Readers' Nook

Based on a story by Akira Kurosawa. You might be surprised but the movie grabs you right away. Jon Voight plays an escaped convict trying, with his best friend (a very young Eric Roberts), to make a getaway by jumping on a set of 4 train engines in a railway yard somewhere in Alaska. Rebecca De Mornay is a railroad worker sleeping in one of these locomotives. When the engineer has a heart attack he accidentally causes a series of events that burn out the brakes while setting the powerful engines off at high speed.

That's the simple, brief synopsis. But we find so much more going on in this film: a combination of a modern take on Classical Greek tragedy layered with the metaphor of an out-of-control, unstoppable force. Everything about the story and the action and the life of the main character crystallizes with stunning clarity with just one line, spoken calmly, amidst all the noise and terror: "I wish I could." (To tell you more would be an unforgivable spoiler).

The Mechanics Institute Library has Runaway Train in DVD.

The Mechanics Institute Library has...

What was hidden now revealed: Part 1

Steven Dunlap

The Mechanics Institute Library has a deep and extensive collection of short stories that stretches back to the early 20th century. Many of these you can find in anthologies such as The O. Henry Prize stories, The Year's best stories, or a number of other short story anthologies in our collection.

For many years we placed these books on the shelf for members to find by simply browsing. As of now (count as of July 2024), we have 578 volumes of short story anthologies. We realized we have so many short stories tucked within these anthologies that we had to improve our catalog so members could discover individual short stories by their favorite authors that only appear in these anthologies. We are pleased to announce that we have completed this recataloging project.

To give you a sampling of what we have uncovered, Mechanics Institute staff have read stories by their favorite authors and share their thoughts below.

(Please ask a staff member for assistance if you would like to search for short stories in our catalog.)

Shirley Jackson. The Birthday party, in Best American Short Stories 1964 (SS B56 1964)

Charming? Lighthearted? Blithe? Not words I'd typically attach to a Shirley Jackson story, but an apt description of Birthday Party, originally published in Vogue. It's a delightful reminder that even one of the most lauded horror writers of the 20th century still dealt with domestic trivialities like the preteen slumber party. Jackson's own children, Laurence, Joanne, Sarah, and Barry, make appearances as fictionalized versions of themselves. -- Review by AndyTalajkowski

C.J. Box. Pirates of Yellowstone, in Best American Mystery stories 2006 (SS B563 2006)

The title of this short story intrigued me right away, as when I visited Yellowstone I do not remember seeing or hearing of any pirates. Within the first few paragraphs I was already very interested in this story as there were parts I related to when I spent time in Yellowstone and Wyoming. This story is very fast paced and keeps you on your toes, and the concept of these "Pirates" is really interesting and although I don't believe what they pirate has any validity, it got my mind wondering about the glaciers of Yellowstone and the mysteries they store. -- Review by Mitchell Sains.

William Golding. The Anglo-Saxon, in Winter's Tales #16 (SS W78 #16)

This work is a character sketch, without much action or a plot -- simply a day in the life of a sad, elderly and cantankerous man. George Smart often wears his cap and army greatcoat. He manages a herd of heifers, urging them to climb hills and over the English downs. One day, George sees an American lieutenant and a corporal make their way towards him, telling him that he can’t remain on that land with his heifers and collie.

Later, George spends his day's wages in a bar parlor. In the local guildhall people call him a local nuisance, that he often finishes up his day disgustingly drunk and turns street traffic into a mess. His boss says that every time he brings him to market, he makes a bloody fool of himself. On this occasion, he has to pay five pounds or go to prison for fourteen days. The American lieutenant paid, as George had no money on hand.

George then makes his way into another bar, but the proprietor throws him out. The story ends with George peering out of a warped window, and seeing the street lights, a parking lot and the signs of law and order on the Queen’s Highway. -- Review by Craig Jackson

(By the way, William Golding also wrote Lord of the Flies).

New and noteworthy - The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow

Steven Dunlap

The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow ( Fic Doctorow)

Cory Doctorow's new novel contains lots of historical trivia that I had not known before. For example, the economist John Kenneth Galbraith coined the term "bezzle" (from the word "embezzle") in the 1950s to describe the time between the beginning of a crime and its detection. During this time, the victims of a con enjoy "psychic wealth," money they do not have in reality -- only they don't know it yet. This work of fiction contains plenty of tragically true factual information, but like most good crime novels, the names have been changed to protect the guilty. The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department gang in The Bezzle does not exist in reality, but these gangs did (still do?) exist and have the gang tattoos to boot. President Gerald Ford did intercede on behalf of a major campaign donor, Richard DeVos (father-in-law to Betsy) in order to save Amway from the FTC. And the names of specific prisons in California are the only fictitious element of how they operate after the 3-strikes law went into effect followed by prison privatization. I found so much of this so unbelievable that I fact-checked it - Yikes!

A Doctorow recurring character, Marty Hench, works as a forensic accountant -- kind of a bean-counter bounty hunter. He selects his clients carefully in order for his 25% take of all the money he discovers to provide him with enough income to escape the 9-5 grind. Escape he does, to Catalina Island, no less. Intended, designed, and maintained as a playground for the rich, the Island plays host to people so wealthy that " …their f*ck you money has f*ck you money." While visiting a friend on the Island who has recently worked his way into the millionaire class, Hench amuses himself by acting as an amateur anthropologist, observing these uber-wealthy individuals in their habitat. But he and his friend spend most of their time with the people who serve the rich (in various ways), which leads him to stumble upon a bizarre operation to import fast-food hamburgers. This begins a series of events that takes Hench down a long, twisting rabbit-hole of lies, greed, pettiness, and cruelty. By the end you wonder, are we all living in a bezzle?

The Bezzle by Cory Doctorow ( Fic Doctorow)

Hidden Gems - A Perfect Vacuum

Steven Dunlap

A Perfect Vacuum/ Stanislaw Lem. (Fic Lem)

Stanislaw Lem’s satire/parody of literary criticism -- in the form of critiques of books no one ever wrote -- will have you either laughing or groaning with recognition of the academic prose many of us have grown to know and loathe. Writers, literary people, or anyone who took an English course in college will most appreciate this series of reviews of novels that do not exist (hence the title: a book about nothing). Now and then while reading this book I started nodding off (as I do when reading something incredibly boring) but then jumped in my chair a bit as the realization that it was all a put on returned to me. Then I laughed out loud for a while. My favorite is the novel written entirely in negative sentences (e.g.: "The train did not arrive," "The woman did not go home.")

A Perfect Vacuum/ Stanislaw Lem. (Fic Lem)

Get into the spirit of the Olympic games!

Bobbie Monzon

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games begin this week in Paris! Officially running from Friday, July 26 through Sunday, August 11. 32 sports are being played with 329 gold medals to be awarded. The only new sport to debut at this Olympiad is breaking, otherwise known as breakdancing. This style of dance originated in the ‘70s and has gone on to become a competitive sport with international competitions and world championships. Dancers will face off in one-on-one battles showcasing their style, creativity, and improvisational skills. Other new events added to the sport competitions include kayak cross and kiteboarding, plus the return of skateboard, surfing, sport climbing, and 3x3 basketball that featured for the first time in the Tokyo Olympics.

To help commemorate this XXXIII Olympiad we’ve compiled a short list of interesting reads and movies to watch covering inspirational stories, sport controversies, art related to the Olympics, and of course, the history of the games. We also have Olympics and sport related materials on display on the 3rd floor end stacks to check out and you can always find more materials covering the Olympic games by browsing our catalog here.

The Eternal Olympics: the art and history of sport / edited by Nicolaos Yalouris ; introduction by Manolis Andronicos. (796.48 E83)

Igniting the flame: America's first olympic team / Jim Reisler. (796.48 R94)

Chariots of fire / Warner Bros. Pictures. (DVD)

Gold: a novel / Chris Cleave. (Fic Cleave)

Dream team: how Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the greatest team of all time conquered the world and changed the game of basketball forever / Jack McCallum. (796.3 M122)

Olympic visions: images of the games through history / Mike O'Mahony. (796.48 O542)

The boys in the boat: nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics / Daniel James Brown. (797.123 B877 Available in print, CD Audiobook, eBook, and Large Print)

Making waves: my journey to winning Olympic Gold and defeating the East German Doping Program / Shirley Babashoff with Chris Epting ; preface by Mark Spitz ; foreword by Donna de Varona. (797.2 B112)

Olympia / Taylor Downing. (791.43 D751)

Foxcatcher: the true story of my brother's murder, John du Pont's madness, and the quest for Olympic gold / Mark Schultz, with David Thomas. (796.81 S387)

Foxcatcher / Sony Pictures Classics. (DVD - Movie based on the book)

New Print Fiction for June 2024

Heather Miles

PRINT BOOKS

FICTION

Lau Yee-Wa Tongueless Fic Yee-Wa
Miguel Bonnefoy Heritage Fic Bonnefoy
Jasper Fforde Red side story Fic Fforde
Emily Hauser For the most beautiful : a novel of the women of Troy Fic Hauser
Colm Tóibín Long Island : a novel Fic Tóibín
Rosie Danan Do your worst Fic Danan
Isabelle Schuler Queen hereafter : a novel Fic Schuler
Paul Lynch Red sky in morning : a novel Fic Lynch
Paul Lynch Beyond the sea Fic Lynch
Armistead Maupin Mona of the manor : a novel Fic Maupin
Ruth Reichl The Paris novel Fic Reichl
Miranda July All fours Fic July

Historical Fiction

Claire Messud This strange eventful history : a novel Fic Messud
Paul Lynch The black snow : a novel Fic Lynch

Mystery, Suspense, Thrillers, Espionage & Intrigue

Cory Doctorow The bezzle Fic Doctorow
Peter Swanson A talent for murder : a novel Fic Swanson
Freida McFadden The housemaid is watching Fic McFadden
Freida McFadden The housemaid's secret Fic McFadden
Sam Garonzik A rough way to go Fic Garonzik
Ian Rankin A heart full of headstones Fic Rankin

Short Stories

E. P. Tuazon A professional Lola : and other stories Fic Tuazon

Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Comic Strips

Julia Wertz Drinking at the movies 741.5 W499d Comics

LARGE PRINT

Kaveh Akbar Martyr! : a novel Large Print Akbar

PRINT BOOKS

FICTION

New Print Non-Fiction for June 2024

Heather Miles

PRINT BOOKS
NON-FICTION

Arts, Architecture & Crafts

Scott Doorley Assembling tomorrow : a guide to designing a thriving future from the Stanford d.school 744 D691

Biography & Genealogy

Kathleen Hanna Rebel girl : my life as a feminist punk 780.92 H243
Francine Prose 1974 : a personal history 813.54 P96
Griffin Dunne The Friday afternoon club : a family memoir 792.092 D923
Ian Buruma Spinoza : freedom's messiah 199.492 S758
Katalin Karikó Breaking through 572.092 K183
Steven Powell L ove me fierce in danger : the life of James Ellroy 813.54 E47
Polly Toynbee An uneasy inheritance : my family and other radicals 305.5 T756
Lara Gabrielle Captain of her soul : the life of Marion Davies 792.092 D24g

Books, Reading, Publishing, Journalism

Nina Simon The art of relevance 069 S5941

Chess
Thomas Engqvist Chess lessons from a champion coach 794.1 E369c
Levy Rozman How to win at chess: the ultimate guide for beginners and beyond 794.1 R893
Nikola Sedlak The London system : the adventure continues! 794.1225 D02 S449
Bill. Wall 500 Blackmar-Diemer gambit miniatures 794.1225 A45 W187
Cyrus Lakdawala Opening Repertoire : 1 e4 794.122 L192ope
Gerald M. Levitt The Turk, chess automaton 794.1 L6665
John Doknjas What chess coaches don't tell you 794.1 D658
I͡A. Neĭshtadt Winning quickly with black 794.124 N416w

Food & Drink

Tyler Florence American grill : a cookbook : 125 recipes for mastering live fire 641.578 F632
The Women'sHealth big book of smoothies & soups : more than 100 blended recipes for boosted energy, brighter skin, and better health 641.563 W872

History

Nathan Thrall A day in the life of Abed Salama : anatomy of a Jerusalem tragedy 956.05 T529
Corinne Fowler The countryside : ten rural walks through Britain and its hidden history of empire 941 F785

Law

Melissa B. Jacoby Unjust debts : how our bankruptcy system makes America more unequal 346.078 J179

Literature & Writing
Josephine. Ross Jane Austen's guide to good manners : compliments, charades & horrible blunders 823 A933r

Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Christopher Nyerges Foraging california : finding, identifying, and preparing edible wild foods in California 581.632 N994
David Bessis Mathematica : a secret world of intuition and curiosity 510.19 B559

Philosophy, Psychology & Religion

Delphine Horvilleur Living with our dead : on loss and consolation 296.7 H823
Robert M. Sapolsky Determined : a science of life without free will 123 S241

Politics

Minxin Pei The sentinel state : surveillance and the survival of dictatorship in China 327.12 P377

Social Sciences & Current Events

Shannon Vallor The AI mirror : how to reclaim our humanity in the age of machine thinking 303.4834 V192
Sarah Blaffer Hrdy Father time : a natural history of men and babies 306.874 H873f
Derrick Jensen Bright green lies : how the environmental movement lost its way and what we can do about it 304.28 J54
Rosanna Xia California against the sea : visions for our vanishing coastline 333.91 X6
Tom McGrath Triumph of the yuppies : America, the eighties, and the creation of an unequal nation 305.2 M147
Jonathan Haidt The anxious generation : how the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness 305.23 H149

PRINT BOOKS
NON-FICTION

Arts, Architecture & Crafts

Scott Doorley Assembling tomorrow : a guide to designing a thriving future from the Stanford d.school 744 D691

Biography & Genealogy

‹ previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
…
next ›

	Library	Chess	Building
Mon	10 - 6	10 - 6	8 - 6
Tue	10 - 8	10 - 6	8 - 8
Wed	10 - 6	10 - 6	8 - 6
Thu	10 - 8	10 - 6	8 - 8
Fri	10 - 6	10 - 6	8 - 6
Sat	10 - 5	Closed	Closed
Sun	Closed	Closed	Closed

You are here

Readers' Nook

Readers Nook