reader's choice

 

The next Books & Beyond meeting will be Tuesday, January 25th at 6:30pm.  I don’t yet know whether it will be virtual-only or hybrid.  The topic up for discussion is the work of Stephen King.  Novel, nonfiction, audiobook, movie…the choice is yours!  

If you’d like to peruse the books O’Neal Library owns, check the BAB row on our Shelf Care page: https://oneallibrary.org/adults---reading-recommendations. Register for the meeting here to receive automatic reminders: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/5494756.

Last night, Books & Beyond held one of our biannual Reader’s Choice meetings, where there is no assigned topic, just a jovial chat about what we’ve been reading, listening to, and watching recently!

The Widow’s War by Sally Gunning

While conjuring the hearths and salt air of eighteenth-century colonial America, The Widow's War captures a timeless human longing. With rich, realistic characters, Sally Gunning weaves a tale of a woman's journey to understand herself and her world, and her place in that world. Honest and moving, The Widow's War is a stunning work of literary magic, a spellbinding tale from an assured and gifted writer.

Old Gods of Appalachia

Old Gods of Appalachia is a horror-anthology podcast set in the shadows of an Alternate Appalachia, a place where digging too deep into the mines was just the first mistake.

Fences

Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) makes his living as a sanitation worker in 1950s Pittsburgh. Maxson once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old when the major leagues began admitting black athletes. Bitter over his missed opportunity, Troy creates further tension in his family when he squashes his son's (Jovan Adepo) chance to meet a college football recruiter.

Cruella

Academy Award (R) winner Emma Stone ("La La Land") stars in Disney's "Cruella," an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinemas most notorious - and notoriously fashionable - villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil.

Soul

Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz -- and he's good. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have soul.

Namib Desert watering hole live feed

Live webcam shows a watering hole for wildlife, which is located among the endless red sand dunes of the Namib Desert, in the Gondwana Namib Park, on the border with the Namib Naukluft Park in Namibia. The camera works in real time and allows you to watch wild African animals that come to this watering place around the clock.

The Stand-In by Lily Chu (Audible Original, not due to be published in print until May 2022)

Gracie Reed is doing just fine. Sure, she was fired by her overly "friendly" boss and, yes, she still hasn't gotten her mother into the nursing home of their dreams, but she's healthy, she's (somewhat) happy, and she's (mostly) holding it all together. But when a mysterious SUV pulls up beside her, revealing Chinese cinema's golden couple Wei Fangli and Sam Yao, Gracie's world is turned on its head. The famous actress has a proposition: due to their uncanny resemblance, Fangli wants Gracie to be her stand-in. Soon Gracie moves into a world of luxury she never knew existed. But resisting Sam, and playing the role of an elegant movie star, proves more difficult than she ever imagined.

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Crazy Rich Asians meets Bridget Jones's Diary in this funny and irresistible debut novel about the pursuit of happiness, surviving one's thirties intact, and opening oneself up to love.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save a girl lost in time.

The Heron’s Cry by Ann Cleeves

North Devon is enjoying a rare hot summer with tourists flocking to its coastline. Detective Matthew Venn is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists. What he finds is an elaborately staged murder--Dr Nigel Yeo has been fatally stabbed with a shard of one of his glassblower daughter's broken vases. Then another body is found--killed in a similar way. Matthew soon finds himself treading carefully through the lies that fester at the heart of his community and a case that is dangerously close to home.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

In Matt Haig's enchanting blockbuster novel, Nora Seed finds herself contemplating how her life could have been different, if only she’d made other decisions. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Champion.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi had his life mapped out for him before he left the crib. Groomed to be a tennis champion by his moody and demanding father, by the age of twenty-two Agassi had won the first of his eight grand slams and achieved wealth, celebrity, and the game’s highest honors. But as he reveals in this searching autobiography, off the court he was unfulfilled by his great achievements in a sport he had come to resent. Agassi writes candidly —described in haunting, point-by-point detail—the highs and lows of his celebrated career.

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside by Nick Offerman

A humorous and rousing set of literal and figurative sojourns as well as a mission statement about comprehending, protecting, and truly experiencing the outdoors, fueled by three journeys undertaken by actor, humorist, and New York Times bestselling author Nick Offerman.

Baby and Solo by Lisabeth Posthuma

Joel’s new job at the video store is just what the therapist ordered. But what happens if the first true friend he’s made in years finds out about What Was Wrong With Him?

Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen

A grieving widower, a determined girl, a courageous librarian and a mysterious book come together in an uplifting tale of love, loss, friendship and redemption.

True Raiders: The Untold Story of the 1909 Expedition to Find the Legendary Ark of the Covenant by Brad Ricca

This book tells the untold true story of Monty Parker, a rogue British nobleman who, after being dared to do so by Ava Astor, the so-called "most beautiful woman in the world," headed a secret 1909 expedition to find the fabled Ark of the Covenant. Like a real-life version of Raiders of the Lost Ark, this incredible story of adventure and mystery has almost been completely forgotten today.

The Last Diving Horse in America: Rescuing Gamal and Other Animals—Lessons in Living and Loving by Cynthia Branigan

The rescue of the last diving horse in America and the inspiring story of how horse and animal rescuer were each profoundly transformed by the other—from the award-winning animal rescuer of retired racing greyhounds and author of the best-selling Adopting the Racing Greyhound.          

The Interior Silence: My Encounters with Calm, Joy, and Compassion at 10 Monasteries Around the World by Sarah Sands

Suffering from information overload and unable to sleep, acclaimed journalist Sarah Sands tried countless strategies to de-stress, only to find temporary relief. Searching for something different, something lasting, Sands went on a quest to uncover ancient and proven wisdom for a happier, quieter, and more compassionate life. In this insightful and beautifully written book, Sands takes us along on her pilgrimage to ten monasteries around the world.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and searing insight, The Lost Apothecary is a subversive and intoxicating debut novel of secrets, vengeance and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time.

The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier

Winner of the Goncourt Prize and now an international phenomenon, this dizzying, whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight.

 

 

reading resolutions

 

    Many people join a reading challenge at the beginning of every year in hopes of marking every single thing off the list, reading outside their comfort zone, finding new authors and topics of interest, etc so if you are one of those people, this post is most definitely for you! 

Each year, www.girlxoxo.com compiles a list of all the reading challenges they can find and this year is no different.  They’ve made note that the website will be updated each Sunday through January 2022, with new challenges added at the top of the list:  https://www.girlxoxo.com/the-2022-master-list-of-reading-challenges/

I prefer using the BookRiot Reading Log to track my reading.  They have not posted a 2022 update as yet, but I’ll be reusing the 2021 if they do not.  Have a look at that one here: https://bookriot.com/2021-reading-log/

In January, a display be available beside the 2^nd floor service desk featuring short novels to help you get a jump on your reading resolutions, so be sure to stop by!

Read a New Book Month

 

December is Read a New Book Month!  From buzzy debuts and charming romances to spine-tingling thrillers and compelling historical fiction, there are plenty of great new options coming out this winter — follow the link to the library catalog or download the O’Neal Library app (for Android and Apple) to dust off your reading habits and delve into something new!

Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel

Neel Patel’s spectacular debut novel — which follows a 2018 collection of short stories, If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi — follows an Indian American family and the cost of the secrets they’ve kept from one another. On the first anniversary of her husband’s death, Renu Amin decides to sell the family home, prompting her son, Akash, to return to help pack up the house and say goodbye. But as they work and prepare a puja, they both must confront their regrets and the things that have kept them apart. Release date: December 7

A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw

Shea Ernshaw’s tension-filled adult debut brims with atmospheric detail. When private investigator Travis Wren is tasked with finding missing Maggie St. James, his search leads him to a remote commune called Pastoral — and ends in his own disappearance. Years later, a longtime resident of Pastoral stumbles upon Travis’s abandoned truck, a discovery that will affect not only him but also his wife and her younger sister. The twists that unfold as the story progresses will keep readers glued to the page. Release date: December 7

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

Fans of sweeping historical fiction will love this debut, which stretches across 50 years during the Korean independence movement. The novel opens with a hunter who saves a young Japanese officer from a tiger, an action that will link their lives together. Later, Jade, who’s been sold by her family to a courtesan school, meets JungHo, an orphan with whom she forges a close bond. A starred review from Kirkus Reviews says, “Gorgeous prose and unforgettable characters combine to make a literary masterpiece.” Release date: December 7

Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

If you raced through The Wife Upstairs last January, you won’t want to miss Rachel Hawkins’s latest thriller. When two women ask Lux and her boyfriend, Nico, to sail them to a remote South Pacific island, it seems like the opportunity she’s been waiting for to travel the world. But their destination isn’t quite the paradise Lux is expecting. First, there’s another boat already anchored off Meroe Island — and then things start to turn deadly. Release date: January 4

Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho (not yet on order, check back later!)

Through a series of short stories about two childhood friends — Fiona Lin and Jane Shen — Jean Chen Ho crafts a powerful portrait of friendship, identity, and love. At the end of this winning debut, which is told from alternating perspectives over two decades, Kirkus Reviews says, “Readers will wish for a Fiona or Jane in their own lives.” Release date: January 4

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez

Xochitl Gonzalez’s highly anticipated novel is already heading to Hulu. In New York City in 2017, successful wedding planner Olga and her politician brother, Prieto, are struggling despite their outward success, and their family’s past continues to affect them both. As they both face their challenges, Hurricane Maria reaches Puerto Rico, and their mother, who abandoned them decades ago, returns.
Release date: January 4

No Land to Light On by Yara Zgheib

Described as Exit West meets An American Marriage, Yara Zgheib’s poignant novel tells the story of Hadi and Sama, a young Syrian couple expecting their first child. When Hadi’s father dies while Sama is five months pregnant, he travels back to Jordan for the funeral. But when Hadi returns home to Boston, the 2017 US travel ban has gone into effect and he’s detained, then deported. The narrative jumps between the past and the present as the couple waits anxiously to be reunited, resulting in what Kirkus Reviews calls “a tense, moving novel about the meaning of home, the risks of exile, the power of nations, and the power of love.” Release date: January 4

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

While having what she calls “one very bad day,” newly divorced Frida Liu leaves her toddler, Harriet, alone for a few hours. When her neighbor reports her, Frida is sentenced to spend a year in a program called the School for Good Mothers. Haunting and thought-provoking, this dystopian debut from Jessamine Chan will stay with you long after the final page. Release date: January 4

The Maid by Nita Prose

Publishers Weekly predicts that “fans of fresh takes on traditional mysteries will be delighted” by this debut, which is already headed to the big screen. Twenty-five-year-old Molly Gray enjoys her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, where she can put her love of cleaning to good use. But her life is turned upside down when she discovers the body of tycoon Charles Black in his suite — and then finds herself being named the prime suspect. Readers will find it easy to root for Molly in this charming cozy mystery. Release date: January 4

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Working as a meteorologist at KSEA 6 is a dream come true for Ari Abrams, who loves her job and admires her boss, Torrance Hale. But lately Torrance’s divorce from the station’s news director and their difficult relationship have made things at KSEA 6 feel strained. That’s when, after a holiday party gone wrong, Ari teams up sports reporter Russell Barringer to get their bosses back together. Fans of Set It Up and The Parent Trap will speed through this swoon-worthy romance, which not only has lovable leads in Ari and Russell but also looks at mental health and depression. Release date: January 11

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

The critically acclaimed author of A Little Life returns with another masterful and moving novel that Kirkus Reviews calls “gigantic, strange, exquisite, terrifying, and replete with mystery.” Told through three different storylines — set in 1893, 1993, and 2093 — that are connected by their settings and themes, To Paradise explores humanity, love, and identity. Release date: January 11

The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

In The Magnolia Palace, Fiona Davis deftly weaves together two timelines to create a compelling work of historical fiction filled with secrets, scandal, and a missing diamond. In 1919, feeling adrift after the death of her mother, model Lillian Carter takes a job at the Frick mansion. Decades later, in 1966, model Veronica Weber is entangled in a mystery when she stumbles upon messages hidden at the Frick Collection.  Release date: January 25

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

Once you pick up Greenwich Park, you’ll find it hard to put down this page-turning psychological thriller, which The Other Black Girl author Zakiya Dalila Harris calls “gripping and haunting and gorgeously suspenseful.” When Helen meets Rachel, a single mother-to-be, at her prenatal class, the pair strike up a friendship. But Rachel’s behavior begins to grow stranger and eventually she threatens to reveal a secret that could ruin the lives of Helen and her friends and family. Release date: January 25

Violeta by Isabel Allende

The latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende tells the powerful tale of Violeta Del Valle, a young woman born in South America in 1920. Now 100, she recounts her life to her grandson, detailing her experiences with events from the Spanish flu to the Great Depression to her fight for women’s rights. As Violeta’s story unfolds, readers are treated to a fascinating look at history. Release date: January 25

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (not yet on order, check back later!)

After Eleanor Bennett dies, her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, reunite for her funeral only to discover that Eleanor has left a recorded message for them to listen to. What the recording reveals sends Byron and Benny on a journey of discovery as they learn Eleanor’s secrets and story. Daisy Jones & The Six author Taylor Jenkins Reid says, “At turns delightfully juicy and then stunningly wise, Black Cake is a winner.” Release date: February 1

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Can’t get enough of the Queen of Crime? This captivating novel dives into Agatha Christie’s 11-day disappearance in December 1926 through the eyes of Nan O’Dea, Archie Christie’s mistress. Filled with flashbacks and compelling characters, the tale that unfolds in The Christie Affair will have you glued to the page. Release date: February 1

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James

The second book in the Booker Prize–winning author’s Dark Star trilogy hits shelves in February. In Black Leopard, Red Wolf, a National Book Award finalist, Sogolon the Moon Witch appears as an antagonist to Tracker. But in Moon Witch, Spider King, it’s Sogolon’s turn to tell her story, and readers are treated to another side of the narrative. Release date: February 15 

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley

The author of the New York Times bestseller The Guest List returns with another twist-filled thriller that will keep readers guessing. This locked-room mystery follows Jess, who’s arrived in Paris to stay with her half brother, only to find he’s not at his apartment. As Jess waits and tries to uncover what’s happened to Ben, she begins to meet the building’s other residents — all of whom seem to be keeping secrets. Release date: February 22

Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander

An inspiring novel about one woman’s courage and determination, Carolina Built tells the true story of real estate magnate Josephine Napoleon Leary. In Edenton, North Carolina, Josephine, who was born into slavery and is now free, fights to build a lasting legacy for herself and her family. But as her business grows, she must also navigate her marriage and motherhood. Release date: February 22

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel

Edgar Award–nominated author Stephanie Wrobel follows her debut, Darling Rose Gold, with another dark, gripping thriller. It’s been over six months since Natalie Collins has spoken to her sister, Kit, who’s gone off to a self-improvement program at Wisewood, a private island off the coast of Maine where internet and phones are forbidden. But when Natalie gets an email from Wisewood threatening to reveal a secret that she’s kept from her sister, Natalie becomes desperate to talk to Kit and sets off to find her. Release date: February 22

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/best-books-winter-2022

American masters

 

The next Books & Beyond meeting is on Tuesday, December 28th at 6:30pm and it is one of our biannual Salon Discussions so there is no assigned topic. Join us and share whatever you’ve been reading/listening to/watching lately! The Library will be on holiday hours that day and will close at 6pm but I will be here to let you in. You are welcome to Zoom in as well!  Simply register your email address on the calendar to receive a Zoom link the morning of the meeting. https://www.oneallibrary.org/event/4597976

November’s topic was “American Masters” and included a variety of American standouts in several areas.

Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe

The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn.  

Masque of the Red Death

The 1964 film adaptation starred Vincent Price and was directed by Roger Corman.  View the trailer: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058333/

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. First published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises is “an absorbing, beautifully and tenderly absurd, heartbreaking narrative...a truly gripping story, told in lean, hard, athletic prose” (The New York Times).

Prince

Prince's early music career saw the release of Prince, Dirty Mind and Controversy, which drew attention for their fusion of religious and sexual themes. He then released the popular albums 1999 and Purple Rain, cementing his superstar status with No. 1 hits like "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy." A seven-time Grammy winner, Prince had a prodigious output that included later albums like Diamonds and Pearls, The Gold Experience and Musicology. He died on April 21, 2016, from an accidental drug overdose.

Purple Rain

A victim of his own anger, the Kid (Prince) is a Minneapolis musician on the rise with his band, the Revolution, escaping a tumultuous home life through music. While trying to avoid making the same mistakes as his truculent father (Clarence Williams III), the Kid navigates the club scene and a rocky relationship with a captivating singer, Apollonia (Apollonia Kotero). But another musician, Morris (Morris Day), looks to steal the Kid's spotlight -- and his girl.

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey

From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

Ranging from the raucous to the romantic, the heartfelt to the harrowing, this highly entertaining and universally appealing collection is the literary equivalent of a night out with your best friend—an unforgettable and fun adventure that you wish could last forever. Whether she’s experiencing lust-at-first-sight while in the airport security line, sharing her own views on love and marriage, admitting to being an introvert, or discovering her cross-fit instructor’s secret bad habit, Amy Schumer proves to be a bighearted, brave, and thoughtful storyteller that will leave you nodding your head in recognition, laughing out loud, and sobbing uncontrollably—but only because it’s over.

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

In her first book, one of our most beloved funny folk delivers a smart, pointed, and ultimately inspirational read. Full of the comedic skill that makes us all love Amy, Yes Please is a rich and varied collection of stories, lists, poetry (Plastic Surgery Haiku, to be specific), photographs, mantras and advice. With chapters like "Treat Your Career Like a Bad Boyfriend," "Plain Girl Versus the Demon" and "The Robots Will Kill Us All" Yes Please will make you think as much as it will make you laugh. Honest, personal, real, and righteous, Yes Please is full of words to live by.

A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

For every accomplishment (hosting the Emmys), there is a setback (hosting the Emmys). And for every absurd moment (watching paramedics give CPR to a raccoon), there is an honest, emotional one (recounting his mother’s experience on the scene of the Twin Towers’ collapse on 9/11). Told with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, A Very Punchable Face reveals the brilliant mind behind some of the dumbest sketches on television, and lays bare the heart and humor of a hardworking guy—with a face you can’t help but want to punch.

Saturday Night Live

James Franco made a documentary about making an episode of Saturday Night Live. It was filmed in 2008 but wasn't released to the public until 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu3LyygiSJM

House of Earth by Woody Guthrie

Finished in 1947 and lost to readers until now, House of Earth is legendary folk singer and American icon Woody Guthrie’s only finished novel. A powerful portrait of Dust Bowl America, it’s the story of an ordinary couple’s dreams of a better life and their search for love and meaning in a corrupt world.

PBS American Masters: Woody Guthrie

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/woody-guthrie-aint-got-no-home/623/

Mel Brooks
With a career spanning over seven decades, Brooks is a creator of broad farces and parodies widely considered to be among the best film comedies ever made.

The Producers

Failing producer Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) and his accountant, Leo Bloom (Matthew Broderick), scam a group of elderly women out of their nest eggs by convincing them to invest in a horrendously offensive Third Reich-themed musical secretly intended to bomb the moment it opens. But when high-brow Broadway audiences mistakenly assume "Springtime for Hitler" is a satire, Bialystock finds himself with the critical acclaim that has long eluded him -- and the biggest hit of his career.

Young Frankenstein

Respected medical lecturer Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) learns that he has inherited his infamous grandfather's estate in Transylvania. Arriving at the castle, Dr. Frankenstein soon begins to recreate his grandfather's experiments with the help of servants Igor (Marty Feldman), Inga (Teri Garr) and the fearsome Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman). After he creates his own monster (Peter Boyle), new complications ensue with the arrival of the doctor's fiancée, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn).

High Anxiety

Just after becoming the director of the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, Dr. Richard H. Thorndyke (Mel Brooks) is greeted by a series of mysterious events. When his colleagues -- including the militaristic and mustachioed Nurse Diesel (Cloris Leachman) -- become leery of his questions, they accuse him of murder. Thorndyke's own mental health comes into question as he struggles to clear his name in the midst of a crippling bout of a condition known as "high anxiety."

History of the World: Part 1

Human history is traced through a series of vignettes, beginning with cavemen awestruck by their own magnificence. Then Moses (Mel Brooks) receives the tablets containing the "15" commandments, and Emperor Nero (Dom DeLuise) presides over a madcap Rome with his wife, Nympho (Madeline Kahn). Jumping ahead, the Spanish Inquisition softens repression with song and dance, and a few centuries later Madame Defarge (Cloris Leachman) is fomenting revolution in France. It seems Hulu has ordered a sequel:  https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/history-of-the-world-part-ii-series-hulu-mel-brooks-nick-kroll-wanda-sykes-1235091840/

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

A black comedy of manners about vast wealth and a woman who can define herself only through the perceptions of others. The beautiful Lily Bart lives among the nouveaux riches of New York City – people whose millions were made in railroads, shipping, land speculation and banking. In this morally and aesthetically bankrupt world, Lily, age twenty-nine, seeks a husband who can satisfy her cravings for endless admiration and all the trappings of wealth. But her quest comes to a scandalous end when she is accused of being the mistress of a wealthy man. Exiled from her familiar world of artificial conventions, Lily finds life impossible.

Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton

Out of print for several decades, here is Edith Wharton's superb satirical novel of the Jazz Age, a critically praised best-seller when it was first published in 1927. Sex, drugs, work, money, infatuation with the occult and spiritual healing - these are the remarkably modern themes that animate Twilight Sleep.

To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway

In this harshly realistic, yet oddly tender and wise novel, Hemingway perceptively delineates the personal struggles of both the "haves" and the "have nots" and creates one of the most subtle and moving portraits of a love affair in his oeuvre. By turns funny and tragic, lively and poetic, remarkable in its emotional impact, To Have and Have Not is literary high adventure at its finest.

To Have and Have Not

In Vichy France, fishing boat captain Harry (Humphrey Bogart) avoids getting involved in politics, refusing to smuggle French Resistance fighters into Martinique. But when a Resistance client is shot before he can pay, Harry agrees to help hotel owner Gerard (Marcel Dalio) smuggle two fighters to the island. Harry is further swayed by Slim (Lauren Bacall), a wandering American girl, and when the police take his friend Eddie (Walter Brennan) hostage, he is forced to fight for the Resistance.

National Geographic Genius: Aretha Franklin

National Geographic Channel's GENIUS focuses on the untold stories of the world's most brilliant innovators. This season will explore Aretha Franklin's musical genius, her incomparable career, and the immeasurable impact she has had on music and culture. Starring Academy-Award Nominee Cynthia Erivo as Aretha Franklin. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/genius

Amazing Grace

Singer Aretha Franklin performs gospel songs at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972. View the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkKOIQwTiKE

Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice by Vanessa Zoltan

Our favorite books keep us company, give us hope, and help us find meaning in a chaotic world. In this fresh and relatable work, atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel, Jane Eyre. Informed by the reading practices of medieval monks and rabbinic scholars from her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women, Harry Potter, and The Great Gatsby, Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope, meaning, and even magic in our deeply fractured times. Brimming with a lifelong love of classic literature and the tenderness of self-reflection, the book also reveals simple techniques for reading any work as a sacred text--from Virginia Woolf to Anne of Green Gables to baseball scorecards.