DVD Review: Les Miserables (2018)

Les Miserables
(DVD Les)

I consider Les Miserables to be one of the greatest books ever written. Set in France after Napoleon has been exiled, this is the story of ex-convict Jean Valjean who had been imprisoned for 19 years and sentenced to hard labor for a minor theft. When released, Jean Valjean is met with distrust and hatred wherever he goes until he happens to meet the good Bishop Monseigneur Bienvenu. The Bishop treats Jean Valjean with kindness and mercy, showing him the path to redemption through love and forgiveness. Even after Jean Valjean repays the good Bishop by stealing from him, the bishop shows him mercy when brought back by the police, then gives him his costly silver candlesticks, telling Jean Valjean “You belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying for you. I withdraw it from the spirit of perdition and I give it to God!” From that moment on, Jean Valjean is a changed man. He learns to repent, to show mercy to others and to love his fellow man. The story follows Jean Valjean through his life as he is pursued by one of the police (Javert) who knew him when he was a prisoner. This 2018 BBC production of Les Miserables was shown on Masterpiece Theatre in 2019. It is one of the best productions I have ever seen of this book with a fine cast and stunning visuals. I have seen many productions of this over the years, but this one is by far the best and truest to Hugo’s classic story of love, repentance and redemption. This deserves to be seen.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the novel Les Miserables (I previously reviewed it for BookGuide), the soundtrack to the Les Miserables musical, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame (also by Victor Hugo).] [Also available in traditional print format.] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official BBC 2018 Les Miserables web site ]

See Kim J.’s review of the novel Les Miserables, on BookGuide in November 2005

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Review: The Muppet Movie (on DVD)

The Muppet Movie
[DVD j Muppet]

Jim Henson first introduced the “Muppets” in Sam & Friends, a short-lived TV series in Washington D.C. in 1955. After making appearances in TV advertising and occasionally popping up on late-night talk shows, the next significant appearance of Muppets was when they were integrated into the new Childrens Program, Sesame Street in the mid-1960s. There, characters like Bert & Ernie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and many others, taught children lessons in spelling, counting, and general learning concepts with love and affection. One of the most popular and famous Sesame Street Muppets, and long thought to be Jim Henson’s alter-ego, Kermit the Frog then served as the central character on The Muppet Show, a syndicated half-hour variety comedy series, which introduced dozens and dozens more new felt friends from 1976 to 1981.

This 1979 film (yes -- it is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year!!) was a spin-off of The Muppet Show, and served as kind of an “origin story” for many of the characters on that series — Kermit, Fozzi Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, Ralph the Dog, the Swedish Chef, critics Statler and Waldorf, and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem (including Animal the drummer). Kermit is a swamp-dwelling, sensitive, musically-inclined frog, who decides to seek his fame and fortunate in Hollywood, by going on a road trip and picking up friends along the way. There are cameos from numerous big-name stars (Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Elliott Gould, Bob Hope, and many more), plus numerous musical numbers featuring songs by famed Nebraska musician Paul Williams, including the film’s central number “The Rainbow Connection”.

For anyone who grew up with The Muppets, this is essential viewing. For anyone who’s been living under a rock for the past 40 years, this is a wonderful introduction to the whole manic gang, and should be followed up by viewing all the seasons of the original Muppet Show. This is literally one of my all-time favorite films — I can’t recommend it highly enough!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try all the seasons The Muppet Show.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

“The Call of Cthulhu” in Black Seas of Infinity or Tales of H.P. Lovecraft: Major Works
by H.P. Lovecraft

“The Call of Cthulhu” is a short story which can be found in the library’s collection in ‘Black Seas of Infinity: The Best of H.P. Lovecraft’ and in ‘Tales of H.P. Lovecraft: Major Works’. This is a review of only this particular short story, not the entire collections.

The Call of Cthulhu is one of many short stories by H.P. Lovecraft, an author of horror or strange fiction. Despite Cthulhu’s fame he only appears in one of Lovecraft’s stories. Many other authors have written additional tales of Cthulhu, and there are still more written about him online, so to discover the real Cthulhu I decided to read the original. It’s really not very long and you can find it in various Lovecraft omnibuses, so if you are curious like I was its not difficult or time consuming to get a copy and read it. Now I had not read any Lovecraft before this and my preconceived notions were that it would be rather terrifying but it wasn’t really; it was more thought provoking than anything else. The narrator is looking back over documents of a psychotherapist and his patient, an artist, who went mad under strange circumstances. There are other documents of people around the world going mad and having strange dreams at the same time. There’s a law enforcement officer with a strange tale of swamp natives going missing, tracking them down and finding a strange cult worshiping a strange statuette of the same figure that had been carved by the artist who went mad. He takes the statute to archaeology conference, no one but one had ever seen it’s like before. In Iceland this time, the same strange cult, with the same statuette and same chants of Cthulhu are also recorded. Finally the tale of a seamen who at the same time of the world wide cases of madness, came ashore a strange island that rose out of the sea and out of a door so large it didn’t look like a door, comes the creature of the statuette. I’ve given a lot of the story away already, but I’ll leave the ending for you to read. I feel like what the story does is provoke thoughts of human insignificance and relative smallness in the grader scale of the universe. I think this is where the fear is meant to come from rather than from Cthulhu’s physical appearance and behavior. In this way it’s more of a psychological horror, so even if you don’t read horror, but like stories that give you something to think about afterwards, you may like this.

[‘Leaf by Niggle’ by J.R.R. Tolkien is another thought provoking short story you may like. It can be found in Poems & Stories, by Tolkien (828 Tol). It has mysteries of it’s own to contemplate, but no horror aspects.]

[ Full text of “The Call of Cthulhu” ] | [ official H.P. Lovecraft Archive web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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Love and Friendship on DVD

Love and Friendship
based on the novel by Jane Austen [DVD Love] 

Based on one of Jane Austen’s earliest literary works, this film adaptation of “Lady Susan” is a comical satire of a mother’s attempts to get a husband for her daughter. In some respects the film reminded me of a series of comedy sketches all put together to tell a story. The humor is very subtle at first, but improves as the film goes on. This should not be compared with any of Austen’s later works which are more serious in nature yet with some humor as well. It is definitely worth watching.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Sense and Sensibility (1995 – directed by Ang Lee) or Northanger Abbey] [Also available in traditional print format.] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Love and Friendship web site ]

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Dracula (2007) on DVD

Dracula (2007)
[DVD Dracula]

This 2007 Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel is a stylish, visually appealing version this gothic tale. Marc Warren (whom I’ve enjoyed as Danny Blue in the con-game series Hustle, Rochefort in The Musketeers and The Gentleman in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) plays Count Dracula as both sensual and reserved, and gives off a perfect menacing air. But it was actually the non-vampiric performances that impressed me the most — Tom Burke as Dr. John Seward, Dan Stevens as Lord Arthur Holmwood and Donald Sumpter as cult leader Alfred Singleton are all impressive. And David Suchet (Poirot) is quirky but earnest for the short time he’s on-screen as Abraham Van Helsing. But the women steal the show — Sophia Myles is doomed Lucy Westenra (the same year she starred in the CBS vampire series Moonlight!), and Stephanie Leonidas is quite memorable as Mina Murray.

Production design, set decoration, costumes and make-up are all top-notch. This 90-minute film is a visual feast. However, for those who are accustomed to today’s big-budget special effects and stunt extravaganzas, featuring horrific “monster” make-up and athletic “vampire hunters”, you need to be aware that this film is true to Stoker’s original novel, and the scares and thrills come from the atmosphere and characterizations, not from “shocks”. A classy production, and one that I recommend!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try reading the original novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, or the 1970s TV-movie adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot, starring David Soul of Starsky & Hutch fame. ]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ PBS Masterpiece Theatre’s official Dracula web page ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Star Wars IV: A New Hope (on DVD)

Star Wars IV: A New Hope [DVD Star] 

With Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens opening a brand-new chapter in the history of the Star Wars universe tomorrow, I can’t help but look back at the original film that started it all on May 25, 1977. Simply entitled Star Wars (the subtitle IV: A New Hope didn’t get tacked on until many years later), it was described as the first entry in what was going to be a nine-film saga called The Adventures of Luke Skywalker. By the time the prequel trilogy had completed, the series looked more like the adventures of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, but who’s quibbling? Constructed with many of the same types of elements as the old serialized pulp thrillers, mashed up with the Flash Gordon whiz bang sci-fi elements, this tale of a young farm boy with a special gift, who leads the scrappy underdog rebels in a fight against the monolithic Empire, was groundbreaking movie-making at its best. Star Wars, and Jaws a few years before it, established the benchmark for summer blockbuster films — thrills, adventures, battles between good guys and bad. Little could anyone have guessed how much influence it would ultimately have on the movie-making industry or on pop-culture. But here we are, 38 years later, and several generations of film fans later — the original’s fans are taking their grandkids to the premiere of the 7th film in the franchise, now owned by the Walt Disney Company.

In my opinion, the original has held up very well, even 38 years later. Director George Lucas has tinkered with it — several times — over the years, releasing “Special Editions” with updated or expanded special effects, and/or changed content in scenes — despite what he did, I’ll always hold the opinion that “Han shot first”! But, whether you judge the film on the original theatrically released version or any of the tweaked versions which have followed in the decades since, the story still holds together well. The performances are brash, enthusiastic, or dignified and serious. The special effects were astonishing in their day and still look great, despite the intervening years. All in all, this is STILL the Star Wars movie I would show to anyone if I had to limit them to a single film in the series! May the Force be With You…Always!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try all the other films in the extensive Star Wars series.] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Star Wars web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Metropolis: The Restored Authorized Edition

Metropolis: The Restored Authorized Edition
[DVD Metropolis]

This 1927 film is one of the best-known and most influential of all the silent films from that era. Directed by famed German auteur Fritz Lang, and influenced in part by the 1920 science fiction play R.U.R. by Czech playright Karel Capek, Metropolis is a marvelous look at social class differences, the liberating and restrictive influence of technology on society, and the dreams of what the future could look like. The movie is beautifully filmed, with emotional performances from the main actors, and some of the most elaborate set pieces you'll ever see in a silent film. Over the years, several differently edited versions have appeared, and the movie is occasionally show in some theaters with live piano accompaniement. For a long time, the copies being shown were of very poor quality, however a restoration edition was released in 2002, which included the original 1927 orchestral score. That is this Kino Video edition, available from the libraries. This particular set also includes several nice "extra features", including a 43-minute documentary on the making of the original film, and a featurette on the 2002 digital restoration. I highly recommend this film for fans of the silent film era, as well as for science fiction fans who want to see one of the earliest and most influential films of that genre. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try F.W. Murnau's silent film Noseratu, no longer in the libraries' collection, but available through InterLibrary Loan.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official 2002 Metropolis Restoration web site ]

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Customer Review - Emma (on DVD)

Emma
directed by Douglas McGrath [DVD Emma]

It was a very good movie! I think that it showed the time period very well! Overall very good! -- review submitted by Ellie R. -  a customer of the Gere Branch Library

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New Customer Reviews appear regularly in the pages of the BookGuide web site, particularly during the Summer Reading Program. 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 Twilight Zone Collection 1

The Twilight Zone Collection 1
[DVD Twilitght]

In the decades since DVDs first became commonplace instead of VHS tapes, The Twilight Zone has been released and re-released in a variety of different packages, from full-season box sets, to "fan favorites" collections, to several different Full Series boxes. I treasure my own full series collection of DVDs, however for anyone just wanted to sample the show or revisit some of the best-known episodes, this Collection 1 set available through the libraries is a great place to start. This set contains 35 of the classic 1959-1965 series' 156 episodes, in their original black and white. Whether you're looking for Agnes Moorhead's bravura performance in "The Invaders", Burgess Meredith in the wistful "Time Enough at Last", the Cold War allegory "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with William Shatner vs. a gremlin on the wing of a plane, "A Game of Pool" (with Jack Klugman and Jonathan Winters -- both of whom have passed away within the past 12 months), or "Mr. Dingle the Strong", "A Passage for Trumpet" (Klugman again in one of his best performances), the quintessentially ironic "To Serve Man", or creepy Billy Mumy in "It's a Good Life!", you'll find them all in this collection. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of the many Twilight Zone story collections, or collections by some of the show's greatest writers, including Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont. I also highly recommend the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone (not currently available from the Lincoln City Libraries, but available through our InterLibrary Loan service. It, too, featured excellent writers, directing and acting!] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ Scott's reviewer profile | Scott's past reviews on BookGuide | Subscribe to Scott's monthly library newsletter -- It's All Geek to Me! ]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Twilight Zone Facebook 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. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Les Miserables (2012) on DVD

Les Miserables (2012)
[DVD Les]

I was familiar with the background of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, and I knew the musical version existed, but I had actually never seen the stage version or previous movies of it until this movie; I was pretty impressed. Prisoner Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) put in jail for stealing bread for his starving family leaves on parole; when a priest offers the prisoner a second chance, the man makes the most of it, becoming a mayor, but skipping out on his parole -- Javert, an officer who goes by the extreme letter of the law has pursued Jean Valjean for a number of years. Fantine (Anne Hathaway) is removed from a paying job for having an illegitimate daughter, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). She works the dangerous streets, and sells her hair and some of her teeth to survive. She manages to find a family for Cosette to live, but they don't take very good care of her. Jean Valjean vows to help Cosette as a favor to Fantine, and pays them to take her away from the home. Fast forward several years, Cosette falls in love with Marius, but they can't be together for long because Jean Valjean must escape from Javert yet again. Marius and his revolutionary friends vow to fight against having another emperor of France by creating an uprising. Fast forward again, all of the other revolutionaries have fallen except Marius and the students' small hold-out in a fort made out of furniture. The French military essentially comes in and slaughters them, except for an injured Marius who escapes, barely, only because Jean Valjean drags him through a sewage duct. Marius and Cosette finally can be together... but at what cost. From the opening scene, I knew this was going to be absolutely epic. The size and scale of the movie, the scenery, the music, the production team did an extraordinary job. The singers are exceptional (except Russell Crowe, who clips off every. single. phrase he sings.), and the movie was nominated for a slew of awards, and won 3 Academy awards, including Anne Hathaway for Best Supporting Actress. This is a monumental film coming in at nearly 3 hours long, and don't except an entirely happy ending... its called "the miserables" for a reason. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Les Miserables - Victor Hugo book; Les Miserables (1998 DVD) with Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman.] -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in Motion Picture Soundtrack on CD, traditiona print formats.]

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

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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
[DVD j Fleming]

This is one of my all-time favorite movies. Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) is an inventor who salvages a magical car which can turn into a boat and also fly. He and his two children must use the car, along with a candy maker's daughter, Truly Scrumptious, to help save Grandpa from an evil Baron and Baroness of "Vulgaria." The comedy is hilarious, and the songs are addictive and catchy, including: "Me 'ole Bamboo" a high-octane dance feature, "Toot Sweets," "Hushabye Mountain," the feature song: "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," and pay special attention to "Doll on a Music Box" -- Sally Howes apparently recorded the choreography and music in only one take! Nominated for an Academy Award, and a few Golden Globes in 1969. Excellent movie, classic film and great for families and children but a little lengthy at 144 minutes. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Sound of Music.] -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library
[Also available in traditional print, vocal music selections formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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Nine Stories

Nine Stories
by J.D. Salinger

A great book of nine, complex, short stories! All having strange endings, which are not tied up with a nice "happy ending" bow when the story is over. Many characters live upscale lives, but are dealing with hardships and many with the pain of World War II in some way or another. The selfishness and narcissism of the characters is what is so intriguing. Salinger leaves many loose ends giving the reader leeway for imagination and consideration. If you enjoy short fiction without the fluff of a "happily ever after" ending, I highly recommend Nine Stories. -- recommended by Jessica H. - Walt Branch Library

[ Wikipedia page for J.D. Salinger ] 

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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.

Jeremiah Johnson

Jeremiah Johnson
[DVD Jeremiah]

An American soldier goes west to escape war and becomes a mountain man. He is taken in by an old trapper who teaches him how to survive off the land. After treading an Indian burial ground, he suffers strange misfortune: love and lives lost as well as a grudge between him and the Crow Indian tribe. Beautiful scenery and a great role portrayed by Robert Redford. Not the action-packed "cowboys and indians" Western you'd expect, rather slow moving. [If you like this, you may also enjoy Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Gunsmoke, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Dances with Wolves.] -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in audiotape, book-on-cd [abridged or unabridged], and Large Print 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.

New Readerlist - Classics Revisited

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

• The Hobbit
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy
• The Old Man and the Sea
• Slaughterhouse Five
• The War of the Worlds
• A Study in Scarlet
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
• Jazz Age Stories
• A Princess of Mars
• Dune
• A Lost Lady
• The Godwulf Manuscript
• The Bourne Identity
• Treasure Island

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!

New Customer Review - Little Women

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.

Customer Review - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
by Seth Grahame-Smith

This original Austen novel is a love story. This mash-up keeps much of the original text but adds zombies. While the title and cover prepared me for gore, neither prepared me for the vomit, ninjas, or dark tone. Yet Seth Grahame-Smith cleverly integrates the zombie world. He does not simply replace random nouns with the word "zombie"; he describes their appearance and their battles. He also turns landed gentry into zombie hunters. I am hooked! The book both entertained me and renewed my appreciation of the original. -- reviewed by Allison H.-F. - a customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Did you find these reviews helpful?

New Customer Reviews appear regularly on the libraries' 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 Whom the Bell Tolls (on DVD)

For Whom the Bell Tolls
based on the novel by Ernest Hemingway [DVD For]

It's 1937 and the Spanish Civil is raging. Robert Jordan (Gary Cooper), an American demolitions expert, is assigned to an antifascist guerilla unit that is planning to blow up a bridge to stop Franco's troops from advancing. Jordan is living in a cave high in the Guadarrama Mountains with a group of gypsy loyalists waiting for the right moment to demolish the bridge that spans a deep gorge. During the three days that this tiny band of resistance fighters wait for the right moment to blow up the bridge we watch Jordan falls in love with Maria (Ingrid Bergman), a young woman who was raped by some of Franco's soldiers. We become acquainted with the other members of this motley assortment of freedom fighters. Pablo (Akim Tamiroff) was once the brave leader of this group. Now he is cowardly and appears to be willing to sell out to the opposition for the right price. Pilar (Katina Paxinou) has taken Pablo?s place as the idealistic leader. This is a gripping movie that shows the brutality of war through Robert Jordan's eyes. For Whom the Bell Tolls was based on a novel of the same name by Ernest Hemmingway. Hemingway used his experiences as a war correspondent in Spain during the Spanish civil war as the basis for this bestselling novel. The movie was equally successful It was the top box office hit in 1943. For Whom the Bell Tolls was nominated for nine academy awards. Only Katina Paxinou won an Oscar. And it for best supporting actress. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in a variety of print and audio 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 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.

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey
by Jane Austen [DVD Northanger]

This movie is an unbelievably funny story by Jane Austen. It is apparent Jane Austen had quite a bit of fun writing this tale mocking gothic fiction. I laughed out loud in places. A must see! -- recommended by Jodene G. - Walt Branch Library

[Also available in print, 1992 movie production formats.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Northanger Abbey web site from PBS ]

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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.