Author: berryvillelibrary

"Our library, our future"

How to Lose Your Mind Watching Cats, a Step-By-Step Guide

I’d like to think of myself as a rational person, one who makes measured, well-thought out decisions. Sometimes, I make impulsive decisions, however. These are almost always bad decisions. My latest impulsive decision was to watch last year’s critically panned adaptation of the musical Cats. I have no idea what I expected, but all the internet chatter about how bad this movie is still didn’t prepare me for what I was to witness. I thought about giving it a conventional review, but this is not a conventional movie. So, instead I wrote this, a guide to watching Cats. I sacrificed my sanity, so you don’t have to sacrifice yours. You’re welcome.

Beware, there be spoilers . . . and incredibly creepy cats.

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Vienna Blood (2019)

Vienna’s Golden Age is the heady years before WWI in which the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a center for philosophy, science, and art. Its coffeehouses were a gathering place for some of the sharpest minds in Europe, and its opera was internationally famous. But as with any celebrated time period in history, there was also a darker side. Vienna Blood, a recent mystery series, delves into both the good and the bad of early 20th century Vienna while also serving up murders.

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Book Buzz: Adventure Memoirs, Rural Noir, and YA Romance + Zombies

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For September, we’re looking at a heartbreaking memoir about adventure gone wrong, a series that brands itself as rural noir, and a YA romance comedy that also features zombies.

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Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World: Botswana

Our library theme for 2020 is Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World–because with the library, you truly can travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Every month in 2020, we’ll be landing at a new place on the globe. In August, we’re in Botswana.

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Movie Review: Emma. (2020)

Emma 2020

Emma is a fantastic matchmaker–just ask her. She successfully paired up her beloved governess with a local widower, and buoyed by that success, Emma turns her sights on finding a husband for her friend, Harriet. In Regency England, successful matchmaking entails more than just joining two souls in love–it also involves ensuring financial security and securing/maintaining social status. Emma’s brother-in-law and family friend George Knightley warns her against the matchmaking shenanigans, but what could possibly go wrong when she starts trying to pair up the socially disadvantaged Harriet with the local bachelors? Lots. Lots could go wrong.

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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

I posted this earlier this summer (here and here) about our reading challenge to raise money for our building fund for a new library facility. The goal was for folks to read 10,000 hours during this year’s summer reading program (a real jump from the 6,800-ish hours read during the previous summer). The Judy G. Western family was willing to match the amount, dollar for hour, as long as we hit 10,000 hours. So, how did we do?

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Book Buzz: Pilgrim Brides, Medieval Amateur Detectives, and Mysterious Relics

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For August, we’re looking at a family saga of romance and American history, medieval murder, and a new look at a very old historical debate, the Shroud of Turin.

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Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World: Fantasy

Our library theme for 2020 is Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World–because with the library, you truly can travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Every month in 2020, we’ll be landing at a new place on the globe. In July, we were
scheduled to be in New Zealand (as a nod to the Lord of the Rings series) but then came a
quarantine (more about that later–poor Penelope). All of this to show that escape is more
important than ever in our COVID-filled world, so let’s talk about some newer fantasy novels instead! 🙂

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Discussion Post: Favorite Fantasy

Fantasy

For the summer program theme of “Imagine We’re Not in Berryville Anymore,” we’ve been celebrating all manner of speculative fiction, including myths and fantasy. Of course, one of the most appealing things about fantasy is the means of escape it provides to another world–and the sheer amount of imagination that fantasy writers use in creating their worlds.

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Book Buzz: Bee Blankets, Arkansas Mysteries, and Shirley Jackson

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For July, we’re looking at a haunting work of historical fiction about the Mexican Revolution, some snappy but gritty mysteries from an Arkansas writer, and a biography of an offbeat classic horror writer.

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