We have gone a while without anyone commenting so the question arises; should this blog continue? If there are any positive votes we will continue, in the absence of any votes, we will close it down. You be the judge. If this blog has interested you, helped you, let me know. If there is silence, then it will end. In that case I thank you and will see you at the Hayward Public Library.

Trudy Toll

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

There used to be a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) show that asked the special celebrity guests if they were going to be stranded on a desert island; what four books or music albums they would want to have with them.

I heard about this again recently and it got me thinking. I am so spoiled having the resources available to me by working in the Hayward Public Library and on the internet it would be tough to be limited to four books.

I guess one title would be the complete Encyclopedia Britannica.

For the second, I know I‘m supposed to pick a work of fiction and maybe a selection of poetry but that wouldn’t work for me. I might take Halliwell’s Film, Video and Dvd reference book so I could slowly go through all the various movies and think about how to rewrite them myself.

For my third title, I might take some encyclopedia of crafts (not Martha Stewart but doable ones; maybe Michaels maybe someone elses) but who knows what materials I would have on this desert island.

For my fourth book, I am torn. I can’t stand the idea of being fiction-less. I don’t know if I would be able to take paper and pen with me. If I couldn’t take an inexhaustible amount of paper and ink(in pens) with me then my fourth choice would have to be a blank book. A big blank book so I could write down all the stories that would be my companions throughout the years.

If I could have all my stationery needs met and I still had a fourth title, then if pressed right now to choose something, I would choose Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts because it’s big, complex and about India. Of course there’s the question of whether it’s any good but if you’re on a desert island, then you can’t be too choosy. I’ve heard good things about it so that’s my fourth.

What about your choices? What four books would you take? Let me know your reasons as well.

Here’s to good reading.

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

We’ve talked about how wonderful books can be, so I thought I’d share with you some of the books I’ve enjoyed these last few years. There are fiction books, non fiction books, and graphic novels. There are singles titles, and entire series. There is high brow and beach reads. There are all types of wonderful and meaningful in here. Some of them if I re-read them now might disappoint me but I’m not re-reading them there are too many new things to read. I hope you enjoy them.
Updated 4.11.2010
FICTION

AUTHOR               TITLE (publication date) (General Subject Matter)
Adiga, Arvind    White Tiger(2007) (India)
Alsanea, Fajaa     Girls of Ridyah(2007)(Saudi Arabia)
Barbery, Muriel       Elegance of the Hedgehog(2008)(Paris/Life/People)
Becker, Stephen    Blue-Eyed Shan(1983)(China)
Chinese Bandit(1977)(China)
Dog Tags(1987)
Last Mandarin(1979)(China)
Belfer, Lauren        City of Light(2002)(Buffalo, NY around 1900)
Berry, Steve     Entire Cotton Malone Series(Adventure,espionage)
Bosse, M.   WarLord(1984)
Fire in Heaven(1985)
Bradby, Thomas       Master of Rain(2003)
Bradley, Alan        Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie(2009)
Brooks, Geraldine        People of the Book (2001)
Brown, Rita Mae         Rubyfruit Jungle (1988)
Buck, Pearl        The Good Earth (1931, Pulitzer Prize)(China)
Bull, Bartle          White Rhino Hotel(1992)
Cisneros, Sandra       The House on Mango Street (1991)
Clavel. James     Shogun(1975)(Japan)
Whirlwind(1987)
Taipan(1966)(Hong Kong)
King Rat(1962)
Cleary, John      High Road to China( 1983)(China)
Coetzee, J.M.        Disgrace (1999, Booker Prize)
Conroy, Pat     Prince of Tides (1986)
Courter, Gay         Flowers in the Blood(1991)(India)
Cunningham, Michael         The Hours (1998)
Desai Hidier, Tanjua         Born Confused (2002)(India)
Desai, Kiran       The Inheritance of Loss (2006, Man Booker Prize)(India)
Drummond, Emma      Beyond All Frontiers (1985)(India)
Forget the Glory (1987)(India)
Fast, Howard   Immigrants(1977)
Second Generation(1978)
Follett, Ken   Eye of the Needle (1978)
The Key to Rebecca (1980)
Funke, Cornelia    Dragon Rider(2004)
InkHeart(2003)
Thief Lord(2005)
Gaan, M     Blue Mountain(1987)(China)
Red Barbarian(1984)(China)
Little Sister(1983)(China)
White Poppy(1985)(China)
Gaines, Earnest J.   A Lesson Before Dying (1993, National Book Critics Circle Award)
Godshalk, C. S.    Kalimantaan (1998)
Goldberg, Myla     Bee Season (2000)
Golden, Arthur      Memoirs of a Geisha: A Novel (1997)(Japan)
Haddon, Mark    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003)
Haji, Nafisa          Writing on My Forehead (2009)(Pakistan/USA)
Harter, Evelyn       Bosom of the Family (1985)(India)
The Wink  (1986)(India)
Hill, Lawrence     Someone Knows My Name
Hosseini, Khaled         The Kite Runner (2003)
Hunter, Stephen     All the Bobby Lee Swagger book
Irving, John     Cider House Rules (1985)
Ishiguro, Kazuo        An Artist of the Floating World (1986)
Kaye, M.M.   Far Pavillions (1978)(India)
Shadow of the Moon ( 1957)(India)
Kingsolver, Barbara   Animal Dreams (1990)
Poisonwood Bible (1998)
Lahiri, Jhumpa        The Namesake (2003)(India/USA)
Li, Nam    The Boat (2008)
Lord, Betty Bao      Spring Moon: A Novel of China (1981)
Markandaya, Kamala       Nectar in a Sieve (1995)(India)
Marquez, Gabriel Garcia     One Hundred Years of Solitude (1970)
Martel, Yann    Life of Pi (2004)
Mason, Daniel      The Piano Tuner (2002)(Thailand)
Masters, John  Bhowani Junction(1954)(India)
Deceivers (1952)(India)
Far, Far the Mountain Peak (1966)(India)Himalayan Concerto (1976)(India)
Lotus and the Wind (1953)(India)
Nightrunners of Bengal (1951)(India)
To the Coral Strand (1962)(India)
Venus of Konpara (1960)(India)
Coromandel  (1955)(India)
Mathers, Berkely     Midnight Gun (1981)
Snowline (1973)
White Dacoit (1974)
Matsuoka, Takashi        Cloud of Sparrows (2002)(Japan)
McCarry, Charles       All the Paul Christopher Novels
McCullough, Colleen       The Thorn Birds (1977)(Australia)
Michner, James      Caravans (1963)(Afghanistan)
Mistry, Rohinton     A Fine Balance (2006)(India)
Mitchell, David    Black Swan Green (2008)
Murari, T.N.        Field of Honor (1981)(India)
Imperial Agent (1989)(India)
Last Victory (1990)(India)
Nahai, Gina       Cry of the Peacock ( 1991)(Iran)
Olden, Marc      Dai-Sho (1983)(Japan)
Gaijin (1986)(Japan)
Giri (1982)(Japan)
Kisaeng ( 1991)(Japan)
Ozeki, Ruth L.      My Year of Meats (1998)
Pasternak, Boris     Doctor Zhivago (1958)
Patchett, Ann     The Magician’s Assistant (1997)
Perry, Anne     No Graves As Yet (2003)(World War 1)
Angels in the Gloom (2005)(World War 1)
Shoulder the Sky (2004)(World War 1)
At Some Disputed Barricade ( 2007)(World War 1)
We Will Not Sleep (2007)(World War 1)
Price, Eugenia    Lighthouse (1971)(Sea Islands Georgia)
New Moon Rising (1969)(Sea Islands Georgia)
Renault, Mary      Bull from the Sea (1962)
King Must Die (1958)
Last of the Wine (1956)
Mask of Apollo (1966)
Robb, J.D.  Naked in Death (1955)
Entire Eve Dallas Series
Roy, Arundhati    The God of Small Things (1997)(India)
Scott, Paul    The Raj Quartet(India)
See, Lisa     Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005)(China)
Peony in Love (2007)(China)
Shanghai Girls (2009)(China)
Selvadurai, Shyam     Cinnamon Gardens (1999)(Sri Lanka)
Funny Boy (1994)(Sri Lanka)
Sidhwa, Bapsi   The Bride (1983)(India)
Crow Eaters (1992)(India)
Ice Candy Man (1988)(India)
Singh, K     Train to Pakistan (1956)(India)
Slaughter, Carolyn         Black Englishman (2004)(India)
Smedley, Agnes    Daughter of Earth: A Novel (1929)(China)
Smith, Zadie    White Teeth: A Novel (2000)
Staples, Suzanne Fisher     Haveli (1995)(India)
Shabanu (1991)(India)
Steinbeck, John      The Grapes of Wrath (1939, Pulitzer Prize)
East of Eden (1952)
Styron, William    Sophie’s Choice (1979?)
Sundaresan, Indu   Splendor of Silence (2006)(India)
Suri, Manil       The Death of Vishnu (2001)(India)
Swarup, Vikas   Q & A (2005)(India)
Tan, Amy         Joy Luck Club (1989)(China)
The Kitchen God’s Wife (1991)(China)
Thomas, Ross     Yellow-Dog Contract (1976)(China)
Chinamen’s Chance (1978)(China)
Brass Go Between (1969)(China)
Thomas, Will       Limehouse Text (2006)
Trevanian       Shibumi (2005)
Uris, Leon      Exodus(1958)(Israel)
Topaz (1967)
Verghese, Abraham         Cuting for Stone (2009)(Ethiopia)
Waldari, M.      The Egyptian (1949)(Egypt)
Wouk, Herman         Winds of War (1971)(World War 2)
War and Rememberance (1978)(World War 2)
Wynd, Oswald     The Ginger Tree (1977)(China)

MYSTERIES
AUTHOR       TITLE
Ball, J      Eyes of the Buddha
Cool Cottontail
Five Pieces of Jade
Winds of Mitamure
In the Heat of the Night
Barr, Nevada      Blind Descent
Block, Lawrence         Burglars series
Tanner series
Bradby, Tom         Master of Rain
Chesbro, George        Mongo Mysteries
Cleverly, Barbara     Last Kashmiri Rose(India)
Craig, A         Mysteries
Leon, Donna     Any of the Guido Brunetti Mysteries(Venice, Italy)
Doyle, Arthur Conan        The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes �
Dunlap, Susan      Any of hers about Berkeley
Dunning, John   The Bookman’s Promise— And all the  Cliff Janeway Mysteries
Follett, Ken     Eye of the Needle
Key to Rebecca
Francis, Dick        Any of his mysteries
Gilman, Dorothy      All Mysteries
Hillerman, Tony   All Mysteries
Kellerman, Faye        Peter & Reena Decker series
Kellerman, Johnathan     Alex Delaware Series
Kijewski, Karen    All the Sacramento series
King, Laurie R        Beekeeper’s Apprentice
All Mary Russell Series
Larsson, Stieg     Girl who Playedwith Fire
MacLeod, Charlotte      Mysteries
Mann, Paul        Ganja Coast(India)
Season of the Monsoon(India)
Massey, Sujata     Salaryman’s Wife(Japan)
Entire Rei Series
McCall Smith, Alexander  No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency  The entire series(Botswana)
Melville, James       A Haiku for Hanae(Japan)
Bride Wore Brocade(Japan)
Chrysanthemum Chain(Japan)
Death Ceremony(Japan)
Death of a Daimyo(Japan)
Go Gently Gaijin(Japan)
Kimono for a Corpse(Japan)
Ninth Netsuke(Japan)
Reluctant Ronin(Japan)
Sayonara Sweet Amaryllis(Japan)
Sort of Samurai(Japan)
Wages of Sin(Japan)
Peters, Elizabeth        All Amelia Peabody Books(Ancient Egypt)
Thomas, Will    Limehouse Text
Van De Wetering     Mysteries
Van Gulik, Robert      All Judge Dee Mysteries(China)
Winspear, Jacqueline       Maisie Dobbs  -  The entire series (World War 1)
�
GRAPHIC NOVELS
AUTHOR           TITLE
Bechdel, Alison       Fun House
Marchetto, Marisa      Cancer Vixen
Satrapi, Marjane    Chicken with Plums (2006)(Iran)
Persepolis I (2003)(Iran)
Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return ( 2004)(Iran)
Thompson, Craig        Blankets: An Illustrated Novel
Vaughan, Brian K.       Pride of Baghdad: Inspired by a True Story
Willingham, Bill et al.      Fables – Entire Series
Yang, Gene Yuen    American Born Chinese
NONFICTION
AUTHOR     TITLE
Ali, Ayaan Hirsi     Infidel(Somalia/Autobiography)

Angelou, Maya      I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings(Autobiography)

Arana, Marie      American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood (2001)(Autobiography)
Ashe, Arthur and Arnold Rampersad       Days of Grace: A Memoir (1993)(Autobiography)
Ashton-Warner, Sylvia       Spinster(Autobiography)
Bahrampour,Tara        To See and See again(Iran)(Autobiography)
Baker, Nicholson       Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper (2001)
Baldwin, S.S.   What the Body Remembers(India)(Autobiography)
Beach, Sylvia         Shakespeare and Co.(Books)
Blanch, Leslie       Wilder Shores of Love(Travel)
Beah, Ismael        Long Way Gone(Autobiography)
Bourdain, Anthony       Kitchen Confidential: Adventures In The Culinary Underbelly(Autobiography)
Bradley, James        Fly Boys: A True Story Of Courage (2003)(World War 2)
Brooks, Geraldine   Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women (1995)
Bryson, Bill        A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (1998)(Autobiography)
All of his travel books
Buzbee, Lewis      The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: A Memoir, a History (2006)
Cahill, Susan (editor) Desiring Italy (1997)
Chalon, F     Portrait of a Seductress(Natalie Clifford Barney)
Child, Julia       My Life in France(Autobiography)
Collins & LaPierre    Freedom at Midnight(India)
Is Paris Burning
Conway, Jill Ker      The Road from Coorain (1990)(Autobiography)
Copeland, Brian          Not a Genuine Black Man: Or, How I Claimed My Piece Of Ground In The Lily-White Suburbs (2006)(Autobiography)
Davidson, Cathy  36 Views of Mount Fuji(Japan)
Devi, G      A Princess Remembers((India)
Didion, Joan      The Year of Magical Thinking (2005)(Autobiography)
Douglas, Scott       Quiet Please(Public Libraries)(Autobiography)
Dumas, Firoozeh     Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America(Autobiography)
Eire, Carlos  Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy (2003, National Book Award)(Autobiography)
Fadiman, Anne     The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (1998)
Fisher, M.F.K.   Long ago in France(Autobiography)
Two Towns in Provence(Autobiography)
Fox, J.    White Mischief(Kenya)
Fraser, Keith        Bad Trips(Travel)
Freire, Paolo     Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Fussel, Paul       Abroad(Travel)
Gawande, Atul     Complications
Gilbert, Elizabeth    Eat Pray Love(Travel/India/Italy/Indonesia/Autobiography)

Godden, Rumer     A Time to Dance No Time to Weep(India/Autobiography)
A House with Four Rooms(India/Autobiography)
Grealy, Lucy     Autobiography of a Face (1994)
Hochschild, Adam      King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa (1998)(Congo)
Jaffrey, Madhur     Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India (2006)(Autobiography)
Johnson, Marilyn    The Dead Beat: Lost Souls, Lucky Stiffs, and the Perverse Pleasures of Obituaries (2006)
Kamdar, Mira      Motiba’s Tattoo: A Granddaughter’s Journey into her Indian Family’s Past (2000)(Autobiography)
Karr, Mary     The Liar’s Club: A Memoir (1995)(Autobiography)
Kaysen, Suzanna     Girl, Interrupted (1994)(Autobiography)
Kidder, Tracy     Mountains Beyond Mountains (2003)(Paul Farmer)
Krakauer, Jon    Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster (1997)
Kutherton, B    No One Said Not to Go(Travel/China)
Lagnado, Lucette      Man in the White Sharkskin Suit(Autobiography/Egypt))
Lamott, Anne    Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year (1993)(Autobiography)
Lansing, Alfred     Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage (1959)
Lord, Betty Bao     Spring Moon(Autobiography)(China)
Maathai, Wangari    Unbowed (2006)(Kenya/Autobiography)
Macfarlane, Alan and Iris Macfarlane           Empire of Tea: The Remarkable History of the Plant that Took over the World (2004)(Tea)
Mar, M. Elaine      Paper Daughter(Autobiography)
Markham, Beryl      West with the Night (Aviation/Kenya/Autobiography, 1942)
McBride, James      The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother (1996)
McCourt, Frank     Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir (1996)(Autobiography)
Morris, Mary     Maiden Voyage(Travel)
Mortenson, Greg        Three Cups of Tea(Afghanistan, Pakistan)
Murphy, Dervla         Full Tilt(Autobiography/Travel/Bicycling from Ireland to India)
Tibetan Foothold (Travel/India/Autobiography)
Where the Indus was Young(Travel/India/Autobiography)
The Waiting Land(Travel/India/Autobiography)
All of her Travel books
Nafisi, Azar      Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (2003)(Iran/Autobiography)
Namu, Gene Yuen and Christine Mathieu        Leaving Mother Lake: A Girlhood at the Edge of the World (2003)(China/Autobiography)
Nazeer, Kamran     Send in the Idiots       (Autism)
Obama, Barack      Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (2004)(Autobiography)
Orlean, Susan      The Orchid Thief (1998)(Orchids)
Pollan, Michael     The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World
Raban, Johnathan         Arabia ( Saudi Arabia/Travel/Autobiography)
Rappaport, Roger      I Should have Stayed Home(Travel)
Rau, D. Rama      An Inheritance(India/Autobiography)
Reichl, Ruth       Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table (1999)(Food/Autobiography)
Roach, Mary       Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003)
Sacks, Oliver       Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (2001)(Autobiography)
Sarton, May     Journal of a Solitude(Autobiography)
Her journals
Seal, Jeremy      Snakebite Survivors Club(Snakes)
Seth, Vikram   From Heaven Lake(Travel/China/India/Autobiography)
Smedley, Agnes     Daughter of Earth(China/Autobiography)
Smith, Huston      Religions of Man(Religion)
Tales of Wonder (2009)(Autobiography)
Stewart, Rory      Places In Between(Afghanistan/Travel/Autobiography)
Suyin, Han      Mountain is Young(Autobiography)
Till Morning Comes(Autobiography)
Destination Chungking(Autobiography)
Crippled Tree(Autobiography)
Phoenix Harvest(Autobiography)
Birdless Summer(Autobiography)
Mortal Flower(Autobiography)
My House has Two Doors(Autobiography)
Theroux, Paul         Great Railway Bazaar(Travel/India/Autobiography)
Dark Star Safari(Travel/Africa/Autobiography)
Twigger, Robert      Big Snake(Snakes)
Walker, Rebecca     Black, White and Jewish (Autobiography)
Walls, Jeannette       The Glass Castle: A Memoir (2005)(Autobiography)
Warren, Frank      PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions From Ordinary Lives (2005)
My Secret: A PostSecret Book (2006)
Secret Lives of Men and Women: A PostSecret Book (2007)
Wheeler, Sara       Terra Incognita : Antartica(Travel/AntarticaAutobiography)
Travels in a Thin County(Travel/Chile/Autobiography)
Wickes, George       The Amazon of Letters: The Life and Loves of Natalie Barney (1976)
Winchester, Simon      The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary – (Biography) (1998)
X, Malcolm      The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965)(Biography)
Yung, Judy      Adventures of Eddie Fung(Autobiography)
Zeppa, Jamie   Beyond the Sky and Earth(Travel)

If there are books by the same author that I have not mentioned, it might mean I have not read them versus I did not recommend them. I would be interested in your book recommendations, let me know what you have read that you’ve enjoyed.

I do apologize if I have remember the subject matter incorrectly.

Reading is Fundamental… at least to some of us.

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

I was listening to a book on CD this last week; The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It’s one of those rare books that suggests many different ideas as the novel unfurls. Some of the ideas do not catch one’s imagination, others make you think. I thought how unusual it is these days that a book would try and make you think. Novels used to introduce us to concepts, ideas, ways of living, an old fashioned idea generator. I don’t think they do that as much anymore or maybe it’s because I am older, more set in my ways and less likely to taste all these new ideas or concepts. I do find the novels of Steve Berry are great for trying on a possibility of how history worked. Did it happen as he suggests? Or is this just a great guess? I find it fascinating to try it on as he suggests.

People in the last century got so many ideas from books. They didn’t have all the avenues of information that we have so they had to rely on people, newspapers, magazines and books for their informational needs. There were books that could teach you something if you were stranded, isolated on a farm. There were books that could teach you how to pack, travel and behave on a trip to Europe if you were lucky enough to have that opportunity.

That’s all changed now. We have so many different sources of information. We don’t rely on books the way we used to.

I think this has impacted some of the power of fiction. I think sometimes people forget about the immense power packed between two covers. It could be a reflection of the publishers who don’t publish anything that would be a challenge to readers at a Barnes and Borders type Mall store.

I love novels. I love the adventure, the possibilities, the escape, the feel of being somewhere else, some other time, some other place, maybe even some other world. It’s amazing to me that little black marks on a bit of dead tree can transport an adult woman so completely, so magically.

If you’ve read a novel recently that has given you some new ideas let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

When we find ourselves interested in something no matter what that item is, we find ourselves awake, our hearts beats faster, we feel better not humdrum.

Thinking about this the other day, started me thinking about how wonderful it is to be interested in something- again, it doesn’t matter what we are interested in.

I am interested in sites such as stumbleupon(stumbleupon.com) or delicious(delicious.com) as infinite idea generators, at work from the internet.

If you are sleepy, depressed or simply blah, you can get yourself out of those doldrums by getting interested in something. Julia Cameron from the Artist’s Way fame suggests you walk yourself to a gallery or a new restaurant and stimulate your imagination.

I agree that is a great thing to do. Take a walk, (see the posts on walking), take yourself to a gallery(free) or museum(they usually have at least one free day a month- check which day it is). Taking yourself to a restaurant can sometimes put you in a whole different mood because of the smells, the tastes and the atmosphere.

I would also remind you the power of books to transport you to somewhere else or some other time.

The important thing is to be interested.

You can even use Google to see images. Images of art, architecture, even cute little kittens.

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

There was an interesting essay in the New York Times on Monday February 28, 2010 about reading the classics of literature as an adult. The woman who wrote the essay, said she was illiterate; “I was illiterate. At least, I was as close to illiterate as a person with over 20 years of education could possibly be.” (1) To me, who works in a public library, reading the classics of literature as an adult instead of as a young person does not constitute illiteracy. I think that her essay was fine in that it was inviting people to enjoy reading, to realize how much literature can positively affect us as adults. The essay was saying that literature broadens us and enriches us, it can teach us about life. Those are all fine and commendable arguments but it doesn’t erase that she equated being unread of a certain canon with being illiterate. I work with people who cannot read the job application they so desperately need to fill out. They cannot read the union safety laws which could prevent them from being injured if they are lucky enough to work where a union works to protect their working conditions. They cannot help their children when their children need their help. That is so much more important an issue and one not so easily solved as a woman who has all the requisite tools to enjoy a wider reading list.

Now that there are so many different kinds of people in the U.S. there are also different kinds of illiteracy. Some people cannot read and write in English but they can in their mother language. That is one type of deficit. This can be helped with English as a Second Language.

There are people who did not have education in their mother tongue so they cannot read and write in any language. Often this is now helped with literacy in the mother language and then working on English.

There are also people who need help in sign language in their mother language and then in English.

For those of us who are lucky enough to have learned how to read and write in our mother language, sometimes it is hard to contemplate what it would mean to you if everything written including this blog were denied you. If you could not read the menu at a fast food restaurant let alone a fancy restaurant you want to take your date to how d that impact you? Volunteering in a literacy program is one of the ways you can help.

The people who tutor in the Hayward Public Library’s adult literacy program, Literacy Plus, are volunteers. They work with their adult learners week after week assisting them in learning how to read and write English. This opening up of the world of words is a process unlike any other. It is the empowering of a person, enabling them to enrich themselves in ways they were never able to before. Many volunteers have worked for years in Literacy, helping one person after another learn to read and write. Many report that the effort they put into this mentoring provides them with rewards that are truly incalculable. They have changed someone’s life for the better forever & will never be forgotten by their students. If you want to be part of this program, contact:

Literacy Plus
(510) 881-7910
literacyplus@hayward-ca.gov

(1)Schine,Cathleen. (2010, February 26). I was a Teenage Illiterate The New York Times retrieved  from http:www.nytimes.com.  A version of this article appeared in print on Schine,Cathleen (2010,February 28).I was a Teenage Illiterate The New York Times. pp 23 Sunday Book Review. Cathleen Schine’s most recent novel is “The Three Weissmanns of Westport.”

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

Volunteering is healthy, it’s good for you. That’s what all the studies are saying now. There are studies that say that you will live longer if you volunteer and that you’ll have a better quality of life. I went to a wonderful seminar for work about engaging volunteers for libraries this week. It was fascinating to hear people talk about how much very complicated work volunteers do at some libraries. It made me start thinking that maybe this is one of the ways to battle alienation and some of the other psychological ills in our society. Maybe this being part of something larger than oneself is one of the keys to better mental and physical health. I know that in the coming months we here at the Hayward Public Library are going to have more opportunities for volunteers. Think about it. Maybe this is something that can help you out both physically, mentally and even creatively. Think about it and maybe come volunteer at the Hayward Public Library.

It will Refresh Your Life….

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

It seems to me that one of the biggest, most important lessons in life that we can learn, is how to recover from a disappointment, a failure, or some other way in which we tried something and it does not work out the way we envision. One example; you apply for a job and don’t get it. What do you do next?

You submit a short story for publication and get rejected. What do you do next?

You ask someone special out for tea and they turn you down. What do you do next?

Of course one option is to go home and never attempt anything ever again. That way you will never get disappointed again. Granted you will never get anywhere in life either. To win the lottery, you do have to at least buy a ticket.

I remember being amazed when I heard how many times Abraham Lincoln  and Thomas Edison had failed. You never think of those two guys as losers but they had long stretches when they did not succeed.

Online, you will often see the following list of Lincoln’s failures before being elected president;

1831 - Lost his job
1832 - Defeated in run for Illinois State Legislature
1833 - Failed in business
1834 - Elected to Illinois State Legislature (success)
1835 - Sweetheart died
1836 - Had nervous breakdown
1838 - Defeated in run for Illinois House Speaker
1843 - Defeated in run for nomination for U.S. Congress
1846 - Elected to Congress (success)
1848 - Lost re-nomination
1849 - Rejected for land officer position
1854 - Defeated in run for U.S. Senate
1856 - Defeated in run for nomination for Vice President
1858 - Again defeated in run for U.S. Senate
1860 - Elected President (success)

Who knows if it is true, and it doesn’t really matter. The same goes for Thomas Edison. It is said that it took him 10,000 experiments to invent the electric light. That means he did not succeed - he failed 9,999 times before being the success that we remember him for.

If during these Olympics you think of athletes, they fall short many times before they get to the Olympics. The difference between the Gold Medal winner and the fourth placed athlete(read LOSER) is often hundreds of a minute. So that is something less than it has taken you to read this far in the blog yet they are considered losers.

If we want to succeed at something, whatever it is, I think we need to think out for ourselves, what we want to do really. If I want to succeed at anything, I am going to keep Thomas Edison in my mind. If I try something and it does not work the way I want it to, I will note down what I did, try something else and see if it works out better. This can be applied to all the examples I gave above. It works on anything. If you want something, really want it then keep trying. No matter how many times you fall short. People say that it’s a good thing we don’t have to learn to walk as adults because we wouldn’t put up with how many times babies fall. They want to walk so terribly that they are not stopped by falling down again and again, they totter, they hang on, they crawl, but they also keep trying to walk and eventually most succeed.  I’ll say, keep Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln on your shoulders whispering in your ear,  use their examples to try again, and  good luck. I hope you succeed in whatever endeavor you are attempting.

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

Sometimes we do not seem to be getting our to do list items checked off. Why not? Is there something preventing us from moving ahead?

Are we procrastinators? Do we really want to move ahead?

I am a big supporter of writing out our fears or our excuses for why something isn’t getting done. It could be simple

To Do

Get photographs developed.

Why isn’t this getting done? The store that developes my film is closed for the holidays. That is fine. It should re-open and then I can get my photographs.

What if the reason is my car is broken down and so I can’t get to the store? Well, it could be you have bigger problems than undeveloped film to worry about  and this goal will have to be resumed later when the car is fixed. Or is there a bus that goes to that same store? Could a friend drop off the rolls of film? Could I have them developed through the mail?

The point is to look at the reason we are not doing what we said was important to us. No one else writes these to do lists. We do. We say what is important.

That can change, maybe when we wrote the list this was something I thought I wanted to do but now in the wake of my car being in need of repairs, the film doesn’t seem important. Then let it be. Take the film off the list and put it on a list for things to do later…

What if I don’t seem to be getting anything done at all? Then maybe you have to speak with someone, maybe the problem is not the things to be done but something else. Winter depression can be a factor.  Look at the issues and then decide what is going on.

Remember the library is a place where we have resources. We have books on getting things done, efficiency, Martha Stewart, depression, organization, universities if you want to pursue education, how to write books if you want to pursue that,  basically we have ways to help you pursue whatever you are interested. Come and check us out, we might be able to help you move ahead on your list.

Moving ahead with your dreams is a mixture of being strict with yourself and being flexible. It’s all about prioritizing. What is most important to you right now? Is it tv watching or writing another chapter? Is it reading a mystery or spending time with your grandmother? Only you can know how you should best spend your time, your energy and your life.
Good Luck. You’ll find you have a lot of energy when you are doing what you love. Go do it!

By Trudy Toll, Adult Services Librarian at Hayward Public Library, Hayward, CA

It is an old saying but true. You will most likely get where you want to go if you know how to get there. Think about your goals for the year 2010 or better yet simply January 2010.

I am a big user of to do lists. I know they are not for everyone but I do think they can keep us realistic in our endeavors.

If I said I only have three things on my to do list for January, you’d say- Ok that’s easy they will get done. Wait a minute. You didn’t ask what they are.

Trudy’s to do list for January 2010:

1.) Cure Cancer

2.) End World Poverty

3.) Ensure World Peace

Now you see the problem. They are not realistic items on a to do list.

#1 would have to get broken down into do-able bits:

1a) Raise ten million dollars (with the help of thousands of helpers worldwide) to conduct research.

1b) Find tens of thousands of helpers worldwide to raise money for cancer research.

1c) Research what causes one kind of cancer.(with the help of thousands of helpers worldwide).

1d) Find thousands of helpers to help do coordinated research worldwide on one kind of cancer.

1e) once cure is found, run clinical tests worldwide. Work out any problems.

1f) If this works, repeat all these steps with each kind of cancer that exists.

1g) Repeat this process with all known diseases.

Only then would I be able to move onto #2!

So one has to look at the goals and see what needs to be done to accomplish that goal.

Let’s say you want to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Most people would write it:

1.) Make PB & J.

But now you know you’d have to know if you have bread, peanut butter, jam, a spreader….

So for January and for 2010, choose doable goals, break them down to doable bits, accomplish one and then move on to the next. Prioritizing the goals will help you accomplish them.

Remember that issues will arise. If you know the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals, you will be more likely to stay on course. Review your goals often. If something no longer is applicable, take it off the list. If you find out that more needs to be done to accomplish a goal, then re-assess the process, insert the needed steps and then go along on towards your goal.

Go! Enjoy! Succeed!

My best wishes!