Good Books - April 2008

How To…

When you think of a “How To” book, you think about…well, getting stuff done. Practical tips, helpful advice. But, with the new book How to Be Bad arriving soon at the library [including a possible visit from authors E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski (!)], we’ve noticed a “How To” trend that takes things to, well, extremes! Other books in this not-quite collection:

How to Deal by Sarah Dessen

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

How Not to be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler

How to Get Suspended and Influence People by Adam Selzer

How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles

How to Deal by Sarah Dessen

How to D.J. by Tom Frederikse

How to Survive in Antarctica by Lucy Jane Bledsoe

and, my favorite…

How to Survive a Robot Uprising by Daniel H. Wilson

Good Music - April 2008

A Finetune

We just subscribed to a new music service called Finetune…and everyone at the library LOVES it! You create your own unique playlists, and as long as  you don’t select more than 3 songs by the same artist, it is considered Internet radio (and therefore, free.)

You can’t download the songs - it is more like a custom radio station playing only the songs you want to hear! You can also go to their site and listen to Artist Radio - playlists created or inspired by an incredible number of musicians and bands. It’s a great way to find new music. On our Finetune player, we have songs from the teen music collection - some of which might surprise you.

Make your own Finetune playlist, and send us the code - we’ll post it on our page for everyone to hear. And as always, if there is music you need that we don’t have, just tell us - we’ll get it for you.

Good Movies - April 2008

Cheat Sheet

We often talk about books that get turned into movies on this blog…but here’s a look into what happens here at the library…a sample dialog:

Patron: I’m looking for that new book that just got made into that movie…

Librarian: What is the movie about?

Patron: Umm…college kids playing blackjack in Vegas…

Librarian: The movie is called 21. It is based on a book called Bringing Down the House. Let me grab it for you… 

(Walking with the patron over to the bookshelves)

Patron: It’s not a new book?

Librarian: Nope. The book came out in 2002.

Patron: *jaw drops*

The moral of the story: There’s a really good chance that the movie you want to see has been out for years - as a book. Get a head start and impress your friends. Check out Bringing Down the House, The Ruins (written in 2006,)  Nim’s Island (2001) and, of course, Horton Hears a Who! (from 1954!)