No Shave November

In addition to being National Novel Writing Month, November is also known as No Shave November for those taking this time to grow epic facial hair instead of (or in addition to) writing an epic novel. And as always, FDL has you covered with some items of facial hair inspiration.

1. The Gigantic Beard that was Evil by Stephen Collins. I mean, no one is telling you to grow a giant evil beard. That’s your own decision. But this graphic novel tale of one man’s facial hair run amok is epic in scope. And if your beard needs a little taming, perhaps this book will do the trick.
2. Star Trek: The Original Series. I believe it is a known fact that somewhere in the multi-verse is another version of you who is evil. And evil you definitely has evil looking facial hair. Thanks to Star Trek and the Mirror Universe, we have Spock’s slick Vulcan goatee. But is it really the facial hair’s fault that alterna-you is evil? And why is all of this facial hair evil in the first place?
3. Orc Dave in the comic Rat Queens. So, not all beards are evil. Have you ever wanted to grow your facial hair for a good cause? Look no further than Orc Dave in the Dungeons & Dragons inspired comic series Rat Queens. When Orc Dave heals a person wounded in battle, his beard sprouts bluebirds. So, it’s both excellent facial hair and home to small wildlife. 

4. Detective Poirot Mysteries. Maybe you’re not really a beard type of person. Maybe you are more into mustaches. If this is the case, there are few mustaches as notorious as that of the one belonging to Detective Hercule Poirot. You can read about the glory that is his meticulous mustache in the books by Agatha Christie, or you can see the mustache in action on David Suchet on the television series (both at FDL) or check out Kenneth Branaugh as Poirot in the film adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, opening this weekend.

5. Singh from A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall. It would be rude of me to leave ladies off of this list as they are also capable of growing excellent facial hair if they so choose. Singh is not a major character in the first book of this dark fantasy trilogy but she plays a major role in the life of our main character, Zosia. She’s also a dual blade wielding war machine with the most glorious mustache in all the land.

Post by Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist

About #FDL

Welcome to #FDL! #FDL is a twice weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria. Twice a week, library staff will make posts that highlight some aspect of library life and relate it to you – our readers. Have you ever wanted to know which Dewey number represented a certain topic? Are you looking for book recommendations based on your favorite television show or television recommendations based on your favorite book? Have you ever wondered about the secret details of librarian life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then #FDL is for you. We look forward to writing posts that are informative and entertaining and hope that you enjoy getting better acquainted with Fondulac District Library.

First Officer Michael Burnham

To Boldly Go…

How many of you reading this have been watching the new Star Trek series, Discovery? Only four episodes have aired so far, but it is so cool! Discovery takes place ten years before the original Star Trek series with Kirk and Spock. It follows former first officer Michael Burnham on the slightly mysterious science vessel Discovery. The rest of the crew is also intriguing, but I can’t say much without giving away some things for those of you who haven’t seen it. But I can say that Discovery looks like it’s going to be an incredible ensemble show, like many of the other Star Trek series. Discovery also has a lot of firsts going for it, including a first female person of color lead, and Star Trek’s first openly gay character. This series is so far boldly going in some new directions but also very much staying true to the spirit of Star Trek through the ages. Discovery embraces diversity, intrigue, rich character development, and multi-layered plot developments. I mean, these new Klingons, you guys!!

With Discovery airing, and a number of staff members being pretty excited about it, I thought I would put together a short list of books and multimedia that you all might like if you also enjoy Star Trek of any kind.

1. The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. A lot of people refer to this book as feel good science fiction. I’m not sure if that counts as a spoiler. It has the feel of original series Star Trek camaraderie, with Discovery Trek technology (even though Discovery comes before the OS in the Trek timeline – bear with me). This book is a mostly closed ship narrative about a tight knit crew who explore their differences among themselves in addition to wide open outer space. There’s also fungus fuel for the ship in both. And a warlike species bent on causing trouble for their small part of the universe.
2. Firefly. This show is probably an obvious choice, but in case you haven’t seen it, give it a shot. It’s another closed ship narrative about a crew with a lot of differences but the ability to get along with each other. Mostly. I would suggest this one to fans of Enterprise or again, the original series.
3. Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. The premise of this is a bit dark. Six astronauts run a generation-type ship through space. But instead of reproducing, they clone themselves at the end of every life-cycle and keep all of their knowledge and experience. However, someone has murdered them all, forcing their clones to regenerate with no knowledge of their many years on the ship. And then destroyed the cloning devices. It could only be one of the six. But who? And will they strike again?
4. Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer. This one is for those who like the world building of Star Trek. An abundance of technology has created a universal utopia built on a complex system of castes and houses and the outlawing of religion. This book, the beginning of a series, follows two misfits in this seemingly perfect but complex world along with a child who might bring ruin to all of it.
5. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. This slim non-fiction volume may not be as completely outlandish as Star Trek but it really makes you think about humanity and our place in the wider universe. Will Vulcans find us some day? Will we ever develop warp speed technology? Does the Mirror Universe really exist? This book gives hope that we aren’t completely alone in the universe and that someday, we’ll develop the technology to find out for sure.

In addition to these titles, check with library staff about the Star Trek titles we have in television, movies, and books.

Post by Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist

About #FDL

Welcome to #FDL! #FDL is a twice weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria. Twice a week, library staff will make posts that highlight some aspect of library life and relate it to you – our readers. Have you ever wanted to know which Dewey number represented a certain topic? Are you looking for book recommendations based on your favorite television show or television recommendations based on your favorite book? Have you ever wondered about the secret details of librarian life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then #FDL is for you. We look forward to writing posts that are informative and entertaining and hope that you enjoy getting better acquainted with Fondulac District Library.

October = Spooky Time

For a lot of people, the month of October means a month long Halloween celebration. It’s generally the spookiest month of the year. All of the most important horror movies and books come out around this time and it’s also a great time to dust off old favorites. Some people really enjoy the horror aspect of Halloween. Other people, not so much. Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle. I can read horror books just fine, but horror movies make me cry and sleep with the lights on. However, I thought I would share with you a few horror movies that are pretty good, even if they were frightening (to me). If you’re reading this on our social media sites, feel free to chime in with horror moves that you like.

1. The Ring. So, I saw this one in the movie theater when it came out. The basic plot is about some teens who find a mysterious video tape and watch it. If they don’t pass it on to someone else to watch within seven days, a creepy kid crawls out of the television and kills them. I haven’t been this afraid of television static since Poltergeist. I know I’m easily scared but I thought this movie was well done and the fear factor comes from a lack of control. How do you make someone else watch this movie? And how do you live with the responsibility of putting a potential death sentence onto someone else to save your own life? I still don’t trust video tapes because of this movie and I don’t think I turned on my television for weeks after I saw it.
2. Saw. I really like this movie despite the fact that it’s gory as all get out. The gore doesn’t bother me as much as the premise. This movie asks what you would do to save your own life. Like The Ring, Saw puts its characters into tricky moral situations. The gore is like a bonus. Saw is about a serial killer who doesn’t actually do any killing. He forces his victims to commit crimes against others or themselves to force them to value the lives they have. I like this and The Ring because of their psychological aspects.
3. Pan’s Labyrinth. This movie is only kind of horror. Parts of it are definitely scary, but it’s very much a character based story and it’s a total tearjerker. Pan’s Labyrinth is about a little girl who is sent to live with her new step-father who is a captain in Spain’s army in 1944. Her life is… not that great. But she has a fantastical world that she can enter. She is told that if she completes three gruesome tasks within this world, she will be declared a princess. Do not watch this movie without tissues.
4. 10 Cloverfield Lane. This movie is plenty scary without relying on gore or jump shots or other major staples of horror films. It’s a slow burn with this air of menace that you can never really be sure you should be feeling. This is the story of Michelle, who gets into a car accident and is rescued by John Goodman (his character’s name is Howard). Michelle wakes up in a room, chained to a bed. The situation only gets more bizarre from here as John Goodman/Howard explains that she’s in a bunker with him for her own safety as an alien attack is currently going on above-ground.
5. Get Out. This is another movie that I saw in the theater and I loved it so much. What makes this movie so terrifying both in real and existential terms is that there are a lot of moments that are almost funny. This movie tries to trick you into laughing at it. This movie wants you to feel like you’re watching one type of movie but then switches things up. It works, too. Get Out was written and directed by Jordan Peele, a modern king of comedy. It follows Chris, a black man, who travels with his white girlfriend to meet her family for the first time. Chris gets to his girlfriend’s parent’s house and things seem a little off. Or do they? Is he being paranoid? All these little weird things happening can be laughed off later, right? Nope.All of these movies are available for checkout or hold – so enjoy!

   Post by Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist

    

About #FDL

Welcome to #FDL! #FDL is a twice weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria. Twice a week, library staff will make posts that highlight some aspect of library life and relate it to you – our readers. Have you ever wanted to know which Dewey number represented a certain topic? Are you looking for book recommendations based on your favorite television show or television recommendations based on your favorite book? Have you ever wondered about the secret details of librarian life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then #FDL is for you. We look forward to writing posts that are informative and entertaining and hope that you enjoy getting better acquainted with Fondulac District Library.