tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65049846112265736622024-03-14T03:15:12.763-05:00What E-town's Reading, Watching and Listening to....Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-38439399806867890502008-12-01T19:12:00.003-05:002008-12-01T19:16:19.717-05:00100 Notable Books of 2008<span style="color:#990000;">Have a little time to read?</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;">Need to buy some Christmas gifts?</span><br /><br />Follow the link below to discover outstanding fiction/nonfiction/poetry suggestions from the New York Times.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/100Notable-t.html?_r=1&ref=arts">http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/books/review/100Notable-t.html?_r=1&ref=arts</a>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-74780371653385456582008-11-03T20:42:00.004-05:002008-11-18T11:57:14.682-05:00Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys"<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SQ-pIeyKV3I/AAAAAAAAAHI/phC-B0jv3ZI/s1600-h/gaiman.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264612452586903410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SQ-pIeyKV3I/AAAAAAAAAHI/phC-B0jv3ZI/s320/gaiman.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>From <strong><em>Publisher's Weekly:</em></strong></div><br /><div>""Fat Charlie" Nancy leads a life of comfortable workaholism in London, with a stressful agenting job he doesn't much like, and a pleasant fiancée, Rosie. When Charlie learns of the death of his estranged father in Florida, he attends the funeral and learns two facts that turn his well-ordered existence upside-down: that his father was a human form of Anansi, the African trickster god, and that he has a brother, Spider, who has inherited some of their father's godlike abilities. Spider comes to visit Charlie and gets him fired from his job, steals his fiancée, and is instrumental in having him arrested for embezzlement and suspected of murder. When Charlie resorts to magic to get rid of Spider, who's selfish and unthinking rather than evil, things begin to go very badly for just about everyone. Other characters...are expertly woven into Gaiman's rich myth, which plays off the African folk tales in which Anansi stars. But it's Gaiman's focus on Charlie and Charlie's attempts to return to normalcy that make the story so winning—along with gleeful, hurtling prose."</div><div> I've long loved Anansi stories. If you can suspend disbelief for a while, you'll be rewarded with a wonderful story. Charlie and Spider discover how intertwined their gifts are and how balanced their lives can be if they work together. It all starts with a song and it ends with a song. </div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-25669791016648311292008-09-17T14:30:00.004-05:002008-09-17T15:05:00.356-05:00Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SNFa_znJlZI/AAAAAAAAAHA/CS6wyjuVXd8/s1600-h/teamofrivals.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247075093096011154" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SNFa_znJlZI/AAAAAAAAAHA/CS6wyjuVXd8/s320/teamofrivals.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Join the Friends of the High Library Book Club as they delve into Doris Kearns Goodwin's exploration of Lincoln's political genius. They meet on Wednesday, Sept. 24th at 7 pm in the Library Conference Room on the entrance level of the library.</div><div> </div><div>Historian Goodwin took ten years to complete this work. She examines the leadership style of Lincoln as he worked with William H. Seward as secretary of state, Salmon P. Chase as secretary of the treasury and Edward Bates as attorney general. Each of these men were Lincoln's opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860. Lincoln turned personal and political competitors into allies for the sake of the greater good.</div><div><br />Come join the Friends and share your insights.</div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-78111458959340651512008-08-22T11:44:00.004-05:002008-08-22T11:58:37.791-05:00Heartbreaking book that will lift your soul and spirit...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/SK7tIdReT-I/AAAAAAAAABc/vldXYS_6WPY/s1600-h/lefttotell.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237384146231119842" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/SK7tIdReT-I/AAAAAAAAABc/vldXYS_6WPY/s400/lefttotell.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Why did I survive? Immaculee Ilibagiza's soul-wrenching work about the 1992 Rwandan genocide is the author's answer to the question she asks herself and us throughout ... she was left to tell. And tell she does - in this heart-breaking, honest, naked, and portrait of a nightmare. Immaculee was one of seven Tutsis women hidden during the genocide in a small bathroom of a pastor's home. Time and again we come to realize that survival for these women was nothing short of a miracle. For Immaculee, her imprisonment within the bathroom cell only serves to empower her belief in God and the ultimate goodness and redemption of man. Her act of forgiveness when meeting face to face with the man who ordered her family to be butchered in the streets, is beyond words. Immaculee's closing words are haunting in their overpowering truth that the genocide which inflicted so much pain and suffering in Rwanda, was really a crime which inflicted suffering on us all. To read this book brings us much much closer to this truth and how we act against such crimes of humanity in the future.</div>louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692801682679342604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-32872236153019122792008-08-22T08:52:00.012-05:002008-08-22T13:29:42.945-05:00"Is Google making us Stoopid?" by Nicholas Carr<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SK7EoxB4DNI/AAAAAAAAAFM/5kYFKA2leDk/s1600-h/google_sm.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237339621313481938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SK7EoxB4DNI/AAAAAAAAAFM/5kYFKA2leDk/s320/google_sm.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />"Is Google making us Stoopid? What the Internet is doing to our brains." by Nicholas Carr.<br /><em>Atlantic Monthly.</em> July/August 2008. 302:1 56-63.<br /><br /><br /><br /><ul><br /><li>Having trouble concentrating? </li><br /><li>How's your memory? </li><br /><li>Do you want only the main points? </li><br /><li>Is your writing style more telegraphic than ever? </li></ul><br /><p>This fascinating article begins with the author's observation that his brain has changed over the past ten years. He compares his experiences with those of his colleagues, who anecdotally note that they have difficulty concentrating for extended periods of time and that the duration of comfortably reading has shrunk considerably. Although people read more today, particularly text messages and web pages, the amount of "deep reading" has declined.</p><br /><p>Brains can be affected by technology. Carr notes that Nietzsche's writing changed as his vision failed and as he moved to writing with a typewriter. His writing became even terser. Analogously, clocks changed the way that people interacted with time. Instead of people deciding when to eat, sleep, and work using their bodily senses, clocks became the dominant technological way to organize personal activities. </p><br /><p>The appearance of the printing press led to concerns about the undermining of religious authority, intellectual laziness and weakening minds, and the spread of sedition and dabauchery. In some people's minds, those predictions have come true. However, there are many benefits to the populace from the easy availability of the printed word. </p><p>I'm in a public service job where interruptions are constant. Add to that the break in focused work by email. An attention span which once could last for several hours has dwindled to several minutes. I worry that my problem solving abilities are deteriorating. My writing skills have declined immensely as has my vocabulary over the past few years. I'm hooked on young adult literature--I could say that it was related to the ages of my children, but is that true? My memory is only minimally better than that of my 80 year old aunt. I don't have to use my memory anymore, because I can look up whatever I need on Google! </p><p>What are your experiences? </p><p>What do you think of the Carr's analysis of the impact of Google on our brains?</p><p><br />From on-campus you can read the article here: <a href="http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=32562106&site=ehost-live">http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=32562106&site=ehost-live</a></p><br /><p></p>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-73359965339827012002008-06-26T12:58:00.003-05:002008-06-26T13:29:03.087-05:00Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SGPZfTzbSvI/AAAAAAAAAFE/RGGVeHGuQB4/s1600-h/guestsofthesheik.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216251925340310258" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/SGPZfTzbSvI/AAAAAAAAAFE/RGGVeHGuQB4/s320/guestsofthesheik.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Curious about the life of Muslim women in the 1950's in Iraq? Trained as a journalist, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea travels with her anthropologist husband to a conservative Shiite village of El Nahra. She involves herself in the daily lives of the village women. For a year and a half, she lives as the native women do, in purdah, veiled from head to foot. </div><div> Check it out at the High Library! </div><div> 915.67 F364g</div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-47069918225773384282008-04-24T14:02:00.004-05:002008-04-24T14:24:15.187-05:00Bill on Will ...<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/SBDZ8DFk79I/AAAAAAAAABE/NLCnCWVRWvU/s1600-h/bryson.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192889996002258898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/SBDZ8DFk79I/AAAAAAAAABE/NLCnCWVRWvU/s320/bryson.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>I'll make this brief as well ... I LOVE Bill Bryson! I will read anything this author puts out, and he has never failed to surprise and enlighten. I was pleasantly amused to find that Bill's latest book is on the Bard himself. Bryson is himself an ex-pat now living quietly in the England he so loving explored in <em>Notes from a Small Island. </em>Loving the UK as he does, it is no surprise that he turns his attention and pen to the life of William Shakespeare. This is a nice, neat addition to the <em>Eminent Lives Series</em> - and thankfully the Bryson wit, wisdom and tenacity for the facts are all here.</p><p>Admittedly, this is a very brief book as we know very little about Shakespeare, which it seems would best be spelled <em>Shakspere</em> if we were in keeping with what we do know of the man. Bryson gives us wonderful detail about Elizabethan London - a place of plague, pestilence and wonderful theatre! Bill does a magnificent job of countering the anti-Stratford arguements that Will in one man did not exist. It is great fun and I offer that this is the perfect book to read if you little time and wish to learn a great deal about a great man who we happen to know nearly nothing about! </p>louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692801682679342604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-46951219995491354522008-04-24T13:37:00.002-05:002008-04-24T13:58:40.860-05:00Al's short course on discourse ...<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/SBDT7TFk78I/AAAAAAAAAA8/l1B0EiTBwJI/s1600-h/41ssYTOVOcL__SS500_.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192883386047590338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/SBDT7TFk78I/AAAAAAAAAA8/l1B0EiTBwJI/s320/41ssYTOVOcL__SS500_.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I'll make this brief ... read this book. The now Nobel Prize winning vice-president and global champion returns to his political roots and turns in a very simple lesson for us all. If you are like me and have found yourself asking how one might possibly try and address (let alone try and fix) the varied political problems facing our democracy, Gore does us all the favor of suggesting that we look no further than the core of the American constitution and return once again to reason and the power of a well-informed citizenry. The key word being <strong>well-informed.</strong> The self-proclaimed father of the Internet does an excellent job making the case for not mistaking quantity for quality in the role that information plays in our lives. Once we arm ourselves with solid information and facts, the central role of reason and discourse can return to our democracy. It seems like a simple lesson that we all did learn at one time in our American History class. For Al Gore it is a lesson which bears repeating. I would agree. An excellent and easy read. Do not spend too much time considering the overall layout of the book. The chapters have little discernable order and so flow from one idea to the next. The resulting effect is that you will be given pause to think and hope once again. </div>louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692801682679342604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-40381353690031752902008-03-12T15:17:00.005-05:002008-03-12T15:26:39.738-05:00Suspension by Richard CrabbeThe Friends Book Club's newest reading selection is <em>Suspension</em><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R9g6doz9ZsI/AAAAAAAAAE8/PfZ3aocARkI/s1600-h/suspension.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176952052508354242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R9g6doz9ZsI/AAAAAAAAAE8/PfZ3aocARkI/s320/suspension.gif" border="0" /></a>. This historical thriller centers around the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Here's a synopsis from Publishers Weekly.<br />"The saboteurs, led by former Civil War Capt. Thaddeus Sangree, view the bridge as a symbol of the North's moral corruption and misguided desire for unity. Sangree's own secret motivation is personal: his brother, Franklin, was killed at Gettysburg, and Sangree holds former Union Col. Washington Roebling responsible for his brother's death. Roebling's father designed the Brooklyn Bridge and the younger Roebling is its chief engineer. The scheme has been meticulously planned for years, with saboteurs obtaining jobs working on the bridge so they can understand its weak points. However, when they kill a bridge mason who has caught on to their plan, the murder attracts the attention of bulldog police detective Tom Braddock. Braddock sniffs out the plot through a combination of dogged pursuit, investigative cunning and the brute force that was common practice in 19th-century law enforcement."<br />(Nov.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.<br /><br />Join the Friends on Wednesday, March 26th at 7pm in the High Library conference room for a lively discussion!Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-46119417410043012092008-03-05T08:40:00.002-05:002008-03-05T09:54:35.495-05:00A sense of the mysterious by Alan Lightman<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R86jHjzmh-I/AAAAAAAAAE0/sIOdfLwo_Do/s1600-h/mysterious.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174252372161365986" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R86jHjzmh-I/AAAAAAAAAE0/sIOdfLwo_Do/s320/mysterious.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was hooked by Alan Lightman's writing after reading <em>Einstein's Dreams</em>. Lightman is both a physicist and a novelist, giving him the tools to write this volume that is subtitled <em>Science and the Human Spirit</em>. Metaphors to explain scientific phenomenon fill these essays and your mind. For example, from cosmology, the use of a slowly inflating balloon covered with dots to represent the expansion of the universe with no known center. Lightman celebrates these unions of science and the humanities. His biographies of Albert Einstein (the contradictory genius), Richard Feynman (the one and only), Edward Teller (megaton man), and Vera Rubin (dark matter) explore each person's imagination, creativity and personality as they wrestle with science and the world. Lightman ends the book with two insightful essays. One essay explores the ramifications of turning 35 and thereby becoming an "old man" in theoretical physics. Most discoveries in that field are made scientists in their twenties! The final essay examines the wired world and the lack of time to waste. Wasted time for Lightman is time that feeds curiosity, creativity, and the inner soul.</div><div> </div><div>Let us know what you think about this book or other books by Lightman.</div><div> </div><div> </div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-91065443691879785412008-02-28T09:42:00.005-05:002008-02-29T09:09:32.294-05:00Beguiled by the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R8bIhu3lKMI/AAAAAAAAAEs/bINLrz9yKcQ/s1600-h/beguiledwild.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5172041703923984578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R8bIhu3lKMI/AAAAAAAAAEs/bINLrz9yKcQ/s320/beguiledwild.jpg" border="0" /></a> I was introduced to the art of Charley Harper through a recent issue of <em>Audubon</em> magazine. By doing a little more digging, I uncovered this gem of a book.<br />Each colorful picture is accompanied by a paragraph of succinct information about each illustrated bird or animal. Mr. Harper labels his illustrations and fills the descriptions with a multitude of puns.<br />Some of my favorites include "Dolfun", "Family Owlbum", "Lovey Dovey", "Skimmerscape", and for the zebra picture above "Serengeti Spaghetti"!Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-21419289425496661562008-01-28T16:45:00.000-05:002008-01-28T17:01:18.445-05:00The Summer of a Dormouse by John Mortimer<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R55NcasV3hI/AAAAAAAAAEk/sIuWwrPOQrA/s1600-h/FSGetEC.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5160647373610147346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R55NcasV3hI/AAAAAAAAAEk/sIuWwrPOQrA/s320/FSGetEC.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>The Friends Book Club continues to meet.</p><p>Next meeting is Wednesday, Feb. 27th in the High Library Conference Room at 7pm. The Friends meet on the 4th Wednesday of the month. They select books from Bestsellers, National Book Award winners, Classics and the lighter side.</p><p>This month's selection is written by John Mortimer who is a retired barrister and is the creator of Rumpole. The Friends have characterized this book as "how not to grow old graciously." This witty book is filled with entertaining tales about Mortimer's childhood years in England during World War I, travels in Morocco, travel filmmaking with Franco Zeffirelli, panhandlers in New York as well as serous concerns such as prison reform. </p><p>Enjoy the book, then enjoy the company of other readers. See you there.</p><p> </p>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-52329094925407723142008-01-15T16:41:00.002-05:002008-03-10T17:43:26.230-05:00Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R40oprWsPUI/AAAAAAAAAEc/eTS6-CsmGO8/s1600-h/Speak.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155821844886732098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R40oprWsPUI/AAAAAAAAAEc/eTS6-CsmGO8/s320/Speak.jpg" border="0" /></a> I came to this book from first watching the movie at the recommendation of my daughter. It's about an entering high school freshman and some blurred memories of an incident over the summer.<br /><br />The writing is clear, insightful and funny.<br />"The ninth graders are herded into the auditorium. We fall into classes: Jocks, Country Clubbers, Idiot Savants, Cheerleaders, Human Waste, Eurotrash, Future Fascists of America, Suffering Artists, Goths, Shredders. I am clanless. I wasted the last weeks of August watching bad cartoons. I didn't go to the mall, the lake, or the pool, or answer the phone. I have entered high school with the wrong hair, the wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don't have anyone to sit with."<br /><br />"The orchestra plays an unrecognizable tune. Heather says the school board won't let them perform Christmas Carols or Hanukkah songs or Kwanzaa tunes. Instead of multicultural, we have no-cultural."<br /><br />"The rest of the Marthas sigh on cue. Apparently, beets are Not Good Enough. Real Marthas only collect food that they like to eat, like cranberry sauce, dolphin-safe tuna, or baby peas. I can see Heather dig her nails into her palms under the table. The peanut butter molds to the roof of my mouth like a retainer."<br /><br />Through art class, Melinda Sordino finds her voice.<br />Even though this was written for a juvenile audience, I found many truths here.Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-86031726274881468252007-12-10T18:21:00.000-05:002007-12-10T18:29:09.716-05:00100 Notable Books of 2007<span style="color:#009900;">Have a little time to read?</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Need to buy some Christmas gifts?<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#009900;">Want to make a reading list?</span><br /><br />Follow the link below to discover outstanding fiction/nonfiction/poetry suggestions from the New York Times.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/books/review/notable-books-2007.html?ex=1354510800&en=a3e0be2831179b73&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink">http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/02/books/review/notable-books-2007.html?ex=1354510800&en=a3e0be2831179b73&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink</a><br /><br />These titles were culled from the New York Times Book Review since December 3rd, 2006.<br /><br />Enjoy.Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-10534054942403149832007-12-02T20:46:00.001-05:002007-12-03T19:40:34.191-05:00American Gospel: God, the founding fathers, and the making of a nation.This book came to my attention from two campus colleagues. Here's what others have said.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R1NgnCclr-I/AAAAAAAAAEU/KIf95H8d560/s1600-R/American_gospel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139557823547813858" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R1NgnCclr-I/AAAAAAAAAEU/_JH3GaIOHZ4/s320/American_gospel.jpg" border="0" /></a> Library Journal: "Newsweek managing editor Meacham here holds that, despite the strong religious differences of the Founding Fathers, religion became a force for unity, not division; it shaped the Constitution and the nation without strangling it. This is quite an argument to make given the history chronicled. Quakers were at odds with Anglicans, and New Englanders engaged in witch trials while building a "City of God." Others massacred Indians. The Virginia charter provided for Christian mission but also for taking land and searching for gold. To boot, early settlers of that state purchased slaves. Meanwhile, deists Jefferson and Franklin looked at Jesus as the great moral teacher. The religious spirit was "more sectarian than ecumenical," the author maintains, yet it was recognized that a moral and religious force that God provided could and would serve as a uniting factor. Meacham provides a balanced account of this "American Gospel" as to how it was formed and how it is shaping our history down to such present-day challenges as holiday displays, prayer in schools, abortion, euthanasia, and gay rights." --George Westerlund, formerly with Providence P.L., Palmyra, VA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.<br /><br />The title is a bit misleading, since the book chronicles these issues through the late twentieth century. Current and past presidents have struggled with the implications of decisions as they relate to religion and politics. Share your insights here.Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-3709259522265478342007-11-26T11:01:00.000-05:002007-11-26T11:36:10.280-05:00Tomorrow by Graham Swift<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R0rugwAZ4mI/AAAAAAAAAEM/SDXMo-G4IIM/s1600-h/tomorrow.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5137180571379294818" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/R0rugwAZ4mI/AAAAAAAAAEM/SDXMo-G4IIM/s320/tomorrow.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Friends of the High Library Book Club meets Wednesday, November 28th in the High Library Conference Room at 7pm.</div><div> </div><div>Come join the discussion of this recent book. </div><div><br />"From Amazon: Graham Swift wants to keep us awake with <em>Tomorrow</em>, a monologue in which a mother lies next to her husband, worrying about a revelation that will soon alter their lives."</div><div> </div><div>Graham Swift is a previous Booker Prize award winning author. This novel is written from a woman's point of view and is primarily an interior monologue. Does this writing style work or is it just tedious? </div><div> </div><div>Join the discussion either in person or on the blog. Let us know what you think.</div><div> </div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-3164368589657708832007-11-08T15:26:00.000-05:002007-11-08T15:50:39.147-05:00The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_2Czlf5AOvac/RzN2WX3sB0I/AAAAAAAAAAM/d1gF4LP1wcQ/s1600-h/TippingPointCover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130574527241914178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_2Czlf5AOvac/RzN2WX3sB0I/AAAAAAAAAAM/d1gF4LP1wcQ/s320/TippingPointCover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Malcolm Gladwell's <em>The Tipping Point</em>, subtitled "How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" could be sub-subtitled, "a paradigm-changing experience." I'm having my first-year seminar read large selections from this book for several reasons. One, as Deirdre Donahue says in <em>USA Today</em>, "it reaffirms that human beings are profoundly social beings influenced by and influencing other human beings, no matter how much technology we introduce into our lives." Two, while Gladwell posits that <strong>ideas</strong> are viral, I also believe that <strong>information</strong> is viral in how it gets spread. There's no better way to understand the global information environment and the Internet than via Gladwell's metaphors. Third, Gladwell is able to synthesize phenomena from epidemiology, psychology, sociology and group dynamics, bringing, as Paula Geyh says in the <em>Chicago Tribune</em>, "insights gleaned from these disparate fields together and applying them to an impressive array of contemporary social behaviors and cultural trends. Such knowledge, properly applied, could have enormous potential." I hope that all readers of Gladwell's work will be able to make further connections after they read this book.</div>Professor Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09667398312195490089noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-14726464034951543502007-10-24T12:27:00.001-05:002007-10-29T08:13:21.279-05:00Marker by Robin Cook<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rx-ArmyiJfI/AAAAAAAAAEE/jG-aGvxmo5g/s1600-h/marker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124956387606144498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rx-ArmyiJfI/AAAAAAAAAEE/jG-aGvxmo5g/s320/marker.jpg" border="0" /></a> Physician Robin Cook is a writer of medical thrillers that focus on current technological and/or ethical issues.<br /><br /><br /><br />Genetic tests for a variety of medical conditions are available to individuals who are at increased risk based on family history or ethnic background. With the completion of the human genome project, Cook explores medical insurance issues related to genetic markers--hence the title.<br /><br /><br />In this instance an intelligent pathologist notices a pattern of unexpected cases of healthy young adults in the hospital morgue to be autopsied. Soon she has amassed a cohort of cases.<br /><br /><br /><br />Health insurance is based on pooling risk within specified groups. Since markers have been mapped throughout the human genome, risk can now be determined. "Marker" deals with the negative impact of the ability to predict illness. When confidentiality is breached and the information is obtained or otherwise falls into the wrong hands, patient care could be compromised.<br /><br />Cook provides an exciting read and thought-provoking content.Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-48412919177311782262007-10-12T08:38:00.000-05:002007-10-12T09:06:27.251-05:00Meet the Author: David Downing Wednesday, October 17th at 7pm at the High Library<a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rw95oVJDdGI/AAAAAAAAAD8/IjkO9Ek7TIA/s1600-h/14847621%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5120445035120391266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rw95oVJDdGI/AAAAAAAAAD8/IjkO9Ek7TIA/s320/14847621%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Professor David C. Downing from Elizabethtown College’s Department of English, has written a popular history of dissent in the South during the Civil War, titled <em>A South Divided</em>. Documenting the numerous examples of exceptions to the “myth of the Solid South,” Downing shows that there were regions as well as individuals in the South that did not agree with the Confederate stance of separation from the Union. One region seceded from Virginia to form an entirely new state, West Virginia. Other examples discussed are of individuals or groups leaving the South to fight for the Union side. Downing states that roughly 200,000 black and 100,000 whites crossed the battle lines to fight for the North. This latter category of dissidents included a regiment of cavalry, the “First Alabama, USA.” </div><div><br />In a very readable prose style, this is an engaging book that helped clarify for me the context and meaning behind the first stanza of Robbie Robertson’s classic song about the Civil War, <em>The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down</em>: </div><div><br />Virgil Caine is the name and I served on the Danville train</div><div>‘Til Stoneman’s cavalry came and tore up the tracks again</div><div>In the winter of ’65, we were hungry, just barely alive</div><div>By May the tenth, Richmond had fell, </div><div>it’s a time I remember oh so well.</div><div><br />One of the little written about causes regarding the Confederacy’s collapse, and the accuracy behind the lyrics above, can be found in A South Divided.<br /><br />Peter DePuydt</div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-45043261770678679752007-09-21T09:50:00.000-05:002007-09-21T10:29:03.010-05:00Meet the authors of Amish Grace<a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/RvPamFJDdFI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ZLQxOF90-Tc/s1600-h/amish+grace.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112670349745681490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/RvPamFJDdFI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ZLQxOF90-Tc/s320/amish+grace.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Amish Grace: How forgiveness transcended tragedy</div><div><br />Donald B. Kraybill, Senior Fellow, Young Center, Elizabethtown College<br />Steven M. Nolt, Associate Professor, History, Goshen College<br />David L. Weaver-Zercher, Associate Professor, American Religious History, Messiah College</div><div><br />Tuesday, September 25, 2007<br /> 4:00-5:00pm<br /> The High Library , Elizabethtown College</div><div><br />Amish Grace explores the questions raised in the wake of the October 2006 Nickle Mines shooting about the religious beliefs that led the Amish to forgive so quickly. In response to the intense demand for information about Amish ways, the authors got together to create this book. Please join the authors as they discuss the challenges of collaborating on the writing of this book.</div><div> </div><div><strong>From Publisher's Weekly</strong>: "the authors establish that forgiveness is embedded in Amish society through five centuries of Anabaptist tradition, and grounded in the firm belief that forgiveness is required by the New Testament. The community's acts of forgiveness were not isolated decisions by saintly individuals but hard-won countercultural practices supported by all aspects of Amish life. Common objections to Amish forgiveness are addressed in a chapter entitled, What About Shunning? The authors carefully distinguish between forgiveness, pardon and reconciliation, as well as analyze the complexities of mainstream America's response and the extent to which the Amish example can be applied elsewhere. This intelligent, compassionate and hopeful book is a welcome addition to the growing literature on forgiveness."</div><div><br />Signed copies of Amish Grace will be available for purchase.</div><div><br />Contact the High Library at 717-361-1451 or <a href="mailto:hyderl@etown.edu">hyderl@etown.edu</a> for more information.</div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-20804311315236975882007-09-18T11:40:00.001-05:002007-09-18T12:01:33.334-05:00Isabel Allende's House of Spirits<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/RvACMJ_BkjI/AAAAAAAAADs/oyhEoRaRfwo/s1600-h/house+of+spirits.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111587984927461938" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/RvACMJ_BkjI/AAAAAAAAADs/oyhEoRaRfwo/s320/house+of+spirits.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The Friends Book Club meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month in the High Library Conference Room. Join them on Sept. 26th at 7pm as they discuss Isabel Allende's "House of the Spirits."</div><div> </div><div>Here's a quick book review from Amazon. "In it, she chronicles the life of a family, as the patriarch grows from a child to an elder, with the world changing all around him while he tries to keep it the same. Through the lenses of the Trueba family, we follow the portion of Chilean history that eventually leads to the 1973 coup. Of course, the author is niece of Salvador Allende, the socialist president democratically elected that was removed from power and killed by Pinochet."</div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-69140371043460316932007-08-09T08:59:00.000-05:002007-08-09T09:52:41.100-05:00Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? Discuss ...<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/Rrsed8TSWdI/AAAAAAAAAA0/I1qsjDvfP8k/s1600-h/41qTZcMasSL__AA240_.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096700903051909586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/Rrsed8TSWdI/AAAAAAAAAA0/I1qsjDvfP8k/s320/41qTZcMasSL__AA240_.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Louise: So I decided to read the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter series on my recent summer vacation. Everyone, and I mean everyone was reading this book. In airports, young and old were sprawled on floors, drapping lines of terminal seating and stuffed in congested coffee shops. Harry Potterites were not only on planes, but on trains, cabs, boats, and cars. The "book" was everywhere. Having spied the give-away candy-corn/hazard cone orange cover under my arm (a brilliantly intentional color choice by Rowling to aid those in league with Potter to identify others in the Order ... ) I was approached by complete strangers and asked my thoughts on whether Harry should seek the Horcruxes or focus on the Hallows. So while some many prefer to argue whether Rowling's books indeed elevate witchcraft as an artform - I prefer to marvel in the shear enjoyment I got over the past two weeks watching people of all languages, cultures, economic status and occupation reading a book together - all reading and racing to get to the final outcome together! For a brief moment in time - mesmerized by the same story and cast of characters - we were on the same global olympic team and heading for gold. </p><p>So, forget my adding one more individual review to the pile. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as with all the Potter books, was written for discussion. Rowling's books are as simple or as complex as the reader wishes to make them. This final book was no different and I found it to be the most complex of the series. </p><p>At this point, I believe it would be appropriate for me to make clear that this discussion may prove to be a SPOILER. I am in awe of the secrecy and respect Potter readers show to one another - no one ever attempted to give away the ending to the book - except my son, who tried to get out of mowing the lawn one night - "Mom, I'll tell you if Potter lives or dies if I have to mow the lawn again." - The ending remained a secret ... and he mowed the lawn.</p><p>So, I welcome all to the discussion. Proceed knowing that SPOILING may appear at any time.</p><p>Question/Discussion point: I believe Snape was Rowling's best character creation. Yes, Harry was the focal point - but the entire good/evil argument was great fun and I was relieved when Rowling reserved the final acknowledgement for Snape at the end of the book. That was the page that made me cry - much like I believe that Tolkien's Sam Wise is one of the greatest characters of the trilogy. I think it in the relationship of Potter, Dumbledore and Snape - it is Snape who is the most pivotal - not Dumbledore ... what do you think? Also, does anyone understand the reason that Draco Malfoy is the true owner of the Elder Wand? I still do not understand that connection at all.</p><p>Louise</p><p></p><p></p>louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692801682679342604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-3482585646275553402007-06-15T12:32:00.000-05:002007-06-15T12:43:34.537-05:00A Science Read for the Summer<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/RnLPmpukpvI/AAAAAAAAADk/LeRzZftZnZ8/s1600-h/walking+zero.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076347992943142642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/RnLPmpukpvI/AAAAAAAAADk/LeRzZftZnZ8/s320/walking+zero.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Walking Zero: Discovering Cosmic Space and Time along the Prime Meridian by Chet Raymo (526.6 R267w)</div><br /><div>The review from <em>Science Books and Films</em> states: "Though short, this work is an thought-provoking, highly enlightening discussion of some of the most fascinating concepts in physics, astronomy, and geology, among other subjects. Raymo's actual walk, starting from the chalk cliffs bordering southern England and proceeding northward into the English countryside, occupies little of the story, although points of interest along the way serve as references to the well-written essays contained in the book. The real strength of the volume lies in its wonderful portrayal of science's efforts to understand the vastness of cosmic space and time in such an interesting fashion."</div>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-21710802708603197092007-04-20T12:08:00.000-05:002007-04-20T12:14:07.447-05:00Spring Time Read--Jeanne DuPrau trilogy<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055558534566226450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rijzs6IDqhI/AAAAAAAAADA/tAIfDz12X_c/s200/ember.jpg" border="0" /> This series was recommended to me by my daughter (12) and is well worth taking the time to read. The setting is deep underground in the "City of Ember". The main characters, Lina and Doon have finished with their schooling at the age of 12 and are being randomly assigned their life jobs. Lina is a messenger who travels throughout the city and Doon is a Pipeworker, repairing the plumbing in the tunnels under the city. For the past 250 years there have been plenty of lightbulbs and food, but now more and more shelves are empty and the lights flicker and go out. The inhabitants of Ember become anxious, since they don't understand how electricity is generated. Their only light during the 12 hours of "day" comes from floodlights. What will happen if the lights never come back on? They have no portable light sources. Lina discovers a very old paper with "Instructions for Egress" With Doon's help in deciphering the instructions, they set out on their mission. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055558813739100706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rijz9KIDqiI/AAAAAAAAADI/PVEo2Supx_8/s200/sparks.gif" border="0" /><br /><br />The second book in the series is entitled "The People of Sparks". Lina and Doon lead the 400 inhabitants of Ember up out of the earth. The Emberites meet the citizens of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth that has survived The Disaster. The people of Sparks begin to feed and house the Emberites but resent the drain on their resources at a time when they have just begun to be able to feed themselves comfortably. Lina has seen the devastation left by the disaster. Mistrust and false accusations between both groups lead them to the verge of bloodshed. Doon and Lina make brave moves of reconciliation.<br /><br />The third book in the series "Prophet of Yonwood" is actually a prequel, but I would leave it to the end of the series. It demonstrates how easily prophets can be misinterpreted.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rij0QqIDqjI/AAAAAAAAADQ/FQJ8ii5gyCw/s1600-h/prophet.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5055559148746549810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_NRYpW80oAQQ/Rij0QqIDqjI/AAAAAAAAADQ/FQJ8ii5gyCw/s200/prophet.jpg" border="0" /></a>Sylviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00648491625961449278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504984611226573662.post-57347193768484335662007-04-09T19:33:00.000-05:002007-04-10T08:40:52.998-05:00Louise reviews new author: Joshua Ferris<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/RhrbYUSmoQI/AAAAAAAAAAs/DX4UuslfqF8/s1600-h/0316016381_l.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5051591142859514114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_qOWBYUdHsN8/RhrbYUSmoQI/AAAAAAAAAAs/DX4UuslfqF8/s320/0316016381_l.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Then We Came to the End (2007) is the debut novel by former ad-man Joshua Ferris. This is one seriously and insightfully funny book that hits home on so many fronts. Ferris not only knows everything about the lives and minds of the people who occupy the office spaces and cubicles of the Chicago ad agency which overlooks the 1990's Magnificent Mile - he knows everything about us as well. Ferris knows people and his wit is beyond razor sharp - he has mastered the genius of true comedic writing - comedy and pain go hand in hand. We laugh at Chris Yop who steals office furniture, Benny and his ability to turn any story into an epic saga of office lunacy, the creation of Cold Sore Guy and Tom Mota's email ramblings. What jabs at the heart is how quickly we can see our own shortcomings in the lives Ferris creates. The focus first shifts when lay-offs begin and the group must create an ad campaign (the only "work" they have) to make breast cancer patients laugh at their plight. Add to this the fact that the boss may or may not have the disease herself. Ferris has the collective fear down cold and in this case, you just can't wait until you do indeed come to the end to find out what becomes of this freakish and loveable cast of oddballs. An extremely worthwhile read!</p><p></p>louisehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12692801682679342604noreply@blogger.com0