Home

Posts from June 2010

Arboretum Library Summer 2010 E-News

June 26, 2010

News from the Library

Hello all and welcome newcomers:

Cover of Landscape Plants for California Gardens

     Welcome summer.  Come inside and read!  This summer the Arboretum Library has air conditioning.  First time in two years.  Come enjoy the cool.  Click the link to the new titles area of the online catalog.  This month my absolute favorite articles are a Madrono article on eucalyptus in the wild in California and a Cactus and Succulent Journal article all about kalanchoe.  The new book list has Bob Perry's new Landscape Plants for California Gardens (Claremont, CA: Land Design Publishing, 2010).  I bought 4 copies for the library, two for circulation.  Be the first to check them out.
 
The next Reading the Western Landscape Book Group meeting is Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. The book is Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner.  The August title is Lift by Rebecca K. O'Connor  (Los Angeles, CA : Red Hen Press, 2009) and September's is This Time Tomorrow by Michael Jaime-Becerra (New York : Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, 2010.)  We've moved the meeting time to the first Wednesday of the month, still 7:00 p.m.  Hopefully lovely summer evenings will allow for meeting outside instead of in the library.

The exhibit “Seeing the Details: an Exhibition of Southern California Botanical Art”, comes down on June 30, 2010.  Our next exhibit is "Through the Eyes of Los Voluntarios:  A Photograph and Poetry Contest."  It will show July 1-September 30, 2010. The Opening reception is Thursday, July 8, 2010, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  This exhibit features photographs from Arboretum volunteers.  These folks really know and love the Arboretum.  Come see how they see it in photographs.

The childrens'storytime, Bookworms (which mostly meets the first and third Sunday and third Wednesday) themes have been developed all the way until the end of the year.  Plan ahead and mark which ones you think your children will enjoy.

The next Arboretum Library class is for the advanced group.  It is on Saturday, July 24, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.  Bring your research questions and try to stump the librarian.  We will search the Library and on-line resources until we are satisfied we've explored the depths of plant and garden research.

 

Reading the Western Landscape

June 30, 2010

News from the Library

The Book Group explores the portrayal of western North American landscape in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The group meets the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Arboretum Library. The group uses the Shared Inquiry™ method developed by the Great Books Foundation. The chosen book of the month must be read in order to participate. New members welcome.

July - Angle of Repose

Discussion on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

Angle of Repose Book Cover

Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stengner; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, ©1971.  Find it at your local library.

Stegner's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is the story of four generations in the life of an American family. A wheelchair-bound retired historian embarks on a monumental quest: to come to know his grandparents, now long dead. The unfolding drama of the story of the American West sets the tone for Stegner's masterpiece.  This book has been selected by the board of the Modern Library as one of the best hundred novels of the 20th century.

August - Lift

Discussion on Wednesday, August 4, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

Lift Book Cover

Lift, by Rebecca K. O'Connor; Los Angeles, CA: Red Hen Press, ©2009.  Find it at your local library.

The culmination of a ten-year career in falconry, Lift is a memoir that illustrates the journey and life lessons of a woman navigating a man's ancient sport. Capitvated by a chance meeting with at falconer's peregrine as a child, the indelible memory eventually brings the author's life full circle to flying a peregrine of her own.  Exploring themes of predator and prey, finding tribe, forgiveness and femininity, the memoir asks universal questions through a unique backdrop. Lift illustrates the beauty and meaning the sport of falconry can add to a falconer's life, echoing the challenges and triumphs of being human.

September - This Time Tomorrow

Discussion on Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 7:00 p.m.

Cover of This Time Tomorrow

This Time Tomorrow, by Michael Jaime-Becerra; New York: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press, ©2010.  Find it at your local library.

It's the naturalistic, deeply empathetic tale of a forklift driver, Gilbert Gaeta, and his quest to fulfill his modest vision of the American immigrant dream, with his girlfriend, Joyce, and willful 13-year-old daughter Ana in tow. (from the Los Angeles Times review by Reed Johnson)

For more information about the Reading the Western Landscape Book Group, please contact the Arboretum Librarian, Susan Eubank, at 626-821-3213 or Susan.Eubank@Arboretum.org.