Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Hello everyone! Mr. Hollywood is back with some more book and movie recommendations. With the 2008 Academy Awards just over, we have a few books that can give you some behind-the-scenes insight into how Oscars work. Offering a revealing look at the history, politics, and economics of the Academy Awards, The Big Show : High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards by Steve Pond could be just what you're looking for. The author provides a rarely seen glimpse at whats not being shown on Oscar night.

Accompanying all of this Oscar talk, you might be interested in checking out last year's best picture winner and nomonies, such as: The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen. Also, if you see that these movies are out, as they are still popular, don't be afraid to stop by the reference desk so we can put them on hold for you. Look for this year's winners at the Library as soon as they're out on DVD.

Local History Book Stop

Tour Long Island with George Washington; take a jaunt to Rockaway in 1793, or travel the LIRR in 1890. Journeys on Old Long Island: Travelers' Accounts, Contemporary Descriptions, and Residents' Reminiscences 1744-1893 edited by Natalie A. Naylor takes you back as travelers and others describe their environment and the social customs of the period.

Historical and Descriptive Sketches of Suffolk County with a Historical Outline of Long Island by Richard M. Bayles covers the discovery of Long Island by the Dutch, the colonial and revolutionary periods, and the founding of towns as well as the Native American tribes. A chapter on the history of Riverhead is included.

Listen Up

Looking for something new to listen to? Find out about some great CDs, audiobooks, playaways, and Suffolk Wave. Each column will feature something different that you may have yet to discover. Please let us know your recommendations.

In 2008, for the first time in over forty years, a jazz musician won Best Album. Herbie Hancock took the Grammy for River: The Joni Letters , a tribute to Joni Mitchell. This CD is full of luminary guests, including Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rose and Joni Mitchell herself.


Find more of Herbie Hancock at Suffolk Wave Digital Library, available to Riverhead Library patrons. Herbie Hancock: Possibilities presents Hancock's 2005 project with musicians Christina Aguilera, John Mayer, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox and Sting. Use your library card to download other audiobooks, videos and music from Suffolk Wave to your PC or portable device.


For those who like some jazz in their CD books, Rupert Holmes' Swing: A Mystery will take you back in time. Saxaphonist Ray Henderson, appearing with an orchestra in a fine hotel near the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco, becomes entangled in a French woman's murder.

Blue Ribbon Book Stop

A wide range of popular non-fiction books appropriate for discussions or individual reads are available at the Library. Here are two excellent choices.

The Bookseller of Kabul

by Asne Seierstad

Seierstad, a Western journalist, provides a remarkable true account of her experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan, as a live-in guest in the home of a bookseller and his family. Here she learns firsthand the chilling effects of censorship and the risks taken by this brave family. An international bestseller, this is a must read for those who enjoyed the novel The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini or for those who want to learn more about this fascinating country.

The Devil in the White City

by Erik Larson

Noted for his prodigious research, Larson creates spellbinding true story of two men--an architect and a serial killer--whose fates were forever linked by the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. This book is a must for true crime enthusiasts.

Check out our display (Feb. 2008) for these and other books featured on our blog!

Blue Ribbon Book Stop

Whether you're having a book discussion or reading solely for your own enjoyment, these fiction books are popular library standbys.

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

This bittersweet story tells of a mother's struggle to save her daughter and a horse in the aftermath of a tragic accident. It later became a popular movie.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Winner of the Man Booker Prize, Martel spins a unique tale of a zookeeper's son adrift at sea in a lifeboat with a hungry Bengal tiger.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

From the author of the highly acclaimed book The Secret Life of Bees, this 2005 novel was a popular hit at the library. Set amidst a rich community of island women and the exotic beauty of the South Carolina marshes, this is both an erotic and spiritual story of a woman's yearning for soul-mated love.

Check out these books and others on our blog book display (Feb. 2008)!

Born to be Wild

Here you will find books and movies for your adventurous side-- exploration, sports, and travel. From mountain climbing to motorcycles to breathtaking travel narratives and biographies, you'll get a little of everything to inspire the risk-taker in you. Let us know if there is anything else you would like to see in this column. Below are two books about unbelievable rescue missions.

That Others May Live: The True Story of a PJ, a Member of America's Most Daring Rescue Force by Jack Brehm

This gripping biography gives a first-hand account of pararescue jumpers (PJ) from the New York Air National Guard in Westhampton Beach, featured in The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger.

Mountain Rescue Doctor: Wilderness Medicine in the Extremes of Nature by Christopher Van Tilburg

Check out this true account of a wilderness phyisician whose work requires a unique combination of emergency medicine , survival skills, agility, and extreme sports to rescue mountain hikers, skiers, and airplane crash victims.

Local History Book Stop

Do you want to know more about where you live? The Library has a selection of books about Riverhead and the rest of Long Island. Some of these books are housed in the Long Island Room, where they are available for reading. However, many other books about Long Island can be checked out. In this column, we will feature local history books. Here are a few that we recommend:

Seeking the Past: Writings from 1832-1905 Relating to the History of Riverhead

Edited by Tom Twomey

This illustrated book provides a collection of local histories including official and unofficial documents relating to the Township of Riverhead. Great for history buffs and amateur historians. Available check out, or you may purchase it at the Public Information Desk.

Riverhead: The Halcyon Years 1861-1919

by Thomas M. Stark

Written by a local Supreme Court judge, this book, with historic black and white photographs, covers commercial, agricultural and social development in the Township of Riverhead.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

So, I bet you'd like to know who this Mr. Hollywood guy is, and what he has to say? Well, I'll be posting special movie recommendations and related books that I think everyone would enjoy. Please let me know if you have anything you would like to see on here. In honor of Black History Month, you might be interested in checking out these movies and books:

Toni Morrison's acclaimed novel and movie adaptation Beloved is set shortly after the Civil War. Sethe, a newly freed slave, is haunted not only by her terrible past, but also by a nameless child apparition somehow connected to her.

Here's something for those of you looking for a good non-fiction DVD: The Rosa Parks Story, starring Angela Bassett, chronicles the historic events of Rosa Parks' life and the fight for African American civil rights. Also worth checking out are the books Rosa Parks : My Story by Rosa Parks and Jim Haskins, as well as Quiet strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation by Rosa Parks with Gregory J. Reed.

Blue Ribbon Book Stop

What are Blue Ribbon Books? These are popular, best-selling, or award-winning books, or even a book that YOU may have recommended to us. We are currently featuring African-American authors for Black History Month, including J. California Cooper. This California playwright and author has received the James Baldwin Writing Award and the Literary Lion Award from the American Library Association. Some of her books available at the Library include:

Some People, Some Other Place

Homemade Love

and short stories:

Some Soul To Keep

Check out the book display by the Reference Desk for more African-American literature.