Just Browsing? Why it’s Important November 30, 2009
Posted by bookgoddess in Book Floor, Books, Just Browsing, Public libraries, Reading, West Palm Beach Public Library, readers.Tags: bookstores
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Do you enjoy browsing for books? Many people do, but I believe I read somewhere that this behavior is on the decline. So I’ve decided to give you permission to browse, and to tell you why I am convinced it’s a good thing for you to do.
I’m aware that there is much to be done and little time in which to do it. I can be very task-oriented myself. This is a good thing in certain situations, but taken to excess, it can create a very limited, hunched-over, tightly wound individual. I suggest browsing for books as a fabulous way to de-stress and open your mind a little.
So – you enter the ground floor of the West Palm Beach Public Library. You have a few minutes to spare on your lunch hour. Wander into the collections. Yes, you may head straight for your favorite (Mysteries? Food & Wine?) – but how about something completely different? For now, judge the books by their covers. Open a few and read the first few paragraphs. Act on impulse – the price is right!
How do you feel now? Perhaps you will read about another culture, or learn a new craft. Maybe you will plan a trip or think about starting your own business. There is a wonderful feeling of possibility in a library, a sense of new worlds to explore. I’m feeling better just thinking about it. How about you?
Happy Reading!
The Book Goddess
P.S. While this article was originally addressed to West Palm Beach Public Library patrons (in the Holiday 2009 issue of Library Currents), I’m sure that most of my readers have a favorite library or bookstore for browsing. We need to cherish and support these wonderful resources!
Our Hispanic Literary Heritage September 30, 2009
Posted by bookgoddess in Book Talk, Books, Fiction, Literature, Reading, Reading lists, library programs, readers.Tags: Color Online, Hispanic literature, Nobel Prize, Spanish language literature
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At our most recent Book Talk, I presented a “sampler” of the rich feast of Spanish language literature in translation, as well as some titles from North American writers of Hispanic origin.
As I began to prepare, I started to become overwhelmed. This is a major literary language – for example, ten Nobel prizes have been awarded to writers in the Spanish language. I also became very excited about the wonderful variety of the books – a rich feast, indeed.
I should mention with pride that I am partly of Spanish descent, and perhaps that increases my appreciation of this body of literature. But I recommend these books to all of you. When we talk about culture, we are privileged to be citizens of the world, and it is a good thing to move beyond our cultural center. I love Southern food, but I don’t eat it every night of my life.
So – this is your invitation to Hispanic literature. Click here for my list of books, and also please visit the Color Online blog for another wonderful selection of titles.
Disfrute sus libros! (Happy Reading, or more literally, Enjoy your books!)
Reading for the Stressed September 16, 2009
Posted by bookgoddess in Books, Fiction, Mysteries, Public libraries, Reading.Tags: distracting books, stress, useful books
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And who isn’t, these days? If you haven’t personally been afflicted by unemployment, health issues, concerns about children, etc., I’m reasonably certain that you are closely acquainted with people who have.
Everyone copes with stress somehow, and of course some responses are healthier than others. Unsurprisingly, I think one of the healthiest resources would be a good book. For our purposes, books can be useful, or distracting, or in some cases, both.
Let’s assume that you really can’t do too much about the stressful situation in which you find yourself. You’re sitting by the hospital bed, you’re waiting for someone to come home, the results of your test won’t be available until tomorrow. You may want something to distract you. My regular readers know that I favor mysteries, and one reason is that they almost invariably feature a resolution. This can be a very welcome vicarious experience when your life has gone awry.
Your choice may be something other than a mystery, and I say, go for it. You might even consider nonfiction. Our next month’s selection for the Second Saturday Book Club is The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I suggested this book because I thought it might give us some perspective on our own economic crisis. We shall see how that goes.
On the other hand, escape reading of any kind will only take you so far, and I want to remind you that the libraries and bookstores are filled with useful books for almost any situation. If you’re facing divorce, you might be well advised to read a book for laypersons on the topic. Educating yourself about health issues is essential. There are lots of books on how to save money and cope with financial difficulties.
Two important reminders: Make sure that you are choosing a resource by someone who has the appropriate qualifications for the topic. And get professional help if you need it.
What about those books that are both useful and entertaining? One of my friends, who adores romance novels, claims that they helped her to know what kind of men to avoid and who to marry. I think she and her husband have been together happily for twenty years or so. I make no representations that this will work for you, but I am not one to argue with success.
Happy Reading!
The Book Goddess
Loving the Product August 31, 2009
Posted by bookgoddess in Books, Librarians, Reading, West Palm Beach Public Library.Tags: In Search of Excellence, Library Currents, Tom Peters
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Many years ago I read In Search of Excellence, the landmark leadership book by Tom Peters. He writes compellingly about the elements that make businesses successful, and one of the points which has stuck with me is the importance of “loving the product,” whether you are a CEO or an employee on the production line.
I’m happy to say that our Library staff is full of people who “love the product.” Lunch and break time conversations often focus on whatever wonderful book we are reading or remember with particular fondness. Our Staff Picks section on the First Floor is full of an amazingly wide range of handpicked titles.
And you love books, too. When you enter the Library, you feel at home. You have to choose carefully between the many books you want to check out, because you can’t carry all of them. You join in the conversation by recommending books to us. Then, to continue the business analogy, you help us “increase our sales” by checking out books. Please – keep up the good work!
We’re very grateful to all our customers. You are the reason for the Library, and we thank you for helping us get our new home off to a great start!
Happy Reading,
The Book Goddess
(This essay originally appeared in the September/October issue of Library Currents, which also includes information on Library and Friends activities for all ages. You can find it at our homepage: http://www.mycitylibrary.org/.)
How Women Got the Right to Vote, Among Other Things August 26, 2009
Posted by bookgoddess in A Few Good Books on the Subject, Books, Reading.Tags: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Geoffrey C. Ward, Marge Piercy, Miriam Gurko, New York Times, Nineteenth Amendment, Not for Ourselves Alone, right to vote, Sex Wars, suffragettes, Susan B. Anthony, The Ladies of Seneca Falls, The Trial of Susan B. Anthony, women
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On this day in 1920, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment gave female citizens of the United States the right to vote. You can visit the website of the New York Times for the front page of the day. Strangely, this event was not even one of the major headlines.
To those of us born at a time when the right to vote is taken for granted and even undervalued by some, it may seem incomprehensible that it was ever a controversy.
But what a controversy it was! Suffragettes faced scorn, danger, and imprisonment in their battle for the right to vote. It was a long and amazing saga that led to the Nineteenth Amendment, and it’s worth knowing about. Here are a few good books on the subject:
The Ladies of Seneca Falls: The Birth of the Women’s Rights Movement by Miriam Gurko – Five women sitting around a tea table in upstate New York organize “A Convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman.” There are many consequences.
Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony by Geoffrey C. Ward. The towering figures of the movement.
The Trial of Susan B. Anthony. Her own narrative of the trial leading to her conviction for voting “knowingly, wrongfully, and unlawfully.” For primary source enthusiasts.
Sex Wars by Marge Piercy. Not just about the suffrage movement, this novel is set against the lively background of post-Civil War New York and the social ferment of the era.
The Nineteenth Amendment is an important part of the story of how we got from then to now, and I for one am profoundly grateful to the women and men who brought it about.
Happy Reading!
The Book Goddess
