1. art and entertainment
2. books and literature

April at PCL
PLACITAS
Community
LIBRARY
News
April 2015
HOURS
Tuesday 10 – 7
Wednesday 10 – 5
Thursday 10 – 5
Saturday 10 – 5
Sunday 1 – 4
To go to our website
click: www.placitaslibrary.com
What’s Inside
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From Marian’s Desk
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New in the Collection 2
Kids’ Column
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Artist OTM
7
Adult Programs
8
Susanne’s Selections 10
Bulletin Board
11
and more!
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Apr 1
Happy April Fools’ Day!
Apr 8
Children’s Pirate Party at 10:00
Apr 10
Lenore Goodell, Artist’s Reception,
5:00 to 7:00
Apr 14
Children’s Story Hour: Explora presents
Animal Hide & Seek at 3:00
Apr 15
Home School Book Club meets at 12:30
Apr 16
Board of Directors meeting, 6:30 pm
Apr 18
Book, Bake, Art, and Plant Sale,
10:00 til 4:00
Apr 24
Open Forum for PCL Volunteers, 1:00
Apr 25
Honoring Our Veterans, by Placitas
History Project, with Col. David C de Baca
(ret.) at 2:00
Spring Book, Bake,  and
Plant Sale
April 18 – Saturday only!
10:00 to 4:00
We have added Art from Placitas Artists this year!
There will also be delicious home-baked goodies, books,
Talavera pottery, and some beautiful plants for your
garden. Come early for the best selection. Return later
for amazing bargains. All proceeds benefit your library.
453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
FROM MARIAN’S DESK
Marian Frear, Library Director
The Lull Between the GO Bonds (or, Your Request May Be Delayed)
Thank you for helping to pass both the State and the Sandoval County General Obligations Bonds this past
November. We rely on those funds to keep the library supplied with new books and DVDs, among many other
things. But generous as these allocations are, we are not actually in possession of the funds here at PCL.
Instead, we process everything through Sandoval County, which means the end of the fiscal year always
presents a bit of a challenge.
We expect to have both bond funds available again in early July when we will cheerfully stock up on all sorts of
new goodies. But for the next few months, the book-buying budget is tight, and you may find that item you
requested is taking longer than usual.
Your donations of clean, current books helps us not only stock our collection but build up trade credit. The
always delightful Page One allows us to trade used books in for new ones. (They are now located in the
Mountain Run shopping center at Eubank and Juan Tabo. Please go support them.) We also have trade credit
at Hastings, so we will get those Academy Award movies in too, just not all at once.
And I know we've said this before (such as a couple of months ago when we were without water) but we'll say
it again: Thank You for Your Patience. 
NEW IN THE COLLECTION
FICTION
NONFICTION
As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust,
by Allen Bradley
Boston Girl, by Anita Diamante
A Brief History of Seven Killings, by Marlon James
The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro
Euphoria, by Lily King
Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng
First Frost, by Sarah Addison Allen
Funny Girl, by Nick Hornby
The Girl On the Train, by Paula Hawkins
The Invention of Exile, by
Vanessa Manko
Let Me Be Frank With You,
by Richard Ford
A Spool of Blue Thread,
by Anne Tyler
Can't We Talk About Something More
Pleasant? by Roz Chast
Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the
Lusitania, by Eric Larson
Deep Down Dark, by Hector Tobar
The Divide, by Matt Taibbi
The Riddle of the Labyrinth,
by Margalit Fox (one of Susanne’s
Selections – review on p 10)
Sapiens, by Yuval Harari
Tales from Both Sides of the Brain,
by Michael Gazzaniga
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DVDs
Big Hero 6
Birdman
The Boxtrolls
Downton Abbey, Season 5
The Giver
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay
453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
It’s Spring and Our Gardeners Are Hard at Work Again
by Suzanne Maxwell
First, thank you to Michael Crowfoot , Mark Vitale, Karen Cox, Kate Nelson, Bill Dunmire, and Cissy Henig
(welcome, Cissy). You all show up and work hard and that’s fantastic. Here’s what we accomplished:
o Making beautiful: pruning, sweeping, raking, clipping
o Spreading and removal of the gravel pile onto the labyrinth
o Fertilizing most plantings and watering it in
o Winding and storing hoses
o Spreading of a bit more of the red rocks and spiffying up the rock pile
o Re-purposing cuttings and prunings for stabilization of the embankment on the eastern side of the
library
We identified a continuing issue for later in the year, the bumping and flipping of the railroad ties in the
parking lot by cars. Several ideas were suggested:
1) Installing wooden posts with reflectors bolted to the railroad ties, at least 4 feet high so they can be
seen over the hoods of the offending cars
2) Motion-activated lasers
3) Tire spikes like the ones in the rental car parking lots
4) Touch sensitive strobe lights and blasting air horns
Of course, 2 through 4 were too expensive (and perhaps mere expressions of our frustration), so our best idea
is number 1. We’ll have to see what the budget will bear this year. Other non-violent suggestions are
welcome. [Editor’s note: Patrons, in the mean time, please try to avoid bumping the railroad ties.]
Finally, with the blessing of Karen Cox and Anne Grey Frost, we acquired a lovely rock (donated by GL Stones
in Bernalillo) for the “north” cardinal direction on the labyrinth site and purchased a rock bench for the grotto
area on the south, in the pine trees, between the labyrinth and the road. So our labyrinth is now complete.
The Flea Market Is Coming Back!
The Flea Market starts May 9. That means it’s time for you to start cleaning out those closets and garages!
You say you don’t wish to sell your good but no-longer-needed stuff? No problem – bring it to the library and
donate it for the library’s sale table. We would love to have your costume jewelry, house wares and
decorations. Please, though, no clothing or large pieces of furniture. Donations can be dropped off at the
library or contact Ellen McMahon at 505-404-8657 or email [email protected].
Want to help? We are looking for volunteers to help Bruce Price with the set up of the flea market area and to
help Ellen McMahon at the library table. Sign-up sheets will be at the library help desk.
This summer’s market will again be held on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, May through
October, in the fields west of the Merc from 7:00 to 2:00. The fee for a space is still just $10, and we offer
optional tents for $15 and tables for $10 each. So skip that yard sale and set up at the community Flea Market
and spend the day with your friends and neighbors. You will have more fun, more potential customers and be
supporting your library at the same time. Contact Ellen (above) for more information. 
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Kids’ Column
A Pirate Party!
Yo Ho Ho! You are
invited to our Pirate Party, with stories, crafts, a treasure hunt,
and refreshments. This party is for ages 2 - 9.
Come to the party on Wednesday, April 8, at 10:00.
Grownups: Please reserve a space for your child by calling the library at 867-3355.
Children's
Story
Hour:
Animal Hide and Seek
Playing hide and
seek with some animals helps us to understand how their natural
homes disguise them so they are very hard to see. Come to the Story
Hour and try to make yourself hard to see. Then decorate rabbits so
you can’t see them in the bushes or in the snow. Your stories will be:
Animals in Camouflage, by Phyllis Limbacher, or Chameleon's Colors, by
Chisato Tashiro. Come to Story Hour on Tuesday, April 14 at 3:00.
Grownups: This is a STEM-to-Read program by Explora Museum for ages 2-6 years of age, possibly 7 if you
feel your child will be interested. Please reserve a space for your child by calling the library at 867-3355.
The Home School Book Club
Our book this month is Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman. Odd has
been having a tough time this long winter, but when he frees a trapped
bear in the woods his luck changes. Can Odd outwit the evil Frost Giants
who have turned the Nordic gods into animal forms?
If you are age 7 to 11, you can join our Club. Our meeting is Wednesday,
April 15, at 12:30.
The book for May will be James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl. You can find these books
at the library.
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Children’s Book News
by Nancy Guist, Children's Collection Coordinator
This month the “Children’s Book News” is featuring the award-winning author Kate DiCamillo. She has won
two Newbery Medals for her children’s novels, The Tale of Despereaux (2003), made into an animated movie
in 2008, and Flora and Ulysses (2013), reviewed below. The Newbery recognizes the year’s “most
distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” Besides children’s novels, Ms. DiCamillo also
writes early chapter books (books for intermediate readers with plenty of illustrations.) Check out her many
wonderful books in the children’s collection at PCL.
Flora and Ulysses, The Illuminated Adventures
Suggested Ages: 8-12 years
Realism and fantasy combine to make Flora and Ulysses an unforgettable tale. The
adventure begins with an out-of-control vacuum cleaner which sucks up an innocent
squirrel! Flora, who witnesses this from her window, rescues the now almost hairless
creature. As the tale unfolds, Flora discovers that the squirrel, now named Ulysses by
Flora, has been transformed into a “superhero” with amazing strength and the ability
to comprehend, type poetry, and fly! They quickly form a fast friendship. This book is
filled with quirky characters, including Flora’s parents who are living apart to begin
with but who come together in the end of this rollicking tale. The story’s characters
shine light on hope, friendship, and love for life and all it encompasses. Flora’s love of
comics inspires the delightful comic-strip like art throughout. Due to sophisticated vocabulary and humor, the
book may lend itself more appropriately as a shared read-aloud for the 8- and 9-year-old.
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
Suggested Ages: 6-9 years
Leroy is a little fellow with a big dream. He wishes to be a cowboy like the ones he sees in
the western movies at the drive-in where he works. He has a hat, lasso, boots, and lots of
yippie-i-ohs, but what he really needs is a horse. So he takes fate in his hands and sets out to
answer a for-sale ad for a horse. Maybelline isn’t quite the horse he was picturing.
Nevertheless, with words of endearment, plenty of “grub,” and constant companionship, the
two quickly become attached to one another until a sudden thunderstorm appears and the
two friends are separated. Will they be reunited and end Leroy’s lonely days? Humor and fun abound in this
first volume of a new series.
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Suggested Ages: 5-9 years
This is perfect as a beginning chapter book. The colorful, bold illustrations are wonderfully
expressive and are found on almost every two-page spread. Mercy Watson to the Rescue is
the first in this best-selling series. Mercy is a jolly pig who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson.
She is treated as one of the family, sometimes snuggling in bed with the Watsons when she
feels lonely at night and joining them ‘round the breakfast table for her favorite treat of hot
buttered toast. The action begins when Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s bed strangely begins to fall
through the floor. Will Mercy come to their rescue? The ensuing action involving Mercy and two elderly
neighborhood sisters will bring forth lots of giggles from the young reader.
cont’d
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Children’s Book News, cont’d
Bink & Gollie
Suggested Ages: 6-9 years
This delightful series is a collaborative effort by authors Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee.
Bink & Gollie, the first book of the series, received the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (2011),
which is given annually for the “most distinguished American book for beginning readers.”
The expressive black-and-white illustrations by Tony Fucile are marked by occasional
splashes of color. At times the illustrations stand alone without text and carry the plot
forward. Bink and Gollie are the best of friends though quite different in stature and
personality. They are both independent of mind though, even when Bink’s innocent
enthusiasm meets up with Gollie’s more sophisticated attitude. The book contains three loosely connected
stories involving Bink’s love of outrageously colored socks, Gollie’s imaginary adventure up the Andes
Mountains, and Gollie’s acquiring of a pet goldfish, “a marvelous companion.”

PCL Volunteers - You’re Invited to an Open
Forum on Volunteering at the Library
Friday, April 24, at 1:00 PM
Collin Meeting Room
Volunteers, we’re having an open forum just for you. We’d like to hear your views about volunteering at PCL –
what’s good, what could be improved and worked on.
We really want to hear your suggestions, feedback, and new ideas. Please join your fellow volunteers for a
brief hour to hour-and-a-half session. This meeting is for volunteers from all areas. Your ideas will enable us
to move forward, promote and implement new ideas, and ensure the growth of the library. And we hope this
get-together will make your work at PCL more enjoyable.
Please respond to the e-vite that should be in your email by now. If you haven’t received it, please contact
Bebe Marks at 220-9238. We do not want any PCL volunteer to miss this event. To entice you, we’re even
providing goodies. We are looking forward to seeing (and hearing!) you, Friday afternoon, 1:00 on April 24 in
the Collin Meeting Room. 
Librarians – the original search engines
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
ART: APRIL
Mostly About
Water
photography by
LENORE
GOODELL
Artist’s Reception
Friday, April 10
5:00 to 7:00
by Lenore Goodell
My entrée in photography in New York was in gritty urban places, using the existing linear structure and the
saturated color of many cloudy days. Upon arriving in Albuquerque I learned to use and appreciate the
focused shadows produced by intense New Mexico sunlight. Even while living in Placitas, I kept a mostly urban
vocabulary for many years. Beginning around 2005 I began seeing ways to approach the natural world using a
loosened visual palate and coincidentally developing a deep admiration for our native flowering plants. I have
thus far photographed and identified about 485 species and am working towards publishing a collection in a
website tilted "NORTH CENTRAL NEW MEXICO FLOWERING PLANTS & THEIR LANDSCAPES."
Generally my photographs represent a moment of captured light from fairly ordinary, usually quiet locations.
Within these venues, often on a flower search, I may find an intersection of color, light and air that captures
scents and the music of the breeze and that transform a place. That is when I grab an image. Thus, the
photographic image is a found object.
As a purist, I impose structure in the viewfinder, framing that found bit of light which is then a painterly
abstraction. There is no further intervention between the light captured by the sensor and the image on
paper, such as cropping or adjusting of color.
The selection of the images in this show are a reflection of my response to the brutal drought. My thirsty
visual cortex drives me to feast upon watery places, thus the current show title "Mostly About Water."
Lenore Goodell was raised in NYC, graduated from New York University and came to Albuquerque in 1967 to
get a M.A. in Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico. Shortly after completing a degree in 1968 she met and
married the poet Larry Goodell. She has resided in Placitas ever since. She spent some time gaining a more
pragmatic education in a surveying and map drafting program which led to employment as a cartographer
until 2006. Exhibit runs April 4 through 30. 
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Placitas History Project
Do you know these
Placitas Veterans?
HONORING OUR VETERANS:
THE CIVIL WAR TO V-J DAY
Col. David C de Baca (ret.)
Saturday, April 25, at 2:00
by Bob Gajkowski
The coming together of three historic dates occurs this year: the 150th
anniversary of the Civil War, the 100th anniversary of World War I, the
“Great War,” and the 70th anniversary of World War II. Each of these
conflicts was momentous for our nation. To the families of the young
men and women – the participants in these horrific events – their
countrymen owe a great debt of gratitude.
On Saturday, April 25, at 2:00 the Placitas History Project will host
“HONORING OUR VETERANS: the Civil War to V-J Day,” a presentation
to honor those from Placitas who served in these conflicts.
During World War I, some 350 men and women from Sandoval County
served with the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France; at
present, ten Placitans are known to have been among those ranks. In
World War II over 2,200 men and women from the County served; 51
Placitans are now known to have participated. Currently, 268 New
Mexico Territory residents of the communities that later became
Sandoval County are known to have fought in the Civil War.
Col. David C de Baca (ret.) of Bernalillo has been gathering names,
photographs, military records and stories about these county veterans
for some time. From New Mexico State Archives, U.S. government
records, and from veterans and their families, he has collected only
the beginnings of the overall picture of the service the men and
women have contributed to our nation. In presentations to the
Sandoval County Historical Society, the Sandoval County Commission,
and many civic and community groups, C de Baca has called longoverdue attention to these American heroes. His goal is to gather
information and photographs about each county veteran and to
establish a permanent memorial to them here in Sandoval County. To
date he has concentrated on the Civil War, WW I, and WW II simply
because the veterans and others with first-hand or family knowledge
of these conflicts are rapidly leaving us, and often information about
them is no longer available. In the near future the subsequent conflicts
– the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the ongoing conflicts in the
Middle East -- will be researched so that the veterans of these can be
included in the proposed memorial. His program at PCL on April 25 will
include a discussion of events of the these wars and
cont’d
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
HONORING OUR VETERANS, cont’d
some of the twenty-four display boards currently available to be part of the memorial’s exhibits. These boards
include some of the collected veterans’ photos and other information.
C de Baca encourages family members to gather photographs, military records and stories about their family
members and to bring them to the presentation so that they can be part of the memorial. Listings of Sandoval
County Civil War to V-J Day veterans will be available at the presentation. Also, a representative of the Rio
Grande Patriots Chapter, Folds of Honor Foundation, will provide information about that organization’s plans
to offer scholarships to families of the Iraq - Afghanistan conflicts. Join us at PCL on April 25. 
A Fond Remembrance of a Library Supporter and Good Friend
The Placitas Community Library lost a long-time friend and supporter when Joe Gonzales died on Sunday,
March 8th. Joe was a board member during the library’s early years, drawn by his love of books and the
importance of introducing children to the joy of reading early in their lives. He was a well-known and wellliked resident of Placitas for decades, soft-spoken with an infectious smile and always ready for new
adventures.
Joe moved to Placitas in 1969. He served on the Board of Sandia Prep for six years and was also an avid
volunteer in their athletics department. These roles fostered his interest in learning and made establishing a
library in Placitas a challenge he was more than happy to help take on. He loved the children’s programs and
often brought his first granddaughter, Anamaria, to the library.
As a resident of the Village for a long time Joe, and many of the other residents, often met at the Thunderbird
Bar which was the gathering place of Placitas in the 60s
and 70s. Joe often told stories of the parties, music,
poetry readings, and conversations that took place
there. He said he and others lined up waiting for the
Thunderbird to open, not because they wanted to
drink, but because it was a place where you could talk
to your neighbors, catch up on the latest news, hear
great music, and dance. He especially loved dancing
with Mary Ramsay who was known as the lady who
baked bread in the Village. They remained good friends
for decades.
One of our favorite memories of Joe was his
appearance on the library’s 4th of July Parade float in
2004. There, on a rocking chair in the center of a flatbed
trailer, sat Joe reading to a group of children. Joe had
brought a huge, over-sized book, a prized part of his
book collection. He was reminded that the parade in
those days was a very wet event with water guns all along the route and that he might want to leave the
prized book behind. He was really happy he’d heeded that advice, but he enjoyed being a part of the parade,
part of his community’s celebration.
Joe’s memory lives on in those who lived and worked with him. He will be missed. We will remember him and
his part in making the Placitas Community Library the new “gathering place” for a community he loved. 
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Susanne's Selections
Reading recommendations by Susanne Dominguez
The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code
by Margalit Fox
The Riddle of the Labyrinth recounts the resolution of the fifty-year-old mystery of a 3,400year-old unknown script known as Linear B. The script was written on clay tablets
discovered in 1900 amidst the ruins of the Minoan civilization of Crete in the Palace of
Knossos. It was named Linear B since it was written with linear strokes, rather than
hieroglyphs or cuneiforms. Unlike the Egyptian hieroglyphs, which were deciphered with the
aid of the Rosetta Stone, Linear B was believed by scholars to be a complicated, unbreakable
code. Archaeologist Arthur Evans, architect Michael Ventris, and classics professor and linguist Alice Kober all
contributed to deciphering the tablets. Evans and Ventris were acclaimed for their work, whereas Kober was
forgotten, despite her twenty years of intense research. In the course of her research, she learned many
languages, including Persian, Sumerian, Chinese, and Basque, to aid in her work. She unfortunately died at age
43 in 1950 before the "riddle" was solved in 1952 by Ventris. This book is a fascinating account of the three
people instrumental in deciphering the script and the methods they used. It gives Kober long-deserved credit
for her enormous contribution. The deciphered script proved not only that a previously unknown civilization
existed a thousand years before the classical period of Greece, but also that writing existed since the 15th
Century B.C., much earlier than scholars had originally thought.
The Handsome Man's Deluxe Café, by Alexander McCall Smith
If you are looking for a few hours of pleasant escape, read the charming adventures of the
"traditionally built" and endearing Precious Ramotswe, owner of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective
Agency. This is the latest novel in the series set in Botswana. Always engaging, the books
are written in a simple, unassuming manner, and yet they provide perceptive observations
about the human condition. Graced with immense wisdom, Mme. Ramotswe is an insightful
and astute woman, who along with her Co-Director, Mme. Makutsi, investigates all types of
questionable and curious activity. In this novel, the detectives attempt to discover the
identity of a woman suffering from amnesia, and Mme. Makutsi fulfills a dream of opening her own business,
“The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe.” Each novel can be read on a "stand alone” basis.
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
Hillenbrand's latest book is an inspiring biography about World War II veteran Louis
Zamberini. The title says it all : "Unbroken." After suffering terrifying torture in Japanese
POW camps and related incomprehensible experiences, this courageous man managed to
survive and overcome these challenges through his strength of character, resiliency, and
sheer resolve. It took seven years of research by the author to complete Unbroken. It
chronicles Zamberini's early life, his participation in the 1936 Olympics, and primarily his
experiences after the B-24 Liberator bomber he was in, was shot down in the Pacific Ocean by
the Japanese during World War II. His struggles to survive on a raft in the Pacific Ocean for 47 days, fending
off shark attacks and starvation, his capture and imprisonment in POW camps and torture by Japanese
soldiers, where he suffered inhumane treatment and was used as a human guinea pig in ghastly scientific
cont’d
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Susanne's Selections, cont’d
experiments, are described in grim detail. His return home after the war relates the problems he encountered,
including the lack of available psychological care and understanding by both the medical and non-military
communities to returning veterans. After all of the cruel treatment he endured in the concentration camps,
he later personally forgave his Japanese tormentors and became a productive, successful person. The brutal
behavior by the Japanese prison guards is harrowing to read, but worth reading in order to comprehend and
appreciate this part of U.S. history and the sacrifices of the military personnel. I was relatively unfamiliar with
the Pacific Theater of World War II prior to reading this revealing book, and am grateful for the opportunity to
learn and gain a greater understanding about it. Zamberini died on July 2, 2014. He was 97 years old.

Books of the Month Sale
`
Poetry & Music
are the subjects this month.
Come in and get inspired.
It’s National Poetry Month!
Placitas Flea
Market
Coming May 9
Donations Needed Now
for the Library’s sale table.
Don’t you just hate it
Call Ellen @ 404-8657 or email
[email protected].
when you find out your
mental pronunciation of a
character’s name is wrong,
but you really don’t like
the “correct” version.
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com