article “The Right Way to Do Things,”  you can learn the correct way to shovel snow, the right way to hard-boil an egg, and the best way to pack for plane travel; in “Gardening by the Moon’s Sign” you can find out the best dates for doing various gardening tasks; you can learn how to measure hail and/or hurricane strength; find out the names of the full moons, or discover the many uses for vinegar. This is in addition to weather predictions, tide charts, moon phases, holiday dates, etc. The calendar pages , with their long columns of numbers and symbols “reveal all of nature’s precision, rhythm, and glory.”

The beauty of this book, and what makes it so wonderfully browsable, is the fact that you’ll find yourself reading about things you never realized you wanted to know. You’ll be amused, enlightened and enriiched by browsing in the Old Farmer’s Almanac!

I had a hard time finding a Christmas book for the library book club to read in December. It seems to me as if all the newer holiday books written for adults are so saccarine and predictable that they’re not worth the effort. There’s A Christmas Carol, but we’ve all read that, and seen the movies over and over. I was going to select Finding Noel, by Richard Paul Evans, but after just a couple of pages, I knew it was too sweet for me. No way.

Two books I do like with a Christmas theme are Pete Hamill’s The Gift, which takes place in Brooklyn, NY at Christmas time in 1952, and Denis Hamill’s Empty Stockings, also set in Brooklyn, beginning at the Christmas following JFK’s death. These books are slightly sentimental, but in a good way, and I highly recommend either of them for your Christmas reading. (The library book group did Pete Hamill’s book last year.)

This year we opted for two short stories: A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote, and The Gift of the Magi by O.Henry. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’d love to hear them!

Yes, it’s that time of year again — time to get in the holiday groove this weekend with Ricochet, a Sweet Adelines Barbershop Quartet. They’ll be performing on Saturday, December 5 beginning at 2 p.m. This entertaining and energetic group will sing songs from their regular repertoire, as well as holiday songs and a sing-along. Their enthusiasm is infectuous, so come and partake of some holiday cheer at the library!