Posted on Friday, September 25, 2020 by Abbey Rimel
Inside the Metropol, a Life is Lived. Inside your Library, a World Awaits.
This series of blog posts explores the rooms of the Hotel Metropol, setting of this year’s One Read title, and recommends books and films related to each scene. For a true admirer of the written word, one book is never the end of the story.
Music in the Air
Throughout the Metropol, you will find all manner of music, from the band in the Piazza to the jazz ensemble in the Shalyapin. Below are some samplings.
A gift from Richard Vanderwhile
At the end of a very distressing day, the count returns to his quarters in the belfry and sheds “the tears of the luckiest man in all of Russia.” He finds a portable phonograph, compliments of his new American friend, Richard Vanderwhile. Among the records included, he finds and plays Vladimir Horowitz’ performance of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto.
Posted on Monday, September 21, 2020 by Abbey Rimel
Inside the Metropol, a Life is Lived. Inside your Library, a World Awaits.
This series of blog posts explores the rooms of the Hotel Metropol, setting of this year’s One Read title, and recommends books and films related to each scene. For a true admirer of the written word, one book is never the end of the story.
At the Shalyapin with Audrius
When a German patron at the bar asks the Count to name other Russian contributions to Western culture besides vodka, he has the perfect response … Chekhov and Tolstoy, “the alpha and omega of narrative.”
Posted on Friday, September 18, 2020 by Abbey Rimel
Inside the Metropol, a Life is Lived. Inside your Library, a World Awaits.
This series of blog posts explores the rooms of the Hotel Metropol, setting of this year’s One Read title, and recommends books and films related to each scene. For a true admirer of the written word, one book is never the end of the story.
At the Piazza with Nina
In which the Count enjoys lunch and an engaging conversation with a certain young lady who has a penchant for the color yellow. They discuss mustaches, princesses and duels “with pistols at thirty-two paces.” (Just as an aside, his excellent marksmanship, knowledge of duels and more specifically, the location of dueling pistols hidden somewhere within the walls of the Hotel Metropol, will later serve the Count well.)Continue reading “The One Read List: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Part Two”
With travel restricted, sometimes the best way to explore is through the pages of a book! There are a lot of exciting places that you can explore without leaving the comfort of your home. Around the world, there are a seemingly endless number of locations valued for their beautiful landscapes, cultural traditions and rich history. Some of these places are recognized for their natural and cultural value, and are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This organization is a world-wide group that is devoted to promoting [cultural diversity, safeguarding natural resources, and protecting culturally meaningful sites around the globe.
Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2020 by Decimal Diver
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“The Outsider” Miniseries Website / Reviews
Based on the Stephen King best-selling novel, this miniseries begins by following a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy. But when an insidious supernatural force edges its way into the case, it leads a seasoned cop and an unorthodox investigator to question everything they believe in.
“Game Shelf” by 427 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
How many puzzles does it take to make it through quarantine?For my family, apparently 10 1,000 piece puzzles, four 3-D puzzles and counting. One puzzle was so difficult we may jokingly frame it (gasp!) with the caption being “The worst puzzle of Quarantine 2020.” And let’s not forget about the many board and card games we played to increase our pastime possibilities.
I have never been much of a game player, but even I succumbed during the boredom of quarantine. It made me wonder about the pastimes of people before modern technology made games so affordable and easy to obtain. Archaeologists continue to unearth many types of games; recently a 1,700 year-old Roman game was found in a burial ground. It is thought to be an ancient version of backgammon. I decided to do my own dig through the library’s collection and I found many books on the history and rules of games past and present. Continue reading “Literary Links: How Many Puzzles Does It Take to Make It Through Quarantine?”
Posted on Friday, September 11, 2020 by Abbey Rimel
Here is a watch list that explores themes from this year’s One Read title, and recommends films from the free streaming service offered by Daniel Boone Regional Library, Kanopy.
Tchaikovsky, one of the great Russian contributions to Western culture:
Posted on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 by Abbey Rimel
Inside the Hotel Metropol, a Life is Lived. Inside your Library, a World Awaits
This series of blog posts explores the rooms of the Hotel Metropol, setting of this year’s One Read title, and recommends books and films related to these scenes. For a true admirer of the written word, one book is never the end of the story.Continue reading “The One Read List, Part One”
Posted on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 by patron reviewer
I read “Blood Water Paint” as part of an online book club. I’m so glad that it was the club’s pick, because otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up — it was such a unique and intense experience! It is written mostly in verse, but don’t let that put you off — the poetry is beautiful and quite accessible. There are intermittent chapters written in prose, and they were my favorites due to their content: the main character, Renaissance artist Artemisia Gentileschi, remembering the stories that her mother had told her about strong women in history. There’s a theme throughout the book of women telling stories about women (especially those of women being abused and standing up for themselves) to girls/women because we need those stories and the boys have their own stories of warriors and kings . But I wish that the boys had BOTH stories — otherwise, how is anything ever supposed to change? I’m inspired by this book to strive to tell stories halfway as well to my own daughter as Artemesia’s mother did to her — and if I had a son, I’d sit him down right there next to her.
Three words that describe this book: Beautiful, raw, true
You might want to pick this book up if: You are interested in the Renaissance art world and/or gender issues. Trigger warning: rape.
Below I will be sharing some of the new nonfiction titles that will be released in September. All the titles are available to put on hold from our catalog and will also be made available on the library’s Overdrive account on the day of publication. For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“Love, Zac: Small-Town Football and the Life and Death of an American Boy” by Reid Forgrave (Sep 8)
“I just can’t live with this pain anymore,” were among the final words in the diary of Zac Easter, a young man from small-town Iowa. In December 2015, Zac decided to take his own life rather than continue his losing battle against the traumatic brain injuries he had sustained as a no-holds-barred high school football player. In this deeply reported and powerfully moving true story, award-winning sportswriter Reid Forgrave speaks to Zac’s family, friends and coaches; he explores Zac’s tightly knit, football-obsessed Midwestern community; he interviews cutting-edge brain scientists, psychologists, and sports historians; and he takes a deep dive into the triumphs and sins of the sports entertainment industry. Forgrave shows us how football mirrors America, from the fighting spirit it has helped inscribe in our national character to the problematic side effects of traditional notions of manhood that it affirms. But, above all, this is a story of how one young man’s obsession with football led him and many of those entrusted with his care to ignore the warning signs of CTE until it was too late. What do Zac’s life and death mean for a society addicted to a sport that can be thrilling and character forming but also dangerous and sometimes tragic for those who play it? Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: September 2020”
At the end of a very distressing day, the count returns to his quarters in the belfry and sheds “the tears of the luckiest man in all of Russia.” He finds a portable phonograph, compliments of his new American friend, Richard Vanderwhile. Among the records included, he finds and plays Vladimir Horowitz’ performance of Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto.
