Library Picks: Kerrie’s New Year Recommendations
(Jeff Milo,FPL Circulation Specialist, Jan. 1, 2015)
Happy New Year, Ferndale.
Welcome to another installment of an ongoing series (with the Oakland County 115) featuring recommendations (in books/film/music) from the staff of your Ferndale Area District Library. Kerrie, one of our circulation specialists, has an excellent list of titles that might have slipped past you over the last couple years, from dramatic (and traumatic) true stories, to surrealist cartoon 
secret agent action comedies to an fine book about grilling (meat, mostly…)
Enjoy.
Kerrie’s Picks
1. 12 Years a Slave
DVD Drama (T)
I don’t watch a lot of movies these days, but I’ve heard so many good things about this film that I had to break down and see it. While the content is expectedly depressing, sickening and even maddening, the acting and pacing are incredibly well done, and you’ll feel a lot of empathy for the main character, Solomon. This is the true story of a family man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1843. It was engrossing and didn’t even feel like it was over 2 hours long to me, as I 
generally get antsy when movies are over an hour and a half. Solomon Northup’s memoir on which this film is based is definitely on my to-read list now, as well.
Find it: http://bit.ly/1vD3uFZ
- Room by Emma Donoghue
Fic Donoghue
This is a book that I read several years ago, but I was surprised to see I hadn’t recommended it in the past. This is another story that involves kidnapping, yet this time, it’s a young woman in the 21st century that’s taken and trapped in her captor’s specially built room, which looks normal on the outside, but is her prison for nearly 7 years. In that time, she has a child with her captor, who is forced to live in the room with her and knows nothing of the outside world. Eventually she 
comes up with a plan to have her child, Jack, instigate an escape, and their new life in the outside world is anything but easy to adjust to. This book also led me to research the several real-life kidnapping cases upon which this was based, which were all quite interesting.
Find it: http://bit.ly/149gkVV
- Archer (TV series; all seasons)
DVD TV (A)
This is a series I had always overlooked for whatever reason back when I had cable, but later discovered four seasons in when the latest came in at the library on DVD. That being said, it didn’t take very long to catch up, despite the backlog. It’s a fast-paced show with absurd and 
witty humor, which is right up my alley. All of the characters have at least one crazy quirk, and the combination of them all trying to literally work together at the ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service- not the ISIS currently in the news) generally results in spectacular failure. Even after watching all of the DVDs basically back to back, the humor never got old or stale. I’m looking forward to season 5 coming out on DVD soon.
Find it: http://bit.ly/1vD3t4I
- The Big Flavor Grill by Chris Schlesinger
Non Fiction: 641.76 S
I know it’s the wrong time of year for such a recommendation, but I brought this book home for 
my boyfriend (an avid griller) last summer and it changed the way he cooks indoors and out. This book focuses on dry seasonings rather than marinades for all types of meats and veggies, and we’ve found that not only does the food taste better, but we’re saving money and wasting less ingredients. It gives recipes and techniques that should be easily adaptable to your tastes and cooking via pan frying or on an indoor grill as well.
Find it: http://bit.ly/1AeixeG
- The World of Postsecret by Frank Warren
Non-fiction: 741.683 W
I discovered the Postsecret books a few years ago, and was fascinated by the variety of secrets. Some of the secrets are funny, some sad, some horrifying, but many are relatable in some way. I’ve since started checking the blog every Sunday, too. This book, released only a few months ago, is just the latest compilation of secrets, but I’d recommend the prior books and the blog online as well. It’s a nice way to visually discover that no one is truly alone. Frank Warren and the Postsecret community also do a lot of commendable work for suicide prevention.
Find it: http://bit.ly/1vn7ZmY
More info: ferndalepubliclibrary.org
