May 2009 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

Two Useful How-To Books

You can learn French slang and how to make contact with ghosts by checking out two books now available at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library on Jersey Street. The guides are among a sampling of new acquisitions chosen by children's librarian Carol Small and Voice literary sleuth Karol Barske. For more information, drop by the branch, call 415-355-5707, or visit www.sfpl.org. The library is open Tuesday through Sunday for your reading pleasure.

Adult Fiction

- A successful banker in post-WWII Japan finds spoiled food, employee theft, and financial disarray when he goes to work at his cousin's discount store in the provinces, in Satoshi Azuchi's Supermarket.

- In Night Navigation by Ginnah Howard, a mother and son alternate memoirs dealing with addiction and mental illness, and grief over the deaths of a husband and a brother.

- Poet and playwright Marisha Chamberlain tells the story of a talented female composer during the early days of feminism, in her first novel, The Rose Variations.

Adult Nonfiction

- In The Elephant in the Room: Silence and Denial in Everyday Life, sociology professor Eviatar Zerubavel analyzes the use of silence in music, film, and politics.

- Charles Timony's Pardon My French: Unleash Your Inner Gaul includes colloquial and slang words and phrases not taught in school.

- Comedian and radio host Steve Harvey offers a guide to understanding the modern man, in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment.

- Cajun artist George Rodrigue compiles nearly 250 paintings featuring his iconic blue dog (modeled after his dog Tiffany) in the coffeetable book Blue Dog Speaks.

Annotations by Karol Barske, of the Voice staff

Children's Fiction

- A little girl hears stories from her neighbor about how as a boy he followed a shooting star through the sky and found the end of a rainbow, in George Ella Lyon's My Friend, the Starfinder. Ages 5 to 7.

- Hothead Red bullies Blue, until the numeral One saves the day, in One by Kathryn Otoshi. Ages 5 to 7.

- A tribute to the Pack Horse Librarians of Appalachia in the 1930s, That Book Woman by Heather Henson tells the story of a traveling librarian and a little boy who learns to read. Ages 6 to 8.

- Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris continues the tale of Zandelphia's young Queen Marigold and King Christian, who work together to defeat the wicked Queen Olympia, Marigold's mother. Ages 10 and up.

Children's Nonfiction

- Stephen Krensky covers everything you want to know about Ghosts, including the history of spirits, how to make contact, and ghosts in books, movies, TV, and websites. Ages 7 to 10.

- The lives of a civil rights leader and a German-born rabbi come together in As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Hershel's Amazing March Toward Freedom, by Richard Michelson. Ages 7 to 10.

Selected by Children's Librarian Carol Small

LIBRARY EVENTS

Book Club Forming

- The Noe Valley Library wants to hear from members of the community who are interested in joining a monthly book discussion group. The group will meet on Wednesday evenings in the library's program room. Participants will read and discuss a variety of fiction titles that can be borrowed from the library. Call the branch at 355-5707 if you're interested. The library will contact you later in May with details about the first meeting.

Mother in the Middle

- Berkeley author Sybil Lockhart will read from her book Mother in the Middle: A Biologist's Story of Caring for Parent and Child, on Saturday, May 9, at 2 p.m., in the Noe Valley Library Program Room. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Toddler Tales

- Treat your baby or toddler, age 18 months to 3 years old, to books, rhymes, music, and motion at Toddler Tales, offered on Tuesdays, May 5, 12, and 26, at 10:15 a.m.

Family Story Time

- The library invites you to Family Story Time, a read-aloud program for children 5 and younger, on Tuesdays, May 5, 12, and 26, from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

Films for Kids

- Kids ages 3 to 5 will have fun at a half-hour show of Short Films on Tuesday, May 19, starting at 10:15 a.m. The program repeats at 11 a.m.

All events take place at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Branch Library at 451 Jersey Street, between Castro and Diamond streets. For information, call 355-5707.