Springfield Library Corner
March 13, 2003

ELEANOR'S CHOICE: FUN AND USEFUL WEBSITES FOR THIS WEEK

ConsumerWorld.Org at http://www.consumerworld.org

Crafts (for the kids) at http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/

Internet Women’s History Sourcebook at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/women/womensbook.html

National Library of Medicine at http://www.nlm.nih.gov

Official City Sites at http://officialcitysites.org/

Welcome to Claude Monet’s at http://giverny.org/monet/welcome.htm

JOY'S PICKS

Believe it or not, spring is right around the corner. It’s not too early to begin thinking about garden projects. Marcianne Miller’s “Making Arbors & Trellises” is filled with fun ideas that will beautify your outdoor living space. Colorful photos and detailed instructions will ignite your creativity gene.

And we all know what happens after springtime….BATHING SUIT SEASON! Now is the time to start eating lighter. “100 Great Salad Dressings” by Sally Griffiths may help you improve your culinary habits. And beautiful pictures make these healthy dishes look so appetizing!

If you happen to be a baby boomer, someone in your household probably owned an Erector Set while you were growing up. “The Man Who Changed How Boys and Toys Were Made” by Bruce Watson is the story of the multi-talented A.C. Gilbert, inventor of the famous construction toy. This is a charming tale that’s more than your standard biography.

All parents are concerned with the mental development of their children. No one wants them to inherit undesirable family traits. The skeletons in Jana Thomas’ closets are revealed in “His Mother’s Son” by Cai Emmons. This is a suspense-filled page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Are you looking for a non-messy project to do with your child? With Will C. Howell’s “ZooFlakes ABC” all you’ll need is paper, scissors, and patience. This is a fun way to practice the alphabet.

NAT'S "YOU SAW IT HERE AT SPRINGFIELD FIRST"

Nat breaks with the "You Saw It At Springfield First" tradition this week to bring you an excerpt from a writer Tom Wolfe says has a "freehold" on what every writer wants- a reputation for being both "brilliant and outrageous."

You may have already seen Hunter Thompson's “Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome Secrets of a Star-Crossed Child in the Final Days of the American Century" here at Springfield or at one of our sister libraries in the County.

In a letter to John Walsh/ESPN, June 21, 2002: “Maybe John Ashcroft is greater than God. Who knows? Ashcroft is the new point man for Bush, Inc. yet he is dumb as a rock. He is like some Atavistic endeavor on speed - just another stupid monster as Attorney General of the USA… These Pigs just keep coming, like meat oozing over a counter…I knew Ed Meese… but he was nothing compared to John Mitchell...Those animals were forced into the tunnel, one by one, and destroyed like offal. That is the nature of professional politics. Many are called but few survive the nut-cutting hour- which appears to be coming down on our goofy Child President these days…”

While some look to America's military power as a sign of its strength, many others points to its ideals and the rule of law and, in no small measure, the First Amendment which guarantees freedom of speech, religion and the press.

The attorney general has chief responsibility for upholding the law, and consequently, is duty bound to protect the right of the people to hurl insults, offensive by all standards of good taste- even when they are aimed directly at him. If it ever becomes illegal to insult a public servant, one might risk jail, perhaps, by calling the highest public servant anything other than “great leader.”

By the way, a lot of the material in "Kingdom of Fear" is rehashed and refried from Thompson’s life in the 80s, and 90s- it would go down better if it were beans. Meanwhile, at the library, a lot of new, informative and likely more entertaining books have been arriving. You owe it to yourself to come in to look them over or when you're on the web, log into http://fls.mclinc.org/newbooks.htm to see a list.

LIBRARIAN'S PICKS OF THE WEEK

“A Restless Evil” by Ann Granger. Granger’s story starts innocently enough – Dr. Guy Morgan’s walking trip through the Cotswolds is pleasant enough, until he reaches Lower Stovey, and it starts to rain.

While walking on a wet drover’s path, he stumbles and falls into a ravine, netting him the unhappy experience of coming across old human bones. Are these the remains of the twenty-year-old mystery of what happened to a serial rapist known as “The Potato Man,” who suddenly stopped raping young girls who went alone into the ancient woods?

It’s Detective Alan Markby’s job to figure this out, as well a recent Lower Stovey murder that occurred in the local church. Markby is a more relaxed policeman than some in the books I’ve read recently, and that comes as a refreshing change. The most important thing on his mind is whether he and his quasi-fiancee will be able to find a house they both like so they can get married.

I like the gentle way Granger’s mystery unfolds, not so shocking as puzzling, and a great puzzle it is.

Also new and recommended: “Take It From Me” by Erin Brockovich; “Fault Line” by Sarah Andrews; “She’s Not There” by Mary-Ann Smith; “The Sweetest Dream” by Doris Lessing; “In a Dark Wood” by Amanda Craig; “Hit Time” by Ardella Garland; “Skeleton at the Feast” by Patricia Hall; and “The Escher Twist” by Jane Langton. All of these may be found on the “Best Seller” shelves.

We also have: “Crossroads of Twilight” by Robert Jordan; “Soros” by Michael Kaufman; “Selkirk’s Island” by Diana Souhami; “Salt: A World History;” by Mark Kurlansky; “Maggots, Murder, and Men” by Dr. Zakaria Erzinclioglu; “Windows XP from A to Z” by Pat Coleman; “Chestnut Hill” by Thomas H. Keels; “How to Make a Pregnant Woman Happy” by Uzzi Reiss; “Banking on Our Future” by John Bryant; “Lovers in Art” by Sabine Adler; “The Menopause Made Simple Program” by Dr. Debra Anderson; “The Great Book of Optical Illusions” by Al Seckel; “The Macular Degeneration Source Book” by Bert Glaser; “Eldercare 911” by Susan Beerman; “Venice Against the Sea” by John Keahey; and “Degas and the Dance” by Jill DeVonyar.