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November 2009

The books on this month's reading list were selected by former Noe Valley Children's Librarian Carol Small and Voice bookologist Karol Barske. They are but a fraction of the good reads available at the Noe Valley­Sally Brunn Library or at other outlets in the San Francisco Library system. To borrow books (or DVDs), call or drop by your favorite branch or log on to www.sfpl.org. The Noe Valley Library at 451 Jersey Street is open Tuesday through Sunday (see hours below). For information, call 415-355-5707. All library branches will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day.

LIBRARY BOOKS

Children's Fiction

* A green-faced mummy and her son make fun of Margaret Wise Brown's The Runaway Bunny in The Runaway Mummy, by Michael Rex, author of the parody Goodnight Goon. Ages 3 to 5.

* Gerald believes he is allergic to his best friend in the latest in Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggie series, Pigs Make Me Sneeze! Ages 4 to 8.

* A brother and sister contend with obnoxious cousins, classroom mishaps, and a snow day, in Judy Blume's Friend or Fiend? With the Pain and the Great One. Ages 6 to 8.

* Adventure According to Humphrey means the discovery of the library and a sail around Potter's Pond, in Betty G. Birney's follow-up to The World According to Humphrey. Ages 8 to 10.

Children's Nonfiction

* Greg Mortenson describes his travels in Pakistan, where he founded a school, in Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg and "Three Cups of Tea." Ages 4 to 8.

* In Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees, Deborah Ellis interviews 20 young Iraqis living in Jordan and Canada. Ages 10 and up.

Selections by Children's Librarian Carol Small

Adult Fiction

* A writer cleans his office and muses on poetry while struggling to write the introduction to an anthology, in Nicholson Baker's humorous novel, The Anthologist.

* The brutal murder of a waitress in upstate New York affects the future of two families, in Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates.

* Stephen King's Under the Dome tells the tale of a Maine town that is suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.

Adult Nonfiction

* Barbara Ehrenreich questions our culture's enforced sunny attitudes in Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America.

* Mackenzie Phillips--daughter of John Phillips, lead singer of the '60s rock group the Mamas and the Papas--spills the beans in her autobiography, High on Arrival.

* In Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story, Evan I. Schwartz examines how events in the author's life contributed to the creation of the Wizard of Oz books.

* Forbes magazine reporter Christopher Steiner argues that rising gasoline prices will change our lives for the better, in $20 Per Gallon.

* Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko's Writings on Art includes annotated letters and teaching notes from 1934 to 1969, the year before his suicide.

Annotations by Karol Barske, of the Voice staff

LIBRARY EVENTS

Toddler Tales

* Kids ages 1-1/2 to 3 will love the songs and rhymes at Toddler Tales, held Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17 and 24, from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. Family Story Time, for children to age 5, starts at 11 a.m. Call 355-5707 to confirm.

Ins and Outs of Public Schools

* The group Parents for Public Schools will offer a free Public Schools Enrollment Workshop on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 4 to 5 p.m. Attendees will learn about the school district's assignment process and will hear parents talk about their experiences.

Hamlet on Stage at Library

* The San Francisco Shakespeare Festival will present a free one-hour version of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Noe Valley Branch on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. A Q&A session with the actors will follow the production.

Book Club Meets Nov. 18

* New members are welcome at the Noe Valley Library Book Discussion Group, meeting this month on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m.

All events take place at 451 Jersey Street.