Posts Tagged reviews

Have you voted on your favorite book from 2008 yet?

…because I’m about to change my own old vote, actually. Who says you can only vote once?

Well, today is my last day here before I turn the reins over to Maddie for good. And I have to admit that, though of course working with you all is just swell and all, probably the thing I’ll REALLY SELFISHLY miss most about this job is this easy access to the New Books shelf I have, scooping up the Latest and Greatest before anybody else can get their hands on it! I’ve read a lot of terrific titles this year, but last night I finished a book that was SO GOOD I just had to get on here and recommend it to you specifically.

That book is Nation by Terry Pratchett.
Nation by Terry Pratchett

It’s the story of the survivors of a tidal wave coming together to try to start again after everything they know is turned upside down. Mostly it is the story of Mau, who grew up on the island his people called The Nation, who’d been away on his trial of becoming a Man when the wave came and destroyed everyone he had ever known, who’s angry and numb and not sure who he is anymore; and the story of a girl from British nobility who prefers to be called Daphne (though that isn’t actually her name), who had her share of heartache even before becoming the sole survivor of the ship that crashed into the island during the wave (well, ALMOST sole, if you count the parrot).  Their story is full of bits that will make you cry and bits that will make you laugh; it’s full of adventure and danger and discovery; it’s full of healing and rebirth. It is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages, and then wishing there was more when you’re done.

I already was a big fan of Sir Terry Pratchett (he just got knighted a couple weeks ago because he’s that awesome!) for his hilarious fantasy satires in the Discworld series (which we have a lot of in both our regular and paperback YA sections AND in the adult fiction section– check them out, too). Nation is a different sort of book entirely, but one you will never forget.

I put this book on the shelf in the Teen Room with the rest of the great new books on display in the corner, waiting for you to come and check out their awesomeness.  Come in and take a look at it and the rest of the books there, and don’t forget to vote for YOUR new favorite!

I’ll see you around after I become part of the crowd fighting to check out all the great new books like a normal person….

————amy

Comments (1)

Breaking Dawn book review

You’ve all heard of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. Get ready for the exciting and breathtaking conclusion. Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn is the fourth and final book for this series (At least from Bella’s perspective). With all the same main characters, this time you not only hear the story from Bella’s point of view, but also from Jacob’s.

The book is about Bella’s choice to either be with Edward and become a vampire, or stay human and be with Jacob. Once she makes this choice, other problems arise when some infamous enemies come back to cause more trouble. Now everyone Bella knows is in danger and she must find a way to stop them with the help of a lot of new friends. (This is the non-spoiler way of telling the story)

I think this book was probably the best in the Twilight series. It has new powers, new friends, and lots of vampires. I liked the fact that some of the book was from Jacob’s perspective because you get to hear the thoughts of the other werewolves through Jacob’s mind, let alone read Jacob’s own thoughts. I definitely recommend this book to all the vampire fans out there or if you just want a good fantasy book.

Leave a Comment

Summer Reviews- Lend me a Tenor

Instead of reviewing a book or movie, I thought I would review a play that’s going on right now at Little Lake Theatre called Lend Me a Tenor.

Lend Me a Tenor is a hilarious, entertaining comedy about a famous Italian opera star named Tito Merelli and an identity-stealing singer named Max. Tito is making his American debut at the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, but everything isn’t so simple. Max, an assistant to Mr. Saunders (the man who booked Tito at the opera), poses as Tito in the performance when he and Saunders believe that Tito is dead. The truth is that Tito isn’t dead- he just took some pills that made him fall asleep. Tito wakes up hours later, confused about what happened that night when people talk to him about the show. It causes a lot of problems for the characters, but a lot of laughs for the audience. All the actors and actresses in the show are so funny and they play their parts perfectly. I highly recommend that you should see it.

The show plays from July 24-August 9. Call Little Lake Theatre at 724-745-6300 to reserve your seats or visit their website at www.littlelake.org.

Leave a Comment

June Movie in Review: Indiana Jones

Along with your favorite book, curl up with a good movie (note: there may be some spoilers to this review!).

A couple days ago I saw Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, which was really awesome! The movie is the newest adventure that Indiana Jones goes on with his old allies, but this time he has a new friend (who is actually his son), Mutt Williams played by Shia Leboeuf. Of course, there is always an evil villain working against them, except this time it’s a power-hungry woman working with the Russians. Jones and his friends travel in the jungle to find the crystal skull, where they run into trouble and get caught by the enemies, who want the skull so they can have the power. A translation from a man who looked into the skull for too long and lost his mind leads them to the lost city of gold, where the skull must be returned.  This movie has many awesome action/fight scenes, and the special effects are great. Even though Harrison Ford is older now, he is still a great actor that could never be replaced as Indiana Jones. If you have seen the other 3 movies, or even if you haven’t, you should really enjoy this one.

Leave a Comment

Review by Volunteer Alex Barndollar

 

 

 lilly allen


 

Lily Allen

Alright, Still

 

British ska singer Lily Allen delivers a knock-out hit in her album Alright, Still, released 2006 in the UK, stateside in 2007.  Her voice and appearance suggest that this album is filled with Tinker-Bell charm and playfulness, however it’s the opposite of Tinker-Bell!  Songs such as “Alfie”, a singsong narration of her brother’s substance addiction, “Knock ‘Em Out”, a song about receiving unwanted advances at a club, and “Friday Night”, telling of the singer’s mishaps with a female club goer, all give this CD it’s humorous tone.  Listeners may be shocked by the vulgar language in some of the songs, an example of which found in the song “Everything’s Just Wonderful”: “It’s really funny ‘cause I got your ****ing money/and you’re never gonna get it, just cause of my bad credit”. You be the judge!     

 

Leave a Comment

Tell me what you love. Tell me what you hate.

Hi all,

I’m looking for book, magazine, music, video game, and website reviews written by you!  They don’t have to be long or formal.  Just tell me what you like or hate about some type of media you’ve recently encountered. 

I’m going to start making posts about what I’m currently reading or listening to, but they’re going to be super brief.  I would love to also be able to post your thoughts to this blog for others to see.  So e-mail me, Kelly, at youngadultlibrarian@ptlibrary.org and I’ll post your musings to the blog!

Listened to Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight

on the way to work today.

happy friday.

Leave a Comment