Probably one of the biggest questions we get asked at the circulation desk is “What do you recommend?” Well, we decided we’d compile a list of everything the staff is reading/watching/listening to so you can enjoy the staff’s recommendations when you’re not in Avalon!
If you’re interested in placing a hold on one of the staffs picks, visit our online catalog. Remember, if you are an AVALON PROPERTY OWNER you are eligible for our Library by Mail program. For more information about our Library by Mail program, visit our website.
Michelle: Captain America Movies
“I’m getting ready for the new Captain America movie! I want to watch them all in order so I am up to speed when the movie comes out.”
Michelle is gearing up for the release of Captain America: Civil War. In addition to watching the two previous Captain America movies (Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: Winter Soldier) she is also watching the previous Iron Man and Thor movies to refresh her memory on the Marvel Universe (since the movies are all part of the same universe there’s a lot of overlap.)
Place a hold on Michelle’s Picks:
Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-Ray)
Captain America: The First Avenger (DVD)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Blu-Ray)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (DVD)
Milt: Bridge of Spies (2015)
“It was fantastic!!”
Milt saw Bridge of Spies when we showed it here at the library. In the movie, Tom Hanks plays a lawyer who is recruited to defend a soviet spy during the cold war. We had 85 people attend our showing of Bridge of Spies and according to Milt the audience’s response to the movie was overwhelming satisfaction!
Place a hold on Milt’s Pick:
Interested in attending one of our movie showings? Here’s our schedule:
Steve Jobs – February 16th
Spotlight – February 23rd
Room – March 1st
Creed – March 2nd
The Danish Girl – March 3rd
Carol – March 15th
Sean: The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
“It tells a very compelling story about a family living in a dying city.”
The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone—and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit’s East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts—and shapes—their family’s future.
Description provided by Goodreads
Place a hold on Sean’s Pick:
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy (Print Book)
Skyler: Spectre (2015)
“I saw it in theaters twice and I’ve watched it at home three or four times now! I can’t get enough. Solid action/spy movie.”
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Description provided by IMDb
Place a hold on Skyler’s Pick:
Olivia: Suicide Squad Vol. 2: The Nightshade Odyssey
“It’s a riveting introduction to a group of offbeat and simultaneously enthralling characters!”
This second collection features multiple storylines from the 1980s, chronicling the adventures of a team of villains recruited for top secret government operations. Here, the group is discovered by Batman, who demands their immediate shutdown. Not only that, the team has some run-ins with the Justice League as both organizations seek to infiltrate a Russian prison. Collecting issues from both Suicide Squad and Justice League, this volume features team-ups and crossovers of epic proportions.
Place a hold on Olivia’s pick:
Suicide Squad Vol. 2: The Nightshade Odyssey (Graphic Novel)
Shannon: The Faye Longchamp Mysteries by Mary Anna Evans
“If you’re a fan of the mystery genre, this one is solid. I’m listening to it on Hoopla and the narrator is really good!”
Mary Anna Evans, award-winning author of the Faye Longchamp mysteries, has degrees in physics and engineering, but her heart is in the past. Her books have found an unexpected home in schools, and when she’s not writing novels, she works with elementary teachers to develop ways to use popular fiction to teach math, science, and history.
Place a hold on Shannon’s Picks:
*Items on Hoopla are available at all times. No holds required. Just download the Hoopla Digital app from your app store and sign up using your email address and Avalon Library card.
Jen: The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright
“It was excellent. It came out in 2012 I think – I can’t believe I missed it!”
Survival for Ki Lim and Sang Ly is a daily battle at Stung Meanchey, the largest municipal waste dump in all of Cambodia. They make their living scavenging recyclables from the trash. Life would be hard enough without the worry for their chronically ill child, Nisay, and the added expense of medicines that are not working. Just when things seem worst, Sang Ly learns a secret about the bad-tempered rent collector who comes demanding money–a secret that sets in motion a tide that will change the life of everyone it sweeps past. The Rent Collector is a story of hope, of one woman’s journey to save her son and another woman’s chance at redemption.
Description provided by Goodreads
Place a hold on Jen’s Pick:
The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright (Print Book)
The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright (OverDrive eBook)
Elizabeth: Dead Calm (1989)
“It was really good, different and a little scary, but good!”
A mass-murderer kidnaps and seduces a young woman after leaving her husband to die on the vessel whose crew he’s just slaughtered.
Description provided by IMDb
Place a hold on Elizabeth’s Pick: