Being released just in time to coincide with the much anticipated 3rd season of Downton Abbey, Elizabeth Wilhide's debut novel Ashenden is sure to find eager readers. It is a story about an English country house and the people who inhabit it - upstairs and downstairs, births and deaths, comings and goings, over the course of 240 years.

When siblings Charlie and Ros discover that they have inherited Ashenden Park, their aunt's much-loved house, they must decide if they should sell it. In an interwoven narrative spanning two and a half centuries, we meet the original architect who gave it shape, the families who called it home, the soldiers it billeted during the Great War, the housekeeping staff that ran it, to the young couple who lovingly restored it to shades of its former glory.

Wilhide, author (website) of more than 20 books on interior design, decoration, and architecture gives us "an evocative portrait of a house that becomes a character as compelling as the people who inhabit it."

More on the English country house and its inhabitants, try Secrets of the Manor House : inside British country homes in the early 1900's (2012), a PBS video.

For a closer look at the interiors, how about Henrietta Spencer-Churchill's gorgeously photographed Classic English Interiors? Or come along on the The English Country House : a grand tour by Gervase Jackson-Stops and James Pipkin.

For those of you who could not wait until Sunday, do you know you can watch the first 10 minutes of Season 3 right now?

Jacob Grimm, eldest of the famous storytelling duo The Brothers Grimm, was born on January 4th, 1785 in Hanau, Germany. He and his younger brother Wilhelm were mythologists, linguists, and authors of hundreds of folktales. They also collected and revised many traditional German folktales, believing the stories to be great expressions of German culture and literature.

Some of their most famous works include stories that are still highly popular and well-known today, like Snow White, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Though many versions of their stories exist today, the original Grimm fairy tales contained common themes of violence and brutality. For instance, at the close of the original Snow White, the evil queen is forced into iron shoes and made to dance until she drops dead. Seen as inappropriate for children, their stories weren't very popular when they were first published, but the brothers worked to make them more child-friendly as they produced newer editions, and their popularity grew.

Many of their stories can be found in AADL’s Fairytales and Folklore collection, including ones that have been re-written, re-told, or re-interpreted by other cultures. Some, like Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel have been made into popular movies, as well as operas and ballets. The Grimm Brothers and their lives were the subjects of a fantasy film in 2005.

Related Posts:
200th Anniversary of Grimm's Fairy Tales
Two Tales "Dark and Grimm"

Wednesday January 2, 2013: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Training Center

Come learn how to:
- Log in and search for ebooks and audiobooks using the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services,
- Use Adobe Digital Editions and the Overdrive Media Console,
- Get library books for your Kindle, Nook, or iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch,
- Listen to AADL Podcasts and download music, and
- Watch AADL Video on Demand.

Please bring your library card, laptop, smartphone, tablet, or other device. Registration is not required. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Go to aadl.org/classes for the complete schedule.

See you in class!

In Being Flynn, Robert DeNiro and Paul Dano wonderfully portray Jonathan and Nick Flynn, father and son, both writers. Nick hasn’t seen his father in 18 years, then he calls one day seeking help. Nick is resistant, but intrigued and follows through. He finds that his father is still a difficult person to know, for many reasons. In his 20s, Nick is in a transitional phase of his life and finds work in a local homeless shelter. All is going well with his new job and new friends… until Jonathan walks into the shelter one night looking for a bed. Nick battles addiction, a failing new relationship, and trying to have a relationship with his stubborn con-man of a father who creates tension in his workplace. Behind it all, the two share the talent of writing.

The film is an interesting portrait of the complicated relationship and bond that can exist between parent and child. Not a light story, but this limited release film is a worthy viewing. It is based on author Nick Flynn’s award-winning memoir, also available at AADL.

Author of the incredibly popular Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien was born on January 3rd, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He died in Bournemouth, England on September 2nd, 1973.

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. Tolkien's works painted detailed, colorful images for his readers and his dedication to detailed imagery and his extensive imagination led him to create an entirely new world, now famously known as Middle-Earth. He also constructed fictional histories, detailed legends and intricate languages for his world.Tolkien, who has won countless awards throughout and after his lifetime, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1972. In 2008, The Times newspaper ranked him sixth on a list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and Forbes magazine ranked him the 5th top-earning dead celebrity in 2009.

Tolkien Week, an annual event that celebrates the works and legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien, will take place from September 22nd to September 28th in 2013. The Lord of the Rings series was later adapted into three popular films: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of The King. More recently, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was released as the first of a new three-part film trilogy. Follow the links, and you'll find many of Tolkien's books and films in AADL's collection!

Related Posts:
Tolkien and Dickens Join Forces for New Books
The Hobbit Is Back Again
Locus Magazine Announces Winners of Poll for Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels

Currently on view at the University of Michigan Museum of Art is one of the William L. Clements Library's major artworks, Benjamin West's painting, the Death of General Wolfe (1776). General Wolfe triumphed over the French at the Battle of Quebec in 1759 and it is considered to be the decisive event in determining British domination of North America.

If you would like to know more about the French and Indian War (1754-1763), The war that made America : the story of the French and Indian War is a new acquisition at the Ann Arbor District Library available as a book, video and book on CD.

To further explore the topic we also have The French and Indian War : deciding the fate of North America, The French and Indian War; an Informal History, and Empires at war : the French & Indian War and the Struggle for North America, 1754-1763.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows seven retirees who decide to chance their retirement to spending time in a less expensive resort community in India. They arrive expecting lavish amenities, but find that the Marigold Hotel is not quite up to par, and the young, energetic owner does what he can to keep his first guests happy and at the hotel. Many of the guests make the most of it and try to enjoy the life in India, while others yearn to get back home.

The film features an all-star British cast of actors, including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Bill Nighy, as the adventurous group whose lives are forever changed after their visit to India. It's full of laughter, warmth, and touching moments as the characters evolve and grow into new lives. While the film’s goal is to entertain, not necessarily to inspire or awe, it does go to show that life can begin at any age. To quote the young hotel owner, “Everything will be all right in the end and if it's not all right, then it's not yet the end.”

This time of year the hold lists grow for certain movies and TV show episodes that many wish to view. The good news is that there are plenty of cheery holiday DVDs on the shelves sure to please the kiddies. Here’s a list of some currently available DVDs, including A Flintstones' Christmas carol, Madeline's Christmas & other wintery tales, Frosty's winter wonderland, Curious George: A very monkey Christmas, Thomas & friends. Merry Christmas Thomas, and Strawberry Shortcake: Berry, merry Christmas. For more titles, here's a larger list of youth and adult holiday DVDs that AADL owns.

Are you ready?! J.R.R. Tolkein’s epic tale of The Hobbit is being released as a feature film trilogy, and this Friday the first part, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, opens in theaters. It’s amazing to think that The Hobbit was released in book form in 1937!

For some this means preparing by rereading the book, or watching film versions of the 3 books that followed The Hobbit known as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which includes The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King. Those 3 films were directed by Peter Jackson, and he’s back to direct The Hobbit Trilogy as well. It’s been a decade since Jackson last had us watching Tolkein on the big screen, so the new films have been highly anticipated. This film also features new technology! Films have been shot at 24 frames per second for 90 years, and now we have a mainstream film that at select theaters will be shown at the high frame rate (HFR) of 48 frames per second, and in 3D. There's debate over the quality of this format and as to whether or not it is actually a more complete film experience. I personally plan to see it the plain old-fashioned way of 24fps and in 2D.

What are we talking about? The Hobbit, Or There and Back Again is the story of a conservative hobbit named Bilbo Baggins who heads off on an epic quest to reclaim Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the dragon Smaug. Along the way is high adventure and many encounters with other creatures, namely the band of dwarves that he travels with. It is on this journey that Bilbo meets the creature Gollum, and where he first lays hands on “the one ring” that changes his life, and that of Middle Earth, for all time.

For the super fans there are some new informational books that accompany the film, including:

The hobbit: An unexpected journey : official movie guide
The hobbit : An unexpected journey : the movie storybook
The hobbit: The unexpected journey : the world of the hobbits
The hobbit: An unexpected journey : visual companion

There are movies I love to watch every December that are not necessarily holiday movies, but have such a rich holiday feel to them that I’m almost immediately transported into the holiday spirit upon watching them . The first one is the 1994 version of Little Women starring Wynona Ryder, Susan Sarandon and Christian Bale, to name a few. Based on the Louisa May Alcott novel of the same name, it is the fifth feature film adaptation of the Alcott classic. The film focuses on the March sisters – lovely Meg (Trini Alvarado), passionate Jo (Winona Ryder), gentle Beth (Claire Danes), and romantic Amy (Kirsten Dunst) - growing up in Concord, Massachusetts during and after the American Civil War. With their father away fighting in the war, the girls struggle with life’s difficulties under the guidance of their strong-willed mother, affectionately called Marmee (Susan Sarandon).
I love every part of this movie from the choice of actors, the beautiful setting and the Academy Award nominated musical score.