Emma's Album Picks

Fun Home

Based on a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, this album follows her in three stages of her life. It covers many topics, one of them being her relationship with her dad and other family members. It truly tells a story as you listen to it. There is a good mix of upbeat and slower tracks.

- Available in CD form at the library

In the Heights

Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the creator of Broadway's Hamilton), In the Heights follows Usnavi, who runs a shop in Washington Heights, and his friends and family through their struggles. The music is upbeat and fun to listen to, while still telling a story. It features many Broadway stars including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Christopher Jackson, and Karen Olivo.

- Available on Hoopla and in CD form at the library

RENT

This rock musical follows artists in New York City, as they struggle to pay rent. The music is unlike many musicals, but is wonderful in a unique way. There are many upbeat songs and some tearjerkers too. It features Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, and Idina Menzel.

- Available on Hoopla

Something Rotten

This hilarious album follows Nick Bottom, a writer during the renaissance, who hates Shakespeare (and his work). It features many tracks, including my favorite, A Musical. It features Brian D'Arcy James and Christian Borle.

- Available on Hoopla and in CD form at the library

La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, it follows Mia and Sebastian as they find love and success in L.A. Although it is set in modern times, the music is in a classic Hollywood style. There are is a good mix of upbeat and slower tracks. It features Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

- Available on Hoopla and in CD form at the library


This album advisory brought to you by YA volunteer, Emma.

Tackle Twelve - Spotlight on Read a Tome

As part of BPL’s Tackle Twelve promotion, 16 reading challenges have been issued. This week’s blog takes a closer look at ‘Read a Tome (500 Pages or More)' and offers up recommendations.

Roses by Leila Meacham

Having not married in spite of their true feelings, cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick struggle with deceit, secrets, and tragedies that challenge their children and grandchildren in their small east Texas community. 609 pages

The Passage by Justin Cronin

A security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment that only six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte can stop. 766 pages

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Retells the legend of Arthur as perceived by Viviane (the Lady of the Lake and high priestess of Avalon), Arthur’s mother Igraine, his Christian wife Guinevere, and the sorceress Morgaine. 876 pages

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Follows the fates of five interrelated families – American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh – as they move through the dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women’s suffrage. 985 pages

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

It is 1866 and Walter Moody has come to stake his claim in New Zealand’s booming gold rush. On the night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of 12 local men who have met in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events. Moody is soon drawn into a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and ornate as the night sky. 830 pages

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

Penn Cage must investigate when his father, a beloved family doctor and pillar of the community, is accused of murdering Violet Davis, the beautiful nurse with whom he worked in the dark days of the early 1960s. 788 pages

Tom Clancy Commander in Chief: A Jack Ryan Novel by Mark Greaney

With fifty thousand Russian troops poised to invade a NATO nation, can Jack Ryan move swiftly enough to stop (Russian president Valeri) Volodin’s grand plan of global conflict and conquest? 718 pages

Under the Dome by Stephen King

The small town of Chester’s Mill, Maine, is faced with a big dilemma when it is mysteriously sealed off by an invisible and completely impenetrable force field. 1,072 pages

The Woman Who Lost Her Soul by Bob Shacochis

When the humanitarian lawyer Tom Harrington travels to Haiti to investigate the murder of a beautiful photojournalist, he is confronted with a dangerous landscape of poverty, corruption, and voodoo. 713 pages

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Set in the late nineteenth century, this novel chronicles a cattle drive from Texas to Montana, and follows the lives of Gus, Cal, Lorena, and Blue Duck. 843 pages

This readers advisory brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

National Volunteer Week

Do you like helping others? Do you need to earn community service hours? Do you like the library atmosphere? Apply for Bremen Public Library’s Young Adult Volunteer Team!

Founded in May of 2016, the program has witnessed 38 individuals amass a collective 600+ hours of service to YOUR library. This week, above all others, we take time to recognize those who've given so much to the betterment of our institution. Dedication unmatched, expectations surpassed. 

National Library Week

National Library Week (April 8-14) is a time to commemorate the contributions of our nation’s libraries, acknowledge and honor diligent staff, and to promote library support. Whether it be providing free access to books, vibrant programming, centers for community and culture, social interaction, hubs of business and research, libraries offer opportunities to meet the needs and wants for audiences aplenty. The National Library Week 2018 observation will mark the 60^th anniversary of the first event, launched in 1958.

According to the American Library Association, “In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions, and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee’s goals were ambitious. They ranged from encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time to improving incomes and health and developing strong and happy family life.”

By 1957, plans were devised for National Library Week based on the belief that once individuals were motivated to read, they would in turn devote energies toward library usage. In 1958, the first National Library Week was observed, with the theme ‘Wake Up and Read!’

This year’s designation is ‘Libraries Lead’ and Bremen Public Library will again be bustling with activity. No doubt you recall the festivities in 2017, when Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat could be spotted making their way around town. More hijinks are in store this go-round, faithful storybook followers, as Elephant and Piggie are set to entertain and delight.

Have you visited your library lately?

This public service announcement brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Getting to Know ... Kristian

Introducing another valuable member of our YA Volunteer Team, Kristian Keck! A 16-year-old high school junior, Kristian has accumulated 6 volunteer hours since November. 

FAVORITE BOOK GENRES:  Action/Adventure
FAVORITE TV SHOWS:  Spongebob
A TOPIC HE COULD DISCUSS FOR AN HOUR: Cars/Motorcycles 
ROLE MODEL: His father
HAPPY PLACE: His shop
SPIRIT ANIMAL: Cats
INTERESTING FACT:  He is half Phillipino
DESERTED ISLAND FRIEND:  Justin Schrome
FUTURE CAREER: National Guard, welding
FAVORITE QUOTE: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Tackle Twelve -- Spotlight on Inspirational Fiction

As part of BPL’s Tackle Twelve promotion, 16 reading challenges have been issued. This week’s blog takes a closer look at ‘Read an Inspirational Fiction Book’ and offers up recommendations.

Secrets of Sloane House by Shelley Gray

In order to find her sister who went missing while working as a maid for a prominent family in 1893 Chicago, Rosalind Perry hires on as the new housemaid for the same family.

Touching the Clouds by Bonnie Leon

Set in the 1930s, Kate Evans is a pilot who wants nothing more than to fly the Alaskan skies. She finally succeeds in landing a mail delivery job, where she meets the mysterious Paul Anderson. Circumstances throw the two together, and it’s discovered that they each have a significant secret they’re hiding from each other and the world.

Paper Roses by Amanda Cabot

The future stretches out in front of Sarah Dobbs like the pure blue Texas sky. Leaving the past behind in Philadelphia, mail-order bride Sarah arrives in San Antonio ready to greet her groom, a man she has never met but whose letters have won her heart from afar. But there is one problem, he has died.

Cold Shot by Dani Pettrey

Three friends reunite and join with a beautiful forensic anthropologist to identify skeletal remains uncovered near Little Round Top in Gettysburg National Military Park. There, they become targets themselves.

House of Living Stones by Katie Schuermann

In the small Illinois town of Bradbury, change doesn’t come often, and it certainly doesn’t come easily. So when Pastor Fletcher hires Emily Duke as the new choir director at Zion Lutheran Church, he unknowingly sets in motion a chain of events that turns the life of his congregation upside down.

Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell

Do dandelion wishes actually come true? Katherine Galloway knew this moment of calm wouldn’t last, blown away like the dandelion seeds she scattered as a girl. In 1880, three years after her husband’s death, she struggles to run an Oregon boardinghouse and raise two girls alone.

A Perfect Ambition by Dr. Kevin Leman & Jeff Nesbit

The firstborn son of the powerful Worthington family has been groomed for political power since his first breath. Will family secrets keep him from getting there?

Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs

In 1788, amid the moors and glens of the Scottish Lowlands, two brothers and two sisters embark on a painful journey of discovery. Jamie and Evan McKie both want their father Alec’s flocks and lands, yet only one brother will inherit Glentrool. Leana and Rose McBride both yearn to catch the eye of the same handsome lad, yet only one sister will be his bride.

The Forgiven by Marta Perry

When three women are given the task of sorting through the treasures of several generations of their Amish family, they each discover a story from the past that provides inspiration for their own lives.

No Safe Harbor by Elizabeth Ludwig

Desperate to locate her only family, Cara Hamilton leaves Ireland for American and finds herself at the mercy of dangerous revolutionaries, and Rourke, the man she thought she knew and loved.

This readers advisory brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Movie Review

Pitch Perfect 3

Featured Actors

Anna Kendrick (Beca)

Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy)

Hailee Steinfeld (Emily)

Ruby Rose (Calamity)

After winning the world championships, the Barden Bellas split apart to find their careers. However, they find that their dream jobs aren’t as perfect as they thought. This is mentioned again when the Bellas are brought together for a reunion to watch the new Bellas of Barden University sing. When Aubrey gets word of an overseas USO tour, the group gets the chance to reunite and sing once more! No one is told, though, about the competition to perform as a warm-up for DJ Khaled. Along with the other bands, the Bellas will compete for the chance to be seen by millions!

I enjoyed how the movie revolves around different locations in the Mediterranean because they are on tour. I also liked the way this movie deals with family. It shows us that relationships developed by choice are stronger than those formed by blood. It’s a great message that helps the Bellas stay together, knowing they can go their separate ways and still never be alone.

The main reason for my score is that Pitch Perfect 3 is rated PG-13, but I think it’s more mature than that.

Rating: 3.8 out of 5

This review brought to you courtesy of YA volunteer, Johanna.