Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For December, we’re looking at a family saga set on the cusp of WWII, a suspense novel about mysterious disappearances in an Appalachian resort town, a short story collection about veterans, a Western from Geronimo’s perspective, a history centered on Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and an audiobook about a Chinese woman’s saga in the 19th century American West.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: 20th Century Family Sagas, Mysterious Disappearances, Short Story Collections, Native American Nonfiction, and Westerns Galore”Bill Briwa’s The Everyday Gourmet: Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking
This is the last month of our spice club, but we’ve had quite a few patrons ask us about continuing the series. That’s not happening next year as we shift focus to a new theme, but that’s not to say we won’t potentially revisit it down the road. For those of you going through spice club withdrawals, maybe this DVD + book combination from Great Courses will do the trick.
Continue reading “Bill Briwa’s The Everyday Gourmet: Essential Secrets of Spices in Cooking”Cookbook Corner: Baking
In honor of our Books, Spice, and Everything Nice theme (and spice club!), we’ll be doing a monthly round-up of our cookbooks. We have a really nice and extensive collection, but it’s easy to get lost in the sheer number of them. Hopefully these posts help! In honor of December’s spice cinnamon, we’ll be focusing on cookbooks that cover everything you want to know about baking, including baking for the holidays.
Continue reading “Cookbook Corner: Baking”Books, Spice, and Everything Nice: Cinnamon
For 2022, the Berryville Library is hosting its own Books, Spice, and Everything Nice spice club. Stop by the library to get the spice of the month and then stop by the blog on the first Tuesday of the month for recipes and more information on the featured spice. We’ll also be adding monthly posts about cookbooks in our collection. For December, our spice is cinnamon!
Continue reading “Books, Spice, and Everything Nice: Cinnamon”What Have You Been Reading? Detective, Detective, Spy Edition
When left to my own devices, I tend to binge-read about subjects or to binge-read authors and/or series. That works well for me, but it’s something I try to avoid inflicting on the readers of this blog because I seriously doubt anyone else is as interested in some of these literary rabbit trails as I am. (You’re welcome.)
Lately, however, I’ve been exploring some mystery and espionage thriller series I’ve been meaning to read for a while, and I did want to share those.
Continue reading “What Have You Been Reading? Detective, Detective, Spy Edition”Book Buzz: Modern-Day David Copperfields, WWII Romances, Vacations, Rivers, and Journeys
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For November, we’re looking at Barbara Kingsolver’s latest acclaimed novel, a Rebecca-esque romance set during WWII, a throwback to summer, the real-life story of a modern mythical figure, and an audiobook set in medieval Ireland.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Modern-Day David Copperfields, WWII Romances, Vacations, Rivers, and Journeys”Alan Rickman’s Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman (2022)
I imagine most people have an Alan Rickman role that is their default for him. For some, it might be one of his rogue’s gallery of villains (like Hans Gruber in Die Hard) or perhaps one of his rarer romantic roles (Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility or Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply) or his cryptic Snape in the Harry Potter movies.
For me, it’s probably a mish mash of Gruber, his hilariously put-upon Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest, and his condescending Obadiah Slope in The Barchester Chronicles (an early role).
Rickman died nearly seven years ago, the terminal cancer that took him a closely guarded secret from the public until his passing. Rickman had been a diligent diarist for years, and there has been mixed information on whether Rickman intended to publish these diaries. Regardless of his intentions, this collection of his diary entries were released last month.
Continue reading “Alan Rickman’s Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman (2022)”Cookbook Corner: Where’s the Meat?
In honor of our Books, Spice, and Everything Nice theme (and spice club!), we’ll be doing a monthly round-up of our cookbooks. We have a really nice and extensive collection, but it’s easy to get lost in the sheer number of them. Hopefully these posts help! In honor of November’s spice annatto, we’ll be focusing on cookbooks that cover everything you want to know about cooking and processing meat–and just in time for hunting season.
Continue reading “Cookbook Corner: Where’s the Meat?”Books, Spice, and Everything Nice: Annatto
For 2022, the Berryville Library is hosting its own Books, Spice, and Everything Nice spice club. Stop by the library to get the spice of the month and then stop by the blog on the first Tuesday of the month for recipes and more information on the featured spice. We’ll also be adding monthly posts about cookbooks in our collection. For November, our spice is annatto!
Continue reading “Books, Spice, and Everything Nice: Annatto”Movie Review: Umma (2022)
Amanda’s life as an adult is about as far away from her childhood as it could get–and that’s exactly the way she likes it. After escaping her abusive upbringing in Korea at the hands of her mother, she’s built a life for herself on a very rural bee farm in America, where she raises her daughter, tends to her bees and chickens, and has studiously cut herself off from electricity, which she claims she is allergic to, and her Korean heritage.
On the surface, things are pretty idyllic for Amanda, except for the nightmares she regularly endures. But the sudden appearance of her long-lost uncle, with news that her mother has died and her ashes in tow, brings to the forefront a whole slew of issues. Not the least of which is the fact she’s pretty sure her mother’s ghost is now haunting her. . . .
I was curious about this movie because I saw it described as the horror version of Minari. I think that is a pretty apt comparison, though I did find Umma more uneven. That being said, I did enjoy Umma, and if you want to watch something horror-related for Halloween that isn’t particularly scary but is thought-provoking and chilling, this movie would be the perfect fit.
Continue reading “Movie Review: Umma (2022)”
Berryville Book Buzz 