Daniel Black’s They Tell Me of a Home is like watching an episode of The Maury Show or The Jerry Springer Show — without the commercials. Entertained by someone else’s drama, it kept me flipping pages.
Tommy Lee Tyson, the main character in this book, has some important lessons to learn. And his hometown in Arkansas, which he leaves so abruptly at age 18 — when, free from parental control, he gets as far away from as he can — is just the place to learn them. At the age of 28, Tommy Lee Tyson is returning home the same way he left, on a Greyhound bus with luggage in hand.
All families have a few skeletons, but no one could be prepared for the rattling skeletons this family has. To top it off, the strange relationship he's had with his parents is finally explained and he comes to a better understanding of why there has always been a strange tension. Predictably, Tommy Lee Tyson is faced with a life altering decision that’ll put him on the road to fulfilling his destiny. Though he is not quite emotionally prepared for what he has to face, his Ph.D. in African-American studies will come in handy.
Even though I expected it to end the way it does, author Black had a way of ending the novel with a curveball. He is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading his other books.
Copies of They Tell Me of a Home are available at Queens Library.
Sweating can be a physical problem—for some it may be difficult to sweat due to a medical condition called anhidrosis, for others perspiration can be uncomfortable and embarrassing especially when you’re the one who tends to perspire more than others and for women it can be one of the many symptoms of the M-word known as menopause—and a mental problem, as in sweating the small stuff. Are you a worrier? There’s an book titled Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, the ideal guide for assisting those among us who tend to sweat the small stuff and for those who want to continue not sweating the small stuff.
This book is broken down into brief chapters pertaining to the simple things in life and the not so simple things in life that can have us breaking a sweat. After reading this book in its simplistic format, I’ve learned how not to sweat the small stuff. In one of the chapters Carlson advises not to sweat the idea of having a totally empty “inbox” because the fact of the matter is when we die our inboxes will be full. In the same way when you drive, no matter how fast you drive and no matter how many cars you pass, there will always be a car ahead of you. So why sweat it? There’s no need, Carlson assures us. Carlson also brings out a good point for us working people who commute in our vehicles, he suggest pulling over for a few minutes to release the weight of the day, so when you arrive home you’ll be free of excess baggage and the weight of the day that could otherwise cause an evening at home to short circuit. Now for those who rely on public transportation—many of us here in Queens—the same can apply just by allowing yourself to shift gears mentally by reading a book, listening to music or just by mentally releasing the day, freeing up your brainpower and energy for your evening agenda. Do this, and soon you’ll be on your way to living the life of “not sweating the small stuff” and remember it is all small stuff.
“Hi, I’m Bob.” This was the opening to my short-lived, recurring segment on Ha! (the cable TV station that eventually merged with The Comedy Channel to form Comedy Central).That series of short sketches was called “Bob, the Video Guy” and in 30 seconds I would review an entire shelf’s worth of movies.It was filmed at the Tower Video store on the Upper East Side where I was the manager. We only made half a dozen “Bob, the Video Guy” segments, but my career with Tower lasted 15 more years.Then I became a librarian and now I’m writing a blog, promoting some entertainment options available at your local Queens library.This entry’s theme is “My life as mirrored in the movies.”Two very good movies have been made about working in a record store, Empire Records (1995) and High Fidelity (2000).Both films get it right when it comes to music geeks, shoplifters and the record retail attitude.Empire Records is closest to my personal experience (many speculate the script is based on Tower Records) but despite the attention to retail details, the story is a little too far-fetched. High Fidelity comes in second overall but is hands-down the winner in the soundtrack category.That, plus great performances by John Cusack and Jack Black make it another almost-great movie.For me, the love story sections bring the movie down and I thought the book by Nick Hornby was better.Read it, watch it, and let me know what you think.What about the Jack Black video store homage Be Kind Rewind?Sorry, I didn’t like it.On to my new career as portrayed in You’re a Big Boy Now (1967) and Party Girl (1995).Francis Ford Coppola’s UCLA master’s thesis project You’re a Big Boy Now is the story of young Bernard who works for his father at the main branch of the New York Public Library.Dad is the curator of incunabula and doesn’t take kindly to his son’s naïveté and distracted work ethic. So Dad sets Bernard up in his own Greenwich Village apartment in the hope that his “big boy” will grow into a man.Hilarity and hi-jinks ensue as Bernard awkwardly comes of age amongst the denizens of Manhattan in the mid-sixties.Of the films mentioned here, You’re a Big Boy Now is my favorite and as soon as it gets a proper DVD release I will make sure that Queens Library gets plenty of copies.The Party Girl is Parker Posey, playing a NY raver who gets in trouble for her illegal rent parties.She seeks help from her godmother who is the manager/librarian at a branch of the New York Public Library. Working as a circulation clerk while falling in love with a falafel vendor, the party girl begins to grow up and show some signs of maturity.But is it too late?The scene where she catalogs her DJ roommate’s dance records foreshadows the inevitable conclusion and is truly hilarious, especially to a librarian who used to sell records for a living. Like me.That’s all for today.Until next time, I’m Bob.The Video Guy.
Rover is a well-loved sheep dog who has a nice big doghouse all to himself.It is a beautiful day but instead of playing, he is chewing on a bone. He is bored and wants someone to play with.However, Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate because all of a sudden a storm blows in.Rover is very disappointed.With that the refrain starts, “Rover’s in the doghouse, sleeping through the storm. . . Then a succession of animals, beginning with a cat, look for shelter.They tell him, “Move over, Rover!”As the doghouse gets more crowded, the illustrations start to show uncomfortable animals, squeezed in with not enough room for a pea.The kids will love hearing this book read to them over and over again and will enjoy the appearance of the skunk as well as the familiar refrain of “move over, Rover!” The rhyming text is great for a read-aloud.The illustrations capture the storyline perfectly.Check out Ms. Beaumont’s other great books, including: I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More; I Like Myself; Doggone Dogs! and Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?
It’s been called a Diary of a Wimpy Kid for girls, and to some extent that’s true. The Popularity Papers, by Amy Ignatow, has the humor, diary format, drawings, and recognizable school, family and social situations that make the “Wimpy Kid” franchise so popular. But The Popularity Papers offers tween readers more that just a silly take on adolescent life.The book is in the form of a shared diary. Sixth graders Lydia and Julie record their observations of popular junior high school girls, in the hopes that they themselves will be popular some day. The book is laugh-out-loud funny at times, but even more appealing are Lydia and Julie’s personalities, revealed through their written comments, drawings, and even their penmanship.Their “research” into the mysterious ways of popular girls eventually draws Lydia and Julie into new experiences that expand their circle of friends and begin to pull them apart. The friendship problems faced by the girls are sure to ring true to readers in grades 4 through junior high. The book is also filled with other characters that are multi-dimensional and believable, rather than the typical school-story stereotypes (mean girl, nerdy boy, etc.). Lydia’s Goth older sister Melody, for example, turns out to be more than just a sullen teen. Also refreshing is the book’s matter-of-fact treatment of Julie’s nontraditional family. She has two dads, but that’s not a problem or even the focus of the story.There’s a lesson in this book—that’s there’s more to a person than first meets the eye—but it’s conveyed in a way that is light-hearted, not heavy-handed. The many Diary of a Wimpy Kid books may be funny, but I’ll take The Popularity Papers for its combination of humor and heart.
The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak.I just loved this title; “The Day We *Found* the Universe?”I thought “It was hiding somewhere?”Well, Edwin Hubble found it under his bed, or more accurately, Hubble built a telescope strong enough to see beyond our Milky Way, and on December 30, 1924, he shared his discovery with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and so astronomy as we understand it was born.This history of the study of astronomy is fascinating, and accessible to non-scientists.From chapters entitled “A Rather Remarkable Number of Nebulae” to “Your Calculations Are Correct, but Your Physical Insight Is Abominable” Bartusiak provides a basis to understand how the development of stronger tools to study our world does control how we understand it, and alludes to the problems of empiricism, how we can only know what we can see or hear.If we only know the universe through what instruments allow us to see, how can we understand how big infinity really is? And how can we possibly understand our world if we can’t know what we don’t know until we build stronger tools?
I was perusing the paperback romance display (yes, I like romances and I don’t make excuses for it) when I bent a little lower to check the authors towards the end of the alphabet.Like magic I was drawn to a pinkish purple cover and what I picked up was The Wish List by Gabi Stevens . With the thrill of discovery making my hands tingle, I read the back cover – ooh fairy godmothers live among us and Kristin Montgomery is just finding that out! Even better she has magical powers that will be manifesting during this “Time of Transition” although Kristin, content with her work as a CPA, isn’t sure she wants this major life change. Add in a southern California setting, a wizard, a sorcerer and other magical folks and we “Groundlings” are in for a very enjoyable time.I read and enjoyed the Harry Potter books and The Wish List is a similar kind of fantasy with more grownup sex appeal.There are some sizzling scenes, but it is hard to characterize this as a paranormal romance or a fantasy with romance which is why you may find this title in the romance section of the library or in the science fiction section.If you have been wishing for a book with magic, contemporary romance, and a sense of humor give The Wish List a try.
Are you shufflin'? Topping the Billboard this summer at #1 Top 100 is LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem. If you haven't heard of it yet, you are probably confined somewhere secluded and have not been out in the social world. LMFAO is a uncle/nephew electro-hop duo from California. Most of their songs entails "party rocking", which is a combination "partying" and "rocking", according to LMFAO. Party Rock Anthem became an international hit overseas. And now, it has taken over America. The lyrics are fairly simple. You're going to "party 'til you lose your mind; everybody just have a good time". And shufflin' is the dance for the song. "Shufflin" is essentially the a modified version of the "Melbourne Shuffle", a popular Australian dance move back the in the '90s. So what made this song number 1? If it can't possibly be the lyrics, then it must be the catchy soon-to-be-stuck-in-your-head beat. If not, maybe the music video is the seller. The MV is essentially LMFAO waking up to a world of shufflin' zombies, who gets obsessed with the song and shuffles constantly. Whatever the case maybe, I have a feeling that this is going to be the summer song of 2011.
Have you ever heard of the phrase “Oldies but Goodies”? Assassin’s Creed II comes to my mind, especially coming back from Italy just a few weeks ago. I was able to recognize the layout of Florence and Venice without ever once visiting it. Why? I have actually been there before many times, studying the map and locating their viewpoints. I’ve even climbed on top of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and jumped off Giotto’s Campanile. I am, of course, talking about the game. The game continues from the first Assassin’s Creed, but you don’t really need to play it to appreciate the second one. Essentially, it’s a story inside a story. You go inside the main character head the first time and end up in the Crusades. The second time? 15th Century Italy. You are Ezio Auditore di Firenze, and you are about to encounter conspiracies, murder, and vengeance. Oh, and you are also descended from assassins, and you're friends with Leonardo da Vinci. Aren’t you glad you don’t have this much drama in real life? (If you do, I doubt you would be reading a game blog right now.)AC2 is visually stunning. With every famous site you encounter, the game actually gives you a bit of history. Firenze, Monteriggioni , San Gimignano, Forlì, and Venezia, these are just some of the locations you get to visit (and loot, pillage, trade, kill, etc.). But what makes the AC series unique is that your assassin is a parkour. He can run, jump, and climb exceptionally.To find out more about the story of the game, just watch the YouTube video. If you have nothing else to do, watch this! --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKrtbUinWOU (It's a literal song of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood trailer. I cracked up, maybe you would too.)
I’ve never been one to sing in the shower. I don’t understand the appeal. I need musical accompaniment and it’s too hard to hear the music over the water. Not to mention the amount of water you’re wasting, while showering for half an hour so you can pretend you’re Lady Gaga (or Justin Bieber, whatever your preference).
That being said, the place I will never hesitate to perform is in my car. Yes, I realize the shower is more private. And, I certainly realize that other drivers can see me as I belt out a tune and dance in my seat (mostly at stop lights). But I don’t care. Shakespeare said the whole world is a stage and I take that to mean that Jamaica Avenue is absolutely included.
Also, I almost exclusively listen to the radio. Sure I own a ton of (now antiquated) CDs. I even own quite the fancy portable music player, which I immediately set to shuffle. Because while I do love every song on that device, nothing beats the feeling of driving in your car and having a song you love unexpectedly playing on the radio, (but shuffle is second best and the odds are higher that I will love the song that randomly comes on).
There is not much that beats driving with the windows open and the radio turned up and then a song you haven’t heard in while comes on. And, that song reminds you of who you were with and how you felt when you first heard it. Maybe you were in love, maybe you had a broken heart, or maybe you were out dancing with friends. Whatever the mood, music has a way of instantly enhancing how you’re feeling.
Of course, once I hear a song I love I need to be able to hear it as many times as I want until I’m sick of it, something that typically doesn’t take all that long. This is another reason it’s so great that the library has an extensive CD collection at many Queens Library locations. I can borrow a CD, pop it into my computer or car CD player and be singing along in no time.