A Time for Noir
It’s the stuff dreams are made of: The Manhattan Beach Library will host the kick-off party for the Los Angeles County library system’s “Big Read” event this Wednesday evening.
The Big Read is a county-wide program that overlaps the school year and selects books for people all over Southern California to read and discuss at library events. The program is co-sponsored by Shakespeare at Play and the National Endowment for the Arts. This year’s selection is Dashiell Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon,” and the Manhattan library will have a limited number of free copies of the book available.
Hammett’s classic story follows gumshoe Sam Spade as he searches San Francisco for a priceless antique, running across crooked antiques dealers, hardened gunmen and double-crossing women. Its hard-boiled dialogue and realistic style made it a template for subsequent noir writers like James M. Cain and Raymond Chandler, and the book was ranked No. 56 on the Modern Library list of the 100 Greatest English-language novels of the 20th Century.
The free event runs from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and will feature live swing music from the Hollywood Rhythm Kings, light refreshments, and a discussion of the book featuring Julie Rivett, Hammett’s granddaughter.
North Manhattan Meeting
The North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District will host its regular advisory board meeting, and will discuss potential street improvements in the area.
The board will meet Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. in the Community Development Conference Room at City Hall. Among the items for discussion is a new project set for the northern section of Highland Avenue, with the installation of pedestrian beacons and a median fence.
A city engineer will be present to give a presentation. There will be an opportunity for discussion, but a vote will not be taken on the project.
Final Concert in the Park
Say “Hello, Goodbye” to Manhattan Beach’s summer Concert in the Park Series, as the performance of the season last will be held at Pollywog Park this Sunday evening.
This Sunday’s entertainment is Britain’s Finest, a Hollywood-based Beatles tribute band. The fab foursome tours internationally, and provides historically accurate performances from all the eras of the Beatles’ brief-but-packed seven-year run.
The concert will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
