• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Adults
  • Children
  • Youth/Young Adults
  • Library Services
    • Get a Library Card
    • Our Borrowing Policies
    • Collections at the Library
    • Museum Passes
    • Technology Services
    • Meeting Rooms
    • Volunteering
    • Donating to the Library
  • Online Services
    • cloudLibrary
    • Kanopy
    • Flipster
    • Comics Plus
    • Digital Maine Library
    • Portland Public Library Online
  • Events
    • All Library Programs
    • Adults
    • Children
    • Teens and Tweens
    • Art Gallery
  • About
    • History & Mission
    • Library Policies
    • Library Staff
    • Board of Trustees
    • Map & Directions
    • Strategic Plan – FY 2017 to 2021
    • Staff Blog
  • My Account

Merrill Memorial Library

Catalog Search

You are here: Home / Archives for Staff Picks

Staff Picks

Finally, New Music from Peter Gabriel

posted on - March 3, 2023

Talk to me long enough and you will learn that my absolute favorite musician is Peter Gabriel. He can be a difficult artist to be a fan of since he releases such little new music these days. In fact, he hasn’t had a proper album release since 2002 with the release of Up. Much like George R.R. Martin, it seems like every year there is a rumor that this is the year we will get the new album. 

2023 is the year I/O will actually happen for real it seems, and even though I adore his music, I have mixed feelings. I may have overstated that he hasn’t released new music in 20 years. There have been new albums of covers, and greatest hits, and music, written for films, but none have had the quality of his main body of work. Admittedly, I’ve been quite disappointed with these releases so with a true album being finally released I’m feeling anxious to hear if a new studio album has the quality I know and love, or if, like many other rockers of his era, his creative genius has merely peaked and I’m left holding him to an unrealistic standard.

In this era of the music industry, Peter Gabriel has also decided to experiment with how this next album will be released and once again I find myself having mixed feelings. He will be releasing one track each month on the full moon. No longer bound to the need to release a physical product, he can easily accomplish this by making a new song available on streaming platforms each month. I support the artistic vision here, but I grew up loving whole albums as a work of art, so it does feel a little bit of a let down that I’ll be getting the music piecemeal and will be robbed of the experience of delving into the music in my preferred fashion. 

So far he has released two tracks, and unexpectedly, he seems to be releasing two different versions of each track: a bright side mix, and a dark side mix. Analyzing why one is dark and the other is bright has been quite intriguing. In general, the music has been of a better quality than what has been released in the past two decades–so that is a relief. I do have some nitpicky quibbles, but I think it probably stems from my irritation that I have to wait a month in between tracks. Having waited so long for new music from him it is hard not to be overly critical.

Any other Peter Gabriel fans out there? If you haven’t heard either of these new tracks off of I/O, Peter Gabriel has made them readily available on YouTube. I’d love to hear anyone else’s reactions to his latest project, or, similarly, if you have thoughts on your reaction to a long awaited release from one of your favorite artists. 

-Ben

Film Review of “Molly’s Game”

posted on - February 9, 2023

After creating cultural touchstones like The West Wing and A Few Good Men (and cult favorites like Sports Night) Aaron Sorkin focused his attention on book-to-film adaptations. Specifically, books that seemed difficult or impossible to adapt into motion pictures. After defying the odds, and winning accolades, with his adaptations of both Moneyball, The Social Network, and Steve Jobs, Sorkin tried his hand at another book adaptation, Molly’s Game: From Hollywood’s Elite to Wall Street’s Billionaire Boy’s Club, My High-Stakes Adventure In The World of Underground Poker.

The resulting adaptation, which Sorkin also directed, serves as both an expose of the grey-market world of big-money poker games, as well as a fascinating character study of the woman at the center of the film, Molly Bloom. Sorkin loves telling stories about a mind at work and Bloom is no exception. Whatever expectations you may have regarding her or underground poker, prepare to have them upended. That Bloom not only survived her adventures but also wrote them down in a compelling memoir is revealing, but by no means does that spoil this story.

I’m a Sorkin fan, so take what I write with an industrial-sized grain of salt, but I think this, his directorial debut, is well worth a watch. Best of all: we have a DVD available in our collection to check out for free!

-Mike

The First, and Sometimes the Last…

posted on - February 2, 2023

Do you have a favorite first line of a book? Many of us know “Call me Ishmael” from Melville’s Moby Dick. Great first lines help pull a reader into a story. With millions of books published every year, how do the books you read land in your hands? Do you only read from the best sellers list? Maybe you rely on your neighbors’ recommendations; or maybe the local librarian or book store employee. How often do you try to find your “own” next great read?

I took classes with a great creative writer professor during my undergrad days. She laid out some simple structures for writing; “show, don’t tell,” and “grab them with a great first line”. Since then, I use the first sentence as a guide when choosing a book. Sometimes the first sentence is the last sentence I read in a book. Other times, great times, I finish the book to find a great last line.

As I started thinking on this, I wondered, what are some great first lines of a book that you still remember? Could you name the title of a book based on its first line? Maybe you need the first and last line. For fun, I’ll be posting to the Library’s Facebook the first and last lines of random books. Specifically, random books from the adult fiction section of Merrill Memorial Library. Some of the books may come from the New Fiction display, some may come from the bottom shelf in the Adult Fiction room. Follow along once a week and see if you can figure out the title of the book from the first and last lines. Maybe you will find your next great read.

-Andi

One Simple Way to Assess Media Bias from Ben

posted on - January 27, 2023

I often find myself thinking about bias in the media we consume. This ends up being a thorny topic because when you really delve into things you have to grapple with the fact that all media and information is constructed by humans. Even the most well intentioned human has their own biases whether they recognize it or not. You and I are not immune from this fact either. For example, I believe the Beatles are the best band in Pop/Rock music history. Because of that believe, it is really hard for me to accept information trying to teach me otherwise.

The ideal that many of us strive for is to consume information that is free from bias. If everything has a bias though, what do we do? Having come to the conclusion that everything has some level of bias makes me less concerned with the question of “does it have a bias?” and more “what does it do to keep its own bias in check?” There are many tactics you as the reader can use to assess this, but I promised one simple way.

Here is one tip to add to your information assessment quiver: Ask yourself if the author’s goal is to explain a topic or convince you of something that they believe.

If they do appear to be trying to convince you of something, this is where I take pause and start to read more skeptically. It doesn’t necessarily mean stop reading, but it does mean you should put on your thinking cap and start thinking critically about the information. It is then up to you the reader to decide to keep reading or begin to ask more questions about the author and what their bias might be here.

Just one tip of many!

-Ben

PS – Here is a bonus quick tip. Ask what your own biases are. We often fall into the trap of being less critical of information that doesn’t conflict with our own held beliefs.

Ancestry.com At the Library

posted on - January 19, 2023

Maine’s Digital Library (available at library.digitalmaine.org) is a collection of useful, free databases that I encourage you to explore. Today, however, I am going to focus on just one of those databases: Ancestry Library Edition. Specifically, “Ancestry Library Edition (ProQuest) – For Use in Public Libraries”.

The comically long name is necessary to differentiate the service from Ancestry’s traditional “retail” offering. Ancestry Library Edition offers most of the same features as Ancestry.com, but does not require users to login with unique account credentials. The “For Use in Public Libraries” portion of the name makes plain the fact that the service only works when accessing it from within a public library (in this case, a public library in Maine). You do not have to be connected via a library computer, you can use your own device, but you do need to be connected via the library’s internet connection (wifi) or the service will not work.

Once you are surfing the internet on our network, Ancestry Library Edition will allow you to search by a relative’s name, date of birth, location, and more. You do not need exact dates and locations as Ancestry allows you to search within a range of years and places, but the more detail you have the quicker you will find accurate results. The information that Ancestry makes available is massive and, at times, surprising. In some cases, users have found pictures of relatives for whom they believed no pictures existed.

We welcome anyone interested in researching their family tree to join us in the library. If you have any questions about Ancestry For Libraries, don’t hesitate to ask a librarian!

Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Finally, New Music from Peter Gabriel

  • Film Review of “Molly’s Game”

  • The First, and Sometimes the Last…

  • One Simple Way to Assess Media Bias from Ben

  • Ancestry.com At the Library

Footer

Library Hours

Open for browsing and curbside pickup

Monday 10am – 5pm
Tuesday 10am – 7pm
Wednesday 10am – 7pm
Thursday 10am – 5pm
Friday 10am – 5pm
Saturday* 10am – 3pm
Sunday closed

*Closed on Saturdays in July & August and Holiday Weekends.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Contact Info

Merrill Memorial Library
215 Main Street
Yarmouth, Maine 04096

Phone: (207) 846-4763
FAX: (207) 846-2422
email: mmlinfo@yarmouthlibrary.org

Town of Yarmouth Website
Yarmouth Community Services
Maine State Library

View New Adult Books

View New Juvenile and Young Adult Books

View New Audiovisual Materials

Subscribe To Our Email Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · Merrill Memorial Library · site by iKnow