Blog Post
Award Winning Author's Dissection of a Family
by mansii
In this dissection of a family, award winning author Ann Patchett's newest novel, Commonwealth, follows fifty years of life in the Cousins and Keating households. From the first glimpses of unraveling marriages, to the aftereffects of divorce, to children now grown with families of their own, she examines the effects of time and the ties of family. In an interview for Bookpage Patchett describes fusing families as the experience of being forced into a group of strangers and forming alliances with them by necessity. How does time effect the dynamics between siblings, between fathers and daughters, mothers and sons? How does the lens of the past effect how we see one another? What might forgiveness look like, or healing from dysfunction? Is this even possible? Digging into the starkness of isolation and wrongdoing, while celebrating our unquenchable capacity for love and redemption, Patchett’s semi-autobiographical work is poignantly human. A highly anticipated work just about to hit the shelves, it’s time to re-discover Ann Patchett.
Blog Post
TV Spotlight: 11.22.63
by manz
11.22.63 is a sci fi thriller based on the best-selling Stephen King novel of the same name. The 8 part television series is another interesting look into the assassination of John F. Kennedy and I thoroughly enjoyed the series. It makes me want to watch Oliver Stone’s JFK again!
James Franco stars as Jake Epping, a recently divorced English teacher who is offered a chance to go back in time after finding out that a friend of his discovered a portal that takes you back to 1960. He is then tasked with travelling back in time to prevent JFK’s assassination on November 22, 1963, focusing on Lee Harvey Oswald, in order to alter the course of history. With the past always trying to “push back” this is not an easy task for Jake and he finds many hurdles along the way that leave room for plenty of suspense. He also meets sweet and stunning librarian Sadie Dunhill who throws a wrench in keeping on track with his big plans.
If you like history or suspense, give the show a try!
Blog Post
Goodbye Mr. Spalding
by manz
The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. –Terrence Mann, Field of Dreams.
Baseball. No movies hit the nostalgia soft spot for me during summer like baseball movies do. I think I like baseball movies more than baseball, and I have no idea why. Some call it America's pastime. There’s just something about the drama unfolding on the diamond, the crack of the bat, the announcer’s voice, the essential sports suspense, and the team camaraderie .
There have been several movies over the years where baseball is a central figure in the action. A few classics that I’ve enjoyed time and again are Field of Dreams, Bull Durham, The Natural, A League of Their Own, Bang the Drum Slowly, and of course The Sandlot – because I also have a major league weakness for “little boy adventure films.”
What’s your favorite baseball film?
Blog Post
TV Spotlight: Narcos
by manz
Narcos started as a Netflix exclusive last year and is based on the true story of the rise and fall of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Set and filmed in Colombia the show focuses on the two DEA agents who worked to defeat Escobar and the Medellin Drug Cartel that helped make Escobar a billionaire working in the drug trade.
With superb acting and a gripping story, the show is great and it’s an easy one to get hooked on. It’s also dark, violent, and gritty with not a lot of positivity. But being based on Escobar’s life it is too interesting to pass up.
Season 1 is AADL’s catalog and a season 2 is set to air in September.
Blog Post
New TV Shows @ AADL, Pt. 2
by manz
The library is always acquiring additional TV shows and new seasons of them, be they hot and new, or oldies but goodies. Here are some new-to-AADL series:
Supergirl, Season 1
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped at the same time as her cousin, Superman, but didn’t arrive on Earth until years later after being lost. Raised by her adopted family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex, and learned to hide the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin. Kara has spent so many years trying to fit in that she forgot to ever stand out.
Code Black, Season 1
Residency Director Dr. Leanne Rorish leads four first-year residents through the life-or-death challenges that will change the course of their careers and lives.
Colony, Season 1
Set in the very near future, it centers on one family's struggle to survive an occupied Los Angeles, now a dangerous world of divided ideologies. While some choose to collaborate with the occupation and benefit from the new order, others rebel and suffer the consequences. Will Bowman a former FBI agent, and his wife Katie have been separated from their son during the invasion and do whatever is necessary to be reunited.
The Girlfriend Experience, Season 1
Christine Reade is a second year student at Chicago-Burnham Law School and a new intern at the prestigious firm of Kirkland & Allen. Working hard to establish herself at the firm, her focus quickly shifts when a classmate introduces her to the world of transactional relationships. Known as GFEs, they are women who provide emotional and sexual relationships at a very high price. Christine quickly finds herself drawn into the GFE world.
Narcos, Season 1
Based on a true story of the rise and fall of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and the two DEA agents that brought the famed Medellin Cartel to its knees.
Blindspot, Season 1
A vast international plot explodes when a mysterious Jane Doe is discovered in Times Square, covered in cryptic tattoos with no memory of who she is. But there's one tattoo that's impossible to miss: the name of FBI agent Kurt Weller, on her back. Soon, Weller and his FBI team realize that each mark on her body is a crime to solve, leading them closer to the truth about her identity.
Slasher, Season 1
Follows the plight of a young woman who returns to the small town where she was born, only to find herself the centerpiece in a series of horrifying copycat murders, based on the widely known, grisly killings of her parents.
Vinyl, Season 1
A New York music executive in the 1970s hustles to make a career out of the city's diverse music scene.
Superstore, Season 1
A hilarious workplace comedy venturing into the world of retail. The giant megastore is staffed by employees ranging from bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans, to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers. Together they tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.
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 Shows @ AADL, Pt. 1
by manz
We're thinking television because Emmy Nominations were announced today!! With SO many good TV shows out there how can we possible keep up?
The library is always acquiring additional TV shows and new seasons of them, be they hot and new, or oldies but goodies. Here are some new-to-AADL series:
The Magicians, Season 1
Based on Lev Grossman's New York Times best seller, this centers on Quentin, a brilliant grad student chosen to attend Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his twenty something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real, and poses a grave danger to humanity.
The Shannara Chronicles, Season 1
The epic story of an Elvin princess, a bandit and a half-Elf tasked with stopping the end of the world. Based on the book series by Terry Brooks.
Underground, Season 1
The show follows a group of slaves who plan a daring escape from a Georgia plantation to cross 600 miles to freedom.
Moone Boy, The Complete Series
The hilarious, semi-autobiographical tale of Martin Moone, the youngest boy in a loud, large Irish family, and his imaginary friend Sean Murphy. Between Martin's unique view on life and Sean's not always helpful advice, the pair find themselves thrown into one ridiculous scheme after another.
11.22.63
On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was killed in Dallas and the world changed forever. But what if it could be changed back? James Franco stars as Jake Epping, an English teacher who accepts the monumental mission of trying to prevent the assassination of JFK. Based upon the bestselling novel by Stephen King.
DC's Legends of Tomorrow, Season 1
When heroes alone are not enough, the world needs legends. Having seen the future, traveling rogue Rip Hunter assembles a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront the unstoppable threat of the immortal Vandal Savage, a threat which not only puts the planet at stake, but all of time itself.
The Tunnel, Season 1
When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wassermann are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership.
Ash vs. Evil Dead, Season 1
Ash is the stock boy, who is an aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons; personal and literal.
Lucifer, Season 1
Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, Lucifer has resigned his throne and retired to the City of Angels, where he is indulging in wine, women, and song. When a beautiful pop star is brutally murdered before his eyes, he feels something awaken deep within him, for the first time in ten billion years. Is he actually capable of feelings for a human being?
For more TV shows, be sure to check out AADL’s lists for HOT TV shows, as well as NEW TV shows.
Blog Post
Emerald & Orange: Prison Life
by manz
It is that time of year once again…. Not only does AADL’s Summer Game launch on Friday, June 17, but Orange is the New Black’s 4th season premieres on Netflix as well! Are you caught up? Are you ready?
When thinking of television shows set in prison one cannot forget Oz. Yes, we are talking about a show that premiered in 1997, but it has totally stood the test of time.
Some think The Sopranos put HBO hour-long dramas on the map, when in was in fact Oz. It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by HBO. The show aired from 1997-2003 and featured many actors from your favorite shows that came after Oz. (So many actors that went onto The Wire!)
Set in Oswald State Correctional Facility, better known as Oz, the show chronicles inmates in “Emerald City,” an experimental unit within Oz that has strict rules and is focused on prisoner rehabilitation. Through six seasons there is amazing character development as we watch the men in "Em City" come and go.
While Orange is the New Black has its sad moments, it also has plenty of comedic bits. Oz does not. (Well, the show's narrator does add his humor to the episodes.) Oz is dark, violent, intense, gripping, and worth a viewing if those are things you can stomach in a television show.
Blog Post
Shakespeare Re-imagined
by Lucy S
"The Hogarth Shakespeare project sees Shakespeare’s works retold by acclaimed and bestselling novelists of today. The series launched in October 2015 and to date will be published in twenty countries."
As the third installment of the The Hogarth Shakespeare Project, Anne Tyler re-imagines The Taming of the Shrew in her newest book, Vinegar Girl. This version of the story is set in Tyler’s familiar territory of Baltimore. And as in many of her previous novels, Tyler deftly addresses relationships in the family and between the sexes. For long time Tyler readers, Vinegar Girl will provide a comfortable tone and setting. Her effortless writing is wholly absorbing. Tyler's Kate Battista is the daughter of an absented-minded research scientist, Louis. Kate is 29, single and a preschool teacher, though she doesn't really like children. She is stuck in a life taking care of her preoccupied father, whose prize research assistant, Pyotr, is visiting from Russia on a 3 year visa that is about to expire. In order to keep Pyotr in the country, Dr. Battista tries, through comical twists, to persuade Kate to marry Pyotr.
In keeping with Shakespearean comedy, Tyler's romp is predictable, playful, and delightfully entertaining. Her characters, the matronly pre-school teachers, the blond, ditzy sister, seem slightly overdone, but this gives Vinegar Girl an edge of bite. The one exception to this characterization is Kate herself, who is forthright, intelligent and endearing. In an interview in The Guardian, Tyler said of The Taming of the Shrew, “I hate it. It’s totally misogynistic. I know it thinks it’s funny, but it’s not. People behave meanly to each other, every single person.” Tyler steers clear of this trap through her portrayal of Kate as a singular woman and through the way in which Kate and Pyotr come together. "I loved Kate and Pyotr and the way they discover the oversized, tender, irreverent relationship that fits them...It is joyful," says author Rachel Joyce. Tyler’s firm grasp of family dynamics shines in her lovely interpretation of this Shakespeare classic.
Prior knowledge of The Taming of the Shrew is not necessary to enjoy Tyler’s giddy tale. She provides an enjoyable read for both her avid readers and Shakespeare fans.
Tyler’s work follows Jeanette Winterson’s The Gap of Time (A Winter’s Tale) and Howard Jacobson’s Shylock is my Name (The Merchant of Venice).
Next up, Margaret Atwood takes on The Tempest in Hag-Seed, and then we can look forward to contributions from Jo Nesbo, Tracy Chevalier, Gillian Flynn and, Edward St. Aubyn.
Blog Post
A Whit Stillman Trilogy
by manz
The films in this new Criterion Collection box set are not new. In fact, they are from the 1990s.
The collector's set trilogy includes Metropolitan (1990), Barcelona (1994), and The Last Days of Disco (1998) -- all from writer-director Whit Stillman. Set during the 1980s the films feature sets of sour, quick-witted, upper class twenty-somethings sharing wordy conversation as they explore the Manhattan party scene and beyond. The films do not have to be watched in order, they are simply three films with a similar look and feel. If you don’t think you can watch the trilogy in one week, they can also be checked out individually.
The director-approved three-DVD special edition collector’s set features restored versions of the three films, outtakes, alternate scenes, deleted scenes, new video essays about the trilogy, featurettes on the making of some of the films, appearances by Stillman on talk shows, and much more.
After making the three comedies of manners he took a break from indie comedy before returning to the field to make a fourth film, Damsels in Distress (2012). Stillman's newest film, Love & Friendship, will be released in mid-May. It is based on Jane Austen's short novel Lady Susan, and is not related to his previous four films.
Blog Post
The Hamiltome is Here!
by valerieclaires
Hamilton, the smash-hit Broadway hip-hop musical about Founding Father and America’s first Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton (yes, you read that right), has taken the world by storm. Performances are sold out through the end of this year, and celebrities from Busta Rhymes to Madonna all the way up to Dick Cheney and the Obama family have raved about the show.
If you’ve been listening to the Broadway cast soundtrack non-stop since it came out, you probably already know all about Hamiltome, the nickname for the newest book about the musical. Many Broadway shows publish libretti with music, lyrics, and notes about the show, but Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and collaborator Jeremy McCarter have put together something more like a scrapbook. In addition to the traditional libretto, Hamilton: The Revolution features large color photos of the cast, set, and show; plus historical background information, interviews, and footnotes from Miranda and the cast. It was published this week, and you can place a hold on it from AADL!
If you just can’t wait for it, and need to dive deeper into Hamilton and his contemporaries, try one of these:
Ron Chernow’s biography, Alexander Hamilton tops the list of further Hamilton reading, and is in fact the inspiration for the musical. Lin-Manuel Miranda took this 800-page tome on vacation as some nice beach reading, connected with the plight and struggle of a man writing himself out of hard times, and started composing the musical when he got back from vacation. This is the definitive Hamilton biography, a vivid and detailed portrait of a multi-dimensional man who came to a new country and made himself a new man.
Hamilton wrote prolifically, and there’s no better way to understand that than by picking up the 1108-page collection of his writings, which includes letters, speeches, the infamous Reynolds Pamphlet, and all 51 of the Federalist Papers he authored. Flip through, and you might even notice some lines from his actual writing that became lyrics in the show. Be certain to read some of the affectionate letters he wrote to his wife Eliza and the series of letters with Aaron Burr that led to their fateful duel.
After the duel, Aaron Burr would often casually refer to Alexander Hamilton as “my friend Alexander Hamilton, whom I shot.” They were, at the very least, colleagues, and even worked together as attorneys for the defense in America’s first sensational and fully transcribed murder trial. Duel with the Devil, by Paul Collins, shares the scandal of the Manhattan Well Mystery and the trial of suspect Levi Weeks, plus some of the political backstory of the two legendary rivals.
Don’t throw away your shot to learn more about this Founding Father’s fascinating life and career. Placing a hold on one of these books is easy, waiting for it is harder.