Library Staff Recommends: Lindsey's Fall Fare

Welcome to another round of Staff Recommendations from your local Public Library. 

If you've visited the Library lately, you've likely noticed the newest works of art displayed (mainly) in our Community Room (and in a few other spots throughout). There's a wooden-block folklore sculpture of a Golem  greeting you near our main entrance, actually! 

These dazzling illustrations, collages, sculptures and visualizations are part of The Ferndale Library Art & Exhibitions Committee's latest curation: The Power Of Myth. 

Circulation specialist (and multifaceted/talented artist) Lindsey Harnish is a FPLArts board member. Not only does she have a handful of enriching reads and albums to experiences listed below - she'd also like to invite you to An Evening Of Storytelling - Monday - October 21st - at 7pm - in the Community Room, featuring musical performances, poetry readings, and some homebrewed local lore - celebrating the power of the spoken word and the impact on storytelling as a means of keeping history alive. This event is separate from the Art & Exhibition Committee, but the Myths works will still be on display, surrounding your night's readers. 

Lindsey's Picks:

Myths are on my mind lately, with our art exhibition and storytelling event celebrating “The Power of Myth” this month. I’m fascinated by how one can trace patterns and journeys in life by these epic tales of adventure, seeking and losing, cruel deities, monsters and maidens. Here are a handful of works inspired by those old tales that have made an indelible mark on me.

The Sandman Comics

Neil Gaiman

GRAPHIC GAIMAN

Favorite author Neil Gaiman made his mark with this graphic novel series, following the dark and strange tales of Sandman, the King of the Dreamworld, and a plethora of characters from myth, lore and legend. These stories often stun in their grandness, with deft touches of humor and the banal that ground them in humanity, for all the epic proportions. Sandman (also known as Dream and Morpheus) also has a complicated relationship with his siblings --Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, Destiny and the long lost Destruction, known as The Endless--that frequently hijack the plot in amazing ways.

Debut

Björk

CD BJORK

With an otherworldly voice, ethereal instrumentations and a peculiar perspective, Icelandic artist Björk almost seems like a living myth. While “Debut” was her second solo recording, this album has many quintessential favorites that remain fresh and strong through the years. Her signature unusual hybrid of sounds and musical styles is evident here, with touches of jazz, house and electronica and quintessential Björk. I highly recommend checking out any of her music videos, which are always surreal and spectacular.

O Brother Where Art Thou

DVD COMEDY O

If Ulysses were a silver-tongued, swindling escaped convict with a penchant for pomade, O Brother Where Art Thou would be his tale. The film follows Ulysses Everett as he drags his partners in crime (literally ,by the chains that bind them) on an adventure seeking a treasure buried somewhere deep in 1930s South. With winking nods to the original Odyssey’s sirens, cyclops and other characters, this hilarious Coen Brothers film is punctuated with some wise and poignant moments. The timeless soundtrack, produced by T. Bone Burnett, features some of the best musicians in folk and bluegrass reviving classics from the era.

Maxfield Parrish

Ludwig, Coy L., 1939-  

741.092L96

The lush colors and light-saturated images of Maxfield Parrish illustrate myths beautifully in my mind. With androgynous figures, swathed in diaphanous white against craggy, blue-shadowed mountains, his paintings are tenderly epic. Technically, they’re not myths, but often vague subjects of the artist’s whims. He also illustrated many fairy tales and storybooks.  While Parrish is most remembered as an illustrator, his clever use of varnished layers and cutouts was quite extraordinary, as was his use of color. There’s a shade of blue (Parrish Blue) named in his honor.

The McElderry Book of Greek Myths

Eric A. Kimmel

J 292 K

If you would like to introduce the classic tales to your young folk, but don’t know where to begin, check this book out. Book of Greek Myths translates familiar stories into simple, yet poetic tales that children will enjoy, paired with crisp, playful illustrations that are a treat to linger over. There are a dozen in this book, including Pandora, Persephone and Pygmalion.