WPLD Staff Favorites

Fun book; new author

2009-04-04T12:24:00.002-05:00

I was browsing the shelves at Shorewood-Troy Public Library and saw a book with a fun title/cover. I know the old saying "never judge a book by its cover" but I went ahead and checked it out.

The book was called My heart may be broken but my hair still looks good by Dixie Cash. Fans of Janet Evanovich might enjoy this one. While it's not quite as laugh out loud funny as the Stephanie Plum novels but I still enjoyed the offbeat characters! This book is similiar to the Evanovich novels with crudeness so please be aware before you read it.

Mary S, Director

Hollywood Blvd Theater

2009-03-22T14:07:00.005-05:00

Hollywood Blvd is a wonderful theater in Woodridge that serves food and drink (both alcoholic and non-) while you enjoy your movie. I was just there last weekend to see Slumdog Millionaire with my family. My dad especially enjoyed the high-backed leather desk chairs which you sit in (he's very tall and normal theater seats are awkward and uncomfortable for him). There is a wide variety of food on the menu, including appetizers, salads, burgers, and pizza. Last time I was there I had "Potato Munch Skins" and "Jake & Elwood's Beef & Cheddar" sandwich. If you're in for dessert, I recommend the "Bullwinkle J. Moosecake." Everything on the menu has a clever movie-related name, which greatly amuses me. You can also get popcorn and candy if you're a traditionalist.

Check out their website, http://www.atriptothemovies.com/, to view directions, movie times, and the menu. If you are planning to take your family, please make sure you note which showings allow minors with adults. Some shows in the evenings are adults-only.

-Miranda C.

New favorite Christian author....

2009-03-04T14:19:00.002-06:00

I have recently discovered Melody Carlson. She writes what I term "light Christian" fiction. In other words, the book includes Christian language but doesn't hit you over the head with it.

Melody's books are easy and quick to read. They are often lighthearted, although they might contain a serious note in the story.

I wholeheartedly recommend this author if you are a fan of Christian fiction or lighthearted reads.

Mary S.

Hulu

2009-01-22T08:53:00.011-06:00

Hulu.com is a great website that has hundreds of television episodes and movies streaming for free. You can view content without an account, but the benefit to creating an account is that you can queue your favorite content. Once you have signed up for a free user account, you can add individual episodes and movies to your queue, and/or you can subscribe to series. Subscriptions will automatically add the newest episodes of your favorite shows to your queue as soon as they are added to the site. This is a handy tool if you're like me and always forget or don't have time to tune in to your favorite shows during the week, but don't have a TiVo. It has helped me stay up-to-date with some of my favorite shows like The Office, 30 Rock, and Bones.

Hulu has a wide variety of shows and movies from which to choose. I believe Hulu is owned by NBC Universal, so most NBC shows are available, but there are still many popular shows from all networks available for viewing. Shows like Bones, Battlestar Galactica, and The Colbert Report are all popular shows from other networks (Fox, SciFi, and Comedy Central respectively) that are available free on Hulu. Even if a show isn't available to view on Hulu, the website will provide links to episodes available elsewhere. For example, Gossip Girl isn't available through Hulu, but there are links to the current episodes on the CW's website. Not that I wanted to watch Gossip Girl or anything...

- Miranda C, Circ Assistant

New book

2009-01-13T09:25:00.003-06:00

I was working the circ desk one day when a patron returned a book with a Christmas sticker. The title of the book is I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus by Ann Hodgman. I thought the book was a humorous story, possible a romance, about Christmas so I checked it out.

Well it's actually a non-fiction book about surviving the holidays. I am so glad I checked this book out! It has some great ideas in it about ways to make the holidays easier, more meaningful and last longer. My favorite idea from the book is to "thin out Christmas" by spreading out your traditions.

If you're looking for a helpful book on surviving the holidays, check it out. I think the ideas in it will actually be applicable to other situations, such as planning a family vacation or enjoying summer break. I enjoyed Ann's writing style and have placed holds for the other two books we have by her.

Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

Mary S.

Favorite Holiday Movies

2008-12-09T17:54:00.007-06:00

I haven't been able to watch much TV lately (I'm wrapping up my last semester for my Master's Degree in Library Science-woohoo!), but there are so many of my childhood favorites for holiday shows, that I just have to share!

A Charlie Brown Christmas: My all time favorite. It came out in 1965, which means I've been watching this every year since I was 7! Did you ever notice that when they sing Hark the Angels Sing at the end of the show they all take a breath together?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:This came out in 1964, he first mega Christmas hit from producers Rankin and Bass. They'd go on to do The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, and many more

A Christmas Story: Not a favorite from my childhood, but a favorite nonetheless-this year marks the 25th anniversary of Ralphie and his Red Ryder BB Gun. It's all the more special to me and my family because I remember shopping at the Higbees in downtown Cleveland as a child!

The website, Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/) is a great way to look up your favorite movies, see the cast listing as well as lots of other neat features. and of course, you can always borrow your holiday favorites from us at the library!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Lynne

Adult Services Manager

Favorite online radio station

2008-11-24T14:31:00.001-06:00

I love to listen to music on my computer. I've discovered www.pandora.com. It is a great website! You can create genre stations or stations by artist or title. Pandora will create a station with music similiar to the title/artist and then play that music. Best feature? It's completely free! Check it out and let me know if you like it

"Why Moms Are Weird" by Pamela Ribon

2008-11-12T15:50:00.000-06:00

I've been a fan of Pamela Ribon's writing for years, ever since I began reading her Gilmore Girls recaps on Television Without Pity in 2001 and her blog on pamie.com. Her writing style is smart, funny, and casual. Her first book Why Girls Are Weird is more laugh-out-loud funny, but I prefer the follow-up, Why Moms Are Weird. It's very funny, but has more heart than Girls. (Despite the similar titles, the books have completely unrelated characters and circumstances, so you don't have to worry that you're jumping into a series.)

The book follows the story of Belinda "Benny" Bernstein who flies home to Virginia (she currently lives in Los Angeles) to help out after her mother breaks her leg in a car accident. She deals with her sister's wild nightlife, her mother's active dating life, a house overrun with pets and clutter, and not one but two romances- the boyfriend she left in LA and the cute handyman she hires to help fix up her mother's place.

So, if you're looking for a funny, heartfelt book, I recommend Why Moms Are Weird. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and hopefully you'll thank me for turning you on to this writer.

--Miranda, Circ Assistant

New favorite browser

2008-10-30T19:23:00.000-05:00

I recently downloaded and installed Google Chrome on both my home and library computers. What is Chrome? Google's answer to Internet Explorer. I absolutely love Chrome and will be glad when they move it from beta to full blown. Visit http://www.google.com/chrome to download it and give it a try.

I like several things about it. For one, you can search from the address bar. This eliminates opening your homepage, going to Google or whatever your favorite search engine is, and then executing your search. Just type your term in the address bar; hit enter and go right to Google's search results.

The next thing I like about is the thumbnails of most frequently visited sites. Open Chrome, click on where you want to go and you're off.

I haven't played much with the plug-ins available but I will. I still use Internet Explorer and Firefox for some things but Chrome is my first choice now.

Mary S., Library Director

Welcome

2008-10-25T15:23:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the WPLD Staff Favorites Blog. Here the library staff will share favorite books, websites, recipes, and more. Have a favorite you'd like to share? Please post it.

Mary Soucie
Library Director