Welcome to Aurora Public Library’s blog. A place where our library staff share their thoughts, insider knowledge and overall love of all things book and community.
Feel free to comment on posts, re-blog and enjoy. To ensure a civil and focused discussion, comments will be held for a brief period before being published.
Post by Laura R.
I grew up in the mountains of Northwest Colorado, in a log house in the middle of about seven acres of woods. I ran around barefoot in my favorite purple-flower dress every summer, on the trails beaten down by our horses. It was seemingly quiet at our house—so different from the Denver street I live on now—but my mom would often tell me to sit on the back porch and close my eyes and listen. She’d tell me to try to pick out as many different sounds as I could: the wind swishing through the pines, the creaks of their trunks as if they were talking to each other, the birdsong, squirrels chittering, branches falling, twigs cracking.
When my family went camping, I’d go on expeditions with my older sister, my mom, and my aunt. My sister and I splashed in creeks, picked wild flowers, and made mud piles. Sometimes I went walking alone. I’d look for special plants or creatures, like mushrooms or rose hips or bluebells or lizards. It was always a scavenger hunt. Each snail shell, each pine cone, each green rock or piece of mica felt like a discovery, a magical token that could protect or empower me.
Around that time, I started going to the library, and I see now how the magic of the forest was similar to the magic I found in the troves of books there. The silence, the sense that I was an adventurer about to discover something fascinating and beautiful, the time I spent alone dreaming—it was the same. I became obsessed with magical creatures, which I probably learned about from books. I loved stories about unicorns, fairies, magic, secrets. Of course I was sure there were fairies in the brambles behind our house. I felt them and their magic in the cool air in the evening, in the way the aspen leaves quivered, in the sarvis berries, in the rain. I felt it shoot up my spine when the wind started up before a storm and the clouds got dark and purple. Fairies just made sense.
My mother and aunt were the ones who taught me how to make fairy houses. We had a special place about a mile’s walk from our most frequented campsite. We called it Circle-of-Trees. I’d learned in books that one sign that fairies have visited are fairy rings—perfect circles of toadstools or moss. Well, we’d found a fairy circle made of lodgepole pine, a magic grove. We made fairy houses here as gifts to our tiny friends. First we gathered everything we needed: straight twigs of similar sizes, small pebbles for the walkway, pieces of bark for the door and roof, moss for the garden, flower petals for decoration. I remember my mother’s hand guiding mine as I stacked the twigs in a criss-cross pattern, building the walls. It was slow work and it took patience, but I knew it was worth it. It was for them.
I’m all grown up now. I still look to the natural world for the quiet and the green smell and the breeze and the stillness. I still believe in fairies. I work at a library, and I make sure to remind myself often how magical these places were for me as a child. I hope with abandon that some of the children that come here feel that magic too when they crack a book.
If you’re craving more magic in your life, come visit Aurora Public Library on April 12th to build your very own garden fairy house. And if you or a child you know is interested in fairies, check out some of the following books from APL, including the new story Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl, which sparked this blog post.
Backyard Fairies by Phoebe Wahl
Fairy Houses All Year: A Four-Season Handbook by Liza Gardner Walsh
Fairies: An Introduction Into the History and Mystery of Their Magical Realm by Ralph Harvey
Fairies by Virginia Loh-Hagan.
The Book of Fairies selected and illustrated by Michael Hague
Forest Fairy Crafts by Lenka Vodicka-Paredes
Post by Elizabeth B.
Hello, dear friends and patrons! Have you been enjoying all of these excellent new movies? I have. So far this spring, I’ve been to the theater four times. That may not sound like a lot to you, but considering that I average maybe two movie trips a year, I’m alarmingly ahead of schedule. And so I’m discovering for the first time the problem with finding new favorite movies while they’re still in theaters: You can’t re-watch them five times in a row. I guess you can, if you’re willing to sacrifice your paycheck to the popcorn stand! But, as your friendly neighborhood librarian, I’m here to help you satisfy your cravings on the cheap. Here’s a list of books that make great companions for the latest, greatest blockbusters:
If you liked "Black Panther":
Try "Children of Blood and Bone" by Tomi Adeyemi!
I know. You were expecting me to recommend the Black Panther comics, right? Yes, the latest comic books by Roxane Gay, Nnedi Okorafor, and Ta Nehisi-Coates are excellent, and you should definitely read them! But just telling you the names of the comics felt like cheating.
"Children of Blood and Bone" starts with a staff fight worthy of the Dora Milaje, and it just gets more intense from there. Follow headstrong Zélie and compassionate Princess Amari as they try to restore magic and freedom to their kingdom, while rule-following Prince Iman endeavors to stop them. This story is steeped in Yoruba mythology, tackles oppression in between epic action scenes, and is being made into a movie!
Other Options: Check out Alaya Dawn Johnson’s "The Summer Prince" for stylish technology worthy of Shuri’s lab and "Between the World and Me" by Ta Nehisi-Coates for the first book in T’Challa’s and Nakia’s new book club that I just made up, “Bringing Wakandan Justice to the World.”
If you liked "A Wrinkle in Time":
Try "Akata Witch and Akata Warrior" by Nnedi Okorafor! Sunny, like Meg Murry, is a brilliant misfit who faces bullying at school and struggles to find acceptance. When her friends drag her into a world full of magic, Sunny discovers that her weaknesses are actually part of what make her magical. Nnedi Okorafor’s emphasis on smarts and self-love match perfectly with A Wrinkle in Time’s clever protagonist, and these mischievous teens will endear themselves to you just like Meg, Charles, and Calvin.
Other Options: "The Binti" novels, also by Nnedi Okorafor, are adult sci-fi full of math-y, interplanetary goodness! If you prefer magic spells to mathematical equations, check out Tahereh Mafi’s "Furthermore", about an outcast girl who must save her father in a strange fantasy land.
If you liked "Love, Simon":
Try All Out: "The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages", ed. by Saundra Mitchell.
There’s a scene in Love, Simon where our narrator imagines what the world would be like if straight wasn’t the default. In "All Out", Simon wouldn’t have to imagine: these stories present a range of queer stories: lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender teenagers, from the 1300s to 1999. Sure, Simon couldn’t write emails to any of them, but at least he could have new stories to reimagine.
Other Options: Did you spot Adam Silvera’s "More Happy Than Not" tucked into the corner of Simon’s bookshelf? You and Simon can read the same books! Of course, Simon will probably read even more great books in Becky Albertalli’s upcoming sequel to her movie-inspiring novel. "Leah on the Offbeat" focuses on Simon’s best friend Leah: her sexuality, her family, her friends, and her amazing artistic talents. It comes out on April 24.
If you liked "Ready, Player One":
Try "Warcross" by Marie Lu! Like Ready, Player One’s hero, hacker Emika Chen spends her days plugged into a virtual reality video game. Unlike Wade, though, Emika’s not there for fun or puzzle-solving: she’s a bounty hunter who’s desperately trying to make ends meet. When Emika gets offered a job as an undercover spy, complete with money and fame, she takes it, but her new position plunges her into a dangerous conflict about the video game’s future.
Other Options: If you like 80’s nostalgia more than video games, Brian K. Vaughan’s "Paper Girls" might be for you. This comic about four teens who get swept up into a time-traveling alien invasion has all of the action and wonder of a Steven Spielberg movie.
Now it's your turn! What movies have you loved lately? Post your suggested book companion in the comments.
Happy reading!
Post by Kristin S.
It's the start of April which means it's time for some new releases and bestsellers! Whether you are out in the sunshine enjoying the tulips or huddled inside from a sudden day of snow or rain, spring into a new book or DVD! (pun intended)
Books that recently premiered on the New York Times Bestseller List:
New Fiction
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Accidental Heroes by Danielle Steel
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
Strangers pull together to avert a disaster involving two flights from New York to San Francisco.
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The Punishment She Deserves by Elizabeth George
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Detectives Havers and Lynley investigate the death of a deacon accused of a serious crime in a historic medieval town in England.
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The Rising Sea by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A scientific team searches the globe for the threat causing sea levels to rise at an alarming rate.
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The Bishop's Pawn by Steve Berry
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Cotton Malone discovers revelations about the day the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
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The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
Nola Brown, a painter and trained soldier, discovers a military secret that traces back to Harry Houdini.
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The Temptation of Forgiveness by Donna Leon
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
The 27th book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series.
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Covert Game by Christine Feehan
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
Gino Mazza must save an artificial intelligence expert who tampered with a crime lord's computer network.
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Alternate Side by Anna Quindlen
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
An incident in her Manhattan neighborhood forces Nora Nolan to reckon with aspects of her life.
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Fifty Fifty by James Patterson and Candice Fox
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Detective Harriet Blue tries to clear her brother's name and save a small Australian town from being massacred.
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The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
After waking up next to a dead man in a hotel room in Dubai, a binge drinker pieces together the previous night's events.
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Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
The fifth book in the Alpha and Omega series. Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham answer a call of distress.
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The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
A mute janitor working in an aerospace research center develops a relationship with an amphibious man from the Amazon.
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Caribbean Rim by Randy Wayne White
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print]
The 25th book in the Doc Ford series. The marine biologist searches for a state agency official and rare Spanish coins.
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The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel C. Rosenberg
Borrow: [Print]
A Secret Service agent and a Russian lawyer cross paths as a nuclear war threatens.
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Raspberry Danish Murder by Joanne Fluke
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
After her husband disappears, Hannah Swensen Barton searches for a killer while trying to fulfill holiday baking orders.
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The Hush by John Hart
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Johnny Merrimon fights to keep the 6,000 acres of once-sacred land in North Carolina he inherited.
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Agent in Place by Mark Greaney
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
The seventh book in the Gray Man series. Court Gentry gets the chance to end a brutal dictatorship.
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New Nonfiction
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Russian Roulette by Michael Isikoff and David Corn
Borrow: [Print]
Details of the 2016 presidential election, with an emphasis on Russia's possible involvement.
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Secret Empires by Peter Schweizer
Borrow: [Print]
The author of “Clinton Cash” describes what some politicians might do to enrich themselves while in office.
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In the Shadow of Statues by Mitch Landrieu
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
A memoir by the mayor who called for the removal of four Confederate monuments in New Orleans.
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The Triumph of Christianity by Bart D. Ehrman
Borrow: [Print]
The religious studies professor explores how a new religion came to influence Western society.
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I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
The late true-crime journalist's search for the serial murderer and rapist known as "the Golden State Killer."
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Educated by Tara Westover
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
The daughter of survivalists, who is kept out of school, educates herself enough to leave home for university.
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The Age of Eisenhower by William I. Hitchcock
Borrow: [Print]
A history of the 34th president of the United States, who faced bitter partisanship.
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Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
An insider look at the Bachelor franchise and its effect on society.
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Unmasked by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Borrow: [Print]
A memoir by the musical theater composer and impresario, whose works include “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Cats” and “Evita.”
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The Future of Humanity by Michio Kaku
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
The physicist describes how humans might develop civilization in outer space and possibly become immortal.
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Skin in the Game by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
An argument for taking on risk.
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Time Pieces by John Banville
Borrow: [Print] [eAudiobook]
A memoir based on the author's experiences and imaginings of Dublin.
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All the Pieces Matter by Jonathan Abrams
Borrow: [Print]
An oral history of the creation and development of the series "The Wire."
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Common Good by Robert B. Reich
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
A case for strengthening public morality in the United States.
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DVDs - New Arrivals:
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Borrow: [DVD]
The Star Wars saga continues in The Last Jedi as the heroes and galactic legends go on an epic adventure unlocking mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.
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The Shape of Water
Borrow: [DVD]
From master storyteller Guillermo del Toro comes an otherworldly fairy tale set in 1960s America where a woman's life is changed forever after she discovers a secret experiment.
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Justice League
Borrow: [DVD]
Inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne joins forces with his new ally, Diana Prince, and goes to battle with a greater enemy.
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Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Borrow: [DVD]
In this fun comedic adventure, 4 teens get sucked into the video game world of Jumanji and have to finish the dangerous game to escape.
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I, Tonya
Borrow: [DVD]
Based on the unbelievable but true events, I, Tonya is a dark comedic tale of American figure skater, Tonya Harding, and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history.
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Ferdinand
Borrow: [DVD]
After he's mistaken as a dangerous beast and torn from his home, a peace-loving bull named Ferdinand rallies a misfit team of friends for an epic adventure to return to his family.
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Acts of Violence
Borrow: [DVD]
Detective Avery (Bruce Willis) uncovers a human-trafficking syndicate and fights the corrupt bureaucracy that has been protecting it.
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Downsizing
Borrow: [DVD]
When scientists find a way to shrink humans to five inches tall, Paul and his wife decide to get small and live large in a luxurious downsized community. With endless possibilities in the tiny world, Paul realizes we are meant for something bigger.
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Pitch Perfect 3
Borrow: [DVD]
Now graduated from college and out in the real world where it takes more than a cappella to get by, all the Bellas return in the final chapter in the beloved series.
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Small Town Crime
Borrow: [DVD]
John Hawkes leads an all-star cast in this gritty, darkly comic thriller about a disgraced ex-cop taking one last shot at redemption by trying to solve a murder case.
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DVDs - Coming Soon:
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The Greatest Showman
Borrow: [DVD]*
Hugh Jackman stars in this bold and original musical - inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum - celebrating the birth of show business and dreams coming to life.
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The Post
Borrow: [DVD]*
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep team for the first time in this exhilarating true story about how the Washington Post exposed a massive cover-up of government secrets that spanned three decades.
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Paddington 2
Borrow: [DVD]*
Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt's 100th birthday. Hilarity ensues when the gift is stolen.
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Sweet Virginia
Borrow: [DVD]*
The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal stars in this neo-noir crime thriller where hitman and troubled small-town motel owner collide in an unsettling tale of sex and violence.
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All the Money in the World
Borrow: [DVD]*
After the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, in a race against time, his mother works to convince his wealthy grandfather to pay the ransom. Inspired by historical events. Certain scenes, characters and dialogue have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
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12 Strong
Borrow: [DVD]*
Weeks after 9/11, U.S. Special Forces go to Afghanistan ordered to take the city of Mazar Sharif. To survive, the U.S. must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghan horse soldiers
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Hostiles
Borrow: [DVD]*
In 1892, a legendary Army captain reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory.
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Forever My Girl
Borrow: [DVD]*
A country music super-star returns to his hometown after leaving his love behind 8 years ago.
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The Commuter
Borrow: [DVD]*
Liam Neeson stars as a man who gets caught up in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home and works against the clock to stop a deadly attack to save the lives of his fellow train passengers.
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Father Figures
Borrow: [DVD]*
Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road in order to find him.
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Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Borrow: [DVD]*
In the epic Maze Runner conclusion, Thomas leads the Gladers on their final mission - they must break into the legendary Last City, which turns out to be the deadliest maze of all!
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Proud Mary
Borrow: [DVD]*
Mary is a hit woman working for an organized crime family, whose life is turned around when she meets a boy during a professional hit.
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Den of Thieves
Borrow: [DVD]*
A gritty Los Angeles crime saga which follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.
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Beast of Burden
Borrow: [DVD]*
Pilot Sean Haggerty (Daniel Radcliffe) must deliver cocaine across the US-Mexico border for his final run as a smuggler to save his wife
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*Caution: Once DVDs are released, the links above may stop working. Please visit our catalog at AuroraLibrary.org to find them, if inactive.
Sources: The New York Times, Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon, Goodreads, EarlyWord, Novelist, DVDs Release Date
Post by Tessy W.
Mild Spoilers Ahead
Stumbling across the dramatic cover, a scarlet wing on a field of black, the title embolden on the side, I was intrigued.
"Why haven't I heard of this series before?" I asked myself, excited by the possibility of an undiscovered story.
A dystopian sci-fi, "Red Rising" by Pierce Brown has an interesting plot summary. In a socially stratified society based on colors, the main character, Darrow, is a Red. Tolling under the surface of Mars in the hope that one day their decedents will gain a habitable planet, the Red's are subservient to an upper class of Golds. When Darrow finds out otherwise, that Mars has been habitable for generations, he seeks bloody vengeance as he aims to infiltrate the golden upper class to eliminate his enemies.
With the promise of complex politics and societal upheaval with a brooding hero who would risk becoming the very thing he hated to reach his goal, I downloaded the eBook via Overdrive immediately.
For a purported young adult series edging into adult fiction, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Darrow was married at the beginning of the novel.
I should have been suspicious.
But I was too fascinated by the idea of a main character already taken, side-stepping the standard young adult love plot. With his clever red-headed wife, Eo, who was as political as Darrow was tenacious, I was flipping pages at light speed at the prospect of a power couple waging guerilla warfare against an unscrupulous upper class. As Darrow's character became fleshed out, the worldbuilding of the cramped subterranean caverns beneath the Martian surface expanded. Lit by flickering holoCan screens full of propaganda espousing brave pioneers, dusted, desperate people toiling in the mines to free the helium-3 that would terraform the planet, and the heavy pulse of the drills vibrating through my imagination, built itself into a fascinating world. Then, I started to notice that Eo's character wasn't keeping pace.
"Oh no," I whispered, hands stilling.
Eo is murdered on page forty-five. Thus spurring Darrow's long (four books with the fifth coming later this year) and bloody vengeance.
There are various names for this overarching phenomenon: "The Lost Lenore", "Stuffed in the Fridge", "I Let Gwen Stacy Die", or "Disposable Women". As storytelling patterns, these tropes center around the death of a character in the name of moving the plot forward for the main character, with the variations centering on the manner of death and how relevant the killed-off character was to the protagonist.
Eo is a Lost Lenore. To be a Lost Lenore, you must do more for the story dead, then alive. Your memory spurs the hero to greater adventures, to deeper emotional depths, but you however, will always be a ghost, reduced to whatever characteristics the main character chooses to remember. 2
The trouble with these plot devices are their frequency, and their targets.
It only took a few descriptions of Eo's beauty and her fragility, her descriptor as "the spirit of her people",3 coupled with the overarching revenge plot-line to make me suspicious enough to search for spoilers. Because inevitably, in a world where female protagonists are still an exciting novelty, we have male heroes with female supporting characters, and they will die first.
I only had to flip a few chapters forward before my foresight was rewarded. Darrow is devastated, and then swiftly ensnared by the machinations of the main plot line, haunted by his dead wife and spurred by the injustice of her death.
The Red Rising Saga is a popular series. Reviewers and Goodreads alike are exultant with their praise for Darrow's characterization and the fast-paced action of "Man vs. Society".
But I put the book down.
The media we consume has been improving in its representation of diverse characters. I can find books with interesting female protagonists of color or movies featuring complex LGBTQ characters. They aren't always easy to find, but I no longer have to resist the urge to edit all of the pronouns in a five hundred page novel or dismiss an author's character description in favor of my own.
So when I'm faced with a book that is taking a few steps backward in our cultural evolvement of storytelling, I don't have to read it.
Looking for sci-fi/fantasy? Try a few from my bookshelf (in no particular order)!
References
Brown, P. (2014). Red Rising. New York: Del Rey.
TV Tropes. (2018). The Lost Lenore - TV Tropes. [online] Available at: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheLostLenore [Accessed 14 Feb. 2018].
Brown, P. (2014). Red Rising. New York: Del Rey, p.15.
Post by Kristin S.
Spring is almost upon us, which means it's time to head outside with a new book to work on that sun tan or hunker down at night during a storm with a great movie. Check out the recent bestsellers and newly released DVDs below. Stop in to your Aurora Public Library to pick up your copy or read and watch online!
Books that recently premiered on the New York Times Bestseller List:
New Fiction
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The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A former prisoner of war returns from Vietnam and moves his family to Alaska, where they face tough conditions.
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An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
A newlywed couple's relationship is tested when the husband is sentenced to 12 years in prison.
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Still Me by Jojo Moyes
Borrow: [Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Louisa Clark moves to New York and is torn between high society and the life she enjoys at a vintage clothing store.
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Look for Me by Lisa Gardner
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
Sergeant Detective D.D. Warren teams up with a torture survivor to find a missing teenager whose family members were gunned down.
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Night Moves by Jonathan Kellerman
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Homicide detective Milo Sturgis enlists the psychologist Alex Delaware to help solve a John Doe case.
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Dark in Death by J. D. Robb
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
Lieutenant Eve Dallas must find a killer inspired by police thrillers before another victim is murdered.
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Fall from Grace by Danielle Steel
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook]
A widow left out of her husband's will tries to make a new life as a fashion designer.
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The Kremlin's Candidate by Jason Matthews
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A counterintelligence chief and her lover, who is a C.I.A. agent, learn of Vladimir Putin’s plan to assassinate a United States official.
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City of Endless Night by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A New York City detective and an F.B.I. special agent track down a killer.
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The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Flavia de Luce, a young British sleuth, gets involved in solving a murder after experiencing a family tragedy.
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Need to Know by Karen Cleveland
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A C.I.A. analyst's job and family are threatened when she discovers Russian agents in the United States.
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Munich by Robert Harris
Borrow: [Normal Print] [Large Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
Two former friends who attended Oxford accompany Hitler and Neville Chamberlain to a meeting in 1938 and are forced to make a consequential decision.
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Iron Gold by Pierce Brown
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
The fourth book of the Red Rising Saga. A hero of the revolution finds his fate tied up with others as the war continues.
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New Nonfiction
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Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A case for using reason, science and humanism to counter pessimistic views of Western civilization.
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All-American Murder by James Patterson and Alex Abramovich with Mike Harvkey
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
The story of Aaron Hernandez, the New England Patriots tight end convicted of first-degree murder.
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Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler
Borrow: [Print]
A divinity school professor examines her tacit beliefs when she learns she has colon cancer.
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Directorate S by Steve Coll
Borrow: [Print]
How the United States failed to understand a secret wing of a Pakistani intelligence agency and doomed two wars.
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Lost Connections by Johann Hari
Borrow: [Print]
The journalist describes nine causes of depression and anxiety, and offers potential solutions.
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How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Borrow: [Print]
The decline of democracies in Europe and Latin America and ways to avoid authoritarianism.
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Trumpocracy by David Frum
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
A former speechwriter for George W. Bush argues how America might become an illiberal democracy.
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The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú
Borrow: [Print] [eBook] [eAudiobook]
A memoir by a former U.S. Border Patrol agent who is the grandson of a Mexican immigrant.
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Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman
Borrow: [Print]
A history of Israel’s targeted assassination programs, with accounts from current and former members of the Israeli government.
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Brave by Rose McGowan
Borrow: [Print] [eAudiobook]
The Hollywood actress details growing up in a cult and the traumas of the entertainment industry.
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The Monk of Mokha by Dave Eggers
Borrow: [Print] [eAudiobook]
A Yemeni-American doorman travels to a civil war-engulfed Yemen in the hopes of restoring a nearly lost art of coffee cultivation.
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Jackie, Janet & Lee by J. Randy Taraborrelli
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
A biography of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; her mother, Janet Lee Auchincloss; and her sister Lee Radziwill.
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It's Even Worse Than You Think by David Cay Johnston
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist describes how he believes the scope of the Trump presidency differs from all the others.
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Happiness is a Choice you Make by John Leland
Borrow: [Print]
Wisdom and stories from six New Yorkers age 85 and older that challenge notions of aging.
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Together We Rise by Women's March Organizers and Conde Nast
Borrow: [Print]
Photographs and profiles of the organizers and participants of the 2017 Women’s March.
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The Square and the Tower by Niall Fergusen
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
The historian uses network theory to understand the past and the present.
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When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Kahn-Cullors and asha bandele
Borrow: [Print] [eBook]
Reflections on love, justice and humanity from a founder of Black Lives Matter.
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DVD New Releases (Dec-Jan):
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Thor: Ragnarok
Borrow: [DVD]
Thor must race against time to stop Ragnarok - the destruction of his world and the end of Asgardian civilization at the hands of the ruthless Hela.
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Daddy's Home 2
Borrow: [DVD]
When it comes to raising their kids, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) finally have this co-parenting thing down. That is, until their dads come to town, putting their newfound partnership to the ultimate test in this hilarious comedy.
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The Man Who Invented Christmas
Borrow: [DVD]
The Man Who Invented Christmas tells the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol.
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Same Kind of Different as Me
Borrow: [DVD]
The inspiring story of an international art dealer who must befriend a dangerous homeless man in order to save his struggling marriage, a woman whose dreams will lead all three of them on the most remarkable journey of their lives.
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The Star
Borrow: [DVD]
Bo, a brave donkey, and all his new hilarious animal friends go on the adventure of their dreams filled with lots of laughter.
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The Disaster Artist
Borrow: [DVD]
The true-story of aspiring filmmaker and infamous Hollywood outsider Tommy Wiseau (James Franco); a celebration of friendship and dreams pursued against insurmountable odds. Based on the best-selling tell-all about the making of Tommy's cult-classic disasterpiece The Room.
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Molly's Game
Borrow: [DVD]
Molly's Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.
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The Phantom Thread
Borrow: [DVD]
Set in the glamour of 1950's London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) meets Alma and finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love.
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Call Me by Your Name
Borrow: [DVD]
Amid the summer splendor of 1980's Italy, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire that will alter their lives forever.
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Coco
Borrow: [DVD]
In DisneyPixar's extraordinary adventure, a boy who dreams of becoming a great musician embarks on a journey to uncover the mysteries behind his ancestor's stories and traditions.
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Battle of the Sexes
Borrow: [DVD]
The true story of the 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.
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The Darkest Hour
Borrow: [DVD]
As Hitler's forces near the United Kingdom, it is up to Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) to decide between negotiating peace or fighting against impossible odds.
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Lady Bird
Borrow: [DVD]
A warm, affecting comedy about a high school senior (Saoirse Ronan) who must navigate a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother over the course of her eventful and poignant senior year of high school.
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Sources: The New York Times, Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon, Goodreads, EarlyWord, Novelist
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