PVLD Adult Services Blog

(Perhaps) We are Not Alone

Recent news headlines claiming that NASA’s Kepler spacecraft had identified 100 earth-like planets outside our solar system were incorrect, the space agency has reported.  Since its launch in 2009, Kepler has sent back data which indicates the existence of over 700 extrasolar planets, or exoplanets. The data must be tested using “extensive follow-up observations” in [...]

A Splendidly Mundane Exotic

Harvey Pekar, who chronicled his depressive, obsessive-compulsive life in the comic book series “American Splendor,” died yesterday in Cleveland at age 70.  A retired VA hospital file clerk, Pekar began writing strips in 1972, his first being illustrated by underground comic book artist R. Crumb, whom he cited as a strong influence. Pekar, who also [...]

More Summer Reading

In case you need further suggestions for summer reading, the July issue of O, The Oprah Magazine has a list of 20 titles, with reviews, and in some cases reading guides. The titles in the following list link to our catalog or to other sources: Kings of the Earth The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake [...]

Not the Man We Presumed

Marooned in an African village in 1871, most of his expedition deserting him or dead, explorer David Livingstone penned a despairing letter to a friend in England.  Written with improvised ink on pages from newspapers and books, the letter was indecipherable until now. 19th century journalism portrayed Livingstone as a fearless hero, an intrepid icon [...]

W. S. Merwin, Poet Laureate

Librarian of Congress James Billington yesterday announced the appointment of W.S. Merwin as the 17th Poet Laureate of the United States.  In a career spanning six decades, Merwin has published more than 30 books of poetry and prose. In a statement announcing the appointment, Billington cited Merwin’s profound yet accessible poetry: “He leads us upstream [...]