Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The Pendulum Swings Swift .... and It Packs a Wallop!
A while ago, I had nothing to read and placed a bunch of holds. I didn't just place a few holds: I made it the Golden Era of Hold-Placing, the Enlightenment of Item Ordering. I disappeared amongst the labyrinths of year-end lists and pre-publication hype. Well, guess what? I didn't pay much attention to when they would be coming in and now they've deluged me! These items are what I'm chipping myself out from underneath of:
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
The Great American Road Trip
I have keen memories of long family drives. We trekked from Des Plaines to California, Minnesota, New York, Washington DC, Tennessee, and Florida. As an adult, I have traveled Route 66, the Mother Road, as far as Oklahoma. My recall of those highways is visceral: the smell of sun-warmed asphalt, a haze of butterflies in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the vertiginous stretch of bridge across the Mississippi River, and endless billboards across the southeast calling us like sirens to "See Ruby Falls."
So when I daydream about a getaway, real or imagined, the open road
is nearly always a central theme. And either way the library has a rich well of resources available. We have guidebooks, DVDs, magazines, and memoirs to help you find that perfect drive. We also have novels and films to carry you away on a road trip of the mind, from Cormac McCarthy's The Road to National Lampoon's Vacation and everywhere in between. Chances are, your favorites are here waiting for you. For a good laugh, I highly recommend The Sure Thing.What was your most memorable road trip? Or, for the armchair traveler, what would your ideal driving vacation be?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Books on the Nightstand
This is not my nightstand. A photograph of my nightstand would not be so homey and picturesque. And I do not use anything so practical as a bookshelf beside my bed because I have not fully accepted my book hoarding habit. I chose this image for its piles of books, not artfully arranged like something from the pages of Southern Living, but joyfully askew and well-thumbed.
There is a hierarchy, loose but real, among the stacks that bury my alarm clock. Right now, including an e-book and e-audiobook inside my smart phone, my nightstand is home to 15 books. My current favorites are Kate Atkinson's Life After Life and The Heart and the Fist by Eric Greitens. I keep them front and center, balanced on an open drawer. Beside those is the tower of books I have yet to start but cannot wait to read, just as soon as I am finished with the books I am already reading. On the floor rests a pair that I am making my way through slowly, a chapter or two at a time: the 1000+ pager I cannot give up on and the latest book club selection. Why is it always harder to do required reading, even when it's a great book? In another pile I've got the The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I'm reading that aloud to my kids, then silently continuing to read it once they are asleep. Next comes the mystery I started and didn't much like, but somehow feel I should continue with. I'll probably just skip to the end to see who dunnit. In that same pile are two gems I have already finished but find myself returning to, seeking out the passages I love.
How many books take pride of place at your bedside? Is there only one (no judgement, just asking), or stacks and stacks? Which would you recommend to a friend? Tell us what books are on your nightstand. Here's everything on mine, for now:
Photographic image via theblackapple.typepad.com
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
From Box Office to Library Shelf
Whenever a remake or book adaptation is released in theaters, we tend to see a heavy demand placed on the source material at the Readers' Services desk. But the great thing about boasting a collection of over 275,000 materials is there are many similar titles to check out while you wait for something else!
Other movies about alien possessions include the sinister 1970's reboot of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Faculty (which also features Jon Stewart as a hip science teacher!). For another attack on the human race from an opposing force, check out the unintentionally humorous The Happening.
Although it is rated an extremely well-deserved R, Fred Alvarez's Evil Dead took the weekend box office by storm, grossing $26 million versus an estimated $17 million cost to make.The movie is brutal and unrelenting in its desire to show off its excessive use of practical effects versus CGI and pay proper homage to The Evil Dead.
Be sure to check out Scott Smith's The Ruins if you need a gruesome read about twentysomethings on a vacation gone very wrong. As for similar movies, Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell strikes similar notes with a more comedic angle, and be sure to rewatch Cabin in the Woods to spot numerous references to The Evil Dead.
Although it is truly hard to compare any movies to Jurassic Park, try the classic Steven Spielberg film E.T. or another classic family adventure film from the 1990's: Jumanji.
To place holds or check the availability of any items I mentioned, click on the items below!
The Host resonates with faithful fans
Although Stephanie Meyer's The Host isn't doing as well as anticipated, fans seem convinced it is a solid depiction of the science fiction romance book of the same name. Check out the book before seeing the movie. Also look for director Andrew Niccol's (superior?) science fiction film Gattaca.Other movies about alien possessions include the sinister 1970's reboot of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Faculty (which also features Jon Stewart as a hip science teacher!). For another attack on the human race from an opposing force, check out the unintentionally humorous The Happening.
Evil Dead Possesses the Box Office
Although it is rated an extremely well-deserved R, Fred Alvarez's Evil Dead took the weekend box office by storm, grossing $26 million versus an estimated $17 million cost to make.The movie is brutal and unrelenting in its desire to show off its excessive use of practical effects versus CGI and pay proper homage to The Evil Dead.
Be sure to check out Scott Smith's The Ruins if you need a gruesome read about twentysomethings on a vacation gone very wrong. As for similar movies, Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell strikes similar notes with a more comedic angle, and be sure to rewatch Cabin in the Woods to spot numerous references to The Evil Dead.
A classic gets a highly acclaimed makeover: Dinosaurs in 3D!
Jurassic Park 3D is getting a lot of well-deserved love from fans new and old. Of course we have Jurassic Park and its sequels sans 3D, but maybe now is the time to read Micheal Crichton's Jurassic Park. I think you will be interested to see how many things were changed to make it a family movie!Although it is truly hard to compare any movies to Jurassic Park, try the classic Steven Spielberg film E.T. or another classic family adventure film from the 1990's: Jumanji.
To place holds or check the availability of any items I mentioned, click on the items below!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Please pardon our dust
Did you know that we have nearly 24,000 DVDs and 7,000 audiobooks on the library's 3rd floor alone? Don't even get me started on the number of books shelved there. If you have visited the 3rd floor in the past few days, you may have noticed that we are moving a lot of DVDs, audiobooks and books around.
And if you have visited the 3rd floor in the past few days, please pardon us for our temporary state of dishabille. All of the sweating, dusting, carting, (did I say sweating?) and general ruckus going on has a noble purpose. By rearranging some of our collections, we hope to enhance your library experience.
We are spreading the DVDs out to make them easier to look through and find. We also relocated CD audiobooks and Playaways to roomier digs in the last aisle of the Fiction section. That long stretch of audiobooks is a browser's dream! In the process, the books in Fiction have shifted some too, so your favorite authors may not be shelved where they were last week.
Once the dust has cleared, new signs will go up to help you find your way, but until then, please do not hesitate to ask the folks at the desk for assistance. We are there to help and there is nothing we enjoy more than connecting people to their next great book...or movie...or CD...you get the idea!
We are spreading the DVDs out to make them easier to look through and find. We also relocated CD audiobooks and Playaways to roomier digs in the last aisle of the Fiction section. That long stretch of audiobooks is a browser's dream! In the process, the books in Fiction have shifted some too, so your favorite authors may not be shelved where they were last week.
Once the dust has cleared, new signs will go up to help you find your way, but until then, please do not hesitate to ask the folks at the desk for assistance. We are there to help and there is nothing we enjoy more than connecting people to their next great book...or movie...or CD...you get the idea!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Pope Fiction
 |
| Pope Francis I |
There's a little something for everyone in Vatican City.
I never really considered, beyond Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, what storytelling pulp the papacy might generate. But from the intrigue and danger surrounding the reign of Rodrigo Lanzol Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, to the intrigue and danger surrounding the reigns of our most recent pontiffs, two thousand plus years yield a lot of material.
Whether you prefer historical fiction or political thrillers, mysteries or romance, the papal fiction here at the Des Plaines Public Library appeals to a broad range of interests. Even speculative fiction dips it's toe into the, um, holy water (or maybe that's the Bernini Fountain).
Nearly every title listed is available in multiple formats: books, audiobooks, large print, e-books, and e-audiobooks.
(http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/pope-francis-has-good-record-with-other-faiths-679693/)
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