A vegetarian cookbook
sanctioned by Martha Stewart, the fictionalized diary of a
young Queen Victoria, and a picture book about a magpie who
has a hoarding problem are some of the gems on this month’s
book list provided by Noe Valley librarians Susan Higgins and
Catherine Starr. If you need more suggestions, visit the Noe
Valley/Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey St. (or online atwww.sfpl.org) or
call the branch at 415-355-5707.
Adult Fiction
•Semper Fidelis: A
Novel of the Roman Empireis the fifth in
Ruth Downie’s series about a doctor in Roman-occupied Britain.
•Winners of a contest
get advice on their marriage from the author of a self-help
book on relationships, in Love Is a Canoeby
Ben Schrank.
•A disillusioned
advertising writer learns that his estranged father is dying,
in the comic novel Truth in Advertising by
John Kenney.
•Jim Harrison’s River
Swimmer contains two novellas: one about a
60-year-old professor and the other about a 17-year-old
swimmer.
Adult Nonfiction
•Lawrence Wrightexplores
the inner workings of the Church of Scientology in Going
Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief.
•Meatless: More Than
200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipesfrom
the kitchens ofMartha Stewart Living is a
collection of easy, everyday recipes with photos.
•The Inventor and the
Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving
Pictures,by Edward Ball, is a true crime
story about the partnership between railroad tycoon Leland
Stanford and Edward Muybridge, the inventor of stop-motion
photography and the man who murdered his wife’s lover.
•In My
Beloved World,Supreme Court Justice Sonia
Sotomayor shares trying times in her life, including the death
of her alcoholic father, her failed marriage, and her struggle
with diabetes.
Teen Fiction
•A high school
graduate tours Europe and falls in love with a Dutch actor
in Just One Day by Gayle Forman.
•Queen Victoria’s
personal journals tell her story in the historical novelVictoria
Rebelsby Carolyn Meyer.
Children’s Books
•Spencer finds out how
to welcome a new baby brother (or sister), in One
Special Day, by Lola M. Schaefer,
illustrations by Jessica Meserve. Ages 2 to 5.
•A pig tells a secret
to a rooster, but when the rooster relays it to a cow, the
words get all “fowled” up, in Oink-a-Doodle-Moo by
Jef
Czakaj. Ages 3 to 7.
•In Leigh Hodgkinson’s
Goldilocks and Just One Bear, Little Bear,
now all grown up, finds himself lost in the city with no idea
how to find porridge or a place to lay his head. Ages 4 to 8.
•A magpie who keeps
filling his nest with useless trinkets gets counseling from a
group of mice, in More by
I.C. Springman, illustrated by Brian Lies. Ages 4 to 8.
•In Unlocking
the Spell: A Tale of the Wide-Awake Princess,by
E.D. Baker, Sleeping Beauty’s sister Annie tries to locate the
dwarf who turned Beauty’s handsome prince into a bear. Ages 8
to 12.
•Trapped in 1615
France with assassins hot on his tail, Greg begins to wonder
if there is a traitor among the three soldiers he’s
befriended, in The Last Musketeer: Traitor’s Chase by
Stuart
Gibbs. Ages 9 to 12.
•Black Heart Crypt is
the fourth mystery by Chris Grabenstein starring young Zack, a
boy who can talk to ghosts, including his three great-aunts.
Ages 9 to 13.
•Author Jennifer L.
Holm and illustrator Elicia Castaldi use journal entries,
clippings, cartoons, text messages, and Post-it notes to tell
how Eighth Grade Is Making Me Sick: Ginny Davis’s Year
in Stuff. Ages 9 to 14.
LIBRARY EVENTS
Sheppard Kominars on Getting
More Out of Life:Local author and poet Sheppard
Kominars gives a talk on writing as a tool for
enhancing your emotional and physical well-being. The program
includes readings from Kominars’ collection “Eighth Decade
Poems: Perspectives on Aging” and a discussion of
journal-writing techniques from his book Write for
Life: Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Journal Writing.
Saturday, March 9, 2 p.m.
Awake! It’s a Midsummer
Night’s Dream: The San Francisco Shakespeare
Festival presents an action-packed hour of theater using text
from A Midsummer Night’s Dream,William
Shakespeare’s comedy about two sets of couples whose romantic
intentions are confused by their encounters in an enchanted
wood. At the end of the show, actors will answer questions
from the audience. Weather permitting, the performance will
take place outdoors, so bring a jacket. Saturday, March 16, 3
p.m.
Great Books Discussion
Group: The Great Books Council of San
Francisco sponsors a discussion group that explores famous
short stories, essays, and speeches. This month’s selection
is After the Ballby Leon Tolstoy.
Wednesday, March 13, 6:15 p.m.
Noe Valley Book Discussion
Group: The Noe Valley Book Discussion
Group meets on the third Wednesday of the month. This month’s
selection is The Great Leader: A Faux Mysteryby
Jim Harrison. Wednesday, March 20, 7 p.m.
CHILDREN’S
EVENTS
Knitting for
Beginners: Ruth of RuthKnits offers
a
workshop where kids 10 to 17 can create knitted flowers to
adorn jackets, bags, or hats. Learn to “cast on” and “bind
off,” knit and purl, read a pattern, and sew pieces together
to create a finished project. Yarn and needles are provided.
To reserve a spot, call 415-355-5707. Space is limited.
Thursday, March 7, 4:15 to 5:45 p.m.
Reading by
Author-Illustrator Ashley Wolff:Compost Stew, Old MacDonald
Had a Workshop, and the Miss
Bindergarten series are among the 60-plus
books Ashley Wolff has illustrated. Join her
as she shares a few of her favorites. This event is part of
WordWeek, a Friends of Noe Valley literary festival. Tuesday,
March 19, 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.
Sean’s Shadows Star in “The
Gingerbread Man”: A San Francisco Library Puppet
Festival features shadow puppet master Sean Powers, performing
his rendition of the classic taleThe Gingerbread Man. Saturday,
March 23, 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Toddler Tales: Join Noe Valley’s children’s
librarian for stories, songs, rhymes, and movement. For
children 18 to 36 months, with parents or caregivers.
Tuesdays, March 5, 12, and 19. 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., and 11 to
11:30 a.m.
Preschool Films: Children ages 3 to 5 years and
parents and caregivers are invited to watch short films on
Tuesday, March 26. 10:15 to 10:45 a.m., and 11 to 11:30 a.m.
All events take place at the
Noe Valley/Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey St. near Castro
Street. For information, call 415-355-5707 or visitwww.sfpl.org.
