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Pursuits Through History: Time After Time and This Is How You Lose the Time War

1 Dec

Last month, with the year winding down, it seemed like a good time for our Science Fiction and Fantasy group to pick a time travel themed book and movie.  We enjoyed them both and encourage you to check them out as well! 

Time After Time
Time After Time is the 1979 film starring Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen in an action and romance story which travels between 1893 and the late 70’s.  In 1893 London, Jack the Ripper (David Warner) has been on what will become a legendary killing spree and H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) hasn’t just written about a time machine, but built one.  When Jack uses the Time Machine to escape capture, Wells must follow him into the future to try to stop his continued murder spree.  Jack finds the violence of modern day San Francisco delightful, but Wells is disheartened that we have not achieved the Utopia he was hoping for.  While trying to stop Jack, he falls for a beautiful and intelligent banker played by Mary Steenburgen.  Will Wells be able to stop the Ripper? Will romance be able to survive across the decades?  Check out the DVD from one of the owning BCCLS libraries to find out!

This is How You Lose the Time War
This is How You Lose the Time War is an usual epistolary novel, revolving around two agents on opposite sides of a time war, written by two wildly creative authors, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone.  Blue is from a future where everyone is part of a nature collective called The Garden that encompasses the consciousness of all living things.  Red is part of The Agency, a Techtopia where the line between man and machine has blurred.  Their rivalry starts out as begrudging respect towards a talented foe and turns into a love that has them questioning what they are truly fighting for.  The novel’s poetic language and framing using the creatively hidden letters between the two frenemies will appeal to those outside the usual genre fans. 

Want more Time Travel Stories? You can check out other Time Travel Works I have blogged about including The Future of Another Timeline, The Time Machine, The Garden of Iden & To Say Nothing of the Dog.

Consider joining our monthly Science Fiction and Fantasy Group! You can join us for the film, book discussion, or both!  This month we will be discussing Hiddensee by Gregory Maguire and viewing a family friendly Nutcracker inspired holiday movie on Monday, December 20.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Head of Information and Digital Services

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A Classic Remixed: So Many Beginnings

24 Nov

Hi everybody! My name is Nicole Marconi, and I’m the new head of the Access Services department at the Hoboken Library. I previously worked here as a Library Assistant in the Youth Services department and now I’m back after working at the Newark Public Library for a while as their Head of Youth Services.

While I was at the Newark Public Library, I ended up reading a lot of Young Adult fiction and nonfiction. I realized that I’ve been missing out on a lot of amazing literature and wanted to do a deep dive into YA. One of the best books that I came across was a book called So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix. This book was written by Bethany C. Morrow, a prominent author already in her own right. I saw an article about the book and was immediately intrigued. Books that reimagine or reinvent stories that are very well known can be tricky, but this book exceeded any and all expectations for me.

Popular culture has made us very familiar with the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. The recent movie made by Greta Gerwig reintroduced the story for a new generation that felt refreshing but also stayed close to the source material. With So Many Beginnings, Bethany C. Morrow gives us a fresh perspective on a story that we already know. The original Little Women treats the Civil War as a side character in the main story. In So Many Beginnings, Morrow brings the Civil War and its issues of race and division right up front. The four March sisters know what it’s like first hand to question everything about their own existence, so feeling uneasy in their newfound freedom makes sense. I loved the way that Morrow made the characters so real and relatable. This book is definitely worth a read and a reread for anyone who is a fan of Little Women but also wants to hear another perspective of this beloved story.

So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix is available in print from BCCLS Libraries.

Written by:
Nicole Marconi
Access Services Manager

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