New Customer Review - No Laughter Here

No Laughter Here
by Rita Williams-Garcia [j]

Rita Williams-Garcia no doubt intended it more as an awareness book than a fun read. Yet I would happily read No Laughter Here again. I enjoyed the friendship between Akilah and Victoria. I also appreciated the changing dynamics of the relationship of Akihah with her parents and even her teachers. At its core, while about a taboo custom, No Laughter Here is about knowing when to stay quiet and deciding when to take action. It contains an underlying strength and optimism that kept me reading, even through the difficult passages. Of course, it also doesn't hurt to remind myself sometimes of the reasons why we all need to sometimes take a stand. -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

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New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

Bright Star

Bright Star
[DVD Bright]

If you're a sucker for poetry and or romantic historical dramas add Bright Star to your watch list. The film dramatizes the famous 19th century British poet John Keats' tragic life and romance. In love with his neighbor, their relationship inspires both him and love interest Fanny Brawne as they take on new creative heights. More than the compelling story, Bright Star is an exceptional period piece for it's great sense of style. There are quite a few cinematic moments that make watching Bright Star visually stunning. Watch it for the romance and learn a bit about poetry history too. [If you like this, you may also enjoy the following DVDs: The New World, Becoming Jane, Mansfield Park, Little Dorrit, Amélie.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die

1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die
edited by Robert Dimery [Music 780.166 Dim]

Another volume in the popular "1001" series, I found this one to be one of the most disappointing and/or baffling. A team of music critics/writers/afficionados combined their recommendations to come up with this bizarre list of 1001 singles that epitomize the history of recorded and commercially-released music. Beginning with the pre-1950s era, and continuing until "mere months before the book was published in 2010", this massive book lists the 1001 songs in chronological order, with detailed background about the artists and songs represented. Starting with "O sole mio" performed by Enrico Caruso in 1916, and ending with "Stylo" by Gorrilaz in 2010, this is quite the eclectic collection of tunes. I definitely agreed with about 80% of the selections prior to the 1980s, but from that time period on the editors/contributors make some of the most bizarre musical choices! And the selections from the 2000s are so far out of my musical comfort zone that I'm forced to acknowledge that I'm out-of-touch with contemporary music. Still...for a nice overview of the history of significant "singles" in recording history, this is a fun volume to browse. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other volumes in the "1001" series from this same publisher.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official 1001 Things 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.

South Phoenix Rules

South Phoenix Rules
by Jon Talton

This book is set in modern day Phoenix with the specter of the mortgage bust hanging over the city. David Mapstone, a historian, had a unique job. He was a deputy sheriff specializing in cold cases. His boss lost the latest election and David is retiring. He doesn't want to work for the new sheriff. David's sister-in-law, Robin, is living with him while his wife works for Homeland Security in Washington D.C. One day the FedEx driver delivers a box for Robin. Thinking that it is a gift from her lover, she rips open the box and begins screaming. Her screams bring David running to her apartment over the garage. The box contains the severed head of her lover, Jax Delgado. David delves into Jax's murky past to discover who killed him. Jax claimed to be a history professor but he may have been a hit man for a Mexican cartel. David must use his research skills and knowledge of Phoenix's history to learn the truth. Jon Talton weaves the history of Phoenix into this novel. We see Phoenix, as it was when Mapstone was a child, a small city with orange and grapefruit groves gracing the outskirts. Now these groves exist only in his memory. They were bulldozed down to make way for homes and office buildings that sit empty. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Steven F. Havill, Elizabeth Gunn and Betty Webb.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department


[ official South Phoenix Rules and Jon Talton 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.

True Grit (2010)

True Grit (2010)
based on the book by Charles Portis [DVD True]

After her father is killed by Tom Chaney, fast-talking 14-year-old Mattie Ross hires US Marshall Rooster Cogburn - played by Jeff Bridges - to find Chaney and bring him back to be hanged. Cogburn is a drunk but they say he has true grit. Mattie stubbornly tags along against the Marshall's wishes. Along the way they meet Texas Ranger LaBoeuf who wants to take Chaney to Texas to hang for shooting a senator. After they split up who will find Chaney first? This movie is hilarious. Mattie Ross's character is very impressive, stubborn and smart, she seems much older than 14, and she's a great match to Cogburn's drunk and lazy approach. The acting all around is great and the storyline keeps you laughing and on the edge of your seat at the same time. [If you like this, you may also enjoy the novel by Charles Portis or the original motion picture version starring John Wayne.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official True Grit 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 Customer Review - Like Sisters on the Homefront

Like Sisters on the Homefront
by Rita Williams-Garcia [j]

Fourteen-year-old Gayle is pregnant for the second time. Her preoccupation is with her friends and, obviously, boys. Her mother ships her South with no return ticket to live with religious relatives. What sets Gayle's story apart from other teen pregnancy stories is its realism and complexity. Unlike the typical story, Gayle actually misses her sex life. Then she meets Great, the fiesty matriarch of her family, and her life slowly begins to change. Real life can be messy with few tidy endings. There is a huge part of me that demands for my fiction to contain structure and to thereby give me hope for my own life. Like Sisters on the Homefront offers them. -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

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

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming

Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming
by Jo Graham and Melissa Scott

For fans of the television series Stargate Atlantis, the end of the series after five seasons seemed abrupt and premature, and although the final episode brought a limited sense of closure, most fans thought that there were still new stories to be told. Homecoming is the first in a series of six novels set after the events of that series finale episode, that carry the SGA characters' stories forward into the future. Featuring some crossover appearances by characters from the original Stargate SG-1 series, these novels send the Atlantis station back to the Pegasus galaxy, with all of the well-known and beloved crew members aboard -- Col. John Shephard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Zelenka, Ronan, Teyla, Richard Woolsey, etc. The Wraith continue to be a major threat, including sometimes ally "Todd". For anyone who loved the series Stargate Atlantis, these writers capture the tone and voices of the characters perfectly, and this book feels like slipping into a delayed sixth season. For those unfamiliar with the series, I recommend viewing the five seasons of the show before starting these novels. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Lost, the second book in this projected six-book series.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Fandemonium publisher web site ] | [ Stargate Atlantis 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.

The Janus Stone

The Janus Stone
by Elly Griffiths

Forensic archeologist Ruth Galloway, is called to the excavation of a Roman site because a human skeleton has been unearthed. The body is that of a small child missing its skull. Was the child an ancient sacrifice? Or was it more recent murder victim? Where is the skull? Ruth teams up with DCI Harry Nelson and his staff to find the answers to these questions. Harry learns that the mansion next to the dig has interesting history. In its former glory, the house was the opulent mansion of the Spens family. After they moved, it was converted into the Sacred Heart Children's Home that Father Hennessey ran. The priest tells Harry about two children, Martin and Elizabeth Black, who ran away from the home in the early 1960s. The children were never seen again. Martin was ten and Elizabeth was five at the time they disappeared. The child in the grave was about five. Is the body hers? Autopsy findings say no. The child died in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Long before the house was turned into an orphanage. The Spens lived in the house at time in question. They had a daughter that died in 1952. It's not Annabelle Spens because she is buried in the family plot. Who is this child? The book is a labyrinth of clues and duplicitous personalities. The book is a page-turner. Each night I promised myself that I would stop at the end of the chapter and go to bed. Did I keep the promise? Not really! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards and Susan Hill.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in downloadable audio format.]

[ official Janus Stone page on the official Elly Griffiths 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 Customer Review - The Language of Goldfish

The Language of Goldfish
by Zibby Oneal [j]

An effective portrayal of a teenager's mental breakdown! Everything is changing for Carrie, from her relationships to her interests and even her body. Carrie resists these changes, wherein lies her story. When we meet Carrie, she is appreciating math. To her, math didn't shift and change as things often did in her head. I like how Oneal layers her book with characters and description. She overdoes the details devoted to minor characters and some of her descriptions are a little odd. Over all, The Language of Goldfish is a somewhat sad but hopeful story about surviving change. [Note: The only copies of this Nebraska author's title in the Lincoln City Libraries are in the non-circulating Heritage Room collection -- consider ordering this title through InterLibrary Loan!] -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

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

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

New Customer Review - Rot and Ruin

Rot and Ruin
by Jonathan Maberry [YA]

This book takes place in the land of the Rot and Ruin, what used to be California now is nothing but a few fenced in towns. Zombies or "zoms" are the norm and when kids turn fifteen they have to get a job or face having thier rations cut. Benny is just a normal kid until he is forced into a job with his zombie hunter brother. Together they must not only go out and face the threat of zoms but also the threat of the people who would wish them dead so as not to reveal their villainous secret. -- review submitted by Wyatt P. - customer of the Gere Branch Library

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

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

New Customer Review - New York Dead

New York Dead
by Stuart Woods

This is the first book in a series that include Stone Barrington. The author does a good job of introducing Barrington. I was hoping that he would stay on the police force but that didn't last long. The book is an easy read and keeps you interested throughout. There are several twists and turns that keep you guessing the whole way. I look forward to the next book in the series. -- review submitted by Michael E. - customer of the Walt Branch Library

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

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

New Customer Review - Cross Fire

Cross Fire
by James Patterson

I have read all of the Alex Cross books that James Patterson has written. I have found that he uses a very similar patter for writing all of the books in this series. If you have read one of them they will all sound familiar. Alex always seems to work his way of jams and gets the bad guy in the end. All said, James Patterson writes books that are easy reads and you get through them fairly easily. Now that I have gotten through the series (for now) I will have to find a new series to take its place. -- review by Michael E. - customer of the Walt Branch Library

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

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit the Customer Reviews page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

Adventure Out West '11 stops in Lincoln!

The Bennett Martin Public Library had a visit on Saturday from two librarians from Illinois (near Chicago), who were on a summer road trip with a literary theme.

They've been traveling with a stuffed "Owly" (see him at the Nebraska State Capitol Building!) and cardboard cutouts of Frankie Pickle and Argyle, two kids lit characters, and visiting libraries and other literary sites as they head "out west" during the summer of 2011. They take videos and still photos to chronicle their trip, often with Owly, Frankie or Argyle in them, sharing their adventures with fellow reading enthusiasts.

Our own Glory B., profiled here for the BookGuide reviewer profiles recently, got captured on camera by these roving librarians during their visit to the downtown library, and her contribution to the Lincoln portion of their trip can be seen here:



Check out their Flickr photo feed and their blog to see their other Lincoln stops -- there are a LOT of their photos on Flickr, and to continue to follow their library-loving adventures over the course of this summer! It's always fun to see visitors' impressions of things here in our fair city!

New Booktalk Booklist - Gere Book Share - 6/13/2011

During the summer months, the Gere Branch BooksTalk group doesn't go on a complete hiatus, but instead continues to meet, once a month, on the 2nd Monday of each summer month. For these meetings, there is not a specified presenter, with a prepared booktalk. Instead, it's a "Book Share" opportunity!

All attendees are encouraged to share/recommend whatever they've been reading, listening to, or watching recently.

A list was compiled of all the titles mentioned during the June 13th Book Sharing session. If you're looking for some good reading and/or viewing suggestions, check out the Gere Book Share - 6/13/2011 booklist, now on the BookGuide site.

And stop in tomorrow, July 12th, from 2:30 to 4:00 at the Gere Branch to share what you've been reading, with fellow book enthusiasts!

New Booktalk Booklist - Mysteries Set in Latin America

Rayma S., head librarian at the South Branch, and a past regular contributor to the libraries' BookGuide web pages, presented an all-new booktalk at the Bethany Branch on May 20th, on one of her favorite topics -- mystery fiction.

Her theme this time was Mysteries Set in Latin America -- click this link to see her Booktalk Booklist, the contents of which are hotlinked into the libraries' online catalog! Check it out for some great book and book-on-cd suggestion

New Customer Review - Beyond the Deepwoods

Beyond the Deepwoods
by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell [j Stewart]

Beyond the Deepwoods is about 13 year old Twig who dosen't seem to fit in woodtroll village. His adoptive woodtroll parents decide he should leave the village and travel to his great uncle's, but, lost in thought, Twig does the one thing a woodtroll never does -- he strays from the path. What ensues is a great adventure. The book is filled with incredible illustrations by Chris Riddell that make the story even better. -- reviewed by Wyatt P. - customer of the Gere Branch Library

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

New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all and/or submit your own, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually as we receive them.

Guilt by Association

Guilt by Association
by Marcia Clark

Marcia Clark took a cue from Linda Fairstein when she penned this page-turner. Clark's character is Rachael Knight, a deputy DA in Los Angeles. The book opens with Knight celebrating a court victory with two of her colleagues. After their party, Jake and Toni go home. Rachael promises to leave as soon as she gets finishes a few things. She heads for her place, a six-block walk, but is waylaid by the sound of sirens and flashing red lights. Rachael makes the short detour and sees that, much to her horror, Jake's body being carried out of a seedy motel. Things get worse the next morning when she learns that Jake apparently murdered a 17-year-old boy and then committed suicide. Rachael was warned to stay away from Jake's murder. So she works it on her own time. On work time, she investigates a case that she inherited from Jake, the rape of fifteen-year-old Susan Densmore, in her bedroom. Susan's wealthy and influential father is certain that the young man that Susan tutored broke into her bedroom and attacked Susan. He wants an arrest NOW. Susan is certain that the young man did not do it. Rachael and her L.A. detective friend Bailey follow a twisting trail to find the rapist. Marcia Clark is a former deputy district attorney for the County of Los Angeles. She gained fame as the lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson trial. This is her first work of fiction. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Linda Fairstein, Lis Wiehl and the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Marcia Clark author 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.

Zombies vs. Unicorns

Zombies vs. Unicorns
edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier [j 813.08 Bla]

The title sums it up. This book is an anthology of stories written about zombies and unicorns and is aimed primarily at young adults. Between each story is a running commentary by two editors - Holly Black is the leader of Team Unicorn is Justine Larbalestier leads Team Zombie. While a bit graphic at times it redeems itself with bits of comedy. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Walking Dead graphic novel series by Kirkman or if you're looking for more young adult anthologies on magical beings I'd suggest Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists and Other Matters Odd and Magical which is available through interlibrary loan.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library


[ official publisher's page for Zombies vs. Unicorns ]

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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 Music of the Lord of the Rings Films

The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore's Scores
by Doug Adams [Music 781.542 ShoYa]

This is a marvelous accompaniement to the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson. If you are a lover of orchestral film scores, and enjoyed Howard Shore's Academy-Award-winning scores to the LotR's trilogy, you'll definitely want to check this book out. Music historian Doug Adams was brought in by Shore to chronicle the creation of the three films' music as soon as Shore knew he had been hired as the composer. Adams followed the creation of the music every step along the way, and provides exhaustive background information about every little bit of the music -- how and why certain musical riffs were created, what the musical influences on the soundtrack were, and much more. The book includes a CD with rare musical bits and alternate tracks from the recording sessions. This book is lavishly illustrated with photos and art from the films, as well as fragments of Shore's sheet music. This one is a little intense for casual readers, and at times the writing style is a bit "dry", but if you are a LotR fan, a fan of orchestral movie soundtracks, or a musical history fan, it's right up your alley. I enjoyed it tremendously! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Music of the Lord of the Rings Films web site and blog of Doug Adams ]

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.