Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Laugh in the new year with these great comedy recommendations available on DVD!

First, we have Son of Rambow, an off-beat British comedy in which two school-boy buddies set out to make their own epic version of 'Rambo: First Blood'. Armed with a videocamera and their overactive immagination, pretty soon their homemade movie takes on a life of its own.

Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in The Savages, a black comedy about two distint siblings who come back into each others' lives to care for their ailing father. This award-winning movie comes highly praised and with plenty of levity.

You can never go wrong with a Disney Pixar movie, so check out Ratatouille, which follows the hilarious adventures of Remy, the rat with a dream to be a chef. Fleeing the French countryside, Remy ends up in a Pariasan restaurant with a chance to fufill his dream along with a little help from a bumbling low level worker.

And don't forget to check out our comedy book and movie selection on display now!

Local History Book Stop

Chartered in 1834, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) is the oldest American railway still operating under its original name. There are a number of pictorial histories of the LIRR, but Long Island Rail Road by Stan Fischler combines classic and modern photos with a sweeping written history of this legendary line.

The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History by Vincent F. Seyfried is a well-researched book highlighting the age of expansion of the railroad from 1863 to 1880. In addition, it contains some rare archival photographs.

For pictorial works, try Long Island Rail Road by Fred Kramer. This series of photographs captures the steam-to-diesel transition east of Jamaica. From Arcadia Publishing comes Revisiting the Long Island Rail Road 1925-1975 by David Keller and Steven Lynch and Long Island Rail Road Stations by David D. Morrison and Valerie Pakaluk. Both books present a collection of photos with detailed captions.

Authors Ron Ziel and George H. Foster researched the LIRR firsthand, walking the right-of-ways and riding the trains, from switch engines to parlor cars. For their book Steel Rails to the Sunrise: The Long Island Railroad, they searched every town on the railroad lines. With the help of active and retired railroaders, they unearthed rare photographs and fascinating anecdotes that are a vital part of the history and romance of this unique railroad.

Blue Ribbon Book Stop

Snow might be in the forecast, so to keep your cabin fever in check try checking-out one of these highly recommended new mystery novels. These are not your traditional mystery series novels though and they will keep you guessing till the very end.

Winner of the 2008 Edgar Award for mystery novels, Down River by John Hart tells the story of Adam Chase, newly acquitted from a New York City murder trial and heading home to North Carolina. But home only brings more trouble, as the people around him start to die Adam once again finds himself the prime suspect.

Touted by the New York Times as one of the top crime novels of 2008, The Genius by Jesse Kellerman is an enthralling murder mystery set in the art world. Art gallery owner Ethan Muller exhibits a collection of drawings that unknowingly contain the portraits of four children from a decades old murder case. This sets off a dramatic series of events that leads Ethan and a detective on the hunt for the killer.

Another Edgar Mystery Award, this time for 2007, Jason Goodwin's The Janissary Tree takes a historical fiction approach to the murder mystery novel. Set in the Ottoman Empire in 1836, a eunuch intelligence agent is searching for the culprit of a string of political murders that threatens to topple the sultan's delicate balance of power.

If you breeze through these recommendations we have plenty of more books in our mystery section that will keep you going through the winter.

Born To Be Wild

Tis' the season to be active! Check out some of these books on winter sports.
There are many things to get you out of the house this winter. Read about some of the festivities you may enjoy to get your blood pumping like snowboarding, skiing, hockey, ice fishing or hunting.

Snowboarding Skills : The Back-To-Basics Essentials For All Levels by CindyKleh covers everything you need to know about this exiting sport. Whether you are a novice or an experienced snowboarder, there's lots here to help you enjoy boarding even more.

Anyone Can Be An Expert Skier 1 :The New Way To Ski by Harald Harb

All it takes to be an expert skier are the correct movements and the right equipment. Anyone Can Be An Expert Skier 1 helps you learn these movements, and to pick the equipment that's right for you.

The Hockey Handbook by Lloyd Percivval is the first book required by players or coaches at all levels of proficiency who are setting out to develop their own or their team's hockey skills. Newly redesigned and issued in an easy-to-use format, this book will serve as an inspiration and guide to future generations of players and coaches.

Fishing On Ice:A Complete Guide To Gear, Fish, And Fun by Noel Vick is like having your own personal ice fishing guide with a cover. Easy-to-understand tips from professional anglers will help all ice enthusiasts catch more fish. It's a must-read for anyone who desires to increase their ice fishing success.

The Complete Guide to Hunting by Don Oster will help you find tips and techniques for hunting big game, small game, upland birds, turkeys and waterfowl. With over 450 color illustrations, this book teaches you how to turn your time in the field into a memorable hunt.

In the News

India offers its share of prize-winning authors and books. The tragedy in Mumbai, or Bombay as some still call it, gives us a chance to reflect on this fascinating and culturally diverse country.

At the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the sovereign nations of India and Pakistan were born. Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire by Alex von Tunzelmann richly portrays the end of an empire and the rise of Mohandas Gandhi.

First Darling of the Morning: Selected Memories of an Indian Childhood by Thrity Umrigar, bestselling author of The Space Between Us, is a story intimately and compassionately told against the sensuous background of everyday life in Bombay.

No selection of books about India would be complete without authors V.S. Naipaul, the first Booker Prize winner of Indian descent and a Nobel Prize winner, and controversial author Salman Rushdie, another Booker Prize winner. Naipaul's book India: A Million Mutinies Now is a vivid travelogue that encompasses the India of the 1990s. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Rushdie is a timeless novel that effortlessly transcents political and religious squabbling and is great for children and adults.

The Alchemy of Desire by Tarun J. Tejpal is a novel that brings the reader to the top of the world and into the fabled Himalayan mountains. It celebrates the chaotic spirit of a country during a time of great change--at the turn of the millennium.

For another perspective, try noted American travel writer Paul Theroux's fictional account of today's India. The Elephanta Suite weaves three intertwined novellas of Westerners transformed by their sojourns in India.

There's a wealth of material to choose from. Visit the Reference Desk for more suggestions on this legendary nation.