Read & Reel Archives
January 2007
Adult -- Recommended by Ginny Schlachter, Adult Services
Hillbilly Gothic: A Memoir of Madness and Motherhood by Adrienne Martini
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"My family has a grand tradition. After a woman gives birth, she goes mad. I thought that I would be the one to escape. Given my spectacular failure, my hope is now that my daughter will be the one."
So begins the heartfelt story by Adrienne Martini entitled "Hillbilly Gothic: a memoir of madness and motherhood". The author speaks of the isolating pain she feels dealing with her family's mental illness. Her own bout with post-partum depression is horrifying and yet hopeful. The misery she feels is thankfully laced with black comedic remarks which make her sad commentary bearable. Martini's story reveals the contradictions of many women suffering with hidden mental illness while still respecting the generations of women gone before her.
December 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Linda Burns, Adult Services
You're Not You by Michelle Wildgen
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Bec, University of Wisconsin college student, doesn't know what she wants from life. She's not sure about her major and she's involved in an affair with a married professor. In an attempt to find herself, Bec answers a want ad seeking a caregiver, and is hired by Kate, a wealthy, cultivated woman in her mid thirties who is in the advanced stages of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). Their relationship develops into one of surprising intimacy as Bec becomes indispensable to all aspects of Kate's life.
November 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Nasreen Moolji, Adult Services
Personal Brilliance: Mastering the everyday habits that create a life time of success by Jim Canterucci
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Personal Brilliance shows the reader how to master every day habits that create a lifetime of success. It discusses awareness, curiosity, focus and initiative as catalysts to enhance personal brilliance that will be the cornerstones of ones journey through life. This book includes very good quotations as well as simple exercises to practice at the end of each chapter.
Youth -- Recommended by Steve Browne, Youth Services
Tomatoes, Potatoes, Corn, and Beans: How the Foods of the Americas Changed Eating Around the World by Sylvia Johnson
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(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1997, 138 pages)
Recommended for ages 10 through 15
The world was an exciting place in the 16th and 17th centuries because it was a time of discovery --not just of land and of
gold, but also of food. Johnson tells about the four foods in the title and also includes peppers, peanuts, pineapples, avocados, vanilla, and chocolate. Of all the them, pineapples were most impressive,described as a delectable blend of melons and peaches.Tomatoes weren't as popular, however,because people considered them acidic, salty, even poisonous!It's hard to imagine now -- could there possibly have been a time when everyone didn’t enjoy covering French fries in ketchup? Or spreading peanut butter on a slice of bread? Or stuffing their face with a handful of corn chips?
October 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Anne Shaughnessy, Adult Services
Lighting The Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America by Karenna Gore Schiff
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Each of us has a light to shine in the world. In Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America journalist and lawyer Karenna Gore Schiff brings to life nine American women who have done just that. Some of them, like Mother Jones, are well-known but most are less familiar. Passionate and determined, they tackled major social issues during a time when women were not welcome in the public arena. By revealing these women’s stories Gore Schiff encourages us to shine our own lights on the path to a more just and compassionate world.
September 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Donna Szwed, Adult Services
Camp by Michael Eisner
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CAMP is a biography by Michael Eisner. He was the president of Paramount Pictures and CEO for the
Disney Corporation for 20 years. Once he was asked a question, "Of all the educational institutions you
went to when you were younger, which one had the greatest influence on you?" His answer was---- the same
Vermont summer camp that his grandfather and father attended before him. Over the years he sent his three
sons and children from the inner city of Los Angles to learn the life lessons he learned at Keewaydin Camp.
I think you will enjoy reading CAMP by Michael Eisner.
August 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Jo Robinson, Adult Services
Twelve Sharp (Audiobook) by Janet Evanovich read by Lorelei King
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She’s back!! Janet Evanovich’s ditzy bounty hunter Stephanie Plum strikes again in Twelve Sharp. For a new take on the much-loved series, try “reading” it on cassette or CD. Listen as Lula, Grandma Mazur, Ranger and Joe—as well as a few new characters—are brought to life by the amazing narration of actress Lorelei King. You won’t want your road trip to end!
Youth -- Recommended by Julie DiGuiseppe, Youth Services
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan
(Scholastic Press, 2004, 246 pages)
Recommended for ages 9 -12
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One evening, everything Naomi has known with Gram and her little brother begins to unravel. Naomi's mother wants to kidnap her. Gram is willing to go to the end of the earth to save Naomi, but will that be enough? A quiet life in Lemon Tree, California, becomes a runaway journey to find an estranged father in exotic Oaxaca, Mexico.
July 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Donna Culhane, Adult Services
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
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This is the story of Barack Obama’s unique childhood as the son of a white mother
from Kansas and black father from Kenya and his search to find his place in
American society. Humorous, uncomfortable and honest, it is both an insider’s and
outsider’s view of a world in which color and historystill influence individual identity.
Youth -- Recommended by Erin Emerick, Youth Services
Ice Drift by Theodore Taylor
(Harcourt, Inc., 2005, 224 pages)
Recommended for ages 9 -12
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The year is 1868, and Inuit brothers Alika and Sulu are hunting for seals on an ice floe attached to their island in the Arctic. Suddenly the ice starts to shake, they hear a loud crack, and their floe breaks off. They begin drifting southward, away from their home and family, toward dangerously warmer climates where the ice will begin melting out from under them. The boys must struggle for survival amid the harsh climate, the possibility of starvation, and threats of polar bear attacks, while maintaining hope that they will be rescued.
June 2006
Youth -- Recommended by Rose Hittie, Youth Services
Children of the Lamp by M.T. Anderson
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On Career Day, ordinary, twelve-year-old Lily discovers that her clueless dad works for an evil genius who plans on taking over the world by using enormous, mind-controlled, extremely irritable, laser-eye-beamed whales walking on factory-produced stilts. Now it’s up to Lily and her kooky friends to stop these dangerous whales on stilts before all of humanity is wiped out!
May 2006
Youth -- Recommended by Jennifer Greene, Youth Outreach Librarian
Whales on Stilts! by M.T. Anderson
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On Career Day, ordinary, twelve-year-old Lily discovers that herclueless dad works for an evil genius who plans on taking over the world by using enormous, mind-controlled, extremely irritable, laser-eye-beamed whales walking on factory-produced stilts. Now it’s up to Lily and her kooky friends to stop these dangerous whales on stilts before all of humanity is wiped out!
Adult -- Recommended by Isabelle Flemming, Adult Services
The Last Man Who Knew Everything by Andrew Robinson
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Alternately determining how the eye accommodates in vision, to being the first to translate the Rosetta stone and explain light as a wave, early nineteenth-century physician Thomas Young proved to be a man of extraordinary talents. He wrote 63 authoritative articles for the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 6th edition, in topics ranging from carpentry to chromatics, from Egypt, to tides and bridges. Author Robinson describes Young’s accomplishments and the outside events that influenced him, in this entertaining book.
April 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Julie Collins, Adult Services
The Joy of Digital Photography by Jeff Wignall
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The popularity of digital photography has been phenomenal in the past few years. The Joy of Photography by Jeff Wignall is a comprehensive guide to navigating the world of digital imaging. Included are chapters covering: equipment purchasing; camera settings; file formats; elements of design; lighting considerations; people and nature shots; image enhancements and image editing software programs.A great resource for the beginner as well as the experienced photographer, one can find great tips and inspiring ideas for creating unique digital images.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Ann Sibrava, Youth Librarian
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
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Recommended for grades 3-7 (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005, 204 pages)
The four high-spirited Penderwick girls, ages four throughtwelve,are off on a summer vacation they will never forget. The cozy cottage their father rented is located on a grand and sprawling estate in the mountains of New York, with acres to discover and explore. Best of all is meeting Jeffrey, whose mother owns the grand estate. He's the perfect partnerto share in the girls' rollicking adventures, even though his snobby mother is not pleasedwith all thefree-spirited antics.You, however, will love the fun and will be glad you met The Penderwicks.
March 2006
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Ann Sibrava, Youth Services
Lowji Discovers America by Candace Fleming
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Recommended for grades 3-5
Nine-year-old Lowji has just moved from Bombay, India, to Hamlet, Illinois. At first, he finds America to be a "bummer," but after convincing his landlady to buy a cat, a dog, and two goats and learning he has a mysterious friend, Lowji discovers that his new life may have a silver lining.
February 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Frances Mitilineos, Adult Services
Memory Book by Howard Engel
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Imagine memory loss complicated by the inability to read! This challenge is faced by private detective Benny Cooperman who struggles to reconstruct his life and his last investigation and by author Howard Engel who wrote Memory Book after a debilitating stroke. Cooperman and Engel suffer from alexia sine agraphia; they can write but not read. This unique mystery novel is fascinating on two levels, the description of Benny’s slow recovery from a head injury and the solution of his last investigation.
January 2006
Adult -- Recommended by Dale Heath, Adult Services
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
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In Quicksilver, the first book in the three part Baroque Cycle, science fiction author Neal Stephenson turns his attention to the late 17th century and the Age of Enlightenment. The story weaves together the lives of three distinct characters: a puritan, a vagabond, and a spy, as their lives intersect with each other and with such real historical figures as Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin and King Louis XIV. This dense novel mixes science, history and political intrigue into an epic that spans centuries and continents.
Youth -- Recommended by Steven Browne, Youth Services
House: Showing How People Have Lived Throughout History with Examples Drawn from the Lives of Legendary Men and Women by Albert Lorenz (Harry N. Abrams Publisher, 1998, 48 pages) Recommended for grades 4-6
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History doesn't have to be just about dates, names, politics and war. It can also be about regular people, what they wore, ate, or as in House, about where they lived. Take the igloo, for example. Perfect shelter for centuries in the treeless tundra, it still can be built in less than hour and can hold a fire to warm and protect everyone. And, talk about recycling--when the family is ready to move on, they just leave this house to crumble and melt! Here is an intriguing book that might make you look at your own house in a very different way.
December 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Joyce Brantner, Adult Services
A Real Boy: A True Story of Autism, Early Intervention, and Recovery by Christina Adams
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When Christina Adam’s son, Jonah, was diagnosed with autism at two and half, she was told that time was of the essence. Early, intensive intervention was what Jonah needed in order for him to have the best outcome. In her book, A Real Boy, Adams tells of their family’s journey from diagnosis, through behavioral, speech and physical therapy, drug treatment, and diet change, to an amazing recovery.
Youth -- Recommended by Erin Emerick, Youth Services
The Ravenmaster's Secret: Escape from the Tower of London by Elvira Woodruff
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Eleven-year-old Forrest Harper lives at the Tower of London, where he has a responsibility and a talent for helping his father, the Ravenmaster, care for the Tower's famous ravens. When dangerous Scottish rebels are imprisoned, Forrest hopes to finally prove his courage, but is disappointed when his duty is to tend to the daughter of one of the rebels. As the days pass, Forrest begins to admire and respect Maddy, and he becomes faced witha horrifying choice. Should he risk his own life by helping her escape, or should he obey the King's law and allow his innocent friend to be executed?
November 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Larry D'Urso, Adult Services
Easier Than You Think Because Life Doesn't Have To Be So Hard by Richard Carson
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From the author of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff comes a little tome of wisdom on life and how to deal with the hard stuff. Carson's simple down-to-earth advice on changing negative attitudes and behaviors to more positive approaches to difficulties and life overall resonates well in these stressful times. His goal is happiness and how to achieve it by encouraging the reader to take responsibility for oneself and then providing guidance with simple and practical techniques on how to see life in a positive light. The author cheers us on in an upbeat and smooth flowing writing style that makes the book not only informative but also enjoyable. His approach is truly easier than one would think.
Youth -- Recommended by Erin Emerick, Youth Services
The Ravenmaster's Secret: Escape from the Tower of London by Elvira Woodruff
click to request the book from our catalog
Eleven-year-old Forrest Harper lives at the Tower of London, where he has a responsibility and a talent for helping his father, the Ravenmaster, care for the Tower's famous ravens. When dangerous Scottish rebels are imprisoned, Forrest hopes to finally prove his courage, but is disappointed when his duty is to tend to the daughter of one of the rebels. As the days pass, Forrest begins to admire and respect Maddy, and he becomes faced with a horrifying choice. Should he risk his own life by helping her escape, or should he obey the King's law and allow his innocent friend to be executed?
October 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Barb Bisbee, Adult Services
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
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Tulip Fever is a wonderfully descriptive novel by Deborah Moggach, featuring 17th century Amsterdam, the scenery, the people and one of its most valuable commodities, tulip bulbs. The story revolves around Sophia, a young, beautiful woman who marries Cornelius, a much older, wealthy man to escape poverty and to help her family. Her life is rather drab and boring until her husband decides to have their portrait painted for posterity. A poor, young, handsome and exciting artist, Jan von Loos, comes into Sophia’s life and changes it forever. When Sophia’s servant Maria also needs help, they think up a scheme together. Tension builds as they try to acquire a great deal of money to complete their extravagant plan. The story comes to a surprising conclusion as the characters risk everything to achieve their dream.
Youth -- Recommended by Rose Hittie, Youth Services
Safari Journal: the Adventures in Africa of Carey Monroe
by Hudson Talbott (Harcourt , 2003, 66 pages)
Recommended for Grades 3-6
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Join twelve-year-old Carey on the adventure of a lifetime as he searches for the "Big Five," must-see animals in the wilds of Africa. Along the way, you will see funny illustrations, actual photographs and cool facts about the people and animals of Africa and even learn some words in Swahili. Will Carey survive in the wilds of Africa and who is the mysterious man who keeps popping up in Carey's travels?
September 2005
Youth -- Recommended by Julie DiGuiseppe, Youth Services
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
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Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister Natalie can attend a special school in San Francisco. It is a time when the federal prison is home to notorious criminals like gangster Al Capone. Depressed about having to leave his friends and winning baseball team behind, Moose finds little to be happy about on Alcatraz. He never sees his dad, who is always working, and Natalie's condition--her tantrums and constant needs--demand all of his mother's attention. Things look up for Moose when he befriends the irresistible Piper, the warden's daughter, who has a knack for getting Moose into embarrassing but harmless trouble. Helped by Piper, Moose eventually comes to terms with his new situation.
August 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Rose Allen, Adult Services
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
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Imagine a time in the distant past when airships ruled the skies. The luxury zeppelin, Aurora, is heavier than the Eiffel Tower, bigger than the Titanic, yet lighter than air. When the crew spots a rogue hot-air balloon, they encounter a semiconscious pilot who rambles on about sighting some mysterious flying creatures that resemble cats and silver panthers. After learning the contents of the balloon flight log, what was thought to be the delirium of a seriously ill man, propels Matt, a teen cabin boy, on a quest to prove that the story is true.
July 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Valerie Lorens, Adult Services
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
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Saint Elizabeth's is a safe haven for unwed mothers in the 1960's. But Rose Clinton seeks solace in the Kentucky home for different reasons: to escape a marriage to a man she does not love and a life that fails to provide meaning. As the birth of her child draws near, she cannot follow through with the abandonment. What follows is an examination of how her choices distance her, and complicate the lives of those who love and care for her. Told from three characters' perspectives, the reader discovers Rose's motive and need for freedom. A beautifully written debut novel, fans of Patchett will find this story staying with them long after the last page is read.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Ann Sibrava, Youth Services
Tadpole by Ruth White
Recommended for grades 4-8
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Ten-year-old Carolina Collins and her three older sisters are pleased as possums to find cousin Tad on their doorstep for a surprise visit in the summer of 1955. The truth is, he has run away to escape the cruel treatment of an abusive uncle. The girls, their mother, and their entire Appalachian community do their best to help and protect him. At the same time, he guides them all in some important life lessons about self-esteem, respect and a spirit of kindness.
June 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Donna Szwed, Adult Services
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
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The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall takes place in Botswana, in the southern part of Africa.
This is the story of Maa Precious Ramatswe, the only child of a widower. He wants her to be independent, so he advises her to sell the farm and go into business. She decides to start a detective agency because in her own words “a woman sees more than a man”.
The author has a fresh simple way of telling a tale. His love of Africa is evident in
the stories.
May 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Linda Burns, Adult Services
Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
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While working in the Australian medical community, Dr. Marlo Morgan is summoned to visit an ancient aboriginal tribe and, to her surprise, join them on a 1400-mile, 4-month “walkabout” through the Australian Outback. In this fictional account of her mystical journey, Morgan shares her experiences as well as the wisdom and philosophy of a 50,000-year-culture. A fascinating book with a powerful message.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
Midnight (1939)
Starring Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche and John Barrymore
Written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, from a story by Franz Schulz and Edwin Justus Mayer
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
MIDNIGHT is-as its trailer will insistently remind you-a variation on the Cinderella narrative: Eve, an American showgirl (Claudette Colbert) arrives in Paris flat broke, but soon enough a benefactor (John Barrymore) provides her with the accouterments of wealth in order to win over the charming playboy Jacques (Francis Lederer). There are a couple of complications, though-Jacques is a gigolo with an undue influence over Barrymore's wife (Mary Astor), and Eve has already won the heart of Tibor, an equally impoverished cab driver (Don Ameche). Will Eve land her playboy, or will Tibor's efforts to find her again throw a monkey wrench into her imposture? Heading up an excellent cast, Colbert is wonderful here, lending Eve a refreshingly cynical-even mercenary-edge which never diminishes her likable verve. But it's the film's dialogue (supplied by the classic screenwriting team of Wilder and Brackett) which sparkles and shines the most, sustaining the momentum as the plot propels into (literally) lunatic territory. Acting as a welcome alternative to gracelessly manufactured contemporary romantic comedies, MIDNIGHT is something of a lost gem, easily standing beside the likes of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT and MY MAN GODFREY as a screwball classic of the studio era.
Youth -- Recommended by Erin Emerick, Youth Services
Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2004, 138 pages) Recommended for grades 3-6
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He's small. He's brainy. He loves computers. He's... a superhero? Meet Nolan Byrd, a quirky fifth-grader whose frustration with the school bully unleashes his inner superhero, known as Shredderman. Inspired by his teacher's remarks on a math quiz, and by an assignment that allows the use of technology, Nolan and his secret identity expose the evil doings of Alvin "Bubba" Bixby over the Internet. Shredderman applies his powers of intelligence, sneakiness, and sense of humor to settle the score between the underdogs and the bully. On his mission for justice, what will Nolan uncover about himself?
April 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Ginny Schlachter, Adult Services
Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath
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Jacqueline Daniels (nicknamed Jack), a Chicago homicide lieutenant, is called to investigate a gruesome murder with a note from the “Gingerbread man”stapled to the body. The killer taunts the police again within the week with a second brutal killing of another young woman. Working with her partner, the binge eating Detective Herb Benedict, Jack is placed in charge of the investigation. Two FBI agents are also assigned and their computer profiling and bumbling suggestions about the serial killer are laughable.
Meanwhile Jack’s personal life is on a downhill course. She has chronic insomnia. Her live-in boyfriend leaves her and her credit cards are maxed out with late night home shopping buying.. With media coverage of the crimes intensifying, the “Gingerbread man” targets Jack as his next victim and a cat and mouse game insues. The comic relief provided by some of the characters is necessary to ease the tension of the horrific grisly crimes.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
Vampire's Kiss (1989)
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Starring Nicolas Cage, Maria Conchita Alonso and Jennifer Beals
Written by Joseph Minion
Directed by Robert Bierman
Nicholas Cage eats a real cockroach. To the extent to which it's remembered today, VAMPIRE'S KISS is probably best known for this bravura piece of improvisation, characteristic of Cage's outrageous go-for-broke performance. It's a role he dives into with the kind of lunatic overcommitment Ben Stiller has aspired to his entire career, a masterpiece of barely controlled over-the-top instability. He plays Peter Loew, a pretentious Manhattan literary agent and quintessential callow yuppie. Peter is already a monster of sorts--an alienated womanizer and the world's worst boss this side of THE OFFICE--but when one of his one-night stands takes a nibble at his neck, he begins to believe he's turning into a vampire. But is he really? Avoiding sunlight and terrorizing his secretary even more than usual is just the start of a personal disintegration which escalates dramatically and treads a complicated line between darkly hilarious and chilling. This challengingly dynamic tone baffled late-80s audiences who hadn't yet been exposed to the quirky likes of a Charlie Kaufman script, and the film has since been relegated to the status of love-it-or-hate-it cult flick. Not quite a psychological thriller and not quite a black comedy, VAMPIRE'S KISS is a one-of-a-kind film which mines strange, queasy laughs from a narrative that might even be considered tragic.
Youth -- Recommended by Steve Browne, Youth Services
George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War
by Thomas B. Allen (National Geographic Society, 2004, 184 pages)
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Recommended for grades 5 and up
During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington had to use the stealthiest of means to fight the British. At the time, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world while the Americans were farmers, blacksmiths, lawyers, doctors, housewives - - regular people with little or no military training. This war wasn't won with military might but with clever thinking and espionage. Secret messages were hidden inside balls of yarn, quill pens, buttons, and metal pills. Sometimes Washington allowed the messages to be found by the British only to have the message be a mixture of truth and lies. Sometimes he even deceived his own troops in order to trick the British, who were also spying on him. There are stories of invisible ink, hidden messages, secret codes and patterns, much like the hidden messages in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. You will find this a well-documented and fun-to-read book about one of the most important times in the United States' history.
March 2005
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
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Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro
Written by Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies and Alex Cox,
from the book by Hunter S. Thompson
Directed by Terry Gilliam
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS is a quintessentially unadaptable book: the shamblingly episodic and brutally substance-laden misadventures of Raoul Duke and his lawyer Dr. Gonzo (the print alter egos of the late Hunter Thompson and his friend Oscar Acosta) as they travel to Las Vegas ostensibly to cover a motorcycle race. However, writer/director Terry Gilliam specializes in iconoclastic visionaries, and his film version somehow manages to capture the queasy psychedelic flavor of the book alongside its aggressive social critique. It's a hopeless mess as a lucid narrative-but it was never meant to be one, and it works anyway on the backs of Johnny Depp (no stranger to eccentric roles himself) and Benicio Del Toro in the leading roles. Mainstream Hollywood seems to have reduced the act of portraying real-life individuals to mere caricature, content with a set of cosmetic mannerisms, but Depp channels the razorblade desperation which is the essence of Thompson. A hallucinatory, borderline incoherent road trip which operates as a savage indictment of American culture may not sound especially ripe for a cinematic adaptation, but Gilliam's FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS is a singular and unforgettable film.
Adult -- Recommended by Jo Robinson, Adult Services
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty (AF MCLARTY, R.)
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A series of tragic events sends dazed, 40-something, self-proclaimed loser Smithson Ide on an epic cross-country bike journey. Can Smithy get his life back on track propelled only by "the memory of running"?
Talk about your strange twists of fate. Author Ron McLarty has been writing all his life and had the rejection slips to prove it. Making his living as a character actor (Law and Order, Sex and the City) and recording numerous audiobooks (including a number of Danielle Steel titles), McLarty had given up on ever getting published. Steel urged him to take the unusual path of recording The Memory of Running as an audio book even though it had been rejected in print form. Recovering from an accident, Stephen King listened to the book and, in an article, proclaimed it "the best novel you won't read this year". That comment touched off a bidding war for the print and movie rights, and, no doubt, we'll be seeing more of McLarty's work.
Buy book from Barnes and Noble Affiliate Bookstore to benefit the Foundation
Youth -- Recommended by Steve Browne, Youth Services
George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War
by Thomas B. Allen (National Geographic Society, 2004, 184 pages)
click to request the book from our catalog
Recommended for grades 5 and up
During the Revolutionary War, General George Washington had to use the stealthiest of means to fight the British. At the time, Britain was the most powerful nation in the world while the Americans were farmers, blacksmiths, lawyers, doctors, housewives - - regular people with little or no military training. This war wasn't won with military might but with clever thinking and espionage. Secret messages were hidden inside balls of yarn, quill pens, buttons, and metal pills. Sometimes Washington allowed the messages to be found by the British only to have the message be a mixture of truth and lies. Sometimes he even deceived his own troops in order to trick the British, who were also spying on him. There are stories of invisible ink, hidden messages, secret codes and patterns, much like the hidden messages in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. You will find this a well-documented and fun-to-read book about one of the most important times in the United States' history.
February 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Tracy Pahls, Adult Services
Good Harbor by Anita Diamant
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Anita Diamant, author of the Red Tent, has once again written a truthful novel dedicated to the importance and relevance of female friendships. Good Harbor is a beautifully written tale of two women in desperate need of friendship. Kathleen is stricken with breast cancer at the age of fifty-nine. As a devoted wife and mother, Joyce feels her family growing increasingly independent. Although in different stages in life, these women forge an unexpected friendship that encourages and strengthens them during difficult times.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Services
Choose Me (1984) Starring Genevieve Bujold, Keith Carradine and
Lesley Ann Warren - Written and directed by Alan Rudolph
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A more traditional film noir deals with duplicity and the darkness of the human soul--but CHOOSE ME, set in the hazy neon shadows of an insomniac Los Angeles, evokes many of the trappings of noir in the service of a story about deceptions of the heart. It's a film populated exclusively with liars: bar owner Eve (Lesley Ann Warren) has constructed a hard-as-nails persona for herself, barely concealing the insecurity and fear of loneliness belied by her allure; Nancy (Genevieve Bujold) works as "Dr. Love," a relationship-expert radio call-in host, but outside of the studio she's hopelessly fragile and terrified by men; and Mickey (Keith Carradine)-a former mental patient who claims to have been (among other things) a poet, a spy and an award-winning photographer-is either the most pathological fabulist of them all, or the only truly honest one in the bunch. As a series of Teddy Pendergrass songs act as a kind of Greek chorus, these characters alternate between attracting, repelling and (sometimes inadvertently) deceiving one another; their various layers of falsehood are stripped away, and their own fears about love are laid bare. Writer/director Alan Rudolph's unpredictable rhythms have never been more effective than in this smartly intriguing tale of sexual politics and romantic anxiety.
January 2005
Adult -- Recommended by Pam Nelson, Information Services
The Fractal Murders by Mark Cohen
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Pepper Keane, former Marine Judge Advocate General, or “JAG,” turned private eye, makes his starring appearance in this new series written by former JAG Mark Cohen. From Hawaii to Harvard, Pepper propels the reader into the technology of fractals, fractional changes of symmetry currently used in computer applications, that promises possibilities so stunning that someone steps beyond decency to manipulate the stock market with lethal results.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Services
The Storm Riders (1998) Starring Sonny Chiba, Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng
Written by Manfred Wong, from the comic by Ma Wing Shing
Directed by Andrew Lau
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It's long been an article of faith among cinephiles that Hong Kong's action films consistently outclass their domestic counterparts for inventiveness and sheer kinetic dynamism; nowhere is this more apparent in than in wuxia films--the Chinese genre of kung-fu fantasy--replete with mystical weapons and gravity-defying "wire-fu." While filmmakers like Ang Lee (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) and Zhang Yimou (HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS) have grafted a lovely aesthetic onto this genre and repackaged it for international art-house consumption, pictures like THE STORM RIDERS offer less meditative though nonetheless stunning pleasures. Adapted from Ma Wing Shing's sprawling manhua (Chinese comic), the picture follows two young men, Cloud (Aaron Kwok) and Wind (Ekin Cheng), each possessed of superhuman fighting skills, who are forcibly apprenticed to a ruthless master (Sonny Chiba) following the murder of their parents. Cloud and Wind encounter an enormous cast of fellow warriors and navigate a number of dense soap-opera subplots before turning upon their nemesis for a dazzling climax of effects-laden combat. It's all about as "art-y" as STAR WARS, but THE STORM RIDERS offers enough hypnotic visuals and virtuosic fight sequences for even the most jaded action fan.
December 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Beth McQuie, Fiction/AV
Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore
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This is a hilarious tale of the life of a Congressional staffer on Washington D.C.'s Capitol Hill, replete with romance and political intrigue. Twenty-six year old Samantha Joyce ("Sammy") is intelligent, idealistic, quirky and witty. She falls for a charming speech-writer, who is not what he appears. Sammy tries to sort out her love life, copes with politics and deception, and gets caught up in the heart of a frenzied presidential campaign suffering various amusing mishaps along the way. This debut novel by the daughter of Al Gore is written with an insider's knowledge of Washington. It is a fast and funny read, sure to keep you entertained.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Services
After Hours (1985) Starring Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette and Verna Bloom
Written by Joseph Minion
Directed by Martin Scorsese
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Office drone Paul (Griffin Dunne) leaves the sterile confines of his Manhattan apartment for a rendezvous with Marcy (Rosanna Arquette)-and stepping out the door is more or less exactly when things start to wrong for him in AFTER HOURS, director Martin Scorsese's most criminally overlooked film. A slightly surreal series of causes and effects leave Paul stranded in a late-night SoHo which has been transformed into a kind of Kafkaesque hell; as he is waidlaid by a series of treacherous blondes, paranoia mounts and Paul's nerves become strained to darkly comic effect. Balancing deadpan quirk with cosmic persecution effectively is no small task, but the film delivers--thanks in part to a neurotically restless camera which never slackens the pace for an instant. AFTER HOURS is a comedy that's black like a pot of strong coffee.
November 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Dale Heath, Reference Services
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
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In this installment of the popular Discworld series, a band of untrained misfits goes to war to defend the backward country of Borogravia. The story's heroine, Polly Perks (masquerading as a young lad to find her brother) joins an unusual regiment whose ranks include a vampire, a zombie, and a troll. As the ragtag group is rushed off to the front, they quickly discover that they have more in common with each other than they originally thought. Fast paced and unusual, Monstrous Regiment will have you laughing out loud from start to finish.
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Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Services
Safe (1995) Starring Julianne Moore, Peter Friedman and James LeGros
Written and directed by Todd Haynes
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A horror movie cleverly cross-dressed as the likes of a made-for-Lifetime disease-of-the-week movie, SAFE features Julianne Moore in an astonishing career-defining performance. She portrays Carol White, a suburban Californian homemaker whose emotional, intellectual and economic isolation from the world around her is underlined when she becomes "allergic to the 20th century." Her diagnosis with environmental illness erases her anemic former identity-and this is the precise moment a more conventional film would transform into a feel-good narrative of self-actualization, but writer/director Todd Haynes has a more ambiguous agenda in mind. The support community Carol gives herself over to isn't quite the salvation its warm and fuzzy character might suggest, and Carol's new identity as victim becomes complicated as well. Smart, subtly satirical and frequently creepy, SAFE challenges ideas of illness and wellness in a fascinating manner.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Ann Sibrava, Youth Librarian
Minn and Jake
by Janet S. Wong(Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003, 146 pages)
Recommended for grades 3 - 5
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Have you ever felt like this--that all you want is a real, honest-to-goodness best friend, but you just don't know how to make it happen? That's how it is for Minn and that's how it is for the new kid Jake. At first, they seem unlikely to become friends at all because they are so different from one another. Minn is the tallest girl in the whole school, loves to climb, catch lizards and worms. Jake is shorter than short, a city boy and not a big fan of nature and crawly critters. They are both quirky and clever, however, and after a rocky start, find they are a great match as best friends, after all.
October 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Larry D'Urso, Fiction/AV Department
Pompeii by Robert Harris
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In the year A.D. 79, young engineer Marcus Attilius Primus is appointed by the emperor to the position of aquarius of the massive Aqua Augusta Aqueduct that provides water to the Roman towns around the Bay of Naples. The aqueduct has ceased to flow beyond Pompeii and his predecessor has mysteriously disappeared. Making the repairs and solving the mystery leads to intrigue, adventure, a bit of romance and an erupting Mount Vesuvius. Harris is an excellent storyteller who weaves an engaging fictional plot with rich historic detail, engineering knowhow and geologic facts. Life in the ancient world is vividly displayed and the characters keenly developed. Pompeii is a must read for those who enjoy historical fiction or who want a good story.
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Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Services
Dead Alive (1992)
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Starring Timothy Balme, Diana Penalver and Elizabeth Moody
Written by Stephen Sinclair, Frances Walsh and Peter Jackson
Directed by Peter Jackson
Welcome to Zombie 101: Jacques Tourneur made the most aesthetically beautiful zombie picture (I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE); George Romero made the most frightening and thoughtful ones (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD, respectively); 28 DAYS LATER and 2004's remade DAWN OF THE DEAD are about neck-and-neck for the fastest, and it's entirely possible that SHAUN OF THE DEAD might be the funniest. But unquestionably, Peter Jackson's DEAD ALIVE reigns undisputed as the messiest zombie movie ever made. A gleefully over-the-top blend of relentless gore, black comedy and Oedipal hysteria, DEAD ALIVE gets fully underway once our hero Lionel's overbearing mother ends up on the receiving end of the bite of the evil Sumatran "rat monkey". Soon she's snacking on the neighbors, who rapidly zombify in turn-and then things escalate (watch for the lawnmower). Making RE-ANIMATOR seem practically ponderous by comparison, DEAD ALIVE threatens to render the rest of its genre irrelevant with its manic inventiveness, Pythonesque tongue-in-cheek tone, and inexplicable cheerfulness.
September 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Julie Collins, Adult Services
The Complete Gardener by Monty Don
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At 440 pages, this guide to organic gardening packs a wealth of information about all aspects of the successful home garden. Included are chapters devoted to planning, construction, planting, composting and maintenance of vegetable, fruit, flower and decorative plant gardens. Although the authors' garden (from which all the examples and photographs are drawn) is located in England, the information provided is so straightforward and comprehensive that it can be applied to a variety of gardening situations, including gardens in northwest Illinois.
August 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Linda Burns, Adult Services
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
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Christopher Boone is an autistic 15-year-old math genius who discovers that his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, has been killed with a garden fork. Christopher decides that, like his idol Sherlock Holmes, he's going to find the killer. He is encouraged by a social worker at his school to write a book about his investigations. The result is this original and moving first-time novel by Mark Haddon.
July 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Barb Bisbee, Adult Services
The Sight of the Stars by Belva Plain
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In Belva Plain's new book, "Sight of the Stars", we meet Adam Arnring. In 1907 Adam turns 19 yrs. old and decides to leave his family in New Jersey to find his fortune out west. He takes his first step toward achieving this goal and finds himself in Chattahoochee, Texas where he obtains a job in a small, run-down department store. Adam quickly takes charge and makes quite a success with his creative ideas. As the years go by, Adam works hard and meets and falls in love with Emma. World War I starts as Adam and Emma marry. Tragedy strikes with repercussions that affect the family throughout the years. The "Sight of the Stars" tell us what may happen when we try to capture our dreams and the decisions that can change lives forever.
June 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Joyce Brantner, Information Services
The Swallows of Kabul
Translated by John Cullen
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The Swallows of Kabul is a fiercely written account of life under a fascist theocracy. Set in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban, the story follows the lives of two couples. The narrative tells how the lives of these four people are woven together by their extreme circumstances and helps us understand what it’s like to live without personal freedom, choice and sometimes hope, in a land ravaged by war and religious fanaticism. The Swallows of Kabul is a timely and thought provoking book.
May 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Rose Allen, Adult Services
In The Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship, Essex
by Nathaniel Philbrick
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At age fourteen, Thomas Nickerson's ultimate goal of becoming a cabin
boy on a Nantucket whaleship had finally become a reality. Fifteen months later, the unthinkable happened. This engaging story, which inspired the climactic scene in Herman Melville's Moby Dick, offers a detailed account of the 1820 voyage of the Whaleship Essex which was attacked by a sperm whale. It is a captivating read that offers a window into the heart of the human spirit under extreme duress.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
The Wrong Guy
Starring Dave Foley, David Anthony Higgins and Jennifer Tilly
Written by Dave Foley, David Anthony Higgins and Jay Kogen
Directed by David Steinberg
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Nelson Hibbert (Dave Foley) is a ludicrously inept executive who is justifiably passed over for promotion-but makes the mistake of responding by publicly threatening his boss, who promptly turns up murdered. Unaware that the police know he's innocent, Nelson panics and goes on the lam in this likable comedy, which effectively mines goofy laughs out the territory of Hitchcock and THE FUGITIVE. Like most film comedies developed by sketch comics, the gags can be occasionally hit-or-miss-although it isn't any more scattershot than the likes of the Zucker/Abraham/Zucker (AIRPLANE!, THE NAKED GUN) flicks. THE WRONG GUY comes as a welcome reminder that a comedy doesn't have to be gross or insulting to be pleasingly stupid.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Ann Sibrava, Youth Librarian
Surviving the Applewhites
by Stephanie S. Tolan
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(Harper Collins, 2002, 216 pages)
Recommended for Grades 5-7
Jake Semple, a budding juvenile delinquent, has been kicked out of every school he's ever attended. Now he's got just one last chance. He is sent away to be home schooled at the Applewhite family's Creative Academy, an outrageously free-wheeling kind of place where he where he discovers some talents and interests he never knew he had.
April 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Michele Khan, Adult Services
The Pleasure of my Company
by Steve Martin
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"The Pleasure of my Company" by Steve Martin is a humorous story told through the eyes of Daniel Pecan Cambridge, a 33 year old man with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Daniel is a very intelligent and charming man but he is a prisoner to his compulsions, for example, he can only cross the street where two opposing driveways line up and all his light bulbs in his house must equal 1125 watts. To help pass time on boring days he spends a lot of time looking out his apartment window daydreaming about a romance with the real estate agent from across the street. Everything changes for Daniel when one day he saves Clarissa's son Teddy from an abusive father and invites Clarissa and Teddy to stay with him. Steve Martin's subtle humor in this book as well as his gift to make all the characters very real is what makes this book a hit.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
The Kingdom (1994)
Starring Ernst-Hugo Järegård, Kirsten Rolffes and Holger Juul Hansen
Written by Tomas Gíslason, Lars von Trier and Niels Vørsel
Directed by Morten Arnfred and Lars von Trier
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If you enjoy the current Stephen King TV series KINGDOM HOSPITAL, you might want to check out the original Danish television miniseries on which it's based. The short description is "ER meets TWIN PEAKS," but that doesn't quite do this alternately satiric and creepy work justice. The series kicks off as more or less a standard medical comedy-drama, with a number of conflicts among hospital staff instigated by an arrogant expatriate Swedish neurosurgeon. Things begin to get a bit weird when a malingering patient makes psychic contact with a dead girl haunting the hospital, and a mysteriously driverless ambulance starts to make the rounds. A missing head, a spectral dog, and a surprise inspection from the Ministry of Health all build toward a climax so bizarre and audacious that you'll be glad you watched nearly five hours of subtitled Danish-and you'll find yourself wishing that the sequel miniseries would get a U.S. video release.
Youth -- Recommended by Beth Corrigan, Youth Outreach Librarian
Saving Grace
by Priscilla Cummings
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(Dutton, 2003, 240 pages)
Recommended for Grades 4-7
It's 1932, and things go from bad to worse for the poverty-stricken McFarland family. Twelve-year-old Grace and her two brothers are sent to live in a children's shelter, while her out-of-work father looks for a job, and her mother prepares for the arrival of another baby. Grace is invited to spend the holidays with the wealthy Hammond family, where she is treated like a daughter and surrounded by luxury. Grace feels guilty about enjoying herself while the rest of her family struggles to survive, and is forced to make a difficult decision when the Hammonds offer to adopt her. Should she return to a life of poverty and struggle, or remain with Hammond's in their comfortable, happy home?
March 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Gwen M. LaCosse, Information Services
The Teammates
by David Halberstam
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The late, great baseball slugger Ted Williams dubbed them “my guys.” Dominic DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky and Williams forged a professional and personal bond that lasted long after their playing days on the 1940s teams of the Boston Red Sox. David Halberstam touchingly reveals the depth of this bond in The Teammates. Williams supplied the glue that kept the four baseball standouts together. Halberstam, a gifted storyteller, writes of Williams: “He might not, the other three teammates knew, be the easiest man in the world to deal with. He always did what he wanted and never did anything he did not. But to no small degree he was the one who had kept them friends; they stayed close because he willed them to stay close.”
You do not have to be a serious baseball fan to truly appreciate this story of four uniquely talented men who cherish their sport and each other. However, thanks to Halberstam’s fine eye for detail and ability to interweave the past and present so well, The Teammates just might make you view baseball -- and male friendship -- in a different light. In October 2001, when the four former teammates are in their eighties, DiMaggio orchestrates a road trip from Massachusetts to Florida to visit a dying Williams one last time. Joining him are Pesky and another friend. Doerr, regrettably, has to stay behind to care for his ailing wife. Halberstam shows why it is only fitting that Williams, who remains as controversial in death as he was in life, had called DiMaggio, Doerr and Pesky “my guys.”
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Starring Elliott Gould, Nina Van Pallandt and Sterling Hayden
Written by Leigh Brackett, from the novel by Raymond Chandler
Directed by Robert Altman
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While Raymond Chandler's archetypal hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe has been depicted in films over the years by any number of actors--from Dick Powell to James Caan--the definitive celluloid Marlowe has always been Humphrey Bogart in THE BIG SLEEP. Bogart made the character an icon, an indelible encapsulation not only of studio era detective pictures, but of the Hollywood screen hero in general. So when maverick director Robert Altman cast Elliot Gould in the role in his adaptation of Chandler's final Marlowe novel THE LONG GOODBYE, it served notice that Altman would be reinventing-or perhaps more accurately, subverting-the entire genre of film noir. The result is a strange, fascinating lost classic which replaces the stark urban noir aesthetic with the sunlit pastels of 70s southern California beaches (gloriously shot by Vilmos Zsigmond), and Bogart's sharp and sardonic iconic Marlowe with Gould's mumbling, likably disheveled portrayal. Likewise, the rambling two-pronged plot of Chandler's novel (Marlowe seeks a missing writer and helps a friend accused of murder) is rendered even more labyrinthine-and borderline irrelevant-within Altman's loose, improvisational tone. Rewarding details abound, though, including multiple background versions of John Williams' catchy theme (listen for the flamenco one) and a cameo by a very young current governor of California. Chandler purists may balk-especially at the film's surprising conclusion-but THE LONG GOODBYE is a fresh, funny take on an enduring character and a classic film genre.
Youth -- Recommended by Marcia Lyons, Preschool Liaison
A View From Saturday (1996)
Recommended for grades 3-7
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It was a surprise to a lot of people when Mrs. Olinski's team won the sixth-grade Academic Bowl contest at Epiphany Middle School. It was an even bigger surprise when they beat the seventh grade AND the eighth grade, too! And when they went on to even greater victories, everyone began to ask: How did it happen?
February 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Valerie Lorens, Adult Services
Lucia, Lucia
By Andriana Trigiani
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
When Kit Zanetti accepts an invitation to tea with her elegant elderly neighbor, more than just an afternoon of friendly conversation ensues. Aunt Lu, as she is known at the beginning of the story, takes Kit down memory lane as she reflects upon her life as Lucia Sartori of New York's Greenwich Village in the 1950s.
The only daughter of the neighborhood grocer Antonio, she is a talented couture seamstress in the trendy B. Altman Department store. At 25, her spunk and ambitions stretch beyond the traditions big Italian families embraced in that era (marrying, having babies and tending to the home). When her long-time fiance from the neighborhood, baker Dante DiMartino and his family voice those same expectations, Lucia breaks the engagement to carve out her dreams in the fashion world.
Enter mysterious and debonair John Talbot, who captures Lucia's heart with expensive gifts and promises of a whirlwind life hobnobbing with high society. Does she forsake her intuition and her father's suspicions of Talbot under the guise of love? What happens next sets Lucia on a path where she must choose between loyalty to her family or staying true to herself.
Andrea Trigiani captures the essence of Italian ethnicity by peppering the story with familiar cultural phrases and even some authentic recipies. Whatever your heritage though, you will be enchanted by the universal appeal of family and tradition, and perhaps yearn for that which is sometimes missing from the fast paced lives we lead in the 21st Century.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
Two for the Road (1967)
Starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney
Written by Frederic Raphael and directed by Stanley Donen
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Starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney
For a Hollywood love story about a marriage on the rocks, TWO FOR THE ROAD is quite structurally complex: throughout the film, the story seamlessly cuts back and forth across four different time periods. These sometimes abrupt shifts follow Joanna and Mark Wallace (Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney) as their relationship develops during four road trips through the south of France spanning a twelve-year period. Frederic Raphael's clever script uses this device to place the banter of early courtship alongside the pointed barbs of a troubled later marriage, and what emerges is a refreshingly complex portrait of how both people and relationships can change over time. Supported by Raphael's incisive dialogue and a novel editing scheme, Stanley Donen's surehanded direction reveals an engaging chemistry between Hepburn and Finney in moments both comedic and dramatic.
January 2004
Adult -- Recommended by Nancy Ashbrook, Adult Services
Leadership: Sopranos Style
by Debbie Himsel
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Tony solves difficult problems, communicates complex issues clearly, and creates innovative business concepts. An outstanding new employee in your company? No, Tony is T Soprano, a fictional character on the hit HBO series, The Sopranos, and a "remarkably effective, emphathetic boss" says author Debbie Himsel in her new book, Leadership: Sopranos Style.
Consider Tony's charisma and how he employs it with Dale Carnegie-like verve to win friends and influence people; or his strategic brilliance as he diversifies his business, selectively taking risks that pay off in one new profit center after another. Companies today need leaders who can build and maintain relationships with diverse groups of people. Tony creates strong relationships both within and outside of his organization by being an active listener, clear communicator, and not afraid to express his emotions. And lastly, Tony gets results. And in today's organizations, we need leaders who know how to get things done, cut through the red tape, and find innovative solutions to complex problems.
Leadership: Sopranos Style forces us to think about leadership in new ways. It takes us out of our comfort zone, with many tongue-in-cheek examples, and provokes us to consider alternative perspectives. A humorous, on-target book on leadership change, Leadership: Sopranos Style is my pick for a must-read in 2004.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
Leningrad Cowboys Go America (1989)
Starring Matti Pellonpaa, Sakke Jarvenpaa and Jim Jarmusch
Written and directed by Aki Kaurismaki
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The Leningrad Cowboys-a Slavic folk band tagged as "the worst rock 'n' roll band in the world" and immediately distinguishable by their bizarre "unicorn" hairdos-travel to America in search of fame and success, accompanied by their tyrannical manager and pursued by the village idiot (who wants to give them a large fish). That's about as far as plot goes in this absurdist deadpan comedy, an episodic shaggy-dog road trip which slyly satirizes Americana, the immigrant experience and the Soviet political system all in one funnily fell swoop. It's an ironically distant, bone-dry comedy reminiscent of the work of director Jim Jarmusch (who has a brief cameo here), the kind of film where the matter-of-fact intertitle "They beat him badly" can be rendered laugh-out-loud funny. Deliberately paced and ostensibly in Finnish (though actually mostly in English), LENINGRAD COWBOYS GO AMERICA isn't really for everyone-but if you have a taste for the comedy of the strange, it's a picture well worth watching.
Youth -- Recommended by Marsha Whiteside, Youth Library Assistant
Stormbreaker (1989)
by Anthony Horowitz
(Puffin Books, 2002, 192 pages.) Recommended for grades 5-9
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
They told him his uncle died in a car accident. But fourteen-year-old Alex knows that's a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle's windshield confirm his suspicions. Nothing could prepare Alex for the news that the uncle he thought he knew was really a spy for MI6-Britain's top secret intelligence agency. Recruited to find his uncle's killers and complete his final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
December 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Jo Robinson, Adult Services
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
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In his book, Into Thin Air, author Jon Krakauer took us to the extreme limits of human endurance as he chronicled a tragic expedition up Mt. Everest.
In his latest work, under the banner of heaven, Krakauer gives us a fascinating look at another extreme in 1984, Don and Ron Lafferty murdered the wife and infant daughter of their younger brother Allen. But this is not just a true-crime story. The two brothers, who are members of a fundamentalist Mormon Group, claimed they committed the killings following a direct revelation from God.
While the mainstream Mormon Church does not sanction these fundamentalist groups, their influence in parts of the country is astounding. Krakauer takes us into these isolated communities and gives us a view of these zealots who still take “plural wives” and rule the lives of their followers with an iron hand.
In providing historical background, Krakauer traces the history of the Mormon Church, which is on its way to becoming the third largest church in the world. It is a fascinating look at America’s only home grown religion. As far as religions go, the church of the Latter Day Saints is relatively young and actual written records and historical documents are available.
So whether you like a juicy true-crime story, an amazing historical account, or a look at a part of America you never dreamed existed, you won’t be able to put down “Under The Banner Of Heaven.”
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
The Virgin Suicides by
Starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner and Kirsten Dunst
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Written and directed by Sophia Coppola, from the novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES is a mystery film-not the kind where a culprit is identified or a solution is posed, but a mystery nonetheless. The question revolves around the Lisbon sisters, five lovely blonde girls living in a well-to-do Detroit suburb in the mid-70s. All five commit suicide--the "why", as so often, is never truly known--but possibly a greater mystery is the one the neighborhood boys ponder, as adolescent boys typically come to ponder the unknowable nature of adolescent girls: who are the Lisbon sisters? The question lingers throughout this haunting film of nostalgia and loss, a remarkably effective adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' novel. An ethereal score by French pop duo Air and a particularly fine performance from James Woods as the girls' unraveling father further set the mood in this excellent directorial debut from Sophia Coppola, who most recently made the outstanding LOST IN TRANSLATION.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Smith, Youth Programming Librarian
The Thief Lord by
Cornelia Caroline Funke (Scholastic, 2003, 349 pages)
Recommended for grades 5 - 9
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Bo and Prosper are orphans who have run away to Venice to avoid being adopted by their aunt. There they join a group of child thieves led by the mysterious Thief Lord. The Thief Lord and his gang have just been offered their most challenging job yet-- to steal an old wing that looks like it may have once belonged to a wooden angel. As the children begin their plans to steal the wing, things begin to go terribly wrong. Will they still be able to steal the wing and if they do, what will happen next?
November 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Donna Szwed, Adult Services
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
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Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair That Changed America was written by Erik Larson and published in February 2003. The title gives a good synopsis of the book. There are many stories interwoven to give the reader a fascinating history lesson of the era. The "Devil", Dr. Herman Mudget, or better known by one of his aliases as Holmes, was a charming mass murderer. "The White City" refers to the white painted buildings of the very successful 1893 World’s Fair, which was held just 22 years after the great Chicago fire. It set the standard by which future fairs were measured. There was so much neat information about famous people and events in this interesting tale of murder and mayhem that you’ll want to read it for yourself … or listen to it on CD or cassette.
Youth -- Recommended by Steve Browne, Youth Services Librarian
Rome: In Spectacular Cross Section by
by Stephen Biesty and Andrew Solway (Scholastic, 2003, 32pp.)
Recommended for grades 4 - 8
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Stephen Biesty is back, illustrating the world of Ancient Rome. The large double-page spreads lead us through a day in the life of a boy and his father. We get to explore, inside and out, the Temple of Jupiter, the Coliseum, a festival, the chariot races, the baths, a wealthy home of a senator, and a tenement building for average citizens. This book will appeal to anyone who likes history and likes to think about what life was like for the people who lived before us. It's a pleasure to pour over these busy pictures. You'll see familiar sights, like nurses tending babies, people waiting for dinner, children feeding cats, someone being shoved into a pool. These small things remind you how little people have changed in two thousand years. But there's plenty that reveals how we have very little in common with the Romans, such as the lack of privacy, a slave economy, and the bloody, brutal, terrible games people delighted in at the Coliseum. Fun, captivating and enlightening, Stephen Biesty proves why he is one of the best of the cross-section illustrators.
October 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Dale Heath, Adult Services
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Set in the near future, The Speed of Dark is told from the point of view of Lou Arrendale, a young, highly functional autistic person. The story follows Lou as he falls in love, learns how to fence, has his tires slashed and is pressured by his employer to participate in an experimental procedure to reverse his autism. Ultimately, the book is a fascinating peek inside the mind of an autistic person, and an interesting examination of what it means to be "normal".
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Adult Services
Seconds (1966)
Starring Rock Hudson, John Randolph and Murray Hamilton
Written by Lewis John Carlino
Directed by John Frankenheimer
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John Frankenheimer's overlooked 1966 feature SECONDS opens on a protracted portrait of the crushing emptiness of American suburbia, a bleak depiction possibly unequaled by any of the numerous similar takes on the theme which followed in later decades. The film's subject is a middle-aged businessman initially played by John Randolph-"initially" because Randolph is approached by a shadowy organization who offer him a second chance at life with a new, surgically-altered identity played by Rock Hudson (in a surprisingly effective departure from his typical roles of the time). He is freed of his considerable responsibilities and social restrictions (most visibly during an awkwardly extended bacchanal sequence), but true happiness continues to elude Hudson, setting the stage for the picture's harrowing conclusion. Thanks in part to James Wong Howe's expressionistic cinematography, there's a pervasive atmosphere of genuine creepiness throughout SECONDS akin to many of the better TWILIGHT ZONE episodes. The film was rejected by 60s audiences as overly downbeat and cerebral-but it now enjoys its own second chance on video.
Youth -- Recommended by Pam Handlin, Elementary School Liaison
Time Stops for No Mouse: A Hermux Tantamoq Adventure by Michael Hoeye (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2002, 250 pages.)
Recommended for grades 5 -9.
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Get ready to be immediately transported into a beautifully descriptive fantasy world! Hermux Tantamoq is a quiet mouse who owns a watchmaking shop. When Linka Perflinger, a jaunty adventurer and aviatrix, brings a watch into his shop to be repaired and then disappears, Hermux is caught up in a world of dangerous intrigue and a search for the fountain of youth while trying to find out what happened to Linka.
September 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Tracy Pahls, Readers Advisor
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
We human beings spend enormous amounts of effort, attempting to predict and identify the precursors of a traumatic event. In his seventh novel, Hey Nostradamus!, Douglass Coupland ponders the possibilities of what it means to be victimized by such a devastating occurrence, concluding that such tragedies can do no less than permanently alter our existence. Coupland explores his theme from the perspective of four individuals, each distinctively affected by a tragic high school shooting. Cheryl, is an atypical seventeen-year-old victim who is married and pregnant when she is tragically killed. Jason is Cheryl's husband, left behind to mature into adulthood alone. Heather, the girlfriend of the now thirty-something Jason and Reg, Jason's close-minded, fundamentalist father round out the cast. Coupland achieves a level of intimacy through his in-depth exploration of each personality, and leaves the reader highly invested in the outcome. Although at times a bit difficult to follow, Hey Nostradamus is (ironically) unpredictable and keeps the reader guessing as to what will happen next.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Ann Sibrava, Youth Services Librarian
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman (Hyperion Books for Children, 2000, 180 pp.)
Recommended for grades 5 - 8
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Wallace, eighth grade football hero, is paying the price for his honest, yet scathing, review of a Old Shep, My Pal. In his mind, it's just another lame book about a dog that dies in the end. Forced to abandon the football team, he must now spend detention watching rehearsals for the school's stage production of that very same, oh-so-boring "classic." In spite of himself, he becomes involved in the production and makes some outrageous--but always honest--suggestions that result in an off-beat and hugely popular stage extravaganza.
August 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Joyce Brantner, Readers Advisor
Flashback by Nevada Barr
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
In Barr's latest Anna Pigeon mystery, we find Anna, a curmudgeonly, charming forest ranger doing temporary duty at little known Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles off Key West in the Gulf of Mexico. She takes up her post on Garden Key, home to Fort Jefferson, a notorious Union prison during the Civil War. Fearing Anna's peculiar occupation and current isolated location will do her in, Anna's sister Molly sends her a box of old family memorabilia. Included in the box are piles of letters written by their great-great aunt, who coincidentally had been living at Fort Jefferson during the Civil War. The letters are at once fascinating and chilling, and give her a glimpse into the hard life of that time. Anna has her own drama to deal with, though, as a ranger goes missing, a boat explodes in nearby water, and she nearly drowns while investigating. On top of this, she is beginning to doubt her own sanity. Has she seen a ghost from the past, or is something else afoot? Anna begins to unravel an eerie connection between the current turmoil and past troubles documented in the letters. Fans of this National Park ranger will enjoy this double-layered story with its remarkable setting. And if you are a new reader, like me, you have a real treat in store!
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Librarian
Wet Hot American Summer(2001) Starring Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce and Michael Showalter
Written by Michael Showalter and David Wain
Directed by David Wain
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
As WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER opens on the final day at Camp Firewood in 1981, you might find yourself momentarily thinking you're watching some sort of MEATBALLS-derived teen comedy of that era. But SUMMER is actually a wickedly smart parody of late-70s/early-80s teen flicks. That might sound like fairly narrow comedic ground to some-and indeed, viewers born before about 1962 should consider themselves duly warned that it might be a bit too postmodern for all sensibilities-but SUMMER has no trouble finding laughs, from irony-drenched displays of period fashions to sly send-ups of teen-pic cliches (notably a hilariously vague spoof of training montages). Gags is this episodic romp range from character bits (Paul Rudd's hysterically sullen teen lothario; Christopher Meloni's perverse cook) to complete silliness (an impending Skylab crash). WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER might tackle an age that really doesn't require revisiting, but fans of sly alternative comedy like MR. SHOW will laugh their tails off.
July 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Frances Mitilineos, Reader Services
Southampton Row by Anne Perry
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Southampton Row is a perfect mystery for summer reading. One of a series of Victorian mysteries featuring Thomas Pitt and his wife, Charlotte, this novel revolves around Pitt’s investigation of the death of a medium while fighting the mysterious and deadly Inner Circle, a cabal of highly placed politicians who will stop at nothing to achieve their own ends. Pitt is a working class policeman who has risen through the ranks through personal merit and honesty. His wife, Charlotte, is an independent-minded woman of more gentile background, who is unable to resist meddling in Pitt’s cases. Like Perry’s other novels, Southampton Row provides interesting glimpses of the British Empire and of Britain’s class-structure and political system. While providing a good story with secondary themes of socially inappropriate romances and the belief in spiritualism, Southampton Row also says something worthwhile about grief and loss, and religion and its failings. This series began with The Cater Street Hangman.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Librarian
24 Hour Party People (2002)
Starring Steve Coogan, Sean Harris and Andy Serkis
Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Like any number of films "based on a true story," the docu-comedy 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE frequently exaggerates, distorts, fabricates and otherwise obfuscates the historical truth of its subject matter. The difference is, this picture does so openly, amusingly, and with a cheerful wink to its audience. More or less tracing a lineage of the Manchester music scene from the seminal first Sex Pistols concert in 1976 through to the Happy Mondays and early-90s rave culture, the film attaches this tour to the tale of Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan)-an overeducated, slightly unreliable television host turned recording mogul, and given to playful asides to the audience. Wilson's first turning point takes place when he takes over management of Joy Division (later New Order), and as he meets with first failure, then success, and then failure again, his smarmy and clever wit gives the film its signature flavor. While those possessing at least a passing familiarity with this period of British music are likely to get more out of the film than others, 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE still has plenty of smart, subversive fun to offer everyone else.
June 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Julie Collins, Government Documents Librarian
Matisse Picasso by Anne Baldassari, Kirk Varnedoe, Elizabeth Cowling
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
The catalog for a major international exhibition, Matisse Picasso, is a study of the often tumultuous relationship between the artists who were contemporaries, rivals and mutual admirers. This exhibition and catalog was a collaborative effort between the Tate Modern in London, the Musee Picasso and Musee National d’Art Moderne in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. From the time Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso crossed paths in 1906 at Gertrude Stein’s Paris apartment, they recognized that each had met their true equal. This book chronicles the amazing parallels evident in each respective body of work until the death of Matisse in 1954 and the influence that Matisse’s work had on Picasso’s in the years thereafter. It is said that one or the other of them spoke these words: "We must talk to each other as much as we can. When one of us dies, there will be some things that the other will never be able to talk of with anyone else." Therein lies the main theme of this book about the complex dialogue between two of the greatest artists, and some say the most significant, of the 20th century.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Librarian
Donnie Darko (2001)
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone and Drew Barrymore
Written and directed by Richard Kelly
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
There's a moment not long into DONNIE DARKO when the title character-a "troubled," possibly schizophrenic, teenager-is told by his new girlfriend, "You're weird." She quickly adds, "No, that's a compliment." Now that we've entered the summer blockbuster season, when most pictures in theaters demonstrate a distressing similarity, that same compliment could be extended to the film DONNIE DARKO: it is weird, in a singular and compelling fashion. It's Halloween 1988, and Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a plagued by visitations from a giant scary rabbit named Frank-but what do Frank's apocalyptic predictions really mean? Decoding this narrative puzzle is only part of the film's appeal; along the way, the picture touches upon an intoxicating melange of film genres. Is it a psychological horror film? A retro-80s high school comedy? Science fiction? Social satire? Doomed teen romance? DONNIE DARKO entertains in all these ways, but defies classification as a whole. Funny yet tragic (and with great special effects to boot), DONNIE DARKO is a fascinating chimera, one of the most memorably original works of the recent cinema.
Youth -- Recommended by Beth Corrigan, Youth Outreach Librarian
Great Books for Babies and Toddlers: More than 500 Recommended Books for Your Child's First Three Years by Kathleen Odean, (Ballantine Books, 2003; 337 pages).
Recommended for parents and others who work with young children.
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Kathleen Odean has compiled a list of over 500 top-notch titles suitable for reading to children up to age 3, including nursery rhymes, fingerplays, songs and picture-story books. In addition to interesting and informative book descriptions, a guide with specific information for selecting books for babies, one-year-olds and two-year-olds is included. Useful tips for reading aloud to young children and activities to complement the recommended books round out this excellent resource.
Make the time you spend reading with your child even more special by choosing one of the wonderful books from this current and comprehensive resource.
May 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Linda Burns, Readers Advisory/Reference Librarian
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
In his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Hours, Michael Cunningham pays homage to Virginia Woolf, using her life and work, Mrs. Dalloway, to tell the story of two contemporary women who are struggling with the conflicting claims of love and inheritance, hope and despair. The lives of these two women, Laura, a reluctant mother and housewife of the 1940’s; and Clarissa, a 1990’s editor and caretaker of her best friend, an AIDS patient, converge with Virginia Woolf’s in an unexpected and heart-breaking way. You won’t want to miss reading this passionate and deeply moving novel that has also recently won the 2002 Academy Award for Best adapted screenplay and the Golden Globe award for best drama motion picture.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Librarian
Trouble in Paradise (1932)
Starring Miriam Hopkins, Herbert Marshall and Kay Francis
Written by Grover Jones and Samson Raphaelson, from the play by Aladar Laszlo Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Sexy. Witty. Graceful. Sophisticated. They called it the "Lubitsch touch"--the trademark style of Ernst Lubitch, the supreme visual storyteller of Hollywood's early sound era. Mere words fail to capture the effortless elegance and charm to which the term refers, but fortunately, we can provide an illustration: TROUBLE IN PARADISE, Lubitsch's masterwork of romantic comedy. Gaston (Herbert Marshall) is a debonair crook; Lily (Miriam Hopkins), a glamorous thief. The larcenous couple become embroiled in a scheme to steal a fortune from a gorgeous perfume magnate (Kay Francis), but what happens when Gaston begins to fall for her? The chemistry between Marshall and Francis fairly leaps off the screen, and the dialogue bubbles like champagne, but the true joy of the picture is that the characters act like genuine adults (it's an awfully racy picture, albeit obliquely so). The film kicked off an entire genre of witty romances like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT and Lubitsch's own THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, but TROUBLE IN PARADISE remains the divinely delightful granddaddy of them all.
Youth -- Recommended by Steven Browne, Youth Services Librarian
Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull (Harcourt Brace, 1995, 96 pages) Recommended for grade 5 - 8
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Kathleen Krull has written a charming, amusing and informative collection of mini-biographies. Not only do you get to learn about famous art and artists, but you also get ladles of gossip. Which artist preferred his adoring fans to his family? (Answer: Picasso.) Which artist updated the Mona Lisa with a mustache and goatee? (Answer: Duchamp.) Who wrote his notes backwards to keep people from reading them? (Answer: Leonardo Da Vinci). Which very famous Mexican artist was so tall and wide that he couldn't find underwear to fit him so his wife made them out of bright pink cotton, and who was that artist who lived in a blue house connected to his pink house by a bridge? (Answer: Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, his wife). Most people have an interesting life, but some lives are fascinating, and these artists' lives are spellbinding.
April 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Ginny Schlachter, Interlibrary Loan Coordinator
The Big Dig by Linda Barnes
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
After a four year hiatus, author Linda Barnes brings back six foot plus tall private investigator, Carlotta Carlyle. Carlyle goes undercover as a construction company secretary investigating possible corruption on the multibillion dollar tunnel project in Boston. While working on this assignment from a former cop friend, she also moonlights on another case. She's trying to locate a missing woman for a wealthy client whom she meets at a local dog grooming company. Meanwhile on the construction case, a workman falls to his death - maybe pushed? Carlyle ties the two cases together with a big celebration planned at Faneuil Hall, a marketplace and meeting hall and part of the well traveled "Freedom Trail" in Boston. Is Carlyle in over her head? "The Big Dig" is the ninth in a series of mysteries about this former cop and cab driver turned PI. I recommend you read them all.
Video -- Recommended by John McInnes, Reference Librarian
The Limey (1999)
Starring Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren and Peter Fonda
Written by Lem Dobbs and Directed by Steven Soderbergh
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
Let's establish right off the bat that THE LIMEY is more than it seems. On the surface, it's a hard-boiled tale of revenge-aging Cockney ex-con Wilson (Terence Stamp) comes to L.A. to look into his estranged daughter's death, a trail which leads to an influential record producer (Peter Fonda)-and the picture functions nicely as such, propelled by the power and urgency of Stamp's performance. But this intensity is offset by the film's magnificent editing, which eschews a linear narrative for the prismatic quality of a memory. This strategy (which director Steven Soderbergh has used less extensively elsewhere, notably in OUT OF SIGHT) not only grants the film a meditative tone of poignance, but it also harkens back to the late-60s period when the avant-garde techniques of the French New Wave were beginning to invigorate American films. This same era is evoked by the use of Stamp and Fonda, both trading on their past screen roles and overtly commenting on the mythology of the 60s. Distinctive and fascinating, THE LIMEY is one of those rare works where style can be considered part and parcel of its substance.
Youth -- Recommended by Mary Smith, Youth Programming Coordinator
Janitor's Boy by Andrew Clements (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2000, 140 pages)
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore
It was the perfect crime. All Jack needed to make it happen was several packs of watermelon-flavored Bublicious. He researched it carefully to determine which type of gum was the stickiest and the smelliest, and then he set his trap. One janitor was going to be very angry when he discovered the mess.
March 2003
Adult -- Recommended by Anne Shaughnessy, Reference Librarian History/Genealogy
The Death of a Stranger by Anne Perry
click to purchase from MPPL Foundation Bookstore