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Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2017

Man Booker Prize logo

144 novels were submitted, the longlist of 13 was whittled down to the shortlist of six, and the winner was announced October 17. First awarded in 1969, the Man Booker is one of the leading prizes for literary fiction written in English. For most of its history, the prize was limited to the UK and Commonwealth, but the rules were changed in 2014 to expand to all English language novels published in the UK during the year.

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Kazuo Ishiguro Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

Kazuo Ishiguro image provided by Wikicommons

The Nobel Prize in Literature is given in recognition of a writer’s entire body of work rather than a single title. This year’s just announced recipient is British author Kazuo Ishiguro.  Born in Nagasaki, Japan, Ishiguro moved to Surrey, England when he was 5 years old and was raised and educated there.  In a recent interview, he said he discovered his love for literature through the Sherlock Holmes stories he found at the library.  Yeah, libraries! Once again, we can take the credit for starting someone on the path to literary greatness.

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Let’s Get Dark and Twisted, Part 2

lore podcast logo

Do you like spooky stories, folklore, and history? Then you NEED to check out Lore!

So what is Lore? It’s an award-winning, critically acclaimed podcast containing non-fiction (meaning real) scary stories, often told through the lens of folklore, written and narrated by Aaron Mahnke. Listeners have compared the experience to listening to campfire tales. If podcasts aren’t your thing, never fear. Lore is being adapted into a TV show, streaming on Amazon and a book series.

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Let’s Get Dark and Twisted, Part 1

lore podcast image

Do you like spooky stories, folklore, and history? Then you NEED to check out Lore!

So what is Lore? It’s an award-winning, critically acclaimed podcast containing non-fiction (meaning real) scary stories, often told through the lens of folklore, written and narrated by Aaron Mahnke. Listeners have compared the experience to listening to campfire tales. If podcasts aren’t your thing, never fear. Lore is being adapted into a TV show, streaming on Amazon starting on October 13, and a book series, the first of which was released on October 10.

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Zoinx!

girl levitating

As a kid, I absolutely loved the Scooby-Doo cartoons. They were scary, but not too scary. There was lots of creepy stuff, but the monster always turned out to be just a guy in a costume, and everyone was fine in the end. It was silly and funny. There was a really smart girl who wore glasses. The color scheme was groovy. There were a lot of sandwiches. What’s not to love?

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Bread & Wine

group of friends sitting around the table enjoying eachother's company

Who has ever hesitated to invite a friend over for a meal because of a dirty house, doubts about cooking, and performance anxiety? *raises hand* Inviting someone into our homes, even if they are a dear friend, can feel like more work than it’s worth. Wouldn’t it be easiest to go out to eat instead?

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I’ll Take Metadiscourse for $800, Alex

cat reading a book

It’s often been said (by me) that the hardest part of writing one of these blog posts is cranking out a good introductory paragraph. Ideally, it would introduce a theme that ties the whole list together. Depending on who’s writing, a joke might be cracked or a heartfelt sentiment shared. And then we would gracefully segue into the part where the books go. Anyway, here are some of the great things you can check out at the library!

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Surf & Moon

surfing in the moon light

Usually I’m really good at making all of my selections fit together, have a theme, or at least finding some sort of vague way to bind them together, but this time I’m really not sure what that is. Here we have three stories that seemingly have nothing in common. A story of a life spent surfing (and eventually writing) sounds like heaven to me, but to the author made him feel at times lost, because he had spent his life chasing waves instead of stability, family, and the comforts of home.

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Celebrate Read an eBook Day

girl reading an ebook with the read an ebook day logo

Today is Read an eBook Day!  What's that you ask?  Read an eBook Day is a celebration of modern storytelling. Be a part of the festivities by checking out your favorite eBook. Join the conversation by sharing what you’re reading and stories about why you love eBooks with the hashtag #eBookLove on social media.

If you've never read an eBook, today is the perfect time to try one out! Borrow one of our favorites (listed below), one of your favorites, or something completely new.  Checking out an eBook will help you discover the joys of digital reading!

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Historical Films

Historical Films

What are some of the films with historical context? Some of the films exaggerate more than what had happened, and some may not. Nonetheless, these films attracted viewers with what they may remember from their times or the time before them.

Let’s look at what historical films can be found in the Metropolitan Library System!

 

 

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Introducing Film Scripts Online

image introducing film scripts online

Well, I ain’t a lawyer, but it sounds like a good contract to me.

Recognize that line? It’s the first words uttered in the classic movie, 42nd Street, written by Rian James and James Seymour.

How about -  “I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product…of me.

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Matt de la Peña Author Visit

Matt de la Peña Author Visit

Matt de la Peña is the New York Times-bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of six young adult novels and two picture books. In 2016, his picture book Last Stop on Market Street won the prestigious Newbery Medal.

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What’s more Oklahoman than…bunnies?

bunnies in an oklahoma field

Our members frequently donate books, magazines, and other materials to the library. It’s often fun to go through these donations, as there are sometimes unusual treasures to be found. Recently, we received a box containing, among other things, four special collector’s editions of Oklahoma Today magazine from 1979. I’ve written a few articles for Oklahoma Today, so I was curious to see what the magazine was like before I was even born.

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Ahoy, Me Hearties! It Be Labor Day!

mother and daughter preparing for International Talk like a Pirate Day

Greeting, parents and caregivers of young children! It’s Labor Day! Without consulting a smartphone (or smartfriend), do you have any idea why we celebrate this holiday? While its merits for celebration are numerous, I didn’t have a clue without first doing a little research. It makes sense now, but I’ll admit that I was stymied for the first 30 years of my life. Time off from work? I’ll take it! Family and friends? Sure! Yay, Labor Day!

Tiny Chefs: Cooking with Your Child

family cooking a meal together

As the summer winds down and schedules fill up again, it can be difficult to set time apart to spend quality time with your children. Cooking together can be a wonderful activity (albeit messy) to bond, have a yummy snack, and build important life skills. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri claims “cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It's about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity.” There are many great children’s books about food, and cooking together after reading the book makes for great evening fun.

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Magic School

young vampire white

It’s August, and in Oklahoma, that means that it is time to go back to school. What better way to ring in the new school year than to read some magical school books? I don’t mean the ones with Ms. Frizzle and her bus, although those are always entertaining, I’m talking more Harry Potter style.

So pick up one of these books and remember that if they can survive school, so can you.

 

Inspirational Films

images of Inspirational Films

Have you seen a film that inspired you afterward? I believe most of us have the experience. These are the films that are inspiring and motivational by providing meaningful messages to the viewers. I personally enjoy inspiring quotes from these films.

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Do you have eclipse glasses?

solar eclipse image

The Great American Eclipse is upon us.  On Monday, August 21st we will witness the first total solar eclipse to sweep across the entire country since 1918.  In anticipation of this historic event, the Metropolitan Library System collaborated with Science Museum Oklahoma to provide a series of programs to explain what causes eclipses, how to view them safely, and teach people how to build a camera obscura that they can use to view the eclipse.  Thanks to a grant from STAR_Net Libraries the library locations offering the

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Hello, hoopla

hoopla image - man with ipad looking to download/stream

Metropolitan Library System is happy to bring you hoopla!

Hoopla is a groundbreaking digital media service that allows you to borrow movies, music, eAudiobooks, eBooks, comics and TV shows to enjoy on your computer, tablet, or phone – and even your TV! With no waiting, titles can be streamed immediately, or downloaded to phones or tablets for offline enjoyment. You can enjoy hoopla anytime, anywhere. Absolutely no waiting or placing holds!

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The Many Roles of Music in Game of Thrones

Sir Jamie Lannister as a POP character image

Any fan of the epic television saga, Game of Thrones, realizes that music plays an enormous part in the success of the series. The jaw-dropping and fateful opening sequence of last season's penultimate episode was all but carried by Ramin Djawadi's gothic minimalist cue, "Light of the Seven." But his massively successful score is not the only musical aspect of the show.

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Ain’t no party like a library party, cause a library party shhh

shushing lady red over mouth image

"You work for the library? Must be nice to just read books all day."

I've heard that so many times and it's just not true! We are too busy working to read. But I love to hit the library on my day off to check out a nice big pile of fun books and movies.

Then I go home, fire up some popcorn, and party down!

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Jerks.

Mr. Burns election posters

From well-rehearsed public weeping sessions to extravagant book burnings to bloody campaigns of suppression against opposition movements, despots throughout history have utilized a number of deplorable strategies to manipulate, connive and censor their way to the top. Fuelled by hate, incapable of forming normal human relationships and unwilling to listen to dissenting voices, these tyrants personified the perfect mélange of charm and delightfulness. With ruthless abandon, each, in their own way, sacrificed the interests of their respective subjects to achieve and maintain absolute power.

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Graphic Novel Nostalgia

graphic novels on display

Well, folks, it’s time for another round of graphic novels. I must admit that up until my recent vacation I have not been reading very much, maybe it’s the heat of the summer or that I’ve been binge watching too much TV, or that my brain has just been far too distracted to concentrate on words on a page (it’s that one). BUT luckily, on the way out of town, stuck on an airplane with a stack of books, I finally found my Zen reading zone again, up amongst the lofty sun filled cotton ball clouds.

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Let’s Get Timey Wimey

time machine train with a witch directing the machine

Time travel is a fascinating thing. H. G. Wells first popularized the concept in his 1895 novel The Time Machine. Einstein even theorized that it was possible, but only in one direction. You could go forward in time, but you couldn’t go back. That doesn’t stop talented writers with coming up with a seemingly endless variety of plots involving time travel, and I love them.

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Gemütlichkeit

picnic in the park in a large city

A few months ago, I wrote about the Danish concept of hygge – the feeling of contentment derived from coziness and comfort. Little did I know that Germans have their own “hygge,” called gemütlichkeit!

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