Category Archives: Television

Mad Men Reading List

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Jacket.aspxI’m sure many of us have been eagerly awaiting the return of Mad Men on Sunday, April 7.  Somewhat of a rarity on television, Mad Men characters are frequently shown reading.  Why not flesh out your 6th season experience by giving some of those books a try?  Check out the incredibly comprehensive Mad Men book list curated by New York Public Library, or a shorter, greatest hits-style list from Flavorwire.  If you run into trouble finding some of the older books in CCPL’s catalog, most likely you can locate them using the MORE system, which allows you to borrow materials from other libraries in Ohio.  Strike out there?  Check with the reference staff at your local branch; often we can obtain materials through Interlibrary Loan, even from other states!

More interested in the show itself than in the books featured on it?  Then check out some of these Mad Men-inspired items from our collection:

Analyzing Mad Men: Critical Essays on the Television Series edited by Scott F. Stoddart:  The 12 critical essays in this collection offer a broad, interdisciplinary approach to this highly relevant television show, examining Mad Men as a cultural barometer for contemporary concerns with consumerism, capitalism and sexism.  A detailed cast list and episode guide are included

The Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Menby Janie Bryant with Monica Corcoran Harel: Offers readers a peek into the dressing room of the hit television show “Mad Men,” revealing the design process behind the characters’ looks and showing every woman how to find her own leading lady style.

Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing is as it Seems edited by Rod Carveth and James B. South: This collection of essays takes an unprecedented look at the philosophical issues and themes behind AMC’s Emmy Award-winning show, Mad Men, exploring issues ranging from identity to authenticity to feminism, and more.

Mad Women: The Other Side of Life on Madison Avenue in the ’60s and Beyond by Jane Maas:  Mad Women is a tell-all account of life in the New York advertising world of the 1960s and 70s from Jane Maas, a female copywriter who succeeded in the primarily male environment portrayed by the hit TV show Mad Men.

The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants of Mad Men by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin:  Dine like Draper and drink like Sterling with more than 70 recipes from the kitchens, bars, and restaurants seen on Mad Men.

Never watched Man Men?  Wondering what all the fuss is about?  Feeling the need to catch up on previous seasons?  We’ve got you covered!  Borrow the first five seasons from the library, available on DVD.

Post Apocalypse Depression

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Well, I guess we made it to another new year and we avoided the apocalypse yet again. I don’t know about you, but I am extremely disappointed with this fact. I mean either I was going to become a zombie (unlikely), or I was going to hunt zombies (probably). Either one would have been great. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MAYANS and your false prophecy of doom! I guess you have now made yourselves completely irrelevant to much of modern society and it is time your ancient society fades into oblivion just like all those other societies that no longer exist and we can no longer remember.  As a consequence, like after Y2K, we are left with a pre-apocalyptic world. Thanks for getting our hopes up with your calendar that ends for no reason.

There are, however, a couple of things I liked about 2012, and since the world did not end, you can check them out from the library.

1. Music…Cat Power, Mumford and Sons, Alabama Shakes, fun., Norah Jones, Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men.

Then. Movies….The Avengers, The Bourne Legacy, The Pirates, The Amazing Spider-Man, One for the Money.

C. Books….Unholy Night written by Seth Grahame-Smith, Doctor Who: Shada: The Lost Adventure by Douglas Adams written by Gareth Roberts, The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury written by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga.

Finally. TV Shows…..Once Upon a Time, Justified, Mad Men, Burn Notice, The Walking Dead.

Not necessarily in that order. So if you are frustrated with your pre-apocalyptic world and need something to take your mind off the regular everyday mundane world, those are just a few of the things that you can find at your friendly neighborhood library. It is okay if you don’t like the things I listed above, just stop reading my posts. Right now. I mean it.  You are now dead to me…dead I tell you. Really, just find something you do like, that would be great.

What to Do While You Are Waiting For Downton Abbey Season 3

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downton abbeySo, I raced through Season One and Season Two of Downton Abbey, enjoying the Edwardian family saga immensely. The television series about The Earl and Countess of Grantham, their family and the lives of their servants in the fictional English Manor House of Downton Abbey became my new favorite show. But alas, Season Three is not yet available, and what to do to fill in the time until it arrives?

Below Stairs-The Classic Kitchen Maid’s Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey by Margaret Powell is a fun read.  A true story of Margaret’s life as a kitchen maid and then later as a cook in upper class households in England in the early 1920’s. The story is humorous as well as a vivid view of life as a servant during that time period.

Want an inside look at Highclere Castle, the place where the fictional, Downton Abbey is filmed?  Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle is the true story of the fifth Countess of Carnarvon, whose life Downton Abbey’s fictional Lady Cora Crawley was based upon.

Still want a little more insight into the characters, costumes, sets and actors of the show?  The World of Downton Abbey is a companion book to the television series which is filled with pictures and stories about the popular British show.

Did you fall in love with the wonderful score while watching the series? Clermont County Public Library has you covered with Downton Abbey (Original music from the television series) John Lunn’s original music performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London will bring the music of the series to your CD player.

A couple of DVDs Downton Abbey fans might enjoy are:  Secrets of the Manor House, a look of how real life was in British Manors in the early 20th Century.  Upstairs, Downstairs is also a classic choice.

Season three of Downton Abbey is not expected to air on PBS until early 2013, but once it becomes available on DVD, probably after the show airs here in the United States, we will all be able to queue up on the hold list.

 

 

 

Meet Walt Longmire

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Have you been watching the TV show Longmire on A&E?  Did you know that the show is based on a series of mysteries by Craig Johnson?  Both the show and the books star Walt Longmire (played by Robert Taylor), the veteran sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, and a man rebuilding both his personnel and professional life in the wake of his wife’s death.  Longmire is accompanied in his investigations by his former big-city deputy, Victoria Moretti (Katee Stackhoff) and his Cheyenne best friend, bar owner Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips).  If you’d like to try out Johnson’s consistently well reviewed series, then start with the first installment, The Cold Dish.  If the story sucks you in, rest assured that you’re in store for a nice long visit with Walt.  The eighth book in this ongoing series, As the Crow Flies, was just released on May 15.

If you’re already familiar with Johnson’s work and would like to try out some other mysteries with a similar tone and strong sense of place, consider some of these:

  • C. J. Box – Featuring Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden.
  • James Lee Burke – Featuring Dave Robicheaux, a New Orleans detective.
  • Margaret Coel – Featuring Father John O’Malley and Arapaho lawyer Vicky Holden.  Set on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.
  • Paul Doiron – Featuring Mike Bowditch, a Maine game warden.
  • Tricia Fields – Featuring police chief Josie Gray, who defends her small West Texas border town.
  • William Kent Krueger – Featuring sheriff Cork O’Connor.  Set in Minnessotta.

Books into Movies

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I love reading a good movie, or is it watching a good book? Either way you prefer to phrase it, I’m always excited, anxious and nervous when one of my favorite books is made into a movie. I usually start out hopeful that the story will come to life on screen, exactly as I have envisioned it. The next step is to carefully scrutinize the cast, and start making my wish list of which actors I think would have been better in each role. Then, I tell myself that I will give the film a chance to live up to my expectations (all while hoping for the best, and preparing for the worst). Finally, I grab the family and some popcorn, and am thrilled to see beloved characters and locations brought to life.

This spring, catch these movies, based on books:

Marvel’s The Avengers, out May 4th – Marvel comic books, including the characters Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow come alive.

Read “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” before seeing it onscreen this May, starring Dame Judi Dench. The story is about British retirees relocating to India. They find the Marigold Hotel less than the advertisements promised.

Since its original publication date in the 1980’s, women have been consulting this pregnancy guide (now in its 4th edition). Starting May 18th, you can watch an all-star cast in What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Kristen Stewart and Charlize Theron star in Snow White and the Huntsman, starting June 1st. This film is described as an epic action-adventure based on the Snow White fairytales.

Movie Bonus: Okay, this wasn’t really a book, but it was so delightfully campy that I felt I couldn’t possibly mention spring movie releases without including it. Dark Shadows! Yes, kids, we had vampires before Edward and Stefan. Don’t believe me? Check out Dark Shadows on dvd, the popular late 60’s and early 70’s gothic soap opera. Johnny Depp stars as Barnabas Collins in the big-screen remake hitting theaters May 11th.

Downton Abbey has Widespread Appeal

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Does it seem like everyone you know is watching and talking about Downton Abbey and you’re on our request list? With the show airing in over 100 countries and having won six Emmys in 2011, it is easy to understand why the widespread attention.

While you wait for your queue, check out the following Downton Abbey watch- and readalikes.

One of the most loved television series is brought back to life with a fresh cast in Upstairs, Downstairs as Housekeeper, Rose, recruits a new ‘downstairs’ family to help run the elegance and finery of the ‘upstairs’ world.

Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, the cultured, idealistic Schliegel sisters, the materialistic Wilcox family, and poor romantic Bast find a point of intersection at an English country house called Howards End in Herfordshire.

In turn-of-the-twentieth-century England, orphaned Christina upsets the male-dominated, class-conscious environment when she is sent to live with her uncle and two male cousins at their decaying country mansion, Flambards.

Cranford, in 1842, is a market town in northwest England. It is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules. Also, check out Return to Cranford.

Manor House is a fascinating look at the grand and grueling British class system of the early 1900s.

Books

The World of Downton Abbey is a companion book to the popular British series about the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants offers insights into the story and characters and background information on British society in the early years of the twentieth century.

Below Stairs is a kitchen-maid’s memoir of life in the great houses of England and brilliantly evokes the long vanished world of masters and servants portrayed in Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs.

Lady Almina and the real Downton Abbey examines the life of Lady Almina, the fifth Countess of Carnarvon, and the events in Highclere Castle during the First World War.

Join the “Community”

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communityIf you are going through “Community” withdrawal like I am, then find the library and check out first and second seasons of the always hilarious show. “Where is the library?” you say. Well these lyrics might explain where the library is located.

Donde esta la biblioteca. Me llamo T-Bone La Arana discoteca. Discoteca, muneca, La biblioteca Esta en bigtes grande, el perro, manteca. Manteca bigotes, gigante, pequeno, la cabeza es nieve, cervaza es bueno. Buenos dias, me gusta paps frias, los bigotes de la cabra Es Cameron Diaz

Translated to English…Where is the Library? My name is T-Bone the disco spider. disco, doll, the library is in the big mustache, dog, lard, Lard mustache, huge, little head is snow, beer is good, Good day. I like cold potatoes the goats mustache is Cameron Diaz.

Okay that might not help at all, but the Clermont County Public Library can, just visit one of our ten branches and get your “Community” fix.

 

The Firm Comes to TV

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Calling all John Grisham fans!  The Firm is becoming a television show on NBC.  The two-hour premiere airs on January 8 at 9:00pm.

Grisham not writing new books fast enough for you?  Try some of these other authors who write legal thrillers:

David Baldacci

John Lescroart

Steve Martini

Brad Meltzer

Justin Peacock

Lisa Scottoline

Scott Turow