Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what was Kush?

Library Events in April…

(Mark your calendars accordingly)

The library has a number of interesting events planned in March.  I thought I’d take a minute and give you a run down so you could plan ahead.  Let’s start with the non-repeating events:

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4/4 @ 2:00
Movie
Join us for movie showing. Call branch for details.

4/9 from 1:00-3:00
Covered California Information Table
Questions about health care? Bring them and talk to an expert.

4/9 @ 6:00
All About Spreadsheets
Come learn the basics about spreadsheets… from functions & formulas to formatting & charts.

4/14 @ 4:00
Teen Council Meeting
Teens come put your own personal stamp on the library.

4/18 from 9:30-2:00
Friends’ Used Book Sale
Support the library and supplement your personal library.  There will be a ton of bargains at this used book sale.

4/18 @ 2:00
HTML Basics
Learn basic HTML vocabulary & structure.

4/25 @ 3:00
Arroyo Book Club
Join us for a lively discussion of the book My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor.


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Each month the library also has a number of ongoing classes & events.  They are:

Make it Mondays - - - Mondays at 4:00
Join us each Monday for a hands on activity.  In April we will be meeting a construction block challenge, doing something with poetry, and constructing cardboard castles

Little Ones’ Storytime - - - Wednesdays at 10:30 & 11:30
Little Ones’ 3 and under & their grownups are invited to join us for stories, music, & games.  We offer two sessions, pick the one that is convenient for you.

STAR Volunteer Readers - - - Available on Wednesdays at 3:00, on Thursdays at 3:00 & on Saturdays at 2:00
STAR readers present the fun of storytelling and reading to children one-on-one or in small groups. Kids earn a free book to keep after 3 visits.

Fun With Tablets - - - Thursdays at 4:00
People of all ages are invited to join us as we explore tablet computers by accomplishing an interesting task.  If you have a project in mind suggest it & we might give it a try.

Drop in Computer Lab - - - Fridays at 3:30
Bring your questions about computers, tablets, eReaders, or other electronic devices.  We will do our best to help you figure out answers. 

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Please do not hesitate to call the library at 323-255-0537 if you have any questions or would like more information.  Remember that 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.

TOW (& Answer)...

The week’s question was what was a messenger of the press? To quote directly from the source:

Under the licensing act (1662) British government agents, called messengers of the press, were made responsible for tracing any form of unauthorized or undesirable printing and reporting its existence, as a prelude to subsequent legal censorship, to a secretary of state.  Although the act lapsed officially in 1679, the messengers continued to be used by secretaries of state who required a convenient means of checking on publishers and printers they suspected of sedition.

The question (and answer) were taken from p. 188 of The Encyclopedia of Censorship by Jonathon Green.  The book was published by Facts on File in 1990.

History of Highland Park….

This newspaper article (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/10/520338.pdf), penned by Roger Swanson, discusses the Heritage Square Museum shortly before its full time opening.  Included are in depth descriptions of the buildings and photographs.  The article was published on 10/26/75.

Events for the Week of March 23…

The events going on at the library this week include…

• Make it Monday: Giant Bubbles (3/23) at 4:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (3/25) --- sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Introduction to Genealogy Workshop also on Wednesday at 6:00
• Covered California Information Table on Thursday (3/26) from 1:00 to 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program also on Thursday at 4:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (3/27) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (3/28) at 2:00
• Arroyo Book Club meets to discuss Into the Beautiful North by Urrea on Saturday at 3:00
• Showing of documentary Life on the Line on Saturday at 4:00

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.

Noggin

If you’re craving a light weight, lightly SF, YA novel you need look no further then Noggin  by John Corey Whaley.  The premise is simple… Travis Coates is dying of leukemia so he makes the decision to have his head frozen in the hopes that at some future time he can somehow be restored to life.  Fast forward five years and Travis awakes to find that his head has been surgically transplanted onto another person’s body.  He must adjust to a life where everyone is 5 years ahead of him.  His girlfriend has moved on, his best friend seems to have regressed, there’s something about his family.  The story is readable and fairly interesting though it suffers from a “the scenario is implausible in the time frame allotted” problem.  Not to mention no inclusion of the technology that would have had to have been around for the operation to even be possible as part of the overall story line.  The hero is seriously self-involved and not very likable though as the story develops the author makes a good behind the scenes case for it being reasonable that he is like this.

All in all a book I would recommend to someone who likes a teen’s point of view and doesn’t mind improbable SF. 

A Slip of the Keyboard

If you’re a fan of Terry Pratchett (and really who isn’t) you’ll want to pick up A Slip of the Keyboard.  Here you will find collected a number of his short, non-fiction pieces.  Here he writes about writing, about author tours, some things about his life, Alzheimer’s, and more.  You get a full measure of the wonderful Pratchett voice while taking a gander behind the curtain.  

Highly recommended.

Websites I Like….

If you like to read folk and/or fairy tales you’ll enjoy browsing around this site (http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html).  Here you will find full text many, many different folk and fairy tales, interestingly arranged by overall theme, e.g. you’ll find a list of Bald Stories (Folktales about hairless men).  The website itself is very plain and lacks the bells and whistles you may have grown accustomed to but the stories themselves are worth the visit.

Trivia of the Week...

This week’s question is what was a messenger of the press?

The Rosie Effect

Graeme Simsion continues the tale he began in The Rosie Project (blog entry 11/20/14) with The Rosie Effect.  In this book Don Tillman, now married to Rosie Jarman is living with her in New York and the pair are expecting a baby.  Don Tillman, as readers of the first book will know, is not neurally typical so the impending birth leads to a lot of drama that he must sort through.  If you enjoyed the first book you will like this one as well.  If you haven’t read the first book you will still like this. 

I would recommend the book to anyone who likes stories of nonconventional people trying their best to make a success out of life. 

Events for the Week of March 16…

The events going on at the library this week include…

• Make it Monday: Toothbrush Painting (3/16) at 4:00
• Teen Council Meeting on Tuesday (3/17) at 4:00
• Little Ones’ Storytime on Wednesday (3/18) --- sessions at 10:30 & 11:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• Fun with Tablets program on Thursday (3/19) at 4:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (3/20) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (3/21) at 2:00
• Blue Submarine: Sea Creatures Show also on Saturday at 2:00

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.

TOW (& Answer)...

The week’s question was how many words can you think of that mean the same thing as produce (consider it as a verb)?  How about the following:  bear, bring forth, create, develop, engender, generate, give, give forth, make, originate, provide, spawn, yield,  generate, clear, gain, yield, write, build, compose, shape, adduce, present, dramatize, enact, perform.  

The question (and answer) were taken from p. 617 of Roget’s Thesaurus.  The edition in question was published by Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt in 2013. 

The Amazing Harvey

In the Amazing Harvey by Don Passman Harvey Kendall, an aspiring magician, is accused of a rape and murder he did not commit.  The police have DNA evidence though so things look very, very bad for our hero.  Harvey finds a lawyer in an old classmate who agrees to help him and begins poking around in the mystery.  The solution to the crime is rather obvious and the author does a really awkward job of laying clues so that our hero can figure it out as well.  However, the book on the whole is very sweet and has interesting characters and perhaps the solution is not obvious if you haven’t a biology/medicine background.

Recommended for those who like a character driven mystery. 

History of Highland Park…

Here (http://dbase1.lapl.org/webpics/calindex/documents/10/520225.pdf) we have a reprint of an advertisement that appeared on 12/26/1909 in the Los Angeles Examiner.  It is a map of Mt. Washington and is visually a stunning piece of work.  Take a look at it.