Kallas’ book is very popular at the library and all of our copies are checked out!  Definitely join the hold list, though, so you can see this gorgeous book yourself and learn how to make some tasty new meals with wild plants you can find right outside of your door.  Or, better yet, join us next Thursday and purchase your very own signed copy ($25 cash or check only) to use again and again for the years to come.  In the meantime, we do have a number of books to get you started on the subject, so you can go ahead and get reading and come armed with loads of questions for the expert.

Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad, and 38 Other Wild Recipes
A fun guide for kids and grown-ups to use together to learn how to cook with wild foods.

The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts

Drink In the Wild: Teas, Cordials, Jams and More

Eating and Healing: Traditional Food as Medicine

Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide

Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest

The Wild Table  Seasonal Foraged Food and Recipes

Posted by Bonnie, a Second Floor Librarian

To celebrate this exciting, important event the library and other places around town have been hosting writing workshops and discussions of some of Oates’ work, but the finale discussion is coming up this Saturday, May 12th, 2:00 p.m. in the Main Meeting Room here at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. We’re calling it “Everybody Reads Joyce Carol Oates” and it’s just an open discussion of any and all of the author’s oeuvre that will be led by instructor Liz Delf from the OSU School of Writing, Literature, and Film.  Read anything by Oates or come ready to listen and learn about her books with fellow community members.  Some delicious pastries donated by New Morning Bakery will be served.

If you haven’t had a chance to pick anything up by Joyce Carol Oates, now is your chance.  She’s a highly prolific, distinctly American, immensely talented writer.  She’s written over 50 books including novels, short stories, poetry collections, even plays.  Many of her stories are haunting and will linger with you a long time as her characters often find themselves dealing with such things as violence, neglect, and abuse (though she doesn’t usually portray any of this graphically).   She’s excellent at suspense and her works are often gripping and sometimes terrifying.  She isn’t afraid to deal with social and psychological issues and her works are often profound reflections on American society and human nature.

Here are some recommended Oates titles and a few articles and interviews to get you pumped about Wednesday and Saturday   I really hope you’ll join us and come witness the power of folks getting together to talk about reading – there’s nothing like it!

BOOKS

Big Mouth & Ugly Girl
Oates has written a few novels for young adults including this very popular title about a high school boy that makes a joking threat that his school officials take very seriously. Only one girl, Ursula aka Ugly Girl, knows the truth and is willing to help him. A coming of age type of novel about surviving high school that we had an awesome teen discussion of last week!

Blonde
A fictional work of the personal life of Marilyn Monroe that is dramatic, engrossing, and true to the woman.

Mudwoman
Oates’ latest effort about a woman that fought hard to rise above her childhood into a successful academic career and what happens when the past and the present collide.

My Sister, My Love
A fictional tale based on the JonBenet Ramsey murder.

We Were the Mulvaneys
The Oprah book club pick and bestseller about a picture perfect family and its demise.

A Widow’s Story
A beautiful memoir about the grief Oates experiences after losing her husband of 48 years.

WEBSITES & ARTICLES

Charlie Rose: An Interview With Joyce Carol Oates
A 1996 interview

Joyce Carol Oates Interview in The Guardian
The author discusses her new book,Mudwoman.

A Woman’s Work: Questions for Joyce Carol Oates
A quick and witty interview with the New York Times Magazine

Posted by Bonnie, a Second Floor Librarian

Casper after a swim and holding my empty coffee cup

As a proud adoptive mother of a four-year old Newfoundland dog named Casper, one of my favorite things to do is take her along for a hike and a swim. (We both hike, but Casper loves to swim. I throw sticks and she retrieves them. She is a working dog, so she likes having a job to do!)

We’re lucky in Corvallis/Benton County. We are within easy driving distance to many beautiful trails with wonderful views. When Casper and I set out to hike, we discover new sights and sounds every time.

Where to go?

If you and your best (furry) friend also enjoy hiking, but are wondering where to go, Ellen Morris Bishop has a wonderful book in the series “Best Hikes with Dogs”, tailored to Oregon. We have four copies of this popular item. If you and your dog are traveling to Arizona, Western Washington, Central California, or Inland Northwest, we have those books here too. They’re full of dog-friendly hikes, complete with detailed descriptions, maps and directional information. For those of you with water dogs, they have information about swim-friendly hikes too.

How to prepare?

Gary Hoffman”s book, Dogs on the trail: hiking, camping and traveling with your dog offers helpful advice for hiking trips. It’s a nice, basic, short read that explains the do’s and don’ts of hiking with a dog. Chapters cover equipment, first aid, trail etiquette, weather preparation and more. Reading Hoffman’s book will get you prepared for an enjoyable retreat with Fido.

Other fun reads:

Ruffing It: the complete guide to camping with dogs / Mardi Richmond.

A guide to backpacking with your dog / Charlene G. LaBelle.

Hiking with dogs: Six feet are better than two / John Bell, special writer to the Oregonian.

From Backpacker Magazine, The Manual: take your dog hiking. This is a succinct article about preparing for hiking with Fido.

Dogs Allowed Hikes – Corvallis, Oregon. This is a link from a community-generated site, LocalHikes.com where a team of volunteer “reporters” gather information on hikes and post them to this website. Click on the “dogs allowed hikes” on the left-hand side, under “metro quick search” for a list of dog-friendly trails.

Posted by Lindy, a second floor librarian.

In 1940, Sala Garncarz, a sixteen-year-old Polish Jew, was sent to the first of seven labor camps where she was to be enslaved during World War II. Sala survived the war, although  her immediate family did not.

Sala’s survival is in itself remarkable, but even more remarkable is the fact that she was able to hide and protect more than 300 letters that she received while in the camps. Many years later, Sala, by then a mother and grandmother, gave this collection of letters to her daughter, Ann.

The exhibit at the Library highlights many of these letters, and also includes photos and information on the Holocaust and on Sala’s own wartime experiences.

Ann Kirschner will be at the exhibit 3-4 p.m. on Monday, April 16.

Letters to Sala by Ann Kirschner is the companion book to the exhibit.  The Library also has  Sala’s gift : my mother’s Holocaust story  by Ann Kirschner.

The exhibit is part of the 26th annual observance of Holocaust Memorial Week which is held this year from April 16 through April 20.  Click here for more information about Holocaust Memorial Week events in Corvallis.

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Save the dates of May 4th and 5th for a cooking demonstration, author talk, and writing workshop.  All events are free!

On Friday, May 4 from 3 – 5 pm at the First Alternative Coop South Store, Pham will demonstrate and provide tastings of simple Southeast Asian dishes. The demonstration is free to registered participants and space is limited. To register, call the Coop at 541-753-3115 and press 0 for customer service. This event is co-sponsored by Slow Food Corvallis and the Friends of the Library.

At 7 pm also on Friday, May 4th, Pham will be giving a talk at the Corvallis Public Library on topics including the changing face of Southeast Asia, travel and memoir writing, freelance journalism, food writing/restaurant critic work, launching a project on Kickstarter, self-publishing, traditional publishing, e-publishing, and cooking. Southeast Asian snacks donated by Baguette Restaurant and local chef Christina Reimer will be provided.

On Saturday, May 5, Pham will conduct a writing workshop for all types of writers from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Please call the Library at 541-766-6793 to register.  Space is limited to 20 participants.  Please bring a one page sample of your writing (any kind) to share.

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

We are proud to serve such a wonderful community and want to take this time to thank you for your support. With that said, let us leave you with some fun facts about the Corvallis Public Library:

• Last year, 59% of the people in Benton County had registered library cards
• We circulated over 1,653,736 items
• We had over 842,817 visitors
• We held over 1,383 programs, with over 35,399 attendees
• We answered over 241,059 reference transactions/questions
• Our Friends of the Library has been hosting Random Reviews since 1992 and since 2007, the reviews are available via podcasts for anyone to hear, anytime, anyplace
• We have over 320 wonderful volunteers who donated 16,043 hours of time in 2011

Here’s to a great week, celebrating the library, and celebrating our wonderful community!

Posted by Lindy, a second floor librarian

	This Thursday at 7:00 pm, Karen Spears Zacharias will discuss her new book A Silence of Mockingbirds: The Memoir of a Murder about the abuse and murder of Karly Sheehan.  Karly was a three year old living in Corvallis, and Karen hopes the book will spur a community discussion on what we can do to recognize and prevent child abuse. Grass Roots Bookstore will be selling books and donating 100% of the net proceeds to ABC House.
	The Crescendo Show Saturday, April 7th at 7:00 pm.  Looking for something fun to do this Saturday night?  Join us for a free all-ages energetic and eclectic folk rock concert by Corvallis-based  Crescendo Show.  The quartet is celebrating the release of their new CD and are excited to bring you their melodic blend of guitar, bass, accordion, and vocals. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
	To celebrate National Library Week April 9 – 14th, the second floor librarians are joining the fun planned by the youth services department.  Activities for adults include a Star Wars trivia and costume contest.  A different Star Wars trivia question will be posted at the second floor reference desk each day from Monday through Saturday.  A prize winner will be drawn from the correct answers. Come in costume to the second floor reference desk between 1 and 3 pm on Saturday the 14th and get your photo taken for Facebook.  Photos will be posted on Tuesday and the costume with the most “likes” wins a prize. The Storm Troopers will also be visiting the Library on Saturday between 1-3 wearing movie quality costumes–come say hello!
	Wednesday, April 11th 12:00 – 1:00.  The book for this month’s Random Review is Country Driving: A Journey from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler.  Hessler spent seven years driving from one end of China to another, and chronicles the changes the car has brought to the country. Reviewed by Staci Simonich, Professor of Chemistry at OSU.
	Friday, April 13th at 7:30 Washington author Ana Maria Spagna will read from her book Potluck which hones in on the everyday gatherings that, over time, define a community: a makeshift wedding, an art gallery opening, a farewell potluck, a work party, a campfire, a political caucus, a funeral. “What connects us?” Spagna asks, and she reveals, again and again, the gift of community–easy and uneasy, deep and enduring and essential.  Co-sponsored by OSU Press and Grass Roots Bookstore.
	Wednesday, April 18th at 6:30. This month’s book club selection is We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates and is a special facilitated meeting in honor of the author’s visit to Corvallis this May.  Please note we are starting at 6:30 instead of 7:00 this month.  Please join us for a lively discussion led by two graduate students in OSU’s Creative Writing Department.

Please contact us with questions about any of these events.  We hope to see  in the Library!

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Storm Crowd by JD Hancock on Flickr

In celebration of National Library Week on April 9 – 14, the library will host a series of Star Wars events for kids, teens, and adults.  We expect a big crowd from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday the 14th, when the library will be boarded by Storm Troopers from the 501st Legion Cloud City Garrison .

A complete list of Star Wars programs for children can be found on the Kids Library Events web page, and for teens on the Teen Events page.

The adult services department has decided to join the fun.  A different Star Wars trivia question will be posted at the adult reference desk each day from Monday, April 9 through Saturday the 14th, and a prize winner will be drawn from the correct answers.  This contest is for ages 19 and over.

Come dressed as a Star Wars character on Saturday, April 14 and join us on the 2nd floor for a costume contest.  We will take photos from 1 to 3 p.m. for our Facebook page. The costume with the most “likes” will be announced on Tuesday, April 14 and that person will win a prize. This contest is open to all ages. I’m hoping for an Admiral Akbar costume.

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring the Star Wars events.

Posted by Charles, a second floor librarian

Zacharias, former crime and courts reporter at the East Oregonian, spent five years chronicling the circumstances of Karly’s murder.  A Silence of Mockingbirds: The memoir of a murder, published to coincide with National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, tells Karly’s story. On April 5th, at 7:00 PM,  Zacharias will be at the library to read from and discuss  her new book.  Karly’s Father and the Deputy District Attorney who prosecuted the case will be in the audience and available to answer questions.  Grass Roots Bookstore will be selling copies of the book.

Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, introduced legislation which led to the passing of Karly’s Law, a bill whose purpose was to tighten the requirements for investigating potential child-abuse victims.  While legislation is important, Zacharias also wants to increase community awareness of child abuse to prevent tragedies like Karly’s death.  We hope you will come on April 5th.

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Did you miss Karl Marlantes‘ visit last May?  Click here to hear the author of Matterhorn and What it’s like to go to War read from Matterhorn and talk about writing and publishing.

The library doesn’t host literary events only.  Community members tell us they love it when the library brings in musicians like John Jarvie for a free concert.  Click here to hear a podcast of Jarvie play gorgeous classical guitar.

Even better, we sometimes hear, are events that combine both music and literature.  Did you enjoy Willy Vlautin’s recent reading and musical performance at the library?  Click here to hear him again.

Are there upcoming events you hope we’ll record?  Let us know!

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Image credit:  Mic by biladay on Flickr