You CAN Handle the Truth: New Non-Fiction Picks July 2014

Posted by the Information Services Department (Gwen B., Amanda E., Lisa E., & Kristen R.)

Every month, the cataloging department gets to see new books before everyone else.  Listed below, along with their Dewey Decimal classification, are our top picks of the non-fiction books that looked most interesting, ultra-informative, or just plain fun.

155.924 BLA  Birth Order:What Your Position in the Family Really Tells You about Your Character by Linda Blair.  On the basis of over 25 years' clinical experience and psychological research, Linda Blair reveals how your birth order position, as well as the spacing between you and your siblings and the sex of your siblings, impact your childhood, your adult life, and your relationships.

306.87 MOR  How To Care For Aging Parents by Virginia Morris.  Originally published in 1995, How To Care For Aging Parents, won a Books for a Better Life Award, and was praised as an indispensable book (AARP) and a compassionate guide of encyclopaedic proportion (The Washington Post).  Completely revised, up-to-date new edition. Expanded from 450 to over 650 pages, it covers all the emotional, legal, financial, medical, and logistical issues in caring for the elderly.

745.92 WEI  Simple Flower Arranging by Mark Welfor and Stephen Wicks.  From simple arrangements that brighten up a room, to one-of-a-kind gifts and gorgeous wedding bouquets, "Simple Flower Arranging" contains more than 60 inspirational projects that anyone can do at home.

782.1  RID  The American Musical: History and Development by Peter Riddle.  The American Musical is a unique fusion of drama and music, which has become especially important during the past fifty years. Peter Riddle provides us with a detailed exploration of the evolution and development of this form of music theatre in North America.

Six Degrees of Recommendation: July 2014

Posted by Staff

The staff is flexing their filmography muscles to find new ways to explore our fabulous DVD collection and make recommendations.  The rules of our game were simple: ONE - only DVDs from the library system; TWO - each selection must be based on something, anything from the previous DVD; and THREE - only 48 hours per choice (get that list moving!).  The results are explained below.  Links between selections are highlighted in purple.

1) Alana : Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)  A master sushi chef grooms his son to take his place when he retires (documentary). 2) Kayla.: The Pruitt-Igoe Myth (2011) A thoughtful documentary on the mystery between the rise and fall of Saint Louis' biggest housing project failure (documentary). 3) Sam: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) In the year before the 1904 St Louis World's Fair, four sisters learn lessons of life and love, as they prepare for a move to New York. 4) Kersti.: In America (2004) An Irish family moves to NYC for a better life, leaving their past behind them  5)  Gerry : Braveheart (1995); A Scottish commoner leads revolt against the English tyrant who controls Scotland.  6)  Zach: Chicken Run (2000)  To avoid certain death on a chicken farm, Rocky the rooster and Ginger the Chicken rebel against the farm's owners, Mr and Ms Tweedy; stars Mel Gibson.  7) Evan: Wallace & Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)  Created by the same animators as Chicken Run.  Wallace and Grommit set out to discover teh mystery behind the garden sabbotage that plagues their village.  8) Megan: Coraline (2009)  A young girl walks through a secret door that she has found in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life (stop motion film)  9) Karen: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)  Loosely based on a short story by James Thurber, a day dreamer lives a double life in his imagination until love brings dreams to life.

Online Book Club: July Picks

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for June. If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.  According to the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655,  the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.  So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom suspect the other side has it right—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. 

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre'.

 In this classic, le Carre's created a world unlike any previously experienced in suspense fiction. With unsurpassed knowledge culled from his years in British Intelligence, le Carre brings to light the shadowy dealings of international espionage in the tale of a British agent who longs to end his career but undertakes one final, bone-chilling assignment. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  Henrietta Lacks, as HeLa, is known to present-day scientists for her cells from her cervical cancer. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells, taken without her knowledge, have led to amazing advances in medical research and have been bought and sold by the billions.  This book details the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, discusses the birth of bioethics, leading to questions about ownership over our cells and DNA.