Tales of Three Chrises

befunky-collage-5-11While looking at upcoming films, I watched the newest trailer for the Wonder Woman movie (due June 2, 2017, and it looks fantastic), and was surprised to see actor Chris Pine in the role of Steve Trevor – I had no idea he was in the film. I like Chris Pine, he’s a worthy actor, and I think he’ll do a wonderful job in the role. But I can’t help but notice, he’s been cropping up in an awful lot of films lately.

Sometimes Hollywood gets hooked on a new actor and they become “hot” – in high demand because they seem to pull in audiences and thus make a lot of money, worthy or not. They may hang around a while, then fade off into obscurity when it’s realized they have no real talent, only to reappear on a C-grade cable network show pushing designer socks. Sometimes actors let their popularity run for a few years, make their money, and then get out altogether, to pursue directing, theater, music, or sometimes even a college degree.

But lately the name Chris seems to be the favorite in Hollywood – Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, and the other blockbuster, Chris Hemsworth. All are fine actors who have taken on roles that shot them to stardom, yet all have solid resumes of good films behind them even if you’ve never heard of them.

mv5bmtm4otq4ntu3nv5bml5banbnxkftztcwnjewndu0oq-_v1_ux214_cr00214317_al_Chris Pine comes from an acting family – his dad was Robert Pine, Sgt. Getraer from CHiPs, and he’s one of those well-rounded actors with actual talent. Although currently best known for taking on the iconic role of Captain James Kirk in the Star Trek reboot, he’s done an array of very worthy films, from action hero in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, to wine maker in Bottleshock (a very underrated movie with an excellent cast), to Coast Guard skipper in The Finest Hours. If you doubt his acting talent, listen to his singing voice as he belts out the tune “Agony” in Into the Woods. If he runs out of films, he can  switch easily to Broadway. If you’re of a certain age, or have daughters of a different age, you may remember him from Princess Diaries 2.  He’s not just taking on any role to make a buck.

On the other end, you have Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, who gained thirty8e289e037001b64b43665c8be542d3f9 pounds of pure muscle to take on the role of powerful comic book hero Thor in the multitude of Marvel films. But Hemsworth is not just eyecandy. His latest film was a comic role in the Ghostbusters reboot (okay, not exactly a great film, but not Thor either), but he’s popped up regularly in Snow White and the Huntsman, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, chasing Moby Dick in In The Heart of the Sea, racing cars in Rush, and escaping computer espionage in Black Hat, a worthwhile thriller though not of the same caliber of a Marvel film. He may look like he fell off the cover of a romance novel, but you can’t say he’s allowed himself to be typecast. He, too, was in the Star Trek reboot, as George Kirk, James T.’s father – a role he will be reprising in the next Star Trek film, which has not yet entered production (even though he’s three years younger than Chris Pine). If you really want entertainment, listen to him speak with his native Australian accent – you realize just how impressive his American accent is.

chris_pratt_-_guardians_of_the_galaxy_premiere_-_july_2014_croppedChris Pratt landed two franchises – starring in the latest Jurassic Park flick, Jurassic World, as well as the lead of Peter Quill in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (and the upcoming GG2, due out May 5 of 2017, and the next Jurassic, in pre-production, and reprising his Peter Quill role in the Avengers Infinity War, currently filming – talk about busy!). AND he starred with Jennifer Lawrence in December’s new release, Passengers. Before taking over the action-hero trade, he appeared in such varied films as Zero Dark Thirty, Moneyball, and the recent star-studded western, The Magnificent Seven. Of the three, he’s also done extensive television, with recurring roles on Parks and Recreation, The O.C., and Everwood.  He’s earned the right to be exhausted!

So while the weather is less than delightful, make it a weekend of high entertainment and Chris-cross some of these films off your list. No matter what your style of movie – westerns, intrigue, racing, science fiction, comic heroes, fairy tales, covert wars, musicals or more, one of these men has the perfect film for you.

The Cover Was Blue.

How many times has someone recommend a book, or you saw a book on the shelf and did not have time to read it, and you thought you would remember the author or title when it came time to find it and read it yourself? It happens to us too. We know exactly who wrote that book or series, at least until someone asks us. When that happens, we use our skills and look it up, even though we feel like we should already know the answer.

bluebooksSometimes no one can remember enough of the author or title to do the necessary searching to figure out the answer. Often times at this point all any of us can remember is the color or image on the cover. For some reason, the cover in these cases is almost always blue. So, here are some of the most popular books that might fit the bill if you are looking for a popular read and all you can remember is that the cover was blue. I have noted any books shelves in or children’s room with a J, and any books shelved in our young adult or teen area with a YA.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (YA)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
The Selection by Kiera Cass (YA)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (YA)
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (YA)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (J)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (J)

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Eragon by Christopher Paolini (YA)
Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (YA)
The Wind is Not a River by Brian Payton
The Whole Enchilada by Diane Mott Davidson
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This is only a small portion of possibilities, as blue seems to be a very popular color for book covers. Are you still searching or need a different cover color? Comment with the information you do have and I will do my best to find the book for which you are searching!

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

what's trending                    movie

It was a long, very hot summer, and a lot of people took advantage of our extensive DVD collection to enjoy some movies at home.  During June, July and August, our circulation for adult DVDs and Blu Rays topped over 15,500!  Here are the 15 most popular adult/family film titles that were checked out this summer.

brooklynBrooklyn – A young Irish immigrant travels to New York City and is torn between two countries and two men.

 

 

the hateful eightThe Hateful Eight – A stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive Daisy Domergue, race towards the town of Red Rock.

 

pride prejudice zombiesPride and Prejudice and Zombies – Elizabeth Bennet, a master of martial arts, and Mr. Darcy, a fierce zombie killer, must swallow their pride in order to conquer the undead.

 

deadpoolDeadpool – Witness the origin story of Wade Wilson, who adopts the alter ego Deadpool after a rogue experiment leaves him with accelerated healing powers…and a dark, twisted sense of humor.

 

bridge of spiesBridge of Spies – An American insurance lawyer is recruited by the CIA to rescue an American pilot detained in the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

 

peanuts movieThe Peanuts Movie – Prepare to dream big and laugh out loud with Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the beloved Peanuts gang in this all-new animated adventure for the whole family!

 

daddy's homeDaddy’s Home – Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg face off in the ultimate Dad vs. Step-Dad showdown! Brad (Ferrell), who always dreamed of having the perfect family, is determined to become the best step-dad to his new wife’s (Linda Cardellini) children.

 

zoolander 2Zoolander 2 – When the world’s most beautiful people are in danger, former models Derek and Hansel are recruited for a top secret mission to defeat the criminal mastermind Mugatu.

 

 

jurassicJurassic World – Owen and Claire race to restore order at Jurassic World theme park when a ferocious genetically modified dinosaur escapes.

 

good dinosaurThe Good Dinosaur – An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

 

 

big shortThe Big Short – Based on the true story of four outsiders who saw what the big banks, media and government refused to: the global collapse of the economy. A bold investment leads them into the dark underbelly of banking, where everyone and everything is in question.

harry potterHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – A young boy on his eleventh birthday discovers, he is the orphaned boy of two powerful wizards and has unique magical powers.

 

everestEverest – Everest documents the deadly journey of two mountain climbing expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind.

 

love the coopersLove the Coopers – A chaotic family reunion leads to a joyful rediscovery of family bonds and the magic of love in this sparkling, all-star comedy

 

spotlightSpotlight – Chronicles the true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered a decades-long cover-up of child abuse within the local Catholic Archdiocese.

From Apocalypse to Zombies

imagesThe concept of dead people returning to life is probably as old as civilization. Ancient Egypt and mummies aside, Child Ballads such as The Unquiet Grave and The Usher’s Wife (Lady Gay) date back to at least the 1400’s. It’s arguable that Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1817) may be considered the first literary zombie (barring Lazarus), a man made of dead parts brought back to life, even if he wasn’t after brains.

The true zombie was born in 1968 with the release of George A. Romero’s cult classic Night of the Living Dead, about 0043396771796_p0_v2_s192x300grisly undead ghouls who feasted on human flesh – the term zombie hadn’t really been invented yet. Made for a paltry $114,000, filmed in black and white, it contained a level of violence and gore never before seen. There was only one problem – the MMPA rating system wouldn’t be in place for another month: Night of the Living Dead, the most gruesome movie ever made at that time, was essentially a General Audience film, and unsuspecting children (and adults) were never the same again.

ZombiesurvivalguideFor a few decades, hard core zombies were relegated to third-rate theaters and 2 am film slots, but began to stagger slowly into the mainstream. Although you have favorites like Scooby Doo at Zombie Island (1998), “Modern” zombies – those whose roots are usually virus-oriented – surged in popularity with the graphic novel The Walking Dead (2003), which spawned the highly popular television series The Walking Dead (2010-present). This was followed by the spoof Shaun of the Dead (2004), the novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War which became a major film in 2013, and a veritable epidemic of zombie books, television shows, and films, including The Zombie Survival Guide, The Zombie Combat Manual, and The Art of Eating Through the Zombie Apocalypse. Strangely, these books are more serious than they should be. Even the Centers for Disease Control got in on it, posting their preparedness recommendations for dealing with zombies in 2011 in a push to get people to be prepared for disasters .

If you’re hard core, of course stick to the masters:  Night of the Living Dead, and Day of MV5BMjEyMzMxNzA5MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTkxNjMxMjE@._V1_SX640_SY720_the Dead. If you’re nerves can’t handle that (like mine), there are plenty of other choices that are less gory or  humorous. Zombieland is an A-list take on the issue that is full of humor and lower on gore. Maggie stars Arnold Schwartzenegger in probably his most serious role ever, as a father whose daughter is slowly becoming a zombie. Z Nation is an enjoyable TV series that isn’t quite as serious as The Walking Dead. The Last Ship is a new television series about a group who survives the apocalypse on a boat, and tries to round up survivors.

prideprejudicesmall1If you only like classical literature, fear not. Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies will not leave you behind. There is a book and a newly released DVD, which is utterly delightful, full of classic period speech and women in romantic Empire gowns slicing zombies with ninja skill. Slightly different but still in the realm of classic undead, give Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter a try. Like your films completely different? No mention of zombies would be complete without some reference to Michael Jackson’s 1983 Thriller video, which, at 13 minutes, would qualify as a short film.

Whether you take them seriously ozombieland2_758_426_81_s_c1r not, whether your zombies are what they are because of curses or disease, whether you like to watch saws cut through flesh or you’re battling nuisance zombies on a quest to find the last box of Twinkies, there’s a zombie book or film for you.

New Fiction Coming Soon! September/October

coming

Want a little heads up on when your favorite author is publishing a new book?  Here are some of the new fiction hardcover books coming out in September and October.  Clicking on the title will bring you to our catalog where you can place a hold if you’d like.   For a more extensive list, please see the ‘Coming Soon’ poster in our lobby.

September

pushing up daisiesBeaton, M.C.Pushing Up Daisies –  When a wealthy land developer who had been planning to turn a community garden into a housing estate winds up dead, Agatha Raisin is hired by the victim’s accused son to clear him of suspicion and identify the real killer among numerous suspects.    

homeCoben, HarlanHomeWhen one of two boys kidnapped from their wealthy families resurfaces a decade later, the young survivor is observed by two peers who would discover the fate of the other missing boy.

 

pirateCussler, ClivePirateConfronted by a determined adversary, husband-and-wife treasure hunters Sam and Remi Fargo embark on an international quest involving an 800-year-old relic and a brutal murder.

 

christmas caramelFluke, JoanneChristmas Caramel Murder  Preparing for the town’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol,” Hannah supports her friend, Lisa, who is implicated in the murder of her husband’s ex-girlfriend.

 

darkest journeyGraham, HeatherDarkest JourneyLooking to clear her father from suspicion in the murder of two Civil War reenactors, Charlie reunites with Krewe of Hunters agent Ethan Delaney on a cruise to get close to the reenactors and identify who has a motive to kill.

 

razor girlHiaasen, CarlRazor Girl Involved in a car accident with a young scam artist, a man helplessly watches his life spiral out of control in the wake of a sand-stealing company, a Hawaiian-shirt-clad NYC mafia capo, a reality show accordionist and other eccentric characters.

 

downfallJance, J.A.DownfallJuggling her pregnancy, family deaths, her daughter’s imminent departure for college and a reelection campaign, Cochise County Sheriff Joanna Brady investigates two suspicious falling deaths that may be the work of a serial killer.

 

the wishLewis, BeverlyThe WishYears after her best friend’s seemingly devout family is expelled from the Amish church for reasons no one will discuss, a heartbroken Leona receives a letter from her friend and leaves Lancaster Counter at the risk of her own shunning in the hopes of persuading her friend to return to Amish ways.

denim and lacePalmer, DianaDenim and LaceRough-and-tough Texas rancher Cade Hollister worries that lovely rich-girl Bess Samson will prove to be his downfall, so he suppresses his passion, leaving her to follow her heart and uncover the real reasons for their incompatibility.

 

woman of godPatterson, JamesWoman of GodScrutinized as the world’s first woman papal candidate, Brigid Fitzgerald, a doctor on the front lines in Sudan, reflects on her difficult childhood and a series of trials that have tested her faith before a high-stakes battle compels her to convert her enemies to a cause that threatens the Church and her life.

revenge in aPerry, AnneRevenge in a Cold RiverUnable to remember anything before the carriage accident he suffered years earlier, Commander William Monk is framed for murder by a man from his past and must rely on the help of his wife and close friend to prove his innocence.

 

apprenticeRobb, J.D.Apprentice in DeathInvestigating a Central Park sniper attack that has left three dead, Eve Dallas discovers that the killer was potentially miles away from the victims and may be the protegee of an even more deranged shooter.

 

October

cakewalkBrown, Rita Mae Cakewalk A post-World War I tale set in the Maryland community of Six of One finds residents split between belief systems on the Mason Dixon line, where free-thinking sisters Louise and Julia Hunsenmier and their indelible friends explore small-town sins and rivalries.

undeadDavidson, MaryjaniceUndead and DoneA conclusion to the best-selling series finds the PR team of Queen Betsy scrambling to contain the fallout of her first press conference, the Devil’s escape, the arrival of the werewolves and the assistance of the mermaids.

 

order to killFlynn, VinceOrder to KillA follow-up to the best-selling The Survivor finds anti-terrorism operative Mitch Rapp chasing false leads throughout the world to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into terrorist hands before posing as an American ISIS recruit in Russia, where he uncovers a catastrophic plot.

the whistlerGrisham, JohnThe Whistler A follow-up to the highly successful Rogue Lawyer combines the author’s signature legal savvy and high-suspense storytelling, in a latest thriller that pits an unforgettable cast of characters against unexpected twists and turns.

 

all the littleHarris, CharlaineAll the Little LiarsWhen four kids including her brother go missing from school and a dead body is found where they were last seen, a pregnant Aurora organizes a personal investigation that exposes the activities of a gang of bullies and her brother’s gambling debts.

 

winter stormHilderbrand, ElinWinter StormsA conclusion to the best-selling trilogy finds the Quinn family’s efforts to reunite and prepare for a long-anticipated wedding during the Christmas season overshadowed by a health scare, addiction problems and commitment issues.

night watchJohansen, IrisNight Watch When the surgeon who made it possible for her to see goes missing, Kendra Michaels recruits government agent Adam Lynch to accompany her on a trail that leads to the snowy California mountains, where the discovery of one of the doctor’s brutally murdered colleagues reveals the work of a killer.

kill or be killedPatterson, JamesKill or Be KilledAn anthology of four faced-paced thrillers collects four BookShots suspense stories”The Trial,” “Little Black Dress” “Heist,” and “The Women’s War by the author of the best-selling Women’s Murder Club series and such regular Patterson co-authors Emily Raymond and Shan Serafin.

 

missingPatterson, JamesMissingCraig Gisto and his elite team at Private Sydney are tasked with finding Eric Mossùthe, CEO of a high-profile research company, who has had all trace of his existence wiped away.

 

 

small greatPicoult, JodiSmall Great Things Hesitating to treat the newborn of a white supremacist couple who has demanded that a white nurse assist them, a black nurse is placed on trial in the tragic aftermath and is aided by a white public defender with whom she begins questioning their beliefs as the case becomes more racially charged.

excape clauseSandford, JohnEscape ClauseVirgil Flowers’ investigation into the theft of two rare Siberian tigers from the Minnesota zoo is complicated by a summer visit from his girlfriend’s sister, who would seduce him.

 

sex, liesWoods, StuartSex, Lies, and Serious Money New York City cop-turned-Manhattan law firm rainmaker Stone Barrington tackles a high-suspense case.

 

 

For more favorite authors’ titles, see our ‘Coming Soon’ poster in our lobby.