Finally - The Kindle

As my coworker David wrote about previously, the moment many
have been waiting for has arrived. The Kindle works with the Overdrive
product MyMediaMall. The long awaited collaboration with
the library ebook offering is now in sync with the ebook device
that started the explosion of ereading.

Quite frankly I'm impressed. The process of gettng a free
library ebook onto the Kindle device is pretty simple, and
Kindle users are used to simple and seamless. If you already own
a Kindle, try the service by going to MyMediaMall.net and choose
a Kindle title. If you don't own a Kindle and you are considering
the purchase of a device, there's no reason to ignore this one.

All of us in public libraries have been scorning the giant online bookseller
for years for keeping Kindle proprietary. We hate to say no to patrons,
and as Kindle users came to the library we had to turn many away when
it came to borrowing a library ebook. Maybe Jeff Bezos, the chief of Amazon,
couldn't bear our wrath any longer.

Well, that's probably not the case. More likely Amazon sees
a benefit, at this point, to giving it away for free. The library product directs
the user to Amazon.com where the ebook is loaded onto the Kindle
through the Kindle owner's account. Pretty smart marketing, but Amazon
didn't get to be Amazon by accident.

But what does all this mean for libraries? I think great things.
This new development makes the conversation about libraries
and downloadable media louder. The big huge
for-profit giant is giving a great big nod to information access,
sharing, borrowing and giving it away for free --
the mission of the not-for-profit public library.

Summer 2011 Was Hot

Especially for documentaries. Maybe because I'm partial to the genre but I've noticed lots of reviews and previews this season. The Interrupters, Buck, Page One, Last Mountain, and Tabloid each different - each interesting.

The Interrupters is getting a lot of press as it being screened at the Gene Siskel Center this month. Homegrown in Chicago, this film by Steve James, the director of Hoop Dreams, and author Alex Kotlowitz, follows individuals and the group Ceasefire in their inspirational attempts to quell neighborhood and youth violence.

Buck is the story of a modern day horse-whisperer. Beautifully filmed and a magnet for horse lovers it is the story of the man who overcomes his abusive past and finds his calling.

Page One provides an insider view into the frenetic New York Times newsroom as it tries to evolve and stay solvent in this time of electronic and 24 hour news.

The coal industry and mountain top stripping are the subjects of The Last Mountain. In the same vein as An Inconvenient Truth and Food, Inc. , its goal to alert viewers of a problem before irreparable damage is done.

Tabloid breaks out of the pack with no overt message except that truth is stranger than fiction. Renown filmmaker Errol Morris brings us a fantastical story involving people on the fringe and the media tale of love and obsession.

Unfortunately, most of these are no longer in the theaters and the dvds are not yet available. Look for them in the library's collection by the end of the year.

In the meantime, consider these unique documentaries currently in our catalog.
Floored
5000 Miles From Home
Emergency Mine Rescue

Spotlight on Words

The language of the Readers' Services staff can sometimes get complicated. Ask us about a documentary film and how to find it, and we launch into a description of the Dewey Decimal System. But during a good part of our day we just talk in plain English about blockbuster movies like Die Hard or Public Enemies. Or we direct you to a magazine or a tabloid to find out which celebrities are in the limelight or who won an Oscar or a Tony award. After a few general questions, we can decipher a book title from a cryptic request as we use the library catalog or the online site Amazon.

Our training and natural curiosity won't stop at that though. You may be off to enjoy your findings but we'll be searching the nearest reference sources to better understand the etymology of the words we just spoke.

Amazon - Greek legends of 5th century BC describe strong, courageous women warriors of Asia Minor as Amazons.

Blockbuster - A word coined during WWll for a massive bomb capable of leveling a block.

Die Hard - This was the battle cry of William Inglis during the Napoleonic Wars imploring his troops to stick to the battle and not give up.

Limelight - In the early 19th century, the mineral lime was heated to incandescence to improve the lighting in gas lit theaters. The bright white light was directed on the actors for better visibility. (See photo)

Magazine - Borrowed from the Muslim word makhazins which describes a fortress like storage facility holding a collection of equipment. By the 17th century Europeans were using the word to describe any miscellaneous collection of things.

Oscar - The film award statue went unnamed until the 1930's when the Academy's librarian Margaret Herrick said it looked like her Uncle Oscar and the name stuck.

Public Enemy Number One- Used by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in reference to John Dillinger. This phrase has come to represent any criminal whose crimes are particularly heinous and a threat to the public.

Tabloid - Coined by the pharmaceutical company Burroughs, Wellcome in 1884. Tabloids were specially formulated pills that were highly concentrated and easily swallowed. First used in a journalistic sense in 1900 by Alfred Harmsworth.

Tony - The award for excellence in Broadway theater was named after Antoinette Perry, an actress, director and founder of the American Theater Wing.


Check out these sources:
What's in a Name by Eugene Ehrich
Word Origins and How We Know Them by Anatoly Lieberman
Dictionary of Historical Allusions and Eponyms edited by Dorothy Auchter

Serial Adventures

"Now that all the bookstores are closing, I'm going to have to go to the library."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I overheard that statement from a person reading a paperback on the train. Mainly, I wanted to get up and shout the benefits of public libraries and get that person a library card. Tout de suite.

It seems fitting that I should now list ALL the advantages of a library but I've been wanting to post about the new magazines we have added to the collection for 2011.
About 25 plus new titles were
added. Ironically, we learned of many of these new titles by visiting a nearby Borders. The closing of that store won't stop us from finding new and interesting titles this year. We are a resourceful bunch and greatly admire Mr. Magazine and you for suggestions.

Many of the magazines we added in 2011 follow a new trend. Highly specialized and diverse. Chicago Crescent, India Today and News China focus on specific communities affecting all of our lives. Midwest Gaming, Cardmaker, Just CrossStitch, Woodcraft target hobbyists. Looking Back appeals to Seniors. Cicada to teens. If you had to open your wallet to read one of these magazines, you'd probably stick with a familiar topic. But at the library being adventurous doesn't cost a thing.



2011 Additions
Cardmaker, Chicago Crescent, Cicada, Do It Yourself, Equus, Fitness Magazine, Guitar Aficiando, Heart and Soul, Illinois Game and Fish, Just CrossStitch, Looking Back, Midwest Gaming and Travel, News China, Realms of Fantasy, Shonen Jump, Small Business Opportunities, UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, WoodCraft, Yoga Plus Joyful Living

Friend Me

I think once you hear the statement that Eskimos have 1000 words for snow you never forget it. At least I never have. True or not, it makes sense that something that is so integral to a community would be described with such specificity. This makes me wonder why we really rarely use another word for "friend" in our regular day to day lives. These are such complex and varied relationships they should be described with more precision.



I started thinking about this after realizing I had just read these three books. The False Friend, The Last Friend, and A Friend of the Family. In all these books, the friendships are puzzling and complicated. People drawn together for various reasons. All three of these stories have somewhat ambiguous endings and all three would make for a good book club choice with your ....friends.

LOUDER than a Bomb

I can't wait to buy the film Louder Than a Bomb for the library.

I just saw this documentary on the big screen. In the same genre as Spellbound,Wordplay, and Triviatown, this film focuses on a competition. In this case, a Chicago based high school poetry slam. I feel self-conscious even trying to craft a description of the movie after hearing the words of these young people who created works of art with their minds and their voices.

No review can prepare you for the feeling of awe inspired by these young people. They are so talented and they work so hard. Strings of words and feelings, sometimes performed at breakneck speeds, sometimes performed with comic timing, sometimes solo, sometimes in unison, stories of family, stories of experience, stories in metaphor.

I'd like to say the film itself is nothing compared to the teens' work but that may be a simplistic view. The filmmakers let us get to know the individual stories of a few of the most talented individuals and their teams. Clearly their stories are edited with finesse based on the empathy they elicit from the viewer( especially this viewer).

The Young Chicago Authors group organizes the competition, "a safe and judgment free outlet where kids from all over the city can share stories and break stereotypes, challenging themselves and their audience,” as decribed by author and LTAB co-founder and artistic director Kevin Coval. “For three minutes at a time the students speak about their lives, but for the other eighty-seven minutes, they are listening to the lives and stories and dreams of others.”

The good thing is you don't have to wait to see the film. The competition is coming up and it is open to the public. Click here for the full schedule.

Unfortunately, no date yet for the release on DVD. In the meantime, try these other docs showcasing competitions and contests.


Mad Hot Ballroom
Spellbound
Triviatown
Wordplay
Pucker Up The Fine Art of Whistling

Life's Little Ironies

Seems like all entities involved in the book world are addressing E-reading. Libraries are staying current by providing electronic content and devices, publishers are designing new marketing strategies, and book stores are selling the flashy gadgets along side plain old printed material. As this universe is perfected and prices keep dropping E-reading is going to be inevitable. Here at the library, as you probably know, we have several Sony Readers to lend for our Ebook discussions and the Barnes and Noble Nook is our winter reading club prize. (thanks to the Friends of the Library)

Given all that, imagine that there is another new format being touted. This one in Europe by the Spanish publishing house Ediciones B. Described as "a sensational innovation in the world of books, Librinos, are innovative in concept, format and material. Easy to read everywhere: on the beach, in bed, on the go." And want to know what it is? A minuscule paperback that opens from the bottom up like a notebook with the binding at the top. How I would love to be privy to the research on this packaging. While we here are all about the gadget, someone has reinvented the low tech paperback. Who would have thought the two continents would be so different? But are we? Interestingly, the titles that have been printed in this new mini paperback form are mainly from English speaking authors. Five of the first six titles published are from authors you know and love... like life's little ironies.

The Magic Circle by Katherine Neville

Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice

PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Winter in Madrid by CJ Sansom

FREEDOM is Overrated

The book Freedom that is. The one by Jonathan Franzen that had tremendous media coverage this fall. Saying it was over-promoted rather than overrated is probably more accurate. The usual suspects like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Oprah promoted Freedom, but also GQ, Esquire, four periodicals in the UK and newspapers in Kansas City, Portland, Minneapolis and Cleveland. And this is far from an exhaustive list.

The content of the reviews varied but many used the term "Great American Novel." That's a tough phrase to ignore. Freedom went on my reading list.

I'm two-thirds done with the novel and I'm feeling uncomfortable with it. Not with the style or the prose, but the characters and the social commentary. I don't even care how it ends. Though reviewers have hinted at a surprise ending. I just want to discuss it with fellow readers. Why did this book get so much attention? Will it be read in future generations? Are comparisons to Tolstoy and David Foster Wallace accurate? And what about those sex scenes?

Read it and let's talk. By the way, Freedom was shortlisted for the tongue-in-cheek "Bad Sex in Literature" award distributed by Britain's Literary Review magazine. This year's prize went to Alastair Campbell for his novel Maya. Read more on BBC News.

For a good selection of reviews - go to Bookmarks Magazine

Don't Be Shy

"HERE, take another one. Why not? One's not enough."

Who was this talking?

When I heard it, I imagined a babushka covered matriarch with a plate of hot cookies. But nope, it was me. I was singing my Readers' Services anthem while helping a patron find a John Grisham read-alike. Why take only one. It's the library. They're free. If you get home and don't like one, there should be another option right there.

I like to encourage going home with multiple books and multiple authors. The patron did take home several books by Steve Martini. I was happy she took more than one book but privately admonished myself for not introducing a more unique choice. Steve Martini is a baby boomer lawyer turned writer just like John.

This experience reminded me of a The New Yorker magazine list of 20 authors under 40. The article highlights these young talents one by one, provides a brief interview with each and a sample of their writing. None of the writers on the list would have been a great match for someone wanting a legal thriller but the library is a great place to take a chance on someone new.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi

Adrian, Chris

Alarcon, Daniel

Bezmozigis, David

Bynum, Sarah

Ferris, Joshua

Foer, Jonathan Safran

Freudenberger, Nell

Galchan, Rivka

Krauss,Nicole

Li,Yiyun

Meyer, Philipp

Morgan, C.E

Packer, ZZ

Sweet Indulgence

I love magazines but I consider them to be a complete indulgence. After all the other reading and information gathering has been done, then dessert is served. Shiny, colorful, focused, creative --- who can resist?

Unfortunately, a lot of people.

2009 was rough for magazines.

Gourmet, Metropolitan Home, Country Home, Domino, Electronic Gaming Monthly,Figure, Teen, Travel & Leisure Golf, Advocate, Vibe are just a few of the titles discontinued last year. 2010, so far, is shaping up to be a better year with less disappearances.

Many magazines that were canceled in print maintained an online presence. Understandable to some degree as reading via an electronic device is gaining popularity with all the new gadgets out there. But in my opinion, the pleasure of the magazine comes from its sensory appeal. How will they ever market fragrances via I-Pad?

There's a magazine consulting professional known as Mr. Magazine who researches and writes about the business. His site is an interesting one to peruse. Not quite dessert but a pretty tasty side dish.

See his list of notable magazines in the past 25 years. Then see how many you can find on the third floor here at the Des Plaines Public Library.

Here's a head start:
Elle
Men's Health
Cooking Light
Entertainment Weekly
Martha Stewart Living
Fast Company
Wired
In Style
Maxim
O, the Oprah Magazine
ESPN
Real Simple
In Touch

Moving Pictures

This week I experienced a touch of humor, humanity and history all in the course of three hours. I could have been reading a wonderful novel, but this time I wasn't reading but walking Michigan Avenue near Millennium Park. Within three blocks there are three photography exhibits installed at three cultural institutions for free*.

Columbia College houses the Museum of Contemporary Photography where there is currently an exhibit of John Baldessari abstract prints. I smiled through the exhibit of photographs decorated with bright circles of color but struggled with the meaning behind the works. Lucky for me the Chicago Tribune was on my heals and a review appeared in the newspaper the next day.

Next stop was a photographic review of San Francisco in the 70's. Chicago born photographer Jerry Pritikin has an exhibit at the Gage Gallery of Roosevelt University. His photographs are of the people of Castro Street and the Gay Rights movement. The producers of the film Milk must have received inspiration from photos like these.

Last on my tour that day was the massive exhibit at the Art Institute, of the prolific and peripatetic photo journalist Henri Cartier-Bresson from the 1930's - 1970s. This photographer captured moving moments of history like the funeral of Gandhi to mundane scenes of a picnic in a park.


*The Art Institute currently has free admission on Thursday evenings.

Super Highly Covered Media Story

I first noticed the phenomenon in March 2003 with A Ship Made of Paper. A media blitz of enormous proportions hit that month with reviews and interviews with the author Scott Spencer. I hadn't read him before and it seemed like every news outlet was covering his book. I was intrigued more by the exposure than the plot line but read the book. It was a good story filled with discussion potential about love, race and stereotypes. All that coverage and I believe that book never made it to the New York Times Best Seller List.

Now I'm noticing the same phenom with Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story. Not that the Chicago Tribune has reviewed it yet, but almost everyone else has. NPR, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, The Miami Herald, The Dallas Times, and the beloved BookPage distributed here at the library. I'm familiar with Shteyngart as mentioned in a previous blog of mine. He's wry, satirical and writes far fetched stories from an immigrant's point of view. I've got the book in my hand right now. I can't wait to see if it makes the Best Seller list.

While researching and verifying my memory of March 2003, I came across the best seller list of April 2003. The first week of that month a certain book made it to the list and stayed there for years. This book actually accumulated more media coverage after it hit the number one spot than before. Feel free to guess the title. And what drives your book choices- media coverage or a personal recommendation?

Super Sad True Love Story.

A Ship Made of Paper.

Reality DVD

Who would have thought a trailer advertising HBO Documentaries before the feature film Crazy Heart would be a smart move? But some ad exec must have done some research on academy award winning films and documentary film viewers, and bingo, hit the target with me in the audience. I knew nothing about the ten week HBO Documentary summer series until then. Catching the shows on Monday nights will be a challenge, but I like knowing they are there.

Conveniently checked out from our library though, I recently watched three documentaries on DVD. As it happens, none were produced by HBO.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed with Ben Stein questions freedom of speech in the intelligent design debate. Academics and scientists from around the world argue passionately in this controversial satirical film.

Cover Girl Culture, a film produced by Women Make Movies, interviews the staff of Teen Vogue, therapists and teenage girls to understand our society's obsession with beauty.

Lastly Afghan Star. This is a film about an American Idol type competition in Afghanistan. The imitation of our show is delightful but then the implications of men and women singing in public for a nation in conflict with the Taliban become apparent.

New documentaries are added to the collection every month and some will probably be from this summer's hbo series. If you need help finding a good one, just ask.

The Book Review

I just read the book, Solar, by Ian McEwan. I put it on reserve as soon as I heard about it, not waiting for a review. Enduring Love, Atonement, On Chesil Beach, a few of his other titles, were each creatively written, clever stories. I was game for this one.

Solar was enjoyable but it included a few slapstick scenes and a predictable main character. Elements I find distracting.

Walter Kirn (the author of Up in the Air) reviewed it in 1400 words for the New York Times this week. He said..."a book so good — so ingeniously designed, irreproachably high-minded and skillfully brought off — that it’s actually quite bad." With a sentence like that, what is a reader supposed to do?

Maybe just enjoy and appreciate the well crafted review.

I recently learned that there is an award for excellence in book reviewing - The Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Book Reviewing. In 1974, the community of reviewers and critics realized that respect for the profession was slight, and thus the National Book Critics Circle was organized as a professional support group. The award was later created after the death of Nona Balakian, one of the founding members of the NBCC.

Donna Seaman, a Chicagoan, and a finalist for the award this past year hopes the award "conveys to the public that book reviewing is a demanding, creative and significant endeavor, an art held to high standards..."

We read a lot of reviews here at the library, and write a few too. I'll be looking out for Donna's reviews. (and, of course, Des Plaines staff reviews in the TribLocal.)

Joyce Carol Oates

I was unimpressed as she thanked her interviewer for the lovely introduction. Her demeanor timid and reserved, her voice soft. She was clad in an easy to wear, no fuss black suit. The same one worn by the program organizer and her cohort on stage. This was the award winning author, Joyce Carol Oates? I had made the effort on a day off of work to go downtown to hear the writer described as provocative, insightful, chilling, and first impressions screamed mediocre.

Joyce Carol Oates started the program by reading one of her short stories. No special intonations or sound effects. She was subdued, but I was soon captivated. The words alone were telling a story that didn't permit distraction. The setting came alive. The main character's inner most thoughts were revealed as worries about her housekeeping ran parallel to her worries about the two drug high intruders holding a knife and inquiring about a young daughter one flight up.

True to her chroniclers, Joyce Carol Oates is a talented storyteller. After reading the short story, the author answered questions with stories. Detailed vignettes about the influence of family, about her life, her interest in true crime and her desire to write outside the literary genre.

Joyce Carol Oates is a prolific writer and a professor of creative writing at Princeton. Novels, essays, poetry, nonfiction, young adult books created over many decades. With an oeuvre like hers, she doesn't need to impress with a dramatic voice or be concerned about what she wears.

Recent Titles

Dear Husband

Little Bird of Heaven

A Chance Meeting

I ran into a past acquaintance the other day in an office waiting room. The meeting was so unexpected and delightful, I've been mulling over a strategy for a repeat occurrence. There I was flipping through the pages of the December issue of Travel and Leisure, and Gary Shteyngart interrupted my viewing of a lovely snow scene in Montana. Gary and I met years ago....in Absurdistan, more specifically, when I was listening to his book Absurdistan. That story was mad cap, witty, and wry, and after a few sentences of the magazine article "A Winter's Tale," I recognized his familiar voice and looked at the byline.

It's really not surprising that book authors write elsewhere but I haven't paid attention to this particular path to finding reading material. Dominick Dunne comes to mind as an author that wrote extensively for magazines, as do various nonfiction authors. Novelists, I believe, are a little harder to run into.

Now, though, I have a strategy for a repeat occurrence. I've used the library database, General Reference Center Gold and I've found a list of 18 articles of his.

Do you have a novelist, you'd like to read more of? Let Readers' Services help you discover their other writings. It may not be a serendipitous as my experience but it may be just as delightful.

Golden Voices

Ever marvel at the uniqueness of voice? How at the simple utterance of a hello, you know who it is. High, low, squeaky, smooth, young, old. Some audiobook narrators though can't be pegged. These folks are unique for their versatility. At least the good ones.

For finding the good ones, and the perfect audiobook, you must visit this online magazine site, Audiofile. Everything you want to know about audiobooks is there. Descriptions galore but the most special section is the Golden Voices page.

Golden voices highlights narrators that are particulary talented and particulary prolific. I recently listened to The White Tiger mainly because the narrator John Lee was profiled on the site. He captured the Indian accent and the narration of a story in letter form with finesse. He has narrated books by Charles Dickens, John LeCarre, Ruth Rendell and Orhan Pamuk. Versatile to say the least.

From the Golden Voices section dig deeper and read about the profession and what it takes to become a reader. Fun and interesting.

If this isn't the best audiobook resource on the web, please let me know.