TitleTales

Favorite Christmas DVDs:
Erin Stachowiak

A/V Special Topics—08/20/10
On a recent trip to North Carolina, while wading through the heat and humidity, the Bing Crosby Christmas song “Mele Kalikimaka” popped into my head. It was 95 and humid while we were in the Southeast and as you know, it has been one of the hottest summers on record across the nation. We’ve even made the record books here in Chicago, 46 days over the 80 degree mark.

When I get tired of summer, I start thinking about Christmas. There’s a lot more preparing involved when you have a family and not nearly enough time to watch all the holiday films I love. It doesn’t have to be December to watch White Christmas or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Seeing some of that white fluffy snow might help to cool the house down. It may be over four months away, but here are some favorite Christmas movies to celebrate the winter season during the doldrums of one long and extremely hot summer.

• Browse our Favorite Christmas DVDs list

Football Books by: Aaron Smith
(Cataloger - Custom Cataloging)

Juvenile & YA Special Topics—08/20/10
As summer transitions to fall, not only is it back to school, but the start of another football season. The popularity of this sport means plenty of recent titles for juvenile fiction and nonfiction. Famed sportswriter Mike Lupica has added a football–themed story to his growing list of fiction entries with Million–Dollar Throw, about a boy who wins the chance to throw a pass in a high–stakes promotion at a New England Patriots game, all the while dealing with a host of family and personal struggles. Likewise, sportswriter, NPR radio host and acclaimed author John Feinstein, who has chronicled the daily lives of midshipmen and cadets for adults in A Civil War: Army Vs. Navy a Year Inside College Football’s Purest Rivalry has revisited the same theme via young readers’ fiction with The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army–Navy Game. The Jake Maddox series adds to the genre of high school football by following the adventures of the Westfield Wildcats with the latest entry Linebacker Block.

For those wishing to stay current on juvenile nonfiction or update existing collections, new titles are available from Superstars of Pro Football, Football Superstars and Top 10 Sports Stars. The latest Inside the NFL series, spotlighting each NFL team, are also available. For a slightly less conventional entry, Richard Brigwinall’s biography China Clipper: Pro football’s First Chinese-Canadian Player, Normie Kwong details the life and football career of the youngest player (at the time) to play in the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup. This account tells the story of his parents’ emigration to Canada, Kwong’s experience with prejudicial government policies, and his successful career in politics. A title like this supplements a collection beyond ordinary team reports and player biographies.

• Browse our Blog: Football list

Interview: Ken Burns

Ken Burns has been making films for more than 30 years. Since the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1982, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. The late historian Stephen Ambrose said of his films, “More Americans get their history from Ken Burns than any other source.” Burns’ documentaries have been nominated for two Academy Awards (Brooklyn Bridge in 1982 and The Statue of Liberty in 1986) and have won seven Emmy Awards, mostly from The Civil War and Baseball.

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BWI: How has your family and personal background influenced the way you approach your subjects?

KB: My family and personal background are completely interwoven into what I do as a filmmaker and the types of stories I tell. While the topics are not specifically selected based on my personal experience, what I’ve experienced throughout my life influences greatly how we tell these stories — whether it was the experience of visiting a national park with my father, my interest in music, or my education as a filmmaker.

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