More Books to Read

In this month's list of new books at the Noe Valley Sally Brunn Library, head librarian Roberta Greifer offers a guide to spas and healing centers and a short story anthology by Serbian authors. Children's librarian Carol Small tells us about a puppet show and storytelling, plus a Dr. Seuss discovery. To check them out, visit the branch at 451 Jersey St. (near Castro). You also might want to peruse the library's magazines, CDs, and past issues of the Noe Valley Voice. Branch hours are Tuesdays, 10 to 9; Wednesdays, 1 to 9; Thursdays, 10 to 6; Fridays, 1 to 6; and Saturdays, noon to 6. To inquire about the availability of a book, call (415) 695-5095.
Adult Fiction
- A novel based on a historic event, Aftershocks by Richard Wheeler reveals the devastating effects of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
- Set in a small mill town, Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout explores the conflicts that occur between a mother and daughter when the daughter falls in love with her high school teacher.
- In Loot by Aaron Elkins, an ex-curator discovers a Velazquez painting in a Boston pawnshop and traces its tangled history to Nazi Europe.
- Containing the work of authors born between the 1930s and the 1960s, The Prince of Fire, edited by Radmila Gorrup, offers 35 short stories by Serbian writers.
Adult Nonfiction
- The Greatest Generation, by Tom Brokaw, portrays ordinary American citizens who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War.
- Including a glossary of terms, Healing Centers and Retreats: Healthy Getaways for Every Body and Every Budget, by Jennifer Miller, covers more than 200 healing centers, spas, and retreats, indexed by their state and the kind of therapy offered.
- In graphic detail, I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi Years, by Victor Klemperer, a German Jew, records the effects of the Nazi takeover on the daily lives of German citizens.
Annotations by Roberta Greifer
Children's Fiction
- Horace is pleasantly surprised when he is able to help his friend Fred at the party in Brave Horace by Holly Keller. Ages 4 to 6.
- All the grownups are too busy -- or perhaps too unimaginative -- to appreciate a young artist's world in Cows Can't Fly by David Milgrim. Ages 4 to 6.
- The students in Miss Bonkers' class do so well on their achievement test that they can stay at the school they love in Hooray for Diffendoofer Day, partially written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss and recently completed by Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith. Ages 6 to 9.
- Ryan and his brother visit living dinosaurs in a world similar to his terrarium in Dinosaur Habitat by Helen V. Griffith. Ages 8 to 10.
- Violet needs to figure out the meaning of mysterious letters and visions, and accurately predicts an earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, in Paperquake by Kathryn Reiss. Ages 10 and up.
- Marley must make some major adjustments when some of the relationships in her family turn out to be very different from what she had thought in Heaven by Angela Johnson. Ages 10 and up.
Children's Nonfiction
- A beautiful variety of plants and animals are described and pictured in Tide Pool by Paul Fleisher. Ages 5 to 9.
- Helen Lester describes the frustrations and rewards of being a writer, from her "grocery lists" when she was 3 to the successful children's books she writes now, in Author: A True Story. Ages 6 to 9.
Annotations by Carol Small
Preschool Story Time
- Parents and kids 3 to 5 are invited to the library's preschool story time, at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, March 2, 9, 23, and 30.
Infant and Toddler Lapsit
- Children's Librarian Carol Small leads the finger play and lullabies at the Wednesday evening lapsits, March 3, 10, 17, and 24. The music starts at 7 p.m.
Films for Kids
- The library will show films for kids 3 to 5 on Tuesday, March 16, at 10 and 11 a.m.
Puppet Show
- The Trip Trap Troupe will perform three puppet plays on Thursday, March 11, at 10 and 11 a.m. Kids 3 to 5 especially invited.
Storytelling Program
- James Tyrone Wallace will present a storytelling program, "Proud to Be Me: Stories from Around the World," for children 6 and up, on Thursday, March 25, at 10 a.m.