Noe Valley Voice July-August 2008
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More Books to Read

Karol Barske and Carol Small's selection of books at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library this month will have you searching for bananas and Anthony Ant, and maybe even the Medical Myths That Will Kill You. To see if books are available, drop by the branch at 451 Jersey Street, search for a title at www.sfpl.org, or call Children's Librarian Carol Small or Branch Manager Alice McCloud at 355-5707.

Adult Fiction

- Unaccustomed Earth is Jhumpa Lahiri's latest collection of short stories capturing the complex lives of Indian immigrant families and their American-bred offspring.

- A stranger who calls himself the Mughal of Love appears at the court of Emperor Akbar and claims to be the child of a lost princess in The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie.

- Diverse characters, including movie stars, junkies, and runaway lovers who have come to Los Angeles to fulfill their dreams, appear in the vignettes of James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning.

- The Zane Grey Frontier Trilogy includes three classic western novels, Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border, and The Last Trail.

- In Trauma, Patrick McGrath describes a Manhattan psychiatrist whose outward calmness belies the personal demons with which he is grappling.

Adult Nonfiction

- Nancy Snyderman, M.D., takes a stab at the Medical Myths That Can Kill You ("and the 101 truths that will save, extend, and improve your life"), especially those related to heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

- In Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands, Michael Chabon defends the value of genre fiction, including mysteries, ghost stories, and comic books.

- Erick Lyle, editor of the underground magazine Scam, describes organizing antiwar rallies and performing punk shows in the streets of San Francisco, in On the Lower Frequencies: A Secret History of the City.

- Barbara Walters examines her long career as a TV journalist and the first female network news co-anchor, in Audition.

Children's Fiction

- Author Bill Martin and illustrator Eric Carle's series of animal picture books started in 1967, with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and ends with the tale of a cub's quest to find his mama, in Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? Ages 2 to 4.

- The song, "The Ants Go Marching," and a Beetles concert are featured in Lorna and Graham Philpot's picture book of mazes and clues, Find Anthony Ant. Ages 3 to 5.

- A young girl always brings her dog with her when she travels back and forth between her divorced parents' homes, in Fred Stays with Me! by Nancy Coffelt, with illustrations by Tricia Tusa. Ages 4 to 7.

- When all the bananas in town are stolen, a private eye searches everywhere for clues, in Wong Herbert Yee's Detective Small in the Amazing Banana Caper. Ages 5 to 8.

- Susan Katz tells the tale of a boy getting to know his pet guinea pig in Oh, Theodore! Guinea Pig Poems, with illustrations by Stacey Schuett. Ages 5 to 8.

- A classroom hamster helps some students solve their problems in the latest in an award-winning series by Betty Birney, Surprises According to Humphrey. Ages 9 to 11.

Children's Nonfiction

- Lynne Truss cleverly proves the importance of proper punctuation in The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why You Can't Manage Without Apostrophes! Ages 7 to 9.

--Annotations by Karol Barske of the Voice staff

LIBRARY EVENTS

Tell Me a Story

- Children 3 to 5 are invited to attend preschool story time, a read-aloud program from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, July 15.

Madeline, Bunny Star at Movies

- On Tuesday, July 22, at 10:15 and 11 a.m., the library shows films for kids, including Harold's Fairy Tale, Madeline, and Knuffle Bunny.

Music Fun with Bonnie Lockhart

- Kids will enjoy two sing-alongs with musician Bonnie Lockhart at 10:15 and 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29.

All events are held at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library at 451 Jersey Street near Castro Street. For information, call 355-5707.