Some Fun Things

I've used this time of working from home and social distancing to discover new fun things on the internet. Not everything out there is doom and gloom, there are actually some positive things that have appeared due to everyone being under some type of quarantine in order to stop the spread of this terrible virus.

Okay...enough with the depressing stuff, let's move on to the fun things!

First off, have you seen John Krasinski's YouTube episodes of Some Good News? They are fantastic. You probably know Krasinski from The Office, Jack Ryan, and as the director of A Quiet Place. He's also married to Mary Poppins....er, I mean Emily Blunt.

John has been gathering good news from around the world via Twitter and other social media channels and presenting short segments in the format of a news channel. I laughed. I cried. These are just fantastic. Episode 2 is just so amazing, it gave me goose bumps.  Click on the link to watch Some Good News.

Next up we have LeVar Burton of Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow fame. He has launched a Twitter live stream of his podcast LeVar Burton Reads for all ages on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Here is his current schedule and you can follow him on Twitter at @LevarBurton:

• Mondays for Children: 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET
• Wednesdays for YA: 3:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET
• Fridays for Adults: 6:00p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET

If you miss an episode, you can replay them on Twitter.

Speaking of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members, how about Sir Patrick Stewart? Since Saturday, March 21, this incredibly talented, Oscar nominated actor has been treating people to a reading of one Shakespeare sonnet at day. Stewart had a long run with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1966-1982) so he is certainly qualified to read Shakespeare sonnets.

You can follow him on Twitter at @SirPatStew. As with LeVar Burton, if you miss a reading you can replay them on Twitter.

Authors Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson have a podcast called Ask the Bards in which they talk about many aspects of writing. The first episode came out on February 23, and they have continued to produce episodes. Kevin Hearne is very much into craft cocktails and birds, so if you have interest in either of those things you can follow him on Twitter at @KevinHearne.

Author Veronica Roth has a Twitch channel and during the month of April she is partnering with other authors to talk about writing, publishing, and other topics. 

Do you have a favorite author, artist, musician, or entertainer? Chances are they have started putting free, entertaining content on the internet via some social media platform. If you've discovered something new and wonderful, please share!

~Amy, Adult Services

Love, Sweet Love

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, but you can embrace love and romance all year round by picking up a good romantic read. We've put together a short list of some of the best new romance books of the past year to jump start your reading journey (all book summaries taken from Goodreads).

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez
Kristen Petersen doesn't do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don't get her. She's also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend's wedding is bittersweet for Kristen, especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He's funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he'd be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it's harder and harder to keep him at arm's length.

Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
 

Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost, but not quite, dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamourous family’s mansion. The next items?

Enjoy a drunken night out.
Ride a motorcycle.
Go camping.
Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
And... do something bad.
But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in ...well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.

Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams
Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.


If romance isn't your thing, don't worry we have plenty of mystery, thriller, science fiction, fantasy, and more to choose from. Just stop by the library to browse or fill out a BookMatch Form to get personalized book recommendations from one of our librarians.

Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Eureka

The Syfy channel has long been my go-to stop for quirky television shows. Some are dark, some are just plain crazy, but every once in a while there are shows that combine funny with weird (in my world I call that quirky). Eureka happens to be one of those shows.

Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), a U.S. Marshall, is driving through the Pacific Northwest with his delinquent teenage daughter, Zoe (Jordan Hinson), when he has a car accident. Jack and Zoe end up walking into the small, seemingly backwards town of Eureka to seek help. As it turns out, Eureka is anything but backwards, it is a town full of geniuses. President Harry S. Truman, with the help of Albert Einstein, created the town of Eureka to protect and nurture America's most valuable intellectual resources. Through a series of events, Jack becomes the sheriff of this small town and over the course of five seasons we learn that it doesn't take a genius to solve problems.

Every season of Eureka has an over-arching problem or mystery to be solved usually involving some sort of invention or top-secret technology. Each episode also has an event that takes precedence and often ties into the larger story. Watching Jack discover new things about Eureka and try to figure out life in a town full of high IQs (while being of "average" intelligence) is entertaining. Zoe, as a new girl attending a high-school full of geniuses, is a little bit harder to watch.

 
Jack spends the majority of his time with his deputy, Joe Lupo, and with Dr. Allison Blake. Allison is the liaison between the Department of Defense and Eureka. She is often at Jack's side when he has to troubleshoot problems that arise. Dr. Henry Deacon is a brilliant scientist who moonlights as a jack-of-all-trades. He quickly becomes Jack's closest friend. My personal favorite character is Dr. Douglas Fargo. When (not if) something goes wrong, Fargo is usually in the middle of it. Some of my favorite actors play regular or semi-regular characters in later seasons, including Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day. It is truly amazing how a town full of geniuses can do so many stupid things.

Early in season one, a character is digging for something in a dumpster and when he finds it he says "eureka". As cliched as that was, I laughed out loud.  Eureka ran from 2006-2012. Initially the show was picked up for a sixth season, then seemingly at the last minute it was announced that the fifth season would be the last.  One additional episode was ordered to allow the series to have a proper finale. Upon a recent re-watch, some of the technology doesn't seem so groundbreaking, but I still enjoyed the show almost as much as when it was first released. 

~ Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey has become the gold standard of period dramas. For many people, nothing will ever compare and though it ran for 6 series (we call them seasons on this side of the pond) and ended in 2015, Downton Abbey is still incredibly popular. Created by Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey was co-produced by Carnival Films and Masterpiece. Episodes aired on ITV in the United Kingdom first and then after a series ended it aired on PBS in America.  

Why is Downton Abbey still so popular you may ask? There are many reasons: compelling characters and storylines, amazing scenery, amazing costumes, incredible writing...the list goes on. Downton Abbey follows the Crawley family, the hereditary Earls of Grantham, and their servants from the period between 1912 and 1925.

As part of the backstory, the main character, Robert, Earl of Grantham, had married an American heiress, Cora Levinson, to resolve past financial difficulties. Her considerable dowry was contractually incorporated into the comital entail in perpetuity. Basically that means that only a male heir can inherit the title and Cora's dowry can only be passed on to said male heir. The bad news is that Robert and Cora have 3 daughters and no sons. The oldest daughter, Mary, was to marry her second-cousin Patrick, second-in-line to the title. More bad news, the series starts with the Crawley family finding out that Patrick and his father James (first-in-line to the title) perished during an ill fated ocean voyage. Maybe you've heard of it? The ship was called the RMS Titanic.

(I wonder if Rose and Patrick were acquainted?)

For six seasons the lives of all those living at Downton Abbey are affected by historical events that took place during 1912 to 1925. Starting with the sinking of the Titanic, the Crawley's also experience the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Irish War of Independence, to name a few. Throughout all of this, we see the rise of the working class and the decline of the British Aristocracy. The Crawleys, and their servants, struggle to cope with the changing dynamics of the world around them.

The cast is truly amazing and, in my opinion, Maggie Smith shines the brightest as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Her acerbic wit and one-line zingers often bring some much needed levity to some of the more dour storylines. Nobody does disapproving facial expressions like the Dowager Countess of Grantham. 

If you haven't watched Downton Abbey, sit down with a cup of tea and give it a try. It is truly a masterpiece (see what I did there?). If you have a yen to travel to England, the real Downton Abbey is called Highclere Castle located in North Hampshire, and was used for exterior shots and most of the interior filming. If you are already a fan and wish to read more about Downton Abbey, here is a handy list of books you can check-out from Carnegie-Stout.  

~Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: The Office

The Office, based upon the BBC series of the same name, brings us the antics of a paper company called Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  While the show initially featured Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and B. J. Novak as the main cast, towards the end of its run there were numerous changes to the ensemble. I have to thank The Office for introducing me to the delightful Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?) who, along with B. J. Novak, was also a writer and producer for the show.

The Scranton branch, for some reason, is the subject of a documentary about office workers.  Through nine seasons we get to see the everyday lives of these workers.  What goes on in this office is absurd, and you often wonder how any of these people still have jobs.  The employees take their cue from the top. Michael Scott is perhaps the world's worst boss (but he thinks he is the world's best boss).  He is socially awkward, has terrible people skills and no filter, and is really not very intelligent. Just about everything he says and does is offensive; people tell him he is being offensive, but he is just completely clueless. Dunder Mifflin is Michael Scott's life and he thinks of most of the employees as his friends and family.  He does stupid, inappropriate, ridiculous things, but he does it out of love for his job and the people who work there.

Much of the series also focuses on the rivalry between the sales people, usually Dwight and Jim. One day Comedy Central was running a marathon and I happened to see one of my favorite episodes: Dwight is using one of those exercise ball chairs and being...well...Dwight.  Jim, his desk mate, gets seriously annoyed and punctures the exercise ball with his scissors.  Every time I see that episode, I laugh-out-loud.

To simulate the look of an actual documentary, the show is filmed in a single-camera set-up without a studio audience or laugh track. The documentary crew films confessional style interviews with most of the office workers and this allows us to see what they really think and feel about what happens in their place of work. Additionally, the characters often look directly at the camera, especially during the antics of Michael or Dwight. 

The day-to-day life of a paper salesman should be pretty uneventful unless of course you happen to work in an office full of Michael Scotts, Dwight Schrutes, Jim Halperts and Pam Beasleys.  Though The Office is at times politically incorrect (purposely so, I think) and many of the characters can be annoying, it is still one of my go-to binge-watching shows.  

~Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Farscape

When I was in high school and college I watched Star Trek: The Next Generation all the time. I think that was when I realized how much I love shows about space. When I discovered the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy) I was thrilled. Sci-Fi introduced me to Farscape. If you can get past the annoying opening theme song*, Farscape is a wild ride of SciFi goodness.

Modern day astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder) accidentally flies into a wormhole and ends up in the far reaches of space on a living ship called Moya. On the same day, Moya picks up another stranger by the name of Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black). Moya was being used as a prison transport under the control of the Peacekeepers. The prisoners on Moya take over the ship and as a result are on the run from the Peacekeepers. Farscape is interesting because the alien makeup and prosthetics are a product of The Jim Henson Company. In fact Farscape was produced by The Jim Henson Company and Hallmark Entertainment. Two of the main characters, Rygel and Pilot, are puppets created by Henson's Creature Shop.

Farscape is odd, even in space opera terms. Some of the episodes seem to make no sense, but watching the crew grow closer and change due to their relationships with one another is entertaining.  Ben Browder and Claudia Black have amazing chemistry, so much so that when the two actors showed up on later episodes of Stargate: SG-1** I was crazy excited. The series was planned for five seasons, and was cancelled after four. Fortunately a three-hour TV movie, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, was made to wrap up the story.

*There is some debate as to the annoying opening theme song. Some feel that the opening song is great, it is the closing credits song that is annoying.  You be the judge :)  

**Speaking of Stargate: SG-1, that series had a 200th-episode parody of all kinds of science fiction space shows, and one scene had other actors playing versions of John Crichton and Aeryn Sun.  Additionally, when Claudia Black's character on SG-1 first walks into Stargate Command she sees Ben Browder's character and says, "I know we haven't met. That I'm sure I would remember." Browder's character responds, "Nice outfit."  Yes, I'm a SciFi-show nerd.

~ Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Veronica Mars

Take one plucky teenage sleuth, add the murder of a wealthy, high-profile teenage girl, and you have the makings of a fantastic show called Veronica Mars.

Kristen Bell stars as the eponymous character, progressing from high school to college moonlighting as a private investigator under the tutelage of her detective father. Her best friend, Lily, was murdered and season one is all about Veronica trying to prove that the wrong man was convicted for that murder. The show ran for three seasons and each season has an overarching mystery arc. However, Veronica works many cases and each episode has a smaller mystery to solve.

 
Kristin Bell and Enrico Colantoni (who plays her father, Keith) are so believable as father and daughter. Bell brings such emotion and vulnerability to Veronica, you believe she is a teenager just trying to survive high school. Sadly the show did not get a 4th season, but through an amazing Kickstarter campaign, Bell and Veronica Mars creator, Rob Thomas, raised enough money to film a movie in 2014. Rob Thomas has also written a couple of books to keep the story going. 

~Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Law & Order:SVU

Binge on Law & Order: SVU? Are you crazy? That show is intense and sad*. Well, I had a vacation week and I didn't go anywhere. USA was running a Law & Order: SVU marathon and I swear I spent nearly three days just watching episode after episode. With 19 seasons of SVU, there is a lot of material to choose from. Here is the thing: it really doesn't matter if you watch the episodes in order.  The show has had some character turnover, but the one constant is Olivia Benson.

There are over 400 episodes available. You could conceivably watch SVU for 19 days straight (if you wanted to forego sleep and food and fry your brain). So go ahead, binge on SVU. You know you want to!

*Disclaimer:  SVU stands for "Special Victims Unit".  This show deals with sex crimes of all types and has very adult themes. 

~Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: The Good Place

When I saw the previews for The Good Place I figured it would last five or six episodes and then be cancelled. A show about people dying and then waking up in a utopia doesn't sound very exciting or funny.  But, I love Kristen Bell so I thought I would give it a chance.

Wow, this show is just a fantastic way to spend 30 minutes.  The cast is incredible, especially Kristen Bell as "Eleanor" and D'Arcy Carden as "Janet."

Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in the The Good Place and is so confused.  She wasn't a good person, why is she in The Good Place? Michael, the architect of The Good Place (essentially an angel), has her confused with another Eleanor Shellstrop, one who should be in The Good Place.  He introduces her to Chidi, Tahani, and Jianyu, other recent additions. They all seem to have been wonderful people when alive, or were they?  Then there is Janet. Janet is basically the computer that runs The Good Place.  In The Good Place, everything is wonderful, you find your soulmate, you live in your dream house, everything is coming up sunshine, roses, and unicorns.

Except it isn't. The Good Place seems to be broken so Eleanor and crew try to figure out how to
fix the problem.  To that end, Eleanor decides that she has to learn to be a better person, with Chidi as her teacher.  The alternative to The Good Place is The Bad Place and nobody wants to end up there.  I'm so glad this show was picked up for a second season, because season two has been every bit as fantastic as season one. 

As a side note, one of the things that makes this show so amazing is that nobody can swear in The Good Place.  Eleanor, in particular, likes to swear and the words don't come out as she intends (e.g., mother forking shirt balls). It seems so effortless for Kristin Bell that I find myself wondering if the swearing system from The Good Place has seeped into her real life. 

~Amy, Adult Services

Lazy Day Reading

What do I do when it is really cold out and I have some free time? I hang out with my cat, Gizmo, and read cozy mysteries by the fire. Lately I’ve been on a library mystery kick and here are three that I’d recommend for some lazy day reading.  

Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series by Victoria Gilbert 

A Murder for the Books is the first book (and only book to date) in this series.  Librarian Amy Gilbert moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic town in Virginia.  Amy left her previous job at an academic library under embarrassing circumstances and running a small town public library is new for her.  She uses her research skills and some logic to dig into the library archives to solve a murder.  

I enjoyed Gilbert’s writing.  The mystery was interesting and honestly I didn’t figure out who the villain was or the reason for the murder before the conclusion of the book.  Unlike the other two series, there isn’t a dog or cat involved with any of the characters.  Props to Victoria Gilbert for staying away from that cozy mystery trope. 

Lighthouse Library Series by Eva Gates

This series currently has three books -- start with By Book or by Crook.  Librarian Lucy Richardson works and lives in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library with her roommate and library cat Charles.  After leaving her job at Harvard Library, she is thrilled to find a job in this small Outer Banks library.  Then a priceless first edition of a Jane Austen novel disappears and the chair of the library board is murdered. Lucy suddenly finds herself involved in a murder investigation.  

Of the three series, this one was probably my least favorite.  However, I love the idea of a library in a lighthouse. How amazing would it be to work and live there?  There is, of course, a bit of a love triangle and your typical cozy mystery quirky characters make appearances.  I thought the series had concluded after the third book; it looks like a fourth book will be published in June 2018. 

Library Lovers Mystery Series by Jenn McKinlay

This is the most robust series on the list.  There are eight books to date and the series starts with Books Can Be Deceiving.  Lindsay Norris is the new director of the Briar Creek Public Library and is enjoying working with her best friend Beth, the children’s librarian.  She faces a bit of an uphill battle with her library board and one particularly bitter employee.  Things get a little bit more exciting when Beth’s boyfriend, a famous author, is found murdered and Beth is the main suspect.  

This is my favorite series of the three.  The depiction of library life is pretty realistic and as a librarian I appreciate that.  Lindsay has a Crafternoon group that meets once a week at the library to talk about a book and work on a craft.  The group is made up of mostly women and they discuss pretty much everything including the book of the month.  McKinlay includes recipes at the end of her book along with discussion questions for the Crafternoon monthly book.  There are also instructions for some of the craft projects.  I highly recommend McKinlay’s other book series, The Cupcake Bakery mysteries, and the Hat Shop mysteries.  McKinlay’s writing is full of humor and likeable protagonists. 

Pick up one of these mysteries, get yourself a cat, and enjoy an afternoon of reading books about books.  

 

(cat not available for check-out)

~ Amy, Adult Services

Staff Review: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

When I choose a book for the library book discussion I try to find something outside of my comfort zone. More often than not, I enjoy the book and it makes me more willing to venture outside of my normal reading habits. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, a biography, is one such example. Though I rarely read biographies, Born a Crime has become one my favorite books this year. 

Trevor Noah, the current host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, was born at the tail end of apartheid in South Africa. His mother is black and his father is white. At the time of Trevor's birth, the relationship between his parents was illegal so his birth was actually a crime. 

The stories told by Noah range from incredibly sad to very funny. As a comedian, Noah is able to infuse the sad stories with humor without taking away from the narrative. It is difficult to imagine that as a mixed-race child, Noah's mother wasn't allowed to do something as simple as walk with him to the park. Noah's father was largely absent from his life, leaving him to be raised by his mother and grandmother. To his black Xhosa relatives, Noah was white and white people are treated differently. By his own admission, Noah was a handful, because only his mother would discipline him.  It is clear throughout the book that his mother is quite a force to be reckoned with and though their relationship is, at times, complicated, Noah loves and respects her.

I didn't listen to the audio, but a co-worker told me it is wonderful. Noah is the narrator and I imagine hearing him tell the story of his upbringing, in his own voice, is quite powerful. If you are a fan of The Daily Show, you should read this book. If you've never watched The Daily Show (ahem...like me...ahem), this is still a powerful story of someone who never quite fit in, but didn't let that stop him from achieving his dreams. 

~Amy, Adult Services

Let the Mind Games Begin

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is the latest psychological thriller to make its way from page to screen.  Rachel Watson (Emily Blunt) is in a deep depression after going through a divorce and turns a little to often to alcohol to numb her pain.  Everyday on the train she sees this perfect couple, a couple she feels is the embodiment of true love.  Then the woman disappears and Rachel was seen in the area.  The thing is, Rachel can't remember what happened due to blacking out and losing time after drinking too much.  If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, this one has quite a twist at the end.

For more dark and twisty stories here are a few books and movies you should try.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Five-year-old Jacob is killed in a hit and run, an event that sends the police in search of the driver. Jenna Gray flees to Wales to mourn the loss of her son and recover from her past. As the anniversary of Jacob’s still unsolved death approaches, a tip to police results in an arrest and a very different picture emerges. This self-assured debut combines jaw-dropping moments with complex, believable characters and an ending that is hard to see coming. (Jennifer Winberry for LibraryReads)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (also a feature film)
When Amy Dunne disappears from her Missouri home, it looks like her husband, Nick, is to blame. He claims he is innocent, but he doesn't seem truthful.  But this isn't just a simple case of a husband killing his wife to free himself from a bad marriage.  There is something more sinister going on.  Told in first person narratives with multiple perspectives, Gone Girl is a truly frightening glimpse into a souring marriage. Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike play Nick and Amy in the 2014 feature film.

The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford
What is a pocket wife? It is a wife whose husband barely gives her the time of day. This describes Dana Catrell perfectly. One day Dana drunkenly argues with her neighbor, Celia and then Celia turns up dead.  Dana can't remember what happened, did she kill Celia?  Even her husband thinks she had something to do with the murder. The Pocket Wife is a gripping, character-driven mystery.

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
Jodi and Todd have been married for 20 years, theirs is the perfect marriage.  Unless of course you count Todd's many infidelities and Jodi turning a blind eye.  Then one of Todd's indiscretions turns serious and he tells Jodi he is leaving her, but Jodi isn't going to let Todd go that easily.  Canadian author Harrison delivers a smart, gripping debut novel.  (According to IMDB the movie based on this book is "in development").

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
An intruder in the middle of the night leaves Lo Blacklock feeling vulnerable. Trying to shake off her fears, she hopes her big break of covering the maiden voyage of the luxury cruise ship, the Aurora, will help. The first night of the voyage changes everything. What did she really see in the water and who was the woman in the cabin next door? The claustrophobic feeling of being on a ship and the twists and turns of who, and what, to believe keep you on the edge of your seat. (Joseph Jones for LibraryReads)

 

Gone Baby Gone (2007) 
Adapted from the novel Mystic River by Dennis Lehane, Gone Baby Gone is an intense look at the inside an ongoing investigation into the kidnapping of a little girl in Boston.  As the detectives get closer to finding her, nothing is as it seems and the danger intensifies.  Starring Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, and Casey Afflek.

Zodiac (2007, based on the book by Robert Graysmith)
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downy, Jr., this thriller follows investigators and reporters as the hunt for the Zodiac serial killer who has been terrifying San Francisco Bay area and taunting police with letters and ciphers.

Side Effects (2013)
Emily Taylor, despite being reunited with her husband from prison, becomes severely depressed with emotional episodes and suicide attempts. Her psychiatrist, Jonathan Banks, after conferring with her previous doctor, eventually prescribes an experimental new medication called Ablixa. The plot thickens when the drug has chilling and deadly side effects.  Starring Channing Tatum, Rooney Mara, Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones
 
Shutter Island (2010, based on the book by Dennis Lehane)
Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese team up in this psychologial thriller about a U.S. Marshal investigating the asylum for the criminally insane on Shutter Island.  As the investigation unfolds, the marshal, Teddy Daniels, uncovers shocking and terrifying truths about the island. 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009 or 2011 Also a book by Stieg Larsson)
A journalist is aided by a young computer hacker as they search for a woman who has been missing, or dead, for the past 40 years.  The original Swedish version (2009) and the English language adaptation (2011) are both supremely chilling thrillers, not for the faint of heart. 

Lock your doors and let the mind games begin.

~ Amy, Adult Services

Binge Worthy TV Shows

Sometimes I think the DVR is the best and worst invention ever.  The best because I can record shows when I'm not home and watch them whenever.  The worst because I record a lot of TV shows and then I end up watching an entire season over the course of a day or two. For a television junkie, the DVR is a big old enabler. 
 
Here are a few of my favorite binge worthy shows: 


Angie Tribeca on TBS

From the mind of Steve Carell and his wife, Nancy Walls Carell, Angie Tribeca is a police procedural satire in the spirit of Police Squad.  Rashida Jones plays the titular detective who gets a new partner in the pilot episode. TBS aired the first season of 10 episodes as a 25-hour marathon, so this show was truly made for binge watching.  The humor is very reminiscent of the movies Airplane! and The Naked Gun. Surely (don't call me Shirley) you will want to give this show a try. 




Killjoys on Syfy

Killjoys follows a trio of bounty hunters, Dutch, Dav and Johnny as they work in a four planet system called The Quad. Hello, space bounty hunters!  What isn't to love about this show?  Killjoys, especially in the second season is a great mix of humor, drama and action.  The leader of this rag-tag trio is Dutch, and she is a woman who knows how to take care of herself.  You wouldn't want to meet her in a dark alley.  The best part of this show is her relationship (strictly platonic) with Johnny.  Also Pree, every episode with Pree is automatically my favorite episode. 




Dark Matter on Syfy

Dark Matter is a bit darker (ha) in tone than Killjoys.  A group of six people wake up on the space ship Raza, with no memory of who they are.  They name themselves One through Six based on the order in which they woke up.  Dark Matter was created by Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie based upon their comic book of the same name.  Both men at one time or another were writers and executive producers on the Stargate TV shows. If you are a fan of the Stargate shows, you will see some familiar faces pop up now and then. Even without their memories, it becomes clear that the leader of the Raza crew is "Two" and she is a kick-butt, take names later (if they are still alive) kind of woman.   

 
The 100 on the CW

This post-apocalyptic drama follows a group of teens (100 of them in all) as they become the first humans to return to Earth, 97 years after a devastating nuclear apocalypse.  The twist here is that the teens are all technically criminals and Earth isn't quite as uninhabited as those still living in space think.  Also, the colony of space ships is failing so returning to Earth is pretty much their only chance of survival.  The CW is famous for dramas with very pretty people, and The 100 does deliver on that front. However, they don't stay so pretty (yes they actually get dirty and the dirt sticks) and life on planet Earth is BRUTAL.  Think Lord of the Flies, Game of Thrones brutal.  I record this show because sometimes I just need to stop my DVR, walk away and decompress.  Fair warning, this show will bring about emotions.


 UnREAL on the Lifetime channel.

I did a review of this show that you can read here.  Basically this is a show about the making of a fictional reality dating show and it is CRAZY.  Plus each season (season 2 just ended) is only 10 episodes long so you could easily watch a season in one day.







~Amy, Adult Services

Staff Review: UnREAL

Let's face it folks, America is obsessed with reality television, especially dating shows. How else would The Bachelor last 20 seasons and The Bachelorette 12?   Have you ever been glued to your television thinking "these people are crazy, why would they go on a show like this"? I've probably seen a handful of Bachelor and Bachelorette episodes, dating shows are not my cup of tea, but I find UnREAL fascinating.  This show is a a train-wreck, and I just can't look away. 

UnREAL is in its second season on Lifetime.  When I think of Lifetime, I think of feel good programming featuring female leads. There is some angst, some sort of tragedy the main character needs to overcome and it ends with a happily ever after.  The only thing UnREAL has that fits my perception of Lifetime is female lead characters.  

UnREAL is a show about the making of a reality dating show called "Everlasting". Marti Noxon, one of the creators of UnREAL, has said in interviews that this series is based on what really happens behind the scenes of a reality dating show.  Given how dark and twisty UnREAL is, I truly hope that the majority of the show is a gross exageration. On Everlasting, producers are assigned girls (called wifeys) and there are bonuses based on how long the girls last on the show.  What does it mean to produce a girl?  It means manipulation pure and simple.  Create drama, film drama, air drama for all the world to see.  That is what Everlasting is all about. 

The main female characters are Quinn and Rachel.  Quinn is the Executive Producer of Everlasting, this show is her life and she will do anything to make it a success.  Rachel is one of the show producers.  In the first season she returns to Everlasting after having a monumental breakdown on camera during Everlasting's finale.   Rachel is damaged, actually everyone making and starring in Everlasting seems to be damaged. 

A few more notable characters are Chet and Jeremy.  Chet is the creator of Everlasting (or so he would have you believe), he has a substance abuse problem, a wife, and has been having a long-term affair with Quinn.  Jeremy is one of the cameramen and Rachel's ex-boyfriend.  Jeremy starts out as a sympathetic character, but apparently Everlasting sucks the soul right out of you and everyone associated with the show becomes horrible.

To give you an idea about how successful UnREAL has been, after season 1, Lifetime renewed the show for a second and third season.  It is possible the show won't last more than 3 seasons, but I will tune in for as long as it lasts.  Each season is 10 episodes so it has excellent binge-watching potential.

Disclaimer: This show is rated Mature for some serious adult content, including sex and language. It may be on Lifetime, but it is something you would expect to see on HBO or Showtime.

~Amy, Adult Services  

Staff Review: Five Days at Memorial

I have vivid memories of being glued to the television watching the devastation brought on by Hurricane Katrina.  Though the coverage was thorough, only those who lived in the areas hit by the hurricane can truly know what it was like.  Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink, the July discussion title for our Adult Book Discussion Group, details the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans.  Fink, an investigative journalist, spent countless hours over the course of 6 years interviewing 500 plus witnesses, doctors, and nurses, re-watching news footage and gathering information for her book. In 2010 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for the article about Memorial that sparked the writing of the book. 

The first part of the book is all about actions taken before and during the storm.  Initially it was overwhelming, the sheer number of people involved made it difficult to keep track of who was doing what, and where.  It felt chaotic, frantic, and disjointed.  Was that by design?  Was it meant to mimic what the staff and patients at Memorial felt?  The confusion, the uncertainty, the fear?  I found the part leading up to the storm and the following five days engrossing, I had a hard time putting the book down.  I had so many emotions and questions.

I felt anger. Anger at the situation and at the decisions made.  I felt sorrow. Sorrow for those who didn't make it out of the hospital, their family members, and for those who had to make the tough choices.  I felt anxiety, wondering what would happen to the patients, doctors and nurses.  I also felt disbelief.  Disbelief that it was common practice in the case of hurricanes for the staff to bring their family, pets and 3-days worth of food to the hospital to ride out the storm. Disbelief that there was no plan in place in case the water rose above the ground floor electrical and generators.  Memorial Medical Center (formerly known as Southern Baptist Hospital) was 80-years old, that should have been plenty of time to plan for such a disaster.  Disbelief and anger at some of the seemingly selfish actions of the hospital staff.  Why would you evacuate the sickest patients last? At the end of the 5 days, 45 patients had died at Memorial, and at least 9 had what could possibly be lethal doses of morphine in their bodies. Some of the dead, according to witnesses, had been alive on the morning of the final evacuations. The question had to be asked, were these patients murdered?
  
The second part of the book is all about the aftermath of the storm and the legal implications of what happened at Memorial during those five days.  One doctor and two nurses were arrested on 4-counts of second-degree murder.  The case dragged on for over 2 years as evidence was gathered.  During that time, New Orleans was facing multiple problems and legal cases stemming from the storm.  Police brutality, questionable deaths at hospitals and nursing homes, plus backlash against all levels of government agencies for their actions, or lack thereof, leading up to, and during the storm.  Hindsight is 20/20 and after the water receded it was clear that nobody was prepared for the catastrophic flooding.  Fingers were being pointed at anyone and everyone. 

I will admit the second half of the book had a few high points, but it did drag.  I found myself struggling to finish without just skipping to the end.  I'm glad I plodded through the slow parts however because in the second half I learned about the actions of some of the doctors and nurses that I found absolutely shocking.  Memorial Hospital was connected to another building, a cancer center, that had power for those five days.  Why weren't the patients moved to that facility? The staff claimed that there wasn't enough water and everyone was suffering from dehydration, but in the weeks following the storm, investigators found large supplies of bottled water in the hospital.  Another hospital, Charity, faced the same conditions, but with a totally different outcome.  Fink mentions in the forward of the book that as more time passed, memories changed or became hazy.  I believe that the doctors and nurses remembered the events in a way that allowed them to live with their actions.  I also kept asking myself why only one doctor and two nurses were arrested and charged.  Based on the first half of the book, I would have expected more of the staff members to face charges. How could they claim to not know what was going to happen? 

Fink's epilogue talks about other natural disasters after Hurricane Katrina.  New Orleans seemed to have learned its lesson, but did other states learn too?  When Hurricane Sandy hit, hospitals in New York State and New Jersey were suddenly faced with the same problems.  Rising water, failing power and patients that hadn't been evacuated.  Hospitals were exempt from the mandatory evacuations because in the face of a disaster, a hospital is a much needed commodity. I do understand the hospitals and hospital staff are essential, but why wouldn't the patients be moved to safer locations? She also talks about the conditions in Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 and how the medical professionals had to make tough decisions based on lack of resources. 

Sitting in my air conditioned house, on my comfortable couch, it is easy for me to say "why didn't they do this or that". I tried to ask myself "what would I do?"  I've never faced anything like the people of New Orleans, I can't even imagine the conditions or the fear.  I honestly don't know what I would have done. I would hope that I would have fought tooth and nail to preserve life.  I would hope that I wouldn't have stood passively by while someone else made a decision about a patient I swore I would take care of.  I would hope that my will to survive wouldn't keep me from helping others to survive as well. Most of all, I hope I never have to find out.

Fink's goal isn't to point fingers or sway people's opinions.  She presents a fairly balanced accounting of conditions at Memorial and the following investigation.  I certainly have my own opinions after reading this book.  You can probably glean, from my review, what I think happened. This book sparked a very interesting discussion among our book club members about morality and ethics.  I believe that is one of the main goals of Five Days at Memorial, to make people think, ask questions, and start a discussion. 

~ Amy, Adult Services

Throwback Thursday: Library Job Has Amusing Side

While working on Carnegie-Stout Public Library's project involving archiving digital scans of the Dubuque Telegraph Herald I came across this little tidbit:

As I read this article from October 7, 1949, I thought to myself "this still happens today".  Despite nearly 67 years of progress, a librarian still provides reader's advisory and often gets to decipher vague and confusing book descriptions in an attempt to find a specific book.

A few years ago, one of my coworkers found a birthday card to his mother in a book on the shelf.  I myself have found cancelled checks, airplane boarding passes, letters, greeting cards, utility bills and shopping lists.  Just a few of the many random things used as a bookmark. Yep, working in a library still has an amusing side.

~Amy, Adult Services

Staff Review: Leviathan Wakes and The Expanse TV Series

Have you ever read a book and thought, "Hey, this might make a great TV show?" Sometimes you get what you ask for, and in my case that is The Expanse series of books by James S.A. Corey coming to a television near me.  I'd heard raves about the first book in the series, Leviathan Wakes and decided to give it a try.

In a nutshell, humans have colonized Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid belt and beyond.  The people born and raised on the outer planets refer to themselves as "belters". Those born and raised on Earth are called "Earthers".  There are a lot of politics at play, but the bottom line is that the belters aren't big fans of the Earthers and vice versa so of course there is a war brewing.  The majority of the story is told from two different viewpoints, in alternating chapters.

James Holden is an Earther and the executive officer of an ice mining ship that makes runs from the rings of Saturn to various mining stations on the belt. His ship happens upon the Scopuli, a derelict ship, and when he and a few other crew members mount a salvage/rescue mission, things go horribly wrong. It seems they have stumbled upon a secret that will get them killed.

Detective Joe Miller works for Star Helix Security on the Ceres station. He is tasked with looking for a missing girl named Julie Mao.  Her parents are important and it seems she had a bit of a rebellious streak while in college, joining a student activist group and refusing to come home.  Her last known address was on Ceres, and Miller traces her to a ship called the Scopuli.  Through a series of events, Miller and Holden end up working together to find Julie and discover what secret the Scopuli was holding.

Leviathan Wakes paints a fascinating picture of life on Earth and beyond.  Obviously it takes place in a distant future so even things on Earth are different.  For instance, Holden was born in a family co-op with five fathers and three mothers.  They all contributed to his DNA mix and somehow this arrangement gave them a huge tax break, allowing them to own 22 acres of decent farmland. Miller on the other hand was born on Ceres, having only been off-planet 4 times.  It becomes pretty obvious that Miller is being set-up as the fall guy for something.  He is depressed, his life is stagnant, and as a result he become obsessed with the Julie Mao case.  The two different points of view allow the story to move forward until the two main characters intersect.  I had a few moments of "wait, what is happening here?" but for the most part found that the world-building wasn't too complicated and the story progressed nicely.  To date there are four more books in The Expanse series: Caliban's War, Abaddon's Gate, Cibola Burn, and Nemesis Games. 

Enough about the book, lets get to the TV show.  Yes, The Expanse will be coming to the SyFy channel with a two part series premier on December 14 and 15.  I, for one, can't wait to see this huge space opera (for lack of a better description) come to life on the small screen.  I really enjoyed the Battlestar Galactica reboot and the recent SyFy shows Killjoys and Dark Matter.  I apparently enjoy TV shows that take place in space.  There is still time to read the book before the series begins, or if you don't want to read the book (it is only 582 pages, you can do it), wait until December and watch the story unfold in one hour increments.

Also, in case anyone is wondering, "James S.A. Corey"is a pen name used by the two writers that collaborate on this series, Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.

~Amy, Adult Services