February 2001 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

This month's new books list, provided by librarians Roberta Greifer, Lea Rude, and Carol Small, features short stories by Ann Beattie, a look at the struggles of women in Hollywood, and some tales to read to your dog. To check out a book's availability, call 695-5095, or visit the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey St. In addition to books, the branch offers magazines, CDs, videos, an outside deck, and the archives of 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.

Poetry Readings

2 Dan Bellm, author of One Hand on the Wheel, joins Sharon Pretti in a poetry reading on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m.

Three Noe Valley Authors

2 Three published novelists, all living in the neighborhood--Cara Black, Ruthanne Lum McCunn, and Heather Drohan--read from their work on Saturday, March 3, at 2 p.m.

Preschool Story Time

2 Children ages 3 to 5 will hear wonderful tales at the library's preschool story time, 10 a.m., Tuesdays, Feb. 6, 13, and 27.

Films

2 Preschoolers ages 3 to 5 can watch films at 10 and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Lapsits

2 Enjoy stories, songs, and fingerplays with your baby or toddler at the 7 p.m. lapsits on Wednesdays, Feb. 7, 14, 21, and 28.

Adult Fiction

2 Perfect Recall is award-winning author Ann Beattie's latest book of short stories exploring how people come to terms with family myths and altered circumstances.

2 In his graceful new novel, Jim the Boy, Tony Early tells the story of a 10-year-old boy growing up in a small town in North Carolina during the Depression.

2 In Jack Fuller's novel, The Best of Jackson Payne, a musicologist confronts his own obsessions when he sets out to write the biography of a tortured jazz musician.

2 Shadows of the Hegemon, the sequel to Orson Scott Card's Ender's Shadow, is a science-fiction novel about a battle among all the earth's nations.

Adult Nonfiction

2 Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? is a vibrant social history of the struggles and successes of women in Hollywood, by the talented reporter Rachel Abramowitz.

2 Charles R. Schwab provides simple and practical investing strategies in You're Fifty-- Now What? Investing for the Second Half of Your Life.

2 The daughter of Alice Walker and Mel Leventhal, Rebecca Walker movingly recalls her biracial upbringing in Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self.

2 In A Call to Conscience, editors Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard have collected the most influential speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., each one introduced by a world-renowned leader or theologian.

Annotations by Lea Rude

Librarian, Noe Valley Branch

Children's Fiction

2 Some friends, although at first puzzled by the snow, are able to have a wonderful time playing together in Cat and Mouse in the Snow, by Tomek Bogacki. Ages 2 to 5.

2 In Mabel Dancing, Amy Hest shows that a child may have trouble falling asleep--but only until she can be included for a while in the party her parents are having downstairs. Ages 3 to 5.

2 Patrick O'Brien gives readers an understanding of the enormous size of dinosaurs by picturing these creatures on the same page with people or things in Gigantic! How Big Were the Dinosaurs? Ages 3 to 6.

2 Kevin Henkes, creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and Chrysanthemum, has given us another engaging story in Wemberly Worried. Ages 4 to 6.

2 Looking for some stories about the vet, a turtle, and a bath to share with a canine friend? Try Three More Stories You Can Read to Your Dog, by Sara Swan Miller. Ages 6 to 8.

2 The main character, sometimes described as a "miracle" because she's the only girl for miles around, is feisty and adventuresome in Jennifer Holm's historical novel Our Only May Amelia. Ages 10 and up.

Children's Nonfiction

2 Are you planning to play baseball this coming season? You can find a lot of helpful tips in Be a Better Hitter: Baseball Basics, by Buz Brundage. Ages 8 and up.

2 You will learn many interesting things about instruments and composers from many different time periods, from pre-Baroque to modern, in The Story of the Incredible Orchestra, by Bruce Koscielniak. Ages 8 and up.

Annotations by Carol Small

Children's Librarian, Noe Valley Branch