Book Review: Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds by Stan Tekiela (eBook on Hoopla)

Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds
by Stan Tekiela (Hoopla eBook)

This little 48-page guide is part of the “Backyard Bird Feeding Guide” series focusing on numerous species of birds you might encounter in your yard, many of these have been authored by naturalist and photographer Stan Tekiela. The book is broken up into three sections — the first identifies all the hummingbird species native to the United States (and their normal breeding and migration zones) — only one of which (the Ruby Throated Hummingbird) can normally be found east of the Rocky Mountains. Next, Tekiela discusses the proper formula for hummingbird food and some of the “do and don’t” tips for keeping hummingbirds healthy — quick note: you don’t need to put unnecessary red dyes in the liquid as long as your feeder has lots of red accents to attract their attention. The dies can often be unhealthy for the birds to ingest. And the book also covers popular hummingbird feeder designs and the positives and negatives for each style.

 

Tekiela is know as much for his nature photography as he is for his writing — I really enjoyed the beautiful photos he uses to illustrate this short book!

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Fastest Things on Wings: Rescuing Hummingbirds in Hollywood by Teresa E. Masear, A Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America by Sheri Williamson, The Hummingbirds of North America by Nebraska author Paul Johnsgard, The Hummingbird Book: The Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Hummingbirds by Donald W. Stokes. I also recommend A Hummingbird in My House: The Story of Squeak and Hummingbirds: My Winter Guests, both by Arnette Heidcamp — although they are no longer in the libraries’ collection, they are available to borrow through InterLibrary Loan.)

 

( Stan Tekiela’s official NatureSmart.com web site )

 

See Scott C.’s review of Hummingbirds: My Winter Guests by Arnette Heidcamp in the August 2004 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!
See Scott C.’s review of Fastest Things on Wings by Teresa Masear in the July 2016 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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

Music Review: Weather by Huey Lewis and the News (2020)

Weather
by Huey Lewis and the News (Hoopla Music)

This final new album from the veteran rockers was released in 2020, and features a mere 7 songs. It was also Huey Lewis and the News’ first new album in 10 years, and their eleventh original album overall. Subsequent to Weather‘s release, Lewis revealed that he was suffering from Meniere’s Disease, a hearing disorder that will prevent him from further live performances or music-writing.

But if they had to go out, at least they went out with an album that captures the essence of what the band has been about for the many decades they’ve performed together. 6 of the 7 songs on the album, more an EP than a full LP, are upbeat, fun, pop rock. Only the very last song, “One of the Boys”, takes on an introspective tone and leaves the listener a bit wistful. Otherwise, the rest of this small collection recaptures the “feel good” sound of classic Huey Lewis, and will leave you nodding and tapping your foot as you listen.

Sadly, the libraries don’t own this on CD, but Weather is accessible via the digital Hoopla Music service.

Oh, and Huey Lewis isn’t fading into the background — he recently was involved in bring his music to life in the Back to the Future stage musical, and a new “jukebox musical”, The Heart of Rock and Roll, just opened on Broadway!

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to listen to the rest of Huey Lewis and the News’ output, especially the albums Sports, Small World and Greatest Hits.)

( official Huey Lewis and the News web site )

Recommended by Scott C.

Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

Audiobook Review: Taxes and TARDIS by N.R. Walker

Taxes and TARDIS
by N.R. Walker (Hoopla Audio)

Brent Kelly is a self-employed San Antonio electrician who takes his tax info in to his accountant every year in a shoebox. But this year she is out for a prolonged illness and he’s now assigned to Logan.

 

Logan Willis, a soft-spoken guy originally from Britain, is your typical geek – black glasses, socially awkward, completely mystified by sports, but also a big Dr. Who fan. He’d initially thought the previous accountant had been exaggerating about the shoebox.

 

This would make a good Hallmark romance. A low-angst story – with one big misunderstanding – that you know will work out by the end. You watch the two figure it all out over Dr. Who, Torchwood, pizza, and pool, meet some of their friends, watch Brent rescue Logan’s sister when the electricity at her bookstore has an issue, and the epilogue is perfect.

 

Nick Russo, the narrator, does a fine job with both Brent’s soft Texas accent and Logan’s British speech. An easy, sweet romance at only 3-hours/9-min.

 

( official N.R. Walker web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Music Review: Some Like It Hot (Official Broadway Cast Recording) by Marc Shaiman and others

Some Like It Hot (Official Broadway Cast Recording)
music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, and a book by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin (Hoopla Music, and hopefully on CD eventually)

The 1959 film Some Like It Hot, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, is considered by many film critics and fans to be among the greatest films ever made, a certainly one of the best Comedy films of all time. This stage musical, which opened on Broadway in 2022, is scheduled to close before the end of 2023, and features much of the same plot as the film, but has been expanded to explore issues of racial disparity and gender identity.

 

Joe (Christian Borle) and Jerry (J. Harrison Ghee) are best friends and musicians, trying to break into a big-name club in Chicago during prohibition. Though do they receive a break, they then witness a gangland slaying and have to go on the lam to avoid being rubbed out by the mobster whose club they were performing in. Desperate, they decide to impersonate women, and join the all-girl band Sweet Sue and Her Society Syncopaters, leaving Chicago and traveling by train to California. Joe becomes Josephine, and Jerry becomes Daphne. Joe falls for Sugar Cane, a young woman with dreams of California stardom. When they reach San Diego, the Syncopaters are booked to perform at the glamorous Hotel Coronado, owned by quirky eccentric millionaire Osgood Fielding III, who immediately finds himself attracted to Jerry’s alter-ego Daphne.

 

Sue, Sugar Cane and Jerry/Daphne are all portrayed by actors of color in this production, and some of the new songs refer to the societal hurdles they face as musicians and performers. Jerry also finds himself far more comfortable in the skin of Daphne than he does of himself, and Osgood reveals that he likes Daphne, no matter who s/he is. The arrival of the pursuing mobsters leads to chase sequences and the revelation of Joe and Jerry’s actual identities…but it’s all okay in the end.

 

Featuring music by Marc Shaiman with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman (both of whom did the music for the musicals Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can and the film Mary Poppins Returns), this musical is filled with rousing song-and-dance numbers as well as more introspective, pensive songs. The musical opens with the fast-paced “What Are You Thirsty For?” and “You Can’t Have Me (If You Don’t Have Him)”. I particularly enjoyed “At the Old Majestic Nickel Matinee”, “Let’s Be Bad”, “Dance the World Away” and “Ride Out the Storm”. And, of course, the title song “Some Like It Hot” is really catching as well. Personally, I enjoyed listening to this on CD, with a booklet that included extensive liner notes that helped explain what’s going on.

 

This is definitely a 21st Century take (with updated societal views) on a 64-year-old film masterpiece. Both are excellent in their own separate ways. I’ve been a fan of actor Christian Borle for many years, and while he does a terrific job as Joe/Josephine, it is J. Harrison Ghee who steals the show as Jerry/Daphne, and won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the original classic film starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, or Hairspray by the same creative team as this musical.)

 

( Wikipedia entry for the Some Like It Hot musical )

 

See Donna G.’s review of the film Some Like it Hot in the March 2011 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Tallowwood by N.R. Walker

Tallowwood
by N.R. Walker with audio narration by Anthony Ferguson (Hoopla Audio)

This is a well-done mystery with a decade’s long serial killer, and a slow romance between the main characters that takes place in New South Wales, Australia.

 

Sydney Detective August Shaw works the cold cases for his police department and has had some success in closing a few. But he has not been able to resolve a string of apparent suicides that he believes could be Australia’s worst serial killer. Then Senior Constable Jacob Porter, from (fictional) Tallowwood, calls with a death similar to those suicides, and the victim is a police officer. Porter is an indigenous officer who grew up in Tallowwood and loves his job, but this death has initially shaken him. This provides Shaw with the excuse he needs to continue his search for the serial killer.

 

The author weaves us a good tale as we follow clues and dead-ends, and perhaps obstruction, along the way. The slow-burn, quiet romance between Shaw and Porter is a given, though you wonder with Shaw’s roots in Sydney and Porter’s ties to Tallowwood how this will all work out. I love an epilogue and everything is sewn up there very nicely.

 

Antony Ferguson, the reader, does an excellent job with each character, and gives us Australian accents that are understandable to U.S. English-speakers. If you intend to binge this book, give yourself 10 hours and 13 minutes to do so.

 

( official N.R. Walker web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Mastermind by Amy Lane

The Mastermind

by Amy Lane (Hoopla)

 

The Mastermind is the first book in the Long Con series by Amy Lane. It features recurring characters, a “Leverage” TV show type of criminal activity, a gay romance in each book, and created family.

 

In this book, Danny and Felix meet as young men in their late teens/early twenties, and grift and thieve their way through parts of Europe – but they only steal from those who can afford the loss, as a way to survive, and to right any wrongs.

 

This book alternates between the past and current times. In the past, we learn about Danny, Felix, and how they met Julia — and how the three of them create a family without her abusive father learning the truth about her son. In current times, a now-media magnate Felix is facing false accusations that he must defend himself against. By now son Josh has created his own thieving crew and becomes involved in the behind-the-scenes machinations to prove Felix’s innocence.

 

Aside from the romance between Felix and Danny — and their reunion and efforts to patch up their relationship — watching the crew put together the sting to clear Felix was fun to watch and satisfying. I will admit this is not my favorite of the series, but it provides background on the characters for the future installments.

 

The rest of the series (The Muscle, The Driver, The Suit, and The Tech) are also available as ebooks on the library’s Hoopla app. The newest title The Face Man is coming out October 31, but it’s unknown if the library will acquire it immediately.

 

If you’re seeking a fun, angst-filled, exciting story of a group of friends who have become family and work undercover on their own to play Robin Hood, you should enjoy this series.

 

( official Amy Lane web site — https://greenshill.com/ )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Witchbane by Morgan Brice on Hoopla Audio

Witchbane
by Morgan Brice (Hoopla Audio)

A hundred years earlier, an evil warlock was betrayed by his 12 witch-disciples. Rhyfel Gremory was hanged by the sheriff and deputies in an old railroad tunnel, but the witches escaped. Every 12 years one of the witches kills the oldest male descendant of the posse to recharge their power and keep themselves virtually immortal.

Seth has just returned home from the military, and he and his brother Jesse go camping near that tunnel. They know the story of the allegedly haunted tunnel, but are unaware of what really happened there, nor that they are descendants of one of the members of the posse. Seth manages to survive and spends the next two years learning about magic, spells, and demons to avenge Jesse’s murder. Along the way he meets Evan, who is also a descendant but unaware he’s in danger.

 

This is the first book in the Witchbane series as we follow Seth and Evan as their relationship progresses, and we meet others who also battle demons. The well-written stories are not particularly gory – considering the subject matter – but I really enjoyed the supernatural hunting, how they track down the various witches, the friendships they make along the way with others doing the same work, and watch as they settle into their relationship. It’s not clear sailing though, and danger is ever present.

 

This series is by the same author who gave us the “BadLands” supernatural series (reviewed in March, 2023), which actually I liked better than this one, but I still enjoyed the Witchbane books. Kale Williams, the narrator, does a fine job of creating the voices and emotions. If you like urban fiction, paranormal fantasy, the supernatural, witches, spells, demons, magic, vampires, zombies, ghosts, battles, and MM romance you should enjoy this series. The library has all five novels and the novella on Hoopla audio. Read in order beginning with Witchbane.

 

( official Morgan Brice web site )

 

See Charlotte M.’s review of the Hoopla Audiobook version of Badlands by Morgan Brice, in the March 2023 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Star Trek Classics - The Mirror Universe Saga by Mike W. Barr, Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran

Star Trek Classics: The Mirror Universe Saga
by Mike W. Barr (writer) and Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran (artists) (Hoopla Comic Books)

This multi-issue storyline was compiled into a graphic novel several years ago and is available through the digital resources in our Hoopla service. The Mirror Universe Saga originally came out in the two-year span between Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and deals – in part – with the after-effects of the events in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), in which Spock sacrificed his own life to save the rest of the Enterprise crew, and Star Trek III, in which Spock is mysteriously resurrected as a result of the untested scientific effects of the newly-created Genesis Planet.

 

But this multi-part story is far more than merely time-filler between movies. Comic book writer Mike W. Barr, along with artists Tom Sutton and Ricardo Villagran, tap into some fan-favorite elements of Star Trek mythology to tell a rip-roaring tale of adventure, revenge, grief, and empire-building. Back on October 6, 1967, in classic Star Trek’s second season, the concept of a parallel Star Trek universe with an alternate timeline was introduced in the episode, “Mirror, Mirror”. In that story, Kirk, McCoy, Uhura and Scotty end up beaming up to the Enterprise during a violent ion storm and find themselves suddenly in a violent new world, where they must assume the roles of their doppelganger counterparts, who rose to positions of authority through deceit, bloodshed, treachery and torture. Only the Mirror Universe version of Spock (sporting a dashing mustache and goatee) seemed to offer them a chance at returning to their normal universe (after he discovers the truth about their origins), and Kirk leaves Mirror Spock in a position to potentially affect positive change in the violent Mirror Universe.

 

The Mirror Universe Saga is set over 25 years after “Mirror, Mirror” and reveals that the Mirror Universe Kirk and his crew have been waiting for an opportunity to cross through into our universe to attempt to expand their bloodthirsty Empire. The events of the early Classic Trek movies serve as a backdrop to our well-known Kirk and crew having to deal with monstrous versions of themselves. Characters who have died in the main universe films still exist in Mirror Universe versions. We finally have a showdown between two different James T. Kirks, and fans get to see the distinguished Mirror Spock again, and learn why his goal of leading a rebellion in the Mirror Universe never came to pass. The writing is absolutely terrific, though events in later Trek movies ended up making what happens in this mini-series completely non-canon. The artwork varies, from excellent versions of the movie-era appearances of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, et. al., to barely recognizable. And the “bad guys” from the Mirror Universe are portrayed as cartoonish megalomaniacs. None-the-less, this is one of my favorite storylines from the comic book history of Star Trek, and I strongly recommend it to any Star Trek fan who hasn’t already read it!

 

( entry for The Mirror Universe Saga in the Memory Alpha Star Trek fan databse ) | ( official Mike W. Barr web site ) | ( Wikipedia entry for artist Tom Sutton )

 

See many more reviews like this on the Star Trek Reviews page here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: The Geek Who Saved Christmas by Annabeth Albert

The Geek Who Saved Christmas
by Annabeth Albert (Hoopla Audiobook)

A cozy, gay holiday romance, between two men in their early 40’s, that should be on the Hallmark Christmas Romance channel. A favorite trope of mine with Neighbor #1, Gideon, who’s totally into all the holidays and decorates his house accordingly. Next door to him is Neighbor #2, Paul, who’s the grumpy guy who doesn’t decorate.

 

During one of their few interactions, Gideon learns that Paul’s brother is arriving for Christmas with his girlfriend, and he hopes to propose to her on Christmas Eve in front of the Christmas tree. Gideon offers to help Paul decorate and provide the perfect backdrop. They are together nearly every day as Gideon transforms Paul’s barebones house into a homey, comfy, wonderland as they get to know each other.

 

Of course this has a Happy Ever After and we get an epilogue for the following year (I love epilogues). You end up liking both fellows and wish you had next door neighbors just like them. Not to mention, I also approved of a lot of Gideon’s decorating ideas.

 

The reader of this audiobook, Tim Paige, does an excellent job of voicing each character and you have no trouble discerning who’s speaking in the story.

 

A fun, easy listen at only seven hours.

 

( official Annabeth Albert web site )

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Music Review: Spirited: Soundtrack, music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Spirited: Soundtrack
by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (and others) (Hoopla Music)

Spirited was a fanciful Christmas musical film produced by AppleTV+, which got a limited theatrical release in late 2022 but will stream exclusively on AppleTV+ by the end of the year. Two soundtrack albums were released — the first was a collection of the 12 original songs written for the film (and performed by the cast) by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. This album was released both digitally and on CD. The other album, released only digitally, featured the instrumental-only score to the film.

 

Through the libraries’ Hoopla digital music service, the Spirited: Soundtrack is available to listen to. The film, a modern twist on the old “A Christmas Carol” chestnut, features Will Ferrell as The Ghost of Christmas Present, and Ryan Reynolds as Clint Briggs, a slick manipulative image consultant who may just be a soul that is too unredeemable for the three Christmas ghosts (and their support crew) to salvage.

 

The film is a hoot — alternately paying loving homage to the concepts and traditions at the core of “A Christmas Carol”, while still poking fun at holiday tropes and the old-fashioned nature of redemption that underlies that story. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are the musical team behind the hit Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen, as well as the musical films La La Land and The Greatest Showman. Songs on this soundtrack range from big song-and-dance numbers featuring the whole cast and large ensemble (“That Christmas Morning Feeling”, “Do a Little Good”), to intimate solos or duets (“The View From Here” featuring Octavia Spencer, and “Unredeemable” featuring Will Ferrell). Some are serious (“The View From Here” and “Unredeemable” and “Do a Little Good”) while others are hilarious (“Bringing Back Christmas”, in which Reynold’s character incites a culture war on behalf of the Christmas Tree Growers Association, and “Good Afternoon”, in which immense fun is poked at the use of that two word phrase to “swear” back in olden times). But my favorite song is amusingly handled as an “outake”, and is performed under the film’s closing credits — “Ripple”, in which Ferrell’s Ghost of Christmas Present talks about the ripple effects of how saving one soul can impact so many others in the world.

 

Absolutely terrific soundtrack!

 

( official Spirited web site ) | ( official Pasek & Paul web site ) | ( Wikipedia entry for the Spirited Soundtrack )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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 website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!