What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

October 17, 2016September 6, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

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.

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

The 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 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.

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

The 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 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 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.

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

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

The 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 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.

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

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

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

August 6, 2016July 13, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

what's trending

It’s not only the newest titles that are popular among our patrons. Here are the top ten older fiction books trending at the library.

The God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy.
In 1969 in Kerala, India, Rahel and her twin brother, Estha, struggle to forge a childhood for themselves amid the destruction of their family life, as they discover that the entire world can be transformed in a single moment.

The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt.
Taken in by a wealthy family friend after surviving an accident that killed his mother, thirteen-year-old Theo Decker tries to adjust to life on Park Avenue.

Orphan Train -Christina Baker Kline.
Close to aging out of the foster care system, Molly Ayer takes a position helping an elderly woman named Vivian and discovers that they are more alike than different as she helps Vivian solve a mystery from her past.

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn.
When a woman goes missing on her fifth wedding anniversary, her diary reveals hidden turmoil in her marriage, while her husband, desperate to clear himself of suspicion, realizes that something more disturbing than murder may have occurred.

The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins.
Obsessively watching a breakfasting couple every day to escape the pain of her losses, Rachel witnesses a shocking event that inextricably entangles her in the lives of strangers.

The Kitchen House – Kathleen Grissom.
Working as an indentured servant alongside slaves on a tobacco plantation, Lavinia, a seven-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, finds her light skin and situation placing her between two very different worlds that test her loyalties.

Big Little Lies – Laine Moriarty.
Follows three mothers, each at a crossroads, and their potential involvement in a riot at a school trivia night that leaves one parent dead in what appears to be a tragic accident, but the evidence shows it might have been premeditated.

The Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd.
Traces more than three decades in the lives of a wealthy Charleston debutante who longs to break free from the strictures of her household and pursue a meaningful life, and the urban slave, Handful, who is placed in her charge as a child before finding courage and a sense of self.

One Plus One – JoJo Moyes.
A single mom trying to raise a bullied stepson and a mathlete daughter finds an unexpected rescue in the form of an obnoxious tech millionaire named Geeky Ed.

Winter Garden – Kristin Hannah.
Reunited when their beloved father falls ill, sisters Meredith and Nina find themselves under the shadow of their disapproving mother, whose painful history is hidden behind her rendition of a Russian fairy tale told to the sisters in childhood.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

July 16, 2016July 13, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

what's trending Wondering which new fiction titles have been trending recently at the Cheshire Library? Here they are!

The Murder House – James Patterson.
Returning to the luxurious Hamptons of her youth to investigate the murders of a Hollywood power broker and his mistress, Detective Jenna Murphy uncovers links between the case and a series of unsolved killings.

Rogue Lawyer – John Grisham .
A nomadic lawyer because of frequent death threats, Sebastian Rudd takes on a case involving a brain-damaged young man accused of murdering two little girls.

X – Sue Grafton.
A serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes challenges Kinsey Milhone’s skills to solve the case before she becomes his next victim.

Cross Justice – James Patterson.
Returning to his North Carolina hometown to defend a cousin accused of a heinous crime, Alex Cross is drawn into the search for a brutal murderer before his world is shattered by the revelation of a devastating family secret.

The Guilty – David Baldacci.
When his father is charged with murder and refuses to do anything to prove his innocence, Will Robie returns as an outsider to his hometown of Cantrell, Mississippi–where is he is met with distrust–to conduct his own investigation.

Memory Man – David Baldacci.
More than a year after the most tragic event in Amos Decker’s life, a man confesses to murdering his family and Amos, called to help with the investigation, struggles with the memories.

Blueprints – Barbara Delinsky.
The bond between a talented carpenter and her architect daughter is challenged by a career-shifting television network decision, a family death, sudden parenting responsibilities, and changing romantic prospects.

All Dressed in White – Mary Higgins Clark.
Laurie Moran recreates the events surrounding a bride’s disappearance five years earlier and learns that all of the woman’s acquaintances have a theory about why she vanished, including someone who will do anything to keep the truth hidden.

Breakdown – Jonathon Kellerman.
When an actress turns up dead after a public breakdown weeks earlier, Alex Delaware assists lieutenant Milo Sturgis with the case and wonders if there is a connection to the victim’s missing daughter and a second celebrity killing.

Alert – James Patterson.
While pursuing terrorists responsible for two high-tech attacks and an assassination, detective Michael Bennett realizes that the attacks are a prelude to a bigger and more devastating event.

Author Highlight – James Patterson

James Patterson has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today with his Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Private, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. As of January 2016, he has sold over 350 million books worldwide and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers. In addition to writing the thriller novels for which he is best known, he also writes children’s, middle-grade, and young-adult fiction and is also the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on the New York Times adult and children’s bestsellers lists.

For more about James Patterson, here is a link to his official website.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

April 25, 2016April 21, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

movies dvd

Winter is over and Spring has sprung. During the long winter months, lots of people spent their time watching movies. So what movies were the most popular this Winter? Here are the top 15 movies that were checked out during January, February and March. See something you like? Check it out!

The Age of Adaline – A young woman, born at the turn of the 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man who complicates the eternal life she has settled into.

Jurassic World – A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park’s newest attraction–a genetically modified giant stealth killing machine–escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation – With the IMF disbanded, Ethan and his team join forces with a disavowed British agent, who may or may not be a member of this rogue nation, as they must face off against a new network of highly skilled special agents.

Downton Abbey – Season 1 – Downton Abbey — a sprawling, lavish Edwardian mansion nestled in the Yorkshire landscape — needs an heir. Dame Maggy Smith stars as Violet, the stubborn Dowager Countess of Grantham & matriarch of Downton. Hugh Bonneville stars as her son, the stoic, unflappable Lord Crawley.

Unbroken – After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he’s caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

The Imitation Game – During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians.

Still Alice – A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Ted 2 – Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he’s a person in a court of law.

Selma – A chronicle of Martin Luther King’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – As the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has only a single remaining vacancy – posing a rooming predicament for two fresh arrivals – Sonny pursues his expansionist dream of opening a second hotel.

Run All Night – Mobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his longtime best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire, who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son.

Paul Blart, Mall Cop 2 – After six years of keeping our malls safe, Paul Blart has earned a well-deserved vacation. He heads to Vegas with his teenage daughter before she heads off to college. But safety never takes a holiday and when duty calls, Blart answers.

Boyhood – The life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.

Tomorrowland – Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.

Train Wreck – Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.

What’s Trending at Cheshire Public Library

February 24, 2016February 15, 2016 / Linda / Leave a comment

what to read

So we’re into the new year. What did you decide to read? The newest best-seller, older fiction? Or maybe you wanted to give the old brain some stimulation by reading some non-fiction. Let’s see how what you choose to read compares to what’s trending lately at CPL.

Top Five New Fiction

The Murder House – James Patterson -Returning to the luxurious Hamptons of her youth to investigate the murders of a Hollywood power broker and his mistress, Detective Jenna Murphy uncovers links between the case and a series of unsolved killings.

Memory Man – David Baldacci – More than a year after the most tragic event in Amos Decker’s life, a man confesses to murdering his family and Amos, called to help with the investigation, struggles with the memories.

X – Sue Grafton – A serial killer who leaves no trace of his crimes challenges Kinsey Milhone’s skills to solve the case before she becomes his next victim.

Saturn Run – John Sanford – When a Caltech intern notices what seems to be a spaceship decelerating towards Saturn, a new space race begins as governments hurry to get their hands on the technology.

A Banquet of Consequences – Elizabeth George – Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his partner Barbara Havers are drawn from Cambridge to London as they investigate any possible connections between the suicide of a young man who leaped to his death from a Dorset cliff and a murder by poisoning in Cambridge.

Rounding out the top ten – Cross Justice–James Patterson; Scandalous Behavior–Stuart Woods; The Theory of Death–Faye Kellerman; Rogue Lawyer–John Grisham; The Melody Lingers– Mary Higgins Clark

Top Five Fiction

The Litigators–John Grisham – Law firm partners Oscar Finley and Wally Figg see a chance for huge financial gain when they learn of a pending class action lawsuit against the makers of Krayoxx, a popular cholesterol-reducing drug suspected of causing heart attacks.

Daddy’s Gone Hunting – Mary Higgins Clark – When her sister is wrongly implicated in an explosion that has destroyed her family’s priceless antiques business and killed an employee, Hannah struggles to find clues in the ashes and discovers a life-threatening secret from the past.

Orphan Train – Christina Kline – Close to aging out of the foster care system, Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer takes a community service position helping an elderly woman named Vivian clean out her home and discovers that they are more alike than different as she helps Vivian solve a mystery from her past.

The Runaway Jury – John Grisham – Goes behind the doors of a jury room to reveal what happens among members of a jury in the middle of deliberations as one powerful leader of the jury works to sway the verdict.

Sing You Home – Jodie Picoult – Ten years of infertility issues culminate in the destruction of music therapist Zoe Baxter’s marriage, after which she falls in love with another woman and wants to start a family, but her ex-husband, Max, stands in the way.

Rounding out the top ten – The Goldfinch–Donna Tartt; Top Secret Twenty-one–Janet Evanovich; Winter Street– Erin Hildebrand; The Escape–David Baldacci; Loves Music, Loves To Dance–Mary Higgins Clark

Top Five New Non-Fiction

Dead Wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania – Erik Larson -A chronicle of the sinking of the Lusitania discusses the factors that led to the tragedy and the contributions of such figures as Woodrow Wilson, bookseller Charles Lauriat, and architect Theodate Pope Riddle.

Down The Rabbit Hole – Holly Madison – A former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner describes how her years inside the Playboy Mansion went from a fairytale of A-list celebrity parties to an oppressive regime of strict rules, scheduled sex, and a total loss of identity, so much so that she even contemplated suicide.

Killing Reagan – Bill O’reilly – Recounts President Reagan’s career, discussing his time in Hollywood, the beginning of his political career, and overcoming the trauma of an assassination attempt.

Spark Joy – Marie Kando – Offers an illustrated guide to organizing closets, folding clothes, and minimizing clutter.

The Egg And I – Betty MacDonald – Relates the experiences of a young couple in their attempts to succeed on a run-down chicken farm.

Rounding out the top ten – The Cheap Bastard’s Guide to New York City–Rob Gardner; Fodor’s New York City 2016; $2 A Day: living on almost nothing–Kathryn Edin; Gluten-Free Girl American Classics Reinvented–Shauna James Ahern; The Mission Chinese Food Cookbook–Danny Bowien

Top Five Non-Fiction

Hip Knit Hats: 40 fabulous designs – Offers forty designs for caps, buckets, berets, tams, and felted hats.

The Necklace – Describes how thirteen women combined forces and funds to jointly purchase a diamond necklace that they would share, revealing how a simple agreement to share a piece of jewelry became a study in friendship, adventure, possibility, and the power of giving back.

Scott 2011 Standard Postage Stamp Catalog

The New Prayer Shawl Companion – This book features 34 prayer shawl patterns that will inspire knitters of all skill levels and features designs for moments of celebration and for times of solace and remembrance.

Autobiographies: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas – A new one-volume edition of an American classic offers the complete memoirs of the eloquent escaped slave, who in the nineteenth century shaped the abolitionist movement and became the most influential African-American of his era.