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Staff Recommendations – February 2006

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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 in February 2006

jmbarrieJ.M. Barrie and the Lost Boys
by Andrew Birkin (B qB268b)

For many years, I have been a fan of the story of “Peter Pan,” but knew little about its author. This book gave me insight into the family that served as the inspiration for the character of Peter Pan.

( official J.M Barrie Web site )

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Recommended by Kim J.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library


shogunShogun
by James Clavell (Clavell)

Engaging and emotional historical saga set in feudal Japan, about an English sailor marooned in Japan, who must learn and and integrate with the drastically different Japanese society in order to survive. Sharply drawn characters and an exotic setting make for adventurous reading. I first read this in high school, borrowed from the teacher when I finished all the assigned reading for the class, and I was enthralled by the cultural descriptions. The Richard Chamberlain television mini-series did a good job of adapting the story, but there’s nothing quite like the book!

( Wikipedia page about the novel Shogun )

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


chroniclesvol1Chronicles, Vol. 1
by Bob Dylan (Music 781.64 Dyl)

Eminent storyteller Dylan looks at the people and events that shaped his life and music.

( official Bob Dylan website )

See more books like this on the Top 10 Celebrity Memoirs Readerlist

Recommended by Carolyn D.
Polley Music Library — Bennett Martin Public Library


lakewobegondaysLake Wobegon Days
by Garrison Keillor (Keillor)

This book contains funny, thoughtful sketches of small town life and the bonds of family. Though set in Minnesota, its observations ring true no matter the reader’s setting.

( official Prairie Home Companion website )

Recommended by Elizabeth J.
Circulation Department — Bennett Martin Public Library

zekeandnedZeke & Ned
by Larry McMurtry (McMurtry)

A look at the last Cherokee warriors during the Civil War, as only McMurtry can write it!

( Publisher Simon & Schuster’s Larry McMurtry webpage )

Recommended by Rayma S.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library


webandofangelsWe Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese
by Elizabeth Norman (940.547 Nor)

Anyone interested in women’s roles in the military, in the history of nursing, or in the history of World War II in the Pacific would find this a good read. It tells the story of Army and Navy nurses interred by the Japanese in the Philippines during the early years of the war. They spent three years in a prison camp trying to run a hospital with few supplies and little food. Taken from diaries and first hand accounts it’s a very realistic look at a remarkable group of women and their sacrifice for the war.

Recommended by Rayma S.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library

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Rated by — Marilyn M.
Customer of the Bennett Martin Public Library


 yonnondioYonnondio: From the Thirties
by Tillie Olsen (Olsen)

Excellent style — Be sure to read the intro!

( Tillie Olsen page in the Nebraska Authors database )

Check out more books by Tillie Olsen at the Tillie Olsen page here on BookGuide

Recommended by Andrea S.
Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries


whatremainsWhat Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love
by Carole Radziwill (B R116)

Carole is a small-town, working class girl and an award-winning producer at ABC where she meets and marries fellow-producer Anthony Radziwill, son of Polish Prince Stanislas Radziwill and Lee Bouvier, nephew to Jackie Kennedy Onassis. She discusses her family background, education, job experiences, their courtship, and married life – which mostly involved dealing with Anthony’s cancer. Carole, Anthony, John Kennedy, Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette are best friends. She also discusses the weekend John and Carolyn’s airplane disappeared and the impact their deaths had on her and Anthony just three weeks before his death. Interesting behind-the-scenes look at famous names and people we’ve all read about in the papers. During times of family crisis, most of us have to deal only with family, friends, and the medical establishment. The “upper crust” also are burdened with privacy issues, paparazzi, and keeping up appearances. Little foul language and no sex or violence. General overtone of sadness and inevitability, yet compelling. I couldn’t put it down and it stayed with me for weeks.

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Recommended by Charlotte M.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library


thatquailrobertThat Quail, Robert
by Margaret Stanger (636.6 St2t)

When a family takes in a quail, it finds that a bird can be a real character!

Recommended by Bob B.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library


pasturesofheavenThe Pastures of Heaven
by John Steinbeck (Steinbeck)

Set in the central valley of California, John Stienbeck describes a community of rural families who each have there own private problems to deal with. The author creates a community in the reader’s mind with the introduction of another family in each chapter. For those who like short stories this book is a plus because most chapters can easily stand alone as their own story.

( The National Steinbeck Center )

Recommended by Patty L.
Walt Branch Library


Screening Room

prisonerdvdformatdvdThe Prisoner
(DVD 791.437 Pri)

This is one of my favorite British television series from the 1960s. Patrick McGoohan plays a man who angrily resigns from a top-secret government position only to be kidnapped from his London home and imprisoned in a vacation resort known as “The Village.” McGoohan’s character, known as “Number 6,” spends the rest of the series attempting to escape. Favorite quote: “I am not a number. I am a free man!”

(This set is broken up into 10 separate discs, each with two episodes on it. You really need to watch these in order.)

( Six of One — the official Prisoner Appreciation Society ) | ( official BBC Cult Classics page for The Prisoner )

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Recommended by Kim J.
Reference Department — Bennett Martin Public Library

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Rated by — Anonymous
Visitor to the BookGuide site

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