Death on the Cheap

Death on the Cheap: The Lost B Movies of Film Noir!
by Arthur Lyons [791.432 Lyo]

The cover of this one grabbed my attention, but the content kept me reading. I've always been a fan of film noir -- those black and white films of the 1940s and 1950s, featuring dark characters and plots, femmes fatale and down-on-their-luck gumshoes, that were cranked out factory-style, but occasionally turned out quite artistically. This book celebrates the second-rate films of this mystery/suspense genre. The first 66 pages of this book give background on the origins and history of Film Noir B movies, and the rest of the book is an encyclopedia of surprisingly detailed film descriptions, covering a ton of worthwhile Noirish films that you've probably never heard of. I think that the best compliment I can pay this book is that it makes me want to hang out on TCM or AMC watching late-night b&w film noir marathons. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ One of many obits of Arthur Lyons (who died in 2008) ] | [ Arthur Lyons bibliography on FantasticFiction.co.uk ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist - A Tub of Tomes 2010

On March 19, 2010 at the Bethany Branch library, Lisa V. presented a booktalk on the theme of A Tub of Tomes 2010 (featuring a mixture of both fiction and non-fiction titles) to the regular Books Talk group that meets weekly at that neighborhood library.

A Tub of Tomes for 2010
Bethany Branch Books Talk, March 19, 2010
Lisa V.

The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had
by Susan Wise Bauer [028.8 qBau]

Bauer offers advice on strategies and skills of reading for adults wishing to give themselves a classical liberal arts education. Introductory chapters discuss the act of reading itself, describing ways to transform oneself into a skilled and dedicated reader. The latter half of the text is dedicated to describes strategies to gain the most of novels, autobiographies, histories, drama, and poetry through critical reading.

The Bricklayer
by Noah Boyd

The FBI recruits Steve Vail, an agent it has just fired, to solve a brilliant and deadly extortion plot where a group called Rubaco Pentad is killing human targets one by one unless the bureau gives them cash, with the dollar amount and body count escalating each time the agency doesn't pay up.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, must exonerate her father of murder. Armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together and examine new suspects, she begins a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself.

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
by Mark Harris [791.43 Har]

Harris explores the epic human drama behind the making of the five movies nominated for Best Picture in 1967-Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Doctor Doolittle, and Bonnie and Clyde-and through them, the larger story of the cultural revolution that transformed Hollywood, and America, forever.

The Savage Garden
by Mark Mills

A remarkable novel set in the Tuscan hills: the story of two murders, four hundred years apart-and the ties that bind them together. Adam Banting, a somewhat aimless young scholar at Cambridge University, is called to his professor's office one afternoon and assigned a special summer project: to write a scholarly monograph about a famous garden built in the 1500s. Delving into his subject, Adam begins to suspect that his summer project might be a setup. Is he really just the naive student, stumbling upon clues, or is the villa's ownder using him to discover for herself the true meaning of the villa's murderous past?

The Beautiful Cigar Girl -- Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder
by Daniel Stashower [364.152 Sta]

This book tells the sensational real-life story of the 1841 murder of Mary Rogers, New York City's "beautiful cigar girl"--along with the real-life story of how Edgar Allen Poe transformed the crime into the short story that would invent modern detective fiction and that he hoped would turn his failing career around.

Three Bags Full
by Leonie Swann

A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd. On a hillside near the cozy Irish village of Glennkill, the members of the flock gather around their shepherd, George, whose body lies pinned to the ground with a spade. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George's killer.

Darkside [on CD]

Darkside
by P.T. Deutermann [Compact Disc Deutermann]

P. T. Deutermann set this novel at his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy. It's spring and the academic year is almost over. The seniors are looking forward to graduating and the plebes are looking forward to the end of their first year. All except for Brian Dell, who plunges to his death from a sixth-story window. Was it a suicide by a plebe that couldn't handle the academic life? Was it an accident? Why was there bruising on his upper arms? Why was he wearing undergarments belonging to midshipman Julie Markham? The NCIS is brought in to answer these questions. While the NCIS is investigating Dell's death, the academy's security chief, Jim Hall, is conducting a different investigation. A midshipman is running amok in the steam tunnels beneath the campus and a second death draws the NCIS detective into Hall's case. Deutermann paints a vivid picture of academy life - the rugged academic standards, the emphasis on fitness through competitive sports, the lack of a social life for plebes because they don't have time. The descriptions of Jim Hall's excursions down into the dimly lit tunnels have a creepy feel to them. I could almost feel the mortar from the old bricks sifting down the collar of my shirt as I listened to the reader describe how Hall stood still with his back to the brick walls, the mortar drifting down his neck listening for the footsteps of the miscreant. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Alex Berenson, Vince Flynn or Brian Haag.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in print format.]

[ official Darkside page on the official P.T. Deutermann web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Moon [on DVD]

New Moon
based on the book by Stephenie Meyer

This second film in the Twilight series finds Bella pining for Edward after Edward and his family leave Forks (ostensibly to protect her). This one focuses more on the introduction of the werewolves, the ranks of whom Bella's young friend native friend Jacob has just joined. Bella's refusal to abandon her love for Edward and a miscommunication that leads Edward to believe that Bella has killed herself, ultimately leads to a confrontation with the Volturi -- the ancient vampire ruling council, and sets in motion events that should play out in the third and fourth films. I found the werewolf special effects a bit lacking (i.e. "unbelievable") in this film, but the charming Taylor Lautner as Jacob really comes into his own in New Moon. For those who are already fans, you'll love this. For those who don't "get" the Twilight series, this is another heaping helping of over-the-top paranormal teen angst. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print, book-on-cd [abridged or unabridged], and downloadable audio formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official New Moon movie web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist - Charlotte's Esoterica

On May 3rd, 2010 at the Gere Branch library, Charlotte K. presented a booktalk on the theme of Charlotte's Esoterica (featuring a mixture of both fiction and non-fiction titles) to the regular Books Talk group that meets weekly at that neighborhood library.

Click the link above to connect to the libraries' BookGuide site to see a booklist of this booktalk, with detailed descriptions of all 33 books she discussed, and with hotlinks into the libraries' online catalog for all those titles, which are available through the Lincoln City Libraries system.

Or...here are the titles as well:

FICTION

FlashForward
by Robert J. Sawyer
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (on Compact Disc)
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [Compact Disc Shaffer]
No One Noticed the Cat
by Anne McCaffrey

FICTION -- SERIES

The Bishop at the Lake
A Father Blackie Ryan mystery
by Andrew Greeley
A Cold Day for Murder
A Kate Shugak mystery
by Dana Stabanow
Hamish Macbeth: Series Two
by M.C. Beaton
Organize Your Corpses
A Charlotte Adams mystery
by Mary Jane Maffini
The Visitant
An Anasazi mystery
by Kathleen O'Neal Gear
You've Got Murder
A Turing Hopper mystery
by Donna Andrews

NON-FICTION

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter
by Steve Dublanica [647.95 Dub]
H.E.L.P.: The Healthy Exchanges Lifetime Program: It's Not a Diet, It's a Way of Life
by JoAnna M. Lund [641.563 Lun]
Healthy Exchanges Cookbook: It's Not a Diet, It's a Way of Life
by JoAnna M. Lund [641.563 Lun]
October Sky
[DVD jB H515]
The Partners: Inside America's Most Powerful Law Firms
by James B. Stewart [340 Ste]
Population, 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time
by Michael Perry [917.75 Per]
They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated and Forgotten Mystery Novels
by Jim Huang [809.387 Hua]

Murder on the Menu

Murder on the Menu
by Jeanine Larmoth [809.387 Lar]

Larmoth examinies the use of food (and poisons) in the classic British mystery. Each chapter includes several recipes. She examines the library snack, strong drink, the tea trolley, the gardener, and the kitchen, among others. Anyone who enjoys British cozies will find this a delight. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Murder Book by Tage LaCour.] -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Portrait of Jeanine Larmoth on authorguide.net ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book

The Ultimate Shortcut Cookie Book: 745 Scrumptious Recipes That Start With Refrigerated Cookie Dough, Cake Mix, Brownie Mix, or Ready-to-Eat Cereal
by Camilla V. Saulsbury [641.865 Sau]

Do you love the convenience of mixes for brownies and cookies? Do you want to make your desserts look and taste special? This cookbook may be for you. It contains 745 recipes that use cake mix, brownie mix, refrigerated cookie dough or ready-to-eat cereal to create tasty desserts. In this wide variety of recipes you can find a cookie or brownie that is suitable for any occasion. The Apple Cranberry Harvest Cookies are made with spice cake mix and chunks of apple and are perfect for a club meeting. Snickerdoodles, a long-time favorite of mine, are made with refrigerated sugar cookie dough. The Chocolate Glazed Mint Frosted brownies make great treats for co-workers. Cereal based cookies like the Black Forest Bites do not require baking and are a tasty choice for summer days when you don't want to heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven. Camilla Saulsbury has written ten cookbooks and often appears on the Food Network.. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Cake Mix Doctor and the What Can I Bring Cookbook, both by Ann Byrn.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Camilla Saulsbury web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Young Ones (Extra Stoopid Edition)

The Young Ones [Extra Stoopid Edition]

I grew up with this British import airing on the local PBS station back in the early 1980s, so I was pleased to see that the libraries have it on DVD. This series is definitely not for everyone -- think Monty Python's Flying Circus if done by angry punk rockers. Part sketch comedy and part sitcom, The Young Ones were a group of edgy male students who lived together and got into completely unrealistic adventures. There was a "normal" guy, a punk-metal musician, a spacey hippie, and an anarchist revolutionary. And that doesn't even include the regular appearances of British standup comedian Alexei Sayle. If you like your comic television sophisticated, stay as far away from this set as possible. But if you like anarchy, comedic chaos, slapstick, sometimes infantile humor, punk music and occasionally a bit of things blowing up...give The Young Ones a try! There were only 12 episodes made, so this is the complete run of the series. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ The Young Ones page on Wikipedia ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Northern Light: Nordic Art at the Turn of the Century

Northern Light: Nordic Art at the Turn of the Century
by Kirk Varnedoe [709.48 qVar]

This book introduces the reader to many Scandinavian artists, most of whom the reader will not recognize. Probably the most well known artist in the book is Edvard Munch. (His most famous painting is undoubtedly "The Scream.") Sweden's Carl Larsson also appears. The book includes reproductions in color of every artist represented and is therefore a good opportunity to learn more about Scandinavian art. The author includes artists from Finland and Iceland, in addition to the perhaps better known painters from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the subject heading "Art--Scandinavia" or "Munch, Edvard."] -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Biographical portrait of Kirk Varnedoe ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

212

212
by Alafair Burke

There are lots of things going on in this page turner -- a real estate mogul with a judge in his pocket, three women working for an escort service, a missing woman, an N.Y.P.D. lieutenant with a conflict of interest and murder. 212 opens with Detective Ellie Hatcher spending a night in jail for contempt of court. The book quickly moves onto the murder investigation of Megan Guenther who had a lodged a complaint of cyber stalking before her death. Sadly, the desk sergeant told her "nothing could be done." The title, 212, refers to New York City's area code and the name of a plush penthouse, the location of one of the murders. Alafair Burke is the daughter of James Lee Burke. But Ellie Hatcher is nothing like Dave Robicheaux. Alafair has her own voice and sets this series in New York City where she lives and teaches at Hostra University. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Samantha Kincaid series by Alafair Burke, the works of Brian Freeman and the Walt Fleming series by Ridley Pearson.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in book-on-cd format.]

[ official 212 page on the official Alafair Burke web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Topaz

Topaz
directed by Alfred Hitchcock

This Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller is adapted from a novel of the same name by Leon Uris. Topaz is set during the height of the cold war. Kennedy and Khrushchev stand toe to toe. A Russian intelligence officer defects to the West. He tells CIA agent Nordstrom that Russia is sending missiles to Cuba. Nordstrom asks his friend and French intelligence agent, André Devereaux to go to Cuba to find proof. Devereaux asks his mistress, Juanita de Cordoba, a leader of the Cuban underground resistance, to photograph the missiles as they are unloaded from Russian ships. Devereaux smuggles the photos out of Cuba and take them to Nordstrom in Washington D.C. In return for the information Nordstrom warns Devereaux about a Russian spy ring with code name Topaz that is operating inside the French Intelligence Service. Devereaux goes back to Paris check out the spy nest. Uris based his book on a true story. His friend, Philippe Thyraud de Vosjoli, the former chief of French intelligence in the U.S. told Uris a remarkable tale of Russian espionage penetration and French apathy. A Russian spy ring operated freely inside the SDECE, the French Intelligence Agency in the early 60s. This ring went by the code name, Sapphire. For his book, Uris changed the code name to Topaz. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Torn Curtain, Our Man in Havana, and Havana.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in original novel format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

This Book is Overdue!

This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
by Marilyn Johnson [020.23 Joh]

Since I had really enjoyed Johnson's earlier book, The Dead Beat, and I've worked in libraries for 30 years, I presumed I would love her look at the world of today's librarians. Oddly, I found this one a bit disappointing, but perhaps that's an "insider's" perspective. Johnson touches on the history of librarianship, but primarily focuses on the world of libraries and, specifically, librarians of today...a world of constantly changing information-based landscapes and services. As with her obits book before, Johnson's greatest strength is her ability to find the quirky and expand what could have been a mere anecdote into a story with substance. In this book, the best parts for me were about blogging librarians around the world, a distance-learning program to assist Third World librarians, the virtual world of Second Life libraries, and an exploration of the difference between librarians and archivists. If you're curious about why librarians are still necessary in the days of Google, ebooks and diminishing fiscal resources, give this one a try! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Dead Beat, the earlier book by this author.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official This Book is Overdue! web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Maggie Needs an Alibi

Maggie Needs an Alibi
by Kasey Michaels

This lighthearted book is a good read on a lazy afternoon. It combines mystery and romance with a touch of fantasy. Maggie Kelly writes mysteries set in Regency England. She has put a lot of thought into her books' hero, Alexander Blakely, the Viscount St. Just and his friend Sterling Balder. Maggie made Blakely handsome, but not too handsome. She gave him charm, wit, intelligence and a touch of arrogance. Maggie bestowed Sterling with unwavering loyalty and kindness. She vividly describes these characters in her novels. Maggie does such a good job that Alex and Sterling jump off the pages -- literally. One day Maggie is standing in her living room. She turns around and is shocked to find two men dressed in clothing from the early 1800s. After reviving Maggie from her faint the men introduce themselves as the characters from her series -- Alexander Blakely and Sterling Balder. They tell her that they have decided to live with her in 21st century New York. Alex and Sterling have amusing problems adjusting to some aspects of modern day life, but they catch on quickly to other things, like using Maggie's credit card to buy stuff on the home shopping channel. Maggie explains Alex and Sterling to her friends as visitors from England. Alex is her distant cousin and Sterling is his friend. One evening Maggie has a dinner party. One of her guests, Kirk Toland, dies that night from eating poisonous mushrooms. Mushrooms were in one Maggie's dishes so she is the natural suspect. Maggie, with the dubious assistance of Alex and Sterling, works to clear her name. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, the Carlotta Wren series by Stephanie Bond, or the Wolly Shelley series by Harley Jane Kozak.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Maggie page on the official Kasey Michaels web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Grave Secret (on Compact Disc)

Grave Secret
by Charlaine Harris [Compact Disc Harris]

Grave Secret is the 4th in Charlaine Harris' increasingly popular Harper Connelly series, and the most "personal" one to date. Harper, struck by lightning as a teenager, has the ability to detect/find corpses, and, if she's close enough to them, sense what those bodies sensed in their last few moments of life. Though I was one of the readers who was made uncomfortable by the physical relationship Harper and Tolliver began in the previous volume, I've stuck with the series because the writing is so strong. That hasn't let up in this volume, in which Harper and Tolliver return to Texas to see their youngest stepsisters and take on a job for a rich ranch family. Unexpected discoveries abound as that new case dovetails with events in Harper and Tolliver's personal lives, leading ultimately to a shocking revelation about the fate of Harper's sister, Cameron, who disappeared almost 10 years ago. Despite the "squick" factor over Harper and Tolliver, this is probably still my favorite of the books in this series so far! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the earlier volumes in this series.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print format.]

[ official Harper Connelly page on the official Charlaine Harris web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist - Karrie's Year of Reading 2010

On March 8th, 2010 at the Gere Branch library, Karrie S. presented a booktalk on the theme of Karrie's Year of Reading - 2010 (featuring a mixture of both fiction and non-fiction titles) to the regular Books Talk group that meets weekly at that neighborhood library.

Click the link above to connect to the libraries' BookGuide site to see a booklist of this booktalk, with detailed descriptions of all 33 books she discussed, and with hotlinks into the libraries' online catalog for all those titles, which are available through the Lincoln City Libraries system.

Haunt Me Still

Haunt Me Still
by Jennifer Lee Carrell

In the author's notes at the end of this book Carrell wonders why Macbeth is shorter than the other tragedies that Shakespeare wrote during the same time period. Is there something missing from this play? Did Shakespeare originally write another, much longer play that delved in the occult? Was Macbeth rewritten to omit these scenes? These questions are the seeds from which this novel grew. Kate Stanley, an academic turned Shakespearean director, is recruited by Lady Nairen to find the original manuscript of Macbeth and stage the play. Kate is not the only person looking for the play. Her ruthless competition stops at nothing in this literary thriller. Carrell weaves superstitions about Macbeth into the plot. Legend has it that Shakespeare incorporated witches' curses in the original manuscript. The witches were outraged and placed a curse on the play. Even today, theater people often consider it to be bad luck to mention Macbeth by name while inside a theater. They usually refer to Macbeth as The Scottish Play. If someone does say "Macbeth" that person must perform one of several rituals to negate the curse. The most popular ritual requires the offender to leave the building, walk three times around it, spit over their left shoulder, say an obscenity and wait to be invited back inside. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Kate Carlisle, John Dunning and Julie Kaewart.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Haunt Me Still page on the official Jennifer Lee Carrell web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

It All Changed in an Instant!

It All Changed in an Instant! More Six-Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure
edited by Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith [808.88 Fer]

This is the third collection of Six Word Memoirs from Smith magazine, following Not Quite What I Was Planning and Six Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak. As with the earlier volumes, these were inspired by the (perhaps aprocryphal) tale of Ernest Hemingway being challenged to write an entire novel in just six words. His supposed contribution: "For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn". This collection features works primarily by unknowns, with a few contributions by celebrities or well-known writers. The entries can range from funny, ironic and off-color, to touching, thought-provoking and insightful. There are even a few entries from artists, whose contributions take the form of little comic-book or graphic novel pages. This volume also includes some brief biographical profiles in an appendix, giving more detailed background information behind some of the six word contributions in the earlier part of the book. If you end up finding these to be engrossing, and you're into Twitter, try signing up for the Six Word Memoir of the Day on that service. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Not Quite What I Was Planning, from the same folks.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Six-Word Memoirs page on the official Smith Magazine web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

West of Last Chance

West of Last Chance
by Peter Brown and Kent Haruf [917.82 qBro]

This coffee table book is collaboration between Kent Haruf, who known for his eloquent fiction set in the high plains, and Peter Brown who has photographed the plains for 25 years. Brown trained his lens on the small towns and vast landscape of the central United States. He roamed eastern Colorado, western Texas, Kansas, South Dakota and the Nebraska sandhills capturing moments in time. The beauty of photography is that it preserves a slice of life that will never come again. Be it a waitress leaning on the counter in a café or dark gray clouds roiling over the prairie. There will be similar moments to be sure, but none just like these. Brown's photography is enhanced by Kent Haruf's moving prose about life in the high plains. The stories range from pioneer days when a young couple from Ohio dug a dugout in the side of a hill. One day the wife watched in horror as rattlesnakes dropped from the dirt ceiling into her baby's crib. With her heart in her mouth she tiptoed to the crib and carefully took up her son. She left her husband this terse note: "Gone home." And end with modern day stories about the fellowship that is served along with the food at small town church suppers. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild by Michael Forsberg, Along the Edge of Daylight by Georg Jourtas, and Distinctly American : the photography of Wright Morris / essays by Alan Trachtenberg and Ralph Lieberman.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official West of Last Chance page on the official Peter Brown web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist - Get Real!

On January 29th, 2010 at the Bethany Branch library, branch supervisor Kim S. presented a booktalk on the theme of Get Real! (a variety of non-fiction topics) to the regular Books Talk group that meets weekly at that neighborhood library.

Click the link above to connect to the libraries' BookGuide site to see a booklist of this booktalk, with detailed descriptions of all 14 books she discussed, and with hotlinks into the libraries' online catalog for all those titles, which are available through the Lincoln City Libraries system.

Here are Kim's 14 titles (also hotlinked here!):

I'm Proud of You: My Friendship With Fred Rogers
by Tim Madigan [791.452 RogYm]

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
by Gary Chapman [646.78 Cha]

What Now?
by Ann Patchett [155.24 Pat]

The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch [158.1 Pau]

A Three Dog Life: A Memoir
by Abigail Thomas [612.82 Tho]

Wishful Drinking
by Carrie Fisher [Biography Fisher]

The Great Christmas Cookie Swap Cookbook: 60 Large Batch Recipes
by the Editors of Good Housekeeping [641.568 Goo]

Loose Threads: Stories to Keep Quilters in Stitches
by Helen Kelley [746.46 Kel]

Revved: An Incredible Way to Rev Up Your Workplace and Achieve Amazing Results
by Harry Paul [658.314 Pau]

The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life
by Lorie Marrero [648.8 Mar]

Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?
by Peter Walsh [648.8 Wal]

Good Dog. Stay.
by Anna Quindlen [636.7 Qui]

Stop Acting Rich...and Start Living Like a Real Millionaire
by Thomas J. Stanley [305.523 Sta]

Building a Home With My Husband: A Journey Through the Renovation of Love
by Rachel Simon [306.81 Sim]

Customer Review - Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
by Michael Pollan [613.2 Pol]

I have seen interviews with Michael Pollan and one was on this book. It really makes you think about what you are eating. The point that sticks out to me is: You shouldn't eat anything that your Great-Grandmother (or Grandmother) wouldn't know how to eat, ie. GoGurt). I have seen a couple of his movies, Food Inc. and King Corn. -- reviewed by Nicole B. - patron of the Gere Branch Library

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you enjoy this review? Would you like to submit a recommendation of your own?

Library customers can submit reviews of Lincoln City Libraries materials two ways -- you can submit a review of an item directly in the libraries' online catalog, which can be seen by people searching for that particular item. Or you can submit a reading suggestion for general recommendation, to appear on BookGuide on our Customer Reviews page.

Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby
by Charles Dickens [DVD Dickens]

While the 1982 Royal Shakespeare Company version (released on video by A&E Home Video in 1994) remains the gold standard in dramatizations of _Nicholas Nickleby_, its 9-hour running time may be a bit daunting to some viewers. This 1977 production, weighing in at "only" about 5 1/2 hours, has much to recommend it. The basic story line comes through intact, though the threads that connect some of the subplots to the main plot are lost. While the cast is not quite as engaging as the later version's, Nigel Havers makes a splendid Nicholas, and most of the other major roles are at least competently played. -- recommended by Peter J. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in a variety of other formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this production ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

My Dark Places

My Dark Places
by James Ellroy [364.152 Ell]

In 1958, James Ellroy's mother, Jean, was murdered in Los Angeles. Her murderer was never found. James was only ten years old at the time, and soon he became obsessed with murdered women and crime. In 1994, Ellroy teams up with long time homicide detective Bill Stoner to reopen the case. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Black Dahlia Files: the mob, the mogul, and the murder than transfixed Los Angeles. Call number 364.152 Wol. Also consult the subject headings for Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia.] -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library


[ My Dark Places page on Wikipedia ] | [ James Ellroy page on Wikipedia ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

SWEET land

SWEET Land
[DVD Sweetland]

The film begins with the wake for Olaf, a Norwegian-American farmer on the prairie of Minnesota. His widow, Inge, discovers a photo of herself taken in 1920 when she was newly arrived to this country. Most of the rest of this movie is a flashback to their meeting and the events, family, and friends surrounding their courtship. Olaf is a Norwegian-American farmer on the prairie of Minnesota in 1920. He sends away for a mail-order bride and Inge arrives. They head directly to the Lutheran church to be married but it turns out Inge is of German descent, not Norwegian as Olaf expected, and her immigration papers are not in order. This is just after WWI so anti-German sentiment is still running high. The pastor refuses to marry them using her papers as the excuse. Since they aren’t married they cannot live together, so Olaf houses her with his best friend, Frandsen, and his wife Brownie, while they figure out what to do next. Inge’s English is fractured and she initially has a difficult time assimilating into the community who are still hostile to her heritage. Frandsen and Brownie are very welcoming and become good friends to her, but with their nine children the house is overflowing. Inge returns to Olaf’s house while he moves into the barn until they can finally marry. Many in the community are scandalized at this. Then, Frandsen faces foreclosure on his farm and Olaf must make a decision. This is a character-driven story, slow-moving but not boring, as the viewer watches relationships develop and stories unfold. One would think this quiet film to be another outstanding PBS production but it’s actually an independent film based on the short story “A Gravestone Made of Wheat” by Will Weaver. Many of the supporting cast members are recognizable faces, such as John Heard and Ned Beatty. Winner of, and nominated for, many awards including Best Narrative Feature from Hamptons International Film Festival (2005); Best Film from Vail Film Festival (2006), and Wisconsin Film Festival (2006); Best First Feature from Independent Spirit Awards (2007); and Best Actress-Feature Film from Newport Beach Film Festival (2006). This is not a film to half-watch while paying your bills or checking email, you would miss so much of the unspoken drama between the actors. The country scenes are breathtaking. Grab your popcorn and sit back to give your full attention to a moving story. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official SWEET Land web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Customer Review - The Girl Who Played With Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire
by Stieg Larsson

I almost returned this unfinished because I just couldn't get involved in it. Luckily I persisted and really enjoyed the 2nd half, reading at a blistering speed. It will make a great movie, but unfortunately will probably not get into the characters points of view. So many characters with bewildering Scandinavian names. Just shows how important even a characters name is to help a reader focus. I should have read the 1st book in the series first but it just wasn't on the shelf and I wanted to get started NOW. Now I am going to see the "...Tattoo..." movie at Ross. I love non-American centric pieces! -- reviewed by Vera G. - patron of Gere Branch Library

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Library customers can submit reviews of Lincoln City Libraries materials two ways -- you can submit a review of an item directly in the libraries' online catalog, which can be seen by people searching for that particular item. Or you can submit a reading suggestion for general recommendation, to appear on BookGuide on our Customer Reviews page.

Making Toast

Making Toast
by Roger Rosenblatt [Biography Rosenblatt]

This is a bittersweet, painful little gem of a book. When columnist/writer/university professor Roger Rosenblatt's 38-year-old daughter dies suddenly of a rare and undiagnosed heart condition, he and his wife Ginny move in with their son-in-law to help raise their three young grandchildren. Rosenblatt's book is basically just a series of slice-of-life vignettes, told mostly in chronological order (with a few flashbacks) as Roger and Ginny settle into the "parenting" routine they thought they'd left behind 20 years earlier. Family members each have different ways of coping with their losses, and Rosenblatt himself is superb at controlling his emotions. Each scene of this book is like a brittle, fragile feather -- you're never quite sure if it will crumble or disintegrate. But when you combine all of those feathers together, by the end of the book, you've got an entire pillow's worth of feathers -- capable of supporting the heavy emotional load of the subject matter. I found Making Toast to be an exceptional read, and Rosenblatt's ultimate message that "life goes on" and you should make the most of the small moments, was reassuring. Even if those small moments are as simple as perfecting the methods of making toast for your grandchildren. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in downloadable audio and book-on-cd formats.]

[ Making Toast as it originally appeared as a column in The New Yorker ] | [ official Roger Rosenblatt web page from HarperCollins.com ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist - Truth Be Told

On April 26th, 2010 at the Gere Branch, Lisa V. presented a booktalk on the theme of Truth be Told: Some Non-Fiction Favorites to the regular Books Talk group that meets weekly at that location.

Click the link above to connect to the libraries' BookGuide site to see a booklist of this booktalk, with detailed descriptions of the 10 books she discussed, and with hotlinks into the libraries' online catalog for all those titles, which are available through the Lincoln City Libraries system.

An American Celebration: The Art of Charles Wysocki

An American Celebration: The Art of Charles Wysocki
by Charles Wysocki [759.13 Wys]

In over 200 full-color works, Wysocki celebrates Americana, painting quilting bees, pumpkin patches, carriages, the post office, etc. in his folkart style. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try American folk paintings: paintings and drawings other than portraits from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center.] -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library


[ official Charles Wysocki web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist - Eat, Drink and Be Merry, Part Deux

On February 12th and March 1st, 2010 at the Bethany and Gere Branches, Shannon K. presented a booktalk on the theme of Eat, Drink and Be Merry, Part Deux (a followup to a previous booktalk) to the regular Books Talk groups that meet weekly at those libraries.

Click the link above to connect to the libraries' BookGuide site to see a booklist of this booktalk, with detailed descriptions of the nearly-15 books she discussed, and with hotlinks into the libraries' online catalog for all those titles, which are available through the Lincoln City Libraries system.

The Bone Thief

The Bone Thief
by Jefferson Bass

Jefferson Bass is the writing team of Jon Jefferson and Bill Bass. Jon Jefferson is a journalist and a filmmaker. Bill Bass is a forensic anthropologist who taught at the University of Tennessee. He also founded the Anthropological Research Facility, better known as The Body Farm. They collaborate on the plots. Bass provides the expertise while Jefferson pounds away at the keyboard and creates the manuscripts. Their protagonist, Bill Brockton, is based on Bill Bass. Like Bass, Brockton teaches anthropology at the University of Tennessee and he runs The Body Farm. This book delves into the ugly world of black market sales of bodies and body parts. The FBI convinces Brockton to help them with a sting operation so they can bring some of these traffickers to justice. Brockton's moral compass makes it hard for him to play the role of budding black marketer. This is the fifth book in this well-crafted series. The plots are well-thought out. There is a strong sense of place. It's easy to visualize the steel girders that support Neyland Stadium and the offices underneath it that house the anthropology department. Bill Brockton and his graduate assistant Miranda Lovelady have a very comfortable relationship -- lots of banter and the occasional difference of opinion. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Diane Fallon Series by Beverly Connor, the Lindsay Chamberlain Series by Beverly Connor, the Temperance Brennan Series by Kathy Reichs, or The early Patricia Cornwell novels.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department


[ official The Bone Thief section of the official Jefferson Bass web site ]

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.