Alison Bechdel

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting Alison Bechdel at a Barnes & Noble in New York City. Alison's autobiography, Fun Home, is a full-length graphic novel memoir. The packaging is brilliant, as it looks like any hardcover book. But when you open the pages, you see the pen and ink art and witty, intelligent dialog that Alison is known for. In The New York Times Sunday Book Review, Sean Wilsey called it "a pioneering work, pushing two genres (comics and memoir) in multiple new directions." It was also nominated for many awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award and three Eisner Awards.

But most importantly, I was so very curious to see how a graphic novelist would do a reading. Would she just read from the comics? Would she act out the parts? Would she skip the reading and just talk about the process of creating graphic novels? I was happy to discover a multi-media presentation. Alison projected panels from various publications on a screen, let the audience read the talk bubbles, then made comments. After, she did an extensive question and answer period.

Of course I got my book signed, and while I was at it I questioned her on her next book. She is working on another graphic novel autobiography, which will pick up where Fun Home ended (around the college years). She was so sweet (thanking us for coming and waiting in line) and nice - some day I'll meet a mean author and blog all about how horrible they are, but so far I've only had great author interactions.

After the talk, we drove home through Central Park and down 5th Avenue. All of the stores had people working in the windows, setting up the elaborate Christmas displays. Some of the trees in Central Park were covered in lights already and lit-up snowflakes lined 5th Avenue. The tree was shipped in and set up at Rockefeller Center yesterday too. I guess the Holiday season is upon us!

LIREADS 2009

It is official, we have chosen Pulitzer Prize winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin and her book, Wait Till Next Year, as 2009's Long Island Reads. This means that libraries across Long Island will read the book, discuss the book, take part in programs and events related to the book (growing up on Long Island, the Brooklyn Dodgers, life in the 1950s) and come together in April to hear Mrs. Goodwin speak! It is all very exciting, especially when I opened my newspaper this morning to see our President elect quoting our Long Island Reads pick!

"Obama hinted broadly during the primaries that he would reach out to political rivals and even Republicans to fill his cabinet, at one point noting he was studying Lincoln's approach, reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's book "Team of Rivals."
'She talks about Lincoln's capacity to bring opponents of his and people who have run against him in his cabinet,' Obama told CBS' Katie Couric in a January interview. 'And he was confident enough to be willing to have these dissenting voices and confident enough to listen to the American people and push them outside of their comfort zone. And I think that part of what I want to do as president is push Americans a little bit outside of their comfort zone. It's a remarkable study in leadership.'"

You can see Mrs. Goodwin's website HERE.

Her books:

Fitzgeralds & the Kennedys: An American Saga, 1991

Lyndon Johnson & the American Dream, 1991

No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt -- The Home Front in World War II, 1994

Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir, 1997

Leader to Leader: Enduring Insights on Leadership from the Drucker Foundation's Award-Winning Journal. Editors: Paul M. Cohen, Frances Hesselbein, 1999. Includes an essay by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Bethany, in the Library, with a Hardcover book

Ever play Clue?

As I read The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale I feel like I'm playing a game of Clue. This is a true-crime nonfiction book. In 1860, a 3 year-old boy was snatched from his bed and murdered at a large country estate outside of London. A detective - Mr. Whicher - is sent to investigate the parents, step-siblings, maids, gardener, cook and other household staff. The book comes complete with a map of the home and grounds. You can follow the investigation through the carriage drive, into the drawing room, library, pantry, passages and spare rooms.

This book does what all good nonfiction should do: it teaches while it entertains. Summerscale does a admirable job of explaining currency in 1880's England, the origins of detective work, what work was like for policemen; and brings in Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Edgar Allen Poe and other writers of the time. There are a number of suspects: family members, townspeople, servants as well as other players: police, detectives, other villagers. Summerscale writes clearly and keeps the many names easy to remember. There is also a family tree and list of characters if you forget someone.

I have not finished the book yet but I cannot wait to find out who committed this dastardly deed!

As this rainy fall weather turns to snow, don't pull out the board games - take a book out of your local library!

Brrr

CNN.com has a great interview with Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked, Son of a Witch and the brand new Lion Among Men (and other books). In the third Wicked installment, the main character is Brrr (the Cowardly Lion). Check out the interview to see where he got the name Brrr from!

Maguire on Brrr:

"His character arises in the hollow space in our perceptions between that giant roaring lion at the MGM logo ... the ideal lion, and the kind of sad, sacked, out of work, vaudeville performer in lion pajamas that we see when Dorothy actually runs into the lion on the Yellow Brick Road.

In other words, there's a huge disconnect between the image we project of ourselves -- the best we might ever hope to possibly be -- and the way we feel about ourselves at our absolute worst -- when we're the most down in the dumps. There's a huge space in between there. So the novel's really in some ways about character and taking control of the destiny of your own character."

Michael Crichton

We were all shocked to learn, just a minute ago, that author Michael Crichton passed away at 66. Crichton was involved in TV, movies, directing, producing and was a doctor ... as well as a writer. I love him best for Jurassic Park. The movie was fun but the book was spectacular. It gives you chills and makes you think about the effects humans can have when they start tinkering with nature.

The New York Times has a family statement here.

I'm glad I made a difference....

Well, it's been a month since I gave a lecture and tour of our local history collection. We had 8 patrons attend (as many as the room will comfortably hold). I went over resources, how to search them, and how to use them in genealogy or local history research. I created a handout with quotes and search tips. I felt I did a good job.

Today an older, stooping gentleman with grey hair and glasses came up to the Reference Desk. He looked familiar.

Gent: "Hello!"

Bethany the Librarian: "Hi!"

Gent: "That class in the Long Island room was really great."

Bethany the Librarian: "Oh! I'm glad you liked it. I had a lot of fun."

Gent: "And you had really great shoes on. They were kinda pink .... and pointy."

Bethany the Librarian: (Surprised). "Oh. Um. Yes, pink and pointy. Those are good shoes."

Gent: "Yeah!! They were really nice! I like nice shoes!"

Bethany the Librarian: (Getting up from behind the Reference Desk) "Did you see THESE? I got them in London!"

I voted today! I hope you did too!