Books in our Branch

This month's new book list, chosen by Noe Valley Head Librarian Roberta Greifer and Children's Librarian Carol Small, features a hippie-era mystery, an anthology of poetry by Arab women, and Emeril Lagasse's kids cookbook. To find out what books are available, call 695-5095 or visit the Noe Valley Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street, near Castro Street. Besides books, the branch offers magazines, videos, DVDs, 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 women's literature section, and a 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
- Set in 1659 Amsterdam, The Coffee Trader, by David Liss, is about a sharp-witted trader who ventures into a precarious partnership with a seductive woman.
- In Drop City by T.C. Boyle, a '70s down-at-the-heels California commune decides to relocate to the Alaskan wilds.
- In White Rabbit, a mystery by David Daniel set in the 1960s Haight Ashbury, a cop and a young hippie join forces to solve a series of murders.
Adult Nonfiction
- In Act It Out, psychologist Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D., uses acting exercises as the basis for a self-guided recovery method for adult survivors of sexual, physical, or emotional trauma.
- In Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town, Paul Theroux revisits the Africa he knew 40 years ago when he was a teacher in the Malawi bush.
- The Gate, by François Bizot, the only Westerner ever to escape a Khymer Rouge prison, is a moving account of his arrest and capture in 1970s Cambodia on suspicion of being an American spy.
- In three short essays collected in In the Presence of Fear, author Wendell Berry reflects on how our world has changed since the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
- The Poetry of Arab Women, an anthology edited by Nathalie Handal, contains the poetry of 83 contemporary women from 16 different countries.
Children's Fiction
- Photographer Myles Pinkney and author Sandra Pinkney have collaborated to produce A Rainbow Around Me, a joyous and multi-ethnic celebration of colors and children. Ages 3 to 5.
- A New Home by Tim Bowers is short, easy to read, and tells the story of a move to a new home, the loss of an important possession, and the forming of a new friendship. Ages 5 to 7.
- Tanya and the Red Shoes, by Patricia Lee Gauch, illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa, is about a young girl who dreams of dancing sur pointes and finds out about the hard work, blisters, and fun that come about when she can finally do it. Ages 4 to 7.
- Although 9-year-old Joshua shares his father's excitement about leaving Missouri and making the trip to Oregon, there are many hardships ahead in Westward to Home: Joshua's Diary, The Oregon Trail, 1848, by Patricia Hermes. Ages 8 to 11.
- When a seventh-grader at a mall is handed a large paper bag with a baby inside, it is the beginning of a fascinating and dangerous series of events in Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes. Ages 10 and up.
Children's Nonfiction
- In The Wright Brothers: A Flying Start, Elizabeth MacLeod uses straightforward text, period photographs, and cartoon balloons to show how determination and hard work, as well as excitement about making a "flying machine," resulted in two men making aviation history 100 years ago. Ages 8 to 10.
- The next time you're hungry, head for the kitchen and make "Totally Terrific Cheese Toast" or "Mile-High Blueberry Muffins." The recipes for these and many more delicious treats can be found in Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup: Recipes for the Kid in Everyone, by chef Emeril Lagasse. Ages 7 to 11.
- "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" are only two of the traditional tunes for which Alan Katz has written original, humorous, and slightly gross lyrics in Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs, with illustrations by David Catrow. Ages 6 to 9.
LIBRARY EVENTS
Word for Word Storytelling
- Word for Word theater company performs stories by Sandra Cisneros for all ages, on Saturday, April 26, at 3 p.m.
Poetry Reading
- In honor of National Poetry Month, Forrest Hamer, Oakland therapist and author of Call and Response; and Suzanne Lummis, director of the Los Angeles Poetry Festival; read from their work on Wednesday, April 30, at 7:30 p.m.
Preschool Story Time
- Children ages 3 to 5 can hear stories read aloud at preschool story time, at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays, April 1, 8, and 22.
Films in February
- The library invites preschoolers 3 to 5 to watch a series of short films, including Frog Goes to Dinner, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Little Blue and Little Yellow, on Tuesday, April 29, at 10 and 11 a.m.
Family Lapsits
- The library's family lapsit offers stories, songs, and finger plays for infants and toddlers at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays, April 5 and 26.
Noe Valley head librarian Roberta Greifer contributed this month's adult book annotations. Children's librarian Carol Small wrote the children's book descriptions.