Reference@TBML

Book Review

All That Road Going by A.G. Mojtabai

 

Taking its title from a passage in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, A.G. Mojtabai’s new book, All That Road Going, shares much with its titular antecedent as well as veering far away. Chronicling a cross-country bus trip, All That Road Going, visits softly and fleetingly with the down-and-out and dispossessed Greyhound riders. Mojtabai skillfully brings us along on this long journey and in the eerie flashes of streetlights we find commonalities with fellow passengers, while in the harsh waiting room lights we find alienation. What is so absorbing and heartbreaking about this book is that Mojtabai never assumes an air of condescension toward her subjects; rather she locates and explores that which binds all of us together.

Recommended reading.

Click here to read a passage from her book as published in the Texas Observer. BES 

Las Cruces Railroad Museum Book Clubs

That's right, soon there will be not one, but two new book clubs in Las Cruces; one for adults and one for 4th and 5th graders. So, if you are a reader, you have a growing number of book clubs to...well, on second thought, why choose one over another? Better yet, participate in them all.

Both of these newest additions to the Las Cruces reading scene will be at the Las Cruces Railroad Museum. (the historic Santa Fe Railroad Depot at 351 Mesilla St. at the corner of Mesilla St. and Las Cruces Ave.) and have a railroad/train theme. The adult book club is called the "Rail Readers" and will meet at 11:00 a.m on the third Wednesday of each month beginning on 13 August. The "Rail Readers Student Edition Book Club" is the name of the club for kids. Beginning on the 17th of September, they will meet monthly on the third Wednesday at 3:00 pm.

The book for the first "Rail Readers" meeting will be Agatha Christie's masterpiece Murder on the Orient Express. Again, that will be on Wednesday 13 August at 11:00 am. The first book that the "Rail Readers Student Edition Book Club" will read and discuss is Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet. The first five people to call Joanne at 647-4480 and register to attend each opening session will get to borrow a museum copy of the book for the meeting.

You can also call Joanne at 647-4480 for more information about either club.  MP

I Would Prefer Not To

“I Would Prefer Not To,” a refrain from Herman Melville’s short story, "Bartleby, the Scrivener", could be the song of office workers the world over. The story chronicles the antagonism and resistance both between office worker and supervisor and the office worker and the office.

In honor of this great gift to the white-collar workforce, we celebrate August 1^st which marks the birthday of Herman Melville—one of the U.S.’s most famous authors. Although most well known for his epic work Moby Dick, Melville published 11 novels, several collections of poetry, and one book of short stories. He achieved his fame early in life with his novels inspired by his trips to the South Pacific and Hawaii. At the age of 32, when Moby Dick was published, Melville had slipped into veritable anonymity. His work had lost favor and Moby Dick sold few copies. In the 1920’s (30 years after his death), Herman Melville’s work enjoyed a revival with Moby Dick quickly being identified as a masterpiece. Visit the online annotated version of Moby Dick for some help with those lengthy passages.

Herman Melville’s work explores both language and the world with humor and sensitivity--and is well worth the time. Check out one of his books today or check out the excellent Melville Biography by Andrew Delbanco.

Visit the extensive (but infrequently updated) site, The Life and Works of Herman Melville, for a plethora of Melville related information.

Planning a trip to the East Coast? Visit Melville’s home in Massachusetts (http://www.mobydick.org/). BES

Reading Art

A “Reading Art” book club has been formed at the Las Cruces Museum of Art. In conjunction with the upcoming exhibit “Rodin in His Own Words: Sculpture from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation,” two books on Rodin will be discussed at 2:30 p.m. on August 12th at the museum. The books are: The Shape of Genius by Ruth Butler and Auguste Rodin by Maria Rilke Rainer. The public is invited to attend if you would like to learn more about this artist. If you have questions, please contact Julia Hansen, Volunteer Coordinator at the museum, at 541-2322.

Thomas Branigan Memorial Library has three other books available for check-out on Rodin:

 

Rodin by Raphael Masson

Auguste Rodin: Drawings and Watercolors

The World of Rodin by William Harlan Hale.  DH

Summer Blockbusters

It’s blockbuster season and in the spirit of all things bloated and over-the-top (but oh-so-good), here are some resources for film buffs.

 For reviews, check out Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to reviews, the site features previews, box office stats, and opening dates (when is that new X-Files movie coming out?).

 How big is director Guillermo del Toro’s comic book collection? The Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB) has the answer. IMDB offers up an extensive amount of information on movies, T.V. shows, actors, and directors.

 For those of you interested in classic movies, the Turner Classic Movies Database offers a wealth of information. Attractive and easy to navigate, this site is highly recommended.

 And finally, for those of you browsing the library, check out one of the following books:

The A-List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films

Or

The Village Voice Film Guide: 50 Years of Movies from Classics to Cult Hits

BES.

Book Review

Here’s a recommended book: The Counselor by Theodore (Ted) Sorensen. Just published in May, it is suggested for those who want to learn more about the presidency of John F. Kennedy. Sorenson, who was Kennedy’s Special Counsel and speechwriter offers fascinating insider information. While you may be aware of some important events that occurred during Kennedy’s presidency (such as the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, and Vietnam), Sorensen sheds new light about these and other events before, during, and after JFK’s time in office. The Counselor is an absorbing and thought-provoking read that gave me new appreciation for both John Kennedy and Ted Sorensen. TW

Click here to see if the book is on our shelves. And click here to listen to a NPR interview with Sorensen.