New Booktalk Booklist - Polley's Play-Along Adventures

Polley's Play-Along Adventures
Courtyard Book Chats, August 11, 2009
Carolyn D.

On August 11th, 2009, Music Librarian Carolyn D., from the Polley Music Library at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, gave an interactive booktalk presentation as part of the summer Courtyard Book Chats series, featuring books from the libraries' music collection that include accompanying CDs or DVDs. The second half of Carolyn's talk also featured books of sheet music for a variety of instruments, which she accompanied on flute.

Representative books with accompanying sound files:

Music of the Alamo [accompanying CD with period music]
by William R. Chemerka and Allan J. Wiener [Music 781.599 Che]

How to Read Music [accompanying DVD]
by Helen Cooper [Music 780.76 Coo]

Carnival Music in Trinidad [accompanying CD and educational exercises]
by Shannon Dudley [Music 780.972 Dud]

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Bass Guitar [music CD with practice exercises and accompaniments]
by David Hodge [Music 787.878 Hod]

Lou Harrison [accompanying music CD]
by Leta E. Miller and Fredrick Lieberman [Music 780.92 HarYm]

Tipbook Piano [accompanying "tip" files online]
by Hugo Pinksterboer [Music 786.2 Pin 2009]

A History of American Classical Music [accompanying music CD with additional musical examples online]
by Barrymore Laurence Scherer [Music 780.973 Sch]

Masters of the Sabar: Wolof Griot Percussionists of Senegal [accompanying music CD]
by Patricia Tang [Music 780.966 Tan]

Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance [CD includes music, readings and discussion]
by Cary D. Wintz [Music 781.629 AmeAYw]

Puccini: A Listener's Guide [accompanying music CD]
by John Bell Young [Music 780.92 Puccini]

Play-Along books (Instrumental karaoke) - representative selections:

Play Bach [trumpet]
by Johann Sebastian Bach [CALL]

Broadway and Hollywood Classics [viola]
[Music 787.3 qBro]

Selections From Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [trombone]
by Patrick Doyle [Music 788.93 qDoy]

Easy Disney Favorites [flute]
[Music 788.32 qEas]

Flute With Piano Accompaniment [Solo plus series]
[Music Set 788.321 qFlu]

Play-Along Flute: Selected Easy Pieces From Bach to Satie [flute]
by Barbara Gisler-Haase [Music 788.32 qGis]

Swinging Baroque Play-Along [flute]
by Alexander L'Estrange [Music 788.32 qLes]

Tango Time [clarinet]
by Myriam Mees [Music 788.62 qMee]

Movie Instrumental Solos [flute]
[Music 788.32 qMov]

Movie Songs [tenor sax]
[Music 788.74 qMov]

Broadway by Special Arrangement: 11 Broadway Songs [flute/oboe]
by Carl Strommen [Music 788.32 qStr]

Star Wars, a Musical Journey, Episodes I-VI [alto sax]
by John Williams [Music 788.73 qWil]

New Book Talk Booklist: The Brain...and What Can Go Wrong With It

The Brain...and What Can Go Wrong With It
Courtyard Book Chats, July 28, 2009
Vicki W.


In the Shadow of Memory
by Floyd Skoot [612.82 Skl]
Born on a Blue Day
by Daniell Tammet [B T147]
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey
by Jill Bolte Taylor [616.81 Tay]
Beautiful Boy
by David Sheff [362.299 She]
Tweak
by Nic Sheff [j Biography Sheff]

Courtyard Book Chats for 2009

Summertime book talks return to downtown for a fourth year, in the form of our Courtyard Book Chats...in the Garden!

Every Tuesday, starting June 2nd, in June, July and August, a Lincoln City Libraries staff member (or special guest) will present a themed booktalk over the lunch hour -- 12:15 to 12:45 -- in the beautiful Lincoln Foundation Garden -- 1415 "N" St. (across "N" St. from Bennett Martin Public Library).

If you're interested in hearing about recent bestsellers and/or other quirky titles you might have missed, we encourage you to bring along your lunch and join us for any of these quick, thematic book talks. Specific themes are still being finalized, but you can find the schedule on BookGuide's Book Groups page. You can also watch out for book lists and podcasts of many of these book presentations to be made available via the libraries' Booktalk Booklists and Podcasts pages as well.

Note: In case of rain or other inclement weather, Courtyard Book Chats will be held in the covered seating area of Bennett Martin Public Library's open central courtyard garden.

Podcasts collection growing quickly!

The podcasts collection of the Lincoln City Libraries is growing quite quickly.

Originally just recordings of some of the branch library Books Talk presentations, we've now expanded into an all-original Podcast show, BookGuide's 'Casting About -- featuring in depth reviews or discussions of books each week, by staff members throughout our library system. [ Read all about it ]

We're also recording the Courtyard Book Chats...in the Garden -- our summer-long Tuesday lunchtime book talk series, being held this year in the Lincoln Foundation Garden (1415 "N" St.), across from the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown. [ Read all about it ]

You can find a list of all of the library's available podcasts (and blogs) on our Blogs & Podcasts page.

New Book Talk Booklist at BookGuide

Jessica H., of the Walt Branch Library, joined readers at the downtown Bennett Martin Public Library for our Tuesday afternoon Courtyard Book Chat on July 10th, to give a presentation on High Fashion and High Society Fiction.

You can see the complete list of the books she talked about by visiting the booktalk page (link above), or here's a sampling of her titles:

Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Gucci, Gucci Coo by Sue Margolis
Wolves in Chic Clothing by Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargan
A Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova
and Secrets of the Model Dorm by Amanda Kerlin

ALA Notable Books 2006/2007 - a Book Talk (full text)

Pat L., head of the library's Youth Services department, and an ardent reader, gave a talk on some of her favorite books from the 2006 and 2007 American Library Association's Notable Books lists, as part of our Courtyard Book Chats series. You can visit that list on the BookGuide website by clicking the title of the list below, or use any of the links in this blogged version of the list to connect to these books in our online catalog.

ALA Notable Books - Best of 2006 and 2007
Courtyard Book Chats, June 12, 2007
Pat L.

From the 2007 list:

The Whistling Season
by Ivan Doig
Rural Montana in 1909 is the central character in this humorous novel of life on the prairie. Change moves in with a widow from Minneapolis.

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
In McCarthy's unrelenting tale, a father and son struggle to survive on their journey through the deadly, rempty winter of a postapocalyptic America.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
by Alison Bechdel [741.5 Bec]
Bechdel's memoir, done in graphic-novel form, masterfully illustrated her relationship with her closeted homosexual father.

There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children
by Melissa Fay Greene [362.73 Gre]
The scope of the AIDS epidemic is illustrated through the heartwarming story of Haregewoin Teferra, a humanitarian who runs an orphanage in Ethiopia.

Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present
by Peter Hessler [951.06 Hes]
An American journalist compellingly contrasts China's past, as revealed through ancient artifacts, with the fiercely competitive spirit of the new generation.

From the 2006 list:

Midnight at the Dragon Cafe
by Judy Fong Bates
In this deeply moving coming-of-age story, a young Chinese girl and her family struggle to adapt to life in a small Ontario community.

Gilead
by Marilynne Robinson
A small-town Iowa minister weaves together issues of conscience and commitment with family secrets in a rich tapestry of American life.

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City
by Anonymous [940.534 Ano]
This disturbing diary, written after the fall of Berlin, recalls the mass rape perpetrated by Russian forces and the harrowing choices a woman had to make to survive.

Shockwave: Count-down to Hiroshima
by Stephen Walker [940.542 Wal]
History is brought dramatically alive in this moment-by-moment account of the events immediately surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima.

A Long Time Ago...A Star Wars Book Talk (full text)

Corey G., from the Reference Department at the downtown library, presented a Star Wars-themed book talk in our Courtyard Book Chats series in association with the 30th anniversary of the release of the original Star Wars film (May 25, 1977). Here's his list of books -- click on the book talk title below to visit this list on the BookGuide site, where the titles are hotlinked straight into the library catalog.

A Long Time Ago...A Star Wars Book Talk
Courtyard Book Chats, May 29, 2007
Corey G.

General Non-Fiction Works

A Guide to the Star Wars Universe
by Bill Slavicsek [791.437 StaYs]

The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
by Kevin J. Anderson [791.437 qStaYa]

Star Wars Encyclopedia
by Stephen J. Sansweet [791.437 qStaYs]

Star Wars Technical Journal
by Shane Johnson [791.437 qStaYj]

Star Wars: The Essential Chronology
by Kevin J. Anderson [791.437 qStaYa]

Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
by Ryder Windham [791.437 qStaYw]

Star Wars: Episode I: The Visual Dictionary
by David West Reynolds [j791.437 StaYr]

Star Wars: Episode I: Incredible Cross Sections
by David West Reynolds [j791.437 StaYr]

Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, Episode I
by Kristin Lund [j791.43 StaYl]

Star Wars, Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary
by David West Reynolds [791.437 qStaYr]

Star Wars, Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross Sections
by Curtis Saxon [j791.437 StaYs]

Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, Attack of the Clones
by Simon Beecroft [j791.437 StaYb]

Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
by James Luceno [j791.437 StaYl]

Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross Sections
by Curtis Saxon [j791.437 StaYs]

Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary
by David West Reynolds [j791.437 StaYr]

Star Wars: Incredible Cross-Sections
by David West Reynolds [j791.437 StaYr]

Inside the Worlds of the Star Wars Trilogy
by James Luceno [j791.437 StaYl]

Selected Fiction

Cloak of Deception
by James Luceno

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
by Michael Reaves

Rogue Planet
by Greg Bear

The Approaching Storm
by Alan Dean Foster

Shatterpoint
by Matthew Stover

The Cestus Deception
by Steven Barnes

Labyrinth of Evil
by James Luceno

Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
by James Luceno

Allegiance
by Timothy Zahn

Shadows of the Empire
by Steve Perry

Truce at Bakura
by Kathy Tyers

Tatooine Ghost
by Troy Denning

Some Fun Stuff

The Star Wars Party Book Recipes and Ideas for Galactic Occasions
by Mikyla Bruder [j641.5 Bru]

The Star Wars Cook Book: Wookie Cookies and Other Galactic Recipes
by Robin Davis [j641.5 Dav]

The Star Wars Cook Book II: Darth Malt and More Galactic Recipes
by Frankie Frankeny [j641.5 Fra]

Tag and Bink Were Here
by Kevin Rubio

The Not-So-Quiet Countryside booklist now available!

Donna G., of the Eiseley and Walt branch libraries, recently gave a talk on rural mysteries, entitled "The Not-So-Quiet Countryside". The list of the books she discussed is now available on BookGuide:

The Not-So-Quiet Countryside book talk booklist

Thanks, Donna for your presentation!