The Monday series of talks, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, is held at noon in the McChesney Room of the Central Library on Clinton Street. You may bring a bag lunch; coffee and tea are available for a nominal fee. The room is equipped with special devices for the hearing-impaired. These programs are also broadcast on the Schenectady Public Access channel.
BOOKS SANDWICHED IN
Jo Adams & Rich Holt, Coordinators
Sept. 10 Little Piano Shop On the Left Bank by Thaddeus Carhart; reviewed by Rand Reeves. In addition to Reeves’ lifetime of musical performance and direction, he is currently rebuilding fine grand pianos out of his shop in Ballston Spa, which makes him the perfect reviewer for this little-known book about a piano shop in Paris.
Sept. 17 Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin; reviewed by Robert Donovan. Donovan, Emeritus Professor of Literature and Great Books discussion leader, returns to SCPL to review the latest biography of Charles Dickens, continuing the Books Sandwiched In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the year of Dickens’ birth.
Sept. 24 Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson; reviewed by Rob Dickson. Local businessman, avid reader, and one of our most popular reviewers, Dickson joins us to discuss this biography of one of America’s best known and influential entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs.
Oct. 1 Conquered Into Liberty, by Eliot A. Cohen, reviewed by Deborah Reid. Reid, U.S. Air Force, Retired, reviews Cohen’s book about the 200 mile region between Albany and Montreal from 1690 to 1812 that contains an interesting chapter about Schenectady.
Oct. 15 Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro; reviewed by Walter Grattidge, GE Research & Development, Retired. Did William Shakespeare really write all those plays?
Oct. 22 Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo; reviewed by Fred Eddy. This book describes the lives of the world’s poorest people, and a radical rethinking of our approach to problems of poverty, education and health. Fred’s travels in developing countries and his son’s experiences in India and Chile while working for the book’s authors, lead to his interest in this book.
Oct. 29 James Madison and the Making of America by Kevin R.C. Gutzman; reviewed byJames Sefcik. Some called him Jemmy, others the Father of the Constitution, or Mr. President, or even Dolley’s husband; learn more about the life and times of James Madison.
Nov. 5 Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann; reviewed by Paul O’Brien. On August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit danced on a cable between the World Trade Center Towers and stunned the world. In McCann’s novel, Philippe’s dance becomes a metaphor for the lives of a number of New Yorkers, whose struggles and attempts to maintain balance on the tightrope of their own lives serves to illuminate the heart of the human character and the spirit of a great and turbulent city.
