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NEWSLETTER
February 2014


  
 

I hope all our readers had a good first month of the New Year. Because of the freezing weather and bad road conditions, many of us were forced to stay home for days at a time. It was a great opportunity to finish up books that were started over the Christmas holiday and for others to start on new books on their electronic readers, such as the Kindle, the Nook, iPad, various Androids and other tablets. Did you know that the Adult Services staff of the library have a good understanding of most of the tablet devices and can help you with them? Even better, the library offers free downloadable and e-books for your tablets. Come in and let us show you how you can get on board with the latest in reading devices using materials from the best authors.  

 

Even though I have a tablet, I still prefer reading a paper copy of a book. I just started Lawrence in Arabia, by Scott Anderson, obviously a play on the movie of a similar title. It is the well-written story of the "war, deceit, imperial folly and the making of the modern Middle East," according to the author. As Hampton Sides, a New York Times bestselling author, has said, "Few characters in history can match T.E. Lawrence for adventure, intrigue, or sheer energy. Scott Anderson, an indefatigable reporter well acquainted with the Arab world, has carefully constructed Lawrence's shadowy realm. Anderson shows how Lawrence, along with a surprisingly small cast of lesser-known rogues and operatives, laid the groundwork, wittingly or not for the mess that is the modern Middle East. Here is an intimate history painted on a very large canvas with one fantastically charismatic - and fabulously flawed- man at the dusty center of the tale." So far, I could not agree with him more. If you liked the movie, Lawrence of Arabia, you will love the book, Lawrence in Arabia. If you have tried to answer the questions in your own mind about what is happening in the Middle East, this is a good starting point.  

 

The Pasadena Film Society launched its first film of the season on Friday, January 31. The movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, played to a full house. We were delighted to see the response to this first film of the season, which focuses on films of love and romance. After the movie, while munching on coffee and desserts that were generously provided by the Friends of the Pasadena Library, we discussed the meaning of the film and some of the reasons this film was an Oscar winner. If you missed out on our first film, we'd love to see you at the next one! In order to attend future screenings, you must call for a reservation in advance at 832-598-4191, or email your request to [email protected].  

  

There are still some seats available for each of the upcoming films, including:

 

February 7 * Stairway to Heaven

Stairway To Heaven is a marvelous 1946 fantasy film regarding a WWII pilot who claims he was accidently chosen to die and now must plead his case in front of a heavenly court.

           

February 8 * Singin' in the Rain

Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds star in a 60th-anniversary newly remastered film

 

February 14 * Romeo and Juliet

Franco Zeffirelli's production staring teenage actors for the tragic Romeo and Juliet - Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. This is THE quintessential Romeo and Juliet on film.

 

February 15 * Roman Holiday

This was Audrey Hepburn's debut in a starring role with Gregory Peck plays an American newspaper reporter living in the Eternal City.

 

Tell us the film, the date, and number of tickets you will need, plus your name and phone number, when you make your reservation by phone or email - we will confirm.

 

 

Library Lovers' Month

library lovers month The Pasadena Public Library will be hosting various celebratory events that will cater to children, teens, and adults.

 

The Pasadena Film Society will be hosting their first season of classical films, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. The theme for this season is love and romance. The event is for adults, eighteen and up only. Seating is limited and reservations are required.  

 

To make a reservation, call 832-598-4191 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

 

In order to make library resources more convenient for all of the library lovers out there, an app has recently been launched. You can find it by searching the app store for Pasadena Public Library, and it can be installed for free on Android and Apple devices. The app allows you to search for books, reserve movies, check your account and much more. As an added bonus, you will be entered into a drawing when you show the downloaded app to staff. However, if you're unable to get the app, you can still participate in other drawings. (Drawings for children, teens, and adults will be available.)

 

Aside from celebrating Library Lovers' Month, February is also Black History Month. The library offers many materials that celebrate the lives, history, and triumphs of individuals like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Frederick Douglass, to name just a few. Library displays showcasing Black History Month books will be available at both locations for check out.

 

Also this month, AARP will provide their tax assistance free of charge for individuals with low to moderate income. Special attention will be given to individuals sixty and over. AARP will be in the library every Thursday from 9-5 and Friday from 9-4 beginning on February 6, through April 11.

 

Join the library this month in celebrating Library Lovers' Month, Black History Month, and the season of love. To see a complete list of events at both libraries, please visit www.ppltx.net or click one of the following links to print or download a Central or Branch calendar.

 

Central Activity Calendar

 

Branch Activity Calendar
In This Issue
Book Club Banter

old-book-spines.jpg

The Tea-Time Mystery Book Club will be discussing Sunstroke by Jesse Kellerman, and will meet on February 17, in the Conference Room of the Fairmont Library at 3:30 p.m. Coffee, tea and treats will be served as the group discusses the gripping story of Gloria Mendez.  Gloria is in love with her boss, Carl Perreira, though he has never reciprocated her romantic interest. Carl has gone on his annual vacation, and after leaving a garbled phone message on Gloria's answering machine, he disappears into Mexico's backcountry. Facing apathy from the police in Mexico and the U.S.-even after Carl is reported dead in a fiery car crash-Gloria heads south to retrieve his body. She soon finds herself enmeshed in a dangerous adventure hinging on the mystery of Carl's death.

 

ALL NEW

Join us for the first-ever meeting of the Science Fiction Book Club at the Central Library on Wednesday, February 19 at 3:30 p.m. Our first book will be A World Out of Time by Larry Niven.  A cryogenically frozen man wakes up in 2190 to discover a world ruled by a totalitarian government that forces him to take a thousand year trip through the cosmos. The Science Fiction Book Club will continue to meet each month on the third Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

 

For information regarding these book clubs, please contact Mark Anderson (Tea Time Mystery and Sci-Fi)  at 713.475.4993 or William Simpson (First Monday) at 281.998.1095 x15. 
Author Glimpse: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

Where does the poem, "Roses are red and violets are blue/Sugar is sweet and so are you" come from?

 

The phrase can be traced back to an epic poem called "The Faerie Queen" by Sir Edmund Spenser, written in 1590:

 

"She bath'd with roses red,  

and violets, blew

And all the sweetest flowers, that in the forest grew..."

 

It is also found in a more recent Valentine's Day nursery rhyme dating 1784:

 

"The rose is red, the violet's blue,

The honey's sweet, and so are you.

Thou are mine and I am thine,

I drew thee to my Valentine." 

 

(Gammar Gurton's Garland, a collection of English nursery rhymes, 1784)

 

Another version of the rhyme that is closer to our contemporary poem can be found in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, as sung by Fantine.

 

"Violets are blue, roses are red,

Violets are blue, I love my loves."

 

In the original French, the last two lines actually read:

 

"Les bleuets sont blues,

les roses sont roses

Les bleuets sont bleus,

j'aime mes amours."

 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥  

Staff Spotlight: Hui Zhang
 

Title:Youth Services Manager

 

Responsibilities at the Library: Oversee, plan and lead activities, services, and programs for children and teens in the community. Currently, our department is planning many special events & celebrations, hands-on science experiments and a fun-filled Summer Reading Program.

 

What you don't know about me: I dreamed of becoming a voice actor in dubbed foreign language films when I was young. I figured that, being a voice actor, one has the possibility to live other people's lives, to have different personalities and, of course, to become famous. In reality, I recorded a software demo. I learned that many co-workers in the office came to find who the professional voice actor was when the demo was playing. Well, I had my 15 minutes of fame at least.

 

Favorite author: David Baldacci, a best-selling author of suspense novels, such as Absolute Power, Last Man Standing and Sixth Man. In 2011, he was inducted into International Crime Writing Hall of Fame. He has also written for young children, including Day of Doom, a book in the popular children's series - The 39 Clues.

 

Last book read: Stone Cold by David Baldacci. It is truly a page turner. John Carr, a former member of CIA who was assumed dead, now living under a pseudonym - Oliver Stone, paired up with Harry Finn, son of a CIA agent who got wrongfully killed, setting the record straight when all the odds were against them.

 

Why I Love the Pasadena Public Library:I love helping customers. What makes my day is when a child smiles as I give a book to him/her and clutches the book to their chest. It's even better when they come back for more! Plus, I have the opportunity to work with all of my devoted and talented colleagues. I learn new things each and every day from the people around me. 
 
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