A Motley life...



Tattoos & Tequila book jacket



I haven't yet read the acclaimed autobiography Life by Keith Richards, but am interested in doing so.  Instead this weekend I quickly breezed through the years of hard rock, partying, and drama that is Vince Neil's life.  His story, written with the assistance of Mike Sager (I personally think he must have done more than assist), is titled Tattoos & Tequila.  The lengthy subtitle sums up almost everything between the covers, 'To hell and back with one of rock's most notorious frontmen'.  As with other celebrity biographies that speak of addictions, the events described by Neil are at times comical and stupid and at other times, just plain sad.  Sad in the way that no one's life should be so controlled by substance abuse that quality of life becomes non-existent and so little care or responsibility is taken for one's actions.  I've previously read The Dirt, Neil Strauss' biography of Motley Crue, and although the unruly behavioral episodes described are of the same ilk, the stories in The Dirt were far more enjoyable.  But then I suppose it was difficult for Neil to recall with specificity the many blackout periods during his years of fame.  Of interest to any Motley Crue fans who remember when their music was good (and you have to be over 30 to remember that).

Modern Ruins

I first saw Shaun O'Boyle's photographs of Modern Ruins: Portraits of place in the Mid-Atlantic region while visiting the booth of the Penn State University Press at the PALA annual conference in Lancaster last month.  After a brief look, I thought this collection highlighting the Mid-Atlantic regions 'architectural sacrifice zones' (as termed by Geoff Manaugh in the introduction) would be of interest to PCL patrons.  The book is divided into four sections of buildings:  institutions (featuring psychiatric hospitals), steel (with photos of Bethlehem Steel's facilities), coal (an industry introduced as the foundations of 'hardy and industrious Pennsylvanians'), and arsenal (with stunning images of Bannerman's Island, near Cold Spring, NY).  This collection takes the reader to the present state of the past and is relevant to those who appreciate black and white photography, local history, and the progression of deindustrialization of the region.  I highly recommend browsing this new acquisition.

Work off that Turkey!

Do you have a plan on how to make it through the holidays without putting on weight?  PCL has a great selection of DVDs to keep you active when the weather outside turns frightful.  Here's my take on several I've tried:

Ultimate Tae Bo - this is a long, intense workout that will have you dripping with sweat, and in great appreciation of Blanks and the crowd who works out with him on this DVD.  I can't keep up with the speed, but this one is fun and you know you're burning calories.
Yoga Meltdown with Jillian Michaels - Did you think yoga was relaxing?  I didn't think so of this Jillian Michaels version.  Watch out for some of these moves.  I did more than one face plant during this workout.  I'm not writing off this one (or yoga in general) off yet, though.
Fashion your body with Pilates - I really like this workout, but even after months of Pilates, I can't make the moves look as easy and smooth as on this program.
Leslie Sansone's walk and kick - This is a bit easier than some of Leslie's other walking-at-home routines, but I was expecting more aggressive kicks tae bo style.  This is great if you're just getting started in an exercise routine.  I love Leslie's workouts for raising the heartrate and getting the body in motion.
Dancing with the stars cardio dance - This DVD looks so fun...however it was laughable as I tried to do these steps.  Despite good directions from the dance instructors, I am hopelessly uncoordinated.  Consequently I cannot Cha Cha or Samba (sigh).  But I have learned how to untie my shoelaces by stepping on my own feet.


No hula for me...

 Island Girl Cardio hula - This is a fabulous concept and looks so easy.  I suppose it would be if I had any coordination.  I'm not ready for the islands.
Invitation to Dance: Line dancing - This was so much fun.  Even though I could only coordinate about half the moves, this was the only dance DVD I thought I might have an iota of potential with.  I'll be working with this one over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Keep your routines interesting and varied and stick with it through the holidays...you'll be able to have another slice of apple pie or a few more sugar cookies without gaining a pound (who really cares about turkey anyway?).

Why not say what happened?

Ivana Lowell's memoir Why not say what happened? reminded me of another I have read lately (See my blog entry on Wendy Burden's Dead end gene pool).  The elements in both titles are similar:  an heiress from an eccentric family, old money, no strong adult figures, boarding schools, trans-Atlantic moves, etc.  Lowell's memoir suggests the Guinness family curse may have preordained the family to alcoholism (more likely the Guinness ale) and personal tragedy.  Lowell relates her tale of childhood in drafty English manor houses, dinners with the Queen Mother, childhood abuse, and her stepfather's (the poet Robert Lowell) sudden death.  The Guardian claims it is poorly written, but I found it intensely engaging and couldn't help but reading on to see what would happen next.   Although many of Lowell's life experiences are beyond the average reader's experiences, this memoir is a fly-on-the-wall look at how the other half lives has always been and I feel this genre continues to be popular with readers.
If this sounds like something you'd like to read, you might also like:
Dead End Gene Pool by Wendy Burden
Fierce by Kelly Osbourne
Uncharted Territori by Tori Spelling

November Happenings

Readers, please forgive the lack of November posts.  It has turned into a busy month.  Let me give you an update of what has been happening around the library.

• History Day research is getting serious.  Reference staff have been making a lot of referrals to the History Day wiki.  The wiki has both primary and secondary online sources as well as an explanation of the differences between.
• The PCL Reader's Advisory has been expanded to include Juvenile & Young Adult Series titles.  I also reorganized the Adult Series page to find items easier.  Keep watching for more authors, titles, and reading lists to be added.
• Have you noticed the new travel guide titles?  PCL has purchased guides for some new areas from a wider range of publishers including Cadogan, Lonely Planet, Rick Steves, National Geographic, and Eyewitness Travel.

• New volumes have been added to the reference collection including Britannica's Dynamic Earth 3 volume series, the Princeton Field Guide to dinosaurs and the 6 volume Magill's Medical Guide.  Watch for the arrival of the 12 volume forth edition of Masterplots & the 2011 World Book Encyclopedia being published in December.

 Did you know?... According to US Dept. of Agriculture statistics, an estimated 9 million turkeys were raised in Pennsylvania in 2009.  This places PA 8th in the nation and this accounts for about 3.6 of the total turkeys raised in the US.

What is a sacrifice zone?

The term 'sacrifice zone' was used during the Cold War to identify areas contaminated by radioactive pollutants in the course of manufacturing nuclear weapons.  Author Steve Lerner has re purposed the term and applied it to low-income and minority neighborhoods located near heavy industrial pollution sites in Sacrifice zones:  The front lines of toxic chemical exposure in the United States.  Each chapter describes a zone affected by polluted air, water, or soil.  These areas are found nationwide but have several similarities.  Each neighborhood contains poor or ethnic communities and in these communities grass-roots organizations are being formed by residents to hold accountable the industries responsible for the pollution.  The statistics provided by the author are alarming, with many industrial sites releasing massive amounts of chemicals into residential areas.  The material in this book was gathered from interviews with the residents of these areas and offers a balance between personal stories and hard statistics.  The effects of living in sacrifice zones runs the gamut from skin irritations, ash and soot deposits, noxious odors, difficulty breathing, cancer clusters, and even death.  Some of the chapters seem a bit redundant, however each is important for the sake of all those living (and dying) in the sacrifice zones.

How much?

Steve Dublanica, the brutally honest writer of Waiter Rant, answers the question 'how much should I tip?' in his new book Keep the change.  Dublanica starts out seriously exploring where tipping began, the origin of the name, and discussing just how much employees rely on tips as part of their income.  The following chapters are a narrative of his first-person interviews with workers in various professions (and they are very varied - some legal, some not), their straight talk on tips, and appropriate amounts for each service provided.  He takes a comic approach to gathering his data and the tax write-offs he claimed for researching this book must have garnered a few chuckles.  His wit and storytelling ability make this a quick, enjoyable light non-fiction book.  The insight gained by the reader in directly hearing from tipped employees is invaluable.  Never will I look at tips I leave in the same way.  Although as someone who has worked for tips in the past (I waitressed my way through one degree), I always feel I overcompensate when leaving gratuities (even though I usually can't afford it).  This look at tipping is especially relevant as the holiday season is approaching and an extra gratuity to service workers is a nice way to remember their attention throughout the year (or insure good service next year).  Take a tip from me:  Read Keep the change.

Mad Crafting

The new Amy Sedaris book Simple Times:  Crafts for poor people is absolutely hilarious.  Know someone who's been bad this year?  There are instructions for making gifts cheaply...how about a Green Stamp tissue box cover?  or a rusty nail windchime?  Personally I am expecting a lot of toothpaste box bookmarks this year!  On the other hand, do you know anyone that's been good this year?  Great gift idea = Simple Times.  Outrageous, entertaining, and lol funny!  Great conversation starter at family gatherings!

Amy Sedaris talks about Simple Times

What's new cupcake?

I've been baking again - this time for my son's 4th birthday.  I turned to What's new cupcake? (by Karen Tack & Alan Richardson) for my latest birthday treat creation.  Some might remember I whipped up waves, fish, and twinkie sharks for my daughter's summer birthday [from the author's earlier book Hello cupcake! See blog photos].  My son loves cars and this Indy car was easy to make.  Well, easier than the melted icing dipped Twinkie sharks.  The only alterations I made to the book directions were not using the pretzel stick to anchor the driver's head (I just placed it directly on the frosting), and I changed the car number to 0 4 to match my son's age.  There are super cute ideas for the upcoming holidays in these books as well.  Check them out!