www.roanoke.com

Sarah Palin is coming back to the Roanoke Valley. With the release of her book "Going Rogue: An American Life" on Nov. 17, Palin is embarking on a book tour with a stop here in Roanoke. The Roanoke Times' Katelyn Polantz breaks the story here. Palin's last visit to the Roanoke Valley, for a presidential campaign rally in October 2008, drew a crowd estimated at 16,000 to Salem Stadium. Polantz reports that to handle expected crowds at Barnes & Noble, Valley View, the store will hand out wristbands to fans starting at 6 a.m.

The library has always been my favorite place to be, from early childhood days of storytime to today. I've noticed that the library I frequent has seen an influx of patrons and I am happy to report that this seems the trend in many areas, from what I've heard from friends. The New York Times reported on this topic some months ago with an interesting article about why patrons have started flocking to the hallowed hallways of shelving, and it isn't all about the books. Libraries usually have Wi-Fi now, so when toting the laptop around, the library is an open-armed spot to cruise the internet highways. Then there are the public PCs with the opportunity to WWW shop or hunt for jobs.  And the quiet hours will pass. There's always the delight of books to bring home on a promise to return them instead of forking over bucks for the pleasure. In these harder times, that is a very good thing.

To me the library is a place of awe and worship. The scent alone makes me happy. The presence of so much knowledge just waiting to be shared is inspiring. I'll never forget my first time of tip-toeing up the marble stairs, passing the regal lions of the New York Public Library. But that's another blog entry. At one time I wanted to work in the library, but I realized I would very soon be fired for I would surely have been caught reading instead of working. If you're looking for a library job though, here's a place to start.

More proof that the library is the place to be:

CBS Evening News story: In Recession, Libraries are Booming

The Huffington Post: Libraries Stand Ready to Help in Tough Economic Times

NBC Nightly News: video, Libraries Offer Free Relief From Tough Times

Tim Donoho, author of Arguing With God, will speak about his work and will sign autographs at Our Lady of the Valley conservatory. Donoho will read a chapter of the book and host a question and answer session.

Where: 650 N. Jefferson Street, Roanoke
When: 3:30 p.m., Friday, August 7, 2009
Contact: Karen Jones, 540-525-5318

Attila: The Barbarian King Who Challenged Rome
By John Man
Thomas Dunne Books, $17.95, 336 pages

Reviewed by Bob Willis

He lived 1,600 years ago; he and his followers left no grand monuments, no public works, no cultural impact, few artifacts and no heritage to speak of. With one exception: The name of Attila is synonymous in most of the Western world with ruthlessness and cruelty, and the word Hun conjures up a fierce and warlike folk.

Undertaking a book about Attila the Hun meant, for a wide-ranging historian like John Man, a constant effort to separate myth from reality. Attila was the sort of figure who inspired legends, and little definite is known about him or his origins. Man agrees with those who conclude that the Huns came out of Mongolia and pushed westward early in the Christian era.

It was not a relentless progress; the Huns tended to war and pillage according to their felt needs, and could be content for a time with tribute. But never for long. In mid-fifth century A.D. Attila led his forces into Gaul and made Rome tremble until the Huns were turned back at present-day Orleans in 452.

There is no doubt about the Huns’ ability at war, especially on horseback, whence they could loose a volley of arrows with breathtaking speed. A modern-day Hungarian, Lajos Kassai, has resurrected the Huns’ techniques and has attracted a band of devotees to a newborn sport that they hope will one day become an Olympic event.

Roman and Christian historians tended to demonize the barbarians, whom they often described as subhuman. Only one historian whose works (partly) survive actually met Attila: Priscus, who was also a diplomat who took part in other missions in Asia Minor. Man quotes extensively from Priscus, but his own research was exhaustive and is presented with verve and humor.

This is a very readable book, and it treats not only with the Huns but also with the huge and varied tapestry of tribes who peopled the European mainland outside of Rome’s sway: Alans, Goths, Gepids, Rugians, Skirians, Akatziri, Herulians, Thuringians, Burgundians, Langobards, and more. Little do we appreciate today how rich and yet mysterious is the Western heritage.

 BOB WILLIS is a retired associate editor of the editorial page.

On my way to Festival of the Book last week, I convinced my conference going companion and friend to stop at a book warehouse. It didn't take much convincing. We were in the area, which doesn't happen much, and we were book-minded, which happens all the time. We were pleasantly surprised at what we found.

I think we meant to stick together but were quickly torn apart by the enticement of books, books, and more books. 500,000 so says the web site. They were sorted by genre and by author and they were all priced at 60 to 90% below the publishers' retail prices. I tried to resist temptation and refused a handbasket, warning Amy that it would probably be best to not have a helping  hand in spending our money. I ended up with my arms full and finding a tote bag that I would also purchase. A bestseller I hadn't read, a book by an author friend I'd just made, a classic to cherish, a few things for the kids, and even a poster to frame for my new home, I was out of time and near the limit I'd set for myself in cash. The choices were immense; I was never more like a kid in a candy shop, even when I was one!

The Green Valley Book Fair, just south of Harrisonburg was established in 1971, originally held in an old barn on the Evan's family farm. Back then, used and antique books were the focus and people would even camp in the pasture next to the barn in order to be first in line when the doors opened. Over the years the book fair outgrew the barn. Today it carries new books exclusively, and occupies two warehouse type buildings totalling 25,000 square feet. The Green Valley Book Fair is not open every day though. Keeping with the fair feel, it is open only six times a year, for two weeks at a time. Visitors will want to plan ahead as you'll want plenty of time to browse. And visitors come by from all over the world. At the front of the store there is a map of the United States with pushpins to mark where customers have hailed from. Virginia is packed to capacity but there are marks from Alaska to Hawaii and beyond our map to Japan. 

This from their website:

"Where do the books come from?
We specialize in publisher's returns -- books that have been returned to the publisher by other book stores. We also carry a select number of remainders and overstock books, but because of our emphasis on returns our stock tends to be more current and much more eclectic than what you'd find on the remainder shelves in a typical book store." That doesn't bother me. It is akin to recycling or treasure finding.

There came a pouring rain while I browsed, something Amy was too distracted to even notice, but it so added to the ambiance for me. The soothing sound on the tin roof while surrounded by books was actually an incentive to me to stay awhile and buy. I plan to return another day. Here is the schedule of their two week "appearances":

March 14 - 29, May 9 - 25, June 27 - July 12, Aug. 22 - Sept. 7, Oct. 10 - 25, Nov. 27 - Dec. 13, open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bargains and best sellers for children and adults will be on sale to benefit Timbrook Library in Campbell County. Sponsored by the Friends of Timbrook Library, all proceeds will benefit programs and activities at the library. Book donations welcome.

When: 5 to 8 p.m., Friday, March 20, 2009, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21.

For more information, call 434-239-1190.

When you have more books than clothes, children’s toys, and dishes put together, how do you go about packing them up to move? I have found that starting with the books before anything else is a very satisfying way to go. You can do this early on in your plans to move and feel like you are accomplishing something. Packing them up first also prevents a person from getting into that last minute habit of throwing things into a box all willy nilly. You don’t want to do that with books. At least I don’t. Packing them first also allows you to use the best boxes you can find for them. And, packing them first also puts them out of mind when you decide that you have way too much stuff to fit into the new home and it is decided to start selling things or giving them away. This is how I have ended up with more books than anything else I own.

Curious about exactly the best manner to pack books, I went searching and found this advice from a moving company: “…it is a good opportunity to reevaluate the books you would like to transport. Keep in mind that books can be heavy and it will increase the weight of your load thus increasing your transportation cost. Consider selling some books at a yard sale, donating them to charity, or selling to a secondhand bookstore.” Shudder at the thought! Unless you are moving across the country and really need to weed out. The instructions were minimal though and not very helpful. How hard is it to pack books? This little article was fun to read and made me well aware that I am not alone: http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/10/packing-books-the-best-way/

It’s not very difficult to pack if you are just transporting across town, but what about long term storage?

I found this Frequently Asked Questions list that explains nicely about preserving books: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~preserve/html/faq.shtml  but if you don’t feel like reading that and want to know what the Library of Congress has to say about storing books, click here: http://www.loc.gov/preserv/presfaq.html#1.

Got a funny book related moving story? Tell me about it!