by | April 18, 2012

Sportz

We Like Sportz (and we don’t care who knows)

I’ve played sports for much of my life but I would not consider myself a “jock”. That’s one of the reasons the above-referenced Lonely Island lyric, from the album Incredibad, cracks me up every time I hear it (the visual is even funnier, watch the video here). I’m not a sports fan, but I love a good game. And so I love a good sports film.

Most people are familiar with the classic sports films such as The Bad News Bears, Field of Dreams, Miracle, The Natural, Hoop Dreams, maybe even the more recent films The Fighter and Million Dollar Baby. I’ve seen The Hustler and Raging Bull on some lists of great sports films, but I myself would not deign to pigeon-hole them as sports film…but I digress.

There are three sports documentaries that have been released within the last 5 years or so that you may have missed, and are well-worth a watch.

My favorite of the three is the documentary Harvard Beats Yale 29-29. The film contains a  fascinating amount of original footage depicting the drama of a notorious 1968 football game, played in the midst of anti-war conflict, resulting in a headline from which the film title is drawn. I loved this film partly because it gave me insight into the culture of the two schools  (who knew that Harvard considers themselves a working class school, in opposition to Yale’s school of bluebloods?) and the it’s-a-small-world insight into George W. Bush, Al Gore, and Tommy Lee Jones’ backgrounds; but there’s plenty of other drama to the story to keep you interested.

Close behind Harvard Beats Yale is a local story, a documentary about the intense rivalry between Seattle’s Garfield and Roosevelt Girls Basketball teams titled The Heart of the Game. This movie is at once inspirational, sad, heart-pumping, maddening and reflective.

The third is a film I’d only recently become aware of called Senna. Senna, a well-to-do Brazilian, was/is a legend in Formula One racing. If I’ve started to lose you here, I understand – but try to hang on. This documentary is about old-school car racing, when driver skill (and not vehicle technology) made all the difference in a race. The footage is all original, from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and the filmmakers do a fantastic job illuminating the tension amongst Senna and his career-long arch nemesis Alain Prost. Huge egos battling each other… and battling it out at alarming speeds – it’s incredible to watch.

As any fan of sports film knows, most great sports films are about so much more than the sport they portray. Many tackle complex social issues that incorporate socio-economics, race, and gender. Sadly, many good films are made and never make it to distribution. One such film that I had the opportunity to see  is a 2001 documentary Rocks with Wings, about a girls basketball team in Shiprock, NM. The team is made up of Navajo girls, and their coach is a black 24-year-old male. If you ever have a chance to see it, I recommend it!

Kate

Leave a Comment

Filed under Movies & Television

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | April 16, 2012

The Dark Tower Series

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.  The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Is there any better first line to start a novel? 

The beginning hook when I’m writing is usually “Okay, there was this guy running around the desert.  And then there’s this other guy who’s being chased by that one guy.”

I’m headed for the best-seller’s list, aren’t I?  Look for the sequel That Girl in the Orange Shirt Standing by That Tree.

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series was actually inspired by Robert Browning’s poem  “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”. The Dark Tower novels (starting with The Gunslinger and ending (?) with The Wind Through the Keyhole out April 24th) are among his most popular works.  He gets batches of mail from people asking how and when he’s going to finish the series. One woman in her 80s wrote to him and said she didn’t have much time left because she has cancer so could he please tell her how the books are going to end? She then added “I won’t tell anyone.” 

In Dark Tower I: Gunslinger, Roland Deschain is the last of his kind: a gunslinger. Gunslingers were boys raised to fight and protect their world, the old ways and old traditions. But his home has been destroyed by the man in black who some call the devil and others call a dark magician. For years Roland has been on a quest to kill the dark man, traveling in a world that is parallel to ours (except Roland’s world doesn’t have  Wal-Marts or McDonald’s but has some hold-overs like “Hey Jude” and “Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit”). Cities have been decimated, migrations patterns all askew, and mutated humans roam in the dark places. 

I’ve read the book 3 times and, honestly, I have no idea why Roland needs to get to the Dark Tower. When I ask other people who’ve read the book about it, instead of enlightenment I get a blank stare. Hey at least I know I’m not alone. But in the end it doesn’t matter. All you neeed to know is that the Tower is the gravitational pull for both good and evil.

In addition to Roland’s obsession with destroying the man in black and getting to the Tower, there is the story of Jake a boy from our world who was hit by a car in the 70’s and ended up in Midworld. Roland finds himself torn between caring for the boy and continuing his chase for the man in black. He and Jake meet up with the Muties who are horribly deformed humans that live underground. Did I mention the spiders the size of a monster truck wheel? That alone had me checking the corners of my ceiling and tucking my biggest spider smashing pair of shoes under my bed. Just in case.

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger is a fast paced novel that barely skims the surface of what’s to come for Roland and the people who fall into his life. This book is followed by The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, The Dark Tower and the soon to be released The Wind Through the Keyhole. 

So if you want a book about good versus evil (and maybe a little gray area mixed in between) this one will be absolutely perfect.

But make sure to check for those spiders.

Jennifer

2 Comments

Filed under Book Lists, Book Review, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Tagged as , ,

by | April 13, 2012

The Titanic Disaster in History, Fiction, and Film

This month is the 100th anniversary of one of the most infamous tragedies in history – the sinking of the Titanic. On April 15th, 1912 the luxurious British ocean liner R.M.S. Titanic sank in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg, buckling a 300 foot span of the starboard hull. It took only two hours and 40 minutes for the ship to sink at 2:20 a.m. killing 1,503 of the 2,208 people on board.

The ship had 20 lifeboats with room for only half the passengers. At first people refused to believe the ship was sinking and wouldn’t board the lifeboats. Some boats left the ship with only 12 to 56 passengers on board. 705 people survived on those lifeboats while others wearing life jackets died of hypothermia floating on the waters frigid surface.

It was the maiden voyage of the largest ship afloat at the time. Set to sail from Southampton, England with a final destination of New York City it was built to be the epitome of luxury with a gymnasium, heated swimming pool for first-class passengers, libraries, restaurants, and staterooms with electric lighting and heating. Many rich and famous people were traveling on the ship. Their combined fortunes would be about $11 billion today.

The library has many of the new books that have been published to mark the 100th anniversary.

Historical accounts and nonfiction:

Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage: the Titanic, Her Passengers and Their World by Hugh Brewster focuses on the first-class passengers including artist Frank Millet, Major Archibald Butt President Taft’s closest aide, Margaret “Molly” Brown, Millionaires John Jacob Astor and Benjamin Guggenheim, and movie actress Dorothy Gibson.

Voyagers of the Titanic: Passengers, Sailors, Shipbuilders, Aristocrats, and the Worlds They Came From by Richard Davenport-Hines is a collective biography telling the stories of the most rich and famous but also of the third-class passengers emigrating to the U.S.

Shadow of the Titanic: the Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived by Andrew Wilson explores how the survivors lived with or repressed their memories and the social ostracism experienced by the men who escaped in lifeboats.

Titanic : the Last Night of a Small Town by John Welshman traces the stories of twelve eye-witnesses. He delves into their earlier histories, how they survived the disaster, and what happened to them in the following years.

Titanic, First Accounts is a compilation of historic firsthand accounts by survivors and eye-witnesses.

To experience exactly what the people of 1912 were reading at the time, Wreck and Sinking of the Titanic: the Ocean’s Greatest Disaster is a deluxe reproduction of the 1912 memorial edition published immediately after the disaster.

The Titanic tragedy is also a plot point in many fiction books:

In Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke, Michael Dunnagan survived the Titanic through the sacrifice of Owen Allen. He promised to care for Owen’s sister Annie still in England. As he works to save enough money to bring Annie to America, WWI erupts in Europe and Annie mysteriously disappears.

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe is set in 1915 when a young woman is still tormented by the deaths of her mother and sister on the Titanic. In a blend of mystery and romance she searches for answers from a medium’s crystal ball.

Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark and John Campbell Clark is a mystery combining modern-day corporate intrigue with the uncertainty of what really happened to Kelsey Tate’s great-grandmother Adele on the Titanic’s last night.

There are plenty of representations of the Titanic disaster on film and television:

When I think of the Titanic the first thing that comes to mind is Leonardo DiCaprio shouting “I’m the King of the World” from the bow of the ship in James Cameron’s epic  movie Titanic. This winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1997, is available at the library on DVD. Watch Jack and Rose meet and fall in love on the doomed luxury liner . To listen to the music from the movie you can check out the Titanic Anniversary Edition soundtrack featuring Celine Dion’s Titanic Love Theme “My Heart Will Go On“.

You can watch the 4-part BBC mini-series Titanic on DVD that was written by Julian Fellowes creator of Downton Abbey. Starring Toby Jones, Linus Roache, and Geraldine Somerville it will be shown on ABC starting on April 14, the 100th anniversary of the day that the ship hit the iceberg and released on DVD April 24th.

And whatever you do, don’t forget to view the Titanic up close by stopping by the Main Library lobby to see a 5 ½ foot long wooden replica of the ship made by Tim Anderson.

Kim

Leave a Comment

Filed under Book Lists, Fiction, Historical Fiction, History, Memoir & Biography, Nonfiction

Tagged as , ,

by | April 11, 2012

Mr. Peabody’s Corner of Research and Revelation: Art

In An Object of Beauty, author Steve Martin introduces readers to the rarified world of art dealers and art collectors. As a person who is more likely to collect fez-wearing chimps than fine art, I am not overly conversant with art galleries, auction houses or the quirks of rich collectors. Here we find Lacey, a young woman who will use any means to get what she wants, working in the lower echelons at Sotheby’s. As she rises through the ranks we learn about a variety of artists and styles as well as the behind-the-scenes operations of art auctions. Lacey is not a likeable character, but her careless attitude towards others is more self-centered than malicious. Eventually opening her own gallery, Lacey begins to focus on living artists, and thus Martin introduces the many unusual faces of contemporary art.

The story is narrated by an acquaintance of Lacey’s and he presents her adventures as a cautionary tale. We learn that morally questionable business practices can stall a career (when the perp is caught), that the art world is at the mercy of international economics, and that major events such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks impact business and economics.

Martin’s writing style is delicate and genteel and the narrator creates just the right degree of tension to make the reader wonder what’s going to happen next.

As a result of my narrow focus on fez/chimp related art, many questions arose as I read Martin’s novel. Here are a few of those questions along with some Everett Public Library holdings that might offer answers.

 1)      What goes on in the lives of art dealers?

2)      Martin paints art collectors as a rather idiosyncratic bunch. How much truth is there in this portrayal?

3)      Collectors might see something in a piece of art that I cannot see. How do I learn to better appreciate art?

4)      After primarily selling works of dead European artists, Lacey becomes interested in living American artists. What are some of the trends and techniques in American art and who are the artists who have been successful?

5)      “What is art?” is an all-encompassing philosophical quandary. A simpler version of this question is, “Why is modern art considered to be art?” Paint splatters, found objects and installations where the viewer is part of the artwork have become commonplace means of expression. How can one appreciate such unconventional works?

Gotta go, so much more to learn!

Ron

Leave a Comment

Filed under Art & Architecture, Fiction, Mr. Peabody, Nonfiction

Tagged as , , , ,

by | April 9, 2012

Rhymes with Everett

Hey, Everett! You’re invited to join poets Kevin Craft, Ed Skoog, and Washington State Poet Laureate Kathleen Flenniken for a night of poetry at the library. Come to the Main Library Auditorium on Wednesday, April 11 at 7pm to participate in the Favorite Poem Project. Sign up in advance if you want to read a poem. But if you’re not interested in reading a poem aloud you can always sit in the audience and enjoy as your fellow citizens bring poetry to life.

At the time of this writing, we have almost 20 people signed up to read poems and talk about why they like those poems so much. Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks, William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes are among the favorites. But don’t feel tied to the classics. The only rule is you can’t read a poem written by yourself, a friend, or a relative.

I can’t make it that night but I’m still participating. How? One of our librarians was kind enough to tape many different staff members and me reading poems. We also talk about the reasons behind choosing the poem we chose. I picked something a little silly, Why I Have a Crush On You, UPS Man by Alice N. Persons. It’s something that became a rollicking inside joke among my fellow catalogers in the basement where we receive deliveries every day. But it’s also totally appropriate, not just for the nature of our work but the nature of my personality.

So have fun with it. Poetry is what you make of it. And we’re making a good time on April 11th!

Carol

Leave a Comment

Filed under Book Discussions & Events, Poetry

Tagged as ,

by | April 5, 2012

Other People’s Homes

What do you think of when the word “home” is mentioned? There are those who still live in their childhood homes filled with memories; there are those who wander this earth looking for a place to set down roots; and there are those who  only want to sell a house after remodeling and redecorating.

Then, there are a handful of individuals who become caretakers of grand, historical homes only for as long as they live; for after they die their oldest male heir will likely inherit their estate. In Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey, the Countess of Carnarvon tells the story of Highclere Castle and its surrounds.

People have been living at Highclere for thousands of years as demonstrated by the Iron Age hill fort on the property. The land was owned by the bishops of Winchester for hundreds of years before being awarded, in the late seventeenth century, to the Herbert family, Earls of Pembroke and ancestors of the Earls of Carnarvon. Because of the expense of maintaining palatial properties such as Highclere, male heirs were often encouraged to marry into money so that these properties could be preserved and their splendor sustained. This fascinating book covers the estate and its inhabitants from the late Victorian era to the mid 1920’s.

Sometimes, no matter how much you love your home and what it represents, it cannot be saved. In The House I Loved, Rose Bazelet is determined to stay in the only home she’s really known, a home she has lived in her entire married life. It is the 1860’s and Emperor Napoleon III has given orders to modernize Paris by widening the city’s streets, obliterating entire neighborhoods, included Rose’s. One by one her neighbors move out but Rose is determined to stay. She passes her days and nights writing letters to her dead husband and recalling their past together. Her two closest friends try to encourage her to relocate but she resists them, for how can she leave the place where all her memories reside.

Sometimes there are homes that seem to be charmed. In The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted, Heidi, although mourning her husband’s untimely death, travels, along with her young son and sixteen year old niece, to a small village in the south of France. There has been a fire in the ancestral family home and Heidi’s mother has asked Heidi to determine the extent of the damage and stay while repairs are finished. While there, Heidi is drawn into the secrets and magic that pervade this home and, in time, will bring joy and hope back into her life.

There are also homes that seen to beckon us through generations and from distant lands. Going home to Lebanon, Anthony Shadid is determined to rebuild his great-grandfather’s home in House of Stone. His family had fled war-torn Lebanon to build a new life in Oklahoma City where he was raised. The call of family history was too strong, however, and so he returned to his ancestral home determined to bring it back to life again. This wonderful account of restoring a home is interspersed with memorable characters, myths, family histories and traditions, and explanations of the rich culture that exists in his chosen homeland. This superb book is made more poignant by the fact that Anthony Shadid passed away earlier this year.

Finally, if you’re interested in how homes have evolved over the years you should read If Walls Could Talk. This fascinating history covers everything we take for granted in our modern homes: from bedrooms, where sleeping in a private bed is a somewhat recent event, through the even more recent custom of bathrooms, and the modernization of the kitchens of today. This interesting and informative volume is filled with trivia of the everyday running of the home, past and present.

So, pull out a chair (keeping in mind that in a medieval house only the lord or owner was allowed to sit down), relax and be thankful that we live in the here and now and can take the time to enjoy reading about other people’s homes.

Suzanne

Leave a Comment

Filed under Art & Architecture, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nonfiction

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

by | April 2, 2012

A Wild and Renaissancey Guy

It was May of 1978 as I sat on the Princess Marguerite with a bunch of older teenagers, trying to be impressively hilarious by (so I thought) imitating Steve Martin’s Wild and Crazy Guy. I’m pretty sure the other kids thought I was having a seizure.

In later years I came to love his goofball comedies like The Jerk and The Man with Two Brains for their hilarity, but somewhere along the way I discovered that Mr. Martin (or Steve as his friends might call him) is a fine actor. In 1987’s Roxanne, a modern retelling of Cyrano, Martin (or Mr. Martin) presented what I thought was an Oscar-worthy performance as a wonderful guy with a huge nose.

Throughout his performing career, every now and again I would see Steve (or Steverino) play banjo and think to myself, “Hey, this guy’s good.” And now he’s making fabulous bluegrass albums.

He has written comedic books such as Pure Drivel, novels like An Object of Beauty, and theatrical plays, for example 1993’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile.

Even children’s books are not safe from Mr. Martin’s (Steve’s) multi-genre-al skills.

I have seen him dance divinely in Pennies from Heaven, perform in ridiculous and hilarious skits on Saturday Night Live, and juggle kittens.


Somewhere along the way, namely in 2003, Little Steve-O became the #4 box office star in moviedom. Not bad for someone who at one point had only his friends and his thermos. Here are some movies the S-Dog (Stevabamalama) can be found in:

Did I mention that he makes fabulous balloon animals?

What we have here in Steve Martin is a Renaissance guy in the true spirit of the word, a man who has mastered not just one but many artistic forms. I find this to be truly amazing. Perhaps it is difficult to take a comedian seriously, but Steve Martin has some serious talent.

In Katie Couric’s book The Best Advice I Ever Got, Martin cites a quote by e. e. cummings:  “Who would be secure? Any and every slave.” Which leads me to believe that he is not a secure person, for Steve Martin is not a slave to people’s expectations nor to artistic norms. He’s a wild and renaissancey guy.

Ron

1 Comment

Filed under Children's Books, Fiction, Humor, Movies & Television, Music

Tagged as