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By Beth, March 30, 2011

Although these are all a little tragic, they’ve gotten rave reviews and should be some of the most sought-after titles of the spring.  Get on the hold list now before the word gets out!

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin
by Erik Larson

This is the latest from the author who brought you The Devil in the White City.  And mark your calendars: he’ll be appearing at the downtown library on Tuesday, May 10 at 6:15 p.m. as part of our new Salon @ 615 series.

Say Her Name
by Francisco Goldman

With starred reviews in Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews, this looks like one you won’t want to miss.

The Long Goodbye: A Memoir
by Meghan O’Rourke

This is a memoir about the death of the author’s mother; I expect it to be this year’s The Year of Magical Thinking.

-Beth

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By Crystal, March 29, 2011

A career in libraries can bring enlightening, rewarding, and even fascinating experiences.   But once you’ve worked in a library, it’s hard to have that “patron experience,” where you spend time just browsing and hanging out in the stacks, looking for a random book, movie, or CD to enjoy.  During a recent Popmatic Podcast discussion we were supposed to share new music discoveries we found in NPL’s CD collection.   Since I  missed the recording session <sorry comrades!>, I share my picks here.

Glasser‘s (aka Cameron Mesirow) electro pop debut album Ring came out in 2010.   Glasser grew up in Los Angeles.  Her father is a member of the Blue Man Group, and her mother was in bands during the 70′s and 80′s.   She cites Joni Mitchell as an influence, but her music makes me think of Bjork or Peter Gabriel.  Glasser’s songs have  a very worldly, international kind of vibe.   The tribal sounding album opener Apply is my favorite track, and I predict it will be yours too.

The late Esquerita and Little Richard look strikingly similar. While it’s a safe bet you’re familiar with Little Richard, Esquerita may not be on your radar.  Little Richard has admitted Esquerita’s major influence on his piano playing, but as far as who came up with the stratospheric pompadour and flamboyant performance style first, we’ll never know for sure.   It is certain that Esquerita came on hard times, and in the 1980′s he had  been working as a parking lot attendant.  He died of AIDS in 1986.  Essential tracks:  Rockin’ the Joint, and Dew Drop Inn.

Dance music is one of my favorite genres, so I was very excited to stumble upon the British band Friendly Fires self-titled 2008 debut album.  It’s a hooky, dreamy, disco-inspired, non-stop dance party!  The Friendly Fires  are about to release their sophomore effort in May.   They performed a well-reviewed set at this year’s SXSW festival, and recently played a single from their upcoming album on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that I’ll post here.

[youtube Haff_ORUZJM 300 193]

Click the album covers below to request these CDs, and please share your favorite library discoveries in the comments!
-crystal

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By Beth, March 23, 2011

Revisit some of Taylor’s iconic performances as Gloria Wandrous in Butterfield 8, Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and the volatile Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  You can also see her on the big screen this weekend at the Belcourt in Reflections in a Golden Eye, part of their Visions of the South series.  Or learn more about her famous romance with Richard Burton in last year’s well-reviewed Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century.

-Beth

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By Beth, March 23, 2011

Mildred Pierce, the James Cain novel that was made into a classic 1945 film noir starring Joan Crawford, is returning as a miniseries on HBO starting this Sunday, March 27th.  Kate Winslet and Guy Pearce, along with Evan Rachel Wood and Melissa Leo, will star in the new version, directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven).  Check out the 1945 Mildred Pierce (for which Crawford won an Oscar), or the equally chilling Double Indemnity while you wait for it on DVD.

-Beth

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By Amanda, March 19, 2011

White Collar

So I’ve mentioned before that I like NCIS, right? Well, USA plays NCIS all the time, and while watching it an individual is bound to see at least one commercial for an original USA series called White Collar. 

These commercials intrigued me, so when I saw that the library had  gotten the first season I had to check it out.

Ok, the premise: antihero Neil Caffery (Matthew Bomer) is a con man/forger who gets recruited by FBI agent Peter Burke (aka Tim DeKay).  I thought at first it was just going to be a rip off of Catch Me if You Can (which I really liked) – but it isn’t.  White Collar is good in its own right. There is good bromancial chemistry between Caffery and Burke that stays away from being corny.  This is not your same old cop procedural.

Plus for all of you Saved by the Bell fans, Tiffani (Amber) Thiessen is Mrs. Burke. And Mr. Bomer is pretty good looking, too (am I right girls?).

I don’t know, I just liked this show so I think you should watch it. Ok…

Happy watching,

Amanda

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By Phil, March 16, 2011

Tour de Lance is an interesting, honest insider’s  view of the 2009 Tour de France, chronicling the goings on of Team Astana and the tension between super Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong, who returned to competitive cycling at age 38, some 3 years removed from his last tour win.

The bottom line is Lance finished third(!), on the podium while Alberto won it. This book is so much more though in that it visits training areas in California and races in New Mexico, Spain and Italy prior to the tour, taking the reader on personal detours, visits with a rural farm family watching the Giro and allowing you inside the minds of the people making it all  happen.

Very detailed with insights from other riders (including Armstrong’s inner circle) and especially Astana team director Johan Bruyneel, Bill Strickland has really put together one of the most absorbing inside looks at cycling at it’s highest level I’ve ever read.

The writing by Strickland is very nuanced and uses context that doesn’t overwhelm but adds to your knowledge of how truly hard professional cycling is and what it takes to finish in the top five.  The picture of the final podium speaks volumes: Andy Schleck, best young rider in white beaming a satisfied smile, Contador in the middle, a curious expression of hard won supremacy and Lance to his left, his kids nearby, with a near sheepish look like “I came pretty close; you were better but I helped you win.”

-Phil

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By Beth, March 16, 2011

This phenomenal memoir is like a potent mixture of Tobias Wolff’s autobiography This Boy’s Life with the movie The Fighter.  Dubus is the son of the acclaimed short story writer of the same name, and here he describes his harrowing 1970’s coming-of-age after his father left the family.  Growing up in Massachusetts mill towns, Dubus learned quickly that earning a reputation as a brawler was the best way to keep himself and his siblings safe.  It received starred reviews in both Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and James Lee Burke called it “the best first-person account of an author’s life I have ever read.”  I have to agree.

Townie: A Memoir
by Andre Dubus III