Celebrate Father’s Day with a visit to the library
By Frank Dehler
Circulation & Public Services Coordinator
Students from Jack and Jill Nursery School raised $500 to help fund programs at the York Public Library with a benefit concert back in April. Last week, the students presented their check to Robert Waldman and Kathleen Whalin, seen here with just a few of the children in the library’s Children’s Room. Waldman said the support from Jack and Jill is very much appreciated, and added that these young students who make use of the library will grow up to be "lifelong library lovers."
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
Father's Day, June 17, comes at a wonderful time of the year to remember and celebrate our dads and the many gifts they have given us. It's also an ideal moment to kick back and indulge again in one of the most pleasurable of pastimes - summer reading.
Some of these books, new at the library, may appeal to the special men in your life.
"Not Your Usual Founding Father: Selected Readings from Benjamin Franklin," edited by Edmund Morgan. Slogging through Ben's autobiography as a seventh-grader at Boston Latin School, I never imagined I would come to appreciate the extraordinary humanity and stunning range of talents of this fellow alumnus. This collection, drawn from Franklin's journals, letters and other lesser-known writings, reveals the full measure of the man - his humor, tastes, inexhaustible intellectual energy and political genius.
For those with an interest in modern American military history, James Carroll's "House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power" is a sweeping, exhaustively researched look at arguably the country's most powerful institution. National Book Award winner Carroll combines an unstintingly polemical view with factual accuracy in this iconoclastic work.
Among recently acquired biographies, "Tchaikovsky: The Man and his Music" by David Brown, has received rave reviews for its lively account of the composer's life and its superb description and evocation of his music. Crafted for the general reader with little or no grasp of technical musical jargon, this is an enticing introduction to Russia's best-loved composer and his unforgettable music.
For the fresh-water fisherman in your life, "Fly Fishing: the Lifetime Sport" by David and Cheryl Young, is a richly illustrated and informative guide to the art and science of fly fishing. Comprehensive, but lucidly organized and written, this is an ideal reference work for beginners, intermediates and experts alike.
"Imperium," by Robert Harris, is a novel set in ancient Rome that follows the rise of a senator in the violent and treacherous world of Roman politics at the time of Julius Caesar. Harris, a master of innovative historical fiction, vividly portrays one man's insatiable quest for glory and power against an exotic but also eerily familiar backdrop.
Matthew Klein's first novel, "Con Ed," is a slick and funny tale about a grifter whose son has run afoul of the Russian mob. Taking the reader on a fast-paced journey into the world of con-men, this page-turner will keep you fully engaged until the big surprise at the end.
A book entitled "Mothers and Sons" seems more appropriate for Mother's Day reading, but Colm Toibin's new collection of emotionally intense short stories about men and their mothers is good reading regardless of the holiday you're celebrating. These nine stories center on a transformative moment that alters the delicate balance of power between mother and son.
Many other appealing new books are on our shelves, or can be requested through our Minerva consortium - start your summer reading now at the library!
