The Waltham Public Library will be partnering once again with the Council on Aging to provide our much loved “Afternoon with Books.” This program is presented in the cozy, fireplaced living room area located on the first floor of the Waltham Senior Center. Last year, we talked about a wide array of books, from light fiction to serious non fiction. There are no requirements for these meetings. Simply show up and enjoy tea, cookies, and fun discussion! This is a good chance to make new friends and check out the latest books that the library offers.
Last year’s program included a fascinating discussion and power point presentation about Indian culture presented by Bela Kaul, a library staff member. She told us about the art of henna and even painted some of our participants. It was lots of fun!
We will be meeting on:
Wednesday, October 1st at 3:00PM
Wednesday, November 5th at 3:00PM
Wednesday, December 3rd at 3:00PM
The Waltham Council on Aging is located at 488 Main Street.
image from Waltham Public Library Waltham Room photo collection
Just a quick post to point you to the series that Waltham’s Daily News Tribune recently ran regarding the history and future of Moody Street. The main drag of Waltham once housed several retail stores, and has now become a fixture for several restaurants, including my favorite, Solea. The street has gone through some ups and downs, and the articles really bring some history to light for those like me who weren’t around for the days of Grover Cronin. They will surely bring back a lot of memories for those of you who were.
If you want to learn more about the history of Moody Street and other parts of Waltham, be sure to visit our Waltham room. I also recommend Waltham Rediscoveredby Kristen Peterson which we have both for sale and lending. You can also look at old Grover Cronin ads by browing through our News Tribune microfilm collection.
As the Democratic National Convention winds down in Denver, and the Republican National Convention is gearing up for the Twin Cities, I want to remind everyone about resources available at your library and elsewhere to help you with the upcoming election. While those of you not registered to vote may have missed the deadline to register to vote for the September 16 primary, there is still plenty of time to register for the November 4 general election. Citizens have until October 15. Register at your town or city’s clerk office, or pick up a mail-in voter registration form at our reference desk. You can also download the national voter registration form at the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s website. In addition to downloading the registration form, you can use the site to find your polling place and your state and national representatives. Going to be out of town on November 4, but want a chance to participate in your country’s election? Download an absentee ballot application.
Want some reading to do over the long weekend? Why don’t you take the time to learn about the two major party’s candidates? Both candidates have written their own books about their experiences, including The Audacity of Hopeand Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama; and Worth the Fighting Forand Faith of my Fathersby John McCain. For a look at books written by authors on both sides of the aisle, take a look at our online catalog.
Online, there are several options for finding complete election coverage, but WBUR’s offical election site is one of my favorites. You can listen to speeches, and read blogs covering the conventions and the election trail. There is even a Vote by Issues quiz. Choose a candidate, and then see how much your beliefs on issues lines up with his. You may be surprised (or have what you thought confirmed).
And, as always what’s an election without having a little fun? Head down to our AV department for a copy of the CD, The First Family, a 1960’s parody of John F. Kennedy and his family. “Economy Lunch” is my favorite track, followed closely by the PSA encouraging voters to go out on election day. I knew a lot about world leaders from the 1960’s mainly because of listening to my parents’ copy of the LP. And check out Saturday Night Live’s election page. Included are videos from SNL’s 33 year history of covering presidential politics, including Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton taking a jog to McDonald’s. I hope they start including some of their skits from the 2000 election, which turned a very confusing 6 weeks into a laugh fest.
Anyone who has ever spent more than a few minutes with me knows that I am a die hard Red Sox fan (pre-2004, thank-you very much). I also enjoy reading, and so I like to combine my two interests by reading as much about baseball as I can. Here are two of the books I have read lately about my favorite spectator sport:
Living on the Black by John Feinstein tells the story of the 2007 baseball season through the eyes of pitchers Tom Glavine from the New York Mets and Mike Mussina from the New York Yankees. Both were aging pitchers who were possibly playing their final days of baseball and it was interesting to see the game from their points of view. Even though I abhore the Yankees, I learned about pitching from “Moose” and even found myself feeling sorry for him when he was removed from the Yankees’ pitching rotation last fall. (I did re-experience glee, however, when I read about the Yankees falling to the Cleveland Indians in four games in the American League Division Series). As for Tom Glavine, I have always had a soft spot for him, since he hails from nearby Billerica and there is a lot to be admired about the man who may be the last pitcher with 300 victories. I recently took this 525 page book on vacation with me, and I found it very hard to stop reading. I not only learned a lot about pitching, but about players and teams that I don’t know as well as my beloved Red Sox. I highly reccomend this for any baseball fan, especially for those of you who like a good pitcher’s duel.
Red Sox Rule by Michael Holley. There have been many books written about the local nine since the 2004 series win, some have been fantastic reads, while others more or less simply exploited the recent success of the Red Sox. Red Sox Rule falls into the first category. It’s part biography of Terry Francona and part chronicle of the 2007 championship season. I learned a lot more about Francona than I do listening to his weekly radio interviews and his daily press conferences, including his father who played baseball. The book, while giving details of the 2007 season, mostly follows the evolution of Terry Francona the baseball player to manager and how he became the first manager to lead the Red Sox to a World Series title in 86 years (and follow it up with a second title three years later).
To remedy this situation, I spoke with Deb, The head of our Audio Visual Department, and she said that we should order a few new releases and see how often they get checked out. If they end up being popular, we will order a bunch more, but right now we’re going to start off small. Last week, we got the new No Use for a Name, the not so new Flogging Molly, and, by the end of the month, we should have the new Gaslight Anthem album.
I know that it’s a slow start, but our punk rock collection will grow. Come on in and check out our new releases and our catalog. If we don’t own what you are looking for, you can request that we order it.
Here are a few of my favorite CDs from other Minuteman Libraries:
If you read my last post, you know that I’ve been spending my time reading about food. And, now, I find myself more food obsessed than ever. This month, I have tried a bunch of new restaurants and have also been searching out new recipes. So, to go along with my food themed month, here are some of the cookbooks that I have checked or plan to check out in the near future:
Two of my favorite things are food and travel. Last month, I read a handful of non-fiction books about travel. This month, I’m dedicating my reading time to several of our new non-fiction books about food.
Here are two books that I’m looking forward to reading:
The Waltham Public Library is once again hosting its summer reading programs for children and young adults. The Young Adult Summer Reading Program is open to teens and tweens in grades 6-12 and is now available online! It’s really easy (and safe) to sign up online, and once you do, you can keep track of all of the books that you read this summer and even write book reviews. If you prefer, you can still do the Young Adult Reading Program in person at the reference desk (starting Tuesday, June 24). Every book that you read gives you a chance to win a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble. The first 70 teens who sign up get a free ice cream at Lizzy’s Homemade Ice Cream on Moody Street. You can read anything you want, from books to magazines to graphic novels, to listening to audio books. You can include the books that you’re reading for school summer reading but you don’t have to. For more information, visit the Young Adult Home Page or e-mail Laura Bernheim. (781-314-3435)
Thanks to the Friends of the Waltham Public Library, Lizzy’s Homemade Ice Cream, and the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems.
If you’ve ever imagined yourself in a hot air balloon you will have an idea of the views given in bird’s eye maps. The Boston Public Library’s Leventhal Map Center has an exhibit through the end of June of such maps from all over New England. There is even one of Waltham, done in 1877. Of course, The Waltham Public Library’s Local History room also has its own version, called View of Waltham, done in 1875. Come in to the library to see if you can spot any differences in the two versions, which we currently have on display outside the Waltham Room.
I have to admit that although I love to read, I really enjoying watching television. And, now I am sad to say that the current tv season has ended. Luckily, there are several shows on DVD. I have been able to catch up on some current hits that I may have missed, as well as relived some favorites from my childhood. The Waltham Public Library has a variety of these tv shows, including Six Feet Under, which I discovered this way. I was also able to catch my new favorite show, Ugly Betty, from the beginning. I’m also currently in the middle of viewing Buffy the Vampire Slayer a show which features as one of its heroes, a librarian! (I can’t believe I never watched the show until now) Check out the whole tv series collection in the AV Annex in the library.
