A Series Of (Un)Fortunate Reviews

Across The Universe stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, and Joe Anderson as Lucy, Jude and Max respectively. This is the story of Lucy and her brother, Max, and his best friend, Jude (who also becomes Lucy's lover) from Liverpool, England. The story focuses on the blossoming romantic relationship between Lucy and Jude that is set against the turbulent backdrop of 1960's riots, protests, drafts, war and the changing times in America. Max is drafted and deployed to Vietnam while Lucy immerses herself in the radical anti-war movement. Lucy's activities in the peace protests can be seen as a reaction to Max being drafted. However, an early scene in which Lucy confesses to a friend that her decision to not have children is based on the opinion that having children is "narcissistic" reveals Lucy to be a rather radical, free thinker, who is unafraid to buck societal expectations and roles for women. Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Jude, is a struggling artist living in the

Hola, chicas! We have a guest reviewer for this post and her name is Victoria. She has been volunteering here at the Matthews Public Library this summer, and she has quite graciously and bravely agreed to submit a review for our blog! --Ms. Angie Home is the place that'll catch you when you fall. And we all fall. Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts (now also a major motion picture!) brings us into the life of Novalee Nation and her sometimes cursed, sometimes blessed life. The story starts with Novalee, who's seventeen years old and pregnant, stranded at a Walmart and befriended by the most unusual people in the southern United States. After living in and giving birth to her baby in the Walmart, Novalee is taken in by Sister Husband, who cares for her and her baby. Following countless accidents, troubles, and good times, we finally reach the end of the novel in which Novalee must decide between her head and her heart. This novel is touching as well as heartwarming. Watching the

Are you looking for a children's book about flower gardening? Zinnia's Flower Garden by Monica Wellington may be just the book you've been searching for. It tells the story of girl named Zinnia who decides to plant a flower garden. The book is filled with bright pictures and simple descriptions of how Zinnia planted her seeds. The story also teaches the reader how to care for the seeds and what the seeds need to grow. It also includes pictures of some common flowers. The next time you're in the library check out this book; it is located in Easy Reader fiction at E/Wel. It is also available upon request from Lebanon Community Library and Annville Free Library. --Reviewed by Ms. Kathy

As [Union General Joshua Lawrence] Chamberlain later wrote ... "my thought was running deep.... Desperate as the chances were, there was nothing for it but to take the offensive. I stepped to the colors. The men turned toward me. One word was enough,-- 'BAYONET!' It caught like fire, and swept along the ranks." With a wild yell, the survivors of this two-hour firefight, led by their multilingual fighting professor, lurched downhill in a bayonet charge against shocked Alabamians. from pages 81-82, Hallowed Ground Chamberlain's words at the dedication of his regiment's monument at Gettysburg: "In great deeds, something abides. On great fields something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear, but spirits linger, to consecrate the ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them...&quo

Ms. Sheila, our ingenious and intrepid director, has filmed two videos for our Youtube channel . They detail two unique and creative activities that you can do this summer to beat boredom with the kids or to improve the outdoor landscape of your summertime retreat. The first is entitled DIY Patio Pavers and can be viewed here on the blog or on our channel here . The second video is entitled Paper Toys and features a fun book called The Toymaker by Marilyn Scott Waters that is chockfull of creative paper toy ideas to create with the kids. You can view this video below or you can view it on our channel here . We hope you enjoy viewing these videos!

There are so many killings, so many victims, so many lives lost and ruined every day, that it can be hard to keep track of them all, hard to make the connections that might bring cases to a close ... One death invites the next, extending a pale hand in greeting, grinning as the ax falls, the blade cuts. There is a chain of events that can easily be reconstructed, a clear trail for the law to follow. from chapter 1, page 13 of The Reapers The Reapers by John Connolly can be considered a stand alone novel. Although references are made to past events from the Charlie Parker series (see related YouTube review here by yours truly) and characters recur from previous Parker books, this is not a Parker novel. You don't really need to read any of the other Parker novels before you read this one. There was once a fraternity of killers of killers; they were called Reapers. Louis, our friendly neighborhood assassin who often helps out Charlie Parker on particularly nasty cases, is a Reaper.