Didn’t get time to travel over the summer? Don’t fret. Author Catherine Price’s new book 101 Places Not to See Before You Die describes in detail all of the places you never should have bothered to see. From The Museum of Tap Water in Beijing (sounds thrilling) to the germy Blarney Stone in Ireland, Price has done the legwork so you don’t have to. One particularly exciting-sounding destination that caught my attention is the Karostas Cietums Prison Hotel in Liepaja, Latvia where, and I quote, “guests” of the prison sleep on iron beds or prison bunks. For an extra-special occasion, you can arrange to be abducted at your workplace and delivered to the hotel.” Check out the author’s blog to follow Price’s further adventures in travel madness.

What do Jesus of Nazareth, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Aung San Suu Kyi have in common? They all believed that peace was the answer to injustice. The lives of these Peaceful Heroes and several others are presented in this engaging and informative book by Jonah Winter, written in simple language that can be read aloud to young children.

Looking to read a book and join a discussion on it? Check out Crazy Wisdom’s monthly book discussions, which take place at 7 p.m. at the Crazy Wisdom Community Room. Titles to be discussed in the near future are:

September 10: Pandora’s Seed: The Unforeseen Cost of Civilization by Spencer Wells

October 15: The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids by Tom Hodgkinson, hosted by Bill Zirinksy

November 12: The Death of Religion and the Rebirth of Spirit: A Return to the Intelligence of the Heart by Joseph Chilton Pearce

December 10: The Power of Rest: Why Sleep Alone Isn’t Enough - A 30-Day Plan to Reset Your Body by Matthew Edlund

There is no registration, just show up! Check here for full details, and for more information on each title. AADL owns all four titles! Any spark your interest?
Crazy Wisdom

September 1st marks the birthday of authors Edgar Rice Burroughs and C. J. Cherryh.

Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American writer best known for his characters Tarzan (of the series by the same name) and John Carter (of the Barsoom series).

Burroughs also wrote the famous novel The Land that Time Forgot (first in the Caspak trilogy), which was originally published as a serial. The story is much like other famous "lost world" stories, like Journey to the Center of the Earth. The novel has been made into two films.

C. J. Cherryh is an American author of science-fiction and fantasy. Out of her impressive bibliography, two novels have won Hugo Awards for best novel: Downbelow Station and Cyteen. A department of NASA named an asteroid after her (77185 Cherryh), and said, in reference to it, "She has challenged us to be worthy of the stars by imagining how mankind might grow to live among them."

Among Cherryh's works are at least 15 series and a few solo novels. One of the series, called The Gene Wars, starts out with the book Hammerfall, which Publisher's Weekly summed up as "two women with superhuman powers wage psychic and genetic war for control of a civilization."

One of my favorite podcasts is Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett from American Public Media. Next month the show's name becomes "Krista Tippett on Being" -- and it sounds like Krista has more good shows planned. This summer, my favorite was her interview with Shane Claiborne, a 30-something social activist you can read about in Esquire magazine accessible in General Reference Center Gold.

Orion Winner 3

The 2010 Orion Book Awards have been announced. Orion is one of the best magazines you will find, whose byline – nature/culture/place – reveals its focus. The editorial board reads like a who’s who of contemporary luminaries in the environmental movement, such as: Wendell Berry, Bill McKibben, Edward O. Wilson, Barry Lopez, Jane Goodall. Orion manages to be artistic, literary, probing and provocative, with cutting-edge articles on the politics, ethics and practice of environmentalism, farming and forestry and featuring the work of artists, poets, and storytellers. It inspires personal commitment to change the world, one short shower, cloth bag, bike ride and community garden at a time.

Every year the editors acknowledge books that, “deepen our connection to the natural world, present new ideas about our relationship with nature and achieve excellence in writing”. We own a few of the winners and Mel owns the rest. Below are this year’s winners with links to the catalog where you can reserve them.
The 2010 winner:Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing: Living in the Future Charles Bowden
The 2010 finalists:The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World Wade Davis
Rewilding the West: Restoration in a Prairie Landscape Richard Manning
Reasons for and Advantages of Breathing: Stories Lydia Peelle
The Barbaric Heart: Faith, Money, and the Crisis of Nature Curtis White

Cap'n Sam and her dastardly first mate will share scurvy tales on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, September 19th at the Downtown Library.

Learn about the A2 Treasure Hunt and discover there be treasure at the library!

Storytimes are beginning all over town! We’ll be celebrating grandparents at the Downtown Tuesday and Wednesday storytimes, with Beautiful Bananas and the silly folktale, The Squeaky Door. Can’t wait to see all our favorite listeners again!

cinema_nightly

Cinema Nightly is a local grassroots project that aims to bring filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and bands together for a chance to meet and enjoy the art of film and music. Friday, September 3, is the first in a series of free form video screenings and music performances to be held at the Downtown Library. From 6:30-9:00 p.m., you'll see "Sunday," "Andy: The Ballad of the Karoke King," "I will hurt you," "25 Cent," and "Time as it takes". The musical guest is John Hurlahe. Admission is free!

Read more about Cinema Nightly Project and find out how to submit your film.