Books Blog : central library

Beginning Tai Chi

wag.mado@evpl — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:50:00 GMT

Have you ever wondered what practicing Tai Chi is all about or if it’s something you’d like to try? The next Savvy Senior Series program will give you an opportunity to learn about Tai Chi and try some if you’d like.

Karen Yoe, from Evansville Yoga Center will present “Beginning Tai Chi” on Thursday March 1 at 2:00 PM in Central Library’s Browning Events Room B.

Please join us in your most comfortable clothes and learn something new.

No reservations are required.

As always, this program is free and open to the public. For additional information, please call 428-8246.

For a list of upcoming Savvy Senior Series programs, click here.

Meditation For Beginners

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:51:00 GMT

It's almost time for the Spring Savvy Senior Series to begin! Our first program will be Meditation For Beginners presented by Mary MacGregor. The program will be held on Thursday February 2 in Central Library's Browning Events Room B at 2:00 PM. Come join us for a mindful afternoon. For a list of upcoming Savvy Senior programs please click here.

Chicks with Sticks: Little Women

just_renny@evpl — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:29:00 GMT

The third Tuesday of the month is quickly approaching and it is time for the next meeting of Chicks with Sticks. This month we were to read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I listened to the audiobook version.

We will be meeting in the 2nd Floor Conference Room on March 15 and starting discussion shortly after 6pm. Feel free to grab a snack or drink from the Cup and Chaucer Cafe on the 1st Floor before you come up!

For the last several weeks, I have been crocheting individual squares for a blanket I am making as a wedding present. I hope I can finish it up by July! Please feel free to bring your craft materials whether it is crochet, knit, embroider, quilting, cross stitch, or a craft of your choosing!

We are planning on meeting the third Tuesday of every month through May. For the rest of the meeting times and the corresponding book, check out this page.

Chicks with Sticks: Jane Eyre

just_renny@evpl — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:29:00 GMT

Join me with your latest stitching creation whether it is crochet, knitting, or embroidery, in Central Library's Conference Room on Tuesday, February 15. We will be discussing Jane Eyre while working on craft projects during this meet up. Last month we tried the Cup and Chaucer Cafe, but had difficulty hearing one another, so grab a snack and a beverage and head up to the second floor Conference Room where will have plenty of space to spread out. We will try to get started around 6pm.

I am still working away on my orange and black scarf for my husband, but I might bring something different to work on this month! If you aren't a crafter, but love Jane Eyre and want to join our discussion group, please feel welcome and encouraged to attend!

We are planning on meeting the third Tuesday of every month from January through May. For the rest of the meeting times and the corresponding book, check out this page.

Chicks With Sticks: Wuthering Heights

just_renny@evpl — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:16:00 GMT

Join me with your latest stitching creation whether it is crochet, knitting, or embroidery, in the Cup and Chaucer Cafe at Central Library on January 18 starting around 6pm. We will be discussing Wuthering Heights while working on craft projects during this meet up. This month I am crocheting an orange and black basic scarf for my husband (I know, but those are his favorite colors!). So grab your projects, stop by the cafe, and enjoy an evening of book discussion!

We are planning on meeting the third Tuesday of every month from January through May. For the rest of the meeting times and the corresponding book, check out this page.

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French

lit.fic.reader@evpl — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:23:00 GMT

"Eleven elephants. One plane. Hurtling together across the sky." From these opening sentences, I was captivated by this account of the inner workings of zoos, in particular Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. The author is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and currently a professor of journalism at Indiana University.

There are many elements that combine to make this such an absorbing narrative. Woven throughout the book is discussion of the issues surrounding the pros and cons of holding animals in captivity and the attendant political implications, local and international. The daily challenge of providing for the well-being of the zoo's residents as well as the safety of its human visitors falls on the shoulders of a largely young, poorly paid, and overworked, if dedicated staff. The author intersperses these considerations with the histories of two of the zoo's most celebrated residents: a chimp who has never fully recovered from his separation from the human family that raised him until adolesence, and a stunningly beautiful but ferocious Sumatran tiger. The ultimate fates of these two animals, the "king" and "queen" of the Lowry Park Zoo, are sadly reflective of the shortcomings of institutions housing animals. Finally, a lighter tone is introduced with an amusing comparison of the behavior of the two-legged power brokers of the Tampa area and the zoo's overreaching director with that of the four-legged denizens of the zoo.

This is as enjoyable a nonfiction title as I've read in a long time and I highly recommend it for its thoughtful examination of the complexities of human-animal interactions.

In discussing the dangers of working with animals, the author makes brief reference to the Christmas Day 2007 attack by an escaped tiger at the San Francisco Zoo, resulting in one human death and another serious mauling; and to the horrific killing, in view of a shocked audience, of a trainer by an orca at Orlando's SeaWorld in February, 2010. An excellent article on the SeaWorld tragedy, "The Killer in the Pool" is in the July 2010 issue of Outside magazine, available at Central and North Park libraries, and is also highly recommended.

Jane Brody - speaking at Central Library - Tuesday, October 6th, 7pm

kiya@evpl — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:59:00 GMT

Most folks recognize Jane Brody as an advocate of healthful living. Her early books were all about good diets, healthy foods, and maintaining a good relationship with your doctor. But even healthy lives come to an end. Brody explains in the preface of her new book, Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond, that when we are fully prepared for the end of life, we are in a much better position to fully enjoy the time we have left.

Brody, the Personal Health columnist for the New York Times, provides clear practical help on recognizing the things we can do NOW to help make things easier when the end comes, whether it is sooner or later. She looks specifically at issues like:

What is a "good death"? Figure out what you want.
Planning ahead for a funeral or memorial service.
Uncertain Future: when you are living with a bad prognosis
Coma
Caregiving: tending someone at the end of life
Hospice and Palliative Care
Spiritual Care
When a Child is Dying - surviving the nightmare
What to Say: conversations at the end of life
Grief: it's not a disease
Organ and Body donations
Lasting Legacies: leaving memories and life lessons

Brody is resprectful of the people she writes about, but she also knows how and when to inject some humor into the discussion. While these issues are not fun to read about and sometimes hard to consider, Brody's book makes it easier. Highly recommended.

Don't miss your chance to hear Jane Brody in person, discussing these issues and her book. She will be this year's Lottes Lecturer at Central Library on Tuesday, October 6^th, at 7pm in the Browning Room. The program is free, and open to the public. More information available here.

I never saw a purple cow. I never hope to see one. But I can tell you anyhow, I'd rather see than be one.

kiya@evpl — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:44:00 GMT

That poem by Frank G. Burgess might be the first one I ever learned, and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. At least until I turned 8 or so.

I don't think of myself as much interested in poetry, and certainly don't write any. (Well, except for when I write new words for familiar tunes and drive my kids crazy with them. But that's hereditary. My mom used to do that to me.) Every now and then, though, some poem or poet really catches my interest, and for a little while, I'm really into poetry, or that poet, or performance poetry. And then I forget until next time.

So while I'm thinking about it - here are some of the poets, poetry, and links that have caught my fancy in the last couple of years.

1. Bryan Owen, who will be here, in Evansville, at Central Library, on Sunday, March 8^th. He will be presenting a poetry workshop at no charge to the participants. More info here! Below is one of his poems that I really like:

She said I'm like an onion -
I had so many hidden layers.
I told her that
if she stopped peeling
she wouldn't cry so much.

"Onions" was recently published in chicago writer Sean Chercover's novel Trigger City in which Bryan's collection Blue daffodils and other poems becomes part of the plot.

2. Taylor Mali writes and performs poems. For many years, he also taught school, and while I enjoy nearly all of his poems, the school poems are really terrific.

"Like Lilly Like Wilson", about a recovering "like" addict, was the poem that brought Mali to my attention.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

"Labeling Keys" is funny and poignant.

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"How To Write A Political Poem" is just one of Mali's poems that you can read on his website. I had a hard time choosing one to post...

3. The power of Audre Lorde's poetry always resonates with me.

4. Ted Kooser and Billy Collins, both former poet-laureates, intrigue me.

I had a teacher who made us memorize Robert Frost's poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay," swearing it would come to mind each and every spring for the rest of our lives. She was right. I wish now I had memorized more poetry when I was younger, and could learn it easier. I guess it's not too late.

What's your favorite poem?

Strong at the Broken Places

wag.mado@evpl — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:55:00 GMT

This book's preface begins, "These are the faces of illness in America. Do not look away.......Quite simply, they are us." If you have ever known someone with a chronic or terminal illness, you probably already know that each person approaches their difficulties in a way that is all their own. Strong at the Broken Places by Richard M. Cohen is a book that demonstrates this. He features 5 people who have been given life changing diagnoses. Cohen interviews them over several years, asking them questions and observing them in their everyday life. The interviews speak of fear, loneliness, and anger - but also show the personal strengths that allow these people to thrive, revealing the common ground they all stand upon. Although it may sound depressing, I found this book full of life. To me the stories are all about living in the truth, with as much hope as one can muster. And after all, isn't that what we are all trying to do?

"Central Staff Picks" you can download!

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:36:00 GMT

Staff at Central Library are currently sharing some of their favorite picks on a book display in the lobby through October 19. These titles are going fast and many have already snatched them off the shelf to enjoy. If you are one of those who do not visit Central on a regular basis - do not fear. You can download some of these popular titles from our website. Simply visit our Downloads tab and choose Books & Audiobooks to view OverDrive @ EVPL. Search for your favorites or choose one of the following non-fiction titles from Central Library Staff Picks.

Marley and Me by John Grogan

Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Daily Show with Jon Stewart presents America by John Stewart

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

World War Z by Max Brooks

Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World by Bill Clinton

This I Believe by Jay Allison

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

Enjoy. And stop by Central Library the next time you are in the neighborhood!