I’m no history buff, but recently I thought it would be interesting to read something about one of our overlooked founding fathers, John Adams. Unfortunately, the book (John Adams by David McCullough) is 752 pages long—too long for a passing interest, especially with 5 other books on my bedside table. So, with J’nai’s post about how to talk about books you haven’t read in mind, I will now talk about how much I loved this book. How do I know?  Simple: the book has been made into an HBO miniseries.

I half-expected it to be boring, as historical recreations often are. But I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was! So far, I’ve finished the first disc and I can’t wait for discs two and three (I’m #22 and #17 in the respective queues (and yes, library staff have to wait for holds just like everybody else!)).

The series covers Adams’s life from his days as a lawyer in Boston after the Boston Massacre up to the years after his presidency, including his death. Paul Giamatti gives a great performance as John Adams, but what really makes it work is the whole cast. The founding fathers come to life with David Morse as George Washington, Stephen Dillane as Thomas Jefferson, and Tom Wilkinson as Benjamin Franklin. You can really taste the dynamic in congress as these men and their radically different personalities clash and come together towards a common goal.

I’ve not mentioned Abigail Adams (played by Laura Linney) yet. Though she was not an official politician, the series gives us a glimpse into how influential she was for John. I got the sense that she grounded him, and kept him honest. Her intellect and wisdom was a good complement for John’s passion and integrity.

You should really check out this series. I found it highly entertaining and educational as well. History doesn’t have to be boring!

Television ads have taken on a more and more influential role in determining presidential campaign outcomes through the years.  Although the messages have been similar, the ads themselves are varied and always evolving.  I found a website this week called The Living Room Candidate which has an archive of over 300 past presidential TV ads since 1952.  In addition, it also provides historical context for each presidential race and the effects that the ads had on them.  Check it out if you’re interested in the past of this medium and how it has affected the course of history.

My wife recently had to take an entrance exam for graduate school and had to study up on some of the great figures of western civilization.  So we decided to watch the DVD edition of Civilisation: A Personal View by Lord Clark, a television series originally produced in the late sixties by BBC 2.  Kenneth Clark acts as tour guide and museum curator as he leads the viewer from the beginnings of the middle ages all the way to present day.  He follows the development of civilization through the lens of the arts, including visual arts, literature, and music that truly express the great potential of humanity as creators and not destroyers of society and beauty.  The series was produced and released during the turbulent sixties and serves as Lord Clark’s answer to a time of great cynicism that grew under the threat of global nuclear annihilation.

Visually stunning, with lovely classical music and insightful commentary, Civilisation pleases the mind, the heart, the ears, and the eyes.

It’s not crazy to say that one of the things that Georgia is known for is the food. We are the “Peach State” but we also grow peanuts, pecans and poultry in abundance. We are the home of Waffle House and Coca-Cola. We have restaurants associated with Gladys Knight, Emeril, and Ashton Kutcher.

Georgia also boasts serious coverage on the Food Network; ubiquitous Savannah chef Paula Deen shows viewers the tasty evil of Southern food. Alton Brown wears many hats in the food world: from Iron Chef America Commentator, riding a motorbike around America discovering hidden culinary gems, or on his classic science meets pop culture show “Good Eats”.

Still publishing cookbooks, Nathalie Dupree visited many television viewers spreading the gospel of Southern cooking when the only food networks were public broadcasting. In Decatur, Watershed chef Scott Peacock published The Gift of Southern Cooking with his mentor the late Edna Lewis, one of the early masters of Southern cuisine.

Other Georgia Cookbooks found in your library:

Agnes & Muriel’s Cafe Cookbook- Easy comfort food from the midtown Atlanta restaurant.

Atlanta Cooks - Recipes from the chefs, bakers, and pastry chefs from restaurants such as Bacchanalia, Food 101, Canoe, and the Sweet Auburn Bread Company.

Atlanta Cooks at Home - More recipes from local chefs of Rathbun’s, Shaun’s, Sala, Woodfire Grill, and Joel.

“I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heath = Cooking” - Alton Brown’s book where he is one part Mr. Wizard and one part Emeril, making cooking and science fun!

Nathalie Dupree’s Southern Memories: Recipes and Reminiscences - Some recipes, some culture, and a lot of Southern style.

Paula Deen: It Ain’t All About the Cookin’ - Only the most recent book by the prolific Paula Deen, also look for “Lady and Sons” cookbooks.

Books found at your library have always been fodder for movies, but the television line-up this fall continues the trend of books made into television series.

ABC’s new series “Women’s Murder Club” is based on a James Patterson series about a group of friends with different careers who also fight crime, the most recent addition is “The 6th Target“.

New on the CW, the wildly popular “Gossip Girl” books by Cecily von Ziegesar can also be found in the paperback collection in various libraries, call first to see if your library has it.

“Bones“, on FOX, is based on the Kathy Reichs series featuring forensic scientist Temperance Brennan. Her most recent book is “Bones to Ashes”

“Dexter” is a show that could only be on cable; Showtime to be precise. Based on novels by Jeffry Lindsay such as “Dexter in the Dark“, this dark series is about a serial killer who targets criminals.

Want a TV show about a private detective who also happens to be a wizard? Check out Sci-fi channel’s “Dresden Files” based on the Jim Butcher novels such as “White Night: a Novel of the Dresden Files.”

Based on the 1979 Stephen King novel “Dead Zone“, the USA network series starring Anthony Michael Hall is now in its 7th season.

In the excitement about the release of Ken Burns’ The War on PBS last week, don’t forget about one of Burns’ other popular projects which the library owns on DVD.

Ken Burns’ epic history of baseball, which DCPL recently acquired on DVD, is long.  Consisting of nine episodes, each roughly two hours long, Baseball delves into America’s Pastime in as much detail as one might expect from a college course.  The beauty of this series, though - the reason why it still stands up fourteen years after its release - is that you don’t mind the length.  Baseball is Ken Burns storytelling at its finest, using old photographs, films, and many of today’s finest film and stage actors to weave a spellbinding tale of romance and friendship, prejudice and disgrace, defeat and victory.

From the fascinating biographical portraits of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Satchel Paige, and Jackie Robinson, to the play-by-play of bygone world series that brings you to the edge of your seat, to the exploration of baseball’s social implications surrounding racial segregation, Baseball offers a very entertaining and complete history that leaves you wanting more, even after all that time you’ve spent watching it!

Click here to get the first episode of Ken Burns’ Baseball.

The library also owns many other Burns projects on DVD.  Here’s a small sample:

The Civil War

Mark Twain

Jazz