What I’m Reading…

I just finished the book Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner which is a new release. Jennifer is one of my favorite authors and loves to connect to her fans on all forms of social media. When her publisher decided to move UP the date of publication, it was not expected as many other books were pushed back. It does not disappoint.

Instagram influencer Daphne Berg is shocked when Drue Cavanaugh comes back into her life six years after huge fight.  Daphne hasn’t spoken one word to Drue in all this time so when Drue asks if she will be her maid-of-honor at the society wedding of the summer, Daphne is speechless but agrees to do it.

About halfway through the book there is an interesting twist and I don’t want to ruin it but I was shocked because I did not see it coming. Along the way Weiner touches on topics like Instagram filters, weight and the complexities of both female friendships and family.  I highly recommend it for a good summer escape.

Big Summer is available in ebook and audiobook formats in Overdrive.

-posted by Lisa H., Readers’ Services

New in DVD

Queen and Slim

Drama R

While on a forgettable first date together in Ohio, a black man and a black woman are pulled over for a minor traffic infraction. The situation escalates, with sudden and tragic results, when the man kills the police officer in self-defense. Terrified and in fear for their lives, the man, a retail employee, and the woman, a criminal defense lawyer, are forced to go on the run. But the incident is captured on video and goes viral, and the couple unwittingly becomes a symbol of trauma.

Dark Waters

Drama R

Inspired by a shocking true story, a tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths due to one of the world’s largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything, his future, his family, and his own life, to expose the truth.

Knives Out

Comedy PG-13

A tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie and a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.

Frankie

Drama PG-13

Unfolding over the course of a late summer’s day in the fabled resort town of Sintra, Portugal, this film follows three generations who have gathered for a vacation organized by the family matriarch. In this fairy tale setting, husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and lovers, stirred by their romantic impulses, discover the cracks between them, as well as the unexpected depth of feeling.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

Frozen II

Animated PG

Why was Elsa born with magical powers? The answer is calling her and threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven, she’ll set out on a dangerous but remarkable journey. In the first film, Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world. Now she must hope they are enough.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Drama PG

Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about kindness, love, and forgiveness from America’s most beloved neighbor.

Jojo Rabbit

Drama PG-13

A World War II satire that follows a lonely German boy named Jojo whose worldview is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism.

Midway

Action PG-13

Centers on the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude, and bravery to overcome the odds.

21 Bridges

Action R

An embattled NYPD detective is thrust into a citywide manhunt for a pair of cop killers after uncovering a massive and unexpected conspiracy. As the night unfolds, lines become blurred on whom he is pursuing, and who is in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, extreme measures are taken to prevent the killers from escaping Manhattan as the authorities close all of the city’s bridges to prevent any entry or exit from the iconic island.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

Ford v. Ferrari

Drama PG-13

The remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby and the fearless British-born driver Ken Miles, who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

Roma

Foreign R

With his eighth and most personal film, Alfonso Cuaron recreated the early 1970s Mexico City of his childhood, narrating a tumultuous period in the life of a middle-class family through the experiences of Cleo, the indigenous domestic worker who keeps the household running. Charged with the care of four small children abandoned by their father, Cleo tends to the family even as her own life is shaken by personal and political upheavals.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

5 for the Oscars

Here are the five books that inspired the films that are nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award this year.  The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony honoring the best films of 2019 will take place on Sunday, February 9 at 8 pm ET.

I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt

A longtime mob associate relates his descent into a life of crime, his position as both a hit man and head of the Teamsters union in Wilmington, Delaware, and his inside knowledge of payoffs, mob hits, and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.

Caging Skies by Christine Leunens

An avid member of the Hitler Youth in 1940s Vienna, Johannes Betzler discovers his parents are hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa behind a false wall in their home. His initial horror turns to interest — then love and obsession. After his parents disappear, Johannes is the only one aware of Elsa’s existence in the house and the only one responsible for her survival. By turns disturbing and blackly comic, haunting and cleverly satirical.

Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore

One bad day. According to the grinning engine of madness and mayhem known as The Joker, that’s all that separates the sane from the psychotic. Freed once again from the confines of Arkham Asylum, he’s out to prove his deranged point.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young women.  Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

The Pope: Francis, Benedict, and the Decision That Shook the World by Anthony McCarten

Why did Pope Benedict walk away at the height of power, knowing his successor might be someone whose views might undo his legacy? How did Pope Francis — who used to ride the bus to work back in his native Buenos Aires — adjust to life as leader to a billion followers? If, as the Church teaches, the pope is infallible, how can two living popes who disagree on almost everything both be right?

-all summaries from the publishers

-posted by Sonia, Reference Services

 

New in DVD

Doctor Sleep

Horror R

Struggling with alcoholism, Dan Torrance remains traumatized by the sinister events that occurred at the Overlook Hotel when he was a child. His hope for a peaceful existence soon becomes shattered when he meets Abra, a teen who shares his extrasensory gift of the ‘shine.’ Together, they form an unlikely alliance to battle the True Knot, a cult whose members try to feed off the shine of innocents to become immortal.

The Good Liar

Drama R

Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.

Last Christmas

Comedy PG-13

A young woman, who has been continuously unlucky, accepts a job as a department store elf during the holidays. When Kate meets Tom on the job, her life takes a turn.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services