Summertime and the Reading Should Be Easy

My eldest daughter spent her whole summers reading from first grade on. What always amazed me was the fact that she brought many of her elementary favorites along with her everywhere we traveled even into high school. Roald Dahl’s “BFG” (or known as Big Friendly Giant) hung on among her summer reading collection that included Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park” and Stephen King’s “Carrie.” I must admit my raised eyebrows annoyed her but she, as usual, knew what she was doing. Today she is an educational consultant, and not surprisingly, an extremely prolific reader who actually reads while she is walking to her ride on the T in Boston.

She learned the best lesson there is: that reading could be easy and fun, especially in the good old summertime. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read my entire article this week in the Daily News Transcript.

Travel Adventures With April

I couldn’t have planned a trip to Paris without going to the library first. Since I work there, admittedly all it took was a detour to the 914s on the Morrill Memorial Library’s second floor and I was good to go. I’m a travel book junkie. For me, half the fun of going anywhere is to read about it first, then point to the passage in the guidebook and say (to myself), “I’ve been there,” or “I did that,” even if it wasn’t all that great.

I’ve never set foot in Seattle or Siena but I’ve been to the City of Light three times. Three of my four daughters have spent at least a semester there, and three times I’ve crammed my carry-on with travel guides from Fodor, Frommer, and Rick Steves. April Cushing, Adult Services Librarian

Read the entire article by April Cushing, Adult Services Library at the Morrill Memorial Librarian, in the Daily News Transcript.

It's Historical

It is our nature as humans to identify with the brick and mortar, the clapboard and granite of our lives. Many of us leave memories behind in the houses we leave as we move on in life. Yet, we expect that our places of worship, education, recreation, and culture will be there when we return to them. This must be especially so in Norwood, a town of deep familial and community roots. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire article in the Daily News Transcript.

Reading With the Lunch Crowd

Working with children is always one of the best jobs around and my years as youth services librarian in the Peterborough, N.H., community left me with some of the very best memories. My “customers” there were the area’s children between the ages of a few days to 18 years. I’ll never forget the delight and pride in the eyes of singing toddlers, reading kindergartners, after-school visitors, and graduating seniors.

A Chinese philosopher has been credited with saying, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Confucius certainly got that right and librarians are here to prove it. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire article in the Daily News Transcript.

Global Distress

"My wanderings having ceased, my children having grown, the Sunday Globe is more than just an informing, leisurely weekend read; it is a sign of my permanence in the area. It’s a time I relish – those easy, thoughtful morning hours I spend decorating the carpet with newsprint and ads. I have lovingly made reading the Globe’s Ideas section and the Globe Magazine my ritual on the weekends." From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript and Norwood Bulletin.

Literacy Librarians Make a Difference

In the more than 25 years since the program began, the lives of more than 1,000 people have been enriched. They include immigrant families who learned English and started their own businesses, a learning disabled electrician who needed to pass a test to become licensed, a foreign born quadriplegic whose dream was to attend college, a retired public employee who was in an accident and never learned to read due to a brain injury, and a young girl who achieved her GED after dropping out of school to take care of her ill parents. Tina Blood, Literacy Librarian

Read the entire column: From the Library: Literacy volunteers make a difference - Norwood, MA - Norwood Bulletin

Nothin' But a Voice and a Microphone

Miss Marion. “Lida Rose.” Think “Music Man,” the wonderful 1957 Broadway play and 1962 smash movie. Who could forget Miss Marion, River City’s lovely “Madame Librarian.” Or “Lida Rose,” the song sung by four cranky, argumentative school board members who made up a perfect barbershop quartet. Four handlebar moustaches, four straw hats, four voices and a simple way to bring four points of view together. Ah, harmony. And so what’s all this got to do with the Morrill Memorial Library? Read on. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript.

Between the Covers

One of my all time favorite books, one of the very few I have read twice, going on three times, is Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” I remember very clearly a co-worker of mine at the Boston Public Library was reading “The Two Towers.” I picked it up and started it and he said, “Oh you must start with the first volume, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring.” Ace had released an unauthorized version in the United States. The covers in order were red, yellow, and blue with illustrations of the characters. I should have kept those unauthorized editions as they are now scarce and worth money. Margot Sullivan, Reference Librarian

Read the entire article in the From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript.

Are You Kidding Me?

A few weeks back I confessed in this column that I am not a technological geek. This week I have yet another personal confession: I am not a sportswoman. Oh, yes, I did climb Mount Washington under extreme duress many years ago, I spent countless summers camping with my family, and I watched them ice skate, race, swim and ski, joining in until I was outclassed. I cheer my adult triathlete daughter on along with the best of parents.

I often get caught up in the World Series Mania in the fall and Superbowl Fever in January. But, yes, I sometimes have to ask dumb questions as I watch. I am, therefore, sadly never to be confused with a true sports fanatic.

So, you might ask, “Are you kidding me? Why is this librarian purchasing the sports books in the library?’”

And I will answer, “It’s a fun job and somebody has to do it.” This spring is especially enjoyable as a plethora of books hit the market and our library shelves and I get to order them. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

A few weeks back I confessed in this column that I am not a technological geek. This week I have yet another personal confession:  I am not a sportswoman.  Oh, yes, I did climb Mount Washington under extreme duress many years ago, I spent countless summers camping with my family, and I watched them ice skate, race, swim and ski, joining in until I was outclassed.  I cheer my adult triathlete daughter on along with the best of parents.  I often get caught up in the World Series Mania in the fall and Superbowl Fever in January.  But, yes, I sometimes have to ask dumb questions as I watch.  I am, therefore, sadly never to be confused with a true sports fanatic.

So, you might ask, “Are you kidding me? Why is this librarian purchasing the sports books in the library?’ 

And I will answer, ‘It’s a fun job and somebody has to do it.’ This spring is especially enjoyable as a plethora of books hit the market and our library shelves and I get to order them.

I do admit, I recently become a pro golf spectator and for a few practical reasons … the main one being that in 2007 I married a longtime golfer and avid tournament watcher.  I was an “I can’t watch!” witness to that dramatic showdown at Torrey Pines last June  between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, glued the television that Father’s Day weekend. I watched the next day’s play – for a total of 91 count’em holes – on my computer laptop and bit my nails along with the best of you, peaking through my fingers at Tiger’s last nervewracking putt in sudden death. So when I read that Are You Kidding Me?: The Story of Rocco Mediate's Extraordinary Battle with Tiger Woods at the US Open would be published this May, I smiled in nostalgic remembrance of that unexpected and unbelievably dramatic fight on the greens in San Diego. 

More golfing books about this spring.  Roland Merullo, local author of bestsellers Golfing With God and Breakfast With Buddha, publishes a new travel memoir on April 28.  The Italian Summer: Golf, Food, and Family at Lake Como has been described as “connecting all those who love Italy, wine, food, family outings, and golf” and Merullo will certainly enchant his audience. What better combination for the Italian golfer (think Canelli) that I know especially well. 

D. J. Gregory, born with cerebral palsy, learned to live passionately loving golf.  In Walking with Friends: An Inspirational Year on the PGA Tour, published this May, DJ will recount ‘a sports fantasy unlike any other’ as he traveled from Maui to Disneyworld and walked every course with the professional golfers.  This is a story of a feat, a fantasy and a fellowship with pros, with life and with golf.   

The range of books published this spring cover wrestling to falconry, car racing to cycling and basketball to mountain climbing.  Red and Me: My Coach, My Lifelong Friend by Bill Russell will be published on May 5^th.  Yes, it’s a basketball story, but it is also a memoir of a friendship of two men, Bill Russell and Red Auerback, and a story for all of us.  Halfway to Heaven: My White-knuckled--and Knuckleheaded--Quest for the Rocky Mountain High by Mark Obmascik will thrill anyone challenged by the near impossible.  Obmascik takes on the near-crazy quest of climbing all 54 of Colorado’s Fourteeners – those incredible peaks over 14,000 feet. Out-of-shape and perhaps out-of-his mind, the author of the 2005 book, The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession, proves that commitment is often what it takes to journey a thousand steps or in this case, fifty-four peaks.

But it’s baseball that comes to us at a fever pitch this spring.  Bruce Weber’s As They See 'Em: A Fan's Travels in the Land of Umpires, Bill Reynold’s '78: The Boston Red Sox, A Historic Game, and a Divided City  and Jean Rhodes’ Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball's Most Enigmatic Slugger  were all published last month in March. Peter Golenbeck’s  George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire hits the shelves April 13.  Bottom of the Ninth: Branch Rickey, Casey Stengel, and the Daring Scheme to Save Baseball from Itself by Michael Shapiro will be published May 12.  Miracle Ball : My Hunt for the Shot Heard 'round the World  by Brian Beigel, published May 12, may read somewhat like a novel but it is a work of non-fiction.  It is the story of a father and son and a trip across the country proving the authenticity of a baseball found in a thrift shop. 

This non-sportwoman/librarian wants you to know that we have all the books you want to read about sports.  You can stop in, email or call to suggest a book for our sports collection any time  - 781-769-0200.  Be sure to call the library to sign up for all your reading needs. 

Library Expands Its Offerings

Growing up, one of my favorite memories was waiting for the evening newspaper to arrive at the door, especially when I was supposed to be practicing piano. The first thing we did in our house after we got ready for school was to read the morning newspaper, as we were lucky enough to have two papers. In college, one of my favorite things to do, when I was supposedly at the library studying, was to read the local Chicago newspapers and take little “study breaks” in the stacks to read old bound copies of “Life,” “Look,” “Time,” and “Newsweek.” Today, we would say that I needed to get a life. Marie Lydon, Reference Librarian

Read the entire From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript.

Animal, Vegetable ... Kindle?

A Kindle? If you haven’t heard, the Kindle is Amazon.com’s very popular e-reader or electronic book. There are many amazing things about the Kindle – the lightweight design, the easy-to-read text, the text-to-speech capability, and wireless capability to download books in seconds, anytime and anywhere. I was recently at a friend’s mountain ski house where to get cell service we need to stand very close to a window on the second floor leaning over a balcony (you’ve got the “Can you hear me now” picture?). Yet, I downloaded a Kindle book sitting at a kitchen chair using Amazon’s Whispernet wireless. In just seconds. (The Kindle version of most books costs between $8 and $12 and is delivered free from Amazon.com’s Web site.) From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript. Read or listen to some other opinions about the Kindle: How the Kindle Changed the World at Salon.com, A Kind Society Can Be Literate at NPR, Kindle e-Reader, A Trojan Horse For Free Thought in the Christian Science Monitor.

What's All the Fuss About Blogs?

What is a blog, anyway? Why read them, why write them. In short, why care?

Online definitions of the word “blog” differ. Marketingterms.com defines a blog simply as “a frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.” Another online definition defines a blog as a “personal online journal that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption.” Well, consume we do. Blogs can be found on all newspaper and magazine Web sites, conference and political Web sites; there are millions of them and they are everywhere and can be used for all types of purposes. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire article in the From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript.

The School Project: It's a Family Thing

Last Thursday night my husband and I attended an amazing program at the elementary school in our hometown of Norfolk. The event was the annual Wax Museum and included the exhibits of over 150 fifth-graders as famous personalities. That night I met Amelia Earhart, Charles Schultz, Ben Franklin, Christa McAuliffe, Theodore Geisel, Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson and many others, including our own grandson, Colin, as Norman Rockwell. I don’t know if I was the most impressed adult in the crowd but I was certainly awed by the creativity and brilliance of these confident 10-year olds. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript.

Reading About Reading

When I leave the library each day I try not to look around me. What I mean is that working as a librarian has its shortcomings. I often use the analogy of working in a candy story while having to watch sugar intake. I often overload my bedside table with books that I’ve read about, hear about or watched come and go from our busy library. It’s a tough job and someone has to do it … but it can be pretty frustrating when you’re a busy person with little time to read. From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Read the entire From the Library column in the Daily News Transcript.

Books and Librarians Onscreen

I was thrilled to see Kate Winslet accept the award for best actress in “The Reader”, a film adapted from the book of the same name by Bernard Schlink. It was written in 1995 (translated into English in 1997) and has been widely read around the world in the past decade. The story is fiction and is not just a Holocaust story. One of the prevailing themes is illiteracy, of course a topic near and dear to a librarian’s heart. A favorite and touching scene for me was when Kate Winslet’s mid-life adult character enters the library and checks out her very first library book. The shame of both illiteracy and of a generation too-far removed from the atrocities of the Holocaust are woven throughout the story of both the movie and the book.
There are several databases (on library websites) from which you can search the literary beginnings of the majority of movies. “Based on the Book”, a website compilation by Mid-Continent Public Library system in Missouri, is one of them and it is searchable in four ways: by the movie title, the film release date, the book title and the book author. Are you curious about which of Charles Dickens’, John Grisham’s or Philip Roth’s books have become movies? Did you know there were more than eighteen that hit the theaters in 2008, among them “Horton Hears a Who” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”? The latter was based upon a short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You might be very surprised how many movies had their beginnings in literature. One surprise book-to-movie connection is “Slumdog Millionaire” based on the 2005 book, Q &A, written by Vikas Swarup. Another 2008 award nominee was “Revolutionary Road” based on the book written by Massachusetts writer Richard Yates in the 1960’s. Even “Hellboy” and “The Watchman began as books” – graphic novels. The hit movies “Coraline” and “Twilight” began as books for young adults. Other websites list the movies that will come out in 2009, including My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Piccoult and Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
Now getting back to Kate Winslet and her library book, I must tell you that cringed when I witnessed her circling words with pencil … in her library book. Perhaps her librarian forgave her – the audience did I’m sure but I hid my gasp in my fist in the theater. Librarians are portrayed very interestingly on film and run the gamut of stereotypes. From Parker Posey’s nonsensical “Party Girl” to Marian in “The Music Man”, librarians are portrayed as sweet as River City Pie to maniacal shrews. Yet who can forget James Whitmore’s portrayal as a bright and caring librarian, albeit a prisoner himself, in “Shawshank Redemption.” Of the devoted Donna Reed in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” There are several websites devoted to librarians on film – The Film Librarian, Librarians in the Movies and Movie Librarians. There is even a movie devoted to our brand – Hollywood Librarian, a full-length documentary including many, many film clips and published in 2007. It was presented in special screenings in … libraries. Seemingly, only librarians themselves are interested in this type of study as we try to figure out just why the public bestows us with their knowing smiles … or extends their shaky hands.
Perhaps the some of the best quotes we can find about libraries and librarians as portrayed in film are from “IQ” (1994):
“I always imagined heaven to be one enormous library, only you can't take out the books”. Or from “Doctor Who” (2005):

"You want weapons? We're in a library! Books! The best weapons in the world! This room's the greatest arsenal we could have - arm yourselves!”

From the Daily News Transcript, From the Library, Charlotte Canelli, columnist

Please call the library (781-769-0200) or visit our website (www.norwoodlibrary.org) to see if we have your favorite book or movie.