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This Wheel’s On Fire

by John on May 15th, 2012

Everyone knows what Levon Helm sounds like, and I’m happy to report that his authorial voice matches that exactly. Were it a wine, it would be a rich, downhome red, with a pronounced twang and hints of vulgarity. Barbecue wouldn’t overwhelm it, nor possom for that matter.

Helm had a lot of interesting friends, a lifetime of road stories, and plenty of practice telling them. He was, after all, mentored both by rockabilly wildman Ronnie Hawkins and The Bob Himself. He backed Dylan on his first electric tour, and describes the surreal experience of riding a private jet, staying in the best hotels and getting booed every night. It shook him so much, he quit music for a time, and worked on an oil rig in the gulf.

He also kept a molten anger against Robbie Robertson, The Band’s primary songwriter. Helm felt the songs were more collaborative than the songwriting credits reflected. Playing music was his whole life, so Robertson’s decision to break up the band didn’t sit well either.

How much of this to believe? Can’t say, tho parts of it seem pretty well embellished. I doubt they really blew up a nightclub after the owner declined to pay them. Or if they did, that the police let them go because the owner was a jerk. On the other hand, “Well, it ain’t easy to come out and say I shot myself in the ass” has the ring of truth to it.

Helm died last month. Nobody’s going to forget The Band anytime soon, but his late-life records (after surviving throat cancer) Dirt Farmer and (especially) Electric Dirt are well worth your attention as well.

Published in Biography & Memoir, Music, Popular
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Home by Toni Morrison

by John on May 11th, 2012

When a Nobel Prize Winner takes three and a half years to produce a 150 page novel (small pages at that, large print, lots of white space) one might suspect she’s maybe coasting just a bit.

Nope.

The jacket copy says this is the story of Frank Money, recently back from the Korean War, damaged with what we would now call Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This must drive Toni Morrison nuts, because she writes best about women, and it’s also the story of his sister Cee, who’s damaged in other ways. The battle scenes in Korea are brutal. What Frank and Cee discover back home in Georgia makes those seem tame by comparison.
Home is intense. It’s distilled. It packs a punch. If you read it too fast, you’ll miss casual eloquence like “country women who loved mean.” It feels emotionally true, and shows clearly how the corrosive effects of racism explain behavior some of us might have trouble understanding.

In a way it’s silly to argue who’s the best living writer. On the other hand, who’s better?

The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler

by Kara on May 8th, 2012

Aaron and Dorothy have a seemingly happy but unremarkable marriage. Aaron works as an editor at his family’s publishing company, Wolcott Publishing, and Dorothy is a physician. Wolcott Publishing’s revenues are based on their “Beginners” series of books, and Aaron met Dorothy when he was researching a “Beginners Book” related to medicine. When tragedy strikes, Aaron must begin again and learn to live his life without Dorothy. Fortunately Dorothy returns to help him through this journey.

Pulitzer Prize winning author, Anne Tyler, is well-known for novels with subtle plots that explore complex issues. These issues often include personal discovery, relationships, life changes, and characters who are seeking meaning in their lives. The Beginner’s Goodbye is definitely subtle and I had to learn to be patient and let Anne Tyler tell me the story when she was ready. Sometimes I get impatient with books like that, but in this case it was delightful to slow down and pay attention to the words and story as it unfolded.

I listened to The Beginner’s Goodbye and Kirby Heyborne‘s narration was very good. His voice brought a depth to the story and added to Anne Tyler’s narrative, making the overall experience of reading this book very enjoyable.

Published in Audiobooks, Fiction
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Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo

by Brian on May 8th, 2012

In September 2011, DC Comics relaunched their entire line of comics with new #1s. They called them “The New 52.” The title that I was the most excited about was “Batman,” written by Scott Snyder and drawn by Greg Capullo. Fast forward to now, and the first collections of the relaunch are hitting the shelf.

Batman Vol. 1 begins with an unexpected and kinetic team-up between Batman and the Joker as they battle their way out of Arkham Asylum. It only gets better from there. Bruce Wayne fends off an attack from an assassin, dubbed the Talon, and discovers that it was sent by a mysterious group that has silently controlled Gotham for generations–Court of Owls. The Court’s existence, which Bruce has doubted his entire life, shakes him to his core and makes him question how well he knows the city that he has been trying to protect.

Snyder is a better writer than comic fans deserve. He makes the story accessible while effortlessly blending new elements into the Bat-mythology. His writing is clever and natural, and he nails Batman’s voice. Capullo blew me away too. I only knew him as a “Spawn” artist before (I know, gross), but he has already shaken that negative association in my mind. His art is gritty and detailed, and he is perfectly suited for the horror elements that creep into the story.

This is easily the best Batman comic that is currently being published, but it also makes a strong opening argument that it’s going to be the best Batman run ever.

Published in Graphic Novels
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Midnight in Peking

by Andrea on April 29th, 2012

In 1937, everybody in Beijing was on edge. Except Pamela Werner. The nineteen-year-old daughter of a former British consul, Pamela had grown up comfortably, but largely unsupervised in Armour Factory Alley, outside the Legation Quarter where most foreigners in Beijing lived at the time. She confidently travelled between both worlds boldly declaring “I am not afraid of anything.” Unfortunately her confidence was misplaced.

In Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China, Paul French uses the investigation of the vicious murder of Pamela Werner to highlight the tensions between the Chinese

Armour Factory Alley Today

and the privileged foreign residents of the Legation Quarter and the fear that both felt with the impending Japanese occupation of the city. The detection work is restricted by the requirement that Col. Han Shih-ching work alongside British Detective Chief Inspector Richard Dennis with Col. Han discouraged from questioning foreigners and DCI Dennis restricted to investigation inside the Legation Quarter. Ultimately, her murder would be declared unsolved as the Japanese occupation took priority. Her father’s relentless quest to solve his daughter’s murder provided many of the resources Paul French calls upon to finally piece the puzzle together.

Fox Tower Where Pamela's Body Was Found

While this book is recommended for any fan of detective fiction or Chinese history, it was especially engaging if you are familiar with or planning a trip to Beijing. Using the the map and audio tour at the book’s website, plan a walk along Pamela’s route from her house, through the Badlands and into the Legation Quarter. Kuijiachang Hutong where Pamela and her widowed father lived on Armour Factor Alley is suitably spooky while the Tartar Wall near the Fox Tower (where her body was found) is magical at night – filled with people dancing in the park and, in spring, the scent of cherry blossoms. The hulking embassy buildings with their distinctive architecture make a striking end to the trek, but don’t stop there. Keep going past the official walk to swanky Capital M (just south of Tiananmen Square) for drinks overlooking Zheng Yang Gate.

Published in History, Politics and Current Events, Travel
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Blue Monday

by Susan on April 27th, 2012

If you like dark psychological mysteries you will like Blue Monday from husband and wife writing team Nicci French. You will meet Frieda Klein a complex, solitary London psychotherapist whose belief in the absolute confidentiality of her patients is tested when one of them shares dreams and thoughts that are disturbingly linked to the recent disappearance of a young boy. Similarities also exist between this child’s abduction and one of a girl twenty-two years ago. Klein ends up in an uneasy partnership with Detective Chief Inspector Malcolm Karlsson while she tries to cope with a immigrant builder, a mentor losing his edge, and a romantic interest who is moving. Plot twists abound, perhaps a little too much, but the characters are compelling. This is the first in a series, I’ll be interested in seeing what color Tuesday is.

Published in Mystery & Suspense
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Movies (and books) kids and adults will enjoy

by April on April 26th, 2012

I recently watched “Hugo” with my 5-year-old and got to thinking about what other movies and books we have enjoyed together. Here’s a short list of family-friendly movies that kids and adults will both enjoy, and the books and other items in the collection related to them.

The movie: “Hugo”
(directed by Martin Scorcese, 2 hr. 6 min.)
Based on the book by Brian Selznick: “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” (ages 9 and up, 530 pages)

Hugo Cabret is an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When Hugo encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl, and the cold, reserved man who runs the toy shop, he is caught up in a magical, mysterious adventure that could put all of his secrets in jeopardy.

Ben Kingsley is amazing (Isn’t he always?) as the toy shop owner, Sacha Baron Cohen shines as the station agent tasked with catching orphans at the station, Asa Butterfield plays the lonely and mechanically-inclined Hugo, Chloe Grace Moretz plays Hugo’s only friend, and Emily Mortimer and Jude Law also appear in the film.

I watched this film with my 5-year-old, and even at more than two hours, it held her attention, and mine. This movie has a wonderful magical quality, yet the story is based in reality. This movie would appeal to children, teens, and adults, especially anyone who loves old silent movies.

The film would be enjoyed by all ages, and the book by Brian Selznick is recommended for readers ages 9 and up.

The movie: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (an animated film by Wes Anderson, 1 hr. 27 min.)
Based on the book by Roald Dahl: “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (ages 8 and up, 81 pages)

Mr. and Mrs. Fox live a happy home life underground with their eccentric son, Ash. Mr. Fox used to steal livestock for a living, but promised his wife he would find a new line of work. He has been working as a journalist for some time when, against the advice of Badger, his attorney, he moves his family into a larger and finer home inside a tree on a hill. The treehouse has an excellent view of the nearby farms of Boggis, Bunce and Bean, the meanest farmers anyone has ever known. Mr. Fox decides to raid the farms, so the farmers try to dig the Fox family out. So Mr. Fox organizes a tunneling project to burrow under all three farms and steal all the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.

This animated film is really a star-studded one, featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and others.

Anderson’s direction is spot-on, and the humor really shines through in the actor’s delivery of the lines. Of course, music plays a role in storytelling, with perfect song selection, just like in all of Anderson’s films.

This is definitely a film children and adults can enjoy together. It’s the perfect pairing of a tale from a master storyteller, transformed for the screen by an equally talented director.

The movie: “March of the Penguins” (a non-fiction, live action film by Luc Jacquet; 1 hr. 20 min.)
Companion book: “March of the Penguins” (A National Geographic book)
Also available: Seymour Simon’s “Penguins” (A Smithsonian book, ages 5-9, 31 pages)

In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family. This courtship begins with a long journey – a journey that takes emperor penguins hundreds of miles across the continent by foot, one-by-one in a single file. They endure freezing temperatures, in brittle, icy winds and through deep, treacherous waters. They risk starvation and attacks by dangerous predators, under the harshest conditions on earth, all to find true love, and bring new life to Antarctica by starting a family.

This amazing film, narrated by Morgan Freeman, offers an honest yet picturesque telling of the emperor penguin’s story. Accompanied by other books about penguins, you can watch the movie, read the books, and enjoy learning about penguins with your young child.

The movie: “Peter Pan” (the 2004 live-action version directed by P.J. Hogan, 1 hr. 54 min.)
Based on the book by Sir J.M. Barrie: “Peter Pan” (Classic Illustrated Edition, 170 pages)
Also available:
Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s “Peter and the Sword of Mercy” (ages 10 and up, 515 pages)
Walt Disney’s animated sequel “Return to Neverland” (DVD, 1 hr. 13 min.)
Cathy Rigby in the Broadway musical “Peter Pan” (live-action DVD, 1 hr. 44 min.)

Disclaimer: This 2004-version of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale is one of my 5-year-old’s favorite movies of all time. And, I really like it too. I’m not at all irritated when she wants to watch it for what seems like the millionth time. And, we’ve read quite a few Peter Pan books as a result. If you’re looking for something other than the Disney version of Peter Pan, P.J. Hogan’s film could be for you.

Wendy Darling is the ultimate storyteller, mesmerizing her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling, princesses, and of course, the fearsome Captain Hook. The children become the real heroes of an even greater story when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and takes them on a journey over moonlit rooftops to the lush jungles of Neverland. Wendy and her brothers join Peter and the Lost Boys in an exhilarating life, free of grown-up rules, eventually facing the inevitable showdown with Captain Hook and his bloodthirsty pirates.

Special effects are well-executed and the film is solidly-acted by a cast that includes Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Oliva Williams, Ludivine Sagnier, Richard Briers, Lynn Redgrave and Geoffrey Palmer.

The Library also has a variety of other Peter Pan-inspired items in the collection including the Peter and the Starcatchers series for ages 10 and up, and movie versions of Peter Pan from Disney to Broadway musicals.

Explore the fiction movie collection on the Library’s first floor, the non-fiction movies on the second floor, and the wonderful collection of books and other materials, including DVDs, in the first-floor Children’s Room at the Iowa City Public Library.

Published in Award Winners, Children's Materials, Movies & Documentaries, Nonfiction, Outdoors & Nature
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Force of Nature by CJ Box

by Kara on April 25th, 2012

CJ Box’s tenth and newest Joe Pickett mystery is a page turner! Joe has a special bond with falconer friend, Nate Romanowsky; however, Joe does not know much about Nate’s past or why he lives a solitary life in the wilderness away from others.

In Force of Nature, Nate’s past catches up with him. When Nate was in a secret Special Forces unit, his mentor and commanding officer did something terrible. Nate thought he was on official special assignment; however, he is not so sure anymore. Nate’s mentor is now a high-ranking government official and determined to eliminate anyone who knows about what happened. This government official will do anything to get to Nate, including targeting the Pickett family. Will Nate survive? Can he survive and protect the people he cares about?

CJ Box is known for stories that create a strong sense of place and well-developed characters. Force of Nature is a great addition to the Joe Pickett series and will keep the reader guessing through to the end of the book. ~~Enjoy~~

Published in Audiobooks, Fiction, Mystery & Suspense
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The Idea Factory

by Anne on April 25th, 2012

The transistor. The communications satellite. The coaxial cable. The fiber optics cable. The integrated circuit. The solar cell. The cell phone. The charge-coupled device. Stereo recording. High frequency radar. C programming language. C++. UNIX. Information theory. And of course, the Picturephone. These technological innovations and ideas (and much, much more) came out of one place: Bell Labs.

In The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, Jon Gertner explores the people who made AT&T the most inventive company in the 20th Century. From Claude Shannon to Bill Shockley, Bell Labs was able to recruit the brightest young minds in physics, math, engineering, and chemistry to make the telephone system universal, but also better and cheaper. Gertner provides an accessible, well-paced history of Bell Labs. However, he is also concerned with how innovation happens. What made Bell Labs so special? How was the research wing of ONE company able to transform our world so drastically?

After finishing The Idea Factory, I’m left with: “What would the world look like today without Bell Labs?” I wonder if we would still answer the phone with “ahoy-hoy” and watch what we say because Mrs. McGregor from down the street is listening in. More than that, would you be able to watch Game of Thrones or text your friend or read this review on your computer (let alone your phone or tablet)? Something to think about when you pick up The Idea Factory.

Published in Nonfiction, Science, Nature & Technology
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UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day Booktalk Lunch

by Barb on April 23rd, 2012

Booktalk lunches returned to Iowa City Public Library today when City of Literature USA and Iowa City Public Library partnered to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day. If you were in attendance, you heard how books inspired notable people in our community. If you missed it but would like to check out the books they introduced, what follows is a list of the speakers and the books they introduced. Links are provided for each title to the Library’s catalog. Many are also available as audiobooks or eBooks so if one of these formats is your preference, search the catalog by title.

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

introduced by Nancy Quellhorst, President of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce

Here Lies Linc by Delia Ray

introduced by businessman and City Councilor, Terry Dickens

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

introduced by Nate Kaeding, former West High and Hawkeye football player, now with the San Diego Chargers

The Time of Our Lives by Tom Brokaw

introduced by Mary Ferentz, community volunteer

Pranks! by V. Vale (the Library owns Pranks 2!)

introduced by Kembrew McLeod, UI Associate Professor of Communication Studies

Glaciers by Alexis M. Smith

introduced by Prairie Light’s book buyer, Paul Ingram

The Miracle of St. Anthony by Adrian Wojnarowski

introduced by Charlie Funk, President of Midwest One Bank

Published in Uncategorized
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