Listen Up!

Punk rock is an anti-establishment rock music movement that emerged in the late 1970s. Bands like The Ramones in New York City, and The Sex Pistols and The Clash, in London were recognized as being the original punk rock bands.

The Clash brought the punk sound to the U.S. with hits like "London Calling" and "Rock the Casbah."Joe Strummer sang lead vocals and played rhythm guitar for the 10 years The Clash influenced today's alternative music. Redemption Song: the Ballad of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz is a biography about the frontman for The Clash, who brought fierce idealism and witty lyrics to the punk era.

After The Clash disbanded, Strummer fronted another band, The Mescaleros. Let's Rock Again is a downloadable video available through Suffolk Wave. This documentary covers the last eighteen months of Strummer's life as he tours with the band.

Another punk rocker who is still touring and recently released a new compact disc is Elvis Costello. Give a listen to The Best of Elvis Costello and The Attractions. It's an awesome compilation available on compact disc at the library.

You might also want to read about Mr.Costello in the biography Complicated Shadows: the Life and Music of Elvis Costello by Graeme Thomson. This biography is an impeccably reseached account of Elvis Costello's journey from playing the pubs in London to New Wave megastardom with The Attractions and beyond.

Born to be Wild

With the Bellmont Stakes quickly approaching, the spotlight's on horse racing. Enjoy the wild rides, the nail-biting finishes, and people who make it all happen...

Funny Cide : How a Trainer, a Jockey, and a Bunch of High School Buddies Took On the Sheiks and Bluebloods... and Won by The Funny Cide Team with Sally Jenkins
Crammed with colorful characters and blue-collar heroes, this is an gripping true account of the racing life with Funny Cide, the three-year-old gelding at the center of it. Owned by ten working-class men, the horse inspires a nation by knocking off the champions and their multimillionaire owners and sweeping to the brink of the Triple Crown.

The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World's Greatest Racehorse by Lawrence Scanlan
This facinating tribute takes a journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited highlighting Eddie "Shorty" Sweat, groom, loyal friend, and protector to Secretariat, winner of the 1973 Triple Crown.

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hittenbrand
In the sultry summer of 1936, Charles Howard, a former bicycle repairman, bought Seabiscuit at a bargain-basement price and entrusted him to a failed prizefighter and an enigmatic mustang breaker. Against all odds, these three men discovered a dormant talent in the little horse and produced an unlikely champion that captivated the world.

Book Discussion

Many Long Islanders will remember the crash of TWA Flight 800 when it exploded over the Atlantic near East Moriches. Night Fall by Nelson DeMille reconstructs this shocking event in a riveting fictionalized account that is sure to initiate a fascinating discussion with longstanding DeMille fans and newcomers alike. Visti the Reference Desk to order a copy of the book and to sign up for one of the two discussions on:

Thursday, June 19 at 8 p.m.
or
Saturday, June 21 at 2 p.m.

Local History Book Stop

Long Island is famous for more things than just duck! During the Revolutionary War, the island was a hotbed of intrigue centering around a famous spy ring. At least two books have been written about these heroes who helped win the war. Both are available at the library.

The Culper Spy Ring by Lynn Groh is the lesser known of the two and is suitable for both teens and adults. Benedict Arnold, Major Tallmadge, and Washington himself stride through these pages--but most fascinating of all are the Long Islanders who risked everything for the future of their country.

Based on the remarkable new research of the author Alexander Rose, Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring takes us beyond the battlefront into the shadowy world of double agents, triple crosses, covert operations, and code breaking. The gunrunning, the kidnappings, and the defections are all part of this noted author's riveting narrative.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Mr. Hollywood here with some recommendations to make your mouth water. The weather is warming up and the smell of barbecue is in the air, so how about checking out these cooking DVDs and books.

First up, we have BBQ Secrets: The Master Guide to Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin' on DVD. Offering you inside tips and tricks from some of the country's best BBQ cooks, this one is worth a look at if you want to master your grilling technique. When it comes to barbecuing books look no further than BBQ guru Bobby Flay, his newest title Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook : Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen is packed full of delicious "grill-centric" recipes.

Martha Stewart can always be counted on for helpful tips and recipes for any occasion. Included in our collection of her DVD's is Martha's Summer Favorites; this 2-disc set contains plenty of recipes and tips for getting the most out of any summer outing. Also worth checking out is Martha's Guest's: Great Chefs which includes Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich, and many others. And finally the book Cooking for a Crowd: Recipes, and Strategies for Entertaining 10 to 50 by Susan Wyler can be another great help for anyone looking to entertain.

Where the Fur Flies

Spring and baby animals. What a joy! It is also a time when many families decide to bring a pet into their home. Before you do, check out our large selection of books. What a great way to make the "pet of your life" the right one.


For busy households, a reptile or amphibian might be the best choice. Check out the options available in The 25 Best Reptile and Amphibian Pets by R.D. Bartlett.

Another book to check out for that 'perfect pet' is: Great Pets! An Extraordinary Guide To More Than 60 Usual and Unusual Family Pets by Sara Bonnett Stein.

For those who have recently selected a kitten or puppy, you might want to read one of Mordecai Siegal's popular books, I Just Got a Kitten: What Do I Do? or I Just Got a Puppy: What Do I Do?

Listen Up!

Slowhand, Eric Clapton, has had a prolific career and a tulmultuous personal life. One of the greatest guitar players in the world, Eric is very staightforward about the highs and lows he has experienced in Clapton: the Autobiography. Download and give a listen to this great biography, on Suffolk Wave, covering Mr. Clapton's phenomenal career spanning several decades and a personal life full of tragedy.

Coinciding with the release of this autobiography is an awesome greatest hits collection entitled The Complete Clapton, a compliation from Clapton's days in Cream to his solo career.

You may also enjoy listening and watching the DVD Eric Clapton:Crossroads Guitar Festival 2007, documenting a benefiit he put together for his Crossroads Centre, a substance abuse center in Antigua. The list of performers include B.B. King, Derek Trucks, John Mayer, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow and Steve Winwood.