The Asylum

If you are a fashionista you might enjoy Simon Doonan’s reminiscences of his experiences in the fashion world.  In The Asylum we get a collection of his thoughts on a wide variety of topics.  This book takes a very meandering journey through Doonan’s life and experiences.  It is an interesting & amusing book and will appeal to those who find fashion interesting and not to others. 

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is… can you think of a proverb that deals with interest (as in concern)?

Events for the Week of December 16…

Things going on at the library during the week include:

• Budgeting Seminar on Monday (12/16) at 6:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (12/18) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• ACA Information table also on Wednesday at 4:30 – drop in with your health care enrollment questions.
• STAR Reader on Thursday (12/19) at 3:00
• Introduction to Spreadsheets Class also on Thursday at 6:30
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (12/20) at 3:30

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

History of Highland Park….

This article, “New Arroyo Seco Branch Library for Highland Park and Garvanza,” was published in the Highland Park Herald on 6/7/1913.  It provides a description of the plan for building the new library and includes an artist sketch of the building and of the floor plan.  Take a look.  

TOW (& Answer)...

The question was Where did the town of Claremont (CA) get its name?  Let me answer by quoting from our source:

The Pacific Land and Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railroad, offered to name the town, which it platted in 1887, for H. A. Palmer, owner of the land.  Mr. Palmer declined the honor and suggested a number of Spanish names descriptive of the grand view of the mountains.  The directors, from Boston, called for equivalents in their own language, and influenced by one among them who formerly lived in Claremont, New Hampshire, chose the present name.

 The question (& answer) were taken from p. 81 of California Place Names by William Bright.  This edition of the book was published by the University of California Press in 1998. 

Learn4Life

Are you anxious to pick up some new skills for your job, for your personal life, for fun?  Learn4Life is an electronic resource offered by LAPL.  It…

Offers a wide range of highly interactive online courses.   All of the courses are free, and led by expert instructors. Courses run for six weeks and new sessions begin every month. Subjects offered are Career and Professional, Computers and Technology, Personal Development and Writing and Publishing.”

You can find it on the library’s Research and Homework page in the L’s (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#L).  To access it from a non-library computer you will need your library card.  Check out the flyer (http://www.lapl.org/sites/default/files/articles-and-information/pdfs/13-02flyer.pdf) for additional information.

Chronicles of Kazam

 

When I belatedly discovered that one of my favorite authors, Jasper Fforde, had written a Young Adult series I immediately rushed out and got both entries. The books, The Last Dragonslayer and The Song of the Quarkbeast follow the adventures of Jenny Strange (a foundling) as she attempts to run Kazam Mystical Arts Management.  Kazam Mystical Arts Management is a business that manages the activities of a number of magic users in a world where (at least initially) magic is gradually declining.  Jenny deals with obstreperous employees, dastardly big business interests, egoistical government, & more as she strives to keep the business afloat and make the world a better place.  The books are interesting, engaging, entrancing, etc.  I would heartily recommend them.

By the way, if you haven’t read Fforde’s Thursday Next series you really should. 

Telescope Night…

The ever-popular Telescope Night returns (weather permitting) to the Arroyo Seco Library on Wednesday, December 11.  We will begin at 6:00 and wrap things up shortly before the library closes at 8:00.  Mark your calendar and plan to drop by.

For those who don’t know what Telescope Night is…  During Telescope Night a group of local astronomers, the Sidewalk Astronomers (http://www.sidewalkastronomers.us/), sets up telescopes outside the library and points them at objects of interest in the night sky.  Everyone is invited to take as many turns as they’d like looking through the telescopes.  The Sidewalk Astronomers are very knowledgeable and will answer your questions & chat about how they made the telescopes.  Bring your questions with you.

Events for the Week of December 9…

Things going on at the library during the week include:

• Teen Program – Gift Bag Decorating – on Tuesday (12/10) at 4:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (12/11) at 10:30
• Computer Basics Class also on Wednesday (12/11) at 12:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday (12/11) at 3:00
• ACA Information table also on Wednesday (12/11) at 5:00 – drop in with your health care enrollment questions.
• Telescope Night on Wednesday (12/11) starting at 6:00 (weather permitting)
• STAR Reader on Thursday (12/12) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (12/13) at 3:30

You can always check the Branch Page (http://www.lapl.org/branches/arroyo-seco) on the LAPL website for upcoming events or check out the Master Calendar (http://www.lapl.org/whats-on/calendar) where you can search for something specific across multiple branches.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is:  Where did the town of Claremont (CA) get its name?

Nickel and Dimed

Barbara Ehrenreich provides us with a telling look at trying to survive in America while working for minimum or low wage in Nickel and Dimed.  Although the book was published in 2001 the world described is still one that many Americans must deal with daily.  Definitely a book worth reading. 

TOW (& Answer)...

The question was who designed the Los Angeles Public Library’s Central Library?  The Central Library was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1924. 

The question (and answer) were taken from p. 87 of California Architecture by Sally B. Woodbridge.  The book was published by Chronicle Books in 1988. 

Three Parts Dead

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone is set in a world quite different from ours.  Gods exist, though they are vulnerable to outside agency, and people can develop (hone?) power.  In this tale we follow the adventures of a young necromancer, assistant to a big wig, as they look into the circumstances surrounding the death of one of these gods.  The book is quite enjoyable except for the fact that the villain is a little too villainous.  What do I mean?  There comes a point when a villain is so bad, evil, without redeeming characteristics that the whole thing just becomes ridiculous and you start wondering why the protagonist doesn’t just throw up her hands, say the hell with this, and kill herself.  Anyway if you can overlook villainy that crosses over the border into pastiche then the book is worth a read.

How to Teach Physics to Your Dog

In How to Teach Physics to Your Dog Chad Orzel writes a basic introduction to the fundamentals of quantum mechanics through the lens of his dog Emmy.  (Basically Emmy provides the narrative connection between the heavy science bits).  The book is aimed at the layman and endeavors to cover the quantum mechanics concepts that people might have heard about in other contexts and explain them correctly.  Among the topics covered are the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the many-worlds interpretation, quantum entanglement, and the misuses of quantum physics.

All in all a good book for someone looking to gain a very basic understanding of an interesting area of physics.