Books at our Branch

This month's new books list, written by librarians Roberta Greifer and Carol Small, features advice for the midlife orphan, writings by Arab women, and California Gold Rush recipes. To find out if a book is available, call 695-5095 or visit the Noe Valley Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street near Castro. Besides books, the branch offers videos, DVDs, magazines, CDs, tapes, and the archives and index to the Noe Valley Voice. It also has recently acquired a small collection of adult books in Spanish, and subscriptions to the Sunday and daily New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Barron's. Hours are Tuesdays, 10 to 9; Wednesdays, 1 to 9; Thursdays, 10 to 6; Fridays, 1 to 6; and Saturdays, 10 to 6.
Adult Fiction
- A couple who has lost their twin daughters take in an African-American boy in Chris A. Bohjalian's The Buffalo Soldier, but grief and infidelity cause their marriage to falter, leaving their foster child to wonder whether or not he has truly found a home.
- Cultures collide and blend in Only in London by Hanan al-Shaykh, the story of four people from different corners of the Arab world: beautiful Lamis, recently divorced from her wealthy Iraqi husband; Samir, a gay Lebanese man; Nicholas, an expert on Islamic daggers; and Amira, a Moroccan prostitute.
- Set in Victorian Boston, Cynthia Peale's The White Crow is a murder mystery that begins at a seance, where a well-known philanthropist receives a message from his late wife and then is struck dead right in the medium's parlor.
- Conspiracy, treachery, revolution, and terror mark the reign of a dictator in the Dominican Republic, in Mario Vargas Llosa's historical novel Feast of the Goat.
Adult Nonfiction
- Even self-sufficient adults can experience the pain of "orphanhood," says Jane Brooks, the author of Midlife Orphan: Facing
Life's Changes Now That Your Parents
Are Gone. She also offers suggestions on how to cope with feelings of anger, guilt, loneliness, and sorrow.
- A collection of writings by Arab women, Opening the Gates features short stories, poems, essays, and speeches that span the past century and give voice to the conflict between feminist ideas and deep-seated
traditions.
- Everybody Pays by Maurice Possley tells the true story of a 25-year-old mechanic who witnesses a brutal mob murder and agrees to testify, only to find his life changed forever by a corrupt judicial system.
Annotations by Roberta Greifer
Head Librarian, Noe Valley Branch
Children's Fiction
- In Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond by Catheryn Falwell, a group of turtles encounter several other animals at the pond and finally manage to settle down for the night. Ages 2 to 4.
- The young leopard is planning to stay awake all night, but he eventually succumbs to fatigue in The Whole Night Through: A Lullaby, written by David Frampton and illustrated with his woodcuts. Ages 2 to 4.
- When Annabel is getting married, her younger sister April fears that her older sister will leave her forever, but Annabel's invitation to sleep over and eat malomars together allays her fears in The Reluctant Flower Girl by Lynne Barasch. Ages 4 to 6.
- Although she does not know it until the end of the story, Rosa Maria has some little helpers who put things in place for her granddaughter's birthday party in Mice and Beans by Pam Muñoz Ryan, illustrated by Joe Cepeda. Ages 4 to 7.
- In The Other Side, Jacqueline Woodson shows that children can sometimes cross a longstanding barrier between ethnic groups when they are interested in making a new friend. Ages 5 to 7.
- At first, Charlotte does not believe her new neighbor when Shannon talks about "Sparkle Susie" living in her house, but later the girls help Susie overcome her biggest challenge in The Ghost Sitter by Peni R. Griffin. Ages 9 and up.
Children's Nonfiction
- If you enjoyed J. K. Rowling's books, you'll want to read Allan Zola Kronzek's The Sorcerer's Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter, which has information on invisibility cloaks, forbidden forests, and related matters. Ages 8 and up.
- In California Gold Rush Cooking, Lisa Golden Schroeder provides narrative, pictures, and recipes, all to give a comprehensive view of the life of prospectors in California during the Gold Rush. Ages 8 and up.
Annotations by Carol Small
Children's Librarian, Noe Valley Branch
Mixed-Media Art by "JS"
- Noe Valley resident JS, aka Joseph Suarez, shows his artwork in an exhibition titled Dinosaurs & Plastics--What the Crescent Moon Said, at the Noe Valley Library through June 2002.
Poetry and Music
- Sri Lankan poet Pireeni Sundaralingam and violinist Colm O'Riain, composer-in-residence with the Dhaia Tribe, perform duets at the Noe Valley Library on Wednesday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m..
Preschool Story Time
- Children ages 3 to 5 can hear stories read aloud at the library's preschool story time, at 10 a.m., Tuesdays, May 7, 14, and 28.
Movie Tuesday
- Preschoolers 3 to 5 are invited to watch films, including Hen Hop, Owen, and Changes, Changes, at 10 and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21.
May Lapsits
- The family lapsits offer stories, songs, and fingerplays for infants and toddlers at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays, May 4, 11, 18, and 25.
Unless otherwise noted, events are at the Noe Valley Sally Brunn Library, 451 Jersey St. * 695-5095