David Cherry's blog

50 Books Your Child Should Read Before Kindergarten

Submitted by David Cherry on Fri, 06/08/2012 - 9:24am

Reading on a Dodo at Evelyn Meador Branch LibraryWe know, parents, we know. It seems like every time you turn around there's another talking head telling you that your child needs to do this and do that, or else...well...the talking head shudders to think of the dire consequences for your kid's future. Of course, this all plays on your natural fears, and of course, you would do anything to help little Joe or Jolene grow up to be a happy, successful adult, so you play Mozart around the clock even though both you and your child would rather listen to something just a little more funky, you flash flashcards at the breakfast table, you tilt the foot of the bed up 3 degrees so that the blood circulating through that precious little body bathes the pituitary gland. The end result? You're exhausted, your kid is bewildered, and a new talking head is lurking inside the TV waiting to pounce the next time you turn it on.

Natasha Trethewey Named U. S. Poet Laureate

Submitted by David Cherry on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 9:28am

US Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, courtesy of Wikipedia CommonsPulitzer Prize winning poet Natasha Trethewey has been named the 19th U. S. Poet Laureate. She succeeds Philip Levine as the country's guardian of, and cheerleader-in-chief for the genre.

Trethewey is the author of four books of poetry and a collection of creative nonfiction. In addition to the Pulitzer, her honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. She teaches literature and creative writing at Emory University in Atlanta.

New Downloadable Audiobooks! HCPL adds thousands of eAudiobooks to its collection

Submitted by David Cherry on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 9:31am

Young woman in parkFor a lot of area residents, audiobooks have made their daily commutes, time on the treadmill, weekend yard work, or just lazing by the pool a lot more entertaining, and Smartphones, tablets and mp3 players have made listening to a bestseller or an old favorite unbelievably convenient. So it is no surprise that the popularity of audiobooks has soared in recent years.

Harris County Public Library has always done its best to keep ahead of demand and soon HCPL customers will have an even wider selection of downloadable audiobooks to choose from, including some of today’s hottest titles by authors like Stephen King, Charlaine Harris, Alexander McCall Smith and Anne Tyler.

Carlos Fuentes 1928 - 2012

Submitted by David Cherry on Wed, 05/23/2012 - 3:02pm

Cover Art: The Buried Mirror by Carlos Fuentes

Carlos Fuentes who passed away last week at the age of 83 left behind a multifaceted legacy that most writers can only dream of. Up until the very day he died, he was an active, larger-than-life presence in the literary, political, social and intellectual life of his native México, and one imagines his influence will still be felt long after the memory of him as a flesh and blood human being is gone.

He was lionized in his own country, but his influence on the literary environment in this one should not be underestimated. It was Fuentes, along with Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa and Julio Cortázar, who, sometime around 1975, shouldered their way up to that big table in the back of Elaine’s and demanded to be seated.

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