Places To Go,  Book Look,  Movie & Videos,  The Arts,

Calendar, Games,  Crossword

Book Reviews Elsewhere  (fresh daily from the Web)

 Movie Reviews Elsewhere  (fresh daily from the Web)

Places To Go

[JULY 31, 2002]  ^"Bad Boy Brawley Brown," Walter Mosley. Little Brown and Co. 320 pages

Easy Rawlins is back in this the eighth installment of the Ezekial "Easy" Rawlins mystery series. Easy is an African-American living in Los Angeles in the turbulent ’60s. During an era in which most people of color have little trust of the police, Easy is the man people tend to call when they need investigative services.

In "Bad Boy Brawley Brown," we find Easy at a time in his life when things are finally starting to settle down. He is now 44, works at a job that he enjoys, has a live-in girlfriend, owns property, and loves his children and life in general. The only thorn in his side is his grief and guilt over the death of his longtime friend Raymond "Mouse" Alexander ("A Little Yellow Dog," 1997).

Easy has been called on by Alva Torres (wife of his longtime friend John) to find her son Brawley. Brawley has apparently fallen in with the Urban Revolutionary Party. Most of its members believe in racial equality through education, yet, there are some who use the party as a front for their own nefarious purposes. On Easy’s first day in his hunt for Brawley, he follows a lead and finds his first corpse. He literally stumbles over the body of a dead revolutionary and finds himself caught in the middle of revolutionaries, gun running, the secret police, family secrets and murder.

Mosley delivers this most recent work with the "Easy" style to which we have become accustomed. His stories capture the mood and the feel of the 1960s ghettos and give the reader a sense of what it was like to be an African-American in those troublesome times.

[Bobbi Reddix, Lincoln Public Library District]

[JULY 26, 2002]  Former Lincoln resident Cathy Stefanec Ogren, a graduate of Carroll Catholic School and Lincoln Community High School, has published her second children’s book, "The Adventures of Archie Featherspoon." It is a humorous story set in the Old West, where Archie Featherspoon, a young boy, uses his ingenuity and crazy inventions to outwit the infamous Buster and the Bully Boys.

"The Adventures of Archie Featherspoon" is a Ready-for-Chapters book published by Simon & Schuster. It is available in bookstores or from SimonSaysKids.com.

The author and her husband, Tom, now reside in Shrewsbury, Mass., where Cathy keeps herself busy writing and teaching third grade.

From Kirkus Reviews

High-flying antics and over-the-top silliness bring this tall tale to life.

Archie Featherstone and his mother live in Boot Junction, Texas, and though she can "plow a field better than most men, and coax her hens to lay enough eggs to feed the whole state of Texas," Archie’s mother can’t get her boy to do his chores. But as much as Archie loves to invent rainbow rockets and concoctions to keep bears away, he loves Ma (and the promise of her fried chicken) more. So off Archie goes to plant the field.

In true tall-tale fashion, Archie is picked up by an errant twister and deposited in a town besieged by Buster and the Bully Boys. Archie comes up with a plan worthy of Thurber’s Quillow or Jack of fairy-tale fame, but his trick is found out when his own sweat ruins his "corn pox."

Humorous situations and exaggerated dialect punctuate this easy chapter book. Spacious typeface, predictable story line, wacky cartoon illustrations and raucous humor add up to another enjoyable title in the Ready-for-Chapters series. (Fiction. Ages 7-10)

[News release]

[JULY 25, 2002]  Did you ever come across a bookmark in a library book and look for something really important on that page? Or wonder if a reader got bored there and didn’t finish the book? Now at Lincoln Public Library District there is another possibility: The book may be a staff pick.

Staff picks are the brainchild of library clerk Bobbi Reddix, who thought it would be "fun to have the staff interact with choices of patrons," according to library director Richard Sumrall. Reddix said patrons ask for recommendations on books, and sometimes staff members do not think of the best choice until later. "Everybody reads different genres," like mysteries or science fiction, she explained, and people have preferences within those genres, such as not too much blood. To sort through all the factors may take a little time.

Reddix designed and made four bookmarks for each of eight participating staff members, though some are down to two or three of the tasseled rectangles. Designs reflect the various job titles, personalities and interests. For example, Sumrall’s pictures a "librarian-type guy," in Reddix’s terms, and features a quotation from Francis Bacon: "For all knowledge and wonder (which is the seed of knowledge) is an impression of pleasure in itself." Youth services associate Linda Harmon has a castle with a quotation about children reading. Reddix gave herself a comical beaver to represent her sense of humor and a baby because she has a 2-year-old. Both characters hold books. "I’ve been reading since I was 4," she said. "It’s like, everybody has to read."

The staff members then chose books to recommend from among the library’s collection and inserted the bookmarks. When a marked book is checked out, the bookmark is returned to the staff member to make a new selection.

Sumrall began placing his bookmarks in April. Other staff members started in May. Not surprisingly, Sumrall has the most selections that have circulated — five. Reference librarian Caroline Kiest is second with two books checked out. Reddix said the program will continue indefinitely.

Though Sumrall is the front-runner, one of his original choices has languished on the shelf from the beginning. He is puzzled. The book, "Killing Monsters: Why Children Need Fantasy, Super Heroes, and Make Believe Violence" by Gerard Jones, got great reviews, he explained. Aimed at parents, it defends fantasy violence in children’s programming. Sumrall still believes it’s a good book with a potential audience in Lincoln.

[to top of second column in this article]

He makes his selections from new nonfiction, based on reviews. His choices, therefore, can be found on the new-book shelves in the library’s main building. Other staff members choose older works, fiction and children’s books, so staff picks are in both buildings and in a variety of sections. "They’re all over," Kiest confirmed.

Other participating staff members are circulation manager Deb DeJarnette, library clerk Leslie Duncan, technical services librarian Sue Rehtmeyer and youth services librarian Pat Schlough. Reddix said she intends to make bookmarks for eight more library employees, including the evening shift.

Reddix, who never recommends a book without reading it first, says she picks "along the middle" in terms of subject content among books she considers excellent. She prefers fiction but has one nonfiction choice about Alzheimer’s disease, David Shenk’s "The Forgetting." Rehtmeyer said she reads mostly fiction but sees new nonfiction books in her work, so her selections run the gamut. Harmon and Schlough usually pick children’s books.

With the passing of Oprah Winfrey’s highly successful book club, some readers may be looking for book recommendations beyond the library staff’s suggestions. Sumrall said he understands that Katie Couric on NBC’s "Today" is starting a book club. In addition, he advised readers to check amazon.com, where listings often include reviews from Library Journal, Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus and other sources. Lincoln Public Library District offers several sources of published reviews, including The New York Times Book Review, Library Journal and, for children’s literature, Hornbook and School Library Journal.

Lincoln Daily News provides both locally written reviews in Book Look and reviews from other news reporting services in Book Reviews Elsewhere. Lincoln bookstore Prairie Years sponsors both features. See Reddix’s review of Tim Cockey’s mystery "The Hearse You Came In On" in a recent Book Look.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

LCT cast for ‘The King and I’

[JULY 20, 2002]  Lincoln Community Theatre’s final production of the summer season, "The King and I," is fast approaching.

The musical play, set in the royal palace of the King of Siam in the early 1860s, creates a dramatic, richly textured tale of an attractive English widow summoned by the King of Siam to serve as tutor to his many wives and children. Along with a dazzling Rogers and Hammerstein score, the musical weaves a tale of East versus West, incorporating both laughter and tears.

Jennifer MacMurdo, formerly of Lincoln, will direct the Aug, 2-10 production of "The King and I."

The two leading roles feature Rob Siebert of Mount Pulaski and Betsy Buttell of Lincoln as the King of Siam and Mrs. Anna. Other Lincoln cast members include Tom Swanson as Prince Chululonghorn, Ben Herrington-Gilmore as Louis, Jim Newsome as Captain Orton, Jason Steffens as Sir Edward Ramsay and Patrick Perry as Interpreter/Guard.

Elizabeth Eigenbrod of Mason City will appear as Lady Thiang, Greg Runyard of Minier as Lun Tha, Paul Cary of Springfield as The Kralahome, Alison Maske of Mount Pulaski as Tuptim and Tony Crawford of Clinton as Simon of Legree/Guard.

Appearing as the king’s wives are Nanette Turner, Kirsten Knutilla, Nickel Hays, Mary Kay Lohrenz and Tina Mayer. The king’s children include Rachelle Cravens, Rachel Kasa, Rebecca Kasa, Audrey Maske, Brianna Skaggs, Abbey Derstine, John Paul Runyard, Nicholas Cody Runyard, Moses Rogers, Christopher Jones, Taylor Erwin, Annie Sheley, Katy Langdon and Crystal Quint.

Assisting in the production of the musical is Catherine Bailey of Lincoln as technical director. Jerry Dellinger of Lincoln and David Mankey of Clinton will handle the lighting and sound design and direction. Wendy Hurst is serving as stage manager.

Season ticket holders may make their reservations at any time. General admission sales will be available beginning July 27. Ticket prices are $9 for adults and $6 for students through eighth grade. The box office, located in Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the Lincoln College campus, is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.

For further information call (217) 735-2614 or go to the LCT website: http://www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.

[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

Movie classics

Logan County Arts Association upcoming films

All upcoming monthly features in the Logan County Arts Association series of classic films will start at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Cinemas, 215 S. Kickapoo.

Thursday, Aug. 8

John Ford’s "Fort Apache" (1948)

John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Ward Bond, Victor McLaglen

In John Ford’s somber exploration of "Custer’s last stand" and the mythologizing of American heroes, he slowly reveals the character of Owen Thursday, who sees his new posting to the desolate Fort Apache as a chance to claim the military honor which he believes is rightfully his. Arrogant, obsessed with military form and ultimately self-destructive, Thursday attempts to destroy the Indian warrior Cochise after luring him across the border from Mexico.

Thursday, Sept. 12

"Breakfast at Tiffany’s" (1961)

Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Buddy Ebsen, Patricia Neal

Based on Truman Capote’s novel, this is the story of a young jet-setting woman in New York City who meets a young man when he moves into her apartment building.

[to top of second column in this section]

Thursday, Oct. 10

Horror/sci-fi double feature

"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1931)

Frederic March, Miriam Hopkins

Based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dr. Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men: a good and an evil side. He faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that changes him into the animalistic Mr. Hyde.

"The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951)

Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe, Sam Jaffe

An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) lands their spacecraft on cold-war Earth just after the end of World War II. He tells the people of Earth that we must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Tickets will be available at Serendipity Stitches, 129 S. Kickapoo; the Lincoln Public Library Annex; at the door; or by calling (217) 732-4298. Ticket prices are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2.50 for children 13 and under. These features are one show only, with limited seating.

[Logan County Arts Association ]

Lincoln Community Theatre’s box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

Back to top