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Staff Picks March 2007
Sarah's Picks


Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah - Me First & The Gimme Gimmes
Publisher: Emi Distribution
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/19/2004
 UPC: 00751097067420
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes specialize in catchy punk covers of songs, and this CD contains a wide variety of genres. They're tons of fun, especially if you like new versions of your favorite tunes. Rock out to "O Sole Mio," "Heart of Glass," "Stairway to Heaven," and more!

Final Fantasy XII 
Publisher: Square Enix
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/31/2006
 UPC: 00662248904078
The newest in the "Final Fantasy" franchise is a high quality release that introduces a new battle system. The plot is epic, so be ready for some hard-hitting storytelling.

Fables : Legends in Exile - Bill Willingham, writer
Publisher: DC Comics
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2003
 ISBN: 9781563899423
 ISBN-10: 1563899426
All the characters from your favorite fairy tales have been driven from their Homelands by the mysterious "Adversary." Now they live in a secret community deep in the heart of New York. When deputy mayor Snow White learns that her sister Rose Red has gone missing, it's up to Sheriff Bigby (aka The Big Bad Wolf) to track down the perps.

Poison study - Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: LUNA
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 10/1/2005
 ISBN: 9780373802302
 ISBN-10: 0373802307
Yelena is on her way to be executed when she's given a new chance at life - as a poison taster! She’ll be working under the kingdom’s most feared spy to prevent the death of the Commander. This book has action, magic, romance and mystery! I liked how the main character had to think fast to save herself from poison and political intrigue.

Domiknitrix : whip your knitting into shape - Jennifer Stafford
Publisher: North Light Books
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/23/2006
 ISBN: 9781581808537
 ISBN-10: 1581808534
At first I wasn’t sure what kind of projects to expect from this book, but it definitely has something to offer every knitter. From sweaters to home decor, this book covers a wide range of punk, goth and vintage styles. The instructions are easy to follow and there are great tips for knitters of all skill levels.
Peggy's Picks


The Sea of Trolls - Nancy Farmer ; [maps by Rick Britton]
Publisher: Simon Pulse
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/23/2006
 ISBN: 9780689867460
 ISBN-10: 0689867468
Since I enjoyed her book, The House of the Scorpion, I thought I would give this one a try. I wasn't disappointed. Farmer weaves an adventure story filled with excitement, suspense, and danger. Jack and his little sister are kidnapped by Viking Berserkers. Jack hopes to return home, but his first priority is to keep himself and his sister alive. When he is offered an opportunity to return home, he accepts the challenge: to cross the Sea of Trolls and receive the knowledge he needs to reverse a spell on the Viking Queen.

The cat who went to Paris - Peter Gethers
Publisher: Crown Publishers
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/1991
 ISBN: 9780517585344
 ISBN-10: 0517585340
Back in my college days, when I said Norton's I was referring to the Norton Anthology of Children's Literature, however, this Norton is a cat. Not just any cat, but a Scottish Fold, well-traveled, and highly adored cat. Mr. Gethers is a tried and true dog lover and he wouldn't have it any other way. Then...Norton enters his life.

Marley & me : life and love with the world's worst dog - John Grogan
Publisher: Harper
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2008
 ISBN: 9780061687204
 ISBN-10: 0061687200
Although I live with two cats, I also like dogs, so when I saw this adorable puppy on the cover, I picked up the book. Soon I was in love with Marley, too. The Grogans decide that maybe they should try their parenting skills on a puppy before they start raising a family. Who knew they would pick a learning disabled puppy with behavioral issues? Marley will shock you with his actions, make you laugh at his antics, and cry at his end.

Drawing Stories From Around The World And A Sampling Of European Handkerchief Stories - Pellowski, Anne
Publisher: Libraries Unltd Inc
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/30/2005
 ISBN: 9781591582229
 ISBN-10: 1591582229
Although this book cannot leave the library since it is a children's reference book, it is great fun to look at. If you have children you know there is often waiting time involved during your daily activities. Copy a few of the drawing stories and handerkerchief stories and you will make the time speed by and entertain your children at the same time. All you need is some paper, a pencil or pen, and a handkerchief and you're set.

My sister's keeper : a novel - Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Washington Square Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2/15/2005
 ISBN: 9780743454537
 ISBN-10: 0743454537
This adult book is so thought provoking, many a discussion may follow. If someone in your family had an illness and needed an organ or two, you would probably do everything in your power to get what was needed. Anna has been conceived to be the bone marrow match for her sister Kate who has leukemia. Now Anna is thirteen and she is starting to question who she is. This book is written from the different points of view of each character so the reader becomes involved in the life of each. Be sure to have a box of Kleenex nearby.
Elizabeth's Picks


Swimming to Antarctica : tales of a long-distance swimmer - Lynne Cox
Publisher: Harcourt
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/7/2005
 ISBN: 9780156031301
 ISBN-10: 0156031302
Shark infested oceans. Water so chilling, sudden immersion will stop your heart. A river filled with rats and broken glass. Lynne Cox, the worlds leading long distance swimmer has conquered them all. “Swimming to Antarctica” is Cox’s detailed account of her major swims, and all that went right and wrong with them.

Cloud boy - Rhode Montijo
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 4/11/2006
 ISBN: 9781416901990
 ISBN-10: 141690199X
He made little things, he made big things. The sky was filled with all kinds of his wonderful creations, and the little cloud boy was never lonely again.

Downhill : the life story of a gravity goddess - Marla Streb
Publisher: Plume
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2003
 ISBN: 9780452284586
 ISBN-10: 0452284589
Marla Streb left her career as a biomedical researcher to climb onto a bicycle and hurl herself down the side of a mountain at speeds topping fifty miles an hour. Today she competes as a world class downhill mountain bike racer, reinforcing for all her readers the need to abandon everything to pursue what you love, and to live passionately.

Akeelah and the bee [videorecording] / produced by Laurence Fishburne . . . [et al. ]; written and directed by Doug Atchison - Atchison, Doug
Publisher: Lions Gate Home Entertainment
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2006
 UPC: 00031398195962
Word nerds will love this movie about a spelling bee showdown. Even if you think spelling went out of fashion with the spell check, you can’t help but be charmed by Akeelah and her determination to make something of herself when she heads to Washington to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Hawk : occupation, skateboarder - Tony Hawk with Sean Mortimer
Publisher: ReganBooks
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/1/2001
 ISBN: 9780060958312
 ISBN-10: 0060958316
For Tony Hawk, it wasn't enough to skate for two decades, to invent more than eighty tricks, and to win more than twice as many professional contests as any other skater. It wasn't enough to knock himself unconscious more than ten times, fracture several ribs, break his elbow, knock out his teeth twice, compress the vertebrae in his back, pop his bursa sack, get more than fifty stitches laced into his shins, rip apart the cartilage in his knee, bruise his tailbone, sprain his ankles, and tear his ligaments too many times to count. No. He had to land the 900. And after thirteen years of failed attempts, he nailed it. It had never been done before.
Linda's Picks


The Sea of Trolls - Nancy Farmer ; [maps by Rick Britton]
Publisher: Simon Pulse
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 5/23/2006
 ISBN: 9780689867460
 ISBN-10: 0689867468
Since I enjoyed her book, The House of the Scorpion, I thought I would give this one a try. I wasn't disappointed. Farmer weaves an adventure story filled with excitement, suspense, and danger. Jack and his little sister are kidnapped by Viking Berserkers. Jack hopes to return home, but his first priority is to keep himself and his sister alive. When he is offered an opportunity to return home, he accepts the challenge: to cross the Sea of Trolls and receive the knowledge he needs to reverse a spell on the Viking Queen.

The cat who went to Paris - Peter Gethers
Publisher: Crown Publishers
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/1/1991
 ISBN: 9780517585344
 ISBN-10: 0517585340
Back in my college days, when I said Norton's I was referring to the Norton Anthology of Children's Literature, however, this Norton is a cat. Not just any cat, but a Scottish Fold, well-traveled, and highly adored cat. This book is comprised of the three titles owned by our library system: The Cat Who Went to Paris, A Cat Abroad, and The Cat Who'll Live Forever. Mr. Gethers is a tried and true dog lover and he wouldn't have it any other way. Then . . .Norton enters his life.

Marley & me : life and love with the world's worst dog - John Grogan
Publisher: Harper
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2008
 ISBN: 9780061687204
 ISBN-10: 0061687200
Although I live with two cats, I also like dogs, so when I saw this adorable puppy on the cover, I picked up the book. Soon I was in love with Marley, too. The Grogans decide that maybe they should try their parenting skills on a puppy before they start raising a family. Who knew they would pick a learning disabled puppy with behavioral issues? Marley will shock you with his actions, make you laugh at his antics, and cry at his end.

Drawing Stories From Around The World And A Sampling Of European Handkerchief Stories - Pellowski, Anne
Publisher: Libraries Unltd Inc
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/30/2005
 ISBN: 9781591582229
 ISBN-10: 1591582229
Although this book cannot leave the library since it is a children's reference book, it is great fun to look at. If you have children you know there is often waiting time involved during your daily activities. Copy a few of the drawing stories and handerkerchief stories and you will make the time speed by and entertain your children at the same time. All you need is some paper, a pencil or pen, and a handkerchief and you're set.

My sister's keeper : a novel - Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Washington Square Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 2/15/2005
 ISBN: 9780743454537
 ISBN-10: 0743454537
This adult book is so thought provoking, many a discussion may follow. If someone in your family had an illness and needed an organ or two, you would probably do everything in your power to get what was needed. Anna has been conceived to be the bone marrow match for her sister Kate who has leukemia. Now Anna is thirteen and she is starting to question who she is. This book is written from the different points of view of each character so the reader becomes involved in the life of each. Be sure to have a box of Kleenex nearby.
Don's Picks


Okami 
Publisher: Capcom
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/20/2006
 UPC: 00013388260591
The joyous and riotously beautiful artwork suffuses this long quest game with a unique atmosphere and makes playing a wondrous experience. An evil darkness has blasted the landscape of feudal Japan and a goddess in the shape of a wolf traverses the land dispatching evil and healing the devastation. One of the best games I have ever played on any system.

The Drifting Classroom 1 - Umezu, Kazuo
Publisher: Viz
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 8/8/2006
 ISBN: 9781421507224
 ISBN-10: 1421507226
This manga series was originally printed in 1972 and is happily being translated and reprinted for American audiences. Sixth grader Sho has a horrible fight with his mom and then leaves for school. When he arrives at school, it is suddenly transferred to a lifeless barren land leaving nothing but a hole in the ground. Umezu’s amazing art work with deep black ink and horrified close-ups conveys a deep sense of dread.

Legendary Italian Westerns - Morricone, Ennio
Publisher: Sony Bmg Music
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/17/1990
 UPC: 00078635997422
Some of the most stunning and over the top music ever composed for the cinema. This collection not only includes many of Morricone’s famous themes but also incorporates rarities such as actual songs that he wrote for some early Westerns. Careful listeners will hear a few themes that made it into Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films.

The stewardess is flying the plane! : American films of the 1970s - Ron Hogan ; conversation with Peter Bogdanovich ; Manoah Bowman, photo editor
Publisher: Bulfinch Press
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 11/1/2005
 ISBN: 9780821257517
 ISBN-10: 082125751X
This book looks back affectionately at the films of the seventies. Hollywood was in transition and the big studio films were giving way to smaller and more personal films. This book organizes the movies into genres and then gives quick, quirky facts on the cast and making of the films. It also includes wonderful never before seen photos from each film. It is not a comprehensive list but a giddy summary of a unique era of American films.

Fanny and Alexander [videorecording] / written and directed by Ingmar Bergman - Bergman, Ingmar, 1918-2007
Publisher: Criterion Collection
 Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/1/2004
 UPC: 00037429201022
This five disk DVD set not only includes Bergman’s original Academy Award winning theatrical release but the original five hour Swedish television version. The longer version spends much more time within Alexander’s imagination and is a richer viewing experience. The transfer is crystal clear and preserves Sven Nykvist’s masterful cinematography with all of its deep glowing colors. There is also a feature length documentary on the making of Fanny and Alexander which gives a fly on the wall document of Bergman’s directing process and is definitely worth checking out.

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