New York Reading Hotspots

The National Book Foundation sponsored by Bloomberg has released a wonderful free pamphlet called Reading Hot Spots in New York City. I received this pamphlet at the 2008 Brooklyn Book Festival in Brooklyn Heights. The National Book Foundation will be at the upcoming Book Expo America in New York City from May 29-May 31. If you can't make it to the Book Expo or to the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival you can e-mail Rebecca Keith and request a copy of the Reading Hot Spot Map.

With that said I wanted to play the game what New York Reading HotSpots have I been to? The list below will only cite the NYC Reading Hotspots that I have been to. If you would like to play along you can copy my list and ammend it based on the National Book Foundation's Reading Hot Spot Pamphlet to the literary hotspots you have been to. Let the fun begin!

Brooklyn

• Barnes and Nobles - 106 Court St. Brooklyn, NY 11201


• Book Court - 163 Court St. Brooklyn, NY 11201


• Central Library - Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11238


• Crown Heights Library Branch - 560 New York Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11225


• Eastern Parkway Library Branch - 1044 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11213


• Heights Books - 109 Montague St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 (closed)


• Waldenbooks - Kings Plaza Mall 5100 Kings Plaza Brooklyn, NY 11234

Manhattan

• Barnes and Nobles - 4 Astor Place New York, NY 10003


• Barnes and Nobles - 555 Fifth Ave. New York, NY 10020


• Barnes and Nobles - Citicorp Center 160 E. 54th St. New York, NY 10022


• Barnes and Nobles - Lincoln Center 1972 Broadway New York, NY 10023


• Biographay Bookshop - 400 Bleeker St. New York, NY 10014


• Borders - 10 Columbus Circle New York, NY 10019


• Borders - 461 Park Ave New York, NY 10022


• Columbus Library Branch - 742 Tenth Ave. New York, NY 10019


• Donnell Library Branch - 20 West 53rd St. New York, NY 10019 (closed)


• Drama Bookshop - 250 W. 40th St. New York, NY 10018


• Housing Works Used Book Cafe - 126 Crosby St. New York, NY 10012


• Humanities and Social Sciences Library - Fifth Ave. and 42nd St. New York, NY 10018


• Joseph Patelson Music House - 160 West 56 St New York, NY 10019 (closed)


• Juilliard Book Store - Juilliard Lincoln Center Plaza New York, NY 10023


• Lincoln Center Libary of Performing Arts - Lincoln Center New York, NY 10023


• Metropolitan Opera Book Store - Lincoln Center New York, NY 10023


• Mid-Manhattan Library - 455 Fifth Ave. New York, NY. 10016


• Oscar Wilde Bookstore - 15 Christopher St. New York, NY 10014


• Pauline Books and Media - 150 East 52 St. New York, NY 10022


• Strand Bookstore - 828 Broadway New York, NY 100038


• Strand Bookstore Annex - 95 Fulton St. New York, New York 10038 (closed)


• Terrance Cardinal Cooke Branch Library - 560 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10022

MIT Press Bookstore

For the first time in my relationship with my husband, I was the one being dragged to the bookstore. My husband is studying Music Technology at the graduate level with an emphasis on microtonal music and mathematics. As you can imagine this is a highly specialized field with only a few people exploring its realms.

In his studies he noticed that most of the research books he was using had one common denominator, their publisher, the MIT press. As luck would have it we were in Boston for Memorial Day weekend and the main thing my husband was interested in seeing was the MIT Press bookstore (http://web.mit.edu/bookstore/www/index.html). Surprisingly it was open on Saturday from 10am-6pm regardless of the holidays.

I really wasn't sure what i would be able to find anything personally interesting in the depths of this specialized bookstore. I was pleasantly surprised and found books on theology (the essential reinhold niebuhr) , religion & economics, writing during the information age, and universal education and its effects. Chris of course found all of the specialized books he was looking for inclduing: "Microsound" by Curtis Roads, and "Musimathics Vol 1 & 2" by Gareth Loy.

It's pretty amazing to pick up a book from the publisher's store that you might not be able to find anywhere else. It is an easy walk from the Kendel T-Stop in Cambridge. The staff was unassuming and quite knowledgable. (We managed to sneak in a conversation about where printed media... books, music, etc. are headed.) So if you are in Boston I highly recommend taking an hour or two out of your trip to visit the MIT Press bookstore. In the mean time check out their website and browse their recent books: http://mitpress.mit.edu/main/home/default.asp.

The Last Mrs. Astor

As a New Yorker I have to admit that my historical knowledge of the city is somewhat limited to what I learned in American History, tours with extended family, and chance tidbits from friends. My father-in-law once asked what the name of a ship was in the South Street Seaport and I sadly shrugged my shoulders in dismay. (I now know that it is the Ambrose.)

When I saw this book in the library I thought it would be an interesting way to foray into NYC's socal history. I knew that the Astor name had some importance because of Astor place, Astoria, and let's not forget the famous Waldorf Astoria on Park Avenue. I also knew that they were wealthy because places do not get named after people unless there is money involved. But that's where my historical sleuthing ended.

Who was this "Last Mrs. Astor"? It turns out her name was Brooke. "Roberta" Brooke Russell the daughter of a military man, John Henry Russell, and her mother, Mabel Russell, an estute social climber. Brooke grew up in China returning to the States as a teen when her father received new orders. Her mother, at the age of 17, encouraged Brooke's first marriage to John Dryden Kruse in 1919. This marriage was an unhappy one but resulted in Brooke's only child Tony Dryden.

Two years after Brooke's divorce from John Dryden in 1930 she married Charles Marshall, the senior partner at Butler, Herrick, and Marshall. Charles Marshall, was described as the love of Brooke's life. Her son Tony changed his last name to Marshall in 1942 prior to his service in the military. During this period of her life Brooke worked as an editor of Home and Garden's, using her husband's social clout and her know how to revive the magazine. Charles Marshall passed away in Brooke's arms in 1952.

In 1953, 11 months following Charles Marshall's death, Brooke remarried for the third and final time, Vincent Astor. Vincent was famous for his wealth and also infamous for his difficult personality. His wealth and family name gave Brooke a boost in New York City social circles. Vincent's health was touch and go and 1959 Brooke became a widow for the second time. After some familial dispute about Vincent's will, Brooke became the primary hieress of Vincent Astor's estate and the president of the Vincent Astor Foundation.

This is where I thought Brooke's life became very interesting. The last Mrs. Astor took it upon herself to learn the ins and outs of being a philanthropist for the city of New York. As the president of the foundation she proved to be a benevolent giver earning the Foundation a new level of respect in the non-profit world. This sudden acclaim for Brooke Astor came with its bumps and bruises but Brooke proved to be able to weather the storm. She made a point to deal with conflict outside of formal meetings and maitain a level of amicablity with most of her staff and board.

Although I did learn a bit more about who Mrs. Brooke Astor and the accomplishments of the foundation I was bit torn by the author's perspective. The author seemed to enjoy the bit of time she spent with the "Last Mrs. Astor" in interviews but maintained that Mrs. Astor was gaining in years and was increasingly confused from one visit to the next. Frances Kiernon did not seem to glean a new perspective from Mrs. Astor's personal writings nor truly respect the source.

Mrs. Astor was a strong woman who survived international moves, 3 marriages, and left a legacy through her work at the Vincent Astor Foundation. "The Last Mrs. Astor" is not a historical document but I enjoyed it for what was, a taste of the upper millius lifestyle.