magazines

Tune in on Zoom with us next month as the Genre Reading Group (GRG) explores journalists and journalism.  Fiction or nonfiction, the choice is yours!  Register here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/3501716

Here is a link to the Jefferson County Library Cooperative online catalog where you can browse some of the titles available and reserve anything that catches your eye.

Encore catalog: https://bit.ly/2P0u4vk

For titles you would like to pick up at O’Neal Library: once you receive a hold notice that you have items ready for checkout, you may call the Circulation Dept at 205.445.1101 to schedule contactless curbside pickup OR visit ONL Express, limited access to the building Monday-Saturday 10am-2pm. Masks covering nose and mouth are required for the duration of your visit and there is a limit of 30 people in the building at a time. Visit during ONL Express hours to peruse the small journalism display on the 2^nd floor near the elevator.

This week, GRG met to talk about magazines:

TV Guide

TV Guide is a bi-weekly American magazine that provides television program listings information as well as television-related news, celebrity interviews and gossip, film reviews, crossword puzzles, and, in some issues, horoscopes.

National Geographic (ONL subscribes)

National Geographic is the official magazine of the National Geographic Society. It has been published continuously since its first issue in 1888, nine months after the Society itself was founded. It primarily contains articles about science, geography, history, and world culture. 

Sunset

Sunset is a lifestyle magazine in the United States. Sunset focuses on homes, cooking, gardening, and travel, with a focus almost exclusively on the Western United States.

Woman's Day

Woman's Day is an American women's magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, fitness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters magazines aimed at stay-at-home moms: Woman’s Day, Family Circle, McCall’s, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Better Homes and Gardens.  Of these seven, only Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, and Woman’s Day remain in print.

The Week (ONL subscribes)

The Week is a weekly news magazine with editions in the United Kingdom and United States. The American edition started in 2001 and provides perspectives on the week's current events and other news, as well as editorial commentary from global media, with the intent to provide readers with multiple political viewpoints. In addition to the above, the magazine covers a broad range of topics, including science, technology, health, the media, business and the arts. The Week claims it is "designed for readers who want to know what's going on in the world, but don’t have the time to read a daily newspaper from cover to cover - let alone all of them."

Bon Appetitv (ONL subscribes)

Bon Appétit is a monthly American food and entertaining magazine, that typically contains recipes, entertaining ideas, restaurant recommendations, and wine reviews. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered at the One World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City and has been in publication since 1956.

Spin

Spin is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. The magazine stopped running in print in 2012 and currently runs as a webzine, owned by NEXT Management.

Rolling Stone (ONL subscribes)

Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its coverage of rock music and for political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson.

1843

1843 is a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine that focuses on culture, design, fashion, health, travel, and technology. Based in London, the magazine is named after the founding year of The Economist magazine, its sister publication.

Smithsonian (ONL subscribes)

Smithsonian magazine places a Smithsonian lens on the world, looking at the topics and subject matters researched, studied and exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution—science, history, art, popular culture and innovation—and chronicling them every day for our diverse readership.

GQ: Gentlemen’s Quarterly (ONL subscribes)

GQ is the authority on men. For more than 50 years, GQ has been the premier men’s magazine, providing definitive coverage of style and culture. With its unique and powerful design, work from the finest photographers and a stable of award-winning writers, GQ reaches millions of leading men each month. The only publication that speaks to all sides of the male equation, GQ is simply sharper and smarter.

Saturday Evening Post

The Saturday Evening Post is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. 

Broom

Broom: An International Magazine of the Arts was a modernist magazine founded by Harold Loeb and Alfred Kreymborg and published from November 1921 to January 1924. Initially, the magazine was printed in Europe and had a complicated and brief run. 

According to the Pennwick Foundation, “Broom set up headquarters in Rome, where its first ten issues were printed. After the first year of publication, Kreymborg left, and Loeb moved Broom’s headquarters from Rome to Berlin, where he published six more issues before his money ran out. Broom’s associate editor, Matthew Josephson, took over the funding and moved Broom’s headquarters to New York, where he published five issues, the last of which was banned by U.S. postal censors.”

Doc Savage pulp magazines

Just under two years after The Shadow appeared on magazine racks, Doc Savage became the third pulp character to get his own magazine.

The world met the Man of Bronze in a novel titled “The Man of Bronze,” March 1933.
Doc Savage was created by Street and Smith’s Henry W. Ralston, with help from editor John L. Nanovic, in order to capitalize on the surprise success of The Shadow magazine.
It was Lester Dent, though, who crafted the character into the superman that he became.
Dent, who wrote most of the adventures, described his hero – Clark “Doc” Savage Jr. – as a cross between “Sherlock Holmes with his deducting ability, Tarzan of the Apes with his towering physique and muscular ability, Craig Kennedy with his scientific knowledge, and Abraham Lincoln with his Christliness.”

Through 181 novels, the fight against evil was on. From a headquarters on the 86th floor of a towering Manhattan skyscraper, Doc, his five pals — Renny, Johnny, Long Tom, Ham and Monk — and occasionally his cousin Pat battled criminals the world over (and under) 12 times a year, from 1933 until early 1947; then the team’s exploits dropped to every two months until the final three quarterly issues in 1949.

Doc Savage is one of the few characters whose complete original pulp run has been reprinted in book form. Doc also appeared in a short-lived radio drama in the 1940s, a couple of serialized adventures on public radio and a 1975 movie. (https://thepulp.net/the-links/docsavage/)”

Punch Magazine

Punch, or The London Charivari, was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and wood-engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 1850s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration.

The Tatler

Tatler was first published in 1709. Today, more than 300 years later, Tatler magazine is published both in print and digitally, with a dynamic website focusing on parties and people, a dedicated social following and a series of stellar events. Tatler’s powerful mix of glamour, fashion, society, features and fun make the brand unique. Tatler magazine is published monthly.

Stereo Gum

Stereogum is the world’s best music blog, founded in 2002. It is independently owned and operated.

Horse & Rider (ONL subscribes)

Horse & Rider provides all you need for today’s Western horse life. Learn from top professional trainers, clinicians, and horse-keeping experts. Experience Western life. Travel to Western destinations and scenic trails. Horse & Rider is your resource to live today’s Western horse life.

GENERAL DISCUSSION:

One of GRG’s members mentioned a website, Birmingham Rewound, where memories of the Magic City from the 1940s through the 1970s may be enjoyed:  https://www.birminghamrewound.com/

Another member mentioned a recent Birmingham News article on penicillin research that referenced the book “The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat: The Story of the Penicillin Miracle” by Eric Lax. 

“Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in his London laboratory in 1928 and its eventual development as the first antibiotic by a team at Oxford University headed by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain in 1942 led to the introduction of the most important family of drugs of the twentieth century. Yet credit for penicillin is largely misplaced. Neither Fleming nor Florey and his associates ever made real money from their achievements; instead it was the American labs that won patents on penicillin's manufacture and drew royalties from its sale. Why this happened, why it took fourteen years to develop penicillin, and how it was finally done is a fascinating story of quirky individuals, missed opportunities, medical prejudice, brilliant science, shoestring research, wartime pressures, misplaced modesty, conflicts between mentors and their protégés, and the passage of medicine from one era to the next.”

One of Holley’s favorite nonfiction titles just happens to be about magazines in a roundabout way,  Ernest Hemingway and the Little Magazines: The Paris Years by Nicholas Joost, published in 1968.  Alas, it has been lost and is no longer available in the library system but it is worth an interlibrary loan if you have any interest!

“For much of the initial period Hemingway lived and wrote in Paris, the only writing he had published was his journalism. Gradually, as his reputation among the literary expatriate community grew, his work began to appear with regularity in many of the most important little magazines in Europe and the United States, including Little Review, Poetry, The Exile, Transatlantic Review, This Quarter, transition, The Double Dealer, and Der Querschnitt. Hemingway was also included in the Contact Collection of Contemporary Writers (1925), the first important anthology of the work of the expatriates.
One reason for Hemingway's original change of publishers from Liveright to Scribner's, was the opportunity the latter offered him to publish his work in Scribner's Magazine, in which his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald published and for which he received handsome payments. As Hemingway became established as a writer, he became one of the most sought-after, and highly-paid magazine writers of his time. His articles, stories, and excerpts from novels appeared frequently in such magazines as Life, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Holiday, and a host of other commercial magazines.”
http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/exhibits/hemngway/mags.htm

armchair travel

To travel would be a dream right now but a book can often transport you to different time or place, right from the comfort and safety of home.  From the Sicilian countryside to quaint Parisian streets to the glamor of 1940s New York, this list of destination reads is almost as good as taking a vacation!

Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan

Escape to: Socialize with the ultra-rich in Capri, Italy and New York City.

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Escape to: A luxurious resort in Maui, Hawaii, where you can sip on pineapple juice and take in the views of the ocean from your (honeymoon) suite.

Walking on the Ceiling by Aysegul Savas

Escape to: A quaint Parisian bookstore where the smell of buttered croissants from the cafe next door fills the air between the shelves.

From Scratch by Tembi Locke

Escape to: The Silician countryside complete with a big Italian family and lots of fresh food.

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Escape to: An extravagant Cape Cod wedding.

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

Escape to: The sun-kissed streets of 1960s Havana, Cuba.

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

Escape to: India, where you’ll explore food, heritage, and a colorful culture you won’t want to leave.

Tomorrow There Will Be Sun by Dana Reinhardt

Escape to: A private villa in Mexico with a bottomless pitcher of margaritas.

Her Last Flight by Beatriz Williams

Escape to: A remote surfing village in Kauai, Hawaii.

The Old Drift by Namwali Serpell

Escape to: The luscious, green cliffsides of the Zambezi River in Zambia.

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

Escape to: The Korean island of Jeju and its crystalline, azure waters that you’ll want to dive right into.

Leading Men by Christopher Castellani

Escape to: The cafe-crowded streets of Portofino, Italy, where you can sip wine while taking in views of the Amalfi coast (and perhaps reading some Capote or Williams).

Cape May by Chip Cheek

Escape to: A gorgeous mansion overlooking the shores of Cape May, New Jersey (think Gatsby on the beach).

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly

Escape to: Revolutionary-era Russia to dine with tsars in ancient stone castles.

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Escape to: London, England, to track down (and maybe fall in love with) a royal.

If you are looking for even more adventure, register for the Bookies meeting on Tuesday, August 11^th at 10am.  They’ll be meeting on Zoom to discuss travel writing.  The library is open for limited access Monday-Saturday 10am-2pm. Masks covering your nose and mouth are required for the duration of your visit and only 30 patrons are allowed in the building at one time.  Upstairs on the second floor, you’ll find a display of some exciting travel writing near service desk.  Register here for the Bookies’ August meeting: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/4480904

feast for the senses

The topic for last week’s Coffee Klatch was “What’s Cooking?” and participants certainly arrived to the Zoom meeting with the good stuff!  Your cooking game is about to be sizzling! 

Next week, we’ll be chatting about looking ahead to fall.  Register here to receive a link to the Zoom meeting: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/4320501

Vintage Lemonade

6 lemons juiced

1/2 cup sugar

12 cups water

2 cups crushed ice

lemon slices to garnish

Juice the lemons, removing the seeds. If desired, strain out the pulp. Mix the lemon juice with the sugar until dissolved. Add the water, crushed ice, and garnish with sliced lemons.

Frosty Blended Basil Lemonade

3 lemons

1 cup basil

1/2 cup sugar

6 cups water

2 cups ice

basil leaves to garnish

Excluding the garnish, add all of the ingredients to a high-powered blender and blend on high for 30-60 seconds. Pour into glasses (or a pitcher) and garnish with fresh basil leaves. NOTES

To minimize the possibility of sugar crystals, make a quick simple syrup by bringing equal amounts of sugar and water to a boil. Make sure to subtract the water from the water measurement.

Alternative sweeteners to experiment with include maple syrup, honey, date syrup and stevia, sweetening to taste. 

Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqz3e1yRE-Mu4roc8SWNcUA

Whipped Feta w/ Honey (A Taziki's recipe) 

1 tbsp Chives, cut up

1 tbsp Honey

Black Pepper, to taste

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 Cup Feta Cheese Crumbles, fat free

1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese, skim or low fat

Pita Chips or Pita Bread, for dipping

In a food processor or blender, add ricotta cheese, feta cheese and olive oil. Blend until combined and smooth.  Add to a shallow bowl to serve, or any bowl if you don't have a shallow bowl. Spread it around and make a little flat. Add honey on top of cheese spread. Swirl honey around with a spoon.

Add pepper and chives on top.

Summer Protein Shake

- 1-2 medium-sized peeled and cut bananas

- 3 Tbs. of Greek Vanilla Yogurt

- 1/4 cup of rolled oats; uncooked

- 1 Tsp. of fresh ground mint

- 1 Cup of Ice

- 1 scoop of protein mix (vanilla flavoured) 

- 1 cup of Milk (vanilla flavoured; plant or nut based - optional)

- 1/4 cup of iced light or medium brewed coffee

Blend and serve. Makes about 3-4 Cups. 

Chicken and Rice Soup With Celery, Parsley and Lemon

Kate Mathis for The New York Times.

This soup is simultaneously cozy and fresh. It’s just the kind of thing you want to eat when you’re sick and seeking something that’ll perk you up and get you through it. The soup simmers long enough for the rice to start to break down so it thickens the soup. If you prefer a brothier soup that’s predominantly chicken and rice floating in broth, cook just until the rice is tender. Or if you want thick porridge, just keep simmering. (You can’t really overcook chicken thighs.) Lemon juice adds brightness, as does the lively mix of parsley, lemon, garlic and celery leaves strewn on top.

8 cups chicken broth

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

4 stalks celery, leaves reserved and stalks thinly sliced

¾ cup jasmine rice (unrinsed)

 Kosher salt

½ cup fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest plus up to 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)

1 small garlic clove

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

In a large Dutch oven or pot, combine the broth, chicken, celery and rice. Season lightly with salt. (Some broths have more salt than others, so start easy.) Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice starts to break down and lose its shape, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop together the parsley leaves, lemon zest and up to 1/2 cup celery leaves. Transfer to a small bowl, grate the garlic clove into the bowl, season with salt and stir to combine.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken into pieces, then stir it back into the soup. Remove from heat, stir in the butter (if using), and season to taste with salt. Stir in the lemon juice a little at a time until the soup is bright but still tastes like chicken. (You may not use the full 1/2 cup juice.)

Divide the soup among bowls and top with the parsley-lemon mixture. (The soup, minus the lemon juice and parsley mixture, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; the rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so add more chicken broth when reheating. Add the lemon juice and fresh herb garnish just before serving.)

ROASTED CHICKEN PROVENCAL

5 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
2 T serves de Provence
1 lemon, quartered
8 cloves garlic, peeled
4 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
1/3 cup dry vermouth or white wine

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken lightly in flour.

Swirl oil in a roasting pan or cast iron skillet and place floured chicken in it. Sprinkle with herbs de Provence. Arrange the lemon, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken then add Vermont or wine to the pan.

Put pan in the oven, and roast for 25-30 minutes, baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for another 2030 minutes or until chicken is crisp and meat is cooked through.


NO KNEAD BREAD

2 pkg. instant yeast
3 cups warm water
1 1/2-2 T kosher salt
6 cups AP flour

Mix all. Form into a ball and place in a bowl covered with a moist cloth. Set in a warm place and let rise 1-2 hours.

Recipe will make 2 large loaves of bread but if you don’t need that much, pull off enough to make a small loaf (about 1/4), form into a ball and allow to rise again for another hour. Put remaining dough in refrigerator where it can be used for a week, allowing for a longer rising time since it is cold.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut top of dough. Cook on parchment on a pizza stone, cookie sheet, or in a small iron pot. If using the latter cook with top on for 20 minutes, remove top and cook for another 15-20 minutes. If on a pizza stone, cook for 40 minutes.

Puppy Chow

(notes from the participant:  I add a stick of REAL butter to this though!  I also microwave instead of use a stove.  I also just use a whole box of cereal, powedered sugar, etc.  I am a minimalist. thus far improvising has not failed me.)

9 cups crispy rice cereal squares

½ cup peanut butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate; add peanut butter and mix until smooth. Remove from heat, add cereal and stir until coated. Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, add coated cereal and shake until well coated. Store in airtight container.

Crockpot Chicken Marrakesh (one of Holley's favorites and it freezes really well!)

1 onion, sliced 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (this tastes good, but I prefer to use an equivalent amount of butternut squash instead)

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (I use 2 cans)

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch pieces (I use thighs instead)

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

Place the onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, and chicken breast pieces into a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, and salt, and sprinkle over the chicken and vegetables. Pour in the tomatoes, and stir to combine.  Cover the cooker, set to High, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened, 4 to 5 hours.

Blueberry cobbler (this is a Pioneer Woman recipe and also freezes well)

1 cup self rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup of milk

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

2 cups blueberries, washed and lightly patted dry (I’ve only ever used fresh)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, milk. Add butter and mix until smooth and silky. Pour into preheated cast iron skillet and top with blueberries.  Lightly sprinkle more sugar and bake for an hour.

Summer Fruit Salad

dressing

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon maple syrup, more if desired

½ teaspoon grated ginger

Pinch of sea salt

for the salad

10 strawberries, sliced

2 peaches, sliced

½ cup Bing cherries, pitted and sliced

½ cup blueberries

½ cup raspberries

¼ cup fresh basil, more for garnish

¼ cup fresh mint, more for garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lime juice, maple syrup, ginger, and salt.

In a large bowl, toss together the strawberries, peaches, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, basil, and mint. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss to coat. Garnish with basil and mint and serve.

Summertime Fruit Salad

1 pound strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

3 medium peaches, thinly sliced (I peeled mine, but if you don’t mind the skin, you can leave it on)

6 ounces (1 cup) blueberries

1 heaping tablespoon fresh, chopped basil or mint

2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)

1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

In a medium serving bowl, combine the strawberries, peaches, blueberries and basil. Drizzle the lemon juice, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar on top. Gently toss to combine.

Serve immediately, or chill for later. This salad is best enjoyed promptly, but will keep well for about 2 days in the refrigerator (pour off excess juices if necessary).

Peach Blueberry Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing

1 cup (225 g) blueberries

2 peaches

Juice from 1 lime

3 Tbsp honey

Fresh mint leaves

Wash the blueberries and peaches. Cut the peaches into wedges. Arrange the blueberries and slices of peaches on a platter. Mix the lime juice and honey and drizzle over the fruit. Add fresh mint leaves, sliced thin or whole, and toss everything together.

Cranberry Orange Relish

From the Joy of Christmas (Junior League of the City of Washington Cookbook, 1983)

2   large oranges

4   Cups of raw cranberries

2   Cups of sugar

1   Ounce of brandy (or less to taste)

Seed and peel oranges; remove white membrane.  Chop oranges and cranberries.  Combine thoroughly with sugar. Add brandy and mix well. Refrigerate overnight.

Nadiya Hussain’s Kiwi and feta salad

We eat peaches with their fuzzy skin and don’t bat an eyelid, so why not kiwis? This salad offers a great balance of tart and sweet with the added pop of the little black crunchy sesame seeds. Great with a barbecue.

5 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp clear honey
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tbsp za'atar spice mix
4 tbsp tahini
1 red onion, finely diced
8 kiwis, firm but not overripe, topped and tailed and chopped into chunks, skins and all!
1 cucumber
7oz feta crumbled or roughly chopped
a small handful of fresh dill, finely chopped
2 tbsp black sesame seeds

1. Start by making the dressing at the bottom of a large serving bowl (saves on washing-up if nothing else). Add the oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, za'atar and tahini and mix together.
2. Add the onion and mix through really well. The onion will soften as it sits in the vinegar. Tip in the kiwi.
3. To prepare the cucumber, slice lengthways and remove the seeds using a teaspoon. Cut into long strips and cube. Add to the bowl. Add the feta on top and sprinkle over the chopped dill and sesame seeds.
4. Don’t mix the salad till you are ready to serve, or everything will wilt and go weird!

And some of our favorite foodie tv shows and movies:

Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/title/80198288

Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat travels the world to explore four basic keys to wonderful cooking, serving up feasts and helpful tips along the way.

Nadiya’s Time to Eat (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/title/81185359

On this cooking show, Nadiya Hussain serves up delicious shortcuts, vital ingredients, and fast favorites perfect for today’s time-strapped families.

Flavorful Origins (Netflix) https://www.netflix.com/title/80991060

Flavorful Origins is a twenty-part Mandarin-language (dubbed and subtitled) documentary series exploring culinary secrets of China and various cooking techniques and cuisines with native ingredients from the Chaoshan (season 1) and Yunnan (season 2) regions.

Alton Brown’s Good Eats (Foodnetwork.com, available for purchase on Amazon)

With humor and good eating, Alton Brown explores the origins of ingredients.

It’s Alive with Brad Leone (bonappetit.com, Youtube, Bon Appetit streaming app)

This series follows Leone as he creates food with microbial food cultures, though later episodes additionally focus on more general recipes and on-location activities.

Chef

Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love. (c) Open Road

No Reservations

Master chef Kate Armstrong lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery--with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate's perfectionist nature is put to the test when she "inherits" her nine-year-old niece Zoe, while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer couldn't be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.

Babette’s Feast

The Danish/French Babette's Feast is based on a story by Isak Dinesen, also the source of the very different Out of Africa (1985). Stephane Audran plays Babette, a 19th century Parisian political refugee who seeks shelter in a rough Danish coastal town. Philippa (Bodil Kjer) and Martina (Birgitte Federspiel), the elderly daughters of the town's long-dead minister, take Babette in. As revealed in flashback, Philippa and Martina were once beautiful young women (played by Hanne Stensgaard and Vibeke Hastrup), who'd forsaken their chances at romance and fame, taking hollow refuge in religion. Babette holds a secret that may very well allow the older ladies to have a second chance at life. This is one of the great movies about food, but there are way too many surprises in Babette's Feast to allow us to reveal anything else at this point (except that Ingmar Bergman "regulars" Bibi Andersson and Jarl Kulle have significant cameo roles).. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Julie & Julia

Based on two true stories, "Julie & Julia" intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

Under the Tuscan Sun

rances Mayes is a 35-year-old San Francisco writer whose perfect life has just taken an unexpected detour. Her recent divorce has left her with terminal writer's block and extremely depressed. Her best friend, Patti, is beginning to think that she might never recover. "Dr. Patti's" prescription: 10 days in Tuscany. It's there, on a whim, that Frances purchases a villa named Bramasole--literally, "something that yearns for the sun." The home needs much restoration, but what better place for a new beginning than the home of the Renaissance? As she flings herself into her new life at the villa in the lush Italian countryside, Frances makes new friends among her neighbors; but in the quiet moments, she is fearful that her ambitions for her new life--and new family--may not be realized, until a chance encounter in Rome throws Frances into the arms of an intriguing Portobello antiques dealer named Marcello. Even as she stumbles forward on her uncertain journey, one thing becomes clear: in life, there are second chances.

art & culture

Coffee Klatch met this morning and chatted about art and culture.  Next week, stop by to talk about your favorite summer movies.  Registration required: http://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/4320498

GENERAL DISCUSSION:

(John) Peel Sessions available on Youtube, BBC 1967-2004

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL79tGFj2KeAADXxjy3eJDcDWo8ikBze8a

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL86DgLdhbuRlt6QLe5b30es9NW7zuBBFD

http://www.openculture.com/2016/07/stream-15-hours-of-the-john-peel-sessions.html

https://davestrickson.blogspot.com/2020/05/john-peel-sessions.html

https://davestrickson.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-hidden-delights-on-youtube.html

https://davestrickson.blogspot.com/2020/05/john-peel-session-tracks.html

Frist Art Museum – Nashville
Reopening July 1st
https://fristartmuseum.org/visit/reopening-information

J.M.W. Turner Exhibit
https://fristartmuseum.org/calendar/detail/j.m.w.-turner-quest-for-the-sublime

Padma Lakshmi’s Taste the Nation explores American food through her immigrant populations. One of the best episodes is The Gullah Way

The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy

(amazon) Though the children of Yamacraw Island live less than two miles from the southern mainland, they can’t name the US president or the ocean that surrounds them. Most can’t read or write. Many of the students are the descendants of slaves, handicapped by poverty and isolation.

When Pat Conroy arrives, an eager young teacher at the height of the civil rights movement, he finds a community still bound by the bitter effects of racism, but he is determined to broaden its members’ horizons and give them a voice.

In this poignant memoir, which Newsweek called “an experience of joy,” the New York Times–bestselling author of The Prince of Tides plumbs his experiences as a young teacher on an isolated South Carolina island to reveal the shocking inequalities of the American education system.

Rent-On-Demand for current films

Using Kanopy and Hoopla to stream movies for free with a valid library card (residency restrictions may apply)

Cults and Extreme Beliefs streaming on Hulu

Renaissance Winery cult
https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/The-original-cult-wine-13175429.php

The Uncensored Library, hosted on Minecraft servers

Internet Archive book library

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

(amazon) The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect?

Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.

As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.

One participant is a new fan of Dune by Frank Herbert: (amazon) Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, and Charlotte Rampling.

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Maud'dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family - and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream. 

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.  Frank Herbert's death in 1986 was a tragic loss, yet the astounding legacy of his visionary fiction will live forever. 

The Black Jacket Symphony: Concert in Your Car series has ended but was fun and well-attended.

BIRMINGHAM AND IMMEDIATE SURROUNDS:

Vulcan Park & Museum
As of June 10, 2020 – We are pleased to announce we will resume normal operating hours starting today. The Observation Tower and Park Grounds will be open daily from 10am to 10pm. Vulcan Center and Kiwanis Vulcan Trail will be open daily from 10am to 6pm.

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is open for normal business hours (Mon - Sat 10-6 and Sun Noon-6 ). Some amenities will be suspended including docents, premium tours, and theater access. Guests will be required to follow safety guidelines set forth by governmental officials. 

McWane Science Center
Reopening July 8
Wed – Fri Hours . . .9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Saturday Hours . . . 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday Hours . . . . .12:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Virginia Samford Theater
Tickets for August shows are available.

Red Mountain Theater Company
Tickets for October shows are available.

Alabama Iron & Steel Museum
COVID-19 status/procedures, unknown

COVID-19 CLOSURES

The Birmingham Museum of Art

The museum is closed, but they offer #BMAathome opportunities to learn, create, and explore.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Southern Museum of Flight

Alys Stephens Center

Hoover Library Theatre

Birmingham Black Repertory Theatre Company

Terrific New Theatre

DAY TRIPS WITHIN 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (approximately)

National Memorial for Peace and Justice
Limited hours: Wed-Sat 10am-2pm (last entry 1:30pm)

Montgomery Civil Rights Memorial
The Memorial Center is closed but the outdoor Memorial is accessible 24/7.

Rosa Parks Library & Museum
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, all tours self-guided.

The Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum
Reopening to the public Thursday, July 2^nd on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10am3pm for the month of July.

Old Alabama Town
Open Thursday-Saturday 10am-4pm

Alabama Mining Museum
COVID-19 status/procedures, unknown

Anniston Museum of Natural History and Berman Museum
Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm (last entry at 4:30pm)

Kentuck Art Center
Open Monday-Friday 10am-12pm and 1pm-4pm. On weekends, open 12pm-4pm.

Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts
Reopening to the public Monday, Aug 3^rd: Monday-Saturday, 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm.

Ave Maria Grotto
Open every day 9am-5pm.

U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Pre-purchase of tickets recommended, some exhibits and attractions closed, open Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, and Sunday 11am-5pm

COVID-19 CLOSURES

Legacy Museum

Montgomery Museum of Fine Art

Alabama Shakespeare Festival

DAY TRIPS BETWEEN 2 AND 2.5 HOURS (approximately)

National Voting Rights Museum and Institute and the Slavery and Civil War Museum
COVID-19 status/procedures, unknown

Old Depot Museum
COVID-19 status/procedures, unknown

Moundville Archaeological Park
Jones Archaeological Museum, campground, and admissions offices are closed but park grounds are open for walking, jogging, cycling, etc.

High Museum of Art
Reopening to the public Saturday, July 18^th, tickets required.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Open daily 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm, evening hours Thursday-Saturday 5pm-9pm, online tickets required

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rosenbaum House
Open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sundays 1pm-4pm

Helen Keller Museum
Open Monday-Saturday 8:30am-4pm (last entry at 3:45pm)

COVID-19 CLOSURES

Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

readers choice

July’s GRG topic is magazines and registration is available here: http://www.eolib.org/event/3501675.  

Mountain Brook residents have access to the Flipster digital newsstand (avail for Apple and Android) with a valid library card, but we also make magazines available for curbside pickup!  Call the Adult Svcs desk at 205.445.1121 to check availability of your favorites. 

More information about magazines if available on the Library’s blog: https://eolib.blogspot.com/2020/06/magazines.html

This week, the Genre Reading Group met for one our biannual Salon Discussions.  Each year, GRG selects ten topics to explore, leaving two months free for open discussion of pretty much anything.  We had a fabulous chat!

Annotations pulled from Amazon and and Rotten Tomatoes, unless otherwise noted.

A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

How do you start over after the end of the world?  Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet’s population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes and wasteland gangs. In postapocalyptic San Francisco, former pop star Moira has created a new identity to finally escape her past―until her domineering father launches a sweeping public search to track her down. Desperate for a fresh start herself, jaded event planner Krista navigates the world on behalf of those too traumatized to go outside, determined to help everyone move on―even if they don’t want to.

Rob survived the catastrophe with his daughter, Sunny, but lost his wife. When strict government rules threaten to separate parent and child, Rob needs to prove himself worthy in the city’s eyes by connecting with people again. Krista, Moira, Rob and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before―and everything they still stand to lose. Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.

Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley (not available within the JCLC system, but you may request it from Interlibrary Loan)

The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Juliette, convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists. Richard, to try and keep the boy out of his mind, has turned his attention to the field opposite the house, where he patiently digs the barren dirt in search of a legendary oak tree.

Starve Acre is a devastating new novel by the author of the prize-winning bestseller The Loney. It is a novel about the way in which grief splits the world in two and how, in searching for hope, we can so easily unearth horror.

Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake by Frank W. Abagnale

The uproarious, bestselling true story of the world's most sought-after con man, immortalized by Leonardo DiCaprio in DreamWorks' feature film of the same name, from the author of Scam Me If You Can.

Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, imposters, and escape artists in history. In his brief but notorious criminal career, Abagnale donned a pilot's uniform and copiloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as the supervising resident of a hospital, practiced law without a license, passed himself off as a college sociology professor, and cashed over $2.5 million in forged checks, all before he was twenty-one.

Known by the police of twenty-six foreign countries and all fifty states as "The Skywayman," Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the lam—until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as the nation's leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapades, and ingenious escapes-including one from an airplane-make Catch Me If You Can an irresistible tale of deceit.

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabar & Anna Waterhouse

Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.

Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports from home. There are rumors of mysterious disappearances, strange footprints in the sand, and spirits enticing children to their deaths, their bodies found drained of blood. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for Trinidad. Near panic, Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take...

Written by NBA superstar Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and screenwriter Anna Waterhouse, Mycroft Holmes reveals the untold story of Sherlock’s older brother. This harrowing adventure changed his life and set the stage for the man Mycroft would become: founder of the famous Diogenes Club and the hidden power behind the British government.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson

In Furiously Happy, a humor memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest:

"I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that ‘normal people' also might never understand. And that's what Furiously Happy is all about."

Jenny’s readings are standing room only, with fans lining up to have Jenny sign their bottles of Xanax or Prozac as often as they are to have her sign their books. Furiously Happy appeals to Jenny's core fan base but also transcends it. There are so many people out there struggling with depression and mental illness, either themselves or someone in their family―and in Furiously Happy they will find a member of their tribe offering up an uplifting message (via a taxidermied roadkill raccoon). Let's Pretend This Never Happened ostensibly was about embracing your own weirdness, but deep down it was about family. Furiously Happy is about depression and mental illness, but deep down it's about joy―and who doesn't want a bit more of that?

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

When Jenny Lawson was little, all she ever wanted was to fit in. That dream was cut short by her fantastically unbalanced father and a morbidly eccentric childhood. It did, however, open up an opportunity for Lawson to find the humor in the strange shame-spiral that is her life, and we are all the better for it.

In the irreverent Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson’s long-suffering husband and sweet daughter help her uncover the surprising discovery that the most terribly human moments—the ones we want to pretend never happened—are the very same moments that make us the people we are today. For every intellectual misfit who thought they were the only ones to think the things that Lawson dares to say out loud, this is a poignant and hysterical look at the dark, disturbing, yet wonderful moments of our lives.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Albert Camus' The Stranger is one of the most widely read novels in the world, with millions of copies sold. It stands as perhaps the greatest existentialist tale ever conceived, and is certainly one of the most important and influential books ever produced. Now, for the first time, this revered masterpiece is available as an unabridged audio production.

When a young Algerian named Meursault kills a man, his subsequent imprisonment and trial are puzzling and absurd. The apparently amoral Meursault, who puts little stock in ideas like love and God, seems to be on trial less for his murderous actions, and more for what the authorities believe is his deficient character.

This remarkable translation by Matthew Ward has been considered the definitive English version since its original publication. It unlocks the prose as no other English version has, allowing the listener to soak up the richness of Camus' ideas.

Transit (also available on Kanopy)

As fascism spreads, German refugee Georg (Franz Rogowski) flees to Marseille and assumes the identity of the dead writer whose transit papers he is carrying. Living among refugees from around the world, Georg falls for Marie (Paula Beer), a mysterious woman searching for her husband--the man whose identity he has stolen. Adapted from Anna Segher's 1942 novel, TRANSIT transposes the original story to the present, blurring periods to create a timeless exploration of the plight of displaced people.

The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with her peerless, Booker Prize-winning novels, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferocious contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man’s vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage.

The Bloodletter’s Daughter by Linda Lafferty (not available within the JCLC system, but you may request it from Interlibrary Loan)

Within the glittering Hapsburg court in Prague lurks a darkness of which no one dares speak…

In 1606, the city of Prague shines as a golden mecca of art and culture carefully cultivated by Emperor Rudolf II. But the emperor hides an ugly secret: His bastard son, Don Julius, is afflicted with a madness that pushes the young prince to unspeakable depravity. Desperate to stem his son’s growing number of scandals, the emperor exiles Don Julius to a remote corner of Bohemia where the young man is placed in the care of a bloodletter named Pichler. The bloodletter’s task: cure Don Julius of his madness by purging the vicious humors coursing through his veins.

When Pichler brings his daughter Marketa to assist him, she becomes the object of Don Julius’s frenzied—and dangerous—obsession. To him, she is the embodiment of the women pictured in the Coded Book of Wonder, a priceless manuscript from the imperial library that was the mad prince’s only link to sanity. As the prince descends further into the darkness of his mind, his acts become ever more desperate, as Marketa, both frightened and fascinated, can’t stay away.

Inspired by a real-life murder that threatened to topple the powerful Hapsburg dynasty, The Bloodletter’s Daughter is a dark and richly detailed saga of passion and revenge.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

From Publishers Weekly
If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Stein's third novel offers an answer. Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins koanlike aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter. Enzo is a reliable companion and a likable enough narrator, though the string of Denny's bad luck stories strains believability. Much like Denny, however, Stein is able to salvage some dignity from the over-the-top drama. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land

Evicted meets Nickel and Dimed in Stephanie Land's memoir about working as a maid, a beautiful and gritty exploration of poverty in America. Includes a foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich.

At 28, Stephanie Land's plans of breaking free from the roots of her hometown in the Pacific Northwest to chase her dreams of attending a university and becoming a writer, were cut short when a summer fling turned into an unexpected pregnancy. She turned to housekeeping to make ends meet, and with a tenacious grip on her dream to provide her daughter the very best life possible, Stephanie worked days and took classes online to earn a college degree, and began to write relentlessly.

A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva

Art restorer and sometime spy Gabriel Allon is sent to Vienna to discover the truth behind a bombing that killed an old friend, but while there he encounters something that turns his world upside down. It is a face—a face that feels hauntingly familiar, a face that chills him to the bone.

While desperately searching for answers, Allon will uncover a portrait of evil stretching across sixty years and thousands of lives—and into his own personal nightmares…

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when the tabloids get hold of a photo involving an Alex-Henry altercation, U.S./British relations take a turn for the worse.

The Best of Scanfest: An Authentic Treasury of Scandinavian Recipes and Proverbs by Cheryl Long

Freddy and Fredericka by Mark Helprin

Mark Helprin’s legions of devoted readers cherish his timeless novels and short stories, which are uplifting in their conviction of the goodness and resilience of the human spirit. Freddy and Fredericka—a brilliantly refashioned fairy tale and a magnificently funny farce—only seems like a radical departure of form, for behind the laughter, Helprin speaks of leaps of faith and second chances, courage and the primacy of love. Helprin’s latest work, an extraordinarily funny allegory about a most peculiar British royal family, is immensely mocking of contemporary monarchy and yet deeply sympathetic to the individuals caught in its lonely absurdities.

Water Music by T.Corahgessan Boyle (not available within the JCLC system, but you may request it from Interlibrary Loan)

The novel follows the parallel adventures and intertwining fates of its protagonists Ned Rise, a luckless petty criminal, and the famous explorer Mungo Park - the first a purely fictional character, the latter based on a historical person. The book takes place in various locales in Scotland, England and Western Africa. 

It revolves around two Imperial British expeditions into the interior of Western Africa in an effort to find and explore the Niger River. The novel is loosely based on historical sources, including Mungo Park's 1799 book, Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa. However, as Boyle admits in his foreword to Water Music, he does not claim historical accuracy or even faithfulness to the contemporary accounts, whose reliability is doubtful anyway.

Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett's iconic, influential, and beloved The Maltese Falcon.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

A young escape artist and budding magician named Joe Kavalier arrives on the doorstep of his cousin, Sammy Clay. While the long shadow of Hitler falls across Europe, America is happily in thrall to the Golden Age of comic books, and in a distant corner of Brooklyn, Sammy is looking for a way to cash in on the craze. He finds the ideal partner in the aloof, artistically gifted Joe, and together they embark on an adventure that takes them deep into the heart of Manhattan, and the heart of old-fashioned American ambition.

From the shared fears, dreams, and desires of two teenage boys, they spin comic book tales of the heroic, fascist-fighting Escapist and the beautiful, mysterious Luna Moth, otherworldly mistress of the night. Climbing from the streets of Brooklyn to the top of the Empire State Building, Joe and Sammy carve out lives, and careers, as vivid as cyan and magenta ink. Spanning continents and eras, this superb book by one of America’s finest writers remains one of the defining novels of our modern American age. 

GENERAL DISCUSSION:

The Plague by Albert Camus

A haunting tale of human resilience and hope in the face of unrelieved horror, Albert Camus' iconic novel about an epidemic ravaging the people of a North African coastal town is a classic of twentieth-century literature.

The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a swift and horrifying death. Fear, isolation and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine. Each person responds in their own way to the lethal disease: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr. Rieux, resist the terror.

An immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, The Plague is in part an allegory of France's suffering under the Nazi occupation, and a timeless story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence.

Wolf Hall

Tony Award-winning actor Mark Rylance and Emmy Award-winning Damian Lewis star as Thomas Cromwell and King Henry VIII in this adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novels. A historical drama for a modern audience, Wolf Hall charts Cromwell’s meteoric rise in the Tudor court – from blacksmith’s son to Henry VIII’s closest advisor, trapped between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. In 1998, Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job -- any job -- can be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $6 an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich left her home, took the cheapest lodgings she could find, and accepted whatever jobs she was offered.

Moving from Florida to Maine to Minnesota, she worked as a waitress, a hotel maid, a cleaning woman, a nursing-home aide, and a Wal-Mart sales clerk. She lived in trailer parks and crumbling residential motels. Very quickly, she discovered that no job is truly "unskilled," that even the lowliest occupations require exhausting mental and muscular effort. She also learned that one job is not enough; you need at least two if you int to live indoors.

Nickel and Dimed reveals low-rent America in all its tenacity, anxiety, and surprising generosity -- a land of Big Boxes, fast food, and a thousand desperate stratagems for survival. Read it for the smoldering clarity of Ehrenreich's perspective and for a rare view of how "prosperity" looks from the bottom. You will never see anything -- from a motel bathroom to a restaurant meal -- in quite the same way again.

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

In Evicted, Princeton sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Hailed as “wrenching and revelatory” (The Nation), “vivid and unsettling” (New York Review of Books), Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of twenty-first-century America’s most devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.

Gray Mountain by John Grisham

The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she is downsized, furloughed, and escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, all for a slim chance of getting rehired.

In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Samantha’s new job takes her into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack. But some of the locals aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town, and within weeks Samantha is engulfed in litigation that turns deadly. Because like most small towns, Brady harbors big secrets that some will kill to conceal.

Wallander series

Wallander is a British television series adapted from the Swedish novelist Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels and starring Kenneth Branagh as the eponymous police inspector. It was the first time the Wallander novels have been adapted into an English-language production.

   1. Faceless Killers 
   2. The Dogs of Riga 
   3. The White Lioness 
   4. The Man Who Smiled 
   5. Sidetracked
   6. The Fifth Woman 
   7. One Step Behind 
   8. Firewall
   9. The Pyramid 
   10. The Troubled Man 
   11. An Event in Autumn 

Millennium series

THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING SENSATION. In these page-turning thrillers, a crusading journalist and a cyberpunk hacker team up to drag Sweden’s darkest secrets into the light: family scandals, political corruption, sex crimes, and murder. Experience Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Series, which introduced the world to one of the most original, unforgettable characters in crime fiction: Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo and a quest for revenge.

   1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 
   2. The Girl Who Played with Fire 
   3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest 
continued in the series by David Lagercrantz
   4. The Girl in the Spider's Web 
   5. The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye 
   6. The Girl Who Lived Twice 

Genetic Detective tv series

ABC News' all-new series, "The Genetic Detective," follows investigative genetic genealogist CeCe Moore as she uses her unique research skills to transform the face of crime solving. By working with police departments and crime scene DNA, Moore is able to trace the path of a violent criminal's family tree to reveal their identity and help bring them to justice.  Airs Tuesday nights at 9pm.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society by Lisa Wingate and Judy Christie

The compelling, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal—some of whom learned the truth from Lisa Wingate’s bestselling novel Before We Were Yours and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara

THE BASIS FOR THE MAJOR 6-PART HBO® DOCUMENTARY SERIES

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:

Washington Post | Maureen Corrigan, NPR | Paste | Seattle Times | Entertainment Weekly | Esquire | Slate | Buzzfeed | Jezebel | Philadelphia Inquirer | Publishers Weekly | Kirkus Reviews | Library Journal | Bustle 

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards for Nonfiction | Anthony Award Winner | SCIBA Book Award Winner | Finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime | Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence

The haunting true story of the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California during the 70s and 80s, and of the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case—which was solved in April 2018. Introduction by Gillian Flynn • Afterword by Patton Oswalt