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Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
The Great Reading Challenge: Read a Classic!
"Read a classic novel" is one of the categories in C-SPL's Great Reading Challenge. I decided it was time to read Light in August by William Faulkner, which my son has been urging me to read. So I read it and I'm not sure I'll ever recover.
Light in August may be the grimmest, darkest, most harrowing novel I have ever read. Written in 1932, it examines issues of race, gender, religion, and social class in the American South -- and not in any way that makes you want to re-locate. It's Southern Gothic on steroids. I'm not sure I can recommend it except to say that Faulkner is brilliant, he writes like some higher order of angel (a dark angel, that is), and if you like Cormac McCarthy, you may very well like Faulkner.
If you'd like to check off the Classic Novel box but don't want anything that makes you lose the will to live, here are a few more-upbeat suggestions:
Middlemarch, arguably the greatest novel in the English language,
is George Eliot's masterpiece. The novel examines the lives, struggles,
failures, and redemptions of a fascinating network of characters inhabiting the Midlands town of Middlemarch as the industrial age approaches. Its centerpiece is Dorothea Brooke, a beautiful and intelligent young woman seeking a life of significance at a tough time for women. (George Eliot, by the way, was a woman.) At 800-plus pages, this one is not for the faint of heart but it's worth every minute of the effort.
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, who was Charles Dicken's good friend, is
often called the first detective novel in English. The Moonstone's crime is the theft of the Tippoo
diamond after the fall of Seringapatam in India in 1799. The Indian element imbues this very British, very Victorian novel, told by way of letters, with an exotic and sinister atmosphere. There's a great cast of characters and as with all good Victorian reads, romance is definitely in the air (or will be once the villain is identified).
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is surely one of the world's most beloved novels. It's one of those classics nobody gripes about having to read. That's because it's got everything: a Gothic atmosphere, an evil orphanage, a clever, bright, unconventional heroine (she's neither gorgeous nor splendidly wealthy), a brooding lord of the manor, a romantic competitor who is lovely and rich, a catastrophic fire, something sinister and creepy in the attic, and more! The intelligent and witty dialogue between Jane, a mere governness, and Mr. Edward Rochester, master of Thornfield Hall, makes for some wonderfully gripping (and, dare I say, romantic?) reading.
~Ann, Adult Services
Light in August may be the grimmest, darkest, most harrowing novel I have ever read. Written in 1932, it examines issues of race, gender, religion, and social class in the American South -- and not in any way that makes you want to re-locate. It's Southern Gothic on steroids. I'm not sure I can recommend it except to say that Faulkner is brilliant, he writes like some higher order of angel (a dark angel, that is), and if you like Cormac McCarthy, you may very well like Faulkner.
If you'd like to check off the Classic Novel box but don't want anything that makes you lose the will to live, here are a few more-upbeat suggestions:
Middlemarch, arguably the greatest novel in the English language,
is George Eliot's masterpiece. The novel examines the lives, struggles,
failures, and redemptions of a fascinating network of characters inhabiting the Midlands town of Middlemarch as the industrial age approaches. Its centerpiece is Dorothea Brooke, a beautiful and intelligent young woman seeking a life of significance at a tough time for women. (George Eliot, by the way, was a woman.) At 800-plus pages, this one is not for the faint of heart but it's worth every minute of the effort.
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, who was Charles Dicken's good friend, is
often called the first detective novel in English. The Moonstone's crime is the theft of the Tippoo
diamond after the fall of Seringapatam in India in 1799. The Indian element imbues this very British, very Victorian novel, told by way of letters, with an exotic and sinister atmosphere. There's a great cast of characters and as with all good Victorian reads, romance is definitely in the air (or will be once the villain is identified).Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is surely one of the world's most beloved novels. It's one of those classics nobody gripes about having to read. That's because it's got everything: a Gothic atmosphere, an evil orphanage, a clever, bright, unconventional heroine (she's neither gorgeous nor splendidly wealthy), a brooding lord of the manor, a romantic competitor who is lovely and rich, a catastrophic fire, something sinister and creepy in the attic, and more! The intelligent and witty dialogue between Jane, a mere governness, and Mr. Edward Rochester, master of Thornfield Hall, makes for some wonderfully gripping (and, dare I say, romantic?) reading.
~Ann, Adult Services
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Nine Books for Plant Lovers with Black Thumbs
It's the time of year that even the blackest of thumbs start thinking about gardening. We here at Carnegie-Stout are getting in the gardening spirit too with a Tin Can Planter workshop on Saturday, May 28. Attendees will decorate a recycled tin can into an attractive planter. Registration is required for this program. You can register online on our Program Calendar, or you can call the Reference Desk at 563-589-4225.
To help you brainstorm what you might grow in your tin can planter, we've put together a container gardening reading list in our catalog.
And for anyone who thinks they might prefer to put cut flowers or even artificial flowers in their tin can planter, or who would rather read about gardeners than garden themselves, we've put together a reading list of Nine Books for Plant Lovers with Black Thumbs:
The flower chef: a modern guide to do-it-yourself floral arrangements by Carly Cylinder
A modern, comprehensive guide to floral design that caters to all readers--from beginners who have never worked with flowers before and are looking for a new creative outlet, to decorators, party planners and photographers looking to liven up their spaces.
My first ladies: twenty-five years as the White House chief floral designer by Nancy Clarke
For six administrations, Clarke designed the flowers and decorations for state dinners and planned the floral arrangements for the first family's private living quarters and weddings. She describes the inside story of her remarkable life at the White House, working with each first lady to help her find her own personal style for state dinners and holiday festivities.
The flower workshop: lessons in arranging blooms, branches, fruits, and foraged materials by Ariella Chezar
A master floral designer who has appeared in numerous magazines and is known for her hands-on flower workshops at FlowerSchool New York presents this lavishly illustrated guide to creating a vast array of floral projects, for all skill levels, that will enhance any surrounding with abundant beauty.
Japanese fabric flowers: 65 decorative kanzashi flowers to make by Sylvie Blondeau
Sylvie Blondeau shows you how to make 65 of these simply stunning designs. The projects are so easy and fun to make that you will soon be making them for every occasion.
Origami ikebana: create lifelike floral sculptures from paper by Benjamin John Coleman
Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen
As the co-owner of the Rose in Bloom, Audrey Bloom creates magnificent flower arrangements for brides to be. Though helping to plan a wedding can be stressful, it's nothing compared to the groom turning up dead.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.
Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert
Eager to open up an herb shop and get closer to the earth, China Bayles leaves behind her career in corporate law and moves to Pecan Springs, Texas, but a close friend's tragic death could end her happy plans.
Backyard by Norman Draper
When a local nursery introduces a gardening contest, the gardeners of Livia jump into the competition with a vengeance, including a middle-aged couple who risk their retirement savings, a garden witch, and a self-styled gardening expert.
To help you brainstorm what you might grow in your tin can planter, we've put together a container gardening reading list in our catalog.
And for anyone who thinks they might prefer to put cut flowers or even artificial flowers in their tin can planter, or who would rather read about gardeners than garden themselves, we've put together a reading list of Nine Books for Plant Lovers with Black Thumbs:
A modern, comprehensive guide to floral design that caters to all readers--from beginners who have never worked with flowers before and are looking for a new creative outlet, to decorators, party planners and photographers looking to liven up their spaces.
My first ladies: twenty-five years as the White House chief floral designer by Nancy Clarke
For six administrations, Clarke designed the flowers and decorations for state dinners and planned the floral arrangements for the first family's private living quarters and weddings. She describes the inside story of her remarkable life at the White House, working with each first lady to help her find her own personal style for state dinners and holiday festivities.
The flower workshop: lessons in arranging blooms, branches, fruits, and foraged materials by Ariella Chezar
A master floral designer who has appeared in numerous magazines and is known for her hands-on flower workshops at FlowerSchool New York presents this lavishly illustrated guide to creating a vast array of floral projects, for all skill levels, that will enhance any surrounding with abundant beauty.
Sylvie Blondeau shows you how to make 65 of these simply stunning designs. The projects are so easy and fun to make that you will soon be making them for every occasion.
Origami ikebana: create lifelike floral sculptures from paper by Benjamin John Coleman
The Japanese art of flower arranging is an age-old practice that honors nature and creates beauty through harmony and balance. This brand new book, Origami Ikebana, shows you how to create unique ikebana-inspired paper flower arrangements any time of the year.
As the co-owner of the Rose in Bloom, Audrey Bloom creates magnificent flower arrangements for brides to be. Though helping to plan a wedding can be stressful, it's nothing compared to the groom turning up dead.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.
Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert
Eager to open up an herb shop and get closer to the earth, China Bayles leaves behind her career in corporate law and moves to Pecan Springs, Texas, but a close friend's tragic death could end her happy plans.
Backyard by Norman Draper
When a local nursery introduces a gardening contest, the gardeners of Livia jump into the competition with a vengeance, including a middle-aged couple who risk their retirement savings, a garden witch, and a self-styled gardening expert.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Staff Review: My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
I'm always a little puzzled by my relationship with this author. Her characters sometimes put me off with their razor-sharp tongues, relentless sarcasm, and the cloying dysfunction within which they live, and yet there is also something so compelling about her novels that I find myself reading her again.
So, what is it? In part it's her intelligence and in part her settings -- I love stories that unfold in New England. She's also a wonderful wordsmith. Her novels revolve around families, their interactions, traumas, and flaws.
In Strout's newest novel, Lucy Barton comes from a poverty-stricken, emotionally-crippled family, a family that frequently goes hungry and lives without benefit of heat, books, television, decent clothes, and any normal displays of affection. When her parents go out, they lock little Lucy in a truck at home, one time, inadvertently, with a snake.
Lucy manages to break away from her unlovely kin via college and an interest in writing. Years later, as a young wife and mother, she finds herself stuck in a hospital for weeks with an unspecified infection. To her great surprise, her estranged mother shows up and camps out in Lucy's room, and the two spend hours talking, gossipy talk mostly, about people from the past. Her mother then leaves and the uncharacteristic bonding's over. While it lasts though, Lucy's in deep mother-love and happy.
Strout's achievement in this short novel is her very human understanding, her compassion for Lucy's badly flawed family members, who made her childhood such a misery, and her realistic offering of an alternate way of life. As a Boston Globe reviewer notes in her glowing review: The "psychic wounds of her childhood are part of Lucy, but they do not define her. We see this as we watch her find her place in the world, learn how to be ruthless for her art, and come to understand that while humiliation is unacceptable, humility is essential."
~Ann, Adult Services
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