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Narrow Gauge Cinema

The Kennebec Journal announced on July 7th that the Narrow Gauge Cinema in Farmington was opening a new drive-in theater in the lot behind the cinema.  It brought back all the memories of childhood that involved my parents loading the 4 kids and the dog into the station wagon with bags of popcorn to go to a drive-in theater.  The one we visited had a playground in front of the huge screen that the kids would all play on until dusk arrived and the first movie started.  We always tried to stay awake through intermission to see the second movie since that one was always a little “racier” as smaller children would have fallen asleep by the time it started.  Remember the speaker that was mounted on a pole which you would hang on your car window so you could clearly hear what was happening on the movie screen?  Cars were larger then and a family of 6 with a dog could easily enjoy a double feature at a drive-in without feeling totally cramped and on top of each other.  Below is a web site from the Smithsonian magazine that will help you remember the glory days of the drive-in.  And if you have never had the experience, then it will give you a sense of what you have missed.  Is the experience worth a trip to Farmington to see a double feature under the stars?  It just might be.

 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-drive-in-movie-theater-51331221/

 

Scott Handville, Assistant Library Director

Summer ’17 Children’s Books

Hattie & Hudson by Chris Van Dusen

This eloquent, evocative book about compassion is perfect for sparking discussions on      prejudice. A sensational choice for a seasonal storytime. (School Library Journal)

Be Quiet by Ryan Higgins

This hilarious and fun read-aloud will be a hit at any story time. Kids will be laughing out loud. (School Library Journal)

Little Pig Saves the Ship by David Hyde Costello

The story will be a familiar one to any young reader who feels too small to join in with older siblings or peers, and offers an empowering message of learning to overcome one’s small stature. (School Library Journal)

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors by Drew Drywalt

Laugh-out-loud funny and outrageous at times, this read-aloud will have listeners jumping out of their seats. This is the sort of story that makes children love to read.

The Fearless Traveler’s Guide to Wicked Places by Pete Begler

Twelve-year-old Nell Perkins lives in the small town of Mist Falls with her mother, Rose, and her brothers, George and Speedy. A dark cloud filled with evil witches sucks Rose up, and Nell and her brother’s team up with local resident Duke Badger following the cloud into the Dreamlands, the wondrous and horrific realm of all dreams. (School Library Journal)

The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff

It’s kids vs. parents in epic fashion, and Graff’s not-quite-fantasy world is every kid’s dream. All of the frustrations young people feel with their parents during a divorce are hilariously hyperbolized in a way that will make children feel vindicated and less alone. The epistolary format allows readers to get to know all of the characters through creative footnotes, sticky notes, newspaper articles, emails, and tiny drawings. Graff’s whimsical, original work is a breath of fresh air.  (School Library Journal)

The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts by Avi

Wakening to a terrible storm, 12-year-old Oliver Cromwell Pitts finds his English seaside house flooded and his lawyer father gone off to London, leaving the child bereft, penniless, and facing the unsavory possibility of being remanded to the children’s poorhouse. Alas, that is exactly what happens. Happily, circumstances and quick wits allow him to flee the dreadful place, but, his life now in danger, he must escape to London. But how? Because of  his flight and the  fact that he has, er, borrowed some money, he’s wanted by the  authorities and must travel secretly, and the  road to the  capital is long and fraught with danger—there will be no relying on the kindness of  strangers. Will he find his way to London? This story is filled with suspense, surprises, and ultimately satisfaction. (School Library Journal)

Fairy Floss: The Sweet Story of Cotton Candy by Ann Ingalls

When Lillie and her aunt finally get to the World’s Fair, they take in all the sights, including a dazzling array of newfangled gadgets, and when they finally get to John and William’s kiosk, Lillie gets to make a batch of fairy floss herself. Ingalls’ story , centered on the  modernization of cotton candy , is well matched by Blanco’s colorful, whimsical, full-page 1904 World’s Fair scenes, which pack in plenty of  period detail, including clothing, transportation, and images of the  historic exhibits. Have cotton candy ready as a follow-up to this dip into the history of a well-loved amusement-park treat. (Booklist)

Ginni Nichols, Children’s Librarian

New Books in the Library!

FICTION:

The adventures of John Carson in several quarters of the world by Brian Doyle.  A young Robert Louis Stevenson is regaled by his landlord of tales of high adventure.

All grown up by Jami Attenberg.  A wickedly funny novel about a 39 year old single, childfree woman who defies convention as she seeks connection.

The arrangement by Sarah Dunn.  This is about a couple that agrees to have an open marriage, for a limited time only and while adhering to certain rules, is a polished, amusing, and highly entertaining take on modern relationships, parenthood, and suburbia.

The coming by David Osborne.  An historical novel beginning with the Lewis & Clark expedition and ending with the decimation of the Nez Perce tribe.  An epic and sure to be a hit with readers interested in the American western expansion.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.  Lovers in a city overwhelmed with violence hear about mysterious doors that will carry them into an alien and uncertain future.

Fast and loose by Stuart Woods.  Stone Barrington is enjoying a boating excursion off the Maine coast when a chance encounter leaves him somewhat the worse for wear.

Good time coming by C.S. Harris.  A powerful story of war’s destruction of property, people, hopes, and morals during the Civil War in Louisiana.  Top-notchy historical fiction reveals the Civil War in all its brutality.

The hearts of men by Nickolas Butler.  An epic novel of intertwining friendships and families set in the north woods of Wisconsin at a beloved Boy Scout summer camp.

The Hollywood daughter by Kate Alcott.  A Hollywood coming-of-age novel in which Ingrid Bergman’s affair with Roberto Rossellini forces her biggest fan to reconsider everything she was raised to believe.

The lost order by Steve Berry.  In the 12th Cotton Malone thriller, the former Justice Department operative pursues current and historical conspiracies.

Marlena by Julie Buntin.  A novel about love, addiction, and loss: the story of two girls and the feral year that will cost one her life and define the other’s for decades.

Miranda and Caliban by Jacqueline Carey.  This reimagines the back story of Shakespeare’s The Tempest as a tale of star-crossed lovers.

Never let you go by Chevy Stevens.  Eleven years ago Lindsay escaped with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship when her husband was jailed for a hit and run.  Now he is out of prison, and she is sure he will track her down.

Red sister by Mark Lawrence.  This begins a stunning epic fantasy series about a secret order of holy warriors.

The stars are fire by Anita Shreve.  This is a suspenseful novel about an extra-ordinary young woman tested by a catastrophic event and its devastating aftermath – based on the true story of the largest fire in Maine’s history.

Ties by Domenico Starnone.  Four years after leaving his wife and children, Aldo returns to them ready to rebuild.  A slim, studding meditation on marriage, fidelity, honesty, and truth.

The wages of sin by Kaite Welsh.  A tale of murder, subversion and vice in which a female medical student in Victorian Edinburgh is drawn into a murder investigation when she recognizes one of the corpses in her anatomy lecture.

Waking gods by Sylvain Neuvel.  Pure, unadulterated literary escapism featuring giant killer robots and the looming end of humankind.  In a word, unputdownable.

The wanderers by Meg Howrey. Three astronauts and their families must endure the effects of a pioneering deep-space mission.

The widow’s house by Carol Goodman.  Blends the gothic allure of Daphne DuMaurier and the crazed undertones of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper – this is a harrowing tale of psychological suspense set in New York’s Hudson Valley.

The young wives club by Julie Pennell.  Finding your one true love happens sometime around high school in Toulouse, Louisiana.  If you are lucky, he might be the man you thought he was.  But as four friends are about to find out, not every girl has luck on her side.

NEW DVDs:

A man called Ove (2016) starring Rolf Lassgard

Hell or high water (2016) starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine

The legend of Tarzan (2016) starring Alexander Skarsgard and Samuel Jackson

Roots (2016) starring Forest Whitaker and Anna Paquin

Reversal of fortune (1990) starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close

NONFICTION:

An American sickness by Elisabeth Rosenthal.  At a moment of drastic political upheaval, here is a shocking investigation into the dangerous, expensive, and dysfunctional American healthcare system, as well as solutions to its myriad of problems.

Dodge City by Tom Clavin.  This history of the “wickedest town in the West”, full of colorful characters, focuses on Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson.

Enduring Vietnam by James Wright.  The Vietnam War remains the all-encompassing event of the baby boomer generation the author claims in this poignant account of those who fought and died there.  This is an important investigation of the war and its effects on an entire generation.

The face of water by Sarah Ruden.  The author elegantly celebrates and translates the bible’s original languages and looks at how passages have been misunderstood over the centuries.

Fallen glory by James Crawford.  This searching survey of some of humankind’s greatest architectural accomplishments looks at the lives and deaths of history’s greatest buildings.

The 40 year old vegan by Sandra Sellini. 75 recipes to make you leaner, cleaner, and greener in the second half of life.

How not to hate your husband after kids by Jancee Dunn.  A hilariously candid account of one woman’s quest to bring her post-baby marriage back from the brink, with life-changing, real-world advice.

March 1917 by Wil Englund.  A riveting history of the month that transformed the world’s greatest nations as Russia faced revolution and America entered World War I.

My Jewish year by Abigail Pogrebin.  This travels through the calendar’s signposts with candor, humor, and a trove of info, capturing the art of Jewish observance through the eyes of a relatable wandering – and wondering – Jew.

My master recipes by Patricia Wells.  165 recipes to inspire confidence in the kitchen – the perfect successor to Julia Child’s classic The Way to Cook.

Never caught by Erica Dunbar.  George Washington had a relentless pursuit – of his runaway slave, Ona Judge.

Strangers tend to tell me things by Amy Dickinson.  America’s most popular advice columnist, “Ask Amy”, shares her journey of family, second chances, and finding love.

2Brides 2Be by Laura Abby.  In response to the dearth of guides on same sex weddings, Abby draws from her own experience and that of wedding planners to create a handbook to help women achieve the wedding of their dreams.

Walking to listen by Andrew Forsthoefel.  A memoir of one young man’s coming of age on a cross-country trek – told through the stories of the people of all ages, races, and inclinations he meets along the highways of America.

Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.