Dismantling the Library of Michigan

Library of Michigan, Lansing, MI

I was thrilled to be part of the incredible staff at the Library of Michigan in Lansing years ago. At first the beautiful new building showcased the library in one wing and the historical museum in the other. Eventually other departments moved in and the library was slowly squeezed. Now many of the books are being auctioned off in huge lots. You can read more HERE in Dome.

"Rare book dealers who follow these things believe that the sale is the largest number of books to be sold at one time in Michigan. The sale includes what is called the “Dewey” collection and another estimated 7,500 books deemed superfluous and culled from Library collections."

I spoke to a rare book dealer in Lansing and he said the huge lots being offered made it almost impossible to bid on lots. One would need a truck to pick them up and someplace to store them so you could sort through for 'gems'. 

At one point there were proposals to get rid of  "the state’s premier genealogy collection" but that ultimately did not happen. "That collection was ultimately saved, to the delight of thousand of “genies” who fought hard to preserve the collection. However, that collection will no longer be expanded by purchases or gifts."

I hate to see our important cultural assets diminished or destroyed because of funding declines when we all know there is plenty of money out there. It is just going to other priorities.

A TRICK OF THE LIGHT (2011)

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While reading Bury Your Dead, I immediately fell in love with Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache. When I discovered that A Trick of the Light was scheduled to be released the end of August, I found a way to get my hands on a ARC copy!

I have been doing a lot of reading this summer and most of it felt like work in retrospect. But with Louise Penny you just slip into the world she creates and time dissolves.

I particularly enjoyed Trick of Light because of the connection to the art world in Toronto. All the regular characters show up and the mystery in some ways is secondary to being able to live in Three Pines for a couple of days.

Luckily, I have two earlier books to occupy my time until Ms. Penny gets her next book to her readers.

On the morning of Clara's art show at the prestigious Musee in Montreal, a woman's body is found among the bleeding hearts of Clara's garden in Three Pines. When Chief Inspector Gamache is called in to investigate, he finds the art world gathered - a world of shading and light - where nothing is as it seems. And when facts are exposed, it is no longer clear to Gamache if he's found the truth, or simply a trick of the light. (From the author's website)

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Portland Maine Building Installation

Check out more pictures of this installation at Wary Meyers - The Basement Stacks. The building was once the public library.

CNN Poll

Just because it was not what I expected, I thought I should share today's CNN current poll results.

"Where do you typically purchase books?

• Bookstore 38%
• Online 37%
• I don't 19%
• Other 6%

Jackson, Michigan Will Lose It's Last Bookstore

With the coming liquidation of Border's, which includes Waldenbooks, Jackson will no longer have a bookstore that sells new books. Sure Target, Meijer's, Pamida, and others sell a selection of books but I won't be going there when I am looking for something to read. Luckily we have a great used bookstore and a library to take up some of the slack, but it looks like it is down to Amazon and other online providers. This is a sad day indeed.

Tonoharu: Part I (2008)

I bought this book by Lars Martinson and set it aside. After watching this engaging video, it has moved up my list!

Why is Contemporary Art Addicted to Violence?

This is the title of a review by Laura Kipnis for The New York Times: Books Update  (July 14, 2011). She is writing about The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning by Maggie Nelson. It is a question that has been on my mind recently along with the greater use and acceptance of profanity.

After reading the review, which claims that complaints about violence in the media are almost always aimed at low-brow fare while giving 'cultural' events a pass, the reviewer noted that Maggie Nelson avoids that accusation aiming "at the fine arts, literature, theater — even poetry".

I'm adding this title to my reading list. You can read the whole review HERE.

Before I Go to Sleep (2011)

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Imagine waking up every morning with no memory of the day before? Or not knowing that the man sleeping next to you is your husband? That is the dilemma facing Christine in Before I Go to Sleep. At her doctor's urging she begins keeping a diary but has to reread it everyday.

This is a cleverly imagined and compelling first novel once you have suspended disbelief and buy into the story. Bit by bit the reader learns of conflicting and disturbing information along with the narrator. But what will putting the pieces together reveal and which can be relied upon?


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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2011)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The physical book is handsome with beautiful end papers and illustrated throughout with vintage photographs, which inspired the story to the author, Ransom Riggs. (You certainly don't want to read this on a Kindle, if in fact you want to read it at all.) The story is a bit contrived and it seems obvious there will be a series. Other reviews reveal a lot of enthusiasm for this story of a teen who learns that his grandfather's fairy tales may actually be real. In his search for answers, terrible things happen.

And I think that is a major problem: on one hand the story is charming and whimsical while on the other, it is dark and extremely violent.

But I loved the following quote at the end of the book:

"I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was."

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The Swan Thieves versus 13 Reasons Why

And the winner is 13 Reasons Why. It might not seem like a fair match-up since The Swan Thieves is a very long, obsessive love story that weaves the past and the present together. 13 Reasons Why is a clever format for exploring teenage suicide readable in a day or two.

Neither book was outstanding.

I preferred Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which gathered together castle ruins, old letters, and vampire lore to create a wonderful, if uneven, read. She used the old letter technique with less success in The Swan Thieves. Often the flashbacks seemed an interruption of the story rather than moving it along. After pages and pages the ending seemed rushed and less than hoped for. I was fascinated by the inclusion of information on how painters work and the historical information about the Impressionists. The author's website is extensive with information and lists of additional resources.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher is a young adult title that has been around since 2007. The author uses the device of intertwining dialogue: a voice on tape in italics and the reactions in the mind of the listener. The story is accessible (even to reluctant readers) and probably more accurate in its portrayal of teen angst that can lead to suicide than many other attempts to deal with this difficult subject. Another helpful and interesting website is provided as well as a presence on Facebook.

It took me forever to plod through The Swan Thieves. I devoured 13 Reasons Why in two days filled with other activities.

Congratulations Ann!

Don't you just love winning contests? I usually don't win but recently I have scored four ARCs (advanced reading copies) and that makes me very, very happy.

On the one hand, because they are mine and don't have to be returned to the library, I have only read two of them. Perhaps you'll be distressed to learn that Louise Penny's mystery Trick of Light and Anders Roslund's thriller Three Seconds have languished? Of course the second title mentioned was released in January of this year, while the first comes out the end of August. I really should read them so that I will seem relevant and 'happening'.

I HAVE finished Mary Kay Andrews' beach read Summer Rental (and loved it). The fourth title, which I have also read, hasn't arrived yet. I clicked to win this book at Goodreads because I like it when I read it and never win anything. Maybe my luck has changed. Here's the message I got.

"You are one of our First Reads lucky winners! You will soon receive a free copy of The Lake Shore Limited (Vintage Contemporaries) in the mail. Please allow a few weeks for shipping.

Don't forget to add the book to your Goodreads currently-reading shelf, and we encourage you to also add it to a "first-reads" shelf when you are done reading. Posting a review is optional, but please keep in mind that reviewing the book is in the spirit of First Reads. Publishers provide free copies to Goodreads in hopes of getting early feedback about the book. First Readers who post reviews are also more likely to win free books in the future!"

Maybe I'll have to read Sue Miller's book again. My earlier short review last year ended with, "It's not a great book but it is a good read." I'm assuming this new round of ARCs are leftovers since the hardback was released in  2010 and the trade paperback came out May 31, 2011. Never mind. A contest is a contest. And being a winner is a great feeling!

17th Century Chinese Traveling Bookcase

Boing Boing had a item on this beautiful item that was being put up for auction at Christie's. It is reminiscent of the Michigan Lighthouse Bookcase mentioned awhile back.

Some Books are Just Too Long

What makes a compelling read for you? If you like a book, do you then read all other titles by that author?

I am currently reading Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves and feeling like it is a chore. Don't get me wrong. I want to know what is going to happen and I want to finish reading it, but I think this is exactly the size and weight of what is referred to as a 'tome'. Her first novel, The Historian, was also quite long but I found it fascinating especially the descriptions of the foreign locations that the author seems to know well.

This caused me to reflect on my response to certain books and authors I have been reading of late. I couldn't put Mary Kay Andrews chic-lit Summer Rental down. In contrast Eric Larson's In the Garden of Beasts is just as compelling as his Devil in the White City. Both are non-fiction. With so many titles waiting for me, perhaps I need to learn to stop reading when I realize a book isn't going to transport me.