DVDs and Blu-Rays from Acorn and SWAN

Did you know that you can borrow movies from Acorn and the SWAN system at no charge? Aside from feature films that were released less than three months ago, all DVDs and Blu-Rays can be checked out for free! Please contact the Reference Department if you need help locating or requesting materials. 

Recommended!

Marley (2012): This has absolutely nothing to do with a dog nor Charles Dickens. It’s all about Bob, Rasta, the music of the ’60s and ’70s, and political turmoil in Jamaica. Though it was produced by the Marley family, this documentary includes plenty of unsparing interviews and insights that succeed in separating the man from the dorm poster myth.

Pretty Woman (1990): You know the premise: Aloof corporate opportunist meets whimsical, dentally extravagant streetwalker in the movie that made a superstar out of Julia Roberts. It’s an odd concoction--frothy romantic comedy, crassly materialistic showpiece, and tonally deranged drama--but it’s still a lot of fun 22 years later. And with its cinder block-sized cell phones and tangerine culottes, it doubles as a 1990 time capsule. You have been warned.  

 
8 ½ (1963): Wow--this is probably the most stylish film I’ve ever seen. One of the strangest, too. This movie, which is apparently Fellini’s autobiography (?!), manages to combine a rich dissection of human dynamics with an effortless psychedelia. Meanwhile, Marcello Mastroianni’s exquisite suits, chic alien sunglasses, and graceful ennui show George Clooney that he’s nothing but a hick from Kentucky.

  

Young Adult (2011): Charlize Theron stars as Mavis Gary, a wicked wreck of a former prom queen determined to reclaim the affections of her high school boyfriend--who has actually managed to become an adult during the last 20 years. Theron is divinely wretched here as a stunted queen bee in search of a hive, and Patton Oswalt is resolutely great as a caustic former outcast who is once again ensnared by Mavis’s deranged, indomitable will. 

-Megan

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is the memoir/travel journal of “Dear Sugar” advice columnist, Cheryl Strayed. It’s not really a travel journal, it’s definitely not descriptive nature writing, and it’s not typical memoir either. There are portions of all three in the story, but the result is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Alternating between her childhood, her recent past, and the trail experience feels completely natural as she walks alone on the mountain trail.

Here’s a very brief synopsis of the book: A young woman with a history of bad decisions makes what seems to be another poor choice by embarking on an 1,100 mile hike in the California mountains, with no hiking experience. Along the way she shares stories about the events that have led her to the California wilderness.

It’s not easy to explain why I liked this book. (Which is why it’s a good choice for Acorn’s first Nonfiction Book Discussion meeting on Oct. 4 at Oliver’s Bar and Grill.) I don’t think I’d like to spend time with her and I definitely wouldn’t take her advice on anything, but she remains unexpectedly relatable.  Her honesty in writing about the mistakes she has made involving sex, heroin, and family relationships was refreshing and made for an interesting read. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something to read. Oprah does, too.      

-Mike

Patron Review: Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories by Rachel Shukert

Have You No Shame? And Other Regrettable Stories by Rachel Shukert was on display in the Library recently.  I gave it a try.

Having been to a Bar Mitzvah or three in my life, the title was familiar.

Some of the titles of the included stories sounded inviting.  But a bit into the book, I decided that it was mostly stream of consciousness writing.  I realized that ...Regrettable Stories provided an apt title.  When I got to the part where she describes her tinkle, I put the book down.  Sorry, Ms. Shukert.  Maybe others will find your writing humorous and be able to empathize, but not this reader.

- Janice Gintzler

  Acorn patron

Join Acorn's New Nonfiction Book Club!

 

Acorn is pleased to announce that we’ve started a nonfiction book club!  Our first selection is Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed, a memoir of unusual candor and substance. Think of it as Eat, Pray, Love for the 99%; or the saner person’s Into the Wild. It’s also enjoying an extended moment in the cultural spotlight as the latest pick in Oprah’s Book Club and a future Reese Witherspoon movie.

By 26, Strayed had endured the death of her mother and subsequent disintegration of her family and marriage. Still grieving, she drops out of college, dates the seriously untrustworthy, and heads towards a dangerous addiction. By happenstance she learns about the Pacific Crest Trail—a rugged nature path that begins at the U.S-Mexico border and ends in British Columbia—and begins saving and planning for her expedition. Though she was a backpacking novice, she tackles an 1,100-mile segment along the mountains of California and Oregon.

Don’t worry, Strayed doesn’t magically transform into an indestructible Amazonian goddess during her journey. Instead, she learns how to reflect, adapt, and appreciate her life in ways that really resonate. She writes about finding a way to keep going, even when you’re underprepared and overwhelmed by the task at hand--and possibly broke, very hungry, and missing a hiking boot. Her self-deprecating wit and tendency to moon over the unwashed hunks she encounters on the PCT bring levity to her powerful story.

Please contact the Reference Department to sign up for the club and to reserve your copy of Wild. The book club’s first meeting will take place on Thursday, October 4 at Oliver’s Bar and Grill at 7:30 p.m. Join us for a lively discussion and a refreshing beverage! 

-Megan

Kingdom Come by J.G. Ballard

After the mysterious, but seemingly accidental, murder of his estranged father in a London suburb, former advertising agent Richard Pearson decides to visit his father’s adopted home.  As he investigates the murder, he discovers the dark side of the unassuming suburb: the megamall at the center of town. The local residents have become enamored with the mall and the consumerist lifestyle that goes with it. The novel begins as a traditional mystery complete with an elusive love interest, but it gradually becomes a typical Ballard dystopia when the residents’ consumerism leaves them with a void that can only be filled with violence.  They harass immigrants, stage violent marches through town, and aggressively support local sports teams.  In Kingdom Come, consumerism leads to boredom and boredom leads to fascism. For those readers who are unfamiliar with JG Ballard, this is a light introduction to his more brutal works like Crash and Cocaine Nights.

-Mike

Engines of Change by Paul Ingrassia

With the abundance of information regarding every aspect of car ownership, maintenance, and lore available at a moment's notice, it's become increasingly difficult to tie both new and meaningful narratives to the history of the automobile. From Henry Ford's Model T and the beginnings of a middle class, to the alternative-fuel Prius and its barrage of Hollywood drivers, most of the facts have become common knowledge, the type of thing that doesn't take a history book or a manual to learn. By acknowledging the difficulty in crafting a non-academic study of cars, Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars by the Pulitzer-Prize winning Paul Ingrassia is the perfect text for a shallow study of 20th century car culture.

For example, the chapter on Cadillac tackles the rise of Chrysler's designer Virgil Exner and his creation of sleek tail-fins, the ultimate status symbol that was later adopted by General Motors to create one of the most iconic symbols of post-war prosperity and a nod to the Cold War space-race. Weaving through references to literature, television, and film captures what made car-culture appealing to both teenagers and their parents, from the appropriation of a German people's car (originally commissioned by Adolf Hitler) by Grateful Dead-loving hippies, to the excesses of John DeLorean's quintessential 80's drug-trafficking vessel popularized by the Back to the Future franchise. More than mere references, the book strays from being overtly preachy or detailed to provide brief snapshots of American culture, whether economic, social, or just a glimpse at the evolving nature of marketing tactics, while avoiding the incomprehensible jargon of automobile aficionados. While most likely unhelpful to experts, the book caters mercifully to the casual curiosity of readers who enjoy seeing where cultural paths cross with their Automobile 101 certificate in hand. In Engines of Change, Ingrassia tackles not just fifteen of the most well-known cars in North America, but their legends as pop culture icons.

-Anna

Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

Seven: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker is a new book on Acorn's shelf.  Hatmaker takes seven months to intentionally focus on seven areas of life:  clothes, shopping, waste, food, possessions, media, and stress.  The book reads like a blog where the author writes about her reflections about each area, how much she has been shaped by each area, and how she takes deliberate action to cut out the excess in her life.  She uses this experiment to think about how the average American has so much excess, especially compared to the rest of the world.  She considers how her excess has interfered with her relationship with God and with others.  Although some of her ideas may be considered radical or extreme, this book does offer ways to reflect on one's own thoughtless excesses in life, why and how to cut back, and how to generously give to others. 

-Janice

Youth Services Department