Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day

Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day is a bit different from Seanan McGuire’s usual book.  Principally because she seems to take it as an excuse to try for a more lyrical voice.  In this book we follow the tale of Jenna.  Jenna is dead, died in the early 70’s after her sister committed suicide.  After her death (she’s a ghost) she went to New York where she has lived quietly since then.  As the story opens the ghosts of New York, with the exception of Jenna and her landlady, have vanished and Jenna must team up with a witch (not a being trusted by ghosts) to save them.

I liked the book though I think the author was trying too hard for the lyrical voice she wanted and wavered across the line into pretension from time to time.    It is a bit short on action as a lot of the story time had to be devoted to explaining the whys and wherefores of ghosts and their world.  Nevertheless I would recommend it to anyone interested in urban fantasy.

Events for the Week of June 17….

Events going on at the library during the week include:

• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (6/18) at 10:00
• Jurassic Fun Dino Crafts & Games on Monday at 4:00
• Baby Storytime on Tuesday (6/19) at 10:30
• Teen Summer Reading program on Tuesday at 4:00
• Circulo de Lectores meets on Tuesday at 6:00
• Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (6/20) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (6/21) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (6/22) at 3:30
• Tai Chi on Saturday (6/23) at 10:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00
• Arroyo Book Club on Saturday at 3:00

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

Trivia of the Month...

This month we ask if American spent 77,200 million dollars on personal consumption in the year 1929, how much of that total was spent on food, beverages, and tobacco?  Just ballpark it...

Unexpected Music...

We are having an unexpected music performance tomorrow at 1:00.  Join us as David Margolis performs on the guitar.  Margolis, who is with the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, has performed at our branch in the past so we know he can bring the musical chops. 

Plan to take a long lunch, get out of the heat, and enjoy some delightful music!  We will see you there.

The Collapsing Empire

The empire in John Scalzi’s The Collapsing Empire is formed by a series of interdependent star systems connected by a phenomena called the “flow” that allows for faster than light transportation between them.  As our story opens it has been discovered by a few physicists that the flow is not stable and is in fact in the process of drawing down which will leave all the star systems isolated.  The story follows the newly coronated Emperox as she learns about this and deals with the political reality in her empire, one of the physicists knowledgeable about the problem and his struggle to get to the Emperox, and a merchant influential in the empire’s very stratified power structure. After a lot of universe building and hectic plot shenanigans the book ends very abruptly in a way that pretty much guarantees that it is the first of a series. 

The book was a quick read and fairly enjoyable though I found the characters way less likeable than I’ve come to expect from Scalzi.  Recommended for those looking for a quick read who don’t mind hating the characters and can live with an irresolute conclusion.

Events for the Week of June 10….

Events going on at the library during the week include:

• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (6/11) at 10:00
• LA DOT Tap Information Table on Monday from 2:30-4:30
• Wildlife Wendy’s Tropical Bird Show on Monday at 4:00
• Teen Summer Reading featuring Airbrush Tattoos on Tuesday (6/12) at 4:00
• STAR Reader on Wednesday (6/13) at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (6/14) at 3:00
• Walk Highland Park Group meets on Friday (6/15) at 9:30
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday at 3:30
• Community Birthday Party on Friday at 3:30
• Tai Chi on Saturday (6/16) at 10:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00
• Journal Making Session on Saturday at 3:00

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

eResource of the Month…

Looking for career help of any kind?  Then look no further than the Career Transitions database.  Career Transitions has self-paced online resources that walk job-seekers through the entire job hunting process from discovering interests and exploring careers through preparing a resume and improving interviewing skills to so much more.

Access Career Transitions from any computer with your library card.  Start from the library’s Research & Homework page in the “c” section (http://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/research-and-homework#C)

Reading Takes You Everywhere – Guitar with Taro Wayama & David Lee Ruest

(This Year’s Summer Reading Program)

Join us for a concert featuring an enchanting mix of guitar music… a mix that spans the centuries and combines traditional classical repertoires with contemporary world music.  The concert will take place on July 14 at 3:00.

Events for the Week of June 3….

Events going on at the library during the week include:

• Grupo de apoyo para la familia on Monday (6/4) at 10:00
• Build a signal horn for Make it Monday at 4:00
• Baby storytime on Tuesday (6/5) at 10:30
• Circulo de lectores meets on Tuesday at 6:00
• Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (6/6) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (6/7) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (6/8) at 3:30
• Tai Chi on Saturday (6/9) at 10:00
• STAR Reader on Saturday at 2:00
• LGBT Documentary Screening on Saturday at 3:00

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

Reading Takes You Everywhere – Make a Journal

(This Year’s Summer Reading Program)

Join us on June 16 at 3:00 as we create our own personalized journals.  Have fun expressing yourself artistically then use your journal to note down the details of your travels…. Or for any purpose you like.

Trivia of the Month (Answer)...

This month’s question was who was the first woman appointed to a federal position that required Senate confirmation?  Julia Lathrop was appointed by President William Howard Taft to be chief of the newly created Children’s Bureau in 1912.  Succeeding President Woodrow Wilson reappointed her.

The question and its answer were found on p. 198 of Milestones: A Chronology of American Women’s History by Doris Weatherford.  The book was published by Facts on File in 1997.

Reading Takes You Everywhere – Walk Highland Park

(This Year’s Summer Reading Program)

This summer we thought a walking group would be a fun thing to do.  Join us as we explore Highland Park on foot, using the Angels Walk LA's Highland Park Guide as a starting point and exploring the sights of the area while sharing our own stories.  We will meet on June 15 and July 13 at 9:30 in front of the library.  If you’ve got a dogs who like to walk bring them though they will have to wait outside the library for us to get started.

Arroyo Seco Book Club’s June Pick…

The Arroyo Seco Book Club will be reading Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson as our June book.  This biography of the famous inventor and American revolutionary is described as follows by the lovely folks at Amazon:

Benjamin Franklin is the founding father who winks at us, the one who seems made of flesh rather than marble. In a sweeping narrative that follows Franklin’s life from Boston to Philadelphia to London and Paris and back, Walter Isaacson chronicles the adventures of the runaway apprentice who became, over the course of his eighty-four-year life, America’s best writer, inventor, media baron, scientist, diplomat, and business strategist, as well as one of its most practical and ingenious political leaders. He explores the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac and the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence, the new nation’s alliance with France, the treaty that ended the Revolution, and the compromises that created a near-perfect Constitution.

While we might quibble at some of that description the book nevertheless promises to be an interesting look at a fascinating man.  Pick up a copy from the library and plan to join us for discussion on June 23 at 3:00.

Events for the Week of May 27….

Do remember that the library will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday.  Events going on at the library during the remainder of the week include:

• Baby storytime on Tuesday (5/29) at 10:30
• Toddler Storytime on Wednesday (5/30) at 10:30
• STAR Reader on Wednesday at 3:00
• STAR Reader on Thursday (5/31) at 3:00
• Drop in Computer Lab on Friday (6/1) at 3:30
• STAR Reader on Saturday (6/2) 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