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Staff Recommendations – May 2005

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INDEXES TO PAST STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: BY TITLE | BY REVIEWER
TV SERIES/SPECIALS ON DVD | AGATHA CHRISTIE | LGBTQ+ | STAR TREK | STAR WARS

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These recommendations were posted May 2005

chronicleofadeathforetoldChronicle of a Death Foretold
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Garcia Marquez)

Angela Vicario was returned to her family by her newlywed husband on their wedding night because she was not a virgin. She tells her brothers the “perpetrator” was Santiago Nasar. They announce to all who will hear that they plan to kill Santiago to avenge Angela’s, and the family’s, honor. This story is a retelling of the killing and the events leading up to it 27 years afterwards.

( Wikipedia page for Gabriel Garcia Marquez )

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Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library

ontheoccasionOn the Occasion of My Last Afternoon
by Kaye Gibbons (Gibbons)

It is set in 1900 when Emma Garnet Tate Lowell sits down to record the memories of her remakable life for her children. Emma has a premonition that this will be her last afternoon and she reflects on her successful attempt to escape her tyranical father. The other heroine, Clarice, is a free black woman who has worked for Mr. Tate since he was young. She runs his house with a iron hand and is the only black person he will allow to speak back to him. Both of these women are strong,fascinating people. Each deals in her own way with the horrors of the Civil War. Highly recommended.

( official On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon Web site ) | ( official Kaye Gibbons Web site )

Recommended by Rayma S.
Bennett Martin Public Library

bookgrudinBook
by Robert Grudin (Grudin)

This is a hilarious send of up of academe which centers on the mysterious disappearance of a literature professor. Eveyone in the English department starts jockeying for a power base and the book itself takes on a life of its own. Even the footnotes fight! For readers who want to laugh.

( Robert Grudin entry on Wikipedia )

Recommended by Rayma S.
Bennett Martin Public Library

nowkeoghanNo Opportunity Wasted
by Phil Keoghan (305.24 Keo)

I picked this one up because I’m a fan of The Amazing Race, and I was curious what host Phil Keoghan had to say about “living your dreams,” and his No Opportunity Wasted (N.O.W.) concept. Phil is incredibly inspiring in his quest to share a philosophy of living your life fully and not putting off your dreams. The 8-point checklist Keoghan recommends that everyone fill out for themselves, referred to as his “List for Life,” should make even couch potatos reconsider whether they’ve truly accomplished the things they wanted to in their lives.

( official Phil Keoghan web site )

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Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

broadsidesBroadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815
by Nathan Miller (359.009 Mil)

This is a good overview of the time when the British Navy ruled the oceans – somewhat by luck according to this book. I was amazed at all the “to-ing” and “fro-ing” that occurred between actual sea battles. The book is loosely held together by references to the life of Horatio Lord Nelson. It covers the time period of the Revolutionary War through the Napoleonic Wars and is focused mainly on the British and American navies. If you like reading Forester, O’Brian, Kent and other naval fiction this book can provide the actual historical context of the fictional accounts.

Recommended by Cindy C.
Technical Processes Department

milagrobeanfieldwarThe Milagro Beanfield War
by John Nichols (Nichols)

I really enjoyed John Nichols, The Milagro Beanfield War!!! Interesting characters and situations, a moving story of poor people fighting the forces of capitalism and impersonalism, presented with humor and gentleness. I didn’t want the book to end!

Recommended by Bob B.
Bennett Martin Public Library

stiffStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
by Mary Roach (611 Roa)

Everything you’d ever want to know (or ever thought about knowing but were too afraid to find out) about cadavers, this book is fascinating and funny and looks at death in a new light. It’s not quite as morbid as it sounds.

( official Web site for both the book and the author )

Recommended by Andrea S.
Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

landofsecondchancesIn the Land of Second Chances
by George Shaffner (Shaffner)

This is a funny, sensitive and philosophical story about a traveling salesman who comes to the fictitious town of Ebb Nebraska and in only six days changes the lives of everyone in the town.

( Nebraska Authors site page for George Shaffner )

Recommended by Patty L.
Walt Branch Library

wishyouwerehereWish You Were Here: The Official Biography of Douglas Adams
by Nick Webb (B Ad036w)

When Douglas Adams died unexpectedly in 2001, fans of his famed Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and other works were shocked and stunned. In this 2003 biography by Nick Webb, now available in the U.S., fans can get a closer, more personal look at the man behind such a pop culture touchstone. Webb manages to inject this biography with the same kind of observational humor that Adams himself was so famous for. This is a must for fans of Adams’ work, but could probably be appreciated by any fan of British humor.

( official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy interactive game Web site ) | ( official Douglas Adams Web site )

See the works of Douglas Adams on our In Space…No One Can Hear You Laugh booklist here on BookGuide!

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Recommended by Scott C.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library

Screening Room

formatdvdspellbounddvdSpellbound: Everyone Wants the Last Word
by Jeffrey Blitz (DVD 421.52 Spe)

Thoroughly engrossing documentary, which follows eight American youth as they prepare for and participate in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Touching, humorous and inspiring stories abound…and you’ll probably never look at kids quite the same way again.

( Official Web site of the Scripps National Spelling Bee )

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Recommended by Scott C.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library

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Rated by — Anonymous
Visitor to the BookGuide site

 

last updated September 2023
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