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The Good Doctor – Season One

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The Good Doctor Season One

Format: DVD

Who’s it for: Adults & Teens

Shaun Murphy is a young surgeon with autism and Savant syndrome. He is recruited into the surgical unit of a prestigious hospital. The Good Doctor is so inspiring with a beautiful positive message. I love the subplots and story lines that the flashbacks reveal. The hardships and the brilliance of life are brought together effortlessly.  This show will make you look at life in a different light. Spoiler alert….. it may make you cry, laugh and/or scream! Once you watch the first episode you’ll be hooked 🙂

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The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go

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The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go is a touching story that follows three generations of women as they all deal with grief in their own way. The “middle” generation is represented by Gina, a food truck owner still reeling from her husband’s unexpected death while also helping her daughter May cope with her own loss. Just when Gina thinks she and May might be recovering and mending their fractured relationship, Gina’s mother Lorraine suffers a debilitating stroke. In the process of helping her mother heal, Gina slowly discovers a secret Lorraine has fought to keep hidden for decades. All of Reichert’s titles are simply delightful and highly recommended!
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My Pictures After The Storm

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My Pictures after the Storm by Eric Veille
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Children, adults that like puns and clever jokes

My pictures: Pail.  Slide.  Ice cream cone.

My pictures after the storm: Puddle.  ǝpᴉlS.  Ice cream gone!

My Pictures after the Storm, written and illustrated by Eric Veille, is one of the cleverest children’s books I’ve read in a log time.  To put that statement in context, I am a professional children’s librarian and reading children’s books and being aware of what children’s books are coming out is a significant portion of my job.  There is very little that comes out that I don’t at least offer a cursory thumb through and this book has impressed me with some of its downright ingenious use of wordplay and visual humor.

My pictures: Mother.  Child.  Father.

My pictures after the baby: High Chair.  Rattle.  Bassinet.  Nightlight.  Baby Food.  Formula.  Bib.  Bottle.  Teddy bear.  Crying little sister.  Scared big brother.

The way that Veille is able to arrange the images in such a way as to hit the joke home is one of his strongest qualities.  In the above example, not only is it funny because with a new baby comes a deluge of stuff for that baby, but the images are arranged in a big circle around the baby with the older brother siting  nearby with look of agitation on his face.  This further illustrates how life can feel as if it literally revolves around a new baby, as well as depict how a first born may feel when they have a baby brother or sister.

My pictures: Apple.  Bread.  Boiled Spinach.

My pictures after lunch: Core.  Crumbs.  Boiled Spinach.

Maybe it’s the dad in me, but I’m always down for a good pun. In terms of wordplay and visual humor My Pictures after the Storm is an example of this style of humor at its very best.  Find it in the catalog.

All By Myself, Alone

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All By Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark
Format: Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

I often do a fair amount of travelling to see family and my favorite thing to do while on a long drive is play a good mystery audiobook. I enjoy the pace of Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels and this book was able to satisfy my need for a pleasant mystery! We follow married couple Alvirah and Willy Meehan who are recently wealthy lottery winners on a luxury cruise. The Meehan’s investigate the mysterious death of a fellow passenger in possession of an emerald necklace that once belonged to Cleopatra. Clark tells the story with a fun ensemble of colorful characters including a Gemologist, Celia Kilbride, and Shakespeare Professor, Ted Cavanaugh. With the death of a passenger, a missing necklace, and a man overboard, this luxury liner turns out to be more excitement than the passengers were expecting!

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How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals

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The cover of this book caught my eye, so I decided to give it a try. And, I was pleasantly surprised. It is memoir that is interwoven with lessons learned from the animals in the author’s life. The author, Sy Montgomery, has been an animal lover since early childhood, and she developed deep connections with the animals that crossed her path. A writer by trade, Montgomery has traveled the world to conduct research for her writing. Thus, the animals she encounters range from family dogs and backyard hens to emus and octopuses.

Personally, I am not an animal person, but I still found Montgomery’s stories intriguing. In particular, I enjoyed learning about all of the exotic animals that she came across, including the Matschie’s tree-kangaroo and the Goliath birdeater. This was a quick, easy read. But, it may not be suitable for everyone, as it does contain a very frank discussion about depression and mental illness.

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Locke and Key

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Locke and Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Adults

The Locke family are keepers of magic keys that can do amazing things. The keys are kept safe in the Locke ancestral home of Keyhouse, by a rule that only innocent children can discover their magic, and forget it once they become corruptible adults. A malevolent creature called Dodge seeks the keys for nefarious purposes and the only thing standing between Dodge and those evil machinations are the current Locke children: teenagers Tyler and Kinsey, and their younger sibling Bode.

This is just the beginning of a six volume saga that is part horror, part fantasy, and part family drama. The Locke and Key series is great for any fans of Stranger Things, It, Twin Peaks, or H.P. Lovecraft. The books do feature scenes of violence, gore, abuse, and addiction, so I would only recommend them to adults, or mature teens. The series is also available on audio, with a stellar cast of voice actors, sound effects, and a haunting score. Find Locke and Key in our catalog