Plymouth Librarians' Choice

Once Upon a Mattress
Youth DVD Shelves – Lower Level - O

If you like old-fashioned campy musicals and revisionist fairy tales, take a look at this one. Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman star in this Disney version of the Broadway classic. Burnett (who played Princess Winifred in the original Broadway production) stars as Queen Agravain, the queen of a fairy-tale land who won’t let her 40-something son, Prince Dauntless, get married. What she tells Dauntless is that a real princess would pass her test, which is different every time. But Lady Larken and Sir Harry need Dauntless to get married. No one else is allowed to get married until Dauntless is, and Larken is pregnant. Sir Harry goes on a quest to find a princess who can pass the tests and comes back with Princess Fred (Tracey Ullman) a moat-swimming princess from the swamp. Since the story is based on The Princess and the Pea, we all know how the story will end, but Dauntless and Fred are racking their brains to figure out what the test will be and how to pass it. Burnett commands the screen, wearing fabulous sequined outfits with elaborate headdresses that look like an unholy cross between 1450 and Las Vegas. Ullman’s Winifred is charming and stubborn, especially as she’s complaining about how Snow White had a seven men (practically a regiment, even if they were short) helping her get to happily ever after, while she’s on her own. There's humor for adults as well as kids in this wonderful romp of a movie.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman.
Teen Zone Fiction—Main Level—Cushman.

It’s 1290, and Catherine the 13 year old daughter of a minor lord has been told she must soon get married. “Corpus Bones!” This is not a happy prospect for feisty Catherine who likes to burp and play in the mud. Worse yet are all the men her father keeps inviting over to visit Catherine. These men are gross, and Catherine does everything to outwit them. For instance, she rubs soot in her teeth and hair and even blows up the outhouse in her determination to get rid of one of her suitors! These shenanigans work for awhile until Catherine is betrothed to marry Lord Murgaw of Lithgow, the Baron Selkirk, Lord of Smithburn, Random, and Fleece. Catherine calls this lord Shaggy Beard because he is slimy, yellow-toothed, cruel, and rude. He is also old! How could her father do this to her? Can Catherine get out of this arranged nightmare? Or is she destined to be the life partner of a man she doesn’t love much less even like? Pick up a copy of Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman so you can laugh out loud as you find out the answer to these questions and more!

Karen Cushman is a prolific author that has written quite a few historical fiction novels about strong adolescent females. Her stories are inspirational as they give young girls a voice. They are also touched with humor and heart.

I feel a little guilty reviewing books on the bestseller list. After all, anyone can read the bestseller list; these books maybe don't need more people promoting them. But here it is. I read it, I loved it, and now I will share the love.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp, and Camille Kingsolver
New Book Shelves - Upper Level - 641.0973 K

Kingsolver, her husband, and two children set out in this vivid nonfiction adventure to spend and document a year spent eating only locally produced food. After years spent living in suburban Arizona, the family moves to rural Appalachia, with the intent, Kingsolver says, of living in a place that contains more than one of the three basic necessities of life. Starting the year with the first asparagus and some trepidation, they head to the farmer's market to see what they can find. What they end up with is delicious bounty – different things at different times of the year, to be sure, and no bananas – but always good, varied food in the peak of flavor. Trying for the first time to raise enough to eat year-round rather than a small vegetable garden provides room for meditation on the loss of vegetable varieties and the fragility of farmers' livelihoods, while harvesting their turkeys and chickens brings up the issues of carnivory and the difficulties with both CAFOs and vegetarianism. An early autumn trip to Italy shows a culture where food and culture is still deeply connected to the land. As Kingsolver narrates the year, Hopp steps in as "Dr. Science", with factual sidebars, while teenaged Camille provides a week's worth of meals with recipes for each month. It can be a little preachy, but if you already believe that the earth and our diets are in need of some help, it's inspirational rather than disturbing. All the authors are clearly passionate in showing that eating locally is delicious and doable by anybody with a will and a local farmer's market or garden. (Their total costs for delicious local organic food came out to significantly less than typical supermarket fare.) After listening to the audiobook, with Kingsolver's gently twangy voice, my husband and I were both inspired – I to tomato canning, and he to trying home cheese making, as well as more frequent trips to the farmer's market. For anyone who cares about good food, this is an essential read.

The Wire by David Simon and Ed Burns
DVD Collection - Main Level - TV WIR

In an age where television has devolved into mind numbing game shows that resemble a Roman coliseum more than entertainment, and vapid vanity pieces that resemble “reality” as much as a trip to Disney Land, it’s good to know there are at least a few shows that have substance. “The Wire” just so happens to be one of these shows. Set in inner city Baltimore, “The Wire” follows a myriad of characters from all spectrums of the city’s social and cultural classes. From the drug-dealers on the corner, the cops who try to catch them, to the major political players in office “The Wire” captures every nuance and essence of the drug war.

What makes “The Wire” such a good show is it’s dedication to creating a realistic world. Every character has their strengths and their flaws (albeit some more than others) just like in reality. The performances are top notch, and the plotting and dialogue are near flawless. While the show can be a bit slow at times, one should view it like a book with various threads slowly weaving together to create a mesmerizing tapestry.

The Gift by Richard Paul Evans.
CD Book Shelves - Main Level - EVANS

Nathan Hurst has struggled for much of his life with Tourette’s syndrome and painful secrets from the past. He works for the same company that he has worked for since he was a teenager. Life seems like it will always be the same. Until one night while stranded in an airport, he meets Addison Park and her two children, Collin and Lizzy. There is something special about Collin, the older child. Nathan and Addison fall in love and share a magical love story, but the greatest love story within The Gift is the purity of Collin and “his gift.”

The audio recording of The Gift is performed by John Dossett and is extremely well done. Mr. Dossett does a masterful job at conveying all of the characters' emotions. If you are looking for a book with a message of love, hope, and redemption, then you should pick up a copy of The Gift.

Atherton: the House of Power by Patrick Carman.
Youth Fiction– Lower Level - CARMAN

Atherton is a planet that has been created in an attempt to live in a peaceful, problem free world. The planet is divided into three levels: the highest level inhabited by the ruling upper class, the middle level inhabited by common workers, and the lower uninhabited level. Edgar, an orphan, is one of Atherton’s inhabitants who harvests figs. Edgar rebels and tries to escape his tedious daily life and embarks on the adventure to uncover Atherton’s buried secrets. Instead of living in the utopia that they imagined, all of the inhabitants, Edgar included, find themselves living in a nightmare as the world begins to collapse beneath their feet.

The hero is 12 years old, and the book is written for older children. However, many of the problems in the societal structure of Atherton are not all that dissimilar to our own, making it appropriate for older readers as well. Carman’s novel is an excellent choice for reading for pleasure or as a starting point for discussing differences in classes within a civilization.

The Yes Men
DVD Collection- Main Level- Document Yes

The Yes Men are a real group of anonymous men and women who “impersonate big time criminals in order to publicly humiliate them. Targets are leaders and big corporations who put profits ahead of everything else.” This hilarious documentary shows how these brave imposters get themselves invited to conferences and interviews, where their inventive shenanigans make a mockery of all that is evil in the corporate world. Why do they rely on silly pranks rather than more traditional means of protest? Because hilarity gets publicity. Think of this as a more refined version of MTV’s Punk’d, and for much worthier causes. Admit it: you want to watch this now. See?