Thursday, May 29, 2014

Fan Favorite Friday: The winsome Kate Winslet

555px-Kate_Winslet_Palm_Film_FestivalYou probably don't even realize how good Kate Winslet is.

When I say her name, what do you think of? Titanic, of course. Maybe Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Perhaps, Revolutionary Road. Is that about it?

Did you know that she's been nominated for six Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes and seven BAFTAs? Or that she's just a Tony Award away from joining the prestigious EGOT club—that is, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony?

So if you've never considered Winslet's remarkable filmography, consider this your invitation.

Welcome to Fan Favorite Friday. And, remember, you can borrow any and all of these movies from Mentor Public Library.

1. Sense and Sensibility. Winslet auditioned for the smaller part of Lucy Steele but was good enough that she earned the major role of Marianne Dashwood. However, Ang Lee was concerned enough about Winslet's high-energy style that he had her take piano lessons and read Austen-era poetry so she could better inhabit the character.

2. Titanic. Do I really need to say a lot about this one? There was a boat. It sank. Also, something about a necklace.

3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Winslet's so good in this film (which is about a young woman who decides to have her memories of of ex-boyfriend erased) that we might forget that, at the time, this was an enormous departure for her. No corsets, no historical flourishes. Just an Oscar-nominated performance from Winslet and some of the best work of Michael Gondry, Charlie Kaufman and Jim Carrey's careers.

4. Finding Neverland. This semibiographical film tells the tale of J.M. Barrie and his friendship with the Llewelyn Davies boys, which inspired Peter Pan. Winslet plays Sylvia, the boys' mother.

5. The Reader. Winslet won an Oscar and a Golden Globes for her performance as Hanna, a Nazi concentration camp guard who would rather be wrongly convicted than reveal her secret.

6. Revolutionary Road. This film reunited Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and was directed by her then-husband, Sam Mendes. She and DiCaprio play a seemingly happy but secretly troubled married couple.

7. Flushed Away. OK, so this one didn't garner any Oscars, BAFTAs or Tonies, but it's a personal favorite. It's an animated feature by the same team that created the Wallace & Gromit shorts. It's about a silver-spooned pet rat (voiced by Hugh Jackman) trying to survive in the London sewers with the help of a streetwise rodent voiced by Winslet. It's far more charming than any film about sewer rats should be.

8. Extras. Winslet's so good she could win an Emmy playing herself, and she did in this Ricky Gervais comedy about the lives of bit actors.

9. Mildred Pierce. Winslet earned another Emmy for her performance as the titular heroine in this James McCain novel turned HBO miniseries about a housewife, struggling to maintain her family's middle-class standing during the Great Depression.

10. The Golden Hat: Talking Back to Autism. Winslet is also an advocate for those with autism, and she talks about how this neural development disorder has impacted her life in The Golden Hat.

Come back each week for a new Fan Favorite Friday.

Throwback Thursday: A+ B-Movies

Vincent_Price_in_House_on_Haunted_HillIt's a contradiction of terms to talk about great B-movies. If they were that great, they wouldn't be B-movies. They'd just be movies.

But some of the schlocky, silly, underbudgeted films featuring 50-foot cavewomen, voracious blobs, radioactive monsters, and dinosaurs in the Wild West exceed their humble origins. They're a lot of fun. And, whether you're laughing sincerely or ironically, doesn't matter as long as you're having a good time.

So this week, we're dedicating Throwback Thursday to the best of the B-movies.

(As always, you can check out any and all of these movies and books from the Mentor Public Library. We’ve even linked to our collection so you can put them on hold wherever you are.)

1. King Kong v. Godzilla—It's nigh impossible to get a group to agree on a favorite King Kong or Godzilla film, but anyone with the slightest sense of the spectacular can agree that the combination thereof is B-movie brilliance.

2. PiranhaJaws begat a million imitators. For my money, Piranha is the funniest and the most fun.

3. Leprechaun 3—Picking a favorite Leprechaun movie is like picking a favorite flavor of M & M. You can dress them up so they look different, but they're all peddling the same shtick. A gory sadistic version of an Irish mythological character goes to some distinctive setting and kills people—usually in over-the-top fashion. In the third entry of this series, the Leprechaun goes to Vegas.

4. Death Race 2000—David Carradine versus a pre-Rocky Sylvestor Stallone (as Machine Gun Joe) in a cross-country race to the death! There are not enough exclamation points in the world to fittingly punctuate that premise!

5. Army of Darkness—Medieval setting? Check. Undead monsters? Check. Bruce Campbell with a chainsaw for a hand? Yes, sir. This is Sam Raimi's finest hour. (Don't talk to me about Spider-Man 2.) Shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

6. Plan 9 from Outer Space—This film from the godfather of schlock, Ed Wood, is legendary for all the wrong reasons. It's on the short list for worst movie ever. Sadly, it bottoms out beneath even Wood's usual standards for a tragic reason. Star Bela Lugosi died during production, so Wood used unrelated Lugosi footage from other films to complete it. No, it doesn't really work; but it's fascinating to watch.

7. Troll 2—You think Plan 9 is bad? Troll 2 is so horrific that they made a documentary about how bad it is.

8. House on Haunted Hill—I'm sure almost every Vincent Price movie except for Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine has been described as his "finest hour." But they're all lying. This is the greatest thing Vincent Price ever did. (Except for The Muppet Show.) by modern standards, it's about as scary as a box of puppies; but it's the quintessential 1950's horror flick.

9. Foodfight—The story behind Foodfight is a lot more entertaining than the movie itself. It stars Charlie Sheen as Dex Dogtective and HilaryDuff as Sunshine Goodness. I'd love to tell you what the movie is about, but I was distracted by the ridiculously bad animation. However, there's a reason for that. This movie was almost finished in 2003 when the hard drives with all the animation on it were stolen. So they had to redo the whole thing. On the cheap. And it shows.

10. Sharknado—It's a tornado of sharks. Do you really need more explanation than that?

Bonus Pick: Hobgoblins—This film is the epitome the good kind of bad and would have topped the list if we had the original and not the just the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version. (But you should still totally check out the MST3k version.)

Come back each week for a new Throwback Thursday profile.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Kids get their hands dirty while making a garden at Mentor Library


Darin gets his hands dirty while planting flowers.
Darin gets his hands dirty while planting flowers.
Kids learned about gardens, composting and even planted flowers last week at Mentor Public Library.

It was dirty work, but it sure was fun.

First the children learned about what they could and couldn't put in a compost pile by playing compost bingo.
It was a rot of fun.
It was a rot of fun.
Then the kids decorated hanging baskets and planted flowers in them.
First you decorate.
First you decorate.
Then you get to the dirty work
Then you get to the dirty work
While planting they learned about different kind of gardens—flower, vegetable, heirloom, urban and more.
DSCF2418
In addition to their flower pots, kids also took home corn and carrot seeds and onion bulbs they can plant.

This was our way of introducing the kids to gardening and the bigger world of botany. Botany is just one of the branches of science we'll be learning about during our summer reading program, Fizz, Boom, Read. You can start signing up for Fizz, Boom, Read on May 31. This year, a lot of our programs have a scientific theme. And, as always, you can win a lot of cool prizes—just for reading.

For more information on Mentor Library’s summer reading program, call 440-255-8811 or visit your nearest branch.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

NASA Scientist, Award-Winning Author Coming to Mentor Library

Geoffrey Landis
This year's summer reading program is dedicated to science and, of course, reading. So who better to kickoff the summer than a NASA scientist and award-winning author?

Geoffrey Landis works at the John Glenn Research Center in Brook Park. He's a member of the Mars Exploration Rovers team that landed rovers Opportunity and Spirit on Mars. After a decade of exploration and discovery, Opportunity continues to travel the surface of our nearest planetary neighbor and provide information to us.

Dr. Landis—he received his doctorate from Brown University—also researches and develops technology for future space missions for NASA. He's even written about the possibilities and mechanics of setting up bases on the moon, Mars and Venus.

Landis is giving a free talk at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Mentor Public Library's Main Branch. (You can register for it here.) Astrological enthusiasts and dilettantes alike are welcome.

The scientist will share his knowledge of the Mars rover, Curiosity, and his role in its explorations. He will also discuss the new discoveries Curiosity has made in the last few years. By the way, Curiosity was built and designed to assess if Mars' environment could ever have supported microscopic life.

Landis is not just a scientist (as if there is such a thing as just a scientist.) He also writes science fiction and has won Nebula, Hugo and Locus awards for his stories.

He received the Robert A. Heinlen Award last week during Balticon. The award is "bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space."

His fiction includes the novel Mars Crossing, the short story collection Impact Parameter, poetry collection Iron Angels and several other short stories and novellas. (You can learn more about his fiction writing and order it here.)

So come here Dr. Landis speak at the library, learn something about the solar system and, while you're at the library, sign up for our summer reading program.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Making Sun Catchers with Studio MPL

Gavyn coordinates her sun catcher so it matches her outfit.
Gavyn coordinates her sun catcher so it matches her outfit.
In April, the kids from Studio MPL painted sunsets. Last week they made sun catchers.

I think they're working on some sort of solar motif.

If you haven't heard of Studio MPL, it's Mentor Library's art club for kids in first through fifth grade. They meet on the third Monday of each month.
Each of the kids could choose what color material they would fill their sun catchers with.
Each of the kids could choose what color material they would fill their sun catchers with.
In past months, the kids have learned everything from weaving to inking to how to use fluorescent paints. They’ve made paper cutouts in the style of Matisse and even channeled Jackson Pollock.

Studio MPL is going to take a break for the summer but it'll be back in September. For more photos from Studio MPL’s most recent session, go to our Facebook page.
Monika Wolk attaches threads to her sun catcher so it can hang outside.
Monika Wolk attaches threads to her sun catcher so it can hang outside.
Speaking of summer, kids, teens and adults can start signing up for our Summer Reading Program on May 31. This year, a lot of our programs have a scientific theme. And, as always, you can win a lot of cool prizes—just for reading.

For more information on Mentor Library’s summer reading program, call 440-255-8811 or visit your nearest branch.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Paws to Read: Good dogs, good books, even better times

The Mentor Public Library is going to be closed Sunday and Monday in commemoration of Memorial Day. (All of our digital services are still available though.)

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Would you forgive us if we shared photos of cute kids reading to cute dogs.
Jay and Fragg share a book at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.
Jay and Fragg share a book at our Mentor-on-the-Lake Branch.
These photos are from our monthly Paws to Read program.

It pairs young readers (between the ages of six and 12 years old) with therapy dogs, who listen to the children as they read.
Caesar nuzzles in as Amarys reads to him.
Caesar nuzzles in as Amarys reads to him.
If your child can read independently but doesn't like to do it in front of other people, you might try signing them up for Paws to Read. (Especially if your son or daughter is also a dog lover.)

The next session is slated for June 18 at our Main Branch and registration for it begins on June 14.

Registration fills up quickly, so contact the children’s department at Mentor Public Library soon if you think you child could benefit from Paws to Read.
Maria and Hannah take a break from reading.
Maria and Hannah take a break from reading.
There is often a waiting list for the program once registration begins.

For more information on Paws to Read and other children’s programs at Mentor Public Library call (440) 255-8811 ext. 221.

And for more photos from our most recent Paws to Read session, visit our Facebook page.
Bela reads the adventures of CatDog to Hayley.
Bela reads the adventures of CatDog to Hayley.

Friday, May 23, 2014

Fan Favorite Friday: The True Grit of John Wayne

Marion Mitchell Morrison, better known as John Wayne, appeared in more than 170 films from 1926 to 1976, so please forgive us if we neglect to mention a personal favorite during this week's Fan Favorite Friday.

And, remember, you can borrow any and all of these movies from Mentor Public Library.

1. Where to begin with Wayne, a man who has portrayed so many iconic characters in so many classic films? Sure, all of those characters seemed to share a common diction and disposition, but Wayne wasn't an actor—at least, not in the way Gregory Peck was or Paul Giamatti is.

Even when Wayne was alive, he was a legend; and, when he appeared on the silver screen, he wasn't so much acting as he was building a legend.

So where to begin is a matter of personal preference and we prefer to begin with Rio Bravo. So how good was Wayne in Rio Bravo?

Good enough that he made us believe Ricky Nelson was tough.

So good that I don't even need to invoke Dean Martin when discussing how good this film is.

"So good, he feels he doesn't need to prove it..."

2. Wayne was nominated for three Oscars, two as an actor. His only win was for his performance in True Grit where he played a U.S. Marshal out for revenge. His only other acting nomination: The Sands of Iwo Jima.

3. Wayne's most associated with the western genre, but he seemed to reserve his best work for war films. The Green Berets is excellent; another personal favorite is They Were Expendable, which you can stream for free on Hoopla.)

4. Bet you didn't know that Wayne could sing. OK, maybe he's no Judy Garland, but he did play in Singin' Sandy Saunders in one of his lesser known flicks, Riders of Destiny. (You can watch it as part of the John Wayne ultimate collection.)

5. When you think of Wayne, you probably think of westerns and war films, but he had comedic chops too. He was great as himself in the fifth season of I Love Lucy. (Lucy tries to steal his hand prints from in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.)

6. One word: Hondo.

7. Wayne—much like Clint Eastwood, who perfected the John Wayne prototype—could be a surprisingly compelling romantic lead. In this regard, he was best when paired with Maureen O'Hara; and they were at their best in The Quiet Man.

8. Wayne's performance in Red River was so good that John Ford, the director behind Stagecoach and several other Wayne westerns, admitted that even he didn't know Wayne could act like that. If you don't know much about Wayne, Red River is a great place to start.

9. Wayne saved one of his best for last. The Shootist is not a film the young Wayne could have made. It took a wizened actor and man to play an aging gunfighter who dying of cancer. And, yes, you could this was just Wayne playing himself once more; but Wayne's performance is strong yet subtle. And any great artist will tell you that subtlety comes last, if it comes at all.

10. John Wayne is a fascinating man and his been the subject of dozens of biographies. We have ten—that's right, ten—of them at Mentor Library. Feel free to check them out. Even if you're a Wayne aficionado, you main learn things you never knew that you never knew.

Come back each week for a new Fan Favorite Friday.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Remembering our Fallen Heroes

The Mentor Public Library—all branches—will be closed Sunday and Monday for Memorial Day.

We hope you spend some time with your family and friends, but never forget the real reason it's a holiday. It's not so we can barbecue or work on our base tan. It's so we can thank those who have served to keep us free.

While it may seem trite to suggest a movie or a book to coincide with Memorial Day, sometimes entertainment is the most effective way to remind ourselves of what others have sacrificed for us. So this week we're dedicating Throwback Thursday to remembering our fallen heroes.

(As always, you can check out any and all of these movies and books from the Mentor Public Library. We’ve even linked to our collection so you can put them on hold wherever you are.)

1. Saving Private Ryan—If this film ended after its depiction of the Omaha Beach assault, it would still be worth mentioning. By 1998 (when Private Ryan premiered,) war movies had transcended the dichotomy of either being patriotic or critical of war. This film (and especially its first 30 minutes) told war as it was: sometimes brave, sometimes heroic, often violent and always tragic.

2. The Sands of Iwo Jima—John Wayne is best known for his work in westerns, but he reserved his best work for war films. (Also see They Were Expendable, which you can stream for free on Hoopla.) Iwo Jima encapsulates more than its titular battle. It portrays a hard man—Marine Sergeant John Stryker—during harder times.

3. Platoon, Apocalypse Now & Good Morning, Vietnam—The Vietnam War does not lend itself to optimistic films. Frankly, this list could be longer: Full Metal Jacket, Casualties of War... none of these films stir your patriotic spirit. But they are films that will move you.

4. Gettysburg—Perhaps because it's based on a book, this film plays more like a novel than a war film. There are dozens of characters. Each have their own motivation for fighting. Most importantly, every person in this movie thinks he is fighting on the side of right; or, at least, that his side is as right as any. (Also, if you love Gettysburg, check out Gods and Generals—either the book or the movie.

5. Twelve O'Clock High—There's something about the Air Force, right? No other movie juxtaposes the tragedy of war with the majesty of flying as memorably as Twelve O'Clock High, which tells the story of the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France.

6. The Patriot—Considering how important it was for our country—for example, we wouldn't have a country without it—there are surprisingly few films about the Revolutionary War. The Patriot is a good place to start. You may also like Johnny Tremain and John Adams.

7. Hurt Locker, Three Kings, Turtles Can Fly—The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have already inspired several films. While few have been box-office hits, many of them have been critical favorites and shaped how people view the wars.

8. All Quiet on the Western Front—For as many classic movies as there are about World War II, there are surprisingly few depicting WWI. All Quiet tells the story of Paul Baumer, an enlistee in the Imperial German Army. This 1930 film is realist, harrowing and, in many ways, ahead of its time. It predicts the nihilism of later war movies.

9. M*A*S*H—MASH is an incredible film in that it makes war funny without making it any less tragic. It tells the story of a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War. If you only know the TV show, you owe it to yourself to check out the movie.

10. Restrepo, The Tillman Story, Taxi to the Dark Side, Standard Operating Procedure—In addition to movies, there have been a lot of thought-provoking documentaries produced about wars.

Also, if you want to watch something right now, IndieFlix is streaming several war films, shorts and documentaries from its site right now, and you can watch as many of them as you want with a Mentor Public Library card. (Here's how to stream videos from IndieFlix, in case you forgot.)

Once more, we at Mentor Public Library want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have served and sacrificed for this country!

Come back each week for a new Throwback Thursday profile.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

It's mad science this summer at Mentor Library

Last year, Mentor Public Library had its biggest summer reading program ever. More than 2,000 kids, teens and adults signed up.

This year we want it to be even bigger.

We are running a trio of summer reading programs this year—one for children, teens and adults, respectively—and all three are focused on science. The children’s program is Fizz, Boom, Read; the teens’ is Spark a Reaction; and adults’ is Literary Elements.

People can start registering for summer reading on May 31 and there will be a special kickoff party for kids on Saturday, June 7, at the Read House, which is next door to the our Main Branch. COSI (the Center of Science and Industry) will bring its traveling exhibits to the party and show kids how much fun science can be.

By the way, our party is free, open to everyone and no registration is necessary.

But that's just the beginning. Mentor Library will host fun programs to get kids, teens and adults excited about science all through the summer.

We’re having Mad Science Mondays from June 16 to Aug. 4 at the Read House, which will be open to kids of all ages. The children will have the opportunity to perform hands-on experiments and make crafts using different themes every Monday.

Meanwhile, teens will have Weird Science Wednesdays throughout June that feature experiments with photography and weather. The series kicks off on June 11 when teens will test popular myths with their own version of Mythbusters.

Both teens and adults are welcome to our Monday University series, which will feature two exciting science-themed programs this summer: “Exploring Mars with NASA’s Geoffrey Landis” on June 2 and “Storm Chasers” on July 14 with Aaron Rigsby of the Ohio Storm Chasers.

Everyone who participates in the summer reading programs has a chance to win prizes—from gift cards at Toys ‘R’ Us to Lake County Captains tickets to Nook eReaders. The more someone reads, the better chance they have of winning.

For more information on Mentor Library’s summer reading program, call 440-255-8811 or visit your nearest branch.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Get ready for your ACTs at Mentor Library

Students prepare for the ACTs at Mentor Public Library.
It's never too soon to get ready for your ACTs.

After all, standardized test are (in a word) stressful. But the more and better you prepare for the test, the better off you'll be

The Mentor Public Library is holding two ACT prep sessions in May. The first will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 24, at our Main Branch. It focuses on general test preparation and the reading courses. The next session is the same time and place on Saturday, May 31. Its focus will be the science and math sections of the ACT. You can register for both of them on our library's website.

These sessions provide practical experience in terms of the types of questions you’ll see on the ACT, and they also offer strategies for test prep (that, by the way, work on tests besides the ACT.)

All sessions will be led by Dr. John Foster, one of our reference librarians at Mentor Public Library. Foster has a doctorate in history from the University of Washington and has taught at both the high school and college level.

And, yes, all of our sessions are free and open to anyone preparing for the ACT.

If you have any questions on our ACT prep sessions, you can call the library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 215.

Friday, May 16, 2014

Fan Favorite Friday: There You Are, Scooby Doo

Scooby-Doo has the kind of longevity that scoffs at Gunsmoke or The Simpsons.

He and Mystery Incorporated have been solving mysteries since 1969. They have outlasted eight U.S. presidents, four Tonight Show hosts and four Matthew Perry sitcoms.

He's entertained Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and whatever generation comes next. (Generation Text?)

This makes it Scooby and the crew the perfect candidates for a Fan Favorite Friday.

And, remember, you can borrow any and all of these movies from Mentor Public Library.

1. It all began with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The mysteries, the unmaskings, the Scooby snacks, the boneheaded idea to split into groups. Scooby-Doo is the great white shark of cartoons. It's been perfect for so long that it's barely had to evolve.

2. In the 1970's, Scooby teamed with Dynomutt and other Hanna-Barbera characters to create the Laff-a-Lympics. Scooby was also joined by his dim-witted cousin, Scooby-Dum. (Still better than Scrappy-Doo.)

3. Speaking of Scrappy-Doo, if you happen to be a fan—we're not judging—he was all over the 80's The Richie Rich Scooby-Doo Show.

4. In the 1990's, the Scooby crew traveled all around the world to collect dangerous ghosts at the behest of Vincent Van Ghoul (who was inspired and voiced by Vincent Price) in The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo.

5. Then the gang flashed back to junior high in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. You could see Daphne, Velma, Fred and Shaggy as middle schoolers.

6. While Scooby's never been gone, a series of popular direct-to-video movies led to a new TV show in the early aughts, What's New, Scooby-Doo? The show had all the same charm as the original but long-time fans probably found it a little distracting to see Velma on a computer or Fred with a cell phone.

7. Scooby-Doo got so popular that they made a pair of live-action films starring Freddie Prinze Jr. as Freddie, Linda Cardinelli as Velma, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne and computer-animated Great Dane as Scooby-Doo. The movies were fun for kids and offered some amusing winks and nudges for long-time fans. (And, also, the first movie probably still has the best use of Scrappy-Doo ever.)

8. Not all iterations of the Scooby-Doo crew are equally popular. In Shaggy and Scooby Get a Clue, Shaggy inherits a mansion—haunted, naturally—from his rich uncle. This series isn't as well remembered as other Scooby shows, in part because it takes away the familiar conceit of solving mysteries with Velma, Daphne and Fred, but it's a quirky entry into the Scooby canon.

9. Scooby-Doo is a master of the team-up. Over the years, he's worked with everyone from the Harlem Globetrotters to Batman to John Cena.

10. The newest series starring Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated, is the most ambitious. It features serialized storytelling, romantic subplots—yes, Fred and Daphne finally work it out—Lovecraftian monsters and a cameo by Harlan Ellison. Yes, that Harlan Ellison!

Come back each week for a new Fan Favorite Friday.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Cartoons of the 80's

Last week we visited the sitcoms of the 1990's. This Throwback Thursday, we're jumping back a decade to the cartoons of the 1980's.

(And, as always, you can check out any and all of these shows from the Mentor Public Library. We’ve even linked to our collection so you can put them on hold wherever you are.)

Let's start with some a hard truth: Not every 80's cartoon deserves to be remembered. Some were lousy spin-offs of live-action shows with ridiculous premises. (I'm looking at you, Gilligan's Planet. And you weren't much better, Laverne & Shirley in the Army.) Others were barely concealed toy commercials—even more so than He-Man. (They seriously made a Rubik's Cube cartoon.)

But the 80's also gave us a lot of fun shows that you can enjoy all over again.

For example, if you like talking animals, you have an entire zoo from from which you can pick favorites.

You can choose between Gummi Bears and Care Bears, My Little Pony and The Thundercats. (You picked Thundercats, right?) Or you can borrow them all.

My personal favorite of the lot is Garfield & Friends. And you can even fast forward through the U.S. Acres segments if you want. (Just kidding, we love Orson.)

The 80's also had a bevy of cool cartoons with heroines that young girls (and boys too) from any decade would like: Penny from Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Jem & the Holograms and, of course, She-Ra.

This decade was also the golden age of the Robots Turning Into Other Things genre. Voltron, Transformers, Gobots—no robot was just a robot. It was also a sports car and a microwave oven.

And, finally, you have those cartoons that defy definition like The Smurfs. Seriously, what are they? Are they tiny blue primates? Super-intelligent insects? Some sort of fungi? Eh, whatever, the theme song is catchy.

(True story: I thought The Smurfs and California Raisins were related when I was kid. It made enough sense. They were minuscule, similarly hued and solved most of their problems with music.)

What was your favorite cartoon from the 80's?

Come back each week for a new Throwback Thursday profile.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Home Care v. Home Health Care: Which Does Your Family Need?

We all need a little help sometimes; and, as we get older, the amount of help we need sometimes grows.

If you're a senior or the adult child of a senior, it can be difficult to gauge just how much your family needs. And you don't want to give up more independence than you need to.

Do you just need someone around the house to tidy up and provide companionship? Or do you need a health-care professional around?

If you're not sure what kind of help your family needs, come to the Home Care v. Home Health Care program 3 p.m. Thursday, May 15, at the Mentor Public Library's Main Branch. (You can register for it here.)

In general, home care provides interactive care giving and companionship, while home health care has a medical component, including therapy.

Susie Pike from Comfort Keepers and Nancy Brothers from Interim HealthCare will offer more specifics Thursday. They will lead a round table about the differences between home care and home health care and also answer questions about what would be best for your family.

If you know your family needs a little help (or may need help,) but aren't sure what's best for your loved one, come to the Mentor Library Thursday afternoon. The round table and Q & A is free and open to everybody.

If you want to know more about the program, call the Mentor Public Library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 215.

Monday, May 12, 2014

10 Tips to Build a Healthy Meal

The Lake County General Health District visited the Mentor Library last week to explain the differences between various diets and help people pick the best diet for themselves.

Here are 10 tips they shared for building healthy meals:

1. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables

To make sure you get as many nutrients as possible, vary the color palette of your fruits and veggies. Opt for red, orange and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes and broccoli.

2. Pick lean protein

Chicken, turkey, seafood, beans and tofu are all good ways to get lean protein. You can still eat beef and pork too. Just get a lean cut.

3. Don't forget whole grains

Whole grains provide more fiber than refined grains, so look for words like "100% whole grain" or "100% whole wheat" on the label.

4. Include dairy

Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same essential nutrients as whole milk with less fat and fewer calories. If you don't drink milk, try fat-free or low-fat yogurt or soymilk.

5. Excise the extra fat

Heavy gravies and sauces may taste delicious, but they're an easy way to make a healthy food unhealthy. For example: steamed broccoli, good for you; steamed broccoli covered in a mountain of melted cheese, not so good for you. Try a squeeze of lemon or a sprinkle of low-fat Parmesan, instead.

6. Take your time

Eating slowly allows you to actually appreciate what you're tasting. Plus it gives your stomach time to catch up to your mouth so you don't overeat.

7. Use a smaller plate

This psychological trick helps with portion control. You'll feel satisfied without overeating.

8. Be mindful of what you're eating

If you cook yourself, you'll know exactly what you're eating and how healthy (or unhealthy) it is. If you're going to eat out, do a little research beforehand. Try to get nutrition information and don't be afraid to ask for a healthier substitution. (For example, switch in a salad for those french fries.)

9. Try new foods
Any diet can get monotonous if you don't switch things up occasionally. Try something you've never eaten before—mango, kale, lentils. You may discover a new favorite.

10. Find a healthier way to indulge your sweet tooth

If you're craving dessert, try something naturally sweet instead like a fruit. You can make a parfait with low-fat yogurt or bake apples and top them with cinnamon.

The LCGHD will return to the Mentor Public Library on Wednesday, August 6, to talk about MyPlate, the USDA's visual guide to healthy eating. You can register for the free talk here.

Click here for more tips on how to eat and live healthy from the Lake County General Health District.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

A practically perfect tea party with Mary Poppins

Last year’s tea party may have been Pinkalicious, but this one was practically perfect in every way.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins, Mentor Public Library hosted a special tea party Saturday at its main branch. Children made chalk drawings, haberdashed their own Mary Poppins hats, danced to “Step in Time,” ate crumpets and drank raspberry lemonade with the moms and grandmas.

The only way it could have been more fun is if we held it on the ceiling.
We dangled umbrellas and kites from the ceiling as decorations.
Eva makes a chalk drawing. The kids took their drawings home so they could jump into them later.
Kids could make their own Mary Poppins hat, but Keeley already had a pretty stunning hat of her own.
We served cucumber sandwiches, sweets and raspberry lemonade.
Gigi and Jenna show off their new hats.
To everyone who was there, we hope you had as much fun as we did.

For more programs for kids and adults at Mentor Library, check out our event calendar.

Remember, summer reading starts soon...

Friday, May 9, 2014

Fan Favorite Friday: The Weird & Wonderful Filmography of Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie has won awards from the Academy, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild, served as a special envoy and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and helped influence national policy on preventative cancer testing by writing an op-ed for the New York Times.

Some people only think of Angelina in terms of tabloid headlines: She’s the latter half of Brangelina; the estranged daughter of Jon Voight; the woman who carried a vial of Billy Bob Thornton’s blood around her neck.

However, hopefully, Angelina’s varied and veritable filmography (and, more importantly, her social work) will outlast the paparazzo’s interest.

So we’re dedicating this week’s Fan Favorite Friday to her.

And, remember, you can borrow any and all of these movies from Mentor Public Library.

1. Girl, Interrupted. To this point, Angelina’s only Academy Award. Wynona Ryder may have been the star in this film about a young woman’s stay at a psychiatric hospital, but it was Angelina who captured everyone’s attention.

2. George Wallace. Angelina earned an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win playing Cornelia Wallace, the second wife of the titular governor in this TV movie.

3. Tomb Raider. The film that helped Angelina leap from star to superstar—still a great popcorn flick for a summer’s night.

4. Changeling. A Clint Eastwood-directed film about the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders. Angelina was nominated for everything from Oscars to BAFTAs for her role as the mother of one of the victims.

5. A Mighty Heart. Another performance for which Angelina received a Golden Globe nomination. This time she portrayed Mariane Pearl, whose husband was journalist that was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan.

6. Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The movie that launched a million tabloid headlines. This film—which, by the way, isnot a remake of the same-titled Alfred Hitchcock comedy—stars Angelina and Brad Pitt as a bored married couple who also happen to be assassins that are hired to kill one another.

7. The Tourist. Angelina was nominated for another Golden Globe for her performance in this thriller, in which she played against Johnny Depp.

8. Gone in 60 Seconds. The Fast and the Furious series stole some of this movie’s thunder. But this car-heist flick which pairs Angelina and Nicolas Cage is a lot of fun.

9. In the Land of Blood and Honey. Angelina’s directorial debut tells the story of a Serbian soldier who falls in love with a Bosnian prisoner of war. It was nominated for the Golden Globes’ best foreign language film.

10. Angelina has also been the subject of several biographies—none of which have been authorized.

Come back each week for a new Fan Favorite Friday.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Remembering 90's Sitcoms



What you consider the golden age of sitcoms depends on when you grew up.

If you grew up in the era of black-and-white TVs and three channels, you probably think the sitcom peaked with I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

If you’re a child of the 70′s, you’ll probably prefer The Mary Tyler Moore Show, M*A*S*H or All in the Family. The 80′s? Cheers and Cosby.

Each era has its highlights, they’ll likely all get their own dedicated Throwback Thursdays eventually. But, this Thursday, we hearken back to those halcyon days of Seinfeld, Frasier and TGIF.

That’s right. We’re going back to the 90′s! (And, as always, you can check out any and all of these shows from the Mentor Public Library. We’ve even linked to our collection so you can put them on hold wherever you are.)

Hangout comedies

For most of the last century, sitcoms fell into one of two categories: the family and workplace sitcom. (Some shows like The Dick Van Dyke Show combined them.)


Cheers begat a third: the hangout sitcom.

The 90′s neither invented nor perfected the hangout sitcom. (I don’t know by what metric you rate a sitcom; but, no matter what, Cheers has to rank pretty high, right?) But it did proliferate them, and some of the best sitcoms of the decade were of this type.

Friends, Seinfeld, Will & Grace and even latter years of Boy Meets World were all about characters who you wanted to spend time with. Maybe something happened in that episode, maybe nothing happened; but, either way, you wanted to hang out.

Workplace comedies

Workplace comedies fell out of vogue in the 90′s. More often than not, the workplace became part of the family sitcom. For example, Home Improvement wasn’t based around Tool Time and Frasier didn’t spend all of his time at the radio station, but you still saw that part of the characters’ lives.

However, there were still some comedies based around the job in the style of The Mary Tyler Show. My favorites of the bunch are Newsradio and Just Shoot Me. Coincidentally, both are based around jobs in media. For Just Shoot Me, it’s a fashion magazine. For Newsradio… well, I think it’s pretty obvious where they’re working.

If you only recall Newsradio and Just Shoot Me as the things Phil Hartman and David Spade, respectively, after Saturday Night Live, then you should give them another look. They’re better than you remember.

Family comedies

From The Honeymooners to Modern Family, the family comedy will never go out of style. And while the 90′s is mainly though of as the era of the hangout comedy, there were still several great shows based around families.

Roseanne, Married… with Children, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Simpsons, Dharma & Greg, Full House,Daria and Family Matters depicted different families that represented the diversity of families watching.

The one thing they all had in common: They made us laugh.

Feel free to check out any of these shows from Mentor Public Library. It’s free with your library card (and you have a library card, right?)

What was your favorite sitcom from the 90′s?

Come back each week for a new Throwback Thursday profile.