This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 49

That Girl by Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles, a member of the country duo Sugarland, takes a lot of heat from critics for her production of this solo album.  She attempts to create a soulful, bluesy feel to several of the tracks on this disc, including “Me Without You”, “Thank You”, and “This One's for You”. These ballads throw Nettles fans for a loop as they are used to more up-tempo beats from her, such as “Stuck Like Glue” and “Somethin’ More”. However, it can’t be disputed that “That Girl”, the song for which the album is named, is perhaps one of the best songs on the CD. Those of you who are familiar with Dolly Parton might remember her song “Jolene”, in which she begs Jolene not to take her man, even though she can. Nettles’ track “That Girl” responds to Parton's song by playing the role of Jolene and assuring listeners that she is not a homewrecker and doesn’t want Parton’s man. Personally, I think some other great tracks include "Good Time to Cry" and "Like a Rock", but if you're looking for a song with a more humorous feel and a faster pace, I would recommend "Jealousy". In this case, I don't agree with the assessment from critics that because Nettles strays from her customary upbeat tunes, this album isn’t good. I think that while it does push her range, she does a great job with all of the songs on the disc. You can decide for yourself by picking it up at Acorn or requesting it through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference


Return to Me by Lynn Austin
Local author Lynn Austin has written another fantastic historical fiction book called Return to Me (available at Acorn).  This book is the first in the Restoration Chronicles which follows the journey of the exiled Israelites in Babylon and their return to Jerusalem.  Austin does a marvelous job of drawing readers into the characters' lives, getting readers to imagine they are really in that setting and wrestling with the same questions the characters do.  I am looking forward to book two in this series, which will probably be out in fall 2014.

-Janice, Youth Services  


Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
This story begins with the arrival of Eleanor, a misunderstood 16-year-old girl with a rough upbringing. On her first day on the school bus, she meets Park, a boy who feels different from everyone else around him. The two end up sharing a seat on the bus, and although they don’t talk to each other at first, Park catches Eleanor sneaking peeks at his comics while he reads them. Soon a relationship is formed, as the two find that they have much more in common than they had originally thought. Unfortunately, life at home takes a turn for the worse for Eleanor, and the young couple is forced to make a decision that could tear them apart forever.

Although this is marketed as a young adult book, it is an excellent read for adults of all ages. Rainbow Rowell does an amazing job of drawing the reader in and making the characters seem very real. I felt like I really knew Eleanor and Park, and their story was one of the best that I have read so far this year. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is available at Acorn as well as through SWAN.

-Lynn, Reference


Oscars @ Acorn

Yes, the actual Oscars have passed but a plethora of Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning films are now hitting the shelves of Acorn.

American Hustle:  If you can get beyond the really bad hair, the only slightly less offensive fashion and the seventeen unnecessary plot twists, you might enjoy this con within a con within a con trip back to the 70s.  What I came away with was a deep thankfulness that I was too young to remember the 70s.  Oh, and Jennifer Lawrence looks exactly like Ellen Barkin looked three decades ago.  Amy Adams is enjoyable and does stretch her acting chops a bit but, other than that, I'd rather rewatch the remake of The Italian Job than sit through this one again.  Ultimately unmemorable.

12 Years a Slave:  This movie did not live up to expectations.  The harrowing tale of human spirit triumphing over what can only be described as the ultimate in betrayal and existential horror was, sadly, lost throughout much of this film.  It was lost to horrible editing, a weird soundtrack that succeeded in taking me completely out of the flow of the movie multiple times and an overall amateurish feel to a movie that should have been so much more.  The acting, overall, was superb and, in the hands of a different director and editor, this movie would have been worthy of the Oscar praise it received.

Saving Mr. Banks:  Charming, if slightly heavy-handed.  The curmudgeonly P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) and the hyper-fantastical Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) square off in this tale about the journey of Mary Poppins from book to screen and, ultimately, from sad past to brightened, toe-tapping future.

Captain Phillips:  Nary an eyepatch or a parrot in sight in this harrowing true story of the taking of a cargo ship by Somali pirates.  "I'm the captain now."  The movie was excellent and kept me engaged throughout.  The final scene is the one that stuck with me.  Strength finally shattering like crystal on concrete puts an emotional exclamation point at the end of this already claustrophobically fear-laden movie.

Gravity:  As a space aficionado, I found this movie disappointing.  I was really looking forward to it but expectations can be an unwinnable game.  It was visually exciting and, I'm sure, a little vomit-inducing for the more dramamine-dependent viewers.  The repetitive nature of the danger had the effect of dulling the actual drama inherent to the situation.  Ultimately, the rebirth theme was so heavy-handed by the end that it became eye-roll inducing.  And, she totally would have burned up on re-entry!

Frozen:  A masterpiece.  Of all of these lauded movies, this is the one I'd watch again.  The story of the Ice Queen and her sister.  Simple and beautiful.  As usual for the fairy-tale dramas, love and sacrifice save the day and the world.  Not as usual for the fairy-tale dramas, it's not the prince riding to the rescue...although the ice cutter does give it a valiant try.  Icy coldness shattered by an act of true love.  You can't get more fable-tastic than that!  And, if you know how to get the song "Let It Go" out of your brain, please let me know.

- Danielle, Tech Services

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 48

The De-Textbook: The Stuff You Didn’t Know About the Stuff You Thought You Knew by Cracked.com
Here are a few things I learned from The De-Textbook:

• Velociraptor looked more like “knee-high, flamboyant little monkey birds” than the terrifying man-sized predators depicted in Jurassic Park.

• Thomas Edison was kind of like the Shia LaBeouf of his day in that he shamelessly pawned off other people’s inventions as his own.

• Science is not totally sure how many planets are in our solar system as new objects are continually being discovered within our asteroid belt.

• Abraham Lincoln was like a giant with superhuman strength who not only carried massive “stone-filled crates, weighing between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds,” when he was a mere stripling but also, at his first campaign speech, literally lifted a disorderly audience member off the ground and threw him.

• And while we are on the topic of U.S. presidents, John Quincy Adams believed the earth was hollow and wanted to use taxpayer dollars to dig into the North Pole, hoping to find a subterranean colony of mole people.

According to popular humor website Cracked.com, much of what you know is just flat-out wrong. Do you remember your favorite teacher from grade school? You know, the kindly one who always smiled and handed out gold stars and watermelon-flavored Jolly Ranchers whenever you answered a question correctly? Yeah, well, she was a stone-cold liar. Don’t worry though, Cracked.com’s The De-Textbook will you straight and undo all the misinformation that the educational system fed you throughout the years. Now a word of warning: If you are not familiar with Cracked.com, there is a strong possibility that its irreverent and vulgar brand of satirical humor will offend you. If you dislike that kind of humor, are easily offended, and object to profanity, I highly suggest you to stay far, far away.

Now, having said all that, I would be remiss in my duty as a librarian if I did not tell you that The De-Textbook is not an authoritative resource for factual information. In fact, I would highly advise you to be a little skeptical of anything you read in The De-Textbook. That’s not to say that many (if not all) of its factual claims are true, but I would highly advise fact checking anything you learn from it before citing it in a scholarly research paper. After all, the book’s purpose is to entertain and make you laugh; learning anything in the process is just an added benefit.

-Zach, Reference


The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne
I’m sure none of you will be surprised to hear that this is a book about a librarian who enjoys strength conditioning, but that is a description that only scratches the surface of this work. Josh Hanagarne is a man who suffers from Tourette’s, and he hasn’t always enjoyed employment at a public library. Before settling into that position, he spent many years bouncing from job to job because of the daily stresses of his disorder. He recounts some of these stresses--both during his childhood and his adult years--and we learn his life story in the process. He talks of his Mormon faith, his dedication to training with weights and kettlebells, and his bond with his parents and siblings as well as his wife and child and how all of these people and things have both helped and agitated his Tourette's. And, of course, he talks about his job as a librarian. He describes unique events that occur while he is working and incorporates a lot of humor that we as members of a library staff can understand. However, perhaps my favorite part of this book is how Josh continually uses references to both popular and not so popular literature to make his story relatable. It is in these moments that I find myself wanting to rush to the library to see if the books he mentions are on the shelf. His story is sad, happy, entertaining, intelligent, witty, and sarcastic all at the same time. A great read and it is available at Acorn and through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference


Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected by Kelle Hampton (available through SWAN)
This is one of those books that makes you feel like you are sitting right next to the author listening to her story.  I laughed; I cried.  She describes the journey of pain and growth when she gave birth to a daughter who has Down Syndrome.  I recommend this book so you can get a glimpse of the emotional roller coaster for any parent who has to come to terms with a child's disability.  The hopes and dreams change, but the love does not.  As a special part of the book, the pictures of the author's two daughters are so precious and beautiful.  May all of us cherish our relationships!  Happy Valentine's Day!

Janice, Youth Services

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 47

The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman
This is the story of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist who, through luck and divine intervention, survived the German occupation of Poland. The book begins by describing a very memorable scene: Wladyslaw playing Chopin’s Nocturne in C#Minor live on the radio. His piece is interrupted halfway through by German shelling. And so begins his journey of survival. Slowly he and his family are forced into Jewish ghettos and eventually are made to board a train to Treblinka, a Jewish concentration camp. However, just before Szpilman gets on the train, he is recognized by one of the officers, separated from his family, and pulled out of line--an act that saved his life. He would find later that his parents and siblings did not survive their time in the camp. Wladyslaw seeks help from various friends who all give him temporary shelter, but soon he has nowhere else to go. He finds himself living in abandoned buildings and eating whatever food he can find. One day he discovers a piano and cannot resist playing Chopin. A German military officer discovers him but instead of turning him in, he brings him food and clothing--another act that would save his life. When Szpilman is finally able to come out of hiding after the war, he discovers that the German military officer who helped him has been captured and is in a prisoner of war camp. However, Wladyslaw had never asked his name and was not able to find him until it was too late. The book ends with Szpilman resuming his live radio rendition of Chopin’s Nocturne in C#Minor. This story is incredibly sad, but one worth reading. And it’s available in SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference


The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy
When Vivienne de la Mare’s husband is sent away to fight in the English army during World War II, she has no idea just how much her life will change. Vivienne struggles to take care of her two daughters and mother-in-law as the island of Guernsey, part of the Channel Islands, becomes occupied by German soldiers. When a couple of the soldiers move in to the house next door to hers, she finds herself falling for one of them, a German named Gunther. It becomes obvious that Vivienne has not been happy in her marriage for a long time, and Gunther seems to make her feel things that she hasn’t in a while. However, trying to keep her relationship with him a secret on a small island is something Vivienne finds difficult to do. In the end, she must decide whether this man is worth all of the risks and shame that come along with an affair with the enemy.

Although I don’t often read historical fiction, this one was very hard for me to put down. I felt many different emotions throughout the entire book, and it helped me to see what life may have been like in a different part of the world during World War II. I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a good love story with some historical details thrown in. It is available through SWAN.

- Lynn, Reference


Wool by Hugh Howey
Any fan of dystopian fiction needs to read Wool, the start of a fantastic science fiction series by Hugh Howey.  Wool was originally self-published as a series of 5 e-novellas in 2011.  The setting depicted in the novel is familiar to many readers; it resembles our current society, though because the environment has become uninhabitable and the air toxic, humans live in a silo, built hundreds of feet into the ground.   Everything to sustain life takes place in the silo, from hydroponic farms, to the IT center.  One day, the silo's sheriff, Holston, expresses the one sentiment that is punishable by 'cleaning'- he wishes to go outside. 'Cleaners' are sent out of the silo, in a suit constructed as best as IT can configure to withstand the noxious environment as long as possible (which isn't very long), to clean the sensors on the outside of the silo, and then make their way into the unknown. Holston's replacement as sheriff is an unlikely candidate, Juliette, from 'down deep.'  Juliette has no interest in being sheriff, but she does wonder what would cause Holston, a seemingly sane man, to want out of the silo. Juliette's investigation results in sinister realizations about the silo, its history, and the uninhabitable outside.  I can see why this series did so well that it was able to make the leap from self-e-publishing to print.  Though dystopian fiction is a flooded genre at this point, this series is fresh and intriguing with many well-developed characters.  Wool is followed by two more books, Shift and Dust, and is available through SWAN.

-Jen, Youth Services

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 46

Death With Interruptions by Jose Saramago
In this novel, Jose Saramago brings death to life--literally. He turns death (small d) into a female character who is tired of constantly being insulted and hated. She decides that she is going to conduct an experiment in which no one dies. At first, the people celebrate the absence of death--no more lost loved ones and no more fear of dying themselves--but then they begin to experience the consequences of eternal life. Life insurance policies become meaningless, funeral home owners are no longer making money, and religious leaders no longer have many teachings to offer. Seeing the havoc that is being reaped, death then concocts a new plan--people will begin dying again, but they will receive a letter prior to their deaths. The scarlet envelopes start appearing on desks, in mailboxes, anywhere that the individual might happen to be 24 hours before they are supposed to die. Death, again, becomes unavoidable. All this changes, however, when death attempts to send a letter to a cellist. The letter keeps coming back to her. Finally death resolves to deliver the letter in person, but instead finds herself falling in love. Jose Saramago really captures the audience’s attention, not only with his examination of capitalism through the personification of death, but also with his love story. A must-read. And it’s available at Acorn and through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference

Taylor's Gift by Todd and Tara Storch
I just finished Taylor's Gift by Todd and Tara Storch (available through swan). (copyright 2013) Although it was a very sad story, it offered joy and hope too.  Taylor was the Storch's 13 year old daughter who tragically died in a skiing accident during a family trip.  I can't even imagine losing my daughters at such a young age.  Through this dark moment, there is some joy and hope.  Out of death came life.  The Storch's were asked if they would like to donate Taylor's organs and they said yes for 5 of them.  They have been able to connect with 4 of the recipients and the authors tell those people's stories too.  Since then, Todd and Tara have decided to start a foundation called Taylor's Gift Foundation.  Their mission is increasing organ donation to Regift Life, Renew Health, and Restore Families. (319) Todd offers this statistic:  "Currently, only 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. are registered to be organ donors, yet there are more than 100,000 people awaiting an organ transplant" (317).   I would encourage all of you to consider donating your organs upon your death as well.  You probably can't even imagine the restored health and life you can offer to others.  I liked what Todd wrote: "Organ donation doesn't cost anything; you can't take your organs with you, and it saves lives when you leave them here."  (320).  This book was also very honest in how two parents and two siblings dealt with their grief and how the community rallied around them.

-Janice, Youth Services


SWAK
What does this wintry season bring to mind?  Snow and cold?  Hot chocolate with marshmallows and, maybe, a little bit of peppermint schnapps?  Hot-buttered rum with, maybe, a little extra rum?  Mmmmm…oh, wait, I was here to write something.  Oh, that’s right, ‘What does this time of the year bring to mind?’  Well, I’m going to tell you…kissing!  Don’t believe me, well, let me make my case and turn you into a believer.

Proof number one – Mistletoe!
Proof number two – New Year’s Eve…at midnight!
Proof number three – Valentine’s Day…all day!

Voilà, you are now all believers, right?  That’s what I thought!  Now, to celebrate your new-found belief, we simply have to start with The Science of Kissing.  Did you ever wonder why people evolved to smash their lips together as a sign of affection?  Why men are sloppier kissers than women?  How about the physiology and neurobiology of ‘the kiss’?  Whether the urge to lock lips will ever disappear?  Well, your answers to these and many more questions can be found in the pages of this wonderfully entertaining and informative little book.

Now, to balance out all that yucky science, we have The Art of Kissing.  If you need a how-to book (and, apparently, since the author covers 28 different kinds of kisses, we all need a how-to book!), this one’s for you.  We can also delve into the ambitiously titled Kissing: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about One of Life’s Sweetest Pleasures.  If you need more than that, well, I just can’t help you!

At this point, you’re at one of two places with this kissing stuff…firm believer or reluctant believer.  For you reluctant believers, we’ll take a step back and let you go study The Art of Hugging.  For the firm believers, well, it’s time for the next brave step…let me introduce you to one of my favorite authors, Mary Roach, and her exceptionally hilarious and informative book, Bonk.  Hey, there’s a reason that September and October are such popular birth months and it all goes back to winter being the Season of the Kiss!  So, bundle up, pucker up and smooch away…in the name of science, of course.

-Danielle, Tech Services

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 45

Coffee with Jesus by David Wilkie
While this book can be a little controversial because of the issues it addresses, it is a very refreshing read. It originally began as a single panel comic strip on the blog of artist David Wilkie, but soon became popular thanks to social media. He incorporates several main characters into these comics that deal with everyday issues--from the person who chews too loudly at the dinner table, to politics, to (obviously) religious beliefs. The book uses humor and sarcasm to demonstrate what Wilkie defines as a "practical" Jesus in his introduction. However, even if you are somewhat put off by the tone of this work, it allows you to see familiar problems you face on a regular basis in a new light. It's a good, quick read and it's available through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference



Before, Before and Before
Before, during and after just doesn’t apply to this cinematic triptych as it delves deeply into one relationship over many years.  We imagine the ‘before’, we wait for the ‘after’ but we spend the entire time in the ‘during’.  We race our own expectations to a finish line that never quite arrives.  This is an inside view to a world that many of us will recognize in part but none of us have ever seen in full.  An experiential walk through the lives and loves of two people during the moments that are usually hidden behind closed doors or played out in a tune that only two very specific hearts can hear.

The recently concluded Before trilogy of movies takes us to the heights and then drops us into the depths of the relationship of Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy).  Before Sunrise has the two twenty-somethings meeting on a train.  They look.  They talk.  They decide to spend the night wandering the streets of Vienna together and, ostensibly, falling in love.  Ah, youth.  When I first saw this movie as a twenty-something myself, I admit my first reaction was, “They sure talk a lot!”  Now, almost twenty years later, my reaction has evolved into “Aww, it’s so nice they talk to each other so much.”  Ah, youth, indeed. 

Before Sunset drags us back into their lives nine years post-youthful Viennese love waltz and transplants us to the café’d streets of Paris.  Are they still in love?  Have they been together the whole time?  Did youthful lust and infatuation evolve into something deeper?  Does singing a waltz that you wrote in honor of one night of pure love to the person you shared that one night with nearly a decade earlier win you the love of your life?  Did they just leave that poor cab driver out there forever?  You’ll have to watch to find out.

But, of course, there’s the third movie, Before Midnight, so we know something happened.  Well, one thing that happened is that Jesse and Celine got old.  (Wait a minute, if I was twenty-something when they were twenty-something and now they’re old…well, darn!)  To me, this is the most real of the three films.  This film takes place in Greece and is where we see the passion of youth and the connection of an actual relationship turn, perhaps, into the deeper, fully-enmeshed linking of two souls in true love.  We see that, as opposed to the other types of love, true love is truly hard.  The lesson here is that imperfect humans are, alas, imperfect but in that shared imperfection you just might find the other heart that sings your perfect song.  I believe Jesse and Celine found it and I hope that all of you find or have found that other imperfect heart to sing you your perfect song.

 -Danielle, Tech Services

Sunrise

http://swan.mls.lib.il.us/search~S1?/tbefore+sunrise/tbefore+sunrise/1%2C3%2C10%2CB/frameset&FF=tbefore+sunrise&7%2C%2C7

Sunset

http://swan.mls.lib.il.us/search~S1?/tbefore+sunset/tbefore+sunset/1%2C3%2C4%2CB/frameset&FF=tbefore+sunset&2%2C%2C2/indexsort=-

Midnight

http://swan.mls.lib.il.us/search~S1?/tbefore+midnight/tbefore+midnight/1%2C6%2C15%2CB/frameset&FF=tbefore+midnight&5%2C%2C9/indexsort=-

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 44

21 by Adele
Although 21 came out in 2011, it’s one of those albums that you could listen to over and over again without complaint. No matter how many times you hear any song on the disc, the lyrics still move you and the melodies replay themselves in your head long after you’ve finished listening. I recently put it back in my CD player after having given it a rest for a couple of months and I’m wondering why I ever took it out in the first place. Not only does this album contain number one hits such as “Rolling in the Deep”, “Set Fire to the Rain”, and “Someone Like You”, but it also includes songs like “Take It All” and “One and Only”--hidden gems that, had they been released as singles, would have also topped the charts. Adele combines soul and rock in a way that puts her into her own unique category. This album is one that can be enjoyed by everyone no matter what type of music genre you prefer. I highly, highly recommend that you give it a listen. It’s definitely worth it. And it’s available at Acorn and through SWAN.

-Donna D., Reference

A Few of My Favorite Things…
Muppet Christmas Carol.  Gonzo, singing rats, Tiny Tim in polliwog form!

Elf.  ‘Nuff said.

Ref, The.  Denis Leary warming the cockles of cynics’ hearts with love and cursing.

Rudolph.  Just a misfit…Aren’t we all?  Let your nose glow!

Yule really, really love Love Actually.  Okay, I cheated.  Y’s are hard.

Christmas Vacation.  Oh, cousin Eddie…we love you, dickey and all.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas.  May all your hearts grow three sizes this holiday.

Ralphie and A Christmas Story.  Fra-Gee-Lay…it’s Italian, don’t ya know?

It’s a Wonderful Life.  You’ve all touched more lives than you realize.

Scrooge.  Alastair Sim owns this one…but McDuck is in the running!

To…

My new friends who’ve made me feel welcome and at home at…

Acorn Public Library this past year…

Season’s Greetings and Happy New Year!

And, whether your family is far or near,
At this most festive time of the year,
Stop, look around and be filled with cheer,
That none of them, not one of them, can be found here.

- Danielle, Tech Services


Christmas Tales by Charles Dickens
It has long been a tradition of mine to observe each passing Christmas by reading from Dickens’s Christmas Tales.  The obvious must-read in this collection is “A Christmas Carol,” but I would also encourage you to read two of his lesser-known works: “What Christmas Is as We Grow Older” and “A Christmas Tree,” both of which are short, powerful reflections on the Christmas season and what it means to us.  These pieces are somber, beautifully written essays that become more meaningful to me every year I read them.  If you hold Christmas dear in your heart, enjoy Dickens’s writing style, and have 15 to 30 minutes, I highly suggest you read these two selections. Christmas Tales can be found at Acorn or through SWAN. “What Christmas Is as We Grow Older” and “A Christmas Tree” are also freely available online.

-Zach, Reference

This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 43

Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff
In preparation for this month’s Barcodes Nonfiction Book Club, I read this account of Detroit’s decline into poverty. It is written from the point of view of Charlie LeDuff, a reporter who was born in Detroit, moved to New York to write for the Times, but “like salmon that swim upstream,” he returned home even though he knew of the terrible condition of his city. He tells many stories related to Detroit’s history, including that of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick who was sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison just last month for extortion, bribery, and fraud. Not only does LeDuff recount the dilapidated, burnt condition of the homes, churches, and other various buildings, but he also tells of the broken-down Detroiters living there. While this isn’t a happy story by any means, he also demonstrates the resilience of Detroit’s people. He writes in such a way that you really feel connected to these individuals. His style is a no-holds-barred tell-all that leaves me genuinely interested to see what what the future of Detroit will hold.

-Donna D., Reference

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty
Set in Australia, this novel begins by introducing the lives of three different women who live in the same vicinity of each other. One of the women, Cecilia, finds a letter from her husband to be opened by her in the event of his death. However, even though her husband is very much alive and asks her not to open it, Cecilia finds it difficult to resist the temptation. What she finds changes her life and the lives of the other two women whom she hardly even knows.

At first I found it a bit confusing trying to keep up with who is who, as there are many characters introduced early on in the book. However, once I had a grasp on the three different storylines, I found the connections between all of them quite intriguing. The story as a whole quickly grabbed my attention, and I found myself trying to read faster so that I could find out what happened next. I highly recommend this book as a very enjoyable read and something that will keep you guessing until the end. This book can be found at Acorn or through SWAN.

-Lynn, Reference

Film
Movie lovers.  Cinephiles.  Film buffs.  Whatever we may be called, we all have one thing in common, the love of darkness and sticky floors!  No, wait, that’s not it.  I meant the love of those magical projections of light that have the power not only to entertain but to reach into our deepest depths, take what they find there and tear it asunder or, perhaps, gently ease it into the light or, on occasion, send it soaring to the heavens.  We, quite simply, love movies.

Now, everyone has favorites.  Mine, quite obviously, is Smurfs 2: Revenge of Smurfette.  (I kid.)  I never really could pick just one so, instead, I’m going to talk about another, perhaps even greater love…the making of movies.

An excellent and almost all-encompassing place to start is The Story of Film: An Odyssey.  This fifteen-hour (yes, you read that correctly…this rec is coming from someone who’s watched multiple Ken Burns documentaries as well as the seventeen-hour History of Britain!) chronological tribute to one man’s love of film takes you from the very beginning of film to the digitally recorded and increasingly unreal worlds of modern cinema.  I was absolutely enthralled by this documentary with a slight lull in my enthusiasm as we entered the 1970s and slogged through to the 1990s.  After that, things again brightened as we considered the future of cinema all the way to the 2040s.  So, yes, an odyssey it is but one well worth undertaking.

After you’ve finished your master class in film history, you’re ready for the nitty-gritty of building dreams with light.  Tales from the Script gives you the writer’s often missing perspective on the world of film. Directors: Life Behind the Camera gives voice to a multitude of directors on their individual visions and how they bring them to life.  Visions of Light explores the art of cinematography, where the flesh and light become one.  The Cutting Edge (alas, not the ice skating movie…and, unfortunately, available only through inter-library loan) celebrates the often misunderstood importance of editing as the ultimate device to breathe life into the stories we all love to lose ourselves in.  The last stop on our journey is Side by Side (available at Acorn) where the future of film in a digital age is dissected and discussed and where we are given hope that our beloved medium will not soon perish from the world.

- Danielle, Tech Services

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
If you are a fan of CBS’s hit sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, there is a very good chance you will enjoy Graeme Simsion’s hilarious and heartwarming novel, The Rosie Project. The book’s narrator and protagonist is Don Tillman, a 39-year-old genetics professor whose social awkwardness, lack of empathy, emotional shortcomings, and rigid need for rules and routine (think Big Bang’s Sheldon Cooper) are more likely to be clear indicators of an undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder rather than just cute personality quirks. With his 40th birthday soon approaching and still unmarried, Don embarks on the Wife Project, creating a 16-page, double-sided questionnaire that will connect him to the perfect woman. Unfortunately, the young, beautiful, and free-spirited woman he meets through the project, Rosie Jarman, is totally unsuitable; yet he struggles to understand why he can’t tear himself away from her, even going so far as to assist her with discovering her biological father. While I don’t typically read romantic fiction, I was truly moved as Don slowly realizes that he has strong feelings for Rosie. Think of The Rosie Project as Sheldon Cooper finds love and you will have a good idea of what this book is like. The Rosie Project can be found at Acorn or through SWAN.

-Zach, Reference

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
I've been enjoying  the twists and turns of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom Ripley, a man of humble stock, grand ambitions, and one seriously discombobulated moral compass, insinuates himself into the graces of the Greenleafs, a wealthy New York family. They enlist Tom to persuade their son Dickie--lolling dissolutely as an aspiring artist in Italy--to return home in order to live as a proper scion. What happens when Tom's greed, fragile ego, and gaggle of personality disorders meet Dickie's haughty carelessness? Go to Acorn's shelves to find out!

-Megan, Reference