Series updates

For those of you entrenched in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, book 4 (Breaking Dawn) is scheduled for release on August 2. As of yet, the cover design is still not known.

A month later, the next book in the Christopher Paolini's Eragon series, Brisingr, comes out. The release date is September 20.

We have multiple copies of both Breaking Dawn and Brisingr on order so you can place holds on both books now to get on the list.

One other popular series, James Patterson's Maximum Ride, already has its next installment out. book Four, Final Warning, is available, though not easy to get so far since it was only released on April 17. To get a copy through the library, you can place a hold on the title either through our on-line catalog or by asking at the Reference Desk.

Music Spotlight - Paramore

Album: Riot!
Artist: Paramore

While the radio waves are full of neo-punk music in the vein of Green Day, Fall Out Boy, and Plain White T's, many of them begin to blend together in their sound and similar song format. One of the latest entries in the genre in Tennessee-based Paramore, a four-piece set that cranks out the music, but with a slight twist. Think Avril Lavigne fronting Fall Out Boy but with a stronger voice and more vocal control and you have Paramore.

Riot! pounds through its tracks with that familiar heavy drum underlay and power guitar chords from the first note. What sets Paramore apart, however, is the strong vocals of front woman Hayley Williams. She can belt out the power notes with authority but still shows off great control and mastery of the lyrics. Riot! rocks consistently, with tracks like the kickoff "For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic," "Misery Business," and "Born for This."" Unlike other bands out there, Paramore can crank out a mean power ballad as well, highlighted by "We Are Broken." While most newer bands are too busy trying to be smart and ironic, Paramore is more focused on just rocking, which makes them a band worth following.

Riot! is located in the Rock Music collection: MR Paramore

Music Spotlight - Feist

Album: The Reminder
Artist: Feist

You may be familiar with Feist through the iPod nano video commercial that was in heavy rotation last fall. In it, her video for the song "1234" was featured prominently and sent that single up the iTunes sales chart.

The Reminder is Feist's latest full-length album and includes the track "1234," a light, poppy tune that floats along effortlessly on Feist's airy vocals. Overall, The Reminder gives a broad look at the Canadian singer's range, from the mellow tones of "So Sorry" and "Brandy Alexander" to the upbeat "I Feel It All." The entire CD flows smoothly from beginning to end with a light touch that can make you wonder where the time went when the disc stops spinning. For those looking for a change of pace from the heavier neo-punk sounds on the radio, Feist is a solid choice for a lighter, more summery feel.

The Reminder is located in the Rock Music collection: MR Feist

The Weekend Watch

With a holiday weekend upon us and some nice weather finally here, the Watch is struggling to come up with some suitable movies. Nonetheless, here are a couple for you that feature some actors and directors currently starring at the theaters.

Disturbia is a new take on the classic Hitchcock film Rear Window. Starring Shia LeBeouf, (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Disturbia tells the story of Kale, a teenager who is placed under house arrest. Unable to leave his home, he begins to watch his neighbors and becomes convinced one is a murderer. A nice suspenseful flick that keeps you guessing to the end. For those who like their movie history, compare it to the original Rear Window, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.

Disturbia is rated PG-13 and is located in new fiction DVDs under D (Mystery)
Rear Window is rated PG and is located in fiction DVDs under R (Mystery)

For those looking for something lighter, we will go tot he other end of the spectrum with the Steven Spielberg-produced film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This one was pretty unique for its time in creating a story that relied on meshing real actors with animation for the entire story. It also is a rare occasion when characters owned by so many different companies (Disney, Warner Brothers, etc.) were placed into the same story. Set in 1930's Hollywood, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is the story of detective Eddie Valiant who takes the case to solve murders in Toontown and prove famous toon Roger Rabbit is innocent. For a film that stars a cartoon rabbit and features appearances by Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Betty Boop and almost any other cartoon character you can think of, you know you are in for a funny, non-stop movie that will keep you entertained to the credits.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is rated PG and is located in fictions DVDs under W (Humor)

Washington Book Talk list

For those of you at Washing Junior High who were subjected to my book talk, the following is a list a the books I brought in with me today. If you can't find them on the shelf, check with the Reference Desk and they can help you out. Whatever is checked in will be on display next to the stairs. You can get a short write-up on some of the books by clicking on the titles in the "Good Reads List" post below:



Fiction:
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Caldonia
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
The Off-Season by Catherine Murphy Murdock
Peak by Roland Smith
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Graphic Novels:
Mouse Guard by David Petersen
Planet Hulk by Greg Pak
Runaways, by Brian K. Vaughn

Fantasy:
The Awakening (Quantum Prophecy) by Michael Carroll
Robota by Doug Chiang
The Wizard, the Witch and Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou
The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven

Non-Fiction:
Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture by Leslie Simon
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Series starters
Vampire Huntress – The Awakening by L.A. Banks
Farsala Trilogy – Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell
Pelinor series – The Naming by Alison Croggon

The Golden Compass tonight!

Just a reminder that we will be screening The Golden Compass at 5 p.m. tonight in the Balkansky Room. Popcorn and soda will be available - everyone is welcome to attend. The Movie should be wrapped up before 7 p.m.

The Golden Compass is rated PG-13.

Wilson Book Talk Rundown

For you Wilson students, here is a list of the books I talked about today. If you can't find them on the shelf, check with the Reference Desk and they can help you out. Whatever is checked in will be on display next to the stairs. You can get a short write-up on some of the books by clicking on the titles in the "Good Reads List" post below:

Fiction:
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
Traitor by Gudrun Pausewang
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Repossesed by A.M. Jenkins
Sharp North by Patrick Cave
Vanishing Act by John Feinstein
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
Top Ten Uses For an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Graphic Novels:
Mouse Guard by David Petersen
Planet Hulk by Greg Pak
Houdini The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes

Fantasy:
The Awakening (Quantum Prophecy) by Michael Carroll
Robota by Doug Chiang
The Wizard, the Witch and Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou
The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven

Non-Fiction:
Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture by Leslie Simon
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
My So-Called Punk by Matt Diehl

Series starters
Vampire Huntress – The Awakening by L.A. Banks
Farsala Trilogy – Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell
Pelinor series – The Naming by Alison Croggon
Septumus Heap series – Magyk by Angie Sage

Weekend Watch movie list

All the previous Weekend Watch posts are listed here by movie title. Just click on the movie you want for a review. As we add more Watch posts, we will keep this list updated.

About A Boy
Angel
Bend It Like Beckham
Best In Show
Disturbia
Everest
Firefly
A Great Day In Harlem
Hoop Dreams
Indiana Jones Trilogy
Jazz
The Mummy
National Treasure
The Others
Plan 9 From Outer Space
Rear Window
Serenity
Spellbound
Storm of the Century
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Wonderfalls

Music Spotlight list

As with the book reviews, here is a list of the Music Spotlights we have posted. Click on the band name to jump to that review. As we add more Spotlights, we will keep this list updated.

British Sea Power
The Clash (also here)
Death Cab For Cutie
Duffy
Feist
Flight of the Conchords
Franz Ferdinand
Gilmore Girls Soundtrack
Grant Lee-Phillips
Guster
Guster - Easy Wonderful
Jarvis Cocker
Jazz - BeBop
Jazz - Big Bands
Jazz- Vocalists
Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80's Underground box set
Nirvana - Live at Reading
No Thanks!: The '70's Punk Rebellion
Panic at the Disco
Paramore
Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans
Plain White T's
Ramones
Sex Pistols
They Might Be Giants
TV on the Radio
Vampire Weekend
Yo La Tengo

Good Reads List

To make things easier, here is a list of the books that we have posted on thus far. Just click on the title to access that review. As we add more book suggestions, we will keep this list updated.

30 Days of Night by Steve Niles
The Actual Real Reality of Jennifer James by Gillian Shields
Andy Roddick Beat Me With A Frying Pan by Jason Gallagher
Astonishing X-men: Torn by Joss Whedon
The Awakening by Michael Carroll
Baltimore, or, the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire by Mike Mignola
Born to Rock by Gordan Korman
Brave Story by Miyki Miyabe
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba
Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
Evernight by Claudia Grey
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Green Lantern by Geoff Johns
Happy Kitty Bunny Pony by Mike Nelson
Hellboy by Mike Mignola
The Hollow Bettle by Susannah Applebaum
How to Be a Villain by Neil Zawacki
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich
Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
Malice by Chris Wooding
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Mouse Guard by David Petersen
The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Peak by Roland Smith
The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
Playing with Fire by Derek Landy
Planet Hulk by Greg Pak
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
The Revenge of the Shadow King by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis
The Riddles of Epsilon by Christine Morton-Shaw
Robota by Doug Chinag
Runemarks by Joanne Harris
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
Traitor by Gudrun Pausewag
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchet
The Wizard, the Witch and Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou

Good Reads - Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan

Title: Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan

Author: Todd Gallagher

Every sports fan has an opnion on ways to make the games we watch better - or at least find a way to give their favorite team an edge. There are also all kinds of rumors about what the professional athlete's life is really like. In Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan, Gallagher decides to put these ideas to the test and get answers to some of sports more interesting (and bizarre) questions.

A contributing writer to ESPN.com, Gallagher has compiled a large collection of requests that fans want to know the answers to, like how would a pro golfer fare at mini golf, or could a regular guy beat a pro basketball player in a free-throw contest? He takes on these requests with some suprising results and no shortage of humor. Even the title leads to an interesting real-life showdown with tennis pro Roddick actually wielding a frying pan on the court against the author.

If nothing else, it is fun to get the answers to sports riddles, especially when it involves a morbidly obese man set up in goal against a professional hockey team.

Andy Roddick Beat Me With a Frying Pan is located in YA non-fiction:

YA 796 Gallagher

Good Reads - 30 Days of Night

Title: 30 Days of Night
Writer: Steve Niles
Penciler: Ben Templesmith

You may be familiar with the movie, 30 Days of Night, starring Josh Hartnet, which hit theaters last year. It was based on this comic mini-series by Niles and stayed superficially true to the original story. The comic, however, offers so much more than the film.

In Barrow, Alaska, the sun disappears for 30 days each year. This time, however, something else has arrived with the darkness - vampires. The small town of Barrow must fight to survive the endless night against creatures that seemingly cannot be killed. A horror story through and through, 30 Days of Night creates interesting characters, both good and bad. Templesmith's gritty art works perfectly with Niles story, enhancing the disjointed and horrific feeling that the characters are experiencing.

30 Days of Night is located in the YA graphic novel section:
YA 741.5973 Niles

The Weekend Watch

In case you've missed all the commercials, toys, cereal tie-ins and other miscellaneous marketing efforts, the fourth Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, hits theaters later this month on May 22. For the adventure-minded, you can't go wrong checking out the three previous installments.

Follow the famous archaeologist as he searches Cairo for the lost Ark of the Covenant (Raiders of the Lost Ark), the jungles of India for the Sankara Stones (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom), and all of Europe for the Holy Grail (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Along the way, Indy must fight through Nazis and Thugee cultists to save the day. As the movie tag lines say, If adventure has a name... it must be Indiana Jones.

The Indiana Jones films are located in the fiction DVD section: I (Adventure)

If you've seen these already and don't need to watch them again before you head to the theater, you can check out The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser. Mostly an action/adventure and part horror (in the old-school Hollywood sense), The Mummy follows Rick O'Connell as he leads a small group of treasure hunters into the Egyptian desert in search of the fabled City of the Dead. While there, they unleash a mummy who is out to bring his love back to life and will kill anyone who gets in his way. An action-packed film from start to finish, it has enough humor to keep the story light and enjoyable.

The Mummy is located in the fiction DVD section: M (Adventure)

If you are still looking for more action/adventure, try National Treasure. Like the Jones movies, the focus here is on the race to find a hidden treasure that was stored away by the founding fathers of the United States. Nicholas Cage stars as Benjamin Gates, who must avoid his evil former employer as they both seek the clues that lead to the big payoff.

National Treasure is located in the fiction DVD section: N (Adventure)

Good Reads - Repossessed

Title: Repossessed

Author: A.M. Jenkins

When a minor demon jumps into the body of a 17-year-old, he gets to experience what it is like to be human. That is quite a change for a self-described "fallen angel" that has snuck out of the underworld and away from his duties as a soul tormentor. What he encounters is a world of experiences that most humans take for granted, like taking a bath or eating a bowl of Fruit Loops.

Repossessed is a quick, funny look at everyday life from a different perspective. It is enjoyable from start to finish.

Repossessed is located in YA fiction:

YA Jenkins

Good Reads - The Wizard, the Witch and Two Girls From Jersey

Title: The Wizard, the Witch and Two Girls From Jersey
Author: Lisa Papademetriou

Fans of fantasy will definitely get a kick out of Two Girls From Jersey. Utilizing familiar themes from famous fantasy authors like Tolkien, Rowling and C.S. Lewis, Papademetriou tells the story of two teen girls who both need to complete a report in the same book. Unfortunately, they can only find one copy and they won't share. Suddenly, they are transported inside the story and need to survive to the end. That is easier than it sounds as the things they do start to change the storyline and the girls are forced to improvise in order to see things to a happy ending.

Two Girls From Jersey mixes fantasy with lots of humor and plenty of references for readers to pick up on - like cookie-baking elves who live in trees. It is a quick read and not too challenging, but light and fun (a good combination for the end of the school year).

The Wizard, the Witch and Two Girls From Jersey is located in YA fiction:
YA Papademetrious

The Wii Leader boards

After Saturday's Battle of the Boxes Wii tournament, the early leaders are in place and the scores to beat are on record. Below are the top players so far for each game, plus a summary of how we are scoring each contest. Remember, you don't have to attend every tourney date to top the leader board, but it can only help your chances.

Guitar Hero III
The top scores for GH3 are simple - best score on the song and difficulty level of each player's choice. The harder the song, the more points you can earn, but you also need to rock all the way to the end (being booed off the stage doesn't earn you any points). As a tiebreaker, we are also tracking the best streaks.
1. Michael DeBauch 273088
2. Max Kaczkowski 160078
3. Paul M. 37632
4. Ryan Brandes 24738

Dance, Dance Revolution: The Hottest Party
Same scoring as GH3, it is up to each player to pick their song and difficulty level. Again, the best streak is recorded in case of a tiebreaker.
1. Shane Hailer 6797580
2. Bryce Williams 6022500
3. Paul M. 5850750
4. Crystal DeBauch 4860280
5. Ryan Brandes 1502845

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
For the Brawl, we are going to track individual wins in tournament mode. For each round you advance, you are awarded a point (i.e. first-round = 1point, second round = 2 points). Obviously, the more wins you rack up, the more points you will accrue. After the first two brawl tounaments:
1. Bryce Williams 12 points
2. Michael DeBauch 6 points
3. Tanner Sharpe 1 point
4. Ryan Brandes 1 point

Bowling
The scoring here will be based on each players best three game total. Over the next few months, we will combine the top three games bowled by each player to reach our total. No one has played three games yet, but the following are the tops after the first two games:
1. Michael DeBauch 387
2. Max Kaczkowski 258
3. Ryan Brandes 235
4. Bryce Williams 207

Tennis
Like the Brawl set-up, we are going to award points based on victories per round, with the champions of each tourney earning the most points.
1. Bob Waterbury 6 points
2. Danny Sharpe 3 points
3. Crystal DeBauch 1 point
4. Michael DeBauch 1 point

The next tournament date is June 13 - the first Friday after the close of the school year - from 11 a.m. til 3 p.m.

Wii time!

It's Wii tournament time again - this time counts. On Saturday, May 3, we will get the rumble started at 11 a.m. in the Balkansky Room.

The tournament is open to everyone in Grade 6 and up. You must show a library card when you sign up - you can get a new card if you don't have one!

Music Spotlight: Big Bands

In the mid-1920's, jazz music began to grow in popularity. Radio shows began broadcasting band performances live from coast to coast, giving the music an extended audience. Swing music began to catch on and jazz bands were growing in size (up to 20-piece ensembles). While be-bop would eventually thrive on improvisation and loose guidelines, the big bands adhered to a rigid structure and almost no improv. Among the most popular bandleaders was Glenn Miller, who actually came on the scene later than most of the top bands. Duke Ellington, one of the most prolific songwriters in jazz history, also established himself as one of the greatest jazz men in history and would lead the transition into be-bop by creating arrangements that allowed his sidemen to experiment more in their solos

Duke Ellington (MJ Ellington)
Black, Brown, and Beige
Ellington at Newport 1956
Take the A Train

Glen Miller (MA Miller)
Platinum Glenn Miller
Moonlight Serenade

Benny Goodman (MJ Goodman)
The Very Best of Benny Goodman

Count Basie (MJ Basie)
The Best of the Count Basie Orchestra on Denon

Tommy Dorsey (MA Dorsey)
The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing
This is Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra