This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 35

The Room
I have to recommend this movie solely on the basis of it being the worst movie ever made (at least, as far as I know of). It’s like a train wreck: horrible to watch but you just can’t look away. There is some horrible acting, plot twists that don’t make sense, inconsistencies galore, and just really REALLY bad acting (I can’t emphasize this fact enough). Tommy Wiseau - who is the writer, director, and lead actor for the film outdoes anything you’ve ever seen. If you’re a glutton for punishment, The Room is what you need to watch this weekend. It’s available through SWAN.

-Judy, Reference

Laughter
I’m using my favorite thing of the week as a shameless plug for next Thursday’s “Laughter Jest for the Health of It” program, which you can (and should) register for at the Circulation Desk. Kathy O’Brien is a RN and Certified Laugh Leader who will demonstrate the positive effects of laughter. We had Kathy come to the Library last year and I still think about what she said on an almost daily basis.

I may not be the most neutral advocate for the program; anyone who knows me can tell you that I laugh a lot - at just about anything, whether it’s appropriate or not. All I can do is tell you to consider coming because you will leave smiling and, possibly, sore from laughing so much. If you can’t make it, just remember Kathy’s advice to make smiling or laughing a part of your morning ritual.

-Mike, Reference

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell
I've been listening to Cheap on audiobook. It delves into various aspects of America’s obsession with discount culture—including its often irrational psychology, sociological and environmental implications, and controversial inception in the 1920s. Shell is a fiery and provocative guide who forces you to consider all sides of a complex issue that has both local and international implications. It’s available from SWAN and as an eAudiobook from Media On Demand. And, really, what goes better with that ice-cold lemonade and those breezy summertime tunes than a sobering diatribe?

-Megan, Reference