Cinnamon Latte

I had such a comforting weekend, and I think I might still be in a bit of a weekend mode.

I spent part of Saturday afternoon with the magical writer, Diana Abu-Jaber (she visited our library in celebration of her latest novel, Origin, which she read passages from), and then Saturday evening and all day Sunday with Andrew reading and sipping lattes (with cinnamon!) at assorted coffee shops.

For those of you who are familiar with Diana's food books, you might appreciate this anecdote. Diana gave me the gift of cinnamon on Saturday. Here's how it happened: we were at the Coffee Bean ordering lattes -- an iced latte for her, and a hot latte for me. As we stood at the sugar and spice bar, she held up a bottle of cinnamon in her pale hands and said, "Try to have a little cinnamon everyday if you can. Sprinkle some in your latte."

Then she began to gently shake the jar, coating the surface of her latte, and I found that I was enchanted.

"I do this and it makes me happy," she smiled. "Also, it's very good for you. My auntie always told me that cinnamon was good for you, and I've discovered that this is true. I've been reading about it."

I told Diana that I was inspired and that I didn't mind saying so. I said that nutmeg had always been my spice of choice, but that I didn't use it very often as even the subtlest shake seemed to overwhelm my coffee.

"And so, in the future," I said. "When I find an opportunity to swirl cinnamon into my latte, I most certainly will!"

*
You can read the interview I conducted with Diana Abu-Jaber earlier this year on the Riverside Public Library's Readers and Writers page.

(image courtesy of starbucks)

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying

Oscar Wilde has just been named Britain's greatest wit. If there were a World Cup for wit , I am sure he would place nicely there as well.

Americans don't seem to appreciate the clever quip. Yes, we had Mark Twain, but about as far as most of us get into him is Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. Not only are quotes of his like "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please" just funny, but most still ring true.

But Wilde was special. He lived for wit. Whereas Paris Hilton may be famous because she falls down drunk, Wilde was famous because he would be drunk and still the one-liners would just keep coming. ("I have discovered . . . that alcohol taken in sufficient quantity produces all the effects of drunkenness") Supposedly, when entering the United States, he was asked if he had anything to declare by the customs official. Wilde replied, "I have nothing to declare but my genius." Anyways, more than a century after throwing him in jail and basically killing the man, Britain now recognizes what a great treasure he was.

Does your library have anything on ghosts?

We get asked that question sometimes at the reference desk. Actually, we get asked that question a lot. People really like ghosts. I have a neighbor who watches "Ghost Hunters" religiously. But back to the post at hand. So we usually give them call number 133 and send them merrily on their way. But this library in Indiana actually has its own ghost. Not only that, but their ghost even has its own ghostcams, three of them in fact. I would say that's taking Library 2.0 to the next level. So if you're an amateur ghost hunter who enjoys libraries (and I'm guessing you might because you're reading a blog written by librarians), then have yourself a gander.

I went to the Rare Book Fair in Santa Monica a few weeks ago -- the reason being that another of my responsibilities is stewardship of RPL's special collections. I wanted to learn what I could from the seasoned professionals.

Working as a special collections librarian is quite a blessing. Truth to tell, I can hardly believe my luck! I've always appreciated handsome books -- rare or otherwise. On the Blue Shore of Silence makes for a nice example of just such a book that lives on my shelves...



"Condition, condition, condition," stressed my mentor, as he guided me through the fair.

Condition indeed! This I well understood, for I was raised, in part, by my beloved father who is a book collector in his own right. When we were little, our father wouldn't allow me and my sister to touch the books until we'd washed our hands.

"No, no, no," I remember scolding myself as a toddler, my hands tucked obediently behind me. "Mustn't touch, mustn't touch till I washes my hands!"

He taught us, too, how to turn the pages properly, such that we wouldn't tear or wrinkle the pages.

For years he's been acquiring first edition/first printing books with the hopes of getting them signed at some point. He's been successful in many cases (occasionally a writer proves disagreeable).

I realized, as I meandered through the fair, that he has an impressive collection by now. I suppose we had a sense of this when the fire roared through the north end of San Bernardino (in 2003 was it?). Suddenly, the family was gripped with worry, for what would become of all the rare, beautiful books he'd collected over the years? Pay no mind to the house! What about the books?!

Fortunately, our house was spared.

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Sweet dreams.

I'll put ten on Oates!

I've bet on many things in my life, from the usual sports games (Go Angels!), to whether I could finish a marathon (I did, and collected handsomely), to the spur of the moment novelty bets (whoever's dart bounces off the dartboard first buys the next round). But I'll be honest and say I have never bet on who will be the next Nobel Prize winner for literature. But this Sportsbook may change that. They are posting odds on who will be next to collect that cherished prize. Favor Magris? So do they at 5 to 1. Atwood, Munroe, Rushdie? All there, at 20/1, 40/1, and 100/1 respectively. The one amusing entry is Bob Dylan at 500 to 1. Well, old Dylan once sang that "She bet on one horse to win/ and I bet on another to show," but I'll bet a dollar to the dime that ain't too many people going to be picking Dylan to win, show, or even place.