Books at Our Branch

This month's new books list, provided by librarians Roberta Greifer and Carol Small, features love, food, Nazis, and migraine headache cures for adults. For children, there's an examination of the five kinds of dragons. To check out a book's availability, call 695-5095, or visit the Noe ValleySally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street near Castro. In addition to books, the branch offers magazines, CDs, Internet access, and an index to the Noe Valley Voice. 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
- In The Fig Eater by Judy Shields, the wife of a detective in turn-of-the-century Vienna becomes obsessed with the murder of a respectable young woman.
- In Christopher Reich's The Runner, a thriller set in post World War II Germany, an American lawyer seeks to find the Nazi responsible for his brother's death.
- In A Slow Burning by Stanley Pottinger, a street-smart detective and a brilliant brain surgeon must overcome their rivalry in order to save the woman they both love.
- Narrated in part by her Jewish maternal ancestors, The Wholeness of a Broken Heart, by Katie Singer, traces an American woman's attempt to understand her family's history.
Adult Nonfiction
- Eating Well for Optimum Health by Andrew Weil, M.D., provides 85 recipes along with dietary advice to combat many common ailments.
- Betty Fussell's My Kitchen Wars is both a memoir and a love story told through the medium of food.
- The Nazi Officer's Wife, by Edith Hahn Beer and Susan Dworkin, describes how one Jewish woman survived the Holocaust by marrying a Nazi.
- The Women's Migraine Survival Guide, by Christina Peterson, M.D., contains up-to-date information on the causes of migraines and treatments for quick relief.
Annotations by Roberta Greifer
Head Librarian, Noe Valley Branch
Children's Fiction
- The main character is lively, disruptive, mischievous, messy -- and somehow still quite lovable in David Goes to School by David Shannon. Ages 3 to 5.
- High in the Sierra Nevadas, two siblings argue a bit and observe animal tracks in Stella and Roy Go Camping, written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff. Ages 3 to 6.
- Sometimes a creative person can "make something out of nothing," as the main character does in this year's Caldecott Medal winner, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, written and illustrated by Simms Taback. Ages 4 to 7.
- With Sports! Sports! Sports!: A Poetry Collection, Lee Bennett Hopkins has provided an action-packed book that fairly new readers can enjoy. Ages 6 to 8.
- Through an amazing and very fortunate coincidence, Nina finally regains her rightful place with Nadia, Vanda, Varka, Olga, and Anna in The Littlest Matryoshka by Corrine Demas Bliss, illustrated by Kathryn Brown. Ages 5 to 7.
- Ellie has wanted a puppy for years and feels she'll never warm up to her great-aunt's "fully-grown mutt," Preston, in Not My Dog by Colby F. Rodowsky. Ages 7 to 9.
- In Sword of the Samurai: Adventure Stories from Japan, Eric A. Kimmel gives us a varied anthology of tales about a group of warriors as they existed within the context of Japanese culture. Ages 8 to 11.
Children's Nonfiction
- The five groups into which dragons are classified by dracontologists --serpent dragons, semi-dragons, classical dragons, sky dragons, and neo-dragons -- are described and colorfully illustrated in Behold -- The Dragons! by Gail Gibbons. Ages 5 to 8.
Annotations by Carol Small
Children's Librarian, Noe Valley Branch
Films for Kids
- The library shows films, for children ages 3 to 5, on Tuesday, May 16, at 10 and 11 a.m.
Preschool Story Time
- Kids 3 to 5 are invited to the library's preschool story time, starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, May 2, 9, 23, and 30.
Infant and Toddler Lapsits
- You and your little ones can sing lullabies and make fingerplays at the lapsits, Wednesdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31 at 7 p.m.
A Special Program by Chris Molla
- Chris Molla will present musical entertainment for children of all ages and their families on Saturday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m.