From Russia With Love...To America

Bernardsville Public Library's book group, Memoirs and Coffee, will discuss Elena Gorokhova's book, A Mountain of Crumbs, at its next meeting on Tuesday, September 28th at 10:30 a.m.  Born in Russia in the second half of the 20th century, Elena recounts her family's life under Soviet rule. Nobel laureate J. M. Coetzee writes, "Elena Gorokhova conveys all the ugliness of daily life in Soviet Russia, as well as its humiliations, but is awake to its strangled, submerged poetry too." 

Elena's love of language and her affinity for English inspired her to leave her native land, marry an American, and eventually move to New Jersey where she now resides.  The opening lines of her memoir demonstrate the author's mastery of language and love of writing, "I wish my mother had come from Leningrad, from the world of Pushkin and the tsars, of granite embankments and lace ironwork, of pearly domes buttressing the low sky.  Leningrad's sophistication would have infected her the moment she drew her first breath, and all the curved facades and stately bridges, marinated for more than two centuries in the city's wet, salty air, would have left a permanent mark of refinement on her soul."

Memoirs and Coffee is an open invitation book group led by library staff member, Pat Kennedy-Grant.  New members are most welcome to attend, and copies of this book are available at the circulation desk.

Suggestions From Our Readers

One of the pleasures of working at the library's circulation desk is the opportunity to have great conversations with people.  As you would expect, we are often  asked for our recommendations, and we happily share interesting things we've read, listened to, or viewed.   In turn, we like to ask our patrons what they have enjoyed reading recently.  The four books pictured above have been mentioned as particular stand-outs among the new items in the library. Family dynamics in each of these stories lead the characters  to different consequences ranging from healing to disasterous.  Our readers said they couldn't put these books down. 

This Bo*k is a Ho*t

Prim readers are given fair warning to duck and cover!

The title of Justin Halpern's new book, Sh*t My Dad Says, well, it says it all.  Justin's dad says it over and over again, along with the F bomb in all its verb tenses,  so you get the idea of this short, pungent and funny memoir.

The book categorizes a lifetime of Sam Halpern's comments into brief chapters illustrating how he handled episodes in his son's life.  Chapters like Justin's cheating on a school science experiment, not wanting to share a bedroom with Grampa, and asking endless, stupid questions are all covered with a story and a series of pithy vulgarisms by dad.  For example, on the topic of young Justin asking dumb hypothetical questions, his dad responded, "No. There's no scenario where I'd eat a human being, so you can stop making them up and asking me, understood?  Jesus, is this how you spend your day, just coming up with this (expletive?)"  You might not expect that dad is actually a doctor of nuclear medicine, but Sam Halpern tells it like he sees it to his son, and it is often painfully funny and blunt.

It is interesting to note that what started out as Justin Halpern's daily Twitter feed about his father evolved into this, his first book.  In a similar fashion, books like Waiter Rant and A Homemade Life developed out of their authors' blogs.  This demonstrates to me that social media (blogging and tweeting) do not necessarily take readers away from books.   Rather, they seem to be providing publishers with a whole new treasure trove of material.

Review by Evelyn Fischel

Don't Mangle Foreign Languages - Mango Them!

Bernardsville Public Library is pleased to offer another new, exciting service for our patrons and community.  Linking remotely through our Web site, you may now access Mango, an online language learning program designed to accelerate your language speaking skills.  Mango's unique methodology copies the way people learn when immersed in a foreign culture - through practical conversation. Native speakers model phrases and bits of conversation which participants repeat, learning to combine them into meaningful dialogue.  Before you know it, you will be communicating effectively in a foreign language.

Mango is fun, easy, and it works!  Best of all,  it's free to Bernardsville Library card holders through our Web site. Try Mango today or any time at your convenience. If you don't have a card, come into the library to see if you qualify for membership or consider the option of a reasonably-priced paid membership which grants full library privileges.  Mango and the world of communication await you at Bernardsville Public Library.

Get a Free Pass

As a new service for our patrons, Bernardsville Public Library is now offering museum passes which may be checked out for a four-day loan period.  This idea was developed by the library staff and funded by the Friends of Bernardsville Public Library.  These passes permit free entrance for a family as well as selected discounts.  We are currently offering a pass to each of the following:  the Morris Museum, Montclair Art Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. Conditions apply, so please call or visit us for more information about this popular new library feature.  

Michaele and Keiko Make a Splash at the Library

Bernardsville youth services librarian Michaele Casey and library volunteer Keiko Matsuura have done it again...yet another great display for the children's summer reading program!

This year's theme is "Make a Splash at Your Library" and the accompanying book display does just that.  Read more about this beautiful display by clicking here.


Keiko constructed the sea figures and young diver from paper, fabric and paint, and it took her very special imagination to assemble them all into a magical underwater scene.

Michaele borrowed a fabulous papier mache coral reef construction from the Bedwell School and made it the base of this floating world.  What a perfect match!  All  around the coral can be found interesting books for children to borrow.

The children have been very enthusiastic about the reading program at Bernardsville Public Library this summer, in part because of this gorgeous book display.

Staff Recommendation: Read One, Then The Other

I recently read two fascinating books which delve into the mysterious history of the Cape Ann settlement of Dogtown, now a part of Gloucester, Massachusetts.  The books are Dogtown: death and enchantment in a New England ghost town by Elyssa East and The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant.  Anita Diamant's  fictional account of the decline of this  impoverished settlement in the early 1800's uses historical characters in an imaginative and compelling way.  Elyssa East approaches the history of the same forlorn region from a modern departure point - the shocking murder there of a local woman in 1984.

East's 2009 narrative nonfiction book combines an investigation of this murder with parallel storylines involving art history detection and local intrigue.  The author initially intended to find the sources of inspiration for some of American artist Marsden Hartley's 1930's watercolors which featured the unusual topography of Dogtown, known for its boulders and strange rocky formations.  Thinking she might be able to see the actual locations which Hartley painted, she travelled to Gloucester, bought a map of Dogtown, and promptly got lost in its disorienting woods.  The area had long ago acquired a reputation for eerie happenings, a reputation  which was further  tarnished  by the savage and pointless murder of a young woman in these very woods.  Dogtown: death and enchantment in a New England ghost town will keep you engaged throughout, but it is regrettable that the author did not provide any prints of Hartley's Dogtown landscapes or any photos of the area.

Diamant's 2005 historical fiction book, The Last Days of Dogtown, fleshes together an interesting tale about the last survivors of the isolated and failing Dogtown Settlement at the beginning of the nineteenth century.   Only fragmentary records and oral histories remain of Dogtown's demise and of the people who inhabited this remote area of Cape Ann.  Many of  Dogtown's  inhabitants were shunned by Gloucester folk because they  clung to old ways and refused to move into town.  Some were suspected of  practicing witchcraft and prostitution.  Diamant expands the few historical vignettes about these people into a satisfying story of marginalized individuals living a desperate existence in a dying settlement. Some of these individuals are briefly mentioned in Elyssa East's book as well, but I was glad that Anita Diamant had given them fuller, though fictional  lives.  I do recommend both of these books.

 Review by Evelyn Fischel

Patrons Have Been Reading...

Here's a sampling of some of the books our patrons have been reading this summer.  Among the contributors are several members of the library's 50 Book Challenge.

Adrienne writes: "I've tortured myself reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.  It's part philosophical, part political (about the effect the events of 1968 had on people), and part emotional - a love story.  The first 100 pages were tough, but I kept going and actually wound up liking the book."  On a lighter note, Adrienne also reports, "I'm reading a very interesting book by Ruth Reichl, Garlic and Sapphires, about her early days as food critic for the NY Times.  Reichl disguises herself, and falls into character, to avoid recognition by the restaurant owners so she can enjoy a meal and write a review about the food and service as an ordinary person.  Her characters will make you laugh and her dining experiences will make you hungry."

Tish listened to Sherman Alexie's YA novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and writes:  "I highly recommend the recording.  Alexie reads it himself, and his sing-songy Indian-accent delivery is like performance art.  Hilarious and heartbreaking.  I have also listened to two funny books on CD that I can recommend: I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron, and Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline.  Both are collections of short essays, and both had me weeping with laughter."

Carol relates that she has listened to An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon which was narrated by Davina Porter.  Carol says "Ms. Porter has narrated the entire Outlander Series of which this is the seventh book.  With her British accent and Scottish brogue Davina creates the perfect atmosphere for a love story which takes place in two different centuries.  I have truly enjoyed this series and was disappointed to hear I will not see the next book until 2013!!!"

Finally, Ronald shared a link to comments he made regarding Richard A. Clarke's new book, Cyber War.

Kids: Dip Into Some Great Summer Reading!

The first week of Bernardsville Public Library's summer reading program has started with a SPLASH!  In fact, that's the theme of the statewide reading program for children this summer - "Make a Splash at Your Library."

As you enter the library lobby, you will be immersed in a beautiful display created in part by library volunteer Keiko Matsuura and Youth Services librarian Michaele Casey with contributions as well from Bedwell School. This display depicts a fantastic underwater scene complete with coral, wondrous sea life and a startled diver.  Jellyfish, squid, a sea turtle and various fish appear to swim in mid-air as a young diver descends into the watery realm.  The diver is as surprised as you will be when you see just how gorgeous this underwater world is.   Books about sea life have been placed around the display by our Youth Services librarians, and children are encouraged to borrow these books.

Be sure to register your children for this program soon.  The sooner they get their feet wet, the sooner they will become great readers!

Recent Reading Choices from the 50 Book Challenge for 2010

Participants in Bernardsville Public Library's 50 Book Challenge have been busy reading a wide variety of books - both new and old, fiction and nonfiction. 

Certain titles keep cropping up such as Ian McEwan's Saturday, which was well received, and Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project, a book of self-help principles on the nature of happiness. Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo elicited the most responses, some of them very positive, but a few quite negative.  Several readers thought the level of violence was unexpected and gratuitous, but others found the character, Lisbeth Salander, so intriguing that they could overlook other failings in the book. 

Audiobooks are permitted in the Challenge, too. Among these, An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon was highly recommended for both the story and the skill of the narrator, Davina Porter.  Another Challenge participant loved listening to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

Less well-known, interesting books read by the Challenge participants include Yiyun Li's The Vagrants about China after the Cultural Revolution and The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy by Judith Pearson.  This last book was said to be a very exciting read about female heroism in the diplomatic world.

While the 50 Book Challenge for 2010 is now half over, new members are welcome to join in the reading fun.  We invite book lovers to challenge themselves to their own personal reading goal. For more information, come into the library or visit our Web site to sign up.

More Staff Picks

Susan really liked Sarah's Key by Tatiana deRosnay. She states that the book "chronicles the 1942 Jewish roundup in Paris, a tragedy revisted by an American journalist married to a Frenchman whose family is in complete denial and wants to leave the entire matter in the past...well worth the read."

Felicia loves Amy Bloom's books, including her most recent, Where the God of Love Hangs Out.  Felicia said these short stories did not disappoint her and that the characters were memorable.

Gerry read Still Alice by Lisa Genova and found it to be a powerful, important book.  A fictional account of the day-to-day life of a renowned neuroscientist who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, Still Alice kept Gerry turning the page. She couldn't put it down.

Evelyn greatly enjoyed Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster.  It's a highly imaginative, wild ride through the history of 20th century America featuring a young country boy trained to do a mind-boggling feat by Mr. Vertigo himself.  

Earth Day Selections at Bernardsville Public Library

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day set aside each April to take action on environmental causes or simply to reflect on the relationship of man to Earth and the consequences of human activity on the planet's ecosystems. 

Reading is one way to reflect on Earth Day 2010, and Bernardsville Public Library is stocked with many interesting and informative books on the subject.  For instance, there are brand new publications such as Jeff Goodell's 2010 book, How to Cool the Planet, which explores how we might "geoengineer" our way out of global warming.  The WorldWatch Institute's State of the World 2009 is another book addressing current environmental issues of concern.

For a contemplative approach to Earth Day, try the comprehensive anthology American Earth: environmental writing since Thoreau, edited by Bill McKibben in 2008.  Containing over 1000 pages of selections from American authors, this volume offers short works from such fiction writers as Annie Dillard,  Russell Baker, E. B. White, and Philip K. Dick as well as the words of the environmentalists/naturalists  John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Rachel Carson and Paul Hawken, among others.  In the same vein, the 2008 publication Narnia and the Fields of Arbol: the environmental vision of C. S. Lewis by Matthew T. Dickerson examines the writings of C. S. Lewis for his views on man's stewardship of the environment.

There are also many wonderful Earth Day books for children at Bernardsville Public Library.  Even Dora the Explorer has her own book.  Available in the children's wing are numerous activity books with age-appropriate ideas to help your child celebrate this day.  A new book, Earth Heroes: champions of the wilderness, by Bruce Malnor is recommended reading to introduce your child to the life stories of great leaders in the environmental movement.  Ask our helpful librarians for further suggestions and enjoy the day!

Staff Picks

Here are some reading and listening ideas from a few of our staff members.  Look for another posting soon with suggestions from other staff members at Bernardsville Library.  Don't hesitate to ask us about these books.

Margaret enjoyed reading Dean Koontz's, A Big Little Life, a book about the author's first dog.  A dog owner herself, Margaret can recommend other good books about good pets.







Karen V. listened to an audiobook recording of The Piano Teacher by Janice Yee.  She just loved it and thought that it was a great World War II-era story set in Hong Kong.






Rosalie recommends the audiobook recording of Kathryn Stockett's blockbuster debut book, The Help.  She says she couldn't stop listening to it and thought it was a riveting story.








Linda enjoyed Anita Brookner's Strangers, saying that she really got to know the characters and what their day to day lives were like.  Brookner is one of Linda's favorite authors.

50 Book Challenge to the Rescue

What do you do when adversity "takes you down" - at least for a while? In the case of this blogger with a nicely broken wrist, there's not much else to do but read, and so I have plunged single-handedly into Bernardsville Public Library's 50 Book Challenge for 2010.

As luck would have it, someone recommended a good book to me the very night before my accident, so when I returned from the E.R., I took up Immaculee Ilibagiza's memoir, Left To Tell, a tale of her great faith and survival during the Rwandan genocide. There's nothing like reading about harrowing and unimaginable suffering to put one's own whimperings into perspective.

Finding that misery really does love company, I rushed on to disaster stories next. How exciting was The Lost City Of Z, by David Grann, about a failed expedition to the Amazon which sought to locate a mythical archaeological site in the early part of the 20th century!

Why not read about a shipwreck next?! Being lost at sea had to be worse than nursing a broken bone, and, yes, it certainly was in Nathaniel Philbrick's, In the Heart of the Sea. This nonfiction book is based on accounts of two survivors of the whale ship Essex which was stove by a whale - yes, I learned a new word, too, (stove) -  in 1820.  Herman Melville also thought the original accounts of this shipwreck made for a good yarn since he used the Essex story as a framework for Moby Dick. One thing leads to another, it seems, so I, in turn, reread the atmospheric parts of Melville's Moby Dick.

By now it was time for some heartwarming animal stories. I recommend Making Rounds With Oscar by David Dosa for those who love cats and for those who are caregivers or relatives of Alzheimers patients. The physician author gives gentle, good advice that could help families to accept the slippery slope of this disease. He also recounts the story of the hospice cat, Oscar, who unfailingly appears at the bedsides of those patients about to die. For a lighter but equally touching animal story, I tried The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery. Who couldn't love a dear little runt of the litter, but who would guess the piglet would grow into a 750 pound hog with a gift for companionship? This was a very sweet tale within a curly tail.

It was then that I picked up Life of Pi by Yann Martel. How circular my reading had now become!  My earlier books about faith and suffering, shipwrecks, storytelling, and animals all came together in this one curious piece of fiction. 

I think those of you who participate in a dedicated reading routine such as the 50 Book Challenge will also find patterns emerging in your book choices and in the notions expressed by your authors. You, too, will delight in seeing how ideas and themes can be written and rewritten in so many wondrous and diverse ways.

~Evelyn  Fischel

Stieg Larsson and the Millenium Series

Bernardsville Public Library finds the published works of Stieg Larsson to be wildly popular beginning with his first book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  In fact, Larsson's books are international sensations.  By one estimation of worldwide sales in 2008, Larsson ranked only second behind Kahled Hosseini (The Kite Runner.)  The library book group, Saturday Samplers, will discuss The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at its meeting this Saturday, March 6th, 3:30 p.m., and I initially wrote the following author profile for them, but I think others might be interested in learning a bit about this once promising, but now deceased writer.

Swedish author Stieg Larsson poured a lifetime of causes and interests into the few pieces of fiction, collectively known as the Millenium series, which he wrote before his untimely death at the age of 50 in 2004. Issues such as feminism, fascism, corporate crime and the role of media in Sweden propelled his life as an activist and as a writer. These same issues fall front and center in his books.

Professionally, Larsson was a graphic designer for Tidningarnas Telegrambyra, a Swedish news agency, but he devoted much of his time to investigative journalism, political activism, ethics causes and (to throw a curveball here) the promotion of science fiction. A member of the Communist Workers League and editor of a Trotskyist journal, Fjarde internationalen, Stieg Larsson put his political beliefs into action by founding the Expo Foundation, a Swedish organization formed to counteract racist and extreme right-wing Swedish groups. He was the editor for this foundation’s magazine, entitled Expo, which is more than a coincidence as the character, Mikael Blomkvist, also publishes a magazine, Millenium, in Larsson’s books.

Karl Stig-Erland Larsson was born in the northern town of Skelleftea, Vasterbotten, Sweden in 1954, but changed the spelling of his name to Stieg as an adult. He was intimately familiar with the culture, landscape and “personality” of the north, having been raised in the country by his grandparents. This knowledge is apparent in his descriptions of the towns and countryside in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. As a young man he pursued interests in photography, and he enjoyed reading science fiction and mysteries.

His efforts to expose racism, neo-Nazism and extremist groups active in Sweden garnered him numerous death threats. For self-protection, he and Eva Gabrielsson, his partner of 32 years, sought to hide their personal information and address as much as possible, and this is why they never married because under Swedish law a married couple must publish their address. The fact that they were not married became a legal issue after Larsson died of a sudden, massive heart attack. Swedish law did not recognize Gabrielsson as his wife, and Larsson’s estate went to his father and brother, neither of whom were close to him nor had the intimate understanding of Larsson’s writings as did Eva Gabrielsson. The Guardian Observer just published an interesting interview with Gabrielsson which provides further insight into Larsson’s life and literary pursuits through Eva's eyes.

Stieg Larsson died having completed three books which he had hoped to turn into an exended series. Known as the Millenium series, they are The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish title being Men Who Hate Women), The Girl Who Played with Fire, and finally The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Swedish title being The Aircastle that Blew Up.) The first book has been released in film form by Swedish and English companies and the next two books are to be turned into television productions. The poster for the Swedish film illustrated above gives you some sense of how the book's characters have been portrayed on film.