Archives for March 2024

Spring break is in full swing! Check out some of these books in a series and read through as many as you can while school is out!  These series books can be found in our fiction book area, shelved under the authors’ last names.

Rick Riordan has done it again…this volume: The Chalice of The Gods is volume six in part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Folks may think their senior year is meant for making the most memories and making lifelong friendships.  Well, for Percy, things aren’t like that. Percy needs to ask for three recommendation letters, but to do so, he’ll need to complete three quests. Oh my, poor Percy. He is a tough kid, and he’s made it through the other five books, but what will happen in book six? (Insert biting fingernails in nervous gesture here). Guest appearances from Grover and Annabeth may be just what Percy needs to accomplish his goals.

The Kingdom Keepers Inheritance series written by Ridley Pearson is ready for you to check out volume two, Villains’ Realm.  Can Eli and his friends stop this next villain, Ursula, from ruining all of the Disney parks? Epcot Center is where this story begins, but Ursula has high hopes of creating Villains’ Realms worldwide. Eli and his friends MUST stop her; will they be able to surpass the evil with good? Check this book out to find out if Eli or Ursula was the victor.

Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have done it again. With volume 29 in the Goddess Girls series, Elpis the Hopeful will continue to satisfy the fans of this series. Elpis, who starts the story as a bubble, yes, a bubble, is transformed into a girl with Principal Zeus’ help. The principal has high expectations for Elpis to maintain a healthy relationship with the human girls. Will Elpis be able to please the principal by becoming a girl, or will she be summoned back to exist as a bubble? Hmmm? This is a hard decision for Elpis to make…check out this next book of the series to find out what Elpis decided to do.

Kwame Mbalia has continued the story of Tristan in volume three of the Tristan Strong series, Tristan Strong Keeps Punching. Tristan is in seventh grade now and he’s gone off to Alabama for a nice, relaxing vacation with his grandparents. Or so he thinks it will be a relaxing vacation. Tristan unknowingly has launched a time war. Brer Rabbit and John Henry wind up in this volume with Tristan and engage in a battle to get Tristan back home. Will these folk heroes be able to assist Tristan enough to find his way home, or will Tristan wind up as the newest member of the folk hero story? Check this series out to read all about Tristan’s adventures.

Tracey West wrote volume 25 of the Dragon Masters series for us all to enjoy. Legend of the Star Dragon will whet your whistle with all things astronomy. With our upcoming eclipse in April, this volume of Dragon Masters will have you routing for Drake and all of the other Dragon Masters to stop the shadow dragon before it’s too late. Will the Shadow Dragon win this battle, or will Drake, the Star Dragon, and all of their cohorts save the world from pending darkness? Check out this volume to help route for Drake as well!

This year, Spring officially begins on March 19. In honor of the upcoming longer days, warmer temperatures, and spring garden veggies, Smiley Library is ready with new cookbooks filled with fresh recipes for now and the months ahead.

Back by popular demand, Jamie Oliver presents a second five-ingredients cookbook. This time, Jamie has gathered a collection of warm and inviting flavors from a much-loved region in “5 Ingredients Mediterranean.” Busy home cooks will appreciate that each recipe uses five simple ingredients, has a short list of instructions accompanied by a photo of the finished dish, and underneath, a small snapshot of each ingredient. In 20 minutes, sourdough bread, shrimp, garlic cloves, cannellini beans and harissa become a Tunisian bowl of harissa beans topped with garlicky shrimp and croutons. More sunny dishes include Lemon-Tzatziki Chicken, Moroccan-Inspired Pasta, Croatian Muscles, A Really French Salad, and Epic Tomato Bread. Puff Pastry is put to good use as a flaky holder for fresh lemon curd with raspberries and also as a bottom layer of an apple tart with apricot jam, almonds, and vanilla ice cream.

Ravinder Bhogal’s new cookbook, “Comfort and Joy,” showcases the variety of delicious flavors that can be found in vegetarian dishes. Sink your teeth into crispy nuggets of Korean Fried Cauliflower coated in a spicy chili sauce. Hot Cheese and Corn Dip with Jalapeno Relish can be served with toasted sourdough or tortilla chips. More tempting international recipes to try would be Green Goddess Dhal with Preserved Lemon, Baby Eggplant and New Potatoes cooked in a Sweet and Sour Nut Paste, plus Lasagna of Roasted Squash, Kale and Walnuts. For a refreshing dessert, Vegan Pina Colada Trifle with Tapioca Custard will cool your tongue after a spicy meal.

There is no shortage of delicious Asian umami flavors awaiting your taste buds inside the pages of “Oodles and Oodles of Vegan Noodles” by Cheynese Khachane. Creamy Coconut-Curry Ramen makes for a warm and comforting meal with just the right balance of spices. Other familiar noodle dishes you might enjoy are Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, and Vietnamese Pho. As the weather continues to heat up, Cheynese offers a selection of cold noodle soups and salads that are quick to make and fun to eat like Cold Noodle Soup with Kimchi, Cellophane Noodle Salad garnished with fresh tomato slices, and Cold Peanut Butter Noodles.

“Come Hungry” by Melissa Ben-Ishay is packed with easy-to-make meals centered around ingredients bursting with color, freshness, and flavor. Melissa gives us a bountiful selection of 21 different salads to put into rotation now and for the warmer months ahead. Consider sampling Joe’s Honey Chicken Salad with angel hair pasta, red peppers, and crispy air fryer chicken, Shaved (think ribbons) Carrot and Zucchini Salad, Green Goddess Salad, plus Supermarket Slaw with a quick dressing containing store-bought pesto and sour cream. To balance out all this fresh veggie goodness, do indulge your sweet tooth with some Cookies and Cream Icebox Cake, S’mores Fudge, or Peanut Butter Banana Bread.

Two more days… Not just the Daylight Savings time change (spring forward!), but the 96^th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood takes place this Sunday. Did your invitation get lost in the mail? Yeah, mine too. That’s O.K.—the ceremony will be televised (earlier than usual) at 4 p.m., on ABC.

Even if we aren’t eligible to receive a shiny gold Oscar and are not invited to party among the stars, we can find quite a few new books about movies at Smiley Library with which to console ourselves. There’s a great variety too—including movies, critics, the film industry, and the awards themselves.

Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears  Michael Schulman, author of New York Times bestseller Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep, delves into the gripping history of the Academy Awards, some stories never before revealed, often connecting incidents to a broader cultural change. The publisher notes, “The road to the Oscars may be golden, but it’s paved in blood, sweat, and broken hearts.”

The Academy and the Award: The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences  Author Bruce Davis, former executive director of the Academy for over 20 years, was given unprecedented access to its archives for this book, and was able to discount many long-held myths, including how the Oscar got its name.

Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel and Ebert Changed Movies Forever  You may remember a time when film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert ruled the television airwaves with their movie review show (late 1970s-1990s). Each renowned in their work for rivaling Chicago newspapers, they were often diametrically opposed in their opinions making for lively discussions, but oh, the rare occasions when they gave it “two thumbs up!” Author Matt Singer goes behind the scenes of the show learning from its staff, and other sources, how the rivals, and eventual friends, transformed critique-as-opinion into critique-as-discussion, a whole new way of viewing the art of movie-making.

Steven Spielberg: All the Films: The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short  Spielberg fans will enjoy this comprehensive, detailed, and photo-filled account of the prolific director’s life and work, from his early direction of television episodes to his more than 30 feature-length films. The three film journalist authors especially shine in highlighting Spielberg’s use of visual symbolism which viewers may have been previously missed.

Other new books break down genres such as horror, Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror Movies, and comic book – superhero – science fiction, MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, or eras like Hollywood and the Movies of the Fifties.

And to get the inside scoop on these three classic movies:  The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear; No Crying in Baseball: The Inside Story of A League of Their Own: Big Stars, Dugout Drama, and a Home Run for Hollywood; and Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!

Check out the movie DVD to watch while you’re reading the book: The Exorcist, A League of Their Own, and Airplane!

 

 

The 96th Academy Awards are approaching and if you are like me, and try to watch the nominations for Best Picture, you are in luck! A.K. Smiley Public Library has some of the Best Picture nominees available on DVD for check out. So, get your comfortable clothes on and grab your favorite snacks, I am taking you all out for a quadruple feature. Let’s go to the movies!

Our first feature film is Barbie. Barbie is nominated for eight Oscars including, Best Picture, Best-Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling), and Best-Supporting Actress (America Ferrera). Check out this film and see what happens to Barbie and Ken when they leave Barbieland and visit the ‘real’ world.

Our second film in our quadruple feature is Past Lives, which is nominated for two Oscars, Best Picture and Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Celine Song. Past Lives is a romantic drama and explores the concept of unrequited first love.

Our third film, The Holdovers, has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Paul Giamatti), and Best Supporting-Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). The Holdovers is a comedy drama about a cantankerous teacher and a rebellious student who are required to stay together at school during the Christmas holiday. During their time together, an unlikely friendship is formed.

Our last film of the quadruple feature is Oppenheimer which has been nominated for 13 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), and Best Director (Christopher Nolan), just to name a few. Oppenheimer is a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s involvement with the Manhattan Project and his invention of the atomic bomb.

Come and check out these DVDs at A.K. Smiley Public Library. Popcorn not included.

-Shannon Harris is a Library Specialist at A.K. Smiley Public Library who wants Cillian Murphy to win for Best Actor.