The Library

[Steph]

The Library Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out. Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us. We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not). Let the book talk begin here!

*Suggestion Box for Future Discussions
*SeniorLearn's Archives  
 

No, I saw Bill Crystal on TV just recently and it is easy to believe his age. He has not aged well as far as looks are concerned. Still very funny however.

[MaryPage]

Take it easy!  Take it easy!
I have a daughter who just turned 65 (we called it her Medicare birthday) on Friday.  We had a great luncheon party and celebrated in high style.
My oldest is son Rob, who turned 67 on September 7.

[Tomereader1]

I thought Billy looked quite good for his age.

[JeanneP]

Is your daughter going to retire? She just made it under where have added months.  One of mine would have to be 66 and the other one did not work many years but she would have to be 68.  I took mine at 62 . That was long  enough even though I enjoyed the work.  Just not enough free time.  I did 42years.

[MaryPage]

No, she is going to work as long as she can.  I had planned to work full time until age 70, but was feeling too fatigued and had to retire at 69 instead.  Not claiming my Social Security until age 69 increased my payment by quite a lot, so I am glad I was able to go at least that long.  Then I went to work part time, twelve hours a week.  Did that for 6 years and quit entirely for 4 blissful years, and then went back to work (for zero pay and a lot of cost to me) 4½ years ago for my son-in-law due to the dreadful recession.  Still working 16 to 19 hours a week!  I would never have believed it would work out this way.  But hey, looks like things are picking up a little bit.  Maybe in another year or two I'll be able to hire someone to take my place and really, really, really retire!  Whoopee!

[Steph]

I retired early, but not do claim social security until later. We had decided to quit the regular businessworld and get involved in neat things to do that did not pay very much.. Had several small storesand several other small businesses. Great fun, I adored my used book store, but it is not a business to make money in at all.

[MaryPage]

I hear ya!
But still, it is one of the things on my "I wish I could have done in this life" list.  So I count you lucky in that regard.

[Steph]

I agree. YOu dont have that many walk in customers in a used book store, but you have such faithful readers . You feel as if they are your own family.. I loved it.. Only gave it up because we decided we wanted to see the USA on the ground..

[JeanneP]

Growing up I just loved hanging around old book stores in UK. We did have 3 here in Urbana but the last one closed last month. Must be some still in the area towns as the owners line up for hours ai the library the first day of their book sale. I have stopped trying to find old crochet and knitting books.they get them first.

[Frybabe]

While browsing manybooks.net, I was surprised to find a short story by Paulo Coelho. At first I thought it was some kind of archery manual by the looks of the cover picture.

http://manybooks.net/titles/coelhopother09way_of_the_bow.html

[Steph]

I agree. In our library book sale, the first things gone are sheet music... foreign language dictioneres.. and all sorts of pattern books, knitting, crochet,etc, etc. I would guess that there are not many print books done in this any more.

[JeanneP]

There must be things that sell well for those dealers to line up and wait 6 hours for library to open.

[Steph]

There is now an app from Amazon. YOu scan the code and it will tell you how popular a book is and if it is being asked for. All of the dealers tend to use this, plus the book scouts..The strangest things are considered valuable.

[JeanneP]

I just picked up some more books at library. I saw the Movie. "Devil wears Prada" but did not read book. They just brought the Sequel in LP called "Revenge Wears Prada" Bet will be another Merle Street. movie. Will start it tonight.

[Steph]

Iloved the movie, never read the book.. I am busy playing, what stays all winter and what goes home with me.. Sigh..

[ginny]

I am reading From Scratch, Inside the Food Network, the new book by Allen Salkin, it just came out.

It's marvelous, you can't put it down. If you have ever watched Emeril  or Martha Stewart,  Ina Garten,
Sandra Lee, Paula Deen, Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain, Guy Fieri, Rachel Ray, or any of the shows and know who they are talking about, then it's really an eye opener. On the front it says  Big Personalities, High Drama, the Extraordinary Behind the Scenes Story. And it is that.

It's not anything like I thought it would be,  but then what is? I bet there is not one person reading this who has not watched one of their shows, or seen one of the people in the book. It's fascinating. Very surprising.

Very.  Really enjoying it.

 What a great response to the last Survey!  We need to get a new one up, let's find out how you feel about the Library. Hold on!

[ginny]

Ok here's Poll #4:

Question:    Reader's Poll #4:  Where do you get most of your books?

Borrow only from a library    - 4 (19%)

Buy all my books    - 5 (23.8%)

Borrow some; buy some    - 9 (42.9%)

Other (Please tell us more in the library)    - 3 (14.3%)


Total Voters: 21

That's interesting!  Check out Poll  #5 now  appearing on top of the Library page!

[maryz]

I checked "other".  I support my library any way I can - including being in the Friends of the Library, having served on their board, working at book sales, etc.  But I read all my books on my e-reader, so almost never check out a book.  John uses the library a lot.

[BarbStAubrey]

I like to refer back to most of the books I read that will have a slip holding a place with a particular quote that meant something and the other reason I have many books going on at the same time and so often do not finish a book in the two weeks for current popular books or 3 weeks for the remaining library books and with used books so easy to have delivered I buy 99% of my books.

[JoanK]

Come join us in Persuasion tomorrow.

[jane]

I marked the first and the last one. I'm a very big believer in public libraries. I think they provide a wonderful service for citizens and help children learn to read and improve their reading.  It allows families access to books and DVDs that would be financially impossible for many of them. 

I've supported them with financial donations and with volunteer work there.

jane

[JeanneP]

Libraries. They have always been my second home every since I was a young person.  Like one big book store that has lots of other things going. Now they do so much more but at the moment having to do it with less staff.  Thank goodness it is a University town and we get lots of volunteers along with people living in the area.

They are changing. Just hope they can hold on to some of the old ways. We do have to have security walking through ours now.  So close to both Jr. High and High school.. Become a hang out for after school groups.

[pedln]

I always have some books checked out from the library. Some get read, some get returned unread, but we can renew twice, three weeks each time, so 9 weeks all told, if needed.

However, I'm finding that I now read fewer books from the library, and am reading more on my Kindle, or gift books, or books from the used book store.

I'm reading Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings right now and it will probably take the full nine weeks.  They're interesting, but so self-absorbed.  Also reading Rachel Kushner's Telex from Cuba on my Kindle.  We knew many Cubans when we lived in Puerto Rico who fled the island when Castro took over.  Am also reading a paperback by James Patterson -- Now You See Her.  It's not particularly engaging.  He sure wrote a lot of books, probably hurried them a bit.

[Steph]

Gave up on Patterson, when he turned into a factory.. Packing,, cleaning, generally driving myself nuts. Will leave Sunday for home.

[marjifay]

I have liked most of Patterson's Alex Cross books, especially ALEX CROSS'S TRIAL (2009), which was actually about his great uncle Alex Cross who lived in the early Deep South.  It's very suspenseful, with realistic atmosphere and characters,  and gives you a good idea of what it must have been like to live there at that time when blacks were still being lynched.  I have his latest Alex Cross book, CROSS MY HEART on hold at the library.

Marj

[marjifay]

I love it now that the library has an online catalog which lets you put books, movies, etc. on hold. So nice now that I no longer drive but can have my son easily pick them up for me.

I used to walk 2 miles every Saturday when I was a young girl in Omaha, Nebraska, to the Saturday movie matinee (2 movies and a serial for 10 cents!) and then to the library.

Marj

[Frybabe]

My library has a service, called STAR (Service to Adult Readers), for those who are homebound. They will deliver and pick up your books for you. It appears that it is limited to Large Print and Audiobooks. I am assuming that most libraries have a similar service.

Having the online catalog is tremendously helpful to me because my eyes usually glaze over in the presence of rows and rows of books. I skim too fast and miss things unless I am going for something specific. The same goes for ordering online. Besides, I like to check the book reviews before picking out a book I might run across that looks interesting.

Right now, I am almost done with a Dana Stabenow, two more sitting on the coffee table TBR, along with a book of SciFi short stories by Jack Campbell. Also, I need to start reading Persuasion . Usually I have some or all of the first chapters read for our book discussions; I feel behind already.

[PatH]

Don't worry, Frybabe, we'll wait for you if necessary.

Persuasion will be quite a different take on the navy than Jack Campbell.

[PatH]

This morning's paper has an obituary of Marcella Hazan, 89.  I'm a big fan of her cookbooks, which have fairly foolproof recipes, designed to bring out the flavor of quality ingredients, and to combine flavors in a way that works.  Her recipes range from simple to complicated, but when she has picky details they are there for a good reason, as you find out if you try to simplify.

[nlhome]

Our library has online links to download books for readers and for audio. We're also looking at possible music downloads. There's a book club for adults and one for middle school children, in addition to the usual preschool story programs. There's also a small film club. We don't have good space for all of the activities we'd like to have. There's an online catalog and on-line inter-library loan requests, email notice of when a requested book is in and email notice of book due dates a couple of days in advance, with a link to renew if possible for that book. I think there's a book list option online as well. We have adult programming, everything from authors to artists to "green" energy and solar, to history. We've also had programs on Medicare and Social Security and demonstrations on how to use the Medicare Plan Finder. Our library director even instructed the city council members on how to use their I-Pads for keeping track of meeting materials. It's a wonderful community resource.

I make at least one trip to the library every week.

[BarbStAubrey]

I knew her name but never saw her or read her cook book - the female cook that I liked and who we lost 15 or so years ago already is Simone Beck who was a partner with Julia Child and then wrote a few cookbooks on her own.

Interesting the various chefs that must be featured in different parts of the country or maybe it is because I seldom to ever watch daytime TV or Network TV - I spend 90% of my TV watching PBS.

I had never heard of nor seen Allen Salkin, yes, I know Martha Stewart and own several of her books, used to subscribe to her magazine,  never saw Ina Garten but own one of her books, do not know or have ever seen Sandra Lee, online her photo is of a very attractive woman. Yes, even own one of Paula Deen's books , saw Bobby Flay maybe 2 or 3 times but not on his cooking show as a guest on maybe Charlie Rose, have no idea who Anthony Bourdain is, Guy Fieri I see on that show, forget the name of the chef but he shouts at everyone and has a red flame like devil as one of his logos, and yes, Rachel Ray who I was shocked to learn she lives in the backwoods of one of the lake regions in upper NY.

Maybe it is my age showing but I tend to know, watch and read Jacques Pépin, Nigel Slater, John Besh, Heston Blumenthal, Rick Bayless, Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver, Martin Yan, Ming Tsai, Paul Prudhomme, Emeril Lagasse, Hubert Keller, Lidia Bastianich, José Andrés. I do like watching that country test kitchen thing but have no idea the names - several cooks with easy downhome kind of cooking.

There are others who drive me nuts so I turn them off like that John Folse, Steven Raichlen and Mario Batali oh yes, and that guy who yells at everyone.

It would be fun to learn who are y'alls favorite chefs from either TV or from their cookbooks - it would be fun to see the kind of food we admire even if we do not eat that way. Does anyone have a collection of cookbooks?

[PatH]

"Does anyone have a collection of cookbooks?"

I'm a cookbook junkie.  I have shelves of cookbooks.  Some are good reading, and I buy them to read, not expecting to cook from them.  Simone Beck is both good reading and good cooking.  But I do do a lot of cooking, and still try new recipes frequently.  I don't watch cooking shows much, partly because I don't have cable, partly because many of them seem more like showmanship than cooking.  Jose Andrés is familiar to me since one of his restaurants is in Bethesda, where I live, and there are others downtown in DC, and in Virginia near JoanP.

A current writer who has impressed me is MarK Bittmann.  He used to write a weekly column for the New York Times, and still writes other things for them.  He has a cookbook, How to Cook Everything, plus a vegetarian version, that I would recommend to anyone wanting a general cookbook.  His recipes are straightforward and work well.  They are followed by many variations to change the flavors, and there are many discussions of technique and pitfalls.

[JeanneP]

I also have lots and lots of cook books. Been a collector for years as I have always loved to cook.  I wanted to train to be a Chef in Europe but they sort of laughed at women then.  I have 2 cookbooks from the 1700s and it is amazing how we still use some of the  herbs and spices they did then.  Back then it was mostly to cover spoiled meat but got perfected over the years.. Have a couple of War time books showing how to use different things. Make Rudabagga into Pineapple tasting.  I love my Amish books and have one Indian from  the 1800 was not suppose to go out of India so don't know where I got it.  Think the person gave it me her Parents lived in India when the British ran it.
Don't know what will do with them as my daughters don't cook and my granddaugher never does. They Hate it. Rather eat out or order in.

[salan]

Jamie Ford (Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet) has a new book out, Songs of Willow Frost.  I checked it out from our library yesterday and have started it.  So far, so good.
Sally

[PatH]

My 40 year old daughter says that her contemporaries are a generation whose parents didn't know how to cook, so they didn't learn and don't know how either.  So that's probably the wave of the future.  She's an excellent cook; I taught her what I knew, and she's built on it since, so she can really impress people when she cooks for them.

JeanneP, I envy you that old Indian cookbook.  I do a fair bit of Indian cooking, mostly from the cookbooks of Madhur Jaffrey.  It's not difficult in terms of technique, but you have to acquire a new set of spices and ingredients (Jaffrey helps you with this).  Once you have them in stock, you're all set.

[BarbStAubrey]

Is Indian cooking difficult? So much of the Chinese food uses ingredients that are new to me and often preparing the sauces and meats seem like a long term affair.

I do not do barbeque very well so for that we order out - I only do a few fish dishes and that is what I would like to get into next - pulling out all those little bones seems like a lot of work compared to meat dishes but fish is lighter on the tongue which today suits me more than a heavy meal.

I liked the cookbooks that were filled with menus - shows what foods are best paired together and that is how I learned to couple various dishes -

I usually have a field day when I visit my daughter's at Christmas time - there are folks to cook for - it gets limiting cooking just for myself but I am proud of myself - decided last February, no more processed foods or frozen dinners - I will buy fruits and veggies frozen as long as they are not in a sauce just fresh frozen. The only canned I do is tuna and condiments and I use Ezekiel bread - I lost over 20 pounds in 2 months just eliminating processed foods.

I do not even think twice now - if I am tired and hungry it is too easy to put a bunch of veggies cut in chunks in some silver foil with maybe a frozen hamburger patty or piece of frozen cooked chicken and stick it in the oven while I shower or watch the news on TV - no timer or anything I can smell when it is done which is usually in 15 or 20 minutes -

Would take me that long to stop and pick up a frozen dinner or call a restaurant, drive out of my way to pick up the order. One of my favorites is to slice up a zucchini and throw it in the same pot with spaghetti - when it is done I empty the water and right in the pot add cut up tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil from the herb patch then sprinkle on some Pecorino - the whole thing takes about 10 minutes.  

[kidsal]

I have a zillion cooking magazines -- like to read them but not a cook.  Living alone it is difficult to cook from the recipes as I will be eating the same thing for days. 
Have three libraries -- two city and one college.  Rarely go as I have a habit of writing in my books and the library takes a dim view.

[Frybabe]

I made an effort to reduce my several shelves worth of cookbooks a while back but still have quite a few. The other day I made another attempt and was able to cull three more. Two of the cookbooks are Vegian, so I am going to give them to my friend from Colorado who will be in next week to visit her mother. The other is a Microwave cookbook for older microwaves (750watts). As much as I use the microwave, I never used the cookbook.

There is a youngster (about 10 or 12) who has been coming into the library to check out cookbooks. She has already determined that she wants to be a cook. You should see the twinkle in her eyes and the big smile when she checks yet another cookbook out of the library. If I can pry myself away from more of my cookbooks, she just may be the beneficiary.

[Steph]

One of my daughter in laws loves cookbooks, so she has inheritedmost of mine, I kept my Julia and Jim Beard ones. Those are two cooks I trust.. Boring to cook for just me, I eat mostly fish and bake it with lemon or a light sauce.. then possibly rice and veg. depends.
I loved Ming Tsai and Martin Yan.... Good old yan can... I used to adore the cooking network, then they went to telegenic cooks, not good one. I dislike both Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray. Neithe are what I consider good cooks..

[Tomereader1]

I used to love watching "Yan Can Cook".  It was a neat show.  But I do love Rachel Ray.
Martha Stewart - - meh!   I couldn't watch Emeril,  turned off by his continuous "Bam".
One of the best older Cooking shows was Jacque Pepin, and then with his daughter, teaching her to cook.   And I did watch some Julia Child back in the day, but it seemed like she used so darn many ingredients, and had all these specialty "tools".  BEing that I was just a simple Texas homemaker with 2 kids and small budget, I never attempted anything of hers.