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« February 2008 | Main | April 2008 »
Wondering what your neighbors are reading? Here are the top ten titles on hold for GRPL patrons as of April 1st:
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A new photo essay on the Historical Commission website answers some questions about more than one million people of color who migrated from the rural south to the urban north seeking jobs and better lives. Many African Americans settled in the Grand Rapids community and one of those stories is featured in an online photo essay.
Thelma Estelle Garnett: Memphis to Chicago to Grand Rapids, the subject of a current photo essay, was born in Memphis, Tennessee and migrated to the north where she eventually settled in Grand Rapids. Her story is interesting and the photos of her are great, but you may want to check out this photo essay specifically for the list of other resources. Among them you will find a list of Grand Rapids Press articles with local stories and links to some excellent websites dedicated to the Great Migration in general.
The photo essay can be found at www.historygrandrapids.org. Click on either “photos essays” then “neighbors”, and look for Thelma's name.
Stephen's Lighthouse a blog that shares all sorts of technology innovations and outlook statistics has created a long list of predictions for libraries in 2008. Check them out here and let us know what you think.
On February 24, 2008 we celebrated the third annual Taste of Soul Sunday in honor of African American culture. Participants sampled art, music, history, and food offered by a variety of performers, artists, and educators. Guests included local fiber artist Georgia Farr and mixed media artist Rose Hammond. A hip hop music panel featured Needlz, Governor Slugwell and Robert S.
Also in attendance was the Grand Valley State dance group Capoeira Mandinga, who performed a unique African Brazilian form of self-defense with aerobic dance elements.
Authors Professor Daniel McCluire, Rethinking the Modern Civil Rights Movement, and Professor Veta Tucker, A Poetic History of African American Women were also on hand to discuss and sign their books.
Veta Tucker
Capoeira Mandinga
Capoeira Mandinga
Rose Hammond
Nine years ago when we were thinking about adding a new dog to the family, we wanted to get a mixed breed dog -- hoping to avoid many of the horrific health and behavior problems in many of the purebreds. At that time, bookstores carried very few, if any, books on mutts or shelter dogs. I asked one clerk at our largest bookstore where they were and she checked and couldn't find any either. “I guess people only want to buy books about dog breeds” she mused.
Well -- a lot has changed in nine years! Our library has always had a sufficient collection of materials on “adopted dogs,” or “shelter dogs” or “rescue dogs,” but now we have tons of them, as does every bookstore in town.
Mutts are in! The mystery mixed dog is cool! Hollywood has taken them to heart, and many additional public and private rescue missions feature these wonderful mixes.
So, if you are carefully considering adopting a dog this spring, you're in luck -- there are plenty available! Dog rescue groups abound in our area. Find your special someone online at Petfinder.com.
Adopting a dog older than nine months rather than a puppy has many advantages. For example, what you see is what you get to an extent: size, health, temperament -- these things are apparent in an animal who has reached pretty much 90% of his grown size. We adopted a 6-week-old “beagle mix” 9 years ago who grew more into a Rottweiler or boxer mix at his lean 92 pound one year size. Who knew?
So! Caveat emptor! (let the buyer beware!) and Cave canem! (beware of the dog!). More handy Latin phrases for those of us who can't resist the sound of them.
Seriously though, avoid all those expensive and exhausting puppy times. A famous dog trainer said to one of his clients who was giving his dog to him, not to worry about the dog, because, “a big bag of cut up liver and a few walkies and car rides and he'll forget he ever knew you!” Sounds harsh, but love comes to a dog through his tummy first, and then quality attachment-training time. After food, they live to learn and to be with their “pack” of humans all the time.
It's no surprise that with Michigan's economy and more people on the move, the Humane Society of Kent County has more animals than ever. Whereas between 3/05 and 2/06 there were 2,998 animals relinquished by their owners and 2 years later the number in the same 12 month period is 4,872. An increase of 1,872 animals!
The Kent County Animal Shelter has plenty of potential best friends too!
They both have a rather exacting procedure for adoption (call ahead to know what to bring -- Vet's phone #, home ownership proof, etc) but it's nice to know that they want the adoption to be a great success and that they take the time necessary to ensure that you're both happy!
In part one of my post on mystery fiction I told you about GRPL's newest selection of books with foreign settings. Each story is set on a different continent. I decided to save the longest list for last. These books all have Asian settings.
Eye of Jade
by Diane Wei Liang
Setting: China
Welcome to the world of Mei Wang, Beijing's first successful female detective (a career choice that is illegal in China). Wang has been hired to find a valuable Han dynasty jade seal that was looted from the Luoyang Museum during the Cultural Revolution, and is currently for sale on the black market. This is the first novel in what looks like a promising series.
Hidden Moon
by James Church
Setting: North Korea
This is the second Inspector O novel and it begins with a bank heist and snowballs into a conspiracy. I read the first book, A Corpse in the Koryo, and thought the author did an excellent job creating a sense of place. And while I've never been to North Korea, the characters and settings in the book were exactly how I imagined them to be from news reports I've read and photos I've seen.
Prayer of the Dragon
by Eliot Pattison
Setting: Tibet
Take two mutilated corpses, add one comatose Navajo stranger, stir in a Beijing investigator with two sidekick sleuthing monks, and you have a not-so-typical mystery. This is the fifth Investigator Shan novel, and the author has won the Edgar (the Oscar among mystery authors) for previous work.
Red Mandarin Dress
by Qiu Xiaolong
Setting: China
Shanghai is the setting for China's first serial killer in this fifth Inspector Chen novel in which the killer wraps his victims in a symbol of greed and decadence.
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Tokyo Year Zero
by David Peace
Setting: Japan
As the bodies of young women turn up in post-WWII Tokyo, Inspector Minami must navigate among the bomb-ravaged city, its starving citizens, and not-so-kind occupiers to find the murderer. This is British author Peace's first mystery set in Japan.
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The Wandering Ghost
by Martin Limon
Setting: South Korea
U.S. military investigative team George Sueno and Ernie Brascom have their work cut out for them in this mystery set in the Korean demilitarized zone. The inspectors must find a missing female MP who would have testified against two GIs involved in the accidental death of a Korean girl. This is the fifth book in a series.
Lots of laughter was heard in the Teen Department at the Main Library during the Wii tennis tournament on Saturday, March 15. More tournaments are being held at the following locations:
Monday, March 17, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., West Leonard Branch, 988-5416
Tuesday, March 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Yankee Clipper Branch, 988-5415
Thursday, March 20, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., Van Belkum Branch, 988-5410
Photo: Taye and Brandon compete.
It's that time of year again! Time for teens to vote for the book they think should receive Michigan's Thumbs Up! book award for excellence in teen and young adult fiction and non-fiction.
Books eligible for the Thumbs Up! award are determined by a committee of young adult librarians who read tons of teen titles, then meet throughout the year to discuss them and narrow down what they believe to be the top twenty. Teens are then able to choose what they believe is the best book from the top selections
If you've read the books you can get a voting ballot here. If you haven't read all of the books, check 'em out below and cast your vote soon! All votes must be received by May 30, 2008.
Was eating healthier one of your New Year's resolutions? Well it's not too late. With National Nutrition Month® observed during the month of March, tips for better nutrition can be found online and in books.
Check out the “Food and Nutrition Information” section on the web site of the American Dietetic Association for helpful suggestions. Set up a personal eating plan at MyPyramid, where you will find the new food pyramid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Dietary guidelines for Americans provides links to other web sites for tips and tools to aid in living a healthier life.
The American Dietetic Association also publishes some books full of sound advice to get you started, or help you continue, with better dietary habits.
Check out the National Nutrition Month® display at the Main Library downtown for suggested books and nutrition fact sheets.
Parenting Awareness Month is observed during the month of March. There is a great resource in town for guidance in parenting, the Child and Family Resource Council, whose focus is “protecting children, supporting families, and strengthening our community.”
Child care is of great concern to working parents. Another wonderful local resource, Kent Regional 4C (Community Coordinated Child Care) helps parents in choosing quality child care.
Check out any of the Grand Rapids Public Libraries for books on various aspects of parenting. Some of the new titles include:
Also, check out the Parents and Teachers Resources page put together by GRPL's Youth Services Department.
Last week as I browsed among the new fiction section for something to get me through these cold winter weekends, I noticed a number of new mystery books that are written mostly by foreign authors and set in their native countries. I read the dust jacket summaries and found a few of them intriguing enough to share with you here.
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The Betrayal Game
by David L. Robbins
Setting: Cuba
Is it possible that the American Mafia and FBI would plot together to kill Fidel Castro? Maybe, maybe not. You'll have to read this book to find the answer.
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The Midnight Choir
by Gene Kerrigan
Setting: Ireland
The police (Gardai, as they're known in Ireland) have arrested a blood-soaked mad man. They think perhaps he's killed someone -- but who? Inspector Henry Synott will have to unravel the mystery. It's a "who's dead?" rather than a "who done it?"
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A Grave in Gaza
by Matt Beynon Rees
Setting: Israel
Palestinian history teacher and United Nations member Omar Yussef has a strong sense of justice, and that's why crimes that need solving always seem to happen around him. Mix that fact with a bit of political corruption and rocket smuggling and you've got yourself a mystery of dynamite proportion.
Zugzwang
by Ronan Bennett
Setting: Russia
The title of this book means "paralysis" in the game of chess, a theme which runs throughout the book. Strategic chess-like moves are used to solve several murders in an early 20th century setting.
Salamander Cotton
by Richard Kunzmann
Setting: South Africa
Johannesburg detective Jacob Tshabalala is on the hunt for a person who killed an elderly victim by pouring gasoline down his throat and igniting him with fire. What a horrible way to go! Detective Tshabalala soon discovers that the victim had an unsavory secret and that his only child, a daughter, was also murdered -- and the two murders may be linked.
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Kennedy's Brain
by Henning Mankell
Setting: Sweden
While solving her son's murder, archaeologist Louise Cantor discovers rather odd things about her Henrik (i.e., his files on JFK's missing brain, a large sum of money in his bank account, and a string of lovers from Spain to Africa).
If you're waiting for a refund from your federal tax return, did you know that you can check your status online at the handy IRS Where's My Refund? website, or call the IRS at 1-800-829-1954?
You can also use the site to make sure your mailing address is up to date. The IRS can't send you a check if they don't have your address. And you don't want to miss out on the extra Economic Stimulus Package check this year, do you?
According to the IRS, eligible taxpayers must file a 2007 tax return in order to receive this extra rebate, and they are going to start sending out the checks in May. So, if you haven't filed your returns yet, get started now. You've only got about six weeks before the April 15 deadline, but with the free e-filing available to almost all taxpayers, and free forms available at the library, what are you waiting for?