Books to Movies.....

The Tempest (No Fear Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare
The list author says:
"In theatres December 10th, 2010."

In Julie Taymor's version of 'The Tempest,' the main character is now a woman named Prospera. Going back to the 16th or 17th century, women practicing the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor's version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it's a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. This leads to the power struggle and balance between Caliban and Prospera; a struggle not about brawn, but about intellect. Written by Anonymous

In Shakespeare's fantastical thriller the magician Prospero orchestrates spirits, monsters, a grief-stricken king, a wise old councillor, two treacherous brothers and a storm at sea into a fantastical conspiracy bringing banishment, sorcery and shipwreck into the lives of two hapless lovers to stir and seal their fate. Here Prospero takes female form as Prospera, giving her journey of vengeance and self-discovery a wholly new resonance. As Prospera breaks her magical staff against an entrancing volcanic landscape at the end of her heroic quest, this poignant story of love and forgiveness translates into a riveting and filmic mystical tale, for our own times.

Book Signing....

PAMELA KEOGH

Monday, December 6th, 7pm @ Book Revue
Bestselling author PAMELA KEOGH will speak about and sign her new book,
Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power and Style.

It is an age old question. The Sexy Blonde or the Brainy Brunette? The flirty actress or the sophisticated first lady? Sleek or sassy? And, if it’s Marilyn men want to sleep with, but Jackie they want to marry, who should they strive to be? Can they be both? What can one learn from these two iconic women?

In her new book, Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style, New York Times bestselling author Pamela Keogh dishes on what Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Marilyn Monroe knew that made men adore them and women want to be them. From insider tips to the juiciest gossip, Keogh looks at the public and private lives of these women and who they really were.

Pamela Keogh is the author of the internationally bestselling illustrated biographies of Audrey Style, Jackie Style, and Elvis Presley: The Man, The Life, The Legend. A journalist, she has also been published in Town & Country, British Vogue, Self Magazine, The New York Times, and many other national publications. She has also appeared on numerous television shows, ranging from Larry King Live to the Today Show. A graduate of Vassar College, she lives in New York City.

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

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Random House.

Hillenbrand specializes in sagas that captivated past generations but are largely unknown to present ones. Her 2001 Seabiscuit (both in book and DVD form at Merrick Library) is a vivid example of such subject matter. So is this account of a runner who some said in his prime could only be overcome by the horse Seabiscuit. Louis Zamperini escaped a juvenile delinquent's inevitable fate by becoming a track star who came close to breaking the four-minute mile barrier. In the Pacific War Zamperini survived a May 1943 bomber crash only to wind up a prisoner in the Japan held Marshall Islands. Kept alive for propaganda purposes due to having been in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Zamperini was subjected to prolonged torture and humiliation. Returning home, his postwar stress disorder was made manifest in alcoholism, violent fits and an unhappy marriage. Yet his conversion to Christianity in 1949 set Louis Zamperini on a path of inspirational speechmaking, starting up boys' camps and eventually forgiving his Japanese captors. Now at age 93, Zamperini's story should join that of Seabiscuit on the movie screen to be admired as well by a current generation.

Reviewed by Librarian, Bob.

Books to Movies....

"I Love You Phillip Morris" by Steve McVicker
The list author says:
In theatres December 3rd, 2010.

Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven becomes open about his homosexuality and decides to live life to the fullest - even if it means breaking the law. Steven's new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another. Written by The Film Catalogue

Incarcerated at the state penitentiary, con artist Steven Russell(Carrey) meets the love of his life: Phillip Morris (McGregor). As a free man, his passion results in a series of improbable cons to bust Phillip form jail and build the perfect life together. Written by Anonymous

Top Ten Art Books according to Booklist Novebmer 2010.

Another Fine Mess: A History American Film Comedy, by Saul Austerlitz. Austerlitz seeks to redress the lack of critical respect for comedic films in 100 lively biographical sketches of top comedy talents from Charlie Chalin to Katherine Hepburn to Judd Aparow.

Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and his Rendezvous with American History, by Yunte Huang. Huang’s beautifully written blend of history, memoir, and analysis illuminates the many faces of Charlie Chan; his real-life role model, Honolulu cop Chang Apana; and still-urgent questions of immigration and racism.


Chuck Close: Life, by Christopher Finch. Finch portrays Close with the same
meticulous detail with which Close paints faces, telling with insight and sensitivity the astounding story of the struggles and triumphs of an artist of uncommon powers.


Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil DeMille, by Scott Eyman. Aided by unique access to DeMille family papers, seasoned biographers Eyman offers an exhaustive and evenhanded look at iconic director and producer DeMille and epic Hollywood films.


Frank: The Voice, by James Kaplan. Kaplan’s fascinating account of Frank Sinatra from his birth in 1915 through 1954, when he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity, offers astute psychological, artistic, and cultural insights.


Grant Wood, by R. Tripp Evans. Evans transforms our view of painter Grant Wood and his all-American paintings, including American Gothic, in a revelatory and heartrending biography of an artist forced to conceal his homosexuality.


The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family’s Century of Art and Loss, by Edmund de Waal. An inheritance of 264 netsuke (miniature carved figures) inspired acclaimed ceramist de Waal to tell the astonishing story of his father’s cosmopolitan Jewish family, the Ephrussi,in a spellbinding tale of accomplishment and terror, reinvention and survival.


Just Kids, by Patti Smith. Smith chronicles the mutual love and entwined artistic Odysseys of herself and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in New York City circa 1970 in a lucid, witty, and moving memoir.

Leo and His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli, by Annie Cohen-Solal. Gallery owner Leo Castelli was king when New York became the Capital of the global art world, but Cohen-Solal is the first to tell the full story of his Hungarian roots, Trieste boyhood,hunger for life, and devotion to cutting edge art.


Princess Noire: the Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone, by Nadine Cohodas. Cohodas writes emphatically about Nina Simone’s indelible music, which expresses all the pain,determination, and hope of the civil rights movement, her courageous activism, and the tragedies that derailed her.

New DVD Release...

"The Extra Man" - comedy/adventure from the directors of "American Splendor" - stars Kevin Kline, Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly

As Heard on NPR

Chris Hedges, author of Death of the Liberal Class was on Talk of the Nation Monday. Monday's On Point spoke with Simon Winchester about his latest book, Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories.

Tuesday Morning Edition interviewed Senator Christopher (Kit) Bond about his book, The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam.

The show also included a segment with Nora Ephron about her new book, I Remember Nothing.

Tuesday Diane Rehm interviewed Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life.

Tuesday Talk of the Nation featured Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges; and African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Westonby Randy Weston, Willard Jenkins, Ronald Radano, and Josh Kun (9780822347842).

Tina Brown recommended Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff on Wednesday's Morning Edition. The show also included Reza Aslan, editor of Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes of the Modern Middle East.

Thursday the Diane Rehm Show interviewed Deborah Cadbury, author of Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers.

Lynda Barry, author of Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book was on Thursday's Talk of the Nation.

Science Friday has scheduled Antonio Damasio to discuss his new book, Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain.

Dennis Lehane is scheduled for Saturday's Weekend Edition to discuss his new book, Moonlight Mile.