February Book Club Title and Silicon Valley Reads

February takes us into the realm of Silicon Valley Reads territory as we take on Brian Copeland's title "Not a Genuine Black Man." This title was chosen for the 2009 Silicon Valley Reads program and as such we are quite fortunate to be able to have the author here on the evening of Wednesday, March the 11th at 7pm. Mr. Copeland will be reading from his book and doing a Q&A afterwards while signing purchased copies of his book. Before his appearance, however, we'll get together on Wednesday, February 18th at 6:30pm to talk a bit about his work and get ready for his visit in March. It should be a lot of fun so please join us if you can!

Health Resolutions for 2009?

We'd like to invite everyone to come by West Valley library on Saturday the 31st of January at 12noon for a talk entitled "Make your New Year Health Resolutions a Reality." The talk will be presented by Dr. Yen Tran, doctor of Naturopathic medicine, who will hopefully provide us with information and ways to help participants maintain our respective health goals for 2009 and beyond. This will be the first in what we hope will be an ongoing monthly series of health topics from Dr. Tran in the first half of 2009. Please join us.

January Book Club Selection

For the first month of 2009 we will be reading a fabulous piece of fiction by a talented young American writer. The writer is David Benioff and his 2nd novel is City of Thieves, our choice for the January read. The Washington Post wrote about it: “City of Thieves is a coming-of-age story brilliantly amplified by its worn-torn backdrop. Benioff’s finest achievement in City of Thieves has been to banish all possible pretensions from his novel, which never wears its research on its sleeve, and to deliver a rough-and-tumble tale that clenches humor, savagery, and pathos squarely together on the same page.” It's a fast-paced story that will have you hooked from the first few pages with it's smart prose and manages to also educate the reader about an epic period and place in Russian history during World War II. Come share your impressions of this great read at our next book club meeting on Wednesday, January the 14th at 6:30 pm. We'll see you then.

Notable Books of 2008

The New York Times puts together a list every year of their picks for "notable" books of the year and here is the current list of their 10 favorite (5 fiction and 5 non-fiction). The final ten are taken from a larger list of 100 notable books of the year and if you're feeling ambitious, well, by all means check it out here. No shortage of good reads here, folks ... no shortage at all.

Nick Barone Puppet Show

Come with the kids and check out "Holiday Treats" with acclaimed puppeteer Nick Barone. Mr. Barone will put on a wonderful holiday show filled with humor, music and beautifully-crafted puppets. Fun for the whole family! The program will run from 6:30pm until about 7:15 on Wednesday the 10th of December in the community room.

This program was made possible by generous support from the Friends of the West Valley Branch Library

December Book Club Title

For our next book club gathering, we will be reading a 2005 novel by Norwegian author Per Petterson entitled "Out Stealing Horses." Here is a brief review from The New Yorker magazine: In this quiet but compelling novel, Trond Sander, a widower nearing seventy, moves to a bare house in remote eastern Norway, seeking the life of quiet contemplation that he has always longed for. A chance encounter with a neighbor—the brother, as it happens, of his childhood friend Jon—causes him to ruminate on the summer of 1948, the last he spent with his adored father, who abandoned the family soon afterward. Trond’s recollections center on a single afternoon, when he and Jon set out to take some horses from a nearby farm; what began as an exhilarating adventure ended abruptly and traumatically in an act of unexpected cruelty. Petterson’s spare and deliberate prose has astonishing force, and the narrative gains further power from the artful interplay of Trond’s childhood and adult perspectives. Join us on Wednesday the 10th of December at 6:30pm when the book club next meets at West Valley library.

Recycling Art in the Garden

On Wednesday, November 19th we will have a a volunteer from the UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County presenting fresh ideas for preserving salvageable objects likely destined for a landfill somewhere. The purpose of the class is to promote recycling while creating a sense of whimsy & beauty in the garden. Come join us for our last UCCE Master Gardeners events of 2008 in our Community Room at 7pm. The event is free and cosponsored by the Friends of the West Valley Library and the UC Extension Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County.