Little Free Library design competition, hosted by Space

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I got to do a fun little thing this afternoon. I attended the judging party for this year’s Little Free Library Design Competition, hosted by Space (a local architecture firm), in conjuncture with Saint Louis’ general Design Week.

Poster

I am a book hoarder, a manic reader, and a Little Free Library steward, but not part of the design community. This means I was able to stand back and observe as an outsider. (And check out Mayana‘s nacho bar and Narwhal’s urban ices!) What I discovered, other than that a Bellini slushie is a hard thing to pass up, even if you do have to drive home, is that Saint Louis has an engaged and open community of designers that seemed to truly enjoy getting together and giving back to the community.

Roughly a dozen groups submitted Little Free Libraries for consideration. And, for me, seeing them was the best part of the evening. It’s amazing how many ways the same idea can go.

I wasn’t able to get pictures over everything. I missed a few info cards along the way. But this was largely because, by the time I thought to take pictures, there were quite a few people there and I didn’t want to obnoxiously elbow my way in. But that also means there was a pleasantly positive turnout for the event. Win! But here is an example of what was there.

It’s worth noting that the heart shaped one was drawn by an art student at Adam’s elementary and then turned into a library that will hopefully be placed at the school. See, that’s just cool community building. As is the competition in general. The houses will be passed to the  St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, who will distribute them around the city and officers will hopefully use them to build and strengthen relationships with neighborhood children. (Please, please let this be a step toward community policing. Please!)

I was also a little camera happy with the cool posters hung around the office.

Anyhow, it was a fun chance to see what the community is up to and a step toward sharing literacy. As I even donated a few paperbacks, there was some playing with books too. All in all, I think everyone deserves a trophy.

trophies

……Except you Mr. Parking Warden. You may have just been doing your job, but I don’t feel like giving you a trophy for it.

ticket

 

Guardian

Book Review of Guardian, by Joe Haldeman

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GuardianI received a copy of Guardian (by Joe Haldeman) from Netgalley.

Description from Goodreads:
Sent from her Georgia home to Philadelphia to escape the carnage of the Civil War, Rosa Coleman studied astronomy and mathematics, ultimately settling into a new life as the wife of a wealthy man and mother of young Daniel. But when she discovers an unforgiveable secret about her reprobate husband, Rosa takes the boy and flees to the West on a desperate escape that takes them from Dodge City to San Francisco one step ahead of the Pinkertons hired to bring them back home.
 
On the run in a strange and exhilarating new world, Rosa and Daniel find a haven where they might never be found: the wilds of Alaska among the dreamers drawn to its magnificent wilderness by the promise of gold. It is here that her spiritual guide first appears to Rosa in the form of a raven—an incarnation of the trickster god of Native American and Eskimo lore—suggesting that her destiny lies not in sparkling riches but in something far greater. This mystical harbinger has come from a distant, alien place, and will set her on an astonishing course . . .

Review:
Man, I was really enjoying that for a good 75% of it. I was wondering where the supposed science fiction was, since it hadn’t materialized yet, but I was enjoying the narrator’s slow, personal account of her travails. And then it all fell apart.

About 3/4 of the way through the unthinkable happens in the plot, and the pace picks up significantly, the tone changes, the science fiction makes a sudden appearance and departure and the book is wound to a very quick and less than satisfying ending.

Haldeman creates wonderful imagery and his narrative is engaging. This really was almost a winner for me, too bad about the ending.

Book Review of Mervyn vs. Dennis, by Niels Saunders

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Mervyn vs. DennisAuthor, Niels Saunders sent me an ecopy of Mervyn vs. Dennis for review.

Description from Goodreads:
Deep in debt, Mervyn Kirby gets a job he doesn’t want by pretending to be racist. His new boss Dennis Lane thinks he’s found a kindred spirit. When Mervyn confesses he’s not really racist, Dennis thinks it’s just part of the act. Day by day, to Mervyn’s horror, Dennis worms his way into Mervyn’s private life. Despite his fears, Mervyn is torn: his new job pays well but he despises Dennis and everything he stands for. How far will Mervyn go to free himself? How far will Dennis go to become friends? Will they settle their differences or end up killing each other? And why are so many shifty people carrying pineapples around town?

Review:
Man oh man, that was horrible in the best way possible. I mean, there’s racism, sexism, abuse, orgies, drugs, alcoholism, multiple sanitation and mental health issues, and a gross misuse of tropical fruit. But most of the really objectionable stuff, like having to read several diatribes against minorities, is an active engagement of the subject. The reader never loses sight of the fact that the main character is as disgusted as the reader. And for all it’s in-your-face xenophobic wretchedness the book is genuinely funny.

My criticisms are that it’s heavy on bathroom humor at times and I’m not a huge fan of including the writing of the book in the narrative of the book. But in the end, I was really pleased with this read.