Staff Recommendations
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Piecing Together Los Angeles: An Esther McCoy Reader
by McCoy, Esther
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJuly 18, 2023
Call Number: 720.910941 M131
For the most part, Los Angeles architecture has made its mark and numerous international and domestic architects will compete for an opportunity to design a residence, a public, or a commercial building. This was not always the case. There was someone who recognized the value, quality, originality and importance of the West and its architecture, at a time when it was not considered worth evaluating, predominantly by those in the East. In an interview Esther McCoy said, “ … Los Angeles has always been open to new ideas. Los Angeles is not rigid at all. It’s a plunger city.... Read Full Review
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Sex, death, and God in L.A.
by
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJuly 12, 2023
Call Number: 979.41 L881Sex 1994
This essay collection about Los Angeles includes the works of Eve Babitz, Alexander Cockburn, Mike Davis, Lynell George, Thomas S. Hines, Jeremy Larner, Rubén Martínez, David Reid, Carolyn See and David Thomson.This is an updated version (1994) of the previous edition (1992). The preface to this edition by David Reid offers a substantial analysis of Los Angeles. The preface and the essays are not at all dated and provide insights that are still wise and relevant. David Reid's comments state, “The plan of this book is to consider the character and customs of Los Angeles in relation to... Read Full Review
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Final Cut
by McCown, Marjorie
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryJuly 3, 2023
Joey Jessup is very good at her job. And it is a job that she really enjoys. Joey is a key costumer and over her career she has worked on almost every type of film, with a number of A-list actors and directors, along with some of the most talented costume designers in the industry. Joey knows how to get the job done without drawing unnecessary attention to herself.
Joey’s current job is on the next big-budget Hollywood superhero epic. This is a huge production, with a budget to match. And it is being directed by Marcus Pray, a director with an ego that makes the... Read Full Review
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The Wishing Game
by Shaffer, Meg
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryJune 26, 2023
How many of us have books, or series of books, that provided an escape for us as children and, because of that, we continue to love them as adults? How many of us longed to receive an owl-delivered letter from Hogwarts; find a secret entrance at the back of the closet/wardrobe; tumble down a rabbit hole; be transported by a tornado; or receive a visit from the local, beloved wizard challenging us to take a trip through Middle-Earth? For Lucy Hart, a girl whose childhood was defined by neglect and apathy from her parents, it was the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson.
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Our Hideous Progeny
by Mcgill, C. E.
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryJune 20, 2023
In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley tells the tale of how Victor Frankenstein challenges the “natural order” and explores the secrets of life itself by creating a being made from the pieces of other men. But what if Victor had chosen another direction for his research? What if, instead of choosing to reanimate a human, Victor had chosen to experiment on something else? What if Victor had chosen to re-create a dinosaur?
Mary Sutherland has been fascinated by science since her childhood discovery of an unusual stone on the beach that turned out to be a fossil.... Read Full Review
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Paradise now : the extraordinary life of Karl Lagerfeld
by Middleton, William, 1802-
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJune 13, 2023
Call Number: 746.52 L174Mi
It is not necessary to be interested in the world of haute couture to find this biography of Karl Largerfeld compelling and engrossing. The creative genius of Karl Lagerfeld is the magnetic star that will captivate you. His childhood interests were drawing and painting until a fateful December, 1949 when, "The house of Christian Dior traveled from Paris to the still-destroyed city of Hamburg to stage a series of fashion shows," and the teenage Karl declared, "I am leaving to become a fashion designer in Paris." So began his career as a fashion designer, but that was not the only... Read Full Review
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Into the riverlands
by Vo, Nghi
Reviewed by: Andrea Borchert, Librarian, Koreatown Media LabJune 5, 2023
Into the Riverlands is the third in the Singing Hills Cycle series of novellas. But you can read them in any order, and the characters in this installment are delightful.
The Singing Hills series follows the journey of Chih, a wandering cleric of the Singing Hills Monastery and their companion, a talking Hoopoe with a perfect memory, called Almost Brilliant. The clerics of the Singing Hills Monastery and their Hoopoe companions travel collecting and recording... Read Full Review
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Empress of the Nile : the daredevil archaeologist who saved Egypt's ancient temples from destruction
by Olson, Lynne
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionMay 30, 2023
Call Number: 932 O51
Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt was born in Paris, France, November 17, 1913, and her lifelong passion for Egypt began as a toddler when her grandfather took her to see the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde. He told her about its history and connection with France. As a child the history did not interest her as much as the hieroglyphs. “Those images spoke to me.” A few years later, she became fascinated with the Egyptian antiquities at the Louvre. Eventually she became the world’s leading expert on ancient Egypt; a trained, experienced archaeologist; and... Read Full Review
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Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed
by Balingit, Abi
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionMay 24, 2023
Call Number: 641.8 B186
According to Abi Balingit, "From my childhood to my mid-twenties, one thing has remained the same: my insatiable desire for new combinations of sweet, salty, savory, sour and umami in desserts." In her cookbook/memoir, she writes about “what it means to be a Filipino American baker in New York, and to make sweets that taste like home in a tiny kitchen.” She never considered writing a cookbook until contacted by Emmy, who later became her agent. And Emmy discovered Abi because of her blog, The Dusky Kitchen - Baking Adventures, which is... Read Full Review
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The Lies of the Ajungo
by Utomi, Moses Ose
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryMay 15, 2023
“There is no water in the City of Lies.”
Tutu has lived all of his short life in the City of Lies with his mother. Located in the Forever Desert, the City of Lies used to have water. . .but the inhabitants were vanquished by the fierce Ajungo Empire which required, in exchange for water, that every person aged thirteen and older have their tongue cut out. The cost is terrible and the Ajungo do provide water, but just enough to keep most people alive. There are still many who die of dehydration, the “blood drought.”
“There are no heroes in the City... Read Full Review
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On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World: In 50 Recipes
by Iyer, Raghavan
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionMay 10, 2023
Call Number: 641.6384 I97
According to Raghavan Iyer, “The sophistication of Indian cuisine, balancing six taste elements: hot, sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and astringent (umami was a much later discovery), is deeply embedded in the annals of ayurvedic medicine, from around the first century BCE, a science that dictated the role of spices, herbs, and other flavorings to regulate various body types for a sense of equilibrium. Temperature contrasts, colors, aromas, and textures were under consideration as well, as practitioners of ayurveda combined seemingly disparate ingredients with highly nuanced... Read Full Review
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Going Zero
by McCarten, Anthony
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryMay 1, 2023
We all know that we are constantly being observed and monitored in today’s world. There are security and surveillance cameras on many homes, businesses, and on the traffic lights at intersections. ATMs and now self-check out machines in retail establishments also include cameras. Purchases, whether online or in a brick and mortar store can, and are, tracked. Many retail establishments offer “discount” cards or memberships that track customer purchases. And the personal information of banking and/or retail customers is regularly breached and sold, while many people willingly... Read Full Review