Princeton Library Lounge

Explore the world through literature this summer by participating in our summer reading club. Stop by the library's Welcome desk and pick up your passport (and chocolate!). Read books, attend special Monday night programs and write reviews in our online catalog to earn points for prizes and an invitation to the Book Brunch (to be held August 26th).

We will pick reviews at random and feature them weekly on the blog. Join the fun and register today!!

" I loved this spare, sorrowful novel about the wedding night of a sexually naive English couple. The novel reaches back (and then forward) in time so you have a wonderful sense of the individual personalities and aspirations of both the man and woman. The haunting question in the book is whether the marriage would have worked even if the wedding night had been more successful. In an way, this is my favorite of all the fine McEwan novels that I have read, in that it is one of the most direct and uncomplicated."
*This is our first featured summer reading review. If you'd like your name to be added to your review, please send us an email at books@princetonlibrary.org. Thanks for participating and, please join us in reading around the world!

Odd girl out: the hidden culture of aggression in girls by Rachel Simmons. New York: Harcourt, c2002.

Author Rachel Simmons discusses the psychological landscape of relational aggression among girls in this oft-cited book. Dovetailing with recent research on the importance of social connectedness to emotional health, parents and educators would do well to read this interesting work that details the author's primary research among adolescent and pre-adolescent girls. - Jeanne SR2007

"I hesitated to read this novel by Anchee Min when I saw that it was labeled "Young Adult", but I decided that it might be a book I could recommend to my granddaughter! It's a horrifying picture of life in Communist China as experienced by a teenaged girl named Maple. Maple is shunned and abused because her parents were teachers and thus from a "non-labor" background. She encounters a new friend, Wild Ginger, who is even less acceptable because her father was French. For me the book's power lies in its description of the incredible brainwashing that was omnipresent in Communist China under Mao. Teens might find the triangle between Maple, Wild Ginger, and a young Red Guard named Evergreen more interesting than I did. American readers of all ages will surely feel grateful that we have not experienced the tribulations that the Chinese people endured during this period of their history. "(SR2007)

Every Monday night since June 18th the library has been hosting the "Global Explorations" series as a programming tie-in to the Read Around the World Summer Reading Club for adults. The programs alternate between films from other lands, global music and lectures. Each program attended is worth points on the Passport to Summer Reading which can be picked up at the Welcome Desk on the first floor.

One of the highlights took place on July 30th when The Kane Sisters, a fiddling duo direct from Ireland, gave a lively and spirited performance to a standing room only crowd that filled not only the community room but also the cafe -- we lost track of the headcount but it was over 200.

On Monday August 7th at 7 pm we will have our final film of the series when we screen Chocolat, a film based on the novel by Joanne Harris's that features a star-studded cast : Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin and Johnny Depp.

The following Monday (8/13) at 7:30 pm the library will officially wrap up the series when we take a "Journey to Persia" with architect Frank Sabouri who will use Persian gardens and architecture as a departure point for a discussion of the effects of globalization on local cultural identity.

Remember to bring your passports with you to these events so that you can earn your invitation to our end of summer Book Brunch that will be held on Sunday August 26th... and watch this space for upcoming announcements about exciting programs this fall at PPL! - J.Hermann

This novel tells 2 parallel stories in alternating chapters: the first one, set in the present day, is about Alma, a Latina author with writer’s block; the other, set in the early 1800s, is about Isabel, an orphanage director traveling with a Spanish medical expedition to eradicate smallpox in the colonies. Both stories begin with the women living in the small, almost confined world of their immediate surroundings, where they are selfless care-givers. Alma is concerned about her neighbor Helen, an ailing, near-blind octogenarian, with mysterious family ties. Isabel lives to nurture the boys in her charge, most of who were orphaned by deadly diseases, including smallpox. Then, both women are confronted with life-changing decisions as the men in their lives embark on serious journeys. Alma’s husband, Richard leaves their bucolic life in Vermont to build an environmental center in the Dominican Republic, Alma’s native land. Alma decides not to accompany him. Twenty-two of Isabel’s orphans are selected by the King’s doctor as live vaccine carriers to travel to Mexico, South America and the Philippines. Isabel cannot imagine letting her boys go without her – she insists on joining them. The choices made by Alma and Isabel open up their worlds to unexpected tragedies which test their courage and abilities.

I found the story of Isabel, with its historical background and factual details, more compelling than Alma’s. I raced through Alma’s chapter, so that I could find out what happened in Isabel’s. Towards the end of the book, the jump in time from 1811 to 1830 left me curious about how the native Spaniards fared in adjusting to daily life in the colonies. The character of Alma annoyed me in certain circumstances, but the author’s descriptions of Alma’s thoughts and actions were sincere and true, especially during the times when Alma does the unpredictable. (SR2007)

I usually enjoy Anita Shreve's somewhat slick but very skillfully written novels, but I feel "Body Surfing" is one of her weakest, basically because the various romantic entanglements of Sydney, the main protagonist, seem unbelievable and the ultimate plot twist is a severe disappointment. However, the descriptions of summer spent on the New Hampshire seacoast are authentic and unfailingly lovely. Shreve also has a keen eye and ear for social conventions and interactions. (SR 2007)

It's a pleasure to read a book about snow during the humid months of summer, and when the book is Orhan Pamuk's fascinating novel about a poet's return to a snowy city in Turkey, the pleasure is sharply heightened. There are many strands of story in "Snow", including the failed marital relationship of Ka and Ipek, the wearing of head scarves in Turkey, and the larger issue of a citizen's response to political domination and change. All are woven into a tale which features Pamuk's humor and wonderful use of language. Somehow, though, I think that the sensual descriptions of snow - its softness, its peacefulness, "the large snowflakes floating so elegantly through the air... the silence of the snow-packed side streets... the beautiful snow-covered Russian houses and the oleanders..." will linger long after other aspects of this story have faded. (SR2007)

This is an amusing and sometimes touching book about the author’s travels to small, even tiny, towns throughout the United States. The people in these towns have festivals and museums to celebrate such mundane things as the watermelon, the tow truck, a frozen dead guy, a headless chicken and dried out cow dung, otherwise known as cow chips. I laughed out loud when I read about the United Baggage Center, where your unclaimed luggage goes when it gets off the plane and doesn’t get to you, and the Church of the Holy Barbeque, a Texas restaurant that serves brisket, ribs, and chicken that is “more than lunch; (it’s) a life experience.” Interspersed between several chapters are essays on the art of traveling through small-town America with tips on how to tell if you’re having a bad flight (tow truck arrives to jump-start your plane) or if you’ve checked into a less-than ideal motel (half-eaten burrito under bed).

The book is written in the straight-forward style of a reporter, the author after all is a CBS correspondent, with a lot of color provided by quotes from the local folks and the Geist’s own dead-pan sense of humor. It makes for a thoroughly entertaining read about “the vanishing rural world from whence we all came…” SR 2007

Today's Book Brunch was a great success. Thanks to all who attended this morning's event, and a great big thanks to everyone who participated in this year's adult summer reading club! We strongly encourage you to continue submitting reviews in our online catalog and to continue to use the summer reading booklists.

Several authors who will be making an appearance at the library this fall were in attendance, including Shelley Frisch (translator, Einstein: A Biography, appearance, Sept.20), William Rosen (Justinian's Flea, appearance, Sept.10), and Mort Zachter (Dough, appearance, Oct. 9)

Thanks to Deb Hunter, of Glen Echo Books, who donated a gift certificate that was part of the morning's raffle; McCarter Theatre, for the donation of two tickets for the 2007-2008 season; Whole Foods for the donation of a global gift basket; and, a huge thanks to McCaffrey's, who provided us with yummy brunch food for all!

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.

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.

>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.

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.

Coming across the film adaptation of Hard Times starring Alan Bates, which we have here at the library on DVD, reminded me that this was one of the few Dickens novels that I had never read.

The story starts with a young girl from a travelling circus being taken in and educated by wealthy merchant Thomas Gradgrind, who runs a school fashioned after his own idea of what education should be. The action takes place in “Coketown,” a fictional name for a very real type of industrial town in the mid 1850’s. The depiction of the town and the conditions of the workers is almost propaganda-like.

It is slow going at first, with much time spent portraying Mr. Gradgrind’s philosophy of education, but this is necessary, since this philosophy shapes the story and directly contributes to its outcome. But gradually, as with all Dickens’ novels, the characters and their interaction with each other take hold of the reader’s attention, and don’t let go. Now I’m looking forward to the DVD.

Submitted by Jane Brown.

Did you know that when you turn in your reading logs at the welcome desk, you will be entered in a drawing to win one of four gift cards for free gas? Thanks to Larry of Larry's Sunoco, with two locations in Princeton: 273 Nassau Street and on the corner of Harrison Street and Route 1, we will be giving away fuel to four lucky people. If you know of someone else who hasn't signed up for summer reading, tell them it's not too late!

Stop by the library and turn in your reading logs!

And don't forget to check out the Bradford Hayes Quartet this Monday at 7pm!

No Graves as Yet is the first of Anne Perry’s new mystery series set in England before and during World War ! which includes five entries in all (Shoulder the Sky, Angels in the Gloom, At Some Disputed Barricade, We Shall Not Sleep in that order). Her previous two very popular series took place in Victorian London.

The story centers around the Reavley family in and around Cambridge on the eve of World War I. The description of the beauty of Cambridge and the lives of the young men who study there, many of whom will not survive the war, is bittersweet in the extreme and is an absorbing backdrop to the plot of the mystery. John and Alys Reavley are killed in a car accident on the same day that a Serbian dissident assassinates Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. He is carrying an alarming document to his son Matthew who is in the secret service. It is soon discovered that their deaths are not an accident and intrigue begins to mount.

In stark contrast to this is A Test of Wills by Charles Todd. This is the first of the Inspector Ian Rutledge series of mysteries that take place in England just after the war. The massive destruction and death wrought by the war, which few ever believed could be possible, is now a reality. Virtually everyone has been affected or damaged by it in some way, including Inspector Rutledge, a veteran who regularly has to fight his own demon to maintain his sanity.

A famous and popular colonel is murdered in a small country village, and the main suspect is an equally famous and popular war hero, decorated by the King himself. The main witness is a shell shocked veteran who has descended into alcoholism and madness, an object of shame and disgust.

The portrayal of a community recovering from a terrible war, now having to face a crime to which there seems to be no easy or comfortable solution is excellent. Inspector Rutledge is an extremely sympathetic well drawn character, and the mystery story itself is fascinating. As a police procedural series goes, this is one of the best. (NOTE: Charles Todd is a pseudonym for a mother and son writing team who live in the United States. I find this amazing. I never would have guessed—they seem quite genuinely English to me).

Submitted by Jane Brown.

A big thanks to all of you who participated in this year's adult summer reading club. A big congratulations to our four winners of a $25 gas gift card from Larry's Sunoco:

Joyce Howe
Lee Moody
Bonnie Shawa
Janet Young

Our count indicates that you've read 255 books! That trumps last year's count of 185. Thanks, again to all of you. Keep an eye on our Books and Reading page as we'll soon post a list of the titles you have read.

We hope you join us, again, next summer!