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!
“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
My Favorite Books
Sept. 2010 By Patricia Ann Reid
Reading became a passion at about age 7. When I first saw the book, The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson, I was hooked. Fairy tales became my lifelong favorites. I especially liked Fairy Tales from Baltic Shores a Scandinavian collection, and Mary Poppins, about the magical governess. Wild Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin delighted me.
The Boxcar Children appealed to my sense of adventure, and The Secret Garden absorbed me completely with its hidden secrets. I went on to read Tarzan and the Apes which introduced me to the jungle series, and led me the The Jungle Book.
Moving on to mysteries, The Hound of the Baskervilles, terrified me when I read The Complete Sherlock Holmes. I buried myself under the covers at night to read King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by flashlight.
Animal stories interested me as a kid because of my pet collie dog. I read Albert Payson Terhune’s A Book of Famous Dogs, and cried over Black Beauty and Bambie.
I turned to travel and philosophy in Albert Schweitzer’s Reverence for Life, and Livingston and His African Journeys by Huxley. I flew high reading West With the Wind by aviatrix Beryl Markham, and Lindberg Alone by Brenda Gil.
On the lighter side, World’s Fair took me to 1939 when I went to the Fair. I enjoyed Paul Theroux’s A Kingdom by the Sea about England. The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith is a kick with African dialect, while Mark Twain’s Innocents Abroad is a rocket ride.*
I have many more favorites to share with you another time. What are your favorites?
Suggestion to readers: keep a journal or card file of books you read, with short summaries.
*Find titles and authors online, school and public libraries.
PLACES TO FIND GREAT BOOKS What is a great book for you? While you may think you know what is “great,” be ready for a surprise. You never know when a book about something strange and wonderful will drop off a shelf! Below are some places to find great books and more. Online Browsing Start with question in search box “Books Where to Find,” the page that comes up has a lot of information. Below is a list of topics you can check out:
More Places for Great Books Libraries – an incredible source of information and a chance to browse at leisure, or use online services. Choose from many reference books, particularly encyclopedias: —try Worldbook’s section on literature, and look at delightfully illustrated “Children’s Literature;” Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature, combined dictionary and encyclopedia, alphabetized, annotated about works, authors, traditions, Bene’t's Reader’s Encyclopedia has bios of writers, thinkers, synopses, legends, music, films: look at postings of current bestsellers.