MERRY EVERYTHING and HAPPY ALWAYS!!!

Time for my final posting of 2008. I have greatly enjoyed contributing to the library's blog and am thrilled to know the blog has followers! Keep reading in the New Year!

OFFBEAT HOLIDAY FLICKS

Most people have favorite holiday films. Personally, I enjoy the old-school standbys; It's A Wonderful Life, The Bishop's Wife, and White Christmas are right up there in my top five. Add in A Christmas Story, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Elf, and you've got some great movies that truly convey all kinds of warm, funny, and wonderful Christmasy sentiment. There are other movies that add their own unique stamp on what the season means, some of them being relatively little-known. Here are a few examples:

WARNING---WARNING--WARNING: *MASSIVE SPOILERS*!!! So don't keep reading if you wish to be "surprised"...


ALL MINE TO GIVE, 1957

Unfortunately no local library has this DVD in their collection. The DVD cover art, which is original to the movie's release over fifty years ago, has a tagline that reads: "Six kids on a true and wonderful adventure!" This is one of the most misleading teasers in cinematic public relations history. It has the reader imagining a sextuplet of young ones perhaps sledding on particularly icy mountains or facing down some Scrooge-like, anti-Christmas archnemesis. In fact, it's about children losing both parents to highly contagious diseases and having their family rent permanently asunder.

This tale is based on a true-life story set in Wisconsin. Robert and Mamie Eunson (Cameron Mitchell and Glynis Johns) are Scots who have just landed in America (the year is 1856), having been invited there by Mamie's uncle. They arrive in the tiny logging village of Eureka, only to be informed that both uncle and his cabin have been incinerated in a house fire. The Eunsons are assisted by the friendly locals in reconstructing the house and Robert takes to tipping timber. It should be noted Mamie is heavily pregnant upon their reaching Eureka; she delivers baby Robbie soon after the cabin is completed. Robert eventually starts a successful boat building business and Mamie gives birth to five more children: Jimmy, Kirk, Annabelle, Elizabeth, and Jane. The Eunsons are prospering and happy--until little Kirk is diagnosed with diptheria. Mamie and Kirk are quarantined while Robert takes the other children away. The boy recovers, but the goodbye kiss he gave Dadda before his departure proves fatal, and Mr. Eunson succumbs.

Mamie takes to working as a seamstress and Robbie becomes the man of the house. Things stabilize, but only briefly: tired and work-worn, Mamie contracts typhoid. Knowing she won't survive, she charges her eldest with finding good homes for his siblings. After her death, Robbie does exactly that, dispatching his brothers and sisters to kindly townsfolk. Stoic and resigned during the process, he does break down when he's alone and sees the tree outside the homestead where his father had carved the names of the children into the bark. Baby Jane is the last to be handed over--Robbie stands at the door of a house and asks the woman who answers, "Will you take my sister, ma'am?" Pathos, lachrymose, mourning, and gloom! (It reminds me that in Great Britain, this movie was released under the title The Day They Gave Babies Away...*gulp*!)

He then turns and trudges, solitary and struggling, up a hill in a snowstorm. You may ask, "What does this horribly sad tale have to do with Christmas?" Robbie is breaking up the clan on Christmas Eve, wisely thinking people are more likely to accept taking in an orphan while filled with the holiday spirit.

I remember having my grade school show this film when I was a kid and half the auditorium was weeping openly by the end. While many people would avoid something this maudlin during a time of year we're enjoined to be merry and bright, I find it triumphant and warm-hearted. It was finally released to DVD just last month--I hope one local library decides to add it to their Christmas video collection.



THE GREAT RUPERT, 1950

This is a DVD the Main has in its collection. It stars Jimmy Durante as Mr. Amendola, a vaudeville performer who's come upon very hard times just before Christmas. He, his wife, and their lovely 20-something daughter, Rosalinda, are forced to take up residence in what amounts to a drafty, broken-down garage. Mr. Dingle is the tight-fisted landlord; his son, Peter, strikes up a romance with Miss Amandola.

Rupert is a talented performing squirrel (be aware he moves by very early stop-motion animation, which comes across as more than slightly bizarre--plus he smokes!) who is on hiatus with his human partner, Joe Mahoney, until a circus rolls into town with whom they'll perform. A seriously worthwhile question to pose here may be: just what IS Rupert in the film? Is he a mildly-lifelike-looking squirrel doll? Or, worst case scenario, is he---a taxidermized rodent...?! Oh, the possibilities...

Rupie discovers Mr. Dingle is hoarding bundles of cash in a wall and, brilliantly, starts throwing it down at the impoverished Amendolas, who take it to be a Christmas miracle. This movie is also known as The Christmas Wish, ostensibly because Rupert dispenses with the greenbacks on several occasions when Mr. Amendola shouts, "Rosalinda needs a new pair of shoes!" at the ceiling...oh yeah! Merry, merry!

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS, 1964

This movie is exactly what gives science fiction a bad name. The Martians are nothing more than humans dressed in what look like pathetic third-rate Halloween costumes. The cheaply-constructed set--just check out the hysterical robot from the movie's poster, used as the DVD cover--looks as if, altogether, it cost about $500.00. And the actors are hammy and overblown beyond belief.

The storyline is that the children of Mars are collectively obsessed with watching Earth television, and are becoming deeply depressed because they don't have Santa Claus or Christmas on the Red Planet. Kimar, King of the Martians, and his wife Momar "Mom Martian", are distressed. The Grand Martian Council is convened and Kimar asks for their assistance. Voldar, a rather bellicose Martian, insists Santa Claus is a terrible influence, whose playful ways and amusing toys will only make the children of Mars "soft". Nonetheless, after seeking the counsel of Chochem, the oldest man on Mars (at 800 years), Kimar decides he and the council shall blast off to Earth and kidnap Santa Claus.

In describing this movie, I will use the phrase "special effects" with sarcastic quotation marks because they are so very, very badly done. Think of "Star Trek" and remove about 80% of the coolness of the original Trek world. The Martians arrive and meet Billy and Betty Foster, who explain that while the Martians had seen dozens of "Santas" through their telescope, the real one lives at the North Pole. The wee ones are promptly kidnapped and taken to Santa's Christmas workshop.

I should mention there is a dimwitted dolt Martian named Droppo whose bumblings help the tissue-paper-thin plot in a few instances. The actor who plays Santa makes for the oddest St. Nick ever seen: he chuckles dryly instead of ho-ho-ho-ing (f-r-e-a-k!). His overall presence may be likened to a socially backward bachelor uncle who makes everybody around him dreadfully uncomfortable; his hopelessly lame attempts at humor find Billy and Betty staring at him in disgust.

Santa and the kiddies are delivered to Mars, where Santa makes far-out space toys for the Martian children (of whom we see only Kimar's offspring, Girmar and Bomar. Wow, the effort that must have been expended in figuring out these Martian names...). One of the strangest scenes is when the four children "attack" Voldar with water pistols, foam dart guns, and wind-up toys. Santa Claus decrees Droppo the Idiot to be the official Martian version of himself and then he and the Fosters are returned to earth.

Perhaps there's only one good reason why this film needs to be visited: it's the epitome of kitschy and crazy, and the song "Hooray for Santy Claus" is certain to stick in your mind for some time (like it or not---actually, I found this jaunty little number to be the sole saving grace of this bizarre feature.)

While the Main does not possess this title, two county libraries do have it on DVD.



COME TO THE STABLE, 1949

The Sisters of the Holy Endeavor are not to be messed with, may be an apt summation of this old school Hollywood offering. Sister Margaret (Loretta Young, who also stars in The Bishop's Wife) has returned to America from France, where her religious order has its motherhouse; she'd served there in a hospital dedicated to kids during the horrors of World War II. Inspired by her order's mission, she comes to Bethlehem, Connecticut, with Sister Scholastica (Celeste Holm), intent on establishing a children's hospital there.

The nuns have nothing in their favor as they go about their way. The local bishop refuses to endorse their proposed mission. After wandering about without shelter, they are housed by Miss Amelia Potts (Elsa Lanchester), a reclusive artist who takes pity on them. Conceiving a plan to beg monies from local rich folk, they land on the doorstep of mob boss Luigi Rossi, a prototype of every mafia don known to the camera, whose reaction to being visited by nuns is amusing. Mr. Rossi lost his only son in the war, and is won over to the cause when promised that a stained glass window dedicated to his son's memory will be part of the hospital's chapel. Slowly, surely, and with a great deal of faith in their cause, the Sisters find the funds to have the hospital erected. The dedication Mass occurs on Christmas Eve, hence the tie-in to the holidays.

Based on a short story by Clare Booth Luce, this delightful tale is not yet available on DVD (very regrettable!--this is not uncommon, though; after all, All Mine to Give only made it to DVD on November 11!), although the Main does have it on videocassette.

*************************************

Brave, newly-orphaned pioneer children, enterprisingly optimistic Roman Catholic nuns, freakshow Martians converted by an extraterrestrial St. Nick, and a benevolent, nicotine-addicted rodent: quite the cinematic array for the holidays! Happy viewing!

BOOK BUZZ

The Reading Public Library will be hosting two opportunities to discuss the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Both are scheduled for Wednesday, December 17th, at the Main Library. We will reprise our "Brown Bag Discussion" over the lunch hour, from 12:15 until 1:00 pm, with beverage and dessert provided by the Library. The second is an evening session, which will begin at 7:00 pm and last one hour. Please register ahead of time by visiting the Reference Desk or calling us at (610) 655-6355.

Set in North Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees is the story of Lily Owens, a 14-year-old girl whose quiet existence is shattered by a terrible accident. The strained race relations of the day are played out when her nanny, African-American Rosaleen, faces violence as she sallies forth to exercise her newly-won right to vote. Lily and Rosaleen then hurriedly embark on an exile-adventure which Lily uses as an opportunity to find the town she hopes will tell her about her mother's shadowy past.

CHRISTMAS: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

The History of Christmas, A & E Home Video, 2008
NEW DVD 394.2663 His

The History Channel has compiled this new DVD from four previously-aired documentaries relevant to Christmas. The first is Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas, which was originally released in 1997. It traces the tradition of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 to the fourth century and how various cultures have developed unique ways in honoring the holiday. England's traditions around Yuletide became more and more raucuous and profane with every century between the early Middle Ages and the inception of the Industrial Revolution; one of the commentators states a contemporary observer would mistake British Christmas rites of these years for our Halloween or Mardi Gras. Debauchery, dipsomania, and depravity overruled any sense of divinity or devotion. Dear oh dear...

When the Puritan separatists established themselves in the New World, they outlawed Christmas entirely--as did Oliver Cromwell in England in the years following their exodus to America. Another historian on the program muses that one of the reasons for the Restoration of the Monarchy with the enthronement of King Charles II in 1649 was that the English missed their traditional Christmas revelries, which had been brutally suppressed by the Protectorate.

Due to its Pilgrim heritage, the United States would continue to largely ignore Christmas altogether. Congress even sat in session every 25th of December from 1789 through 1856. It was not until immigrants from other parts of Europe--Germany in particular, and, later, from southern and eastern regions--began arriving in large numbers starting in the mid-19th century that Christmas observances truly took root in America.

History Channel's Biography presents the life stories of famous people, and in 2003 it focused on the most recognizable ambassador of the Christmas season: Santa Claus. From the real-life St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra (in modern Turkey; he died in 346), a patron of small children, came the modern-day elf. St. Nicholas has historically been significant during the Christmas holiday because his feast is kept on December 6. As a favorite help-mate of sailors, he found fervent fidelity among the Dutch, whose name for him--Sinter Klaus--was the forerunner of the English "Santa Claus". Another alias, Kris Kringle, comes from a German moniker--Christkindl--an idea of Martin Luther's, a patriarch of the Protestant Reformation. Luther taught that the Christ Child (Christkindl in German) was the bringer of children's Christmas gifts rather than St. Nicholas, whose Roman Catholic overtones he wished to dispel from his new church.

Descriptions of Claus varied wildly (I particularly enjoyed the sketch of a Santa looking like an inebriated vagrant being drawn in a sled...by a huge turkey...) until Clement Clarke Moore's poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas", appeared in a New York newspaper in 1823. Most of us would recognize the most famous Christmas poem of all time by it's first line: " 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house", etc. His appearance as jolly, portly, and merry set the tone for his personality; Moore also both introduced and named Santa's legendary flying reindeer. The clergyman also founded Santa's modus operandi for entering domiciles: down the chimney.

Weird U.S. is another History Channel program, with hosts Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman roving across America in search of odd and bizarre historical tidbits, folklore, and traditions.

"It's A Wonderful Time to Be Weird" (aired in 2005) focuses on sundry off-kilter Christmas activities seen across the land. They visit NORAD (the national aerospace defense system) in Denver, Colorado, where Santa's celestial progress is monitored and reported annually. The federal agency's place in the national Xmas schema dates to the mid 1950s. Denver-area children began calling a local telephone number advertised as a direct line to Santa Claus, but due to a misprint, the newspaper had advertised NORAD's emergency line instead. The staff, delighted to be given the opportunity to play Father Christmas' go-between with the youngsters, have charted his global positions every year since, and now incorporate it into their official website on Christmas Eve.

Mark and Mark also embark on a pilgrimage to Minnesota to explore the traditional Yuletide dish of lutefisk among Norwegian Americans. Translated literally, the dish means "lye fish"--truth in advertising, as the jellied end product is indeed whitefish treated with the harsh chemical (a key ingredient in drain cleaners--good heavens!). Humorist Garrison Keillor, a native Minnesotan, recalls this pungent dish in an excerpt from his famous Lake Wobegon Days:

"Every Advent we entered the purgatory of lutefisk, a repulsive gelatinous fishlike dish that tasted of soap and gave off an odor that would gag a goat. We did this in honor of Norwegian ancestors, much as if survivors of a famine might celebrate their deliverance by feasting on elm bark. I always felt the cold creeps as Advent approached, knowing that this dread delicacy would be put before me and I’d be told, 'Just have a little.' Eating a little was like vomiting a little, just as bad as a lot."

Their peregrinations take a local turn when the duo interviews Pastor Harry Walther, a radio personality and minister from Media, a suburb of Philadelphia. Pastor Harry enthusiastically decries the very mention of Santa Claus in any manner, claiming he is an incarnation of evil (and yes, he is in earnest, although I found him and his lunatic-fringe creed impossible to take seriously). He even sells burnable effigy Santa dolls on his website, encouraging people to light poor Santa's likeness aflame in revolt against "the Satanic lie of Santa" (and I'm quoting him directly!). Mark and Mark react with great indignation and amusement upon leaving Harry and his Santa-driven tirades behind them.

The final selection, Christmas Tech, checks out the nuts-and-bolts backstories to some of the season's outward manifestations. It explains how the massive evergreen found each year in Rockefeller Center is selected, acquired, moved, and erected. The much-touted street-level windows of the great Macy's Department Store of Manhattan are graphically described, from idea conception to final implementation. And the processes used to create such ordinary Christmas festoons as tree lights, glass ornaments, and fruitcake (I know--most people recoil when faced with the prospect of this traditional Yuletide confection, but I happily anticipate nibbling on some every December) are exhaustively researched.

All in all a very thorough, entertaining, and erudite (the Marks from Weird U.S. even visit a Columbia University Professor of Physics, who calculates how Santa Claus gets around the world in time to deliver hundreds of millions of Christmas treats--a segment I walked out of the room during because I break out in a rash if exposed to anything mathematical...) treatment of all things Yule, and one I think most would enjoy.

EYE SPY

We recently added a clever new tome to our nonfiction: A Natural History of Seeing: The Art and Science of Vision, by Simon Ings (W.W. Norton, 2008)--catalogued NEW 612.84 Ing. It arrived on our shelves in mid-October and is a broadly painted survey of all things related to human sight.

I haven't read this book through but did pick through it and found it illuminating. The cover is a tad creepy--all these variegated orbs peering out of the dust jacket--but the subject matter is one with a paucity of coverage in our collection. I have relatively poor vision and cannot function without my glasses. I know a lot of people who find it odd I've never considered contact lenses, but since age nine I've had spectacles, and I have never wanted to relinquish them. I am quite eager to hear that my newest frames are ready for me to collect, as they should be any day now.

I had my eye exam last weekend at a place I'd never used before, which meant filling out requisite paperwork assuring the establishment that yes, indeed, I have insurance coverage. I got to the question inquiring as to my last checkup and filled in 2004. The optometrist was concerned. "You know you should be coming in every two or, at the most, three years to have your eyes examined", she pronounced solemnly.

Then I told her about my last experience in the clutches of an optometrist.

Over four years ago I merrily strolled into the eye exam room (is it just me, or are they always a shade claustrophobic? And what do eye doctors have against windows? Oh, of course. "It interferes with our testing procedures", etc. Still, most of them could certainly use some light...and fresh air) of an eye-care chain and subjected myself to the typical barrage of ocular ministrations. After several tests, the doctor ogled directly into my left cornea, daintily harrumphed, and then made several mysterious notations in my chart. Wondering what was going on, I asked if anything was wrong.

She looked slightly bemused as she informed me there was an abnormality in my left eye. I considered that I hadn't encountered any aberrant vision in that eye. I'd not felt any pain or discomfort in it, either. And, after having shared as much with the doctor, I asked what the problem might be. She looked mystified as she explained she didn't really know. "It could be anything from a minor ruptured capillary to an advanced retinoblastoma!", she chirped. Smilingly. And then rapidly made her egress. I sat there, waiting for her to reappear and perhaps lay out a plan for further examination, but she didn't come back.

Horrified, as I moved from the examination chamber to the Endless Wall of Eyewear, half-blinded with worry for my very life, I feebly attempted to select new frames. Rather than focusing on which style I might prefer, I instead envisioned myself first going completely blind, then succumbing to a particularly gruesome death involving an enormous eye-tumor.

Besides having dealt with an eye doctor with apparently little-to-no medical skill (or much of a bedside manner, to be sure), there was no follow-up---whatsoever. When I returned two weeks later for my glasses I had to specifically ask for her, then inquire as to whether or not anything more was learned about my poor eyeball .

"It was nothing!", she cheerfully enthused as she pirouetted swiftly away from me, ushering her next victim into her tiny eyeball closet. I dubiously made my way to the counter to retrieve my spectacles, wondering whether or not this woman's medical diplomas were all self-generated while simultaneously refusing to consider seeking a second opinion. I'd resign myself to a caulifloweresque tumor rupturing behind my eye socket before falling prey to another optometrist anytime soon.

So, when I recently made the acquaintance of a different optometrist at a department store who conducted the exact same tests, I was hardly surprised when she quietly murmured, "Well isn't that neat" as she stared into my dilated sinister eye. Bracing myself for something awful, she went on to ask if she could photograph my eyes. Considering this might actually illuminate what was so unique about Lefty, I readily agreed. The results were explained easily (some overlapping of my optic nerve, an anomaly that is, amusingly, not that unusual) and I was jubilant that I had a knowledgable professional who actually bothered explaining things.

I also got to keep a photo of Freaky Left. I am delighted, and am considering integrating it into a Christmas card and sending it to Former Optometrist, perhaps with the lyrics to the carol "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (highlighting the line: "DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE???") making up the seasonal message...

SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

One's Thanksgiving dinner has scarcely been digested when one realizes that Christmas is a scant twenty-odd days off, faithful blog reader! Over the weekend I brought out my collection of Yuletide CDs and realized that several of the albums I possess are also holdings in the Main Library's music offerings. I enthusiastically recommend each and every one of these CDs to anyone who wishes to be surrounded by joyful seasonal melodies...


A Christmas Gift For You by Phil Spector, 1963
R COLL CGY P 05

Phil Spector is more infamous as a murder suspect than recording artist in recent history, but his highly original "Wall of Sound" production technique with girl groups and other artists in the early 1960s led to an American music revolution. His ex-wife, Ronnie Bennett, was the original lead singer of the Ronettes, who feature prominently on this album.

Their rendition of "Sleigh Ride" completely revamped the seasonal favorite; their takes on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" and "Frosty the Snowman" are similarly upbeat. Darlene Love lends her passionate style to one of my favorite recordings of "Marshmallow World"; she also covers "White Christmas" and was the original artist to perform "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", which was, sadly, a failure at the time (Bono and U2 would do much better with this maudlin ditty many years later).

The Christmas Gift's release date disastrously transpired on November 22, 1963--the day President Kennedy was assassinated. Due to that unfortunate coincidence the album originally had very sluggish sales; since then, however, the songs it shares have become American Christmas classics.


50 Most Loved Christmas Carols, 2005
The Sheridan Ball Singers with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
R SHER FML S 28

The sheer volume of carols this compendium offers makes it an ideal selection for Christmas listening. The fifty recordings cover all the standards--"Joy to the World", "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", and "The First Nowell", among many others--but, at least for me, also opened my ears to several tunes before which I'd never heard. Among them are the "Gloucestershire Wassail", whose lyrics are a bit difficult to grasp (I had to do some research on them before I learned their meaning), but the gist of its final verses are that if the butler of the house where the carolers have come doesn't bring them something to drink, they'll resort to stampeding down the door. Ah, the holiday traditions of merry Olde England...

"Break Forth, O Beauteous, Heavenly Light", played with a resounding pipe organ's accompaniment, was another treasure I delighted in discovering. "O Sing a Song of Bethlehem", whose verses relay the stages of the life of Christ from Bethlehem to Calvary, was a third, and I enjoy this collection especially because these two lovely carols are part of it.

Christmas Around the World with Andre Rieu, 2006
R RIEU CW R 19

Andre Rieu has revitalized interest in classical music like no other artist in recent decades, and his holiday musical performances are perennial hits. Rieu, his orchestra, and various vocalists lean heavily on German-derived carols on this album ("Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht", "Sah Ein Knab Ein Roslein Stehen", and "Abends Will Ich Schlafen Gehen"), but other nationalities (The United States, Italy, France, England, and the Netherlands among them) are indeed represented. A rollicking, sprightly performance, the likes of which Rieu fans have come to know and adore.


A Nostalgic Merry Christmas to You, various artists, original recordings from 1915-1949 (released 1999)
R COLL NMC A 15

Nat "King" Cole toodling "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." (the first line of "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You"), 1946. Pennsylvania's native son, Perry Como, extolling a "Winter Wonderland" (also from 1946). And for anyone who grew up among Americans of Eastern European descent (as did I), the galloping gleefulness of "The Merry Christmas Polka"--sung by Dinah Shore in 1949 on this album--most certainly inspires sentimental nostalgia.

However, it's the arcane tunes on this CD which I found of even greater interest. Arthur Tracy, a British baritone of lengthy career, recalls "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot"--a reminder that many children experience the same hardship and suffering on Christmas Day as they do the rest of the year, even if the aspersions cast on the jolly old elf seem rather gratuitous (who can imagine Santa actually overlooking one of his little devotees?). One of Ireland's premiere opera stars, John McCormack, gives a stirring (if static-ridden--but then, it was recorded in 1915) rendition of "Adeste Fideles" (the original Latin of "O Come, All Ye Faithful"). And Peter Dawson recounts "The Miner's Dream of Home", telling of a lonely miner whose unconscious mental meanderings find him back at his homestead at New Year's, reuinted with his long-since-seen mother and dad (recorded in 1930).

Bing Crosby's Christmas Classics by Bing Crosby, recorded from 1950 through 1977 (released 2006)
R CROS BCC C 20

Mr. Bing Crosby may well be referred to as "Mr. Christmas", so ubiquitous has his vocal presence been among holiday music since the 1930s. The first track is, appropriately, "White Christmas", Bing's signature Christmas offering, made wildly popular by the sentiments of American servicemen and women serving abroad in World War II; it also featured prominently in the film of the same name in which he starred in 1954.

Other wonderful ditties include "Do You Hear What I Hear", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and "What Child Is This?". His now-classic duet with David Bowie, "Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy", was recorded in September of 1977, a few short months before Crosby's death. Generations have happily welcomed Bing Crosby's crooning style into their lives at Christmastime, and if you haven't, I invite you to do the same!

HAPPY LISTENING!

BABES IN TOYLAND as presented by THE MAIN!

The City of Reading's annual Holiday Parade is set for this Saturday, November 22. The Reading Public Library will once again reveal its most creative side with a sizeable float, which ties into the parade's theme: "Sharing Our Holiday Traditions". Our presentation this year is "BABES IN TOYLAND" -- childlike adventure meets every conceivable character out of Mother Goose in our effort for this year's project! Little Boy Blue, Bo Peep, Humpty-Dumpty, and scores of others will brave the elements and distribute holiday confections! Frolic and gambol with our enthusiastic staff as we drum up heaps of frenetic holiday cheer!

I won't reveal any more details at the present in order to keep our crowds of fans in suspense, but I know we shall delight thousands with this year's

(SURE-TO-BE-AWARD-WINNING) float!

UPDATE: RPL did come in 3rd PLACE, which is better than nothing! Yay "Team Babes 2008"

for our great effort! (and to plotting with all our might to recapture 1st Prize in 2009...)

THANKFUL LIBRARY HOLDINGS

One of my favorite holidays is just around the corner. The Main has any number of books and films that may well inspire spontaneous moments of deep gratitude in our faithful patrons as we prepare to celebrate America's "second national holiday": THANKSGIVING!

BOOKS

America's Parade: A Celebration of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade by Time/ Life, 2001
394.2649 Ame
An annual ritual not to be missed, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has entertained the masses since 1924. Read about this grand celebration's colorful history and impact on how Americans have come to look anxiously forward to it every year on Thanksgiving Day.

Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie

by Kathleen Curtin, 2005

394.2649 Giv

Author Kathleen Curtin is the official food historian at the Plimoth Plantation (not a misspell--the "Plymouth" we're more accustomed to came later) in Massachusetts, and imbues this book with a delightful combination of culinary backstory and pragmatic recipes. Learn about the authentic feast the Puritans prepared (there were no utensils available, and there wasn't any cranberry sauce, either).

A Great and Godly Adventure: The Pilgrims and the Myth of the First Thanksgiving
by Godrey Hodgson, 2006
974.402 Hod
The dramatic tale of the English Puritans' search for religious freedom that led them to establishing Plimoth Colony is steeped in legend, fabrication, and misinterpretation. Historian Hodgson delivers a balanced, thoroughly-researched account of the Puritans' peregrinations, the cruel hardships they suffered upon landing on North American soil, and their ultimate end of founding what has long been considered "the" original settlement of Europeans in the United States (be aware there is also plenty of controversy regarding that statement as well...)

How to Cook a Turkey: *And All the Other Trimmings by Fine Cooking Magazine, 2007

641.665 How
What would Thanksgiving be without the beautifully succulent, artistically-trussed Tom Turkey reposing on the dining room table? This volume explores how to serve up this patriotic poultry in a vast panorama of forms, and promises to offer something new and original for even the most seasoned turkey chef.

The Thanksgiving Book: An Illustrated Treasury of Lore, Tales, Poems, Prayers, and the Best in Holiday Feasting by Jerome Agel and Jason Shulman, 1987
394.2649 Tha

This compendium of delightful prose features every aspect of what this holiday is really about: remembering in gratitude all the good things life has to offer. The thankful and thought-inspiring pieces in this volume serve up something every reader can find meaningful.

Thanksgiving Entertaining by Chuck Williams, 2005
641.568 Pap
Published by Williams-Sonoma, this book guarantees exquisite gastronomic concepts for anyone's Thanksgiving get-together. Hors d'oeuvres, entrees, and desserts are presented with accompanying tasteful, full-color photos--a fantastic resource for hosts who might want to bring something nouveau to the holiday table.

FILMS

Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower, A & E Home Video, 2006

DVD 974.402 Des
Over two hours of documentary, replete with actors playing the Pilgrims from the Shakespeare Repetory Theatre in Great Britain as well as actual Native American descendants of the tribes the Pilgrims originally encountered (thus making this, more accurately, a docu-drama), this DVD vividly brings to life the struggle of the early colonists as they began life in Plymoth Plantation.

Hannah and Her Sisters, MGM, 1986

VHS Han

Woody Allen's films are cornerstones of cinematic history, and many believe Hannah and Her Sisters is his crowning achievement. Mia Farrow stars as the title character, who provides emotional strength and stability not only to her own family (husband Elliott is played by Michael Caine), but also to her siblings, Lee (Barbara Hershey) and Holly (Dianne Wiest). Tenderly investigating the ties that bind and the ramifications of family bonds placed under stress, this Thanksgiving-centered jewel is well worth watching.

Home For the Holidays, PolyGram Entertainment, 1995

DVD Hom
This comedic project was directed by Hollywood living legend Jodie Foster. Holly Hunter stars as Claudia Larson, a single mother of teenage Claire Danes, who treks from Chicago to Baltimore to join her obstreporous clan for Thanksgiving. Charles Durning and the late, great Anne Bancroft co-star as her parents; Robert Downey, Jr., memorably plays her trickster brother. While hardly an original plotline, this tale of family feuds, fidelity, fractiousness, and forgiveness will resonate with all of us who've endured a trying holiday visit with the relations.

Home for the Holidays: The History of Thanksgiving A & E Home Video, 1997
VHS 394.2649 Hom
I am a big fan of the History Channel's documentaries of various holidays, and Home for the Holidays is one of my favorites. Until watching it, I did not know that there had been a significant controversy in 1940 when Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the American president at the time, unilaterally decided to move Thanksgiving forward a week (from the final Thursday in November to the penultimate Thursday). His idea was to prolong the holiday shopping season in face of a depressed economy (sound familiar...?) At that time, it was unthinkable to begin advertising for Christmas bargains until after Turkey Day. [ASIDE--would that this were still the case today. I cringe when witnessing stores decking out fake snow and holly around Labor Day...] The following year, Congress undertook fixing the date of Thanksgiving as we mark it today. These and many other historical tasties are yours for the reaping upon viewing this treat!


House of Yes, Miramax, 1997
DVD Hou
Parker Posey stars as a clinically insane woman who believes she's Jacqueline Kennedy. Her twin brother, Marty (played by Josh Hamilton), brings his fiancee (Leslie--Tori Spelling) home to meet his freakish clan for Thanksgiving. Genvieve Bujold plays the matriarch and younger brother Anthony is portrayed by Freddie Prinze, Jr. This film won major awards at the Sundance Film Festival upon its release; based on a play, the script is rife with deranged cleverness and black-as-coal humor.


Pieces of April, MGM, 2003
DVD NORTHWEST BRANCH ONLY**
Katie Holmes (pre-Tom Cruise) stars as April Burns, a fiercely indpendent girl-about-town whose home base is Manhattan. In a burst of familial goodwill she invites her family to her tiny apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving. Parents (played brilliantly, in particular, by Patricia Clarkson as her mother) and siblings, dimly anticipating April's cookery talents, make their way to the Big Apple. And then April's stove decides to give up the ghost. Peppered with acerbic wit as well as poignant moments, it's diverting and distressing in equal measure.

** The Main does not actually have this title on our shelves, but a hold may be placed on either our Northwest Branch's copy or another library's copy. The Reading Eagle ran an article in Saturday's (November 15) edition--on the FRONT PAGE--delineating the scourge of pilfering from which Berks County's public libraries are suffering. With a sad twist of irony, Pieces of April WAS--once upon a time--a DVD which the Main had had in its own collection. Accessioned [ibrary parlance that simply means "added"] on January 22, 2005, it stayed with us until transferred to "Lost" status on June 6, 2007. This is what happens to a library holding when it is legitimately checked out to someone who simply fails to return it. Our copy had 71 circulations before it vanished from our records.
+R.I.P.

NOVEMBER DVDs

Hello, faithful blog reader. Kindly permit me to draw your attention to several new films on DVD which the Main Library will be adding to our collection in the weeks to come...

Diggers
Magnolia Pictures, 2006 -- DVD released May 1, 2007

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Diggers is not a new release per se, but the reviews for this little indie flick were stellar. Set in Long Island, 1976, it follows the lives of professional clam diggers (hence the title, right?). Hunt (Paul Rudd) and his best pals Frankie (Ken Marino), Cons (Josh Hamilton), and Jack (Ron Eldard) are salt-of-the-earth laborers whose livelihood is on the cusp of destruction. As a large seafood conglomerate seeks to push the clammers out, each of the group must confront personal issues as well, including marital dissolutions, parental demises, and run-ins with the law.

Kiss and Tell
London Weekend TV, 1996 -- DVD released January 29, 2008

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Daniel Craig--of current James Bond fame--co-stars in this thriller about duplicity and undercover investigation gone awry. Rosie Rowell plays Jade, a police officer whose latest endeavor requires her to pose as a damsel in distress in order to wrangle a confession from a man suspected of murdering his wife. Entanglements arise when she becomes emotionally involved with the target; the situation is exacerbated by the fact that she already has feelings for Craig, who plays Matt Kearney--her commanding officer.

Tropic Thunder
Dreamworks Pictures, 2008 -- DVD released November 18, 2008

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Heavily parodying the Rambo franchise, this comedy (starring Jack Black, Robert Downey, and Ben Stiller) centers on a crew of clueless actors in the jungle primeval of Southeast Asia. What they don't comprehend is that when the gunfire begins, it's not studio-set squibs, but actual weaponry: the Hollywood honchos have unwittingly become embroiled in a turf war with an all-too-real drug cartel. Hilarity ensues.

Green Solutions: Simple Steps to a Greener Home

Gaiam Americas, 2006 -- DVD released September 2, 2008

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"Greenify Thyself" could best sum up one of the most popular social movements of our day. Sustainable living, reduction of one's personal carbon footprint, recycling, and earth-friendliness are all addressed in this step-by-step how-to film. Ecologically sensible tips are dispensed with glee and viewers everywhere will learn how to make their lifestyles more verdant. Save Mother Earth by embracing a greener lifestyle! Danny Seo, a Reading native currently residing in Bucks County, is the program's creator and host.

Encounters at the End of the World

Image Entertainment, 2007 -- DVD released November 18, 2008

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German film maverick Werner Herzog's project is a detour from the usual entertainment films he directs. Encounters is a travelogue/documentary based on his exploration of the icy continent of Antarctica. From deeply probing the lives of the scientists who reside on the bleak permafrost landscape to delighting in the antics of playful pengiuns, this piece will be sure to interest many of our patrons.

Real Tomb Hunters: Snakes, Curses, and Booby Traps

A & E Home Video, 2005 -- DVD released October 14, 2008

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Archaeologists sometimes encounter real-life adventures not dissimilar from those seen in the Indiana Jones movies: trawling through creepy catacombs, facing enraged locals who view the researchers as a threat (and react violently to their presence), endemic wildlife that's far from friendly (read: snakes--just like the title promises!), and much more. Who says science is boring?

TO PAUSE AND REFLECT

Today is dedicated to all our servicemen and women,
to pause and reflect on the highest price so many of
them have paid for our freedom, and to commend the
service of the thousands who continue to protect us
in the present.



Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles by Martin Schram, 2008

NEW 362.86 Sch



Voices of War: Stories of Service from the Homefront and the Front Lines by the Library of Congress, 2004

355.00922 Vol




Wages of War: When America's Soldiers Came Home, From Valley Forge to Vietnam by Richard Severo, 1989

355.115 S498w

WELCOME TO THE GRAND

Unfortunately, there is no abatement to the city's howling for the Reading Public Library's closure. Along the same line of dreary news, Philadelphia is in the middle of having at least eleven of its public library's doors closed due to that metropolis' budget crisis. Overall, our public libraries are being cut down at the knee, and the future looks disheartening and bleak.

Rather than brood on the exceptionally unpleasant strain of current events, I've discovered (yet another) British period piece drama and have been happily losing myself in the heartrending traumas sustained by other (albeit fictitious) people who lived in the era of my grandparents' childhood. Escapist television programming, in my humble opinion, is vastly underrated...

**WARNING, WARNING** SPOILERS__SPOILERS__ SPOILERS__!!!

The Grand was produced by Granada Television in 1997 and 1998. For anyone familiar with the venerable series The Duchess of Duke Street, The Grand endeavors to follow the same general idea of showcasing the lives of a large, fashionable hotel's owners, staff, and guests.

(Please know that this series is not actually a Main Library holding, it's on the City Bookmobile--but placing a hold on the series will have it brought to the Main for your convenience!)

The series transpires in the Roaring Twenties during the years before the onset of the Great Depression.

The Grand is a family-run enterprise. Brothers John Bannerman (Michael Siberry) and Marcus Bannerman (Mark McGann) have inherited the massive, Manchester, England-based hotel from their deceased father. Infrequent appearances are made by their imperious mother, Mary (Louie Ramsay), who muddles about without making much impact.

John is married--at first, happily--to Sarah (Julia St. John). Marcus has his lady friend (and later, wife), Ruth, although the two seem to hate one another. The issue is Marcus' undying love for his brother's wife. Poor John is a total sucker and, in truth, a cuckold I found deeply unsympathetic.

John and Sarah have two children: Stephen (played by Stephen Moyer of current True Blood fame in the first season, then repalced by the less charistmatic Ifan Meredith in the second series) and Adele (Camilla Power). At the beginning of the program Stephen has just returned from the British Army, having been stationed in France since the close of World War I. Adele is a petulant teenager whose presence is generally unnecessary.

The Bannermans have plenty of infighting and Knots-Landing-esque slapdowns (literally) to keep the viewer entertained. But it's the rest of the hotel staff that makes The Grand great.

Miss Esme Harkness is an elegant, upper-middle-aged woman who has made The Grand her permanent home. Mrs. Mary Bannerman, dimly remembering the lady's name but unable to pin down the context, badgers her for clues as to how she came into her money. Miss Harkness drops hints but never divulges anything outright--rather flimsily, it is soon established that she is a former prostitute and madame (who occasionally entertains clients in her rooms). Mary finally gets to the truth and confronts Miss Harkness, who brutally rebuffs her attacker's threats of eviction with a cool statement, "Perhaps I'll tell the papers about me and Charlie". Charles was, of course, Mary's late husband, the founder of the hotel, and a well-respected pillar of Mancunian society.

Miss Harkness stays.

Esme is played by veteran actress Susan Hampshire, a lifelong treasure of the BBC set, who starred in such epics as The Pallisers and The Barchester Chronicles (both well worth watching--also, incidentally, both available at The Main).

The hotel staff are governed by avuncular (if stoic) Jacob Collins (Tim Healy), the porter, and Miss Sylvie Harvey (Christine Mackie), head of housekeeping, who is quick-witted (if vinegar-tongued.) Mr. Collins' only child was executed for having gone A.W.O.L. from the British Army in France. Miss Harvey constantly refers to her husband, whom her subordinates sometimes doubt actually exists.

One of the longest-serving maids is Kate Morris (Rebecca Callard), whose spritely adorableness is belied by her knowing nature. Monica Jones (Jane Danson) is brought on board early in the series and Kate trains her; Monica is soon the darling of Miss Harkness, who attempts to instruct the teenager in the ways of ladylike behavior (nothing seamy, mind). Daft Monica believes a visiting businessman has fallen in love with her and will take her away from her filthy job as a maid, only to have three of his associates attack her. Monica kills one of the men and is peremptorily sentenced to death for his murder.

Appropriately enough, she is hanged on the very morning of Marcus' doomed nuptials to Ruth.

Clive Evans (Paul Warriner) is head waiter and bartender at The Grand's restaurant and fights his same-sex inclinations as he succumbs to the seduction of a renowned theatrical guest. Poor Clive conceives a plan to try and romance the indomitable Kate in an effort to "overcome" his gayness. Lynne Milligan (Naomi Radcliffe) gives vaudeville a try before learning the show manager is only allowing her to sing onstage in the hopes of manipulating her to his own illicit ends. And all poor Brenda Potter (Maria Mescki) can seem to talk about is her mother and chocolate cookies.

The drama of this series originates in much besides the sometimes down-and-dirty dealings among the Bannermans, the staff, and the guests. Raging social issues, such as class conflict, sexual education, incest, murder, unwed mothers, workers' rights, and adutlery (but to name a few!) erupt in every episode.

I read a critic's harsh words for this series on the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/), who claims that: "they [the producers of the series] insist on applying modern cultural and societal mores to a time period which was much more conservative than our own, and which kept these issues - if they even came up at all - private and between families".

I find that logic to be entirely specious.

Of course women conceived out of wedlock in the 1920s. Married couples cheated on one another. Unskilled workers were dismissed without a thought. And families were torn asunder by disloyalty, selfishness, and cruelty.

But the cast of The Grand also rises above the horrors of inhumanity: Mr. Collins is enfolded in the warm support of the staff when he reaches a crisis of existence in facing his son's death. Kate tries--in vain--to steer Monica from the path of self-destruction on which she is bent. For all her shrill shrieking, Mrs. Harvey genuinely cares for the welfare of her girls, and often takes on the role of maternal surrogate in their lives. And reigning over them all is the piteous but benign Esme Harkness, whose faded beauty and gracious manners enchant (almost) everyone she meets.

So if, for whatever reason, you're in the mood to lose yourself completely in superbly-crafted escapist entertainment, check into The Grand.

DON'T LET THEM CLOSE OUR DOORS

From the Reading Eagle, October 28, 2008:

[This is an excerpt from today's article covering the city council's discussions of how to eliminate administrative costs:]

"Council also had some ideas, such as cutting management raises and even possibly closing the Reading Public Library to save $500,000. The city has to cut back to its core services, and the library isn't one of them, several council members said."

(I have emboldened and reddened the text in two areas to indicate the severity of what our city's government--or at least several members of its council--is proposing.)

Clearly I have a vested interest in having the Reading Public Library remain open: this is my place of employment and how I make my living. However challenging the library's closure would be to me personally, my real grievance is how much would be senselessly taken from the community with our library's suppression, even temporarily (and council is not speaking in terms of transience when they mention shuttering Reading Public Library's doors.)

The current economic crisis has caused scores of hardworking citizens to lose their employment. Every day, my colleagues and I encounter men and women who are looking for work, and assist them in navigating the internet for jobs, helping them learn how to draft a resume, or how to connect with local employers. We do it because it is part of our mission to help anyone who comes to us to the best of our ability, and we are happy to do so. We are proud to serve our patrons in whatever manner we are able.

We help students seeking materials to prepare for exams, and others with various academic pursuits, ranging from science fair project development to compiling research papers on a myriad of topics. We perform readers' advisory service, meaning when a patron shares that he or she has just finished a particular book and found it enjoyable but doesn't know what to read next, we are informed professionals who can point them to another title. The blog entries before today's detail books and films we will soon see on the Main Library's shelves: these, and hundreds of thousands of other library holdings, are available to be borrowed---FOR FREE--by anyone with a valid library card.

Apparently city council does not find this eminently noble enterprise to be anything worthwhile. Shame on them.

I am only describing what the professional reference staff does, and at that am hardly sharing an exhaustive list of our department's services. I dare not attempt to list all the benefits of our children's and young adults' departments, who host hundreds of programs annually, reaching out to the youngest in our community in ways no other organization can: through the wonder of the printed word. Our interlibrary loan services guarantee--with hardly any exception--that patrons can request almost any book in the world and have it delivered for them to our library. It is mind-boggling how very dedicated our ILL department is, and I know dozens of our regular patrons who utilize their services regularly.

Our technical services department annually processes thousands of items--well beyond books--including DVDs, music CDs, books on CD, and even toys, all for the edification or enjoyment of the public. The circulation staff not only checks out items to the public, they also shelve (and keep shelving--there's never an end to shelving in the library!) and retrieve items which people have requested to be pulled. We are an organization whose departments are entirely interdependent on one another, but all with one goal in mind and one task at hand:
TO BEST SERVE THE PUBLIC IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE.

Now imagine this is all swept aside simply because city council is facing a budget crunch.

The injustice of it is staggering, its ramifications deplorable, and yet several council members are hastening the Reading Public Library's termination. In the advent of any library's closure, far more serious consequences than its staff's unemployment shall follow:

It means depriving citizens of all ages and backgrounds access to information and knowledge.

It means denying ways for people to improve themselves.

It means closing the doors of opportunity.

Please contact the mayor's office and the city council and tell them that you do not want the closure of the Reading Public Library to be considered as a viable means of resolving Reading's budget woes.

IMMINENT SUSPENSE FICTION

The upcoming weeks will provide a bounteous cornucopia of fiction releases from some of my favorite mystery and suspense authors. Look for these new titles at the Main Library:


Bones
Jonathan Kellerman
Release date: October 21

The remains of murdered prostitutes are found in an environmentally protected marshland just outside Los Angeles. Detective Milo Sturgis, Kellerman's recurring, crafty sleuth, is called to the case. He discovers that the latest victim dredged from the swamp isn't a streetwalker at all, but rather a young lady who'd served as a music tutor to the scion of a vastly wealthy family. Milo turns to his tried-and-true friend, psychiatrist Alex Delaware, to assist him in tracking down a frenzied killer.


Just After Sunset
Stephen King
Release date: November 11

Renowned horror storyteller King is praised for his chilling novels, but he is also an acclaimed master of short fiction. This anthology of stories probes the bizarre and macabre in the Kingliest fashion: a Port-A-Potty becomes one hapless man's prison, a stationary bike takes its passenger on a wildly nightmarish ride, and a woman who innocuously peeps into a neighbor's driveway, only to suddenly become the would-be victim of a maniacal serial killer.


Cross Country
James Patterson
Release date: November 17

Patterson's beloved hero Alex Cross discovers his old friend Ellie Cox has been brutally murdered in her Washington, D.C., residence (the same metropolis Cross and his family call home) . His investigation leads him and girlfriend Brianna Stone into the seamy underworld of the Nigerian mob. Alex must eventually voyage to Africa to track down, and vanquish, a demonic criminal mastermind.


Private Patient
P. D. James
Release date: November 18

Commander Adam Dalgliesh returns to the printed page to probe the death of journalist Rhoda Gradwyn, who is murdered at an upscale private plastic surgery clinic housed on a sumptuous estate in the English countryside. James' reputation for highly-polished and deftly-crafted prose, married with ingenious plot devices, shines forth in her latest effort.


Your Heart Belongs To Me
Dean Koontz
Release date: November 25

Creepiness seeps from this plotline as the reader meets Ryan Perry, a young, wildly successful dot-com tycoon whose enviable existence is abruptly compromsied when he is diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart condition. Against the odds, he receives a transplant, and his life slowly regains its former luster. A year after the surgery he starts getting mysterious tokens, all heart-themed, each one bearing the statement "Your heart belongs to me". Apparently the cardiac donor wants the organ returned to owner...


Scarpetta
Patricia Cornwell
Release date: December 2

Kay Scarpetta has departed her private forensic practice in Charleston, South Carolina, for New York City, where she is asked to interview a psychopath named Oscar Bane in the infamous Bellevue Hospital. As has happened with other perpetrators with whom she has worked, Bane evidences an unhealthy fixation on Kay. Her husband, Benton Wesley, and her technophile niece Lucy lend their unstinting support as Scarpetta unravels a string of bloodthirsty murders that may--or may not--have been committed by Bane the clinically insane.

DOES ANYBODY REALLY KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?

So runs the old tune by Chicago. I wasn't asking that question myself when I encountered a simply marvelous tome amongst our new non-fiction titles and decided it deserves a mention.

It's The History of Watches by David Thompson, with photographs by Saul Peckham. It was published earlier this year by the esteemed art house Abbeville Press of New York. The title tells it all: it's a sumptuous, revelatory waltz through the story of small timepieces.

To be honest, I actually don't like watches. I never wear one. I don't even own one. I plucked this title from the shelf simply because it's a history of a commonplace object, and books on such matters tend to interest me (I am currently engrossed in Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages by Anne Mendelson--but that's an entirely different blog entry). It is, however, hardly all-encompassing: Thompson is the Curator of Horological Collections at the British Museum, and this book presents the stories of seventy-seven (out of over 4,500!) of that particular institution's horological (when else am I going to get to utilize that adjective?) holdings.

The oldest piece dates from around 1560, originating in Germany. A particularly ornate watch, dating from 1630 by French watchmaker Louis Vautier, caught my eye: all gold and enamel, set with semi-precious stones. The watches in this collection tend to be very intricate affairs, and many of the oldest among them still function. The pieces reflect both centuries-old pieces as well as current offerings by Casio and the venerable Bulova line of extravagant wristwatches.

We were able to add both The History of Watches as well as several dozen other books on art and artists through the generous providence of the estate of Paul F. and Mary B. Tigh. Currently, a large number of these new art books are being shelved in the front of the Main Library. Come on in and check one of them out with the smARTest card in town!