June 1997 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

Here are some tips for books to check out at the Noe Valley - Sally Brunn Library, offered by librarians Lea Burroughs, Robert Crabill, Nancy Silverrod, and Carol Small. In addition to books, the library has videos, CDs, Internet access, a back deck and garden, and the archives and index to the Noe Valley Voice. This month you can also pore over vintage photos and talk to oldtimers at a Noe Valley History Day celebration on Sunday, June 8, 2 to 5 p.m. The library is located at 451 Jersey St. (near Castro); 695-5095. Regular 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, noon to 6 p.m. Any lemons in the garden are yours for the picking!

Adult Fiction

Godmother Night by Rachel Pollack is a modern fairy tale featuring a lesbian couple, their daughter, and a dangerous fairy godmother.

The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories by Agatha Christie. Thought you'd read them all? Here are nine more stories from Christie -- only one of which has been previously published in the U.S.

In Remote Control by Stephen White, psychologist/sleuth Dr. Alan Gregory races against time to save not only the daughter of the assassinated U.S. Surgeon General, but also his wife, jailed on suspicion of murder.

Set at the Texas-Mexico border, Janet Peery's The River Beyond the World tells how two women of different cultures engage in an intimate dance of character, class, and wills.

Ten Indians by Madison Smartt Bell. When suburban psychiatrist Mike Devlin opens a Tae Kwan Do school in inner-city Baltimore, he is caught up in the racial tensions and violence that characterize his students' urban gang life.

Adult Nonfiction

In The Art of Living Consciously -- the Power of Awareness to Transform Everyday Life, psychologist Nathaniel Branden explains that living consciously gives us more options and greater satisfaction in all areas of our lives.

Ornament and Silence:Essays on Women's Lives, by Kennedy Fraser, enriches our understanding of women such as Virginia Woolf and Germaine Greer, significant in literature and the century past.

In A Slender Thread -- Rediscovering Hope at the Heart of Crisis, Diane Ackerman shares her insights from fielding phone calls at a local crisis center.

Noe Valley History Day

The theme at this year's Noe Valley History Day on Sunday, June 8, 2 to 5 p.m., is "24th Street -- Then and Now." The cele-bration will include films, photo displays, and music by the Singing Rainbow choral group (2:30) and Bruce Sherman (3:30).

Children's Fiction

After some trials and tribulations, a small creature finally settles into her niche in Goose by Molly Bang. Ages 3 to 5.

Although the protagonist might miss a clue once in a while, all the mysteries are eventually solved in Detective Dinosaur by James Skofield. Ages 5 to 8.

Due to the creation of a national park, a family who has loved their life in the mountains is forced to relocate in When the Whippoorwill Calls by Candice F. Ransom. Ages 6 to 9.

When a mischievous character tries to make things difficult for a clever woman, he's very surprised in Aunt Nancy and Old Man Trouble by Phyllis Root. Ages 6 to 9.

As part of the "Critical Choices" unit in the eighth grade, Alice and her boyfriend Patrick get married -- well, sort of, in Alice in Lace by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Ages 10 and up.

Children's Nonfiction

Bengal tigers, elephants, clowns, trapeze artists, and others are gathered under the circus tent in Big-Top Circus by Neil Johnson. Ages 4 to 8.

Floyd Cooper describes the boyhood, education, and beliefs of one of the world's most important leaders in Mandela -- from the Life of the South African Statesman. Ages 8 to 11.

If you want to find out about a lot of places in our city particularly interesting to young people, you can get good ideas from Kidding Around, San Francisco -- a Fun-Filled, Fact-Packed, Travel and Activity Book, by Bobi Martin. All ages.

Films, Stories, and Lapsits

The library shows movies for preschool-ers on Tuesday, June 10, at 10 and 11 a.m.

Babies and toddlers hear stories and songs at the Wednesday lapsits, on June 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 7 p.m.

Preschool story time for kids 3 to 5 is 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, June 3, 17, and 24.