Books to Movies.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Cast: Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Lauren Graham, Viola Davis, Zoë
Kravitz, Daniel London, Keir Gilchrist
Directors: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Distributor: Focus Features
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: October 8th (limited)
Based on: IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY by Ned Vizzini

What’s a 16-year-old boy doing playing music and table tennis with adult psychiatric patients --- on a school day? It’s kind of a funny story…

It’s 5:00 AM on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed --- so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby, soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle, who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush, Nia.

With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him by the adult ward’s staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva, Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.

New Audiobooks!

In a quirky farmhouse outside Boston, seventy-year-old Percy Darling enjoys a vigorous but mostly solitary lifeuntil, in a complex scheme to help his oldest daughter through a crisis, he allows a progressive preschool to move into his barn. The abrupt transformation of Percys rural refuge into a lively, youthful community compels him to reexamine the choices hes made since his wifes death, three decades ago, in a senseless accident that haunts him still. No longer can he remain aloof from his neighbors, his two grown daughters, or, to his shock, the precarious joy of falling in love.


To reconnect 30 years after their mother's death, siblings Antoine and Melanie spend the weekend on Noirmoutier Island, a favorite childhood vacation spot. However, on the drive back to Paris, painful memories leave Melanie distracted, causing her to crash. At the hospital, Antoine uncovers a dark family secret, leaving both siblings questioning their childhoods and their mother's past.


Over twenty years, snapshots of an unlikely relationship are revealed on the same day--July 15th--of each year. Dex Mayhew and Em Morley face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself. Soon to be a major motion picture from Focus Features/ Random House Films.


After a few years in London, housewife Eliza, her successful husband, and their teenage daughter return home to Washington, D.C. However, Eliza's homecoming sparks up memories of past torments, when she was abducted by a serial killer who is now sitting on death row.



Ed Eagle, the six-foot-six, take-no-prisoners Santa Fe attorney, has recovered from his encounters with Mexican organized crime and - more treacherously - his ex-wife, Barbara. Now, a mysterious new client has come his way, one who may shed light into some dark corners of Ed's past and put him in danger once more.




When a family of bonobo apes disappears from a laboratory, everybody is perplexed until they make a sudden appearance on a popular TV show.

Book banning alive and well in the U.S.

Nation confronts censorship head-on during Banned Books Week, Sept. 25 – Oct. 2. This is according to an article from American Libraries; the magazine of the American Library Assocation.

From coast to coast, libraries and bookstores will battle censorship and celebrate the freedom to read during Banned Books Week, Sept. 25 – Oct. 2, 2010. Thousands of participants will read from banned or challenged books and will discuss the impact censorship has on civil liberties.

Visit this link for the full article:
http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/book-banning-alive-and-well-us

ReadingGroupGuides.com

ReadingGroupGuides.com

Complete reading group resource - provides nearly 1000 guides from a variety of publishers, searchable by author, title and subject.

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week....

Sheffield, Rob. Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man’s Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut. Dutton.

This year’s Academy Awards and a recent Film Society of Lincoln Center gala both paid tribute to the late director John Hughes and his iconic 1985 creation “The Breakfast Club.” Sheffield, a rock and pop culture critic for Rolling Stone, also gives a nod to the Eighties and the part its hit tunes played in his personal development. Each chapter owes its title to a song from that decade. Madonna’s “Crazy for You” heads a visit to Lourdes, France and an analysis of how Catholicism provided a viewpoint to approaching rock music. Paul McCartney and Hall and Oates became “good imaginary friends,” while the alien in “E.T.” was remembered as “a sad muppet who thought he was David Bowie.” Bad wardrobe choices (Members Only jackets), first jobs, being a summer exchange student in Spain and winless on a high school wrestling team all have a soundtrack in this memoir. Anyone who feels critics are made and not born will have plenty of supporting ammunition in these pages.

Reviewed by Librarian Bob.

New HBO Series

On September 19 the HBO dramatic series "Boardwalk Empire" had its gala premiere. Depicting Altantic City at the start of the Roaring Twenties, "Boardwalk Empire" has been called by Daily News critic David Hinckley "the best new show on television this fall."
Heading the cast is the versatile actor, voice artist and director Steve Buscemi portraying bootlegger and City treasurer Enoch (Nucky) Thompson. Merrick Library has the following DVDs which feature the many talents of Mr. Buscemi:

Coffee and Cigarettes
Delirious
G-Force (voice work)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
I Think I Love My Wife
Igor (voice work)
Interview
The Island
The Messenger
Miller's Crossing
Monster House (voice work)
Nurse Jackie: Season One (directing)
Romance and Cigarettes
Saint John of Las Vegas

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week...

Lippman, Laura. I'd Know You Anywhere. Morrow/HarperCollins.

Relocated from Great Britain, Eliza Benedict has a back story that can never be equaled by any of her new neighbors outside Washington, D.C. Twenty-five years earlier, known then as Elizabeth Lerner, she was kidnapped by serial murderer/rapist Walter Bowman. Strangely, she was allowed to live during her six-week captivity although she witnessed the killing of 13-year old Holly Tackett. Now Bowman faces execution in the Virginia prison system but wants to see Elizabeth/Eliza again. Bringing perpetrator and victim together is Barbara Lafortuny, a mutilated ex-teacher who spends a school district financial settlement on opposing the death penalty. In opposition are Holly's parents, who blame Eliza as much as Bowman for their daughter's death. Does Eliza want closure for her past or emotional strength especially given the rebelliousness of her own teenage daughter? Does Bowman really think his former hostage can help spare him? Such issues of pain, violence and memory are what Lippman weaves for the reader's consideration.

Also by Laura Lippman at Merrick Library:

Another Thing To Fall
By A Spider's Thread
Every Secret Thing
Hardly Knew Her: Stories
In A Strange City
The Last Place
Life Sentences
No Good Deeds
The Sugar House
To The Power Of Three
What The Dead Know

Oprah's Next Book Club Pick

What We're Reading Now:
"Freedom"
The wait is over! Oprah's new book club selection is Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, an epic family saga that has it all—sex, love…even rock 'n' roll! Get your complete reader's guide and start reading today.

Book Signing

MICK FOLEY
Friday, October 1st, 7pm at Book Revue
World famous wrestler and New York Times bestselling author MICK FOLEY
will speak about and sign his new book,
"Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal."


In Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal, Mick Foley chronicles the heart-pounding build-up to his TNA debut, Lockdown, one of the most important matches of his long and storied career after being pushed out of the WWE. Mick shares previously untold stories from his life including his thoughts and feelings on the use of steroids in wrestling, his crush on singer/songwriter Tori Amos, the tragic story of Chris Benoit, and his soul-saving charity work in Sierra Leone.

Mick Foley is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Have a Nice Day and Foley is Good, as well as three children's books and two novels. Foley began wrestling professionally in 1985, and is a four-time world champion. In early 2010, Foley was made “Senior Asskicker” for two Daily Show appearances. He has sponsored children for eighteen years with Child Fund International, and is a weekly volunteer in RAINN's fight against sexual violence.

New Audiobooks!

When Toots Loudenberry relocated to Los Angeles from South Carolina to be near her daughter, Abby, she expected to bump into the occasional celebrity. She just never expected them to be dead. Meanwhile, Toots, Sophie, and Mavis are concerned that the prestigious Dr. Sameer's budding romance with Ida may have something to do with his ailing bank balance. And Abby's attempted makeover of the celebrity magazine The Informer into the most talked-about tabloid in town could end more than just her career.



After his daughter is murdered while on vacation in Rome, NYPD detective Jack Kanon travels to Europe in pursue of the culprit. Teaming up with the Swedish reporter Gabby Larsen, Kanon discovers that his daughter's death was at the hands of the serial killer who taunts the press by sending cryptic postcards to various newspapers.



While Inspector Lynley takes a leave following his wife's murder, Isabelle Ardery is given temporary control of the Met. When a body is discovered in a Stoke Newington cemetery and the Met is targeted by the relentless media, Isabelle is forced to convince Lynley to return to work and spearhead the investigation.







Detective Frank Mackey finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind twenty-two years ago when the suitcase belonging to his first love, Rosie Daly, shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place. The hotly anticipated third novel of the Dublin murder squad.

Freedom Frenzy: A Look at Presidential Reading Lists

This past Sunday, the New York Times had three separate articles referencing the fact that President Obama had secured a copy of Jonathan Franzen’s new novel, Freedom. The three mentions (in the Styles, Week in Review, and Book Review sections) took place more than two weeks after President Obama’s vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, where he picked up his copy, which indicates that Americans continue to be fascinated by the books our presidents read.

For the full article visit this link: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/246248/i-freedom-i-frenzy-look-presidential-reading-lists-tevi-troy

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week.....

Glass, Julia. The Widower's Tale. Pantheon Books.

The title makes one think of Chaucer yet it is unlikely that any of the Canterbury pilgrims could come up with a story to rival that of Percy Darling. The cranky former Harvard librarian who complains about how his hometown of Matlock, Massachusetts is becoming a haven for the rich is at a personal crossroads. Percy has permitted the upscale "Elves and Fairies" preschool to use the historical landmark barn on his property. For years it had been a memoriam to Percy's wife Poppy, who held dance classes there before her tragic death for which Percy holds himself to blame. Yet he allows in the preschool and necessary barn renovations provided they employ his fortyish daughter Clover, who is in a custody battle and wants a satisfying job. A surprising love affair with a single "Elves and Fairies" mother plus his beloved grandson's involvement with an environmental group leaning towards violence is just part of what Glass has in store for Percy Darling and all within his orbit.

Also by Julia Glass at Merrick Library;

I See You Everywhere
Three Junes (also available in Book Club in a Bag format)
The Whole World Over

Reviewed by Librarian, Bob.

"A reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick

The Merrick Library will be holding a book discussion on the title, October 20, 2010.



With A RELIABLE WIFE, Robert Goolrick has given us a rare treat, a story so good we are loathe to start another book for fear it will fail utterly in comparison……Here is a skillfully told tale of lies and betrayals, of rampant passion and unchecked desires, and occasionally of hope and compassion. Fierce and original, sensual but never crass, Goolrick spins a remarkable tale that takes the reader from the sophistications of Chicago to a bitterly cold and barren Wisconsin winter to the opium dens of St. Louis.

Vogue- New-Fiction DVD.

The September Issue - An unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the making of the coveted September issue of Vogue in 2007, which was the largest and most sold to date. Features audio commentary, deleted scenes, photo gallery, and interviews with cast and fashion icons, including Anna Wintour, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld, and others.

New Fiction DVD.

Murdoch Mysteries - Season 2 - Detective William Murdoch uses emerging science such as ballistics and profiling to solve the most dreadful crimes in Victorian-era Toronto. Includes 13 episodes, behind-the-scenes featurette, photo gallery, cast filmographies, and character bios.

Nurse Jackie New on DVD.

On August 29 Edie Falco won the Emmy Award for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in the Showtime series "Nurse Jackie."

Merrick Library has the first season of 'Nurse Jackie" on DVD along with these other productions featuring Miss Falco:

Freedomland
The Great New Wonderful
The Sopranos: The Complete Fourth Season
The Sopranos; Season Six, Part Two

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week.

Foden, Giles. Turbulence. Alfred A. Knopf.

Fans of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas for 130 years are familiar with the fact that "a policeman's lot is not a happy one." Yet if Mr. Gilbert had investigated meteorologists he might have included that profession in his words for the stage. Consider Henry Meadows, a forecaster assigned in 1944 to predict the best weather for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. It is a task he is emotionally prepared to handle having lost both his parents to a flash flood years before in the then-British colony of Malawi. To do it right, Meadows must have the right approach to what he calls "the last great problem in classical physics:" atmospheric turbulence. The key lies in the research of Wallace Ryman, a reclusive genius in seclusion as a conscientious objector in Scotland. Describing what Henry Meadows goes through that leads to being an actual part of that pivotal invasion is a true challenge for a novelist. Yet Foden, whose prior works include "The Last King of Scotland" (the movie version on DVD at Merrick Library) ties it together well including why Meadows in later life helped build a vessel for transporting fresh water to a desert part of Saudi Arabia.

Reviewed by Librarian, Bob.

New Non-Fic DVDs.

Belly Dance for Fitness - Learn the ABCs of belly dance, aimed at using the art of the dance for a well-rounded fitness program.

Bollywood Boogie Workout - Hemalayaa's enthusiastic and playful approach to working out has garnered rave reviews. Three 15-minute cardio routines can be done individually or combined.

Books to Movies.

Let Me In (2010) (Remake of the original "Let the right one in")

In Theaters October 1, 2010

Summary:

While the trailers and description make this movie look like a horror movie mixed with a crime drama, that couldn't be farther from the truth. The fact the girl is a vampire is secondary. In fact, it's even trivial. This is a story about a young boy, who is bullied by all of those around him at school. This girl he meets becomes his only friend(prior to which he had none) and teaches him to have the courage to stand up for himself. When the time comes and he does, the situation changes and yes, she does step in and help him with his bullying "problem". Ultimately this is a story about love and friendship between a confused young boy and a girl forever trapped in eternal youth. I highly recommend watching the original Swedish version, "Let the right one in". It's slow going, but it's also very endearing. The writer of the Swedish novel and screenplay is also the writer for this American adaptation of the story.
This is a remake of the movie "Let The Right One In" which was a movie adaptation of a book. A story of a young boy who is frequently bullied and a young girl that moves in next door with her caretaker. It is established that she is a vampire and, after losing her caretaker, must leave in order to survive. A story of innocent love entangled in murder, mystery, and horror.