Bluffton: My Summers With Buster by Matt Phelan

Bluffton: My Summers With Buster
by Matt Phelan [j 741.5 Phe] 

Having recently read and enjoyed Phelan’s graphic novel re-imagining of Snow White (see recent review), I was curious to see what else the libraries had by this particular author/artist. Bluffton turned out to be quite a treat. This is another graphic novel, done as historical fiction, with a semi-biographical twist. Henry is a young boy growing up in Muskegon, Michigan in the early years of the 20th century, and rather bored with his lot in life. When a troupe of vaudevillians and circus entertainers arrives on the train and encamps in a set of nearby lakeside cabins (a summertime community called Bluffton), Henry finds himself drawn to their exotic nature. Henry befriends one particular boy, young Buster Keaton, the child star of his family’s vaudeville act.

Because the vaudeville houses of the time were not air-conditioned, the vaudevillians took the sultry, hot summers off to vacation, recharge, and practice their acts, before going on the road to perform in the Fall through Spring. So…Henry grows up spending each summer hanging out with the vaudeville crowd and learning about their lifestyle. When some personal conflicts arise, which threaten Henry’s relationship with his seasonal friend Buster, you feel really sorry for all of them.

Phelan’s watercolor art is beautiful and dreamy in quality. He is great at capturing a “likeness” with both simple and broad details, and his images of the young Buster Keaton seem eerily accurate! Although this book is classified as a “juvenile” item, I, as an adult, loved it and recommend it for any readers who miss old-style summers at the lake, small town living, the films of Buster Keaton or the feel and atmosphere of most of the works of Ray Bradbury (many of whose fantastical stories were set in small-town American settings). This book is terrific!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the other books written and illustrated by Matt Phelan, especially Snow White: A Graphic Novel, or The Storm in the Barn.]

 publisher’s official Bluffton web site ] | [ official Matt Phelan web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Swing Time by Zadie Smith (on CD)

Swing Time
by Zadie Smith [Compact Disc Smith] 

This was an insightful story of two childhood friends who went separate ways in their early 20’s. They were drawn to each other initially through their mutual interest in dance and noticing they had a similar skin tone because of being biracial, which sometimes excluded them from white classmates & other times excluded them from black classmates in their London schools. While Tracey continued to pursue her natural dance talent, the narrator who is never named found her strength in her ideas. As an adult, the narrator found herself working as a personal assistant to a celebrity who wanted to build a school in W. Africa. As the narrator traveled between London and W. Africa, she found herself examining themes of culture, race, gender, family relationships, friendships, personal autonomy, and music.

I did like the story, but found it difficult to concentrate on while listening in short snippets. I was successful at following along when listening to a disc at a time during interstate travel. The frequent shifts in time and location complicated the reading. It is a wonderful social commentary.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Mixed, by Angela Nissel, or The Color of Water, by James McBride.]

[ publisher’s official Swing Time web site ] | [ Wikipedia page for author Zadie Smith ]

Recommended by Jodi R.
Gere Branch Library

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Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire's End by Chuck Wendig

Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End
by Chuck Wendig [Wendig] 

The 3rd part of the “Aftermath” trilogy tells the story of the pivotal Battle of Jakku. There’s a fun mix of political intrigue, space battles, drama, humor and much more. “Empire’s End” lacks the “wow” factor of “Life Debt”. It is still a well-told story that keeps the reader interested. The interludes that Wendig uses are a mixed bag. Some are sort of neat, like an Interlude featuring a rather polarizing character from the Prequel Trilogy. Others are interesting, but don’t seem to really tie in with the story. If they end up being teasers for upcoming books, then this will be pretty cool. Otherwise, it is a bit of distraction from what is otherwise a fun story with lots of well-developed characters that are easy to care about.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Star Wars: Aftermath, and Star Wars: Aftermath: Life Debt, both also by Chuck Wendig]

[ publisher’s official Empire’s End web site ] | [ official Chuck Wendig web site ]

Recommended by Corey G.
Gere Branch Library

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The Cheap Detective by Neil Simon (on DVD)

The Cheap Detective
by Neil Simon [DVD Cheap] 

This 1978 film, written by famed playwright/screenwriter Neil Simon, is a masterful parody of the 1940s Humphrey Bogart classics, Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. Peter Falk, perhaps best known as TV’s Columbo (1968-78, 1989-2003), stars as Lou Peckingpaugh a cynical, world-weary private investigator, who gets caught up in a complicated plot that includes thugs, crooks, Nazis, femmes fatales and lots of secrets. The best part of this parody is the huge cast of late-70s era stars who portray new takes on the classic characters from the Bogart films — Madeline Kahn plays the Mary Astor role, John Houseman the Sidney Greenstreet, Ann-Margaret the Lauren Bacall, Dom DeLuise the Peter Lorre, Louise Fletcher the Ingrid Bergman and Fernando Lamas the Paul Henreid. Additional star power comes in the form of bit parts featuring Eileen Brennan, Sid Caesar, Phil Silvers, Nicol Williamson, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Stockard Channing, Marsha Mason, Abe Vigoda, Paul Williams and more.

The humor is extremely broad, but the dialog crackles and everyone seems to be having a fun time. If you’re a fan of the original source material being parodied, love Peter Falk, or follow the works of Neil Simon, you won’t want to miss revisiting this gem. If you’ve never seen Casablanca and/or The Maltese Falcon, it’s still entertaining, but you’re not going to appreciate many of the references. Still…it’s a hoot to watch, even after almost 40 years!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Murder By Death, also starring Peter Falk and written by Neil Simon (1976), which parodies a wide variety of different cinema/literary sleuths, including Sam Spade, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Charlie Chan, and Nick and Nora Charles] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Arrival (on DVD)

Arrival
[DVD Arrival] 

Louise Banks is a linguistics professor (played by Amy Adams). One morning most of her students were missing from class and the ones that showed up asked her to turn on the news. Alien spacecrafts had mysteriously appeared in 12 different places across the globe. Banks is visited by a colonel in the military (played by Forest Whitaker) who recruits her to come to Montana where a ship has arrived in the US. There she works with physicist Ian Donnelly (played by Jeremy Renner) to try to communicate with the aliens to see if they are here as friends or foe. They communicate using a markerboard with the two aliens they have dubbed Abbott and Costello. The situation becomes a race against the clock when the Chinese government decide to pursue military action against the ship located on their land instead of working with the aliens. Banks and Donnelly must find a way to understand the alien language and communicate with them before war could break out.

I really enjoyed this movie. We saw it in the theater and I checked it out just to see it again. I highly recommend it. There is a definite twist in the end.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Passengers, Interstellar or Edge of Tomorrow] [Based on the novella “The Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, which is available in traditional print format.]

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

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Mothers by Brit Bennett (on CD)

The Mothers
by Brit Bennett [Compact Disc Bennett] 

This book is a nice reflection on young adulthood and how the choices we make can follow us, for better or for worse. A college-bound young woman waits at an abortion clinic all alone, having (perhaps foolishly) expected her boyfriend to at least pick her up afterwards. We hear narration from the older ladies in the church, from the small-town gossip mill and their personal speculations about how main character Nadia Turner is coping after her mom’s suicide. Nadia’s only friend throughout the story, Aubrey, ends up dating Lucas, Nadia’s ex, but Nadia and Lucas each have their secrets about the abortion that Aubrey ends up eventually realizing. There’s much more to the story and it definitely touches on the mistakes of young love and early adulthood. It would be a great read for a college-aged reader who is looking to move past a confining small-town childhood or reflect on lost love and missed opportunities.

[ official The Mothers web site ] | [ official Brit Bennett web site ]

 

Recommended by Naomi S.
Eiseley and Williams Branch Libraries and the Bookmobile

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Nebraska Poetry: A Sesquicentennial Anthology edited by Daniel Simon

Nebraska Poetry: A Sesquicentennial Anthology
edited by Daniel Simon [ 811.08 Sim ] 

In conjunction with the statewide celebrations of Nebraska’s 150th anniversary of Statehood in 2017 (a “sesquicentennial”), this marvelous hardback anthology, covering the history of poetry by poets from Nebraska, was released at a gala event at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown on April 2nd, 2017. This book, featuring over 160 works by over 80 Nebraska poets, covers the entire 150-year history of Nebraska, from the very first poem published after our statehood was established, to selections by several of today’s most acclaimed and active poets in the state. Organized in chronological order, the first part of the book features selections from some of Nebraska’s most famed authors, including Willa Cather, Bess Streeter Aldrich, Loren Corey Eiseley and John G. Neihardt. The middle section of the book is dedicated to poets who made a strong impression in the early and middle parts of the 20th century, including long-time State Poet William Kloefkorn, two-time National Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, current State Poet Twyla Hansen and many more. The latter part of the book features selections from many of today’s up-and-coming Cornhusker wordslingers.

If you’re a fan of poetry from Nebraska, and have followed any of the 80+ poets represented within, I recommend this anthology to expand your reading. If you are dabbling in the literary world of Nebraska history as the state celebrates its 150th birthday, this is a great sampler, that may lead you to numerous poets whose more extensive works exist in the libraries’ collection. And even if you’re just a poetry fan who doesn’t care where the poets originated, this is a still a stellar collection, filled with excellent representative samplings from a variety of regional authors. And it seems especially fitting to be reviewing this volume in April, which is National Poetry Month!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try many of the volumes of poetry collections by Nebraska poets, found in the American Poetry section of the non-fiction collection — 811 (Poet’s name).]

[ official Nebraska Poetry: A Sesquicentennial Anthology web page] | [ Nebraska 150 Books challenge ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
by Trevor Noah [Biography Noah] 

I only knew of Trevor Noah from The Daily Show, and since I’ve always been in awe by both his humor and his ability to explain politics, history, and life in a way that’s easy for me to understand, I couldn’t wait to finish the other book I was reading when this fell into my hands. I’m glad I listened to my instincts, as I have been thoroughly enjoying and recommending this book to everyone.

Not only did he teach me an incredible amount about Apartheid, but (unbelievable as it is that a biography from South Africa during Apartheid could offer any light moments) he was also hilarious in describing himself as a young person who gave his mom a giant’s share of challenges with his behavior. His tribute to his mother is always a top theme among the eleven short stories in this book. She was strong and raised him to carry himself as a good person and escape poverty.

His mother is a black Xhosa woman, and his father is a white Swiss man. Since South African separated white people, black people, “colored” people (their word for those with a black parent and a white parent), and Indians into different communities to keep them separate, being seen walking with either of his parents would result in them being imprisoned for four to five years. I learned there are eleven national languages in South African.

Once I started this book, I could not put it down. I am so glad he wrote so much about his truly inspirational and strong mother.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Swing Time, by Zadie Smith.]

[ publisher’s official Born a Crime web site ] | [ official Trevor Noah web site ]

Recommended by Jodi R.
Gere Branch Library

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109 East Palace by Jennet Conant (on CD)

109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos
by Jennet Conant [Compact Disc 623.451 Con + Hoopla] 

I picked this up because after reading The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan, I was intrigued to learn more about the Manhattan Project. That book focused on the secret town of Oakridge, in Tennessee, where the uranium was being refined, whereas this book focuses on the secret location of the research center of Los Alamos, in New Mexico. What was interesting before even it even starts is that the author is the granddaughter of James B. Conant, a major figure in the project. Her personal connection to the topic is put forth in the preface, and grows through the book around Dorothy McKibbin, the gatekeeper to Los Alamos. Before anyone was allowed in, or even knew exactly where to go, they had to be issued a security pass from the office in Santa Fe by Dorothy. The book takes us through Dorothy’s life before, during and after the war. During the project, the book discusses the goings on at Los Alamos, the lives of the scientists, their families and often Oppenheimer himself. The whole project from inception, picking a site, testing, dropping the bomb, the end of the war, into the Red Scare that Oppenheimer found himself involved in, and right up to his death and Dorothy’s is covered. It did also look at the various reactions of the scientists and others living at Los Alamos on the aftermath of the bomb test and the two dropped on Japan. The feeling varied, some were pleased to contribute to bringing the war to an end and others were horrified at themselves. I really felt like whole story was here, but bearing in mind that the whole operation at Oakridge was an entire book to itself, I still wanted to hear more. It’s fascinating to me how such a large project, at both locations, was kept a secret, even to those living there. It was not quite so hush hush within Los Alamos as it was in Oakridge, however one of the world’s grandest scientific projects all in a small little community of scientists and other workers is just captivating to me. I recommend both of these books if you are interested in secret science towns as they go so well together. I listened to the audio versions of both and thought the narrators were good, although I did pick up a copy of the books too because there are photos included that I didn’t want to miss out on. Very good read even for those who don’t normally read history books.

[Another book you may like is Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb, written by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm; it’s a graphic novel and really does a good job at explaining the science behind the story. You may also enjoy Antarctica: A Year on Ice, by which is a documentary on the McMurdo science lab in Antarctica, not exactly a secret, but still a place only very few people are allowed.]

[ publisher’s official 109 East Palace web site ] | [ publisher’s official Jennet Conant web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. 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. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Winner by David Baldacci

The Winner
by David Baldacci [Baldacci]
If you’ve never read David Baldacci, this may be a good place to start. The Winner is a fictional story about how and why a naive young lady wins the lottery and what becomes of her. A devious man recruits her and helps her win. This story is suspenseful and kept my interest.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of John Grisham, James Patterson, or Harlan Coben,]

[ official The Winner web site ] | [ official David Baldacci web site ]

Recommended by Kathy H.
Walt Branch Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. 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. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!