Blog Post
Be a Deer and Join Us!
by Sancho Panza
David Small and Sarah Stewart are coming to the Downtown library this weekend—are you prepared? Brush up on their charming blend of timeless watercolor illustrations and heartwarming tales of books, plants and… antlers? My personal favorite of the bunch, Imogene’s Antlers follows the resilient main character through her daily routine with a spontaneously acquired pair of antlers. Both written and illustrated by David Small, the delightfully matter-of-fact text juxtaposes hysterically with the images of Imogene’s unusual predicament. If you don’t happen to get a copy in time, never fear—Nicola’s Books will be on-hand at the event.
Blog Post
Doggishly good books
by emilyas
On NPR Nancy Pearl has noted that in the past year nonfiction books about dogs have been very popular. Many of the titles she recommends are available at the library. For a doggishly good read, check out one of these titles:
Timbuktu by Paul Auster
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
City by Clifford Simak
Skippyjon Jones by Judith Byron Schachner
Lucky in the Corner by Carol Anshaw
Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie
And check out the NPR story for a recording of Nancy Pearl reading "Golden Retrievals," a poem by Mark Doty.
Blog Post
Writers recommend....
by Maxine
The most recent book recommended in the "You must read this" feature on NPR is Tillie Olsen's Tell Me a Riddle. Scott Turow talks about the profound influence Olsen's novella had on him as a young writer in college. Other titles recently discussed on the program have been Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter, recommended by Alice McDermott and Maud Martha, Gwendolyn Brooks' only work of fiction described as "indispensable" by Asali Solomon whose book of short stories, Get Down was recently published.
Blog Post
The women behind poets dying young
by Maxine
I know Halloween overshadowed (no pun intended) everything on October 31, but we must also remember John Keats who was born on that day, as well as his cronies Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. John Keats was born on October 31, 1795 and died an untimely death from tuberculosis on February 23, 1821. Shelley and Byron also died young, leaving only William Wordsworth, the father of the Romantic poets to live to a ripe old age.
A new novel, Passion by Jude Morgan looks at the lives of their wives and lovers including Mary Shelley and Fanny Brawne. Morgan's novel gives us a glimpse of early nineteenth century life where these women flouted the more rigid conventions of the time and created their own identities apart from the men they loved.
Blog Post
Celebrate National Children's Book Week at AADL
by iottJen
Always ready to celebrate books and reading, the Library hosts several special guests and events for National Children’s Book Week, Nov. 13-19. The award-winning children’s book creators, illustrator David Small and author Sarah Stewart, help us kick off the week on Sat. Nov. 11, 2-3:30 pm at the downtown Library. David won the 2001 Caldecott Medal for So You Want to be President? and their book The Gardener was a 1998 Caldecott Honor Book. David and Sarah will talk about working together to create beautiful, meaningful children’s books. AADL also welcomes Newbery Medal winner (2002) Linda Sue Park to the downtown Library on Tue. Nov. 14 from 7-8 pm. Linda will tell us about the events in her life that lead her to become a children’s book author.
The Ann Arbor Storytellers’ Guild will delight us with folktales from around the world when they present Tellebration on Sun., Nov. 12, from 2-3 pm at the downtown Library. We’ll also have some astonishing magic with Merlin’s Magic of Reading on Mon, Nov. 13, 7-7:45 pm at the Malletts Creek Branch. Don’t miss the Mad Hatter Tea Party at the Pittsfield Branch, Thurs., Nov. 16, from 4-5 pm: you will get to make your own place mat, tea bag and (what else?) a ridiculous hat! All events compliment the downtown Library Exhibit of Selected Caldecott and Newbery Winners, presented by the UM Special Collections Library, located in the lower level display cases.
Blog Post
19th Annual Jewish Book Festival
by ulrich
The 19th Annual Jewish Book Festival will take place at the Jewish Community Center at 2935 Birch Hollow Drive from November 5-12. Speakers include a number of prominent authors such as journalist and radio commentator Steven V. Roberts who will open this years's festival with a talk about his book My Father's Houses: Memoir of a Family; Jeffrey Goldberg, the 'New Yorker' magazine's Washington correspondent; and editor Ruth Andrew Ellenson who'll speak on her anthology The Modern Jewish Girl's Guide to Guilt. For more information about the festival and the names of other speakers visit the Jewish Community Center web site.
Blog Post
Move over, Martha.
by Sancho Panza
Amy Sedaris, everyone’s favorite comic shape-shifter and newly minted solo author, wants you to get drunk. On her witty repartee, that is (and maybe a few well-chosen cocktails). Her new book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence delivers plenty of the expected sardonic humor, and some recipes, too. If you consider yourself a fan of both plastic food and Martha Stewart, this book is for you.
Blog Post
Preschool Storytime at Northeast Branch
by lola
Preschool storytime at the Northeast Branch library will take place twice on Thursday morning for the next six-week storytime session starting November 9 and ending December 14. Gather round the carpet and join us for storytime from 10-10:30 am or from 11-11:30 am.
Blog Post
Downtown Preschool Storytime
by lola
Preschool storytime at the Downtown library will take place twice on Tuesday morning for the next six-week session starting November 7 and ending December 12. Two storytimes on Tuesday will go on into the Winter session, from January to April. Take a whirl around the fish tank and say hello to Porky the Puffer Fish. Then join us for storytime from 10-10:30 am or from 11-11:30 am.
Blog Post
When Madeline Was Young
by Eartoground
A priests' book group is reading Jane Hamilton's favorably reviewed new book, When Madeline Was Young because it casts a particularly kind eye on human nature. The novel weaves the tale of Madeline Maciver, a beautiful young wife who suffers brain damage in a bike accident early in her marriage to Aaron Maciver. Aaron and his second wife, Julia, care for Madeline, while also raising two children of their own. The book, narrated by their son, Mac, also highlights family rivalries, sibling relationships, and contemporary American history.