Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit.  The library has recently reorganized the DVDs, putting our newest titles in their own section. Stop on by sometime and take a look at our growing collection!

Some movies are set in the very real world, in places we can recognize with characters that you could meet on any street corner.  Other movies are set in far-off places, whether in a past kingdom with kings, princesses, and castles or in a future space colony in a distant galaxy. Then there are the seemingly realistic movies with fantastical elements added at just the right subtle moment to really surprise and transport the viewer.

Swiss Army Man, a film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, explores themes of love, social anxiety, loneliness, and a connection to other people, but in a pretty surreal way. The opening finds Hank (played by Paul Dano) about to commit suicide after being stranded alone on a deserted island. Just then a corpse washes up on shore. Hank names it Manny (played by Daniel Radcliffe) and finds that magically Manny is coming back to life, first by farting. But is Manny really magically coming back to life, or is it all in Hank’s head? In either case Manny’s magical abilities help guide Hank home while also guiding the viewer on a surreal journey through Hank’s mind.

There are several laugh out loud points and the relationship between Manny and Hank is really quite touching. The humor and dialogue can get fairly crude in places, so this is not a movie for kids. Most of this movie is acted by just Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe which is not an easy thing to do, but the film won the directing award at Sundance last year. But at just over an hour and a half running time you’re not committed to an entire evening if the surreal nature of this film gets too weird.

You can get the DVD reviewed here, which was Swiss Army Man, and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit.  

Today is President’s Day and the library will be closed.  We’ll reopen at our regular time on Tuesday, which is 10 am. Items may still be returned in the book and media drop.

If you are as tired of cold weather as I am you will appreciate the visual escape this week’s Port Pick offers.  Bright Bazaar’s Dream Décor by Will Taylor is a home decorating idea book that offers almost a literal breath of fresh air.  Each picture of interiors reminds the viewer of a bright seaside bungalow, clear sky, or the best of a cozy summer cottage.  On the first page Taylor states he decorates mostly in hues of blue and everything from the blue stripes on the book’s cover to the mostly illustrated pages reminds the reader of cool water on a warm sunny day.

Blue is an almost universally liked color, and while many decorating books feature furniture or accessories that are too far out of price range for Midwestern tastes, the laid back attitude toward living spaces means the ideas in this book include some tasteful antiques and comfortable, lived in looking furniture. Pair this book with a warm cup of tea and sit in a well-lit area.  Maybe prime yourself by checking out one of our travel guides and then be prepared to be transported halfway to a mental vacation while flipping through these pages.

You can get the book reviewed here, which was Bright Bazaar’s Dream Décor by Will Taylor, and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. Happy Valentine’s Day tomorrow to everyone out there listening! We’ll have a different activity at the library each day of the week, including an amnesty day for overdue books.  Check our Facebook page or call the library for details. Also, our monthly classic movie night is coming up on Thursday the 16th at 6 pm.

Guest reviewing again this week is Mary Lou Heller, the library’s Youth Services Librarian.
           
“Nana and Poppy live in a big house…” starts this week’s story. The author, Norton Juster, goes on to describe all the fun things the main character does at Nana’s house.    Our main character is a little girl with curly brown hair wearing both polka dots and stripes at the same time.  To get to Nana and Poppy, you first you have to go by the Hello-Goodbye window. It is a magical window in the kitchen.  From it you can see all kinds of things but I’ll not spoil the surprises.  The Hello-Gooodbye window is a wonderful way to look at life. 

The Hello-Goodbye Window is illustrated by Chris Raschka.  It has earned the Caldecott medal for its illustrations.  However, author Juster is most well-known for his book the Phantom Tollbooth.  In addition to being an author Norton Juster is an architect.

You can get the book reviewed here, which was The Hello-Goodbye Window by Norton Jester and illustrated by Chris Raschka, and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library.  This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”

​            Hi!  This is Rachel Malay, director at the Port Library in Beloit. This week’s review, like last Saturday, features a guest review from our Youth Services Librarian, Mary Lou Heller.

Based on a true story, Diana’s White House Garden is not only a fun read but a historical read also. Diana was the daughter of President Roosevelt’s chief adviser. Diana is looking for a way to help with the war effort. She tries to put pins in the couch in the red room to ward off the enemies but that only gets her in trouble. Then she hears the President planning to ask the American people to grow a garden and Diana decides to start one in the White House yard. With help from staff and Mrs. Roosevelt her garden grows and provides food for the President. But the garden also grows famous and helps inspire other children to help with the gardens. 

The author of this book is Elisa Carbone. She has written many other books including award winning Stealing Freedom, Storm Warriors and Blood on the River: James Town 1607.   She lives in West Virginia. Jen Hill is the illustrator. She is a painter, animator and an author of picture books, including Percy and TumTum. For the illustrations in Diana and the White House Garden, Jen Hill uses simple ink lines to suggest the background, but the characters in front are painted in bright colors. People with good eyes will see yet another famous White House resident from Roosevelt’s time on the cover: the president’s dog, a Scottie named Fala.

You can get the book reviewed here, which was Diana’s White House Garden  by Elisa Carbone and illustrated by Jen Hill, and more great titles to watch, read, listen to, or play with at the Port Library. This is director Rachel Malay, saying “Thanks for checking us out!”