Blog Post
New TV shows on DVD @ AADL
by manz
The library is always acquiring additional TV shows, be they hot and new, or oldies but goodies. Here are some new mystery series from the UK on their way to AADL:
Broadchurch, Season 1
When the body of eleven-year-old Danny Latimer is found on the beach in Broadchurch on the Dorset coast, Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller and her newly-appointed boss, Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, are called to investigate. As suspicions mount and the mystery deepens, a national spotlight descends upon Broadchurch, threatening to pull the town, its residents and their secrets apart.
The Broker's Man, Series 1
Jimmy is an ex-cop turned insurance investigator whose cunning and insight are well-suited to the business of exposing con men and fraudsters. With his police training, he's able to take on any case, no matter how dangerous. Fresh off a divorce and a breakup with his colleague and mistress, Jimmy still hasn't learned when to shut his wandering eyes and turn off his rakish charm. As he struggles to rebuild his family, keeping them safe from the perils of his work proves to be his ultimate test.
For more TV shows, be sure to check out AADL’s lists for HOT TV shows, as well as NEW TV shows.
Blog Post
New TV Series @ AADL
by manz
The library is always acquiring additional TV shows, be they hot and new, or oldies but goodies. Here are some series new to AADL:
The Mindy Project Season 1
Meet Mindy, a single OB/GYN who wants her life to be like a romantic comedy but just can't find the right leading man. She attempts to balance her unpredictable workplace with some truly offbeat dating situations.
Copper season 1
Set in 1860s New York City, the drama is centered on Kevin Corcoran, an intense, rugged, Irish-American cop working in the city's notorious Five Points neighborhood. He struggles to maintain his moral compass while embarking on a quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter.
Lilyhammer Season 1
After Frank 'The Fixer' Tagliano testifies against his Mafia boss in New York, he enters the Witness Protection Program and makes an unusual demand: He wants to be set up with a new life in the Norwegian small town of Lillehammer, or as he calls it, 'LILYHAMMER.' Thrust into a brand new world, Frank is confronted with a colorful cast of characters totally unlike the New York variety.
Murder rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes
The story of the relationship between the young Arthur Conan Doyle and his real-life mentor and noted forensic scientist, Dr. Joseph Bell, as they unite to solve the most baffling murder cases in Victorian Scotland. More Sherlock!!
Beck
He's got no style, he's got no flash and he's squarely in middle age. But Swedish detective Martin Beck is good at one thing: methodically catching criminals so that they can be put away... for a long time. His tightly-wound partner, Gunvald, is his opposite: an impulsive man who cuts a dashing figure, is in no way politically correct and who never met a boundary he didn't leap across. Characters are based on the novels by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö.
For more TV shows, be sure to check out AADL’s lists for HOT TV shows, as well as NEW TV shows.
Blog Post
Winter is on its way out, but Season 4 of Game of Thrones is coming!
by eapearce
Many of us are eagerly awaiting the start of season four of Game of Thrones, which begins on Sunday, April 6th on HBO. The AADL has the first three seasons of the show on DVD and Blu-Ray, but we also have a large selection of other Game of Thrones-related materials that fans may be interested in. The show was inspired by and is strictly based on the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. The library has all five of the currently published books available. Martin has said that he may publish the sixth installment of the series, The Winds of Winter, in 2015. Even if you’ve already seen the show, reading the books is a cool way to find out more details and clear up any confusion.
The AADL also has graphic novel adaptations of Game of Thrones. These are fast-paced and colorful reads that fans will surely enjoy. There are also unique books about the Game of Thrones fantasy world and the show in our collection. The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister collects a number of the hilarious and witty quotes said by one of the most popular characters into a fun book. The Unofficial Game of Thrones cookbook: from direwolf ale to auroch stew—more than 150 recipes from Westeros and beyond has appetizers, side dishes, main courses and desserts, all inspired by meals or situations from Game of Thrones. We also have the official companion to the HBO show, Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones. It is filled with hundreds of photos of the set, actors, and props from the show. Finally, an extremely helpful book is The Lands of Ice and Fire: maps from King’s Landing to across the Narrow Sea, a collection of maps and diagrams that show the world described by Martin in his books and shown to viewers on the show. As fans know, keeping the many settings of Game of Thrones straight can be a challenge; this book can help those who are struggling better visualize the continents of Westeros and Essos
Blog Post
Veronica Mars on the Big Screen
by manz
A long time ago, we used to be friends…
And it’s time to think about old friends again, because your favorite teenage detective is back! Yes, she happens to be a marshmallow.
After a highly successful Kickstarter campaign, the sassy ">Veronica Mars heads to the big screen on March 14 with The Veronica Mars Movie. The Kickstarter raised a million dollars in the first four hours it was open, and reached the $2 million goal in less than ten hours, leading to funding for the film’s production.
The film centers around Neptune Highs’ ten year reunion, and of course there’s a mystery to be solved. The day it comes out, the film will also be available to rent and buy through video-on-demand and online platforms. The Veronica Mars Movie will be the first film distributed in theaters and for home viewing at the same time in the United States by one of Hollywood's six major studios.
The Veronica Mars TV show, starring the adorable Kristin Bell, ran for three seasons. The show was set in the wealthy town of Neptune where the rich kids (AKA the 09-ers) rule the school. But the fearless and smart Veronica is always there to outwit them and even date them. The teen private eye is always into everyone’s business solving the town’s mysteries. Each season had a mystery that lasted the season, while at the same time featured additional weekly mysteries that needed solving. It’s such a fun show and I can’t wait to see the film!
Blog Post
Missing Downton Abbey? Try these readalikes!
by eapearce
For Downton Abbey fans, the recent conclusion of Season 4 on PBS brings a long wait before we get to enjoy more of Lady Mary, Tom Branson, Anna, and our other favorite characters. If you are missing Downton Abbey, why not try some of the Downton Abbey readalikes that the AADL has to offer? The library has some wonderful fiction and non-fiction books that will transport you back to the time period of Downton Abbey, making the wait for Season 5 a bit easier!
Try Lady Almina and the Read Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, the fascinating story of the real family that inspired the creation of the television show, written by the Countess of Carnarvon, an inhabitant of the castle today. The true story and the show have many parallels, and this amazing book draws on diary entries, letters, photographs and remaining physical materials to paint a vivid picture of life at Highclere Castle during the early twentieth century. This book also has a companion: Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, which tells the story of the American woman who married the man who would eventually become the 6th Earl of Carnarvon. Similar to Cora and Lord Grantham, Lady Catherine and her husband must struggle to cope with changes in the traditions of the British aristocracy during the tumultuous period after World War I.
If fiction is more your style, try the sweeping novel Belle Cora, the story of a determined woman who was orphaned at a young age, sent into near slavery at her aunt and uncle’s farm, and eventually ends up in Gold Rush California, the adventures piling up along the way. The story paints a vivid picture of the United States during the mid-nineteenth century. We also have A Star For Mrs. Blake, the story of five American women who travel to France in the early 1930s to seek out the graves of their sons, who all died during World War I. The women are drastically different and meet for the first time right before they set out on their journey. Readers of A Star For Mrs. Blake will enjoy this moving story and recognize the book’s descriptions of the post-war era in Europe from the more recent seasons of Downton Abbey.
We also have Park Lane, the story of a young girl who takes a position as a housemaid in 1914 on Park Lane in London and gets caught up in the lives of the home’s wealthy inhabitants, and A Spider in the Cup, a mystery set in 1933 that begins with the discovery of the body of a young woman in the Thames River.
Finally, why not try your hand at a few Downton Abbey-motivated recipes while you wait for Season 5? AADL has The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook and Edwardian Cooking: 80 recipes inspired by Downton Abbey’s elegant meals.
Happy Downton-inspired reading (and cooking)!
Blog Post
HBO's True Detective Season Finale is Sunday - Still Time to Read The King in Yellow - NO SPOILERS!
by erin
True Detective is an American television anthology crime drama series on HBO. Season one stars Matthew McConaughey, and Woody Harrelson, and uses multiple timelines to trace two Louisiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division homicide detectives' hunt for a serial killer in Louisiana across seventeen years.
If you've been watching HBO's hot, new series, you're probably obsessed with all of the various literary allusions and references. If you have delved into the fandom behind the show you definitely want to read The King in Yellow by Robert Chambers. The King in Yellow was originally published in 1895 and is now in the public domain. We uploaded a PDF copy to our catalog (from Project Gutenberg) so AADL cardholders can download and read it easily. Some unscrupulous types are taking advantage of the hype and printing the free PDF and charging people for a copy.
Even if you don't have an AADL card you can find free copies, in a variety of formats, of the book at Project Gutenberg.
For even more True Detective-related reads, check out this list.
Blog Post
BBC Detectives on TV
by manz
Luther. Sherlock. Wallander.
One-named television shows, one-named detectives. BBC knows how to do it. And they pack the adventure into longer episodes and shorter seasons. These shows are suspenseful, entertaining, well acted and well written. I cruised through Wallander and Luther a while ago and am now addicted to Sherlock. If you’re looking for a non-committing (totally amazing) show to get you through the rest of February, give one of these detectives a chance.
Sherlock, Season 1, 2, 3:
A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. The iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain: they live at the same address, have the same names, and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for them. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch. There are plans for a fourth season, but nothing has been set.
Wallander, Season 1, 2, 3:
The crime dramas based on the best selling books by Henning Mankell follow Inspector Kurt Wallander, a disillusioned everyman, as he struggles against a rising tide of violence in southern Sweden. Starring Kenneth Branagh. The fourth and final season will be filmed later in 2014 and will consist of three more episodes.
Luther, Season 1, 2, 3:
Self-destructive near-genius, Luther might just be as dangerous as the depraved criminals he hunts. Luther follows his own moral code as much as the rules of criminal law. But he quickly becomes locked in a lethal battle of wits with Alice, a beautiful, highly intelligent mass murderer, and his decision-making process becomes increasingly murky. Starring Idris Elba. The series has concluded.
Blog Post
New TV Series @ AADL
by manz
Keep your eyes on the list of new TV shows to hit AADL’s catalog, including new seasons of your favorite shows, as well as newly acquired series. Here are a couple new-to-AADL shows for you:
Elementary, Season 1
A contemporary take on the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes who investigates crimes in modern-day New York City as a consultant to the NYPD and is assisted by Joan Watson, a former surgeon, who is hired by Holmes' wealthy father to help keep the eccentric detective sober. (aired 2012-present)
Raising Hope, Season 1 & Season 2
A one night stand becomes a life-long commitment when twenty-three-year-old Jimmy Chance inadvertently impregnates a wanted felon and decides to raise Hope on his own in this critically acclaimed first season. (aired 2010-present)
The Middle: Season 1
The show focuses on the daily mishaps of a harried woman and her semi-dysfunctional family and their attempt to survive life in general in the city of Orson, Indiana. (aired 2009-present)
Newhart: Season 1
Dick Loudon and his wife, Joanna, run a small country inn in Vermont where they're surrounded by an eclectic group of friends and neighbors who have more than a few screws loose. (aired 1982-1990)
Bob Newhart show: Season 1 & 2
The professional and personal misadventures of a psychologist and his family, patients, friends and colleagues. (aired 1972–1978)
Blog Post
New Kids TV @ AADL: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
by manz
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a PBS show geared towards preschoolers and is based on the old Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood show. The adventures of characters in the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" appeared in a segment in almost every episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
The series debuted on PBS in September 2012 and centers on four year old Daniel Tiger, who is the son of Daniel Striped Tiger from the original "Neighborhood of Make-Believe", and his friends as they solve problems and learn together with imagination, music and fun. Check out: Life’s Little Lessons and Daniel’s Big Feelings on DVD.
Blog Post
Golden Globes 2014
by sernabad
Last night, amidst the glitz and glamour that is Hollywood at its most celebratory, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hosted the 71st Golden Globe Awards which recognize the best that movies and television have to offer.
Hosted again by the popular duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, more than two dozen prizes were received with the usual mix of speeches that ran the gamut from eloquent to a stunned scrambling for coherence, from blink-and-you'll-miss-it brevity to gassiness that shouted over the 'stop, you're done' musical cues from the orchestra.
Among the winners were:
12 Years a Slave for Best Motion Picture, Drama -- based on the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup who was born a freeman in New York and then captured and enslaved in New Orleans.
Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama went to Cate Blanchett for her mesmerizing portrayal of a New York socialite who has lost it all and is forced to move in with her working-poor sister in San Francisco in Blue Jasmine, directed by Woody Allen, who took heat last night from his family and foes via Twitter, when he accepted a Lifetime Achievement award later in the evening.
Amy Poehler got to switch roles when she captured the category of Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy for her portrayal of Leslie Knope in the NBC hit series, Parks and Recreation.
Check out the complete list of winners here.