By Katie Sue Ambellan

It seems everyone these days is talking about the PBS Series Downton Abbey. The New York Times, Gawker and your trusted internet friends all seem to say the same thing:  Season 1 is really good.

And for those who are fans of the hit British melodrama, there’s more.  Heck, you can even learn to dress like them!  Publishers are rushing to print Edwardian and wartime England stories, especially those that highlight the grandeur of British estates.

Thankfully, our friends over at the Library Journal have put together a solid list of what to read and watch, post-Downton Abbey.  You can read the full article here and check out your favorite picks, available for free at the San Francisco Public Library.

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By Katie Sue Ambellan

Calling San Francisco Poets!  Do you have what it takes to join the ranks of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Janice Mirikitani, devorah major and Jack Hirschman as San Francisco Poet Laureate?

Now is your chance!  Mayor Edwin M. Lee and the SF Poet Laureate Nominating Committee are seeking nominations for the sixth San Francisco Poet Laureate, to succeed Diane di Prima, whose term has expired.

In addition to the prestigious title, Poet Laurates are required to deliver an inaugural address to the public at the San Francisco Public Library, participate in community-based events, including a youth-centered event and more.

Nominees must be San Francisco residents, have a substantial body of published work, including at least one full length book (minimum 48 pages, not self-published or vanity press) or CD (not self-produced) or 20 or more published poems in established publications, print or online, over the past five years.

For more information or to download the nomination form, click here.

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By Mary Ellen Hannibal

Nature writing has tended to sort itself into two camps.  On the one hand are the descendants of Thoreau and Muir, those who observe nature’s beauties intertwined with the development of the sensibility recording them.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is one exemplar of the form.  On the other hand are clarion calls warning of nature’s demise; Silent Spring and The End of Nature track this end game. But there is another sort of nature writing emerging.

Suffice it to say that for many of us, nature is “out there,” maybe a piece of it in our backyards or on our decks, or even on our kitchen windowsills, but mostly outside the boundaries of town and city.  Many of us assume that the farther you go from concentrated human settlements, the more nature you get, and by degrees it gets wilder.  And that this wild nature takes up most of the Earth, in one form or another – mountain, ocean, prairie – and by reference to it we are small.  But this idea is wrong. Read more »

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By Jean Farrington

I’ve often wondered about the effect of GPS systems on lowering the divorce rate.  My husband and I came close traversing the roundabouts of New Jersey on our way to friends in Haddonfield.  Not once, but several times.  In recent years, Nellie, our Garmin unit, (named in a nod to Hertz’s Never Lost), has proven to be extremely reliable and always unflappable, even when she goes into “recalculating” mode.

Ken Jennings is a self-proclaimed map geek and his book, Maphead:  Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks, is an informative and, often humorous, romp through the ages exploring everything from early maps to Google Earth and the National Geographic Bee to the lives of the members of the Travelers Club and Travelers Century Club.  To qualify for membership in the British Travelers Club, founded in London in 1819, gentlemen had to have attained the lofty status of having traveled 500 miles from London. Read more »

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Yesterday, our very own Mary Ellen Hannibal was featured on KPCW, Park City Utah’s NPR affiliate!

Hannibal, author of  “The Slow Migration from Science to Policy”, in the current issue of High Country News, discusses the “Path of the Pronghorn,” which is the first (and only) animal migration to be protected by the government.

Pronghorn date back to the Pleistocene, and they are the fastest land animals but for an African cheetah; this herd has been using this pathway for more than 6,000 years, and gas and oil development was threatening to interrupt it.

Listen to the interview here.

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The Power Look by Diane von Furstenberg’s ex-husband Prince Egon.

Daily Treats are sweet finds from our Treat Avenue Donation Center.

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Find more rare reads at Amazon and AbeBooks.

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As Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law burst onto the big screen this month in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, lets pay homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the books that started it all. Grab your magnifying glass and pipe, and head over to your local branch library to check out our picks!

1.    The Hound of the Baskervilles: Another Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
The third of only four Doyle-penned Holmes novels, Hound is often considered the best. A great introduction to Holmes’ London and the brilliant mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

2.    The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle: A Biography, by Russell Miller
Doyle wrote over fifteen hundred letters to his friends, family, and loved ones throughout his life. His innermost thoughts, fears and hopes revealed, these letters provide an astounding amount of insight into a fascinating life.

3.    His Last Bow
Though titled to be Doyle’s final dance with Holmes, His Last Bow is the penultimate collection of seven original Holmes adventures.

4.    Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series
This outstanding television series from the mid-80s is a painstaking recount of several of Doyle’s best loved adventures. But don’t take our word for it: the series has yielded an average 9.1/10 star rating from 2,734 viewers at www.imdb.com!

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy opened recently with Oscar Buzz for Gary Oldman. (Give the man a nomination. It’s time.) If you didn’t see the movie yet, allow The Reader’s Review to whet your appetite for espionage with our list of best picks from the world of spies, moles, and government cover ups! **All titles available at the San Francisco Public Library**

1.    From Russia With Love, by Iam Fleming  (1957)
This is arguably the best Bond novel. Dig in to     Russian counter-intelligence agency Smersh,     complete with     evil kingpin Rosa Klebb.

2.    The Secret Agent, by Joseph Conrad (1907)
See? A world of politics, spies, and     questionable     moral turpitude existed long     before Bond. This world is decidedly less     sexy, however.

3.    Restless, by William Boyd (2006)
This thriller offers a female spy, who shows Boyd’s readers (time, and time again) that she is just as tough as any man in the field.

4.    The Thirty-Nine Steps, by John Buchan (1915) Read more »

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By Reid Meadows

Every New Year, we are confronted with the same dilemma: What must we change about ourselves in the upcoming year? Some of us lazily come up with a few ideas at the last second just to get the family off our back while others spend considerable time crafting a detailed plan of action.

We affectionately refer to these as our New Years Resolutions. Around December 28th, they always seem like a great idea as we anxiously look towards the new year encouraged by the possibility of achieving them. Come February, however, many of these goals become long forgotten artifacts.

We suddenly notice it’s much easier to develop a habit of not going to the gym than actually doing so on a regular basis. So in honor of our self-improvement hopes for the future, we’ve put together a list of the most common (and broken) New Years Resolutions along with some literature to hopefully counter that waning motivation.

1. “I need to exercise more often” You can always count on the gym being a little more crowded than usual at the beginning of January. Three weeks later, not so much.

i.            Complete Guide to Fitness & Health (2011) – this book from the American College of Sports Medicine is the definitive guide to fitness for everyone.

1. “I need to shed a few pounds (I need to eat healthier)” Going hand in hand with exercising, maintaining a healthy diet requires discipline – especially when that burger looks soooo goood.

i.            Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy (2003) – Created by Harvard Medical School, this guide provides an easily attainable plan to get anyone eating healthy and dieting correctly

1. “I need to save more of my money” A common sentiment after the holiday season terrorizes our bank account. Of course we’re presented with the same issue again next year…

i.            Your Money or Your Life (2008) by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez – A great read for individuals of all financial circumstances looking to gain a better grip on their money.

1. “I need some more family time” Always a great idea, until we realize that work doesn’t magically disappear in the new year.

                                i.            The 80/20 Principle (2007) by Nicholas Brealey – A method of focusing your energy on the tasks with the greatest returns – and freeing more time for the things that matter.

1. “I need to quit smoking/drink less” Two of our most common vices and there’s no better time to make this promise than on that first day of the year when we’re most feeling their consequences.

                                i.            This Year I Will… How to Finally Change a Habit, Keep a Resolution, or Make a Dream Come True (2006) by M.J. Ryan –

An appropriate title to wrap up this set. Good luck!

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