UnCovered review by Stephanie Baker, ACLS IT
Subscribing to belief that the book is always better than
the movie, I set out to read J.R. Moehringer’s
The Tender Bar
before
watching the Netflix adaption.
Typically, I’m not a reader of non-fiction and biographies.
I like to say there is “too much real world in my real world.” I read to escape.
However, as a bartender for 20 years, The Tender Bar called
to me. Moehringer’s memoir reads like a novel much like Steinbach’s Travels with Charlie and Hemmingway’s A Moveable Feast and, like Steinbeck and Hemmingway,
he too had his roots in journalism.
Moehringer perfectly captures the free flow,
stream-of-conscience, and wit of bar banter in his writing style as he records
the patrons’ exchanges on relationships, sports, politics, and great
literature. One of my favorite scenes is when J.R. walks into his beloved
neighborhood bar for the first time as legal drinking age. He must decide on his
“drink.” Will it be vodka, gin, whisky, scotch, bourbon? His decision is more
then what will sit in the glass in front of him. It will tell people who he is and set the
tone for night to come. While the existential contemplations and discussions
that occur in the bar may, for some, seem incongruous to the setting, these are
the parts of the book that rang the most true to me.
Ultimately, the book is more than just about a bar. It follows
the path of a boy as he shapes himself into a man. And, in the absence of a traditional father
figure, how he forms his identity dissecting the qualities and characteristics
of the men around him. Moehringer lives, and describes, his youth as an
observer. While this detachment may serve him well as a journalist, it hampers
his evolution into an adult. It’s not until the end, when he returns to his hometown
of Manhasset in the aftermath of 9/11 and gets a clear look beyond the smoke
filled bar room of his childhood, that we see his growth as a person and as a
writer.
Moehringer does a lot a lot falling off of bar
stools, literally and figuratively, but he makes it to “last call” standing
straight up and leaving behind a cast of personalities that you may recognize and
will always remember
Black feminists are some of the most astute observers and theorists of American mass culture today. Here are five books to read — not all isolated to the proverbial ivory tower.
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In her 24th novel, “French Braid,” Tyler works on a bigger canvas than usual to explore the costs and rewards of family life amid secrets, distance and stifled ambition.
In Kellye Garrett's thriller, a beautiful Black reality TV star is found dead on a playground in the Bronx; the tabloid headlines and the police scream overdose, but the woman's sister is unconvinced.
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A reading list hints at the richness and breadth of African American children’s writing before Brown v. Board of Education.
Author: Rex, Simon Baker, Sean, 1971- producer, screenwriter, director. Rex, Simon, 1974- actor. Elrod, Bree, actor. Deiss, Brenda, actor.
Published: 2022
Call Number: RED
Format: Video disc
Summary: A washed-up porn star returns to his hometown in Texas and tries to get his life back on track.
Author: Hemsworth, Chris, host. National Geographic Society (U.S.), publisher. Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Firm), film distributor.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 597.3
Format: Video disc
Summary: Not only does this program shine a light on the science of sharks, giving audiences a better understanding of the ocean's top predator, but it also features their true beauty, power, and mystery.
Author: Rodriguez, Racer Max, author. Rodriguez, Robert, 1968- film director, film producer, screenwriter. Avellán, Elizabeth, film producer. Bobin, James, film director. Stoller, Nicholas, screenwriter.
Published: 2021 1991
Call Number: BINGEBOX FAMILY
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl; Dora and the Lost City of Gold; The Addams Family; Playing with Fire; Sonic the Hedgehog. The adventures of Sharkboy & Lavagirl: Max dreams of a world far away from his own called Planet Drool. One day the heroes of Planet Drool, Shark Boy and Lava Girl, materialize on earth needing Max's help. All is not well in his dream world, an alien intelligence threatens his dream planet. Max takes off on a wild and dangerous journey with Shark Boy and Lava Girl to save Planet Drool. Dora and the lost city of gold: Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora for her biggest challenge yet: High School. When her parents mysteriously disappear while searching for the Lost City of Gold, Dora must swing into action and lead a group of ill-equipped high schoolers on a quest to save them. It is a high stakes mission as Dora and her new friends navigate the jungle, outrun treasure hunters and solve ancient puzzles to unlock the mystery of the fabled city. The Addams family: When long-lost Uncle Fester reappears after twenty-five years in the Bermuda Triangle, the other members of the off-beat Addams clan plan a great celebration, only to begin to suspect that he may not be who he claims to be. Playing with fire: Chaos and hilarity ensure after an old-fashioned fire superintendent and his crew find themselves in over their heads while attempting to babysit the three lively and unpredictable young children they rescued from a burning house.
Author: Lord, Phil, 1977- film director, screenwriter. Lee, Roy, 1969- film producer. Mitchell, Mike (Director), film director. Lin, Dan (Film producer), film producer. Lord, Phil, 1977- screenwriter, film producer.
Published: 2021 2014
Call Number: BINGEBOX J LETS
Format: Video disc
Summary: The LEGO movie: Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared. The LEGO movie 2: The second part: It's been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: Lego Duplo invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild. The LEGO Batman movie: In the irreverent spirit of fun that made The LEGO Movie a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble, LEGO Batman, stars in his own big-screen adventure. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from the Joker's hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others, and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up. The LEGO Ninjago movie: The young Master Builder Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, that are all secret ninja warriors. Led by Master Wu, is wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, who also happens to be Lloyd's dad. Pitting mech against mech and father against son, this showdown will test this fierce but undisciplined team of modern-day ninjas who must learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash their inner power of Spinjitzu.
Author: Winick, Gary, 1961-2011, film director. Yorn, Julie, 1969- film producer. DePaul, Greg, screenwriter. Finerman, Wendy, film producer. McKenna, Aline Brosh, screenwriter.
Published: 2021 2006
Call Number: BINGEBOX WHEN
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: The Devil Wears Prada; Bride Wars; Love & Other Drugs; Ocean's 8; The Hustle. Bride wars: Lifelong best friends Liv and Emma have shared a dream since childhood. Each yearns for the perfect June wedding at the famed Plaza Hotel in New York City. Both find themselves engaged at the same time and go to a wedding coordinator to set up the perfect wedding. A clerical error puts them both down for nuptials on the same day at the same time. One of them will have to switch the date. More than the bouquet goes flying when these desperate brides-to-be fight it out for matrimonial supremacy. The devil wears Prada: Miranda, editor of "Runway" magazine, is a terror to everyone around her. Her first assistant strives to please her, but can't quite pull it off. Enter Andy, a young woman who knows nothing of the fashion industry and has never read the magazine. Nonetheless, Miranda, hires her as second assistant. When Miranda demands that she obtain the next unpublished Harry Potter manuscript, it forces Andy to dig it up in order to please her boss. With the help of one of the magazine's fashion editors, she gets a complete makeover and new security, and as she is whisked away to Paris with Miranda, Andy faces all of the glamor that could be hers and is forced to make the decision of where she wants to be in her life. The hustle: Josephine Chesterfield is a glamorous, seductive Brit who defrauds gullible wealthy men. Penny amasses wads of cash by ripping off her marks in neighborhood bars. Despite their different methods, both are masters of the art of the fleece, so they combine talents for their next mark: a naive tech billionaire. Love & other drugs: Free-spirited Maggie meets her match in a charming Viagra salesman named Jamie. Maggie and Jamie leap into a no-strings-attached affair, but no matter how hard they try to keep things 'casual, ' they can't help falling under the influence of the ultimate drug: love!
Author: Zemeckis, Robert, 1952- film director, film producer. Rapke, Jack, film producer. Starkey, Steve, film producer. Gaiman, Neil, screenwriter. Avary, Roger, screenwriter.
Published: 2021 1970
Call Number: BINGEBOX YOUR
Format: Video disc
Summary: Beowulf: In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother, who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle resonates throughout the ages. The lovely bones: When 14-year-old Susie Salmon was murdered, she left her unfinished life behind. Now from her place in a strange but beautiful in-between world, she must help her father catch her killer and protect her family before she can finally move on. Into the wild: Christopher McCandless, son of wealthy parents, graduates from Emory University as a top student and athlete. However, instead of embarking on a prestigious and profitable career, he chooses to give his savings to charity, rid himself of his possessions, and set out on a journey to the Alaskan wilderness. Catch-22: Yossarian, a reluctant bombadier stationed in the Mediterranean in World War II, has come to the utterly sane conclusion that everyone is trying to kill him. The Germans, yes, but also commanding officers supposedly on his own side like Col. Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions his flyers must perform to finish their tours. Everybody seems equally dead-set on his destruction, and Yossarian is just as determined to stay alive. An enormous and excellent ensemble cast bring to life the lunacy and logical illogic of Joseph Heller's classic novel.
Author: Al-Mansour, Haifaa, 1974- film director. Jensen, Emma (Screenwriter), screenwriter. Baer, Amy, 1966- film producer. Gavron, Sarah, film director. Owen, Alison, 1961- film producer.
Published: 2021 1992
Call Number: BINGEBOX WOMENS
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: Mary Shelley; Suffragette; A League of Their Own; Frida; Betty & Coretta. Mary Shelley: The story of Mary Shelley and the creation of her immortal monster, Frankenstein. Raised by a renowned philosopher father in eighteenth-century London, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin is a teenage dreamer determined to make her mark on the world, when she meets the dashing and brilliant poet Percy Shelley. So begins a torrid, bohemian love affair marked by both passion and personal tragedy that will transform Mary and fuel the writing of her Gothic masterwork. Suffragette: Inspired by true events, this drama explores the passion and heartbreak of the women who risked everything in their fight for equality in early 20th century Britain. The story centers on a working wife and mother whose life is forever changed when she is secretly recruited to join the U.K.'s growing suffragette movement. Galvanized by the outlaw fugitive Emmeline Pankhurst, Maud becomes an activist for the cause alongside women from all walks of life. A league of their own: The first female professional baseball league is joined by two sisters who work to help it succeed. Frida: A product of humble beginnings, Frida Kahlo earns fame as a talented artist with a unique vision. From her enduring friendship with her mentor and husband, Diego Rivera, to her scandalous affairs, Frida's uncompromising personality would inspire her greatest creations.
Author: Lucas, Jon, 1976- film director, screenwriter. Moore, Scott (Screenwriter), film director, screenwriter. Todd, Suzanne, film producer. Kunis, Mila, 1983- actor. Bell, Kristen, 1980- actor.
Published: 2021 1994
Call Number: BINGEBOX SOMEONE
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: A Bad Moms Christmas; Daddy's Home 2; A Merry Friggin' Christmas; Mixed Nuts; Office Christmas Party. A bad moms Christmas: Follows three under-appreciated and over-burdened women as they rebel against the challenges and expectations of the Super Bowl for moms: Christmas. If creating a more perfect holiday for their families wasn't hard enough, they have to do all of that while hosting and entertaining their own mothers. Daddy's home 2: In the sequel to the 2015 global smash, Dusty and Brad have joined forces to provide their kids the perfect Christmas. Their newfound partnership is put to the test when Dusty's old-school, macho dad and Brad's ultra-affectionate and emotional dad arrive just in time to throw the holiday into complete chaos. A merry friggin' Christmas: Boyd and his family are forced to spend Christmas at his parents' house. When he realizes that he left his son's gifts at home, Boyd and his father must hit the road in a blizzard to retrieve the gifts before sunrise and save Christmas. Mixed nuts: A wild and wacky comedy about oddball characters in Los Angeles at Christmastime, centered around a suicide hotline service.
Author: Wilder, Billy, 1906-2002, producer, director. Taylor, Samuel, 1912-2000, screenwriter. Minghella, Anthony, film director, screenwriter. Zaentz, Saul, film producer. Segal, Erich, 1937-2010, screenwriter.
Published: 2021 1954
Call Number: BINGEBOX ROMANTIC [EMMA ED.]
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: Sabrina; The English Patient; Emma; Love Story; The Cider House Rules. Sabrina: David and Linus are brothers running the family corporation. When the chauffeur's daughter comes back from Paris she finds she has the attention of David, whom she has always liked, but starts to fall in love with Linus. Includes bonus features. The English patient: Based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje, a complicated WWII saga told in flashback sequences. A mysterious stranger is cared for by British allies unaware of his dangerous past. Yet, as the mystery of his identity is revealed, an incredible tale of passion, intrigue, and adventure unfolds. Emma: Jane Austen's beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending is reimagined in this delicious new film adaptation of Emma. Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse is a restless "queen bee" without rivals in her sleepy little English town. In this glittering satire of social class, Emma must navigate her way through the challenges of growing up, misguided matches and romantic missteps to realize the love that has been there all along. Love story: Timeless love story about two young lovers that are only together for a short time before tragedy strikes.
Author: Lohan, Lindsay, 1986- actor. Stone, Emma, 1988- actor. Silverstone, Alicia, actor. Bynes, Amanda, 1986- actor. Whitman, Mae, 1988- actor.
Published: 2020 1995
Call Number: BINGEBOX GOSSIP
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: Mean Girls; Easy A; Clueless; She's the Man; The Duff. Mean girls (PG13, 96 min., 2004): Raised in the African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady Heron thinks she knows about survival of the fittest. But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled fifteen-year-old enters public high school for the first time and falls prey to the psychological warfare and unwritten social rules that teenage girls face today. Easy A (PG13, 92 min., 2010): After a little white lie about losing her virginity gets out, a clean-cut high school girl sees her life paralleling Hester Prynne's in The Scarlet Letter, which she is currently studying in school. Hoping to become popular, she decides to use the rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing. Special features include commentary, gag reel, and Emma Stone audition footage. Clueless (PG13, 97 min., 1995): Cher and Dionne are pampered upper-class girls who care less about getting good grades than wearing the right clothes and being as popular as possible. But Cher also has an innate urge to help those less fortunate, like the two introverted teachers she brings together and new friend Tai, who starts out a geek and ends up a Cher prodigy. Cher also possesses her own sensitive side, and she is looking for the perfect boyfriend, whom she ends up finding where she least expected. She's the man (PG13, 105 min., 2006): Viola, disguised as her twin brother Sebastian, joins the high school boys' soccer team and helps win the big game while unexpectedly falling for Duke. High school politics and twisted love triangles become a major challenge.
Author: Lucas, George, 1944- film director, screenwriter. McCallum, Rick, 1952- film producer. Hales, Jonathan, screenwriter. Kurtz, Gary, film producer. Brackett, Leigh, screenwriter.
Published: 2020 1977
Call Number: BINGEBOX IN
Format: Video disc
Summary: Star wars, episode I (1999), The phantom menace: Stranded on the planet Tatooine after rescuing Queen Amidala of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discover nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker, a young slave. Gifted with the power of the Force, Anakin wins his freedom and leaves home to be trained as a Jedi. Back on Naboo, Anakin and the Queen face a massive invasion while the two Jedi confront a lethal foe named Darth Maul. Star wars, episode II (2002), Attack of the clones: Ten years after the Trade Federation's hostilities against Naboo, Queen Amidala has traded in her crown for a seat on the Galactic Senate. An assassination attempt on Padme brings Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi back into her life. Star wars, episode III (2005), Revenge of the Sith: Years after the onset of the Clone Wars, the Sith unveil a thousand-year-old plot, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Confirming the worst fears of Jedi Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker is seduced by the dark side of the Force and becomes the Emperor's new apprentice-Darth Vader. The Jedi are decimated, as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jedi Master Yoda are forced into hiding. The only hope for the galaxy are Anakin's own children, a boy and girl who share a heroic destiny. Star wars, episode IV (1977), A new hope: Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy. Nineteen years after the formation of the Empire, Luke is thrust into the struggle of the Rebel Alliance when he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has lived for years in seclusion on the desert planet of Tatooine. Obi-Wan begins Luke?s Jedi training as Luke joins him on a daring mission to rescue the beautiful Rebel leader Princess Leia from the clutches of Darth Vader and the evil Empire. Star wars, episode V (1980), Empire strikes back: After the destruction of the Death Star, Imperial forces continue to pursue the Rebels. After the Rebellion?s defeat on the ice planet Hoth, Luke journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda, who has lived in hiding since the fall of the Republic. In an attempt to convert Luke to the dark side, Darth Vader lures young Skywalker into a trap in the Cloud City of Bespin.
Author: Zwigoff, Terry, film director. Cameron, John, 1958- film producer. Ficarra, Glenn, screenwriter. Donner, Richard, film director, producer. Glazer, Mitch, screenwriter.
Published: 2020 1988
Call Number: BINGEBOX HUMBUG
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: Bad Santa; Scrooged; The Ref; Black Christmas. Bad Santa: A mall Santa and his elf have plans for Christmas Eve: they plan on cracking the mall safe and making off with all the money. Their plans get side-tracked when a young boy helps them remember the real meaning of Christmas. Scrooged: High-spirited high jinks on Christmas Eve put Frank Cross in a ghostly time warp in this hilarious take on Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The ref: An unfortunate cat burglar becomes trapped in a fate worse than jail when he takes a bickering couple and their annoying relatives hostage. Black Christmas: Hawthorne College is quieting down for the holidays. But as Riley Stone and her Mu Kappa Epsilon sisters prepare to deck the halls with a series of seasonal parties, a black-masked stalker begins killing sorority women one by one.
Author: Capra, Frank, 1897-1991, film director. Riskin, Robert, screenwriter. Sherman, Lowell, 1888-1934, film director. Berman, Pandro S., 1905-1996, film producer. Green, Howard J., 1893-1965, screenwriter.
Published: 2020 1933
Call Number: BINGEBOX ACADEMY
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: It Happened One Night; The Lost Weekend; From Here to Eternity; The Bridge on the River Kwai; Morning Glory. It happened one night: When her father threatens to annul her marriage to a fortune-hunting playboy, spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews hops a cross-country bus to New York, where she plans to live happily ever after with her handsome new hubby. Romantic complications soon arise, however, when she's befriended by fellow passenger Peter Warne, a brash and breezy reporter who offers his help in exchange for her exclusive story. Morning glory: When a naively innocent aspiring actress arrives on the Broadway scene, she is taken under the wing of several theater veterans who mentor her to ultimate success. The lost weekend: A would-be writer's dissatisfaction with his life leads him on a three-day binge. This film gives an uncompromising look at the devastating effects of alcoholism. From here to eternity: Drama about life in the Army in the days prior to World War II. Shows the effect of Army discipline on an individualistic former boxing champion who defies the attempts of officers and men to break him when he refuses to fight on the company's boxing team. Includes actual scenes of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Author: Bayona, J. A. (Juan Antonio), film director. Atienza, Belén, film producer. Ness, Patrick, 1971- screenwriter. Cassavetes, Nick, film director, screenwriter. Johnson, Mark, 1945 December 27- film producer.
Published: 2020 2006
Call Number: BINGEBOX YOULL
Format: Video disc
Summary: Titles included: A Monster Calls; My Sister's Keeper; P.S. I Love You; The Pursuit of Happyness; and Seven Pounds. A monster calls: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, and Liam Neeson. My sister's keeper: Sara and Brian live an idyllic life with their young son and daughter. Suddenly, their baby girl falls ill, and her only hope for survival rests in her parents' ability to find a compatible bone marrow donator. Their desperate decision to conceive another child raises both ethical and moral questions and begins to erode their relationship. Their actions ultimately set off a court case that threatens to tear the family apart. P.S. I love you: Holly Kennedy is beautiful, smart and married to the love of her life, a passionate, funny, and impetuous Irishman named Gerry. So when his life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry, so it's a good thing he planned ahead. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief, but in rediscovering herself. The first message arrives on Holly's 30th birthday in the form of a cake and a tape recording from Gerry. In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way - P.S.I Love You. Holly's mother and best friends begin to worry that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. The pursuit of happyness: Chris Gardner is an intelligent, energetic guy who can't catch a break. In the sluggish Bay Area economy of 1981, he's losing ground, by investing all his family's money in high cost bone-density scanners. His wife leaves him, he loses his apartment, and with his 5-year-old son in tow joins the ranks of the homeless, if not the hopeless. Bounced from shelter to shelter, he finds himself a single dad who has to support and care for a young child. Impressing a Dean Witter higher-up by solving a Rubik's cube during a taxi ride, Chris gets a place in a stockbroker-training program. But internships don't pay, and there's no guarantee he'll be offered a job at the end of it. Against all odds, he pushes toward success, and eventually turns his life around.
Author: Diesel, Vin, actor. Walker, Paul, 1973-2013, actor. Rodriguez, Michelle, actor. Johnson, Dwayne, 1972- actor. Pitt, Brad, 1963- actor.
Published: 2019 1995
Call Number: BINGEBOX BY
Format: Video disc
Summary: A collection of DVDs all gathered into one "binge box" for a spectacular movie night. Titles included: Fast & Furious 6; Seven; Eight Legged Freaks; 9; How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Fast & furious 6: Following their successful Rio heist, Dom and his crew of professional criminals have retired around the world. But their inability to return home and living forever on the lam has left their lives incomplete. Seven: A serial killer uses the seven deadly sins as the template for his killing spree. Eight legged freaks: Residents of a mining town discover an unfortunate chemical spill that has caused hundreds of spiders to mutate overnight to the size of SUVs.
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