Julie's Journal : 3rd - 5th Grade Book Recommendations

I was recently asked to recommend some books for a 4th grade boy and it got me thinking about all the good books we have in the Juvenile section.  This section is for kids ages 8-12 and contains quite a large range of books.  My nephew just finished 4th grade and is almost 10, so he is squarely in this section of the library.  I've been watching his reading for the last year and noting what he has loved and what hasn't kept his attention.  This age is really fun in books because the kids are transitioning from "learning to read" to "reading to learn".  This stage is also the first time a child is a proficient enough reader to get lost in a good book.  If your kid needs some reading material for these long, hot summer days, let me make a few recommendations.

The Amulet books are a series of graphic novels.  They follow Emily and her brother Navin on a fantastical adventure to save their mother and the world.  They are helped along the way by a mysterious, mechanical, pink rabbit.  I read the first book and thought it was strange, but my nephew LOVED these books and read them as fast as he could one right after the other.  

Hank the Cowdog:  The first Hank the Cowdog book was published in 1983 and they are still being published.  I believe there are 72 installments at this time.  If you are not familiar with them, the books are told from the perspective of Hank - Head of Ranch Security.  Hank books are wonderful for struggling readers because they have all been made into audio books, so the reader can listen to the story while following along in the book.  Many of our patrons have listened to Hank books on road-trips, as well, because all members of a family can enjoy them.  The library has almost all of the print books and several of the audios available for checkout.  I am currently reading one of the Hank books out loud with a group of 5th grade boys.

Another popular series is the I Survived books.  Each story is about a true historical event.  The fictionalized stories are told through the eyes of a child experiencing the event.  The series spans history and includes tales from the American Revolution, Pearl Harbor, September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, and many more.  The books are a great way to introduce historical events in an approachable way and the kids love them.  Boys in particular seem to enjoy books that are about a true story.  During the summer we have a hard time keeping them on the shelves.  

In the same vein, the Hazardous Tales books tell the story of true events in American history.  They are graphic novels, and a new addition to FCL's collection.  I discovered these books on a teacher's blog, where he summarizes what his students are reading and apparently his class can't get enough of the Hazardous Tales.  Amazon's description of the books is as follows: "Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales are graphic novels that tell the thrilling, shocking, gruesome, and TRUE stories of American history. Read them all—if you dare!"

Like Hank the Cowdog, the Magic Tree House books have been popular for a long time.  The first book was published in 1992 and the series is still going strong.  The kids call these the "Jack and Annie" books after the main characters.  Jack and Annie are siblings who have discovered a magic tree house that takes them to different periods in time or exotic locations where they have many adventures.  Although entirely fictional, the books give the kids glimpses of many historical events and times.  

Other popular book series in this section include:  

• Princess in Black 
• Happily Ever After 
• Kylie Jean
• Goosebumps
• Junie B. Jones
• Zeke Meke
• Bad Kitty
• Dragonbreath
• Jake Maddox

And of course, we also have lots of stand alone books for your kiddos to discover and enjoy.  Let me encourage you to schedule a quiet half-hour (or longer) in your day this summer for your kids to read and fall in love with a good book!

Julie's Journal : The Hat Books

Yesterday, the Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classes from Sulphur Bluff visited the library and asked for some books to be read to them.  Whenever we need to do a story time, I have a few go-to books to read and I always choose at least one of the Hat books by Jon Klassen.  There are three Hat books :  "I Want My Hat Back", "This is Not My Hat", and "We Found a Hat." 

The stories are hilarious for both adults and children.  I like reading them because the kids completely relate to the characters and their troubles, and the stories are laugh-out-loud funny. 

Yesterday I chose "I Want My Hat Back".  The story follows a bear who is missing his hat.  He walks through the forest asking his fellow creatures if they have seen his hat.  Only when asked to describe the hat does he realize that he HAS seen his hat - on the head of a rabbit.  He rushes back to the rabbit, where he retrieves his hat and metes out justice.  

 

I love the witty sense of humor in these books and the kids were laughing from page 1.  The illustrations go perfectly with the stories and sometimes tell part of the story themselves, without any need for words.  Do yourself a favor and check these books out to read out loud with your kids.  

Julie's Journal : On Reading Sad or Difficult Books

Lately, several things have made me think about the value of reading books that contain passages in which beloved characters (animal or human) die, characters experience difficult situations, or horrible things happen to real people in non-fiction.  

My sister recently texted me and asked for some book recommendations.  She wanted a good biography or auto-biography.  The first book that came to mind was Mistaken Identity by Dan and Susie Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen and Whitney Cerak.  The book is the story of two young women involved in a car wreck.  One of the girls lived, the other died, and they were mistaken for one another.  The mistake was not discovered for several weeks, after one family had had a funeral for their daughter and the other had been sitting at the hospital with the injured, comatose girl.  The book is fascinating, but very difficult and I warned my sister that it would make her cry.  She was okay with that, but many library patrons are not. 

I am currently attending a seminar led by Tom Wilkinson, of this blog's "Tom's Two Cents" column, on Lonesome Dove.  In his introduction of the book, Mr. Tom discussed the author's ability to make the reader fall in love with a character.  He warned us that McMurtry would have no compunction, though, in killing off our favorite characters, and if I am remembering correctly, in unpleasant ways.  

A couple of years ago, the movie "A Dog's Purpose" came out.  It is based on the book by W. Bruce Cameron and I read and enjoyed the book.  When I recommend it and its companion book A Dog's Journey, I get asked if it is sad.  People want to know if the dog dies.  The truth of the matter is that the books follow one dog over the course of several lifetimes.  The dog is born, dies, and is reincarnated several times.  The books are funny, heartwarming, and joyful.  Sadly, most people will not check the books out even though they end in a positive, hopeful way.  

I also recently read an article titled "What Good Does It Do To Break a Child's Heart?" by children's author Jo Knowles.  She discussed books that she had cried over as a child - books such as The Velveteen Rabbit and Charlotte's Web. In thinking about her reaction to those books she discovered that:

 "...those books hadn’t broken my heart. Not really. They’d caused an awakening in it, and helped it grow. That’s what good books do."

I've thought about that quote a lot since I first read it a few days ago.  I think that it sums up the benefits of reading quite succinctly.  Through reading we get to enjoy other people's success and happiness, but also grieve with them, and rail at the unfairness of it all when things go wrong.  Books show us something about ourselves.  Of course, I'm not going to grieve as strongly for a book character as I do for a friend or family member, but maybe grieving a book character can teach me something about myself - about how I grieve.  Maybe reading about a horrible situation like the one in Mistaken Identity can help me expand my compassion for those around me.  Maybe facing difficult things in a book can help me face them in real life.  

Maybe the same is true for children.  In Ms. Knowles book See You at Harry's a child is at the funeral of her younger brother and doesn't understand how people can be laughing and telling stories at such a sad occasion.  I remember being confused by the same thing when I was a child.  I also remember reading Where the Red Fern Grows as a kid and crying over Billy's loss of Ole Dan and Little Ann.  Books can show kids situations they've never seen and help them process the ones they have.  Much as we want to keep kids sheltered from pain, they are going through the world with their eyes wide open, taking it all in.  Books are such a wonderful way to open discussions about difficult topics with the kids we love.  

I have read thousands of books since I first learned to read during nap time in Kindergarten.  I've read books that are funny, happy, silly, sappy, sad, intense, informative, and everything else you can think of.  I've read romance, science fiction, adventure, young adult, inspirational, biography, non-fiction and even a graphic novel or two.  I love a good escapist read that I can breeze through in an afternoon.  However, the books that have stayed with me are the ones that have made me think, and that usually means that the characters have gone through something difficult and come through on the other side.   

I guess what I really hope for is for readers to be open to all kinds of books.  I hope that we don't dismiss books out of hand just because they contain something difficult or sad.  I'm not going to recommend a book that has no hope in it - where there is nothing redeeming in either the characters or the situation.  Those are my least favorite types of books.  But just think of all the wonderful stories we would miss if we never read anything with hard things in them.  I think my life is better for the books I've read that have "broken" my heart.  I sure wouldn't have wanted to miss them!

Julie's Journal : Murder on the Orient Express

As someone who considers herself fairly well-read, I am ashamed to admit that I haven't read much Agatha Christie.  According to AgathaChristie.com and wikipedia, Christie is the best selling novelist of all time, having been outsold only by the Bible and William Shakespeare.  Christie is most well-known for her detective novels featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.  I read one of her novels, And Then There Were None, a few years ago and enjoyed it, but didn't pick up any more of her work for some time.

When the Murder on the Orient Express movie came out in 2017, I wanted to see it, but was determined to read the book first.  Even though we have a traditional copy of the book in the library, I put myself on hold for it on Overdrive and waited and waited and waited for it to become available.  I finally read it at the beginning of March.  Surprisingly, in spite of the book being 85 years old and extremely famous, I had very little idea of the story line going in.  I won't get into too many of the details in case you, like me, aren't familiar with the story and want to go into it blind; but I thought the murder, the varied cast of characters, the unique setting, and Detective Poirot's handling of the case was ingenious. 

Last week, my husband was out of town and I needed something to watch, so I took the movie home.  It stays very close to the story in the book, which is important to me, but I understood the need to make the few changes that I saw.  I'm not able, like Chance, to discuss the cinematography and costumes, but I did find some of the camera work interesting.  I've not been on a passenger train of the sort in the story, but I can see where filming in such a way as to portray the tight quarters would be difficult. 

The cast is quite star-studded, including Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, and Michelle Pfieffer.  However, the star was definitely Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot.  His amazing mustache should have been a character in its own right.  I had never before heard of such a device as a mustache protector for sleeping, but saw one in action in the movie!

Overall, I really enjoyed my dip into Agathie Christie's World and characters.  I think next, I'll try Death on the Nile.  It looks like it will be the next movie made, with Branagh reprising his role as Detective Hercule Poirot!

Julie's Journal : What I've Been Reading - Nonfiction

In my reading life, I tend towards fiction.  I like a story that takes me out of my world and into another.  However, I do enjoy non-fiction occasionally and try to incorporate it into my reading.  So far this year, three non-fiction titles have caught my attention. 

The first was Inheritance by Dani Shapiro.  Dani was born in the early 1960's, the only blonde, blue-eyed child in a dark-eyed, dark skinned Jewish family.  She grew up as essentially an only child, as her only half-sister was much older and already out of the house.  Her family practiced Orthodox Judaism and Shapiro grew up learning to speak Hebrew and eating Kosher.  As an adult, long after she had married and had a child of her own, Shapiro submitted her DNA to an ancestry site, purely out of curiosity.  The results would turn her world upside down.  She learned that her father, was not in fact her biological father.  After much research into her deceased parents' lives, she discovered that she had been conceived at a fertility clinic, where a doctor was using questionable methods.  Eventually she discovered that her biological father had been a medical student at the nearby university.  I found the book very interesting.  Ms. Shapiro takes the reader on her journey as she comes to terms with her genetic history not matching her very strong cultural history.  I am sure that more and more of these stories will start to emerge with the popularity of DNA testing.  Are we really sure we want to know all the answers about where we came from?

Duped by Abby Ellin was a look at people who lie habitually, the lies we all tell, and the characteristics that make us want to believe a lie.  Abby became involved in a relationship with a man who told her innumerable lies about his past career accomplishments.  He had achieved many things of a "highly secret" nature.  Ms. Ellin didn't discover the full breadth of his lies to her until after their relationship had ended.  Then, a second time, she believed a man who told her lies about the nature of his relationship with his "soon-to-be ex" wife.  Honestly, I found Ms. Ellin a little difficult as a person.  I tend to have a "once burned, twice shy" philosophy of life, and having been duped twice in the same manner would be difficult for me to admit.  I didn't feel like she had learned anything about how to vet a possible suitor.  However, I found her research on deception in general interesting and stuck with the book for that reason.

This week, I finished Girl in the Dark by Anna Lyndsey.  In her early 30's Anna begin developing a painful skin reaction to light.  At first she thought it was just on her face and was from her computer screen.  Gradually however, she begin reacting all over her body and to all types of light.  She became unable to work and eventually she needed to black out a room in her home and spend most of her time in complete darkness.  Even then, she wears several layers of clothing because some types of light waves still exist in darkness.  She passes the time by listening to audio books of almost every genre.  She leaves her room only to use the bathroom and to make small meals.  The rest of her house is dim, no lights are ever left on and her husband watches TV alone as the light emitting from it is too painful for her.   She does go through periods of moderate remission and relapse.  Her husband, a photographer, gets her a light meter so she can judge how much light she can handle.  She undergoes some testing, but finds traveling to doctors too painful, so doesn't get as much medical help as she needs.  Anna's story was engrossing because in reading, both fiction and non-fiction, I want to see lives that are different from my own, so that I can vicariously have as many experiences as possible.  In Anna's story, I certainly see a different type of life, and one that I am thankful I am not living.  I cannot imagine living without light.    

Chance's Corner : Oscars Season 2018

Chance has graciously agreed to continue writing the occasional blog post even though he no longer works at FCL.  I'm extremely grateful as I am not equipped to write about movies! - Julie

For the first time in years, I’ve never been more uncertain about who will take home an Academy Award. A Star Is Born taking home the gold seemed like a cinch, but it’s essentially been shut out at all the other award shows, outside of “Shallow” sweeping every Best Song category available (as it should). In its place, the likes of Bohemian Rhapsody, Roma and Black Panther have been raking in the wins, and while Roma is understandable, Bohemian Rhapsody and Black Panther have been absolute headscratchers, so much so that I’ve scratched down to my scalp! Despite the “it’s anyone’s game” atmosphere this year, I’m going to try my best to correctly predict the winners!

Here we go!

Best Picture:

Of the eight films nominated this year, only four of them have a serious chance of winning this category - A Star Is Born, Roma, The Favourite and Green Book. If the Academy is feeling safe, they’ll clearly go with Green Book, which has been called this year’s Driving Miss Daisy. But even for a safe choice, Green Book has stirred up some controversy for… being directed by a white man? It’s a little more than that, but that’s basically it. Now, if the Academy dares to go off the wall, it will pick The Favourite, a rather alternative look at Queen Anne. The Academy openly embraced fish romance last year, so is it up to going weird again? I’m not so sure. The most serious contender is A Star Is Born, even if its chances seem slim. I mostly say it’s a serious contender because I believe the Academy will try to atone for Bradley Cooper not getting nominated for Best Director - they may do that by picking him for Best Actor, though. A Star Is Born has also had several members of the Academy come to its defense, most notably Sean Penn, so that could work in its favor, as well. As for Roma, I think it has higher odds to win Best Foreign Film rather than Best Film, but the Academy could split the vote by choosing Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War for Best Foreign Film and Roma for Best Film - I think it’d be unfair for Roma to win both, but that’s just my opinion.

Winner Prediction: A Star Is Born

Best Actor:

Rami Malek has been picking up this award for most of the awards season, but I think his luck will run out on Oscar night. Method actor Christian Bale, who transformed into Dick Cheney by gaining weight and shaving his head, checks every single box for Best Actor winner - the Academy is a sucker for transformative performances! However, Bradley Cooper does have a strong chance of stealing the award in the form of a “vote of confidence” vote.

Winner Prediction: Christian Bale for Vice

Best Actress:

I strongly believe Lady Gaga deserves Best Actress, but, alas, the Academy didn’t give Judy Garland the Oscar for her performance in 1954’s A Star Is Born, so the award here will most likely end up in Glenn Close’s lap as a “legacy” award - meaning she’s been nominated for an Oscar six times already, so it’s about time she actually won one. Oh well, Gaga’s going to win Best Original Song for “Shallow”, so she’s going to be up on that stage, either way!

Winner Prediction: Glenn Close for The Wife

Best Supporting Actor:

It’s really just between Sam Elliott and Mahershala Ali here, with Elliott edging Ali out by simply backing up a truck with tears in his eyes. Watch A Star Is Born and you’ll see what I mean!

Winner Prediction: Sam Elliott for A Star Is Born

Best Supporting Actress:

While Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are strong contenders, it never ends well when you have two actress in the same movie competing for the same award - like when Anne Baxter and Bette Davis were both nominated for Best Actress for All About Eve… oof! I’ll never forgive Anne for that. Anyways, I think the split in the votes will allow Regina King to swoop in and claim victory. If not, then it will be Weisz.

Winner Prediction: Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk

Best Director:

This very well could be Spike Lee’s year, but he has strong competition in Alfonso Cuarón and Pawel Pawlikowski for their black and white foreign films. Cuarón is basically a shoo-in, unless the Academy opts to award him with Best Cinematography (he’s got that category in the bag) and give Best Director to Pawlikowski or Lee.

Winner Prediction: Alfonso Cuarón for Roma

Best Animated Film:

 

Disney has two horses in this race, Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet,  but they don’t stand a chance next to Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse... unless Disney buys the vote.

Winner Prediction: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

So, am I totally clued-in? Or totally clueless? We’ll find out Sunday!

New E-books

We have recently added some new material to our e-book collection on Overdrive.  We try to buy things that you, our patrons, have recommended or are on hold for.  The following are just a few of the new items.  

You can read e-books from FCL using either the Overdrive app or the Libby app.  We will provide you with a username and password on request.  If you need help setting up the app, just bring in your device and we'll be glad to help you.  

Julie's Journal : Longmire

Have you watched the Longmire series?  My husband Jason was told by his coworkers that he "had" to watch it.  They were just sure he would love it.  So during Christmas break, I took the first season home and we were hooked.

Longmire is based on a series of books by Craig Johnson.  They follow a small-town Wyoming sheriff, Walt Longmire, and his small staff as they solve crimes, navigate small town politics, work with the nearby Reservation, and deal with their personal dramas.  We particularly enjoyed the setting, as we spent quite a bit of time in Wyoming during our vacation last year.

Although Walt is dealing with the demons left behind by his wife's death, we like his no-nonsense approach to law enforcement and investigation.  His friend, Henry Standingbear (played by Lou Diamond Phillips) - who speaks with no contractions, is a favorite too.  

The first three seasons revolve around Deputy Branch Connelly's bid to unseat Longmire as sheriff and Walt's attempt to solve the mysteries surrounding his wife's death.  However, the campaign and election have to take a back seat to the various murder's and crimes that are happening in Absaroka County.  

The last three seasons are more focused on Walt's obsession with proving that Native mogul, Jacob Nighthorse, is up to no good.  I actually got a little tired of the Sheriff's obsession with Jacob.  I found the episodes where they were solving new crime more enjoyable that the constant attempt to prove Jacob was a criminal mastermind.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our binge watch of Longmire.  In something of a reversal for me, I actually sought out and read the first book AFTER we had finished the series.  It was definitely different from the show, particularly in character descriptions and in the resolution of the first case.

If you want to try either the show or the books, they are available for checkout here at Franklin County Library.  Now I need something new to binge watch.  Any recommendations?

Christian's Cozy Mystery Recommendations

This is the perfect time of year to grab a blanket, the warm beverage of your choice (black coffee for me), and snuggle up with a Cozy Mystery. 

Cozy mysteries tend to be light, bright “who done its.”  We carry several cozy authors here in the library and no less than 32 pages of these books can be found when searching on Overdrive or Libby.

Some of my favorites are:

Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mysteries (Some available in Library &  some on Overdrive/Libby)

Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder living in San Francisco.  Through great characters and zany capers, Carlisle keeps the reader entertained. Also available on Overdrive/Libby, her series Fixer-Upper Mysteries.

Jenn McKinlay’s Library Lovers Mystery

Lindsey Norris is the newish director of the Briar Creek Public Library.  Together with her best friend/colleague, Beth Stanley, the crafternooner, and Captain Sully, she learns the subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) art of sleuthing.

Miranda James’ Cat in the Stacks Mysteries (Some available in Library & some on Overdrive/Libby)

Librarian, Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel live in Athena, Mississippi.  James pulls the reader in with charm, wit, and a particularly adorable kitty cat.  Also available between the Library & Overdrive/Libby, James’ series Southern Ladies Mysteries.

For those who like a little magic with their mystery:

Heather Blake’s Magic Potion Mysteries (Available on Overdrive/Libby)

Here we join Carly Bell Hartwell, owner of Little Shop of Potions, on her adventures in Hitchingpost, Alabama.  Blake grabs her readers attention with blundering mishaps and often, outlandish characters. 

Sofie Ryan’s Second Chance Cat Mysteries (Available on Overdrive/Libby)

In her hometown of North Harbor, Maine, Sarah Grayson has opened a re-purpose shop, Second Chances.  With a little help from her friends, Charlotte’s Angels and her cat, Elvis, she embarks on a murder solving odyssey.  The question is, “What is it about that cat?”

Carol Perry’s Witch City Mysteries (Available on Overdrive/Libby)

After her husband’s death, Lee Barrett moves back home to Salem, Massachusetts to live with her Aunt Ibby.  Through fateful circumstances she learns of her suppressed psychic ability. 

These are only a few of the quaint and charming books in our onsite and online cozy mystery selections.  Stop in the library and ask for Christian for more info.

*ALL BOOK COVER PHOTOS PROCURED FROM AUTHORS’ WEBSITES

Chance's Corner: Mary Poppins Returns Review

The very idea of Mary Poppins returning to us after a 54 year absence is enough to make anyone want to step in time, but the Mary who ever-so-delicately touches down here, a posher, perhaps sterner, incarnation brought to life by Emily Blunt, feels like a being from The Twilight Zone episode "The Parallel". In that episode, an astronaut comes back home from space, but something doesn't quite feel right. His wife and daughter are the same, but they feel off, just as he feels off to them. After a few more bizarre encounters, the episode ultimately suggests that the astronaut has entered a parallel universe, and that's just what it feels like in Mary Poppins Returns.

The film wants you to believe that Mary is back, but the Mary I saw didn't feel like her. She didn't even pronounce her trademark words quite right! A minor quibble, I know, and impossible to avoid. I do give Blunt credit for being courageous enough to fill the shoes so well worn by the indelible Julie Andrews. While she doesn't quite have the range that Andrews possessed, she makes a suitable successor. Lin-Manuel Miranda also proved to be suitable, although a lot of the burden was off his shoulders, as he's a new character entirely. Still, I don't think he carried the same energy as Dick Van Dyke did as Bert. That's hardly a fair comparison, though, seeing as Van Dyke is a dancing machine whose gears still appear to be well oiled!

Continuing with the parallel universe argument, Mary Poppins Returns takes several scenes from Mary Poppins and inverts them... literally, in one instance! Whacky Cousin Topsy (Meryl Streep) is the inverse of Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn). The cartoon world inside the cracked bowl (a bowl which Topsy never returned) is the parallel to the cartoon world inside the street chalk. The lamplighters' song and dance routine "Trip the Light Fantastic" cribs from the chimney sweeps' "Step In Time". I could go on. I think Mary Poppins Returns leans a little bit too much into the familiarity of the original film, so much so that I kind of just wished I was watching the original film - just as the astronaut wanted to return to his real home.

Still, I can't deny that Mary Poppins Returns has its heart in the right place and doesn't mean any malice towards the legacy of Mary Poppins, although I'm sure P.L. Travers would absolutely disagree. Oh well. The story is charming enough, bolstered by three likable and fiercely independent children, but it’s really a bit flat and uninspired underneath all the “stuff and nonsense”, as Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) would put it. The stakes of the film rest on Colin Firth’s villainous banker, who is really just a one-dimensional scoundrel whose only motivation is money (who could have guessed?). Firth’s talent is wasted in the role, and he doesn’t even get to sing. A shame! Anyways, while the film isn't exactly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (sorry, I had to), it still manages to have a touch of magic to it.

Chance's Corner: Bird Box Review

There’s an old adage that goes “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” and this year there’s been two horror films that have toyed with this concept, one being A Quiet Place, which implemented the “speak no evil”, otherwise a creature will “hear” and kill you, and the other being Netflix’s newest release, Bird Box, where if you “see” something you’ll die. To compare these films, or to simply say that Bird Box is a rip off of A Quiet Place, would be foolish, especially considering that Bird Box was released as a novel in 2014, so I’m not going to do that. I’ll just say that there are some commonalities and move on to my review.

Right from the start, Bird Box grabs you by the throat with Sandra Bullock's "this is how it is and you better listen to me" spill, and I assure you that I was listening! She commands the role of Malorie, a reluctantly pregnant woman caught in dire circumstances, and delivers one of her finest late career performances... if not THE finest! Let's be honest, though, she's kind of been coasting since her Oscar winning performance in television's go-to movie of the week The Blind Side. As for the film built around her, Bird Box left me feeling genuinely terrified – terrified of the unknown. The film never dares to explain itself, and in an almost fourth wall approach, we never get a chance to see the entity, as if we too wouldn't be able to bear the sight of whatever is causing “The Problem”, as the novel defines it. “The Problem” is clear, though - if you see whatever It is, you die by your own hand, or if you’re lucky (?) enough, you basically become Its disciple and set out to make the remaining survivors “see”. Sounds more bizarre than terrifying, but you just have to see it (ha) to feel its chilling effect.

What makes Bird Box really unique is the way it unfolds. The film shifts its focus between two timelines - one is set just after “The Problem” begins, and takes place in a house full of strangers, some being John Malkovich, Trevante Rhodes, the lead from Dumplin', and a woman I could have sworn was a thin Sally Struthers (but it's not), and the other timeline is set five years later, which is where Bird Box's main gimmick comes into play - Bullock and two no-name kids (one is her own, but you’re mostly left to guess which one) have to traverse a raging river in a rowboat... blindfolded. This set up could have easily scuttled the film's pacing and tension, but the alternating timelines weave well together and ultimately lend real depth to the harrowing third act. *whispers* I cried.

Overall, I consider Bird Box to be one of the biggest surprises of the year, and if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences weren’t so stuffy, Sandra Bullock could be easily in the running for her third Best Actress nomination. But that’s not going to happen! Anyways, if you’re interested in seeing Bird Box, you can watch it on Netflix, and if you’re interested in the novel, we have it available for check out here at the Franklin County Library!

New Year's Resolutions - 2019

Well, Christmas is over and it's time to start looking ahead to the new year.  In addition to discussing plans for the library for 2019, we have a few personal goals/resolutions as well.

Lisa:

1.  Slow down!

2.  Enjoy the little things.

3.  Take time to feed my creativity.

Julie:

1.  Learn new crochet stitches and create something to wear.

2.  Read at least 6 biographies, particularly of men and women of faith.

3.  Get outside and walk.

Chance:

1.  More positive outlook on life.

2.  Read one book a month.

3.  Get to my ideal weight.

Christian:

1.  Read 10 new (to me) authors' works.

2.  The old stand by:  Healthier eating, more H2O, and more exercise.

3.  Get back into painting and writing.

Tom's Two Cents : Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins, this time in the form of Emily Blunt, has returned to Number 17, Cherry Tree Lane in London. Is the film a successful sequel to its legendary original? Well... yes and no. Sequels are nearly always difficult. The one film exception I can think of is “The Godfather II,” which outdid the original. (“Godfather III” did not.). This sequel in no way outdoes the original, but it does have its moments, and among the most successful ones are those involving Lin-Manuel Miranda, who clearly has star power the likes of which we have not seen since the hey-day of Gene Kelly. I suppose I am one of the last to acknowledge this, not being one of the thousands of “Hamilton” groupies, but the man clearly has extraordinary talent and puts it to superb use, perhaps at an advantage in not having to try to bring the original Dick Van Dyke character, Bert, the chimney sweep, back to life.

Emily Blunt, in my opinion, is not so lucky. Yes, she captures the Mary Poppins role satisfactorily, but she is no substitute for Julie Andrews. This is not to say she does not sing, dance and act well, but she does not bring that certain indefinable “something” to the character that Andrews did. I would go so far as to say that no one can. Andrews’ grasp of Poppins was, like her Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” a definitive interpretation, and one that another actress takes on at her peril. Mary Poppins does not have a range of characteristics like, say, Shakespeare’s Juliet—she is basically what we call in fiction a”flat” character, yes a very odd bird indeed, but even her oddities are relatively limited in scope. Andrews brought the character of Poppins totally to life, in that she was not playing a role—she WAS the character.

All this being said, the rest of the cast was quite superb, as were the musical numbers and production values in general. I would not agree with the New York Times review, which found the show “charmless.” It had plenty of charm and most of the elements that made the first MP a success. “The Place Where Lost Things Go” was a lovely, touching number, and “Trip the Light Fantastic” a terrific dance sequence. Cameos played by Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Dick van Dyke and others were delightful and effective—only Colin Firth, in a stereotypical villain role, was wasted.

• No, I didn’t come out dancing and singing, as I did some fifty-four years ago, when I saw the original film, but I’m very glad I saw it. 

Now let’s wait and see what our Real Film Critic, Chance Crane, has to say!

Chance's Corner: Dumplin' Review

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."

                - Dolly Parton

Funny story here, but when I first saw the book Dumplin' on our shelves at the library, I thought it was about a young overweight drag queen who entered a teen beauty pageant to disrupt the status quo. I never read the book (not because of that), but I eventually figured out that it was really just about a girl. So, I went into watching Dumplin’ totally blind, and what should appear? Dolly Parton drag queens. I just knew there would be drag queens! One of them even treats us to a rousing lip sync of Dolly Parton’s "Jolene". If you didn’t know, there’s a lot of Dolly Parton in Dumplin’ – minus the actual Dolly, although she does provide the soundtrack with several of her classic hits and a few new songs penned especially for this film!

In Dumplin’, our small town Texas-livin’, Dolly Parton lovin’ heroine, Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald), is beautiful, no matter what they say. Words won't bring her down! Okay, so maybe the nickname "Dumplin'" will bring her down a bit, but as she comes to face her greatest enemy, which is herself, she comes to embrace it. The journey to that embrace isn't your typical journey, though. There's the threat of mean girls (mainly Dove Cameron), but they never strike - there's no moment where a group of them back Willowdean into a corner, call her names, and tell her she's not good enough, which causes her to bawl and have a spiritual Dolly Parton intervention – although Dolly’s classic tunes and near-philosophical words of wisdom help Willowdean pull through. Sure, the other girls in the pageant snicker behind her back (Willowdean brings it upon herself, to be honest), and some folks give her "girl, what are you doin' here?" looks, but, like I said, the threat is mostly internalized. Bo (Luke Benward), a good-ole burger-flippin’ country guy, does everything but take out a billboard for Willowdean, but due to her own insecurities, she pushes him away. What a dummy! Sometimes, I just really wanted her to snap out of it, but I have my own insecurities, so I know it's not just something you can snap away. So, I'm a dummy, too, at times. That flip of the script is what really sells Dumplin' as something different and unique in a market oversaturated with teen issues. Dumplin' is also grounded in reality, particularly concerning the beauty pageant results, and I respect that.

Performances all around ranged from good to great - the good are only limited to good because they didn't have much to do, such as Bo who disappears for way too long – he wasn’t even at the pageant! The greatest of the great, of course, is Jennifer Aniston, who could have easily come off as Willowdean’s wicked former teen beauty pageant winner (not step) mother, but instead brings a layer of complexity and sympathy to perhaps the most "villainous" character in the film. Others do shine, though, and Danielle Macdonald is one of them as the titular Dumplin', but she can come across as insufferably stubborn, at times. However, the one who shines the most is Maddie Baillio as Millie - I'm so proud of her!

Overall, this is the feel-good movie I've been needing lately, and no matter if she wins the crown or not, Willowdean Dickson is still a winner! If you’re interested, Dumplin’ is available to watch on Netflix. If you're interested in reading Dumplin', we currently have no suitable copies available for check out, but check back with us after the New Year!

Chance's Corner: Alternative Christmas Movies

Are you tired of watching films where exceptionally attractive people fall in love during Christmas? Tired of seeing romances set at Christmas cottages, ski resorts, or obnoxiously quaint small towns where someone may or may not be Santa? Or how about... okay, you get the picture! Well, if you answered yes to any of those questions, then I've got the best Christmas list for you - a list of alternative Christmas movies! Alternative Christmas movies? Yes, that's right! This is a list of movies that may not care about spreading the Christmas spirit, but they do take place during the Christmas season. They might just bring a little Christmas cheer, too, depending on how you look at it.

Gremlins - A lot of strange things came out of the '80s, and Gremlins was certainly one of them. It was so strange, in fact, that it (along with Temple of Doom) instigated the creation of the PG-13 rating. Now, I'm not the one to push what is appropriate and inappropriate for children, but I can imagine the sheer horror Gremlins brought to unsuspecting families upon its initial release - the ultimate horror being Phoebe Cates' Santa story. WOW, way to ruin Christmas. Sounds like I'm taking Gremlins to task, and I am a little bit, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun despite its mean-spirited nature. What I especially love about Gremlins is all the little callbacks to past films it has in it - Back to the Future, E.T., The Time Machine, Forbidden Planet, Indiana Jones, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Alien, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, It's a Wonderful Life, and so much more.

Black Christmas - While John Carpenter’s Halloween gets most of the credit for developing the formula for the modern slasher film, Black Christmas pre-dates it by four years and sets the classic standards that have been repeated ever since. Black Christmas is definitely more of a slow burn, wrapped in mystery and a thick, claustrophobic atmosphere, but the wrapping comes off in the end and leaves you squealing like the kid who got what they wished for on Christmas morning. Funnily enough, the director of this film, Bob Clark, would go on to make another Christmas classic - A Christmas Story.

Die Hard - Die Hard is a Christmas story for the ages, where NYPD cop, John McClane (Bruce Willis), flies to California for the holidays to reconnect with his wife, and ends up eliminating a dozen or so terrorists - oops, I mean "robbers" - at his wife's company Christmas party. Whether Die Hard really is a Christmas film or not is up for debate, but it is a truly iconic action film. Bruce Willis delivers a career-defining performance as McClane - a performance that shadows him to this day. Poor Bruce has always been criticized for having no range, but he manages to keep pace and match wits (and expletives) with the formidable Alan Rickman, who is deliciously villainous as Hans Gruber. Thespian by nature, Die Hard virtually put Rickman on the map overnight. As I always say, a movie is only as good as its villain, and, as such, Die Hard is phenomenal.

Lethal Weapon - Here we have another iconic action film that just so happens to take place around Christmastime. Mel Gibson and Danny Glover make an excellent partnership, even if they don't believe it, and Richard Donner's direction and Shane Black's script bring a real gritty edge to the holiday season. Oh, and Gary Busey brings the insanity, as usual. Overall, if the sounds of "Jingle Bell Rock" and excessive gunfire doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will!

Scrooged - Bill Murray expertly lends his dry wit and cynicism to this modern (it's 1988) and darkly comedic twist on Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. There's honestly a bajillion versions of this classic tale to choose from, but this one is my absolute favorite. The ending monologue may schmaltzy, but it brings me to tears every… single… time!

Batman Returns - While Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands could easily make its way on this list, Batman Returns is the Burton Christmas classic I turn to. The Christmas iconography at play here is truly through the roof, and as a young kid, this film taught me that mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it... and a kiss can even be deadlier if you mean it. Ooo la la! Christmas aside, Batman Returns is the greatest comic book film of all time, and you can quote me on that! After Burton proved that a "serious" Batman film was bankable (it was one of the highest grossing films of the '80s), Warner Brothers loosened his leash, which lead to this grandiose, absurd, dark and operatic sequel.

The Nightmare Before Christmas - You thought I had forgotten about this one, didn't you? While Tim Burton might have written the poem this film is based on, The Nightmare Before Christmas is actually directed by Henry Selick. While it grossed me out as a kid, this grotesque stop-motion animated opera has certainly grown on me, and has left its mark both on Halloween, with the song "This is Halloween", and Christmas, with the demented "Making Christmas" and the even catchier tune "What's This?"

If none of those are your style, then that's okay! I have a list of traditional Christmas movies, too, that offers a variety of viewing options. I'd like to know, what's your go-to Christmas movie? It can be traditional or non-traditional.