| No expiration date! |
 One great pleasure in a public library is the constant presence of books which aren't generally acknowledged as "classics," but are truly enduring. It takes a dedicated or maybe a desperate reader to browse the older, less glamorous stacks and find the prizes among unfamiliar authors' names. Here are some of the discoveries I made through browsing. This installment is dedicated to books which made me laugh very hard, and which are also characterized by the author's obvious affection for the eccentricities of their characters.
Robertson Davies - Tempest-Tost (Clarke, Irwin and Co.: 1951)
I first read "What's Bred In the Bone" because that novel revolved around a painter (which reminds me to recommend "The Horse's Mouth" by Joyce Cary). But hands down, I love "Tempest-Tost," the first part of his Salterton trilogy. This is the story of an amateur production of "The Tempest" in a Canadian university town, and Davies' depiction of this milieu is quite merciless and hilarious. What makes the novel memorable is Davies' kindness and affection towards the same characters he reveals the less pretty side of.
Tom Drury- The End of Vandalism (Houghton Mifflin: 1994)
To slightly mash-up the publisher's notes: "Sheriff Dan Norman, whose empathy exceeds his love for law enforcement, arrests Tiny Darling for vandalizing an anti-vandalism dance and then marries the culprit's ex-wife Louise." The band at the anti-vandalism dance performs a cover of a Steely Dan song altered to: "Ricky don't throw that lumber."
Penelope Fitzgerald - At Freddie's (Collins: 1982)
I had never heard of Penelope Fitzgerald, the British novelist, before randomly picking up "Offshore." I went on to read all of her novels and "At Freddie's," published in 1982, remains my favorite. It takes place during the 1960s in a down at the heels stage school filled with eccentrics and misfits; Fitzgerald writes brilliantly about children, and the novel careens from high comedy to despair.
Stella Gibbons - Cold Comfort Farm (Longmans, Green: 1932)
I'm not sure how I ever found this, but it was before a movie was made of it. I've read this novel about 10 times- it's a completely hilarious satire of novels of "rustic" English life; from it comes the infamous phrase "I saw something nasty in the woodshed." Clearly, I can now never see the movie; the characters are already imbedded in my brain, and the film would just seem wrong.
Marc Salzman- Lost In Place (Random House: 1995)
Novelist Salzman (The Soloist, Lying Awake) wrote this extravagantly absurd memoir of his school-age suburban years. The awkwardness of becoming a teenager is deliciously captured in his obsession with karate and his homemade karate outfit, fashioned from his pajamas and a "baldhead wig." The absurdity is sweetened by his relationship with his father; the book slowly reveals a loving tribute to a truly exceptional and understanding parent.
Muriel Spark- Memento Mori (Lippincott: 1958)
The funniest book ever written about mortality: check out Thomas Mallon's review of Martin Stannard's forthcoming biography of Muriel Spark in the April 5, 2010 issue of the New Yorker.
And on that note, happy reading! |
| 3rd GTECH computer lab opens at Fox Point Library |
On March 25, our 3rd GTECH After School Advantage Lab opened at the Fox Point Library. A big thank you to all who came out for this special event! The two GTECH labs are at Mount Pleasant Library and Wanskuck Library. Thanks GTECH for your support!
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| Vote for PCL! |
Vote for Providence Community Library for Best Non-profit Organization in Rhode Island Monthly's Best of RI Poll. |
Amazon wishlists
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Help us fill our shelves by buying a book from one of our wishlists to donate to your neighborhood library!
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| DVD Drive |
| Providence Community Library wants to grow our DVD collection. We recently took advantage of local Blockbuster store closing sales by purchasing hundreds of marvelous DVDs at deeply discounted prices. You can help too! Please donate any gently used DVDs that are lying around the house. Just drop them off at any of our nine neighborhood libraries. | |
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A Night at Knight
a rousing success
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125 guests braved a cold March night to celebrate PCL's existence and the survival and continuing vitality of our nine neighborhood libraries.
They marveled at the beauty of the gem of Elmwood, Knight Memorial Library, ate delicious food catered by More Than A Meal (a social enterprise venture of Amos House), and enjoyed each other's fine company.
Let's not forget, the event was a fundraiser! PCL raised nearly $30,000, which is a pretty amazing amount for an organization that wasn't even 9 months old yet! These funds will be used to continue providing those services that the people of Providence so desperately need from their neighborhood libraries.
We want to thank all of those who helped make A Night at Knight such an all-around success: The Friends of Knight Memorial Library and other community volunteers for working so hard to give Knight Memorial Library a fantastic spring (or late winter) cleaning, the PCL staff members who went beyond the call of duty to prepare for and staff the evening, the many talented and generous artists in our community who donated the spectacular art that was sold at auction, the authors and community members who served on the evening's Honorary Committee, the marvelous storyteller Val Tutson who served as our guest auctioneer, Mayor Cicilline for all of his help and his magnificent greeting at the event, and BankRI and Verizon for their sponsorships of A Night at Knight.
Thank you to everybody! This is just the beginning! |
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