Monthly Archives: July 2018

  On Wednesday, a stone bench dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jay Heiner was installed on the library’s grounds.  Dr Heiner, who passed away in 2016, touched many lives. He was beloved by his family, friends, the medical professionals … Continue reading →

Series fans can tune into the 5th season of “Orange is the New Black”.  At the end of season 4, the women prisoners had rioted following (spoiler alert!) the murder of Poussey by one of the guards.  The new season … Continue reading →

Reboots of older movies seem to be a thing this summer.  “Tomb Raider” updates the Lara Croft series. Alicia Vikander (“Danish Girl”) plays a more vulnerable Croft, the action is less super-hero like, and the plot device, the discovery of the … Continue reading →

“Beirut” is a tense thriller about a retired diplomat who returns to the Middle East to help solve a kidnapping.  “This is an old-fashioned spy thriller” (Chicago Sun-Times). Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy keeps the action jumping and Jon Hamm delivers … Continue reading →

“Thoroughbreds”, a black comedy about teens gone rogue.   Two childhood friends, Lily and Amanda, reconnect in an upscale Connecticut suburb.  Lily has turned into a polished prep; Amanda, a social outcast.  The pair bonds, however, over Lily’s contempt for her … Continue reading →

There is star power, or at least director power, in Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One” and Stephen Soderbergh’s “Unsane”.  Spielberg’s “Ready One” is about a futuristic world where people use virtual reality software to escape the desolation that surrounds them. … Continue reading →

Here are two well-regarded stories about family meltdowns.  “The Lost Family” by Jenna Blum is about Holocaust survivor who settles in the US, builds a business, and starts a family, only to see it unravel in the 80’s. We have … Continue reading →

In Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams, love crosses class lines on an elite NY resort island.  Double Blind by Iris Johansen begins with the death of a woman trying to pass a video to operator Kendra Michaels.  Finally, Daniel Silva’s new … Continue reading →

Ronan Farrow’s “The War on Peace”  reflects on weakened state of our diplomatic establishment and the reliance on our military as the main instrument of American  foreign policy.  “The World as It Is” by Ben Rhodes tells about a foreign … Continue reading →

Critics are raving about “The Overstory” by Richard Powers.  Standing as silent witnesses to our personal dramas, trees contain our collective history and climate record in their rings. Powers weaves the stories of nine strangers connected through their collective action … Continue reading →