Haley Christianson, Children's Librarian and Programming Assistant, recommends The Compound by Aisling Rawle. Two things that I love include reading dystopian novels and watching reality TV shows. So, when I heard that The Compound by Aisling Rawle was being described as Love Island mixed with Lord of the Flies, I had to give it a try. The Compound follows 20-year-old Lily as she competes in a … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Compound
Staff Reviews: Books, Films, Music, and More
Review: Ghosts of Hiroshima
Finance Manager Tamara Mortenson recommends Ghosts of Hiroshima by Charles Pellegrino. In Ghosts of Hiroshima, the author and his team cultivated vastly detailed accountings. While graphic and sort of cold – or maybe detached is a better word – in the recounting, it is still deeply moving. One central figure is Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a 29 year-old naval engineer who miraculously survived the blast at ground zero in Hiroshima. Horribly burned, he took a train returning home to his family in … [Read more...] about Review: Ghosts of Hiroshima
Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl
Information Systems Manager Will Duke recommends Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. I love absurdity, I’m not ashamed of a little whimsy. Song lyrics, poetry, short stories, TV shows, movies: give me something weird, and I’ll check it out. But I don't usually read books where the hero’s most meaningful relationship is with a talking cat. I didn’t choose this book; my wife made me read it. Thank you, baby. Now, I just finished book eight. Matt says the series will be nine books, but … [Read more...] about Review: Dungeon Crawler Carl
Film Review: The Breaking Point
I was just waking up on Sunday morning when I usually watch film noir movies on Turner Classic Movies (TMC). I caught The Breaking Point (1950) in the middle, so I wasn’t sure what I was watching. It had all the suspense and stern dialog that is common for noir films. Still I could not recognize it from hundreds of films I’ve seen. The lead actor, John Garfield, was very good but I haven’t seen him in many films with famous actors. Patricia Neal is in it and she is much younger than I have … [Read more...] about Film Review: The Breaking Point
Review: Idaho Dyslexia Handbook
Executive Director Jenny Emery Davidson recommends the Idaho Dyslexia Handbook. For four days last week, 118 teachers from around southern Idaho convened in The Community Library’s Lecture Hall to analyze how children learn to read. One of the texts serving as a touchstone for the Sun Valley Early Literacy Summit, in its fifth year, has been the Idaho Dyslexia Handbook. It is a slim, taut, powerful guide to how reading happens in the brain, and how all children, including children with … [Read more...] about Review: Idaho Dyslexia Handbook
Review: HOPE
Director of Philanthropy Carter Hedberg recommends HOPE by Cristina Mittermeier. The old adage that a photograph is worth a thousand words feels especially apt when reading Cristina Mittermeier’s most recent book, HOPE. Having recently finished it, I found myself thinking not only about the extraordinary quality of the photography but also about the unique power of images to convey stories that words alone often cannot. Mittermeier’s photographs are dramatic, luminous, and frequently … [Read more...] about Review: HOPE
