Blog Post
Billy and Belle by Sarah Garland
by Tahira
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Billy and Belle are brother and sister. Their Mum is expecting a baby. When Belle goes to school with Billy while Mum is in the hospital, Belle causes a little mishap with the pets on Pet Day. This is a warm story of love and caring in an interracial family.
Blog Post
Kid Bits - Fantasy
by ryanikoglu
A Library Patron recommended this title for family fun, and I agree. Emmy And The Incredible Shrinking Rat. It reminds me a bit of Roald Dahl's Matilda because of the bad nanny and the smart kid; a bit of Indian In The Cupboard because of the shrinking characters; and a bit Charlotte's Web because of the wise animals. You might like it too.
Blog Post
We Want Wiis!
by remnil
If you braved the streets for Black Friday, or even if you didn't, you might have been seeking a Nintendo Wii, the hottest gaming console of its generation. Wiis may be in short supply this season, according to the BBC, so those holiday Wii-seekers might be especially rabid.
The likely holiday rush on Wiis is yet more proof that Nintendo is clearly winning this latest round of console wars, a particularly astounding feat considering that Microsoft's Xbox 360 had momentum on its side, having been launched nearly a year earlier. Key to Nintendo's success, many say, are their efforts to reach out to "nontraditional" gamers. Equally astounding as the Wii's dominance is the pitiful performance of Sony's Playstation 3, considering Sony's trouncing of competitors in the last generation of console wars.
Of course, if you're not one of the fortunate few who manage to get a Wii this holiday season, fear not! You might just be able to play a round of Wii Sports at AADL's fabulous gaming tournaments.
Blog Post
DVD Bits - Think "Music"
by ryanikoglu
Culture by way of music ... What a way to experience! The following films are great ethno-music journeys. Take a musical journey with Rom People as they migrate from Rajastan through Europe in Latcho Drom. Visit Cuba with Ry Cooder as he works with musicians who were "Hot" in pre-Castro Cuba Buena Vista Social Club.
Blog Post
Jonathan Franzen's Non Fiction
by pumpkin
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Jonathan Franzen is known for his novels, especially “The Corrections” of several years back. But did you know that he is an engaging and intelligent non-fiction writer as well? I enjoyed his book of essays “How to be Alone,” which you will surmise is not a self-help book, but a more serious book about our culture. You might also like “The Discomfort Zone, a Personal History,” a memoir which displays a nice irony. Franzen can laugh at himself. You can find both these books, as well as Franzen’s novels in our collection.
Blog Post
Keep Climbing Girls by Beah E. Richards
by Tahira
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This picture book is based on a poem written by actor and playwright Beulah E. Richards, has a positive message for girls who want to reach for the stars.
Blog Post
Don't Miss This One
by french_film_grl
Water is a controversial and thought provoking 2006 film directed by Deepa Mehta. The film's setting is 1930's India. The main characters are widows who are forced to live solitary existences. In traditional Hindu culture, when a husband dies, the wife is forced into living out the rest of her life away from society in an ashram. Although, this chaste and meager existence is better than the traditional alternative of being cremated along with the husband, it is similar to a life of imprisonment.
But what happens when 8 year old Chuyia becomes a widow, and is forced to live this way? Her spunk, questioning, and need to live the life of an 8 year old make the women contemplate why this tradition even exists. Kalyani takes Chuyia under her wing, and the story unfolds from there.
This is a film not to be missed because of its questioning of traditional religious beliefs, and the exploration of women's rights. The setting, actors, and cinematography all come together to make this a wonderful and beautiful film. The official FFG rating of this movie is 9.
Blog Post
Is Consumerism Sustainable?
by remnil
Our consumer culture often produces several unfortunate side effects. Given all those negative effects, can we sustain our consumerism for much longer? That compelling question will be addressed by none other than Kai Ryssdal, host of the NPR business & finance program Marketplace, in a panel discussion next week. Kai will be joined several other notable folks at the event, which is co-sponsored by Michigan Radio and the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
Interested? The panel will be held on Friday, November 16th, from 11.00a to noon at the Ross School of Business. Find out more on Michigan Radio's events page.
Blog Post
Strike!
by remnil
You may be having a sense of deja vu when next you watch your favorite television television show. The Writers Guild of America, the folks responsible for much of the content on TV and in movies, is on strike. The sticking point? Authors want a bigger share of the lucrative DVD market and a stake in the burgeoning web market. Studios and networks say no way, not wanting to cut into their cash cow or hamper their efforts to draw in web viewers.
The effects will be felt most immediately in late night TV and other programming that relies heavily on current events, including, sadly, The Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Soap opera fans beware, for daytime television will follow shortly. Prime time TV and movies won't be affected immediately. Of course, if the strike lasts 5 months like the last one, even all you Lost addicts out there may be getting a bit of strike fatigue.
Blog Post
Kid Bits - Just Say "NO !"
by ryanikoglu
If you liked the pigeon story in STORYTIME .... lookup other books by Mo Willems. You will find Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus; The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog; and Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late.
Just remember to say "No" at the right times, OK? ok.
Then you will be practiced up and ready for the next Storytime Series that begins the week of November 5, 2007 at your favorite Branch Library.