Goshen Connecticut Public Library Spotlight

New Books, Videos & Recommendations

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

September 30th, 2024 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

Year of Release: 2002

A summary from Amazon:

A nice rest in a state mental hospital beats a stretch in the pen, right? Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a free-spirited con with lightning in his veins and glib on his tongue, fakes insanity and moves in with what he calls the “nuts.” Immediately, his contagious sense of disorder runs up against numbing routine. No way should guys pickled on sedatives shuffle around in bathrobes when the World Series is on. This means war! On one side is McMurphy. On the other is soft-spoken Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), among the most coldly monstrous villains in film history. At stake is the fate of every patient on the ward. Based on Ken Kesey’s acclaimed bestseller, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest sweptall five major 1975 Academy Awards: Best Picture (produced by Saul Zaentz and Michael Douglas), Actor (Nicholson), Actress (Fletcher), Director (Milos Forman) and Adapted Screenplay (Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman). Raucous, searing and with a superb cast that includes Brad Dourif, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd in his film debut, this one soars.

Goshen Public Library call number: DVD-A (VISUAL MATERIAL)

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Posted in Recommendations

Tags: DVD

Duel

September 28th, 2024 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By Jessixa Bagley

Year of Publication: 2023

A summary from Goodreads:

A rivalry between sisters culminates in a fencing duel in this funny and emotional debut graphic novel sure to appeal to readers of Raina Telgemeier and Shannon Hale.

Sixth grader Lucy loves fantasy novels and is brand-new to middle school. GiGi is the undisputed queen bee of eighth grade (as well as everything else she does). They’ve only got one thing in common: fencing. Oh, and their sisters. They never got along super well, but ever since their dad died, it seems like they’re always at each other’s throats.

When GiGi humiliates Lucy in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Lucy snaps and challenges GiGi to a duel with high sisterly stakes. If GiGi wins, Lucy promises to stay out of GiGi’s way; if Lucy wins, GiGi will stop teasing Lucy for good. But after their scene in the cafeteria, both girls are on thin ice with the principal and their mom. Lucy stopped practicing fencing after their fencer dad died and will have to get back to fighting form in secret or she’ll be in big trouble. And GiGi must behave perfectly or risk getting kicked off the fencing team.

As the clock ticks down to the girls’ fencing bout, the anticipation grows. Their school is divided into GiGi and Lucy factions, complete with t-shirts declaring kids’ allegiances. Both sisters are determined to triumph. But will winning the duel mean fracturing their family even further?

Goshen Public Library call number: JF BAGLEY (GRAPHIC NOVEL)

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Posted in New Books

Tags: Fiction

A Perfect Mistake

September 27th, 2024 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By Melanie Conklin

Year of Publication: 2022

A summary from Goodreads:

A moving, voice-driven novel about friendship, responsibility, and fighting against unfair expectations, for fans of Rebecca Stead and Erin Entrada Kelly.

Max wishes he could go back in time to before he was diagnosed with ADHD, before he grew to be the tallest kid in his class, and before he and his best friends went into the woods in the middle of the night. Max doesn’t remember what happened after he left his friends Will and Joey and the older kids who took them there. He’s not sure if he wants to remember. Knowing isn’t going to make Joey talk to him again, or bring Will out of his coma.

When the local authorities run out of leads, Max realizes that without his help, they may never know what really happened to Will. Charged by the idea that he may be the key to uncovering the truth, Max pairs up with classmate and aspiring journalist Sam to investigate what really happened that night. But not everyone in the community wants that night to be remembered.

Goshen Public Library call number: YF CONKLIN (BOOK-J)

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Posted in Recommendations

Tags: Fiction

Brains On! Presents… It’s Alive: From Neurons and Narwhals to the Fungus Among Us

September 26th, 2024 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

Year of Publication: 2020

A summary from Goodreads:

The creators of the award-winning science podcast for kids, Brains On!, present a humorous, fact- and fun-filled look at life on Earth — from deep sea creatures and carnivorous plants to the human body and stinky bacteria. Perfect for STEM collections!
Did you ever wonder why jellyfish sting? Or if trees communicate with each other? How about why you can’t tickle yourself?

Well hold on to your noggins, because you’re about to find out!

Join the creators of the award-winning science podcast Brains On! as they explore the uber-awesome and sometimes gross world of biology — aka the study of living things. Inside these pages, you’ll meet animals with superpowers, plants that eat meat, brains that trick you, and tiny microbes that live, well . . . all over you!

Packed with mind-boggling facts and laugh-out-loud jokes, this book promises a brain-bending, jaw-dropping, belly-laughing good time as readers watch the world around them come ALIVE.

Goshen Public Library call number: J570 BLOOM (BOOK-J)

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Posted in Recommendations

Tags: Nonfiction

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder

September 25th, 2024 by Goshen Public Library No comments »

By Salman Rushdie

Year of Publication: 2024

A summary from Goodreads:

From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him

On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black—black clothes, black mask—rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are.

What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.

Knife is Rushdie at the peak of his powers, writing with urgency, with gravity, with unflinching honesty. It is also a deeply moving reminder of literature’s capacity to make sense of the unthinkable, an intimate and life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again.