Noe Valley Voice November 2002
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Books in our Branch

This month's new books list, selected by Noe Valley branch librarians Roberta Greifer and Carol Small, features stories by Patricia Highsmith, remote strolls in Hawaii, and an awful day in the life of an awful ogre. To find out what books are available, call 695-5095 or visit the Noe Valley ­ Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street near Castro. Besides books, the branch offers magazines, videos, DVDs, CDs, and the archives and index to the Noe Valley Voice. It also has periodicals such as USA Today and the New York Times, a collection of books in Spanish, a collection of nonfiction by women, and a special section devoted to college and career resources. Branch hours are Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Wednesdays, 1 to 9 p.m.; Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Fridays, 1 to 6 p.m.; and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Adult Fiction

- Spoiled expatriated Americans lost in a harsh Eastern Europe of the 1990s are the subject of Prague, a love story by Arthur Phillips.

- The Sex Life of My Aunt, by Mavis Cheek, is a light romp into love, life, marriage, and infidelity.

- Was the young wife of a local doctor killed in a car accident, or was the accident staged as a cover-up for her murder? These are the overriding questions in Lawrence Schiller's Cape May Court House.

- Short stories written between 1938 and 1982 are presented for the first time in Nothing That Meets the Eye: The Uncollected Stories of Patricia Highsmith.

Adult Nonfiction

- In her travel guide Hawaii Trails, Kathy Morey clues the reader in on remote walks, strolls, and treks on the Big Island of Hawaii, which are guaranteed to provide tranquility and breathtaking beauty.

- Wind Bell: Teachings from the San Francisco Zen Center, 1968­2001, edited by Michael Wenger, is a collection of pivotal articles from 33 years of the San Francisco Zen Center's magazine Wind Bell.

- In Poems 4 A.M., acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Susan Minot (Monkeys and Stealing Beauty) reveals yet another dimension to her writing: poetry.

- Florence, A Delicate Case, is David Leavitt's affectionate account of expatriate life in Florence, one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

Children's Fiction

- Three colorful bilingual board-books by Rebecca Emberley explore My Opposites (long/short, front/back), My Shapes (square, circle), and My Numbers in Spanish and English. Ages 1 to 3.

- Glurp! Slurp! Trapped in a deep, sticky mud puddle are a pizza van, a police car, a tow truck, and a fire truck. But a brave band of young animal students saves the day in Preschool to the Rescue, by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. Ages 3 to 7.

- Maira Kalman's What Pete Ate from A to Z is a humorous (and potentially educational) story about a mischievous but endearing dog who devours a variety of food and non-food items, in alphabetical order. Ages 4 to 7.

- Eighteen deliciously grotesque poems (featuring such things as gargoyle bile and dragon toe bones) chronicle a macabre sunrise-to-sunset in Awful Ogre's Awful Day, by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by Paul O. Zelinsky. Ages 6 to 10.

- In The Star-Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt, Dianne Hofmeyer tells a poignant tale of family relationships, beautifully illustrated by Jude Daly. Ages 7 to 10.

- A clever fourth-grade detective and his ventriloquist assistant, Natalie the Mockingbird, figure out why their classmates are turning into zombies in The Big Nap: A Chet Gecko Mystery, by Bruce Hale. Ages 8 to 10.

Noe Valley Library Highlights

The Art of Vincent Van Gogh

- Artist and educator Marlene Aron gives a comprehensive slide lecture on the life and work of Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853 ­ 1890), including family photographs and the scenes that inspired his paintings, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

Preschool Story Time

- Children ages 3 to 5 can come hear stories read aloud at preschool story time, at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, Nov. 5 and 12.

November Films

- Preschoolers 3 to 5 are invited to watch films at 10 and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19.

Family Lapsits

- The library's family lapsit offers stories, songs, and finger plays for infants and toddlers at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 and 9.

Librarians Roberta Greifer and Wayne Donica contributed this month's adult book annotations. The children's book descriptions were written by librarians Carol Small and Barbara Blanchard.