Wednesday, February 8: 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Training Center

Come to the class and learn how you can enjoy eMedia @ AADL!
- Download digital library books using the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services
- Download music with Magnatune
- Listen to AADL Podcasts
- Watch AADL Video on Demand

Optional: Bring your reading device, such as the Nook, iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Kindle Fire, or Kobo.

Registration is not required. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here for the complete schedule.

See you in class!

J.L. Smith's The Vampire Diaries and Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars are popular teen novel series that have been made into successful television series. The shows are enjoyed by both adults and young adults, so don’t let the word “teen” scare you.

The Vampire Diaries TV series, now in its third season, takes place in Mystic Falls, Va., a small town haunted by supernatural beings. Two vampire brothers start at Mystic Falls High, one good and one evil, and both end up vying for Elena’s soul. The show focuses on the adventures of this love triangle and their friends as they deal with their dark pasts.

The television series Pretty Little Liars is set in the fictitious town of Rosewood, Pa. Now in its second season, the show follows four friends as their little group falls apart following the disappearance of their ring leader, Alison. A year after Alison's disappearance, the friends start receiving messages from someone called “A.” This mystery person threatens to reveal the clique’s dark secrets. Is it Alison? And if not, then who? The girls are on a mission to find out.

movie night2

Nearly every week a newly released feature film that is described for people with visual impairments is shown at Rave Motion Pictures in Ypsilanti. This week they are showing the film The Descendants through Thursday, February 9th. Rated R. Showtimes are 11:30 AM, 2:05, 4:40, 7:20 and 9:55 PM Running time is 1 hours 55 minutes. Did you know that AADL has a very robust and ever-growing collection of Described Video Recordings in DVD format for L Card users to borrow? More and more films are being produced with this feature. Some are now available by mail to our WLBPD patrons.

Today Michigan celebrates its 175th birthday! On January 26, 1837 Michigan became the 26th state in the union. How will you be celebrating?

To feel the local love, check out AADL's local creators lists, which include a list of movies made in Michigan, and books set in Michigan, among others. Or perhaps read up on Michigan history or plan a trip in this fine Mitten State.

Whether you’re a native or a transplant, it’s a great wintery day to be in the Great Lakes State.

If you are one of the 142 library patrons waiting to catch up on the First Season of the PBS Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey, or you'd scheduled your Sunday activities around the Second Season now in progress, then read on.

This immensely popular British period drama set in a grand country house in North Yorkshire is largely the creation of actor/writer Julian Fellowes (with illuminating behind-the-scenes tidbits), whose niece, author Jessica Fellowes has published The World of Downton Abbey (photography by Nick Briggs) - a companion book about the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, as well as insights into British society in the early years of the twentieth century.

If you and your friends are caught up in the Downton fever that's sweeping the country, the New York Times has some smashing ideas that involve theme parties (tiaras optional, menus suggested).

If your participation tends to be the solitary variety, or you are already suffering from fear of withdraw once the last episode airs on February 19, then be comforted that the major publishers have already anticipated your needs with a further reading list.

Readers Advisory Guru (and my good friend) Neal Wyatt has come up with her impeccable suggestions in this RA Crossroads article "What To Watch (and Read) After Downton Abbey" that is sure to bring you many hours of reading/viewing/listening pleasure until Season 3.

The first day of the 2012 Chinese New Year is Monday January 23. On that day, the mystical dragon returns, in its first appearance since the turn of the millennium. The dragon is the epitome of power, nobility and perseverance, tracing back to early Chinese mythology.

Countless Chinese dragon legends run through ancient Chinese history. In The Dragon Emperor : a Chinese Folktale the dragon emperor Ying Long is a powerful ruler. But a warrior named Chi You plans to overthrow the emperor and take control of China. How will the emperor protect his country? For a look at all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, try The Dragon's Tale and Other Animal Fables of the Chinese Zodiac, with striking illustrations by Demi.

You can listen to Mandarin or English dialog with subtitles in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, or Hanyu Pinyin on the DVD Story of the Chinese Zodiac : Shi er Sheng Xiao di Gu Shi.

And why not try your hand at Origami : Asian Arts & Crafts for Creative Kids?
However you celebrate, we wish you a healthy and prosperous new year!

Actor/playwright/filmmaker Ayad Akhtar is now a first-time novelist with the publication of American Dervish * last week. With rights sold to 19 countries, this might just be the first Muslim-American novel to reach commercial mainstream.

"(B)rilliantly written, nuanced, and emotionally forceful look inside the interplay of religion and modern life", the novel opens with Hayat Shah, heavy with guilt, remembering his first love, Auntie Mina - independent, beautiful and intelligent, and his mother's oldest friend from Pakistan. Her arrival enlivens their previously dour and secular household with laughter and she brings an abiding Muslim faith which she begins to share with Hayat, awakening in the 10 yr.old boy a fierce infatuation, and a new religious identity.

When Mina falls for his father's Jewish colleague Nathan, Hayat feels betrayed. A reckless scheme to set things right brings on devastating consequences for all those he loves most.

"The young teen's personal story about growing up in pre-9/11 Muslim America is both particular and universal, with intense connections of faith, sorrow, tenderness, anger, betrayal, questioning, and love."

A readalike for Leila Aboulela's The Translator (2006) and Hisham Matar's Anatomy of a Disappearance (in audio), (2011).

Ayad Akhtar is an American-born, first generation Pakistani-American from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An award-winning playwright (Brown, Columbia) he starred and co-wrote The War Within (2005), which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and an International Press Academy Satellite Award for Best Picture - Drama.

* = starred review

My Dog Tulip is the story of a man who rescues a German shepherd and how the two quickly become the best of friends. The animated film is based on J.R. Ackerly’s acclaimed memoir of the same title. The book was printed in1956 and tells the story of Ackerly’s adoption of an 18 month old German shepherd, and is an endearing display of the relationship a man can have with his pet.

Truman Capote states that the book is "one of the greatest books ever written by anybody in the world.” I don’t know about that, but it’s a beautiful gem of film! (Also available on Blu-ray.)

This morning I got to work early and began to do little tasks to help get the day started. I cleaned the computers, restocked our giveaway rack, and shelved DVDs. Until I saw something so shocking I had to stop what I was doing and post a second blog for today. People, I am not sure if you have noticed, but rarely do staffers post consecutive blogs unless something extremely important has happened.

Here it is. Sitting on the shelving cart was the entire first season of Boardwalk Empire. This is their first day circulating in the system and they’re sitting there like the saddest library materials in the world. I double checked with the system to see if they were supposed to trigger holds and discovered that there is not a single hold on Boardwalk Empire. This is a travesty.

This is an incredible show! INCREDIBLE! You should put your holds on it immediately! These DVDs should have been met with all the fanfare an HBO releases normally receive: Hundreds of holds.

In case you aren’t familiar with the premise, this is a Martin Scorsese directed HBO television series set in prohibition era Atlantic City. It is historically accurate, with dazzling acting, intriguing storylines- it even has Omar (from The Wire). If you enjoyed The Sopranos, Deadwood, or Don Corleone’s flashback scenes from Godfather 2, I urge you to give Boardwalk Empire a try. You won’t regret it!

How about doing us a big favor, as well as a favor for many of our patrons who benefit from watching films with Desriptive Video Service? Check the language settings at the beginning of the DVD menu to see if there is a described narration track, or see if it says "Described Narration" on the label. Then, add a comment to this blog indicating the name of the DVD & I will add it if it's not already on this list. Described narration can be on both youth & adult DVDs. More and more films are being produced with this feature. Some of these DVDs are now available by mail to our WLBPD patrons, too!