A Literary Barn Raising for Maine Author Cynthia Thayer

WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN: A Literary Barn Raising for Maine Author Cynthia Thayer will be held at Longfellow Books on Friday, June 1 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be a gaggle of well-known authors on hand to sign their books and Longfellow Books will donate 100% of all proceeds above cost to Cynthia and Darthia Farm. Here are just some of the authors who will be with us for this special First Friday event: Liza Bakewell, Crash Barry, Brock Clarke, Melissa Coleman, Ron Currie Jr, Phillip Hoose, Shonna Milliken Humphrey, Maria Padian, Elizabeth Peavey, Caitlin Shetterly, Betsy Sholl, Monica Wood, and Colin Woodard.

This is a fundraiser for Maine author Cynthia Thayer, whose home, Darthia Farm in Gouldsboro, suffered a horrendous fire this past week destroying the entire barn, killing nearly 100 animals and burning Cynthia as she tried to rescue her sheep. Readers know Cynthia as the author of Strong for Potatoes, A Certain Slant of Light, and A Brief Lunacy but she is also a dedicated farmer and Darthia Farm is the life and livelihood of the Thayer family. Darthia Farm is a MOFGA member farm with a community supported agriculture (CSA) program and a busy farm store.

Escape to Paris – via films!

- not Paris, but almost!Ah, Spring in Paris – what everyone dreams of, at least I do. My friend Tifenn promises us that when we arrive at the airport she will greet us with croissants and pains au chocolat. But until that happy day arrives we can escape into films about Paris, including two that are at the Long Island Community Library: Hugo, and Midnight in Paris.

Hugo, a magical 3-D romp directed by Martin Scorsese, takes place in early 20th century Paris, specifically in the central train station. Based on the book, “The invention of Hugo Cabret” by Brian Selznick (also located at LICL), this movie will thrill you with the characters, story, and visual scenery.

Midnight in Paris, directed by Woody Allen, is a different kind of period piece, alternating between modern-day Paris and the Paris of the 1920s, populated with the literary characters of Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and others.

So, unless you are lucky enough to escape to Paris any time soon, curling up with your croissants and pains au chocolat and these two movies will transport you into this other world, of Paris of almost 100 years ago.

Library Used Books Table

Next time you visit the library I suggest you check out the used books table.  You can sometimes find some gems there.  For example, on a recent visit I bought a copy of Admiral Richard Byrd’s Little America for a dollar.  Published in 1930, it was a first edition and signed by the author!

 

Curt Murley

A small library on an island on the coast of Maine