BookGuide - Book Lovers Discussions & News

New "If You Like" list -- The Twilight Saga

2012-01-30T09:47:00.004-06:00

We've put together a new "If You Like..." booklist, for fans of Stephanie Meyer's bestselling Twilight series. Featuring angsty teens, vampires, werewolves and relationship issues, Meyer's four-part saga has been one of the most popular series in Young Adult literature for the past 10 years.

The books have also been turned into four feature films, with a fifth scheduled to conclude the saga in 2012.

The new booklist -- If You Like "The Twilight Saga"... -- is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Author Readalikes page.

The Larry McMurtry biographies

2012-01-29T14:11:00.002-06:00

Books | Literary Life | Hollywood
by Larry McMurtry [Biography McMurtry]

This trio of slim autobiographies was an unexpected delight. I haven't read any other titles than these from McMurtry's large output but I am a big fan of the Lonesome Dove TV installments and am familiar with the film of Terms of Endearment, primarily because part of it was made here in Lincoln. Whether you are a McMurtry devotee or not, these memoirs are very engaging on a cerebral, social, and cultural level. The chapters are short, sometimes carrying a similar thread throughout several, and give the sense that you are confabbing with Larry one on one -- whether it's talking about his childhood and a pivotal box of books given to him by an uncle or describing the M.O. of a persistent impersonator. Reading all three installments creates a fascinating yet down-homey portrait of this multi-faceted man of letters, bibliophile, and accidental screenwriter. His fond recollections of friends have charm and poignancy and his no-nonsense observations about acquaintances and events confirm his "outsider" status. The first volume is probably the 'dryest' but all three contain adroit and concise anecdotes about the people he's known and the things he's done and seen, from glimpsing Paul Newman only from afar when he visited the set of the first movie (Hud) made from one his novels (Horseman, Pass By), to owning rare-books stores in Washington DC and Texas, to winning a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar. -- all recommended by Becky W. C. - Walt Branch Library

[ Larry McMurtry 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.

Buck

2012-01-26T16:28:00.002-06:00

Buck
[DVD 636.1 Buc]

Buck is not your typical big screen western cowboy movie, because unlike John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, Buck is the real thing. Buck is a documentary about the life of horseman cowboy Buck Brannaman. Brannaman is a leader in natural horsemanship and spends much of the year touring the country teaching horse clinics. Brannaman's personal story begins with a troubled childhood. Growing up he was a child rodeo star with an abusive father. As an adult he channeled his difficult past into a passion for teaching away the abusive training methods common in horse breaking and training. His empathy and understanding of the unique relationship between humans and animals is expressed in his gentle teaching style and methodology. The documentary weaves Buck's personal story with his philosophy of horsemanship. Buck is soft spoken, but articulate and straight to the point thus leading to some humorous and blunt moments throughout the film. Buck's many students play an important role in the documentary as well. An interview with Robert Redford credits Buck with much of the inspiration for the 1998 movie Horse Whisperer. Redford divulges quite a bit of interesting background information on Buck's contributions to the film's production (including the use of Buck's personal horse in the movie). Documentary enthusiasts will be pleasantly surprised by Meehl's style, which captures Buck's personal story through archival footage, and small subtle details. Keep watch for a small funny moment that allows Buck's personality to shine through in a diner, where he consumes many meals on the road. Those who are horse owners and western fans might appreciate a high quality genre documentary, which captures the spirit of the west. Everybody can expect to learn a thing or two about leadership, compassion and respect too. Buck is a must see uplifting documentary. [If you like this, you may also enjoy Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (Book & DVD), and War Horse by Michael Morpurgo j Morpurgo/YA PB Morpurgo.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

Death Comes to Pemberley

2012-01-25T10:38:00.001-06:00

Death Comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James

As a fan of both Jane Austen and P.D. James, I felt compelled to read the latest attempt to provide a sequel to Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." Acclaimed mystery writer P.D. James provides an interesting follow-up story using the death of one of Jane Austen's characters as the basis for this mystery. Although James does an excellent job of writing in the style of Austen, she changes the character of Mr. Darcy enough that it does not seem like a sequel at all; it just seems like one of many attempts to pick up where Jane Austen left off following the marriage of Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Regardless, this is a fun read and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good, clean mysteries. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins and P.D. James, A Mind to Murder by P.D. James.] -- recommended by Kim J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in book-on-cd and Large Print formats.]

[ official P.D. James / Death Comes to Pemberley 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.

Let's Be Reasonable

2012-01-24T09:41:00.002-06:00

Let's Be Reasonable
by Joel Sartore [814 Sar]

Native Lincolnite and renowned National Geographic photographer/essayist Joel Sartore's latest book combines his two great creative loves -- interesting photography and thought-provoking commentary. In this spare collection, he pairs iconic and/or quirky images, shot in many different locales (although quite a few of them are from right here in Nebraska), with truly thoughtful essays, both short and long. The images and words are indelibly entertwined, and the topics run the gamut from environmentalism, to commercialism to the issues of families and traditions. Though a fairly quick and easy read, I did end up finding myself thinking more strongly about many of the issues Sartore brings up. Ultimately, though, I enjoyed this book for his beautifully captured images. Recommended for fans of photography, and thoughtful prose, especially if you're from Nebraska! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Sartore's Rare: Portraits of America's Endangered Species.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Joel Sartore 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.

How the West Was Won (on compact disc)

2012-01-23T16:14:00.003-06:00

How the West Was Won (on compact disc)
by Louis L'Amour

L'Amour's version is based upon the screenplay for the movie How the West was Won which in turn was based upon a series in "Life" magazine (seven consecutive issues beginning April 6, 1959; available at Bennett Martin library). This story follows one family through several decades of Westward expansion in the 1800's including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads. In this case, I recommend you view the movie first. While listening to the cds I kept envisioning the movie actors and could easily follow the tale. This version differs slightly from the movie but remember this was based on the screenplay and screenplays are frequently altered during filming. More in-depth with some characters than the movie, and a very enjoyable story. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in Print and DVD formats.]

[ official Louis L'Amour 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.

Murder in C Major

2012-01-18T14:01:00.003-06:00

Murder in C Major
by Sara Hoskinson Frommer

Joan Spencer grew up in Oliver, Indiana. After her husband dies suddenly, she and her teenage son, Andrew, move back to her hometown to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. Oliver has grown into a busy college town and Joan finds a few familiar faces and revives an old friendship. She lands a job as director of the senior center and she joins the Oliver Civic Symphony where she plays viola. Rehearsals go well until the obnoxious first oboist, George Petris, collapses during the big oboe solo in the Schubert. He is rushed to the hospital where he dies. Violinist, Yoichi Nakamura, is the first person to suggest that George's death may not have been natural because it reminds Yoichi of his uncle's death in Japan from fugu poisoning. An autopsy confirms that he was poisoned. Lieutenant Fred Lundquist determines that the deadly puffer fish may not be the only source of this poison. And he turns to Joan for guidance in the musical world. Frommer weaves her love of classical music into this well-crafted debut novel. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the Benni Harper series by Earlene Fowler, the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert and the Deborah Knott series by Margaret Maron.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

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.

Support Your Local Sheriff

2012-01-15T12:03:00.002-06:00

Support Your Local Sheriff
[DVD Support]

This movie was a fabulous combination of the perfect cast, a witty and sarcastic script, and an era in which the traditional, staid, heroic western was ripe for satirisation. Garner's wise-ass persona, exemplified in his role of Bret Maverick, pokes perfect fun at the overly heroic "white hat" stars of tradtional westerns. His Jason McCullough is looking for a quick buck while making his way to Australia, and stumbles across a temporary position as Sheriff of a small gold-rush town. He sobers up the town drunk, Jack Elam, to become his deputy, and goes up against the powerful Danby family in a hilarious showdown on main street. There's also an unwanted romance with Mayor's daughter, and the complication that McCullough doesn't really like to work very much at all. It's all goofy fun, with an extremely wry sense of humor. Elam's particularly funny in one of his first major film roles! [There was a follow-up film, Support Your Local Gunslinger, which was entertaining but not quite as good as this film. Of course, Garner fans should see Maverick and The Rockford Files.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ 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.

The Garner Files

2012-01-15T12:01:00.003-06:00

The Garner Files
by James Garner

James Garner has always been one of my absolute most-favorite television actors. Though I was born a little too late to have enjoyed him in Maverick, I consider The Rockford Files to be, perhaps, one of the most perfectly-constructed television series ever made. And James Garner deserves the lion's share of the credit for that. He puts out the impression of gruffness or, as he mentions in his biography, "crochetyness", but underneath it, he's got a warm personality. His autobiography is definitely written in his voice -- he shares anecdotes, both positive and negative, from throughout his career. He's blunt but honest about the people whom he has issues with, but cordial and sentimental about the creative types whom he respects. He spends about equal time on his TV and movie careers, but also a large amount of the book covers his personal life outside of the show-biz trappings -- his hard-scrabble youth, his love of both golf and racing cars, and the issues of growing older. I very much enjoyed this book, and recommend it highly to anyone who's a fan of Garner's extensive body of work on screen. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try This is Jim Rockford..., Maverick on DVD, The Rockford Files on DVD, James Garner's feature films, particularly The Great Escape, Murphy's Romance, My Name is Bill W., Support Your Local Sheriff, and so many others...] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ James Garner page on Wikipedia ] | [ official Internet Movie Database page for Garner ]

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.

Lake Eden Cookbook

2012-01-13T18:06:00.003-06:00

Lake Eden Cookbook
by Joanne Fluke [641.5 Flu]

Christmas is near and Delores Swenson is holding her 4th Annual Cookie Exchange luncheon and we?re invited. Hannah is catering the lunch and she has thoughtfully provided a binder of her recipes for each guest. There are no photos in this cookbook. Instead, it has the feel of a real community cookbook. The kind put out by church groups where everyone contributes a recipe or two with notes and serving suggestions. The recipes range from appetizers to soups and main dishes to the cookies that Hannah serves at The Cookie Jar. Fix yourself Hannah's Razzle Dazzle Champagne Cocktail and snuggle into a comfortable chair and enjoy the cookbook. This is a well-done series tie-in book and a delight for culinary mystery fans. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Debbie Macomber's Christmas Cookbook and the Coffeehouse mystery series by Cleo Coyle.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Joanne Fluke 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.

New Booklist - If You Like...The Help

2012-01-13T17:59:00.004-06:00

Carrie K., of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, has put together a new "If You Like..." booklist, for fans of the 2009 bestseller The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Set during the civil rights era of the 1960s and dealing with issues of race relations and domestic help, the novel is touching, comical and full of wry observations on human relationships.

It was also turned into a feature film in 2011, which is being mentioned as a possible Oscar contender.

Carrie's booklist -- If You Like "The Help"... -- is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Author Readalikes page.

Feynman

2012-01-10T11:34:00.001-06:00

Feynman
by Jim Ottavanian [Biography Feynman]

This is a fascinating, and very readable biography of one of the most interesting and influential minds of the 20th century. Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was one of the foremost theoretical physicists in scentific history. His story is told here, in graphic-novel semi-autobiographical format. The art, while occasionally sketchy and off-putting, never-the-less captures Feynman's spirit (as evident in Feynman's own words), and serves as an extremely simplified introduction to numerous concepts in advanced physics. I was only vaguely aware of Feynman's contributions to world of science, but through this intriguing telling of his life's story, I'm curious enough now to want to track down some of the more traditional books that both he and his biographers have published over the years. Congrats -- job well done, Mr. Ottaviani! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ publisher's official Feynman web site ] | [ official Publishing site of Jim Ottaviani ]

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.

New Customer Review - Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

2012-01-07T14:58:00.002-06:00

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
by Anne Mazer [j Mazer]

Abbey Haye's family is super talented. In the introductory book of the series, Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining, Abbey wishes to be like anyone else in her family. Then Abbey's fifth-grade teacher announces that this year their grade will have a special creative writing workshop every week. As part of this special writing class, Abbey receives a notebook in which she can write whatever she wants. Soon after Abbey receives that notebook, she gets so caught up with writing in it that her teacher has to reprimand her: "Put the notebook away. We're going to begin our math quiz." Yet Abbey continues to believe that she needs to become a sports star for her to be a "super member" of the Hayes family and so she diets, trains, and works out. I'm not sure why she latches specifically onto sports, but ultimately Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining is a light-hearted story about a girl who struggles to find her talent in all the wrong places. -- 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 Booktalk Booklist - Kim's Kart 2011

2012-01-05T17:54:00.002-06:00

Kim S., supervisor of the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, presented an all-new booktalk at the Bethany Branch BooksTalk session on December 2, 2011, talking about a mixture of fiction and non-fiction titles that appealed to her recently.

The booklist from her booktalk -- Kim's Kart 2011 -- is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. Click the preceeding link to see the master index, or click the link for her booktalk title to see just that specific booklist!

And don't forget -- although they are on hiatus right now, the Gere BooksTalk and Bethany BooksTalk winter/spring sessions will be starting up again shortly -- starting in early January, we encourage you to stop by Bethany on Friday mornings at 10:30 and Gere on Monday afternoons at 2:30 to hear presentations about great books for you to read!

New Customer Review - My Antonia

2012-01-04T14:47:00.002-06:00

My Antonia
by Willa Cather [Cather]

The introduction of My Antonia is contrived. For another thing, because My Antonia is often about everyone but Jim, for awhile I wasn't sure who I should care about. Moreover,Cather's style initially felt like descriptive treatises. Eventually though, Cather reeled me in with her complex portrait of the folks of Black Hawk. Not only does each different culture have its share of drunks, partiers, rapists, murderers, and, oh, also good people, but they're expertly intertwined. These lines written by Jim, about the weather, accurately summarize the feel of My Antonia: "This is reality, whether you like it or not. All those frivolities of summer, the light and the shadow, the living mask of green that trembled over everything, they were lies. This is what was underneath. This is the truth." -- 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.

The Lost Valentine

2011-12-31T14:17:00.001-06:00

The Lost Valentine
based on the book by James Pratt [DVD Lost]

I'm a sucker for the Hallmark Hall of Fame productions that pop up on television two to three times per year. Invariably heart-warming and frequently sappy, these "movies with a message" are always well-made, with impressive casts and great production values. I originally watched The Lost Valentine when it aired on TV, mainly to see how Betty White did in a purely dramatic role. She is the heart and soul of this movie, and her performance is emotionally resonant. The rest of the cast, including Jennifer Love Hewitt as a pushy, but ultimately good-hearted reporter, who ends up falling into a relationship with Betty's character's grandson. It's all schmaltzy, but it's good schmaltz...and I dare you not to be teary eyed as White's Caroline learns what happened to her true love 65 years earlier. Good stuff! [Most other entries in the Hallmark Hall of Fame DVD series would work well -- I personally recommend Silver Bells, a Christmas-themed story of love, redemption and perseverance.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Have you seen 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.

New Booktalk Booklist - A Celebration of Sisters!

2011-12-30T17:57:00.004-06:00

Erin S., from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, presented an all-new booktalk at the Bethany Branch BooksTalk session on September 16, 2011 and at the Gere Branch BooksTalk session on October 10, 2011, on the theme of A Celebration of Sisters!

The booklist from her booktalk is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. Click the preceeding link to see the master index, or click the link for her booktalk title to see just that specific booklist!

Erin is also one of the library staff members who has a monthly "column" newsletter as part of the libraries' Books, Movies & More newsletter service. Visit the sign-up page (click here) to learn more about "Through the Pages With Erin S." and all the other newsletters you can subscribe to and receive in your email each month!

And don't forget -- although they are on hiatus right now, the Gere BooksTalk and Bethany BooksTalk winter/spring sessions will be starting up again shortly -- starting in early January, we encourage you to stop by Bethany on Friday mornings at 10:30 and Gere on Monday afternoons at 2:30 to hear presentations about great books for you to read!

The House Without a Christmas Tree

2011-12-30T15:40:00.003-06:00

The House Without a Christmas Tree
by Gail Rock [j Rock]

In many ways this story feels like what anyone in a small town might experience -- up to a point. Addie and Carla Mae are best friends who like to hang out at each other's homes. This particular December day, they're talking what to buy for the student exchange at school and Addie is stumped about what to buy snobby Tonya. As Addie and Carla Mae spell their names with soup noodles, the conversation shifts to what each girl wants for Christmas. Sound like typical small town life? Oh, and Addie and Billie have a crush on each other, but of course neither will admit it. Then Carla Mae asks, "How come you haven't got your Christmas tree up yet?" Addie parrots the argument that her dad uses: they cost too much. The reality is sadder, to the point that the topic is a forbidden topic. When telling my husband about this book, he easily guessed its big secret. Yet my biggest problem, instead, is how long the secret is withheld and then how quickly Addie's problems are resolved once we know the truth behind them. Even so, The House Without a Christmas Tree remains a charming seasonal classic. -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

[Editor's note: This was also adapted in 1972 into a TV special, starring Jason Robards, which remains a perennial holiday favorite for viewers, as well!]

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.

The Night Circus

2011-12-30T12:41:00.001-06:00

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern

I LOVED this book! From the very first pages I was completely engaged and could not wait to find out where this story was going to go. Le Cirque des Rêves is only open at night and travels from city to city without notice. Morgenstern's descriptions of each tent and the acts within them are so wonderful that I can only hope this book is made into a movie so I can see it all come to life! At the heart of the story is a competition between two illusionists, Marco and Celia, who have been brought up to think of nothing else. The circus is somewhat of a stage for the competition and showcases each competitor's skill and imagination. Marco and Celia fall deeply in love. A love that will not only change the course of the competition, but will dramatically affect each person involved with the circus as well. This story has many layers and I think has a little bit for everyone. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Time Traveler's Wife or Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger or Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.] -- recommended by Alyse S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Night Circus page on the official Erin Morgenstern 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.

New Customer Review - A Lantern in Her Hand

2011-12-29T17:11:00.002-06:00

A Lantern in Her Hand
by Bess Streeter Aldrich [Aldrich]

Abbie Deal through the course of the book matures from an eight-year-old whose family has recently migrated to Iowa into an "old lady who dies while the meat burned and the children played 'Run, Sheep, Run'." With that opening, who could resist turning the page? For the first few chapters, Aldrich recounts Midwest adventures akin to those in the Little House books. While this is interesting enough, I most enjoyed reading about Abbie's creative pursuits. I also related to how she used every opportunity to dream of being a singer, painter, or writer. At the age of eighteen, Abbie faces a decision not uncommon at that time about who to marry. Here's where Abbie's story really begins, for true to pioneer life the family meets very few people and face year after year of crop failure. Aldrich has written a beautiful fictional tribute to the memories of her mother and all the other settlers whom she interviewed about the forging of this state. -- 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.

My Lucky Life, In and Out of Show Business [on CD]

2011-12-29T10:59:00.003-06:00

My Lucky Life, In and Out of Show Business
by Dick Van Dyke [Compact Disc Biography Van Dyke]

Dick Van Dyke does a marvelous job of narrating this audiobook format of his recent best-selling autobiography. Like many TV and movie buffs, I've been a fan of Van Dyke's for his legendary sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, as well as the movies Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and his more recent series Diagnosis Murder. I was also aware of Van Dyke's bouts with alcoholism in the past. This bio is not a "tell all" about anybody except for Van Dyke himself. But the memories he shares of working on the various projects that have contributed to his professional life are fully engaging. His frank discussion of the disintegration of his marriage, and falling in love a second time, are both sad and uplifting at the same time. Van Dyke's open and gregarious personality on screen conceals a much more private and thoughtful persona out of the spotlight. This biography does a great job of bringing the private Van Dyke to the forefront. The only drawback to listening to this as a Book-on-CD is that you don't get to enjoy the large section of photos that is featured in the traditional print version of the book! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ Wikipedia page for Dick Van Dyke ]

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.

New Booktalk Booklist - Lights, Camera, Books - Take Two!

2011-12-28T17:36:00.003-06:00

Shannon K., from the Walt Branch Library, presented an all-new booktalk at the Bethany Branch BooksTalk session on October 28, 2011 on the theme of Lights, Camera, Books - Take Two!

The booklist from her booktalk is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. If you're curious about which recent and forthcoming movies have been based on previously-published books and short stories, check out some of her prime examples!

And don't forget -- although they are on hiatus right now, the Gere BooksTalk and Bethany BooksTalk winter/spring sessions will be starting up again shortly -- starting in early January, we encourage you to stop by Bethany on Friday mornings at 10:30 and Gere on Monday afternoons at 2:30 to hear presentations about great books for you to read!

Amazing Cows

2011-12-28T12:03:00.003-06:00

Amazing Cows
by Sandra Boynton [j741.5 Boy]

Sandra Boynton, best known as a childrens' board book illustrator and the creator of a long-running line of greeting cards featuring cartoon animals (such as "Hippo Birdie Two Ewe"), occasionally tackles a bigger project, and always with satisfyingly hilarious results. Amazing Cows is her latest -- appropriate for all ages, "up to a hundred and moo". This book, cataloged in our youth collection, is jam-packed full of cow jokes, poems, fake facts and humorous comic books. It's all illustrated with Boynton's highly-recognizable cartoony animals. Anyone who's a fan of cows, or of Boynton's other works, should get a chuckle out of this one. [Note: a song, referenced and linked to at the end of the book, is no longer available at the publisher's website!] [Obviously, Boynton fans can check out all the many board books for little kids. But for the slightly older reader, I recommend Rhinoceros Tap and Philadelphia Chickens.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Sandra Boynton 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.

Destiny of the Republic

2011-12-27T09:30:00.003-06:00

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
by Candace Millard [364.152 Mil]

This is no ordinary biography of a mostly- forgotten president. Candice Millard brings President James A. Garfield to life. Not only did I learn a great deal about Garfield's early life and short presidency, I was also fascinated to learn so much about his assassin as well as the doctors and scientists who tried to keep him alive. Although I knew how this story was going to end, there were moments of suspense as well. I also was unaware of the part that Alexander Graham Bell played in trying to save Garfield's life. This really was an enjoyable read, and peaked my interest in the medical world at that time. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey also by Millard or Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.] -- recommended by Alyse S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Candace Millard 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.

Steve Jobs

2011-12-23T15:11:00.003-06:00

Steve Jobs
by Walter Isaacson [Biography Jobs]

A detailed and very interesting book even at 600 pages. It bogged down only for 40 pages or so when Jobs was being expelled from Apple, and Isaacson seemed to go on and on and on about how nasty Jobs could be - we'd already figured this out. This also turned out to be a fascinating history of the computer industry as well. Jobs seemed to be bipolar, slightly psychotic, and missing the social filter most of us have that prevents us from speaking EXACTLY what's on our mind and deliberately hurting people's feelings. Told mostly chronologically, this includes the requisite photos in the middle of the book, as I feel all good biographies should. It was made more poignant knowing Jobs died of cancer shortly before this book came out. Some of the events in this book I vaguely remember occurring, such as the "1984" Super Bowl commercial, so I went online to You Tube and got to giggle again during 13 "Hi, I'm a PC, and I'm a Mac" commercials, watched some of Jobs' product releases during the MacWorld conferences, and viewed the Jobs/Gates co-interview. It was interesting to visit these videos as a supplement to reading this book. One does not need to be a computer nerd to understand or enjoy this biography. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Roone: Memoir by Roone Arledge.] -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ Publisher's official Steve Jobs book web site ] | [ Wikipedia page for Walter Isaacson ]

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.

Captain America: The First Avenger

2011-12-22T10:23:00.002-06:00

Captain America: The First Avenger [2011]
[DVD Captain]

The story follows Steve Rogers, an American who desperately wants to join the military and serve his country. The problem is that he is too small and has too many ailments so he is constantly turned down. After a mysterious doctor approves his application he joins a special military project that turns him into a super soldier. Now known as "Captain America" Steve fights to save the world from the evil hands of Johann Schmidt and his army known as Hydra. While the storyline wasn't all that fantastic, the special effects were very impressive as they were able to make Chris Evans look tiny and frail in every scene until his tranformation. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk and all the other movies leading up to the great anticipated "Avengers" movie coming out in 2012.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Captain America: The First Avenger web site ]

Have you seen to 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.

New Booklist - NYT 100 Notable Books of 2011

2011-12-21T17:50:00.003-06:00

A new booklist has been added to the web pages of the libraries' BookGuide readers advisory site! The New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2011 is a collection of the 100 most noteworthy books, in both fiction and non-fiction, released in the English language during the course of 2011. At least, in so far as The New York Times Book Review's staff is considered.

At the time of the list's release, in the December 4th issue of the Book Review, the Lincoln City Libraries has 61 of the 100 titles in our collection. This online booklist has those 61 titles hotlinked into our catalog. We encourage you the use the libraries' InterLibrary Loan service to request the remaining titles, or fill out our online Suggest-a-Title form to recommend them for our collection!

The Pilgrim's Progress

2011-12-21T15:19:00.003-06:00

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan was once the most widely read and translated book in the English language apart from the Bible. If you are not already familiar with The Pilgrim's Progress, it is an allegory about the Christian journey. At its core is a thrilling story. The first part of The Pilgrim's Progress is about Christian, who undertakes a dangerous journey. Carrying a burden of sin, Christian leaves behind his family and friends to seek deliverance from an impending judgment on his city. Christian must overcome many dangers if he is to reach his final destination. The second part is about Christian's wife and sons who undertake a similar journey. John Bunyan doesn't simply recreate his original tale, but imagines new adventures that might happen to other pilgrims. By now, you might also be thinking that both parts are simply one danger after another, when that is simply not true. Christina's sons and Mercy find marriage. We also meet some new types of pilgrims, with whom many of us probably readily identify. Besides being a thrilling tale, The Pilgrim's Progress is also an allegory about the Christian journey. Not everything on a pilgrim's journey is dark. There are places of excellent sights and rest such as Palace Beautiful, the Delectable Mountains, and Country of Beulah. Too often for my taste, there are the moral passages. Sometimes this Christian classic felt like being in at everlasting church service, which is the main fault I find in this otherwise epic tale. John Bunyan wrote The Pilgrim's Progress for Christians. It seems as it's a reflection of Bunyan's own realization that the Christian life is a journey that can be fraught with strife while also having moments of joy. It's is an important and encouraging book to read. -- 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.

Poe's Detective: The Dupin Stories

2011-12-20T10:58:00.002-06:00

Poe's Detective: The Dupin Stories
by Edgar Allan Poe [Compact Disc Poe]

As a long-time fan of the mystery genre, I'm embarrassed to admit that I had never read Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", nor any of the other stories to feature his intellectual crime solver C. Auguste Dupin. When I saw that Bronson Pinchot -- one of my favorite TV actors (Balki on Perfect Strangers) was the narrator of this audiobook set, I couldn't pass it up. Pinchot was almost unrecognizable and his heavily accented Dupin is perfectly appropriate for these stories. I will admit that the Dupin stories are historic for their role in helping to create the modern genre of murder mysteries. However...though intriguing, I found these stories somewhat bland and unengaging. I did, however, love the biting humor of the fourth (non-Dupin) story in this audio collection. Despite some disappointment, I would still recommend this set to any mystery fans! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[The works of Poe are available in a variety of formats through the libraries.]

[ Wikipedia page about C. Auguste Dupin ]

Have you listened to 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.

Habibi

2011-12-19T09:44:00.001-06:00

Habibi
by Craig Thompson

Habibi is Craig Thompson's latest graphic novel bound, drawn and written with an exquisite attention to detail. The story follows two young slaves, Dodola and Zam, through the ins and outs of desert life, a harem and a developing urban center. The story transcends any specific time and place giving it a seemingly post modern setting. Thompson has clearly labored intensively to integrate the Arabic language throughout the book. While written in English, Arabic calligraphy is incorporated throughout, providing a stunning text layer to the backgrounds on many pages. The story itself is a rather dark romance. Dodola and Zam's story is filled with terrible tragedy. As Dodola and Zam face the environmental and social challenges of poverty and slavery, they incorporate mythical stories and Islamic parables into each problem in efforts to overcome. The book's binding and drawings are breathtaking. The drawings will make you feel as though you are looking at a fine art piece, not simply a graphic novel. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Ghost World by Daniel Clowes, Blankets by Craig Thompson, and Good-bye, Chunky Rice by Craig Thompson.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Habibi web site ] | [ official Craig Thompson 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.

New Customer Review - SLOB (and other Ellen Potter titles)

2011-12-16T16:48:00.004-06:00

SLOB
by Ellen Potter [j Potter]

When I read the first lines of SLOB, I wondered what I was in for: "My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I'm probably fatter than you are." Was this going to be another "pity the fat kid" story? Or was it going to be another "here's how to lose weight" story? I should have known better than to wonder. This is Ellen Potter. SLOB starts out with a simple problem: The cookies which Owen eats for lunch everyday have disappeared. After you read about Owen's gym class, you'll probably also understand why Owen needs those cookies. On the heels of gym class is a third problem: Owen is trying to build something called Nemesis. What amazes me about SLOB is how organic it is. SLOB goes in one direction and then another. Yet no matter what surprises crop up, when you think about them in hindsight they all make sense. Something else I love about Potter's books is how easily she weaves in lessons, without ever preaching about them. Owen is all of us who have ever run away from a problem. He is also every person who has faced up to problems. For so many reasons, including this one, SLOB is my favorite Ellen Potter book. -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

Visit the Customer Reviews page on BookGuide (linked below) to see three additional recent reviews by Allison of other Ellen Potter titles!

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.

Tour de Lincoln: Artistic Bicycles Celebrating Lincoln's Unique Trails System

2011-12-15T15:58:00.002-06:00

Tour de Lincoln: Artistic Bicycles Celebrating Lincoln's Unique Trails System
by The Lincoln Arts Council [739 Tou]

Remember the Tour de Lincoln public arts project from 2003? You know -- when 71 different variations on the same bicycle sculpture were scattered throughout Lincoln during an entire Spring and Summer, and then at the end of the event, most of them were auctioned off to support the arts in Lincoln? Well, this cute little book was released at the time that all 71 bikes were on display that year. Though it's a bit artsy-fartsy, and occasionally uses fonts and layouts that aren't very pleasing to the eye, the Tour de Lincoln book is none-the-less an excellent guide to all 71 of the bikes. After a general introduction to the background of the project as a whole, each bike then gets its own two-page spread, with photographs, bike title, artist and sponsor names, some brief information about how the design was chosen and created. An article in the November 27th, 2011 Lincoln Journal Star, about a local woman's quest to find all of the surviving indicated that 60 of the 71 bikes are still around (a few in other cities), in case (like me and my wife) you'd like to track them down all over again! [Note: I just wish a similar book had been published in conjunction with the Star Art public arts project that was a follow-up to Tour de Lincoln!] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ 11/27/11 Lincoln Journal Star article about bikes' locations as of 2011 ] | [ Collections of photos of the Tour de Lincoln bikes: Steve Adamson (Omaha) | Dietrich family (of Lincoln) | CannellFan (Flickr user) ]

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.

Across a Wide Horizon

2011-12-14T16:59:00.002-06:00

Across a Wide Horizon: Discovering the Beauty of Nebraska's Plains
by Jorn C. Olsen [917.82 qOls]

Originally from Oregon, Olsen has lived in Nebraska for over 30 years and clearly demonstrates his affection for his adopted home state in this volume of photography. Most of the selections are 2-page landscapes, with a few gate-folds for the extremely panoramic compositions. Many of the most striking images have intense or deep colors, or a wow factor, such as the butter-colored mist over a lake in "Morning Glow" or the dramatic cloud formation of "Framed by the Trees II". As one who loves Nebraska's wide prairie views, I very much enjoyed the volume and I especially appreciated Olsen's clever phrasing in many of his titles. -- recommended by Becky W. C. - Walt Branch Library

[ official Jorn Olsen 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.

One Man's Paradise

2011-12-10T15:21:00.002-06:00

One Man's Paradise
by Douglas Corleone

Kevin Corvelli was a rising star in New York City's legal world until his arrogance cost a client his life. Corvelli, appalled at his own behavior, packed his bags and moved to Honolulu vowing to handle only misdemeanors. He is through with high-profile murders and the accompanying media spotlight. But his first case is a headline grabbing murder. Joseph Gianforte, Jr. is accused of tracking his ex-girlfriend to Hawaii and bludgeoning her to death. Corvelli is convinced that Gianforte is innocent and he is determined not let another innocent man go to jail. This page-turner sparkles with great characters and wit. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Robert Dugoni or John Verdon.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Douglas Corleone 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.

Library Word Search Dec 2011

2011-12-10T13:21:00.002-06:00

Library Word Search Dec 2011, a photo by BookGuide at LCL on Flickr.

Hey, Lincoln City Libraries fans who are also Flickr users! Stop by this puzzle on the BookGuide Flickr account to try out a library-term Word Search puzzle!

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home

2011-12-08T16:49:00.002-06:00

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home
by Jeni Britton Bauer [641.862 Bau]

The colorful graphics -- spoons of multi-colored ice cream flavors -- on the cover of this book grabbed my attention immediately. The author is the owner/operator of a chain of gourmet ice cream shops in the Columbus, Ohio area, and here shares her philosophy of ice cream construction and use of fresh, seasonal, regional and thematic ingredients. Nearly all of the recipes in the book are built around a simple ice cream base of frozen yogurt base, and Jeni gives the scientific and culinary reasons for how add-on ingredients affect both the chemical balance and the taste experience for her rather unorthodox flavor combinations. Bauer's recipes are designed around the use of a table-top electric ice cream machine, with its clear cover so that you can see the ice cream as it churns. So...if you've got an ice cream machine that's not so sophisticated you may be handicapped. However, if you've got the right equipment, and you're up for some intriguing experimentation, this book is for you. Bauer organizes the book into "seasons", and each season has some flavors I'd love to try making, including: Savannah Buttermint Ice Cream, Sweet Basil and Honeyed Pine Nut Ice Cream, Sweet Potato Ice Cream with Torched Marshmallows, and Brown Butter Almond Brittle Ice Cream. Some recipes require some advance preparation for some of the ingredients, but many require very little time. The illustrations are gorgeous, and Bauer includes instructions on preparing various sauces and other toppings, as well as how to make waffle cones. She also includes an index to sources for uncommon ingredients. All in all, this is a delicious cookbook. If you love ice cream, give this one a try! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official jenisicecreams.com 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.

New Customer Review - The Distant Hours

2011-12-07T12:05:00.002-06:00

The Distant Hours
by Kate Morton [Morton]

A wonderful Gothic novel, very much in the style of Lincoln's OBOL a few years ago, The Thirteenth Tale. This tells the story of three sisters in an English mansion and their story, told both in flashback and in present time. The present-time narrator is the daughter of a young woman who stayed at the mansion as an evacuee from London and so we have a variety of viewpoints. Make a pot of cocoa, put a log in the fire and enjoy The Distant Hours. -- review submitted by Barbara R. - a patron 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.

Ghost Story

2011-12-06T09:32:00.001-06:00

Ghost Story
by Jim Butcher

Spoiler Alert! Harry Dresden, Chicago's wizard/private-eye is dead. He was gunned down in the final few pages of the previous volume of The Dresden Files (Changes), leaving fans apoplectic with anger and frustration at author Jim Butcher. However, being dead is only a minor inconvenience to Harry, who finds that eternal rest is not exactly next on his agenda. Sent back to the land of the living, Harry is charged with discovering who killed him -- before others that were close to him come to dark ends. Life as a ghost proves complicated for Harry -- his wizardly powers are close to non-existent, and only a very small fraction of people can even sense his presence. But when Harry sees what the results are of his world-altering actions in Changes, and how precarious the lives of his friends have become, he eagerly tackles the afterlife head on. This is one of the most unusual volumes this series has seen, and the characters are all vibrant and alive (if you'll pardon the jest). I particularly liked the major roles that former minor characters enjoyed in this particular story. I recommend this one strongly, but the Dresden Files books have a strong level of continuity, and you really need to start with one of the first 3 or 4 books -- you'll easily be lost if you try to pick up Ghost Story without any prior knowledge of the series. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Jim Butcher 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.

Jeannie Out of the Bottle (on CD)

2011-12-05T10:34:00.005-06:00

Jeannie Out of the Bottle
by Barbara Eden

As a kid, I grew up on the weekday afternoon repeats of I Dream of Jeannie, and easily grew to love the cute, spunky, perky, energetic Jeannie, as played by actress Barbara Eden. Years later, reading reports of how uncomfortable the set of the show was, with star Larry Hagman a drugged up egocentric mess, I felt somewhat disillusioned. Barbara Eden's new autobiography, Jeannie Out of the Bottle, brings it all back to vivid life, both the good and the bad. I chose to enjoy this title as a Book-on-CD, with Eden reading her own work. She's a fun narrator to listen to (frequently chuckling or laughing at her own text), and seems to enjoy her opportunity to share memories of her career, both pre-Jeannie and post-Jeannie. This particular book is fairly lightweight, but it was a joy to listen to, as she reminisces about past relationships, including ex-husband Michael Ansara, acting achievements, and the sad passing of her son as a result of drug addiction. But, for me, as for many other Jeannie fans, it is her chapters dealing with the origins of I Dream of Jeannie, and her experiences working on that 4-season series, that brought the biggest smile to my face. Her tales of Larry Hagman at his ego-maniacal worst are easily tempered by the love and friendship she still obviously feels for him after all these years. If you grew up on 1960s and early 1970s television sitcoms, you'll enjoy this one too! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Barbara Eden web site ]

Have you read (or listened to) 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.

New Customer Review - Speak

2011-12-05T10:25:00.003-06:00

Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson [j Anderson]

Speak is well-crafted. Anderson undertook the challenge of introducing a disenfranchised teenager and convincing readers to like her. How much easier that challenge would have been if Anderson had revealed from the start what had happened to Melinda. Anderson also undertook the challenge of revealing details about the events of one August night, only as Melinda was ready to deal with them. How much easier Anderson's challenge would have been if she'd simply told a straightforward story about how Melinda came to terms with the fact that bad things can happen. That she instead took the higher road, readers are blessed with a complex and richly textured story that is still applauded over ten years after its publication. Anderson is still writing problem novels. Speak is an impressive introduction to her writings. -- 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.

Dead in the Water

2011-12-04T16:17:00.002-06:00

Dead in the Water
by Dana Stabenow

Kate Shugak is working undercover on the Avilda, a crabbing boat, hoping to learn why two crewmembers disappeared on its last trip. The skipper, Harry Gault, claims that when water supplies ran low the men went ashore on Anua Island to find fresh water. They never returned to the ship. Stabenow's description of life on a crabber is riveting. The work is grueling and dangerous as the crew battles high seas and ice storms. Kate and her shipmate, Andy Pence, are such well drawn characters that they just pop off the pages. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Sue Henry, Louise Penny and Nevada Barr.]

[ official Dead in the Water page on the official Dana Stabenow 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.

New Customer Review - Girl vs. Ghost

2011-11-28T16:53:00.003-06:00

Girl vs. Ghost
by Kate McMurry and Marie August

Isabel doesn't believe in magic, but her best friend Tripp does. Girl vs. Ghost is part comedy, part romance, and part paranormal. After Tripp inadvertently conjures up a ghost, we discover that Marc doesn't even know that he is one. Moreover, only Isabel can see Marc who is connected to her by a cable. Of course, given how much Isabel and Marc start out by hating one another, the real question isn't whether they will end up together but how they'll overcome their animosity to work together. And work together they must or Marc will forever remain an amnesiac ghost. The paranormal element unsettles me due to my religious beliefs. My main complaint otherwise is one I keep having about many first novels and that is: the writing quality is, not surprisingly, uneven. These concerns aside, the story was refreshingly cute for paranormal fiction, which is often dark. Also, I like that Marc is not a "bad boy," but just an innocent bystander. For those who are open to all aspects of the paranormal line of fiction, Girl vs. Ghost is worth checking out. [Note: Not currently owned by the Lincoln City Libraries -- 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.

Due South

2011-11-28T09:57:00.003-06:00

Due South
[DVD Due]

Due South is one of my all-time favorite "buddy cop" shows. Airing new episodes from 1994-96 on CBS and then straight-to-syndication in 1997-98, this was a classic fish-out-of-water story, of Canadian Mountie Benton Fraser (played to perfection by Paul Gross), who ends up coming to Chicago from the Canadian wilderness. There, he gets teamed up with Ray Vecchio (David Marciano), a street-wise Chicago cop from a wacky Italian family. Though the series played the distinct differences between the characters for occasional laughs, their odd friendship grew quite strong, and the stories were frequently very serious police action tales. The supporting cast, including Fraser's pet wolf/dog Diefenbaker, and the ghost of Fraser's father, was terrific, and the series featured noteworthy guest stars in key roles - including Leslie Nielsen. After the two CBS seasons, there was a one-year production hiatus, then a new actor replaced David Marciano as a different "Ray" and the character chemistry shifted accordingly. You definitely want to watch this series from the pilot forwards, due to the growing relationships. Great stuff!

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ Due South episode guide at epguides.com ]

Have you seen 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.

The Keeper of Lost Causes

2011-11-26T17:56:00.002-06:00

The Keeper of Lost Causes
by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Chief Detective Carl Mørck has just returned to duty after a tragic shooting that killed one of his partners and paralyzed the other. Mørck is suffering from survivor's guilt because he could do nothing to save his colleagues. He is depressed and crabby and his co-workers keep their distance. His new assignment is to head Department Q, which is tasked to solve Denmark's coldest cases. Mørck's office is a windowless room in the basement. His superiors hope he will stay out of sight and out of mind. Mørck looks at the hovel that passes for his office. He does a little research and finds that the government has allotted several million kroner to his department. Mørck uses this information to demand an assistant, a car and that his office be painted. He gets Assad, an émigré from the Middle East. The cheerful Assad prods the morose Mørck to take an interest in one of the cases. It is the disappearance of Merete Lynggaard, a beautiful, talented and up-and-coming politician. She disappeared while on a ferry sailing from Denmark to Germany five years ago. Did she commit suicide by jumping overboard? Did she fall accidentally fall overboard? Did she plan her disappearance? Was she abducted? Mørck is appalled by the errors made by the original investigators and digs into old case. This novel is, by turns, humorous, poignant, twisty and engrossing. The book is not to be missed. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Stieg Larson, Anne Holt and Louise Penny.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

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

[ official Jussi Adler-Olsen web site ]

See more books like this on our Nordic Noir booklist

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.

Did you know...? -- November 22nd

2011-11-22T16:09:00.003-06:00

For many Americans (and perhaps those of other nationalities, as well) in their late 40s or beyond, November 22nd maintains its dark place in history as the day that United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX in 1963.

You might be surprised to learn how many other well-known individuals in the fields of popular culture have also passed on this day, in various years, throughout history. Here are some highlights:

Authors who died on November 22nd (year in brackets)

Jack London [1916] -- author of "Call of the Wild"
Aldous Huxley [1963] -- author of "Brave New World" -- same exact day/year as JFK
C.S. Lewis [1963] -- author of the Narnia series -- same exact day/year as JFK
C.C. Beck [1989] -- prominent mystery author
Leonard Wibberley [1983] -- author of "The Mouse That Roared"
Anthony Burgess [1983] -- author of "A Clockwork Orange"

Prominent actors/entertainers/artists who died on November 22nd (year in brackets)

Scatman Crothers [1986]
Sterling Holloway [1992]
Mae West [1980]
Michael Conrad [1983] -- Hill St. Blues
Shemp Howard [1955]
Mark Lenard [1996] -- Sarek in the Star Trek series/movies
Michael Hutchence [1997] -- INXS lead singer
Parley Baer [2002]
Verity Lambert [2007] -- first producer of Doctor Who in 1963
Dave Cockrum [2006] -- long-time artist on The X-Men

What is it about November 22nd?

Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far

2011-11-22T09:43:00.002-06:00

Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far
by Bristol Palin [Biography Palin]

This was interesting to me. I am not really into politics, this book is about an Alaskan young lady. Bristol told her story including the struggles she faced as an unwed mother, with the support of her loving family, while in the political spotlight. She spoke of many struggles young people face today. She said her faith led her to aspire to find ways to help other young people. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try: The Memory Keeper's Daughter-fiction by Kim Edwards; The Help, historical fiction by Kathryn Stockett; Lavender Morning, contemporary romance fiction (1st in Edilean series), by Jude Deveraux; Married to Laughter, a love story featuring Anne Meara, non-fiction by Jerry Stiller.] -- recommended by Kathy H. - Walt Branch Library

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

[ Wikipedia page for Bristol Palin ]

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.

A new addition to the official Sherlock Holmes canon!

2011-11-21T17:14:00.005-06:00

Holmesians and other mystery fans were treated this month to the first new Sherlock Holmes novel that is considered to be part of the official "canon" of Holmes stories, at least as far as the Arthur Conan Doyle estate is concerned.

The House of Silk, by author Anthony Horowitz (creator of the Foyle's War television series, and author of the Alex Rider series of young adult novels, among others), was released on November 1st, 2011. This book marks the very first time -- ever -- that a non-Doyle-written novel has been acknowledged as belonging to the Holmes "canon" -- those stories that are considered truly and completely official by those individuals in charge of the Doyle estate.

This book's release, along with the appearance of other recent new Holmes-related tie-in books, like Kim Newman's The Hound of the D'Urbervilles (a Moriarity-centric story collection), Between the Thames and Tiber: Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Ted Riccardi, and A Study in Sherlock (an anthology edited by Laurie R. King), inspired us to update our extensive Sherlock Holmes booklist on the BookGuide side.

Elementary... has had several additional titles added to it, both current and classic. All titles still owned by the Lincoln City Libraries are hotlinked to the libraries' online catalog. All other titles can be ordered through the InterLibrary Loan service.

All of which leads us to the following questions: If you are a Holmes fan, which of the hundreds of Holmes tie-ins, pastiches or parodies have you enjoyed the most? Which do you think are truest to the original Doyle Holmes stories?

A Fatal Grace

2011-11-20T14:45:00.003-06:00

A Fatal Grace
by Louise Penny

Louise Penny's second volume in the increasingly popular Inspector Gamache series is once again set in the small Canadian town of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border. When a brittle, unpleasant domineering woman is killed by electrocution while attending a curling match on a bitterly cold day, shortly after Christmas, Gamache and his team of Surete investigators is called in from Quebec to investigate. Nobody liked her, nearly everybody had a reason to hate her or even wish her dead; but there's more to the killing than meets the eye. Equal parts cozy and police procedural, the Inspector Gamache mysteries feature colorful casts of well-rounded characters. Gamache, himself, is an immensely likeable man, as are many of the routine denizens of Three Pines (introduced in Still Life). The brutally cold winter described in this volume (it was originally entitled Dead Cold) is well-realized, and the mystery is crafty. Penny has a penchant for revealing all the clues as you're going along, but still often catching you by surprise in the final few pages. A sidebar mystery is dealt with, in part, in this volume, as we begin to peel away the layers of a work-releated crisis that Gamache lived through several years earlier. Excellent, flavorful mystery...I highly recommend it! [If you enjoy this, you may also like the traditional classic mysteries of Agatha Christie.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Louise Penny 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.

The Prostitutes' Ball (on CD)

2011-11-17T15:14:00.003-06:00

The Prostitute's Ball
by Stephen J. Cannell [Compact Disc Cannell]

Detective Shane Scully and his temporary partner, Sumner (Hitch) Hitchens, are assigned to investigate a shooting on the grounds of an abandoned mansion in the hills above Hollywood. The victims are a renowned producer and two prostitutes. When Scully and Hitchens close the case they are left with a piece of evidence that does not fit. This bit of evidence causes Scully and Hitchens to look at the history of the dilapidated mansion that still has a Christmas tree and gifts in the living room. They learn that a double murder and suicide was committed there twenty-five years before. Scully and Hitch poke around in the old case and find that many things were "swept under the rug" in order to close it. The Prostitute's Ball was published shortly after Stephen Cannell died. The Shane Scully books and The Rockford Files TV series were two of the gifts that Cannell gave the world. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Michael Connelly, Robert Crais and Jonathan Kellerman.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in print format.]

[ official Prostitutes' Ball page on the official Stephen J. Cannell 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.

Freak Nation

2011-11-16T17:39:00.002-06:00

Freak Nation
by Kate Stevens [306.1 Ste]

Equal parts fascinating and frustrating, this volume is a guide to over 100 odd or extreme American subcultures. The fascinating parts are some of the factoids that Stevens provides about odd groups, both big and small. Curious to see the basics about such well-known subcultures as Trekkies, Model Railroaders, Survivalists, Deadheads, Conspiracy Theorists, Tea Partiers and Hackers? Look no further -- each entry features information on each group about: "also known as", origins of the culture, "how to recognize", where the culture exists, who the "heroes" or figureheads of the culture are, most distinctive traits, "biggest controversy", "biggest misconception about", buzzwords of the culture, and what the signs are to identify minor fans, major fans and super fans of that culture. The "frustrating" part of this book, for me, is its organization -- it is NOT in alphabetical order, with entries instead being grouped by categories (Collectibles, Fashion, Art, etc.). The book does not feature an index at the back to cross-reference by "group name" or interests. While much of the content is presented non-judgmentally, the author does inject some rather snarky comments hear and there about some of the specific groups. There were also some fairly obviously subcultural groups which were not included, for no obvious reason. Despite my complaints, however, I enjoyed reading this book, picking profiled groups at random, and for readers looking for a relatively light and amusing way to learn about odd subcultures, this is a fun and quick read. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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.

New Customer Reviews - Writing Books for Teens

2011-11-15T09:52:00.004-06:00

Customer Allison H.-F. recently submitted several reviews to the Customer Reviews pages of BookGuide, all on the topic of encouraging teens and other youth to write. You can check out her reviews of Write Your Own Story, Writing Mysteries, Movies, Monster Stories and More!, Spilling Ink: A Young Writer's Handbook, What's Your Story, and Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly on the 2011 Customer Reviews page.

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 - Rascal

2011-11-10T11:28:00.002-06:00

Rascal
by Sterling North [599.744 N81r or j599.744 Nor]

In the first chapter of his fictional memoir, Sterling heads out with his dog Wowser and his best friend Oscar to the woods and across a creek. In the process of digging at a rotten stump, Wowser frightens a mother raccoon. Sterling takes one of the young that she leaves behind. Oscar's mom shows the boys how to feed a raccoon. Thus begins the adventures of a boy and his raccoon. School is out, giving ample time for both to bond. Midway into their adventures, one of Sterling's older sisters comes to visit. She hires a housekeeper, makes home cooked meals, and orders Sterling to remove the canoe from the living room. By the way, raccoons were not the only animal Sterling had brought home. His sister was none too happy to also discover a crow that liked to shout in church and even some skunks. You might think her visit would have changed their life but, soon enough, Sterling's sister returned to her home. Then, Sterling resumes his fairly independent life, which is far from lonely or boring, because of the critters he brings home.

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 Booklist on BookGuide - Nordic Noir

2011-11-08T17:43:00.003-06:00

Call it "the genre literary movement 'the Girl' gave birth to". Though that's a bit misleading. Writers from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland have been plumbing the psychological depths of killers and cops for quite some time -- notably the writing team of Per Wahloo and Maj Sjowall, who combined for ten books featuring detective Martin Beck from 1965 to 1975. However, the category of crime writing now known as Nordic Noir didn't gain a huge following outside of its European origins until Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

achieved explosive international fame in 2008, with over 27 million copies sold in 40 different countries.

The elements that contribute to make Nordic Noir a distinctive subgenre of mystery/thriller are as follows: streamlined language, downtrodden, world-weary, troubled and often anti-social heroes, and settings of cool, dark climates with strong anti-political, anti-government social attitudes. Most of these elements are common to the traditional American "noir" novels -- think Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Patricia Highsmith, and Elmore Leonard. However, the one thing that differs in Nordic Noir from traditional American Noir is the somewhat scathing look at the contemporary Scandinavian socio-political world. For an intensely liberal, admired culture that enjoys a strong welfare state, there's a great deal of dissatisfaction and frustration with government, big business and traditional organizations of power and influence, including law enforcement! In addition to Stieg Larsson (who died in 2004) and Henning Mankell (whose deeply-troubled protagonist Kurt Wallander has been successfully interpreted on television by Kenneth Brannagh), some of the key authors in this increasingly popular new literary category are: Arne Dahl, Ake Edwardson, Karin Fossum, Arnaldur Indridason, Lars Kepler, Camilla Lackberg, Jo Nesbo, Hakan Nesser and Helene Tursten, though these just scratch the surface.

Click here to see the full booklist, featuring over 25 authors in this popular mystery/thriller subgenre!

New Customer Review - Emily of New Moon

2011-11-07T14:57:00.003-06:00

Emily of New Moon
by Lucy Maud Montgomery [j]

"Do you know that your pa has only a week or two more to live?" These words of Ellen greet Emily upon her return from her glorious walk. When he dies, Ellen still doesn't offer Emily comfort. She informs Emily that her relatives are coming to the house to decide who will raise her. Emily expresses the wish that her relatives will love her. Ellen denies her even this hope, advising Emily that people don't love strange children. The rest of the book is about her life with the relatives who drew the winning straw to take in Emily. Although I love Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon is my favorite creation of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Both girls are imaginative, outspoken, and passionate. Yet unlike Anne, Emily is more introverted with darker moods and less social grace. Perhaps for these reasons, Emily is often rejected for her differences, rather than embraced and loved like Anne. Therefore, I feel more akin to Emily. -- 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 - Harriet the Spy

2011-11-03T09:48:00.002-05:00

Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh [j]

One of the more controversial characters in children's literature, Harriet isn't particularly nice. Harriet runs through the house, slams doors, and yells at adults. She is opinionated, recording blunt facts about her neighbors but also ridiculing even her friends in her journals. She's also rude. Once she interrupted a family dinner to scream. Harriet is no more of a role model than Greg Heffly of Diary of a Wimpy Kid fame, but remains as popular and as loved. In the light of mostly absent parents, the most stabilizing forces in Harriet's life are Ole Golly, her friends, and her notebook. In the second half of the book, Harriet's life is turned upside down when she loses those stabilizing forces. The dominant way I identify with Harriet is that she wants to be a writer. Harriet's practice of observing people and keeping notes has inspired many an author, including me. -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a patron 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.

On your mark...get set...WRITE!

2011-10-31T17:48:00.004-05:00

It's midnight, turning from October 31st 2011 to November 1st. If you're a wordsmith, you're probably one of the thousands of aspiring writers around the world who've just started your latest novel...as part of annual authorial event known as National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short).

Participants can go to the NaNoWriMo website, sign up for a free account, and then begin writing their own version of the Great American Novel. Everyone who takes part is encouraged to aim for the ultimate goal -- start with 0 words on November 1st, and finish with a complete 50,000-word novel (or longer!) by the stroke of midnight at the end of November 30th.

Looking for some moral support as you keyboard your way to literary greatness? You can hang out with the 475+ other Lincolnites who are registered participants -- bemoan your progress in the discussion forums -- identify your friends as Writing Buddies and track their daily word count -- get together at regularly scheduled NaNoWriMo gatherings (known as Write Ins) in Lincoln -- and look forward to the big celebration party for local writers after the November 30th deadline has passed! You can keep your writing completely private or open it up to everyone else to read and critique.

Although a complete 50,000 novel in a month may prove to be too much for you, the creative and supportive environment of NaNoWriMo is sure to get your literary juices flowing, no matter whether you're writing a political thriller or Chick Lit!

So...check out NaNoWriMo.org, get started writing, and drop us a note in the comments here to let us know what your "handle" is on the NaNoWriMo site...we'll keep an eye on your progress!

P.S.: NaNoWriMo also has a Young Writers Program, aimed at more youthful participants.

Anno Dracula

2011-10-31T17:41:00.004-05:00

Anno Dracula
by Kim Newman

Kim Newman's Anno Dracula is a brilliant piece of alternate historical fiction that blends together real historical characters with literary characters from Victorian era novels. Anno-Dracula takes place in an alternate history London where Dracula defeated and killed Van Helsing and his allies. Dracula has married Queen Victoria and rules England as Prince Consort. Other vampires have emerged from the shadows and now openly aide Dracula's regime. In the dark and bloody streets of London, two investigators, one human and the other vampire, team up to uncover the mystery behind Jack the Ripper, a silver-knife wielding serial killer preying on vampire prostitutes in Whitechapel. Their hunt for Jack the Ripper will take them deep into the dark heart of Dracula's regime and into a confrontation with Dracula himself. Newman's take on the Dracula legend is expertly crafted and equally enjoyed by those familiar with Victorian history and literature and novices to the genre. -- recommended by Corey G. - Gere Branch Library

[ Background about Anno Dracula from the official Kim Newman web site ]

See more books like this on our Fangs a Lot! booklist

New Readerlist - Classics Revisited

2011-10-31T17:26:00.004-05:00

Library customer "BookMan" has submitted a new Readerlist to the libraries' web site -- Classics Revisited, with the following commentary: "Although I enjoy a lot of contemporary literature, there are some literary friends I always enjoy reconnecting with!"

You can click the above link to see BookMan's list on the library website, or peruse the list of titles below:

Classics Revisited

If you'd like to submit a short list of book/dvd recommendations to share with other readers/viewers on the libraries' web site, please visit the Readerlists index page and click on Submit a List! We're looking for recommendations appropriate for adults and teens!

How They Croaked

2011-10-30T17:39:00.003-05:00

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia Bragg [j920 Bra]

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous, gives an educational twist to a macabre subject. Author Georgia Bragg's geared the book towards young adults who can explore how nineteen famous and infamous historical figures passed away. Braggs also sneaks in historical facts, highlighting events, historical facts and cultural issues that lead up to each great figure's death. These facts include; old fashioned medical remedies, political climate and relevant life stats on each figure. Braggs witty writing is accompanied by black and white pen and ink illustrations from Kevin O'Malley, which add a fantastic visually explanatory effect. Was Ludwig Van Beethoven buried, or are pieces of his body up for auction? Did Edgar Allen Poe succumb to rabies, tuberculosis or both? Where is Albert Einstein's brain's final resting place? Did King Tut die of a broken leg? How They Croaked includes answers to hard pressing questions like these and more! Check it out for the whole family to enjoy a great informational and spooky October read. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try A Tale Dark & Grimm. By Adam Gidwitz (based on the tales of Jacob Grimm), Uncle John's Bathroom Reader (series -- 031 Bat/jPB Bathroom Readers), Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Georgia Bragg 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.

Warehouse 13 - Season One

2011-10-30T17:31:00.003-05:00

Warehouse 13 - Season One
[DVD Warehouse]

Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering are Secret Service agents assigned to the president's protection detail. After an incident with an ancient artifact they find themselves reassigned to a mysterious warehouse in the boondocks of South Dakota. Warehouse 13 is filled with supernatural artifacts that, when in your possession, cause trouble. Their mission is to find the artifact, snag it, bag it, tag it and bring it back to the warehouse for safe keeping. Joining them on their quests are their straight and narrow boss Artie, teenage tech wizard Claudia and the mysterious Mrs. Frederic. [If you like this, you may also enjoy Sanctuary a series about things that go bump in the night Eureka about a town filled with magical mysteries - even has some crossover episodes with Warehouse 13.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[Also available: TV Tie-in novels based on Warehouse 13.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Warehouse 13 page on scifi.com ]

Have you seen 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.

Red Harvest

2011-10-29T09:42:00.003-05:00

Red Harvest
by Joe Schreiber

Schriber's prequel to Death Troopers takes place during the days of the Old Republic, thousands of years before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. It is a time when both the Jedi Order and the Sith number in the thousands and wage a seemingly never-ending battle with each other for the fate of the galaxy. One of the Sith Lords, Darth Scabrous, has devoted years of research to unlocking the secrets to immortality. His machinations will draw a young failed Jedi and her ability to communicate with plants into Scabrous' vile quest. Scabrous' research unlocks a fatal virus that doesn't just kill, it transforms and it hungers… Red Harvest is an enjoyable gory and macabre thriller. Readers don't need to have much understanding of the time of the Old Republic and the Expanded Universe to enjoy the book, but it certainly helps. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Death Troopers.] -- recommended by Corey G. - Gere Branch Library

[ official Joe Schreiber blog ]

See more books like this on our Star Wars booklist

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.

The X-Files: Season One

2011-10-27T12:17:00.004-05:00

The X-Files: Season One
[DVD X-Files]

Over the course of nine seasons on The X-Files, from 1993 to 2002, Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully became iconic characters in the lore of unexplained phenomena and alien/government conspiracies. The extensive alien conspiracy storyline arc eventually became somewhat suffocating to the series' whole premise, though the performances remained excellent. I encourage viewers to return to this first season, to re-visit some of the most fascinating cases and creepy threats that the show ever introduced. Yes, there were some pretty laughable plots and effects in the first season, but it also brought us such classics as the shapeshifting multi-generational serial killer Tooms in "Squeeze" and "Tooms", the ancient threat of an alien lifeform found in a deep core sample in "Ice", the asexual predator in an Amish community in "Genderbender", the blatant government cover-up of a crashed UFO in "E.B.E.", and the creepy, deadly nighttime forest threat of "Darkness Falls". Go on, give Mulder and Scully another chance. You know "The Truth is Out There!"
[Also available: The other 8 seasons of this series, plus a number of tie-in novels.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ X-Files episode guide at epguides.com ]

Have you seen 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.

Shackleton's Way

2011-10-26T10:11:00.003-05:00

Shackleton's Way
by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell [658.401 Mor]

Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell tell the true story of Ernest Shackleton's epic expedition through the Atlantic, including before and after his boat sank, and how he was able to get every one of his men home after two years of living on the ice. The book is all about his leadership and management techniques and includes sections on how people have implemented those techniques in modern day workplaces. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Joker One by Donovan Campbell, a story about a marine put in charge of a 40 man unit.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[ official Shackleton's Way 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.

Halloween

2011-10-25T09:53:00.001-05:00

Halloween
by Mannheim Steamroller [Compact Disc 394 Man]

From the kings of instrumental Christmas music comes this equally charming collection of Halloween-themed music and electronic effects tracks. Chip Davis and the Mannheim Steamroller gang do their own fast-paced modernized electronic versions of 8 pieces of classic music, including "Hall of the Mountain King" (Grieg), "Funeral March of a Marionette" (Gounod), "Night on Bald Mountain" (Mussorgsky), "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (Dukas) and "Ride of the Valkyries" (Wagner). There are also 5 original Chip Davis tracks, including "Harvest Dance", "Z-Row Gravity", "Rock & Roll Graveyard", "Crystal" and "All Hallow's Eve". My favorite musical track, though, is "Rite of Twilight" -- a Chip Davis take on the Twilight Zone TV series theme. In addition to the 13-track music CD, there's also a second disc, filled with 10 sound effects tracks, including "The Reaper", "Alien Spaceship" and "Souls Demise" (among others). If you're a fan of the Steamroller's legendary Christmas albums, this is definitely worth sampling. It provides great background music for a Halloween party! [If you like the original 2003 set, there was a second set released in 2006, featuring 13 more music tracks, 7 effects tracks, and 4 dance re-mixes. Those were titled Halloween 2.]

[ official Mannheim Steamroller web site ]

Have you listened to 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.

What's your favorite scary story?

2011-10-24T17:27:00.003-05:00

It's October -- traditionally one of the best times for reading horror fiction. We've just updated the libraries' If You Like...Stephen King booklist on the BookGuide site. That got us to thinking...as librarians we frequently get to share reviews of some of our favorite horror novels or short story collections.

We want to know -- What are some of YOUR favorite horror novels, ghost stories, or paranormal tales? And why?!

Reply back to this post and if we can get at least 20 suggestions (contemporary or classic), we'll create a BookGuide Booklist with your favorite scary reads!

New Customer Review - A Room Made of Windows

2011-10-24T14:51:00.003-05:00

A Room Made of Windows
by Eleanor Cameron [j]

Julia's father died at war and her mom is dating again. When her mother and "That One" (her despised boyfriend) leave without taking her to a play, Julia escapes to her room to vent. She pours out her feelings in her Book of Strangeness, where she also compiles lists. Then she turns to her story. Julia's so excited when she finishes that despite the late hour she heads out to mail it. Her best friend's drunken father steals her envelope, and refuses to return it until neighbor Rhiannon Moore appears. A Room Made of Windows contains lengthy chapters that are heavier on character development than action. Despite the book's slow pace, I grew up loving it because of how I much identified with Julia. We're both sensitive. Julia also wishes to become a writer. She loved words and kept lists of them, wrote stories and would think them out before going to bed, and tried turning dreams into stories. Like Julia I view writing as my special work. I intend to keep working on it and making grow. And like her I'm pretty sure that my feelings and pains will help me as a writer. -- 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.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

2011-10-24T09:46:00.002-05:00

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by J.K. Rowling [j 823 Row]

With the release of the final film in the Harry Potter series this summer, I went in search of some of the more obscure of the Harry Potter tie-in volumes. A lot of readers are probably familiar with The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which came out after the final Harry Potter novel. What many fans many not realize is that there were two quirky little tie-ins released as charity fund raisers while the Harry Potter books were still being produced. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a fun little encyclopedia of the magical beasts that have appeared (or been mentioned) in the various Harry Potter books. Produced like a school handbook, with supposed hand-written notes in the margins by Harry and his friends, this is a quick read that any Harry Potter enthusiast should track down. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Quidditch Through the Ages [j823 Row] ] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official J.K. Rowling 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.

Hocus Pocus

2011-10-23T17:20:00.003-05:00

Hocus Pocus
[DVD j Hocus]

Before she and her sisters were hanged for witchcraft in the 1600's, Winifred Sanderson says a curse claiming that when a virgin lights the black flame candle they will come back to life. In modern day Salem, Max tries to impress a girl by lighting the candle, which brings the witches to life. Now he and his sister along with the girl he's trying to impress have to save Salem from the witches. The storyline alone is good but add to it the comic genius of Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker and you've got a great Halloween movie that never grows old. [If you enjoy this, you may wish to try The Witches (DVD j Dahl)] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Have you seen 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.

The Moon Maze Game

2011-10-21T14:41:00.004-05:00

The Moon Maze Game
by Larry Niven and Steven Barnes

The Moon Maze Game is the fourth in a sporadic series of novels co-written by Niven and Barnes which revolve around Live Action Role Playing gamers and the Dream Park corporation. The first three books in the series (Dream Park [1981], The Barsoom Project [1989], and The California Voodoo Game [1992]) were all set on earth and involved complex multi-layered plots incorporating quirky characters, believable technological advances and thriller elements. For the fourth book, set decades from now, the action has moved to the moon, where humanity has had an industrial and recreational colony for some time. When the first off-world LARPing game is announced to take place on the moon, the creme-de-la-creme of Gamemasters, Loremasters and regular gamers compete to secure positions in "the game". Among the players is the scion to an African nation's leader, and when terrorists attempt to kidnap him within the framework of the "game", what had been a challenging but ultimately only ego-brusing competition becomes a life-and-death struggle. Trapped within a fictional storyline of Victorian-era space explorers on the moon, the gamers find themselves trying to stay one step ahead of political revolutionaries and mercenaries, with ideological fervor and vengence on their side. This was a solid action-adventure thriller with a good scifi flavor and setting. Those who enjoyed the earlier three books will appreciate the next-generation ties to characters and events set earlier in the timeline. While I enjoyed it and do recommend it, the ending felt a bit rushed, and the "bad guys" were somewhat two-dimensional. Readers should really give Dream Park and The California Voodoo Game a read first! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the other three books in the series. Also the Guardians of the Flame series by Joel Rosenberg, in which fantasy Role Playing Gamers find themselves transported to a real world that plays by the game's rules.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia entry for Dream Park ] | [ Wikipedia page for Larry Niven ] | [ Wikipedia page for Steven Barnes ]

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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 Haunted Looking Glass

2011-10-20T17:23:00.003-05:00

The Haunted Looking Glass
by Edward Gorey [823.08 Gor]

The Haunted Looking Glass is a collection of ghost stories chosen and lightly illustrated by the dark writer and artist Edward Gorey. Originally published in 1959, Gorey's collection includes his favorite creepy stories. The collection exhibits such heavy hitters as: Algernon Blackwood, "The Empty House"; W.F. Harvey, "August Heat"; Charles Dickens, "The Signalman"; L.P. Hartley, "A Visitor from Down Under"; R.H. Malden, "The Thirteenth Tree"; Robert Louis Stevenson, "The Body-Snatcher"; E. Nesbit, "Man-Size in Marble"; Bram Stoker, "The Judge's House"; Tom HoodD, "The Shadow of a Shade"; W.W. Jacobs, "The Monkey's Paw"; Wilkie Collins, "The Dream Woman"; and M.R. James, "Casting the Runes".

For those not familiar with Gorey, this Windy City native (February 22, 1925 ? April 15, 2000 RIP), is infamous in both the literary and art world for his macabre illustrations and writing. Gorey's books are often a play on children's literature structured as picture books, but with a twist. Gorey's black and white pen and ink drawings illustrate in detail the exotic to grotesque characters and stories of his imagination. The Haunted Looking Glass is a great read for the seasoned Gorey reader. Gorey's selections are a great insight into the literary works that have inspired his own stories and art. For those new to Gorey, The Gashlycrumb Tinies is a first must read (available through InterLibrary Loan). The Gashlycrumb Tinies follows the alphabet through Goreys poems including, "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh..." Edward Gorey is an October must read -- checkout any one of the Gorey titles available through Lincoln City Libraries here-->! [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Ascending Peculiarity by Edward Gorey 741.6 Gor, The world of Edward Gorey 741.6 Ros, Amphigorey by Edward Gorey 741.973 qGor, The drum, the doll, and the zombie by John Bellairs j Bellairs, Red Riding Hood by DeRegniers, Beatrice Schenk ; Gorey, Edward j419 DeR.] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia page for Edward Gorey ] | [ official Edward Gorey House and Trust 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.

Something Borrowed

2011-10-19T11:37:00.002-05:00

Something Borrowed
[DVD Something]

I am a sucker for romantic comedies. No matter how predictable the story line may be, I get pulled right in. Something Borrowed is about two women who have been friends since childhood. Darcy is about to marry Dex, the handsome guy that her best friend Rachel has had a crush on since law school. Dex and Rachel spend a night together and Rachel soon finds herself caught between staying loyal to her best friend and following her heart. Something Borrowed is funny and has a lot of heart. The cast of Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Colin Egglesfield is great. If you are a fan of The Office, John Krasinski is also in the film and provides a lot of laughs. [If you like this, you may also enjoy these other romantic comedies: While You Were Sleeping, Love Actually, Sabrina, and The Holiday.] -- recommended by Alyse S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus

2011-10-18T09:50:00.003-05:00

Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus
by Mary Shelley

I recently re-read Frankenstein, for the first time since my college years. My science fiction club selected this Mary Shelley classic for one of our monthly book discussions. I'm glad I took the chance to read it again, because I enjoyed it a lot more now than when I was "forced" to read it as "a work of great literature." What started for Shelley as a challenge from other writers to write a "scary story" really evolved into an impressive exploration of what it means to be human -- the inherent frailty of mind, body and spirit, scientific hubris, and the ease with which our morality and ethics can be compromised. If you think you're familiar with this story merely from watching any of the various Frankenstein movies, you've been misled. Do yourself a favor -- prepare yourself for prose that can be overly florid, and dialogue that can be a bit stilted. But if you stick with it to the end, you'll find yourself impressed with what has arguably been described as the first true science fiction novel. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[This title is available in a wide variety of formats, and has also had numerous pastiches, parodies and follow-ups written to accompany it.]

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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.

Death Troopers

2011-10-17T10:37:00.003-05:00

Death Troopers
by Joe Schreiber

What happens when take good old zombie horror fiction and combine it a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away? You get Death Troopers, a unique and entertaining foray into the Star Wars expanded universe. Roughly one year before a farm boy from Tatooine encounters a pair of droids that will change his life forever, the Imperial prison barge Purge breaks down in a remote sector of space. They discover a Star Destroyer, seemingly abandoned and adrift in space. A team is deployed to the Star Destroyer to salvage parts to repair the Purge. Only half of the team makes it back as they find themselves infected and dying from an unknown disease. Within hours, roughly a half-dozen survivors are all that are still alive after the contagion kills the others. Unfortunately for the survivors, death is only the beginning… Schrieber's book is an entertaining gory thriller that requires no knowledge of Star Wars beyond the original trilogy. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Red Harvest.] -- recommended by Corey G. - Gere Branch Library

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

[ official Joe Schreiber blog ]

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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.

Poltergeist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

2011-10-17T00:31:00.004-05:00

Poltergeist: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
by Jerry Goldsmith [Compact Disc 782.14 Pol]

Though the movie itself can sometimes veer into the area of cheesiness now, after almost 30 years, the soundtrack to this classic horror film is one of the most memorable movie soundtracks I've ever heard. Legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith (Patton, Star Trek the Motion Picture, Chinatown, The Wind and the Lion and dozens more) uses a variety of musical styles, combining the charming with the creepy, fairytale-like with horrific. Carol Ann's theme, and the track "Rebirth" will send a frisson of discomfort up your spine. "Night of the Beast" and "Escape From Suburbia", as the family tries to flee from their cursed home, and just downright terrifying. I would easily rank this accomplished soundtrack among the finest from any horror film of the past 60 years, including John Williams' unforgettable score to Jaws, Danny Elfman's scores to Edward Scissorshands, or even Goldsmith's own original Planet of the Apes or The Omen (for which he won the Oscar). Just hearing the little piano theme from the end of the movie, with the overlaid children's laughter, creeps me out. If you're a fan of movie music, you can't miss this one!. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try some of Goldsmith's other soundtracks, particularly The Omen.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available as the original movie on DVD.]

[ official Jerry Goldsmith 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.

Blood Mary, Gentle Woman

2011-10-14T14:11:00.003-05:00

Bloody Mary, Gentle Woman
by Frances Grace Reinehr [B P24865r]

In among the various regional "Bloody Mary" legends around the US is the story of Lincoln's own Mary Partington. This short history-biography was put together by a Lincoln teacher. Mary was the never-married eldest daughter of a wealthy and community-oriented Catholic family who, because of her independent streak and her avoidance of modern conveniences and fashions, came to be the subject of continual speculation and harrassment in her later years, when she was the sole remaining person in the once-grand family home on the north edge of town. Despite this, Mary persevered, and many people knew her as a kind and generous person, despite appearances and circumstances. Unfortunately, the "bloody" designation became appropriate when she shot an intruder one night, killing him, and also when she herself was shot by teenagers prowling around her yard. This should be a must-read for anyone who thinks they know the story. -- recommended by Becky W.C. - Walt Branch Library

[Also available: Frances Grace Reinehr reads from Bloody Mary, gentle woman, a program in the John H. Ames Reading Series, available in both DVD and VHS formats.]

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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.

Bridesmaids

2011-10-12T10:20:00.002-05:00

Bridesmaids
[DVD Bridesmaids]

Annie thinks her life has hit bottom. Her business goes under, her boyfriend leaves her, and she starts sleeping with a guy who doesn't want to be in a relationship. Things start to pick up when her best friend Lillian gets engaged and she's asked to be the maid of honor, but then only get worse when she's constantly being outdone by the perfect bridesmaid, Helen. Join Annie and the rest of the bridesmaids for the dress fitting and bachelorette party from hell. If you're looking for a good go-with-your-girlfriends kind of movie this is it. The SNL comedic genius of Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph is great, but Melissa McCarthy steals every scene. [If you like this one, you may also enjoy "Bride Wars", another great comedic wedding movie.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

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

Voyages of Imagination

2011-10-09T18:15:00.003-05:00

Voyages of Imagination
by Jeff Ayers

This book is a massive trade-paperback volume that chronicles all of the professionally published Star Trek fiction from the very earliest novels (put out in the late 1960s) through 2004. Each book gets its own page, with a detailed plot description, and often interviews with the author, who recollects the experience of writing in the Star Trek universe. The depth of information here is impressive, but this book will primarily appeal to Star Trek collectors and Trek fans who are completists or continuity buffs. The behind-the-scenes interviews or author commentaries are priceless. A lot of readers probably look down on media tie-in novels as substandard, but you'll be astonished to see how many respected and established authors have contributed to make the pantheon of Star Trek fiction fairly high-class. Authors such as Greg Bear, Lee Correy, James Blish, Diane Duane, Vonda McIntyre and many more have gone on to become award-winning authors in the genre field -- some of these got their starts writing Star Trek novels, and some did Star Trek out of a love for the source material. Personally, I own a copy of this one, and take it with me to conventions, trying to collect as many signatures in it as possible. I consider this an absolutely essential reference work for Star Trek fiction fans! [Although the Lincoln City Libraries do not own this title, you can request it through InterLibrary Loan! -- A perfect book to read to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Star Trek, which occurred this past month!]

[You can check to see which Star Trek novels the libraries have on our giant Star Trek: The Reading List online booklist!]

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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.

Booktalk Booklist - Unholy Mysteries

2011-10-05T16:34:00.004-05:00

Pam B., long-time volunteer at the Gere Branch Library, presented an all-new booktalk at the Gere Branch BooksTalk session on April 11, 2011 on the theme of Unholy Mysteries.

The booklist from her booktalk is available as a PDF on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. If you're a fan of mystery fiction featuring members of the clergy as the sleuths, we encourage you to give that list a look

And don't forget -- the Gere BooksTalk and Bethany BooksTalk fall sessions are in full swing right now -- stop by Bethany on Friday mornings at 10:30 and Gere on Monday afternoons at 2:30 to hear presentations about great books for you to read!

Just Go With It

2011-09-30T17:55:00.003-05:00

Just Go With It

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston star in this romantic comedy. Danny (Sandler) has an interesting way of picking up women - he uses a wedding ring and makes them feel sorry for him claiming that his wife doesn't care about him. This plan seems to backfire when he meets a girl he actually cares about. He tells the girl he's getting a divorce and she insists on meeting his soon-to-be ex-wife. Danny convinces his assistant (Aniston) to pretend to be his wife and she lets it slip that she has kids. Then he's forced to make her kids pretend to be his as well. They end up going to Hawaii where secret feelings begin to reveal themselves. I loved this movie - the back and forth comedy between Aniston and Sandler is hysterical, plus the comic relief by Nick Swardson - who plays Aniston's fake boyfriend she was "cheating" on Danny with - just adds to the comedy dynamic. If you're looking for a break from reality and need a laugh check this one out. [If you enjoyed this movie, you may also like similar Adam Sandler or Jennifer Aniston movies such as 50 First Dates, The Bounty Hunter, or Management - all available through our library system.] -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Just Go With It 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 Booklists - Gere Book Shares - 8/8 and 9/26/2011

2011-09-30T17:31:00.003-05:00

During the summer months, the Gere Branch BooksTalk group didn't go on a complete hiatus, but instead continued to meet, once a month, on the 2nd Monday of each summer month. For these meetings, there was not a specified presenter, with a prepared book talk. Instead, those were "Book Share" opportunities!

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

Lists were compiled of all the titles mentioned during both the August 8th and September 26th Book Sharing sessions. If you're looking for some good reading and/or viewing suggestions, check out the Gere Book Share - 8/8/2011 booklist, and Gere Book Share - 9/26/2011 booklist, both now on the BookGuide site.

And stop in every Monday afternoon, from 2:30 to 4:00, for the regular fall/winter season of Gere Books Talks, to share your love of reading with fellow book enthusiasts!

Set Sail for Murder (on compact disc)

2011-09-30T17:21:00.003-05:00

Set Sail for Murder
by Carolyn G. Hart [Compact Disc Hart]

Senior sleuth Henrie O helps her old friend, James Lennox; protect his wife on a Baltic cruise. Jimmy's wife, Sophia Montgomery, will decide when her stepchildren get their inheritances from their late father's estate. Her stepchildren are not happy about the situation. There have been two attempts on Sophia's life and Jimmy is certain that one of her stepchildren is the culprit. Sophia has invited all of the children on the cruise and she will announce if the stepchildren will receive their inheritances now or if they will remain in the trust fund for ten more years. Sophia is concerned that her adult stepchildren will fritter away their inheritances and she is thinking about keeping the trust fund intact. Set Sail for Murder is the seventh book in this engaging series. As in the other books, the characters are drawn with a deft hand. They pop out at the reader. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Maddy Hunter, Donna Andrews and Ellery Adams.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in downloadable audio and print formats.]

[ official Henrie O page 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.

Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World

2011-09-29T09:05:00.003-05:00

Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World
by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [640 Coy]

The DIY movement has been gaining momentum for quite some time bringing about a revival in canning, homesteading, urban farming and knitting circles to name a few. While nearly everyone appreciates the results of homemade, it can be a time consuming undertaking with a full time job, family, friends etc. Making It is a charmingly written and thorough practical household DIY reference resource book that accommodates busy people who want to integrate environmental friendly homemade products and projects into their household. To achieve this, authors Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen structured the chapters of the book in relationship to time management! Projects and tasks are broken up into chapter timelines; day to day, week to week, month to month and season to season tasks and recipes. As for content, the book is home-ec for adults. As a reference book, Making It includes friendly introductions to soap-making, various homemade toiletries and cleaning supplies, practical use of medicinal herbs, homemade condiments, laundry, mending, gardening, home brewing, and even beekeeping. At times while reading it seems to be a somewhat haphazard collection of tasks and ideas for making things at home from scratch. However, as an introductory book to the DIY homemaking, it is a great place to start. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. The authors took great care in writing practical instructions, with time management and economy in mind. Most of the recipes are feasible to do as a DIY beginner and without access to exotic supplies. Readers be prepared to use your visual imagination, the book contains a few illustrations, but no photographs to compare your projects to. That said, it is chock-full of neat projects and homemade philosophy for living on the cheap and making a healthier happier home. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try DIY Projects for the self-sufficient homeowner: 25 ways to build a self-reliant lifestyle (640 qMat), The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan (641.3 Mad), The edible front yard: the mow-less, grow-more plan for a beautiful, bountiful garden by Ivette Soler (635 Sol), Urban homesteading: heirloom skills for sustainable living by Rachael Kaplan and K. Ruby Blume (640 Kap), Grow Great Grub by Gayla Trail (635.048 Tra), and Mother Earth News (magazine).] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public 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.

Community - The Complete First Season

2011-09-27T17:39:00.002-05:00

Community - The Complete First Season

This TV comedy series began during the 2009-2010 television season, on NBC and is beginning its third season this year. Set at a community college, this series features an ensemble cast, though when it began a large number of the stories focused on Jeff (Joel McHale), a lawyer whose degree has been proven to be faulty. As he entered Greendale Community College, he ended up joining a study group for his Beginning Spanish class. That group consists of Pierce (an older, somewhat bigoted man, trying to recapture his youth), Britta (an attractive young feminist who occasionally goes overboard), Troy (a former standout high school athlete who is having trouble fitting in), Annie (a recent high-school honors grad, who had a crush on Troy), Shirley (a middle-aged housewife having some relationship issues) and Abed (an Indian student obsessed with pop culture and TV tropes). As the season progressed, stories focused less on Jeff and more on the entire cast, with Abed proving to be an amusing breakout cast member. Towards the end of season one, and throughout much of season two, the producers broke the tradional barriers between the television audience and the cast, having fun with standard TV traditions (and movie traditions) along the way. This series can be a wild ride, veering between extreme parody and sentimentality. However, if you let the characters build on you, it can be worth the ride in the end. The relationships that have built up between the characters over two years are tremendously satisfying, even if some of the individual stories end up being too "out there". -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Community 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 - Little Women

2011-09-27T09:38:00.003-05:00

Little Women
by Louisa May Alcott

Meet sixteen-year-old Meg, the plump and matronly oldest sister; Jo, the awkward and rambunctious tomboy; Amy, the spoiled and artistic blond; and Beth, the quiet and reserved youngest sister. With their father away at war, the girls grow up under the watchful eye of Marmee. Despite the absence of their father, the family is close knit. The Marches sing together. They help the needy, even to the point of giving up their Christmas breakfast to help a starving family. Not being rich themselves, they produce their own entertainment. Of course, the March family is not perfect, which is why we love them. Under the moral direction of their mother, they also learn many life lessons. Little Women continues to be one of my favorite books. -- 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.

My Word is My Bond

2011-09-26T11:09:00.002-05:00

My Word is My Bond
by Roger Moore and Gareth Owen [Biography Moore]

Actor Roger Moore, best known as "The Saint" and James Bond 007, recounts his life, nearly chronologically, from his childhood in Englad, his plays, his movies, and his work with UNICEF. He mostly sticks to his ideal of "if you can't say anything nice about someone then say nothing at all" so this is NOT a kiss-and-tell book with nasty gossip about celebrities. As all good biographies do, this one has photos in the middle of the book. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Elizabeth: The Queen Mother: A Twentieth Century Life by Grania Forbes.] -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Page for this book on the official Sir Roger Moore 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.

iPod - The Missing Manual [2011 ed.]

2011-09-25T15:18:00.003-05:00

iPod: The Missing Manual [2011 ed.]
by J.D. Biersdorfer with David Pogue [Music 786.76 Bie 2011]

If you consider yourself merely "competent" to use your iPod, I recommend this volume from the Missing Manuals publishers at O'Reilly. This 2011 edition covers the iPod Classic, the Shuffle, the Nano and the iPod Touch. You've probably got the "basics" down, and understand how to use the main controls of your iPod. This book will help you make the most effective use of your device's sub-menus, as well as showing you the best ways to use iTunes to manage your music and video collection. Includes handy sections on loading photos, using your iPod as a digital personal assistant, surfing the web with the iPod Touch, troubleshooting, and the vast array of peripheral devices available to make even more use of your iPod. With a huge digital music collection, I particularly appreciated a section on how to move your music to an external hard drive, without disrupting how the iTunes software recognizes where to find your collection. Recommended for those who already have some minimal iPod experience. [If you're into personal entertainment tech and/or computer software, but need help, I'd recommend the other volumes in the Missing Manuals series.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Missing Manuals 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.

For Husker Fans Only!

2011-09-24T09:35:00.002-05:00

For Husker Fans Only!
edited by Rich Wolfe [796.332 NebYw]

This is a marvelous collection of essays, by Nebraska fans, about the experience of being a Nebraska football fan. In these 48 pieces, you'll get a variety of personalities, sharing what it's been like to follow the Huskers their entire lives. Some come from writers who've been fans since before Bob Devaney took the reins, and others are from fans of the more recent generations. Chapters include "Growin' Up Husker", "Sweet Home Memorial Stadium", "A Hard Way to Make an Easy Living", "I Saw It On the Radio", "Put Me in Coach", "On the Road Again", "Huskerpalooza", "Ah, a Female Husker Fan", and "Fandemonium". Rich Wolfe edits a series of similar volumes for football and baseball programs across the county. He inserts little arcane facts about football facts, which often have nothing to do with the Huskers, to fill out the ends of many of the pages, and some of these fall flat. But, if you're looking for unique voices sharing the experience of what it's like to be a part of Husker Nation, this is a volume you shouldn't pass up! [The libraries have a huge collection of materials related to Husker football and its history, most of which is in the 796.332 Neb__ section of the non-fiction.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ This book's entry at Huskerpedia.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.

Enchanted Cornwall: Her Pictorial Memoir

2011-09-22T08:55:00.002-05:00

Enchanted Cornwall: Her Pictorial Memoir
by Daphne DuMaurier [914.23 DuM]

I picked up this photograph filled memoir by one of my favorite authors. Daphne Du Maurier tells the story of how she first came to Cornwall on a holiday with her mother and her sister Jeanne when she was nineteen. They stayed at a farm in Cumberland and Du Maurier writes "earlier holidays could not compare with this my first experience of rugged scenery, of running water coursing through the hills down to the lake." It was love at first sight. Later that year Du Maurier, her mother and two sisters returned to Cornwall to buy a house to use for their holidays. They settled on Ferryside near the village of Fowey. After the house was renovated, twenty-year-old Daphne moved in to pursue her writing career. She roamed the hills and sailed along the Cornish coast soaking up the atmosphere and finding inspiration for her novels. It was on one of her walks that she found Menabilly, a deserted manor hidden away down a long driveway. This house was the model for Manderlay in Rebecca and for the estate in My Cousin Rachel. Du Maurier found Jamaica Inn, the setting for her book with the same name by accident. Daphne Du Maurier and her friend Foy Quiller-Couch were out riding and got lost in the dark, desolate Bodmin Moor. They stumbled upon the inn. Once inside, Daphne and Foy learned stories about smuggling, wrecking and legends of the Moors. The entertaining glimpses of Du Maurier's past is illustrated will color photographs taken by Nick Wright. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official www.dumaurier.org 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 - Dead in the Water

2011-09-21T16:43:00.003-05:00

Dead in the Water
by Stuart Woods

I have enjoyed Stuart Woods' writing but have found that he spends entirely too much time on the relationships that Stone Barrington has in each book. I don't mind if he has a relationship or two and that it has an impact on the story but he goes into too much detail about their interactions. I would much rather prefer that the relationships not be such a big part of the books. Otherwise, I enjoyed this book and enjoy trying to figure out exactly how things happened before they are revealed at the end. -- review submitted by Michael E. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

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