DVD Review: Finding You

Finding You
(DVD Finding)

Pleasant little relationship film, with equal parts humor and drama, set against the gorgeous backdrops of the Irish countryside.

 

18-year-old Finley Sinclair is a violin virtuoso, but still failed to impress the judges when auditioning for a performing arts school. So, she follows in her late brother’s footsteps by applying to study for a semester abroad, in Ireland, staying with the same host family her brother did just a few years earlier.

 

Also staying at that family’s B&B is young heart-throb film star Beckett Rush, in Ireland to film the latest in his international hit film series about a medieval hero in a world of dragons. Beckett is trying to keep a low profile and avoid the young actress he’s rumored to be “a couple” with. Despite Finley’s best efforts to avoid Beckett, they keep running into each and spending time with each other.

 

In a B-plot, as part of her studies, Finley is required to befriend a senior in a care facility, and finds herself fascinated to learn why that woman is so bitter and angry.

 

For such a frothy “romance” film, there’s some serious stuff going on in Finding You, and the relatively young cast does a fine job with it all. Patrick Bergin (as a lively Irish fiddler who mentors Finley) and Vanessa Redgrave (as the embittered older woman Finley must befriend) both turn in marvelous performances as well. The Irish countryside is well-represented, and in Finley’s musical journey, we get treated to several sessions of Irish pub music.

 

All in all, a very enjoyable film.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try If Only (with Jennifer Love Hewitt) or Leap Year with Amy Adams.)

 

(Based on the Christian fiction novel There You’ll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

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

 

Have you watched 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: Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe (364.152 Kee)

This is non-fiction but reads like a mystery/thriller. It describes the three decades of the Troubles in Northern Ireland better than any book I’ve read, giving just enough earlier history of the 1916 Easter Rising to help the reader understand the resentments between groups who do/don’t want Ireland and Northern Ireland to be united & free from British rule. A reoccurring real-life mystery is about Jean McConville, a young widow and mother of 10 children, who “was disappeared” from her Belfast home in 1972.

If you’ve wanted to understand the tension in Northern Ireland, and have context about the roughly 3,500 lives lost during The Troubles, this is the book. The author even surprises the reader at the end by naming Jean McConville’s most likely murderer. Winner of the 2019 Orwell Prize for Political Writing

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Milkman by Anna Burns.]

[ publisher’s official Say Nothing web page ] | [ official Patrick Radden Keefe web site ]

Recommended by Jodi R.
Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

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 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!

DVD Review: Leap Year

Leap Year
(DVD Leap)

A little late for "Leap Day", a week ago, but what the heck...

I had to watch this one again on February 29th, 2020, as another Leap Day came and went. It’s a charming romantic comedy film, focused on the “opposites attract” concept. Anna (Amy Adams) is from Boston, where she’s a successful “stager” — staging homes or apartments for potential buyers. She’s in a long-term relationship with cardiac physician Jeremy (Adam Scott), who gives her a pair of diamond earrings on a night that she anticipated him proposing to her. They’ve been angling to get a flat in one of Boston’s most prestigious condominiums, which caters mainly to married couples. When Jeremy has to fly to Dublin, Ireland, for a medical conference, Anna decides to take a leap of faith and follow him — planning to take advantage of an old Irish tradition that women can propose to their beaus on February 29th in a Leap Year.

Unfortunately, her plane is redirected, and through a series of travel misadventures, she finds herself in a small seaside Irish community at a quaint but struggling bar/inn run by Declan (Matthew Goode). They both rub each other the wrong way, but against each of their better judgments, Declan agrees to drive Anna to Dublin, to meet her Leap Year deadline in two days. More misadventures ensue and Anna and Declan are both forced to reassess their impressions of each other. There’s lots of funny and romantic bits and pieces over the course of two hours in this film, including some humorous supporting roles — the gents who hang out in Declan’s bar and get into heated disagreements were a hoot. Sadly, John Lithgow as Anna’s ne’er-do-well father is under-used — in fact, he shows up in the “deleted scenes” special features in a couple of great scenes that would have worked really well in the film, and makes one wonder why the editor cut them.

Overall, Leap Year is a fun and satisfying rom-com, with two stars that actually have great chemistry together. And a charming film to watch during a year that actually is a Leap Year!

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Leap Year movie Facebook account ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you watched 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 Witch Elm by Tana French

The Witch Elm
by Tana French [French]

Fascinating but disturbing stand-alone novel from the author of the Dublin Murder Squad series (which starts with In the Woods (2006)).

Toby is a young man in Dublin on a promising career trajectory until he surprises two burglars in his flat one night, and they beat him nearly to death. Recovering from his injuries, including possible brain damage, Toby has become disconnected from who he was and uncertain what he is going to be. He moves back into a family ancestral home, to care for his quirky uncle Hugo, who, himself, has recently been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Surrounded by the space that was once sacred to him in his childhood, Toby tries to reconnect with the two cousins who were once like siblings to him. When a skull is discovered (and later the full skeleton) in a cavity in a Witch Elm in the estate’s garden, the ensuing police investigation causes hidden things from Toby’s past to be dredged up, making him realize that — brain injury or not — he may not be the man he thinks he is.

This is a very dark novel, filled with complex characters and very emotionally-charged scenes. In many ways, it is the opposite side of the coin to French’s typical police procedural works — in that we get to see a complicated police investigation from the point of view of the main group of suspects, and the central one of those has an unreliable memory. This is definitely a stand-alone novel, so if you want to sample something from French without committing to following an entire series, it’s a good example of the quality of her character development and plotting. I’ll admit, it felt a little “padded”, but was still a compelling read.

[This title was the selected discussion title for the July 2019 meeting of the library-sponsored Just Desserts Mystery Fiction Discussion Group.]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of Irish author Tana French‘s body of works. ]

[ official The Witch Elm page on the official Tana French web site ]

Read Pat L.’s review of Tana French’s In the Woods from Nov 2009
Read Donna G.’s review of Tana French’s The Likeness from Nov 2008

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

Don't miss the August 2019 Just Desserts mystery book discussion group's meeting -- tonight! -- where the group will be discussing Robert Galbraith's stand-alone novel The Cuckoo's Calling. (Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for "Hary Potter" author J.K. Rowling.) Guests are always welcome. Just Desserts meets in the 4th floor auditorium of the downtown Bennett Martin Public Library on the last Thursday of each month, 6:30-7:45. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dessert to share with fellow mystery fans. Coffee and juice are provided.

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 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!

New Booktalk Booklist: Modern Irish Authors - 2019

Former Lincoln City Libraries employee Jodi R. returned to Gere Branch Library on March 11, 2019 to present an all-new booktalk to the Gere BooksTalk reading group. Jodi is fascinated by fiction coming out of Ireland, and frequently reads in that category. In this booktalk, she featured several recent novels by Irish novelists.

Check out her list of recommended reading at the following link:

Modern Irish Authors - 2019

Landmarks by Clannad (on CD)

Landmarks
by Clannad [Compact Disc 781.62 IreYc]

This is a nice album of Irish Celtic music. It has an overall traditional feel but some occasional modern hints. While I was listening to it, it reminded me of Enya's music. I did a bit of reading about the Clannad family group and it turns out that Enya is actually a younger sister of the members and she performed with them on tours and two of their albums. So if you like Enya's music then you'll probably like this album too. This calming Celtic music is perfect for reading or studying to. -- recommended by Kristen A. - Gere Branch Library [ see Kristen's Reviewer Profile and more of her reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other albums by Clannad in the library's collection and Enya's albums too. You may also like The Cheftians' music.]

[ official Clannad web site ]

Have you listened to this? 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 reviewers recommendations!

New Booktalk Booklist - It's a Great Day to be Irish!

Ready to celebrate all things Irish?

Carolyn D., music librarian in the Polley Music Library (located at Bennett Martin Public Library downtown), presented an all-new booktalk at Bethany Branch on March 11, 2011. Carolyn's theme for this talk, on the last Friday before St. Patrick's Day, was non-fiction works dealing with Ireland -- Irish Music, Irish Musicians, Irish Culture and much more.

Her hotlinked list of titles -- It's a Great Day to be Irish! -- is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. Check it out for some great book, CD and DVD suggestions.

May the Read Rise Up to Meet You...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Looking for some Irish reads to celebrate this Green Day? Look no further than some of the past booklists and book display booklists available on the BookGuide site!

A Bit o' Blarney (booklist that accompanied a display of non-fiction relating to Ireland and Irish-Americans)

Reading o' the Green (booklist that accompanied a display of Irish fiction)

Erin go Bragh! (booktalk booklist on Irish fiction)

International Authors (includes several Irish authors)

Word Weavers: A Multicultural List of Fiction by Women (includes several Irish authors)