Tag: movies

Novel Destinations: Africa

Travel the world this summer with our Adult Summer Reading Program, Novel Destinations.

Travel the world this summer with our Adult Summer Reading Program, Novel Destinations.

AFRICA:

FICTION

The African Queen by C.S. Forester

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin (Rwanda)

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste (Ethiopia)

The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton (Kenya)

The Crocodile’s Last Embrace: A Jade del Cameron Mystery by Suzanne Arruda (Kenya)

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (South Africa)

Djibouti by Elmore Leonard (Djibouti)

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa by Nicholas Drayson (Kenya)

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Nigeria)

The Impostor by Damon Galgut (South Africa)

In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar (Libya)

The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by M.G. Vassanji (Kenya)

Let the Dead Lie by Malla Nunn (South Africa)

Links by Nuruddin Farah (Somalia)

The Lovers of Algeria by Anouar Benmalek (Algeria)

Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela (Sudan)

The Madonna of Excelsior by Zakes Mda (South Africa)

The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone)

Oil on Water by Helon Habila (Nigeria)

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Congo)

Salamander Cotton by Richard Kunzmann (South Africa)

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan

The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo by Peter Orner (Namibia)

The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu by Michael Stanley (Botswana)

The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin (Nigeria)

The Storyteller of Marrakesh by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya (Morocco)

The Syringa Tree by Pamela Gien (South Africa)

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)

Thirteen Hours by Deon Meyer (South Africa)

True at First Light by Ernest Hemingway (Kenya)

Unconfessed by Yvette Christiansë (South Africa)

Wife of the Gods by Kwei J. Quartey (Ghana)

NON-FICTION

African Laughter: Four Visits to Zimbabwe by Doris Lessing (Zimbabwe)

Africa’s Animal Kingdom: A Visual Celebration by Kit Coppard

Black Livingstone: A True Tale of Adventure in the Nineteenth-Century Congo by Pagan Kennedy (Congo)

The Black Nile: One Man’s Amazing Journey Through Peace and War on the World’s Longest River by Dan Morrison (The Nile)

Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim Butcher (Congo)

Bonobo Handshake: A Memoir of Love and Adventure in the Congo by Vanessa Woods (Congo)

Born Wild: The Extraordinary Story of One Man’s Passion for Africa by Tony Fitzjohn (Kenya)

Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life by J.M. Coetzee (South Africa)

Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town by Paul Theroux

Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller (Zimbabwe)

The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood by Elspeth Huxley (Kenya)

The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa by Alexander McCall Smith

God Sleeps in Rwanda: A Journey of Transformation by Joseph Sebarenzi (Rwanda)

In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall (Tanzania)

Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley & Livingstone by Martin Dugard

Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene (Liberia)

Kenya: A Country in the Making, 1880-1940 by Nigel Pavitt (Kenya)

Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda by Rosamond Halsey Carr (Rwanda)

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah (Sierra Leone)

Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir by Neely Tucker (Zimbabwe)

Notes from the Hyena’s Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood by Nega Mezlekia (Ethiopia)

The Orphan Girl: And Other Stories, West African Folk Tales retold by Buchi Offodile

The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village by Twesigye Jackson Kaguri (Uganda)

Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King (The Sahara)

The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa by Marcus Samuelsson

There Is No Me Without You: One Woman’s Odyssey to Rescue Africa’s Children by Melissa Fay Greene (Ethiopia)

The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari (Sudan)

Traversa: A Solo Walk Across Africa, from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean by Fran Sandham

Unbowed: A Memoir by Wangari Maathai (Kenya)

West with the Night by Beryl Markham (Kenya)

When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa by Peter Godwin (Zimbabwe)

FILMS

Blood Diamond (Sierra Leone)

Changing Times (Morocco)

The Constant Gardener (Kenya)

Days of Glory (Algeria)

Disgrace (South Africa)

Dreams of Dust (Burkina Faso)

Hotel Rwanda (Rwanda)

Invictus (South Africa)

The Last King of Scotland (Uganda)

Moolaade (Burkina Faso)

Nowhere in Africa (Kenya)

Out of Africa (Kenya)

Raja (Morocco)

Tsotsi (South Africa)

Xala (Senegal)

Memorial Day Movies

Monday, May 30 is Memorial Day, which commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service. Watch a movie featuring the experiences of soldiers during war and in its aftermath.

Monday, May 30 is Memorial Day, which commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service.  Watch a movie featuring the experiences of soldiers during war and in its aftermath.

Apocalypse Now & Apocalypse Now Redux

The Best Years of Our Lives

Black Hawk Down

The Bridge on the River Kwai

A Bridge Too Far

The Caine Mutiny

The Deer Hunter

Destination Tokyo

The Devil’s Brigade

Flags of Our Fathers

From Here to Eternity

The Longest Day

Midway

Rescue Dawn

Restrepo

Saving Private Ryan

Taking Chance

The Pacific

The Ritchie Boys

The War

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Books and movies featuring Elizabeth Taylor.

BOOKS

Elizabeth by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

MOVIES

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Cleopatra

Ivanhoe

The Last Time I Saw Paris

Life with Father

A Little Night Music

A Place in the Sun

The Taming of the Shrew

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Books & DVDs featuring Ireland.

Books & DVDs featuring Ireland.

BOOKS–FICTION

The Banyan Tree: A Novel by Christopher Nolan

The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes

Civil & Strange by Cláir Ní Aonghusa

Eye of the Law by Cora Harrison

The Lace Makers of Glenmara: A Novel by Heather Barbieri

The Midnight Choir by Gene Kerrigan

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Shannon: A Novel by Frank Delaney

Troubles by J. G. Farrell

BOOKS–NON-FICTION

A Course Called Ireland: A Long Walk in Search of a Country, a Pint, and the Next Tee by Tom Coyne

Ireland in Mind: An Anthology edited by Alice Leccese Powers

Irish Puddings, Tarts, Crumbles, and Fools: 80 Glorious Desserts by Margaret M. Johnson

The Irish Spirit: Recipes Inspired by the Legendary Drinks of Ireland by Margaret M. Johnson

St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography by Philip Freeman

The Táin: A New Translation of the Táin bó Cúailnge translated by Ciaran Carson

The Transformation of Ireland by Diarmaid Ferriter

The Village by Alice Taylor

U2 by U2 by Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, & Larry Mullen Jr., with Neil McCormick

DVDs

Dancing at Lughnasa

Kisses

Michael Collins

Ondine

The Eclipse

The Quiet Man

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

Veronica Guerin

Visions of Ireland

Waking Ned Devine

Teen Books Coming to the Big Screen, 2011 Edition

After I saw the trailer for Beastly earlier last week, I started wondering about other Young Adult novels that are coming to the big screen this year.  Here’s a selection of books (that we own! YAY!) and pertinent information.

Remember: reading and reviewing ANY of these books can lead to four hours of community service.

Beastly by Alex Flinn. A modern-day take on the “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale where a New York teen, Kyle Kingsbury, is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love. Movie release date? March 4th, rated PG-13.

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliffe. A young centurion ventures among the hostile tribes beyond the Roman Wall to recover the eagle standard of the Ninth, a legion which mysteriously disappeared under his father’s command. Movie Release date: February 11, rated PG-13

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 by J.K. Rowling. The end begins as Harry, Ron, and Hermione go back to Hogwarts to find and destroy Voldemort’s final horcruxes… Movie Release Date: July 15, rating unknown.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore.  John Smith – one of nine aliens from the planet Lorien – struggles to outrun his past, discover his future and live a normal life in Paradise, Ohio, as one by one his fellow Loriens are being killed by evil beings. Movie Release date: February 18, rated PG-13.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.  A Victorian governess’s love for her mysterious employer is threatened by the tragic secret of his mansion. Movie Release Date: March 11, rated PG-13.


 Soul Surfer: a true story of faith, family, and fighting to get back on the board by Bethany Hamilton.Bethany Hamilton, a teenage surfer, lost her arm in a shark attack off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. Not even the loss of her arm keeps her from returning to surfing, the sport she loves. Movie Release Date: April 8, rated PG.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The book will be released as two movies, Part 1 will concern itself with the Quileute and the Volturi closing in on expectant parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven. Movie Release Date: November 18, rating unknown.

X-Men: First Class by Jeff Parker.  The early days of mutant fun returns!  Movie Release Date: June 3, rating unknown.

Black History Month

February is Black History Month.

Books

Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age by Kevin Boyle
Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America by Fergus M. Bordewich
A Century and Some Change: My Life Before the President Called My Name by Ann Nixon Cooper with Karen Grigsby Bates
Harlem: The Four Hundred Year History from Dutch Village to Capital of Black America by Jonathan Gill
Harlem Speaks: A Living History of the Harlem Renaissance edited by Cary D. Wintz


Harriet Jacobs: A Life by Jean Fagan Yellin
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Keckly: The Remarkable Story of the Friendship Between a First Lady and a Former Slave by Jennifer Fleischner
The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
Stories of Freedom in Black New York by Shane White

DVDs

The Color Purple
For Colored Girls
Killer of Sheep
Only the Ball Was White
Passing Strange: The Movie

American Film Institute’s List of the 100 Greatest Love Stories of All Time

1. Casablanca – 1942

2. Gone with the Wind – 1939

3. West Side Story – 1961

4. Roman Holiday – 1953

5. An Affair to Remember – 1957

6. The Way We Were – 1973

7. Doctor Zhivago – 1965

8. It’s a Wonderful Life – 1946

9. Love Story – 1970

10. City Lights – 1931

11. Annie Hall – 1977

12. My Fair Lady – 1964

13. Out of Africa – 1985

14. The African Queen – 1951

15. Wuthering Heights – 1939

16. Singin’ in the Rain – 1952

17. Moonstruck – 1987

18. Vertigo – 1958

19. Ghost – 1990

20. From Here to Eternity – 1953

21. Pretty Woman – 1990

22. On Golden Pond – 1981

23. Now, Voyager – 1942

24. King Kong – 1933

25. When Harry Met Sally – 1989

26. The Lady Eve – 1941

27. The Sound of Music – 1965

28. The Shop Around the Corner – 1940

29. An Officer and a Gentleman – 1982

30. Swing Time – 1936

31. The King and I – 1956

32. Dark Victory – 1939

33. Camille – 1937

34. Beauty and the Beast – 1991

35. Gigi – 1958

36. Random Harvest – 1942

37. Titanic – 1997

38. It Happened One Night – 1934

39. An American in Paris – 1951

40. Ninotchka – 1939

41. Funny Girl – 1968

42. Anna Karenina – 1935

43. A Star is Born – 1954

44. The Philadelphia Story – 1940

45. Sleepless in Seattle – 1993

46. To Catch a Thief – 1955

47. Splendor in the Grass – 1961

48. Last Tango in Paris – 1972

49. The Postman Always Rings Twice – 1946

50. Shakespeare in Love – 1998

51. Bringing Up Baby – 1938

52. The Graduate – 1967

53. A Place in the Sun – 1951

54. Sabrina – 1954

55. Reds – 1981

56. The English Patient – 1996

57. Two for the Road – 1967

58. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – 1967

59. Picnic – 1955

60. To Have and Have Not – 1944

61. Breakfast at Tiffany’s – 1961

62. The Apartment – 1960

63. Sunrise – 1927

64. Marty – 1955

65. Bonnie and Clyde – 1967

66. Manhattan – 1979

67. A Streetcar Named Desire – 1951

68. What’s Up, Doc? – 1972

69. Harold and Maude – 1971

70. Sense and Sensibility – 1995

71. Way Down East – 1920

72. Roxanne – 1987

73. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir – 1947

74. Woman of the Year – 1942

75. The American President – 1995

76. The Quiet Man – 1952

77. The Awful Truth – 1937

78. Coming Home – 1978

79. Jezebel – 1939

80. The Sheik – 1921

81. The Goodbye Girl – 1977

82. Witness – 1985

83. Morocco – 1930

84. Double Indemnity – 1944

85. Love is a Many-Splendored Thing – 1955

86. Notorious – 1946

87. The Unbearable Lightness of Being – 1988

88. The Princess Bride – 1987

89. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf – 1966

90. The Bridges of Madison County – 1995

91. Working Girl – 1988

92. Porgy and Bess – 1959

93. Dirty Dancing – 1987

94. Body Heat – 1981

95. Lady and the Tramp – 1955

96. Barefoot in the Park – 1967

97. Grease – 1978

98. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – 1939

99. Pillow Talk – 1959

100. Jerry Maguire – 1996

From the American Film Institute.