Denver Post Headlines:
JCPL 2012 BUDGET –LIBRARIES MAY CLOSE…COMMISSIONERS MAKE CASE FOR DISTRICT, and CITIZENS RALLYING AROUND LIBRARIES!!!
Most of us take libraries for granted. They are there for us to use, free,with a few exceptions, helpful for browsing everything from maps, books, magazines, newspapers and more. Most.Librarians are helpful, pleasant and energetic in digging out endless details and information.
I have found the libraries in Jefferson County invaluable in writing two books. But I am dismayed at the current scene that prompts the headlines above. It is part of our current economic fabric. A financial shortfall in county library funds is due to using part of a mill levy for other county expenses. The loser is the library system, with no apparent ……
What this means to me is a loss of valuable support and information. I grew up with libraries. I discovered my favorite book, THE RED SHOES on my first trip to a library with my father. Since then I have visited twelve or more libraries in different parts of the world. The school library in P.S. 101 in Forest Hills, N.Y. was my escape during free (and not free) periods to read THE THREE MUSKETEERS and THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO. At the Concord, New Hampshire Library I discovered the full extent of the Dewey Decimal system in writing a detailed term paper about Ernest Hemingway’s A FAREWELL TO ARMS. Recently I donated my first book to the beautiful little Carnegie Library in Trinidad, Colorado.
The current proposal before Jefferson County Commissioners is to establish a library district, independent from county management and funding. I am in favor of this. While the digital age is vastly changing publishing and reading options, I would like to preserve libraries as quiet places to explore, discover and discuss information.
What do YOU think? You may not agree with me. I encourage you to tell county commissioners, librarians, and others what you think and want.
Sean’s Secret Room had me hooked from the start! There are so many wonderful elements to this story. Patricia does a beautiful job of weaving adventure, mystery, suspense and history into a wholesome tale that will at times have you chuckling. While reading and thoroughly enjoying Sean’s Secret Room, I found myself re-learning some very interesting history that is thoughtfully sprinkled throughout. Patricia has a wonderful way of intermingling facts with fiction. I would highly recommend this book to children and adults!
MORE ABOUT GHOSTS –BOOKS TO READ AND PLACES TO GO
*Ghosts in Denver? You bet! Try some of these books and places.
THE GHOSTS OF DENVER
CAPITOL HILL by Phil Goldstein, Denver New Social Publications 1996
MURDERS IN THE BANK VAULT by Phil Goldstein as told by Walter L.Gerash
Denver New Social Publications
BROWN PALACE HOTEL HAUNTED TOUR, Resident ghost have haunted this 100-year –old-plus hotel for years. Visit online description and pictures. The tours are on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and cost $10. Reservations are necessary, call 303-297-3111 or www.brownpalace.com
*For western history buffs:
GHOST TOWNS OF THE WEST by Lambert Florin, Promontory Press 1970 -71
*Famous writers of mysteries, supernatural
THE GHOST STORIES OF M.R. JAMES, selected by Michael Cox, illustrated by Rosalind Caldecoll, Oxford University Press 1986
SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, look in your library or online for listings. Frightful suspenseful stories!
THE TRAGIC HISTORY OF HAMLET,PRINCE OF DENMARK by William Shakespeare, written in the 1500’s , Shakespeare’s longest play and among the most famous tragedies in the English language. Afraid the language is strange? Go with the flow and read.
Online, POE STORIES.COM , an exploration of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, remarkably talented writer, often varied, usually dark, considered a forerunner of sci-fi.
“THE WOLF, THE WOMAN, THE WILDERNESS” By Teresa Tsimmu Martino
Sound recording, Jefferson County Public Library.
In “The Wolf,” the author tells about her fierce resolve to return a young abandoned female wolf to the wilderness. The author drives cross-country from the Midwest U.S. to the Pacific Northwest,with the wolf McKenzie, and a young fox. During the long journey the author seeks reconciliation of her mixed Osage Indian and Italian ancestry, and makes mystical contact with her Osage grandfather.
Training the wolf and the fox for a year takes place in the sparsely-populated forests of the Northwest . Establishing boundaries and rewards by hunting with the animals, the author finds that they readily learn gratification from finding food. Gradually they learn to hunt alone within expanding boundaries. The author delightfully compares the behavior of the two animals in play and hunting: the fox immediately eats his pry, while McKenzie saves and guards his “take;” the fox plays roughly and viciously, while the wolf plays more gently and affectionately. The book vividly describes how trainer and animals learn lessons in survival from each other.
Unexpectedly, the author discovers a strong “wolf mystique” reaction among neighbors, friends and rangers due to the wolf’s predatory history. Threats to kill the animals force Teresa to move to more remote areas to complete the training. Both animals return to the wilderness.
This book has appeal for animal lovers and wildlife preservationists, and is heartwarming and poignant. Another of Teresa Tsimmu Martino’s books is “Dancer on the Grass: True Stories About Horses and People.” She writes about true life events with compassion and dedication.
Review by Patricia Ann Reid authorpatreid@gmail.com
INTERESTED IN DIGITAL PUBLISHING?
Look around you! It’s everywhere! The revolution in digital publishing is taking over, and you can benefit. As a reader, the Kindle, Nook and other portable devices offer you the chance to easily view a huge variety of books. Portable readers are not inexpensive, but coming down into the $100 range, depending on the features offered. Take a Nook look in your Barnes&Noble store. As a writer, you have the advantage of going traditional book-publishing and/or digital.
Here are some preliminary guidelines for you readers:
For you writers: