Manor Ink March 2021

14 | MAR. 2021 | MANOR INK LMFL NEWS
LMFL: BOOKS AND MORE
WHILE THE MEMBERS of the library book
club rethink how they want to move
forward during the COVID-19 pandemic,
I thought I would reintroduce you to
your wonderful library and what it has
to offer.
In last month’s issue, our new director
offered a terrific endorsement of
the nonfiction offerings by writers of
fiction, and this month she suggests
two excellent biographies. To help
you get through these dreary days of
winter, here are some other things the
library has on hand.
When you enter the LMFL, you pass
a table in the children’s room offering
copies of Manor Ink, bags of crafts
and hand sanitizer. Then you enter the
adult collection room. On your right are
comfortable chairs and a carousel with
magazines. If you are an avid gardener,
Mother Earth has a story about building
a spacious potting shed. There are
copies of Time, Harpers, The Atlantic,
Consumer Reports and National Geographic,
as well as many others.
Not there to read a magazine? In the
middle of the room is a small table with
the Sullivan County Democrat, the New
York Times, the River Reporter and
this newspaper. If it’s books you came
for, shelves to the left hold our newest
arrivals, both fiction and non-fiction.
You will also find books with Christian
themes and books in Spanish. Then our
fiction collection starts, alphabetically
arranged. Mysteries, books on tape and
in large print are against the wall to the
left. Biographies, junior adult, graphic
novels and an extensive collection of
DVDs are to the right. On the back wall
is our non-fiction collection.
Of course, you can come to the
library because you need to use one
of our computers, make copies or fax
something. Our staff is always there to
help you. So take a break and come
into the library. Just remember, a mask
is required. See you at the library – of
course, from a safe distance!
Marge Feuerstein
If you are interested in any of these offerings,
please visit the library at 92 Main
St. For information, call 439-5440.
RUSSIAN WINTER The World War II siege of Leningrad did not prevent Dmitri Shostakovich
from premiering his heroic seventh symphony in that city. M.T. Anderson’s Symphony for the City
of the Dead is one of two books about adversity in winter now at the LMFL. wikimedia.org photo
Two books to ease the chill
In February, a fresh perspective helps
one “buck up” and tackle the inevitability
of our winter challenges here in the
Catskills, and I do this by reading books
set in colder latitudes than
ours.
Nestled comfortably in
“these United States,” we
are constantly reminded
of how important health,
Stacey
Tromblee
home and our own safety
is. Many of us “soft sorts”
view the recent news about
Alexei Navalny’s battle with the Russian
government with real trepidation and feel
tremendous empathy for his plight. This
defiance by a Russian citizen in the face
of impossibly difficult odds reminded me
LIBRARY
NOTES
of other stalwart citizens of
Russia I have read about:
the composer who wrote his
now famous symphony during
the siege of Leningrad and the child
pianist who grew up to be a journalist in
the United States. I read these two excellent
books last February and I would like
to share their titles with you: Symphony for
the City of the Dead by Dmitri Shostakovich
by author M.T Anderson and Mastering the
Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and
Longing by Anya von Bremzen.
Both books are part biography and part
political history. Both these nonfiction
titles allow us to travel back in time to
glimpse these citizens’ longing for home
and normalcy while trapped within a dangerous
and often brutal landscape.
They also allow us to experience the
true, life affirming value of classical music
across cultures and continents. Artistic
expression can transcend cultural boundaries.
The incorruptible beauty that music
can provide in a dark land, that is war-torn
and then post-war Russia, cannot be overlooked.
The Symphony No. 7, also titled
“Leningrad,” was finally performed in this
besieged city only after being successfully
airlifted to the world.
Both the composer Shostakovich and
the young pianist von Bremzen brilliantly
create their art with a strong sense of place
and a relentless will. Leaving Russia seems
impossible for either of these citizens or
their families who lived in fear of being
purged in one of the late night raids which
continued even after the death of Stalin. A
thrilling mini history course on perseverance
in Russia during World War II and
the two decades that followed is provided
within the covers of these books.
As you already have guessed, I cheer for
the common citizen and I am fascinated by
the heroism depicted by their daily striving
to complete their art while surviving
amid the turmoil and uncertainty of Russia.
Dissonance dominates these pages.
If reading about a girl growing up in
a Soviet communal apartment down the
street from Stalin or the famous composer
writing a symphony during the siege of
Leningrad is too bleak for you in February,
and you prefer fiction, I highly recommend
these two novels also set in Russia:
City of Thieves by David Benioff and Our
Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
Both of these books travelled the book club
circuit in the last decade and are available
at your local library. As the say in Russia:
Приходите читать с нами! (Come read
with us!)
Stacey Tromblee is the director of the
Livingston Manor Free Library. Reach her at
livcirc@rcls.org.