Book Markers 05.16.13

Kids’ Reviewers Impaneled

    Reviewing children’s books: all delicacy and tact, or a merciless weeding out? At the Amagansett Library on Saturday, a panel of reviewers will discuss what makes a good children’s book, what criteria goes into an evaluation, and even what might make one “literary.”

    The panelists are Renee McGrath, a reviewer for School Library Journal and a former member of the Newbery Award committee, the library’s Jeanne McDermott, a reviewer for Kirkus and Booklist, Kaylee Davis, the author of “The Barnes & Noble Guide to Children’s Books,” and Todd Jackson, who serves on the Bank Street Children’s Book Award committee. The start time is 6 p.m.

On Warlike Montauk

    You don’t have to be Douglas MacArthur to know that a rocky promontory like Montauk would make a fine defensive position for the unleashing of a cannonade. In 2011, Henry Osmers, the tour guide at the Montauk Point Lighthouse, came out with a book on the subject, broadly speaking: “American Gibraltar: Montauk and the Wars of America,” which covers the time from the Montauketts to Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders on up to the height of the cold war.

    Mr. Osmers will talk about it on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Amagansett Library.

Writers Reading New Work

    Here’s a reading of a different sort — new works by members of a new group, the Montauk Writers Group. They’ll be staying close to home for an appearance at the Montauk Library on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

    Fiction to be read includes a Stephanie Krusa story of Abigail, who’s gone about haunting the Montauk Point Lighthouse since 1811. On the nonfiction front, Patria Baradi Pacis has a piece about Music for Montauk’s final concert. There’s poetry in the mix, too, by Audrey Morgan. And Gert Murphy (self-described as “the fastest Catholic girl in Manhattan back in the ’50s”) will share some stories.

    Other writers to read are Dave Krusa, Patti Leber, and Ed Johann. Potential members, in particular, have been invited to listen in.

And Now, “Violets,” Part Four

    Lynne Heffner Ferrante doesn’t stint on detail. The first three volumes of her self-published memoir of growing up in the Bronx, and much more, “An Untenable Fragrance of Violets,” range from close to 400 pages to close to 500. She’ll have a launch party for the fourth installment, subtitled “The Sequel” and set out this way, on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at her studio on Chatfield’s Lane in East Hampton.

    Ms. Heffner Ferrante is also an artist in a number of mediums, and the book party will double as an “art event,” a release said. Refreshments will be served and all have been invited. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Her Web site is lynneheffnerferrante.com.