Review: The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer by John Harwood. Harcourt, 2004.

The suspense builds slowly in this gothic thriller. As a shy teen living in Australia, Gerard discovers a ghost story written by his grandmother, and he establishes an intense and passionate correspondence with Alice, a pen friend in England. Both seemingly unrelated events inexplicably upset his mother, who suddenly stops talking about her home and childhood in England, declaring that one of her mother's ghost stories came true. She becomes more and more paranoid, fearful, and controlling until her death several years later.

Gerard, now an adult and employed as a librarian, determines to find out about his mother's life and family in England - and to meet the elusive Alice, with whom he has continued to correspond. Horrifyingly, past and present begin to fuse, blurring the border between normal and paranormal. Murder and madness are revealed, and spirits and ghostlike voices drive this author's first novel to its satisfying and unexpected conclusion.

Trick or Treat at Central

Last Saturday, dozens of costumed kids turned out for an early Halloween event. After some seasonal stories and pumpkin-decorating, they queued up for a trick-or-treat tramp through the building. Here's a photo of the survivors in the Kids' Place at the end of the program. The youngest now know how to assert themselves at the door for the Real Thing tomorrow night.

Recalling the "Bard of Auburn" in the Sacramento Room

"Who was Clark Ashton Smith, and what were his ties to California literature?" were two of the topics discussed October 24 As Ray Johnson and Ardath Winterowd spoke about the Auburn poet and author before two dozen curious library patrons and local poets.

Moderator Tom Tolley offered a brief biography of the reclusive Smith and gave a background history of the pulp magazines the “Bard of Auburn” made his livelihood and popular reputation with before introducing Ray Johnson, who shared his life-long love of pulps and personal recollections of Smith and Auburn in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Ardath Winterowd, who designed their book “Shadows Seen and Unseen” and contributed original art, spoke on their collaboration and detailed the work involved in fashioning the book, which contains facsimiles of original manuscript pages of Smith’s poetry.

Mr. Johnson and a fellow collector provided rare pulp magazines and first edition books as well as two dozen original manuscript pages of poems by Clark Ashton Smith and one of his original paintings. The Sacramento Room displayed some of their rare Smith first editions, including two that were printed in Auburn by the local newspaper in very limited run, as well as other scarce material from the California Collection.

The display of Clark Ashton Smith books, poems, pulps and paintings will remain until November 15.

RINCON LATINO: PARA HALLOWEEN UN LIBRO QUE ASUSTA!!

El Diablo, encarnación del Mal Supremo, está presente en todas las religiones y culturas del mundo. Pero sus orígenes son oscuros y sus características han variado a lo largo del tiempo. Tampoco su presentación mental y artística ha sido siempre igual, ni es similar en las diferentes religiones. En consecuencia, el autor nos ofrece una amplia panorámica de la historia de este misterioso personaje y cómo ha ido adoptando diferentes papeles (o máscaras) a medida que ha evolucionado la sociedad y le ha dado o quitado poderes.

SONRISAS: ARTISTAS JOVENES NECESITADOS!! #2

Nuestra bibliotecaria Jami Trawick está solicitando a la juventud de Sacramento y sus anexos en someter ejemplares de arte. Ejemplos tiene que ser artefactos genuinamente elaborados por el artista y no reproducciones. Sí tienes algún interés que tu arte sea exhibido al público en nuestra biblioteca por favor comunícate con Jami llamanado al 916-264-2973.

Witchy Ways at Central

"Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg, and owlet's wing,—
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble."

-the Second Witch from William Shakpeare's MacBeth, Act IV, Scene I

On the evening of Tuesday, October 23, Wendy Matlock, professor of English and Medievalist at CSUS, beguiled the audience at the Central Library's Sacramento Room with a thoughtful lecture and discussion on Witchcraft in the Middle Ages.

Who would have known that there was such a fine line between earthly and heavenly power and such a double standard regarding the acceptance of each? One may have also taken from the lecture the curious intolerance for witchcraft during the Renaissance, a time so dedicated to scientific exploration and acceptance. So, in spite of the Bard of Avon's invocation of the witch - more than once - in his Renaissance literature, withces had an easier go of it in the Middle Ages than during the Renaissance? Odd enough, but seemingly true.

Look for future lectures on English Literature and lore by Matlock. For details and registration, go to http://www.saclibrary.org/ or call 264-2920.

A Message to Young Artists

Would you like to see your artwork on display as part of the Second Saturday Art Walk? Are you under 18 years of age? Consider lending your masterpieces, matted and framed, to Kids’ Place at Central Library. Contact Jami Trawick, youth services librarian, at 264-2973 for more information.

I Know I Saw it Here ...

The greatest thing about blogs - ego-strokes aside - is that they are searchable. To search for information in previous posts, just look for the white box next to the little orange Blogger logo at the top of the screen (see image). Type in a relevant word or two, click the "search blog" link or press the enter key, and you should get a list of posts containing those words. Then all you need to do is scroll down the list to find the one you remember.

So - try it now: Type the word reviews in the box at the top of the screen and click the "search blog" link. This should retrieve a list of all the posts that are book reviews. See anything that looks good? Clicking the title of the book will take you to the library's catalog, where you can request it.

Duck soup!

RINCON LATINO: ROUGH GUIDE FLAMENCO

La serie musical "ROUGH GUIDE" ha publicado varias series the música mundial abarcando los cuartos rumbos del mundo. Acabo de ordenar varios títulos cubriendo muchísimos sones latinoamericanos y españoles. FLAMENCO NUEVO es uno de esos géneros recientes que ha tomado no solo España sino también el mundo entero como un huracán caribeño azotando nuestros prejuicios de que la música...en este caso el flamenco. Históricamente el flamenco ... ó, mejor dicho, la mayor influencia del flamenco se orígino en el Norte de Africa con la llegada de los Moros. Los Moros permanecieron en la península Ibérica 9 siglos ... es decir, 900 años. No importa que cultura sea ,pero 900 años tiende a dejar alguna huella cultural aparte de lo lingüístico.

El fenómeno del flamenco nuevo surgió después de la muerte de Francisco Franco, y la llegada de géneros musicales como el rock, new wave y el punk. Fue durante esta época que las mezcolanzas artísticas surgieron y tomaron raíz para dar este resultado. Uno de estos grupos es "Son de la Frontera," grupo oriundo de Jerez de la Frontera de la primorosa provincia de Andalucía.

Esta colección titulada "FLAMENCO NUEVO" es una compliación lindísima y espero que no solo los hispanohablantes lo pidan sino también a los hablan otro idioma para disfrutarlo. ¡Enhorabuena!

RINCON LATINO: SODA STEREO Y GUSTAVO CERATI

CUANDO YO ERA JOVEN Y BELLO (ESTOY HABLANDO DE MUCHISIMOS ANOS ATRAS!)...RECUERDO ESCUCHANDO UNO DE MIS GRUPOS PREDILECTOS... SODA STEREO, CONJUNTO ARGENTINO COMPUESTO POR CHARLY GARCIA (BATERIA), ZETA BOSIO (BAJO Y COROS) Y EL EMBLEMATICO GUSTAVO CERATI (REQUINTO Y VOCALES). DURANTE AQUELLA EPOCA DEL "NEW WAVE" LA CUAL RECORRIO POR TODAS PARTES DEL MUNDO ESPECIALMENTE EN EUROPA Y LOS ESTADO UNIDOS...UN GRUPO MUSICAL PORTENO EMPEZO A DESATARSE DE LAS NORMAS TRADICIONALES DE LA MUSICA LATINOAMERICANA Y NACIO SODA STEREO. PESE A QUE SODA IMITO OTRO GRUPOS EUROPEOS COMO LOS COCTEAU TWINS Y THE POLICE, ELLOS INICIARON UNA METAFORIS UTILIZANDO CIERTOS SONES ANDINOS ( FLAUTA ANDINA EN "CUANDO PASA EL TEMBLOR" Y FENOMENO SUIZO DEL "YODEL" EN LA MISMA CANCION). AHORA, EL PASADO 19 DE OCTUBRE EN EL ESTADIO MONUMENTAL PARECE QUE RENACIO AQUEL HIJO PRODIGO Y SE RELANZO DE NUEVO EN GIRA POR TODA LA ARGENTINA Y AMERICA LATINA DONADO GRAN PORCENTAJE DE SUS GANACIAS A GRUPOS DE BIEN PUBLICO.

SODA STEREO ES UNO DE ESOS GRUPOS LATINOAMERICANOS QUE ROMPIO EL MOLDE DE MUCHAS NORMAS MUSICALES EN ESPECIAL LO CULTURAL . HOY DIA MUCHOS GRUPOS COMO CAFE TACUBA, CONTROL MACHETE , JAGUARES Y MANA (TODOS GRUPOS MEXICANOS) INDICA LA INFLUENCIA ABRUMADORA DE ESTE GRUPO ARGENTINO COMO ANTECEDENTE MARCADOR. POR FAVOR GOCEN DE ESTE VIDEO POSTEADO POR UN FANATICO ( Y NO IMPORTA DE DONDE SEA! ). LA MUSICA NO TIENE FRONTERAS!

Fan Club Feedback - Bill Bryson

One of the reasons we began a Central Library blog is to get your feedback, so we're going to add a new feature--Fan Club Feedback! We'll highlight a particular author and then ask that you add your comments regarding your favorite title and why you read him/her. Here at Central we have a large staff following of Bill Bryson fans. When a new title is being published, we all rush to get on the hold list and then we share our favorite parts, laughing all the way, of course!

Therefore, let's start with Mr. Bryson. My favorite title is A walk in the woods : rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. Where else can you read about an adventure traveller who is afraid of the very adventures he undertakes? Bryson's biggest fear is that he will meet up with a bear along the Appalachian Trail and won't survive the melee. He does take his friend Katz along on this ambitious journey, but you'll soon discover why Katz won't be any help at all!

Now, dear readers, it is up to you to weigh in on why you like Bill Bryson. Just below this posting you'll see a link for comments. Please post yours today!

Happy 150th Birthday!

This weekend is special for the Central Library and for all our branches. We are celebrating 150 years in Sacramento!

We've planned a full weekend of celebration, and everyone is invited! The more, the merrier!

Here's more information about the anniversary events. We've planned something for everyone, young and old.

And don't forget: parking is free!

User Tools - Library Bookmarklet

Have you ever shopped for books online and wondered whether the library owns copies (before you plunk down your credit card)? John Udell has created a "library bookmarklet" that creates a button for your browser's Links toolbar. The bookmarklet button gives you one-click access to your library's catalog from any screen that includes an isbn, including pages from bookstores like Amazon.com, Bookfinder.com, etc. If the library has the book, you should see the catalog listing and be able to request it with your library card number.

Here is the Bookmarklet for Sacramento Public Library:

Find at SPL

Drag the link to your links toolbar, or right-click, select "add to favorites", click "yes" at the security warning, and save in "links". (If you have a long list of links, you can drag the bookmarklet to the top of the list or to the place you want it to stay on your links toolbar.)

Problems dragging your bookmarklet to the link toolbar? See this screencast.

Senior Moment

How could I have forgotten to include one of the major presenters at our staff training day?! It can only be explained as a "senior moment." (Sorry, Michael!)

Michael Porter, "Libraryman", gave two excellent presentations: on how technology is providing the means for libraries to enter the virtual spaces inhabited by today's library users, and on gadgets available now that are transforming the way people interact with information. He said libraries are places (real or virtual) where content and community intersect. The question is whether libraries can get it together soon enough to remain relevant tomorrow.

In-Service: Technologies and Trends

Wow! There was lots of energy and excitement at our annual staff in-service training day. It started off with a burst of enthusiasm when Mike Eisenberg, University of Washington, delivered his opening keynote presentation: "What's out there and what it might mean in terms of strengths, weaknesses, oportunities and threats to, for, and by libraries." As an illustration of how much things have changed in just a few years, he showed this YouTube video.

Additional speakers included Stacey Aldrich, Deputy State Librarian, Alma Ortega from UC San Diego, Pat Wagner from Pattern Research, Cheryl Gould from InfoPeople, Walter Minkel from New York Public Library, Sandra Ley from Arizona State University, Lucille Boone and Sandra Stewart from San Jose Public Library, and Sacramento Public staff.

Collectively, they spoke of how social networking services like MySpace, Facebook, Del.icio.us, Second Life, Flickr, blogging sites like Blogger, and the availability of new tools and gadgets are changing the way people expect to find information, and should be changing the way libraries deliver it, in order to remain in the game.

Look for good stuff from your library soon!

Closed Wednesday: Annual Staff Training

It goes by many names: continuing ed, in-service training, professional development - Sacramento Public Library devotes one day each year to an all-staff training day. This year, on Wednesday, October 10, all libraries will be closed, and staff will be boning up on Emerging Technologies and Trends in Libraries - and what they mean for library services today and in the future.

Even though the branches are closed, there are still some services that are available. Books may be renewed by calling one of the Renewal Lines (916-264-2952 and 916-264-2953), and also by going to the library's web site and clicking the "your library account" link. We'll all be open again regular hours on Thursday, October 11.

Ask us to tell you what we learned about some of the ways libraries are making it easier and more convenient for the public to use their materials and services.

(Original photo by Mind on Fire, altered using Flickr Toys, and used here under the Creative Commons "attribute and share alike" license.)

SONRISAS: UN HALLOWEEN ESPECIAL EN KID'S PLACE! #1

REUNENSE CON SUS ESPRITUS FANTASMALES Y PRINCESAS PARA HALLOWEEN EN KID'S PLACE EL 27 DE OCTUBRE DESDE LAS 1400 A 1550 HRS. ESTAREMOS LEYENDO HISTORIETAS ESCALOFEIANTES, DECORANDO CALABAZAS Y REPARTIENDO "GOLOSINAS O BROMAS" POR TODA LA BIBLIOTECA CENTRAL.

QUIEN PEDIRA POR MAS ESTE HALLOWEEN Y TENER OTRA OPORTUNIDAD PARA PONERSE ESE DISFRAZ ESPELUZNANTE? ADEMAS CADA SABADO HAY APARCAMIENTO GRATIS EN LA ESQUINA DE LAS CALLES 10 E "I"! POR FAVOR REUNENESE CON NOSOTROS ESTE 27 DE OCTUBRE PARA GOZAR ESTE FESTEJO ANTIGUO!

SU FIEL SERVIDORA JAMI TRAWICK , BIBLIOTECARIA DE SERVICIOS JUVENILES EN KID'S PLACE.
PARA HACER RESERVARVACIONES LLAMEN AL 916-264-2920 Y ASEGURENSE UN RATO PLACENTERO!

HALLOWE'EN
Esta fiesta de origen pagano se celebra en los países anglosajones la víspera del Día de Todos los Santos, ocasión en que se suponía que los muertos visitaban a los vivos. La tradición continúa hoy en día: se vacían calabazas para convertirlas en farolillos con forma de calavera y los niños van de casa en casa disfrazados de brujas o fantasmas. Actualmente, en el Reino Unido se está adoptando la costumbre americana del "treat or trick" (golosina o broma) por la que los niños piden un regalito a los residentes de las casas que visitan y les amenazan con gastarles una broma si no acceden a ello.

A Special Halloween in Kids' Place

Gather all you ghostly ghouls and princesses for Halloween at Kids’ Place on Saturday, October 27 from 2-3:30 p.m. We’ll be reading spooky stories, decorating pumpkins, eating goodies and Trick-or-Treating through the Central Library! Who could ask for more than Halloween treats and another chance to don your Halloween costume? Plus, there’s free parking now on Saturdays! Please register for event online at www.saclibrary.org or by calling 264-2920. Hope to see you on the 27th. Jami, Youth Services Librarian @ Kids’ Place

Discovering Your Roots

Beth Daugherty, our Genealogy Librarian, writes:

Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in the United States today. Central Library is planning more exciting programs on this topic in the near future, because of the great attendance and enthusiastic response to the four programs we presented last month.

Details about the new programs will be posted here soon. Until then, you can get a head start on climbing your own family tree by going to the Research Guide on the library’s home page (click the link in the “Library Services” section,) or stop by to browse the how-to books on the fourth floor.

Other genealogy programs and seminars currently being offered in the Sacramento area:

Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, 8:30 am. – 4:00 pm.
Family History Day
California State Archives
1020 “O” Street (corner of 10th and O Streets)
Genealogy classes and tours of the Archives. This fun event is free and open to the public.
More information

Every Wednesday evening, 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
Genealogy Classes
Sacramento Family History Center
2745 Eastern Ave., Sacramento, CA
These classes are free and open to the public. For a list, click the "Classes" button on the Family History Center's web site.

Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007, 9:00 am. – 3:00 pm.
Gathering the Harvest
Sacramento Family History Center
2745 Eastern Ave., Sacramento, CA
There is a fee for this day-long seminar, which is open to the public. For more info, click the "Seminars" button on the Family History Center's web site.

It's "One Book" Night!

Tonight, from 6-8 p.m., local mystery author John Lescroart will discuss his latest book, "The Suspect". The program will be held at Central Library in the Library Galleria. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. You can find program details in the Event Calendar and in Library News on page 6, or call Telephone Reference at 916-264-2920 after 10 a.m.

The Sacramento Bee published an interview with Lescroart last week that makes it sound like tonight's program will be very interesting. Local bookstores are offering a 30% discount on the title - a list is available in the Bee article - and copies will be available for sale at the program this evening .

Sacramento Public owns copies in print, large print, CD audiobook, and downloadable e-audiobook formats. Add your name to the wait list by clicking the "request" button on the screen that pops up when you click your preferred format.

A Finer Focus: North Korea: Things Looking Up In the Hermit Kingdom?

It’s called, by some, the Hermit Kingdom; withdrawn from world events and ideologically stern, North Korea has defiantly held out as one of the globe’s last Marxist-Leninist states. There are, however, signs of possible change. In the wake of August flooding that killed hundreds and destroyed important crops, North Korea has, at the behest of China, Japan, the United States, South Korea and Russia, vowed to dismantle its main nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyon.

The development is encouraging and one that belies a long pattern of negative behavior (abduction of foreign nationals, assassinations, invasion of South Korea) and reckless military spending (nearly one-third of the nation’s GNP--the U.S. spends between 4 and 5 percent). It’s hard to know if this is the watershed the world’s been looking for, but a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula would be a big step toward alleviating the tension that’s hung over the region for over 60 years.

A great way to keep up on events in the Koreas and other regions is to check our periodical and newspaper databases. EBSCO offers timely access to popular and specialized journals and magazines like the Economist (1990-present) and Foreign Affairs (1922-present), while Newsbank provides access to award-winning newspapers like the San Jose Mercury News (1985-present), San Francisco Chronicle (1985-present), and Sacramento Bee (1984-present). To use these databases, you only need a library card number and a Personal Identification Number (PIN). For instructions on obtaining a PIN, click here.

The Sacramento Public Library also carries several books on the crisis between the two Koreas. Here are a few:

Jasper Becker, Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea, Oxford University Press, New York, 2005.

Gordon Chang, Nuclear Showdown: North Korea takes on the World, Random House, New York, 2006.

Ted Carpenter, The Korean Conundrum: America's troubled relations with North and South Korea, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2004

Bruce Cumings, Inventing the Axis of Evil: the Truth about North Korea, Iran, and Syria, New Press, New York, 2004.

Don Oberdorfer, The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History, Addison-Wesley Pub., Reading, Mass, c1997, 2001.

Please also note that on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, at 6:00 pm at the Central Library, CSUS history professor Arthur Williamson, Ph.D., will discuss the Cold War and its impact on the current geopolitical state of the world. To register, call 264-2920 or logon to www.saclibrary.org.

Isabel Allende : " The Sum Of Our Days "

Peruvian- born author Isabel Allende has written a new book entitled "The Sum Of Our Days" which is due to be released in North America in April 2008. The Spanish version of the novel was published in mid 2007 by Editorial Sudamericana and is already a best-seller.

Isabell Allende narrates to her daughter , Paula, events surrounding their family since her daughters untimely death. The reader experiences along with the author a story of personal triumph over some of life's most terrible challenges. Her story is very emotional but not all is doom and gloom, for Allende is surrounded by an entourage of family and friends each with their own inspiring stories to tell us. And with their awe-inspiring stories we are all transported to a life filled filled with love , compassion and a new understanding of the complexities of life.

There are 4 copies ordered for the Spanish collection , and since the English translation has not been published, none are on order yet. But that is sure to change !

SPL OUTREACH: THE SEVENTH ANNUAL TARGET CHILDREN'S BOOK CELEBRATION.

The Sacramento Public Library's Community Outreach Services was once again out in full force at the 7th Annual Target Children's Book Celebration held at Fairytale Town in Sacramento's beautiful William Land Park. The event was held on September 29/30 from 10 am to 4pm where hundreds of families attended numerous stage performances with likes of Francie Dillon , children's storyteller Michael Katz , Ke Buena 97.9 DJ's Lili and Ricardo Reyes ( Spanish - Language Storytime ) and renowned author Laura Numeroff.

Other attendees were KVIE's own "Ready to Learn" kids mobile, Friends of the Sacramento Public Library, and SPL's own Wonder Wagon. Volunteers made many children ( and their parents ) very happy encouraging them to sign up for their very first library card! Community Outreach Volunteers also informed the public about the
benefits of reading to children, reading frequently and about the power of imagination!
It's my participation in events like these ( aside from the other things that I do with library! ) that make me proud to work for Sacramento Public Library and Community Outreach Events. Please feel free to visit my Flickr site and see more photographs taken at the Children's Book Celebration!

Calling All College-Bound Students (and Parents)!

The 2007 Fall College Prep Workshops are now well under way at a library near you. This is the 8th year that the Schwab-Rosenhouse College and Career Center has offered the workshops, and the second year of expanding its out reach services to provide more programs to a greater number of branches. However, due to limited resources, we weren't able to offer the programs to all the branches that expressed interest.

The program, which will run until mid-December, includes many
of the popular workshops from past years such as Inside the College Admission Process, Completing College Applications, Brainstorming the College Application Essay, and Paying for College, all of which combine to address the major aspects of the college application and admission process. A new program - College Planning for 8th, 9th, and 10th Graders – has been added in response to parents’ requests for more resources to help give their kids an early start on the right road to college. These workshops are presented by a stellar group of college admissions and financial aid advisers contracted by the Center. A complete schedule of the workshops is on the Schwab-Rosenhouse College and Career Center web page along with the biographies of the presenters. You can also find this information in workshop brochures at all Sacramento Public Library branches and in your school’s college and career center.

In an effort to continually improve the quality of the workshops, we have included a request, on the evaluation form, for permission to contact the participant at a later date to determine the effectiveness of the workshop in helping him or her to meet their objective.

And, as always, we welcome comments and suggestions from all workshop attendees. Although registration is requested, it isn’t required. Just come on out and join for this very informative program. For more information, call 264-2920 or go online at http://www.saclib.org/college/index.html

Joanne Verdon, Coordinator
Schwab-Rosenhouse College and Career Center