"Solitary Man,"coming to DVD on September 7th.

 When I think September + movies, I can't help but think of the best (and most romantic) back-to-school-themed movie quote of all time..."I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." -- from You've Got Mail. It stands to reason then that it makes me very happy to be able to present a rich assortment of DVDs for the September state of mind. The indie, the sequel, the remake, the romantic comedy, the escape film, and the documentary are all well-represented.

Solitary Man and Looking for Eric are two very solid independent films from 2009. These are films about losing and winning. Michael Douglas stars in "Solitary Man," a story about a man who loses nearly everything because of his...er...bad behavior. In "Looking for Eric," an independent film from Great Britain, Eric Bishop, a middle-aged man on the verge of suicide,  is counseled and coached by legendary British soccer player, Eric Cantona.

Iron Man 2 is the fun and fast-paced sequel to the fun and fast paced original...and stars Robert Downey, Jr. (need I say more?). Also, this month, Russell Crowe and (director) Ridley Scott team up again for Robin Hood, a medieval epic with tons of action, sword fights, battle scenes...and, of course, a love story.  

Just Wright and Letters to Juliet are really great additions to the romantic comedy genre, in general. That we'll receive both of  these on the same day (September 14th), will make for a very happy day for some of our members! Also out on DVD on the 14th, is Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time, a popcorn-worthy fun escape from the ho-hum of every day. And, arriving at the end of the month, is the anticipated documentary, Babies. "...an "'oooooh' and 'awww' fest," according to Time...and so honest, so delightful, so eloquent...and yet, so simple. 

...and because we always like to clue you in on new items that may not be on your radar, here are some new DVDs for your consideration.

It was 11 a.m.

It was Wednesday.

Meet Us on Main Street met.

Were you here? If not, you don't know what you're missing. Well, you kind of do, because I'm going to tell you what we talked about this morning, right here.   

 Erica L. and Abby were on the stools today, and they dished up the latest on "Exceptional Advice for the Extremely Modern Lady," (see Classy, pictured left), and some excellent advice for mystery lovers -- especially faithful readers of Tana French's Dublin murder squad novels (see Faithful Place, also at left).

 In the mood for a South African mystery? (Let the Dead Lie)

What's that new movie that's sad...and someone is sick...??? (Oh,yeah. The Last Song, based, of course(!) on the Nicholas Sparks book.)

Below is a complete list of today's recommended titles.

Meet Us on Main Street meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. just inside the front door. All are welcome.

Please join us.

I'll get to it. I'll get to it. (Sigh.) If only I'd had a checklist. If only I'd read this book sooner.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande is my current read. Who knew checklists could be so interesting? And so vital? In a complex world where multi-tasking is the norm, the lowly checklist forces us to pay attention...to try to avoid errors....to try for excellence...to (as the title says) Get Things Right. Using examples from cooking, architecture and engineering, finance, aviation, and most frighteningly, health care, Gawande, a surgeon himself, makes a strong case for this simple tool. Part medical textbook, part self improvement book, and part business book, by the end of the foreward, you'll be adding "to-do list" to your to-do list.

Checklists save lives. Checklists save millions of dollars. Simple statements such as these could lead one to believe that this book is a snooze. Hardly! It is endlessly interesting, sometimes shocking and it is surprisingly entertaining. The Checklist Manifesto is extremely well-researched and well-written and makes for a great, page-turner of a read. The author is a a great storyteller. He includes a seemingly miraculous story of a drowning victim, a child in Austria who'd been under water for 90 minutes. He tells us that two-thirds of death penalty cases are thrown out due to errors, and he quotes the chilling and unforgettable, "'Your mind doesn't think of a bayonet in San Francisco.' John could only say."

Perhaps Gawande's most urgent message is conveyed here: "It somehow feels beneath us to use a checklist, an embarrassment. It runs counter to deeply held beliefs about how the truly great among us - those we aspire to be - handle situations of high stakes and complexity. The truly great are daring. They improvise. They do not have protocols and checklists. Maybe our idea of heroism needs updating." Sobering thoughts.

Reviews? Check.  (Read below)

"Even skeptical readers will find the evidence staggering.... Thoughtfully written and soundly defended, this book calls for medical professionals to improve patient care by adopting a basic, common-sense approach." -- The Washington Post

"I read The Checklist Manifesto in one sitting yesterday, which is an amazing tribute to the book that Gawande has crafted. Not only is the book loaded with fascinating stories, but it honestly changed the way I think about the world. It is the best book I've read in ages." -- Steven Levitt, author of Freakonomics

"Gawande deftly weaves in examples of checklist successes in diverse fields like aviation and skyscraper construction.... Fascinating reading." -- New York Times Book Review

Reserve your copy now? Click here and then...Check!

(While you're busy doing that, I will begin my never-too-late vacation checklist. To begin: Make reservations...)

If you're a rabid Mad Men fan like myself, waiting each week for Sunday night can seem torturous.  Between those weekly doses of Don Draper, indugle in a little Man Men-inspired reading. 

The neurotic men and women of Madison Avenue (and their spouses) have excellent taste in both fashion and  literature; the following is a list of some of the best books read by characters on the show throughout the past four seasons (thus far.)

photo courtesy of Flickr user Beao.

Beginning August 16, the Darien Library will expand its audiobook collection to include downloadable audiobooks from OverDrive. OverDrive is a large database of downloadable audiobooks compatible with iPods and a wide variety of other MP3 players. Providing access to popular new titles as well as classics, OverDrive will be accessible to all Darien Library patrons. Each user may download up to 10 audiobooks at a time. The audiobooks "check out " for 21 days and are automatically returned at the end of the borrowing period. Although you cannot renew an OverDrive audiobook, you may check it out again if no one else is waiting for it. In addition, you can rate audiobooks and share suggestions with friends on email, Twitter, and/or Facebook.

Before you can download audiobooks from OverDrive, you will need to download and install some free software--OverDrive Media Console. The download takes just minutes, and the software makes transferring, burning (when permitted by publisher), and playing audiobooks fast and easy.

We hope you're as excited about this new addition to our audiobook collection as we are! Come in and let us show you how it works.

See you @ the Library!

Coming to DVD August 10th.

August will be generating its own heat with the drama...I mean trauma...I mean comedy... of Date Night, the vigilante justice of Harry Brown, the suburban chaos of City Island, and the trappings of keeping up with the Joneses in ...The Joneses. If you ask me, when it comes to DVDs, August is a bit of a rowdy month...offering something for everyone. Are you ready? Can you handle the heat?

Here are a couple of book-based movies coming to DVD. The Last Song, based on the best-selling book by Nicholas Sparks grossed $63 million at the box office. Topping that with a box office gross of $64 million, is Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the movie based on Jeff Kinney's best-selling and wildly popular children's book.

 Death at a Funeral. Hmmm. Honestly, I keep wondering why they remade it. The original, produced in 2007, is so good, I hesitate to mar the memory with the American translation of the hilarious British farce. Let me know which you liked better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And...speaking of "translations"...

Did you know that the brand new movie, Dinner for Schmucks, (opening in theaters, Friday, July 30th) is based upon the 1999 French comedy, The Dinner Game? The Dinner Game is one of my favorite comedies (in any language) and though flawless in its execution, I am more than curious to see one of my favorite comedic actors (Steve Carell) bring the yuks home for dinner in the remake.

 

 

 I'm always learning something new at Meet Us on Main Street! Yesterday, Janet and Anna presented their list of must-reads at our fun weekly program. I learned how Oklahoma got its Panhandle when Anna talked about How the States Got Their Shapes, and when Janet spoke about Only in New York: An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating, and Irrepressible City, I got to relive some of my long-ago area-code anxiety when reminded of going from a 212 to a 718. (Gasp!)

If you click below, you'll find the list of talked-about books at yesterday's Meet Us on Main Street and if you click on the Meet Us on Main Street tag, you'll be able to see all we've been talking about since we began the program a year ago!

If you come and join us for Meet Us on Main Street, I can practically guarantee that not only will you have fun and discover something new and wonderful to read, but you will also leave with an unusual quote or factoid echoing around in your mind.

The wonderful morsels from yesterday included the Cuban Missile Crisis, rosary beads, spiders on the fire logs, and grapeseed oil. Here are my favorite quotes: "What the heck are these cheeses?", "The man cannot write a bad book.", "I love my stuff.", and "What if I'm on a boat and I just don't know it?"

Join us. Every Wednesday at 11 a.m.  Meet Us on Main Street.

Malcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite travel companions. That's a fact that I suggest you not challenge. I was a huge fan of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking when it came out in 2005. He told us that we can make instant judgments. Our first impressions are good. Judging from Blink, I knew that I wanted to read more Gladwell - I was impressed by his research, insights, and by his great storytelling. I don't want to say that it was instinctive when I assumed that he'd be a great narrator, too, but, I had a very strong feeling....and I was not disappointed. Far from it. He is the ultimate travel companion.

Earlier this year, I listened  to the audiobook of Outliers:The Story of Success and could not help getting caught up in Gladwell's enthusiasm and curiosity. I was eager to have him join me again on a recent roadtrip so brought along What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures, his newest book. The experience of listening to this audiobook, comprised of many of Gladwell's essays/articles which were written for the New Yorker magazine, was highly entertaining. Many of the essays were educational and relevant for me and, coincidentally, just in the nick of time(!). When encountering an ill-behaved dog, I did exactly what he described Cesar Millan doing...and it worked. When someone mentioned their favorite mustard, I had the perfect anecdote to tell. And just yesterday, during lunch, I was able to contribute to a conversation about tea by discussing what I'd just learned about Thomas Lipton.

With quirky chapter descriptions like, "'He'll Be Wearing a Double-Breasted Suit. Buttoned.' -- 'And He Was.", "What Pit Bulls Can Teach Us About Crime," and "Hair Dye and the Hidden History of Postwar America," Gladwell will keep you interested, sometimes laughing out loud, and if nothing else, provide excellent morsels for cocktail party/first date conversational dry spells.

Now that I've heard What the Dog Saw, I'd strongly recommend that you do, too.

When asked to name my favorite day-trips in Connecticut, I knew my task would be an easy--and pleasant--one. Here are a few that came rapidly to mind, with online links to sites that will provide visitor information, including hours of operation, prices, and directions.

Dinosaur State Park, Rocky Hill

A natural for kids going through their dinosaur phase, and for parents who have never outgrown theirs, Dinosaur State Park is fun for the whole family. Walking among authentic dinosaur tracks made millions of years ago in our own backyard is only half the fun. The other half is making plaster casts of these ancient footprints using materials available on-site or nearby. Our 4th grader's show-and-tell souvenir is still intact (in the attic) a decade or more later.

Essex

Looking for an old-fashioned New England town to show your visiting in-laws? They don't get much more typical (or charming) than this compact village, just off Exit 69 of I-95. Water views of the Connecticut River, a grassy park with a gazebo, an inn with a restaurant that attracts visitors from all over the state on holidays (our favorite over the years has been Mother's Day), and boutique shopping are among the lures of this visitor magnet.

Gillette Castle, East Haddam

Nineteenth-century actor William Gillette gained fame and fortune during the Gilded Age through his memorable and melodramatic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. He used a considerable part of that fortune to build the house now known as Gillette's Castle. When we first visited this spot, it was partially closed for renovations. These have now been completed, and the Castle and its grounds overlooking the Connecticut River (a few miles upstream from Essex) are now open to all comers, making a repeat visit a new addition to our family's to-do list. Tours of the grand mansion are available.

Lake Compounce Amusement Park

Connecticut's version of Coney Island, located smack in the middle of the state, off I-84 between Waterbury and Hartford, is smaller and homier, which has made it a godsend for parents wanting a good spot for an outing. More than once have I boarded a bus as a chaperone for a day of sun, water rides, and lots of noise. The nation's oldest, continuously operating amusement park, Lake Compounce is a cheaper and nearer alternative to Six Flags.

Mystic Seaport

One of the most celebrated towns in Connecticut--and not just because it was the setting for the Julia Roberts' breakthrough film Mystic Pizza. Besides the Aquarium and the historic ships, Mystic also offers less pricey alternatives to visitors, including a charming village with shops, superb seafood eateries, ice-cream parlors, and, yes, a pizzeria with a famous name. My favorite moment in Mystic was not the windy day we spent inspecting the tall ships, but an early evening in which we watched--from the second floor of a harbor restaurant--the drawbridge open and close for returning boats as the sun was setting and we were enjoying a New England fish dinner.

If none of these is quite your cup of tea, no worries. Connecticut is rich in history and full of places of interest to singles, families, and seniors, too. Before you embark on your next day-trip, check out our catalog. We have a wonderful selection of local travel guides to help you plan your getaway. Here are my top picks:

Once you've whet your appetite browsing through our travel guides, go online and check out these web sites for the latest information on events, prices, and special offers:

AAA Southern New England

ConnecticutBeautiful.com

Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

The New York Times Travel Guide to Connecticut

Visit Connecticut

Bonus link: The Connecticut Supreme Court, State Capitol and the Museum of Connecticut History have planned two days of programming this summer for families interested in a day-trip with their kids. Click here for details!

 Bon Voyage!

See you @ the Library (when you get back)!

Photo from Flickr user schoeband.

We've survived the worst of this July heat wave, but still count on books and movies to take us away...far away. How does an icy glacier in the Andes sound? Or a windswept, snow-covered mountain at the top of the world? We have plenty of great reading and viewing choices that will remind us of those dark, cold winter days and maybe even help bring the temperatures down just a touch.

Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air takes us to Mount Everest with an ill-fated group of adventurers and guides. Who will survive the attempt to summit Earth's highest mountain? You can practically feel the cold wind and sense the foreboding majesty of the mountain as the story unfolds. The 2001 television movie provides breathtaking visuals and brings Krakauer's questions of morality and boundaries into crystal-clear focus.

Touching the Void is a book and film based on the true experiences of two friends, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, climbing in the Peruvian Andes. Simpson breaks his leg during a descent and in an attempt to evacuate, is trapped. His friend Yates must make an impossible decision to either try desperately to save himself or let both men die...this is a lesser-known story than Into Thin Air, but even more of an amazing survival story.

We have lots of other cold-weather stories and films to help beat the heat this summer. Come to the 2nd floor and we'll help you make some really cool choices!