|
June's First Friday June's First Friday brings us
a trio of authors just about as diverse as you can get. Susan Ross, with her co-author Michael Musheno, is author of
Deployed, an in-depth study of the effect of the Iraq War on the members of the Army Reserves
who were called up to augment the efforts of the regular army. They interviewed members of one unit after they
returned from active duty, which in many cases, lasted almost two years. They categorized them as adapted, struggling
or resistant and showed how their experiences almost never met their expectations and why. The subtitle of their book
is How Reservists Bear the Burden of Iraq. And then we have Ben Cramer, the editor of the
13th edition of Pennsylvania Hiking Trails, written with the Keystone Trails Association.
Each of the hundreds of trails is described and references are given for maps and further information. And lastly, but
by no means least, we have Mary Woods, author and illustrator of a treatise on love called The Heart of the
Matter. Come meet them Friday from 5 to 8 at Otto's, a booklover's paradise in the heart of Downtown
Williamsport.
First Friday in May
May’s
First Friday Signing is a double-header! From 5 to 8, Joan Wheal Blank will be signing her tribute to her hometown,
Around Montgomery: A Postcard History. It shows scenes of commerce and domestic life in this bustling
little borough and also captures the drama of neighboring villages like Elimsport and the lost town of Alvira. At the same time we will have
Joe Parry, upstate newspaper columnist and author of the paperback, Of a Predatory Heart. He writes
about his life as a hunter and a fisherman—his most memorable excursions into the wilds of nature and what he learned
there. He talks about the effects of war on the returning vets and how they feel about any more killing. He tells
how his Pappy taught him to hunt and how hard it was for his son to actually aim and pull the trigger. You’ll
laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll want to head for the hills. But first head for Ottos, a booklover’s
paradise in the heart of Downtown Williamsport. Open weekdays 9 to 8, Saturday 9 to 6, Sunday 1 to 4.
April's First Friday
“Why we hike to high places is different for each of us.
For some, it’s the exercise and effort, a desire to feel the burn from God’s own Stairmaster.
Others may seek an escape from the office grind……but I think most of us hike to a magnificent view because
we seek inspiration. We wish to be in awe of nature’s handiwork.” Hi this is Betsy from
Otto’s, reading from the introduction to the new book, Pennsylvania Mountain
Vistas by Scott Brown. It tells you how to get to seventy nine Pennsylvania mountain tops with breathtaking views. Scott gives
a picture and description of each hike with maps and information on distance, elevation change, difficulty and other things
you can enjoy along the way. And then he tells you how
to take the very best pictures of your view with all the technical jargon real photographers pay attention to.
You can meet Scott Brown this First Friday from 5 to 8 at Otto’s. If Spring Fever hasn’t
hit you yet, this book and this author will bring it on! Pennsylvania
Mountain Vistas—you’ll find it at Otto’s a booklover’s paradise, in the heart of Downtown
Williamsport.
March First Friday
A Crossing of Zebras, Animal Packs in Poetry is a picture book for any child who
loves animals and words in equal measure. Poet Marjorie Maddox has looked up the collective nouns for fourteen
different animals, birds, fish and insects and written a poem about each of them, using its particular collective noun as
inspiration. For example, “a school of fish” takes the imaginative child underwater to check
out the classroom of hard working student-fish. An “army of ants” march sharply to a military
beat. And a “cartload of monkeys” falls all over each other looking for fleas on any head near
them. And then! And then! Philip Huber takes the words and turns them into lively pictures…scratchboard
pictures with playful and plentiful detail. Marjorie, the author, and Philip, the illustrator, will be
at Otto’s from 5 to 8 Friday as part of the First Friday Celebration of the Arts.
|
