Bah Humbug

One of the most recognizable and re-adapted stories is A Christmas Carol, the 1843 classic by Charles Dickens.  This time of  year at the library, one of our patrons asking for A Christmas Carol might be overwhelmed by the response they get.  There have been hundreds of adaptations and variations over the years.   Are you looking for a book?  a movie?  a TV show?  a stage production? animated? comedy? drama? There are so many ways to enjoy this Dickens classic, let’s run through a few that you can request from the library.

In Print

Let’s start with the basics.  Many different printings and adaptations have published Dickens’ original text. These include picture books and abridged versions for younger audiences.  But if you really want to go back to the original source and get a sense of Dickens mind in 1843 you should check-out A Christmas Carol: The Original Manuscript Edition.  This printing includes detailed emendations, deletions, and insertions in Dickens’s own hand.

On Stage

A Christmas Carol went to the stage almost immediately after being published.  In 1844 Edward Stirling staged A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future, running 40 nights in London.  That year eight different theater companies in London staged their own version of the Dickens classic.

Composer Alan Menken wrote the songs for the musical A Christmas Carol, which was performed at Madison Square Garden from 1994-2003 during the holiday season.  It was later staged at the Lyceum Theater in London.  You can check-out a song book with the music and lyrics from the live performance Madison Square Garden Presents A Christmas Carol. The musical was also adapted into a 2005 Made for TV movie in NBC which starred Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge.  Check out the DVD today!

 

 

In Film

The very first live action movie version of A Christmas Carol was a 1901 silent, black and white film called Scrooge, or, Marley’s Ghost. Patrick Stewart did his best Scrooge in 1999.  George C Scott did his best bah hum bug in 1984.   But the “classic” 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim seems the be the most well revered and revisited live action adaptation.  But everyone has their favorite!

 

Animation

If you grew up in the 60s you might remember a Christmas 1962 special on NBC called Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Even if you didn’t grow up in the 60s you can still check out the DVD version from the library. Tim Curry and Whoopi Goldberg led an all-star voice cast of the 1997 production by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment – reviews were mixed.  In 2009 a Disney digitally animated version of A Christmas Carol with a powerhouse performance by Jim Carrey hit the theaters. But my personal favorite in the animation category has to be Mickey’s Christmas Carol from 1983.

 

 

 

 

Voice

Over the years this Christmas classic has been performed by some pretty well known voice performers for radio and audiobook.  This radio play can be found at your local library: A Christmas Carol by Shane Salk. CBS Radio Network aired their production of A Christmas Carol, starring Lionel Barrymore, starting in 1934. That’s the same Lionel Barrymore who plays Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Live. The radio production ran every year until 1953.  This 1938 recording starring Barrymore and Orson Welles comes from Youtube.

 

Merry Christmas to all!

Dustin, SPL

 

New Reads – Straight to Your Inbox

New Reads – Straight to Your Inbox

Looking for the newest library titles in your preferred genres or by your favorite authors? Get lists of titles added to the Allegheny County Library collections straight to your inbox with Select Reads!

Sign up for receive free monthly email notifications so you never miss another great pick. Choose from a variety of topics like Fiction, Non-Fiction, Entertainment, Graphic Novels, Home & Garden, Large Print, Romance, Teen, Age groups (4-8 & 9-12) and so many more.

Wth Select Reads, you can be up-to-date with the latest titles and authors that are available in the library catalog.

Find this resource on the county’s eLibrary page at elibrary.einetwork.net.

Winter Holiday Mysteries

Winter Holiday Mysteries

‘Tis the season for some cozy wintry mysteries. Here a sampling of new ones you can check out at the library!


Let It Crow! Let It Crow! Let It Crow! by Donna Andrews

‘Tis the season for sleuthing in Donna Andrews’ cheery new addition to the New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow series.


Murder Most Royal by S.J. Bennett

Evidence that an aristocrat has gone missing–and was possibly murdered–near Sandringham House sets Queen Elizabeth II on the path to discover unsavory family secrets and much more in this new installment of the series the New York Times Book Review calls “sheer entertainment.”


The Twelve Books of Christmas by Kate Carlisle

The first ever Christmas mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Bibliophile Mystery series! San Francisco book-restoration expert Brooklyn Wainwright and her hunky security-expert husband, Derek Stone, face a locked-room murder mystery during the holidays in Scotland.


Hercule Poirot’s Silent Night by Sophie Hannah

The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot–legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile–puts his little grey cells to work solving a baffling Christmas mystery.


‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt

In National Bestseller David Rosenfelt’s ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas , all through the Carpenter house, five dogs are stirring, and not even Andy can get out of working this latest case at his door.


The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson

New York Times bestselling author Peter Swanson pens a spectacularly spine-chilling novella in which an American art student in London is invited to join a classmate for the holidays at Starvewood Hall, her family’s Cotswold manor house. But behind the holly and pine boughs, secrets are about to unravel, revealing this seemingly charming English village’s grim history.


Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.

Page to Screen

Page to Screen

There are a ton of books that have been recently turned into films or TV series. Check out the titles & where you can watch them below!


Now Showing

Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) stars in and executive produces the series adaptation of Bonnie Garmus’ bestselling historical fiction novel about a chemist who becomes the unwitting star of a popular cooking show in early 1960s California.

Where to watch: New episodes of Lessons in Chemistry stream weekly on Apple TV+.

 

 

Killers of the Flower Moon : the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI
by David Grann

Presents a true account of the early twentieth-century murders of dozens of wealthy Osage and law-enforcement officials, citing the contributions and missteps of a fledgling FBI that eventually uncovered one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history

Where to watch: In Theaters Now

 

 

Pain Hustlers: Crime and Punishment at an Opioid Startup
by Evan Hughes

Chris Evans (Captain America) and Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) lead the film adaptation of journalist Evan Hughes’ true crime book about controversial pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics.

Where to watch: Catch Pain Hustlers on Netflix.

 

 

Fellow Travelers
by Thomas Mallon

Matt Bomer (The Boys in the Band) and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) star as a pair of lovers navigating a decades-long romance in mid-20th century Washington, D.C. in the miniseries adaptation of Thomas Mellon’s political thriller.

Where to watch: Catch new episodes of Fellow Travelers weekly on Showtime.

 

 

 

The Fall of the House of Usher: And Other Stories That Inspired the Netflix Series
by Edgar Allan Poe

Filmmaker Mike Flanagan is back with another miniseries adaptation of classic horror tales — this time, Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 titular short story and other works.

Where to watch: The Fall of the House of Usher is streaming on Netflix.

 

 

 

Black Cake
by Charmaine Wilkerson

An ensemble cast stars in the series adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s bestselling saga about a Caribbean American family caught up in a murder mystery. Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films co-produced the series.

Where to watch: Black Cake is streaming on Hulu.

 

 

 


Coming Soon

The Marsh King’s Daughter
by Karen Dionne

Daisy Ridley stars as a woman confronting her troubled past after her father escapes from prison in the thriller film adaptation of Karen Dionne’s international bestseller.

Where to watch: The Marsh King’s Daughter hits theaters on November 3rd.

 

 

 

Elvis and Me
by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley

Academy Award-winning director Sofia Coppola helms Priscilla, the film adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s memoir chronicling her tumultuous marriage to Elvis Presley.

Where to watch: Priscilla hits theaters on November 3rd.

 

 

 

 

The Complete The Killer
by Matz; illustrated by Luc Jacamon

Michael Fassbender stars as titular assassin The Killer in David Fincher’s film adaptation of the French neo-noir graphic novel series.

Where to watch: Following a limited theatrical release, The Killer premieres on Netflix on November 10th.

 

 

 

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
by Ibram X. Kendi

The documentary adaptation of Ibram X. Kendi’s National Book Award-winning history features appearances from Brittney Cooper, Angela Davis, Imani Perry, and more.

Where to watch: Premieres in theaters on November 10th.

 

 

 

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence returns to direct the film adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the prequel to Suzanne Collins’ dystopian Hunger Games trilogy starring a teenage Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem.

Where to watch: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premieres in theaters on November 17th.

Women in Translation Month

Looking for a new perspective? Try one of these translated titles written by women this month. #WITMonth

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yōko Tawada

Welcome to the not-too-distant future: Japan, having vanished from the face of the earth, is now remembered as “the land of sushi.” Hiruko, its former citizen and a climate refugee herself, has a job teaching immigrant children in Denmark with her invented language Panska (Pan-Scandinavian): “homemade language. no country to stay in. three countries I experienced. insufficient space in brain. so made new language. homemade language.” As she searches for anyone who can still speak her mother tongue, Hiruko soon makes new friends.


The Fawn by Magda Szabó

From the author of The Door and Abigail and for fans of Elena Ferrante and Clarice Lispector, a newly translated novel about a theater star who is forced to reckon with her painful and tragic past. In The Door, in Iza’s Ballad, and in Abigail, Magda Szabó describes the complex relationships between women of different ages and backgrounds with an astute and unsparing eye. Eszter, the narrator and protagonist of The Fawn, may well be Szabó’s most fascinating creation.


Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector

Near to the Wild Heart, published in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, introduced Brazil to what one writer called “Hurricane Clarice”: a twenty-three-year-old girl who wrote her first book in a tiny rented room and then baptized it with a title taken from Joyce: “He was alone, unheeded, near to the wild heart of life.”


Flights by Olga Tokarczuk

From the incomparably original Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk, Flights interweaves reflections on travel with an in-depth exploration of the human body, broaching life, death, motion, and migration. Chopin’s heart is carried back to Warsaw in secret by his adoring sister. A woman must return to her native Poland in order to poison her terminally ill high school sweetheart, and a young man slowly descends into madness when his wife and child mysteriously vanish during a vacation and just as suddenly reappear.


All our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginzburg

This powerful novel is set against the background of Italy from 1939 to 1944, from the anxious months before the country entered the war, through the war years, to the allied victory with its trailing wake of anxiety, disappointment, and grief. In the foreground are the members of two families. One is rich, the other is not. In All Our Yesterdays, as in all of Ms. Ginzburg’s novels, terrible things happen–suicide, murder, air raids, and bombings. But seemingly less overwhelming events, like a family quarrel, adultery, or a deception, are given equal space, as if to say that, to a victim, adultery and air raids can be equally maiming. All Our Yesterdays gives a sharp portrait of a society hungry for change, but betrayed by war.


Forbidden Notebook by Alba de Cespedes

Valeria Cossati never suspected how unhappy she had become with the shabby gentility of her bourgeois life–until she begins to jot down her thoughts and feelings in a little black book she keeps hidden in a closet. This new secret activity leads her to scrutinize herself and her life more closely, and she soon realizes that her individuality is being stifled by her devotion and sense of duty toward her husband, daughter, and son. As the conflicts between parents and children, husband and wife, and friends and lovers intensify, what goes on behind the Cossatis’ facade of middle-class respectability gradually comes to light, tearing the family’s fragile fabric apart.


 

For Fans of the Movie Oppenheimer

Learn more about the history of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project.

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird

The inspiration for the major motion picture Oppenheimer, this is the definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress.

Get it NOW with NO WAIT on hoopla!

 

Brotherhood of the Bomb: the Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller by Gregg Herken

The story of these three men, builders of the bombs, is fundamentally about loyalty-to country, to science, and to each other-and about the wrenching choices that had to be made when these allegiances came into conflict. Gregg Herken gives us the behind-the-scenes account based upon a decade of research, interviews, and newly released Freedom of Information Act and Russian documents.

 

Trinity: a Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Trinity , the debut graphic book by the gifted illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, depicts in vivid detail the dramatic history of the race to build and the decision to drop the first atomic bomb. This sweeping historical narrative traces the spark of invention from the laboratories of nineteenth-century Europe to the massive industrial and scientific efforts of the Manhattan Project.

 

Bomb: the Race to Build– and Steal– the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries, and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos.

 

The First War of Physics: the Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939-1949 by J. E. Baggott

The First War of Physics is a grand and frightening story of scientific ambition, intrigue, and genius: a tale barely believable as fiction, which just happens to be historical fact. Rich in personality, action, confrontation, and deception, The First War of Physics is the first fully realized popular account of the race to build humankind’s most destructive weapon.

 

Fallout: the Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the Worldby Lesley M. M. Blume

New York Times bestselling author Lesley M.M. Blume reveals how one courageous American reporter uncovered one of the deadliest cover-ups of the 20th century–the true effects of the atom bomb–potentially saving millions of lives. Fallout is an engrossing detective story, as well as an important piece of hidden history that shows how one heroic scoop saved–and can still save–the world.

 

The Manhattan Project by Daniel Cohen

Discusses the personalities and events involved in the research, development and detonation of the atomic bombs built by the United States in the 1940s.

 

 

: the Secret Story of America’s Unknown Atomic Spy Conspiracy by Joseph

In a book that will force the revision of fifty years of scholarship and reporting on the Cold War, award-winning journalists Joseph Albright and Marcia Kunstel reveal for the first time a devastatingly effective Soviet spy network that infiltrated the Manhattan Project and ferried America’s top atomic secrets to Stalin.  At the heart of the network was Ted Hall, who was so secret an operative that even Klaus Fuchs, his fellow Manhattan Project scientist and Soviet agent, had no idea they were comrades. For forty years only a few Russians knew what Ted Hall really did.  Now Joseph Albright and Marcia Kunstel reveal the astonishing true story of the atomic spies who got away.  Bombshell is history at its most explosive.

If You are Waiting for the Fourth Wing…

If You are Waiting for the Fourth Wing…

Try out some of these other fantasy titles while you wait for a copy of Fourth Wing.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

 


The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.


King of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair

In order to end a years-long war between vampires and mortals, Isolde must wed vampire king Adrian Aleksandr Vasiliev. But surviving the vampire court doesn’t prove to be nearly as difficult as resisting the intense attraction between her and Adrian.

St. Clair (When Stars Come Out) breathes new life into an old trope as a princess and a vampire king wed to end a years long war in this outstanding series opener. – Publisher’s Weekly


A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand

New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn, Claire Legrand, makes her stunning adult debut with A Crown of Ivy and Glass, a lush, sweeping, steamy fantasy romance series starter that’s perfect for fans of Bridgerton and A Court of Thorns and Roses.


by Jennifer Armentrout

Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

 


One Dark Window by Rachel Gilig

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom–but the monster in her head isn’t the only threat lurking.

 


A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin — one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world. As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she’s been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin and his world, forever.


A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

The story of a school for the magically gifted when failure means certain death–until one girl begins to unlock its many secrets.

 

New Books – 1928 Edition

For decades the Sewickley Herald featured columns with information about new books the library had added to the collection.  This article from January 1928, less than five years after our current building opened, features seven books added to the collection. So what ever happened to these books? Does the library still have any of them? Can you still get them today?

We start with China Today Through Chinese Eyes. A New York Times review from the time mentions an article that delves into the Literary Revolution in China, a movement of books beginning to be published in the popular Chinese language away from the traditional Chinese.  The book is no longer part of Sewickley’s collection.  In fact, it can’t be found at any library in Allegheny County.  The closest place to find a printed copy of the book today would be Carlow University’s library in Pittsburgh:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/874929035.

My Lady of the India Pudah by Elizabeth Cooper  can no longer be checked out at the Sewickley Public Library.  However, if you get a public library card in Cleveland you can place a hold on this book today.  Of course, they will have the retrieve it from their offsite storage first!  Who has time for that?  If you really want to read about the Hindu princess Natara you can read it for free on Google Books right now.

Care and Feeding of Children by  L.E. Holt is a republication of Holt’s original 1894 publication.  Luther Emmett Holt was the head physian at New York’s Babies Hospital and this book was later “selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it,” according to a 2015 republication.  This book can’t be found at Sewickley or in our system either, but you can find another book by L.E. Holt called Food, Health and Growth from 1922 if you want to venture into Oakland and check out the Carnegie Library’s closed reference collection.

George Washington by Rupert Hughes is a two volume set on our first US president.  The first volume is subtitled The Human Being & The Hero, 1732-1762, the second volume is The Savior of the States 1777-1781. One would think that a library is sure to hold onto a biography of our first president, right? Sadly, no libraries have held onto this one either! You can access the full text for free thanks to archive.org and Trent University.  Don’t worry you can still find close to 20 George Washington biographies at SPL.

The Meadows by J.C. Van Dyke explores the natural beauty of the Raritan Valley in…New Jersey.  John Charles Van Dyke was an art historian, critic, and nature writer who was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Although no libraries around kept this 95 year old book there has been at least one positive Good Reads review from a fellow New Jersian.

At last we come to Best Plays of 1926-1927.  The book surely featured the play Show Boat, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein (pre-Richard Rodgers).  Although we can’t see a scanned, digital version of the book to confirm Show Boat’s inclusion we can request the book with a library card.  That’s right, this is the one book from 1928 that remains at a library in Allegheny County.  You can request the book from the Wilkinsburg Public Library and pretend it’s predepression (1928) Sewickley once again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Popular 2023 Books

Popular 2023 Books

What are people reading this year (so far…)?

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

A deliciously funny, sharply observed debut of family, love, and class, this zeitgeisty novel follows three women in one wealthy Brooklyn clan.

 


Hello Beautiful by Ann Naplintano

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him–so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.


The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

“A triumph of historical fiction” ( The Washington Post ), an instant New York Times bestseller, and a Reese’s Book Club pick, set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.


The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

Told from the perspectives of four people whose actions changed the course of history, this masterful work of historical fiction takes readers back to 1811 Richmond, Virginia, where, on the night after Christmas, the city’s only theater burned to the ground, tearing apart a community.


The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Five years ago, Geeta lost her no-good husband. As in, she actually lost him–he walked out on her and she has no idea where he is. But in her remote village in India, rumor has it that Geeta killed him. And it’s a rumor that just won’t die.


Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros. Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda–because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die


The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Proctor Bennet works for the Department of Social Contracts as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the “retirement” process — and, when necessary, enforcing it.  He receives a disturbing and cryptic message from his father, who is himself about to be retired, that causes Proctor to question everything he once believed.


Lone Woman by Victor LaValle

In 1915, Adelaide Henry, after her secret sin killed her parents, sets out for Montana, dragging an enormous steamer trunk that’s locked at all times, to become one of the “lone women” taking advantage of the government’s offer of free land where she hopes to bury her past.


 

Literal Beach Reads

Literal Beach Reads

These books will literally whisk you away to the beach!

Five Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hotel Nantucket : After tragedy strikes, Hollis Shaw gathers four friends from different stages in her life to spend an unforgettable weekend on Nantucket.

 


Bad Summer People by Emma Rosenblum

Emma Rosenblum’s Bad Summer People is a whip-smart, propulsive debut about infidelity, backstabbing, and murderous intrigue, set against an exclusive summer haven on Fire Island.

 


The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton

New York heiress Catherine Dohan seemingly has it all. There’s only one problem. It’s a lie. As soon as the Morro Castle leaves port, Catherine’s past returns with a vengeance and threatens her life. Joining forces with a charismatic jewel thief, Catherine must discover who wants her dead – and why.


The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises–especially to ourselves–by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

 


Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay

When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s new rom-com.