Your monthly news & updates
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Save the Date for the Annual Meeting
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Mark your calendar for our 2020 Annual Program to be held via Facebook on
Sunday, September 20 at 4:30 pm. Our featured guest will be internationally-acclaimed Tryon journalist, author and Churchill expert Paul Reid, who will explore "What Winston Churchill's Reaction Would be to Today's World Events".
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Felburn Library Nature Panels Complete
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Lanier Board member, nature photographer and journalist Vince Verrecchio has
been at work since 2018 creating a series of photographic panels based on more than 15 years of nature and wildlife photography ranging from South Africa and Botswana to Minnesota and the Carolinas with lions and tigers and bugs and more. The last panel is now in place, the room complete, and we invite you to visit and bask in the beauty of nature.
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The Mesozoic Treasure Tree of Lanier Library
The roots of our Dawn Redwood, a Metasequoia tree rising over the library parking lot, are in the Mesozoic Era that ended approximately 66 million years ago. It was known only in fossil records and until 1944 was believed extinct.
There are variations on the story of discovery of living specimens. One tells of four American soldiers wandering into a remote valley in Modaoxi, China. As good fortune had it, all were botanists who suspected an amazing discovery. Another credits famous Chinese botanist Zhan Wang with making the first scientific collection. Then there’s the hypothesis that the five botanists may have worked together.
Botanical records from WWII are difficult to piece together but what is known for sure is that a small stand of pyramidal trees up to 165 feet, with soft leaves reminiscent of hemlock, were found--direct descendants of deciduous conifers that had rustled to the passings of dinosaurs and shaded the earliest mammals.
How then did a specimen take root outside the LeDuc Room that today coincidentally preserves the Felburn Nature and Wildlife Collection?
After the war, the Chinese Ministry of Forestry Research continued to study the find. In 1948, Wan Chung Chen and Hu Hsen Hsu confirmed the discovery. Shortly thereafter, Harvard University sponsored an expedition to collect seeds to plant in Boston’s Arnold Arboretum for preservation and further study. From those seeds grew the generations that eventually could be found in 1973 at Oman’s Nursery just outside Columbus, NC. After millions of years in hiding, it took only about 25 years from paleontological surprise to ornamental plantings in Polk County
In the late 1980s, Charlotte conservationists founded the Treasure Tree Program to increase awareness of irreplaceable trees in NC communities based on age, size, and rarity. In 2008, the Pacolet Area Conservancy added our Dawn Redwood to the list of treasures.
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Great Books Literary Challenge
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Whether we're staying in most of the time, or just more than we used to, this time of cautious interaction has leant itself to more time for reading and writing. We covered writing with our first two challenges, now we tackle reading--in a big way--and challenge you to pick a category and
read your way to fame and fortune
.
The Great Books Challenge begins this month and goes until the end of the year. During this time we invite you to read 10 books from one category or across all five:
21st Century Pulitzer Prize Fiction Challenge;
Classic Fiction Challenge;
Children's Classics Challenge;
Caldecott Award Challenge (for children 10 and under) or
Top Ten Non-fiction Books Challenge. When you finish a category your name is entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate to Tryon Fine Books. Click here to choose your challenge:
Lanier Library 2020 Great Books Challenge.
Submit your list of completed reads at the circulation desk to enter your name in the drawing.
Looking ahead to 2021, what do you think of
The New York Public Library Books of the Century Challenge
based on the list compiled by public service and research librarians in celebration of the NYPL's centenary in 1995
?
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This is not a book review, it's a clue
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The Program Committee recently met and developed a plan not only for programs, but for activities like the Great Books Challenge to help keep us connected. Some are educational, some puzzling, and some...silly. We will reveal these over the next few months, but for now, a hint: several of them involve chickens...and wordplay. And, of course, books.
Intrigued?
Here's another clue: we seek
a calligrapher and a sketch artist
to work on a project that will, in the end, involve the entire community. If you have either of these talents, and love being part of a meaningful project, contact Jenny Purtill at: thelanierlibrary@gmail.com.
Watch this space for our next surprise.
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During the yearlong commemoration of its 130th anniversary, Lanier Library celebrates members in this monthly column. The profiles here will introduce you to community members who carry the Lanier card, continuing
a cultural tradition begun in 1890.
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Celebrating Lanier Member
Rachel Gould
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“This is my favorite room in the Library and this has been my favorite chair for at least 10 years for meetings of the selection committee and the Book Lovers Club,” says Rachael Gould, sitting at the southeast corner of the table in the Holmes Room.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Rachael, remembers her mother owning a bookshop and reading to her every night. “We loved books and I’m still an avid reader.” With that background and a degree in History and English, it’s only natural that Rachael found a sense of purpose in helping a historic library stock its shelves to appeal to the wide range of member interests.
“For about 10 years my husband and I had been touring the Southeast for a place to retire and one day just happened down 108 into Tryon. Right after we moved here from Pittsburgh in 1994, we joined Lanier Library. I felt comfortable as soon as I walked in the door and met Nancy [Ernst]. It was a warm and welcoming experience in a gracious building.
“I would have liked to have been here to help the LeDuc sisters and the other brave women who started the Library, but I’m content today feeling a part of a wonderful constant.
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I’ve been a member for probably more than about 25 years and Lanier is as welcoming as ever. Meeting friends, pleasant chats, never a word spoken in anger except the time I bent to pick up a book I dropped and hit my lip on the edge of the table.” With a grin, she pats the corner. She also notes a fondness for the nature programs that have been on the increase.
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Here are the links to our lists of book orders and newest acquisitions. Feel free to contact the library to put your name on the hold list for these books. You can call us or
log in through the catalogue on the website using your library card number for PIN
. And, as always, let us know if there is a book or DVD you think would enhance the collection.
Although the Book Lovers group has been unable to meet, they are going to begin Zoom meetings in September, hosted by Lee Cudlip and Jenny Purtill. If you would like to join the monthly discussion, at
10 am on the first Saturday of the month
, let us know by emailing the library (thelanierlibrary@gmail.com) and we will send you the Zoom invitation to the meeting. In the meantime, here is the list of July recommendations from the group.
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Reviews
Motherless Brooklyn
by Jonathan Lethem
I recently watched the movie version (2019) of
Motherless Brooklyn and immediately afterwards listened to the audiobook, read by Geoffrey Cantor, so I actually haven't
read the physical book. But I'm sure its every bit as good as the DVD and audiobook versions, although I don't think the reader's voice in my head could hold a candle to the actor's voice in the movie or the audiobook reader's, which was especially good.
The main character in
Motherless Brooklyn is Lionel Essrog who has Tourette's syndrome, and is working as an unlicensed detective obsessed with discovering the story behind the murder of his mentor and best friend, Frank Minna. Lionel and his petty criminal work buddies were orphans brought up in a Brooklyn orphanage and taken under Frank's slightly older wing after being thrust out into the world. Though the grown orphans were partly being used for Frank's criminal schemes, Lionel feels a special loyalty to his mentor. Frank accepted Lionel's frequent barks and verbally creative outbursts, fondly nicknaming him "Freakshow" while recognizing the intelligent man beyond the Tourette's. Brooklyn and the boroughs of NYC are the setting for both the book and the movie.
The main characters are the same in both versions, but the book sets the story in the 1970's, while the movie jumps back 20 years earlier to 1950's New York. The plot and the bad guys are quite different in the book and movie version, but both work equally well and I'd strongly recommend seeing, reading or listening to them both.
Review by Ann Gleason
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Due to the limiting of gatherings to 10 people or less during Phase 2 of Governor Cooper's reopening plan we will continue to offer online programs for the forseeable future.
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The Electoral College with Olin Sansbury
Online @ Lanier
Learn how the Electoral College works and how it impacts our elections with former University of South Carolina at Spartanburg Chancellor Olin Sansbury,
Thursday, August 27, noon via Zoom.
It is one of the more maligned institutions of the American political system, but the Electoral College is embedded in the US Constitution and US Presidential elections are determined by how the popular vote is distributed through its prism. To better understand and appreciate the institution’s impact on our elections join us as Olin Sansbury, who has taught government and international studies courses for several decades, explains the institution’s history and how it functions in today’s world.
Because the Zoom format limits participants to 100 it will be necessary to reserve your place for this program. We are offering it to our members exclusively until Monday, August 17 and then will open it to all in the community. To reserve your space for this timely program click here:
Electoral College Presentation link.
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Last Month's Online Program
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Thank you to Jimmi Buell of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension service for her virtual presentation on July 22 on Food Safety. Jimmi’s presentation included many great tips to stay safe while enjoying food. She reminds everyone to wear their mask while shopping for food and carry hand sanitizer to use after leaving the store, but assures us that Covid-19 is not transmitted through food but through the air. She also included other tips to stay safe around food, particularly when sharing food in larger groups. You can find a magnet that includes some of her tips at the circulation desk. If you missed the live presentation, you can view it on our website:
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Lanier Library welcomes all library-friendly dogs, but asks that they remain on leash at all times.
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Lanier Greeter Dog Nick was part of a men's discussion group in July along with his best friend Steve, Art Marquis and Jack Saunders with the sociable Black Jack. Each of the men left with at least one new book title added to their To-Read list, and Nick and Black Jack with more than one treat.
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Bill Lambert's Tyson waits quietly while Bill checks out the newspapers in the reading room where we recently added the Sunday edition of
The Charlotte Observer.
Bill tells us that Tyson makes a daily swim across the lake to play with the children on the other side and get treats. Perhaps he likes the library for the same reason?
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Robin Edgar's Bonnie also demonstrates patience while waiting for a treat and a good deal of praise for her proper library manners.
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Chess and Literature Displays for a Vicarious Vacation
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Summer is synonymous with vacation- but not this year. Despite Covid-19 and social distancing, we can still travel vicariously through books. Eileen Mehta's chess sets in this month’s display cabinet depict famous literary locations.
African Safari chess set
: It has been said that if you can only go to one foreign country in your lifetime, see Africa twice. Alternatively, you can read
Out of Africa
by Isak Dinesen or Ernest Hemingway’s safari stories,
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
and
The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.
India and the British Raj chess set
: An exotic vacation destination, India has a 3,500-year literary history. M.M. Kaye’s
The Far Pavilions
is an epic novel set in India during the time of the Mutiny. Abir Mukherjee’s
Captain Wyndham mysteries
are set in 1920s Calcutta when the turbulent independence movement is gaining strength (you will see several of the Mukherjee titles on our Book Lovers' Recommendations list this month) .
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The Palio di Siena chess set
: The Palio is Siena’s famous horse race. Horses and riders in medieval costumes representing seventeen contrade (city wards) run three riotous laps around the Piazza del Campo. Herman Wouk described the Palio in
The Winds of War.
Anne Fortier’s novel
Juliet
is set in the Italian city of Siena.
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Sandra's Shelf Display for August complements Eileen's armchair travel theme with an additional selection of books to take you vicariously to a variety of exotic locations.
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Thank you to
Vonda Krahn for the charming Petite Princess Fantasy Furniture display in July!
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The Story of Stony Knoll Library
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Pick up a copy of the August issue of Foothills Magazine for an article about Polk County's historic Stony Knoll Library written by Lanier Board member Vince Verrecchio. The magazine is available for free at the library and businesses throughout Tryon.
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About a month ago Sandra McCall began to discover notes in the back card pocket of books she was checking in. They continue to arrive from a variety of members. Sandra has left some in the books for more to discover, and perhaps join in the game.
We share here our latest musings and hope they bring a smile to your day.
Musings
"I can resist anything but temptation." -Oscar Wilde
I went to the library and asked the librarian where the Self-Help section was located and she said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
Why is it called lipstick if you can still move your lips?
What was the best thing before sliced bread?
Doctor to patient: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that you are not a hypochondriac."
If you look like your passport photo, you're too ill to travel. -Will Kommen
Never be afraid to try something new. Just remember amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic.
This one is from a member who checked in
The Magnificent Ambersons
by Booth Tarkington: "Life and money both behave like loose quicksilver in a nest of cracks!"
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Lanier Library | 828-859-9535| thelanierlibrary@gmail.com
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