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The Green Knight

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The Green Knight
Format: DVD, Bluray
Who it’s for: Adults

The Green Knight is an adaptation of the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain. At a Camelot Christmas feast, Sir Gawain, nephew of King Arthur, accepts a challenge from a mysterious visitor. The Green Knight, portrayed in the movie as a kind of half man/half tree monster, wants to know which brave knight of the Round Table will play a game with him, and Gawain, desperate to make a name for himself, volunteers. The game is this: The Green Knight offers up his axe for Gawain to strike him with. Any strike he makes will be returned a year hence, when Gawain brings the axe to him at the Green Chapel. Gawain swiftly decapitates him. No worries about retaliation now, right? Wrong, as the Green Knight picks up his own head, and rides off laughing. To say that Gawain is about to have a long year is an understatement.

Gawain’s journey to the Green Chapel is as fraught with peril as what presumably awaits him there. Along the way to fulfill his destiny he must confront thieves, ghosts, giants, a talking fox, a mysterious lord and lady, and his own demons. This is NOT a fast-paced action film. This a philosophical slow burn, a visually stimulating interpretation of the 14th century chivalric poem, about man’s search for meaning and what makes a true hero, masterfully directed by David Lowery, featuring amazing performances by the cast lead by a soulful Dev Patel as Sir Gawain. If you would like to see something wonderful and strange, check out The Green Knight.

Find The Green Knight in the catalog

Ouran High School Host Club

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Series Title: Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori
First Book: Ouran High School Host Club Volume 1
Who it’s for: Teens

A romantic comedy manga that had me adoring the characters and wanting to join in on their daily shenanigans. The series follows Haruhi, she’s a scholarship student at a school for rich kids. When she’s trying to find a quiet place to study, she stumbles into a music room that ends up being used by the school’s host club. In her attempt to leave she ends up breaking an expensive vase and is now indebted to the host club to pay it back by being a host. Haruhi is a very logical and no nonsense person among people that don’t tend to make much sense, especially Tamaki—the host club’s king. Haruhi soons learns that even rich kids have their issues and warms up to them and the club members begin to understand Haruhi more too. I love all of the characters in Ouran High School Host Club with my favorite being Tamaki—he’s always so over the top.

Find Ouran High School Host Club in the catalog!

Testimony from Your Perfect Girl

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Testimony from Your Perfect Girl by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Young Adult

Annie is a wealthy teenager who has everything she could ever want. On the outside, her family seems to be perfect but their entire world comes crashing down when Annie’s father is accused of stealing investment funds from several clients. The entire town begins to shame the family, so Annie and her brother are sent to live in a smaller rural town with their aunt and uncle. Annie knows that her father is innocent, but a lot of others don’t seem to agree. She must come up with another identity to remain in hiding until the trial is over. Annie learns how to make new friends and live a completely different lifestyle, while trying to discover her passions in life. Will she tell her new friends about her true identity or keep it all a secret until she can go back home? This is a story that has new connections, inner conflict, and the ultimate realization that parents are perfectly flawed humans too. Find Testimony from Your Perfect Girl in the catalog!

Hamilton: The Revolution

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Hamilton: the Revolution: Being the Complete Libretto of the Broadway Musical, with a True Account of its Creation, and Concise Remarks on Hip-Hop, the Power of Stories, and the New America by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Stories have the power to move us, whether we read them in a book or see them on a screen or a stage. The smash-hit musical Hamilton, composed and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is no exception. The show illustrates the real-life story of Alexander Hamilton, a Founding Father who was the United States’ first Secretary of the Treasury.

What fans of the musical may not know, though, is the inside scoop on the work that went into the show, from casting to writing lyrics. For instance, did you know that Leslie Odom Jr., who originated the role of Aaron Burr, made the choice to perform in Hamilton over playing a lead role in the NBC show State of Affairs? If you’re intrigued and want to learn more facts such as this, you may want to read Hamilton: The Revolution, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the show. Written by the show’s creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, as well as author Jeremy McCarter, this book includes comments on the show’s lyrics, creation, and actors, as well as photographs from its original Broadway run.

Through illustrating the creation of a musical, this book may be of particular interest to readers who are artists of any kind—writers, painters, musicians, actors, etc.—because it shows the creative process of a composer and lyricist, which may inform the creative process of others.

Happy reading!

Find Hamilton: The Revolution in the catalog.

Butterflies are Pretty…Gross!

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Butterflies are Pretty…Gross!  Written by Rosemary Mosco, illustrated by Jacob Souva
Format:  Book
Who Its For:  Kids

Everybody loves a butterfly! These beautiful insects float gently through our gardens with their colorful wings, sipping nectar from flowers… and also eating moldy fruit. And dead animals. And even poop!  Yes, its a close-kept secret that butterflies are, well, gross! There is so much to learn in this informative book about butterflies; for example if you get near a Red Cracker butterfly it might fly RIGHT AT YOU and make a cracking noise. Most caterpillars (butterfly babies) eat leaves, but did you know that some hunt bugs? Some caterpillars sound and smell like an ant and real ants are tricked into taking care of it till it grows up! Fascinating butterfly facts abound in Butterflies are Pretty…Gross!. If you have or are a kid who loves nature in all its weirdness, this book is for you!

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Instructions for Dancing

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Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Teens

This was a cute, quick, and bittersweet read. Evie loved reading romance books, but that’s all in the past now that her parents are divorced. She no longer believes in love. One day she gets the ability to see people’s love stories once she sees them kiss and how all relationships all eventually end. In her quest to find answers she ends up at a dance studio and partnering with a boy named X.

Evie is more cautious, while X is much more free-spirited. They had lots of cute moments together as they got to know each other from dance practice and hanging out. I loved their opposite personalities and how they worked so well together.

The ending caught me off guard the most, but I’m not mad at it. Just bittersweet. Check out Instructions for Dancing in our catalog.