Books About Libraries

I've searched for a list of fiction featuring libraries, and have not yet found one. One of my project ideas for this blog is such a list. I'll start with a couple of titles, and build it as I think of other titles, read other titles or receive suggestions of other titles. I think I will not include mystery novels, unless they are superior.

The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco

Labyrinths Jorge Luis Borges

Of course, the marigold's nervous question is:

Is that all I can think of??? Two books???

The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Houellebecq

What a brain. I just started reading The Possibility of an Island, and I had to stop and get a highlighter, so I would not lose track of his trenchant observations on modern culture. AND his thoughts are rather marvelously enclosed inside science fiction novels. What could be better??? PLUS he writes on only page 19 (Daniel 24, 1) about "...hazardous attempts at memory downloading through the intermediary of a data carrier..." which means the writing and reading of books. What a provocative way of thinking about books and culture. Books as data carriers for memory downloading. They are chance-y. There may be a better way. (Of course, photos and films and art and everything else is implied, but I think book-format leads most directly to it being about books.)

The marigold wonders nervously:
Is it really going to turn out like this?

Borges

I have been reading tangentially about Jose Luis Borges having conceived of the Internet long before such a thing existed. As a writer, bibliophile and librarian, I guess his imaginings could lead there in a meaningful way. I finally borrowed his Labyrinths from the local library, and found a cool link to the world of Borges - see links. My bibliophile dream is for the Internet to become even more of a library, with academic sites somehow demarcated from blog sites. Can someone arrange this, please?

Still, the marigold wonders nervously:
What is the correct pronunciation of BORGES?

New York with kids

We took our two kids to New York for a long weekend. We reviewed all the books and movies we could remember about New York, and watched a couple of videos. As a consequence, their trip had a feeling of resonance and they felt familiar and comfortable with the BIG city.

Funnily, our 6-year old loved to say "Let's grab a cab," and both kids adored hailing them, something we don't do at home.

Here are some of the materials we enjoyed and the experiences to which they lead us:

movie: Ghostbusters - particularly for the New York Public Library. We all loved the library (and Bryant Park, right behind it). The original toys from Winnie-the-Pooh are displayed in one of their galleries. The reading rooms are awesome, and their shows are sensational. And it's free! The movie also got us looking up at the decorations on so many of the tall buildings.

book: Seen Art? by Jon Scieszka- created for the opening of the renovated Museum of Modern Art - funny and arty. Made for a kind of scavenger hunt through the museum for works we recognized from the book.

movie: Night at the Museum - for the American Museum of Natural History. This museum is the perfect fulfillment of the dream of a museum. Big, beautiful and romantic.

book: The Most Amazing Dinosaur, by James Stevenson - works for both the Metropolitan Museum and the Natural History Museum. Adorable book by a fabulous author/illustrator/New Yorker cartoonist (a wonderful category that also includes William Steig).

movie: Madagascar - for Grand Central Station (where we all enjoyed eating at the Oyster Bar) and for Central Park Zoo.

book and movie: Eloise by Kay Thompson - for the hotel experience, and Central Park

movie: Home Alone 2, Lost in New York - also for hotel experience and Central Park, and for Rockefeller Center

movie: Fantasia 2000 - for the city streets and for skating at Rockefeller Center

As we catch up with more suggestions, I'll add the good ones to this list, with comments.

Extra ideas:

movie: Enchanted - we dialed it up in the hotel room in New York, and were delighted to see New York as a "character" in this cute film

book: I am Pangoo the Penguin by Satomi Ichikawa - an adorable story featuring the penguins in the Central Park Zoo. This is now a family favourite.

Not New York enough despite our expectations:
book and movie: Harriet the Spy - a kid in the city.

The marigold asks nervously:

How long will I need to do this?

So I am adding to this list a year later with ideas that have come up:

1) movie: Desperately Seeking Susan - I have not seen it recently, and it may not be suitable for young kids. I'll have to watch it again and report back.

2) movie: Annie - I have not seen this recently either. It is OK for kids, but may be too dated to be useful.

3) movie: Crocodile Dundee - Definitely New York, not for the littlest kids.

4) movie: The Muppets Take Manhattan - perfect for the littlest kids.

5) book: The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler - by E.L. Konigsburg, kids, New York, a museum, a mystery. All good.

6) book and movie: Stuart Little - fabulous book, by an icon of New York writing, E.B. White. So-so movie(s) but Central Park with it's pond features strongly.

7) Both Madagascar movies, but especially the first one, show New York scenes, with a focus on the Central Park zoo.

Some other ideas I have been given but have not checked out myself:
movies: The Fantastic Four and Antz

Reading list links

One thing I have finally gotten around to is getting my go-to reading lists together, and those links now appear here under my (non-existent) profile.

I love the very specialized lists, like for music fiction and mathematical fiction. There are lots of art fiction lists, but they are no longer so special. I love global reading lists, and this is my favourite.

With Arts and Letters Daily and the Literary Saloon, one need never feel that one has overlooked a really interesting article about books or thought. I would be interested in other specialized and/or quirky reading lists, if anyone finds any.

The marigold wonders nervously:
Do French and Italians use accents when texting?