King County Library System - Library Talk. - June 2009

I've never been much of a short story reader.  I always feel like just when I am getting into the characters and the story, it's already over.  Give me a 350 page novel over a 20 page short story any day.

So, what am I doing blogging a book of short stories?!  Ladies and Gentlemen, The  Bible! by Jonathan Goldstein IS a collection of stories, but they are all tied together based on a book most people have at least a passing familiarity with.  I mean, mention Noah, Samson and Delilah, and Adam and Eve and most people know who you are talking about.  So, in many ways, reading this book felt like reading a regular novel to me, but with some new characters added in like Jonah's little known brother, Vito.

Now, if you are looking for a book that takes the text of the Bible and just converts it to a short story format, this is not the book for you.  One of the subject headings, after all, is "humorous fiction."  However, if you have always wondered what the guy was like who dreamed up the tower of Babel and how Moses really felt about the whole golden calf incident, this is your book. 

Goldstein is original and irreverent.  He is hilarious and, some people will say, unholy.  If you are offended by the idea that God created some failed universes before our own, including one with a guy obsessed with the length of his pants, you might not think this book is very funny.  But if you laugh when during an argument Joseph says to Mary, "Sister, thou art the cracked egg that hath hatched a chicken of lies," you might get a kick out of this book.

Touchstone by Laurie R. King

U.S. Bureau of Investigation Agent Harris Stuyvesant goes to London hoping to find a terrorist. Instead, he finds confusion and chaos. Its 1926 and England is on the brink of a General Strike and possibly a revolution if things get out of hand. Frustrated by the bureaucratic roadblocks that keep hindering his investigation, Stuyvesant follows a desperate lead to Aldous Carstairs. Carstairs, a sinister and creepy spook with dubious motives, throws him a bone. Stuyvesant is convinced that the man he's after is Richard Bunson, a golden boy of the Labor Party. Carstairs happens to have a link to a man who's sister works with Bunson. That man is Bennett Grey, a World War I veteran who's wartime injuries resulted in a unique paranormal sensitivity. Carstairs will introduce Stuyvesant to Grey who in return might introduce him into Bunson's circle. Its as complicated a plot as one would expect from a couple of secret agents. There's just one hitch: Grey hates Carstairs. Carstairs made Grey's truth-sensing abilities the foundation of a government experiment. Grey only won his freedom by attacking Carstairs and threatening to kill himself.
 
Luckily for Stuyvesant that doesn't prevent Grey from helping once he knows that they are out to catch a bomber. It does make things tricky though, especially since Carstairs keeps trying to get the better of both of them. Add to that the fact that Grey's sister resembles Stuyvesant's dead girlfriend and that their suspect is having an affair with Grey's ex-fiancee and things don't get any clearer. But no matter the cost, they must discover the real bomber before the General Strike turns into a bloody revolution.

King has a knack for writing characters who are both prickly and endearing. Stuyvesant, a New York bruiser and crafty agent, is also a loving brother and loyal friend. Grey, broken and remade by the war, has a sense of tarnished innocence about him that is sometimes at odds with his suicidal ruthless streak. The growing friendship between these two propells the story along. King also does a great job with the setting, bringing to life the tensions between capitalist and communist factions. The radical vs. regime arguement will invite current day comparions, but for the modern reader there's also a bit of naivety to the struggle. Some of their grand gestures seem just that: gestures, not actions that will change the future of society and humanity. That disparity just settles the story even more firmly in its place, lending both the sophistication of historical accuracy and the feel of an era where many of the events that make the modern age jaded have yet to occur. The mystery is good too, but its really the characters and setting that make this a great read.

Yeah, I know.  It's another vampire book.  But before you roll your eyes, sigh, and dismiss The Reformed Vampire Support Group as an unnecessary addition to an already overcrowded genre, you might want to give this one a try.  It's smart, it's funny, and it definitely doesn't subscribe to the dark-n-sexy goth chic you find in most vampire novels.

Nina, perpetually stuck at age 15, was turned into a vampire in 1973 and she's been suffering ever since.  The constant nausea and fatigue alone are enough to drive her mad, not to mention having to dispose of all those guinea pig carcasses every week.  Add to that the mundane task of trying to make a living when you are essentially dead between the hours of sunup to sundown and you've got a fairly miserable existence.  No surprise, then, that all eleven of Australia's vampires meet every Tuesday for a weekly support group; being a vampire is stressful. 

And, until now, life as a vampire has also been fairly mundane.  But when one of them turns up dead at the hands of an obvious vampire killer (who else would use a silver bullet and a stake through the heart?), Nina and her friends must find out who killed him unless they want to be next.

(FYI, this is a great audio book!)

 

Summer Teen Writing Workshop
July 6, July 20, and August 3rd at 4pm
For middle school, junior high, and high school
Participate in writing exercises that will stretch your creative thinking and jump start your word craft. Receive your own writer's notebook and enjoy ice cream treats courtesy of the Friends of the Fairwood Library.
Location: Fairwood Library, 17009 140TH AVE SE, Renton, WA 425-226-0522

Write Your Novel This July!
Bothell Library invites you to see if you can write a novel in a month. National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. The problem is that's it's in November and most teens are really busy in November. So begin writing July 1st and see if you can write a 175-page (50,000) word novel by midnight on July 31st.

Stop by the Bothell library 3:30-5:30 Tuesday afternoons in July. Join us in the teen area for write-ins and support. You can also come to the Teen Writing Workshop on July 16th at 3:30pm for a mid-month pick-me-up.
Library Location: Bothell Library, 18215 98th AVE NE, Bothell, WA  425-486-7811

 

Teen Writing Group
July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25 at 3:30pm
Join this group on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month to do writing exercises and discuss your work.
Library Location: Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn, WA  253-931-3018 

 

Teen Creative Writing Workshops with Author Louise Marley

Wednesday, July 8, 2pm--Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Boulevard SE, Snoqualime, WA  425-888-1223 

Wednesday, July 22, 2pm-North Bend Library, 115 E 4th Street, North Bend, WA  425-888-0554

Wednesday, August 19, 2pm-Fall City Library, 33415 SE 42nd Pl, Fall City, WA  425-222-5951

When I first started working at the library, the first thing I learned is that you need to know where the library keeps the Value Line Investment Survey binders! It's a professional-grade investor tool that is too expensive for most home investors, but you can get it at the library.

But librarians starting work today might not need to know where we keep the binders first thing anymore, because Value Line is online! The library bought a subscription so you can look up your stocks from home or work!

It still has the in-depth analysis and history of each stock it profiles and is browsable by issue date, just like paper version. There are additional benefits to Value Line online: quick lookup by stock name, ticker symbol, or industry, a look at whose ranks have changed recently, you can create your own custom reports for your portfolio, see model portfolios for different financial goals (neat!), and some pre-set reports available with a click like highest dividend yielding stocks (cool!).

If you're an involved investor, or want to become one, do yourself a favor and try it out!

Which of these is not an encyclopedia in the King County Library System?

A. The Encyclopedia of Kittens
B. The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons
C. The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Homes Through World History
D. Parkers' Encyclopedia of Astrology

(answer after the break)

If you work with guys, specifically teen guys, you may have noticed that some of those guys are not avid readers. In fact, the early teen years can be a time when many guys lose their love of reading. Jon Scieszka, well known guy and writer, is trying to get people in these guys' lives to link them to the books that will keep them reading. Jon has some suggestions, and so do I! Here are a few of my favorite guy books-- maybe read a few this summer!

The Compound, S.A. Bodeen.
Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Rediscovery of the Past, James M. Deem
Encyclopedia Horrifica: the Terrifying Truth! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More, Joshua Gee
Trophy Kid, or, How I Was Adopted by the Rich and Famous, Steve Atinsky
My Swordhand is Singing, Marcus Sedgwick
Diamonds in the Shadow, Caroline B. Cooney
The Entertainer and the Dybbuk, Sid Fleischman
Teen, Inc., Stefan Petrucha
Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland, Sally M. Walker
Do Not Open, John Farndon
Shanghaied to the Moon, Michael J. Daley
Demonkeeper, Royce Buckingham

My three favorite movies are An American in Paris, Bandwagon, and Singin' in the Rain.  At the drop of a hat or raindrop I can start singing the songs or quoting some of the funny lines.  My friends are very careful not to drop any hats, good thing they can't do anything about the rain!  I was real tickled to discover Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece. It is a biography of the movie; from Arthur Freed's June 1950 request to Betty Comden and Adolph Green to write a musical comedy to the 1970's and 90's where film scholars are discussing the importance and meaning of Singin' in the Rain.  I do not think one raindrop was left unexamined.  This isn't to say that the book is dry and pedantic, just the opposite, it reads like a life story with lots of interesting little tidbits, like how long it took to film the Singin' in the Rain dance--six days of rehearsals and two days of filming, (July 18th and 19th) also how much the policeman in the scene got paid ($22.23).  It was fascinating to read how they prepared the street and made the puddles for Gene Kelly to stomp in.  (One puddle needed to be two inches to make a nice splash).  The authors go into great depth discussing how the actors were chosen, story lines developed, and songs, dances and characters that were added and dropped from the final cut.  The appendix lists all 237 people involved in the making of Singin' in the Rain; it describes what they did and where they are now.   So see the movie and read the book and you too will be singin' and dancin' in the rain.  Do da do to, da da do da do to....I'm singing!

Who started World War I? You'll find out if you read Europe's Last Summer: Who Started the Great War in 1914? and you may be surprised by the answer. For, according to author David Fromkin, it was neither the shot fired by a teenage Serbian terrorist, nor the saber-rattling of a bellicose German emperor, nor some sort of catastrophic accident of history. The answer is far more ominous precisely because of its familiarity: a small group working behind the scenes manipulated events and their leaders to achieve their aim, which was a war of aggression.

And who were these people? I'm not telling...I'll let the author do that. Fromkin does so through painstaking research, a thorough recounting of events, and a prose style that make the attention to detail not only palatable but engaging. Europe's Last Summer could have been dry and dull but instead is a real page-turner with lots of twists and turns. We learn, for example, that the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was so stiff and unpopular that even his own Austro-Hungarian countrymen barely noticed when he was assassinated. We learn that Kaiser Wilhelm II was physically and psychologically compromised but that, despite his frequent ranting, almost always weighed in on the side of peace in a potential conflict. And Germany, despite having the most powerful military in the world at that time, greatly feared the still backwards but rapidly developing Russia and saw itself as being highly vulnerable. For me, the great insight of this book was that every country involved was motivated by fear and was desperately trying to keep what they had, be it supremacy, sovereignty, or mere existence. They were all on the defensive, whether they "shot first" or not. Perhaps this is how it has always been. 

So why should I really care who started World War I? I mean, how are monocled German generals and American doughboys relevant to the world today? Here's why: as Fromkin points out, the unresolved conflicts of the Great War directly led to World War II, which in turn led to the Cold War and, more recently, the Islamic fundamentalist backlash against European imperialism. (Remember: Iran and Iraq were administered by Britain after World War I.) In other words, the events of the summer of 1914 set in motion a chain reaction that profoundly affected the course of the 20th century and is still with us today.

So check out Europe's Last Summer. You'll learn a little bit about then...and now.

I confess, I don't know much about Goths--those folks who tend to dress mostly in black, with dramatic makeup and hair in colors that are generally not found in nature.  However, I like interesting fabrics and creative ways of dressing, even though my own attire tends toward jeans and t-shirts.  And I enjoy learning about people and the different things that they like, do, and believe.  My philosophy is that everyone is deserving of respect, and the world would be a better place with a bit more civility.  I feel like I've found a kindred spirit in Jillian Venters, author of Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them. 

This witty book, based in part on Venters' blog of the same name, gently reminds readers of all varieties that good manners are appropriate everywhere.  As the Lady of the Manners, she provides sound advice about interactions between Goths and non-Goths, tips on fashion and music, and info for parents of Goth-inclined teens, among other topics.  I found her history of the Goth subculture interesting, her take on teens and Goth informative, and her book suggestions illuminating.  The black and white illustrations by Pete Venters are a perfect complement to the Lady of the Manners's straightforward writing.

Venters lives in the Seattle area and will be starting her promotional tour here.  She's appearing at Bellevue Regional Library on Monday, June 29, at 7 pm.

Whether you are Goth, Goth-Friendly, or NotAGoth, Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them will have you snickering, nodding, and dusting off your velvet jacket.

You play videogames but have you ever thought about what it takes to make one? Maybe you want to be a game developer yourself? The King County Library System, in partnership with DigiPen Institute of Technology, is offering a special mini-workshop where you can experience the art and science of making videogames. Learn about the game industry, what it takes to be a game developer and take part in the hands-on lab where you will build an actual game!

Space is limited and registration is required, so sign up today! Go to our online events calendar to register. This program is for teens ages 13 and up.

Fairwood: June 23, 5pm
Redmond: July 8, 1pm
Bothell: July 9, 3:30pm
Covington: July 16, 2pm
North Bend: July 24, 3pm

If you just like to play videogames, check out our Game On! programs at local libraries. 

So, you've already discovered that the library offers you streaming music.  Did you know we also have streaming video and online scores?  Over 13,000 scores and close to 200 videos are available to you online right now through Music Online, a general portal that also covers our other streaming music databases (Classical Music Library, African American Song, and Smithsonian Global Sound). 

Videos include opera and dance performances, artist interviews, and documentaries.  How about a classic *Aida performance?  Links to subtitles and liner notes are provided, too.

Scores cover everything from Mozart *piano sonatas to *Creole music.

The Music Online database is still growing, so check back often and click "What's New" at the top of the page to see recent additions.  Don't forget that you can sign up for a free account and save your own playlists!

The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente

"There was once a child whose face was like the new moon shining on cypress trees and the feathers of waterbirds." Thus begins this book of weird tales. The child, a girl, was cursed by a spirit shortly after her birth. She has dark, tattoo-like marks around her eyes. These marks, although they look like lines of kohl, actually contain endless strings of words. The girl can read them when she tries hard enough. And try she must, for the spirit promised to return and judge her once all of the tales are read out.

These strange marks brand the girl as a demon in the Sultan's palace where she lives. Even her parents avoid her. She is left to roam the gardens, living off the fruits that grow there and refuse of the Court. One day, a boy ventures near and declares that he is not afraid of her. Of course, he really is, but his boldness pleases the girl, who is lonely, so she tells him the secret of her marks. She offers to tell him one of her tales as well. With this offer, their relationship begins. He sneaks into the gardens whenever he can, bringing food in exchange for a tale. When his eldest sister discovers them and forbid him to visit the "demon-girl", she sneaks inside to find him. All the while, the tales unfold in patchwork pieces.

Valente's language-rich writing sews these pieces together. The tales are enigmatic and ephemeral, blurring from one viewpoint to another and back again. The settings are strange and exotic. Many of the narrators aren't human at all, but creatures from myth and legend. As each snippet ends, the reader is often left with more questions than answers, but these loose threads work in a Scheherazade-like fashion. You flip the page just to see where the story wanders next. While this chaotic style might not appeal to everyone, readers looking for unique, lyrical fantasy tales will find this book and its sequel, In the Cities of Coin and Spice, fascinating.

I just discovered that I have access to a huge collection of music from my desk: the streaming music databases from Alexander Street Press! The library has subscriptions to several of their music databases: African American Song, Classical Music Library, Smithsonian Global Sound, and Music Online.

The Kitchen Linens Book: Using, Sharing and Cherishing the Fabrics of Our Daily Lives and The Apron Book: Making, Wearing and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort, both by EllynAnne Geisel.

I didn't begin collecting vintage linens and aprons by haunting thrift shops and antique stores.  It all began so innocently, without my even noticing it.  I was given these items by family members and friends who thought I might like to use and wear them.  And they were right; I love the look of them on my table and the feel of the aprons when I wear them.  What makes both these titles so wonderful are the personal stories and the photographs.   The front cover photograph of The Kitchen Linen Books is of one of the dish towels the author found in her mother-in-law's apartment when she was cleaning it out after her death.  It was part of an extensive collection of linens, some old, some brand new, all treasured.  In this title are also recipes and family and friends memories.  Of particular use is the section Notes on Fabric Care. So why should we care about items made merely of fabric?  To me and to others who love these vintage linens these items are a chronicle of the daily lives of the women who went before us.  For me, they do not represent the drudgery of everyday work but the large and small pleasures women took in their homes.  To learn more about EllynAnne Geisel visit her web page. 

Which of these books of secrets is fake?

A. The Dog Rules: 14 Secrets to Developing the Dog You Want
B. Handling Storms at Sea: the 5 Secrets of Heavy Weather Sailing
C. Fry High: 25 Secrets to Perfect Deep-Fried Foods, from Chicken to Doughnuts
D. The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World: Over 600 Secrets of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom

(answer after the break)

We all know that summer vacations for teachers aren't days on the beach. They're a time for teachers to continue their own education and prepare for another year of teaching young minds. It's a time for libraries to serve just you! If you need support for your continuing education courses, need to find multimedia class resources, or even just want to find some new books to discuss with your students, the library is here to help.

Every wildly famous author was once a newly-published writer.  Imagine having the opportunity to meet a terrific new author before he or she becomes the next big name.  Well, your chance is here!  Come to the New Author Showcase on Saturday, June 20, at Bellevue Regional Library to meet some of the most promising new local authors.  The drop-in event will run 2 to 4 pm in Room 1. 

Featured authors include:

• Heather Barbieri, author of The Lace Makers of Glenmara
• Curt Ebbesmeyer, author of Flotsametrics and the Floating World
• Joe McDonald, author of Lotto
• Philip Marks, author of Brothers of the Wind
• Christopher Mattix, author of Nobody
• Theresa Meyers, author of Salvation of the Damned
• Will North, author of Water, Stone, Heart and The Long Walk Home
• Gina Robinson, author of Spy Candy
• David B. Williams, author of Stories in Stone

A second New Author Showcase featuring local authors of children's and teen books will be held at Bellevue Regional Library on Saturday, July 25, 2-4 pm.

Have you ever had a conflict with a neighbor?  Have you ever butted heads with your teenaged child?  Have you ever said a sharp word you wanted to take back once you said it?  What if doing any or all of these things could get you jailed for being a witch?

Kathleen Kent, author of The Heretic's Daughter, is the descendent of Martha Carrier, who in 1692 was arrested and accused of witchcraft for the very reasons listed above.   In an age when fear was enough to motivate friends and families to turn against each other, Martha's young daughter Sarah watches helplessly as her mother becomes the target of pointing fingers.  Left to help care for her father and young brothers and then ultimately jailed herself, Sarah's story mirrors her mother's until the final terrifying chapters of the story.

The Salem Witch Trials is not a new subject for historical fiction, but Kent's telling brings it to readers in a new way and manages to make the horror of it real and personal.   As the book opens, Sarah is an old woman writing a letter to her granddaughter about the events of almost sixty years earlier.  Her characters are real and recognizable, from the mean girls who torment Sarah when she comes to town to the kind reverend who visits the condemned prisoners.   She creates nobility in the imprisoned women who try to maintain their dignity in filthy conditions and cruelty in the sheriff's wife who trades extra rations for the prisoner's clothing.

Historical fiction done well is a real pleasure to read in the same way that a finely written fantasy novel can be.  Kent is an author with a talent for world-building--even though this is a world not many of us would want to visit except in the pages of a book.  Here's hoping Kathleen Kent decides to build another world for us in the near future.  

The new Burien Library opened to rave reviews and great fanfare on Saturday June 13th. Not only is it an astonishingly beautiful building, not only does it bring the library into the city's public commons (the city hall is across the hall), not only does have a huge collection of materials to borrow, but there was a marching band at the opening ceremony. And a clown...

If you missed the fun, we've got photos on Flickr, video on Youtube, and an interview with one of the building's architects.

Better yet, stop on by and check it out yourself...

"Throughout history man has externalized his bestial nature, finding a scapegoat upon which he could heap his sins and whose sacrificial death would be his atonement. He has put his sins of greed, lust, and deception on the wolf and put the wolf to death--in literature, in folklore, and in real life."

This passage from Of Wolves and Men by celebrated naturalist and author Barry Lopez sums up his assessment of humanity's relationship with one of it's oldest competitors. This classic work focuses on this relationship from four different viewpoints: scientific inquiry, hunter-gatherers bound to nature, colonizers bent on subduing nature, and medieval European symbolizing of nature. The first section, which gives a synopsis of the then-current (1978) understanding of wolf biology and societal interactions, is by definition the most dated, though still very revealing, particularly with respect to cooperative and hierarchical nature of the pack. The next section focuses on Native American attitudes and legends associated with the wolf. Various tribes across North America viewed the wolf with awe and respect and, in fact, frequently based their hunting and survival strategies on wolf behaviors and practices.

The third section, which focuses on the westward expansion of European immigrants from Jamestown to modern Alaska, paints the most disturbing picture of the human-wolf relationship. Trapping, poisoning, and a widespread shoot-on-site policy wiped out almost all of the millions of wolves in the lower-48 by the mid-20th century. As Lopez so insightfully states, "There is something deep-seated in men that makes them want to "take on" the outdoors, as though it were something to be whipped, and to kill wolves because killing a wolf stands for a real triumph." The final section of the book traces this attitude back to the Middle Ages, at which point the Europeans (and in particular The Church) projected such negative human characteristics as cowardice, stupidity and rapaciousness onto the wolf. In short, the wolf came to symbolize what was wrong with humanity. Interestingly, untold thousands of innocents were burned at the stake or otherwise executed after having been deemed "werewolves," or humans that were presumed to have taken wolf form. Lopez thus equates persecution of the wolf with a deep-seated sense of human self-loathing.  

What makes Of Wolves and Men a classic is precisely this exploration of the psychological basis for such hatred of an animal that is in many respects much like us. But the book is not pessimistic, for it was published at a point in our history when wolves were being more systematically studied and more widely respected and admired. Many of the then-current practices (such as indiscriminate aerial shooting of wolves) were coming to an end or greatly diminished. Wolves have been reintroduced in many areas around the U.S., with varying degrees of success and local acceptance. In short, humans in general (and Americans in particular) are changing their minds about the wolf.

Perhaps one day we'll all be able to hear it's eerie howl once again.

 

Barking Buddha: Simple Soul Stretches for Yogi and Dogi by Brenda Bryan. 

Not sure you're ready to make a commitment to an actual yoga class?  If not, this book might be just the ticket!  And you can do it with your dog!  Brenda is a Hatha yoga instructor in Seattle and after studying animal massage thought to combine yoga with massage and dogs.   What she has found is that this combination provides a peaceful, healthful and relaxing way to connect with our dogs.  Instructions are easy to follow and the photographs by Bev Sparks extend the text.  What better way to connect with our best friends, become more healthful and more relaxed?    A featured title of The Big Read.

When I told many of my friends that I was going to blog about Katherine by Anya Seton, they all sighed and said it was one of the best historical romances that they had ever read.  Yes, ALL of them sighed and said it was the best.  Why is it so "sighable?"  Katherine was a fourteenth century woman, born in 1350 to a poor family; at a young age she married Sir Hugh Swynford, a rather boorish extremely jealous man.  Because her sister married Geoffrey Chaucer and was part of the court of the Edward the III, Katherine caught the eye of the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt.  After the Duchess of Lancaster's death, Katherine became the mistress of the Duke.  She was called a witch and a whore, but she was with the Duke, through his second marriage to Constance of Castile and after Constance's death, she became his third wife which caused a bigger scandal than when she was his mistress.  Katherine was at the center of the most turbulent times, and she was a strong woman who held the Duke's love and attention for more than twenty-five years.

Anya Seton brings the English medieval times to life, in all the filth, disease, superstition, royal pageantry, intrigue and of course Katherine's love story, mistress and wife to a Duke and the ancestress of Kings.

I read Katherine many years ago and had almost forgotten about it. But then I spied the Mistress of the Monarchy; The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster, by Alison Weir.  When I read the introduction and discovered that Alison Weir enjoyed reading Katherine and the book had a large impact upon her, I had to read it again. (Ms Setons's book that is, although I have read Alison Weir's introduction more than once too).  Ms Weir states that she wanted to write Katherine Swynford's biography for forty years. Although Ms Weir enjoyed Anya Seton's book, she said, "Do not forget it is fiction."  Anya Seton wrote accurately but from a twentieth century perspective; this does not lessen the quality of the story, but it might change your vision of Katherine.   I suggest you read Katherine first and then read Mistress of the Monarchy, because sometimes the facts could lessen the impact of this classic romance.  On the other hand why should the facts bother you when you are reading a great love story?

Which of these is not a real book about psychedelic experiences available from the King County Library System?

A. Inner Paths to Outer Space: Journeys to Alien Worlds Through Psychedelics and Other Spiritual Technologies
B. Mushroom Mind: Exploring Plant Conciousness with Psychedelics
C. Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics

Now that beautiful weather and summer vacations have come to Seattle, this may be just the time to spend outside tinkering with your car or truck.  Maybe you're fixing up your first car, keeping your family chariot running smoothly, or renovating a classic.  KCLS has two auto repair databases that can help get you rolling!

ChiltonLibrary.com contains repair data, service bulletins, maintenance schedules and recall information for vehicles from 1929 to present.  Many of the older years have limited choices, but you can still get advice on repairing the horn in your powder blue 1960 Bel Air.  More likely you'll be looking up a newer model car, and you'll find a wealth of information to read and print, plus videos to watch.  All of this can be accessed from home or in the library by following the link above or from the KCLS databases page (accessing directly through the address ChiltonLibrary.com on the web will not work).

AllData Online is a similar database, but this one is only accessible in KCLS libraries.  AllData contains repair information for cars and trucks from 1982 to present.  As with Chilton's you can print from this database.  AllData does not at this time have any videos, but it will supply you with repair cost estimates which can help you in your negotiations with your mechanic.

Go ahead and give car repair a try!  You could save yourself a bundle.

If your budget doesn't allow for a big trip this year, or if you're just tired of the usual spots, how about indulging in a bit of time travel, instead?  In most cases, the past will offer smaller crowds, fewer greenhouse gases, and more purchasing power--though finding a way to exchange your dollars for the local currency can be problematic.  There are many interesting periods to choose from.  I've always liked Britain when the weather is warm, and those long, flowing gowns from the 1300s are pretty, so I took my time travel vacation to 14th century England.  

I like to start with a guidebook when I'm planning a trip, and The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century, by Ian Mortimer, is an ideal source for information on this period.  Starting with what the landscape will look like when you arrive, the book takes you through local customs, food and lodging, intercity travel, health and medicine, the law, and tourist attractions.  Each section gives ample detail to help you understand the complex social structure of the time, while the presentation is straightforward and entertaining.  Want to know whether to find lodging in an inn, a private home, or a monastery?  The advantages and disadvantages of each are clearly described.  Curious what you might be served for dinner (and what time of day that meal might be offered)?  Whether you are visiting a lord or a villein, Mortimer provides information and advice that will have you fitting in like a local.  (And you don't want to stand out as a stranger; most crimes are attributed to visitors and vagrants.)

The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England was published in Britain, so watch for spellings and meanings of current-day words that are different from ours.  For example, "corn" refers to any cereal grain, and includes wheat, barley, and oats.  The plant that we in the U.S. know as corn was not available in England in the 14th century, being native to the as-yet-unknown American continents.  

Once you are familiar with your destination, you could stick with the armchair variety of travel by reading a novel set in the same period, such as The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis or one of Michael Jecks' mysteries.  Or you could visit the Camlann Medieval Village to take part in one of their summer festivals.  Or, if you are going to present-day England, you might tour one of the castles that remain from that era.  If you do manage to wake up in the 14th century, you'll be glad you read The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England. 

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Vin grows up as a fugitive of the Final Empire, a totalitarian regime ruled over by the divine Lord Ruler. Once he was mortal, the great Hero of Ages who saved the world. Now, a thousand years later, he rules through his merciless Steel Ministry. Even the privileged nobles, descendants of his long-ago comrades, are wary of the Ministry's power.

Vin is a half-breed: half noble and half Skaa, a slave race. Half-breeds are killed immediatly upon discovery. Some nobles can wield Allomancy, a magic based upon metals. These Mistings use metals to manipulate the physical or psychic world around them. Mistborn can use all of these metals. The Lord Ruler wants to make certain no Skaa are born with Allomantic powers, so the Ministry tries to keep the bloodlines pure. A few, like Vin, always slip through.

She's found a precarious position as a "good luck charm" for a thieving crew, but their newest scheme brings her under the scrutiny of the Ministry. The Ministry seems to guess her secret; not only is she a half-breed, she has powers. The "luck" she wields is Allomantic in nature.

Before the Ministry closes in, she catches the attention of Kelsier, the Survivor of Hathsin. He earned his nickname by surviving the Empire's deadliest prison. Not only did he come out of the Pits of Hathsin alive, he emerged with his Mistborn powers awakened. Now he's determined to bring down the Final Empire. He's assembled a group of Skaa Mistings to pull off this rebellion and he wants Vin to join them. But can a girl who trusts no one and nothing believe in his impossible crusade?

Mistborn: The Final Empire is followed by The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages.

Summer reading isn't just for kids!  Bellevue Regional Library has a fantastic lineup of Meet the Author programs throughout the summer.  Our first Meet the Author event features Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire mysteries set in Wyoming.  He will read from his newest installment, Dark Horse, on Tuesday, June 16, at 7pm.

For more on Johnson's series, check out Lisa's Book Talk entry.

See you there!

Deeba definitely wasn't the Chosen One.  That was supposed to be Zanna. The prophecy said she would be coming to save everyone from the Smog; the giant Book even said so!  But Zanna didn't stop the Smog, and once they were back home she soon forgot about it altogether.  Un Lun Dun could do that to you, though. An alternate London filled with living words, carnivorous giraffes, spying unbrellas and ninja dustbins would be enough to make anyone want to forget.

But Deeba couldn't forget, and she couldn't just leave the inhabitants of Un Lun Dun to perish in the Smog, so she searches for a way back.  Armed with information gleaned on the Internet and with the help of some very unusual friends, Deeba attempts to fill Zanna's shoes.  But as Deeba, the unChosen One, attempts to follow the prophecy laid in the Book, things start to go terribly, terribly wrong.

Jimmy Luntz had a white tuxedo, a gambling problem and a sizable debt; Gambol was there to collect the debt. Things weren't looking good for Luntz on their drive north, but that changed quickly once Luntz shot Gambol in the leg, stole his Cadillac and left him by the side of the road. Considering the people Gambol knew, Luntz's situation now looked downright bad.

Anita Desilvera liked alcohol and bad men who hated themselves. Luntz said hey there at the Ramada lounge and she said, "Very suave. You silver-tongued devil." Anita drank and sang karaoke for hours and was the hit of the evening, in her opinion. "Thank you very much, I love this town!" she said many times, making up lyrics and melodies. The waitress said she needed a pill, but Luntz disagreed. "Man," he said, "she breaks your heart."
 
The characters in Denis Johnson's novel Nobody Move are racing for a stolen $2.3 million dollars, and it's clear that none of them deserve it. Johnson creates a break-neck paced, ricocheting plot that threatens anything entering the book's pages. He also has an affection for lowlifes and a wealth of talent, which keep the tension and our interest high until the final page.

Looking at the book jacket of Ada Blackjack, I thought that I would be reading a story of a Sacajawea of the Arctic.  The picture is of a petite pretty young woman with a Mona Lisa smile and she is all dressed in furs.  The book jacket blurb led me to believe that her knowledge led to her survival in the Arctic.  Au contraire!  Even though she was an Inuit she was a city girl, well as much as Nome, Alaska was a city in the early 1900's.  She had no training or understanding of living off the land, let alone an Arctic island.  She was hired to be a seamstress and a cook.  She signed on with misgivings, but she needed the money to take care of her son who was ill with tuberculosis.  What did she sign on to?  One of the worst planned expeditions ever!  Vilhjalmur Stefansson believed that anyone could live in the "friendly Arctic" as he called it. He conned four young men to go to Wrangel Island to live and claim the island for England (it was and still is a part of Russia).  Wrangel Island is noted for its severe polar weather and it is a breeding ground for polar bears. However, Stefansson was so believable that one man, Fred Maurer signed up right away and he had been on an earlier ill-fated expedition to the same place.  Allan Crawford and Lorne Knight had Arctic experience, but Milton Galle and Ada had no experience at all.  Stefansson did not go with them.  He went around the United States and Canada whipping up enthusiasm and money, which did not get to Wrangel.  The expedition soon ran out of food and 3 of the men left to get help--in the winter--Ada was left to take care of a dying man.  She was ill herself, but she taught herself to shoot and trap and she managed to stay alive.  After her rescue she was proclaimed a heroine and then vilified as a prostitute and murderess.

It was good thing I read Ada Blackjack on the hottest day of the year.  The author, Jennifer Niven was quite graphic in describing the bitter Arctic cold.  So I was quite comfortable reading in the 90 degree heat.  Niven captured the personalities of everyone in the story--the young men's sense of adventure, their over-romanticizing of life in the Arctic, and their belief that they could do it all.  Ada was shown to be a very naïve young woman who placed her trust in the wrong people.  Stefansson was the villain who believed in his own stories about the Arctic and believed that he himself was a great hero and explorer.

I read Ada Blackjack as part of The Big Read and I believe it ties very tightly in with The Call of the Wild; they are both stories of survival under extreme conditions and that the survivor isn't always

the one you'd expect to make it.

Do you ever discover a new author and want to read everything they've written? Well, that's how I feel about Guy Delisle. He not only writes, but also is a comic artist, and his graphic novels fill a special niche in the travelogue genre.

Guy Delisle finds himself living in one of the world's most guarded and secretive cultures in Pyongyang, North Korea's capitol. Unbeknownst to me, North Korea is an animation haven, many of its artists work on developing frames in conjunction with French and Italian film studios. While working on animation projects, Delisle chronicles his observations of daily life and the state of the country. North Korea has the appearance of perfection, a noble goal in a communist society. The people are educated, and the infrastructure is stable. Not only do its citizens adhere to their government's rules and standards, but everyone seems to idolize their leaders, Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Through Delisle's illustrated memoir, he gives a scrutinizing account of a closed society.

Another of his memoirs, The Burma Chronicles, follows a similar pattern of   inquisitive observation. Delisle tends to end up in remote regions. His wife receives an assignment in Myanmar (formerly Burma), through Doctors without Borders. While his wife is working on village medicine, Delisle looks after their infant son, works on his comic memoir and explores local culture. He gives interesting perspective about living under a dictatorship in a country where Buddhism thrives, and human rights are under attack.

Whenever I travel anywhere, I like to buy a book (or two, or three) as a memento...a fact which drives my wife, who thinks I have too many books already, completely crazy. Oh well, it's cheaper than jewelry (usually). I bring this up because I bought famed naturalist John Muir's Travels in Alaska to commemorate a cruise we took three years ago to Glacier Bay and the book promptly ended up unread on my bookshelf for three years...until now, that is. It was worth the wait. Travels in Alaska is a fascinating window into both the Alaskan wilderness of the late 19th century, pristine and beautiful, and into John Muir's personality, intrepid and reverent of the natural world.

Travels in Alaska  focuses on three trips Muir took to southeastern Alaska in 1879, 1880, and 1890. The nexus of each trip was Glacier Bay, a vast area discovered by Captain George Vancouver a century before and which, then as now, is wild and filled with seemingly countless glaciers. Though John Muir lived in California and is most often associated with the Sierra Nevadas, his interest in a love for these immense rivers of ice repeatedly brought him to this remote corner of the North American wilderness. What is most remarkable about this is the willingness, even enthusiasm, with which he experienced the discomfort and even danger of the elements and the environment. Muir and his companions braved rain, snow, iceberg-clogged fjords and huge canoe-swamping waves caused by close proximity to calving glaciers. Indeed, at one point Muir and his dog Stickeen hiked for many miles on top of a glacier and, as night started to fall, were forced to hop wide (and deep) crevasses and cross thin, fragile bridges of slick ice lest they become stranded on the ice and either die of exposure or fall to their deaths. Needless to say, he made it...which is probably more than I could say for myself in the same situation.

Travels in Alaska is basically a chronological recounting of the events of these three trips and is filled with detailed descriptions of what he encountered. This gives the book a meandering quality that could be taken by some as a lack of focus. Then again, this suits the nature of John Muir's sense of adventure; though he always came with a general plan, his basic strategy was to wander about and see what lay around the next corner. Ultimately, I came away with a number of distinct images that have really stuck with me, like the time Muir and his Indian companions cracked each other up with their inability to retrieve a duck they shot in the middle of a lake, or the time Muir narrowly escaped being crushed and drowned in a rapidly shrinking waterway between colliding icebergs, or the time when he lay on the ground all night and watched the aurora borealis dancing in the sky. It is these evocative vignettes, rather than any overarching story-line, that I will remember for some time.

So if you ever wanted to experience "this reviving northern wilderness" through the eyes of a man that deeply loved it, check out Travels in Alaska!

Which of these books is not a real book with the most?

A. The Hedgehog's Dilemma: a Tale of Obsession, Nostalgia, and the World's Most Charming Mammal
B. Becoming Italian: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Beautiful Language
C. Limb from Limb: How I Found Myself by Climbing the World's Biggest Trees
D. Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag

(answer after the break)

What do you do to celebrate those milestone birthdays?  Have a party?  Buy something you've been wanting?  Not content with the usual options, Helen Thayer took a trip for her 50th birthday--a trek to the magnetic North Pole, with her dog Charlie for company.   Since then, she has traveled through deserts and rain forests and returned to polar areas, sometimes alone, sometimes with her husband, Bill.  Thayer has chronicled several of these excursions in books that are informative, readable, and entertaining.  Three Among the Wolves tells the story of the year that the Thayers and Charlie spent observing and interacting with three different wolf packs in Canada's Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Charlie served as the ambassador into wolf society. His presence eased the distrust of the pack and helped the wolves view the Thayers as part of a "pack" of their own.  Camped within 100 feet of the den, the Thayers were able to view nearly all aspects of the wolves' daily activities.  The complexity of wolf society is acknowledged but little understood, and the Thayers' observations provided support for their subsequent activism and educational efforts on behalf of Arctic wolves. 

I know that I won't spend my birthday at either pole.  Nonetheless, Helen Thayer is an inspiration.  Whether you read Three Among the Wolves on its own or along with other books on our list for The Big Read, prepare to be amazed.

It's official!  RFW 2009 has begun.  The contest runs from June 1 to July 31.  The online submission form is now available online, so get working on your videos!  For more information see our earlier blog post. or go to the RFW website. 

New this year! We have a Facebook Fan Page.  Keep up on what's happening with the contest and let us know what you think!

If you have more questions, talk to your local Teen Librarian!