Sex on the Moon

Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History
by Ben Mezrich [629.4 Mez]

The true story of Thad Roberts, a third-year NASA co-op, who stole moon rocks in July, 2002 from a NASA safe and tried to sell them online. So titled because he put a small bag of samples from Apollo 11 on a bed beneath the sheets and he and his girlfriend had sex on the moon rocks. The story begins at high school for Thad as his strictly religious father throws him out of the house for having sex with his girlfriend. They eventually marry while he attends college and wins a co-op to NASA. Thad is living the dream (at least for us space fans) but his marriage is falling apart when he meets a fellow co-op. Spurred by his desire to impress her, he embarks on this insane scheme. Interesting to see how easily he actually accomplished the theft, and wish the author had mentioned how NASA changed security protocols (if they changed protocols and did heads roll?), but as a frustrated space cadet this reader couldn't believe how he threw it all away. It's especially interesting to follow the story of the European rock hound who answers Thad's offer to sell the moon rocks. You'll spend most of your reading time slapping your forehead with your hand saying, "What was he thinking?!" but you can't put down this tale of stupidity until the bitter end. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Ben Mezrich web site ]

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

New Customer Review - Mockingbird

Mockingbird
by Kathryn Erskine [j Erskine]

In my seven years of working as a resource teacher, I have encountered several students with Aspergers Syndrome. Hence, my interest in reading Mockingbird by Kathyrn Erskine about ten-year-old Caitlin who sees everything as black and white because of her syndrome. Perhaps because Erskine draws on both research and personal experience, Mockingbird is one those rare books which not only provides accurate information but also strikes a perfect emotional chord. One thing I love about Mockingbird is how Erskine takes me into Caitlin's head, helping me relate to her on some levels. Erskine also helps me to somewhat understand Caitlin, even when her feelings differ dramatically from my own. Throughout Mockingbird , Caitlin must also cope with other confusing situations beyond her brother's death. School still exists. As does life with dad. (No mention is made of mom.) Given the serious topics that Erskine tackles, you might worry that Mockingbird is a sad and heavy book. Not so! Humor abounds in both little and big doses, rising naturally out of Caitlin's unique take on the world. When describing a bully named Josh, Caitlin protests that he shouldn't smile when doing something bad because a smile is supposed to mean something nice. Ah, wouldn't it be wonderful if the world were so straightforward? I also love Caitlin's negative reactions to fairy tales. She thinks Cinderella is stupid because, well, she loses shoes all the time. And to her, the natural solution isn't a prince but to go back to the dance and look for the shoe. As a resource teacher, I have a special fondness for books which portray characters with special needs. Too much fiction has relegated these characters to secondary or stereotyped roles. In Mockingbird, Erskine puts a girl with Aspergers Syndrome in the spotlight who is so realistic that readers will come to know and understand her and see her life as more than just an inspirational or heart-breaking story. -- 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.

Escape From Camp 14

Escape From Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey From North Korea to Freedom in the West
by Blaine Harden [Biography Shin]

Escape from Camp 14 is a biography about North Korean prison camp survivor Shin Dong-hyuk's life in the Kaechon internment camp (camp 14), a "total control zone". Coming in at a mere 224 pages, Shin's story is a page turning quick read, which is quite short, considering the breadth of the content. Journalist Blaine Harden lends his voice to Shin's personal biography and uses it to simultaneously provide an introductory and contemporary view into North Korean politics, history and its future. Dong-hyuk Shin is an unfortunate North Korean born into a work camp where his life revolves around slave like daily routine. Shin's story is unique in that he is the first known escapee from such a work camp. The scope of Shin's story is heart wrenching. His childhood consists of hard manual labor, isolation, starvation, brutal punishments, lack of family and social bonds. Shin's education is rudimentary at best and mostly entails learning camp rules and hierarchy. Throughout the story Harden weaves context into Shin's story by providing facts and figures associated with various outside events occurring during the time of Shin's story. These political events influence the happenings inside the camp at times, explain newly introduced prisoners and finally his escape. In the end of this heart breaking read, Shin's story ends on a high note in which he translates his experiences into a passion for human rights activism. There are few stories that touch so deeply and personally on the human condition of North Koreans and what it is to survive in a difficult country nonetheless a prison camp within. This biography is the perfect introduction to North Korean extremes through a personal narrative story. Those wishing to delve deeper into the issues may find it too light, but can still appreciate the fascinating account of Shin Dong-hyuk's life. Ultimately Escape from Camp 14 is a captivating biography which will ask you what it means to be human and survive. [If you like this, you may also enjoy Nothing to envy : ordinary lives in North Korea. 915.19 Dem, Somewhere inside : one sister's captivity in North Korea and the other's fight to bring her home /Biography Ling, Laura, The world is bigger now : an American journalist's rescue from captivity in North Korea-- a remarkable story of faith, family, and forgiveness/ Biography Lee, Euna, Inside North Korea. DVD 915.193 Nat, The aquariums of Pyongyang : ten years in a North Korean gulag 365.45 Kan, Kim Jong-il : North Korea's Dear Leader. 951.93 Bre] -- recommended by Glory B. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in downloadable audio format.]

[ Wikipedia page for Sin Dong-hyuk ]

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

New Customer Review - Okay For Now

Okay for Now
by Gary Schmidt [j Schmidt]

Doug Swieteck doesn't care if you like him. He's just a loser kid from stupid Marysville in upstate New York. Doug first appeared as a secondary character in Wednesday Wars, for which author Gary Schmidt won a Newbery Honor. Now Doug is back as the main character in Okay for Now, the book I'm reviewing here. Both books feature disappointing fathers, antagonistic teachers who later turn out to be caring adults with some emotional baggage, and pretty girls who become love interests. In both books too, the Vietnam War serves as a backdrop. One big difference, which incidentally is one of my favorite parts of Okay for Now, are the Audubon plates of birds. At first, Doug thinks everything is stupid and likes to sarcastically throw around the word terrific, which makes him kind of hard to stomach. Then Doug sees those Audubon plates, six of which have been sold from the library's otherwise pristine copy of Birds of America to folks with the money to afford them, and his world slowly begins to change. Both of Doug's parents are around, although in the case of Doug's dad you have to wonder in the case of his dad how great that is. When in the middle of a conversation with him, his dad cuts him off. About that reaction, Doug says, "That's all I got out. My father's hands are quick. That's the kind of guy he is." His mom is a different story. Some of the funniest and sweetest moments come from those shared between Doug and his mom. Unfortunately, a few days before Washington Irving Junior High started, the local deli was broken into and Doug's brother was blamed. The geography teacher pauses before handing over a copy of a brand new textbook. The world history teacher announces they're going to start studying barbarian hordes and looks at Doug. And so the list continues until Doug meets his science teacher. Mr. Ferris tells him that the basic principle of physical science is: "Two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time." Loosely translated this means: Doug Swieteck is not his brother. Now if you think that for the rest of the school year all the other teachers ostracizes Doug, think again. Gary Schmidt is much too smart of an author to resort to cliché characters. That's why one part of Okay for Now disappointed me: the ending. Without telling you how, let me say that Schmidt made the mistake some authors do of needing to wrap up every last loose end. Moreover, those loose ends were turned into happy ones. Yet, for everything else that I loved about Okay for Now, I'm still recommending it. -- 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.

Born This Way (on CD)

Born This Way
by Lady Gaga [Compact Disc 771.66 Lad]

An extremely diverse album punctuated with Gaga's eccentric interpretation of a variety of musical styles. For example, "You and I" resembles a country music theme (and even mentions "Nebraska" by name), "Scheibe" - a German techno rave, "The Edge of Glory" which mimics 80s pop culture, and of course: "Born this Way," the anthem of Generation Z. A great CD, and instant classic for all the "monsters" out there. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Fame [CD], The Fame Monster [CD], Lady Gaga presents The Monster Ball at Madison Square Garden [DVD].] -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

Her Mother's Hope (on CD)

Her Mother's Hope
by Francine Rivers [Compact Disc Rivers]

This book starts with the life of the mother when she is 12 years old and follows the family for generations. It is very compelling to see how the mother, the daughter, and the daughter's daughter react to life based on their own unique perceptions of the childhood that shaped them. Follow up with Her Daughters Dream to complete the story. -- recommended by Dorene O. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in traditional print and Large Print formats.]

[ official Her Mother's Hope page on the official Francine Rivers web site ]

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

Secrets of the Titanic

Secrets of the Titanic
[DVD 910.45 Nat]

National Geographic interviews Robert Ballard, the man who discovered the Titanic's wreckage back in 1985. He talks about the excitement of his initial discovery and the fallout that followed. Ever since people have been looting the site and selling its treasures. Robert is determined to preserve the site so he interviews descendants of the passengers on the RMS Titanic and listens to their point of view of what's happening. So cool to watch actual videos of the Titanic at present day. Very informative about the construction of the ship and the men who were involved in creating it. -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official National Geographic Titanic web site ]

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

The World of Downtown Abbey + new Downton Abbey booklist

The World of Downton Abbey
by Jessica Fellowes [791.457 DowYf]

This book delves deeper into the wildly popular television series Downton Abbey. The book is filled with behind the scenes photos of the cast, crew and sets. It also has historical information pertaining to the period in which the series is set. This is a great read for fans of the show who would like to learn more about its historical context. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Below stairs : the classic kitchen maid's memoir that inspired "Upstairs, downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" and Lady Almina and the real Downton Abbey : the lost legacy of Highclere Castle.] -- recommended by Alyse S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Downton Abbey web site from PBS ] | [ official Jessica Fellowes web site ] | [ new If You Like Downton Abbey booklist from Lincoln City Libraries ]

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If you're a fan of Downton Abbey, and are looking for similar reads, we recommend checking out Scott's brand-new booklist on the libraries' BookGuide readers advisory site -- If You Like Downton Abbey. It recommends dozens of other novels, DVD sets and non-fiction titles that should appeal to fans of PBS's recent hit series.

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

New Customer Review - Bog Child

Bog Child
by Sibhan Dowd [j Dowd]

Bog Child. Dowd's exceptional young adult novel is also about family, religion, sacrifice, and Ireland's Troubles in 1981. In other words, it's far more complex than I expected. If you don't know anything about bog bodies, Dowd's novel is a great place to start. In it, eighteen-year-old Fergus and his Uncle Tally find a female body buried in the bog while they're out shoveling peat. Turns out, the body has not been in the bog for weeks or months but for years. What makes Bog Child such an engaging and informative read is that Fergus starts having dreams about the buried woman, whom he names Mel, and the nature of her death. These dreams are intertwined with his muddled feelings about his brother, who is on a hunger strike. You see, besides learning about bog bodies, I also received many chapters-worth of education about a period known as Ireland's Troubles. In Bog Child, there are numerous references to soldiers, border checkpoints, bomb-makers, Semtrax, courier recruitment, hunger strikes, and violence. On a more personal level, Fergus (and his family) struggles to make sense of his brother's decision to join other protesting prisoners in a hunger strike. Yet Bog Child isn't a pro-war book. One of the most-touching friendships is between Fergus and an enemy soldier Owain, whom Fergus discovers is just another regular guy like him. None of the drawbacks to the book should deter you from reading Bog Child. It is full of happiness and sadness, joys and tragedies, and is one of the most original stories about growing-up that I've read. -- review submitted by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

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Allison also submitted reviews of two youth non-fiction titles related to bogs and bog bodies -- also viewable on the Customer Reviews page, linked below...

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

Stargate Atlantis

Stargate Atlantis[DVD Stargate]

Stargate Atlantis was the second TV series to spin off of the 1994 film, which starred Kurt Russell and James Spader. Preceeding it was Stargate SG-1, which featured Richard Dean Anderson and company as military officers headquartered in a secure base in the Rockies, and visiting other planets around the galaxy through a transport door called a Stargate. That series was Earth-based. Stargate Atlantis sent an international crew of military and scientific explorers through the Stargate to another galaxy, where they quickly become stranded and have to carve out a place for themselves in their new surroundings. It helps that they have access to a floating city and advanced technology left behind by an absent race of progenitors. Unfortunately, as they feel their way around their new surroundings, the humans also accidentally awaken a deadly new enemy. But, there are new friends to be made with the locals, and scientific discoveries to explore...having a deadly vampiric enemy nipping at your heels is small price to pay for the wonders spread before the men and women of Stargate Atlantis. The characters on this show were what kept drawing me back, week after week, far more than the occasionally silly plots. The friendships and relationships that developed over five seasons were terrific, and many of the characters were stand-outs on their own. David Hewlett as the brilliant but egocentric Dr. Rodney McKay, and Joe Flanigan as Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, the miltary officer who suddenly finds himself in command when his superiors are killed, were both very interesting and likeable. As the series progressed, and contact was re-established with Earth, cast changes occured as the "leaders" of the expedition changed several times, which lead to a feeling of instability for the show. But the growth in McKay, Sheppard, and the others who were there for all five years, more than paid off for the occasional hiccups in casting. Terrific cast, terrific effects, and great storytelling -- you can't ask for much more in a science fiction TV series! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available are Stargate Atlantis tie-in novels.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Stargate web site from MGM, covering all versions of Stargate ]

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

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me
by Chelsea Handler [Compact Disc 817 Han]

After reading, My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler, I thought I would explore more of her work. I have to say, the audiobook is truly hilarious. It is a compliation of essentially the greatest pranks Chelsea has pulled on her staff, from their perspective- after each chapter, Chelsea offers her rebuttal. Truly hysterical... to the point I almost had to pull off to the side of the road to wipe my tears and catch my breath. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Handler's other works: My Horizontal Life, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, and Are you there Vodka? Its Me Chelsea.] -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in downloadable audio, traditional print formats.]

[ official Chelsea Handler web site ]

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

New Customer Review - School of Wizardry

School of Wizardry
by Debra Doyle and James MacDonald

School of Wizardry, the first in the Circle of Magic series by Debra Doyle and James MacDonald, often proved a tedious read. Although the book is written adeptly, it is far too serious for a fantasy book. Fantasy magic should be fun. Well, not in this book, where few people in Randal's world want to be a wizard. As a young squire, Randal is training to become a knight. Then a mysterious wizard named Madoc enters the castle gates. Madoc is called upon by the royal family to lighten up a grim and gloomy atmosphere. Yet while Madoc's performance garners him applause and awes Randal, the magic merely amounts to torches being extinguished, colored lights appearing, and background music playing. Okay, I realize this is magic, but I don't know?. It seemed lackluster. Or perhaps it's the writing that makes it feel dull. When Madoc moves his closed fist over an empty dish, and chants in an unknown language, Randal is the only one to see water fill up the bowl and a picture to form in the water. After all the dinner guests depart, Randal catches up to Madoc and asks him about becoming a wizard. Madoc discourages him, insisting that he would spend most of his life getting into trouble, being hungry, and traveling on the road. Despite this caution, Randal persists. Ultimately, Madoc gives into Randal's pleas and enrolls him in a magic school. There, discovering that magic comes less naturally to him than his earlier vision, Randal immerses himself in studies just to pass. He also meets gifted students who decide that magic is not fulfilling for them and so choose other trades. School of Wizardry is ONLY about magic, whereas the Harry Potter series is about family and friends and teachers and love and loyalty and POSITIVE things. With its sole emphasis on wizardry, I found myself taking the School of Wizardry series much more seriously and so having to push myself to finish it. I do not recommend it. -- 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.

Buried in a Book

Buried in a Book
by Lucy Arlington

Lila Wilkins is a middle-aged journalist who loses her job at the Dunstan Herald because of budget cuts. She is the single mother of a teen-age boy who will soon head to college and there are bills to pay. She scrambles around looking for work and happens upon what seems to be the perfect job -- being paid to read. She is hired by the A Novel Idea literary agency to read book queries and to pass the promising ones on to agents. The agency is in Inspiration Valley, North Carolina, a quaint town with a literary bent. The local nursery is called The Secret Garden. A nearby café is named Catcher in the Rye. After customers pay for their meals they are given a fictional name (Miss Marple, Eliza Doolittle) instead of a number and this name is called when the sandwiches are ready. The eccentric characters in this book range from Lila's fortune-telling mother to some of her co-workers to Marlette, the homeless author, who drops dead in the waiting room of A Novel Idea. Everyone, except Lila, believes that he died of natural causes. (After all, he was just a smelly vagrant.) Some things do not make sense to Lila and she looks into Marlette's life. Lila's poking around makes someone nervous and that person makes Lila's life unpleasant. A team of established authors, Ellery Adams and Sylvia May, wrote this enjoyable cozy. Hopefully, there will be more books with these engaging characters. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Avery Aames, Maddy Hunter and Joan Hess.] -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Lucy Arlington/Buried in a Book web site ]
 
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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Once Upon a Time is Enough

Once Upon a Time is Enough
by Will Stanton [398.2 Sta]

Though it's been over 40 years since its publication, this book is still as funny as ever. Stanton skewers classic fairy tales just by a simple retelling with a few comments along the way. Little Red Riding Hood gets psychoanalyzed in "Little Girl with a Big Problem." The story of Bluebeard is looked at as a marriage counselor might see it in "Can This Marriage Be Saved?" And Hansel and Gretel are cross-examined by a district attorney in "The Gingerbread House Caper." Though this is bound so as to look like a children's picture book, it's definitely a book for grown-ups; while it would be appropriate for middle-school age, the humor is most likely to be appreciated by adults. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Legally Correct Fairy Tales (398.2 Fis); Politically Correct Bedtime Stories (398.2 Gar).] -- recommended by Peter J. - Virtual Services Department

[ Will Stanton entry on Wikipedia ]

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

We Bought a Zoo (on DVD)

We Bought a Zoo
[DVD We]

Based on a true story of a family in ruins. After his wife dies and his son starts getting in trouble at school Benjamin Mee decides his family needs a change. In order to start over they house-shop and find one they love. The only problem is that it's a zoo. A shutdown fixer-upper zoo. So he buys the whole property, becoming the boss of the current zoo employees and takes it upon himself to fix it up and open it back up to the public. Very heart-warming story, it'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry. Matt Damon is pretty great in a serious role, it was interesting seeing him in something that wasn't action-oriented. -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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

Images of America: The Nebraska State Fair

Images of America: The Nebraska State Fair
by Mary L. Maas [978,2 Maa[

This volume in the great "Images of America" series covers the origin and early history of the Nebraska State Fair, from its earliest days in the 1800s through its move from Lincoln to Grand Island in 2010. Comprised mainly of b&w historical photos, there is a lot of emphasis on the years from the 1920s through the early 1960s, but the images do give a good idea of what life at the fair was like through the ages. I would have liked to see some color shots, and more from the 1980s through the early 2000s, but for a relatively slim volume, this does a nice job of letting fairgoers reminisce about the past!. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Bright Lights and Blue Ribbons: 125 years of the Nebraska State Fair, by Betty Olsen.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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

[ official Video Commercial on YouTube for this book ] | [ Publisher's official Nebraska State Fair book web page ]

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