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Popular Culture September 2017
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Monty Python's Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures
by Adrian Besley
This is the story of Monty Python, one the most popular and influential forces in modern comedy—and of their TV show—told in words and images. This celebratory book includes 22 removable facsimiles of rare memorabilia from their official archives, including hand-scribbled scripts, cue sheets, character lists, posters, and animation artwork. Written with active input from the Pythons themselves, the book recounts the adventures of all six members and their TV show, from early days in the Cambridge Footlights through early appearances on the BBC, global stardom, the inevitable fights, and their triumphant reunions.
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| Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan by Elaine M. HayesSarah Vaughan dropped out of school to become a jazz singer; her win at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater landed her a gig singing with Earl Hines' band, where she performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Billy Eckstine at the dawn of bebop. A champion of civil rights, with a voice like honey and a mouth that earned her the nickname "Sailor," Vaughan was a rare woman in a male-oriented business, a strong and successful performer despite mismanagement by the men in her life. Queen of Bebop provides an insightful look at her life and career -- and the legacy she left behind. |
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The Cooperstown Casebook: Who’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Who Should Be In, and Who Should Pack Their Plaques
by Jay Jaffe
Since its founding in 1936, the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s standards for election have been nebulous, and its selection processes arcane, resulting in confusion among voters, not to mention mistakes in who has been recognized and who has been bypassed. Numerous so-called “greats” have been inducted despite having not been so great, while popular but controversial players such as all-time home run leader Barry Bonds and all-time hits leader Pete Rose are on the outside looking in. Now, in The Cooperstown Casebook, Jay Jaffe shows us how to use his revolutionary ranking system to ensure the right players are recognized. The foundation of Jaffe’s approach is his JAWS system, through which each candidate can be objectively compared on the basis of career and peak value to the players at his position who are already in the Hall of Fame.
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Are You Anybody?: A Memoir
by Jeffrey Tambor
You know him from his breakout role as Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show, his outrageous turn as George and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development, and his Emmy Award-winning performance as Maura Pfefferman on Transparent. A Broadway star, a television legend, an accomplished screen actor whose singular wit and heartrending performances have been entertaining audiences for more than four decades, but the question remains: Who the hell is Jeffrey Tambor? In his illuminating, often hilarious, and always honest memoir, Tambor looks back at the key moments in his life that taught him about creativity and play and pain and fear.
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| Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth FranklinDrawing on new interviews and newly discovered correspondence, this comprehensive biography of the author of the chilling short story "The Lottery" (and the classic ghost story The Haunting of Hill House) sheds light on the rest of Shirley Jackson's life and work. Placing Jackson's literary suspense squarely in line with the American Gothic work of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe, author Ruth Franklin also points to her varied oeuvre as indicative of a time in which women had limited options. Insightful and engaging, this biography has won several awards, including a Bram Stoker Award, an Edgar Allan Poe Award, and a National Book Critics Circle Award. |
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| Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear by Margee KerrIntrepid sociologist Margee Kerr makes Fear Factor look tame as she investigates the biological and emotional response to fear as well as what motivates people to seek out fear-inducing activities. Her investigation led her to such hands-on experiences as riding extreme roller coasters, spending time in solitary confinement, and hanging out on the roof of a skyscraper; thrill-seekers will get some great ideas here. |
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The Horror of It All: One Moviegoer’s Love Affair with Masked Maniacs, Frightened Virgins, and the Living Dead
by Adam Rockoff
Horror films have simultaneously captivated and terrified audiences for generations, racking up billions of dollars at the box office and infusing our nightmares with unrelenting zombies, chainsaw-wielding madmen, and myriad incarnations of ghosts, ghouls, and the devil himself. Despite evolving modes of storytelling and the fluctuating popularity of other genres, horror endures. Author Adam Rockoff traces the highs and lows of the horror genre through the lens of his own obsessive fandom, born in the aisles of his local video store and nurtured with a steady diet of cable trash. From Siskel and Ebert’s crusade against slasher films to horror’s Renaissance in the wake of Scream, Rockoff mines the rich history of the genre, braiding critical analysis with his own firsthand experiences. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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| Something in the Blood: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula by David J SkalIn Something in the Blood, author David Skal minutely examines all there is to know about Bram Stoker, creator of vampire legend Dracula. Making use of his own extensive research, previously published materials on Stoker, and detailed descriptions of Dracula productions through the years, Skal discusses Victorian beliefs and anxieties about sexuality and disease, as well as Stoker's connections to Oscar Wilde. An "enthralling work of biography" (Kirkus Reviews), enhanced with illustrations, Something in the Blood is sure to appeal to aficionados of Victoriana in addition to Stoker's own enduring fandom. |
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Duneland Stamp Club
Thursday, September 14, 6:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
The Duneland Stamp Club meets the second Thursday of each month. New members are invited.
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Writing Out Loud: Stanton Friedman
Saturday, September 16, 7:30 pm
Library Meeting Room
The 33rd season of Writing Out Loud kicks off with an appearance by nuclear physicist-lecturer Stanton Friedman. Friedman is the original civilian investigator of the Roswell Incident and co-wrote Crash at Corona: The Definitive Study of the Roswell Incident. TOP SECRET/MAJIC, his controversial book about the Majestic 12 group, allegedly established in 1947 to deal with alien technology, was published in 1996 and went through six printings. An expanded new edition was published in 2005. He is the co-author with Kathleen Marden (Betty Hill’s niece) of a 2007 book, Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience. Flying Saucers and Science was published in June 2008 and is in its third printing. Science was Wrong, co-written with Marden, was released in June 2010.
The program will be followed by a reception and book signing hosted by the Friends of the Michigan City Public Library.
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The Zookeeper's Wife Film Showing
Sunday, September 17, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Fall Films on DVD returns with the showing of The Zookeeper’s Wife, a 2017 war drama directed by Niki Caro and written by Angela Workman, based on the non-fiction book by Diane Ackerman. The film tells the tale of how Jan and Antonina Zabinski rescued hundreds of Jews from the Nazis by hiding them in their zoo during World War II. Jessica Chastain stars. Rated PG-13.
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Axis 360 eBooks
Find popular fiction, non-fiction, and picture e-books and e-audiobooks for children, teens, and adults! It's simple--just download the app on your device, search for "Michigan City Public Library", and log in with your library card number and PIN.
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Library Services
Find out about all the services the library offers, including research, materials, account information, youth programs, events, tutoring, genealogy, computers and more.
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Library Catalog
Look up books and other materials, place items on hold, and more.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library 100 E. 4th Street Michigan City, Indiana 46360 219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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