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.