Category: Miscellany

Upper Cape Camera Club Summer Exhibit 2020 at FPL

Posted on by K.C. DeWall

In May of 2013, the Falmouth Public Library installed a railing for displaying art in the Adult Collections Room. The first exhibit was the work of the Upper Cape Camera Club. The Library has hosted the UCCC every July ever since. Not wanting to miss the fabulous work of this group we are presenting the 2020 Exhibit in our digital collections.  

The Upper Cape Camera Club is a group of photographers whose mission is to provide an opportunity to develop skills, learn new skills, and share their images in a friendly supportive environment. From beginners to professionals, they welcome all who are interested in photography. To learn more about the group, visit their website here.

Fireworks Without the Fireworks!

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

We know that everyone (except dogs and cats) is very disappointed that the annual fireworks will not be happening this year. So we wanted to offer you another option for your 4th of July party! Did you know that we have a BBC Sound Effects Library on CD? We have certainly noticed a recent uptick in use, so we know some of you must be working on podcasts at home, and using the BBC Sound Effects Library for special moments!  The complete collection includes 60 CDs packed full of sounds. You can find the second set, with a full list of sound effects here.

Here are some of the subjects this collection covers: transport, weather, ships & boats, livestock, crowds, cats, emergency, babies, cars, and water. And, as I have mentioned, fireworks, which is volume 18 and is called BANG! This CD includes a chrysanthemum fountain (fizz), a retrojet fountain (fizz crackle), crackerjack fountain (crackle), mine of serpents (fizz pop), roman candle (fizz pop pop pop), thunderflash (bang), rocket, screamer, Chinese fire cracker with indistinct speech, ground mine (thump bang) with indistinct speech, Catherine wheel with indistinct speech, and Firework Night, atmosphere in suburban England. Now, these fireworks are not nearly as glorious as what we normally hear on a Falmouth 4th of July, but they might just add a little sparkle to your barbecue!

Speaking of Falmouth’s 4th of July, you might also be interested in knowing that the Falmouth Fireworks Committee has created a mask in honor of the 2020 Fireworks. You can find more information at falmouthfireworks.org. We concur with what they have written: “The year 2020 will long be remembered for its unprecedented challenges and for how we as Falmouth citizens came together during this time. We look forward to the day when we will once again welcome everyone back to the fireworks at Falmouth Heights – a day on which we will celebrate not only the Fourth of July, but the spirt of Falmouth and the resilience of our community.”

Sister Novelists: Emily and Anne Bronte

Posted on by Sue

After listening to Jill on the Point with Mindy Todd discussing Books about Sisters (03/27/20) and jotting down their recommendations of books about sisters, I thought about books by sisters. Although sisters usually share a similar background and familial history, they can become quite different individuals. The Bronte sisters shared an insular and somewhat dark and violent family life. Much of this is echoed in Wuthering Heights and the Tenant of Wildfell Hall- the former I read when snowed in and the latter while sheltering in place. However, in my casual, non-academic reading of these novels, I found two very different heroines with equally different fates. Perhaps, the differences between Cathy Earnshaw and Helen Graham speaks of that of the sisters, Emily and Anne?

(by staff member Rebekah)

 

Are You a ‘Gateway Reader’?

Posted on by Sue
My high school’s D.A.R.E. program (a well-meaning, misguided, state-funded attempt to keep kids off drugs) used to use the term ‘gateway drug’ to describe any drug that appeared harmless (cigarettes, pot, leaning in too close to one’s magic markers), but inevitably led to other, more dangerous narcotics (crack, crystal meth, permanent markers). In recent years, I’ve begun to rework the ‘gateway’ moniker to fit the needs of my own vice of choice — books.

Gateway Books are books that are so darned good that they make you want to read any and all the other books name-dropped within.

One of the first gateway books I remember coming across was S.E. Hinton’s ‘The Outsiders’. Not only did I pick up some random Robert Frost in hopes of finding ‘Stay Silver’ and ‘Stay Bronze’ (his lesser works), I also rented the videotape of ‘Gone With The Wind’ (the book looked too long and too boring to my fourteen year old self — and still does!). A decade or so later while reading all of the Elmore Leonard novels, I had an ongoing ‘secondary syllabus’ made up of all the crime fiction paperbacks Leonard had his characters reading.

The ultimate Gateway Book for me, though, has been Mike Davis’ ‘City of Quartz’. Davis, a Los Angeles historian with a photographic memory and a gift for finding the threads that bind seemingly disparate subjects together, had me watching film noir classics like ‘Detour’ and ‘The Big Sleep’, gobbling up the South Central-centered pulp fiction of Chester Himes, the dark, satiric, science fiction of Aldous Huxley, and becoming a salivating fan boy at the altar of Joan Didion’s 1960s suicidal California travel lit. I’m not exaggerating — I literally spent an entire year exploring the books, movies and music mentioned in ‘City of Quartz’. If that ain’t the obsessive-compulsive behavior of an addict, I don’t know what is. [we have since ordered ‘City of Quartz’ for the library, and hope to have it soon!]

How about you? Do you have any ‘Gateway Books’ that sent you tumbling deeper and deeper down the reading rabbit hole? If so, please share them in the comments!
 
This blog written by Josh M.
 
Link to eBooks in Overdrive where available, here!
 
Elmore Leonard (some available in Overdrive, via CLAMS or other MA library networks!)
Robert Frost-bio, and links to some of his poems, here.
Aldous Huxley, ‘Brave New World’ ebooks here.
 
 
 

 

 

 

POSTCARDS FROM FALMOUTH: The East End Meeting House

Posted on by K.C. DeWall

POSTCARDS FROM FALMOUTH: The East End Meeting House

The East End Meeting House was the topic for the first Postcards from Falmouth oral history recording at FCTV. Troy Clarkson interviewed Rabbi Elias Lieberman, who shared a wonderful history of the Meeting House. For instance, did you know that the East Congregational Religious Society, owners of the Meeting House, gave it to the Falmouth Jewish Congregation in 1982? According to the Director of the American Jewish Archives, the gift was “the first time (in history) that Christians have given Jews a building for congregation.” In fact, Rabbi Lieberman also mentioned that the Church of the Messiah carried on the friendly gesture by helping bring the Torah to Falmouth, which came all the way from London, as it was there that sacred Scrolls and other ceremonial objects and vestments that were captured during the Holocaust period were repaired and then distributed throughout many parts of the world.

What a nice way for the Falmouth community to make history!

The oral histories are part of a two-year local history/community engagement grant based upon the Library’s historical postcard collection. The recordings are on-going and will be available for viewing next year. Contact us for more information.

We’ll keep you posted!

Romance Novels on The Point

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

What a delightful treat it was this morning to have Petra Mayer join us on The Point with Mindy Todd on WCAI! Petra Mayer is an editor (and the resident nerd) at NPR Books, focusing on fiction, and particularly genre fiction. Our topic was romance novels, and I learned lots about romance novels both from Petra and from all the reading I did prior to the book show. If you are a romance reader and want to add a book to our list, just leave us a comment with your suggestion. Miss the show? You can listen anytime online! Want to know more about reading romance ebooks online? Just head over to CLAMS and learn all about the Libby App! (Or stop by the reference desk.)

Mindy’s Pick

The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss

Petra’s Picks

The Duchess War by Courtney Milan
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Band Sinister and Any Old Diamonds by KJ Charles (available via the Commonwealth Catalog, but we’ll try to add some paper copies as well)
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
Listen to the Moon by Rose Lerner
Act Like It by Lucy Parker
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (or any of her historicals)

Not Enough Time For:
Joanna Bourne’s Spymaster series – you can read them in chronological order by story or by pub date but the best one is The Black Hawk.

Jill’s Picks

Encyclopedia of Romance Fiction, edited by Kristin Ramsdell
Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell (Not available as a paper book in CLAMS, but head to the Commonwealth Catalog and you can check out an e-book version!)
A Duke By Default  by Alyssa Cole
Duchess By Night by Eloisa James
How to Read a Dress: a guide to changing fashion from the 16th to the 20th century by Lydia Edwards
With My Body by Nikki Gemmell
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
The 100 Best Romance Novels by Jennifer Lawler

And one fascinating book, which I did not have time to mention this morning is The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking: how to hand sew Georgian gowns and wear them with style by Lauren Stowell and Abby Cox. The book is dedicated to “all the nameless dressmakers and milliners throughout history.”  What is the book about? The authors explain: “Within these pages we will take you on a dressmaking journey through the Georgian era, helping you to learn about, create and dress in four types of gowns and their accessories.” If you sew one of these gowns, you’ll have to stop by and show Mindy!

Listener Picks

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
You Had Me At Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

 

Postcards from Falmouth: Greetings from Camp Cowasset

Posted on by K.C. DeWall
Before there was Wild Harbor Estates in North Falmouth, there was Camp Cowasset, a girls’ summer camp.   
 
According to The Book of Falmouth, the camp offered horseback riding, sailing, swimming and crafts to about 100 girls each summer, including Robert Frost’s daughter.  The campers slept in tents, and were required to bring “two pairs of black serge bloomers and six pairs of black stockings.” Activities also included dinner at the “French  table,” where only French was spoken and where Madame Mensendieck stressed correct posture, which  was thought to bring “health and poise to the growing girls.”
 
Featured in the Falmouth Historical Society’s Legendary Locals of Falmouth, the camp was owned and managed by Beatrice Hunt, or “Miss Bea,” from 1915 to 1962.  In fact, the Historical Society acquired a collection of Camp Cowasset memorabilia in 2016.  The collection includes the personal diary of camper, Miriam Thomas, who describes “her struggles with horseback riding and hijinks with her cabin-mates.”
 
Nous ne pouvons pas attendre l’été! 
 
Do you know anyone who was a Camp Cowasset camper? Contact us!
 
To see more historical postcards of Falmouth, visit our digital collection.
 

Library Land Guys Visit Our East Falmouth Branch!

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

Recently we were delighted by the unexpected appearance of the Library Land Guys at our East Falmouth Branch. Who are the Library Land Guys? Since late 2017, they have visited more than 200 libraries across Massachusetts – a strong start to their goal of visiting every library in the state. So they stopped by at East Falmouth, and their first thought was:

“The main room is sunken and has a lovely stone fireplace to one side. You can imagine that it was probably the scene of some swell parties back in the day!” We imagine that it was! 

They also took note of a unique feature at our East Falmouth Branch:

“One especially nice feature – and one we haven’t seen elsewhere – is curbside service. For patrons with mobility issues, the staff will run materials out to a special parking area. It doesn’t get a ton of use, but it’s a nice example of a library finding another way to meet patron needs.”

To read the entire story, as well as their impressions of the Woods Hole Library and the Bourne Public Library, head over here. We were so happy they visited our East Falmouth Branch, and hope one day they will stop by 300 Main Street as well!

Teaticket Inn: Best Cooking on Cape Cod

Posted on by K.C. DeWall

“Long before there was Falmouth there was Teaticket.  ‘Tataket’ was the name the Wampanoag Tribe gave the area.  It translates roughly and appropriately as ‘at the principal tidal stream.'”  The Book of Falmouth

…and some might say that the Teaticket Inn was the “principal” inn for many traveling gourmands.  Owned by Joseph and Margaret (Pherson) Fish, the Inn was “a favorite stopping place” for travelers and drummers [sales people] who made the Inn their “home,” and who “greatly relish[ed] the good things prepared by ‘Aunty’ Fish as she was affectionately called.” In fact, Mrs. Fish was described in The Enterprise as the “best cook on Cape Cod,” who was “reputed to serve a hearty meal and plenty for seconds or thirds or more.”

Do you know any stories about Tataket back in the days of the Teaticket Inn?  Contact us!

#postcardsfromfalmouth

Books About Insects on The Point

Posted on by Phoebe Acheson

Who knew that this month’s book show topic on The Point with Mindy Todd would bring us so many listeners calling and emailing to tell us about their favorite books about insects?! Of course, every month I do the book show, and every month I prepare as if  not a single person will call us, as we want to be able to fill an hour of air time if no one calls. So, as usual, I had a pile of books about insects, and today’s co-booktalker, Dennis Minsky, had a pile of books about insects, never imagining that this would be the book topic for which, apparently, the listeners of the book show deeply care about! The titles were arriving so fast and furious that Mindy and I are not even sure that we have all the suggested titles written down! If we happened to have missed yours, do send us a note, and we will be happy to add your title to our list. 

Because there were so many titles that neither Dennis nor I had time to talk about, our lists this month include everything that we brought along even if we didn’t actually get a chance to say anything about the book. I did have a moment to mention the spectacular digital Biodiversity Heritage Library, and I recommend you all take a look! Thanks so much for all of your suggestions, and it looks like we clearly will need to do another show on insects sometime in the not too distant future!

Mindy’s Picks

The Smaller Majority: the hidden world of the animals that dominate the tropics by Piotr Nasrecki. (A shout out to the Edgartown Public Library, as the only library in CLAMS that owns this title! Do remember you can request books, using your CLAMS card (or whatever network your town belongs to) in order to request titles CLAMS does not own. Check out the Commonwealth Catalog, which you log into using your library card and your pin number, and they will send a book right to your library.)

Ant and Bee stories.

Dennis’s Picks

Journey to the Ants: a story of scientific exploration by Bret Holldobler and Edward Wilson
Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D. Seeley
The Mosquito: a human history of our deadliest predator by Timothy C. Winegard
The Last Butterflies: a scientist’s quest to save a rare and vanishing creature by Nick Haddad (Also only an Edgartown Public Library copy!)
Buzz Sting Bite: why we need insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson
Bugged: the Insects who rule the world and the people obsessed with them by David MacNeal
An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles by Arthur V. Evans and Charles L. Bellamy
The Infested Mind: why humans fear, loathe and love insects by Jeffrey A. Lockwood
Ant Encounters: interaction networks and colony behavior by Deborah M. Gordon

Jill’s Picks

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams
Sex on Six Legs: lessons on life love & language from the insect world by Marlene Zuk
Edible: an adventure into the world of eating insects and the last great hope to save the planet by Daniella Martin
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: how Maria Merian’s art changed science by Joyce Sidman
Archy and Mehitabel by Don Marquis (also a listener pick!)
Joyful Noise: poems for two voices by Paul Fleischman
The Collector by John Fowles
Nabokov’s Butterflies edited and annotated by Brian Boyd and Robert Michael Pyle
Thoreau’s Animals by Henry David Thoreau, eduted by Geoff Wisner (which includes lots of insects!) 
Angels & Insects by A.S. Byatt
Bug Music: how insects gave us rhythm and noise by David Rothenberg

Listener Picks

The Dancing Bees: an account of life and senses of the honey bee by Karl von Frisch
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
A Field Guide to the Ants of New England by Aaron M. Ellison
Ants of North America: a guide to the genera by Brian L. Fisher
For Love of Insects by Thomas Eisner
The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliot and Wil Hershberger
The City Under the Back Steps by Evelyn Sibley Lampman
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy
The Fisherman and His Wife: a brand new version by Rosemary Wells and illustrated by Eleanor Hubbard
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (which is a film)
The Cockroach by Ian McEwan