Mike Suggests Guy Delisle

Being a librarian means that I'm in danger of contracting a type of book malaise, because I'm constantly inundated with pre-publication information and I never can seem to get a handle on the torrent of books that I come across daily. That malaise was overcome today when I realized that one of my favorite graphic novelists, and a fantastic travel writer to boot, is going to be releasing his newest on April 24th. Guy Delisle has written and illustrated insightful travelogues that focus on societies traditionally closed to Westerners, largely because he worked in these countries as an animation supervisor or traveled with his wife (who works at an NGO). Delving into societies and the cultures of Burma, China, and North Korea, Delisle's graphic novels provide us with a perspective of an everyman struggling to understand and make himself understood in these societies while displaying the humanity, inherent in the cultures, that's being perverted by totalitarian cultures. This makes it all the more interesting that this round he's focusing on Jerusalem, which is rife with topics for him to explore. To top it all off he'll be at the Harvard Book Store on the 25th, and I'm sure it'll be a treat for all who go.

Rob recommends "The Visitor"

After I finished watching "The Visitor" and after a thoughtful discussion with my family, I began to imagine the same plot in the hands of another director. This didn't have to be a great movie...
Richard Jenkins plays a middle-aged college professor who's lost his wife and with her death, his spirit. He arrives at his seldom-used apartment in Manhattan to find an immigrant couple living there without his knowledge (victimized by a scam-artist). He ends up letting them stay. That touch of compassion sets in motion a reawakening of his own humanity and slowly, his zest for life. Tarek, the man of the couple, is a Syrian drummer who is as open and friendly as Walter (Jenkins) is shut down. The two bond and Tarek teaches Walter to play the African drums. Trouble strikes when Tarek is swallowed up by the immigration authorities.
I couldn't help but think about the many ways another director might have overplayed it: casting a flashier Walter, zeroing in on his transformation (rather than allowing the changes to seep in more believably), hard-selling the message about illegal immigrants, in general going for the cliche instead of nuance, easy sentiment instead subtlety.

A Practical Wedding: Creative Ideas for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable,and Meaningful Celebration by Meg Keene

Is a practical wedding an oxymoron? Not according to Meg Keene who has written a down-to-earth but very wise and sensible guide to the increasingly expensive and exhausting business of planning and giving a wedding. The suggestions about many aspects of the event: guest lists, venues, flowers, photography, vows, and the roller-coaster of predictable emotions involved will help any couple maintain their "wedding zen". If you have a wedding coming up or know someone who does, treat them to this title. It will be one of the best presents they receive! PM

Rethinking A Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking by Eran Ben-Joseph

Rethinking A Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking by Eran Ben-Joseph

Ben-Joseph, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning at MIT, attempts to answer the question, "Are there any good examples of notable or 'great' parking lots?" As basic parking lot design has not changed since the 1950s,, where to put the 600,000,0000 passenger cars in the world has become a critical issue. The author provides a visual history of of this vital space and presses us to consider that parking lots could be rendered into significant public spaces. This is a fascinating and absorbing read that will make you think differently about a space you visit almost everyday--a parking lot. PM

Beacon Street: Its Buildings and Residents by Robert J. Guarino

Ever walk or drive down Beacon Street and wonder about the stories behind the houses that line this venerable street? This gem of a book traces the beginnings of Beacon Street from its earliest inhabitants the Massachusett tribe of Algonquin stock, through William Blackstone the first European in 1624 to the 1950s when changes to the street essentially stopped with the exception of the building of One Beacon Street in 1974. The journey down Beacon Street from Tremont to Arlington Streets gives the reader a fascinating glimpse into life in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries with many photos, maps and renderings. The book can be used as a visitor guide to this beautiful part of the city or a imaginative sojourn from the comfort of one's armchair through the history and architecture of Beacon Street's past. PM

New cookbooks to enjoy

River Cottage Fish Book : the definitive

guide to sourcing and cooking sustainable fish and shellfish by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

La Tartine Gourmande : recipes for an inspired life by Beatrice Peltre

Cooking with Quinoa : the supergrain by Rena Patten

-DB

Megan recommends: Other People We Married: Stories

Other People We Married by Emma Straub

Not everybody likes short stories, and their circulation statistics here at the library seem to confirm that. When a writer is first published, it's often a collection of stories, so I say give newly published writer Emma Straub a try. She's the daughter of horror novelist (and Stephen King collaborator) Peter Straub and writing is in her blood. The stories do often revolve around marriage but the characters also include widows and singles. "A Map of Modern Palm Springs" concerns the unequal relationship between two sisters and was the story I liked best.

maf