Daily Thoughts 5/5/2011 (poetry)

Peter Schöffer (1425-1503) Bookseller from Germany

Daily Thoughts 5/5/2011

This morning, I updated the Twitter account, I also checked the displays.  I am learning a little bit more about setting up poetry readings.  I redesigned the sign in sheet, got a bell for timing people, and made some minor changes in how things are arranged based on the requests of people who attended.  I am hoping it will go well this time.

This evening the Poetry Networking Event went well.  We had Sistah Sassy talking about Memoirs and Magic.  We also had a brief session afterward with an open microphone where people read their poems.  This time it was a little smoother.  We are planning on writing poems about summer for next time.  The group is interested in possibly going to the nursing homes to read to the aged.

Daily Thoughts 5/4/2011 (the crippled god)

The Yongzheng-Emperor while reading a book.National Palace Museum Taibei, 18th Century Artist, Artist Unknown

Daily Thoughts 5/4/2011

I put some of the art books from the Distribution to Underserved Communities in the display cases in the rotunda.  I particularly like The Portraits speak: Chuck Close in conversation with 27 of his subjects and Street Art Street Life from the 1950s to Now put together by the Bronx Museum.

This morning, I also updated the Twitter account and checked the displays.  I am still going over the Publishers Weekly issue on Book Expo America which lists all the different booths and companies on the floor.  I like to write a list of which vendors I am going to visit. 

The book, The Crippled God by Steven Erikson has come in for me to read today. At the beginning of many of the chapters, Steven Erikson writes a bit of poetry to go with the chapters.  It is fantasy.

I put the book In The Plex How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy on reserve.

Web Bits

Know The Past, Find The Future New York PUblic Library at 100 is
going to be given away at New York Library branches starting May 19, 2011

http://exhibitions.nypl.org/100/digital_fun/read_the_book?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=NYPLNews201105&utm_campaign=NYPLNews

Daily Thoughts 5/3/2011 (Book Expo America)

Portrait of Alexander Benua by Lev Bakst. 1898 year

Daily Thoughts 5/3/2011

Today has been another quiet day.  I checked the Twitter account put up a new banner for the gardening book display made in Microsoft Publisher, and checked the displays.  We are starting to process the Distribution to Underserved Communities art books today as well.

I read Publishers Weekly and Library Journal this morning, two books that caught my attention were The Believing Brain by Michael Shermer and Fatal Invention: How Science Politics and Big Business Recreate Race in the Twenty First Century by Dorothy Robert.

There was also some material on the Book Expo America conference.  There are two panels which look quite interesting,  the 3rd Annual Librarian Shout 'n Share @ Book Expo, Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 3:30 – 5 pm Javits Center Room 1E16, and The Hot Fall Graphic Novels Panel on May 25 at 11 a.m. in room 1E16, http://ww.graphicnovelreporter.com/blog/bea-panel-hot-fall-graphic-novels-libraries

I also have been looking at the some of the exhibitors to see which books which caught my eye.  There are quite a few of them.  One which surprised was The Bridge to Neverland a Disney Children's book by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry. 

I put the book Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi on hold.  The author is on the cover of Library Journal.  I also checked out A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce.

I tried to read Spade and Archer by Joe Gores and found myself losing interest. I had to put it down after the first fifty pages.  I usually limit myself to that if I don't want to continue reading a book.

Daily Thoughts 5/2/2011 (all the lives he lived)

Photographie du buste d'Emile Zola, lors de son inauguration à la Bibliotheque Mejanes, 1906.

Daily Thoughts 5/2/2011

This morning I read a little bit more of All The Lives He Lived.  In addition to working near  Mount Vesuvius, the main character is constantly reminded of the endless threats of terrorism from dozens of different causes in the near future.  It gives the book a kind of dark edge.

Today has been another quiet day.  I looked up books on Osama Bin Laden to put on our current events display.  I also changed the poetry display to a display on gardening.  We just started the process of setting up for planting this weekend on the second avenue side of our building.

I also checked the Twitter account and printed up some more surveys for the library this morning.  We should be putting up another set of photographs from the local history room soon.  We also have been discussing how to better track our website and make it easier to use.

We also received the books from the Distributiont to Underserved Communities Library Program, http://www.ducprogram.org/index.html  I am hoping to display some of them a bit later this month.

Ten new images have been added to the historic images of the Mount Vernon Public Lirbary on the website.  http://www.mountvernonpubliclibrary.org/node/282

The April 25, 2011 Publishers Weekly covers Book Expo America.  I am looking forward to going.

This evening, I finished reading All The Lives He Lived by Frederik Pohl.  It is one of the darkest novels I have ever read.  Every chapter has some kind of atrocity happening.  It does not portray the human race in a good light.  At the same time it is fascinating in its morbidity and frankness.  I liked reading it, but I think it contains some dystopic material that may not be to many readers taste.

Daily Thoughts 5/1/2011 (all the lives he lived)

'School'. About 1652, Robert Hooke as a pupil at Westminster School, aged seventeen years. Dr. Richard Busby, the headmaster, wears his large hat. Hooke was researching ways of flying and holds a pet linnet. Oil on board by Rita Greer 2005.Art Libre License 

Daily Thoughts 5/1/2011             

This morning I put the book, The Crippled God by Steven Erikson on hold.  It is the last book in the Malazan Book of the Fallen fantasy series.  I also finished reading The Earthshakers. 

I started reading All The Lives He Lived by Frederik Pohl.  It is a near future story.  There is a lot of very dark satire in this book.  Most of the United States has been covered in ash by the explosion of a super volcano in Yellow Stone park.  The main character works in a theme park on Mount Vesuvius.  Very different and entertaining.