This Month's Artist: Margaret Eklund

Born in Oregon and raised on a farm in northeastern Washington, Margaret’s love for painting began at an early age.

She received her formal art education at schools in California and Washington before she began employment as a commercial artist for The Boeing Company.

After marriage she took time out to stay at home and paint part time while raising a family. She continued her art education, taking painting classes from established artists in the Bellevue area, and began showing her work in juried shows. The Frye Art Museum in Seattle accepted her wildlife painting of a northern hawk owl as an entry in their annual Pacific Northwest Painters juried exhibition.

Margaret and her husband recently moved to Whidbey Island where she has been painting local scenes in both watercolor and acrylic mediums.

Best Books of 2009

It's no surprise that Pete Dexter's "Spooner made Library Journal's best books list. You may be surprised, though, to learn that Dexter lives on Whidbey Island. He keeps a low profile, and clearly devotes his time to writing, for which we can be very grateful.
Spooner is quite different from Dexter's previous novels: it's a funny and sensitive tale of a young man finding his way, and the stepfather who sticks by him through it all. Is Spooner autobiographical? Perhaps, according to the Publishers Weekly reviewer who wrote that "the novel's premise—that life is one big vale of tears and that writing about it wittily and exuberantly is the best one can do...pays off in spades for Dexter and his tragicomically conflicted alter ego." Dexter's own father died when he was four. He and his mother moved to Milledgeville, Georgia, where she married a college physics professor.
Here are a few more of LJ's top titles from 2009: Check them out at the library!
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo
All the Living by C.E. Morgan
Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen
Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips

Halcyon Days at the Library

“They lay and sit about mid-winter...and the time whiles they are broodie, is called the halcyon daies: for during that season the sea is calm and navigable...” (1601)
Calm, tranquil, happy or carefree are words to describe halcyon days, which traditionally begin December 15. The word halcyon came into English use in the 14th century. The Greek word halkyon means 'kingfisher'. Ovid tells the story of the halcyon in Book Eleven of The Metamorphoses. Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, had a daughter named Alcyone who was greatly devoted to her husband, Ceyx, the king of Thessaly. Ceyx was drowned in a storm, and in her grief at seeing his body in the sea Alcyone threw herself from a jetty. However, rather than sinking, she “seemed to skim the surface, like a bird on new-found wings.” When she reached the body of her husband and tried to embrace him with her wings, the gods took pity on her and turned Ceyx into a bird. “They mate, have young, and in the winter season,/ For seven days of calm, Alcyone/ Broods over her nest on the surface of the waters/ While the sea-waves are quiet. Through this time/ Aeolus keeps his winds at home, and ocean/ Is smooth for his descendants’ sake.” (Translation by Rolfe Humphries) From this myth grew the story of a legendary bird, usually identified with the kingfisher, that was said to nest on the sea and to charm the wind and the waves for fourteen days centered on the winter solstice.
Wishing smooth seas and fair winds to all, Mary.

Becoming Jane - Free Movie Dec 19

Jane Austen fans number in the millions. As an author, she is as popular and revered as any literary figure. Her six novels, written in the early 1800's, are held up as the basis for the true romance story. Of course they are much, much more, as any true Jane acolyte can attest.
Austen's stories have been made into film at a regular pace since 1938, when Pride and Prejudice was first filmed for TV. Becoming Jane, based on Jane Austen's letters, was released on DVD last year. Anne Hathway plays a very charming Jane in this exquisite film. One reviewer, though, found that "James McAvoy stole the show with his passion and character development." The film is a treat to watch for fans of Jane and for those who aren't familiar with her work. See it free at the Oak Harbor Library's Saturday Matinee on December 19 at 2pm. Visit the library catalog for more Jane Austen books and movies.

Teen Art Show December 10-12

Oak Harbor teens display their amazing multi-media artwork once again at the library's annual Teen Art Show, funded by the Friends of the Oak Harbor Library. View the show, meet the artists and enjoy some fabulous refreshments at the Opening Reception on Thursday, December 10 from 7-9pm. The event will be catered by award-winning Wildcat Catering from Oak Harbor High School. The show continues on Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12, from 10am until 5pm. Contact Mary or Anne at the Oak Harbor Library at 360-675-5115 for more information.

Talking Books with Nancy Pearl

Nancy Pearl tells a funny story about a woman who enjoyed her presentations so much that she begged her to come and book talk for her social group. As she prepared her lists, Nancy overheard another lady saying to the first woman, "You must really enjoy reading the books that Nancy suggests." "Oh, no," said the woman. "I've never liked anything that Nancy recommends - I just like hearing her talk about books!"
on Whidbey Island last week, Nancy Pearl was as charming as ever as she book talked her latest list. She would be the first to agree that no single book will appeal to every reader. Here are the ones that struck my fancy:
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie With an eleven-year-old heroine reminiscent of Harriet the Spy, this is Alan Bradley's first novel.
Little Bee Chris Cleave's haunting novel about the tenuous friendship that blooms between an illegal Nigerian refugee and a recent widow from suburban London.
The Photographer Didier Lefèvre's photography paired with the art of Emmanuel Guibert tells the harrowing story of going into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors without borders.
Dancing to the Precipice: The life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin, eyewitness to an era. This biography by Caroline Moorehead provides a fascinating glimpse into France's history during the 1770's.

Free Program: Picturing America

The Friends of the Oak Harbor Library present Picturing America: Art, History and Culture at the Oak Harbor Library on Thursday November 19 at 3pm
Patricia Haines-Ainsworth, artist and playwright,hosts this free tour of America's unique art as it reveals the fabric of our nation's culture and history. She will highlight several well-known American masterpieces and tell the stories behind them. This program is for all ages.
Picturing America is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) designed to bring masterpieces of American art into libraries nationwide. The program aims to give students and citizens "a deeper appreciation for our country's history by introducing them to its great art." Through a grant, Oak Harbor Library was awarded forty high quality reproductions of selected American masterpieces. These works of art are on display throughout the library on a rotating basis. Call the library at 360-675-5115 for more information.