Lincoln [videorecording]

    Review by:  Lisa

Title:  Lincoln [videorecording]

Starring:  Sally Field, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hawkes, Jared Harris, David Strathairn

Collection:  Movies

A revealing drama that focuses on the 16th president’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country, and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

Based on the book “Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin and nominated for numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Actor for Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln is a wonderful film detailing the character and intelligence of a man who changed the course of human history in America.  Steven Spielberg creates a nice balance in telling the story of the political genius of Lincoln as well as representing who the president was as a husband, father, and friend.  Performances by Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field are worthy of their critical acclaim.  The film made me want to delve into learning more about Abraham Lincoln.

The Icecutter’s Daughter by Tracie Peterson

    Review by:  Regina

Title:  The Icecutter’s Daughter (Land of Shining Water #1)

Author:  Tracie Peterson

Collection:  Adult Fiction

Merrill Krause is used to working from before dawn to late in the evening. Her dear mother had died ten years earlier and with her father and four older brothers still at home on the farm, Merrill has plenty of chores to do and make meals to boot. She doesn’t have time to dress up, curl her hair, and catch a husband, unlike her petite cousin Corabeth. When Rurik Jorgenson rides into Waseca to help his Uncle Carl with his furniture making business, he’s drawn to the lovely Merrill and her hardworking ways. Unfortunately Rurik’s ex-fiancée and her brother also follow him to Waseca, declaring that the two are still to be wed. Can Rurik untangle the deceit and when will Merrill come to understand that it’s time to start her own family?

The year of the flood : a novel by Margaret Atwood

    Review by:  Linda J.

Title: The year of the flood : a novel

Author:  Margaret Atwood

Collection:  Adult Fiction

 

The Year of the Flood is book two of a trilogy.  I happened to read it first, not realizing it was part of a series.  Each book can be read as a stand alone, although they share characters and events.  Book three has not been released yet.   The story is told from the viewpoint of two women. Toby is one of God’s Gardeners, a religious group who follow the teachings of Adam One, and Ren is a trapeze artist at a posh nightclub.  The setting is a future where gene splicing has gone out of control and created creatures like liobambs and pigs with human DNA so their organs can be harvested.  The Flood is an airborn flood, a virus that kills most of humanity.  It sounds crazy, but anything can happen!
I listened to this book on CD which included the hymns written by Atwood. The music was written by Orville Stoeber.  They are traditional type hymns and Atwood had them performed when she toured promoting the book.  The music added atmosphere to the story.
I recommend this book if you like stories that let you use your imagination to see the future as it could be.  Margaret Atwood definitely gives us something to think about!

Biography info from her website:
Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in Canada. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master’s degree from Radcliffe College.

Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honorary degrees. She is the author of more than fifty volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include  The Handmaid’s Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), and The Blind Assassin, which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000. Atwood’s dystopic novel, Oryx and Crake, was published in 2003.  Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. Her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, part of the Massey Lecture series, appeared in 2008, and her most recent novel, The Year of the Flood, in the autumn of 2009. Ms. Atwood’s work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. In 2004 she co-invented the Long Pen ^TM.

Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.

Finding Zasha by Randi Barrow

    Review by  Regina

Title:  Finding Zasha

Author:  Randi Barrow

Collection:  Juvenile Fiction

This book, with a handsome book jacket, opens with 12 year old Ivan, his mother, and a few neighbors coping with the horrific 1941 Siege of Leningrad. When his mother’s job sends her to work in the Ural Mountains, Ivan is not allowed to join her, but is sent with his “Auntie” to supposedly safety in the Russian north country. After a harrowing trip across the ice road of Lake Ladoga, Ivan’s place of safety is occupied by the Germans and Ivan, by circumstance, ends up entertaining  Nazi commander Major Axel Recht. To his delight he also is told to take care of the commander’s two beautiful German Shepherd puppies, Zasha and Thor. When Ivan, now a partisan, sees his chance of escape – he takes the pups with him and Recht gives chase. Can Ivan ever find safety?

Notes in the back and an overview help fill in places and dates of World War ll. Finding Zasha is a prequel to Saving Zasha.

Betty Bunny didn’t do it by Michael B. Kaplan ; illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch

    Review by:  Lisa

Title:  Betty Bunny didn’t do it

Author:  Michael B. Kaplan ; illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch

Collection:  Childrens EZ Books

The value of honesty as seen through the eyes of a lovably precocious preschooler.
When Betty Bunny breaks a lamp, she blames it on the Tooth Fairy. Blaming someone else for something she had done seems like such a good idea to Betty Bunny, she doesn’t know why she didn’t think of it before. “Is that the honest truth?” her mom asks. “It’s an honest lie,” Betty Bunny replies proudly. But when a vase gets broken, everyone blames Betty Bunny, and no one believes her when she says that she really didn’t do it. Honest lies, white lies, crying wolf—how can one four-year-old keep track of the right thing to do?

Betty Bunny continues to be a handful!  This third book in the series continues the adventures of Betty Bunny, who will surely remind you of any four year old you’ve ever met.  Filled with humor, this is a fine choice to check out at the library to teach lessons about honesty to young children.

Red dawn [videorecording]

    Review by:  Lisa

Title:  Red dawn [videorecording]

Starring:  Josh Hutcherson, Josh Peck, Chris Hemsworth, Isabel Lucas, Adrianne Palicki

Collection:  Movies

The unsuspecting citizens of Spokane, Washington, wake up one morning to the shocking sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky in a surprise attack on the United States. Soon the entire city is under enemy control, but a group of courageous teenagers has decided to fight back, waging an all-out war against the invaders, to take back their town and their freedom!

A remake of the 1984 cult classic, this new Red Dawn is brought on by North Korea (with help).  The headlines leading up to the invasion are haunting, and lay a foundation to make the whole thing seem believable.  Just as some people loved or hated the original in the 80s, the same will be true here.  I liked the film and would recommend it.

Rise of the guardians [videorecording]

  Review by:  Lisa

Title:  Rise of the guardians [videorecording]

Voices:  Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Hugh Jackman, Chris Pine, Isla Fisher

Collection:  Movies

When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces for the first time to protect the hopes, beliefs, and imagination of children all over the world.

From the makers of Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians is a fantastic new animated film that everyone in the family will enjoy.  Funny, touching, and smart, some of the scenes of the film are downright beautiful to watch.

2013 Golden Globe® Nominee, Best Animated Feature Film
10 Annie Award Nominations, including Best Animated Feature

Poison by Bridget Zinn

    Review by:  Lisa

  Title:  Poison

  Author:  Bridget Zinn

  Collection:  Teen Books

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

 

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart…misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

I picked up a copy of this book at the library because I liked the cover and the description on the book jacket.  Once I finished the book, I immediately got online to find out what other books might be coming from this debut author.  Sadly, Poison was published posthumously, as Bridget Zinn died of cancer at the age of 33.  It was her dream to write and publish a book, and her family and friends ensured that the book happened.  Cheers to them for making her dream come true and for bringing a delightful tale to readers.

Argo [videorecording]

    Review by:  Lisa

Title:  Argo [videorecording]

Starring:  Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Tate Donovan, Clea DuVall, Scoot McNairy, Rory Cochrane, Christopher Denham, Kerry Bishé, Kyle Chandler, Chris Messina

Collection:  Movies

On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American hostages, sparking a 444-day ordeal. There’s a little-known footnote to the crisis: six Americans escaped and a mid level agent named Antonio Mendez devised an ingenious yet incredibly risky plan to rescue them.

It seems impossible.  How could the American government possibly rescue six people who escaped from capture when the American Embassy in Iran was overrun?  The six are hiding in the Canadian Embassy, the climate in Tehran is dangerous and deadly, and airport security is extreme.  Enter Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) who has the best of the bad ideas–pretend to be a Canadian group of filmmakers scouting out sites for the making of the next Star Wars-like sci-fi movie.  Aided by a respected yet washed up film producer (Alan Arkin) and an expert make-up artist (John Goodman), Mendez creates movie magic and buzz about the new film.  But will it be enough?  Argo is the 2012 Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture.

 

The valley of the shadow : a Cornish mystery by Carola Dunn

    Review by:  Regina

Title:  The valley of the shadow : a Cornish mystery

Author:  Carola Dunn

Collection:  Adult Fiction

For those who love “Cozy Mysteries” this read is a winner. This is the third Cornish mystery featuring retired widow Eleanor Trewynn who has settled in a quaint Cornish village with her sweet Westie named Teazle. Eleanor must use her super sleuthing skills to help her niece, Megan – a Detective Sgt. with the local police force – find clues about the young man they rescued from the water while on a hiking trip near the Cornish coast. The man is near death and can only whisper something about family and a cave before he loses consciousness. Can Eleanor and Megan find the missing family, possibly refugees, in time?