Month: January 2015

The Ultimate Super Bowl Book: A Complete Reference to the Stats, Stars, and Stories behind Football’s Biggest Game — And Why the Best Team Won

- Stephanie Leave a comment

the ultimate super bowl bookThe Ultimate Super Bowl Book: A Complete Reference to the Stats, Stars, and Stories behind Football’s Biggest Game — And Why the Best Team Won is more than a book about the history of the Super Bowl, AKA the throw-down between the two best football teams in the United States. Want to learn some facts and secrets about over 40 years of Super Bowls? Check out this book. The author, Bob McGinn, has won numerous awards and has covered more than twenty Super Bowls as a sportswriters for two different newspapers.

McGinn delves beyond the traditional football statistics to present readers with interviews from over 150 people from coaches to players to scouts. Interested in what happened behind the scenes? Read along as McGinn dissects the game plans, strategies, and game-time decisions that he learned from studying hours upon hours of game day footage. McGinn pairs the statistical and factual right alongside the stories of the big mistakes, big break-throughs, and the match-ups that led to some of the best rivalry Super Bowl games since they began. McGinn has collected a wealth of knowledge from complete statistics to lists of all people involved in each game to break-downs of the decisive plays.

This book is perfect for football beginners who feel like they should know some trivia before the big game, as well as those football lovers who want to expand their knowledge base.

The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things

- Stephanie Leave a comment

the book of awesomeIs winter getting you down? Do you find yourself curling into blankets and wanting to hide from the outside world? I admit winter is not my favorite time of year, so when I stumbled upon The Book of Awesome: Snow Days, Bakery Air, Finding Money in Your Pocket, and Other Simple, Brilliant Things, I knew I had found my much needed winter pick-me-up. Pasricha, the author of 1000awesomethings.com, developed this book as a way for him to find the good things that surrounded his boring 9-to-5 job. Follow along as he describes those simple pleasures and little moments that have just enough power to make us happy : sleeping in new sheets, fixing electronics by smacking them, pushing the elevator button and discovering it’s already there, the smell and sounds of a campfire, popping bubblewrap, the day you first realize you can drive, etc. Each good thing brings out warm and funny observations from the author describing just why those pleasures or unexpected moments are AWESOME! Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to relate to Pasricha’s moment of joy when a cashier opens up a new checkout line at the grocery store, when all your socks match up from the dryer perfectly, and when someone offers to throw your dirty laundry in a load with their own, thus saving you from having to leave the couch! Join Pasricha as he finds all the good in the little moments that surround him.

If you are interested in this book or even want to know more, you’re in luck! Pasricha has also published The Book of (Even More) Awesome and The Book of (Holiday) Awesome.

Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

- Ann Leave a comment

horrorstorSomething strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking. To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom. (description from publisher)

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

- Stephanie Leave a comment

lady alminaAre you interested in finding out more about Downton Abbey? Do the characters intrigue you? The surroundings? If the answer is yes to any of those questions, check out Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle.

Lady Almina tells the story of Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration for the hit PBS show, Downton Abbey. This book follows the life of Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon, who just happens to be the basis for the Lady Cora Crawley on PBS’s Downton Abbey. The author of this book, the current Countess of Carnarvon, intersperses actual pictures and documents from the Highclere archive with the family’s passed down memories to map out the story of the castle and its inhabitants on the brink of World War I. The marriage of Lady Almina and the Earl of Carnarvon was seen by some as a way to keep the castle afloat monetarily, given the scandal surrounding Lady Almina’s birth, her biological father’s vast wealth, and the Earl of Carnarvon’s many expensive trips around the world. Lady Almina’s will to always get her way, the support of her rich industrialist father Alfred de Rothschild(who just never could tell her no), her husband’s desire to never see her upset, combined with her large body of charity work, led her to transform the high society atmosphere of Highclere Castle into a hospital for wounded soldiers during World War I. Take a look into this book to gain a better understanding of life in England during World War I, as well as life of the real people of Downton Abbey.

This book is also available as an eBook and an audiobook through the library catalog.

ACT Test Preparation at Davenport Library

- Rachel Leave a comment

pencil-testAre you taking the ACT on February 7, 2015?  Do you need help preparing for the ACT? If so, the library can help!

The Davenport Public Library offers a database called Learning Express Library 3.0. This fantastic database offers tutorials on how to take the ACT as well as offer games and flash cards to help boost your skills.  Learning Express Library 3.0 also offers practice tests. As soon as you are done with a section, you can immediately find out your score. Best of all, you can go back and check your answers so you can find out what you missed. If you get an answer wrong, the test will tell you what areas you need to study.  For example, if you were taking the English Test and got an answer wrong, the test would tell you to review “Rhetorical Skills” or “Mechanics”.

Learning Express Library 3.0 can also help you study for the SAT, PSAT, and your AP exams too! So if you have need help studying for your exam, grab your Davenport Public Library card and check out Learning Express Library 3.0 today!

Gone Girl on DVD

- Bianca Leave a comment

Gone Girl DVDGone Girl starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike is now available at the library on DVD. Gone Girl is a mystery/thriller set in present day Missouri. The movie begins on the morning of the 5th wedding anniversary of Nick and Amy Dunne. Nick leaves for work, but returns home soon after at the urging of a concerned neighbor. Nick finds signs of a struggle and Amy gone. The movie takes us on a search to find out what happened to Amy. What makes this movie interesting? Many things, but I particularly like that it is told through a dual perspective. On the one hand there is the point of view of present day Nick Dunne while he works with family, friends, and the police to figure out what happened to Amy. Weaved in to the story are entries from Amy’s diary that span back seven years to when Amy and Nick first met. Good luck trying to figure out what is real and who is telling the truth! I promise you the final fifteen minutes will have your head spinning.

Gone Girl was originally released as a Mystery novel by Gillian Flynn in 2012.  Gone Girl is the third novel written by Flynn and the first to see the big screen.  A couple years ago I read this book at the urging of a coworker and I admit I was quite enthralled with it, though not completely  taken with the ending. Watching the movie, I almost wish I hadn’t read the book first because the mystery was now gone. It is hard for me to tell if Gone Girl was just better as a book or if reading the book spoiled the movie. Part of this may fall back on the fact that Gillian Flynn wrote the screenplay to Gone Girl and stays incredibly true to the book. For those of you concerned about how this movie will end, don’t be! The majority of people that I speak to like the way the book/movie ends.

The Verdict: If mystery and thrills is your thing, then make a hold for Gone Girl today! If you haven’t read the book don’t worry as the story stays true to the book! If you have read the book and loved it, watch the movie and let me know what you think!

Award Watch: Gone Girl was nominated for 4 golden globes including Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Rosamund Pike has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. For a full list of awards visit IMBd Gone Girl.

Fun Fact: Gillian Flynn has written two other novels: Sharp Objects and Dark Places, both of which are being made into movies. Dark Places will be released this year as a made for TV movie and Sharp Objects is still in production.

 

Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna Van Praag

- Ann Leave a comment

dress shop of dreamsThe Dress Shop of Dreams is a captivating novel of enduring hopes, second chances, and the life-changing magic of true love.

Since her parents’ mysterious deaths many years ago, scientist Cora Sparks has spent her days in the safety of her university lab or at her grandmother Etta’s dress shop. Tucked away on a winding Cambridge street, Etta’s charming tiny store appears quite ordinary to passersby, but the colorfully vibrant racks of beaded silks, delicate laces, and jewel-toned velvets hold bewitching secrets: With just a few stitches from Etta’s needle, these gorgeous gowns have the power to free a woman’s deepest desires. Etta’s dearest wish is to work her magic on her granddaughter. Cora’s studious, unromantic eye has overlooked Walt, the shy bookseller who has been in love with her forever. Determined not to allow Cora to miss her chance at happiness, Etta sews a tiny stitch into Walt’s collar, hoping to give him the courage to confess his feelings to Cora.

But magic spells–like true love–can go awry. After Walt is spurred into action, Etta realizes she’s set in motion a series of astonishing events that will transform Cora’s life in extraordinary and unexpected ways. (description from publisher)

Resolution: Read More Books

- Rachel Leave a comment

book headphonesDid you make a New Year’s Resolution to read more books? Are you already struggling to find time to read to a book?  If so, you might want to try audiobooks.

Many Davenport library users have made comments about how they can listen to audiobooks while doing other things.  Some people listen to them in the car while others say they listen to audiobooks while cleaning the house.

The Davenport Public Library offers different audiobook options. You can come to the library and check out CD or MP3 audiobooks. The library also offers Playaways. Playaways are devices that have an audiobook already recorded on it. All you have to do is plug in your headphones and listen! They are small enough that you can put them in your pocket.

If you don’t have time to come to the library, you can download audiobooks from home. One Click Digital is an online resource that offers eAudiobooks to download. RiverShare Digital Library offers both eAudiobooks and eBooks to download.

To learn more about downloading audiobooks, visit the e-Books & More section of our website.

 

 

My Drunk Kitchen by Hannah Hart

- Ann 1 Comment

my drunk kitchenOne day, lonely cubicle dweller and otherwise bored New York City transplant Hannah Hart decided to make a fake cooking show for a friend back home in California. She opened her laptop, pulled out some bread and cheese, and then, as one does, started drinking. The video was called “Butter Yo Sh*t” and online sensation My Drunk Kitchen was born.

My Drunk Kitchen (the book!) includes recipes, stories, color photographs, and tips and tricks to inspire your own adventures in tipsy cooking. Hannah offers cocktail recommendations, culinary advice (like, remember to turn off the oven when you go to bed), and shares never-before-seen recipes such as: The Hartwich (Knowledge is ingenuity! Learn from the past!) Can Bake (Inventing things is hard! You don’t have to start from scratch!) Latke Shotkes (Plan ahead to avoid a night of dread!) Tiny Sandwiches (Size doesn’t matter! Aim to satisfy.) Saltine Nachos (It’s not about resources! It’s about being resourceful.) In the end, My Drunk Kitchen may not be your go-to guide for your next dinner party . . . but it will make you laugh and drink . . . I mean think . . . about life. (description from publisher)