PageTurners Read “Holidays on Ice”

Holidays on Ice
David Sedaris
Holidays on Ice is a collection of stories and creative essays by Sedaris with a common Christmas theme.  David Sedaris’s dark humor is evident in “Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!” a parody of the relentlessly cheerful holiday letters written by thousands of people extolling the virtues of their dubious brood. “Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol,” is a vicious theatrical review of children’s Christmas pageants. Sedaris explores some of his own holiday memories in “Dinah, the Christmas Whore” and ”SantaLand Diaries”.

The PageTurners Book Club met on Thursday, December 8, at 6 pm in the Bottom Shelf Room at the Rice Lake Public Library. Five people attended the discussion. The general consensus about the book was that Sedaris walked a fine line between hilarious and offensive with these stories. The average score awarded to this book was 3.2 out of 5 books; the lowest score was a 2 / 5 and the highest score 4 / 5.

Click on the book graphic below to see a full recap of book club members’ opinions.

_____________________________

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris is available at the Rice Lake Public Library. There are over ten copies of this book in the MORE System. Please visit the card catalog website or call us at 234-4861 to reserve a copy today.

The PageTurners Book Club is sponsored by the Friends of the Rice Lake Public Library. It usually meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6 pm at the Rice Lake Public Library. Discussion lasts an hour; everyone is welcome.

Jeff Conaway

1950-2011

On May 11, 2011, Conaway was found unconscious from what was initially described as an overdose of substances, believed to be pain medication, and was taken to Encino Tarzana Medical Center in Encino, California, where he was listed as being in critical condition and in a coma. On May 26, 2011, Conaway’s family took him off life support after doctors decided there was nothing they could do to revive him. Conaway died the following morning at the age of 60.

Babylon 5 (1994-1998) Rated NR

Babylon 5 is an outer-space way station, a port-of-call for diplomats, entrepreneurs, and scalawags of all species. Commander Jeffrey Sinclair–aided by chief security officer Michael Garibaldi, Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova, and resident telepath Talia Winters–tries to keep apprised of all the intrigues swirling around his little corner of the galaxy, but things invariably spiral out of control.

Taxi (1978-1982) Rated NR

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous taxi dispatcher for a New York City taxi company. He tries to maintain order over the varied collection of strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

Grease (1978) Rated PG

It’s love when a greaser falls for a good girl in this musical depicting young life in the fifties.

Pete’s Dragon (1977) Rated G

A 9-year old boy and his pet dragon (invisible to all but him) run away from his foster parents.

The Eagle Has Landed (1976) Rated PG

Sixteen German paratroopers are dropped on the coast of England in 1943 with orders to kidnap Churchill and bring him back to Hitler.

Information cited from Reuters, May 19, 2011 and Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2011.

Princes and Princesses

Prince William and Kate Middleton marry on Friday, April 29, 2011. This is a major event. They are celebrities with a little extra: crowns! People across the globe have been watching as the royal wedding plans unfold. There is an official website made just for the event. Speculation is wild over the wedding gown and guest list. Prince William and Kate have opted not to register for gifts. Instead, they have asked that any gifts be made to the donations of their choice; the website can be found here.

Oh, and if your invite got lost in the mail, don’t worry, you can still watch the big event on tv in the wee dark hours of the morning, or at their  YouTube channel.

In the meantime, if you can’t get enough of all things royal, check these books and movies out!

What Do You Think?

Greg Mortenson is the author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools. His books have spent months on the New York Times Best Seller List. He is also the founder of the charity the Central Asia Institute. The Central Asia Institute’s mission is to provide educational opportunities for Afghani children, particularly girls; hundreds of schools have been built in Afghanistan for this purpose. Mortenson’s charity has raised millions of dollars.

Unfortunately, doubts have arison about the truth behind Three Cups of Tea and the allocation of funds of his charity. Recently, CBS’s 60 Minutes published an exposé of Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute charity. CBS journalist Steve Kroft and best selling author Jon Krakauer allege that some of the key facts behind Mortenson’s experiences in Afghanistan are false or grossly distorted. Even more damaging, they claim that the Central Asia Institute money was misused to pay for personal flights for Mortenson, among other things.

These charges are very serious. The Montana Attorney General has begun looking into the CAI, as has the publisher of Mortenson’s best selling book Three Cups of Tea. Mortenson continues to state that he’s innocent.

Regardless of the outcome of these investigations, there is a bright spot. Mortenson brought attention to the problems of education in an important, but mostly unknown, region of the world. I hope people keep that in mind when considering donating to a good cause. And if you’re worried about the legitimacy of any charity, consider reviewing their status with the Better Business Bureau.

Sidney Lumet

Sidney Lumet was a director of many famous films most notable was 12 Angry Men. He also wrote a book on movie making. He passed away April 9th  after a battle with lymphoma. Here is some films to check out:

12 Angry Men (1957) Rated NR

Depicts a jury of men who must decide the fate of a teenage boy who has murdered his abusive father. The jurors are from all walks of life, and bring with them their own opinions, prejudices, fears, and personal demons.

Before the Devil Knows Your Dead (2008) Rated R

A stock broker, who is having financial troubles and in need of extra cash, and his younger brother conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. The only problem is that the owners of the jewelry store are their own parents. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) Rated R

 The story of a botched bank robbery that occurred August 22, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York and turned into a bizarre hostage situation lasting all day.

Network (1976) Rated R

A television newscaster’s mental breakdown turns him into a celebrity when the network tries to profit from his illness.

Serpico (1973) Rated R

Adaptation of a true story where a young New York police officer refuses to extort money from criminals as the other officers do. His fellow police officers turn against him when he seeks to expose the situation during a grand jury investigation.

His book:

Making Movies

Wicked Celebrity Biographies

Celebrities are everywhere these days: in the tabloids, on reality shows, and in jail. And people love to read about these famous people through all the success and failures of living a public life. Perhaps it’s to live vicariously through someone else or maybe it’s a chance to escape from daily life. Whatever the reason behind our nation’s fascination with the bold and the beautiful, it began a long time ago and doesn’t show any sign of letting up.

The celebrities may not actually be wicked, but any of their mistakes or misdeeds are brought to light. Whether it’s one of the Kardashians or Lindsey Lohan, Mick Jagger or Princess Di, Freddy Mercury or Brooke Shields, Marilyn Monroe or Errol Flynn – each one of them had or will have a scandal to their name. Popularity is a double edged sword that drives increased scrutiny as well as success.

Whether you enjoy learning more about your favorite celebrities, or just want to hear the dishiest gossip in Hollywood, here are some books about celebrities with their fair share of scandals, new and old.

Keith Richards is one of the original bad boys of rock n’roll. He formed the band The Rolling Stones with Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, evaded taxes by living in France, and survived numerous drug busts. He shares the details of his love life with Anita Pallenberg and Patti Hansen. Life by Keith Richards with James Fox is an honest look at the roller coaster life of a rock n’roll legend.

 

Judy Garland may have starred in the movie that inspired the Broadway play, Wicked, but Garland’s life was actually full of wicked people and events. Get Happy: the Life of Judy Garland by Gerald Clarke is an unflinching look at her life and times. It details the pressure, secual and otherwise, she underwent as a teen actress, her multiple husbands, her drug addictions, and the many betrayals she suffered. Garland’s life is the thing soap operas are made of … and it’s all true!

 

One of the forerunners of the celebutants parading across our tvs now, like the Kardashian sisters, Paris Hilton, and Kristen Stewart, Marilyn Monroe set the bar high for all those who followed her. She is a silver screen goddess remembered long after her early death. The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli is a complex and sympathetic examination of this famous woman. Taraborrelli reveals family secrets, the full extent of her mental illness, and new information about her relationship with the Kennedys.