Monthly Archives: May 2018

05 29, 2018

Rebekah Frumkin on her favorite books & why she doesn’t like happy stories

By |2018-05-29T06:00:13-04:00May 29, 2018|

Rebekah Frumkin, author of the spectacular The Comedown, visited our region earlier this month.

While here, she discussed what makes a story worthwhile to her, struggled to think of a single happy story that she enjoys, and explained how her philosophy degree helps her as a writer and storyteller.

If you’re looking for a reading recommendation, Frumkin also named books she loved so much that she wished she’d written them, including Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth, Hanya Yanagihara’s The People in the Trees and James Hannaham’s Delicious Foods.

 

05 20, 2018

You can now borrow ukuleles from Mentor Public Library

By |2018-05-20T06:00:23-04:00May 20, 2018|

Borrow ukuleles (along with a music book and tuner) from Mentor Public Library.

Borrow ukuleles (along with a music book and tuner) from Mentor Public Library.

We already lend HotSpots and traffic cones.

Now we’ve added another unusual item to our collection, and we think it’ll be music to your ears.

Starting May 22, you can borrow soprano and concert ukuleles from Mentor Public Library.

All you need is an adult card in good standing, and we’ll lend you a uke for two weeks. You’ll also get a tuner and beginner’s music book, as well. (We also have dozens more music books that you can borrow from us, if you’d like.)

05 19, 2018

James A. Garfield and the First Decoration Day

By |2018-05-19T06:00:55-04:00May 19, 2018|

Our nation will commemorate Memorial Day later this month, and our friends from James A. Garfield National Historic Site offer a timely reminder on the holiday’s origin.

Memorial Day began as Decoration Day, a way to celebrate and commemorate soldiers  who perished during the Civil War.

And the keynote speaker during the first national Decoration Day ceremony was Congressman and Union veteran James A. Garfield.

Todd Arrington, site manager at Garfield National Historic Site, discusses the history of Decoration Day and Garfield’s still pertinent speech.

 

By the way, if you’re interested in Civil War history, some other previous talks in our Civil War series can be viewed online in their entirety:

05 11, 2018

Mob author Frank Monastra talks about researching his mafioso grandfather

By |2018-05-11T06:00:01-04:00May 11, 2018|

Author and organized crime historian Frank Monastra visited us earlier this month to talk about his new book, King of Clubs, which profiles the famous, popular and very illegal casinos that flourished in and around Cleveland during the 1930s and 1940s.

He also talked about researching his grandfather — Frank Brancato, a mainstay of the Cleveland mafia for almost 50 years — for his first book, Brancato: Mafia Street Boss.

He even listed some of his favorite books about the Cleveland underworld for your reading pleasure and historical edification.

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