Arroyo Book Club August Pick….

 

August is a fiction month for the Arroyo Book Club. The book we will read is The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. This is a historical novel with a catalog description that says

“A young outcast braves the hardships of Kentucky's Great Depression and brings truly magical objects to her people: books. Inspired by the brave women of the Pack Horse Library Project!

Cussy Mary Carter is the last of her kind, her skin the color of a blue damselfly in these dusty hills. But that doesn't mean she's got nothing to offer. As a member of the Pack Horse Library Project, Cussy delivers books to the hill folk of Troublesome Creek, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times. But not everyone is so keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and the hardscrabble Kentuckians are quick to blame a Blue for any trouble in their small town.”

Stop by the branch to pick up a copy to read. You will find them in the usual location, just ask if you don’t know where that is.  If you prefer e-reading the book is available via Hoopla here or via Libby here

We will meet to discuss the book on Saturday, August 24 at 3 p.m. It will be a hybrid meeting so you have the option of attending in person or via Zoom. If you’d like to join us via Zoom let us know at ayosco@lapl.org so we can get the link to you.

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch as well as a selection of the exciting, virtual programs offered by branches across the city during the week below (programs in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar https://lapl.org/whats-on/calendar for our complete program selection….

Monday
4:00 Pom Pom Pets

Tuesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 Read With a STAR: Jeffrey

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
6:00 Walk Highland Park (meet in Library Lobby)

Thursday
11:00 Storytelling Class With Megha (email literacy@lapl.org for link)

Friday
10:00 Yoga & Meditation With Master John (email dmatthews@lapl.org )

Saturday
10:30 Musical Storytime With DJ Lance Rock
2:00 Read With a STAR: Toni

Sunday
3:00 Game Day: Scrabble

Catch up with us on various sites...

    LAPL platforms:    
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

    Arroyo Seco Social Media:    
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

LAPL’s Digital Collection: Fashion Plates

 

Today we’ll browse into the Fashion Plate collection and take a look at this illustration from June of 1813. Here we see an ankle length white dress.  It has an embellished bodice which continues down the front of the dress.  There is lace detail on the bottom hem.  Accessories include long white evening gloves, green shawl embroidered at bottom edges, double-strand pearl necklace and white embellished turban.

Access the image here

Highland Park Walks

Wednesday, July 31 at 6 p.m.

We’ll end the summer as we started it, with a community walk.  

Join us as we explore our local neighborhood on foot. It’s summer so put your sun block on, bring some water, and be prepared to sweat! We will meet in the library lobby and collectively decide upon a route before setting out. Everyone is welcome so bring the whole family.

If you liked….

 

One of the branch's most checked out fiction titles last month was Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck

If you liked it, then try these:

• Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani : These atmospheric novels explore coming-of-age romances as the young female protagonists explore their sexuality in sometimes disturbing relationships with significantly older men
• The Pole by J.M. Coetzee : These incisive and atmospheric literary fiction novels examine nuances and passions in extramarital affairs in which women fall for older men who share a mutual interest in art and music
• The Girls of Summer by Katie Bishop : These bleak psychological novels chart disturbing relationships between young women and much older men
• The Only Story by Julian Barnes : In this melancholy, stylistic novel the age discrepancy goes the other way as a young man enters a relationship with a much older woman

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch as well as a selection of the exciting, virtual programs offered by branches across the city during the week below (programs in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Monday
4:00 Shark Week Celebration

Tuesday
10:30 The L.A. Zoo Goes to the Library
3:00 Read With a STAR: Jeffrey
6:00 Creative Writing - The Art of Storytelling: Learning Circle 6 of 6 (in person OR via Zoom: ayosco@lapl.org for link)

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
6:00 Círculo de Lectores

Thursday
1:00 Q.Me Free Legal Clinic (Register)

Friday
10:00 Yoga & Meditation With Master John (email dmatthews@lapl.org )

Saturday
2:00 Read With a STAR: Toni
3:00 Arroyo Book Club (in person OR Zoom / ayosco@lapl.org for link)

Catch up with us on various sites...

LAPL platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

Arroyo Seco Social Media:
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

Monthly Trivia Question (Answer)….

This month we asked what was probably the first Asian American settlement in this country. The answer, St. Malo in Louisiana. According to the article where this answer was found:

“The history of Filipino migration to the United States begins with Filipino sailors known as Manilamen. As early as the 18th century, Manilamen started to leave their ships while docked at the port of New Orleans and settle in Louisiana. Some would establish St. Malo—the first permanent Asian American settlement in the country.”

The question, and answer, were found in the Asian American Experience database. This a digital resource that illuminates the histories and contemporary culture of Asian Americans. This resource includes references, scholarly works, primary documents and papers, photographs, audio clips, and maps.  The specific article referenced was:

Gonzales, R. (2024). St. Malo: First Filipino Settlement. The American Mosaic: The Asian American Experience. 

Find the Asian American Experience  on the library’s Research & Homework page under “A” and access it with your library card.

If you liked….

 

One of the branch's most checked out non-fiction books last month was Knife by Salman Rushdie

If you liked it, then try these

• In the Eye of the Wild by Nastassja Martin : These compelling and thought-provoking memoirs explore the aftermath of shocking experiences with political violence (Knife) and a wild animal attack (In the Eye of the Wild). Knife reflects on the broader role of art; Wild investigates a transformed anthropological practice
• Woman Life Freedom edited by Malu Halasa : Free expression -- and its price if a government is bent upon suppressing it -- is the sobering subject of these two quite different books. Both relate to Iran: its suppression of women's rights (Woman) and the 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie (Knife)
• A Light in the Dark by Kathy Kleiner Rubin : These reflective memoirs recount the life-changing experience of surviving an assassination attempt (Knife) and an attack by a serial killer (A Light In the Dark)
• Know My Name by Chanel Miller : In the aftermath of traumatic events, the authors of both compelling memoirs found healing through writing. Knife centers on an attempted murder; Know My Name on a rape

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch as well as a selection of the exciting, virtual programs offered by branches across the city during the week below (programs in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Monday
4:00 Snow Day in July

Tuesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 Read With a STAR: Jeffrey
6:00 Creative Writing - The Art of Storytelling: Learning Circle 5 of 6 (in person OR via Zoom: ayosco@lapl.org for link)

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
4:00 Get Ready for College: Paying for College Workshop

Thursday
1:00 Q.Me Free Legal Clinic (Register)

Friday
11:30 Chinese for Beginners (email language@lapl.org)

Saturday
2:00 Read With a STAR: Toni

Catch up with us on various sites...

LAPL platforms:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

Arroyo Seco Social Media:
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

LAPL’s Digital Collection: Maps

 

Today let’s take a look at this “Amusement Map of Los Angeles County, 1929.”  It details places of interest, amusement, and sport in Los Angeles County. It includes 3 insets: Beverly Hills detail -- Hollywood detail -- Los Angeles detail.

Access the full map here

If you liked....

 

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton was one of the most checked out fiction books in our branch last month.  Find similar books listed below and place a hold:

January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky: These thought-provoking works of issue-oriented literary fiction explore characters' reactions to active social change. January Fifteenth is a near-future portrait of universal basic income's effects on people's lives

The Devil's Dictionary by Steven Kotler: These thought-provoking eco-thriller novels feature concerned individuals battling for ecological survival against billionaires who want to exploit the environment for mining (character-driven Birnam Wood) and genetic engineering (plot-driven The Devil's Dictionary)

Something New Under the Sun by Alexandra Kleeman: In these novels of literary fiction, determined individuals clash with wealthy players in America (Something New) and New Zealand (Birnam Wood) who are abusing the environment. Both feature wit and drama set against the backdrop of environmental turmoil

Site Fidelity by Claire Boyles: The importance of environmental justice underpins these moving, character-driven works of literary fiction. Birnam Wood, a novel, follows an activist gardening group in New Zealand; Site Fidelity, a story collection, features characters in the American West

Land of Milk and Honey by Pam C. Zhang: Both books are compelling, stylistically complex, and character-driven. This one explores the ethics of seeking pleasure in a dying world

Programming Coming up This Week

Find the in person programs at our branch as well as a selection of the exciting, virtual programs offered by branches across the city during the week below (programs in person at our branch unless otherwise noted). Visit our online calendar for our complete program selection….

Monday
4:00 Fairy Tale Science
4:45 One Book, One County Discussion (email ebarrera@lapl.org for link)

Tuesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 Read With a STAR: Jeffrey
6:00 Creative Writing - The Art of Storytelling: Learning Circle 4 of 6 (in person OR via Zoom: ayosco@lapl.org for link)

Wednesday
10:30 Baby & Toddler Storytime
3:00 STAR Reader: Miss Katherine
6:00 Círculo de Lectores

Thursday
1:00 Q.Me Free Legal Clinic (Register)

Friday
11:30 Chinese for Beginners (email language@lapl.org)

Saturday
10:30 Creating Cartoon Characters
2:00 Read With a STAR: Toni
3:00 Bad Art: A Contest (there are prizes)

Catch up with us on various sites...

    LAPL platforms:    
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lapubliclibrary/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/lapubliclibrary/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/losangeleslibrary

    Arroyo Seco Social Media:    
Blog: arroyoseco5.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArroyoSecoLibrary
Instagram: www.instagram.com/arroyosecolapl

Bad Art: A Contest

 

Saturday, July 13 at 3 p.m.

Contest! Prizes Awarded! 

Goal: make the ugliest art possible with provided materials. Let go of the pressure of making something “pretty” or “important” and just make something.

Judging will be across 3 groups, 12 & Under, Teens, and Adults.  Get the whole family involved.

Monthly Trivia Question…

 This month let’s ask what was probably the first Asian American settlement in this country?