A few months ago a patron donated a complete set of Farley Mowat books. They're yellowed, but otherwise in great shape. I'm starting with fiction, Lost in the Barrens, but will happily switch to nonfiction.
California paleontologists are to be given a mammoth task of excavating the most complete fossil environment of its era to date. What an incredible time to be in that field! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29266903/
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Anglophile at Heart
My previous reports on two books from the Barsetshire collection by Angela Thirkell were mixed: loved Wild Strawberries, was bored by Peace Breaks Out. The Old Bank House tipped the scale in the direction of a favorite author. I want to say that the writing is cheerful, spirited, with witty dialogue and dialects. It's the equivalent of a wonderfully soft teddy bear on a chilly, windy day (sort of like the last few days in Reading, PA.) It's also full of wonderful words. I'm looking up word definitions in a fiction book! How odd is that? Mostly the strange words are British-isms, but there are also many, many literary allusions and references to products and historical events. Knowing that I'm going to devour these nebulous references and play wiki-detective, I started searching Amazon and half.com. What a surprise! I'm lucky that the trio of books were on the shelf at SMU because prices per book were rather shocking for old novels, but not unsurprising for out of OOPs. Finding several for between $.75 and $1, I scarfed them up for future enjoyment and possible resale. Also check out the Angela Thirkell Society page http://www.angelathirkell.org/index.htm for book synopses, the cast of characters and a shopping guide to make certain you won't miss a single volume!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lincoln's 200th Birthday
The final result of an all-nighter to celebrate Lincoln's 200th birthday. President Obama was also lent to Mifflin Community Library and was photographed with various patrons. Lincoln the favorite of children, Obama the favorite of adults.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
What's in the DVD Player Now
2/3/2009 Boston Legal Season Two
Absolutely brilliant writers and performances. I heard Spader's lines from the concluding episode played on NPR and was dumbstruck. Why didn't anyone tell me how great a show this was?! I still prefer to watch on DVD though. No commercials and can indulge in an entire disc if one has time.
What's in the CD Player Now
2/12/2009 Baraka directed by Ron Fricke, 1992
Watch the astonishing non-narrative footage, or listen to the exceptional soundtrack on its own.
2/3/2009 The Storm by Michael Stearns
A Goodwill find, this is the second CD I own of Michael Stearns, the other being Encounter. Ambient and world music combine in this CD - not a CD to fall asleep to due to a crow and a lot of Balinese chanting that increases in volume, but otherwise peaceful.
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