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Say Goodbye to Downton: A Selection of Books, DVDs, and Digital Music in Honor of the Final Season of Downton Abbey

17 Feb

If like me you are a fan of Downton Abbey, you are probably feeling both excited and a bit sad about the end of the show.  Now is the perfect opportunity to watch some of your past favorite episodes and enjoy Downton Abbey related books and music.  So raise a cup of proper English tea and toast the end of the era of the British Manor House and an iconic TV show.

Available at the Hoboken Public Library

Downton Abbey, Seasons One through Five on DVD and BluRay

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The story of the aristocratic Crawley family and their staff became a phenomenon.  The drama started in 1912 and moves forward through history to its finale in 1925, with explorations into the complex issues of gender, class, and politics that still resonate today.  The stories of Downton Abbey’s characters are suspenseful, often heartwarming, and sometimes heartbreaking.  Check out the DVDs or BluRays to catch up on any episodes you missed before the finale.

The World of Downton Abbey, by Jessica Fellowes

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Fellowes looks at the production of the first two seasons as well as some of the history behind the story.  The book includes production sketches and photographs from the set.   Get a behind the scenes look at your favorite show.  Also available from other BCCLS libraries are several of Jessica Fellowes’s works focusing on Downton Abbey including her recent work, Downton Abbey: A Celebration, which includes an episode guide to the first five seasons and interviews with the cast.

Maggie Smith: A Biography, by Michael Coveney

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Find out about the career and the personal life of one of Downton Abbey’s glamorous and enigmatic stars in this biography.  Besides her role as the Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley, on Downton Abbey, Dame Maggie Smith has also stared in the Harry Potter films as the magical Minerva McGonagall and in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle and Lady Catherine, the Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey, by The Countess of Carnarvon

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The Countess of Carnarvon, who lives at the real life Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle), discusses the true stories of the women who lived there based on scrapbooks and diary entries.  Like Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was also the daughter of a rich industrialist who married an English noble.  Her second work focuses on Lady Catherine, another American, who married Lady Almina’s son.  Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey is also available as a digital audiobook from Hoopla.

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey, by Wendy Wax

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Wax inspired by her own love of the series and the huge fandom that has sprung up around it, wrote this charming novel about a diverse group of residents in Atlanta who get together to watch the series each week.  This sweet story about friendship should appeal to devotees of Downton.

Available to Hoboken and other BCCLS Card Holders from Hoopla

The Manners of Downton Abbey

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This PBS documentary gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get the Edwardian details just right at Downton Abbey.  Historian, Alastair Bruce, brings his expertise as the historical advisor to the show and hosts this look at details affecting everything from how the Edwardians dressed to what they ate.  It includes interviews with some of the cast members.  Also available on DVD from BCCLS libraries.

Music From and Inspired by Downton Abbey

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Hoopla has a variety of music from the soundtrack of Downton Abbey or inspired the show.  This includes Downton Abbey-Original Music from the Television Series; Downton Abbey – The Ultimate Collection (Music From The Original TV Series) performed by the London Chamber Orchestra; Downton Abbey – The Essential Collection; Christmas At Downton Abbey performed by the Budapest City Orchestra, and The Music of Downton (A tribute to Downton Abbey) performed by L’Orchestra Numerique.  Any of these would be perfect for streaming if you are planning a special party to celebrate the finale.  If you are looking for refreshments to serve consider borrowing The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines available from BCCLS libraries.

Making Masterpiece: My 25 Years behind the Scenes at Masterpiece and Mystery! on PBS, by Rebecca Eaton

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You can listen to the digital audiobook of Rebecca Eaton’s account of her work as an Emmy Award-winning producer on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery!.  It is also available in print from BCCLS libraries.  Masterpiece Theatre is the longest running weekly prime-time drama series in the US.  Besides drawing from her experience she spoke with writers, directors, and others who helped bring the compelling dramas to life.  Learn about what went on behind the scenes with Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Upstairs, Downstairs and other Masterpieces!

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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HPL Staff Gives Thanks

25 Nov

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I asked my colleagues at the Hoboken Public Library what books or TV shows or digital media they were thankful to find this year. Following are their favorites, which are available at the library or through interlibrary loan.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

-Kerry Weinstein, Reference Librarian

 

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Photo by Shannon Campbell

Shannon Campbell, Children’s Librarian
After 19 years of education, with an astronomical amount of papers, projects, and presentations, I finally graduated this year in May. I spent the entire summer knowing that in the upcoming fall, I had no professor or class to report to, no looming deadline hanging over my head for a paper or project. It felt freeing, and absolutely scary. I didn’t have the next step all laid out like I had for the previous 19 years. I looked to everyone and everything for advice and comfort, and found it in the book Graduates in Wonderland: True Dispatches from Down the Rabbit Hole, by Jessica Pan and Rachel Kapelke-Dale. The story is constructed through a series of emails the girls send to each other the years following graduation. They talk about their successes, failures, fears, goals, dreams, people and places they have fallen in love with, and people and places they fell out of love with. It very much expressed the mindset I was in at the time. The cherry on top of the cake was my friends and I had sent the book to each other with notes in the margins reflecting our feelings on any of the topics as we read through it. It was very much like the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but book-club style! Not only did I have the authors to look to for comfort, but I also had my friends through their words. That particular copy had been to NYC, Shanghai, California, and of course, Hoboken. To sum up what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving: my supportive friends, my education, and the authors of this book that perfectly express the scary (and amazing) journey of entering into adulthood.
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Carolyn Hartwick, Account Clerk
I am grateful for a June 24 Staff Picks – British Edition post by Clay Waters.  One of his recommendations was for the British television series Life on Mars starring the delightful John Simm.  At the time I was a bit lost with no Sherlock, Doctor Who, or Walking Dead to catch up on so I binge-watched the 16 episodes in early July and then hummed David Bowie tunes to myself for the rest of the summer.  It was a great show, delivered quickly though BCCLS interlibrary loan, and something I am glad didn’t pass me by thanks to the Hoboken Library Staff Picks blog!
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Heidi Schwab, Emerging Technology Librarian and Program Coordinator
What I took away from the award-winning documentary The Wolfpack is that even though the brothers, their mother and sister were living in a very bad situation, there is such a sweetness and kindness to them. It is amazing how they protected their mother and were sympathetic to their mentally-ill father who kept them locked up.  After growing up basically prisoners they retained their innocence and positive look at the world. This is a perfect Thanksgiving movie because we learn that even people who grow up in terrible circumstances can grow up to be positive and relatively happy in a way.
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Kim Iacucci, Young Adult Librarian

This year I am thankful that I read Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. I read and enjoy a lot of books every year but there are very few that live up to the phrase “page turner.” This book is so surprising that the minute I finished I wanted to start over from the beginning to see how the pieces fit together. It’s not an easy read. There’s war, torture and loss. But also friendship, love and hope. Highly recommended.

 

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Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

I’m thankful that we will be offering some great new services next month to our patrons: JobNow and HelpNow from Brainfuse.  Help Now provides students with online homework help from qualified tutors between 2 PM and 11 PM.  There are also always available video tutorials and practice tests for exams like the GED and SAT.  There is assistance for adults with skill building and who may need help with essays, business letters, or other writing.  JobNow provides assistance for job seekers with their resumes, interview coaching and more.  Check them out starting in December!

 

 

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Rosary Van Ingen, Adult Circulation Services Department Head

My pick for the #gratitude post is The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. This novel, set in post-WWI Europe, celebrates love, friendship and family. This book never fails to remind me of the beauty and power of friendship.

 

 

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Sharlene Edwards, Senior Children’s Librarian

I am so happy to have recently picked up The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier. When it was published last year, I put it on my mental to-read list and continued on my adult fiction kick.  My to-read list is predictably long and unrealistic, and I would have most certainly forgotten about Auxier’s juvenile fantasy novel if I hadn’t spied HPL’s Young Adult Librarian hurriedly reading the last ten pages before starting her work day.  I brought it with me on my train ride home that night, and, by the end of page one, I knew I was going to fall completely in love with Auxier’s creepy Victorian tale about two young orphans who find themselves desperate for food and shelter at the door of an infamously strange house in the woods. Quickly the children learn that there are sinister forces at work in their new residence. The occupants, an unhappy family who is burdened by a mysterious illness, are under the dark thrall of a wishing tree. After finding myself in a bit of a reading slump, Auxier’s beautifully written novel reminded me of the power of artful storytelling.

MSCR blog 11.15

Kerry Weinstein, Reference Librarian

This year I am thankful to have founded, with Rosary, the Mile Square City Readers book club. We have a wonderful, opinionated group that brings fresh perspectives and interesting insights to the books we read. I have tried to start a few book clubs in the past that didn’t last too long, and I’m excited to have this great club to talk books with once a month.

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