Author: Steve

Have you tried Indieflix yet?

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Ever have that annoying 5 or 10 minutes when you’re waiting for someone or waiting somewhere, maybe for your plane to arrive at the airport, or waiting for a friend at the coffee shop, and you’re sick of surfing the internet for something free and interesting?  Well, I have the perfect solution for you, just hop over to rrpl.org and sign up for our free independent streaming movie service, Indieflix.  Have your RRPL library card and your email handy.  Once signed up, you can search for movies that are as short as 1 minute, or as long as a full length feature.  If you are looking for scary movies for your Halloween fix, just use the “Channel” option and take a look at the offerings under the “Horror” or “Zombie” channels.  If safe and simple is more your speed, begin with a quirky short called “Signs.”  The 11 minute Australian Romance is liked by 92% of viewers, see if you agree. It was one of the first shorts that I watched on there and I’m still impressed by its simplicity.   Happy streaming!

-Steve

GO TRIBE!

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It’s been a great weekend for Cleveland sports!  So Clevelanders, throw on some red and root on the sizzling-hot Indians.  I know just watching the games isn’t enough for you, so here are a few gems from Terry Pluto to help you increase your sports enjoyment, be it the Indians, Browns or Cavs.

  • Dealing: The Cleveland Indians’ New Ballgame: How a Small-Market Team Reinvented Itself as a Major League Contender
  • False Start: How the New Browns Were Set Up to Fail
  • Joe Tait: It’s Been a Real Ball: Stories from a Hall-of-Fame Sports Broadcasting Career

And if you want some preparation for tonight’s big game, try Watching Baseball Smarter: A Professional Fan’s Guide for Beginners, Semi-experts, and Deeply Serious Geeks, by Zack Hample.

And two final words, GO TRIBE!

– Steve

Top 12 Reads of My 2012!

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Here’s my rather eclectic list of the best books that I read in 2012. Some are newer, some are older, but all are well worth reading!

Nonfiction

Moneyball, by Michael Lewis
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession, by Mark Obmascik
When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead: Useful Stories from a Persuasive Man, by Jerry Weintraub and Rich Cohen
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, by Daniel Okrent
The Sociopath Next Door, by Martha Stout
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything, by Joshua Foer

Fiction

Before I Go to Sleep: A Novel, by S.J. Watson
Tonight I Said Goodbye, by Michael Koryta
A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick

Graphic Novels

Fables: Legends in Exile, by Bill Willingham
American Vampire Vol. 1, by Scott Snyder  and Stephen King, and  Rafael Albuquereque (Illustrator)

~Steve

Grammy’s anyone?

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So what did you all think of the Grammy’s? I have to admit, I am not a big awards show viewer by any means, but I did watch most of Sunday’s show, although I began to doze off near the end. I don’t think I missed much though, maybe that crazy performance with Nicki Minaj. And am I the only one who is annoyed with Taylor Swift’s “surprised look” response to an audience’s appreciation. She always has this look like, “oh my, are they clapping for me?” I’m not saying she doesn’t have talent, it’s just she has a tendency to irritate in that regard. And what about the singer from The Civil Wars, I had to do a double-take, he looks just like Johnny Depp, well maybe a poor man’s version of Depp. Enough of my complaining, check out our selection of Grammy artists from our cd collection. One of my recommendations would be Foster the People’s Torches album. It includes the infectious “Pumped Up Kicks,” as well as a slew of other great songs. Or maybe grab an oldie and kick back with some Beach Boys after seeing their reunion performance at the Grammys.
– Steve

Groundhog Day

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Lately it sure seems like we’ve skipped over winter and have jumped right into spring. Hope you are all enjoying this unusual treat. I know we are hoping for a continuation of this pleasant warmth and an early spring, and cheering for Punxsutawney Phil to deliver some good news tomorrow. This gets me thinking, now is a great time to see, or re-see, the comic classic Groundhog Day. In case you haven’t seen it, it’s about a weatherman, played by Bill Murray, who is trapped in and relives the same day, February 2nd, over and over. And yes, we do own a copy in our collection. Years ago I had attended a presentation given by the writer of the movie, Danny Rubin. I always remember the story that he told about the studio executives wanting him to write a part into the movie explaining how Murray’s character got sucked into the same day vortex. The way he told the story was he had resisted but then one of the movie industry guys told him to just write something, anything, but not to worry about it, as the studio head was going through a divorce and would never remember asking about it anyways and it would be forgotten. Rubin wrote in a part about a cheesy gypsy curse, that alas was forgotten, and thankfully we never had to suffer through. Rubin’s ambiguous plot stayed, and grew into the classic it is today.

Steve

Top 10 + 1 of 2011

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Looking over the past year, I’ve read a bit of everything, but to be honest not many new ones. Here are my top ones, in no particular order. Hope you find one that you may have missed. Enjoy!

River of Doubt,Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard
Roosevelt heads out on an Amazon adventure to soothe his broken spirits after his presidential defeat in 1912.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry
I had never read this children’s classic, and was blown away by it. It’s the story of a utopian society that has gotten rid of pain and discomfort, and 12 year old Jonas’ discovery of a whole range of emotions that have been eliminated from his society.

No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
The movie follows this book closely, but if you haven’t seen it, the story is about a hunter, Llewelyn Moss, who stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad on the US-Mexico border in 1980. He’s pursued by Anton Chigurh, a pure psychopath.

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls
I was surprised that I enjoyed this one as much as I did. It’s the memoir of Jeannette Walls, and her wreck of a family. Her dad is an alcoholic and her mom is about as selfish as they come, and the two of them drag the poor kids all across the country dodging the law and bill collectors. At times funny and heartbreaking.

Land of Lincoln: Adventure’s in Abe’s America, by Andrew Ferguson
Ferguson grew up a Lincoln buff and as an adult tours the country’s Lincoln museums and events. Funny and educational, the most interesting part is about the making and planning of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois.

Pepper Pike, by Les Roberts
This is the first in his long sleuth series centered in Cleveland, featuring Slovenian private investigator Milan Jacovich.

Benjamin Franklin, an American Life, by Walter Isaacson
Engaging biography of this remarkable genius.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Hilarious novel about sloth-like Ignatius J. Reilly and his adventures and assortment of characters he runs into in 1960’s New Orleans.

Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin
White author Griffin’s real life experiment with racism. Griffin dyed his pigment and lived in the South in the late 1950’s. This is a real eye-opener.

Marley and Me, by John Grogan
Here’s another one I was surprised by. Anyone who has had a crazy dog will relate and laugh their head off. Even if you don’t have a dog you will enjoy this read, although be warned, the end is a tearjerker.

And one bonus book…

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
The true story of Louis Zamperini, Olympic runner and Word War II POW, and his unbelievable tale of survival after being adrift in the Pacific, and then held captive in deplorable conditions in a POW camp.