Staff Recommendations
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The Girl Who Reads on the Metro
by Feret-Fleury, Christine
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryNovember 18, 2019
Juliette lives a quiet life in Paris. She rides the metro every day to her job in a real estate office. She rides the metro home. She spends a quiet evening in her apartment, and then rises to do it all again the next morning. One of the bright spots in her days is observing the other passengers as she rides the metro to and from work. She takes note of what they are reading and constructs elaborate stories about who they are and why they are reading the book they are reading. One morning, Juliette disembarks the train at an earlier station, deciding that she will walk the remainder of her... Read Full Review
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Anja Niemi in character
by Niemi, Anja, 1976- photographer, interviewee.
Reviewed by: Alice S., Librarian, Art, Music & Recreation Dept.November 12, 2019
Call Number: 770.9874 N668
The cover of Anja Niemi’s first monograph, In Character, shows a kimono-wearing woman collapsed against a beautifully painted wall. Both the room and her outfit are sumptuous and elegant, but there’s a sense that there might be something deeply wrong with her. She looks almost propped against the wall, face first, like a piece of furniture. The image is both striking and unnerving and it made me want to read the whole book and learn more about this artist.
I had not heard of Anja Niemi until I came upon In Character. A Norwegian artist, her work is slightly similar... Read Full Review
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Today We Go Home
by Estes, Kelli
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryNovember 4, 2019
It has only been six years since the US military ended its policy of “no women in units that are tasked with direct combat.” And yet, even though it wasn’t officially sanctioned, women have served and fought, in virtually every conflict in which the US has participated. This has been happening since the founding of our country, when Deborah Samson disguised herself as a man so she could fight against the redcoats in the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War, more than 400 women dressed as men to fight; and 150 years later we are finally beginning to learn about them and their stories. In... Read Full Review
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Violet
by Thomas, Scott
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryOctober 28, 2019
Our past affects us. Significant events, whether pleasant or devastating, can follow us throughout our lives. But what if a tragic event, experienced as a child, affected not only those who directly experienced it, but all of those who lived in the immediate area? What if those effects lasted for decades after the initial event occurred? This is the idea that Scott Thomas explores, both thoughtfully and frighteningly, in his new novel, Violet.
Kris Barlow is a veterinarian living in Colorado. When her husband is killed in a car accident, Kris decides to pack up her eight-... Read Full Review
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Haunting of Tram Car 015
by Clark, P. Djeli
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryOctober 21, 2019
In his short story “A Dead Djinn in Cairo” (available in e-Media), author P. Djeli Clark introduced readers to an alternate Egypt of 1912, and the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, who are charged with investigating disturbances of a paranormal nature. In his new novella, Clark returns to both this world and the Ministry to investigate The Haunting of Tram Car 015.
The case seemed simple enough on the surface: car 015 of the... Read Full Review
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Mexican American baseball on the Westside of Los Angeles
by Santillan, Richard,
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionOctober 15, 2019
Call Number: 796.231 S235-5
This book is part of a series of books that document Mexican American baseball. They are photographic essays which include meticulously researched information. The focus is baseball, but the books are more than a history of the sport as organized and played by Mexican Americans. The text and photographs present a cultural history of prejudice and exclusion of Mexican American players from all-white leagues. The books also document the participation of women in... Read Full Review
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The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Richardson, Kim Michele
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryOctober 7, 2019
In The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Kim Michele Richardson tells two stories that have, until now, been overlooked in most fiction and history: the story of the blue people of Kentucky and the Pack Horse Librarians of the 1930s, both of whom are incredible examples of the resilience to triumph over difficult circumstances.
Cussy Mary Carter lives near Troublesome Creek, Kentucky. She is a young, unmarried woman living with her father, who works in the coal mine along with most of the men in town. She was named after Cussy, France, the place from which her great... Read Full Review
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Feels Like Home: Reflections on Central Library
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionOctober 1, 2019
Call Number: 027.47949 L881Fe
One year ago, on September 13, 2018, the Los Angeles Public Library celebrated Central@25. This event commemorated the 25th anniversary of the reopening of Central Library. The day of appreciation, celebration and honors was the idea of Christina Rice, Senior Librarian, LAPL Photo Collection. Preliminary planning began approximately six months before the event. There were many staff suggestions to make the day grand and wonderful, but Ms. Rice suggested a book. At the time, I thought it was an impossible dream that a book of any... Read Full Review
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The Ruby Slippers of Oz: Thirty Years Later
by Thomas, Rhys
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibrarySeptember 23, 2019
Call Number: 791.1 W835Th-1
“Keep tight inside of them. Their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly," said Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, talking about the ruby slippers.
In L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the magic shoes worn by the Wicked Witch of the East – and transferred to Dorothy after the Witch of the East’s untimely demise – were silver. In 1938, when MGM began pre-production of the motion picture based on Baum’s novel, it was decided that silver simply would not do for the lavish Technicolor film. With the slash... Read Full Review
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The Lost History of Dreams: A Novel
by Waldherr, Kris
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibrarySeptember 16, 2019
When famous, and some would claim infamous, poet Hugh de Bonne dies unexpectedly, his last remaining family relations are called upon to enact his final request. De Bonne wishes to be buried on the moors near Shropshire, in a chapel of stained glass he had built 16 years earlier as the final resting place for his wife, Ada. He wants his body placed in the chapel next to that of his wife and for a daguerreotype to be made of their remains accompanied by his niece by marriage, Isabelle Lowell.
Robert Highstead, de Bonne’s cousin, is a former Oxford historian and now works as a... Read Full Review
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Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal
by Foret, Rosalee de la
Reviewed by: Julia G, Librarian, Frances Howard Goldwyn - Hollywood Regional Branch LibrarySeptember 10, 2019
Call Number: 615.32 F718
We tend to think of chamomile as a gentle herb, with effects that are mostly psychological. A cup of chamomile tea is nice before bedtime, but is there anything to this pretty little herb beyond the relaxing ritual of a steaming mug?
Yes! I felt chamomile’s powerful effects firsthand when I began taking medicinal doses for stress and tension headaches (parenting two young kids is rewarding, but it’s no walk in the park). Chamomile, it turns out, is a potent nervine and antispasmodic herb, and a chamomile infusion has become my go-to remedy for stress.
I have Alchemy... Read Full Review -
Magic for Liars: A Novel
by Gailey, Sarah
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibrarySeptember 3, 2019
When Sylvia Capley, the Health instructor at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages, is found in the school library bisected from head to toe, cleanly down the middle, the National Mage Investigative Service (NMIS) concludes that her death was an accident, a spell gone wrong. The Headmaster of the school doesn’t agree with their conclusions and reaches out to Ivy Gamble, a bay area Private Investigator who specializes in small time cases, insurance fraud and cheating spouses. But as the twin sister of Osthorne’s Theoretical Magic teacher, she is an outsider who is aware of the magical community... Read Full Review