My Brilliant Friend is the first of 4 novels in the Neapolitan series written by Elena Ferrante and translated from Italian by Ann Goldstein. The story takes place in the 1950s in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Italy. Elena and Lila are the central characters and through them we learn the hardships of the country,the city and the neighborhood. Although the girls are friends, there is a strong competitive nature between them and as Naples changes, so do the girls and their bond. The first book goes through adolescence and ends with a marriage. The books should be read in order.

Reviewed by Terri

I am a  lover of horror movies.  It may not be a high-brow genre, but I have fond memories of watching really bad horror movies on Saturday afternoons as a kid and today, as an adult, I think they are fabulous fun!  When I read the reviews for Crimson Peak, I was really excited and knew that it was going to be my kind of movie; I was not disappointed.  I don’t like a lot of unsolicited blood and gore but instead, I prefer a good old-fashioned Gothic scary story.  Throw in a Victorian mansion or a castle in ruins and I’m in heaven (or hell).  Crimson Peak has both and a gripping story line played out by wonderful, dark characters.   Guillermo Del Toro directed this film so the cinematography is rich and lush; making the most of the “crimson” in the title.

Watch this movie on a stormy night for a really good scare!

The Traitor Baru Cormorant is a debut fantasy novel written by Seth Dickinson. But don’t let the genre fool you, it is a very atypical or ‘hard’ kind of fantasy, perhaps best described as geopolitical fantasy. There is no magic, there is no obvious villain, and the primary character isn’t an orphaned farm boy or descendant from a long lost line of kings. Instead, the antagonist throughout the novel can best be described as colonialism, and the primary character is a female accountant.

The more concrete antagonist here is the empire known as the ‘Masquerade’, and rather than outright conquer and forcefully subdue nations, they prefer to rule through cultural and economic hegemony. Trade and currency make the target nation economically dependent, disease and plague often subdue the local population, and Masquerade schools educate the local youth and teach ‘proper values’. This is where the primary character, Baru, finds herself at the start of the novel. She goes to the Masquerade schools, passes their tests, and quickly attains the prestigious position of imperial accountant. However, as the name of the novel implies, Baru eventually turns traitor and leads a rebellion.

Character and plot driven with lots of intrigue and scheming (and an awesome battle scene towards the end), this book is perfect for fans of fantasy looking for something different and serious.

Find it in library catalog here!

Reviewed by Tyler

Colm Toibin’s novel, BROOKLYN takes place in the 1950’s and starts in Ireland and then moves to Brooklyn, NY. Ellis Lacey is a young Irish girl without a job and a future due to the economic recession that has gripped Ireland. With the help of the local priest, Ellis goes to America and gets a job in a Brooklyn department store. Although she is homesick, Ellis makes a life for herself in Brooklyn until she is called back to Ireland for a family matter.
This novel is so beautifully written and the characters are timeless. I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and family themes.

Find it in the catalog!

Reviewed by Terri

On a serendipitous trip through the stacks, I came across the story of Barbie doll creator and Mattel founder, Ruth Matzo Handler.  Ruth was a child born to Jewish immigrants whose sheer will and determination rose her to the top of a man’s world at a time when a woman’s role was mainly homemaker and mother.   She was an innately talented businesswoman  who knew no boundaries. If something seemed impossible, she found a way to make it possible; adversity made her stronger. Barbie was her brainchild but, initially, it was a flop.  Barbie’s implications with negative body type in young women was not an issue in the 50’s, but an adult doll (with those breasts!) was not what mother’s wanted for their daughters.   Yet Ruth persevered because she had seen her own daughter play with paper dolls pretending to be an adult, so she knew there was a market, and history proves that she was right!

Ruth was not without flaws.  She had an ego and thought that rules did not apply to her and this is what makes her story so fascinating; her success and pride, failure and humiliation, all leading to her ultimate redemption. This is a great story about a remarkable woman.

Review by K. Chin

(Reviewed by Matt C.)

What makes someone a “genius”? What is it inside their head that’s so different from the average person, if anything?

The End of the Tour is a 2015 movie based on the acclaimed memoir Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky. It follows Lipsky as he tags along for the end of author David Foster Wallace’s book tour and signing after for his recently published novel Infinite Jest. Time magazine cited Infinite Jest as one of the greatest 100 English language novels of the past century, and Wallace is widely known as one of the most influential and innovative authors of the last 20 years. In September of 2008, at age 46, Wallace committed suicide.

The movie is not really about that though. It presents the viewer with this information as more of a backdrop than a central element. Instead, this is a stunning portrait of two artists, an author and a journalist, both immensely talented and intelligent, having an extended conversation at turning points in their respective lives. I found the movie to be exhilarating from start to finish. It’s certainly an emotional roller coaster but one that I actually didn’t want to get off of. The acting of Jason Segal (as Wallace) and Jessie Eisenberg (Lipsky) is impeccable and for a movie based solely on the their interactions for five days, it’s their chemistry that holds the film together. It’s certainly not a “light” movie, but as cliche as it sounds, it’s the type of movie that can make you laugh, cry, wonder, and imagine.

Reading this novel is like being part of a waking dream. The world of The Night Circus is fantastically imagined, drawing you in to its spellbinding atmospheric tone with its very first sentence: “The circus arrives without warning.” Before the first chapter is concluded, you know you have entered the imagination of a mesmerizing storyteller. Erin Morgenstern weaves a tale with characters that draw you in; the circus becoming the most magically integral character in and of itself. This story could easily appeal to readers who are not drawn to works of magic, as it can be appreciated for its romantic and historic nature, among other things. And if you choose to listen to The Night Circus as an audiobook, your encounter will be that much more magical as you’ll have the pleasure to experience a narrative master. Jim Dale’s voice adds a depth of richness to the already seductive prose.

Summary from Amazon.com:

A fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.

Reviewed by Bernadette Foley

I have an hour long commute so I listen to a lot  of books!  I borrow some of the library’s books on CD or Playaways or I download an audio book to my iPhone through Overdrive, and play it via bluetooth in the car.  It all works.

Good Girl has been compared to Gone Girl and I have to agree that there are many elements that are similar.  The suspense, uncertainty, complicated and flawed characters are all here but in listening to this book, I really enjoyed the narration ; a full cast made it richer and more entertaining.

A  young woman of a prominent, wealthy family is kidnapped while waiting for her on-again, off-again boyfriend in a local bar.  Seems predictable but enter a conflicted kidnapper, strained family relations, and an unforeseen twist at the end, makes this book anything but predictable!

Reviewed by Kris C.

(Reviewed by Matt C.)

If you’re looking for likable characters that you can relate to, this is definitely not the movie for you. Every major character and most of the non-major characters are unlikable at best, and downright creepy and evil at worst. That being said, The Gift is a movie that excels at creating a web of tension and suspense between its cast of flawed characters. Although predictable in parts, this movie kept me guessing right up until the end. There’s no sudden twists or surprises here, instead The Gift opts for a more unnerving approach. The viewer is allowed to slowly put together the pieces of the puzzle, seeing the picture more and more clearly as each additional piece is added.

It’s not a perfect film by far, but definitely one that deserves a bit more recognition than it has received. If you’re a fan of genuinely creepy psychological suspense, this is a hidden gem you won’t want to miss.