Bedford #22, 8/21/08

Well, I'm back, and the response has been overwhelming! Wait, did I say overwhelming? Yeah, I meant non-existent. As in, Yankees playoffs hopes non-existent. Sigh. But, anyway, wouldn't want to leave everyone hanging regarding my "express read" (No Country For Old Men) from last week: I did indeed finish it and return it on time. And it was excellent! In some ways I wish I had read the book before seeing the movie, because they are both so similar, and also found myself picturing the actors as the characters. Still, I'm glad I read it, since I love McCarthy's writing style, and there was added depth to the story, particularly Sheriff Bell's character but also Llewelyn Moss', that I really enjoyed. It was also interesting seeing how many off the offbeat jokes that I assumed were Coen Brothers' touches that were actually right from the book.

The other book I read, Skim, was a graphic novel about a girl's experience in high school and dealing with death and relationships and annoying peers etc. It was really good, the art was very evocative, giving an excellent sense of time and place, and probably the part of the work that I enjoyed most. The story was quite good too, and really resonated with me when it reminded me of similar experiences and relationships I'd had in high school. Definitely worth the time. Plus, it made me think of fall, which I'm quite excited for.

So, last week, still high off going to my first (Brooklyn) library in months, I went to another one...the Bedford Branch.

Branch: Bedford
Location: 496 Franklin Avenue
Transport: bike!
Item: Sentimental, Heartbroken Rednecks: Stories from the New South by Greg Bottoms
Date: Thursday, August 21, 2008

So it's gotten to the point where I need to just pick a library I haven't been to on the map and go there, selection be damned. This one, despite its name bringing up images of hipsterburg, is up in Prospect Heights, where I've been a lot lately for some reason. It's a nice neighborhood, pleasant and green but not too crowded or loud. Despite the fact that I'm no longer going with specific items in mind, I'm happy to say that I basically always end up with something I'm pleased with, this time being no exception. I'm a sucker for any and all art from the American South; I picked this up thinking it was a short story anthology, but it's all by this one guy. So far it's really good.

The library was nice, a typical Carnegie building design, but unlike in many others the upstairs/balcony portion is open to the public. There was a nice magazine reading/relaxing area up there. I think there was a sleeping guy up there, but its been a week, so I can't be too sure. No water fountain. There was some outdoor seating around back and a nice grassy area. And a big tree out front. So, good atmosphere all around. And as a bonus, I took a route home that went through the park, so i got to sit there for a while and read my new comic purchase (Abandoned Cars by Tim Lane, it's really excellent).

Oh I almost forgot, I also went to this great free concert at Lincoln Center last Wednesday (Aug. 20th) that WFMU put on. It was mostly African music that I was completely unfamiliar with, an it was all amazing. The Ex (great Dutch punk band) played with Gétatchèw Mèkurya, an awesome Ethiopian saxophonist. The Either/Orchestra, a big band orchestra from Boston, played with Mahmoud Ahmed and Alèmayèhu Eshèté, who are both superstars in the African community who have been around for decades - the crowd went nuts for them, and with good reason, they were great. Extra Golden is a D.C. based band that mixes traditional/indie rock type stuff with African music. So yeah, a totally amazing show, and I'd recommend all of the performers to anyone (though i think Mahmoud Ahmed was my favorite.) Now, for pictures...of the library, not the concert. Though I have those too.



Kid stuff kids.



Wonder at the awesome majesty!



Neighborhood resident chatting with one of New York's finest. Seriously, though, he didn't harass me for taking the picture, so that's good.

That's all for now, but this book is coming along nicely and I should be done soon. Oh yeah, don't forget to watch Obama's speech tonight. Woo! Elections! Democracy! Yeah!

Dyker #82, 8/16/08

Been a long time. You didn't think I'd give up so close to my goal, though, did you? The last book I read (from a Brooklyn Library) was The End of America. I don't remember it too well now. As far as politics is concerned, The only thing really on my mind is the upcoming presidential election. How is Obama not crushing in the polls? What's the matter with people??? BAAAAAAAA Ok rant over. I just pray I'm not going to be one sad little boy on November 4th. I'd also feel better if I lived in a swing state...not that one vote makes a big difference. But, on to the library stuff. That's what we're all here for!

Branch: Dyker
Location: 8202 13th Ave. (@ 82nd St.)
Transport: bike!
Items: Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki; No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008

Wow, it's hard to even think of all things things that have happened since my last update. I went to a music festival in England, turned 25, got a new camera, finished some library school classes...uh...um...there was a Solstice...yeah, you know, lots of things happened. And now, it's nearly the end of summer. How'd that happen? I've actually been reading a ton (I recently got compeltely obsessed with the Love and Rockets comic book series, I recommend it to all humans) but it's all been stuff I get at work and read (of which there's still a large backlog) or comics. Finally, even though I'm in the middle of an excellent book, I took advantage of yesterday's perfect weather to bike to Kensington, collect my friend Amanda, and make her bike to a library with me. The Dyker Branch, to be exact!

It's a nice branch to come back to, as it reminds me what I love about the Brooklyn Public Library system. Sure, it has a somewhat cold exterior with barbed wire on the roof, and the inside is just a big open rectangle. But the neighborhood is gorgeous, the books are laid out very well, and the staff is friendly. The librarian who checked my books out even recommended a great pizza place in the area when I asked for a lunch place! Way to nail the reference question. Also, she reminded me of my $1.50 in fines from my last book, which I promptly paid. Hopefully posting that information here won't destroy my reputation.

One last bit of good news: the library has a new (to me) feature! Express reads are books that can only be taken out for a week at a time. No Country For Old Men is one such book. This of course means I have to finish my current read as well as No Country by next Saturday, which should be doable with no class to contend with. I like the policy because it gives people a chance to get more popular books that would otherwise all be checked out, such as an excellent western that have since been made into a best picture-winning film, but I also like it because it ups the odds that I'll be back here with another library under my belt in barely over a week! If I have any readers left, they should certainly be excited by the news. Oh yeah, also, Skim is some comic that looked somewhat interesting. High school angst and whatnot. Full report later. Now, on to the pics.



Full view.



Left side...



Right side.



Nice church across the street.



And lastly, Amanda "enjoying" a piece of pizza from Rosa's. No, actually, the pizza was really good. "Get the squares," as the librarian told us.

Well, that's a wrap for today. Hope you're excited that I'm back, I know I sure am. See you all soon!

Clarendon #33, 4/03/08

Yet another post done way after the actual visit. Worse still, this visit was the day after I went to a Yankee game (they lost) and broke my camera. So I have pictures taken from my cell phone, but they happen to be very tiny. I'm sure I'll get a new camera soon, cause this cell phone thing is pretty ridiculous. But on to the "good" stuff.

Persepolis 2 was just as great as the first, although it interested me a little bit less just because the first one had more political stuff (about Iran's repressive government, the Iran-Iraq war, etc.) and this one focused more on her being a fish out of water in Germany, going through her teenage years, and so on. It was a bit more about growing up, a failed marriage, and other interpersonal relationships, but I think I enjoyed the deeper familial bonds established in the first book. Still, they're both great, they work best as a unit anyway, and anyone who likes one will like the other.

I've gotten to the point where I've been to the majority of Brooklyn's public libraries (actually last post was my 45th, indicating I'm 3/4 done), and so I've more or less given up on looking for specific items at specific branches. At this point, it just seems to make the most sense to pick a branch I haven't been to and go over there. And since I just got a new bike but am not back in great shape yet, I thought I'd go to relatively close library...the Clarendon Branch.

Branch: Clarendon
Location: 2035 Nostrand Ave.
Transport: bike!
Item: The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot by Naomi Wolf
Date: Thursday, April 3, 2008

This library is really nice. Just southeast of Prospect Park, near Flatbush Avenue, it's easy to get to (especially via bicycle) and the building is fairly new, built in 1990 according to the website (and it won some award). There was also a really nice outdoor courtyard area, and it was nice enough to sit out there, but I didn't because I had only had my bike a couple days at that point and was extra paranoid about it getting stolen. More likely the seat getting stolen, since that has happened to my other bike twice now. But I've calmed down about all that a little bit now. Really.

As for the selection, I'm sure my bike-related fears didn't give me the most peaceful browsing experience, but I couldn't really find anything. Part of it is I have a bunch of books backed up at home that I need to read thanks to my new job, and school has been extra busy this semester, so it's hard to pick out any serious selection that I'd really be able to devote some time to. I ended up picking what I did because it's fairly short, and hey, I could always use another book depressing me about the current state of the country. Woooooooo!! Anyway, that's it for today except for the "photos."



Street view.



Right side.



Courtyard.

I probably won't go to another library until I have a camera; as you can see, these pictures are fairly worthless. Hopefully that won't take too long but whenever I say that it does. So, I'll update when I update! Throwing caution to the wind here!

Flatlands #39, 3/19/08

Well, another month, another post. Though, oddly enough, I actually went to this library a full week ago. What have I been doing since then? Trespassing around Yale, getting into Hellboy (awesome), watching some movies like Lost Highway (awesome), and doing classwork (slightly less awesome). Not to mention the good old job, which is actually going really well. I even have insurance and all, though I recently got a couple of lists of approved and non-approved drugs. Hadn't heard of any on the approved list, but they must be better...right?

We're here, though, for the libraries! Yeah! The last books I took out were Persepolis and All The Pretty Horses. They were both fantastic. I knew a little more what to expect from Persepolis, having seen the movie, but I enjoyed the comic a bit more, it being somewhat fuller (though it was only part 1 of the whole story that was in the movie) and, well, I just really love comics. Animation's great too though.

All The Pretty Horses was just amazing. I knew, after seeing No Country For Old Men and reading The Road, that Cormac McCarthy was capable of amazing writing, both through his language and his plotting, but All The Pretty Horses still blew me away. It was an adventure story, a love story, a prison story, a story about family, and how they suffocate you: a million stories all in one. And the language was stunningly beautiful. And Eric Stolz's character in Kicking and Screaming found it erotic! Perfect! Also, lots of horses. I'll have to read more of McCarthy's work as soon as possible.

So, this library. I knew I wanted to finish the Persepolis story, so I found the branch that I hadn't been to that had said book on the shelves. And it's name was! The Flatlands Branch.

Branch: Flatlands
Location: 2065 Flatbush Ave. at Ave. P
Transport: R train to Pacific St., B41 bus to Ave. P
Item: Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2008

This library was nice. I shouldn't wait I week to write, because I forget a lot. It was rainy, and the bus ride took absolutely forever. I assume it's called "Flatlands" because it's on Flatbush Avenue, but so far out that it's like distant lands. Maybe that's what the neighborhood is called, who knows. It was a relatively modern branch, the building having been built in the 1950s. And don't let the fact that I only got one book out fool you, it had a great selection. Also a Snapple machine. I got an iced tea.

An interesting side benefit of this trip was the ability to fulfill my destiny. Loyal readers may remember (though it is extremely unlikely) in this post, almost a year ago, when a nice librarian named Ellen told me she was enjoying my blog, and should ask for her when i fulfilled my destiny by coming to Flatlands and obtaining the Triforce. Something like that. Anyway, for some reason, asking for this Ellen took all of my nerve. I sat reading my new Persepolis volume for a while, picking out who I thought might be Ellen, waiting, waiting, and finally I asked her if an Ellen worked there. Apparently her hours had changed and she wasn't in as much anymore and she had actually been in earlier that day (!) but I missed her. I was too flustered to leave a message. Ellen, if you're out there, hello, sorry I missed, your branch was delightful.

And we've got the pictures to prove it!



We have across the street...



and in the crosswalk. I feared for my safety! Are libraries truly the most dangerous game???

It was one of those building-locked branches, so I only took a couple of pictures. Well, three pictures really, but one of them was way blurry. It's no excuse, I know. But...it was raining! I was getting wet! Come on!!!

I finished Persepolis 2 (review next time) so expect another post soonish.

Cypress Hills #65, 2/21/08

I'm back, and I've got something extra special for everyone today. This post will be about not one but TWO libraries. One of them isn't even in Brooklyn! Hard to believe I know. I won't talk about that one for long because this blog is really about Brooklyn Public Libraries, but I just thought I'd mention it and show off the pics. I needed a book for one of my classes, and since it's not really something I'd have any use for after the class is over, and New York Public has seven copies of it, I thought I'd branch out onto the island and see how they do things over that way.

I went to the Tompkins Square Branch, out on East 10th St. by Avenue B. It's a nice library, decent sized with two floors (though I didn't go up to the second) and plenty of space. And books! I also needed to use the yellow pages, which they had, as I was calling every stationery store in the greater New York area to see if they had pads (preferably lined) of carbon paper (they don't. None of 'em). Why do I need these pads, you may wonder? Because I'm so obsessive about lending out my books and other prized possessions that I figured this way I can keep records of who has what, and give them a receipt as well. I know, I could use computers, but I'm old fashioned. Incidentally, I also believe we should worship the sun and moon as gods, and fear them. Anyone catch the lunar eclipse last night? It was total!

Pictures of this foreign library:



Looming!



Inviting...



Riding.



Nearby, this classic car. Just cruisin'.

So, that was that. But the main event, as usual, is a true Brooklyn branch. After reading somewhere about an exhaustively researched ongoing graphic novel series about the Trojan War, and finding out that the first volume (Age of Bronze Volume 1: A Thousand Ships) was indeed at a branch I hadn't been to (Cypress Hills Branch), I set off in that general direction.

Oh yeah, and I also finished that book I got out last time, The Road. It is very good, and worth reading. Probably about as depressing as I thought it would be. A good read though, and a quick one. It almost felt like a novella in some ways. The tone of the book reminded me quite a bit of the seemingly interminable part of The Return of the King where Frodo and Sam are struggling to get the Ring to Mount Doom and trying not to starve to death in one of the worst places in the world. Only with less hope. And yet somehow, I really enjoyed it (The Road I mean). Go figure.

Branch: Cypress Hills
Location: 1197 Sutter Ave. at Crystal St.
Transport: F train to Jay St., A train to Euclid Ave.
Item: All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy; Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Date: Thursday, February 21, 2008

Well, I didn't get that Trojan War thing. Infuriatingly, they had they second volume but not the first, even though they supposedly had both. Blarg. But, since I enjoyed The Road, and have been watching No Country For Old Men over and over lately, I decided some more western-oriented Cormac McCarthy would suit me fine. Plus it's the first volume of a trilogy, and you know how I love trilogies. As for Persepolis, it's an extremely popular and highly acclaimed comic that's been made into a great movie (which I saw), and I haven't read it yet. How is this even possible!? Well, it'll be remedied soon enough.

I liked the library. As much as I appreciate the Carnegie branches, I find that I usually enjoy the modern ones more. This building opened in 1995, and the design on the outside is very inviting, and the inside had a perfect library atmosphere. Lots of space, tables, people sitting around reading (I think even more than were using computers!) and a helpful reference librarian who did his best to find that damn Age of Bronze book for me. I was a little worried about the neighborhood (East New York is apparently where about 25% of the crime in New York City is committed, and I went around sunset), and while there was a large housing project across the street from the library, my impression was that the area definitely felt safer than Bed-Stuy. Of course, I didn't have to wander far from the subway, so I don't know if that would've made a difference. Oh, and I'm just noticing that half the picture are blurry. Sorry about that. Visuals:



Sunset over Pitkin Ave.



Pine trees and projects.



On approach.



Left side



Right side



Closer view of sculpture by Rolando Briseno.

Ok, I'm outta here. Keep hope alive!

Washington Irving #61, 2/6/08

Well, I missed a month. A whole month. The chain is broken! But, life goes on. Happy New Year and all that. Let me fill you all in on what I've been doing since my last post.

-School has started again. Looks like it will be a lot of work this semester.
-I've been sick multiple times, and even developed a dental condition named during WWI. It's all taken care of now though, and I am easily back up to 80% effectiveness.
-The Giants won the Super Bowl!
-Nobody won Super Tuesday!
-The Wire and Lost have started back up again. Two hours a week of guaranteed meaning in my life.
-I quit the old job, and have a new one. With benefits. Yeah.
-I didn't read the last book I took out, or watch that movie I had. I just gave up and returned them both.

You could say what is the point of this blog if I am not going to read (or otherwise consume) the items I take out of libraries, but it's not really a media review blog is it?!? No. It's about libraries. You might also say there's no point to this blog if I never go to libraries, or update it, and there you'd be right on. So here I am. I picked a shorter book this time? Maybe we can even hope I'll be to another library within this month. It's possible.

As for where I went this time...I more or less threw a dart at the library map, and since it was on my computer screen, I had to get a new display before I could proceed, but as close as I could tell, the cracks seemed to emanate from the Washington Irving Branch.

Branch: Washington Irving
Location: 360 Irving Ave. (at Woodbine St.)
Transport: L train to Myrtle/Wyckoff Aves.
Item: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2008

So, that last book I took out, the one about Chinese immigrants being driven from their homes. I did start reading it, and it was really interesting. It just wasn't really what I was looking for at the time, and once school started up again and I knew I would never finish it with all the enforced reading I have, and I just got sick of renewing the damn thing. But, I mean, if you're interested in that particular topic I recommend it highly.

This branch I honestly expected to be kinda shoddy. I can't say why for sure, I knew nothing about the neighborhood (other than that it is right on the Queens border) but I made some assumptions, and they were totally wrong. The outside of the building is like no other Brooklyn library I've seen, "two-story Tudor revival" according to the website. It is a Carnegie branch, though, so the inside looks like most of the other Carnegie branches, complete with that little balcony part that would let you look down on the whole main floor if anyone but employees were allowed on it.

The selection was solid (though I couldn't find the new non-fiction books), and I was able to pick out a good book that I think I can actually finish. Everyone from Oprah to a bunch of other people have been raving about this book, so it's probably pretty good. I mean, it's post-apocalyptic, about a father and son traveling alone through a harsh, desolate wilderness -- might be just the pick-me-up I need. Plus the author wrote No Country For Old Men. And that movie was totally awesome. I guess this book won the Pulitzer Prize too? So, yeah, stuff. I'll let you know how it is...or will I?!?! Only time will tell.

The other thing about the branch, and this is not the first time I've noticed this, is that they have like 3 computers for both teens and adults, with 45 minute wait times, and at least 4 computers just for kids that weren't being used at all. I'm all for children and whatever, but couldn't they say if there are kids around they get priority, but if there aren't then the computers don't have to go to waste? They probably have all kinds of websites blocked on those computers though...I guess I could ask someone instead of just complaining. How about it, anyone from the BPL system still read this and wanna let me know what's up? Then I don't have to do anything!

All that not blogging for months has left me with very little to say, seemingly. Well, it's quality, not quantity, right? Anyway, I got lots of pictures. LOTS. Dunno if they're any good though.



Here it is, in all its wondrous glory.



There's a couple of schools right next to it. Well, left really. They're to the left.



Seems it used to be called just the "Irving Branch."



That's right, somebody actually took the wheel and put a cinder block in its place. Fascinating!



And, a couple of views from the M-train platform. Here's the Manhattan skyline...



and the view south (I think) down Gates Avenue. It was so weirdly warm yesterday, I think it got over 60. Normally I'd be all doom and gloom and global warming we're all gonna die about it, but it was kinda nice. I'm excited for Spring. On that note, see you soon. Hopefully before Spring.

Homecrest #76, 12/19/07

Well, to no one's surprise, it apparently is hard to concentrate on things other than school at the end of a semester. It really has been a while, hasn't it? I didn't even get around to watching that movie yet, though I did read the book, The City In Crimson Cloak. It was good. The writer is definitely talented, though I feel like she has probably written something else better. It definitely gave an interesting perspective on going to a foreign country for the wrong reasons, and what it feels like to be an outsider. And how terrifying Rio de Janeiro could be. I guess the whole "the main character is writing a novel and half of this novel is the excerpts from that other, fictional novel" tactic sort of bothered me. Especially since the fake novel didn't have a significantly different tone from the real one. But either way, I did finish it, it was interesting, learned some stuff, etc.

Then recently I was looking around for things to tell people to buy me for the holidays (no one ever just randomly gets me something, probably for the best) and I stumbled on a book I wanted to read, and not only that, but a library I hadn't been to had it. So today, finally, I bundled up and subwayed it out to the Homecrest Branch.

Branch: Homecrest
Location: 2525 Coney Island Ave. at Ave. V
Transport: F train to Ave. U
Item: Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans by Jean Pfaelzer
Date: Wednesday, December 19, 2007

So, I picked another book about a particular race getting kicked around by our country. Not my fault, though, really: I love history, and it just so happens to be full of quite a bit of that sort of thing. As for the library, it was nice. Fairly quiet, a diverse crowd, the usual rectangular shape (for non-Carnegie branches anyway). It's in an odd part of Brooklyn (the neighborhood is called Gravesend), sort of south/southeast, that reminds me much more of a commercial strip in a small city than something you'd expect to find in New York. Car dealerships, fast food chains, little shops...reminds me of Route 1 near where I grew up. Not in a nostalgic way or anything, the whole country looks like that more or less, so we can't really miss it yet. Not that anyone ever would.

But back to the library, it also had a good selection of books including a large wall of Chinese language books. It's interesting, there was a definitely a large Chinese population in the area, even though from what I knew of Chinatown in Brooklyn it's near Sunset Park, more north and west. On my way out there was an older couple with European accents fighting with the woman at the checkout area; from what I could gather, they had done something (paid a fine?) online yesterday, but since the system had apparently been down all yesterday and part of today it hadn't been logged yet. Just to briefly editorialize, I hate it when people get self-righteous about "well, the computer system is down, nothing we can do." In the short-term that's true, but also, get a better computer system. At the very least register a complaint with someone higher up; we shouldn't just have to live with this constant lack of function from something that's supposed to make our lives easier. Wow, I sound like I'm seventy. Moving on to...the pictures!



From this angle it reminds me of my junior high school.



Ford dealership! One of the banners said something to the effect of "It's the popular choice!" Amazing.



And, a little bit...



closer up.

That's all for now and probably for this year but it definitely won't be more than a month this time so...if you're still checking this now...no reason to stop, really.