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Cover of Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park - a series review

By Steven Spielberg
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Charles H
May 10, 2024

In 1824, the English theologian and geologist William Buckland wrote a description of a long dead animal he called a Megalosaurus or “great lizard.” Working from a 166 million year old piece of fossilized jawbone, Buckland imagined an amphibious creature about 60 feet in length and weighing upwards of 3 tons. His description and the naming of Iguanodon just a year later inspired biologist Richard Owen to coin the term Dinosauria to describe this emerging clade of the evolutionary tree. 

Megalosaurus statue in Crystal Palace Park

200 years later, dinosaurs retain their popular fixation in society. Separated from our own existence by a

The Hitman's Bodyguard (DVD)


Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Mar 26, 2018

If you're looking for some mindless action and excellent snark, this is the movie for you.

I can find fault with the pacing and the paper-thin plot, but the reason for the movie is obvious: Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson trading quips and being generally hilarious.  When they do that, it's definitely worth the time.

The general idea: a dictator (Gary Oldman) is on trial, but all of the witnesses against him are either dead or discredited by lack of hard evidence.  The last chance to convict him lies with notorious hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson), but Interpol has been

Léon the Professional

By Luc Besson
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Scott S.
Oct 28, 2017

Léon: The Professional tells the story of a child-like hit man named Léon and his relationship with (and subsequent training of) a 12 year-old named Mathilda who is orphaned at the hands of insane, corrupt New York cop Norman Stansfield. It features that unique French mixture of absurdity and realism: In what world does a 12 year-old boldly shoot a handgun out of a window without consequence? How is that Léon and Mathilda's relationship is simultaneously creepy and sweet? How can a cop so violently corrupt as Stansfield not be in federal prison? This constant contradiction of everyday minutiae

The Haunting of Fabian Gray

By Barbiere, Frank J.

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Aug 18, 2017

The Haunting of Fabian Gray is a classic action and adventure story with some wonderful twists that are fitting for comics. The reader follows Fabian Gray, a treasure hunter, in search of his missing sister after a supernatural incident made her disappear and gave him special abilities.

Fabian Gray is torn, possessed by five ghosts: The Wizard (much like Merlin), The Archer (much like Robin Hood), The Detective (much like Sherlock Holmes), The Vampire (much like Dracula), and finally, The Samurai (much like, well, a samurai). He uses their spirits to enhance his own prowess. I enjoyed that

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PS4 or XboxOne)

By 505 Games

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Mar 9, 2017

Did you like Ico?  How about JourneyRobot Dreams?  Do you like wordless stories that pack an emotional punch?  How about creative use of game controls?

Have I got a game for you.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (available on both PS4 and XBox 360) is exactly that.  It’s the story of two brothers going on an epic journey in order to save their sick father by travelling to a distant land to retrieve the water of life.  Challenges range from getting through the village with a mischievous child closing gates in your path to wending your way through a landscape devastated by a battle between

Vango

By Timothée de Fombelle
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Chris K.
Nov 16, 2015

Vango is a thrilling adventure mystery set in Europe on the cusp of the second World War, focused on the mysterious identity of a young man on the cusp of adulthood. Not even Vango, said young man, knows the mystery of his origins, and no one believes he is constantly watched and hunted by shadowy figures. They consider him paranoid. Talented, pleasant, and promising, but strangely paranoid.

The novel opens with Vango's seminary graduation ceremony, but moments before he is made a priest the police burst onto the scene. Suddenly, Vango is scaling the walls of the cathedral while being shot at

Orphan Black Season 1 (DVD)

By BBC America
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Megan C.
Sep 25, 2015

I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed the early 2000s TV show, Alias, starring Jennifer Garner. And I’ve been missing it ever since – I mean, what actor since has shown such facility for multiple identities and costume changes? I have found the answer: Tatiana Maslany, the star of Orphan Black. Maslany plays Sarah, a woman thrown into the midst of a bizarre conspiracy, and who, despite battling her own demons, finds herself having to take on the trials and hang-ups of many other characters as well. But in recompense, she is privileged (and sometimes haunted) by the unique answers to “what ifs”

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

By Maggie Stiefvater

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Sep 20, 2015

In The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves readers were introduced to four wealthy boys of Aglionby Academy: Gansey, Ronan, Adam, and Noah. And to Blue Sargent, an eccentric teen raised by a family of psychics who have predicted that Blue's true love will die if she ever finds and kisses him. Despite the differences in their socioeconomic backgrounds the five become comrades in the search for the elusive sleeping King of Wales, Owen Glendower, around the ley lines of their small town, Henrietta, Virginia. So far we have seen them tackle ghosts, dream manifestations that become real, and confront

Tin Men

By Christopher Golden
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by Brian O.
Aug 21, 2015

In the near future the world is in turmoil with economic collapse, droughts, fuel shortages and rising conflicts between nations. The United States Army is trying its best to keep an all-out global crisis from happening and they are using the Remote Infantry Corps, or “Tin Men” to do it. These Tin Men are nearly indestructible robot peacekeepers “piloted” remotely by American soldiers. Terrorists and anarchists join forces hoping to find vulnerability in the Tin Men and take them out; and if the modern world crumbles in the process, all the better.

Christopher Golden can write some thrilling

Dualed by Elsie Chapman


Rated by Jennifer R.
Apr 13, 2013

In the city of Kesh, everyone is a murderer. The only way to live in relative safety and comfort is to compete in a deadly game where only one survives. The catch? You have to kill your genetic “Alt”, which is essientially your twin—a person with the exact same DNA who lives somewhere else in the city. From birth, all citizens must train in every possible way (education, survival skills, weaponry) in order to be prepared to meet their Alt on the city battlefield any time before their 20th birthday. West Grayer is 15 when she is notified that the hunt is on for her Alt. When tragedy strikes

Divergent by Veronica Roth


Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
May 31, 2012

In Veronica Roth’s debut dystopian novel, Divergent, the society is not divided by religion, race or class, but by five factions, each corresponding to a different virtue that they value and foster above all. The Abnegation are the selfless, the Amity are the peaceful, the Candor are the honest, the Dauntless are the brave and the Erudite are the intelligent. 

Divergent opens as the main heroine, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior, faces the aptitude test designed to help her determine which faction she is suited for. The test is followed by the Choosing Ceremony where she will decide the rest

Spells by: Aprilynne Pike


Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Jun 12, 2010

In this sequel to Wings, author Aprilynne Pike further leads you into the world of Avalon and the life of its fairies. At the beginning of the story, teenage fairy, Laurel, who was raised with human parents, receives a letter requesting her presence at the Academy of Avalon. Her experiences at the Academy and in Avalon with her fairy friend, Tam start to make her wonder if she belongs there instead of in the human realm with her parents and boyfriend, David. Add in the threat of trolls and some mysterious supernatural human hunters and you have a very enjoyable sequel full of conflict, romance

The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde


Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Apr 30, 2010

The Eyre Affair by Jasper FfordeI'm not even sure how to describe this book. It is set in an apparently familiar place - 1980s England - but this is an alternate universe in which the Crimean War is still going on after 175 years, time travel by government agents called Chronoguards is commonplace, and people can not only travel to and live in books but can interact with characters who, like actors in a play, lead independent lives within their books in between the scenes in which they appear.

The heroine, Thursday Next, is a "Spec Ops" agent who specializes in literary crimes. As a Literatech, she spends much of her time

Scott Pilgrim: My Hero

By Bryan Lee O'Malley
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Kate M.
Apr 22, 2010

I just finished one of the best series of graphic novels I have ever read, the Scott Pilgrim series. It began when I saw a preview for the upcoming movie and I thought, "gee, that seems interesting." So I checked out the books, I had no idea what I was in for. Although the series starts out a little slow, and it takes a little bit to recognize each character on site (helped by handy name tags every so often), it picks up quickly. It is a non-stop action and romance packed series about the poor, and unemployed Scott Pilgrim. Scott doesn't really have much going for him, he lives with his gay

Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen


Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Feb 17, 2010

Reign or Shine by Michelle RowenIn this first YA novel by author Michelle Rowen (known best for her light-hearted supernatural adult fiction), we meet Nikki Donovan, a just turned 16 year old who has recently started at another new school. Her mother, a writer, is continually moving them at the whim of her latest relationship. Nikki has never known/met her father. All she knows is that he walked out on her mother when she was pregnant with Nikki and her mother has been searching for love ever since. So, Nikki is doubtful when a handsome young guy named Michael shows up saying he is an emissary of her father, the King of the