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/p>\n7/23/2024: The Library Book by Susan Orlean
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On the morning of April 29\, 1986\, a fire alarm sounded in the Lo s Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed\, the patrons and staff wh o had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fir e alarm. As one fireman recounted\, "Once that first stack got going\, it was 'Goodbye\, Charlie.'" The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished\, i t had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thous and more. Investigators descended on the scene\, but more than thirty year s later\, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the li brary&mdash\;and if so\, who?
\nWeaving her lifelong love of books a nd reading into an investigation of the fire\, award-winning New Yorke r reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlea n delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never bee n done before.
\nBrimming with her signature wit\, insight\, compass ion\, and talent for deep research\, The Library Book is Susan Or lean's thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books&mdash\;and why they remain an essential part of the heart\, mind\, and soul of our country. It is al so a master journalist's reminder that\, perhaps especially in the digital era\, they are more necessary than ever.
\n8/27/2024: The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
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Lime green plastic flower-shaped ha ir bobbles&mdash\;Found\, on the playing field\, Derrywood Park\, 2nd Sept ember.
\nBone china cup and saucer&mdash\;Found\, on a bench in Rive ria Public Gardens\, 31st October.
\nAnthony Peardew is the keeper o f lost things. Forty years ago\, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his be loved fiancé\;e\, Therese. That very same day\, she died unexpectedl y. Brokenhearted\, Anthony sought consolation in rescuing lost objects&mda sh\;the things others have dropped\, misplaced\, or accidentally left behi nd&mdash\;and writing stories about them. Now\, in the twilight of his lif e\, Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the lost things with their owners. As the end nears\, he bequeaths hi s secret life's mission to his unsuspecting assistant\, Laura\, leaving he r his house and all its lost treasures\, including an irritable ghost.
\nA charming\, clever\, and quietly moving novel of endless possibiliti es and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make and break\, l osing and finding ourselves\, the objects that hold magic and meaning for our lives\, and the surprising connections that bind us.
\n9/24/2024 : Tal king to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don&rsquo\;t Kn ow by Malcolm Gladwell
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How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a ge neration? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? W hy are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to one another that isn't true?
\nTalking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual ad venture\, a challenging and controversial excursion through history\, psyc hology\, and scandals taken straight from the news. He revisits the decept ions of Bernie Madoff\, the trial of Amanda Knox\, the suicide of Sylvia P lath\, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University\, an d the death of Sandra Bland&mdash\;throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt.
\nSomething is very wrong\, Gladwell argu es\, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers\, we are invitin g conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world. In his first book since his #1 bestseller David and Goliath\, Malcolm Gladwell has written a gripping guidebook for t roubled times.
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\nAccommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please ask for†¯Learning Services at 255-2665 or email JPLprograms@coj.net.& nbsp\;
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