Best AV of 2010

Now that the list of the best fiction of 2010 has been covered, it's only fair to give audiovisuals their due. This past year marked Eminem's comeback album and Taylor Swift's continued domination of the charts. A CGI-laden sci-fi film stole our hearts, toys came back to life in a big way and a cantankerous musician gave us hope. The world of video games welcomed back several old friends, including the Mario Bros., Kirby, Donkey Kong and Sonic. All in all, 2010 was packed with winning audiovisuals.

Read on for the Adult Services Department's lists of the best DVDs, CDs and video games of 2010. These compilations include some of the best reviewed and most popular titles at PCL.

DVDs

~Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) - "Fantastic Mr. Fox is a delightfully funny feast for the eyes with multi-generational appeal - and it shows Wes Anderson has a knack for animation." - Rottentomatoes.com

~The Hurt Locker (R) - "A well-acted, intensely shot, action filled war epic, Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker is thus far the best of the recent dramatizations of the Iraq War." - Rottentomatoes.com

~Crazy Heart (R) - "Thanks to a captivating performance from Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart transcends its overly familiar origins and finds new meaning in an old story." - Rottentomatoes.com

~Inception (PG-13) - "Smart, innovative, and thrilling, Inception is that rare summer blockbuster that succeeds viscerally as well as intellectually." - Rottentomatoes.com

~Up in the Air (R) - "Led by charismatic performances by its three leads, director Jason Reitman delivers a smart blend of humor and emotion with just enough edge for mainstream audiences." - Rottentomatoes.com

~Despicable Me (PG) (Coming soon to PCL) - "Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own." - Rottentomatoes.com

~How to Train Your Dragon (PG) - "Boasting dazzling animation, a script with surprising dramatic depth, and thrilling 3-D sequences, How to Train Your Dragon soars." - Rottentomatoes.com

~The Blind Side (PG-13) - It might strike some viewers as a little too pat, but The Blind Side has the benefit of strong source material and a strong performance from Sandra Bullock." - Rottentomatoes.com

~Toy Story 3 (G) - "Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works." - Rottentomatoes.com

~Avatar (PG-13) - "It might be more impressive on a technical level than as a piece of storytelling, but Avatar reaffirms James Cameron's singular gift for imaginative, absorbing filmmaking." - Rottentomatoes.com

CDs

~Contra by Vampire Weekend - "The scholarly Upper West Side Soweto of Vampire Weekend's debut sounded self-assured, but on Contra, they step out of their ivory tower with just as much confidence." - Allmusic.com

~Union by Elton John and Leon Russell - "Surely, it's a revival for Leon Russell, who has spent decades in the wilderness, but it's not a stretch to say The Union revitalizes Elton John just as much as it does his idol: he hasn't sounded this soulful in years." - Allmusic.com

~My Beautiful, Dark Twisted Fantasy by Kanye West (Coming soon to PCL) - "Whether loved or loathed, fully enjoyed or merely admired, this album should be regarded as a deeply fascinating accomplishment." - Allmusic.com

~Need You Now by Lady Antebellum - "Here, the band's seamless, polished, and savvy brand of contemporary country is even more consistent than it was on their debut; it's virtually flawless in its songwriting, production, and performance." - Allmusic.com

~The Suburbs by Arcade Fire - "It's serious without being preachy, cynical without dissolving into apathy, and whimsical enough to keep both sentiments in line, and of all of their records, it may be the one that ages so well." - Allmusic.com

~The Guitar Song by Jamey Johnson (Coming soon to PCL) - "...it makes plain the music contemporary country is trying to erase, while being a thoroughly accessible modern offering. Given its wonderfully crafted and performed material and stellar production, it is the country album of 2010." - Allmusic.com

~Brothers by The Black Keys (Coming soon to PCL) - "And that's the great thing about the Black Keys in general and Brothers in particular: the past and present intermingle so thoroughly that they blur, yet there's no affect, just three hundred pounds of joy." - Allmusic.com

~Recovery by Eminem - "It may be flawed and the rapper's attitude is sometimes one step ahead of his output, but he hasn't sounded this unfiltered and proud since The Marshall Mathers LP..." - Allmusic.com

~Congratulations by MGMT (Coming soon to PCL) - "From the opening moments of the sublime "It's Working" all the way to the titular closer, Congratulations is an incredible follow-up from a band that is still maturing into some unknown entity." - Allmusic.com

~Speak Now by Taylor Swift - "She writes from the perspective of the moment yet has the skill of a songwriter beyond her years, articulating contradictions and confessions with keen detail and strong melody." - Allmusic.com
Video Games

~Gran Turismo 5 (PS3 / E / Coming soon to PCL) - "...if you've ever fantasized about a Ferrari or dreamed of driving at Daytona, Gran Turismo 5 is a game that you're sure to get a lot out of. This is simultaneously the most accessible GT game yet and the most uncompromisingly realistic driving game on a console to date." - GameSpot.com

~3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3 / E10+) - "...a pleasant retreat for anyone who pines for the good old days, but even those without nostalgic links to the past will find an enjoyable experience." - GameSpot.com

~Monster Hunter Tri (Wii / T) - "...if you're hungering for some fun, challenging action and online comaraderie, Monster Hunter Tri will satisfy your cravings." - GameSpot.com

~Rock Band 3 (Wii / PS3 / T / Coming soon to PCL) - "All told, Rock Band turns in an absolutely stellar performance...easily one of the most ambitious music games ever produced, and that it is so successful in its ambition makes it something really special." - GameSpot.com

~Final Fantasy XIII (PS3 / T) - "...a legitimately great game for its stunning beauty, fantastic story, and enjoyable battles, which means it has a lot in common with the Final Fantasy games that came before it." - GameSpot.com

~NBA 2K11 (Wii / PS3 / E) - "...a huge improvement over last year's edition. Just about every facet has been improved or overhauled, which makes this a richly rewarding experience with enough depth to make even diehard NBA fans feel like rookies." - GameSpot.com

~Sonic Colors (Wii / E / Coming soon to PCL) - "...a welcome surprise: a fresh-faced 3D Sonic with great looks and breezy action...This is a Sonic game with verve and imagination..." - GameSpot.com

~Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii / E / Coming soon to PCL) - "This is a traditional take on 2D platformers, and it excels because the brilliant level design makes old obstacles seem new again. Every level hides a new surprise, and you'll replay them over and over again not only to nab every hidden collectible, but also because they're exquisitely entertaining." - GameSpot.com

~Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii / E / Coming soon to PCL) - "...makes it clear from the get-go that it is an adorable game that will put a smile on your face through its outstanding visual design, but the delights go much deeper than the delectable aesthetics." - GameSpot.com

~Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii / E) - "...simply an outstanding game. It never rests on its laurels for a second, constantly presenting new objectives and mechanics to push you to never before seen places." - GameSpot.com

Best of 2010

It's that time of year again...time to make plans and resolutions for a bright, shiny new year. Time to gleefully anticipate a fresh batch of promising books, movies, CDs and video games. But before you charge full steam ahead into 2011, take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights of the retreating year. Many a book, DVD, CD and video game brought joy and insight to the PCL community this year.

Peruse the Adult Services Department's picks for the best fiction of 2010, included below. The list is a combination of some of the best reviewed and most popular items at PCL.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson - "As the finale to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is not content to merely match the adrenaline-charged pace that made international bestsellers out of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Instead, it roars with an explosive storyline that blows the doors off the series and announces that the very best has been saved for last." - Amazon.com Review (Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2010)

Room by Emma Donoghue - "Emma Donoghue's Room is rife with moments of hope and beauty, and the dogged determination to live, even in the most desolate circumstances. A stunning and original novel of survival in captivity, readers who enter Room will leave staggered, as though, like Jack, they are seeing the world for the very first time." - Amazon.com Review (Amazon Best of the Month, September 2010)

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey - "Richly atmospheric, this wonderful novel is picaresque and Dickensian, with humor and insight injected into an accurately rendered period of French and American history." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Faithful Place by Tana French - "Faithful Place is Tana French's best book yet (readers familiar with In the Woods and The Likeness will recognize this as an incredible feat), a compelling and cutting mystery with the hardscrabble, savage Mackey clan at its heart." - Amazon.com Review (Amazon Best Books of the Month, July 2010)

A Visit from the Good Squad by Jennifer Egan - "Readers will be pleased to discover that the star-crossed marriage of lucid prose and expertly deployed postmodern switcheroos that helped shoot Egan to the top of the genre-bending new school is alive and well in this graceful yet wild novel." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee - "Powerful, deeply felt, compulsively readable and imbued with moral gravity, the novel does not peter out into easy redemption. It's a harrowing tale: bleak, haunting, often heartbreaking - and not to be missed." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Great House by Nicole Krauss - "This stunning work showcases Krauss's consistent talent...Much like in Krauss's The History of Love, the sharply etched characters seem at first arbitrarily linked across time and space, but Krauss pulls together the disparate elements, settings, characters, and fragile connective tissue to form a formidable and haunting mosaic of loss and profound sorrow." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - "In his zinger of a debut, Rachman deftly applies his experience as foreign correspondent and editor to chart the goings-on at a scrappy English-language newspaper in Rome...As the ragtag staff faces down the implications of the paper's tilt into oblivion, there are more than enough sublime moments, unexpected turns and sheer inky wretchedness to warrant putting this on the shelf next to other great newspaper novels." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell - "Every page is overfull with language, events, and characters, exuberantly saturated in the details of the time and the place but told from a knowing and undeniably modern perspective. It's a story that seems to contain a thousand worlds in one." - Amazon.com Review (Amazon Best Books of the Month, July 2010)

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What were your favorite books of 2010? Stay tuned for upcoming posts on the best CDs, DVDs and video games of 2010!

Also, don't forget to check out the Youth Services blog for lists of the best Picture, Juvenile and YA books of the year and the Reference Services blog for the best Non-Fiction titles of the year.

Author Spotlight: Tanya Wright

As if playing a starring role on HBO's True Blood isn't enough, Tanya Wright has also found time to write a screenplay, translate it into her first novel, and direct and star in said screenplay. Fans worldwide know her as the saucy, outspoken Deputy Kenya Jones on HBO's hit series based on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. Wright's debut novel, Butterfly Rising, was inspired by the loss of her own brother and the transformation she experienced in her life at that time. According to Wright, "I hope the message in Butterfly Rising inspires people to believe in their dreams, no matter how far-reaching they may seem. In today's world, it's easy to put our dreams last on our daily list of 'things to do.' Butterfly Rising - a bumpy and emotional journey towards hope and rebirth - is a story that suggests our dreams may actually be the bridge to leading a productive, fulfilling and extraordinary life. The journey of Lilah and Rose also exemplifies that second chances are infinitely real and deserved."

Meet Tanya Wright at PCL on Thursday, February 17th at 7pm. Reservations requested, but not required - 610-398-1361 x13. Read on for fun facts about the author and place your hold on Butterfly Rising today.

*She has appeared in ground-breaking shows including 24, NYPD Blue, ER, The Cosby Show and the Morgan Freeman-produced NBC feature Mutiny
*A native of Bronx, N.Y., Wright moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career
*She worked briefly at The New York Times
*While attending Vassar College, her studies focused on comparative literature and writing
*She is the writer and creator of several screenplays and television pilots, a soap opera, a web-based series and a reality show
*In her spare time she enjoys yoga, dance, bike riding, hiking and mentoring projects for young girls and other artists

December 2010's Must-Reads

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, you may be on the lookout for the perfect gift for loved ones. You may also be longing for a good book to help escape the hubub of this busy time of year. Look no further than this month's list of must-read books for the solution to both quandaries!

The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip (Dec. 7th) - World Fantasy Award winner McKillip (The Bell at Sealey Head) offers a rich, resonant story of poetry, riddles, mystery, and magic...McKillip seduces readers with lyrical prose; intriguing, complex characters; and resonant riddles-within-riddles." - Publisher's Weekly

The Four Stages of Cruelty by Keith Hollihan (Dec. 7th) - "Hollihan manages to combine a labyrinthine plot, full of intrigue, secret societies, and arcane lore, with a nuanced, character-driven narrative that provides insights into prison life while keeping readers guessing until the last page." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

Under Fishbone Clouds by Sam Meekings (Dec. 7th) - "Meekings is a bangup storyteller, and his easy handling of rich and varied material - rustic splendor, class warfare, profound anguish, drastic social changes - will keep readers apt. This is a beautifully told love story as well as an absorbing study in Chinese folklore and history." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O'Neal (Dec. 21st) - "O'Neal's tale of strong-willed women and torn family loyalties is a cut above the standard women's fiction fare, held together by lovingly sketched characters and real emotion." - Publisher's Weekly

The Radleys by Matt Haig (Dec. 28th) - "This witty vampire novel from British author Haig (The Possession of Mr. Cave) provides what jaded fans of the Twilight series need, not True Blood exactly, but some fresh blood in the form of a true blue family." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review)