If you are interested in reading books in languages other than English, check out the Ann Arbor District Library’s World Language collection. There are books for adults and children at all branch locations with a Teen World Language collection available at the Downtown Library. Currently there are 24 languages represented from A to V (Arabic to Vietnamese) with the most recent additions in the Greek, Persian/Farsi, and Polish languages. There are fiction and non-fiction books, and even some graphic novels in various languages. If you are at our Downtown Library, the collection for adults is located on the 3rd floor, with youth and teen on the 1st floor. Below you will find a short video that explains how to locate these books in our catalog.

Dear Mr. Kurosawa,

I'm one of those people who can't name their favorite movie--there are too many and they all touch me in a different way. But I can name my favorite director: You.

You would have turned 100 this month. And I can say two of my favorite films are Dersu Uzala and The Seven Samurai. Both films are very different from each other; both represent very different periods of your career; and both are supreme achievements in film as a humanistic artform.

Someone once told me they were surprised I liked Kurosawa because "he's a little cold". You were, by all accounts, a moody and often unhappy man. But if anything, your films reveal that you deeply understood the human heart. One recurring theme in your films is an affection for society's lone oddball or wily bands of misfits; another is that things are not what they appear to be. (Rashoman, Ikiru). And between these two themes lies your humanity.

Often your more intimate moments come wrapped within the formidable mastery of filmmaking--the tense buildup of High and Low, the steady composition of The Seven Samurai's battle sequences, the force of nature in Dersu Uzala, the swirl of pageantry in Ran. Then suddenly we realize we're watching a study of friendship or a man questioning his mortality. And the subtext is about honor, integrity, fate, loss. It's not thrown about as cliches or pathos; it just sits there quietly at the heart of the film. And it's much more powerful since we weren't really expecting it given all the other cinematic tricks you were pulling off at the same time.

Ever dream of going to Italy? Can't afford it? Using the library is a great alternative!

First, you can experience the sights through art books in our collection. The works of greats such as Botticelli, Bernini, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio will transport you into the culture of Italy. However, if you wanted something a little closer to the real experience, you could try this book of paintings within the Uffizi. It's basically a tour in itself!

If you want to feel like you're actually walking the streets of Italy, try a book on the architecture of Brunelleschi, the famous creator of Florence's Il Duomo, or maybe something a little broader.

Perhaps you're anxious to taste some real Italian food? Unfortunately, you'll have to cook it yourself. But books on Italian Cooking will be able to make that a bit easier for you.

In order to hear Italy, you can try your hand at speaking it yourself. With our fantastic Italian language-learning collection, you'll be able to go from a beginner's lesson, to something more advanced. Although, if you tired yourself out with all that cooking, you might just like to listen to some opera.

If you're really into this whole plan, maybe you want to get some more background? There are tons of Italian history books. There are also biographies on key figures, such as Caesar, Lucrezia Borgia, Savonarola, Garibaldi, Mussolini, and the well-known Medici family.

Maybe all of these books are too much for you, and you really need a break? Well, luckily, AADL also carries movies. Something lighthearted, like Roman Holiday might help you through your journey. Or, if you'd like something a little more thrilling, perhaps The Talented Mr. Ripley? We even have films in Italian, like La Dolce Vita!

It may not be exactly the same as climbing the Spanish Steps, but it's as close as you can get without actually going! But, if you ever decide to go, don't forget your travel book.

Eric Rohmer, one of cinema's most urbane masters, died last week. French director, critic, and former editor of Cahiers du Cinema, Rohmer was more interested in human foibles than human misery. The result is a half century of stylized, articulate and subtle character studies about love and desire that was once famously compared to "watching paint dry."

But paint never came in more varied shades or nuances. If you've never seen Rohmer, his Six Moral Tales from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the justly celebrated My Night at Maud's, are worth a mini film series. If you've seen these, try something a little more offbeat such as Perceval le Gallois.

Golden Door

The Golden Door is a 2006 Italian movie directed by Emanuele Crialese. This film was nominated for, and won, the 2006 Silver Lion Venice Film Festival Award. This movie is a romantic drama about immigration to America at the turn of the 20th century. The main character is Salvatore Mancuso. He is a widowed Sicilian peasant, played by Vincenzo Amato. He begins his journey to America, and bravely leaves everything and everyone behind hoping for a better life. On his journey he finds love with a beautiful Englishwoman named Lucy Reed, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg. Upon their arrival to Ellis Island the couple encounter roadlocks to their freedon they were not anticipating.

Clean

This 2004 film written and directed by Olivier Assayas is heart touching. Clean delves into the life of rock star Emily Wang, played by Maggie Cheung. She has become entangled in the fast life of music, drugs, and a never ending search for happiness. She wakes up one day with the painful realization that she must make the most difficult decision of her life. If she continues on the road she is on as a heroin addict, she will never get her son and her life back. Nick Nolte plays Emily's boyfriend, Albrecht Hauser, in the film. After tragedy strikes, Emily abruptly realizes her life has come to a dead end, and she is left without any choice but to change.

Look at Me, is a thought provoking film that explores self image and how self image is formed through family relationships. The film also explores the way fame can change people, and those around them.

The main character Lolita, Marilou Berry, is an aspiring singer who dislikes everyone who pays attention to her because she assumes they are only doing so to get to know her father.

Her father Etienne, Jean-Pierre Bacri, is a famous writer who likes to surround himself with people who want something from him. Thus reinforcing Lolita's views of why people want to be around her. Etienne gets away with treating everyone around him terribly because of his powerful literary position, and resentments soon follow him wherever he goes.

Though this film is satirical in nature, it gradually changes to show us that the main characters, although very abrasive, are human and genuine.

new moon pic

Did you know AADL has copies of Stephanie Meyer's New Moon in multiple languages? You can find them in Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and French. Read the book before the film comes out November 20!

Cache

Cache is a 2005 French award winning film. It stars Daniel Auteuil as Georges Laurent and Juliette Binoche as Anne Laurent. This movie was written and directed by Michael Haneke. This amazing movie was nominated for 22 different International Film Awards and won 21!

The main characters, Anne and Georges Laurant, reside in a Paris townhouse. She works at a publishing house, and he is a television literary host. They have one teenage son, Pierrot. Anne and Georges have little to say to each other, and you can feel the tension in their private lives even though their public lives are otherwise wonderful.

Out of the blue comes a new strain on their relationship when they begin to receive tapes of their home being watched. The tapes are accompanied by disturbing childlike drawings. Anne and Georges are unnerved to say the least. Georges starts having vivid dreams that may hold a clue to who or what is responsible for the tapes and drawings. He decides not to tell Anne his hidden secrets as the story unfolds. This award winning French film is one not to be missed!

NewPants

That's the name of the band. Who doesn't want to say, "I'm listening to New Pants." It is fun to say. Also fun is listening to their album, Dragon Tiger Panacea! New Pants is from China and has a few albums under their belt, as they've been around since 1996. This particular album is a mix of everything wonderful, including catchy lyrics (sometimes in English) and sounds that make you want to jump up and grab the sky while wearing your fanciest dancing shoes! Get ready to rock out and fall in love with this electro pop goodness. Here are videos for "You're My Superstar" and "Bye Bye Disco" to tempt you. I dare you to sit still!