Los Angeles Central Library Fire 1986

The Library Book

Author: Susan Orlean

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Publication Date: October 16, 2018

Length: 336 Pages










About the Author
Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including Rin Tin Tin, Saturday Night, and The Orchid Thief, which was made into the Academy Award–winning film Adaptation.

Fascinating History of the LA Public Library
This true story begins on April 29, 1986...the day of a devastating fire at the Los Angeles Central Library. Susan Orlean investigates a mystery that has never been solved: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library...and if so, who?

Ms. Orlean shares extensive research in this riveting book about the history of the library, the library architecture, the library employees, library patrons, the library culture and the accused arsonist, Harry Peak.

My Thoughts
I worked as a school librarian for many years, so the title of this book piqued my curiosity. The author tells of her childhood love of reading and her frequent visits to a public library in her neighborhood. She wrote this book as a tribute to libraries and the important role they play in our society.

They say that truth is stranger than fiction, and that is certainly the case with this book. In her quest to investigate the library fire, Ms. Orlean traces the history of the library back to 1926. She explores the library culture and the personalities of the people who held leadership positions at the library and the librarians who spent their days performing the duties required to serve the library patrons. She investigates the challenges the library has faced in recent years and shares her thoughts about the future of the library.

The author can't understand why anyone would intentionally start a fire in the library. She is not convinced that this was actually a case of arson. However, she admits that this is probably a mystery that will never be solved. Harry Peak, the main suspect in the arson case, was arrested but released because of lack of evidence. He later died of AIDS.

I found this book extremely informative, enlightening and even entertaining. The author did an amazing job mixing the intrigue of the fire mystery and the more unremarkable history of the library.

I believe this book will be on the shelves of many libraries and all library enthusiasts will devour the pages and be hungry for more. Highly recommended!

MY RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF 5

FYI ~ I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

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Book Review: Burning The Page by Jason Merkoski

Title: Burning The Page; The Ebook Revolution and the Future of Reading

Author: Jason Merkoski

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Date: April 9, 2013



About The Author
Jason Merkoski was a development manager, product manager and the first technology evangelist at Amazon. He helped to invent technology used in today's ebooks and was a member of the launch team for each of the first three Kindle devices.

The Future of Reading
This is a comprehensive story about the history of books, the development of ebooks and the future of reading itself. Mr. Merkoski shares his experiences as one of the founding members of Amazon's Kindle team, a small group of people with the goal to make all books downloadable in less than sixty seconds.

Jason Merkoski was at the helm of the ebook revolution. The Amazon Kindle (and other ereaders) has changed the way we live, think and perceive the world around us. The author provides "insider" details about how the first ebooks and ereaders were designed and how they functioned.

This book offers some fascinating thoughts and ideas about the future of reading, writing and publishing. Reading will no longer be a solitary activity. Ereaders provide readers many avenues to share thoughts with authors and other readers on the world-wide web.

The author discusses the use of ebooks with children in great depth. The following quotation is an excerpt from the chapter, "Education: Print or Digital?"

"Children are highly adaptable by nature, and with the exception of the almost blind, I've never met a child of reading age who couldn't get into an ebook. As adults we may prefer to cling like Socrates to the old way. But trust me, we can all "get into" an ebook. There's no barrier in the brain to reading once you're engaged with a book. Children who are brought into ebooks now have the golden opportunity to start fresh without any preconceptions."

Mr. Merkoski states that "fewer people are developing the reading habit every year". What does the future hold for readers, writers and publishers?

My Thoughts
I accepted my first job as a school librarian in 1975. I worked as a librarian for 30 years...my whole life revolved around books. I admit that I was very skeptical when I heard about the first ereaders. I decided to give it a try in 2009 when I downloaded the Kindle for PC application to my laptop computer. I got my first ereader (a Kindle 3) in October, 2010. I received a Kindle Fire HD for a Christmas gift in December, 2012. I am HOOKED on the Kindle!

This book is incredible and should be required reading for educators, librarians, authors, publishers and anyone interested in the future of books and reading. Jason Merkoski has done a great deal of research and writes in a scholarly, understandable and enjoyable manner. Educators and library professionals need to be educated in the latest trends in publishing technology. This book is an excellent place to find valuable and practical information.

The author provides links to share your thoughts about the book on Twitter and Facebook.  Get the book and read it today! Let me know what you think in the Comments Section below.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

FYI ~ I received a complimentary digital copy of this book to read and review from the publisher via NetGalley.

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How To Believe In Love Again

It will soon be Valentine's Day and love is in the air. Unfortunately, many people have given up on love and the hope of finding that special person to share their lives with. Laura Lee Carter, the Midlife Crisis Queen, has written a new book about believing in love again....after divorce and well into the midlife years.  How To Believe In Love Again; Opening To Forgiveness, Trust and Your Own Inner Wisdom is based on experiences from the author's professional and personal life.
In 2004, the author found her long-time career as a librarian coming to an end.  She was 49 years old and divorced with no children.  She had a graduate degree in counseling psychology, so she decided to start a professional matchmaking service.  She interviewed hundreds of midle-aged singles who came to her service looking for love.  The problem was, most of these people were putting all their focus on finding the perfect date instead of working on themselves and their attitudes toward love. 
Ms. Carter has written an inspiring book about how to clear your mind of the negativity that you have toward love and being loved.  She asks readers to take a "Love Quiz" in the first chapter to better understand why it is necessary to adjust our thoughts and attitudes toward finding a love partner.  She emphasizes that self-love is the first step towards believing in love again.  We must all find that self-loving place inside before we begin to bring others into our life.  Emotional and spiritual healing is needed before we can believe in love again.
The author gives many practical ways to go about healing. She tells about her own journey to find self-love and self-acceptance.  She expains that journaling, positive affirmations, reading books, watching movies with positive messages about love and listening to music are all ways to increase self-esteem.  The important thing is to spend time alone and really get to know yourself.  The author asked, "Are you the kind of person that you would want to be married to?"
Ms. Carter provides another quiz at the end of the book, "Have Your Beliefs About Love Changed?"  Yes, I think my thoughts about love have changed since reading this book. 
This book is not just for middle-aged singles who have given up on love.  I married my soul mate almost 20 years ago but still found a wealth of useful information in this book.  Yes, even married people have a need to believe in love again. 
There is an awesome list of books in the Bibliography of this book.  I would love to read every book on the list.  The author has made a YouTube video to promote this book. The book is available from Amazon.Com in both paperback and Kindle edition.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!  It is never too late to believe in love.

Disclosure:  The author provided me with a free digital copy of this book to read and review.

Kindle Lending Club

I worked as a school librarian for 30 years so book borrowing and lending just comes natural to me.  I recently received a Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device as a gift and I am totally hooked.  I am slowly selling and giving away my print books and plan to go 100% digital in the future.  I truly believe that ebook readers are here to stay.

In December, Amazon announced their new ebook lending program.  This allows Kindle users to lend their ebooks one time with a two week time limit.  This is a wonderful feature that allows book borrowing and lending.

Catherine MacDonald, a 40-year-old mother of three, had the idea for the Kindle Lending Club after hearing about the Kindle’s new lending feature, and quickly started a Facebook page to facilitate the lending and borrowing process. In doing that, she has created something akin to a modern-day electronic library service.
On Sunday, January 16th, a beta Kindle Lending Library site went live on the web.  I jumped right in and listed about 20 Kindle books that I was willing to lend.  Almost immediately, I was notified that there were requests for 11 of these books.  I copied the email address of the person making the request and then filled out the "Loan" form on Amazon.com. This morning I received my first book request from a member of the Kindle Lending Library.  This is a book that I really wanted and would have probably purchased if I had not borrowed it.  I have two weeks to read the book before it is automatically returned to the owner.  I can then purchase the book if I decide I want to add it to my permanent ebook library.
This is a fantastic FREE service and I look forward to to lending and borrowing ebooks in the future.  This kind of service just might be the library of the future.  I love it!

The Time Traveler's Wife - A Movie Review

The Time Traveler's Wife was adapted from the 2003 novel by Audrey Niffeneger. I was interested in this movie because the main character in the story is a librarian. Since I spent many years working as a librarian, I seem to be drawn to stories about libraries and librarians.

Henry DeTamble and Clare Abshire experience a kind of love that is not limited by time. The movie is both a love story and a science fiction fantasy. I found the beginning of the movie difficult to follow because it jumped from one period of time to another in Henry's life. I think I finally engaged in the story when Clare met Henry in the library and they got married.

Clare's love is put to the test many times because of Henry's disappearing acts. Henry had a disorder that was labeled "chrono-impairment" and he would randomly travel back or forward in time. Clare was bitterly disappointed when she wanted to be a mother but was unable to carry a baby to term. She eventually gives birth to a little girl named Alba, who is also a time traveler.

I thought the interactions between Henry and Alba were especially heart wrenching. The way that Henry died was extremely ironic - I am NOT a hunting enthusiast. A happy family reunion at the end of the movie emphasized the theme that true love never ends.

I have to admit that I started reading the book when it first came out but lost interest and never finished it. The same thing almost happened during the movie. The action jumped around from one period of time to another so much that my head was spinning. It all kind of came together at the end for me. I would like to re-read the book to find the details that the movie left out.

MOVIE RATING: THREE STARS (out of four).

What To Read When; A Book Review

What to Read When, by Pam Allyn, is a new book that will benefit parents, teachers and librarians. This book features an annotated list of more than 300 titles addressing childhood themes that range from friendship to thankfulness, courage, separation, creativity, spirituality, and more.

I really like the thought-provoking annotations that the author has written to accompany the recommended books. Many annotations include a "Talk About It" segment that include discussion questions and comments.

Ms. Allyn uses the acronym R(Ritual), E(Environment), A(Access) and D(Dialogue) to define four keys to helping your child become a lifelong reader. This article should be must-reading for every parent.

I checked out this book from the public library but I plan on ordering a copy to keep as a reference book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in children and reading. It will be a wonderful companion to your The Read-Aloud Handbookby Jim Trelease.

The Lupine Lady

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful"

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Chappell Hill, Texas. This is a quaint little town northwest of Houston. The bluebonnets were in full bloom and I couldn't stop thinking about Miss Rumphiusby Barbara Cooney. We had a splendid day sightseeing and visiting many antique shops and crafts stores. The highlight of the day was walking among the wildflowers.

When I got home, I dug out my tattered and worn copy of Miss Rumphius. Alice Rumphius was a librarian. She traveled the world and she came home to a small house by the sea. She never forgot a promise that she made to her grandfather...she must do something to make the world more beautiful.

Miss Rumphius had an idea. She had always loved lupines more than any other wildflower. She ordered five bushels of lupine seed and spent the entire summer walking along the highways and country lanes. She scattered the seeds everywhere she went. Now some people called her That Crazy Old Lady but later she was known as The Lupine Lady.

What will you do to make the world more beautiful?

The Texas state flower is the Bluebonnet (Lupinus subcarnosus). Click here to view a video of our journey on the Texas Bluebonnet Trail.

Are You Ready For Halftime?

Is my work the center of my life and identity?

What is my truest purpose? My life work? My destiny?

What do I want to be remembered for?

These are some questions that Bob Buford asks in his book, Halftime®: Moving from Success to Significance® .

Do you dream about the day you can retire from your 9 to 5 job? This is a dream that can turn into a nightmare if you are not prepared. You need to be working on a plan for the halftime of your life right now.

I worked as an elementary school librarian for many years. In 2002, I had worked enough years to take an early retirement. This decision was made in haste and I had no idea what I would do with the rest of my life. My identity was connected to my job. I found myself frantically trying to get another job in a school library. I eventually learned that looking back with regrets was not the path to happiness.

This book tells you exactly how to change your way of thinking from making money for yourself (success) to making a difference in the world (significance). What does it really mean to "have it all"?

Bob Buford has chosen the following epitaph: 100X
This means "100 times". This was taken from the the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Mr. Buford wants to be remembered as the seed that was planted in good soil and multiplied a hundredfold.

Halftime®: Moving from Success to Significance® was orginally published in 1994. This newly updated and expanded edition includes a foreword by Jim Collins, new questions for reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter, brand new "halftime" stories of men and women enjoying a second half of significance and specific "halftime" assignments to guide readers into their second-half mission.

This book should be required reading for anyone thinking about retirement. What are you going to do with the rest of your life?