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National Library Week - Create Your Own Story

Do you know what my favorite thing about the library is? Everything! Ok, maybe I am biased because I work here but I do wonder about people who haven't discovered the riches within. Popular magazines? Check. The latest Michael Koryta? Check. The Wall Street Journal? Check. Nora Roberts, book discussions, graphic novels, Paolo Bacigalupi, and downloadable audio and ebooks? Check and check.
Why the celebration of the library?

It's National Library Week!
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Posted by Sarah B. on Apr 12, 2011

New Poetry Books

It's April and National Poetry Month is in full swing. It's easy to see why a large group of poets, librarians, and publishers chose April to promote this wonderful art, for as e.e.cummings said, "in Just-/ spring when the world is mud-lucious... and puddle-wonderful." Here are several contemporary books that I found compelling.
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Posted by Dory L. on Apr 11, 2011

Dark Skies (1996)

Dark Skies, one of my favorite mid-90s TV shows, recently came out on DVD. It was one of those shows that I wasn't sure would ever come out on DVD because it seemed like it never developed the sort of cult following that demands that sort of thing. As it turns out, there was a cult following that show, I just never came across it. Read more »

Posted by Library Intern on Apr 9, 2011

Road to Perdition

I saw the film based on the graphic novel by Max Collins long before reading the book. I liked the movie ok, but I loved the graphic novel Road to Perdition. Set in the early 1930's the story takes place in the midwest told from the perspective of a now-grown Michael O'Sullivan Jr. Not knowing what his father does for a living Michael Jr. stows away in his car one night to see for himself. Unfortunately his father is the "Angel of Death" for the local mob boss, John Looney. Michael Jr. witnesses a murder committed by Looney's son and is discovered.

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Posted by Elizabeth G. on Apr 7, 2011

Which Way Home

An eye-opening documentary, Which Way Home follows a number of unaccompanied children making their way from all parts of South America to the United States. Some of the children are searching for their parents who have already migrated to the U.S. Others are searching for a better life or escaping homes where they are not really wanted. The children range in age from 9-17. Read more »

Posted by Elizabeth G. on Apr 7, 2011

Hugh Hefner: playboy, activist and rebel.

Much controversy abounds the infamous figure we all know as Hugh Hefner. Most of the information we get through the media about him either has to do with his magazine or his large mansion and its current inhabitants. A new documentary film by Brigitte Berman exposes the other unknown side of Hugh Hefner, the philanthropist, social activist and peace advocate. While some people view him as a sexist, others view him as great leader for pursuing equal rights and justice for all in a time when only a few dared to do so. If that sounds hard to believe then you'll want to see this documentary, Hugh Hefner: playboy, activist and rebel. As always with anything concerning Hugh Hefner, some of the language and contents contained in this documentary are not suitable for minors (those under the age of 17) and hence this film is Rated R.

Posted by Burl C. on Apr 6, 2011

No More Dirty Looks

Have you ever read the back of your shampoo bottle and wondered what all those ingredients actually are? Then No More Dirty Looks by Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt is for you. The beauty product industry is both huge and powerful and generally don't want consumers to know that most of their products contain thousands of chemicals that can readily be absorbed through our skin. Many of these chemicals are known irritants, and some are possible carcinogens. Read more »

Posted by Sarah B. on Apr 5, 2011

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science

Age of Wonder If you only read one book about science this year, let this be the one. Richard Holmes has somehow managed to meld a compendium of 18th and 19th century scientific biographies into a compelling narrative that is part travelogue, part scientific exploration, and all magical. He begins with the story of Joseph Banks who travelled the South Seas with Captain Cook as the expedition's botanist, a position he paid for and equipped with many new instruments and two great mastiffs. Banks was one of the earliest westerners to visit Tahiti. He soon learned the language and basically abandoned his botanical studies to become an anthropologist in Paradise.
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Posted by Dory L. on Mar 30, 2011

Confessions of a Superhero

They hang out on Hollywood Boulevard and if you vacation near there you are likely to meet them and partake of their services. Their costumes are usually colorful and flamboyant. They are hard to resist. Each one leaves their home in the morning not knowing how much money they will make. A bad day could net them as little as ten to thirty dollars, a good day as much as five or six hundred.

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Posted by Keith C. on Mar 30, 2011

Tales from Outer Suburbia

Tales from Outer Surburbia Who says suburban living has to be dull and unimaginative? Welcome Shaun Tan's Tales from Outer Suburbia, which takes traditional suburban ideal living and turns it on it's head. This book is bursting with imagination as it tells 15 short, illustrated short stories filled with wonder, loss, peace, hope and redemption. Not to make it sound all like butterflies and flowers, there is a slight bizarre and surreal edge to these tales that will leave the reader both wondering and and inspired. Read more »

Posted by Sarah B. on Mar 30, 2011

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Information, Answers & Reviews