Ferndale Library Recommends: Jessica’s Springtime Picks
(Jeff Milo, Ferndale Library Circulation Specialist, April 1, 2015)
If there’s any service your library excels at, it’s guiding you towards your new favorite book. That’s why we contribute these bi-monthly recommendations to the Oakland County 115, so that every reader and patron served by our county-wide library consortium (The Library Network) can have an easier time answering that bedeviling question: What should I read next??
Well, Ferndale Area District Library’s director Jessica Keyser is stepping in to provide some spring-inspired suggestions! (Time to get the bicycles out, friends!)
ALSO: Tonight at the Library, you can hear a special reading of the breakout horror novel Bird Box by local author Josh Malerman. Bird Box was this year’s selection for FERNDALE READS, our annual One-Book/One-Community series of events, a citywide book club, if you will… All are welcomed to attend this special reading/signing with Mr. Malerman, who has a few unconventional tricks up his sleeve when he performs this sensational post-apocalyptic novel, (set in Michigan!)
An evening with Josh Malerman at 7 PM. No registration is required but space will be limited.
For more information: ferndalepubliclibrary.org
Jessica’s Picks
As we all eagerly await the spring sunshine, here are a few things I’ve been enjoying lately.
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
FICTION – M
We have Bird Box fever here at the FADL! Bird Box is, of course, the 2015 Ferndale Reads selection. Bird Box is unlike any previous Ferndale Reads selection. It is a psychological thriller that I found impossible to put down, with imagery that haunts the memory long after the last page is read. Author Josh Malerman is a Ferndalian who is receiving national acclaim for his writing. As a matter of fact, the film rights to Bird Box have been acquired by Universal Pictures, so we should expect to see a Bird Box movie in the very near future! Despite all the media attention Malerman is receiving, he has been very actively engaged in the Ferndale Reads program, and his enthusiasm and support have been wonderful. We can’t wait to see what he has in store for us at the Ferndale Reads finale this Thursday!
Find it: http://bit.ly/1iGRwdv
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
DVD – COMEDY
My favorite movie of all-time is Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. I love the humor and sense of whimsy throughout the film. It follows the classic trajectory of a romantic comedy, yet turns the genre on its head. The direction, set designs, writing and acting are all superb. I am of course thrilled by the news that a new Pee Wee movie is in the works, to be released by Netflix.
Find it: http://bit.ly/1GdlwXp
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
FICTION – M
Station Eleven is the most original and poignant novel I have read in a long time. It is a post-apocalyptic story about a troupe of traveling Shakespearean actors. The author has described her book as a love letter to our modern life, and I feel that is a very apt description. Station Eleven was recently named a Michigan Notable Book, as it is set in Michigan, as well as Chicago and Toronto. It is also a National Book Award finalist. I feel this book is strongly deserving of all of the critical acclaim, and I highly recommend giving it a read!
Find it: http://bit.ly/1wkZDOf
Bettyville by George Hodgman
Non-Fic – 306.7 H
Bettyville is a memoir about a man leaving the New York to care for his aging mother in rural Missouri. Bettyville is funny and moving and everything a good memoir should be.
Find it: http://bit.ly/1ywQOCr
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Juvenile FICTION – W
I recently read this classic E.B. White novel aloud with my son, as my mother read it to me when I was a child. I think my son loved it as much as I did/do, which is a true testament to the power of a well-written book. Charlotte’s Web has now been in publication for over sixty years, and the story still resonates with young children. It doesn’t matter how many times I read Charlotte’s Web, the last lines always make me cry: “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.”
Find it: http://bit.ly/1GdmqDs