New books about science and religion

Decoding the Language of God: can a scientist really be a believer?: a geneticist responds to Francis Collins by George C. Cunningham. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2010. (Library location is 215 CUN.)


Written by a scientist but easily read by nonscientists, this title is a response to another geneticist's book, The Language of God by Francis Collins (2007). In Cunningham's book, the author refutes the findings Collins made in his book about science and religion. In Decoding the Language of God Cunningham argues that there is no scientific evidence to argue the belief in a personal God, and he argues that much scientific evidence debunks this belief.


Belief: readings on the reason for faith by Francis Collins. New York: HarperOne, 2010. (Library call number is 202.2 COL.)

Here Collins brings together a collection of writings about faith and God from numerous faiths and religious thinkers, scholars and believers around the world. Collins is defending the basis for a belief in God that he states is the most profound question humankind continually asks. This is a good collection of some of the world's profound thinkers and spiritual leaders, such as Augustine and C.S. Lewis to Annie Dillard and Elie Wiesel.


The Language God Talks: on science and religion by Herman Wouk. New York: Little, Brown and Co., 2010. (Library call number is 201.65 WOU.)
In this book, Wouk frequently looks back on his friendship with physicist and atomic bomb scientist, Richard Feynman. Feynman was a humanist, and he and Wouk had many discussions about faith and science. Wouk writes about his life of belief as an Orthodox Jew while also relating his scientific discussions and research for many of his great works of fiction. This is an interesting read about one man's journey through a life of faith.

Biography Resource Center

Search for people--live or dead, current or historic, from all eras and fields of endeavor--by name, occupation, ethnicity, birth/death dats and places, or gender, as well as keyword or full text. Get articles from respected reference sources as well as articles from hundreds of magazines and newspapers and tens of thousands of images and links to vetted websites. For all ages. Check out Biography Resource Center with your library card handy.

Pet Loss

Many people have dear pets, and regard them as members of the family. When one dies there is a substantial need to grieve, and the way to find books isn't always clear.

In day to day speech, we say pet loss. But a book may not be using these exact words so, as long as catalogs aren't like google, you need a little help with good keywords to use.

Here are some sample searches
with keywords pets death psychological aspects

grief pets

bereavement pets

Memoir

This Boy's Life
Author Tobias Wolf

Check our catalog for this title


This is a deeply personal account of Wolf's life as a young boy growing up with a single mother and the close emotional bond between them. This bond becomes threatened when, out of fiscal necessity, she gets remarried to an abusive man. Rather than wallow in self-pity in his narrative, Wolf draws the reader into his storied childhood full of honest confessions of all the bad things he did as a mischievious youth and how these, along with other experiences, shaped who he became and the decisons he made. The backdrop for this story is the beautiful North Cascades.



Liar's Club
Author: Mary Karr

Check our catalog for this title



In this the first of Karr's three memoirs she describes her childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family in Texas. There are a number of pivotal events in her young life, some of them difficult to read, but she has a way of drawing the reader into what seems like an unbelievable existence with colorful metaphor and lyrical composition that reflect her abilities as a poet as well as prose writer.

Deception - how to search for books on this subject

Ever feel like there's more to the story than what is at face value? There's a little paranoia in all of us and evidently publishers are responding to some kind of demand, since they keep on publishing them... But how do you search for them in our catalog?

For recent books on getting at the truth in the marketplace, here is one quick link:
(the keywords in the subject heading of this search are: consumer education)

http://catalog.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?subject=consumer+education+finance

and then click sort by Publication Date and click go to get the new ones ranked to the top-- other keywords you could enter now at this point: consumer protection.

A title that comes to mind in this list is Stop Getting Ripped Off by Bob Sullivan


For recent books on being fed up with what's supposed to be "News" these days, here's a couple of quick links:

http://catalog.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?subject=mass+media

and then click sort by Publication Date and "go"-- for date ranking
A title that comes to mind in this list is Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges


For recent books about what's in your food these days, try keywords food industry trade

http://catalog.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=food+industry+trade

and then click sort by Publication Date and "go"-- for date ranking
A title that comes to mind is Food, Inc: How Industrial Food is Making us Sicker, Fatter and Poorer.

On the other hand, King Corn, a fascinating DVD about the corn industry, doesn't come up in this search.

http://catalog.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?subject=genetically+modified+foods

Then again, you can go out for the subject heading keyword "conspiracies" and find a plethora
of titles.
http://catalog.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?subject=conspiracies+united+states

Then again, there's this global financial crisis and who's to blame...


http://catalog.wccls.org/polaris/view.aspx?keyword=financial+cris*+econ*
One coming out soon on this is called the Big Short by Michael Lewis.

New Travel books just in!

Rick Steve's Scandinavia

With this guide, travelers set sail to Europe's most prosperous corner - a smorgasbord of Viking ships, deep green fjords, stave churches, brooding castles, and colorful farmhouses. Rick explores the sleek, modern cities of Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn.

Frommer's Moscow & St. Petersburg

Savvy insider tips on exploring the treasures of the Hermitage Museum and the Kremlin. Outspoken opinions on what's worth your time and what's not. Exact prices, so you can plan the perfect trip whatever your budget. Off-the-beaten-path experiences and undiscovered gems, plus new takes on top attractions.

Frommer's Greece

With authors ranging from renowned Classicists to young Athenians, this updated edition bring readers an up-to-the-minute snapshot of the best both ancient and modern Greece have to offer.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Paris

Annually revisited and updated. Beautiful new full-color photos, illustrations, and maps. Includes information on local customs, currency, medical services, and transportation.

Museums, Galleries and Artists, oh my!

Getting ready to take a trip and are interested in viewing art in your city/state of choice? Does the Beaverton City Library have a resource for you!



The art magazine Art in America annually publishes a special issue called Art in America: Guide to galleries, museums and artists. The Beaverton City Library not only subscribes to the magazine Art In America but we also house this special issue in our Adult Reference collection. This way you can stop in any time to gather together all the information you may need to prepare for an exciting art filled excursion, even if you aren't venturing out of the Northwest.



This special issue contains some of the following special offerings:

• A Museum Preview 2009-2010. This preview is organized chronologically according to opening months. It highlights key shows, either current or upcoming, at major art institutions across the country, as well as selected exhibitions abroad.


• Guide. The guide is a comprehensive alphabetical listing, arranged by state and city, of U.S. galleries, private dealers, print dealers, corporate consultants, museums, nonprofit exhibition spaces, and university galleries. Also included are addresses, phone numbers, hours, names of directors, and a short description of the type of art shown and artists represented or exhibited.


• Indexes. There are also specific Indexes to the following: Galleries, Private Dealers, Print Dealers, Corporate Consultants, Museums, Nonprofit Exhibition Spaces and University Galleries. There is a major alphabetical Artists index also that cross-references artists names to galleries and art institutions.


• Directories. There are also Directories available for Auction Houses, Art Schools, and Art Services.

Next time you are planning a trip don't forget to visit the Beaverton Library and take a look at this great Reference item. Ref 708.1 ART 2009-2010.