Danbury Library Blog

Anyone who has been overbooked, canceled,delayed and consequently marooned, stranded, shanghaied, stuck in an airport for an interminable length of time can relate to the fictional main character of "Dear American Airlines". Our hero,on his way to his estranged daughter's wedding, his flight canceled, uses the time to write a wild letter of complaint to the airline which leads to his examination of the terrifically fine mess he's made of his life. Reviewers call this first novel by Jonathan Miles "hilarious and heartbreaking".

Posted by Mary at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brigadier-General John A. Rawlins was one of the most important Union officers in the Civil War and eventually became Chief of Staff to Ulysses S. Grant. He was also described by the Danbury News in 1892 as "certainly the most eminent citizen that ever called Danbury his home."

How he came to live in Danbury is a romantic tale of the first order. While he was involved in the siege of Vicksburg in 1863 he was smitten by Mary Hurlburt, a school teacher & Danbury native, who was staying in the same house that Grant used for his headquarters. They were married at the end of 1863 and Rawlins came to live in Danbury after the end of the war. He and his wife lived at 19-21 Franklin St. until Rawlins was summoned by Pres. Grant to be his Secretary of War. Unfortunately Rawlins died of tuberculosis in August of 1869. A grateful populace collected enough money so that his wife & children were able to live at 17 Balmforth Ave until they also died from the same disease four years after Rawlins.

Posted by John O'Donnell at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In 1975, when I was in junior high school, I slept over at Debbie B’s house. We stayed up late that night to see a brand-new TV show, “Saturday Night Live,” just because George Carlin was the host. I was learning to love stand-up comedy, and Carlin was my favorite. My parents had some of his comedy albums, and I’ll never forget how much my dad enjoyed Carlin’s Hippy Dippy Weatherman, Al Sleet. Carlin, who died on Sunday, was a comedy legend. Richard Zoglin’s Comedy at the Edge has a good, concise chapter about Carlin, the development of his comedy, and his impact on generations of comedians. (Click here for Jerry Seinfeld’s tribute in the New York Times.) As an adult and parent, I came to love the gentle side of George Carlin as Mr. Conductor in all those many, many “Thomas the Tank Engine” episodes.

Posted by Andrea at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Having grown up wearing glasses, being physically inactive, and always having had a passion for math, technology and video games, I know a thing or two about being a self-proclaimed nerd, being called one and completely fitting certain stereotypes. So when I noticed American Nerd by Benjamin Nugent on our New Book Shelves, I knew I had to give it a read. This book discusses nerds and geeks as they are portrayed in American pop culture, along with the myriad of stereotypes and pigeon-holes they fall into. Nugent makes being a nerd socially acceptable, and quite possibly, even cool! (There is hope for us!) With years of serious study and analysis, he delves into all different types of nerds that exist. I’m only a few chapters in, but so far, it’s quite an interesting perspective to read about the sociological impact of nerds on both the “outside” world of "normal" folk and the inside world of nerds as well. Nerds and non-nerds alike will find this book to be an enjoyable, entertaining and unique read.

Posted by Merry at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Struggling with mortgage payments? Credit problems keeping you from getting a mortgage? Help is available. Congressman Chris Murphy will be at City Hall this Saturday June 21st at 2 pm for a mortgage education program. For more information call Congressman Murphy's Danbury office at 798-2072.

Other assistance available in Connecticut --just dial 211 or go to 211ct,org to get referrals for foreclosure and eviction prevention programs as well as homebuyer counseling.

Posted by Mary at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Matthew Bruccoli, one of the foremost scholars of American Literature, died on June 4, 2008. He was born in New York City. When he was 16 years old he heard a radio broadcast of F.Scott Fitzgerald's short story The Diamond as Big as the Ritz . He then bought a copy of the Great Gatsby and this started a lifelong study of Fitzgerald which included writing the definitive Fitzgerald biography. He became a professor at the Univerity of South Carolina and donated all of the materials that he collected about Fitzgerald to the Thomas Cooper Library there. Bruccoli said that he made the donation because he couldn't find a coffin with bookshelves.

Posted by John O'Donnell at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Highly anticipated new CDs from Radiohead, R.E.M., Gnarls Barkley, Duffy and Portishead have arrived on Danbury Library shelves. Check out our website for a regularly-updated list of New & Recommended Music. Remember, if you have a Danbury Library card you can put your name on the waiting list for any new music in our catalog. Want to read a review and listen to a preview? Go to www.rollingstone.com/keytracks.

Posted by Andrea at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In honor of the late Ian Fleming's 100th birthday, writer Sebastian Faulks , authorized by the Fleming family, has produced Devil May Care with Faulks "writing as Ian Fleming" --was channeling involved? Fleming, author of 14 Bond books reportedly modeled his characters on people he knew while working for British Intelligence.

Agent 007 first appeared in 1953's Casino Royale. Check out a Bond movie or book next time you visit us.

Posted by Mary at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)