Bingeworthy TV: Kim's Convenience

When I find something that makes me smile, I just want to share it with everyone. This means that I've told pretty much every friend and family member I have about how great Kim's Convenience is.

Kim's Convenience is a Canadian comedy series focused on the Kim family and the convenience store that they own and live above. And yes, it is based on a real Toronto convenience store that you can visit in real life (a possible road trip I have really considered).

Mr. and Mrs. Kim immigrated to Canada from South Korea and are often referred to by the Korean terms Appa (dad) and Umma/Eomma (mom). Janet, their youngest child, lives at home while attending art school and working part-time in the store. Jung, their oldest, left home as a teenager after clashing with his parents and the law. He's since turned his life around and works at a local car rental, but is still estranged from his father.

There's plenty of inter-generational and intercultural conflict and confusion to explore, and the series does so with care and humor. The series also allows its characters to grow and change from episode to episode, which gives an overall lighthearted show depth.

~Sarah, adult services

Bingeworthy TV: Great British Baking Show

I'm not going to pretend I have any talent for baking, but I do enjoy it when I somehow manage to follow a recipe and turn out something edible. I like eating good food; I'm just not invested in learning how to create it for myself.

But somehow, in watching the determined, talented bakers of The Great British Baking Show, I've found myself thinking, "Hmmm, maybe I could make that..." Despite not always quite understanding what they are talking about.

With the judges and bakers throwing around words like "choux," "lamination," and "baps," it can be hard to tell where the technical cooking terms end and the quirks of British English begin. More ambitious viewers can seek out cookbooks and how-to videos from the judges, the rest of us can just enjoy the atmosphere.

The humor is sometimes a bit adult, but I think it's probably still a good choice for families to view together as the show's overall warmth and good spirit override the occasional innuendo. It's so very heartwarming to watch the bakers try their absolute hardest to achieve seemingly impossible tasks, while still taking the time to cheer on and assist their competitors.

I highly recommend The Great British Baking Show to anyone looking for a sweet escape from the hassles of real life that won't add inches to your waistline.

~Sarah, adult services

Staff Review: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

When a book I've read becomes a movie or a TV series, there's one important question I ask myself: will they do the story justice or will everything be changed and ruined? I'm here today to (hopefully) help you answer that question for one book turned movie.

If you read an enjoyed Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, should you go see the movie? Yes.

If you've seen and loved the movie, should you check out the book? Maybe.

I had Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians on my To Read list since I first saw the (original) glittery cover five years ago. I finally found the time to read it this summer because a) I've reached peak wedding season in my social group and b) I really, really wanted to finish before seeing the movie. It can be frustrating to watch a movie and have events or characters you loved in the book removed or changed, but I find that if I watch a movie first, I'm less likely to read the book since I more or less already know what's going to happen.

Crazy Rich Asians combines rom-com and soap opera plots with descriptions of extreme luxury, and just a touch of modern fairy tale fantasy. As a reader, the numerous mentions of luxury brand names could be a little bit exhausting, and this is one area where the movie surpasses the book. It's much easier and less distracting to show a character wearing a gorgeous, expensive outfit (or car or house) than it is to read several sentences describing that outfit.

As a reader, it helped that one of the main characters, Rachel Chu, was equally out of place in this world, and that several of the characters more intensely invested in over-the-top consumerism were used as comic relief. Not that Kwan was arguing that wealth = bad, more of conspicuous wealth = bad manners.

Some of the other changes between page and screen were more significant, but I felt like they made sense for the story and characters. I don't want to spoil anyone, so I'll try to be general. The book explores the ways that extreme wealth and unequal power balances can harm relationships by comparing several different characters' experiences, while the movie narrows its focus primarily to Rachel (our average woman) and Nick (our dashing prince).

Born in China, but raised in America by her single mother, Rachel has created a comfortable life for herself in New York City as an Economics professor. When her handsome, fellow-academic boyfriend, Nick Young, invites her to spend their summer break visiting his friends and family in Singapore, she's happy to join him on an adventure. Nick, however, did not tell Rachel that his family and friends are the elite of Singapore, nor did he warn his family about their relationship, leaving his mother to assume that Rachel is a gold-digging embarrassment.

I enjoyed Kwan's descriptions of his native Singapore, the foods, places, peoples, and hints of its history and culture. I'm also a sucker for a good love story, and I feel like Rachel and Nick earn their happy ending, but that Kwan left enough potential for drama to justify the two sequels. In fact, it's fairly likely that I'll be picking up China Rich Girlfriend (book two) to read next summer.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Red vs. Blue

Red vs.Blue (or RvB) is a series created using voice-over enhanced game play videos from the video game Halo*. So it’s kind of like watching a first-person-shooter video game with dialogue added. This doesn't mean you need to have ever played Halo to enjoy the show!

The show was only supposed to run for one season of six to eight webisodes. RvB had an unexpected popularity and went on for sixteen seasons and five mini-series, becoming the longest running episodic web series of all time.

The show centers on two teams of soldiers (you guessed it): red team and blue team. These teams are fighting what is originally assumed to be a civil war. Each team has a base on the least desirable piece of real estate in the known universe: a box canyon in the middle of nowhere. It seems each team's only reason for having a base in this location is that the other team has a base in this location.

Mostly this show consists of the characters (identically armored people in varying shades of red and blue) arguing with each other. Each team has standing orders to defeat the other and capture the other's flag (because isn’t that what war is all about?), but neither team is much motivated to do anything and only does so grudgingly.

I would give this show an R rating for language. It is definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. The first time I watched it I had no idea what to think other than, "This show is crazy stupid but also crazy funny." I’m not sure I can think of a show in recent memory that has made me laugh as much or shake my head as often as the first five seasons of Red vs. Blue.

~Becca, Technical Services

*Librarian's note: You can also borrow official Halo novels or watch official Halo live-action TV series or the official Halo anime from Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

Bingeworthy TV: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

When I was small I loved watching musicals on the old movie channel on TV, but I never became a Musical Theater Fan. You don't need to be a capital-F Fan to enjoy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, but you do need to be someone who isn't going to roll their eyes every time the cast breaks into a big musical number.

Because as delightful and human as the characters are, as wacky and insightful as the humor can be, you're going to be annoyed by the one or more choreographed songs in each episode. If, on the other hand, you check out this show because you love the idea of a musical sitcom, I hope that you'll enjoy the thoughtful and relevant soap opera-esque plot as much as I do.

This show looks like a goofy bit of fluff, and I'll admit it, the title alone put me off for months. However, the cast and writers manage to tackle some serious concepts and issues, including topics that are generally considered taboo, in ways that are nuanced and smart, while still genuinely entertaining. From sexuality and relationships to mental and reproductive health, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend covers a lot of ground.

Plus, the music's pretty darn good (and guaranteed to get stuck in your head).



~Sarah, Adult Services

Announcing a New Shelving System at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Carnegie-Stout Public Library is closed today, Sunday, April 1, but you should expect big changes when we open on Monday at 9:00 a.m. We're always exploring new ways to better serve our community and we're excited to announce a new shelving system designed to better facilitate browsing and discovery.

"Often readers will be looking for a book and they can't remember the title or the author, but they do know the cover is blue. Our new shelving system is going to help those readers and it will allow library staff to re-shelve returned materials twice as quickly," librarian April Foole stated.

The new shelving system, designed by leading library design consultant Roy G. Biv, has also been applauded for its visual appeal and has rapidly grown in popularity with readers across the globe.

"While the aesthetics are a nice benefit, we made the choice for practical reasons. Common wisdom might say that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but you can learn a lot from a book's cover!" Foole continued. "Mysteries tend to be darker, humorous books tend to be brightly colored, Romances are often pink. This new system is just sensible."

Bingeworthy TV: Master of None

I enjoyed Aziz Ansari's performance on Parks and Rec, but his next project, Master of None, was only available on Netflix so I've only recently been able to watch. Ansari plays Dev Shah, a struggling actor in New York City. Dev isn't really struggling with his career -- it's going okay, if not spectacularly, but it's unfulfilling. His love life is likewise lackluster.

This is a comedy series about being young and trying to find your path through the world, which means the humor is often bittersweet and occasionally crude. They don't shy away from difficult topics, but consistently demonstrate that it's possible for all of us to work towards being better versions of ourselves. This is a clever show that embraces opportunities to play with style and storytelling methods, while still developing interesting characters.

Dev is unquestionably our main character though so most of the stories are told from his perspective, though any episodes that feature Dev's parents are among my favorites. Interestingly, Ansari's actual parents play his character's parents in this show.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Bob's Burgers

Even if you've never seen Bob's Burgers, you probably recognize Louise's pink bunny hat. In fact, the entire Belcher family has been one of the more popular group-costume options in recent years. This is a cartoon with a wider appeal than most due in large part to the great family dynamic at its heart. Though the humor ranges from silly to adult, Bob's Burgers is an overall bright and optimistic show.

I haven't seen every episode of this series, and the episodes that I have watched were almost entirely out of order. This isn't a long-running plot show, but rather a traditional sitcom where no matter how crazy things get, everything returns to almost normal by the end of the episode. So if the Belchers's restaurant is horribly damaged in one episode, everything will be fine by the next. While new viewers aren't punished for jumping in wherever, there are rewards for loyal viewers. You'll discover running jokes and recurring characters who gradually build depth and personality beyond a single gag, .

While I enjoy the visual humor and quick wit, the use of music and original songs are probably my favorite element. In fact, I started watching after a co-worker played a song about Thomas Edison electrocuting an elephant. Not only is it a catchy song, it's hilarious in context. (The song below is an official cover animated in the style of the show.)


~Sarah, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Psych

Attention all 80's trivia lovers (children of the 80s, especially)! Psych is a hilarious cozy mystery television show - with wacky high jinks galore and nods to all sorts of popular culture references of the 1980s and beyond.

The show centers on two friends, Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and Burton Guster - known as Gus (Dulé Hill). Shawn has extremely keen observation skills (drilled in him from an early age by his tough-cop father played by Corbin Bernsen). His observations are so good in fact, that in the pilot episode, he finds himself about to be fingered as the criminal - because no one could possibly know all that he knew about the crime unless he was the one who did it. In an act of desperation and self-preservation, Shawn pretends that he knows all about the crime because he is psychic.

Shawn then decides to capitalize on this and his new relationship with the Santa Barbara Police Department by creating a detective agency called "Pysch" and working for the police on the side. He drags his none-too-enthusiastic best friend Gus into the endeavor.

The episodes treat crime in the typically cozy mystery fashion - not much gore, and very lighthearted given the topic. It is very fast-paced and energetic. The fantastic chemistry between Shawn and Gus is electric: the funny lines are flying and there are blink and you miss it moments of subtle hilarity throughout. The rest of the cast are great too, but the heart of the shows lies with Shawn and Gus and their sincere friendship.

There are cameos by a number of familiar faces from the 80s - these are a particular fun treat. Look for their Halloween episodes, which are surprisingly scary and suspenseful, and the fantastic homages to the film Clue (1985) and the TV show Twin Peaks (1990-1991). There are 8 seasons of Psych and 1 musical (yes, a musical!) - all of which are available to check out at Carnegie-Stout Public Library. These two best friends make great detectives and a great show to binge-watch.

~Angie, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Superstore

The appeal of a sitcom is that you can sit down for 30 minutes and laugh a little, but if you're like me, it can be tricky to find a show that consistently makes you laugh. I started watching Superstore because I love America Ferrera (Ugly Betty).

Superstore is set in the fictional big box retail store Cloud 9, and very few episodes have scenes outside the store itself. If you don't have experience working in retail, you might think this would limit the stories they can tell, but the writers make good use of their talented ensemble cast. If you enjoyed the recurring background characters and sight gags of Community, you'll find similar appeal here.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by Maurene Goo

If you're looking for a fun, romantic read for Valentine's Day, I suggest you check out I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo. This book is a sweet and goofy look at first love that will remind readers of the fun of watching a romantic comedy, and anyone who loves k-dramas is in for a special treat.

To call 17-year-old Desi Lee a perfectionist is putting things mildly. Desi's mother died when she was very young, and her father was devastated. Desi dedicated herself to being the perfect daughter, excelling in school, in soccer, and helping out at home. Everything about her life is on track, and it seems inevitable that Desi will finish high school and head to Stanford, her mother's alma mater, where she will become a doctor, like her mother. The one blemish in Desi's perfect life is the fact that she is a devastating failure in the romance department.

Not only has Desi never had a boyfriend (or a first kiss), every time she gets even close to the possibility of maybe having a romantic encounter with a boy she likes, she goes down in flames. For example, when she meets the incredibly hot new transfer student, Desi's pants literally fall off. Despite this incredibly cringe-worthy first meeting, Desi is not one to give up. Instead she resolves to overcome her romantic failures and win her crush's heart, taking inspiration from her Korean-immigrant father's favorite television shows.

If you are a k-drama fan, you'll love all of the references to familiar shows. If you haven't seen a k-drama, you're likely to walk away from I Believe in a Thing Called Love wanting to watch one. K-dramas, or Korean dramas, are a specific style of Korean television series similar in some ways to telenovelas. They often have a heavy focus on a romantic plot and typically last for only a single season of 10-20 episodes (though some series last for much longer and some are only one or two episodes long). I highly recommend flipping to the end of the book where there's a list of recommended k-dramas that you can stream (subtitled) through various online services.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory

Spoonbenders, by Daryl Gregory made me laugh more than any other book I've read lately. Gregory’s story about the Amazing Telemachus family has clever dialog and plot, interesting characters, a tight-knit riotous family, and suspense. All these varying elements come together in a cohesive and enjoyable read.

In the '60s, the Telemachus family were on the verge of stardom with their psychic act. Telekinesis, telepathy, time traveling, lie-detecting, astral-projection – each person had their own specialty. Their glimmer of fame was abruptly doused after being discredited on national television by their soon-to-be nemesis Archibald. Fast forward to the '90s – the family are leading an average existence of working small jobs and supporting the next generation. Two of the three psychic children from the '60s now have children of their own. Hormonally charged 14-year-old Matty is beginning to find out who his family was as he stumbles upon his own power. His single mother Irene is working at ALDI to support the family and flirting with the idea of love in the age of dial-up Internet and chat rooms. Buddy has withdrawn into himself and behaves erratically. Frankie is scheming to get money he owes the mob. Maureen is communicating beyond the grave with letters she left the family to open at specific intervals. Teddy is associating with a CIA agent from his past. 

The novel goes back and forth between the decades of the '60s and the '90s. In the '60s, the family’s origins are explained as Teddy the patriarch meets his wife-to-be, Maureen, at a CIA-sponsored psychic-screening test. The seeds for later developments get planted as well. In the '90s, we get the drama and humor that goes along with the next generation (Teddy and Maureen’s three kids) trying to make sense of their present and reconcile their past. 

All the characters are fully realized and likable. I found myself especially drawn to Frankie. Although he puts the family in danger, he’s a lovable misfit with an optimistic outlook. His short fuse and funny lines are frequently the cause of comic relief. 

Gregory’s novel has a lot going for it. There’s a bit of nostalgia for millennials, and to a lesser extent, a bit for baby-boomers. There’s enough suspense to make it a page-turner with humor to keep you grinning throughout. The writing is intelligent and the characters quirky. Those who might be leery of the science fiction themes can rest assured that the psychic element is more of a backdrop in this family drama. The powers often prove more of a burden than a gift. Spoonbenders offers a bit of escapism as well as an affirmation of the bonds of family, no matter how disorderly.  

~Ben, 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

Bingeworthy TV: iZombie

iZombie, a zombie series for people who do not really like the zombie genre.  I am not a fan of The Walking Dead and I do not generally appreciate zombie guts and gore, but if you can make me laugh its all good.  My daughters recommended iZombie to me and after about 3 episodes I was hooked.

The premise is that there are zombies among us but if they are well fed, spray tanned and properly coifed you would never recognize them as the un-dead.  The main character is Liv, a newly minted doctor who had her life all figured out. Surgeon, check; hot fiance, check; awesome best friend, check.  Perfect life, not so fast.  One night at a yacht party there were some funky drugs being passed around and before you know the ship is blowing up and zombies are making a mess of things.  Liv gets scratched and when she wakes up on the beach she is deathly pale, has a white streak in her hair and is oddly starving for brains.  So her saga begins.

She ends up getting a job in the coroner's office because of the steady supply of brains and her co-worker quickly catches her having a snack.  But he's on board in keeping her secret and even begins trying to come up with a cure for zombism.  Liv discovers that she takes on the personality of the person whose brain she has eaten and suddenly she's a magician, a gambler or a dominatrix. Whoever she is channeling is usually very different than her true self.  With the visions she has while on each brain she is spurred to  begin helping a local detective solve crimes.  

The dialog is clever and often funny.  Watching Liv come up with new brain recipes is one of my favorite little bits of each show.  The show isn't all fun and games and there are some tense moments but overall this is more Zombieland than Night Of The Living Dead. I must say I have binged the whole series and am anxiously awaiting the new season!

~Michelle, Circulation

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

#ComicWednesdays: CatStronauts Mission Moon by Drew Brockington

Do you love cats? How do you feel about outer space? I love cats and I also love space, so CatStronauts Mission Moon by Drew Brockington was perfect for me.

The world is in an energy crisis! Worldwide blackouts have alerted the President that the world is running out of power. Since switching to battery-use only is not a long-term solution, he consults the World's Best Scientist who comes up with a plan. Build a solar plant on the moon! Sending the CatStronauts to the moon is their best bet for clean, renewable energy. (I wish it worked like this in the real world.) Our CatStronauts are the commander Major Meowser, pilot Waffles, inventor Blanket, and science officer Pom Pom. We follow them as they train for their mission and blast off to save cat-kind!

Cat. Astronauts. CatStronauts. I feel like I don't even need to say anything else, because that sounds so awesome on its own. This comic is perfect for all ages.There's a lot of puns and funny imagery to keep younger kids interested, but there are some jokes for older folks too. (The Neil Armstrong cat cameo comes to mind.) Basically, if you like cats, space, or both cats and space, check out CatStronauts Mission Moon. And then check out CatStronauts Race to Mars. Be on the lookout for CatStronauts Space Station Situation in October.

- Libby, Youth Services