Mystery in the Archives!

My name is Brian Files and I’m grateful to be asked to be a guest blogger on the Gardiner Public Library’s website.   Last weekend, the 23rd of April, I got the chance to perform a mystery show at the Library. I’ve performed all over this state in Mysteries and Improv shows. Some in small venues to small crowds, others were large venues with over 200 plus people in attendance. But this show was something special. Not only was it at a location that I cherish in my hometown, but I also wrote the script and produced the show. And …

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Watch this film!

Return of the Secaucus Seven was released to the theaters in 1980. Robert Horton reviews the movie for amazon.com: “John Sayles began his commendable directing career with this terrific portrait of 1960s counterculture survivors, now teetering on the brink of turning 30. A homegrown movie all the way, Return of the Secaucus Seven was made for around $60,000 of Sayles’s own money (earned writing horror pictures such as Piranha). An effortlessly funny and thoughtful ensemble piece, Secaucus unmistakably provided the template for the bigger-budgeted The Big Chill: old friends reunite for a weekend to sort through fond memories, old resentments, …

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Women’s History Month

March is a month of many things, one of which is Women’s History Month. With it being an election year, it’s a great time to delve more into the area. Gardiner Public Library has some great selections in women’s history. Following are some interesting examples you may want to check out: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony : a friendship that changed the world / Penny Colman. YA Nonfiction A dual biography of the lives of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and the friendship that they formed.   The boundaries of her body : the troubling history of women’s …

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Academy Awards

As we gear up for the 2016 Academy Awards this weekend, let’s look back at who won the awards 70 years ago in 1947.  Have these winners held the worth of the award throughout the years?    Check them out from the Gardiner Public Library and see for yourself why they were the winners. Best Picture:  The Best Years of Our Lives Best Director:  William Wyler, The Best Years of Our Lives Best Actor:  Fredric March, The Best Years of Our Lives Best Actress:  Olivia de Havilland, To Each His Own Best Supporting Actor:  Harold Russell, The Best Years of Our …

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Happy Valentine’s Day

If you’d like the history of the holiday, there are several good books in our children’s room that do a good job of presenting the information. In addition, there are some crafty books for kids to make cute Valentine crafts. You’ll also find a nice assortment of fun Valentine fiction books. For your perusal, the following is just a smattering of what we have to offer. Valentine Be Mine by Jacqueline Farmer Presents the history of Valentine’s Day, as well as its past and present traditions; Juvenile Nonfiction     Hearts, Cupids, and Red Roses    The story of Valentine symbols; …

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FAVORITE OLD BOOKS INTO FAVORITE OLD MOVIES

These books have lost their covers over the years and consequently don’t catch your eye as they sit on the library shelves but please pick them up and take a chance.  They were such good reads back when they were published that they were made into pretty good movies too. Keep them alive; give them a try.  Borrow the book or the movie from the library and see what I mean. Gentleman’s Agreement (by Laura Hobson)  A magazine writer looks for a new angle when he agrees to write a series of articles on anti-Semitism.  He pretends to be Jewish, …

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