Princeton Library Lounge

For the second year in a row the library is offering a series of programs on Monday evenings at 7 pm that complement the theme of our adult summer club. This year’s theme, “Seeds of Change”, is broad in scope and allows great flexibility in our Monday night offerings.

We kicked off summer reading programs on Monday June 16th with a fantastic show by Jim Murphy and The Pine Barons and on June 23rd we had a fascinating talk entitled “Mystery and Mayhem in the Garden” that was given by Rosemary Harris, a master gardener and author of Pushing Up Daisies. Earlier this week on June 30th we had a great turnout for the first film in the series, a screening of Across the Universe.

>The Lives of Others
Seeds of Change Film Series,
Monday, July 7, Community Room, 7pm

You can also find the complete description of each program on the summer reading club web site: http://www.princetonlibrary.org/princeton/reads/seeds.html

Local merchants, such as Chicklet Books, the bent spoon and Tico’s Eatery & Juice Bar, have donated gift certificates and we have a prize drawing at the end of each Monday evening program. Attend programs in support of summer reading and win today!

Submitted by J. Hermann.

>This is the final entry in the nine volume Bernard Samson spy novel series. Samson is a British spy during the cold war who has as much trouble with the personnel and structure at MI6 as he has with Soviet spies. Not as good as the classic LeCarre series featuring George Smiley, nevertheless, they are quite entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed every entry in the series. The books are best read in order (Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match; Spy Hook, Spy Line, Spy Sinker; Faith, Hope, Charity). There is also a prequel, Winter, which is the story of Samson’s father, who was also in the intelligence business.

Submitted by Jane Brown.

If the gloom and doom news about global warming, high gas prices, food shortages and the decline of civilization is getting you down, check out this new title in our collection: Earth the Sequel: the race to reinvent energy and stop global warming by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn. You will have reason to hope. This is an uncomplicated look at all the projects which are currently underway to reshape the way that the world creates and uses energy. Krupp, who is the president of the Environmental Defense Fund, is uniquely qualified to discuss these projects ranging from the new science which is evolving, the tiny seed companies working furiously to make these new processes workable and to the creative ways in which venture capital is raised. The book is documented in case the reader wishes to pursue the subject at greater depth.

Submitted by Mary Louise Hartman.

This is not yet another shameless pitch to join Seeds of Change, our adult summer reading program. Really. Although, if you haven't signed up, there's still time! At the conclusion of the program, we will be giving away gas cards to some lucky winners. All you need to do is turn in your reading log by September 7.

Ok, I promised not another shameless pitch, so, in addition to the suggested lists on our site, check out npr's summer reading page for some more great suggestions and click on the book covers pictured here to find out more about them.

Sisters in Law
DVD 305.4 Sis
A film by Kim Longinotto, Co-directed by Florence Ayisi
Cameroon/UK, 2005, 104 minutes, Color,
Pidgin English, Subtitled
(Photo courtesy of Women Make Movies, www.wmm.com.)

"POSITIVELY SOARS…Who are these women, and can they please take over the world soon?"
- Nathan Lee, The New York Times

SISTERS IN LAW is a fascinating, often hilarious look at the work of one small courthouse in Cameroon where two women determined to change a village are making progress that could change the world. The toughminded state prosecutor Vera Ngassa and Court President Beatrice Ntuba are working to help women in their Muslim village find the courage to fight often-difficult cases of abuse, despite pressures from family and their community to remain silent. With fierce compassion, they dispense wisdom, wisecracks and justice in fair measure—handing down stiff sentences to those convicted. A cross between Judge Judy and The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, SISTERS IN LAW has audiences cheering when justice is served.

SISTERS IN LAW has won many prizes at film festivals and most recently received a prestigious Peabody Award.

Submitted by B. Silberstein.

Summer reading programs aren't just for kids! Sign up at the Welcome Desk for Seeds of Change, Princeton Public Library's summer reading club for adults. The first 50 people to sign up will receive one of our popular red bags, in addition to a reading log and a package of seeds to get you started.

There's no pressure - you can read as little or as much as you'd like. Just record the titles on your reading log and hand it in by September 7th. Come on - judging on the number of items that circulate, we are sure you'll have no problem jotting down a book or two. Everyone who turns in a reading log will be entered to win one of several gas cards. You may also enter to win prizes if you attend our weekly Monday night programming!

Pick up your log, seeds, and visit our website for more details, suggested titles and a schedule of this summer's special Monday night programming! Don't forget to submit your book reviews to us at books@princetonlibrary.org or submit them directly to our online catalog (just make a note that it is a summer reading pick). We reserve the right to post them here, on Library Lounge. Let us know if you'd like to remain anonymous.

I love to knit. And like most knitters, I have a huge stash of yarn and shelves full of patterns. But I don’t always have a lot of time to actually knit anything complex. So sweaters, afghans, and other big projects will have to be put off for another day. What should I knit in the meantime? The library has a number of books with quick projects. I could knit socks from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch or Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Sock Book or Cool Socks, Warm Feet by Lucy Neatby. I could do a project from Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers, or Toys to Knit by Tracy Chapman, or even Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. Maybe One-Skein Knitting: 30 Quick Projects to Knit and Crochet by Leigh Radford. I could Knit Mittens! by Robin Hansen. Even these seemed like too much knitting. Then I happened to see an ad for knitted doughnuts in Bon Appetit magazine. Yes, knitted doughnuts. They were for sale and quite expensive, considering the amount of yarn they use. So I did a little Googling and found out that knitted food is all the rage. I found a pattern for the knitted doughnuts . This site was a gold mine. From here, I found free patterns for knitted olives , a felted apple , a lobster, though there is quite a bit of knitting to it and my absolute favorite, felted fortune cookies. I can make a piece of cherry pie or a baby eggplant or even an entire tea party.
Take a look and happy knitting.

Submitted by G. Stratton.

How can you take the headache and uncertainty out of purchasing insurance—any kind of insurance? TheStreet.com Ratings Guides will definitely help. The mission of this service is to “provide fair, objective ratings to help professionals and consumers alike make educated purchasing decisions.” They rate companies selling specific types of insurance and insurance related services from “A” (Excellent) to “E” (Very Weak). In addition, they provide clear explanations for each type of insurance, various kinds of coverage available, things to keep in mind when considering purchase, and other helpful information.

There are two series:
*The Consumer Guide Series which includes Medicare prescription drug coverage, long-term care insurance, Medicare supplement insurance, homeowners insurance, automobile insurance, term life, variable annuities and elder care choices. Some of these guides such as automobile and homeowners only give A and B rated companies for each state.

*The analytic guide series which lengthy comparative index to companies in the field and analysis of the largest companies in the field to the letter rating. These include bond and money market mutual funds, life and annuity insurers, property and casualty insurers, and health insurers.

Take the guesswork out of insurance. Stop by our reference section and check out TheStreet.com. The Consumer Guide Series is in the consumer corner, and the analytic guides are in the 300 section of the regular reference area, both on the second floor.

Submitted by J. Brown.

When Vladimir Nabokov died in 1977, he left behind the unfinished manuscript of a novel that was to be titled, The Original of Laura. Horrified by the thought that the incomplete and imperfect novel might one day be published, he instructed his heirs to burn the manuscript. His wife couldn’t bring herself to do it, however, and his son recently announced that he will, in fact, have the book published. (See the related New York Times article.)

The eventual appearance of The Original of Laura will no doubt reawaken interest in the other books that Nabokov wrote during his long and fascinating literary career. If you're unfamiliar with Nabokov's work but would like to discover why so many readers and great writers revere him, then you might want to jump right in and read his two most celebrated novels, Lolita and Pale Fire, both of which appear on the Modern Library's list of the 100 Best Novels.

If you're put off by the disturbing themes of Lolita or daunted by the baffling complexity of Pale Fire, however, rest assured that there's an easier way into Nabokov's fictional world. Listed below are three fabulous books that will provide a less challenging, but still very fulfilling, introduction to Nabokov's work.

1. Laughter in the Dark - A wicked yet hilarious novella about a wealthy art critic whose life falls apart when he abandons his wife and daughter at the urging of his beautiful, heartless mistress. It's written in a spare and lively style and almost seems like a fairy tale at times.

2. Speak, Memory - Nabokov's elegant and highly stylized memoir, which traces his life, and the development of his art, from his idyllic and tremendously privileged childhood in pre-revolutionary Russia through his two decades of impoverished European exile. Nabokov's lack of self-pity, his ability to remain happy despite enormous personal loss, and of course his masterful writing, are inspiring.

3. Pnin - A tender yet unsentimental portrait of a hapless Russian émigré, Timofey Pnin, who teaches at a provincial college in the Northeastern United States. Elderly, isolated, unloved, and lacking the respect of his peers, Pnin nevertheless transcends the tragicomic mess of his existence and emerges as a dignified, noble, and even mildly heroic character.

Submitted by D. Kazen.

If you are a child of the (late) 60s, 70s, or 80s you could not have escaped the so-called "alternative music explosion". Luckily for fans of this long musical era the library has quite a few books and a large number of CDs for you to check out. The offerings are as varied as the music: general histories (From the Velvets to Voidoids), oral histories (the hilarious and often disturbing Please Kill Me), musical overviews (the 4 CD Left of the Dial compilation), pictorial works (CBGB & OMFUG: Thirty Years From the Home of Underground), histories of individual bands, and biographies and memoirs of influencial musicians.

Here's more of a sample:
Black postcards : a rock & roll romance / Dean Wareham.
Britpop! : cool Britannia and the spectacular demise of English rock / John Harris.
Left of the dial [sound recording] : dispatches from the 80's underground.
No Wave / Marc Masters ; edited by Rob Young.
Our band could be your life : scenes from the American indie underground 1981-1991 / Michael Azerrad.
Redemption song : the ballad of Joe Strummer / Chris Salewicz.
Rip it up and start again : postpunk 1978-1984 / Simon Reynolds.
Saint Morrissey : a portrait of this charming man by an alarming fan / Mark Simpson.
Spin : 20 years of alternative music : original writing on rock, hip-hop, techno, and beyond / edited by Will Hermes with Sia Michel.
This must be the place : the adventures of Talking Heads in the 20th century / David Bowman.
Whores : an oral biography of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction / Brendan Mullen.

If you don't see any CDs by or books about your favorite band just let us know. We love getting suggestions for books and music to add to our collection!

Submitted by A. Levie.