Solar Event: Albuquerque's Ring of Fire

Who knew that Albuquerque would be one of the most desirable places to watch a mesmerizing solar event? The annular solar eclipse will be a major viewer’s attraction in the Southwest in general, but Albuquerque is specifically located in the direct path of the event. This means the show here can’t be beat anywhere else.

In Albuquerque, the eclipse will begin at 6:28pm on May 20th and last until around 7:38pm. Check out this list of viewing locations being set up around Albuquerque. Do make sure you will have some safety glasses with you as watching the eclipse can damage your eyes without the proper eye protection. View Space.com for safety tips for viewing the solar eclipse. 

The eclipse occurrence in Albuquerque will be what is known as an annular eclipse. This means the moon does not entirely cover the sun and a ring of light is still viewable around the moon's outline. That is where the term "Ring of Fire" comes from.

An annular eclipse will occur about once every 1 or 2 years and are usually only viewable to a small area or location located in their “path.” That means not everyone can see every eclipse that occurs and an eclipse will not be viewable from the same point on Earth again for an average of 375 years.

If you want to experience more solar events in Albuquerque then don't miss the Transit of Venus at sunset on Tuesday June 5th. The Transit of Venus occurs when Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun and is seen as a small dot moving across the sun's surface. This solar event will not happen again until 2117, making this our last opportunity to see this phenomenon in our lifetime.

Further reading on solar events:

Eclipse: The What, Where, When, Why, and How Guide to Watching Solar and Lunar eclipses by Philip S. Harrington

Totality : Eclipses of the Sun  by Mark Littmann and Ken Willcox, Fred Espenak

A Dictionary of Astronomy edited by Ian Ridpath

Astronomy : A Visual Guide by Mark A Garlick


The Community Science Connections LibGuide also has information about the upcoming solar event.

Scenic New Mexico

As New Mexico celebrates its 100 birthday this year, road trips seem to be on my mind! I'm determined to discover and explore some unique areas of our beautiful state.  I recently took a road trip east of Albuquerque intending to stop in Santa Rosa to see the famous Blue Hole Lake, but found myself not ready to stop, so I kept going and finally stopped in Tucumcari.  After a quick lunch, and a study of my map, I decided to take the scenic byway at the Newkirk exit and take Highway 104 to Las Vegas.

I recently read the novel The Night Journal by Elizabeth Crook which Las Vegas and Pecos are the main setting, and decided I wanted to try and get a picture of the old Montezuma Castle Hotel that was originally built in 1886.  It was completely refurbished in 2000 and 2001 to become a part of The United World College. The highway is a two-lane road and on this particular Saturday there were not very many cars to be seen.  If not for the blacktop you could almost transport yourself back in time as it seemed not much has changed through the years.  There are a sprinkling of small towns, ranches and farms, a couple of post offices and in the flat high plains area I saw a herd of antelope sunning themselves under the bright New Mexico sun.  I spied hawks riding the thermals looking for a meal, rock formations that looked like something from another planet and gorgeous fields of wildflowers.  After arriving in Las Vegas, I drove around taking in the flavor of the city, looking at the old houses, the University and the historic Plaza.  Time had slipped away and I was not able to make it to the Montezuma for my picture and had to head back to Albuquerque. 

I encourage you to try out this scenic road, or any of the other scenic highways of New Mexico.  Get in your car, take some snacks, lots of water, a phone and a map and check out some unique areas of the Land of Enchantment!

Here are some guidebooks that are available for checkout:

Signs & Shrines: Spiritual Journeys Across New Mexico by Sharon Niederman

By The Way--: A Guide to New Mexico's 25 Scenic Byways by Laurie Evans Frantz, Lesley S. King and Marti Niman

Breakfast New Mexico Style: A Dining Guide to More Than 100 Favorite, Fancy, Funky and Family Friendly Restaurants by Valerie Nye and Kathy Barco

Backroads & Byways of New Mexico: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions by Sally Moore

Day Trips from Albuquerque: Getaway Ideas for the Local Traveler by Nicky Leach

Culinary New Mexico: The Ultimate Food Lover's Guide by Sally Moore

100 Hikes in New Mexico by Craig Martin

Something for Nature Lovers



Courtesy of D.Eickhoff

 New Mexico is a beautiful place to be in the spring. If you would like to maximize your appreciation and knowledge of nature in New Mexico, you might want to consider checking out the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park.  

Regular nature walks are offered to view the wildlife and geology of the bosque. Moonlight tours offer a quiet, serene getaway, perfect for an affordable evening outing with that special someone. All tours are led by nature center staff and volunteers.

Bird walks are offered every Saturday and Sunday morning for a chance to view the different migrating species throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Among the different birds to be seen at the nature center are warblers, meadowlarks, hummingbird, woodpeckers, great-horned owls, various waterfowl and many others.

To experience the big bang of events at the nature center come to this year’s Herbfest 2012 presented by the Friends of the Rio Grande Nature Center. On May 12^th and 13^th from 10am to 4pm. There will be arts and crafts, native plants for sale, live music, demonstrations for wool dying and composting, a presentation for healing with herbs and much more.

If your a nature lover, check out these titles from your ABC library:

New Mexico Wildlife Viewing Guide by Jane Susan MacCarter

Wildflowers of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains of Central New Mexico by Larry J. Littlefield and Pearl M. Burns

A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque by Jean-Luc E. Cartron

Birds of New Mexico : Field Guide by Stan Tekiela.

Featured New Mexico Author: Rudolfo Anaya

A distinctly New Mexican voice

Don't be surprised if the man in the picture above looks familiar. Chances are you have seen Rudolfo Anaya around Albuquerque and New Mexico, at an event supporting writing, education, or just New Mexico in general.

A native New Mexican, Rudolfo seems tireless in his efforts to bring to light the things that make New Mexico and New Mexicans special. His 1972 work Bless Me, Ultima is considered a classic and is often used in schools, and he has since written many works set in a distinctively New Mexican environment. Many of these books are for children and young adults.

Besides his literary works, Anaya has also been a schoolteacher and a professor at the University of New Mexico, and a constant promoter of education and Chicano writers.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center is hosting a well-deserved tribute to Rudolfo Anaya on Saturday, April 16 2011. Below is the notice from the Cultural Center's calendar.

Join in the celebration honoring one of New Mexico's foremost authors!

Stories of Rudy: Tribute to Rudolfo Anaya

4 pm -- Free ticketed event

Albuquerque Journal Theatre

Native New Mexican Rudolfo A. Anaya is a founder of the contemporary Chicano literary movement and one of the most celebrated Mexican American writers. Best know for his iconic novel Bless Me, Ultima, he has received numerous awards, including the National Medal of Arts in 2001, for both his contributions to contemporary literature and his long-standing promotion of U.S. Hispano writers. This event, part of the conference "East Coast/South West Dialogue on Narrative Voices and the Spoken Word," and recognizes his many achievements as storyteller, writer, educator, and mentor.

Tickets will be available at the box office one hour before the show. Call (505)724-4771 for more information.

Images of Devotion

Retablos, from "retablo", which is literally translated "behind the altar," are small, multi-paneled oil paintings on wood depicting Christ, the Virgin Mary, or any one of the multitude of Catholic saints. Ex-votos, from the Latin "from a vow," are paintings on tin or canvas offered as thanks to particular saints who have helped an individual in a specific way.
~from The Daily Book of Art

Did you know that New Mexico State University has the largest public collection of retablos in the U.S.? To visit their collection online, click here.

Also check out Mexican Retablos, a unique website dedicated to retablo art, ex-votos, Mexican folk, Spanish colonial and more; Peruvian Folk Art Retablos; Ex-Votos from Mexico; Everyday Miracles: Ex-Votos Anatomy; & Milagre Ex-votos from Northeast Brazil for more examples of these arts.

To view the library sysyem's holdings on retablos, do a keyword search using the word retablo(s); or a subject heading search under Altarpieces.

10 in '10-Reading New Mexico

The Pueblo Imagination: Landscape & Memory in the Photography of Lee Marmon with writings by Leslie Marmon Silko, Joy Harjo, & Simon Ortiz This is a lovely book, featuring primarily the photographs of Lee Marmon (father of Leslie Marmon Silko), but interspersed with essays by Silko & poetry & prose by Simon Ortiz & Joy Harjo. Most of the photographs are black & white & were taken in the Laguna & Acoma Pueblos. These photographs, many of people, paint an evocative picture of pueblo life from the 1940s-90s. Marmon's landscape photography is also very beautiful. The book begins with a "Photographer's Statement" by Lee Marmon (almost a short autobiographical essay), followed by a "Preface" by Leslie Marmon Silko which helps to set the scene. Silko's essay "Rain" is next-the longest piece of writing in the book. "Rain" talks about many Native American tales, with characters such as Corn Woman & the Twin Brothers. The short pieces by Ortiz & Harjo make up the rest of the writing in the book. Part memory, part poetry, these pieces seem to speak to & about the photographs they face. All in all, a very special introduction to the Native American culture in New Mexico.

& now, a special guest post from Alysa to round out our 10 in '10 reads! Confessions of A Berlitz-Tape Chicana by Demetria Martínez This book is a memoir and social commentary that explores issues of cultural identity, female beauty and spirituality. Martínez’s essays are short but powerful reflections of her personal experiences and opinions on social justice issues. Confessions is an inspiring read for activists, women and students. Check out this book! Finished just under the wire! Check out our complete 10 in '10 reviews here.

10 in '10-Reading New Mexico

Elsie Karr Kreischer We've saved the best for almost last! Elsie has been a longtime friend & customer of Cherry Hills Library & we're delighted to review two of her children's books. Read more about Elsie here.
Bigger than a Button This picture book is a poem about love. The illustrations show a family-parents & children-gathered together. The charming text begins by telling readers "I have something to give you/It is bigger than a button/But it is something you can't see." This is a good read for very young children-not many words, but very gentle & evocative. Maria Montoya Martinez: Master Potter For upper-elementary (& above!) readers interested in the life of the potter, this is a great book-Elsie's most renowned title! Elsie was a personal friend of Maria Montoya Martinez & she ably chronicles the potter's life from her early battle with smallpox aged 10 through her journey to becoming a master potter-first falling in love with throwing pots & then developing her technique. Maria Montoya Martinez is famous for accidentally recreating the black-on-black pottery style that had been used by Pueblo artists during the Neolithic period.

10 in '10-Reading New Mexico

Gossip Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton Remember our 2010 reading challenge? We're still trying to finish it! Here's book # 6. This is Connie Shelton's 11th entry in her Charlie Parker mysteries, which we have enjoyed in the past-particularly character of the sleuth, Charlie, a female C.P.A. & P.I. based in Albuquerque. Charlie & her brother Ron run the detective agency together, & Charlie's husband Drake, a pilot, also sometimes lends a hand in the investigations. The Albuquerque settings are very fun to read about & make us curious to check out venues mentioned. In this outing, Charlie heads to a Santa Fe spa for a "weeklong spiritual/nutrition retreat". Of course, there is a death, not accepting the assumptions of "accidental", Charlie begins to do some detecting on her own. Kidnapping & other mayhem ensues as Charlie searches for the truth...& a hamburger & fries to sustain her after a few days of spa food. This was not our favorite of the Charlie Parker mysteries, but worth a read!

Happy Holidays from ABC Libraries!

And, especially for you on Christmas Day, another 10 in '10: Reading New Mexico entry!

The Farolitos of Christmas by Rudolfo Anaya A sweet story & a great family readaloud of how the Christmas tradition of farolitos came to be (though we can't find any record of who actually invented farolitos, Anaya's tale is charming). Set in 1944, it is the story of Luz, a little girl who is waiting for her father to come back from the war & worrying over her sick grandfather. In Luz's village in Northern New Mexico, it is the tradition to light small bonfires of piñon in front of the house on Christmas Eve-but with her family's troubles this year, who will stack the logs for burning? Luz must find another way!

10 in '10-Reading New Mexico

The Lumiere Affair: A Novel of Cannes by Sara Voorhees Despite the fact that this novel is primarily set in Cannes, its author, a film critic, lives in Corrales, & its heroine Natalie Conway (also a film critic), though currently based in L.A., grew up in France & Crownpoint, New Mexico. In brief asides, New Mexican landscape & culture are singularly evoked. However, most of the action is set during an imaginary Cannes Film Festival. For anyone who has attended any kind of festival, the madness is clearly defined-total immersion, lack of sleep, bonding with people you've only just met. For a film festival, add celebrities into the mix. Sara Voorhees has brought her experience as a critic to bear here! There are some completely fictitious celebrities such as Jacques Vidanne, a producer who plays a large part in Natalie Conway's story, but many of the celebrities at Voorhees' brilliantly imagined festival are quite real-Johnny Depp has directed his first movie, scored by Iggy Pop; Charlize Theron & Bruce Willis make appearances. This madcap romp at Cannes, which feels very real & also very funny, is a magnificent send-up of the famous festival & takes up a good deal of the action. But there's more! Natalie Conway is at Cannes to review films, but she was also born in Paris & hasn't been back to France for 25 years, since the death of her mother in a freak lightning strike. Nattie's reunion with her mother's ex-boyfriend Claudel & her research into the mysterious nature of her mother's death round out the rest of the narrative. This might make for 2 plot lines awkwardly pieced together, but Sara Voorhees manages to carry it off & keep the reader interested until the end. It's the sum of both its divergent parts-the fluffy film festival is nicely balanced by the poignancy of Nattie's story. A light, zippy read.

10 in '10-Reading New Mexico

The Clovis Incident by Pari Noskin Taichert

In conjunction with the Cherry Hils Library Mystery Book Group (1st Tuesday of the month, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ...all are welcome to attend!), we recently read The Clovis Incident. This book is the first in a series Ms. Taichert has written & we were lucky enough to have the author in person at the book discussion group!

The book was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel & Tony Hillerman said The Clovis Incident had a "Great plot idea, well developed (and interesting) characters, lots of action, & best of all, Pari Noskin Taichert is a skilled & witty writer." We found it fun to read about places we recognized & had visited-in other novels amateur detective Sasha Solomon, a PR consultant, goes to Belen & Socorro. The Clovis Incident was full of references to Roswell & UFOs, which is always an entertaining topic. If you like quirky characters & humor, this cozy mystery may be right up your alley!

Pari Noskin Taichert is currently "working on the 4th Sasha book and...starting a new series featuring Darnda Jones, a singularly misanthropic and quirky psychic". Her advice to aspiring writers is: "Read. Write. Learn to edit yourself well. Learn to accept constructive criticism. Don’t be afraid to revise and rewrite. Let your work breathe and ripen before you send it out. Never, ever, give up."

10 in '10-Reading New Mexico

Here are the first two books we've read for our reading challenge: Wild Penance by Sandra Ault This is the fourth book in the series featuring Jamaica Wild, Bureau of Land Management agent. Jamaica Wild is looking for a killer who's tossed a body off the Rio Grande Gorge. We enjoyed the read because it was set during Easter, and as suspicion falls on Los Penitentes, readers are introduced to their beliefs & customs. Interesting for those unfamiliar with their practices, as we were! Blind Eye by Jan Coffey This novel of suspense will hook readers as the action moves back and forth between New Mexico and Connecticut. Scientist Marion Kagan is the sole survivor after assassins attack the underground facility where her team was working on a top secret project (so top secret, she doesn't even know where she is). Wounded and trapped in a collapsed building, Marion must stop radioactive test samples from leaking out and killing millions. We found the novel not so believable, but fun & interesting due to its local setting & references to WIPP. But shouldn't the characters have been flying out of Carlsbad (where U.S. Department of Energy's Field Office is) & not Roswell? Have you been reading for our 10 in '10 reading challenge? Let us know what you've read!

10 in '10: Take the Challenge

Last month we challenged you, our readers, to read 10 books in 2010 either about New Mexico, set in New Mexico, or by a New Mexico author-fiction (any genre) or non-fiction. Have any of you taken up the gauntlet? If so, what are you reading? We recommend: Juniper Tree Burning by Goldberry Long Oh Pure and Radiant Heart by Lydia Millet Timing is Everything by Sabra Brown Steinsiek The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey Lonely Street by Steve Brewer A Killing in New Town by Kate Horsley The Killing Cards by Lou Campanozzi

10 in '10 New Mexico Reading Challenge!

After reading about those other reading challenges, we got inspired to create one of our own! Our challenge to our readers is to read 10 books in 2010 either about New Mexico, set in New Mexico, or by a New Mexico author. You could read fiction (any genre) or non-fiction. Looking for titles? We have a New Mexico authors display at the front of the library! You can also check the shelves for books marked with a round yellow zia sticker on the spine. Or, consider the following lists of the New Mexico Book Award winners:

Winners, 2009 New Mexico Book Awards

Winners, 2008 New Mexico Book Awards

Winners & Finalists, 2007 New Mexico Book Awards

If you are interested in taking part in our 10 in '10 New Mexico Reading challenge, please let us know by leaving us a comment on this post! If you already know the ten titles you'll be reading (or some of them), let us know what you've chosen.