I'm thoroughly enjoying this version. I have such a fondness for these period pieces - the wonderful costumes, the charming little villages, the magnificent homes and furnishings, the horse drawn carriages.... This one is particularly well done. Even though I've read the book several times and seen other versions it's great fun to watch the drama play out. It's also a little easier on the eyes- the costumes and hairstyles are very becoming, they appeal to the modern eye better than the authentic period ones do.

I do think that libraries should cater to a wide variety of tastes. The problem comes with one person deciding what the other people should read.Exactly -- one person, or the committees (boards) that are interested only in the bottom line. The problem is many public libraries in the US are catering to very narrow taste, and I think that's what most of us are really complaining about. Now, whether this is because the preponderance of the clientele only want certain types of books, or the space and budget restraints are inhibiting the purchase of a broad collection...I'm not sure, but I suspect it's both. It's very disheartening to me, though, to see choice shrinking rather than expanding in public libraries. I have nothing against sci-fi/fantasy being well represented for readers who love it. I do object to mediocre and poorly written sci-fi/fantasy crowding out other genres, though. (I certainly can't tell, though, what is good and what is bad in the genre because I don't read enough of it, but I've been told very frequently by several family members who love the genre that about 70% of it is crap. I'll take their word for it because among them they have almost 150 years of reading experience, a lot of it in sf/fantasy, and even they see their beloved genre is over-represented -- and debased because of it.) There comes a point when a significant portion of the clientele is not being served well because the most popular genres are hogging everything, and those people will get discouraged and turn away; perhaps some potential readers will be lost because the library doesn't have much of anything they need or have an interest in. The libraries have already lost me, but I don't count because I have other resources -- it's those who don't have alternatives I feel the saddest for.

Killer in the Rain ~ Raymond Chandler (a collection of shorter stories, some of which he expanded into novels)

Boxing Legend Joe Louis - Matt de la Pena (don't worry Connie I know a few nuns who could throw a good punch)