What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in March

February 27, 2018March 26, 2018 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

In like a lion, out like a lamb, & all that. March in New England certainly keeps the weather unpredictable, but you can count on great things happening at CPL, no matter the weather. Our calendar is packed with terrific programs this month, here’s a sampling:

Kitchen Céilí

Sunday Mar 4, 2018, 2:00 PM

This Irish/New England band serves up healthy portions of spirited tunes and songs in an atmosphere of unpretentious good humor. Their repertoire includes driving reels and lilting jigs as well as stately waltzes, slow airs, and old and new songs. No registration required.

Spring and Summer Gardening Tips

Monday Mar 5, 2018, 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Spring and summer is a great time to be working in the garden for beauty and foods, but you might encounter a number of puzzling issues. This presentation will answer and discuss some common questions about general care, pruning, water management, fertilizing, and disease control in lawns, flower gardens, small fruits, and vegetable gardens. Registration is required.

Introduction to Gmail

Thursday Mar 8, 2018, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

We will learn how to compose an e-mail, send an e-mail, create folders, organizing e-mails, and working with attachments. Prerequisite familiarity with computers and internet. Space is limited and registration is required.

Library After Hours: KC Sisters Family Concert

Friday Mar 9, 2018, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Join us for a family concert featuring the KC Sisters, a family band featuring 5 sisters with dad on piano! Music will include multi-harmonized songs, country fiddling, originals and a wide variety of standards from jazz to country to pop to oldies. There will be some simple crafts in the Children’s Room and pizza and drinks will be available for sale from the Friends of the Library. There is no admission fee, but there is a suggested donation of $5 per family to help offset costs. Registration is requested. (Please note that the Lower Level of the Library will not be open to the public. )

Drop-in Tech Help

Saturday Mar 10, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Tuesday Mar 13, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Tuesday Mar 20, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Saturday Mar 31, 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Do you have questions about your computer, smartphone, or iPad? Do you need help navigating Facebook or downloading an ebook? Let us help! Our weekly drop-in sessions are available on a first come first served basis, and may be limited to 15 minutes per person. In the event your question or issue is more involved, we may ask you to schedule an appointment to come back for one-on-one help. Please be sure to bring your device, and make sure it is fully charged. No registration required.

Pysanky Egg Decorating (ages 8 – adult)

Saturday Mar 10, 2018:

Session 1: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Session 2: 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Bring your friends & family and learn the art of Pysanky Egg decorating from the egg lady Sharon Leonard. This form of Ukrainian egg decorating uses special wax and color to make beautiful eggs. Each participant will be able to go home with one decorated egg. Registration is required for each participant, children must be over the age of 8 and please sign up for only one session. Please tie back hair and refrain from loose fitting clothing, as open flames are used during this process.

Author talk : Kate Moore, author of Radium Girls

Thursday Mar 15, 2018, 6:30 PM

Please join us as we welcome KATE MOORE, the author of Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, who is coming from England to do a U.S. promotional tour of the paperback version of her non-fiction bestseller. Moore is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. We are thrilled to have her at Cheshire Library to talk about the incredible true story of the young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium and their brave struggle for justice. Bookclubs are encouraged to attend. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing, registration is required.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

Friday Mar 16, 2018, 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Learn about the origins of St. Patrick’s Day with volunteers from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. We’ll read folktales from Irish culture, make crafts, and even explore science! Registration required starting February 15 for Cheshire residents and March 1 for nonresidents.

Your Chemical Free Home

Wednesday Mar 21, 2018, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Discover how the chemicals lurking in your home directly relate to your body and health. Not all green cleaners are 100% natural. Presenter Marie Bristol will explain how to tell what is really in your cleaners, and share options for better, healthier ways to clean. Registration is required.

Conn-Men A Cappella

Sunday Mar 25, 2018, 2:00 PM

The Conn-Men are UCONN’s premier all-male a cappella group. Join us for an exuberant concert, no registration required!

March Madness Math (Grades 3-6)

Thursday Mar 29, 2018, 4:00 – 4:50 PM

As the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball teams dribble and shoot their way to the championships, we’ll learn about sports math with hands-on experiments. We’ll look at player statistics, explore the geometry behind throwing the ball, calculate our own shooting percentages, and decide if it’s better to shoot two-pointers or three-pointers. For kids in grades 3-6. Registration required starting February 15 for Cheshire residents and March 1 for nonresidents.

18 Books Hitting the Big Screen in 2018

February 20, 2018February 21, 2018 / Louise / Leave a comment

Film adaptations of books have hit the ground running in 2018, with bestsellers Horse Soldiers, The Death Cure, and Fifty Shades Freed released in theaters already, and we’re barely into the year. Here’s some of what’s in store for the rest of 2018 (release dates may be subject to change), if you want to read them before you see them:

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Every Day by David Levithan (release date Feb. 23). A 16-year-old girl falls in love with a spirit named “A”, a traveling soul who wakes each morning in a different body.
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer (release date Feb. 23). A group of female scientists undertakes an expedition to “Area X”, a portion of land in the United States that has been secretly quarantined due to abnormal activity.
Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews (release date Mar. 2). Ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is recruited to ‘Sparrow School’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (release date Mar. 9). After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend across the barriers of space and time to find him. The all-star cast includes Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Chris Pine.
The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian (release date Mar. 9). An elderly couple suffering from cancer and Alzheimer’s decide to sneak away from their doctors for one last hurrah and escape on a cross-country trip.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertelli (release date Mar. 16). Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it’s a little more complicated. He hasn’t told his family or friends that he’s gay, and he doesn’t know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he’s fallen for online.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (release date Mar. 30). The buzz about this film adaptation began almost before the book was even published. Directed by Steven Spielberg, this dystopian thriller takes place in a future where more and more people are escaping into a virtual reality world that’s more bearable than the real one. Expect a kind of Matrix-y vibe with a bunch of 80’s pop culture references.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows (release date Apr. 19). A writer doing research learns about a unique book club that the residents of Guernsey formed as a front during German occupation in WWII.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (release date May 11). after her eccentric, agoraphobic mother disappears, 15-year-old Bee does everything she can to track her down, discovering her troubled past in the process. Starring Cate Blanchett in the title role.
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (release date Aug. 17). American-born Chinese economics professor Rachel Chu accompanies her boyfriend to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding only to get thrust into the lives of Asia’s rich and famous.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters (release date Aug. 31). After being summoned to treat a patient at dilapidated Hundreds Hall, Dr. Faraday finds himself becoming entangled in the lives of the owners, and the supernatural presences in the house in this horror-thriller.
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (release date Sep. 14). In this sci-fi thriller, sixteen-year-old Ruby breaks out of a government-run “rehabilitation camp” for teens who acquired dangerous powers after surviving a virus that wiped out most American children.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs (release date Sep. 21). A young orphan aids his magical uncle in locating a clock with the power to bring about the end of the world. Starring Cate Blanchett (again), Jack Black, and Kyle MacLachlan.
Boy Erased by Garrard Conley (release date Sep. 28). In the film adaptation of thie memoir, the son of a baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program. Starring Lucas Hedges in the title role, with Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman as his parents.
First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen (release date Oct. 12). Ryan Gosling stars in the title role in this true story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961–1969.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz (release date Oct. 19). Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (release date Oct. 19). Young and adventurous Mowgli meets Bagheera (Christian Bale), Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), and other animals while growing up in the jungle.
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (release date Dec. 14). Millennia after much of the world was destroyed in a cataclysmic event, cities survive a now desolate Earth by moving around on giant wheels attacking and devouring smaller towns to replenish their resources.

Tracking Black Panther

February 15, 2018February 8, 2018 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

One of the more controversial topics in Hollywood is the concept of whitewashing – casting a white actor in a role meant to be Black, Asian, Native American, Latin, or other ethnic group. Some of the more egregious examples are Laurence Olivier (and Orson Welles) playing Othello – in blackface, Ralph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson; Mickey Rooney (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Katharine Hepburn (Dragon Seed), and John Wayne (The Conqueror) as Asians; Johnny Depp as Tonto (Lone Ranger); Tilda Swinton as an Asian man (Dr. Strange), or the one that ruined my childhood: finding out that Native American Iron Eyes Cody of the 1970’s Keep America Beautiful campaign was actually a man of Italian descent.

Big-Budget Black-Lead Films

In fact, serious big-budget black films are hard to come by. Indeed, most of the highest-grossing black-lead films are comedies (Eddie Murphy has 5 of the top 7, not including Beverly Hills Cop), despite some very top-quality dramas (The Color Purple, Fences, Moonlight, The Help, Soul Food). Yet Samuel L. Jackson – I’ll see anything he’s in – ranks number TWO on the list of actors with top box office revenues, pulling in a combined domestic gross of more than 7 BILLION dollars for his 126+ films (#1 is Stan Lee. He has a cameo in every movie he makes). Even Hollywood protested the lack of serious roles for black actors, and stirred a controversy over a glaring absence in Oscar nominations despite worthy black films, a problem starting to be rectified in 2017. Not great if you’re a black kid looking for role models. The Adventures of Pluto Nash just doesn’t cut it.

A New Superhero

Now, Hollywood may be on the verge of a true black superhero blockbuster with the release of February’s Black Panther, Marvel’s 18^th release into its megahit superhero franchise. Following his debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa – holding the title Black Panther – is the king of the fictional African country of Wakanda, who gains superpowers from a heart-shaped herb and connections to a mystical Panther God. When his father is assassinated in Civil War, T’Challa returns to Wakanda to discover his claim to the throne being challenged. T’Challa must team up with a CIA agent and the Wakanda Special Forces to prevent a world war.

The History of Black Panther

Black Panther was the first black comic book superhero, ever (1966), so early he predates the political party. Chadwick Boseman does a phenomenal job as T’Challa, and the movie promises to have the same serious craft and attention as the rest of the Marvel films. The previews are visually stunning, with rich ethnic textiles and cultural details that leap off the screen, drawn from no fewer than five different African cultures. Not only a superhero, but a culturally relevant one as well – which of course, immediately started another controversy whether or not the movie is celebrating African culture or trying to appropriate it. The movie was originally green-lighted in 2011, and the script approved in 2015. Hollywood doesn’t get better than this.

Of course there are now other black superheroes. Luke Cage’s TV series has had luke-warm reviews. As the XMen movies progressed, Storm played less and less of a role. Sam Wilson is a great sidekick, but no Captain America. Iron Man’s buddy Rhodey Rhodes/War Machine/Iron Patriot may be Don Cheadle, but he’s still just a sidekick called in when an extra guy is needed (at least, in the films). In Black Panther, black youth – and everyone else – may finally have found a superhero they can look up to, in full, serious, big-screen, big-budget glory, and he is Marvel-ous.

The 10 Most Romantic Movies EVER!

February 13, 2018February 8, 2018 / Louise / Leave a comment

A bold claim, I know. But if you’re in the mood for love, these movies are guaranteed to make your heart go pitty-pat. The best part is, you can check them out from the library and watch them at home with your own true love, snuggled up in front of the TV, (maybe throw a glass of wine in there – romance!). I stand by my ranking of these movies as the most romantic, but I’m willing to concede that romance is in the eyes of the beholder – share your favorites in the comments!

Casablanca (1942). Former lovers Rick and Ilsa are unexpectedly reunited in north Africa during WWII. The old feelings are still there, though Ilsa is now married to the gallant resistance hero Victor. Lots of yearning, lots of smoldering looks and “will they or won’t they get back together?” moments. A romantic classic for good reason.

Brokeback Mountain (2005). This film has a lot of the same elements that make Casablanca great, except it’s two cowboys in the 60’s. Stay with me here: Ennis and Jack are helplessly drawn to one another and remain so over decades of clandestine meetups. Lots of yearning, lots of smoldering looks, lots of and “will they or won’t they get back together?” moments. It’s an emotional roller coaster, and the last scenes of this movie completely gut me.

Say Anything (1989). He’s a slacker, she’s a brain. She’s way out of his league, but they fall in love anyway. And there’s Lloyd’s big gesture with the boombox to declare his undying love to Diane, despite the odds against them, (Peter Gabriel likely made a mint off of that song). Teenagers-in-love perfection, written and directed by Cameron Crowe.

When Harry Met Sally (1989). This movie was written by Nora Ephron, and stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, so you know it’s not one of those angsty romantic dramas, it’s a witty romantic comedy. This friends-to-lovers romance navigates the many bumps in the road to love hilariously, and is a real feel-good movie.

WALL-E (2008). Yes, it’s an animated movie about a trash-collecting robot, set hundreds of years in the future, but Pixar has totally made an epic romance here. WALL-E is all alone collecting trash on the now-deserted Earth when another robot (“EVE”) crash lands nearby. So delighted to see another being of any kind, WALL-E “courts” her enthusiastically. Things go very wrong before they right themselves, and for a story about robots, it has a lot of heart.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012). A funny and touching look at romance through the eyes of two pretty mentally unstable people. Love has broken both of them, and love will eventually put them back together, but what a crazy ride it is from point A to point B. Five star performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (both pretty easy on the eyes – just saying) seal the deal on this one, and the dance scenes are the icing on the cake.

The Way We Were (1973). Meeeemoriesss … light the corners of my miiiiind. Sorry, I got distracted there. Speaking of easy on the eyes, Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford are looking pretty fetching in this one. A tale of opposites attracting, but will the friction pull them together of push them apart? Katie and Hubbell try to make it work, but it all turns to misty water-colored memories by the end…

Ghost (1998). No one knew pottery was sexy before this movie. But boy howdy, it is! Hot young wife Molly is mourning the loss of her hot young husband Sam, who was killed in a mugging. Demi Moore‘s tears should get separate billing, they’re on screen so much, but what could be a real downer of a movie is instead a sweet story of love and finding a way to move on. Whoopi Goldberg provides some welcome comic relief as the medium who helps Sam communicate with Molly from beyond.

An Affair to Remember (1957). Playboy Cary Grant meets nice girl Deborah Kerr on a transatlantic crossing. They are both engaged to others, but hopelessly drawn to one another. And then, well, it’s an affair to remember! At the end of the cruise, they agree to go back to their regular lives, and meet in six months at the Empire State Building if they truly can’t forget each other. The ending is totally tissue-worthy.

Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Beauty and the Beast (2017). Whether it’s the original animated film or the newer live action version, this love story is a tale as old as time. And a musical! She’s bookish, he’s brutish, yet somehow they connect. True love breaks an evil curse, and they live happily ever after. And ladies, any man that gives you a library is a keeper!

A Delicious Mystery Series

February 6, 2018February 7, 2018 / Mary / Leave a comment

I recently stumbled on the Verlaque and Bonnet mysteries by M.L. Longworth. These delectable stories are set in Aix-en-Provence and begin with Death at the Château Bremont.

Death at the Château Bremont‘s description says “Antoine Verlaque, the handsome chief magistrate of Aix and his sometimes love interest, law professor Marine Bonnet, investigate the death of a local French nobleman who fell from the family Chateau in charming and historic Aix-en-Provence.”

Simple, non? Well, that one-sentence blurb does not even begin to cover the colorful world waiting for you within its pages. Not only do you get a good mystery, the descriptions of the town and countryside are a virtual tour of Provence. Longworth, who has lived there since 1997, obviously loves her adopted home.

And the food! As the characters eat and drink their way though the story, I often became more engrossed in their meals than in their sleuthing. They partake of fine wines and cheeses. They visit vineyards and cafes. They meet friends for scrumptious dinners at small restaurants owned by skilled chefs. I was completely consumed by lifestyle envy.

The story is liberally sprinkled with passages such as this:

He tore open the cannele and bit into the soft inner cake made of rum and vanilla. Crusty and caramelized on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside, it was perfect.

The mystery floats in the background as the characters sit in cafes consuming fine French food and debating the merits of various wines. Verlaque often despairs of Marine. He is a gourmet and she will eat anything! Still, they enjoy an on-again, off-again love affair amid some meals that made me want to pack and move to France.

There are currently six books in this cozy mystery series. Warning: They are not only a good read, they will make you hungry!

Murder in the Rue Dumas

Death in the Vines

Murder on the Île Sordou

The Mystery of the Lost Cézanne

The Curse of La Fontaine