Unhappy Hour

Here at abcreads, occasionally we hit a dry patch thinking of subjects to blog about. Then we start looking at History.com's "What Happened Today in History" or the New York Times' "On This Day" or other such sources for inspiration-which led us to Edgar Allan Poe. We thought October 7th was his birthday. Unfortunately, it's the anniversary of the day he died, which is not something we tend to blog about.

However, it's almost Halloween, it's Poe, & the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, has some interesting celebrations this month! On October 7th, they're celebrating a Poe Memorial Service, which they claim puts "the 'fun' back in 'funeral'." The memorial service will be an "evening with Poe's last fiancée, Elmira Royster Shelton", with live music, a coffin race, & a chance to learn about Victorian mourning customs. On the 28th, the Poe Museum will have their "Unhappy Hour". This month's theme is The Fall of the House of Usher, & there will be live music, games, activities, & something called "The Madeline Usher Experience". Costumes are encouraged.

This would be a good time to mention Poe's grave & the "Poe Toaster". The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore has the full scoop on the Toaster, who "since 1949, on the night of the anniversary of Poe’s birth, ...has entered this cemetery and left as tribute a partial bottle of cognac and three roses on Poe’s grave." Also, his month the Poe Society sponsors an annual commemorative lecture on the life and/or works of Edgar Allan Poe, presented by a noted Poe scholar. This lecture has been held since 1923 on the first Sunday in October, more-or-less coinciding with the anniversary of Poe’s death. "Prior to this event, it is traditional for members of the Poe Society to gather at Poe’s grave, placing flowers on the monument in a brief and informal ceremony to honor Poe’s memory." On Halloween night, there will be a tour of the cemetery & catacombs!

I had no idea there was so much fun stuff to do to celebrate Edgar AllanPoe. Even just online-visit Poets.org for a selection of Poe's poetry online; you can also read his story "Murders in the Rue Morgue". How about a list of Poe-related songs from the fansite House of Usher? Take a tour of the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site! Or, make a selection from our library catalog!

All Rise in Praise of Bread

I love the smell of fresh-baked bread. I don't make it very often, but every Easter Sunday I spend the better part of my day making Easter Bread using the recipe of an old friend's Russian grandmother (the bread has to rise 3 times!). Do you like to make your own bread? The bread book that has been making its way around my workplace lately is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (you can also check out their website, or the video below). I have not tried to make it yet but several of my co-workers are fans.





Other recommended bread titles in the library catalog include:

The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart

The Bread Bible: Beth Hensperger's 300 Favorite Recipes

The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book: A Guide to Whole-Grain Breadmaking by Laurel Robertson, with Carol Flinders & Bronwen Godfrey


Or, try something a little out of the ordinary:

Maori Fried Bread

The Knead for Bread (a blog about baking)

Amish Friendship Bread

Ethiopian Injera (not just a bread, it's also used as a utensil!)

James Beard's Amazing Persimmon Bread

Jamaican Hard Dough Bread

Sweet Anise Bread from Uruguay

Traditional Pan Cubano

Nigel Slater's Crispbread Recipes

Korean Egg Bread

Chinese Steamed Bread

Swedish Limpa Bread

Gesine Bullock-Prado recommends: Natural Red Grape Sourdough Starter/ Mothersponge

How to make dough ornaments

Happy Anniversary, abcreads!

abcreads turns one today (not counting its brief tenure as the Magical Summer reading group blog)! We are celebrating with not one but 3 prize drawings!

The rules are simple: we ask a question, you post an answer. The first person to post a response wins a fabulous prize (a mug or a bag). Only one prize per reader, but you are welcome to respond all three questions.

The third question:

What would you like to see written about on abcreads?

Thanks for taking part in abcreads' anniversary celebration! Keep reading & recommend us to your friends!

Happy Anniversary, abcreads!

abcreads turns one today (not counting its brief tenure as the Magical Summer reading group blog)! We are celebrating with not one but 3 prize drawings!

The rules are simple: we ask a question, you post an answer. The first person to post a response wins a fabulous prize (a mug or a bag). Only one prize per reader, but you are welcome to respond all three questions.

The second question:

What is the last book you read?

Happy Anniversary, abcreads!

abcreads turns one today (not counting its brief tenure as the Magical Summer reading group blog)! We are celebrating with not one but 3 prize drawings!

The rules are simple: we ask a question, you post an answer. The first person to post a response wins a fabulous prize (a mug or a bag). Only one prize per reader, but you are welcome to respond all three questions.

The first question:

Who is your favorite author?

Banned Books Week

This year Banned Books Week is September 25th-October 2nd. Here are some of ALA's activity ideas for the week-what you can do to fight censorship, keep books available in your libraries, and promote the freedom to read!

Stay informed. If you read or hear about a challenge at your school or public library, support your librarian and free and open access to library materials. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom estimates they learn of only 20 to 25 percent of book challenges. Let us know if there is a challenge in your community. Find out what the policy is for reviewing challenged materials at your school or public library. Join the Intellectual Freedom Action News (IFACTION) e-list.

Organize your own Banned Books Week at your school, public library, or favorite bookstore.

Help spread the word about Banned Books Week by downloading the Banned Books web badges on our Free Downloads page and hosting them on your blogs and home pages. You can also create a public service announcement (see our sample PSA script for ideas).

Get involved. Go to school board meetings. Volunteer to help your local school or public library create an event that discusses the freedom to read and helps educate about censorship—maybe a First Amendment film festival, a readout, a panel discussion, an author reading or a poster contest for children illustrating the concept of free speech.

Speak out. Write letters to the editor, your public library director and your local school principal supporting the freedom to read. Talk to your neighbors and friends about why everyone should be allowed to choose for themselves and their families what they read. Encourage your governor, city council and/or mayor to proclaim "Banned Books Week - Celebrating the Freedom to Read" in your state or community. See our sample letter to the editor for ideas.

Exercise your rights! Check out or re-read a favorite banned book. Encourage your book group to read and discuss one of the books. Give one of your favorite books as a gift. Click the following link for a list of books banned or challenged 2009-2010 or visit the ALA's Frequently Challenged Books page.

Join the Freedom to Read Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to the legal and financial defense of intellectual freedom, especially in libraries. You can also support the cause by buying Banned Books Week posters, buttons and T-shirts online.

你好!

In honor of our ongoing Mandarin Chinese classes (see below), celebrate all things Chinese @ your library! We have several new titles you might want to check out:

A Thread of Sky: A Novel by Deanna Fei

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose

Country Driving: A Journey through China from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler

Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language by Deborah Fallows

The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu

The Moon Opera by Bi Feiyu

Pearl Buck in China: Journey to The Good Earth by Hilary Spurling

The Mao Case by Qiu Xiaolong

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

Lee Valley Poems = Li he gu de shi by Yang Lian

Life and Death are Wearing Me Out: A Novel by Mo Yan

For a list of Chinese cookbooks, click here.

For a list of our Chinese language learning materials, click here.

Or, check out the class itself!
Introduction to Mandarin Chinese
Saturdays, 9/4–10/30
11:00 a.m.-noon
Learn a dynamic mix of Mandarin Chinese language along with various aspects of the Chinese culture with instructor Ying Ding. For ages eight and up. Register online.