1. Art and Diseño

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PLACITAS
Community
LIBRARY
News
We would love to have you!
February at PCL
Feb 7
Author Mary E. Carter, A Non-Swimmer
Considers Her Mikvah: On Becoming Jewish
After Fifty, at 2:00
Feb 10
Children’s Story Hour: Chinese Tangrams,
at 3:30
Feb 11
Home School Book Club meets at 12:30
New Time!
Feb 13
Gary Priester, 3-D Stereograms, Artist’s
Reception, 5:00 to 7:00
February 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 3
Kids’ Column
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Artist OTM
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Adult Programs
7-8
Susanne’s Selections 9
Bulletin Board
10
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Feb 14
Happy Valentine’s Day
Feb 19
Board of Directors meeting, 6:30 pm
Feb 21
Demonstration by the Rio Grande Model
Railroad Club, 10:00 to Noon
Feb 21 – 22 The U. S. Constitution – An Introduction
Two-session lecture by Lawrence Robinson
beginning each day at 2:00
Feb 28
Lunar New Year Celebration at 2:00
New Feature! Children’s Book News by
Nancy Guist reviews children’s literature. See
page 5.
453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
PCL Board of Directors Update
The annual meeting in January was the
occasion for election of officers of the board
for the coming year. Returning to office are
Karen Cox as board chair, Erin Height as vice
chair, and Barbara Rockwell as treasurer. Pat
Quick will serve as secretary. The board
currently has twelve members, serving
staggered three-year terms. In addition to the
officers the directors are Ruth Bouldes, Bebe
Marks,
Gail
McGough-Madueña,
Ellen
McMahon, Bill Otterbein, Lin Robinson, and
Frances Sosa. Marian Frear, Library Director,
is an ex officio member of the board as well.
Congratulations to this year’s officers and a
hearty thank-you to all the directors for their
service.
Gail McGough-Madueña joins the Board
PCL Directors are usually a bit more serious, but sometimes you
just need a giggle. Front row, L – R, Bebe Marks, Pat Quick,
Frances Sosa. Standing: Ellen McMahan, Erin Height, our
leader Karen Cox, Lin Robinson, Gail McGough-Madueña, and
Ruth Bouldes. Clifford the Big Red Dog looks on. Bill Otterbein
and Barb Rockwell sadly missed the fun.
We are very glad to
have Gail McGoughMadueña as the newest member of the board. Gail has been living in Placitas since
1984. She raised her three children here. She knows many residents from her
business as a real estate agent with La Puerta Real Estate Services, her business as
JG Madueña Homes, and from her years serving the community through her work
with the New Mexico Environment Department.
Gail is looking forward to being involved in the Placitas Community Library activities.
She would have been thrilled if Placitas had a library when her kids were growing up,
especially because they could have walked to the library from home!
WE HAVE WATER!
Turns out there was a leak. Pete Nieto, Sandoval County Facilities Manager, sent this
information:
We were able to locate a broken fitting near the fire station from the well. This caused
huge problems for the water for your building. The leak has been repaired and water
has been turned back on at the library. There is no guarantee that the well will not go
dry again but it should be much improved. We are still in the process of doing some
other work to try and bring as much consistency to the water as possible.
So we have functioning bathrooms again, and we’re happy about that. Very happy. Big thank-yous to Mr.
Nieto and all the people who worked on this problem and got it solved. And a huge thank-you to all of you for
making the best of the situation!
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
FROM MARIAN’S DESK
Marian Frear, Library Director
Our
AMAZING
LOST
and
FOUND
COLLECTION
Did you ever figure out what happened to your extra set of keys? Ask the volunteers at the Help Desk. Of all
the fascinating collections in this library, the oddest is Lost and Found. This modest basket, a mere eleven by
sixteen inches and eight inches deep, provides a limitless source of wonder.
We have four pairs of reading glasses, three pairs of sunglasses and two glasses cases (one a lovely peach and
olive tapestry, the other plain utilitarian blue). We have a large white scarf (you might need that just now), a
small bungee cord, and a mouse pad with a picture of a kitty. And someone bought a lovely blank card
showing a beach on Hawaii at sunset, and then left it at the library.
Perhaps your child is missing a box of puzzle cards? We have a set of two: 123's and Vet. We also have a
collection of small, plastic child-related objects: a green jewel ring, an airplane made of four Lego pieces, a
dancing raisin, two dogs (Schnauzer and Pomeranian) and a piece of a 3-d jigsaw puzzle showing part of a car.
In the areas of technology and metallurgy, we have four thumb drives, a small red flashlight (batteries dead), a
Canon digital camera, and money clip with a turquoise #1 on it. And, finally, we have keys: two sets of house
keys (How did those people get in?), and, most puzzling of all, a set of car keys for a Hyundai (How did they
leave? Where did the car go?)
If you have been longing to be reunited with any of these objects, please stop by and claim them. We expect
other mysteries will come along to take their place soon enough. 
NEW IN THE COLLECTION
FICTION
Beautiful You, by Chuck
Palahniuk
The Bully of Order, by Brian Hart
The Escape, by David Baldacci
Havana Storm, by Clive Cussler
Henna House, by Nomi Eve
On Such a Full Sea,
by Chang-Rae Lee
An Unnecessary Woman,
by Rabih Alameddine
[see review in Susanne’s
Selections, on page 9.]
NONFICTION
The Invisible Front,
by Yochi Dreazen
Killing Patton, by Bill O'Reilly
No Hero, by Mark Owen
PCL Patron: Do you have that new book, the one
with the blue cover, by that famous guy?
Help Desk: Yes, it’s over in the book section.
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Kids’ Column
Children's
Story
Hour:
Creating Chinese Tangrams
Do you like puzzles? Tangrams are old Chinese puzzles made up
of shapes like triangles and squares. You can take these shapes
and make pictures of animals, people – all kinds of things. Nancy Guist will show you how.
Tuesday, February 10, at 3:30.
The Home School Book Club
will be discussing Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke. Igrain is the
daughter of two magicians who live in a castle and have singing magic
spellbooks. Igrain doesn’t want to follow in their footsteps - she wants to
go on adventures as a brave knight. Then her parents turn themselves into
pigs by mistake. What will Igrain do?
NEW TIME: We’ve changed to the third Wednesday, and will meet this
month on February 11, at 12:30.
The book for March will be Stick Dog Chases a Pizza, by Tom Watson. The Library has copies of
the Club’s books available for check-out. If you are age 7 to 11, you can join the Club – just
come to a meeting.
The Rio Grande Model Railroad Club will be at PCL on
Saturday, February 21, from 10:00 to Noon. If you love
model trains, you don’t want to miss this event. The
Club is back at PCL to share more of their trains and their
knowledge. Learn how to build your own model train layout. ADULTS ARE WELCOME TOO!
Lunar New Year celebration
Come join the fun. We’ll have firecrackers,
stories, crafts, and a parade with a very long dragon.
Saturday, February 28 at 2:00
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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 Programming Committee
Check out these new books in PCL’s children’s collection.
Recommended for 9 - 12 year-olds: Absolutely Almost, by Lisa Graff
Ten year old Albie recounts his trying times at a new school. He has never been the “best” at
anything. Experiencing social and academic struggles, he at last begins to gain a sense of selfworth, partly due to his new tutor. This book received starred reviews by several book review
publications. If you loved Wonder by R.J. Palacio, you will find this a rewarding read.
Recommended for 7 – 10 year-olds: The Chicken Squad, The First Misadventure,
by Doreen Cronin
The Chicken Squad are not four ordinary barnyard chickens. Their mission is to solve mysteries
and fight crime. Due to a story from a panicky squirrel, the chicks think they are dealing with a
UFO in the yard. Will the daring chicken squad save all? Filled with humor and adventure, The
Chicken Squad is a delightful beginning chapter book series.
Recommended for 4 - 7 year-olds: The Perfectly Messed Up Story, by Patrick McDonnell
Louie, the character in this creative book, becomes very frustrated and upset when his story is
messed up by jelly, peanut butter and more. This tale will bring on laughs and ends with a life
lesson for us all.
Recommended for 3 - 5 year-olds: Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet
Tullet, creator of the popular Press Here, has brought to children another interactive book, this
time dealing with mixing colors. It is inventive and fun and will spur young children to get out the
paints and experiment!
Other new books in the children’s collection
The Battle for Wondla, by Tony DiTerlizzi
Countdown (39 Clues: Unstoppable #03), by Natalie Standiford
The Fourteenth Goldfish, by Jennifer Holm
Gaston, by Kelly Dipucchio
The Iridescence of Birds: A Book about Henri Matisse, by Patricia MacLachlan
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up, by Kate DiCamillo
Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake, by Julie Sternberg
Otis and the Scarecrow, by Loren Long
Sisters, by Raina Telgemeier
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
ART: FEBRUARY
Gary Priester’s 3-D Stereograms
– Opposites Attract
Artist’s Reception
Friday, February 13
5:00 to 7:00
Placitas artist Gary W. Priester is back at PCL this
month with an exhibit of hidden image 3-D
stereograms.
The exhibit, “Opposites Attract,”
features a series of 20-inch x 16-inch framed
stereograms with hidden words such as HOT COLD,
SOLID FLIMSY.
You probably try to puzzle out Priester’s stereogram
images that are printed each month in the Sandoval Signpost. Here’s your chance to see them full size and up
close in their dazzling complexity. For those not familiar with them, stereograms are two dimensional images
that when viewed correctly produce the illusion of actual three dimensional space. Priester says that most
people are capable of seeing 3-D. It is just a matter of proper viewing technique, which he is always eager to
demonstrate. “I love it when people see my images for the first time. It is a truly magical experience when
suddenly 3-D objects appear in what is in reality a flat surface,” Priester explains.
Priester is the co-author of five books of stereograms, three iPad stereogram apps, and a Kindle e-book of
stereograms. He and co-author Gene Levine have been the sole contributing artists for the past ten years to
the popular Japanese stereogram magazine series TJMOOK Magical Eye, which has sold close to six million
copies.
The exhibit runs from through February 26. You are invited to meet the artist at a reception in the Collin
Meeting Room on Friday evening, February 13, from 5:00 to 7:00. 
PCL Patron:
Help Desk:
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Do you have books on paranoia?
Who wants to know?
453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Meet the Author
Mary E. Carter
Author of A Non-Swimmer Considers Her Mikvah:
On Becoming Jewish After Fifty
Saturday, February 7, at 2:00
What is it like to convert to Judaism when you are more than fifty years old?
For that matter, what is it like to make any life-changing decision and follow it
through as a mature adult? Placitan Mary Carter created just such a new life
for herself, and tells her experience in her new book, A Non-Swimmer Considers
Her Mikvah. She will speak about it at PCL on Saturday, February 7, at 2:00.
Although the book, a series of essays, explains a lot about the process of
conversion, it is not primarily about religion. “Lately I discover that my story has the added pizzazz of being
about a person who did something new and exciting later in life. The news is focused on my generation and
how we are starting new ventures and going in new directions in our lives. . . . My story is not organized
around mission statements or business plans or curriculum vitae. Nor is my story about seeking or finding God.
. . . [F]or now my story is concerned with the events and people that influenced me in discovering my new
Jewish life.” From A Non-Swimmer, on Mary-Carter.com, “Sample Chapter.”
Carter formerly was co-owner, along with husband Gary Priester [PCL’s artist of the month], of a graphic
design company in San Francisco where she worked as an advertising copy writer and a graphic designer.
Having to deal with on-line copyright issues, she wrote the nonfiction book, Electronic Highway Robbery.
These days Carter paints; she refers to her art as “contemporary figurative surrealism.” She also creates oneof-a-kind furniture by hand-painting her own images on new and recycled wooden pieces. Come meet this
interesting author on Saturday, February 7 at 2:00. 
We love our library patrons! By using your Albertson's Community Partners cards when you
buy groceries, you contributed over $500 to your library last year. Thank you!
If you don’t have the card, please ask for one at the Help Desk.
PCL Patron:
Help Desk:
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Can you help me find Atlas Shrugged by
Ayn Rand?
No. I’m sure you can find it yourself.
453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
The Constitution of the United States
– An Introduction
with Lawrence Robinson
Saturday and Sunday, February 21 and 22
beginning each day at 2:00
Remember all you learned in your high school civics class? No? Does the First
Amendment’s right of free speech allow you to say any thing, any time? What
does it take to get a president impeached? Are persons who are not citizens
entitled to equal protection of the laws? The Constitution of the United States,
which governs so much of our American way of life, is often misunderstood.
Larry Robinson
If it’s been a while since you last perused the Constitution, PCL is offering a refresher. An Introduction to the
Constitution of the United States with lecturer Lawrence Robinson will cover the entire Constitution, every
section of the original Articles ratified in 1789, the 27 Amendments ratified in later years, and as time permits,
explanation of how the Supreme Court of the United States has applied and interpreted some of its provisions.
During the past 11 years Robinson has been a popular instructor with the Institute for Lifelong Learning for
New Mexicans, giving numerous introductory and advanced constitutional law and other courses. [Editor’s
note: This is true. I’ve sat through most of them, and he’s really good. Although he has been retired from law
practice for years, this man still reads Supreme Court decisions, even the dissents. The fact that I am married
to him does not enter into this opinion.] A lawyer in Florida from 1952 to 1998, he was board certified by The
Florida Bar both as a civil trial lawyer and as an appellate practice specialist. Over the course of his career he
handled both civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts. PCL fact: Robinson was one of the three
incorporators of PCL and a member of the original board. He is proud that he gave Placitas Community Library
its name, which both emphasizes its community focus and denotes that it is not a government agency.
Persons planning to attend this course should have a copy of the Constitution to refer to during the lectures.
You can easily find it on the internet. One good source is ConstitutionFacts.com. The full text of the
Constitution including all the amendments is on their website. Each person attending the lecture will receive a
copy of their booklet, The U.S. Constitution & Fascinating Facts About It, which contains the entire
Constitution, as supplies last. 
PCL Patron:
Why can’t I find any
romance novels in the 840s?
Help Desk:
You’re looking for
love in all the wrong places.
Judy Labovitz and Anne Frost at
the Help Desk.
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With apologies for these quips to Judy and Anne and all the great people
who work at the Help Desk and would never make cracks like these to our
patrons. – Ed.
453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Susanne's Selections
Reading recommendations by Susanne Dominguez
Escape From Camp 14 : One Man's Remarkable Odyssey From North Korea to Freedom in the West,
by Blaine Harden
This chilling true story is based on the author's interviews with Shin Dong-hyuk, a North Korean
Camp 14 escapee. Born in 1982 into a maximum high security slave labor camp for political
prisoners known as Camp 14, Shin Dong-hyuk's harrowing story of his imprisonment and escape
in 2005 is horrific and heart wrenching.
Except for Shin, nobody born and raised in the North Korean gulags has ever escaped. Shin's father was
incarcerated because Shin's two uncles escaped to South Korea in the 1950s. The late “Dear Leader” Kim
Jong-il and his father, “Great Leader” Kim Il-Sung created the rule of three generations of punishment:
Anyone found guilty of committing a crime, such as attempting to escape, is sent to the camp along with their
entire family. The next two generations of family members who are born in the camp are never allowed to
leave. Inmates would labor until they died. Shin knew nothing of the world outside the camp and thought he
was born to be a slave. He says he was an animal, completely uncivilized and uneducated. Constantly hungry,
he and other prisoners secretly foraged for additional food such as insects, snakes and rats. Food was used to
control the prisoners. Shin lived on starvation rations – only cabbage and gruel was provided. Terror and
brutality were routine. "Shin witnessed a six-year-old girl in his school beaten to death for hoarding five
kernels of corn."
Yes, this is a disturbing book, but I'm glad I read it since I was unaware of the extent of North Korea's depravity
and brutality. Shin, now a human rights activist and advocate for exposing North Korea's gulags, demonstrates
how one person can make a difference. Camp 14 is a "World Book Night" 2015 selection.
NOTE : In February 2014, a report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea
declared, “The gravity, scale and nature of these violations reveal a State that does not have any parallel in the
contemporary world.” The report documents forced abortions, infanticide, mass starvation, torture, public executions,
and oppression on an unfathomable scale and "based on first-hand testimony from victims and witnesses, the U.N.
Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea ) has documented in great
detail the ‘unspeakable atrocities’ committed in the country." The U.N. Security Council hopefully will refer North Korea
to the International Criminal Court for prosecution in the future. – S.D.
An Unnecessary Woman, by Rabih Alameddine
"You could say I was thinking of other things when I shampooed my hair blue, and two glasses
of red wine didn't help my concentration," announces the reclusive protagonist, a 72-year-old
Lebanese woman, retired bookseller and bibliophile. A simple, nuanced storyline written in
first person narrative, the book focuses on Aaliya Saleh, divorced and childless, who
consequently deems herself "unnecessary." She annually translates one book, written by
giants of literature such as Roberto Bolano, Tolstoy, and Mark Twain, from French or English into Arabic. She
never publishes her translations and nobody reads them. Then something unexpectedly happens to her that
changes her life and perspective. An Unnecessary Woman is truly a captivating read, filled with wisdom,
musings about art and philosophy, insightful literary allusions, and Aaliya's memories of a past and present
Beirut.
cont. on next page
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com
Susanne's Selections,
The Lady in Gold:
cont.
The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer,
by Anne-Marie O'Connor
This intriguing true story is about Gustav Klimt, the modernistic artist; the beautiful woman
portrayed in his shimmering gold masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer; and the
portrait’s history: its creation in 1907, theft by the Nazis during World War II, and the
difficulties encountered in claiming Holocaust restitution by Adele's elderly niece, Maria
Altman. The relationship between Adele Bloch-Bauer, the intellectual socialite and subject
of the dazzling portrait, and Klimt, rumored to have been Adele's lover, are discussed, as
well as the culture of Vienna, and art stolen during World War II by the Nazis. The details
relating how Altmann, an octogenarian living in Los Angeles, boldly took both the U.S. and
the Austrian government to court over the ownership of the portrait are riveting.
The iconic painting was ultimately purchased in 2006 by Ronald Lauder, heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetic
fortune, for a record $135 million and is currently housed in New York at the Neue Galerie, a museum of early
twentieth century Austrian and German art. “Woman in Gold,” a motion picture based on the book and
starring Helen Mirren as Maria Altman, is scheduled to be released April 3. 
Books of the Month Sale
` Philosophy & Religion
Come in and browse the selections
in the lobby. The prices are miraculous.
Don’t you just hate it
when someone
you like tells you
they don’t like to
read.
Coming March 21:
Labyrinth Dedication
a Celebration of the Volunteer
Spirit
Read to someone
you love.
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453 Hwy 165  P O Box 445 Placitas NM 87043  505-867-3355  www.placitaslibrary.com