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December 30, 2005
Pretty Faces and pretty fierce when it comes to a party
sums up my fellow Desketeers very well.
And so in the spirit of the good time we all love, this week's film pick is Parker Posey in Party Girl.
Mary is a downtown New York party girl who gets in trouble with the law when her rent party gets out of hand. Her librarian godmother comes to the rescue but not without strings. Mary has to repay the debt by shelving books at the library. Throw in a romance with a falafel vendor, and you have the makings for a hip, literate comedy.
Not only that but Mary has a leopard coat and that is our favorite pattern here at The Desk! All that and Dewey Decimal too!
What more could we want for the new year?
Ok, maybe a cosmo.
Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!
Posted by JenniferD at 10:10 AM
December 29, 2005
My 2005 Picks
Here are my stand out picks for 2005:
Non-Fiction:
The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer
Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Language of Baklava, A Memoir, by Diana Abu-Jaber
Teacher Man, by Frank McCourt
My Friend Leonard, by James Frey
What Remains, by Carole Radzwill
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, by Ann Lamott
740 Park:The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building, by Michael Gross
Garlic and Sapphires, by Ruth Reichl
Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell
Fiction:
March by E.L. Doctrow
Snobs by Julian Fellowes
Lizzie's War by Tim Farrington
The Lake, the River and the Other Lake, by Steve Amick
Hunting Unicorns, by Bella Pollen
Rules For Old Men Waiting, by Peter Pouncey
Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks
Thread of Grace, by Mary Doria Russell
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See
Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson
Family Tree, by Carole Cadwalladr
Baker Towers, by Jennifer Haight
The chances are very good that I have forgotten something wonderful here. If this is the case, drop me a line and let me know!
Here's to a literate 2006!
Posted by JenniferD at 12:29 PM | Comments (1)
December 28, 2005
ISO a last minute gift?
my pick for one of the most fun things I have seen this year is "Steinberg at the New Yorker". For 60 years, Steinberg was responsible for 89 covers and countless illustrations within the magazine that is one of the benchmarks for style, taste and intelligence.
While Steinberg was not a native New Yorker (he was Romanian), his art for The New Yorker ended up epitomizing the New York experience with a touch of wit, whimsy and his trademark eccentricity.
This would make a wonderful holiday/hostess gift. Why not grab one for yourself too?
Posted by JenniferD at 10:02 AM
December 22, 2005
Our movie pick for this week
may not seem to be a classic holiday film at first glance, but "Meet Me In St. Louis" was the movie that introduced the song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". Starring Judy Garland, Mary Astor, Margaret O'Brien and Lassie's mom, June Lockhart, this movie has the reputation for being one of the best musicals ever made during the golden age of Hollywood.
Life seems to be rolling merrily along for the Smith Family of St. Louis, until Father has a shot at a more lucrative job in New York. Will they make the big move to the Big Apple? Or will they stay and be there for the opening of the World's Fair.
The Margaret O'Brien character of Tootie helps keep this turn of the century valentine from getting too sicky-sweet, and the musical score is full of wonderful standards like "The Trolley Song", and "The Boy Next Door".
Myself and my fellow Desketeers hope that you "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".
Posted by JenniferD at 02:30 PM
December 20, 2005
Not to toot our own horn, but
thanks to our generous patrons, the "Food for Fines" food drive was an enormous success. Yesterday the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County's van came to the Library to pick up 1368 pounds of food. During the past two weeks, Library patrons donated 3477 pounds of non-perishable food, including canned soup, veggies, beans, tuna, and fruit; pasta, macaroni and cheese; cereal; peanut butter and jelly; and many other items.
Thank you to all who contributed and to my fellow desketeers for making the food drive run smoothly!
Posted by JenniferD at 02:24 PM
December 19, 2005
Feeling overwhelmed with excess?
Well, tis the season. "Don't Get Too Comfortable" lets us laugh at the silliness that greed, and vanity bring into our lives.
With an excellent wit, David Rakoff takes a look at contemporary America and all the over-consumption we indulge in.
Rakoff reminds us "It is nice to have nice things. Creature comfort is not some bourgeois capitalist construct, but framing it as a moral virtue is."
Not a bad thought for this time of year.
Posted by JenniferD at 12:46 PM
December 15, 2005
"Have fun storming the castle!"
Our movie pick for the week is one that we think should be considered a classic. The Princess Bride which was first released in 1987 still holds up today and is one of the rare films that works for both parents and children.
When a young sick boy gets a visit from his grandfather, he isn't exactly psyched to see that Grandpa is toting a book and that there will be no more video games for the afternoon. However, it is only a matter of time before the boy and the audience are swept away to the land of Florin and entranced by the love story of Buttercup and Wesley. When Buttercup is kidnapped by a trio of bad guys, then the adventure begins! Sword fights, fire swamps and giant rodents are just some of the perils ahead.
William Goldman not only wrote the 1973 novel of the same name but wrote the screenplay. With a cast that includes Andre the Giant, Robin Wright (pre Sean Penn), Billy Crystal, and a host of others, this is the perfect movie to escape from the holiday madness for a while.
Happy Weekend!
Posted by JenniferD at 11:34 AM | Comments (3)
December 14, 2005
1671 POUNDS!
The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County came by today to pick up all the food that was donated over the past week. All 1671 POUNDS of it. Thanks to you, we surpassed our goal of donating one ton of food when we add in the 438 pounds donated last week.
Thanks to everyone who has participated in Food for Fines so far. If you haven't donated yet, you have until this Sunday, December 18 to bring in your donations. We especially need grape jelly, cereal, powdered milk, rice, and Saltine crackers.
Posted by JenniferD at 04:34 PM
December 08, 2005
The weather outside is frightful
so here is our movie pick for the week that reminds us of all the colors and warmth of summer or at least Southern Climes. Just the thing coming up on the longest night of the year!
Finding Nemo the story of an over-protective father who loses his young son, and in the process has many hilarious adventures. In the meantime, Nemo finds himself in an aquarium in a dentist's office in Sydney, Australia trying to plot an escape with his fellow prisoners.
This amazing depiction of aquatic life, with all of its beautiful colors, on a cold and stormy weekend is sure to be warming.
Happy Weekend!
Posted by JenniferD at 03:09 PM | Comments (1)
December 07, 2005
We need more grape jelly!
The Food for Fines food drive is off to a great start. Today the Library donated 438 POUNDS of food to the Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. This includes 72 cans of soup, 68 cans of veggies and fruit, 43 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 38 cans of tuna, 21 jars of peanut butter, and much more.
We especially need grape jelly to go with all the peanut butter we've received, breakfast cereal, white rice, and Saltine crackers. We don't need any more sardines!
Let's try to donate one ton of food by Sunday, Dec. 18th!
Posted by JenniferD at 03:57 PM
December 01, 2005
Let's let Tiny Tim have a rest
and try something new for the start of the Season. Our film pick for the week is the 2002 version of Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby" starring Jamie Bell and Anne Hathaway.
All of the classic Dickensian elements are here: Impoverished family, complete with dead parent, sad and abused urchins, a damsel in distress, a rich yet miserly uncle, and of course a cripple.
This film has a great supporting cast including Christopher Plummer and Nathan Lane.
So put the shopping bags away in the closet, put your feet up and have a happy weekend!
Posted by JenniferD at 05:33 PM