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BOOK & MOVIE REVIEWS

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Ghost - Jason Reynolds

7/21/2020

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This was a great book! It presented the story of a boy who had to cope with a situation no child should have to face, but sadly some do. Though out the story we follow him as he learns how to find a sense of belonging through joining a track team. He makes choices he regrets but learns from his mistakes and becomes confident in himself!
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How to Talk to Girls at Parties - Movie

5/14/2020

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This was a fun film! I had read the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman years ago and liked it. But I wasn't sure how they were going to turn such a short graphic novel into a film, but this was cool! Very unique and fun. a little bit punk and a little bit sci-fi.

I was super excited when I found out I could get it through Hoopla! Thanks, MEB!

Submitted by Anonymous 
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The Martian - Andy Weirs

4/7/2020

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​To infinity and beyond! … Ok, Buzz Lightyear was not in Andy Weir’s novel The Martian; however, after over 500 Sols on Mars (one Sol is greater than one earth day!) it’s understandable as to why Andy Weir’s character Mark Watney might feel a bit like Buzz Lightyear. Mark Watney, a Botanist/Astronaut is left stranded on Mars after his crew is forced to leave him there during a dangerous sandstorm. While stranded on Mars Mr. Watney is faced with a variety of challenges that range from creating a sustainable food source to establishing communication with NASA. This novel does a tremendous job of taking you through the character’s thought process (and at times in a very witty/sarcastic manner) as he races against the clock to survive and find a way back home!

If you are a person with an analytical mindset or have a deep love for space, this book would be a great read! From my standpoint, I was very impressed with the level of research and knowledge that Andy Weir demonstrated through each of his characters, as well as the level of thought that went into articulating each problem (and their respective solution) that his main Character Mark Watney had to deal with. As a reformed nerd (or maybe not reformed) I was amazed with the level of detail that went into this novel and am giving it a 5 out of 5 stars! Must read!!

​Submitted by Greg C.

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The Overstory - Richard Powers

4/2/2020

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​Leap head first into The Overstory if you enjoy prose with the soaring emotional grip of an aria. Or, characters so completely authentic you'd have tons to discuss if you bumped into them in real life. Above all take this leap if you love trees, or even find them the least bit intriguing. I learned a ton from this wonderful book and not a word of it would I think of as preachy or pedantic. Author Powers' precise prose also gifted me some wonderful new words. For example, frass, (the powdery refuse produced by boring insects), and, pleaching, (interweaving of branches of adjacent trees and shrubs strengthening the collective - as a hedge does).
Pleaching also suggests the intertwining of the ethereal tentacles of humans and trees author Powers so eloquently describes in The Overstory. This is just great writing.
Comparisons to Wallace Stegner, or, Larry McMurtry are easy to make, but Powers clearly has his own voice.
This is one of those books that comfortably burrows into your brain and takes up residence for a good long stay... extending well beyond the turning of the last page. I welcome such intellectual and psychic invasions as a measure of the greatness of a book. Sure It’s a long read but I never once wished it were shorter. It’s a confusing narrative at times but I never once wished it were more tightly organized. It’s a melancholy story with a depressing ending but I never once wished for Disney. It’s just perfect as it is.

Submitted by Ned

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Doxology - Nell Zink

4/2/2020

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​I know I’m supposed to say something bitingly clever about this satirical novel by trending satirist and social commentator Nell Zink, but I can’t bring myself to do it. I liked Zink's breezy Aaron Sorkin style narration. I, mostly, became attached to her characters, although their self-defeating life strategies were tiresome at times, and Joe can be really annoying but we're not supposed to say that because he has something called Williams Syndrome. So I take that back. Williams Syndrome is the opposite of autism. So you can imagine, this guy is out there socially, and a non-stop high wire act. Lotta lotta impulsive manic behavior, and not just in Joe's orbit.
Colorful fringe characters abound in this satirical and subversive family history of the last 30 years of NY/DC-centric life. It’s perspectives expand and contract geographically as the decades roll and 9/11 disturbs everyone’s life trajectory with its seismic reorientation of American life.
Doxology has a coherent, character-driven narrative, but at its soul it’s a zinger fest.
Hilarious, at times astonishing, social commentary. Sometimes just this side of glib.
If something observed has been popping up on your radar but you haven’t been able to articulate its essence, Nell Zink tosses the perfectly thrown dart. It’s a little like meeting someone for the first time and really connecting. This Nell Zink really knows me and what I’m thinking. A lot of readers will appreciate the vitality of her writing. Dare I say it... this is an important voice. She has an almost god-like societal acumen not to mention, by the way, being a mind meld of the best rock critics of the last two decades. Her characters are witty people. Smart, quick on their feet. Self-contemplative without self-pity. Good people, with few exceptions, but complicated as we all are. Treat yourself.

​Submitted by Ned

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Olive, Again - Elizabeth Strout

4/2/2020

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This follow on to Olive Kitteridge, which won Strout a Pulitzer, is a lovely collection of vignettes around the aging Olive. Most are about her directly, others about people in her sphere, all with a sensitivity to what aging is all about. She marries again, is widowed again, ponders her position as a parent and friend and teacher, examines her moods, opens herself to new friends and experiences. Layers of her life's complexity are peeled away to its essence, which is often messy and painful and is sometimes full of fleeting joy. Read this book, if you have older parents and friends to better understand them; read it if you're over forty and want to better understand yourself. You'll see how much courage it takes to get out of bed each and every day, and how much more rewarding it can be with the right attitude.

​Submitted by Ned

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Weather - Jenny Offill

4/2/2020

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Funny and enlightening with a type of humor I would call "dusky" (not quite dark but headed that way) and observant. Librarian Lizzie Benson is dealing with multiple family stresses, some early mid-life issues, and a world slowly slipping into madness over the looming life-threatening effects of climate change mixed with toxic politics. It’s apocalyptic, but Lizzie is more glimpsing the abyss rather than staring into it. Serious subject no doubt, but you find yourself laughing with a mix of delight and amusement. All with a wonderful kind of Judaic intermingling of happiness and sorrow. Lizzie is never physically described but the wise revelations from her mind, her wry humor, and her enduring compassion, acquaint us with a very appealing person... empathetic and attractive. Even her prepper obsession is kind of endearing. I’ll miss her now that I’ve finished this too short book.

​Submitted by Ned

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3/25/2020

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  • HOME
  • CATALOG
    • CATALOG TUTORIAL
  • RESOURCES
    • BOOKLIST READER
    • LIBRARY APPS >
      • UDEMY
      • LIBBY
      • HOOPLA
    • 3D PRINTING
    • MUSEUM PASSES
    • USEFUL FREE BOOK LINKS
    • TOWN LINKS
    • UNH REPOSITORY OF BRENTWOOD ANNUAL REPORTS 1851-PRESENT
  • YOUTH
    • YOUTH EVENTS
    • THE KIDS ROOM
    • THE JUNIOR ROOM
    • THE YOUNG ADULT ROOM
    • ONLINE ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES
  • PROGRAMS
    • 1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN
    • STORY TIME
    • EVENTS
    • BOOK CLUBS
    • BRENTWOOD DIGITAL GALLERY
    • REVIEWS
    • ART & COLLECTION EXHIBITIONS
    • HONOR WITH BOOKS
  • NEWSLETTER
  • ABOUT US
    • STAFF
    • TRUSTEES
    • PHOTO GALLERY
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • FRIENDS
  • UDEMY BUSINESS