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Award Winning Audiobook - The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
by BugsAndSlugs
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer 2010. 20 hrs. 30 mins.
Awards: The Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, 2011. TIME Magazine’s All- TIME 100 Non-Fiction books.
Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee
Narrator: Stephen Hoye
Synopsis:
As a hematology/oncology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, Siddhartha Mukherjee was challenged by one of his patients to explain cancer. This biography of the disease, which takes on the enormous task of describing cancer and it’s treatment from ancient Egypt through modern day, is the result. Although the breadth of the story is intimidating, The Emperor of All Maladies is a great listening experience. The narrator did an excellent job with the personal stories of Mukherjee and his patients and I found the book informative but easy to comprehend.
On March 30th, inspired by Mukherjee’s book and with the support of Stand Up to Cancer, PBS and the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will air the first episode of a 3-part, 6-hour television event. Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies is hailed as the most comprehensive documentary on a single disease ever made. As Ken Burns explains, “the series matches the epic scale of the disease, reshaping the way the public sees cancer and stripping away some of the fear and misunderstanding that has long surrounded it. The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience and perseverance but also of hubris, paternalism and misperception.”
Part one of the film airs on Monday March 30, 2015 from 9-11pm e.s.t. For a schedule of upcoming episodes and interviews with executive producer Ken Burns, visit the PBS website.
Blog Post
PreK BITS – “X” = Expedition on Extinct !
by ryanikoglu
Ms Rachel did stories with extinct creatures in them.
ME WANT PET ! by Tammi Sauer is about a little Neanderthal child who wants to bring home pets.... Mama say, "No can keep!"
We went on a "Dino Hunt", found some bones, and put them together like a dinosaur exhibit.
The CD MOST AMAZING DINOSAUR SONGS brings us “Dem Bones” and other activity songs related to dinosaurs.
There was a box we found in the room ... and in that box was another box. What did we find? Someone will remember.
If you want more books for your expedition on extinct try the following:
DINOSAUR vs. BEDTIME and other books by Bob Shea
IF The DINOSAURS CAME BACK is an imagination tale by Bernard Most, who loves dinosaurs best.
TEA REX by Molly Schaar Idle
DINOSAUR STARTS SCHOOL by Pamela Duncan Edwards.
DINOSAUR THUNDER by Marion Dane Bauer.
DINOSAUR PARADE by Shari Halpern.
DINOSAUR BONES by Bob Barner.
NEVER ASK A DINOSAUR To DINNER! by Gareth Edwards.
DINOSAUR ALPHABET and other preschool concepts presented with dinosaurs by David West.
Now get in your time machine and go "Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr .... back in time to extinct !"
'Whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !"
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LISTEN!! Digital Music News: Spy Movie Tunes, Old/New Chopin, Relaxation
by darla
YOU can access over 1,000 digital music albums directly through our AADL.org catalog. Stream or download as much as you like, DRM free, on any device you choose. No waiting for a copy. No due dates. Hooray!
FUNK / JAZZ
Made of Wood: Groove Laden Chillout Funk
Narcotherapy Hypnosis is an instrumental album steeped in nostalgia for a time that never quite existed. The album is the soundtrack to a fictional 60s/70s spy movie (you'll have to supply the visuals) that fuses both older and more modern sounds into new but familiar grooves. The music ranges from instrumental funky jams with Wurlitzers, clavinet and horns, to more trippy retro-synth space sounds - with a whole lot of exploration in between.
CLASSICAL / PIANO
Chad Lawson: Multi-Award Winning Pianist and Composer
Steinway artist, Chad Lawson, decided Chopin needed a new introduction. Along with violinist Judy Kang (Lady Gaga, Ryuichi Sakamoto) and cellist Rubin Kodheli (Kanye West, Courtney Love), Lawson has arranged ten Chopin works into a modern day interpretation. It's a risk editing the "poet of the piano", but one that Chopin would be proud of.
AMBIENT / NEW AGE / ELECTRONIC
Julian Blackmore: Downbeat Ambient Electronica With a Twist
Deeply hypnotic pads and pulsing textures ebb and flow to create a soothing soundscape, reminiscent of Tangerine Dream or Brian Eno's ambient work. Each 20 minute track is carefully structured to take the listener into a deeper state of relaxation before returning to the surface. Essence Vol.1 is a 40 minute sound journey in two parts, ideal for use during meditation or yoga, guided hypnosis, or simply for relaxation.
Blog Post
Award Winning Audiobook: Ready Player One
by BugsAndSlugs
Ready Player One 2011. 15 hrs., 41 min.
Awards: The book received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and won the 2012 Prometheus Award.
Author: Ernest Cline
Narrator: Wil Wheaton
Synopsis:
It is the year 2044, and Wade Watts is like everyone else - he escapes the horrible circumstances of his life by spending nearly all his time in the OASIS, a limitless world of virtual reality. Ready Player One is the story of a massive treasure hunt, where clues are only solved by players with the greatest knowledge of 1980s pop culture, and the quest for money and power undermines the future of the human race. This fast paced and engaging audiobook is enhanced by Wil Wheaton’s expert voice acting, and as a self proclaimed geek, the narrator is a perfect fit. "Ready Player One" the movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, will be in theaters on December 15th, 2017!!!
For similar audiobooks, check out:
Surface Detail by Iain Banks
Makers by Cory Doctorow
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "V"+ valuable = VALENTINE
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel and Ms. Sara began storytime with "the HELLO song" and then led the audience through an activity called “I’m Making a Blanket For Baby”.
This activity pairs songs we know ... with picture-squares we know ... and we create a "singing" quilt.
YOU’RE ALL MY FAVORITES Mama and Papa Bear declare. Baby bears worry, "We can't ALL be the best."
WHERE SHALL WE GO? by Nanadini Nayar.
Sameer is out of school for the week and packing his vacation bag. Mama guesses where they are going based on the clues going into the bag.
Time to give each other a "hugga hugga hug ... A hug and a squee-ee-eeze" and try some more valuable valentine titles:
GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU? by Sam McBratney
A YOU’RE ADORABLE ... a classic alphabet "love" song, as sung on the CD SMORGASBOARD by Sharon, Lois and Bram
A BEDTIME FOR BEAR by Bonny Becker
HUG MACHINE by Scott Campbell
VALENTINE BEARS by Eve Bunting
LOVE MONSTER by Rachel Bright
TAKING CARE OF MAMA RABBIT by Anita Lobel.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "U" is for Underneath
by ryanikoglu
UNDER is the word of the day in Ms. Rachel's Storytime.
TOPS And BOTTOMS is a folktale about Rabbit and Bear's new partnership enterprise. All profit gets split 50/50.
Ms. Sara sang "Inch By Inch" aka "The Garden Song", one version can be found on the folk song CD PICKIN' And GRINNIN'.
INCH By INCH is the lyrics in picture book format by David Mallet.
"Ten In The Bed" was sung with props, as done on SING IT! SAY IT! STAMP IT! SWAY IT vol. 3, a CD recording by Peter T. Allard... And the one underneath did yell and shout "Please remember to tie a knot in your pajamas!"
WE'RE GOING On A BEAR HUNT repeats "Over" and "Under" action in the story.
For more fun stories of "Under" things, try the following titles:
TEN In The BED by Judy Cabrera.
UNDER MY HOOD I HAVE A HAT by Karla Kuskin.
UNDER The GROUND by Anna Milbourne.
MUSHROOM IN The RAIN by Mirra Ginsburg.
DIG. WAIT. LISTEN. A DESERT TOAD'S TALE by April Pulley Sayre.
Blog Post
Award Winning Audiobook: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by BugsAndSlugs
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society 2008. 8 hours.
Awards: Audiofile Magazine's Earphones Award for excellence in narrative voice and style and vocal characterization; in print, the book reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for paperback trade fiction in 2009.
Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Narrators: Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, Juliet Mills
Synopsis:
The Society is a book club formed during World War II when the Nazi regime occupied Guernsey. Their story is told through a series of letters exchanged between the islanders and an English newspaper columnist in 1946. This correspondence reveals the members’ quirky personalities, as well as their joy and heartache during the occupation. The variety of characters - from a pig farmer to a phrenologist to a French concentration camp survivor - and the wonderful voice acting by five talented narrators make this audiobook truly outstanding.
For other multi-voice audiobooks, including some of the talented narrators mentioned above, try these titles:
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Silent House by Orhan Pamuk
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
The 19th Wife: a novel by David Ebershoff
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "S" is for Snow
by ryanikoglu
Ms Rachel played with "S" words and "Snow Stories" in Preschool Storytime.
TEN On The SLED by Kimberly Norman. A counting, singing, action-packed story of animals on a sled.
"Five Fat Snow People All In A Row" is a rhythm and counting rhyme of snowpeople melting into puddles.
If you like to sing along with songs, try John McCutcheon's CD WINTERSONGS or sing along with fingerplays in Gari Stein's CD WINTER FUN.
A PERFECT DAY by Carin Berger, reviews all the things the kids did in the snow one day.
If you like SNOW and you like STORIES then try some more of Ms. Rachel's favorite titles:
YOU MAKE ME SMILE by Layn Marlow.
RED SLED by Lita Judge.
IF IT'S SNOWY And YOU KNOW IT CLAP YOUR HANDS by Kim Norman.
The MISSING MITTEN MYSTERY by Steven Kellogg.
OVER And UNDER The SNOW by Kate Messner. Who lives over and who lives under the snow line?
SUPER SNOW DAY SEEK And FIND by Michael Garland, a picture puzzle book.
KATY And The BIG SNOW, a classic by Virginia Lee Burton. See the traffic lined up on the town road behind Katy the Snow Plow.
"Little Snowflake"is a favorite little video of mine.
And my favorite "Snowtime" DVD of all time is The SNOWMAN based on the book by Raymond Briggs.
Now ... where DO the missing mittens go?
Blog Post
Lydia Loveless' amazing album Somewhere Else
by eapearce
Wow! I can’t get enough of Lydia Loveless’ newest album, Somewhere Else. I’m almost to the point where I want to stop listening to it… but I just can’t. I’d come close to saying that it might be my favorite album of all time… but that award is still firmly and deservedly in the hands of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (shameless Fleetwood pitch). Somewhere Else is an amazing mix of rock, pop, folk and country that quite a few critics have actually called “a little Fleetwood Mac-y,” so I guess that explains why I like it so much. In all seriousness though, this album is awesome!
Somewhere Else is actually Loveless’ third studio album, and she scrapped an entire album’s worth of songs before finding the 10 tracks that suited her that appear on the album. Many of the songs are about love and relationships found and lost, but the lyrics are far from cookie-cutter. In fact, they’re some of the most poignant and poetic lyrics I’ve ever heard, filled with unexpected analogies and amazing imagery. She has said, in fact, that many of her songs are adapted from poetry that she has written over the years. Paste magazine describes the album in this way: "an album of blood and guts and emotions—anger and yearning and lust—that are so honest and immediate that they beg to be shared. The strength in Loveless’ vocals is how deftly she moves between tough and vulnerable, the emotions in both realms sincere and familiar."
Loveless grew up in rural Ohio on an 80-acre farm and was homeschooled. She started learning to play the guitar when she was 12, but didn’t become passionate about it until she began learning Hank Williams songs at age 15. Loveless, her father, and her two older sisters were briefly in a band together, but after they disbanded, Loveless released her first album, The Only Man, in 2010, followed by Indestructible Machine in 2011, and finally, the wonderful Somewhere Else in 2014.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Princesses and Pirates
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel told stories of Princesses and Pirates in honor of the letter "P".
PRINCESS PENELOPE's PARROT ... the Parrot and Penelope meet on her birthday.
We sang "The Pirate Song". You can find a version on the CD recording PETER PAN or see the lyrics and motions for "When I Was One" found on the website Macaroni Soup!..
PIRATE PETE's TALK LIKE A PIRATE is a requirement for being hired as crew.
For more stories of princesses and pirates, try the following titles:
PRINCESSES ARE NOT JUST PRETTY by Kate Lum.
The PRINCESS And The PEAS by Caryl Hart.
SHIVER ME LETTERS: a Pirate ABC by June Sobel
1001 PIRATE THINGS TO SPOT by Rob Lloyd Jones.
NO PIRATES ALLOWED! SAID LIBRARY LOU by Rhonda Gowler Greene.
OLIVE's PIRATE PARTY by Roberta Baker.
For more pirate songs try JAKE And The NEVERLAND PIRATES and SEVEN CLEVER PIRATES.
Sing along with Captain Bogg and the Pollywog crew on the CD recording PEGLEG TANGO.
Listen to "Ballad Of Dirty Joe" and more stories and songs, on Bill Harley's CD recording BLAH BLAH BLAH.
One of my all-time favorite stories is on this recording ... "Joey, Chloe And The Swamp Monster".
AarrrR ! ... and Enjoy!