Why Caged Doves Weep

Carla L. Johnson Curry's Why Caged Doves Weep is a wonderful book about women in prison in Mississippi. It's gritty and full of stories about women who made mistakes, ended up in prison and either tried to make their lives better or succumbed to the horrors of life "on the inside." The book realistically explores prisoners in Parchman prison and the Rankin County Women's Correctional Center. Ms. Curry was herself an inmate at Parchman prison and details in this book the people she met while serving her own time. Ms. Curry believes that each year more and more crimes are committed by children and that parents don't realize the daily influences on young minds that television, school confrontations and graphic crimes have. Ms. Curry hopes that this book will help inspire teens to do "the right thing" and not begin a life of crime. Carla L. Johnson Curry is a native of Vicksburg and the mother of four children. She attended Alcorn State University and received her Associate of Arts Degree, with Honors. Ms. Curry enjoys laughter and expressing herself and plans on writing many more books. Ms. Curry also recently hosted an Author Talk and Book Signing at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.

Find Some Magic in the Emporium

Are you one of those people who enjoys a good movie about magical things? Try watching Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, a beautiful funny film about living your dreams. This DVD is a fun-filled comedic adventure starring Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman. Dustin Hoffman stars as Mr. Magorium, the owner of the most amazing toy shop in the world because every toy comes to life in it. When Mr. Magorium decides to retire, the store doesn't like it and starts acting up and throwing a tantrum. Mr. Magorium's reluctant manager, played by Natalie Portman, can't decide if she wants to take over ownership of the shop once Mr. Magorium retires or pursue her dream career in music. Mr. Magorium hires an accountant, played by Jason Bateman, to get the store's affairs in order and with the help of each other, all of these characters work together to save the emporium by finding the magic within themselves. My favorite part of the movie is when the stuffy accountant finally lets down his guard and begins to act like a kid...it's a wonderful part of the film and a great inspiration for everyone to find the kid within themselves! This is a great film to share with your family, coupled with a visit to your favorite toy store :)

Invent a Haiku

Andrew Vachss' Haiku is a new novel for the author, and a departure from his popular Burke series. The novel centers around Ho, a highly respected sensei who renounced his possessions and his role as a master when his arrogance caused the death of one of his beloved students. Ho now roams the streets of New York City, seeking ways to atone for the death of his student. Inspired by his passion and presence, a group forms around Ho. The group is made up of Michael, an addicted gambler who has lost everything; Vietnam veteran Ranger; Lamont, a fearless street-gang-warlord turned alcoholic; unstable Target, who speaks only by echoing the sounds of others; and Brewster, an obsessive collector of hardboiled paperbacks that he stashes in abandoned buildings. Trouble begins when Michaels notices a woman in a Rolls-Royce throwing something in the river---thinking she would be the perfect blackmail target, he tries to encourage the others to search for her. But, news that Brewster's building is slated for demolition, as well as his library that is stashed there, spurs the group into finding money and a way to save Brewster's precious book collection. Thus begins a frantic, action-packed story full of excitement, twists and turns. Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in the area of sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer and the director of a maximum security prison for aggressive-violent youth. He is now a lawyer and consultant in his own private practice and represents children and youths exclusively. Vachss is a native New Yorker, and divides his time between New York City and the Pacific Northwest. To find out more about Andrew Vachss, visit his website at http://www.vachss.com/.

Etta James at the Library

Recently, a friend of mine called me up to ask me if we had any Etta James music CD;s at the library. I was delighted to discover that we did have two Etta James CD's, Matriarch of the Blues and a wonderful three CD-set called the Chess Box. While searching for these two CD's in our collection I discovered several other gems--from comtemporary bands such as Depeche Mode to classics from Duke Ellington, the library has a bit of music that is sure to please every person's tastes. The Audiovisual Department often pulls out seasonal collections, such as the Christmas music and movie collections on DVD and VHS tapes that the library owns, that are displayed on a table opposite the Audiovisual Circulation desk. Be sure to check out A Christmas to Remember by Amy Grant or Christmas Around the World, a collection of Christmas songs from all over the world.