This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 46

Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago
In this novel, Jose Saramago brings death to life--literally. He turns death (small d) into a female character who is tired of constantly being insulted and hated. She decides that she is going to conduct an experiment in which no one dies. At first, the people celebrate the absence of death--no more lost loved ones and no more fear of dying themselves--but then they begin to experience the consequences of eternal life. Life insurance policies become meaningless, funeral home owners are no longer making money, and religious leaders no longer have many teachings to offer. Seeing the havoc that is being reaped, death then concocts a new plan--people will begin dying again, but they will receive a letter prior to their deaths. The scarlet envelopes start appearing on desks, in mailboxes, anywhere that the individual might happen to be 24 hours before they are supposed to die. Death, again, becomes unavoidable. All this changes, however, when death attempts to send a letter to a cellist. The letter keeps coming back to her. Finally death resolves to deliver the letter in person, but instead finds herself falling in love. Jose Saramago really captures the audience’s attention, not only with his examination of capitalism through the personification of death, but also with his love story. A must-read. And it’s available at Acorn and through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference

Taylor's Gift by Todd and Tara Storch
I just finished Taylor's Gift by Todd and Tara Storch (available through swan). (copyright 2013) Although it was a very sad story, it offered joy and hope too.  Taylor was the Storch's 13 year old daughter who tragically died in a skiing accident during a family trip.  I can't even imagine losing my daughters at such a young age.  Through this dark moment, there is some joy and hope.  Out of death came life.  The Storch's were asked if they would like to donate Taylor's organs and they said yes for 5 of them.  They have been able to connect with 4 of the recipients and the authors tell those people's stories too.  Since then, Todd and Tara have decided to start a foundation called Taylor's Gift Foundation.  Their mission is increasing organ donation to Regift Life, Renew Health, and Restore Families. (319) Todd offers this statistic:  "Currently, only 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. are registered to be organ donors, yet there are more than 100,000 people awaiting an organ transplant" (317).   I would encourage all of you to consider donating your organs upon your death as well.  You probably can't even imagine the restored health and life you can offer to others.  I liked what Todd wrote: "Organ donation doesn't cost anything; you can't take your organs with you, and it saves lives when you leave them here."  (320).  This book was also very honest in how two parents and two siblings dealt with their grief and how the community rallied around them.

-Janice, Youth Services


SWAK
What does this wintry season bring to mind?  Snow and cold?  Hot chocolate with marshmallows and, maybe, a little bit of peppermint schnapps?  Hot-buttered rum with, maybe, a little extra rum?  Mmmmm…oh, wait, I was here to write something.  Oh, that’s right, ‘What does this time of the year bring to mind?’  Well, I’m going to tell you…kissing!  Don’t believe me, well, let me make my case and turn you into a believer.

Proof number one – Mistletoe!
Proof number two – New Year’s Eve…at midnight!
Proof number three – Valentine’s Day…all day!

Voilà, you are now all believers, right?  That’s what I thought!  Now, to celebrate your new-found belief, we simply have to start with The Science of Kissing.  Did you ever wonder why people evolved to smash their lips together as a sign of affection?  Why men are sloppier kissers than women?  How about the physiology and neurobiology of ‘the kiss’?  Whether the urge to lock lips will ever disappear?  Well, your answers to these and many more questions can be found in the pages of this wonderfully entertaining and informative little book.

Now, to balance out all that yucky science, we have The Art of Kissing.  If you need a how-to book (and, apparently, since the author covers 28 different kinds of kisses, we all need a how-to book!), this one’s for you.  We can also delve into the ambitiously titled Kissing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One of Life’s Sweetest Pleasures.  If you need more than that, well, I just can’t help you!

At this point, you’re at one of two places with this kissing stuff…firm believer or reluctant believer.  For you reluctant believers, we’ll take a step back and let you go study The Art of Hugging.  For the firm believers, well, it’s time for the next brave step…let me introduce you to one of my favorite authors, Mary Roach, and her exceptionally hilarious and informative book, Bonk.  Hey, there’s a reason that September and October are such popular birth months and it all goes back to winter being the Season of the Kiss!  So, bundle up, pucker up and smooch away…in the name of science, of course.

-Danielle, Tech Services

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 45

Coffee with Jesus by David Wilkie
While this book can be a little controversial because of the issues it addresses, it is a very refreshing read. It originally began as a single panel comic strip on the blog of artist David Wilkie, but soon became popular thanks to social media. He incorporates several main characters into these comics that deal with everyday issues--from the person who chews too loudly at the dinner table, to politics, to (obviously) religious beliefs. The book uses humor and sarcasm to demonstrate what Wilkie defines as a "practical" Jesus in his introduction. However, even if you are somewhat put off by the tone of this work, it allows you to see familiar problems you face on a regular basis in a new light. It's a good, quick read and it's available through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference



Before, Before and Before
Before, during and after just doesn’t apply to this cinematic triptych as it delves deeply into one relationship over many years.  We imagine the ‘before’, we wait for the ‘after’ but we spend the entire time in the ‘during’.  We race our own expectations to a finish line that never quite arrives.  This is an inside view to a world that many of us will recognize in part but none of us have ever seen in full.  An experiential walk through the lives and loves of two people during the moments that are usually hidden behind closed doors or played out in a tune that only two very specific hearts can hear.

The recently concluded Before trilogy of movies takes us to the heights and then drops us into the depths of the relationship of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy).  Before Sunrise has the two twenty-somethings meeting on a train.  They look.  They talk.  They decide to spend the night wandering the streets of Vienna together and, ostensibly, falling in love.  Ah, youth.  When I first saw this movie as a twenty-something myself, I admit my first reaction was, “They sure talk a lot!”  Now, almost twenty years later, my reaction has evolved into “Aww, it’s so nice they talk to each other so much.”  Ah, youth, indeed. 

Before Sunset drags us back into their lives nine years post-youthful Viennese love waltz and transplants us to the café’d streets of Paris.  Are they still in love?  Have they been together the whole time?  Did youthful lust and infatuation evolve into something deeper?  Does singing a waltz that you wrote in honor of one night of pure love to the person you shared that one night with nearly a decade earlier win you the love of your life?  Did they just leave that poor cab driver out there forever?  You’ll have to watch to find out.

But, of course, there’s the third movie, Before Midnight, so we know something happened.  Well, one thing that happened is that Jesse and Celine got old.  (Wait a minute, if I was twenty-something when they were twenty-something and now they’re old…well, darn!)  To me, this is the most real of the three films.  This film takes place in Greece and is where we see the passion of youth and the connection of an actual relationship turn, perhaps, into the deeper, fully-enmeshed linking of two souls in true love.  We see that, as opposed to the other types of love, true love is truly hard.  The lesson here is that imperfect humans are, alas, imperfect but in that shared imperfection you just might find the other heart that sings your perfect song.  I believe Jesse and Celine found it and I hope that all of you find or have found that other imperfect heart to sing you your perfect song.

 -Danielle, Tech Services

Sunrise

http://swan.mls.lib.il.us/search~S1?/tbefore+sunrise/tbefore+sunrise/1%2C3%2C10%2CB/frameset&FF=tbefore+sunrise&7%2C%2C7

Sunset

http://swan.mls.lib.il.us/search~S1?/tbefore+sunset/tbefore+sunset/1%2C3%2C4%2CB/frameset&FF=tbefore+sunset&2%2C%2C2/indexsort=-

Midnight

http://swan.mls.lib.il.us/search~S1?/tbefore+midnight/tbefore+midnight/1%2C6%2C15%2CB/frameset&FF=tbefore+midnight&5%2C%2C9/indexsort=-