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By Karen, February 7, 2013

Valentine’s Day is next week and there is nothing that inspires romance like beautifully written love letters.

Love Letters of Great Men
Edited by Ursula Doyle

Who doesn’t remember the scene from the Sex and the City movie where Carrie reads aloud to Big from a book called Love Letters of Great Men.  As fans of the movie discovered, the book did not actually exist. Ursula Doyle complied all of the letters referenced in the film in this one slim volume.

Love letters of Great Women
Edited by Ursula Doyle

“As a companion to Love Letters of Great Men, this anthology gives the other side of the story: the secret hopes and lives of some of the greatest women in history, from writers and artists to politicians and queens.”

Love Letters, Lost
By Babbette Hines

“Love Letters, Lost is a collection of amorous letters whose fates were, alas, scattered to the wind. Salvaged from flea markets, garage sales, swap meets, and Internet auctions by Babbette Hines, they are here paired with vintage photographs of love-struck couples holding hands, laughing, smiling, dancing, and otherwise mugging for the camera.”

The 50 Greatest Love Letters of All Time
Selected by David H. Lowenherz

“If a picture speaks a thousand words, a love letter speaks a thousand more . . . Even in this age of e-mail, faxes, and instant messaging, nothing has ever replaced the power of a love letter. Internationally renowned collector David Lowenherz sifted through hundreds and hundreds of historical and contemporary epistles and selected the most ardent, witty, whimsical, sexy, clever, and touching letters for this inspiring collection.”

Love Letters: an Anthology
Chosen by Antonia Fraser

“Here are 135 wonderful love letters – dashed off, through the centuries, by a glorious variety of lovers, passionately expressing their ardor, ecstasy, jealousy, pique, despair, adoration, utter enslavement and amazed joy.”

A Love No Less: More Than Two Centuries of African American Love Letters
Edited by Pamela Newkirk

“A delightful tribute to African American love, this treasury of fifty letters written by well-known figures and ordinary folk alike resonates with the joy and tenderness of romance, and offers glimpses into the social, literary, and political lives of black Americans throughout the last two centuries.”

-Karen

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By Lindsey, January 31, 2013

The Library Academy Awards (Youth Media Awards) were announced at the American Library Association’s Midwinter Meeting on  January 28^th.  Children’s Librarians from around the country (and world) donned their finest broom skirts, wooden jewelry, comfortable shoes, and sweeping up-do’s (buns) and waited anxiously while the winners were announced.

Your own Nashville Public Library’s Children’s Librarians had a little pool going to see who could pick the winner this year.  At stake?  Some of my delicious homemade chocolate chip hazelnut cookies to the librarian(s) who pegged the winner.  We only focused on the Caldecott (picture books) and Newbery (chapter books.)

Our picks for Caldecott were as follows:

Ms. Phyllis at Main: Georgia In Hawaii: When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky
Ms. Lindsey at Main: This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen*
Miss Terri at Green Hills: I Have a Dream Words by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
Ms. Angela at Edmondson Pike and Ms. Joy at Thompson Lane: Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger**
Ms. Ellen at Bordeaux: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
Ms. Lin at Madison: Oh no, George! By Chris Haughton
Ms. Klem-Mari At Bringing Books to Life: Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett; illustrated by Jon Klassen**
Ms. Elaine at Donelson: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Erin E Stead
Ms. Sarah at Donelson: A Home for Bird by Philip C. Stead
Ms. Tori at Edmondson Pike: Happy by Miles van Hout

And the 2013 Caldecott winner is:

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

*  okay, so I might have changed my mind at the last minute in our official pool, however, I stated publicly here that this was my pick for Caldecott and my love for Jon Klassen is unparalleled, so I’m counting it!  I’m making the cookies afterall!

** these titles were 2013 Caldecott Honor Books

Our picks for the 2013 Newbery:

Ms. Phyllis at Main, Miss Terri at Green Hills, and Ms. Tori at Edmondson Pike: Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Ms. Lindsey at Main: See You At Harry’s by Johanna Knowles*
Ms. Angela at Edmondson Pike: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Ms. Ellen at Bordeaux: The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech
Ms. Lin at Madison: I Funny by James Patterson
Ms. Joy at Thompson Lane: Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage**
Ms. Elaine at Donelson: Splendors and Glooms by Laura Schlitz**

And the 2013 Newbery winner is:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate:  I am about 1/3 of the way in and so far it is a lovely, if not a bit forlorn, quick read.  I have heard people call it “our generation’s Charlotte’s Web.” Those are some big pages to fill, so I won’t speak to the correctness of that description, yet.

* Again, I changed my mind at the last minute, but Wonder was getting plenty of love and I wanted to recognize See You at Harry’s, a heart-wrenchingly great book I will review here soon.

** These titles were Newbery Honor Books.

Kudos to ME! and Ms. Angela at Edmondson Pike for picking the winners (even if I cheated a little)

You can see the full list of the 2013 Youth Media Awards here.  All of which are available at Nashville Public Library (or will be soon!).

-Lindsey

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By Bryan, January 28, 2013

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN
by James A. Miller & Thomas Shales

If cable TV has a rock star, it is not a music network, but ESPN. It keeps behaving badly and just keeps getting more popular. Those Guys Have All the Fun is an oral history of ESPN’s rise to “world domination.” The book could have been titled how to make a television network from scratch, warts and all, completely uncensored. For those of you who hate sports, I should have said upfront that the story of ESPN is a compelling American odyssey involving all sorts of people and from all walks of life. It is a story that transcends the knocking of balls and cracking of skulls. It is the American dream realized. It is our collective nightmare. Maybe that’s hyperbole. It is a story of big personalities, big money, sex, and TV.

ESPN started as a family business made possible by intra-family loans. The network grew as cable grew – truly home grown in the nowheresville town of Bristol, Connecticut. Eventually, real money gets involved – Mickey Mouse money. Yes, Disney bought ESPN. You’ll learn why your cable costs so much. Hint: it has something to do with Hank Williams and Monday night. Miller and Shales don’t turn a blind eye to the entrenched culture of  sexual harassment at the network. Think Mad Men but as a qualification to get hired at this agency you have to be a sports fanatic. Yeah, it was bad. Racial tensions within the network were a microcosm of racial tensions in our culture at large. This continues to this day. With matters of race and sport tied so closely together, how could it not?

Some have criticized the book for letting ESPN off the hook. If Those Guys Have All the Fun handled its subject with kid gloves, I’m afraid of what  a more rigorous examination would look like.  Differing points of view on controversial subjects were all given a chance to make their case. I listened to the book on Playaway. The weight of its length is lessened by multiple narrators. With different male and female voices, it feels like you are in the room while the interviews are happening.

I stopped paying for cable years ago but can enjoy much of ESPN’s programming via their Podcenter. There you can find streaming and downloadable versions of their radio and TV talk shows. I still unwind most work days by listening to Around the Horn featuring my favorite sports writer Kevin Blackistone. He was the only commentator on the show brave enough to call out the press for making such a fuss over the “death” of an imaginary woman whenever there was a real death at Notre Dame that went conspicuously under reported.

Oh, and the Super Bowl? I’m rooting for coach Harbaugh.

- Bryan

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By Karen, January 24, 2013

Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller’s Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages

By Michael Popek

Michael Popek began working at his parent’s used and rare book store where he was responsible for buying and sorting books.  On a whim, he created a blog so that his friends could see some of the unusual things he was finding inside of the books he processed.  That blog became the basis for his book Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller’s Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages.

Popek divided the book’s chapters into five categories “Photographs,” “Letters, Cards and Correspondence,” “Notes, Poems, Lists and Other Written Ephemera,” “Receipts, Invoices, Advertising, and Other Official Documents,” and “The Old Curiosity Shop: From Four-Leaf Clovers to Razor Blades.” He also featured photographs of both the forgotten items and the book in which they were found.

Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller’s Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages is charming and captivating.  You find yourself wanting to know the story behind the letters, postcards and photographs…. Not only are you seeing wonderful examples of ephemera but you are getting to see the lovely cover art of the books themselves.

Don’t miss it.

- Karen

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By Crystal, January 22, 2013

Columbine
by Dave Cullen

When unspeakable tragedies occur, we ask the question how could this have happened?  After the horrific shootings at Columbine High School near Littleton, Colorado on April 20th, 1999, many theories were offered as to why the shooters carried out such violence.    Dave Cullen’s book Columbine gives an authoritative look into the lives of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, debunking many myths surrounding the tragedy.

A decade in the making, Cullen carried out meticulous research, including interviews with living victims of the tragedy, and the loved ones of those lost.  Cullen talked in particular with FBI agent and clinical psychologist Dwayne Fuselier, who played an integral role in the investigation.  Fuselier studied the killers’ journals and video recordings, which reveal a slow to accelerated build of  psychopathy in Harris and depression in Klebold.  In the pages of Columbine, Cullen also uncovers the mishandling of the investigation by the local police force, including telling events prior to the tragedy.  Finally, Cullen leaves the reader at the dedication of the memorial, providing updates into the living victims’ lives, and the loved ones of those lost on that terrible day.

It is heartbreaking that true stories like this one are here to be told.  In his book, Cullen has covered the events leading up to, and after April 20th, 1999, with great journalistic integrity.

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By Bryan, January 21, 2013

This Machine Kills Secrets: How WikiLeakers, Cypherpunks, and Hacktivists Aim to Free the World’s Information
by Andy Greenberg

This Machine Kills Secrets charts the rise and fall of Wikileaks. The word “Wikileaks” is no longer the boogeyman it once was. The current public debate about online privacy might indicate that the philosophical roots behind Wikileaks has gained traction with the general populace.  This book is a history of said philosophy. The ideological manifestation of this philosophy is a belief in the right to privacy. The pragmatic manifestation of this philosophy is encryption, or the ability to scramble data so only you and those you choose can unscramble it. Those ideologically motivated enough to take pragmatic action wrote encryption software.  Of course, encryption and related technologies can be used for anonymous whistle-blowing too. The people who wrote encryption software are either freedom fighters or paranoid wackjobs depending on your perspective. Pick your poison. It makes for great reading. It also makes for strange bedfellows. I was left wondering what gun nuts in Idaho think of Julian Assange. Greenberg works in a biography of Assange, a history of digital encryption, a (sort of) history of hacker collective Anonymous, and how this all led to a quiet revolution in Iceland. I couldn’t put it down.

If this book tickles your fancy, the author recently participated in an “ask me anything”  session on Reddit where he answered user questions in depth and revealed more personal opinions about Wikileaks. Check it, and his book, out.

- Bryan

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By Amy, January 20, 2013

The Philistine explodes bomb-bombs to fire the bum-bums and the should-be dumb-dumbs . . . The good stuph is gathered every month by Elbert Hubbard, plucked sizzling from the fiery furnace, and put in palatable, picturesque, and piquant form for the delectation of the faithful . . . The Philistine is never dull.  It makes many glad, some sad, and a few mad.  It says things that make you think.  Thus it does more than merely entertain.

The Philistine: A Periodical of Protest is one of the little-known gems of the Periodicals collection, held at the Main library (ask for it at Periodicals desk – 3rd floor).  Elbert Hubbard, a famous and somewhat controversial figure of the time, wrote and published this title from 1895-1915.  Main Library holds the issues from 1901-1915.

The volumes are very small – about 6” tall and 4” wide. They include essays and epigrams penned by Hubbard as well as ads for the products made by the Roycroft community.  Roycroft was a community of artisans that Hubbard founded – they spearheaded the Arts and Crafts movement in America.

Hubbard printed the magazine himself with a press he installed at Roycroft.  The Roycrofters also produced special editions of Hubbard’s books, other popular titles, and handmade furniture, leather and metal goods.

Hubbard was a larger than life character full of contradictions, espousing ideas like socialism and the free market at the same time. He wrote about philosophy, religion, politics, literature, business, self-improvement and more.  His style was humorous, irreverent, often arrogant and (in my opinion) a little bit kooky.  Hubbard toured America giving lectures in addition to publishing pamphlets, magazines and books.

In 1915 Hubbard and his wife died aboard the Lusitania.  This ended The Philistine’s run, but his son continued to run the Roycroft community for about 20 more years.

What’s Special About The Philistine: A Periodical of Protest?

W.W. Denslow, an artist at the Roycroft Community who went on to illustrate the L. Frank Baum Wizard of Oz books, designed the “Seahorse” logo used in the magazine.

Every issue included epigrams written by Hubbard and printed in a decorative font with intricate borders.

Hubbard’s essays often skewered the leading literary figures of the day, attacking George Bernard Shaw, Rudyard Kipling, William Dean Howells, and others with somewhat exaggerated criticism.

In March 1899, Hubbard published in The Philistine an inspirational 1500-word essay called “A Message to Garcia” that became extremely popular, eventually being reprinted over 9 million times.

The January 1915 issue of The Philistine was about World War I (called “The War Number”), in which Hubbard strongly     opposed American involvement.

The final issue is a tribute to Elbert Hubbard and his wife, who died aboard the Lusitania.

To learn more about Elbert Hubbard, you can check out these items from Nashville Public Library:

• Elbert Hubbard: An American Original (DVD)
• Art & Glory: The Story of Elbert Hubbard by Freeman Champney
• The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard by Elbert Hubbard (produced in 1927 by the Roycroft community)