Thursday, March 31, 2011

A Fierce Radiance


A Fierce Radiance
by Lauren Belfer

Imagine a world where people routinely die from infected cuts and scratches. Its 1941 and penicillin is an experimental drug. Researchers at the Rockefeller Institute are growing the green mold in milk bottles and bedpans and testing the drug on patients with raging infections. Claire Shipley, a staff photographer for Life Magazine, is documenting the treatment of one of the patients, Edwin Reese. As she photographs Reese getting his penicillin shot from Dr. James Stanton Claire flashes back to memories of her daughter's illness and death seven years before. Three-year Emily got a scratch that became infected and turned into blood poisoning. After Emily's death, Claire and her husband divorced and Claire was left to raise their infant son, Charlie. Claire pushes her memories aside continue photographing Reese, his family and the staff of the Rockefeller Institute. Claire is drawn to the head researcher, James Stanton and they begin a romance that is interrupted by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and America's entry in World War II. While Claire continues her work James Stanton is tapped as the national scientific coordinator and he is tasked to provide enough penicillin to treat battlefield injuries. The story of Claire and James spans the war years. James travels around the United States and to North Africa in his official capacity. Claire's photo shoots bring war-time New York City into sharp focus for the reader in this well- researched book. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and City of Light by Lauren Belfer.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

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

[ official A Fierce Radiance page on the official Lauren Belfer 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.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

RED


RED
[DVD Red]

With a cast like Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Mary Louise Parker how can you go wrong? The story follows Bruce Willis, a retired spy for the CIA, who finds himself being hunted by his own agency. He teams up with his old gang (Mirren, Freeman and Malkovich) to find out why while trying to keep Mary Louise Parker (his love interest) safe. There's action, romance and a lot of comedy in this thrilling adventure. If you like spy movies this is a must-see. [If you enjoy this, you may wish to try Burn Notice the TV series- which is also about a spy who's been made a target by his own agency, and The Die Hard series also starring Bruce Willis, more action and comedy.] -- recommended by Carrie K - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official RED 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.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Our World


Our World
photographs by Molly Malone Cook, text by Mary Oliver [770.924 CooYo]

This book is a tribute to Molly Malone Cook by her long-time partner, Mary Oliver. Cook's black and white images are interspersed with Oliver's eloquent prose and poetry. Together these photos and writings tell part of the story of a photographic pioneer. Cook opened what was probably the first photographic gallery on the east coast in the early 1950s, called the VII Photographers Studio. She represented photographers such as Ansel Adams and Edward Steichen. Cook began honing her photographer's eye while traveling through Europe when she was in her twenties and preserving the slices of life that she saw on film. The majority of the photos are shots of people who walked through Cook's life. Some lingered only long enough for one picture. Others became friends and neighbors. A few were famous such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Norman Mailer. Many were unassuming souls. As I paged through the book admiring the artistry of photos I paused to read Mary Oliver's reminisces about their lives together. All in all it is a very satisfying book. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ Wikipedia page for Mary Oliver ]

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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.

Monday, March 28, 2011

One Giant Leap for Lambkind


One Giant Leap for Lambkind
[DVD j Shaun]

From the animation wizards who brought us Wallace & Gromit, here are Shaun the Sheep and his many barnyard friends and foes. This DVD contains 6 of the 40 first-season episodes of this British stop-motion animated series. Each episode is about 7 minutes long, and features absolutely no dialog, although plenty of baas and other animal sounds. Shaun has human level intelligence, and is very crafty...which comes in handy for getting himself and his friends both in and out of trouble. Bitzer is the farmer's loyal sheepdog, but he's as much a friend to the sheep as a foe. In this particular collection, in which the episodes are aired completely out of order, two of the six stories feature visits from adorable meddling aliens. The humor is all very slapstick, and resembles that of silent film comedies of the 1930s. And the animation is fresh, unlikely most of the computer and/or hand-drawn animation common to today's televised cartoons. The only negative about this DVD is that the producers have chosen to convert the original widescreen British version to a pan-and-scan version on the US edition -- In several of the cartoons, it is very obvious that part of the image has been cut off. Still...incredibly entertaining. Aimed at kids, but the adults will definitely appreciate it as well. I hope the libraries will get more in this series! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Shaun the Sheep 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.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Trail of Blood


Trail of Blood
by Lisa Black

Lisa Black weaves the true story of the Cleveland Torso Murderer into this page-turner. The Torso Murderer terrorized depression-scarred Cleveland when he decapitated and dismembered 12 victims between 1935 and 1938. He was never caught. In Black's fictionalized version, forensic scientist, Theresa MacLean is called to a demolition site because a decapitated body is found in a sealed room. The body is identified as James Miller, a police officer who disappeared in 1936. This cold case fascinates Theresa and she looks forward to the challenge of solving it. Shortly after this body is found, someone starts killing people using the same M.O. as the Torso Murderer. Why is someone copying the old murders? Are the two killers linked in some way? Black draws on her experiences as a forensic scientist for the Cuyahoga County Ohio Coroner's Office to create a realistic character in Theresa MacLean. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Lisa Black 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.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

New Booktalk Booklist - Scott's Grab Bag 2011


Scott C., librarian at the Bennett Martin Public Library, and one of the folks responsible for maintaining the libraries' BookGuide web pages, presented an all-new booktalk at Bethany Branch on March 18, 2011, and again at Gere Branch on March 21, 2011. Scott didn't have an overall theme for this talk -- other than favorite reads from the past two years that he had entered into his LibraryThing account -- but he did include nearly 40 titles, in both the fiction and non-fiction categories, and in both print and audio formats.

Scott's list of titles -- Scott's Grab Bag 2011 -- is now available as a printable PDF on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. Check it out for some great book and book-on-cd suggestions

Unbroken (on compact disc)


Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand [Biography Zamperini]

Based on positive reviews I had read for this NYT best-selling biography, I reserved the book-on-CD version. I was not disappointed. This is one of the most powerful biographies I've read in years. Following the life of Louis Zamperini from his troublesome childhood, through the sports fame of his youth, to his nightmarish experiences during World War II, and concluding with a brief section on his post-War years, Hillenbrand has crafted an incredible tale. Narrator Edward Herrman does a remarkable job, infusing only minimal emotion into his reading of Hillenbrand's detail-infused text. I initially didn't like Louis, based on his anti-social behavior as a kid. However, once he dedicates his life to his sport -- running -- and ends up at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, I found myself intrigued by his story. But, it isn't until the narrative begins to chronicle Zamperini's experiences during WWII that the reader is fully sucked into the story. What follows, as we are told about his time adrift on a life raft after his plane is shot down, and then the horrors as he is moved from one Japanese P.O.W. facility to another, is truly gut-wrenching. Hillenbrand's matter-of-fact telling of these events helps to desensitize the reader to Zamperini's nightmare a bit, but I am still haunted by what he went through, weeks after finishing this book. This is an unforgettable tale, and one told with mastery by the author of Seabiscuit. I can't recomment it highly enough, and I particularly recommend the audiobook version with Herrman's narration. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Last Good War: The Faces and Voices of World War II is a 2010 coffee-table photography/biography collection, which combines contemporary shots of WWII vets (including Zamperini) with essays in which they share their experiences (available through InterLibrary Loan). Zamperini also wrote his own autobiography in 2003, Devil at My Heels, which covers much the same ground but has a totally different feel or tone to it.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print, downloadable audio, downloadable E-book and Large Print formats.]

[ Publisher's official Unbroken web site ] | [ Wikipedia page for Laura Hillenbrand ]

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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.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Operation Mincemeat (on compact disc)


Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory
by Ben Macintyre [Compact Disc 940.548 Mac]

How does one fool German intelligence? This was the question that British intelligence officers mulled. Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu and Squadron Leader Charles Cholmondeley dreamed up the idea of allowing the Germans to find the body of a courier carrying false invasion plans. This is the story of how this pair found a body that had appeared to have drowned and created an identity for him. The identity that the Germans would see could only come from the clothes he wore, the items in his pockets and the letters in his possession. They chose the body of Glyndwr Michael, the son of a poor Welsh coal miner to play the role of William Martin, a major in the British Marines. Montagu and Cholmondeley gave a lot of thought to the personal letters in his possession. With the letters they painted a picture of Martin as the impulsive son of a well-to-do family. Martin was not careful with his money as evidenced by a letter from his banker telling him that he had overdrawn his bank account. A scolding letter from his father, John, saying that he will cover the overdraft but that William must be more responsible in the future. And loving letters from his fiancé, Pam, a woman that he knew only a short time before he proposed. Much discussion went into the creation of the documents locked in Martin's briefcase. The Germans had to believe that Sardinia, not Sicily, would be the target of the allied invasion. And how would the Germans find the body? Montagu and Cholmondeley decided that Martin would be released from a submarine just off the coast of Spain since Spain was a German ally. The Spaniards would turn the documents over to the Germans and both groups were to believe that Martin was carrying these secret plans when his plane crashed in the sea and he drowned with the briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. (The British had spies in Spain to make sure that the fake plans fell into German hands.) Ben Macintyre wrote this fascinating account based on papers that Ewen Montagu left after his death. Montagu's family saved all these documents in a wooden chest. When Macintyre opened the box he found official records, memos, letters, photographs and a 200-page memoir that Montagu wrote, all pertaining to Operation Mincemeat. Macintyre is not the first author to write about Operation Mincemeat. Montagu published his own novel based on this scheme in 1953. It was titled The Man Who Never Was and an instant best seller. This book was made into a popular movie in 1956 starring Clifton Webb. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in Print and downloadable E-book formats.]

[ Wikipedia page for Operation Mincemeat ] | [ Publisher's official Ben Macintyre web page ]

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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.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Island Beneath the Sea


Island Beneath the Sea
by Isabel Allende

Island Beneath the Sea is an epic historical novel of slavery, politics, plantation life, and the plethora of relationships in between. The novel begins on the island of Haiti (aka Saint-Domingue circa 1770) when it was still a French colony. The history of 18th and 19th century globalization is woven throughout the book as French and Haitian revolutions throw the characters throughout the Caribbean, Europe, and early America via French Creole New Orleans. Allende's historical references peppered throughout plunge the reader into the politics of the day. Told from the perspectives of slaves, concubines, free slaves, and whites Allende touches eloquently on the perspectives and thought processes of each group, giving a seemingly accurate account of the mindset of the time period. Beyond her emphasis on slavery and history, Allende's characters also delve into the religions of Voodoo and Catholicism adding yet another interesting aspect to the story. The history is narrated by several characters and spans decades of their lives. Turning one page can pass seven years. Amongst all of these thick historical elements, it is at times difficult to feel deeply connected to the characters themselves. While each part is told from their multiple perspectives, the story does not have the typical inner dialogue one finds in most character driven novels. Nonetheless it was a tearjerker at several points. Overall it's a thoroughly enjoyable historical novel, with an excellent dramatic representation of the ins and outs of slavery that puts the reader into the time period. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Ines of My Soul: A Novel by Isabel Allende.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in downloadable audio, book-on-cd, downloadable E-book and Large Print formats.]

[ official Island Beneat the Sea page on the official Isabel Allende 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.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Wallander


Wallander
based on books by Henning Makell [DVD Wallander]

This gritty, atmospheric series, starring British actor Kenneth Branagh as Kurt Wallander, aired in the UK in 2008 and then on PBS' Mystery series in the US. These are somewhat faithful adaptations of some of the novels written by Swedish author Henning Mankell, which have only recently been translated into English. The setting (Ystad in southern Sweden) and production values are unique, and the performances, particularly by Branagh, are amazing. However, this series is not for everyone. The tone is very dark, and Wallander the character is a driven, obsessive personality with numerous depressing flaws. If you like dark, gritty police procedurals, especially with a foreign setting, this is worth your time. If you prefer your sleuths and settings to be more in the vein of Murder She Wrote, you'll probably want to avoid this one! [If you enjoy this, you may wish to try the books by Henning Mankell. There were 10 novels to feature Wallander, and an 11th that focuses on his daughter, with him as a supporting character. His story arc -- he ultimately recognizes the signs of Alzheimers in himself -- is depressing. But the books are masterful mysteries.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available: Season Two.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Check out the other TV series DVD-set reviews on BookGuide!

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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.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Nebraska: Off the Beaten Path


Nebraska: Off the Beaten Path [7th ed.]
by Diana Lambdin Meyer [917.82 Lam]

This is a fun travel guide about unique places throughout the Cornhusker state. Places such as the Filley Stone Barn in Gage County. Elijah Filley employed a number of local residents to build this three-story "bank barn" out of wood and limestone in 1874. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was described as one of the largest limestone structures presently known and one of the most magnificent barns in the state. One of a kind eateries such as the Drifter's Cookshack near Crawford are also included in this guide. The Cookshack is part of the High Plains Homestead. The homestead is an old cow town that a local family has brought to life. Walk on the boardwalk through the swinging doors into the saloon for a sarsaparilla or a brew. Or step into the Badlands Mercantile and browse the antiques. Native American life can be experienced at the Dancing Leaf Cultural Learning Center near Wellfleet. A willow and grass lodge plastered with mud is the heart of this center. The Native Americans that lived here are known to archaeologists as the Upper Republican Culture and are thought to be the ancestors of the Pawnee. Guided tours of the 115-acre center are available. Visitors can also spend the night in an earthen lodge. The book is divided into six sections for ease in trip planning and have colorful names such as Land of Cather and Cranes for the south central section. This area inspired Willa Cather's writings. This book is filled with tidbits about little known areas. It's enjoyable to read even if you aren't planning a vacation in the near future. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in multiple earlier editions.]

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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.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

New Booktalk Booklist - It's a Great Day to be Irish!


Ready to celebrate all things Irish?

Carolyn D., music librarian in the Polley Music Library (located at Bennett Martin Public Library downtown), presented an all-new booktalk at Bethany Branch on March 11, 2011. Carolyn's theme for this talk, on the last Friday before St. Patrick's Day, was non-fiction works dealing with Ireland -- Irish Music, Irish Musicians, Irish Culture and much more.

Her hotlinked list of titles -- It's a Great Day to be Irish! -- is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. Check it out for some great book, CD and DVD suggestions.

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine


The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
by Michael Lewis [Compact Disc 330.973 Lew]

Did anyone know that the housing crisis was coming? Yes. A few very minor players, Steve Eisman, Michael Burry, Greg Lippman, and Gene Park, did. Lewis tells the story of this financial debacle through their eyes. Greg Lippman, a bond trader for Deutsche Bank, noted before home values declined, that people whose homes appreciated 1 - 5% in value were four times more likely to default on their loans than those whose homes appreciated over 10%. His colleagues ignored his observation. Michael Burry correctly assessed the impact of "teaser rates" and interest rate re-sets on sub-prime loans. Those very low rates that were good for only two years. And then those adjustable rates made a dramatic raise. Lewis tells the story of AIG's financial products through Gene Park who realized that AIG was relying on homeowners with poor credit ratings to fund the mortgage-backed CDOs (Collateralized debt obligations). Michael Lewis has written a very readable and informative book about greed in the financial world. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in Print format.]

[ Wikipedia page for Michael Lewis ]

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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.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Some Like it Hot


Some Like it Hot
[DVD Some]

This 1959 comedy, directed by Billy Wilder, is a spoof on the 1920s era gangster movies. Two down-on-their-luck musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) witness a gangland slaying in Chicago and must leave town. Their only way out of town is to join an all-woman dance band for a two-week gig in Florida. Joe and Jerry dress as women and talk their way onto the train that is taking the female musical group to the sunshine state. On the train they must keep the ruse up to avoid being tossed off at the next station. Things become complicated for Joe when he meets Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe) and falls in love. How does he woo her when she thinks that Joe is a woman? Wilder took advantage of the changing entertainment landscape to make this risqué, gender-bending comedy. In 1959, the movie moguls and their studios were weakening, television was threatening and the Production Code with its censorship restrictions was losing its influence. The action is non-stop in one of the most successful films of 1959. It was nominated for six Oscars and won one academy award. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ 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.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Customer Review: Riding the Bus With My Sister


Riding the Bus With My Sister: A True-Life Journey
by Rachel Simon [362.3 Sim]

Best book I've read in a long time. Rachel's sister, Beth, is mildly developmentally disabled. Beth spends her days riding the buses in the Pennsylvania city where she lives. She asks Rachel to come ride with her for a year, as a way for them to better understand each other. In the process, Rachel learns a lot more about not only Beth's life -- and the choices she must make -- but her own. "The Philadelphia Inquirer" said it was "clever and unsentimental." I can agree with that. -- reviewed by Barbara R. - a regular customer at the Gere Branch Library

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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.

Apollo 11's Moon Landing


Apollo 11's Moon Landing
[Microfilm 629.454 Apo]

This microfilm reel is one of the library system's most unusual research resources, especially for space exploration buffs. Though there have been many books about humankind's first physical visit to the Moon's surface, written in the over-forty years since that mission took place, none have quite the same sense of immediacy as reading the articles that are included in this microfilm collection. This reel includes over 1000 pages of articles from 16 different newspapers (including The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, The Houston Chronicle, The New York Times, and The Washington Post), and over 13 magazines (including Life, Look, National Geographic, Newsweek, Sky & Telescope, Time and U.S. News and World Report), all covering the build-up to the launch of Apollo 11, and the subsequent success of that mission that placed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the moon's surface. Though the technology of microfilm may seem a bit antiquated in today's world of digitization, the images on this film capture the world-wide fascination with the Apollo program in a way that a book or a website just can't seem to manage. If you are a space buff, I highly encourage you to stop at Bennett Martin Public Library and explore this excellent research archive! (B&W printouts can be made of articles for 10¢ per page)

[ Apollo 11 page on the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum site ] | [ Interactive Online Recreation of Apollo 11 mission ]

Have you explored this resource? 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.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Bones of Contention


Bones of Contention
by Jeanne Mathews

The Top End of northern Australia is where Cleon Dobbs has decided to deal with cancer on his own terms. He asked his family to come to a remote, rundown lodge outside of Katherine for a final good-by. Everyone in this hodge-podge group comes with his or her own agenda -- even Dinah Pelerin, our spunky heroine. This debut novel sparkles with wit. Dinah, in a rush to get to Crow Hill Lodge, doesn't wait for the next commercial flight from Darwin to Katherine but accepts a plane ride from one of the colorful locals. Jacko insists on giving her a scenic air tour of the area, including Melville Island where he found body of a murdered journalist a few weeks before. As the plane circles the island, Jacko tells Dinah about finding the body of the reporter impaled on a sea turtle. By this time, Dinah believes that she flying with a madman who will never take her to Katherine. She thinks that the plane will crash and that she will die. But Jacko is true to his word and deposits her safely in the Katherine airport where Eddie, her brother's partner picks her up. They drive down a rutted dirt lane to the shabby lodge where things are not what they seem. Jeanne Matthews weaves a colorful tapestry of Australia and its people. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try books by Ann Cleeves and Cornelia Read.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Bones of Contention page on the official Jeanne Mathews 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.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

The President's Photographer


The President's Photographer: 50 Years Inside the Oval Office
by John Bredar [779.935 qBre]

These are the stories of the nine photographers who covered the presidential administrations from 1960 to 2011. Each photojournalist tells his story of life with the president, his family and his staff. The presidential photographers are on call 24/7 and, as such, have the opportunity to catch the presidents in relaxed moments as well as during tense situations. Turning the pages of this book is like taking a walk through political history. There are black and white images of John Kennedy playing with Caroline and John-John in the oval office. The grim image of Lyndon Johnson taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One. Photos of the Nixon family the night before he resigns from office. A picture of Betty Ford dancing on the Cabinet Room table. Pictures of the tragic assassination attempt on President Reagan. Bill Clinton playing a saxophone. The senior Bushes surrounded by their grandchildren at Kennebunkport, Maine. A thoughtful George W. Bush on 9/11. Oh, the stories these photographers tell. Cecil Stoughton describes how a chance comment by someone in Parkland Memorial Hospital alerted him to the fact that Lyndon Johnson would take the oath of office aboard Air Force One. Yaichi Okamoto talks about his tremulous relationship with President Johnson. (Johnson fired Okamoto and rehired him nine months later.) Ollie Atkins recounts the night in August he was called to take photos of the Nixon family dining in the White House solarium. The next day Richard Nixon resigned. David Kennerly described his warm relationship with Jerry Ford. Michael Evens recalled the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. There are a substantial number of photos of the Obama presidency in this book. Few of the Kennedy and Nixon administrations. And none of the Carter's time in office. One of the most interesting candid shots was taken by Okamoto of President Johnson standing nose to nose with Senator Richard Russell of Georgia while they discussed Johnson's proposed Civil Rights Act. The photos and the stories give the reader an insider's look at the life a president. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official PBS Special webpage on the National Geographic 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.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Wings Over Nebraska


Wings Over Nebraska: Historic Aviation Photographs
by Vince Goeres [629.13 qGoe]

Incredibly appealing work on the history of aviation in the state of Nebraska, by a long-time volunteer and researcher at the Nebraska State Historical Society. Goeres collects hundreds of black and white, and sepia-toned photographs that illustrated the birth and growth of the fledgling aviation industry across the entire state, with particular emphasis on Lincoln and Omaha. Many of the photos in this book are incredibly rare historical artifacts, and the information Goeres has unearthed to accompany them provide invaluable insight into Nebraska history. Of particular interest were the chapters on Charles Lindbergh's experiences in Nebraska, the history of women in early Nebraska aviation, the history of the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School (whose building still stands along "O" St.) and a chronicle of Nebraska air crashes. This is a marvelous book, and should appeal to anyone interested in either aviation history or unique elements of Nebraska history! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Early Aviation in Lincoln: When and Where Lindbergh Learned to Fly - a Preservation Association of Lincoln recording presented by Vince Goeres (only available on VHS).] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Nebraska State Historical Society page for this book ] | [ Nov 2010 video presentation about this book (56 minutes on YouTube) ]

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.

Author Vince Goeres is doing a number of local publicity events to promote this new book, including TONIGHT (Wed March 9 2011) at the UNL Bookstore!!

The Farm Chicks Christmas


The Farm Chicks Christmas: Merry Ideas for the Holidays
by Serena Thompson [745.594 Tho]

Country decorating ideas for Christmas from the Farm Chicks. Colorful photos on every page of wonderful vintage decorations - old style Christmas lights, vintage patterns on dishware and mugs, plastic light-up Santas from the 1950's, cardboard villages, mini pine trees. They also offer new uses for old items (hadn't thought of turning an ugly, wire 3-tiered desktop organizer into a cute holder for candies, candles, and ornaments). The Chicks reminisce about Christmases past and offer suggestions to make your own holidays special. Also included are several holiday recipes for beverages, cakes, and cookies. A thoroughly enjoyable table book especially if you appreciate country decorating, vintage Christmas, and cutting down your own tree. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Farm Chicks 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.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Midnight Bayou


Midnight Bayou
by Nora Roberts [DVD Roberts]

Fun and quick to watch. Unlike most of the other TV-movie adaptations of Nora Roberts works, the main character in this one is the "guy" instead of the "gal". Jerry O'Connell (Sliders, Crossing Jordan, The Defenders) is a Boston lawyer, Declan Fitzpatrick, who is mysteriously drawn to a plantation manor outside of New Orleans, which he purchases to use as a home and an office for a legal-aid center he wants to establish in the post-Katrina world of the city. Lauren Stamile (Grey's Anatomy) is Lena Simone, a local restauranteur, and the granddaughter of Declan's new bayou neighbor, Odette (played by Faye Dunaway), a woman with insight into the mystic. As the story plays out, there's elements of reincarnation and possession, with flashbacks to generations ago. The contemporary setting is rich with Cajun accents, both visual and verbal, and the chemistry between O'Connell and Stamile is steamy. It's a complicated and twisty plot...one of the most complicated of all of the Nora Roberts Collection DVDs to-date. Enjoyable and atmospheric...I heartily recommend this one! [If you like this one, you may also enjoy he others in the Nora Roberts Collection (8 made so far!)] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library
[Also available in audiotape, unabridged book-on-cd formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Midnight Bayou page on the Lifetime 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.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays


Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Holidays
by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht [394.26 Piv]

This is a quirky book about how to handle a variety of holiday emergencies. The situations covered range from plausible (grease fires, food poisoning) to unlikely (getting someone unstuck from a chimney, fending off a reindeer attack) to downright silly (silencing a group of carolers, how to treat a wrapping-paper cut in 10 steps). The combination makes for entertaining and (sometimes) informative reading. -- recommended by Peter J. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Josh Piven 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.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Merry, Merry Ghost (on CD)


Merry, Merry Ghost
by Carolyn G. Hart [Compact Disc Hart]

Carolyn Hart's second book to feature Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a charming variation on the "cozy" -- with quirky characters and most of the violence happening off-screen. Bailey Ruth is a departed spirit, who's on her second mission to her own hometown of Adelaide, OK as a Heavenly agent from the Department of Good Intentions. Always a lover of Christmas, Bailey Ruth is overjoyed to find herself in the physical world, assigned to protect Keith -- a small boy being reunited with his wealthy but ailing grandmother, Susan. Susan announces her intention to rewrite her will, in order to leave her estate to her only blood relative, Keith. Bailey Ruth has her hands full trying to find out who then spiked Susan's nightly hot chocolate with an overdose of her heart medication, since all of the in-laws who stand to inherit Susan's millions all have motive to want to see her pass before her will is changed. Hart manages to inject a lot of humor into Bailey Ruth's antics, as she struggles to follow the "precepts" that forbid her to make her presence known to the mortals around her. I enjoyed this one far more than the introductory volume, and particularly liked the narration of the Book-on-CD version by Ann Marie Lee. A pleasant, light holiday mystery read! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Ghost at Work (the first volume) and Ghost in Trouble (3rd) -- the other two (so far) volumes in this series.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print format.]

[ Bailey Ruth Raeburn section on the official Carolyn G. Hart 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.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Last Dog on the Hill


Last Dog on the Hill: The Extraordinary Life of Lou
by Steve Duno [636.7 Dun]

Steve and girlfriend Nancy found homeless, 6-mo-old puppy Lou running with a pack of feral guard dogs. Flea-invested, covered with ticks, underweight, and a large, infected gash on his neck, Steve adopted Lou and doctored him, trained him, and gained a best friend for life. Lou was a Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who lived an amazingly long 16 years (but it's never long enough for owners). During those 16 years he faced down an armed robber, caught a rapist, fought coyotes and kidnappers, visited vets in nursing homes, taught sign language to kids, and helped train hundreds of dogs whose only remaining option was euthanasia if the training failed. His story moves forward chronologically and quickly, and is chock-full of tale after tale after tale of his exploits, intelligence, and special bond with Steve. A quick read, naturally there are tears at the end, but you can't put this book down and wish the stories would continue. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Last Dog on the Hill and Steve Duno 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.

A new Reviewer Profile - Glory B


We've added a new Reviewer Profile to the BookGuide site -- part of our ongoing efforts to introduce readers to the folks who review materials on the Staff Recommendations pages of the BookGuide site.

Glory B has been contributing reviews since late 2010, and you can look forward to more from her in the upcoming months. In the meantime, if you'd like to hear a little bit about this reviewer's background, click this link to see her profile!

You can also see all past Reviewer Profiles by visiting the Staff Recommendations Indexed by Reviewer page and looking for the "reviewer profile" links next to the reviewers' name.

Cover Story: Volume Two


Cover Story: Volume Two - Odd, Obscure and Outrageous Album Art
by the staff at Wax Poetics Books [Music 781.49 Cov]

This is one of the oddest books I've read in years. The book is a collection of reproductions of over 250 record album (LP) covers from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Contributor David Hollander describes many of the included covers as coming from "private press" releases -- perhaps not seen by many in the general public. The images in this book are bizarre -- ranging from merely uncomfortable, to truly surreal. These coming from the height of the 1960s drug use era, and from one of the most prolific periods of New Age music. Dali-esque melting landscapes, Escher-like 3-dimensional images and nudity vie with cheesy Brady Bunch-like family portraits and sea- and space-scapes for prominence. In all, browsing all of the covers turns into something of a psychadelic experience. I do wish that there had been text accompanying many of the images -- background on the origins of the images chosen, or at least credits for who created the album covers. As it is, this is a unusual and memorable collection of images. But it could have been so much more than that. I kept wishing for a satirical authorial voice to poke fun at many of these inexplicably bizarre images. [If you're taking these images seriously, I can't help you. If you're looking at them with a satirical eye, you might appreciate the humor books of James Lileks.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Wax Poetic Books 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.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Leverage - Season One


Leverage - Season One
[DVD Leverage]

Leverage is a comedic crime/action drama that has been airing on the TNT cable network for the past three years. The series features Timothy Hutton as an ex-insurance investigator who got tired of being pushed around and abused by large corporations or powerful executives. Hoping to make a difference, he assembles a team of the types of people he used to hunt down -- a grifter, a hacker, a burglar and a hitter, and they take on cases whether they try to run con jobs on the rich and powerful who are taking advantage of the ordinary joes. Leverage features complicated cons, reminiscent of The Sting, which often seem to break down -- in the vein of Donald Westlake's Dortmunder books. The regular cast has great chemistry together, the writing production values are exceptionally good, the guest "villains of the week" are almost always exceptional, and the music is particularly noteworthy. If you like stories about con artists, or tales about the underdog against the powerful and corrupt, you should enjoy this series. The third season has recently finished on TV and the library currently owns the first two seasons on DVD. Both are great fun! [If you like this, you may also enjoy The Sting , and the British TV series (which aired on AMC in the U.S.) Hustle (available through InterLibrary Loan)] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library
[Also available: Season Two.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Leverage page on the TNT web site ] | [ official Episode Guide at epguides.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.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Little Bee


Little Bee
by Chris Cleave

Little Bee is engaging, heartbreaking, and is one of those stories that leads you to ask yourself, "What would I have done?" Little Bee is a 16 year old refugee from Nigeria. Her story is interwoven with Sarah's, a white magazine editor living in England. One fateful day on a Nigerian beach changes both women's lives forever. Little Bee has experienced unimaginable horrors, but tells her story as a survivor. Sarah comes from a completely different world, but her shared experience with Little Bee has changed her life entirely. This is not a feel good story, but it is a story that needs to be told all the same. Although it is a work of fiction it leads one to think seriously about issues such as immigration and the treatment of refugees. I thought this book was beautifully written and well-paced. The author tells you what you need to know at just the right time. -- recommended by Alyse S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Chris Cleave and Little Bee 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.