The Portland Opera 2009/10 season began this week, with the theme of Love & Marriage.  As they say:

“You’re invited to a season that spins, dances, soars & celebrates with Love & Marriage”

It’s a great line-up beginning with La Boheme by Puccini, then moving on to Orphee by Philip Glass, Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, a work by Leonard Bernstein called Trouble in Tahiti, and finishing with The Barber of Seville by Rossini. If you can’t make it to the performances, check out the many recordings Washington County has of these great operas:

La Boheme performances
Orphee (coming soon)
Cosi Fan Tutte performances
Trouble in Tahiti performances
The Barber of Seville performances

Celebrate your freedom to read- with banned books.

Every year the American Library Association and libraries across the country take a week to bring attention to the practice of book banning.  The ALA compiles a yearly list of books challenged by individuals and groups who want to remove books from schools and public libraries. Reading should be an individual choice, and libraries support freedom of access to materials. We believe that everyone should have the freedom to choose what to read, and that no one individual shouldn’t have the ability to decide what is right for all.

At Cedar Mill Library, there is a display of banned & challenged books available for checkout. Cedar Mill & Bethany have many of the books that were banned or challenged elsewhere. Take a look- you may be surprised at what you find. A brochure, available here,  lists the books that were banned or challenged in 2008-2009, why they were challenged and by whom, and what decision the reviewing entity made. The history of banned books from previous years is available at the CML Adult Reference desk.

While they last, there are bookmarks and “I read banned books” buttons, free for the taking.  New this year, there is also a “name the quotes” contest at both Cedar Mill and the Bethany branch. Quotes from famous banned books are displayed & everyone can enter to win a prize. Come into the library to see how many quotes you can identify.

OPB radio’s outstanding morning program Think Out Loud has kicked off a new segment called Northwest Passages that will spotlight local authors. They began with a conversation with Peter Rock, whose new novel My Abandonment was inspired by the true story of a father and daughter who were discovered to have lived in Forest Park for years. Listen to the program here.

The Portland International Film Fest is still going strong. Don’t miss your chance to see amazing films from around the world, now through Feb 21st.

And after the film fest is over, don’t miss out on these movies from previous festivals:
 

Avenue Montaigne (France)
A diverse set of strangers from all walks of life are transformed by their interactions in a chic bistro.

Beaufort (Israel)
Based on the book by Ron Leshem, a group of young soldiers struggles to protect a fortress in Lebanon that is sacred to both Israelis and Arabs.
Border Cafe aka Transit Cafe (Iran)

Flouting tradition, a recent widow takes over the running of her dead husband’s truck stop cafe.
Days of Glory (Algeria)
Four Algerian men who enlist in the French army during WWII find themselves fighting discrimination from their fellow soldiers in addition to Nazi oppression.
Fido (Canada)
A fifty-style “boy and his dog” movie. Only the pet in this case is a six-foot-tall rotting zombie who eats the next-door neighbor.
Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams (Bosnia)
A touching film of a mother and daughter in post-war Bosnia struggling to raise the money for the daughter’s school trip.
In Bruges (Great Britain)
A couple of London hit men ordered hide out after a botched job make very bad tourists & make their boss very unhappy.

The Italian (Russia)

After discovering his mother is alive, a 6-year-old runs away from the orphanage to find her.
The Lives of Others (Germany)

A surveillance officer finds himself increasingly obsessed with the subjects of his surveillance.

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (France)
In the tradition of Maxwell Smart and Inspector Clouseau, comes a tale of a secret agent who succeeds in spite of his own ineptitude.

Priceless (France)
In this romantic tale of double-crosses and star-crossed lovers, Audrey Tatou stars as a gold digger who mistakenly targets a penniless bartender.
The Secret Life of Words (Spain)
A hearing impaired woman on an isolated oil rig cares for a burn victim who’s lost his sight, but who helps her break her self-imposed silence.
Tell No One (France) 
In this French horror sensation, eight years after his wife was murdered, Alexandre again finds himself a suspect when two bodies are left near where his wife’s body was found. The mystery deepens when Alex receives an anonymous email with a video clip that seems to show his wife is still alive.
The Trap (Serbia)
A film about the moral wasteland of a post-Milosevic society in which a father is forced to choose between life and the death of his own child.
Under the Same Moon (Mexico)
A young boy sets out on a perilous journey to find his mother in America at the same time she comes looking for him.
The Violin (Mexico)
A farmer and his grandson use their status as musicians as a cover for their support of the peasant guerrilla movement, hiding munitions in their cornfield and fooling the soldiers. 

The Year My Parents Went On Vacation (Brazil)
A 12-year-old boy fends for himself when his parents disappear in 1970s communist Brazil.

If you’re a fan of foreign films, you’re in for a treat this month. The Portland International Film Festival is scheduled for February 5-21. PIFF will include scores of feature films, documentaries, and shorts from 44 countries. The festival will also include 28 films that are Oscar submissions in the Best Foreign Language Film category. With so many selections, there’s something for everyone.

If you can’t make it to the festival, or just can’t get enough foreign films, You can still enjoy many of the films from previous festivals on DVD. Here are a few of my favorites:

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Romania)
Two college roommates find their plans spinning out of control as they try to obtain a black market abortion.
Amazing Grace (Great Britain)
Portrays politician William Wilberforce’s efforts to abolish the British slave trade and John Newton’s writing of the famous hymn.
Away From Her (Canada)
A man deals with putting his Alzheimer’s-stricken wife of 40 years into a care facility, heartbreakingly acted by Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent.
The Band’s Visit (Israel)
When a policemans band on route from Egypt to Israel for a cross-cultural exchange concert gets on the wrong bus, they end up stuck in a small town overnight.  What follows is a charming night of  confessions and quiet connections with the townsfolk .
Bothersome Man (Norway)
A man finds himself in a city where everything seemed oddly disjointed and people seem divorced from their emotions. So when he finds a crack in a wall through which light and music seep, he decides to find a way through.
Into Great Silence (Germany)
The director lived in a monastery in the French Alps for sixth months to make this documentary. The result is an intimate, meditative immersion in the monks’ everyday lives.
Men At Work (Iran)
What happens when four immovable men meet an irresistible object? A comic tale of four friends who become obsessed with dislodging a rock spire gradually disintegrates into a tale of recrimination and betrayal.
Mongol (Kazakhstan/Mongolia)
A sprawling epic, lushly filmed, chronicling the early life of the man who would become known as Genghis Khan.
Offside (Iran)
Because women are banned from sporting events, the girls who want to watch a soccer game have to sneak in, disguised as boys. When they’re caught and rounded up, the girls find themselves spending the exciting game listening only to the distant cheers, guarded by bored soldiers who wish they too were at the game.
The Page Turner (France)
After having her childhood dream of being a concert pianist crushed by a famous pianist, 10 years later Melanie insinuates herself into the pianist’s family to wreak her revenge.
Ten Canoes (Australia- Aboriginal)
Based on an Aboriginal myth, and alternating between color and black-and-white, Ten Canoes tells an age-old story of forbidden love, betrayal, and revenge.
Where’s Molly (US- documentary)
When he was six years old, Jeff Daly’s younger sister was taken away and his family refused to talk about it. It took him 47 years to learn the truth that she’d spent most of her life in the Fairview Home for the mentally ill in Salem Oregon.
XXY (Argentina)
Puberty is hard enough for most teenagers, but 15-year-old Alex is a special case. Born with the sex organs of both males and females, and raised as a girl, Alex must now choose how to live from now on.

The Academy Awards are just around the corner; the nominees were announced on January 22nd, and the awards ceremony will be on February 22nd. And while many of the movies are still in theaters and not yet available on DVD, you can READ the movies. Many of the 81st Annual Academy Award- nominated movies are based on books. 

In mid-February Cedar Mill Library will have a display featuring books that were the basis for Oscar-nominated movies from recent years. And while you’re there, pick up the Oscar booklist.
In the meantime, here are the nominees from 2009 (click on the blue titles to place holds): 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – based on short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Dark Knight – based partially on The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and on various Joker comic book storylines, including elements from The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told from DC Comics

Defiance – Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec

Doubt –Doubt: A Parable (play) by John Patrick Shanley

The Duchess – Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman

Hellboy II: The Golden Army – based on the Hellboy comic book series by Mike Mignola

Iron Man – based on the Iron Man comics from Marvel Comics

Man On a Wire – To Reach the Clouds: My High Wire Walk Between the Twin Towers by Philippe Petit

The Reader – The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Revolutionary Road – Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Slumdog Millionaire – Slumdog Millionaire by Vikram Swarup

Wanted – based on the Wanted comic book series by Mark Millar

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway 2008 (235 pgs)

During the siege of Sarajevo, a man watches from his window as 22 of his friends and neighbors are killed by a single shell while waiting in line for bread. He quietly puts on his tux, picks up his cello, and plays in the wreckage for 22 days. From there, the narrative shifts between three other survivors in the war zone, one of them a sniper charged with keeping the cellist alive during his “concerts.” A moving novel without veering towards maudlin or sappy. It’s a haunting look at how hope sustains people during war and how sometimes survival means creating your own hope.

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb 2008 (740 pgs)

A heartbreaking book of broad scope, The Hour I First Believed takes a look at the reverberations of tragedy. While Caelem’s back East planning his aunt’s funeral, his wife Maureen becomes a close witness to the Columbine shootings. While not physically injured, the psychic damage spins her off into a years long bout with PTSD, depression, and addiction. Unable to recover from the shootings and searching for some measure of peace, they head off to the family farm in Connecticut. Once there Caelem also stumbles upon secrets from his family’s past that begin to affect him just as strongly as his wife’s ordeal.

Lamb writes tragedy beautifully, his characters real and realistically fallible. Fans of his previous book I Know This Much Is True will not be disappointed. Also recommended for anyone who appreciates realistic fiction by authors like Jacqueline Mitchard, Chris Bohjalian, and Ann Patchett.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson 2008 (266 pgs)

When Jenna wakes up, she can quote the entire text of Walden Pond, but she can’t remember her best friend’s name. Or even if she has a best friend. The parents she doesn’t remember tell her she’s been in a coma following an accident. As Jenna comes to terms with the disturbing holes in her memory, she finds that there’s more to her past than her family wants to tell her.

A great YA book for fans of Among the Hidden or the Uglies series. Enjoyable to read, while also tackling larger issues of medical ethics and the nature of identity. Makes for a fun afternoon read.

Obedience by Will Lavender 2008 (287 pgs)

Students in a Logic and Reasoning class are asked to solve a hypothetical kidnapping before it becomes murder. The plot begins simply, but soon builds to a puzzle of cunning intricacy. Supposedly fictional characters start intruding on real life, and there are hints of a decade-old real murder nearby that bears striking similarity to the fictional case. Soon, three of the students (along with the reader) start to question what is real and whether there will soon be another murder.

This is a great new mystery for people (like me) who don’t read mysteries. It’s just as fun to try to solve the mystery yourself as it is to see all the answers revealed at the last second. I recommend it to fans of puzzles of all sorts and mysteries that keep you guessing.