The summer heat’s effect on the attention span makes films rather than books look a lot more appealing. And with our great selection of documentaries, I’m still able to revel in the truth, strangeness and profundity of the real, as opposed to the fictional, world.

Publisher: Genius Products
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/24/2007
UPC: 00796019798679

Rating or censorship? You decide after watching this in-depth look at the secret cabal that is the Motion Picture Association of America Rating Board. This film should be required viewing by everyone who loves movies for a look at how this private, unregulated board has ultimate power over what films are shown and distributed in this country.

Publisher: Docurama
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/31/2006
UPC: 00767685976937

Originally released in 1972, this is a fascinating look at religious hucksterism. Marjoe Gortner was a child preacher prodigy who later exposed himself and his works as a complete fraud. A fascinating look at the inside world of firebrand preaching and evangelical religion.

Publisher: New Video Group
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/30/2005
UPC: 00767685973134

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary, this heartwarming film takes an up close and personal look at the world of the singers who make up an opera chorus. They may not BE Birgit Nielsen, but they can tell you what it’s like to sing NEXT to her as they describe their lives, and the parts, that are the heart and soul of grand opera.

Publisher: Docurama
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/26/2005
UPC: 00767685975237

In the 60’s a Lutheran pastor in Omaha is considered too radical for asking his congregation to take part in the Civil Rights movement by reaching out to their brethren at local black churches and—GASP—inviting them into their homes! Initially rejected by all three major networks for being to incendiary, this is a disarmingly honest look at average people struggling with the greatest issue of their time.

Publisher: New Yorker Video
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 01/13/2009
UPC: 00881164000125

And 40 years later the Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile Alabama, the oldest in the nation, are still segregated. Begun in 1703, this annual event continues to be celebrated in all its opulence, splendor and pomp along black and white color lines.

Publisher: Dial Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/29/2008
ISBN-13: 9780385340991
ISBN-10: 0385340990

I was very curious about this book. The title is what attracted me most because I could not imagine what in the world a Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was. Once I got my hands on this book I had a hard time putting it down. I quickly learned that Guernsey is an island located in the English Channel off the Normandy coast of France. The island belongs to Great Britain and today is home to over 65,000 people. But in reality, Guernsey is largely independent, both politically and in spirit, which is very apparent from the colorful cast of characters presented in the narrative.

The story is set in 1946 right after the end of World War II when Europe is emerging from many exhausting years of war. The protagonist is Juliet Ashton a successful London author who during the war wrote comedic sketches to lift people’s spirits. Juliet is looking for her next book subject when one day she receives a curious letter from Dawsey Adams, a farmer-turned-harbor worker and carpenter who lives on Guernsey and has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. Starved for information from the outside world Dawsey and his fellow Guernsey natives are looking for more about their favorite authors and book subjects. A correspondence begins and soon Juliet finds herself drawn to “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”. Juliet learns about how the group was formed during the Nazi occupation and why potato peel pie was so central to their name. Each of the members begins a unique correspondence with Juliet and she soon learns more about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she eventually sets sail for Guernsey to meet all the members and to discover a part of herself that she has been missing because of war and other circumstances.

I highly recommend this book which was written in letter format. And after you’ve long put it down I recommend further readings about Guernsey from the web.

First Chapter  

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/15/1996
ISBN-13: 9780312144074
ISBN-10: 0312144075

Stephen Chan a young Chinese man is recovering from tuberculosis. The year is 1938 and World War II is raging and the powerful military empire of Japan is about to invade and conquer China. Stephen is sent by his family to his grandfather’s beach house in Tarumi, a small Japanese seaside town, in order to recuperate from his illness. Stephen’s mother lives in Hong Kong while his father lives primarily in Tokyo. Both are somewhat absent from his life and they keep up correspondence via letters. The first person to greet Stephen in Tarumi is Matsu, an old Japanese man whose family has tended the beach house for decades. In Matsu, Stephen soon finds a surrogate parent. Matsu introduces Stephen to Sachi who is a close friend. Sachi suffers from leprosy but Stephen soon learns to overlook the physical scarring to see the beautiful woman beneath. Over the span of a year, Stephen becomes entangled in both Matsu’s and Sachi’s lives. He also meets a young Japanese woman named Keiko whom he falls in love with. However, everything in Stephen’s life remains uncertain due to the political turbulence and divisions between Japan and China. Finding solitude in both Matsu’s and Sachi’s gardens, as well as the lepers village in which Sachi resides, Stephen learns much about dealing with life while uncertain times continue to rage around him.

Tsukiyama’s writing style in this novel is very beautiful and elegant. It reminds one of a carefully crafted Japanese painting or calligraphy art. The main themes explored are loneliness, solitude, and isolation. It is a coming of age story set against turbulent times.

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/29/2007
ISBN-13: 9781596912854
ISBN-10: 1596912855

If you’re looking for something lighthearted and fun to read, and at the same time you’re a fan of everything Jane Austen, you might enjoy Shannon Hale’s book “Austenland.” You will meet thirty-two-year old Jane Heyes who is a die hard fan of Colin Firth’s character portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC adaption of Pride and Prejudice. Jane dreams of meeting someone who is just like Mr. Darcy. However, in real life no real man can compare. When her wealthy great-aunt dies and leaves her with a trip to an English resort about all things Austen, Jane’s fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. 

Jane visits an Austen theme park where she must dress up in Regency-era dress and adhere to the customs and etiquette of the day. She meets and flirts with gardeners and gentleman who play the perfect part of Mr. Darcy. Jane knows that all of this is just show and role play, but could there be real life romance in the midst of this crazy act?

Publisher: Scholastic
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 08/31/2009
ISBN-13: 9780545123266
ISBN-10: 0545123267

Since Grace was young she watched the wolves in the her wooded backyard, especially the one with the yellow eyes, the one that saved her life. When unexpectedly she finds out that her yellow eyed wolf is really Sam, a gorgeous teenage werewolf, she has to find a way to make him stay human, or lose him forever to the woods. This teen romance is authentic, engaging and addicting. A great read for those who loved the Twilight series.

Publisher: Scholastic Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780439023498
ISBN-10: 0439023491

This sequel to the very popular Hunger Games doesn't disappoint. The story of Katniss and Peeta continues, as does the love triangle that includes Gale as well. What no one expects is that Katniss and Peeta will have to compete again, no one can survive the Hunger Games twice, right? The action is non-stop and the cliffhanger proves the final book in the trilogy will be just as thrilling.

Publisher: Little, Brown
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/09/2009
ISBN-13: 9780316036122
ISBN-10: 0316036129

Cradle is a first novel; short and sweet yet complex with an engaging plot. Matt’s pregnant wife, Melissa, asks him to find the antique cradle which disappeared ten years ago along with her wayward mother. He sets out with a single clue leading him from town to town throughout the Midwest. Matt himself has many wounds to heal as does Renee, a popular children’s author whose story takes place later in time but interweaves with Matt’s. A story about families and self-discoveries.

Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 05/05/2009
ISBN-13: 9781400065172
ISBN-10: 1400065178

“There was nothing you could do and yet you could not do nothing.” A loving husband takes his dying wife and their self-absorbed college age daughter to an historic resort in the mountains of New Hampshire. He plans an anniversary celebration with old friends, but only he knows that this will be a goodbye. The character’s observations on family, illness and old friends ring true. Another terrific first novel.

First Chapter  

It’s picture book time!

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/09/2008
ISBN-13: 9781423113355
ISBN-10: 1423113357

A little dinosaur ROARS his way to victory every time…until he faces his greatest challenge of all!

Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780061363139
ISBN-10: 0061363138

A cat and mouse seem to play together, and seem to be enemies at the same time. See if you can recognize the different nursery rhymes.

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 02/17/2005
ISBN-13: 9780811846585
ISBN-10: 081184658X

Little Pea must choke down assorted candies the whole week long. Finally he gets dessert!

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/20/2007
ISBN-13: 9780811860239
ISBN-10: 081186023X

Little Hoot is very tired and wants to go to bed, but he has a long list of chores and activities to do first.

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/07/2009
ISBN-13: 9781423106852
ISBN-10: 1423106857

Spoon envies the other utensils, like Fork, Knife, and Chopsticks. He wishes he can do all the things they can do, until Spoon’s mom tells him what he CAN do.

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/11/2009
ISBN-13: 9780811868655
ISBN-10: 0811868656

Is it a duck or is it a rabbit? Read the book and decide for yourself!

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/10/2007
ISBN-13: 9781416936527
ISBN-10: 1416936521

Sing along to this well-known song with eight new silly verses and actions. See if you can follow along!

Publisher: M. Cavendish Children
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 03/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780761453376
ISBN-10: 0761453377

The perfect book for toddlers who love fire trucks. Each page rhymes and shows the job of a fire fighter. Check it out!

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/01/2008
ISBN-13: 9780761454212
ISBN-10: 0761454217

The perfect book for toddlers who love police cars. Illustrations and rhyming text celebrate police officers and what they do, including giving directions, providing first aid, and directing traffic. Check it out!