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February 2015
Mail-A-Book Connection
Enjoy Queens Library programs, book reviews, discussion groups, health forums,
friendship, support, education, resources, and entertainment using your
home phone, personal computer, or smartphone
http://www.queenslibrary.org/books/mail-a-book
mailabook@queenslibrary.org
Happy
Valentine’s
Day
Mail A Book Services, 94-11 217 Street, Queens Village, NY 11428, 718-464-0084
Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library system
February 2015
After Hours
Group Discussions
Lifelong Learning from your home
History - Art - Literature - Popular Culture - Current Events
The History of Valentine’s Day
Led by Karen Quinones
Patriot Tours
Thursday Feb 5, 2015
8pm-9pm
Short Stories
Led by Bonnie Sue Pokorny
Thursday Feb 19
“The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you.”
Please call 718-464-0084 to register for this program & to get access numbers
Ni Hao Mail A Book
你好，圖書郵寄服務
我們現在有中文書籍、電影及音樂光碟
Mail A Book Services, 94-11 217 Street, Queens Village, NY 11428, 718-464-0084
Queens Library is an independent, not-for-profit corporation and is not affiliated with any other library system
February 2015
The Poet In You
Led by Denise Downing
Discover and celebrate
the poet in you
Discuss and share your
favorite poems
Wednesday
February 18 @ 11 am
A Teleconference Event
Book Club
Led by Bonnie Sue Pokorny
Join us on Wednesday
February 25 @ 11 am
This is a Teleconference event
This month we are reading and discussing
Ricochet by Sandra Brown
Call Mail a Book @ 718-464-0084 to register
and to receive a copy of the book
February 2015
Thanks to Gladys Maresse for her recommendations:
The Invention of Exile by Vanessa Manko
A novel that takes you from Russia to Mexico and the U.S.A. This book is about a
family divided because of a few words spoken.
Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique
A story about the Island of St. Thomas as it is transferred from Danish Rule to American control. Many subplots and traditions concerning two sisters. An enlightening
story.
The Miniaturist by Jesse Burton
A book about a household in Amsterdam in the 1600’s. A young bride and how she
copes with many secrets. A fascinating story.
The three above books are all about how women coped with the hardships of growing up in
the 1600’s and later.
The Drop by Dennis Lehane
Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny
While reading this book, I kept checking to see if this was really a Dennis Lehane book. First
of all, it is very small and he usually writes large, intrigue novels. Second, is that while this is
not a love story there is hope of a love blossoming. A bartender finds
a puppy that has been beaten and injured in a garbage can. He takes
the puppy in even though he knows nothing about dogs. A woman
sees him remove the puppy and she helps him. In addition, the bar
where he works is held up and a customer has been missing for ten
years.
It is a wild romp and while it not as humorous as a Elmore book, it is
an interesting and absorbing book.
February 2015
The Lion Seeker by Kenneth Bonert
Reviewed by Katherine Cohen
A book about leaving the “old country” for a new country of opportunity is familiar to many
New Yorkers, who often can relate such a story to their own family history. The Helgers leave
Lithuania in the early part of the twentieth century to escape poverty, forced military service
and pogroms. Their destination is not New York, but Johannesburg, South Africa and the immigrant experience there is one which will not be entirely familiar to the reader.
Their son Isaac, who remembers very little of the village he was taken from at age 5, considers
himself a South African. It is his mother Gitelle who keeps alive the memory of the sisters she
left behind, teaching her son the names of all his relatives still in Lithuania. She pushes him to
succeed; to be “a clever’ not “a stupid”.
As the Nazis come to power in Germany, anti-Semitic fascists appear around the world, including South Africa’s Grey shirts. Isaac grows up, and encouraged by his mother, he becomes a
hustler whose only goal is to make money and buy his mother a house. His kind and religious
father tries to teach him the dignity of work and is successful for a while in having his son take
up a trade of which he can be proud. Unfortunately, Isaac’s lust for money and success leads
him to a fateful decision which he will come to regret.
These family conflicts unfold against the background of the 1930’s and 40’s in South Africa.
The story is told in unflinching terms and will resonate with readers today who can relate to
the family dynamics and recent world events of the 20th century.
No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Reviewed by Richard Kagan
This book won a Pulitzer Prize and one can see why. It is a richly researched, wonderfully
written story of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, as told during the backdrop of the oncoming
World War II, and all of the domestic issues that President Roosevelt faced. It could be said,
that when the romantic relationship ended between them, the “working” relationship became stronger. When Eleanor discovered evidence of an affair between Franklin and Lucy
Mercer, she was deeply hurt. She didn’t leave him however. She was there by his side as he
battled polio and ran for public office. Then they became a formidable team.
This book in some ways reads like a Masterpiece Theater production. Drama abounds. Can
Eleanor raise her children, and still attend to her increasing role as fact-finder and important
voice that FDR carefully listened to? Their love for each other grew and took on a different
dimension. Some couples stay together for the good of the family, they stayed together for
the good of the country.
After reading his book, it is fairly easy to observe that FDR was a political savant. He found
people to help him make decisions. He built a small close-knit group of friends who kept him
company and supported him daily as he took his hands off the steering wheel and the U.S.
moved closer to war.
No Ordinary Time spends a good deal of focus on the great budding friendship of FDR and
Winston Churchill, who became war partners and planners. Churchill made a famous speech
to a joint session of Congress, in which he said, “If my mother had been American, and my father English, I might have gotten here on my own.” That joke almost bought down the hallowed chambers of the House. Eleanor admired Churchill, and saw he was a remarkable leader, but she did not like his continual drinking, smoking of cigars, and late hours, which kept
FDR up late. Once she spotted them, in the Map Room, looking at the latest movements of
troops in the European Theater and remarked that they looked like boys at play.
If there was an important speech to be made, Eleanor, despite her own fears, made it on behalf of her husband. Once she was asked to fly to Chicago during the 1940 Democratic Convention to face unruly delegates. They wanted to hear directly from the President himself that
if nominated, he would run for President. However, despite the growing resentment, FDR decided not to speak to the Convention and sent Eleanor. “I think you should go,” he said. Eleanor flew to Chicago, and spoke to the delegates and that did the persuading. They heard what
they needed to hear, and crisis was averted.
Book Review continued
No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Reviewed by Richard Kagan
Eleanor had her own friends and support system. She became close to Lorena Hickok and Joseph Lash. She traveled tirelessly promoting her important causes, bringing issues to the
attention of the President. She became his eyes and ears.
When FDR passed away in the spring of 1945 he was 62 and he looked much older. It was a
major time of transition in America. Eleanor carried out FDR’s wishes for a United Nations,
and she became its first ambassador to the new body.
If you want to read about a tumultuous time in U.S. history this is a good book to read. Well
done.
February 2015
Poetry
How Do I Love Thee?
To Celia
Drink to me, only, with thine eyes,
How Do I Love Thee? Let me count the ways.
And I will pledge with mine;
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
Or leave a kisse but in the cup,
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
And Ile not look for wine.
For the ends of Being an ideal Grace.
The thirst, that from the soule doth rise,
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Doth aske a drink divine:
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
But might I of Jove's Nectar sup,
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I would not change for thine.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I sent thee, late, a rosie wreath,
I love thee with the passion put to use
Not so much honoring thee,
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
As giving it a hope, that there
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
It could not withered be.
With my lost saints,- I love thee with the Breath,
But thou thereon did'st onely breathe,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!- and, if God choose,
And sent'st it back to mee:
I shall but love thee better after death.
Since when it growes, and smells, I sweare,
- Elizabeth Barret Browning
Not of it selfe, but thee.
- Robert Burns: The Poetry (1896)
February 2015
Love Sonnet 18
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
Only One Day Before
By Millicent G. Tycko
Submitted by Alice Morley
Only one day before
Easy to rake up the
yellow tan orange
Fallen leaves
Saved in piles to
Later create earth
To plan again
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
Only one day before
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd; And now the rain
Pours hard into
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Puddles of dark earth
The wind is not only
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
gusty rather the wind
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, Blasts my thoughts
My images of only
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
One day before
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.
William Shakespeare
Sore Loser
By Althea F. Gonya
All right! So I loved and lost.
Friends say I waged a splendid fight.
(And a lot of help, this chat of friends,
In the middle of the night.)
Oh I’ll get along
Very well, I bet.
But I won’t forgive
And never forget.
February 2015
By Kathy Moran, RN, BSN
(Information extracted from article written on the World of Psychology Blog:
by Margarita Tartakovsky; Retrain Your Brain to Reduce Worry)
Some people believe you can retrain your brain. Kathryn Tristan author of the book Why
Worry? Stop Coping and Start Living believes you can.
Here are a few of her suggestions:
Eliminate energy draining habits. Thinking and worrying about the worse possible outcomes, doesn’t help you solve anything, it just drains your energy. Instead think about
possible outcomes that are positive.
Redefine your concept of perfection. Reality is that, life isn’t fair all the time, not everyone
loves you, sometimes bad things happen in life. So learn to accept the reality of what
the world is.
Go with the flow rather than resisting the bumps that may occur in life. Resisting is adding
to your struggle and therefore your stress.
Blame, anger and guilt are negative reactions and emotions. Learn to move beyond them
by creating a positive mantra for yourself, seeking alternative ways to solve a problem,
asking for help or sometimes simply not reacting to a situation, which in the past has
caused a negative emotion or reaction. Try and replace blame with gratitude. Instead of
guilt inject forgiveness. And last but not least, when angry, try and control how you express yourself. Speak in a calm manner so that others hear what you’re saying.
This morning I heard if you write down one thing that makes you happy for 100 days you can
actually change the way you think. I’m all for this exercise as I can only gain from it. So today
it makes me happy to challenge you to do the same. One hundred days of one thing that
makes you happy. How about it?
The information given by Kathy Moran, RN, is not a substitute or replacement for information and/or advice you have
received from your health care provider. Always contact your health care provider and obtain their consent before making any changes to your health care regimen. If you have identified any of the symptoms described in this information
please follow up with your health care provider.
22
15
8
1
Sun
24
Chit Chat 2pm
SKYPE
Crosswords 1pm
Chit Chat 2pm
17
BINGO 2pm
10
Chit Chat 2pm
3
Tue
23
President’s Day
16
SKYPE
Crosswords 1pm
9
SKYPE
Crosswords 1pm
Memoir Writing
Kathy Cohen
10:30am
2
Mon
Bonnie’s Book
Discussion
“Ricochet” by Sandra Brown
11am
25
The Poet in You
11am
18
You Be The Judge
11 am
11
What Are You
Reading 11 am
4
Wed
26
After Hours
Short Story
Discussion
Group
8-9pm
19
12
After Hours :
History of
Valentines Day
Karen Quinones
8-9pm
5
Thu
Chat & Stars
10 am
27
Chat 10 am
20
Chat 10 am
13
Chat 10 am
6
Fri
28
21
Valentine’s Day
14
7
Sat
Queens Library Mail a Book Calendar - Virtual Programs for Older Adults
February 2015