Binge Watching Television

By Laurie Lyda  Rowan Public Library

Hot summer weather offers the perfect excuse for binge-watching television, and I always enjoy queuing up a good series and working my way through, episode-by-episode. While my most recent binge was Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” I always circle back to British series, a staple in my viewing repository. Luckily, Rowan Public Library’s collection houses many of these titles, and the 10-dvd-checkout-limit per patron account, combined with the two-week checkout period, offers everyone a chance to catch up on some good television.

Based on Winston Graham’s novels, the series “Poldark” stars Aidan Turner (“Being Human,” “The Hobbit” trilogy). Turner’s Ross Poldark is a broody hero who returns home to Cornwall after serving in the American War of Independence. Believed dead by family and friends, his return is met with mixed reactions, and drama ensues as Poldark works to restore his father’s lands and his own reputation. The beautiful landscape accents the compelling performances and storylines, and I’ve been anxious for new episodes since finishing my season one binge.  With the news that season two is (finally!) filming and will air later this year, you’ve got just enough time to catch up on Poldark’s adventures-so-far. “Poldark” and Graham’s novels are part of RPL’s collection.

“Call The Midwife” is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a former nurse who worked in London’s East End after World War II. The series captures the changes wrought in daily lives and attitudes by technological and medical advances, as well as shifting cultural ideals and values. Jenny’s perspective anchors the first three seasons, and I worried that the departure of her character (played by Jessica Raine) would leave a gaping hole in the show’s tapestry. My worry was needless; season four brings the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House into the 1960s and fleshes out the ensemble cast. Vanessa Redgrave, as an older Jenny, continues to provide voiceovers, which helps build continuity with the earlier, Jenny-focused seasons. Renewed for a sixth season, the show continues to be inspired by Worth’s writings. All five released seasons of “Call The Midwife” and Worth’s memoirs are part of RPL’s collection.

Martin Clunes stars in “Doc Martin” as Dr. Martin Ellingham, a famed vascular surgeon who develops a sudden onset of haemophobia, the fear of blood. Unable to perform surgery, he becomes general practitioner for the small village of Portwenn, where his aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole) lives. Ellingham is not, however, used to village life, and he has little patience for his patients and their quirks – though he learns to work on that. The cast of characters is quirky and memorable, and the picturesque backdrop of Port Isaac, Cornwall, lends itself well to the fictional Portwenn. The villagers accept their “Doc Martin” before he fully accepts them, and Clunes deftly portrays his character’s cantankerous-yet-often-sympathetic persona. The series is based, in part, upon “Doc Martin: The Movies,” though the series departs significantly from the films’ narrative. Recently renewed for an eighth and final season that will air in 2017, all seven released seasons of “Doc Martin,” as well as “Doc Martin: The Movies,” are part of RPL’s collection.

For those who enjoy well-crafted, suspenseful, and dark series, “The Fall,” starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, is a must-see. Anderson’s Stella Gibson is sophistication and steel, while Dornan’s Paul Spector is chillingly compelling. Watching Gibson’s cat-and-mouse game with Paul Spector – or is it Spector’s game with Gibson? – is a macabre delight. The third and final season is currently filming, but you can watch the first two now. Both are part of RPL’s collection.

Fans of the classic whodunit with a British flair have several connected series to choose from. “Inspector Morse,” based on Colin Dexter’s series of detective novels, is a series of 33, two-hour episodes featuring Morse (John Thaw) and his partner, Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately). Whately went on to star in “Inspector Lewis,” a series also comprised of 33 episodes. This time, Whately’s Lewis teams up with James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) to solve crime. In 2012, yet another series in this show universe was launched with “Endeavor,” a prequel to “Inspector Morse.” Starring Shaun Evans as Endeavor Morse, the show’s fourth season will air in 2017. Many seasons from all three shows and several of Dexter’s novels are available in RPL’s collection.

Fresh Ideas for Salads

By Edward Hirst  Rowan Public Library

According to Wikipedia, a salad is a dish consisting of small pieces of food, which may be mixed with a sauce or salad dressing. They are typically served cold.

Salads can incorporate a variety of foods including vegetables, fruits, cheese, cooked meat, eggs, grains and nuts. To me they mean a delicious, cool meal during the hot days of summer. It’s a simple concept, enjoying a light and delicious main course salad as a healthy, fresh alternative to more traditional meals.

Garden salads use a single type or mixture of leafy greens like lettuce or spinach. Other types include bean salad, tuna salad, Greek salad and pasta salad. The sauce used to flavor a salad is called a salad dressing. Most salads are served cold, although some, such as German potato salad, are served warm.

The 359-page book, “Salad As a Meal,” by author Patricia Wells, gives readers hundreds of recipes inspired by her Provencal garden. The recipes range from the most basic to the most adventurous. An entire chapter is devoted to dressings and sauces. Some recipes are accompanied by color photographs. The book includes resources for finding ingredients, a list of essential kitchen equipment and items essential for a pantry.

“Mediterranean Fresh,” written by Joyce Goldstein, is 351 pages of one-plate salad meals. There are seven salad chapters divided by leafy green, fruit, vegetable, grain and bean. Two chapters feature either fish or meat as the main ingredient. The book provides 110 recipes for salads and 30 recipes for salad dressings. Most salad recipes offer the choice of additional or alternative ingredients and salad dressings.

Cross-Reading

 by Jenny Hubbard  Rowan Public Library

                                                                                              

I have been a patron of the Rowan Public Library from the time I could hold a pencil, and I’ve been safe and cozy in my own little bubble of fiction ever since.  But now that I’ve begun working here, I’ve been making a valiant effort to stretch myself beyond my comfort zone.  You’ve heard of cross-training?  How about cross-reading?  If what’s good for the body is good for the soul, then surely what’s good for the soul is good for the body.

Let’s say that you too are a fiction reader from way back.  I would advise going easy on yourself at first. Visit the children’s room.  Browse the shelves.  Reunite with a book that you loved as a child.   Forty-two years ago, I linked arms with three girls in turn-of-the-century Minnesota, and when I reread Betsy-Tacy and Tib, by Maud Hart Lovelace, I was right back there with them.  Not only was I was delighted to learn that I had excellent taste in literature at the tender age of nine, I was also able—actually able—to feel nine again.  Time travel does exist, ladies and gentlemen, when you open yourself to pages you’ve opened before. 

Let’s say you’re married to a rabid reader of non-fiction (as I am).  What my husband can whip through in three days might take me three weeks, but that doesn’t mean I’m not appreciating the adventure.  Non-fiction as riveting as any fiction I’ve read includes Seabiscuit: An American Legend, by Laura Hillenbrand (about the racehorse); Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson (about a serial killer during the Chicago World’s Fair); and The Children’s Blizzard, by David Laskin (about an 1888 snowstorm on the prairie that blindsided hundreds of recent immigrants).

A more natural transition from fiction to non-fiction lies in the arms of the memoir, which used to be called autobiography and was, more or less, a record of deeds and accomplishments.  Memoirs are personal, intimate, first-hand accounts that do not necessarily tell stories of glory .  Here are two memoirs that neither I nor my students (when I taught high-school English) could put down: The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls, and The Tender Bar, by J. R. Moehringer, who edits the yearly The Best American Sports Writing, which, by the way, is excellent material for cross-reading for you and your teen.

            If you’re ready for an intellectual challenge that will also charm you to the core, New Yorker  columnist Adam Gopnik is your man.  I’ve told my husband that if I ever have the chance to go on a date with Adam Gopnik, I’m going.  (Steve has the same carte blanche with Alison Krauss.)  You’ll understand when you read Gopnik’s Paris to the Moon, a collection of essays about living with his wife and young son in Paris.  At the very least, it will inspire your tastebuds.  Gopnik is a gourmand who will make you yearn for an authentic French meal.

And that takes us straight to cookbooks, which can be super- fun reads.  There are almost always gorgeous photographs of the food, and often the cookbooks include anecdotes to accompany the recipes.  The library has shelves and shelves of cookbooks, located in the 641s.  When I searched “cookbooks” in our on-line card catalogue, I discovered one written for teens by teens, called The Green Teen Cookbook.  Clever parents, take note.  This particular cookbook also offers lessons on how to shop on a budget and how to make the most of what is already in the pantry.

The next time you visit your local branch of the public library, allow yourself ten or fifteen minutes to wander the aisles.  Exercise for the body, exercise for the mind—it’s here for the taking, and, as always, it’s free.

Job Seeker Resources

by Melissa J. Oleen  Rowan Public Library

                Preparing resumes, completing job applications, drafting cover letters.  These are laborious and oppressive activities for many job seekers.  Based on the large number of poorly written resumes, half completed applications and invisible cover letters I have reviewed over the years, which includes a temporary stint copying and alphabetizing hundreds of applications daily in the HR department of a large chain store, they are often treated like the black sheep of the application process – given little attention, rudely treated and hoped that others will just not mention them in public.

                The problem is, they receive attention because they are all prospective employers have to go by when narrowing down applicants.  They reflect your ability to follow instructions, read with understanding, write coherently and pay attention to details.  If you don’t know your reference Bob’s last name, it really doesn’t give prospective employers much hope that you will remember the pass code on your register. 

                Let Rowan Public Library and our FREE Gale Courses help take some of the dread out of the application process.

It is not uncommon to see job seekers give up before they have even started because they do not know how to type.  The idea of typing a resume or filling in an online application is daunting to the hunt and peck crowd.  Gale has a course on keyboarding that will teach you how to touch-type (typing without looking at the keyboard) alphabetic, numeric and symbol keys.  Learning this basic skill will empower you and give you an advantage over applicants who handwrite applications.

Gale Courses for job seekers also include “Resume Writing Workshop”.  This workshop will walk you through creating an effective resume, teach you different resume formats the pros and cons of each and show you how to make the most of your work experience.  To quote a student review of this course “…this was a relatively painless way to end up with a completed resume.”  If that doesn’t encourage you, try the Gale Course “Twelve Steps to a Successful Job Search”.  The very first lesson in this course is “Developing and Maintaining A Positive Attitude Throughout  Your Job Search” followed by lessons on defining your ideal job, writing eye-catching resumes and cover letters and how to prepare and practice for interviews.

A vital part of the online application process is having an email address.  Most chain stores have converted to online applications.  Gone are the days when you drove around town filling out applications in stores and personally handing them to managers.  Snagajob.com is considered the largest hourly employment network.  NCWorks Online is an incredible one-stop online resource for job seekers in North Carolina.  Both allow you to search by industry, company or fields but to get started in either, you must have an email address.  To take the Gale courses, you also must have an email address.

In Library computer labs, you can set up free email accounts and regularly check them.  You can take Gale Courses, create and print resumes and cover letters using Microsoft Word or Publisher and search for and apply to jobs online.  Our excellent collection of print materials on job hunting and resume writing is only a few steps away.  And last but not least, reference librarians and lab assistants are onsite to answer questions about accessing and using all of these resources.