Books on the Big Screen

Is the book always better than the movie?  I've seen some great adaptations & some not-so-great.  Here are some trailers for upcoming films..what do you think?

Girl Sleuths

Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce mysteries, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie & its sequels The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag & A Red Herring Without Mustard, have been very popular mysteries.  In this series, Flavia is precocious & literate 11-year-old sleuth.  There have been many mysteries featuring girl sleuths, but most of them are found in children's or young adult fiction.  If you follow Flavia, you might also consider revisiting (or suggesting to your daughters) some of these novels of junior suspense:

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller

Sammy Keyes & the Hotel Thief by by Wendelin Van Draanen

The Night Flyers by Elizabeth McDavid Jones

The Dark Stairs by Betsy Byars

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams

Lulu Dark Can See through Walls by Bennett Madison

Assassin by Patricia Finney

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer

The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

Also, Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women who Created Her by Melanie Rehak is a very enjoyable & informative read for adults interested in learning about the backstory of the series.

Here are some links to help you rediscover those most classic of girl sleuths, Nancy Drew & Trixie Belden:

The Mysterious History of Nancy Drew

Mildred A. Wirt Benson, author of 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories

Stratemeyer Syndicate exhibit

Trixie-Belden.com

Random House's Trixie Belden page

¡I ♥ Globalquerque!

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to last night's ¡Globalquerque!, New Mexico's annual celebration of world music & culture.  Wow!  I just kept asking myself, "Why haven't I ever attended this event before?"

For two nights, last night & tonight, the National Hispanic Cultural Center is taken over by this festival.  Each night, ten bands from all over the world play on three different stages (I'm happy to say I caught 9 out of 10 of last night's bands, though some, regretably, only for a song or two).  There is a Global Village, with vendors featuring international food & crafts (I heard the pad thai was amazing, but I had already eaten).

During the day today, there is a FREE Global Fiesta, featuring poetry, workshops with some of the performers (based on last night's show, I would be at South Pacific Dances with Te Vaka & West African Dances with Burkina Electric if I didn't have to work!), an art exhibit, an International Game Zone, & more!

Run, don't walk, to tonight's ¡Globalquerque! events!  It was such fun-just like a big party, with people dancing in the aisles, kids running around, everybody having a good time.  If you are a world music fan, you won't want to miss it!  Tonight you can sample the stylings of:

Burkina Electric (Burkina Faso)
DePedro (Spain)
Frigg (Finland/Norway)
Gaida (Syria)
Frank McCulloch y Sus Amigos (New Mexico)
La Excelencia (New York)
Nawal (Comoros)
Buffy Sainte-Marie (Cree)
Te Vaka (New Zealand/South Pacific)
Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole (Louisiana)

Here's a sample from Te Vaka, one of my favorite acts from last night! Even groggy after their 18 hour plane ride, they put on a mesmerizing show!



Don't forget to visit our New Music LibGuide to check out all the library system's world music offerings!

Lights, Camera, Documentary!

As of today, there are 74 holds on Source Code; 75 holds on The Adjustment Bureau; 72 holds on The Lincoln Lawyer.  So, you've got some time before these popular movies hit your DVD player. Have you considered picking up a documentary in the interim?  ABC Libraries has a great non-fiction DVD selection! Here are some of the docs on my to-watch list:

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
The cameras follow trailblazing comic Joan Rivers for a year and cover her entire career, from her break on the Carson show to her heartbreak over the suicide of her husband and her role on Celebrity Apprentice. Rivers reveals her relentless desire to keep working with humor and empathy. Wickedly funny and surprisingly moving, Rivers is once again returned to the spotlight she so richly deserves and cements her reputation as one of stand-up's towering figures.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo
This documentary explores Japan's fascination and love affair with insects. The film intertwines their love for something so mundane, be it a beetle or butterfly, with their cultural values and traditions. In the end, it challenges viewers to not only alter their view of insects but also our lives.

Bill Cunningham New York
Bill Cunningham has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirees for the New York Times Style section in his columns On the Street and Evening Hours for decades. Presented is a delicate, funny, and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace.

American: The Bill Hicks Story
The amazing true story of one of modern culture's most iconic figures. Much more than just a comedian, his comedy challenged the injustices of life head on, but his uncompromising approach met with conflict in America and it was instead on the international stage where he found fame.

Dive!
Inspired by a curiosity about society's careless habit of sending food straight to landfills, the multi award-winning documentary Dive! follows filmmaker Jeremy Seifert and friends as they dumpster dive in the back alleys and gated garbage receptacles of Los Angeles' supermarkets. In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of good, edible food, resulting in an eye-opening documentary that is equal parts entertainment, guerilla journalism, and call to action.

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune
Over the course of a meteoric music career that spanned two turbulent decades, Phil Ochs sought the bright lights of fame and social justice in equal measure, a contradiction that eventually tore him apart. From youthful idealism to rage to pessimism, the arc of Ochs's life paralleled that of the times, and the anger, satire, and righteous indignation that drove his music also drove him to dark despair. A timely and relevant tribute to an unlikely American hero.

Vanishing of the Bees
Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Filmed across the U.S., in Europe, Australia, and Asia, examine the alarming disappearance of honeybees and the greater meaning it holds about the relationship between mankind and Mother Earth. As scientists puzzle over the cause, organic beekeepers indicate alternative reasons for this tragic loss.

The Cats of Mirikitani
Eighty-year-old Jimmy Mirikitani survived the trauma of WWII internment camps, Hiroshima, and homelessness by creating art. But when 9/11 threatens his life on the New York City streets and a local filmmaker brings him to her home, the two embark on a journey to confront Jimmy's painful past. An intimate exploration of the lingering wounds of war and the healing power of community and art.

Up the Yangtze
A "farewell cruise" takes a luxury ship up the vast Yangtze River shortly before completion of the massive Three Gorges Dam. The passengers glimpse a rapidly changing countryside, while the local people struggle to adapt as their lives are irrevocably altered.

Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time
Follows Andy Goldsworthy's bohemian free spirit all over the world as he demonstrates and opens up about his creative process. From his long-winding rock walls and icicle sculptures to his interlocking leaf chains and multi-colored pools of flowers. Goldsworthy's painstakingly intricate masterpieces are made entirely of materials found in Mother Nature - who threatens and often succeeds in destroying his art, sometime before it is even finished.

The Garden
The fourteen-acre community garden at 41st and Alameda in South Central Los Angeles is the largest of its kind in the United States. Started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992, the South Central Farmers have since created a miracle in one of the country's most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community. But now, bulldozers are poised to level their 14-acre oasis.

Wordplay
A look into the world of New York times crossword puzzle aficionados, whose ranks include the likes of Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, and Jon Stewart. Focuses on New York times puzzle editor Will Shortz and participants in the 28th Annual American Crossword Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut.

Grey Gardens/The Beales of Grey Gardens
After Grey Gardens spawned everything from a midnight-movie cult following to a Broadway musical to an upcoming Hollywood adaptation, the filmmakers went back to their vaults to create this tribute to both the Beale women and their legion of fans. This editions contains the original 1975 documentary & the 2006 documentary.

Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense
Looks at the jazz music scene today. Through interviews, performance footage, and the voices of the musicians themselves, we explore this music and the divirgent influences that are shaping the world of jazz at the beginning of the 21st century.

Budrus
They not only save the village, but the Barrier is pushed back behind the Green Line into No Man's Land. In the process, Ayed and Iltezam unleash an inspiring, yet little-known, movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories that is still gaining ground today. In an action-filled documentary featuring archival footage of this movement from its infancy, Budrus will inspire and challenge audiences worldwide.

Athlete
Examines the growing popularity of endurance sports among ordinary Americans and profiles four people: a cancer survivor, a blind senior citizen and twin sisters, who are redefining what it means to be an "athlete".

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
Depicts the long, turbulent, and productive life of Leni Riefenstahl, former dancer and filmmaker to Hitler, whose Triumph des Willens and Olympia were prime Nazi propaganda documents. In disrepute after World War 2, Riefenstahl turned to anthropological filmmaking and underwater cinematography.

Garbage Warrior
Garbage Warrior is a feature-length documentary film telling the epic story of maverick US architect Michael Reynolds and his fight to introduce radicallly sustainable housing. An extraordinary tale of triumph over bureaucracy, Garbage Warrior is above all an intimate portrait of an extraordinary individual and his dream of changing the world.

Soul Power
In 1974 the most celebrated American R&B acts of the time came together with the most renowned musical groups in Southern Africa for a 12-hour, three-night concert held in Kinshasa, Zaire. The music festival became a reality when Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine convinced boxing promoter Don King to combine the event with the 'Rumble in the Jungle,' the epic fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

Touch the Sound
Opens the door to a world where sight, sound, and touch magically converge to elevate our everyday sensory experiences. With Evelyn Glennie, Grammy winning percussionist who is also deaf.

Rize
An intimate, completely fresh portrayal of inner city youth who have created art where before there was none. Surrounded by drug addiction, gangs and impoverishment, they have developed a completely unique style of dance that evolves on a daily basis.

Last Chance to See
British comedian legend Stephen Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardine travel from the Amazon's steamy jungles to New Zealand's icy mountain tops seeking some of the most remarkable and endangered creatures of Earth. Entertaining and informative with a unique insight into the fascinating world that we are in danger of losing.

The Art of the Steal
It's been called the greatest theft of art since the Second World War. Reveals how a private collection of paintings became the envy of the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other major institutions, and the prize in a battle between one man's vision and the forces of commerce and politics. Founded in 1922 by wealthy American drug developer and art collector Albert C. Barnes, the Barnes Foundation became the finest collection of paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, and Van Gogh.

Mad Hot Ballroom
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing, and from their candid and hilarious perspectives, reveal pieces of themselves along the way. This school program started in 1994 and today has over 6,000 kids from 60 schools involved.

See all the new movies & connect to the catalog to place holds using the New on DVD LibGuide.

Farewell to Borders

I believe in bookstores. There's something so soothing about them, even when they are crammed with people and music. I love to wander bookshelves looking at the new fiction bestsellers, the latest memoirs, the quirky non-fiction. Finding an old favorite I had pushed to the back of my memory, only to discover it at the bookstore, maybe with a new foreword, or new illustrations. I love the smell of fresh coffee, the stacks of brand new books, the little toys and novelties. I could spend hours reading greeting cards and magazine covers, wanting to take home each and every one.

I used to work at a bookstore. Almost every day at least one person would come in and say, "Working in a bookstore would be my dream job." Bookstore jobs are often idealized and there is plenty of hard, discouraging work that goes into them. Books are hard to keep in saleable condition and even harder to keep organized in just the right way. Working in a bookstore is not easy, but even in the midst of difficulties it was the best job I ever had, definitely my dream job.

I loved my bookstore, Borders Albuquerque Westside. (Before that, I loved working at Borders in Santa Fe.) I loved unpacking boxes of brand new books, putting them on display, and talking about them with friends, customers, co-workers. I loved discovering new music. I loved walking in the door every day and smelling newly ground coffee. I loved working with the staff. I can't imagine my life without the authors I discovered while working at my bookstore, among them Lisa Tucker, Keri Hulme, and Markus Zusak. I found and was introduced to musicians like Shannon McNally, The Medieval Baebes, Erin McKeown, Burach, and Susheela Raman.

I have loved meeting people through my bookstore. A woman once kept me on the phone for 20 minutes telling me about her plans for redecorating her house. A musician invited me to her concert when she came through town. Billy Bob Thornton gave a concert at my store in Santa Fe the day he released one of his CDs. I met the man who would become my husband at my bookstore. We were married just a few months before my store closed. I worked with many varied, wonderful people, some of whom, I am fortunately still friends with, even though we no longer have a bookstore together. Many of us are lucky enough to now work in the library system, a welcoming home for the Borders orphans.

It was devastating to lose our bookstore when the first round of Borders closures shut down Borders Westside back in April. Now all Borders stores are closing, or have closed, and it's been so hard to see a company I used to love to work for shutting its doors forever. It's terrible to be split up from the people I used to work with every day, from the regulars I enjoyed chatting with, from the building we worked in for so long, and tried so hard to make as welcoming as possible.

I love the library, which I have used my entire life, and now am happy to work at. I love my new e-reader and the convenient way it slips into my purse for easy reading whenever I have a spare minute. But I miss my bookstore every day, and I don't believe that new technology will be the death of every bookstore in the world. Some things like coloring books or cookbooks just don't have an appeal on reader devices. Although for months it was hard for me to walk into another one, I hope we don't lose bookstores forever, as they are a great source to have. The community that builds up around a bookstore must be seen to be believed. Losing this sense of family has been the hardest thing of all.

In Albuquerque we are still lucky to have many great bookstores. I urge everyone in the city to stop by one of them and browse around. Find that treasured book (or any other item) you can't live without and buy it! It's truly amazing the variety of bookstores we have around the city. Here are the links to just a few of my favorites, but I know this isn't all there is out there.

Page One carries a variety of new and used books. There has rarely been a time when I have been to Page One to find a book available for purchase as a used copy as well as a new one. Take a peek into their rare book room if you are so inclined.

Alamosa Books is the newest bookstore in Albuquerque. I took my first trip inside a few months ago and was agog at all the fun things they had! The focus is mostly on children's books and toys, but there are plenty of adult books to look through as well. Their stationary and gift wrap were among the loveliest and most unique I had ever seen. The selection of coloring books will inspire the kid in all of us to dust off our crayons.

Bookworks is conveniently located next to Flying Star on Rio Grande. They have a wonderful selections of greeting cards and tables of new books. Check out their shelf of local children's books, or take a look through their outside tables of goodies. It's hard to leave this place empty handed!

Don's Bookstore is the quintessential neighborhood bookstore, located on San Mateo near Kathryn. This tiny shop, crammed with paperbacks and comics, is family owned and employees will happily talk about books with you. They have a paperback exchange system, and they sell much of their stock used.

This is just a small sampling of the many bookstores in the Albuquerque area. There are many more -- Title Wave Books, Blue Eagle, Alameda Book Exchange, as well as Under Charlie's Covers in Bernalillo, and the bookstores in Rio Rancho. There are more than I have listed, trust me. Take a look around your area and see what events a bookstore might offer. Many of them have programs like book signings, discussions, book clubs, workshops, etc. Find a new book, a new idea, a new friend there. Discover what I was so lucky, for so many years to have -- a world of your making, surrounded by all the ideas and creativity you could hope to find in one place.

Girls to the Front!

Bands like Bikini Kill...almost always demand that the mosh boys move to the back or side to allow space in front for the girls in the audience, a controversial decision which sometimes led to booing (and sometimes violence) and once caused Melody Maker to accuse them and riot grrrl in general of misandry, a common criticism.
~Wikipedia on Riot grrl

We're not anti-boy, we're pro-girl.
~Molly Neuman

I just finished reading Sara Marcus' fascinating history of "the Riot Grrl revolution", Girls to the Front, & even though I was never a Riot Grrl myself, the book brought back a wave of nostalgia for my days as a young feminist.  In high school, my sister sent me several choice volumes to get me started on my journey:  Virginia Woolf's  gender-bending Orlando;  Herland, a feminist utopian novel by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; & Angela Y. Davis' Women, Race, & Class, which discusses racism & classism within the women's movement. Later, in college, I discovered other seminal works like This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color & Ain't I a Woman? Black Women & Feminism by bell hooks. Probably everyone remembers those experimental college years with fondness.  Reading about Riot Grrl, I only wish I had had an empowering group experience when I was even younger!  With that in mind, here's a couple of books young feminists might enjoy:

For Young Adult Readers

Girls Rock! Fifty Years of Women Making Music
It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It : Activism for Teenagers
GirlSource: A Book by and for Young Women about Relationships, Rights, Futures, Bodies, Minds, and Souls

Pop Culture

BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine
Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists
Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism's Work is Done
Cinderella's Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground
Red: The Next Generation of American Writers-Teenage Girls-On What Fires Up Their Lives Today

Talk about Body

My Little Red Book
Body Outlaws: Young Women Write about Body Image and Identity
The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls 


History

The Essential Feminist Reader
33 Things Every Girl Should Know about Women's History: From Suffragettes to Skirt Lengths to the E.R.A.

Cultural & Class Identity

Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism
Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class
Hijas Americanas: Beauty, Body Image, and Growing Up Latina
Arab Women: Between Defiance & Restraint

Fiction

Stumbling & Raging: More Politically Inspired Fiction


Check out "Riot Girl: Still Relevant 20 Years" on from the January 2011 Guardian.

Vote on October 4th!

A Municipal Election will be held on Tuesday, October 4, 2011. This Municipal Election will fill the City Council positions from the even-numbered districts - 2, 4, 6, and 8. Voters will also be voting on eleven municipal bond issues, a gross receipt tax revenue bond to finance ABQ the Plan projects and a Red Light proposition question.


Qualified registered voters within the City limits are eligible to vote in this election. All eligible voters can vote on the municipal bond issues and on the other ballot propositions. If you live in an even-numbered district you will also be eligible to vote for a City Council candidate from your district.

Pick up your League of Women Voters Guide at any library branch! There will also be a PDF of the Voters Guide  available at a later date from the League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico website.


***Vote early through absentee ballot or, starting September 14th, at early voting locations . 

***Polling places have changed, so, if you intend to vote on October 4th, be sure to review the list of voting centers.  This year you can vote at Cherry Hills Library, Erna Fergusson Library, or Lomas Tramway Library!

***City resident but not registered? September 6th was the deadline to register to vote in this election.

***Check the County Clerk's website for bureau of elections information & to find out how to become a poll official.