Author: Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical suggestions for the week; five streaming suggestions and two albums on CD.

(Click on the photo of the albums to stream them or, in the case of CDs, put them on hold.)

Recomended Freegal Streaming Albums:

“Livin’ with the Blues”(1959) by Barbara Dane with Earl Hines and His Orchestra Plus “On My Way” With Kenny Whitson Quartet (Genre: Vocals, Jazz, Blues):

Barbara Dane, singer, activist, and founder of Paredon Records (now taken over by Smithsonian Folkways), was born in 1929 and is still an active performer today. This LP was released in 1964 and includes original tunes as well as songs by Willie Dixon, Tampa Red and Ma Rainey.

Songs in the collection include: Livin’ With The Blues, How Long, How Long Blues, If I Could Be With You, In The Evenin’ and Why Don’t You Do Right.

Rockin’ Robin by Bobby Day (Genre: Classic Pop, Fifties Rock, R&B):

A Los Angeles based singer-songwriter and rock and doo wop pioneer, Bobby Day wrote and sang three hits that have been covered by multiple artists down the years; Little Bitty Pretty One, Rockin’ Robin and Over And Over. This collection offers us a listen to his greatest hits – harkening back to the fifties!

Songs in the collection include: Rockin’ Robin, Over And Over, Little Bitty Pretty One, Come Seven, Saving My Life For You, When The Swallows Come and Beep Beep Beep.

The Happiness Waltz by Josh Rouse (Genre: Folk, Pop, Rock, Country):

AllMusic offers a succinct and apt overview of this Rouse by noting he is a “critically acclaimed indie singer/songwriter who has embraced rootsy country and soulful pop, all with observant lyrics and touching songs.” I concur with that assessment and would add to this listener’s ears his music is more modern folk than pop or country.

Songs on this 2013 release include: Simple Pleasure, It’s Good To Have You, A Lot Like Magic, Start Up A Family and The Western Isles.

Rock and Other Four Letter Words (1968) by J. Marks and Shipen Lebzelter (Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Experimental): 

This is an interesting experimental album from 1968. If you’re a fan of experimental rock, especially that made in the sixties, you should check this LP out.

Here’s a solid description of the album from the Massachusetts based Forced Exposure Mail Order music company:

This New York-based duo released their one and only LP in 1968 on Columbia Masterworks, just months after Frank Zappa released Lumpy Gravy in California. Although the TWO projects have some superficial similarity in structure, it would seem that this later LP must have been made (at least largely), without any knowledge of the Zappa masterpiece. Another morphogenetic reference point might be the first LP by The United States Of America, which also dates from 1968. Originally released simultaneously with Terry Riley’s In C and Wendy Carlos’ Switched on Bach, this new edition of Marks and Lebzelter’s complex, 50-minute heady mix of spoken-word, electronics and experimental psychedelia is taken from the master tapes and consists of a suite of 13 tracks. Where Lumpy Gravy uses orchestral settings, here we have a combination of theatrical text and sung vocals by the Gregg Smith Singers, and on one track, a full Baptist gospel choir praising the virtues of baked beans. The core of this album though, stems from interviews conducted by J Marks for his book, also called Rock and Other Four Letter Words (essentially a book of photos by Linda Eastman, soon-to-be McCartney, with quotes from many of the leading U.S. and UK rock bands of the time).

Included on this LP are numerous cut up and processed excerpts of these interviews with many young rock stars including Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page, Brian Wilson, Grace Slick, etc. Add to this concoction dense arrangements of tape loops, psychedelic rock, electronics and a huge guest list of contributors including jazz players Alan Silva, Andrew Cyrille, Roswell Rudd and Burton Greene, and the scope of this project begins to be seen. It’s hard to believe this is their first time in a studio, such is their confident musicality and bold handling of these varied talents. No doubt much of this is due to the helping hand of the in-house engineers and John McClure who produced this, along with 100s of other recordings at CBS, including the Harry Partch records. After this album Lebzelter (1942 – 1986) went on to found The Trees Community, who released a legendary Christian folk album in 1975. Marks (1930 – 2001) subsequently changed his name in the early ’70s to Jamake Highwater, which is how he is best remembered; writing books, making documentaries and setting up his own foundation for Indian art and culture.

Songs on the LP include: This Is The Word, It’s True, Eine Kleine Hayakawa & Do You Understand What I’m Trying To Say?

Character Study (2018) by Andrew Rathbun (Genre: Jazz):

The new release by the Toronto based Jazz saxophonist.

Songs on the album include: The Golden Fool, Team Of Rivals, His Quiet Determination, Etcetera and Character Study.

Recommended CDs:

A Winter’s Solstice (1985) by Windham Hill Artists (Genre: New Age, Acoustic, Instrumental):

A classic collection of winter music by Windham Hill artists. Songs in the set include: New England Morning by William Ackerman, Bach Bouree by Liz Story, A Tale Of Two Cities by Mark Isham & Engravings II by Stein and Russel Walder.

Best of the Song Books (1996) by Ella Fitzgerald (Genre: Jazz, Vocal): 

A three disc collection of Ella’s music – in essence the greatest hits of a larger 16 disc collection titled “Ella’s Complete Songs Books;” songs in the set include: Love Is Here To Stay, Bewitched, The Lady Is A Tramp, I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good), Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea and Oh, Lady Be Good!

Videos:

Livin’ With The blues by Barbara Dane:

Rockin’ Robin by Bobby Day:

The Happiness Waltz by Josh Rouse:

It’s True by J. Marks & Shipen Lebzelter:

Character Study by Andrew Rathbun:

New England Morning by William Ackerman:

Oh, Lady Be Good! By Ella Fitzgerald:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.com/

Barbara Dane Sings The Blues, https://folkways.si.edu/barbara-dane/sings-the-blues/american-folk-struggle-protest/music/album/smithsonian

Barbare Dane Site, https://www.barbaradane.net/

Rock and Other Four Letter Words. Forced Exposure Mail Order, https://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/marks-shipen-lebzelter-j-rock-and-other-four-letter-words-lp/PD.028LP.html

About Freegal: 

Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Hi everyone, here are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week ending January 6, 2019.

And just a quick note, as I will be on vacation for most of the next two weeks the next New York Times Bestseller blog posting will next be published the week of January 14, 2019.

Happy New Year everyone!

FICTION:

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.)

A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron: 

 

Elevation by Stephen King:

 

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks:

 

Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History) by George R. R. Martin:

 

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci:

 

Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur:

 

Next Person You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom:

 

Nine Perfect Strangers: A Novel by Liane Moriarty:

 

Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts:

 

Past Tense by Lee Child: 

 

The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham:

 

Safe And Sound by Fern Michaels:

 

Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson:

 

Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel by Heather Morris:

 

Tom Clancy Oath of Office by Marc Cameron:

 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens:

 

NON-FICTION:

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.)

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou:

 

Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz:

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama:

 

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking:

 

Churchill: Walking With Destiny by Andrew Roberts:

 

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover:

 

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward:

 

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis:

 

Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by Bill O’Reilly:

 

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin:

 

Obama: An Intimate Portrait by Pete Souza:

 

Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer:

 

Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari:

 

Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution by Tucker Carlson:

Have a great day!

Linda, SSL

Hi everyone, this is our second week of offering recommended titles selected from the New York Times 100 Most Notable Books of 2018 article.

As you’ll recall last week we focused on fiction eBooks, this week our notable titles are all fiction print books.

And for next week, the week that starts December 21, we’ll offer notable non-fiction titles as both eBooks and print books.

And on a holiday hours note, the library is closed on Monday, December 24, Tuesday, December 25 and Tuesday, January 1.

The library will be regular hours all other days.

And regular library hours are:

Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday & Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

&

Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

And now on to the selections from the New York Times most notable FICTION for 2018 IN THE PRINT BOOK FORMAT:

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request, check out or know more about!)

Brown: Poems by Kevin Young:

 

Eternal Life: A Novel by Dara Horn:

 

Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer:

 

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi:

 

The Friend by Sigrid Nunez:

 

Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai:

 

House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea:

 

Immigrant, Montana by Amitava Kumar:

 

In Every Moment We Are Still Alive by Tom Malmquist:

 

Kites by Gary Romain:

 

Lake Success by Gary Shteyngart:

 

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden: Stories by Denis Johnson:

 

Last Stories by William Trevor:

 

Macbeth by Jo Nesbo:

 

Mars Room: A Novel by Rachel Rushner:

 

Mirror, Shoulder, Signal by Dorthe Nors:

 

The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas Llosa:

 

The Odyssey by Homer, Translated by Emily Wilson:

 

Only To Sleep: A Philip Marlow Novel:

 

The Overstory by Richard Powers:

 

The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat:

 

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani:

 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole:

 

Property: Stories Between Two Novellas by Lionel Shriver:

 

The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst:

 

There There by Tommy Orange:

 

Wade in the Water: Poems by Tracy K. Smith:

 

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje:

 

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan:

 

The Witch Elm by Tana French:

 

Your Duck Is My Duck by Deborah Eisenberg:

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

References

100 Notable Books of 2018. New York Times. Online. Accessed December 17, 2018.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/19/books/review/100-notable-books.html

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Libby, Freegal or RBDigital app from your app store to get started.

If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical suggestions for the week; five streaming suggestions and two albums on CD.

(Click on the photo of the albums to stream them or, in the case of CDs, put them on hold.)

Recomended Freegal Streaming Albums:

Blue Monday (2018) by Eugene Brosnan (Genre: Folk, Acoustic, Modern Folk):

Eugene Brosnan grew up in Millstreet, County Cork, Ireland and found a love of music as a child. At age 18 he left Ireland, guitar in hand, and spent time gigging around Europe fine tuning his musical skills. Blue Monday is his new album and it features the songs: I Like Talking to You, Monday is My Blue Day, Hannah is a Palindrome and Nobody’s Perfect.

Can’t Believe It’s Christmas (And Other Xmas Hits) (2016) by Gaspard Royant (Genre: Alternative, Vocal, Rock):

Gaspard Royant was born in 1979 in Thonon-les-Bains, in Eastern France. His musical style can be described as a modern light rock. This contemporary EP contains the following songs: I Can’t Believe It’s Christmas, Christmas Time Again, Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas and Happy Christmas (War Is Over).

Stolen Moments – Johannes Brahms, Solo Piano Works (2018) by Rikke Sandberg (Genre: Classical):

Rikke Sandberg is a popular classical pianist who hails from Denmark; Stolen Moments is her new LP. The album features the songs: Partita in D Minor, BWV 1004: Chaconne for Solo Violin (Arr. by Rikke Sandberg for Piano – Left Hand Only), Hungarian Song, Op. 21, No. 2 in D Major: III. Variation No. 2 in D Major, 7 Fantasien, Op. 116: II. Intermezzo – Andante and 8 Piano Pieces, Op. 76: II. Capriccio – Allegretto non troppo.

The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015) by Bruce Springsteen (Genre: Rock, Singer-Songwriter):

‘The Ties That Bind: The River Collection’ is a comprehensive look at Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The River’ era, one of the most pivotal periods of time in his career. The set contains 52 tracks on with a wealth of unreleased material and includes the original ‘The River’ double album as released in 1980. – from the record company

This is a terrific set to stream!

Songs in the collection include: The Ties That Bind, Sherry Darling, Cadillac Ranch, Drive All Night, Hungry Heart and Meet Me in the City.

Greatest Hits: Decade #1 (2014) by Carrie Underwood (Genre: Country):

A greatest hits collection by the popular country singer. Songs on the album include: Little Toy Guns, Inside Your Heaven, Don’t Forget To Remember Me, Before He Cheats, All-American Girl and Just A Dream.

A Winter Solstice Reunion (1998) by Various Artists  (Genre: New Age, Acoustic, Holiday):

Songs in the collection include: Babe Is Born/Enter The Stable Gently by Liz Story, Snowfall Lullaby by Barbara Higbie, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Alex de Grassi, Year’s End by Michael Manring, 20 Below by Paul McCandless and Christmas Wish by Tuck & Patti

Recommended CDs:

Eight Classic Albums by Bud Powell (Genre: Jazz, Bebop):

Born in 1924, Bud Powell was a great Jazz pianist who had tragic health issues, and died young, after a racially motivated beating he suffered in the 1940s. His piano playing style moved away from the left hand striding that was popular during the Big Band era and instead emphasized chord playing with the left hand – expanding the style of Jazz piano playing and was founding player of the then new Jazz style – Bebop.

This set features all the songs on the following albums: “Bud Powell Trio” (1951), “The Amazing Bud Powell” (1951), “The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 2” (1953), “Bud Powell Trio Volume 2” (1953), “The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 3” (1957) “Time Waits- The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 4” (1958), “Blues in the Closet” (1958), and “The Scene Changes- The Amazing Bud Powell Volume 5” (1959).

Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967 (2018) by Bob Seger & Bob Seger and the Last Heard (Genre: Rock, Classic Rock):

An early collection of music from a young, and then unknown, Midwest rocker named Bob Seger!
Songs in this collection include: Heavy Music, Pt. 1, East Side Story, Persecution Smith, Sock It To Me Santa and Florida Time.

Videos of the Week:

Monday is My Blue Day by Eugene Brosnan:

(C’mon Baby) It’s Christmas Time! by Gaspard Royant:

Partita in D Minor, BWV 1004: Chaconne for Solo Violin (Arr. by Rikke Sandberg for Piano – Left…) by Rikke Sandberg:

The River (live) by Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band:

Something In The Water by Carrie Underwood:

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Alex de Grassi:

Bonus Videos:

As today is the first day of the old festival Yule, as well as the shortest day of the year, I’m going to include a few Yule log videos! (And yes I am a huge fan of Yule Logs!)

My first pick is just a plain and simple video of logs burning for 10 hours – no music at all – but perfect for sitting in front of with a good book!

Fireplace – Full HD – 10 hours crackling logs for Christmas:

And here’s a Yule Log that features soothing holiday music:

Instrumental Christmas Music with Fireplace 24/7 – Merry Christmas!

A more traditional Yule Log with holiday music:

Classic Christmas Yule Log Fireplace in 4k HD Feat. over 2 Hours Of Holiday Music!:

And a slightly fuzzy, but if you’re a certain age – nostalgic, Yule Log – from WPIX:

Original WPIX Yule Log 2hr version:

Joys of Christmas by Chris Rea (If you like bluesy guitar…):

All The Gifts I Need by J. D. McPherson:

Ugly Sweater Blues by J D McPherson: 

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

Biography. Eugene Bronson. Accessed December 21, 2018, https://www.eugenebrosnan.com/Biography.28.0.html

Delicious History of the Yule Log ‘Tis the season for rich food traditions, including that of the Christmas Yule log. Written by STEPHANIE BUTLER. Published December 21, 2012, History Channel, https://www.history.com/news/the-delicious-history-of-the-yule-log

First day of winter 2018: 6 facts about the winter solstice (12/21/18) By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com | Posted December 21, 2018 at 05:20 AM | Updated December 21, 2018 at 09:54 AM, https://www.nj.com/expo/news/erry-2018/12/b2f67acc2c7386/first-day-of-winter-2018-6-fac.html

History of Christmas – History Channel, https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas

Magical History Of Yule, The Pagan Winter Solstice Celebration “After the longest night, we sing up the dawn.” Huffington Post | 12/20/2016 01:57 pm ET Updated Dec 22, 2016, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/winter-solstice-pagan-yule_us_585970abe4b03904470af4c5

RIKKE SANDBERG Homepage, https://www.rikkesandberg.com/frontpage/

A Roots And Rockabilly Holiday Concert With JD McPherson And His Band (44:14) | December 11, 2018 | Heard on Fresh Air, https://www.npr.org/2018/12/11/675628082/a-roots-and-rockabilly-holiday-concert-with-jd-mcpherson-and-his-band

Winter Solstice 2018: 10 Facts About the Shortest Day of the Year Written by JANE ROSE | DECEMBER 20, 2018, http://mentalfloss.com/article/72659/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-winter-solstice

About Freegal: 

Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Hi everyone, here are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week ending December 23, 2018.

(Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.)

FICTION:

Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly:

 

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks:

 

Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History) by George R. R. Martin:

 

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny:

 

Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci:

 

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich:

 

Nine Perfect Strangers: A Novel by Liane Moriarty:

 

Oath of Office by Marc Cameron:

 

Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts:

 

One Day in December: A Novel by Josie Silver:

 

The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham:

 

Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson:

 

Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel by Heather Morris:

 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens:

 

NON-FICTION:

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson:

 

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou:

 

Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz:

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama:

 

Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking:

 

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover:

 

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward:

 

Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by Bill O’Reilly:

 

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin:

 

Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer:

 

Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution by Tucker Carlson:

Have a great day!

Linda, SSL

Hi everyone, it is the time of year when all the best of the year lists come out – including the lists of best and notable books!

So for the last three Mondays of this year I’m going to share lists of notable titles compiled from the New York Times 100 Most Notable Books of 2018 article.

Here is the breakdown:

Monday, December 17: A selection of most notable (i.e. critically acclaimed) fiction eBooks

Monday, December 24: A selection of most notable fiction print books

&

Monday, December 31: A selection of most notable non-fiction eBooks & print books.

(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request, check out or know more about!)

And without further ado, here are selections from the New York Times most notable FICTION books for 2018 – in EBOOK format:

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones:

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday:

Cherry by Nico Walker:

Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer:

Improvement by Joan Silber:

Macbeth by Jo Nesbo:

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh:

The Overstory by Richard Powers:

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani:

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole:

The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst:

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik:

There There by Tommy Orange:

Wade in the Water: Poems by written & read byTracy K. Smith:

Warlight by Michael Ondaatje:

The Witch Elm by Tana French:

BONUS SUGGESTIONS

(Notable titles available as downloadable audiobooks):

An American Marriage written by Tayari Jones & read by Sean Crisden:

Cherry: A Novel written by Nico Walker & read by Jeremy Bobb:

The Female Persuasion: A Novel written by Meg Wolitzer & read by Rebecca Lowman:

The House of Broken Angels written & read by Luis Alberto Urrea:

Severance written by Ling Ma & read by Nancy Wu:

There There: A Novel written by Tommy Orange & read by Darrell Dennis:

Wade in the Water: Poems & read by Tracky K. Smith:

Warlight: A Novel written by Michael Ondaatje & read by Steve West:

The Witch Elm: A Novel written by Tana French & read by Paul Nugent:

Have a great week!

Linda, SSCL

References

100 Notable Books of 2018. New York Times. Online. Accessed December 17, 2018.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/11/19/books/review/100-notable-books.html

Online Catalog Links:

StarCat

The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.

The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)

The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.

Freegal Music Service

This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:

RBDigital

Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.

About Library Apps:

You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Continuing our Did You Know…We Have Holiday Books, Music & Movies available at the library postings for December, here is a list of holiday DVDs & streaming videos for your perusal.

(Click on the photos to read more about the movies and request them – through StarCat.)

DVDs:

12 Films of Christmas:

 

American Christmas Carol:

 

Bachelor Mother:

 

Carols From King’s College:

 

Celtic Woman: Home for Christmas, Live from Dublin:

 

Charlie Brown Christmas:

 

Christmas Carol (1984):

 

Christmas Carol (1951):

 

Christmas Carol (1999):

 

Christmas Classic Collection:

 

Christmas by Celtic Thunder:

 

Christmas Past: Vintage Holiday Films, 1901-1925:

 

 

Christmas Story:

 

Christmas Story 2:

 

Christmas Tale:

 

The Crossing:

 

Deck The Halls:

 

Die Hard (part of the Die Hard collection – Die Hard 1):

 

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch stole Christmas! (Boris Karloff version):

 

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch stole Christmas! (Jim Carrey version):

 

Ed Sullivan show. A Classic Christmas:

 

Ernest Saves Christmas:

 

Family Stone:

 

Finding Father Christmas:

 

Finding John Christmas:

 

First Silent Night:

 

Four Christmases:

 

Friday After Next:

 

Ghosts of Christmas Eve:

 

Holiday Collection: Movie 4 Pack:

 

Holiday Collector’s Set. Volume 3:

 

Holiday Inn:

 

Home Alone:

 

The Homecoming:

 

Ice Harvest:

 

It’s A Wonderful Life:

 

Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special:

 

Joyeux Noel = Merry Christmas:

 

Last of the Summer Wine. Christmas Specials, 1978-1982:

 

Lifetime Triple Holiday Feature:

 

Merry Friggin’ Christmas:

 

Miracle at Christmas: Ebbie’s Story:

 

Mon oncle Antoine:

 

Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol:

 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:

 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2:

 

Nightmare Before Christmas:

 

The Nutcracker:

 

One Christmas:

 

Original Christmas Classics: 7 Holiday Favorites:

 

Saving Christmas:

 

Scrooge:

 

Scrooged:

 

Season For Miracles:

 

Shari Lewis Christmas:

 

Surviving Christmas:

 

Tuesday, After Christmas:

 

Tyler Perry’s a Madea Christmas:

 

Very Brady Christmas:

 

Very Harold & Kumar Christmas:

 

Very Mary Christmas:

 

White Christmas:

 

William Wegman’s Fay’s Twelve Days of Christmas:

 

Streaming Videos (Watch on a computer or through the Libby or OverDrive apps):

Abbott & Costello Christmas Show:

 

Apollo 8 Christmas: Christmas At The Moon:

 

Casper’s First Christmas:

 

Christmas Trade:

 

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Live:

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical suggestions for the week; five streaming suggestions and two albums on CD.

Click on the photo of the albums to stream them or, in the case of CDs, put them on hold.

Streaming Titles:

More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 (Deluxe Edition) (2018) by Bob Dylan (Genre: Rock, Folk):

Limited edition set Includes every surviving take from Blood On The Tracks, including the complete New York sessions. Features alternate versions of Tangled Up In Blue, Simple Twist Of Fate and Shelter From The Storm Over 70 previously unreleased recordings Bonus hardcover book features original handwritten lyrics, photographs and more The latest chapter in the highly acclaimed Bootleg Series makes available the pivotal studio recordings made by Bob Dylan during six extraordinary sessions in 1974 that resulted in the artist’s 1975 masterpiece, Blood On The Tracks. The set includes the complete New York sessions in chronological order including outtakes, false starts and studio banter. The album’s producers have worked from best sources available, in most cases utilizing the original multi-track session tapes. The only recordings remaining from the Minneapolis sessions are the multi-track masters of the five performances included on the finished Blood On The Tracks album.

It’s A Holiday Soul Party (2015) by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings (Genre: Soul, R&B, Blues, Rock):

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings are here to help music fans get into the holiday spirit. The band offers up a succinct soulful soundtrack to this holiday season with their new album Its A Holiday Soul Party, out October 30th. Kicking off with 8 Days (Of Hanukkah) –the bands ode to The Festival of Lights–the 11-song set of original and classic holiday songs is the group’s first holiday record and follows their Grammy-nominated 2014 album, Give The People What They Want.

There’s no other band today that plays with the rhythm, feeling, or explosive power of the Dap-Kings. Since releasing their first album in 2002, the group has toured the world countless times, garnering a legion of loyal fans, and a slew of tremendously successful TV appearances. Sharon, the Queen of modern-day Soul, has collaborated with some of musics biggest names, including David Byrne and Michael Bublé. Be sure to add this soon to be classic to your Holiday checklist, shopping list, et al.

The Essential Van Morrison (2015) by Van Morrison (Genre: Singer-Songwriter, Pop, Folk):

37-track, cross-label career-spanning anthology. All the hits & key album tracks, from Them through to later collaborations with the Chieftains & Cliff Richard

’68 Comeback Special (50th Anniversary Edition) (2018) by Elvis Presley:

’68 Comeback Special (50th Anniversary Edition) is the definitive chronicle of the now legendary NBC-TV show, Elvis. After years of making formulaic movies, Elvis was finally unleashed to perform live again on an intimate stage with his original sidemen, Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana. Playing “That’s All Right”, “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and many of his great hits, the sheer rawness and excitement of the performances attracted unanimous critical acclaim. Greil Marcus in his book Mystery Train said, “If ever there was music that could bleed, this was it.” The closing song “If I Can Dream” encapsulates every emotion that Elvis and the entire production crew felt during the making of the special. NBC-TV’s Elvis is as raw and inspirational today as it was in 1968. This 50th Anniversary Edition includes all the known audio recordings from RCA’s vault and all the videotaped performances are here for the first time on Blu-ray. For millions of fans, including a young Bruce Springsteen, the Elvis ’68 Comeback Special was a life-changing event. “I remember I waited for weeks for the ’68 Special,” Springsteen recollected recently. “I knew it was coming. I can remember exactly where our TV was set up in the dining room, the exact place I was sitting. I mean, it’s one of those things that’s imprinted on my memory forever.” CAREER-DEFINING ’68 COMEBACK – * 7-Disc definitive box set chronicles the pivotal NBC-TV ’68 special called Elvis and takes you behind the scenes in audio and remastered 4:3 Blu-ray video. * Contains ALL KNOWN recordings/rehearsals from the RCA vaults and from original NBC-TV videotapes.

Greatest Hits (2018) by Train:

Train’s Greatest Hits album celebrates 20 years of their music, pulling together 16 fan-favorites like “Drops of Jupiter,” “Calling All Angels,” and “Hey Soul Sister” plus a special cover of one of front man Pat Monahan’s favorite songs, George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” featuring world renowned saxophonist Kenny G. Train’s self-titled debut album, released by Columbia in 1998 was the start of their now accomplished career – the tumbling wordplay of “Meet Virginia” gave them their first unlikely radio hit and 2001’s Drops Of Jupiter broke them to multi-platinum status thanks to the double GRAMMY award-winning title song that spent 10 months in the Top 40, and earned the Best Rock Song GRAMMY Award. The group won another GRAMMY award in 2011 for their global hit “Hey Soul Sister,” the #1 best-selling smash and most downloaded single of 2010, from their multi-platinum album Save Me, San Francisco. Next was 2012’s California 37, which launched the double-platinum hit “Drive By” reaching the Top 10 in over a dozen countries. They’ve sold more than 10 million albums worldwide, more than 30 million tracks, with multiple platinum/gold citations. Train has also won 3 GRAMMY awards, 2 Billboard Music Awards and dozens of other honors.

Recommended CDs:

Grace (2017) by Lizz Wright (Genre: Vocal, Jazz):

 

On Grace, lauded American singer Lizz Wright summons her Southern heritage and the spirit of the earth to usher us into a nurturing space that pulses and hums with the unspoken suggestion that grace is a cornerstone of our original state of being. Produced by acclaimed singer and songwriter Joe Henry, Grace is a stark reflection of Wright’s sense of place and belonging that’s deeply woven into the cultural fabric of America. Lizz offers one original, written for this record, plus inspiring interpretations of songs from Ray Charles, Allen Toussaint, k.d. lang, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Sister Rosetta Tharp & more.

His Band & The Street Choir (1970) by Van Morrison:

Following Moondance’s breakthrough success, His Band And The Street Choir arrived in November 1970. While Astral Weeks and Moondance contemplate the cosmos and love’s rich conundrums, Street Choir resonates with a purposefully loose ebullience on songs like the Top Ten hit “Domino,” “Blue Money,” and “Call Me Up In Dreamland.”

Videos:  

About The New: Bob Dylan – More Blood, More Tracks: The Bootleg Series Vol. 14 Deluxe Edition:

White Christmas by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings:

Domino by Van Morrison:

Into The Mystic by Van Morrison:

That’s All Right by Elvis:

Calling All Angels by Train:

Grace by Lizz Wright:

Call Me Up In Dreamland by Van Morrison:

Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg:

Wonderful Christmas Time:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

Hi everyone, here are the top New York Times fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for the week ending December 16, 2018.

Click on the book covers to read a summary of each plot and to request the books of your choice.

FICTION:

Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly:

Elevation by Stephen King:

Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks:

Fire And Blood by George R. R. Martin:

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah:

Kingdom Of The Blind by Louise Penny:

Long Road To Mercy by David Baldacci:

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich:

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty:

Past Tense by Lee Child:

The Reckoning by John Grisham:

Target: Alex Cross by James Patterson:

Tom Clancy: Oath Of Office by Marc Cameron:

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens:

NON-FICTION:

Astrophysics For People In A Hurry by Neil deGrasse:

The Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz:

Becoming by Michelle Obama:

Brief Answer To The Big Questions by Stephen Hawking:

Educated by Tara Westover:

Fear by Bob Woodward:

Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance:

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson:

Killing The SS by Bill O’Reilly:

Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin:

The Library Book by Susan Orlean:

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari:

Shade by Pete Souza:

Ship Of Fools by Tucker Carlson:

These titles are not yet available to circulate but should be soon. Ask the staff for details.

Someone To Trust by Mary Balogh

Trumps’ Enemies by Corey Lewansowski and David Bossie

Have a great day!

Linda, SSCL