movie recommendations

Feel like there’s nothing interesting to read/watch/listen to lately? The Toledo Lucas County Public Library has offered a Give 3, Get 3 suggestion service to the public since summer of 2015. Using the form on our website, anyone can submit up to three books, movies or musicians they’ve enjoyed reading/watching/listening to and a real, live librarian will suggest three (or more!) other authors/titles, movies/television programs or tunes to try. We love a challenge and if what we initially send doesn’t resonate, you can send us additional criteria or preferences to help us refocus our efforts. Connecting readers/listeners/viewers with something they haven’t yet read/heard/seen is what we love doing most. Make our day and ask!

Here’s what is on my radar this week:

	Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson Likely to be the hit of the season, based on Leonardo’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, best-selling biographer Isaacson weaves a narrative that shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and a playful imagination.
	Turtles All the Way Down by John Green In his long-awaited return, the author of best-selling The Fault in Our Stars shares the story of sixteen-year-old Aza. She never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.
	The Book of Dust by Philip Pullman Pullman returns to the parallel world of the best-selling His Dark Materials series for a thrilling parallel epic adventure.
	Braving the Wilderness: the Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone by Brene Brown Popular TED-talker Brown contends that one of the major crises in today’s culture is the feeling of being disconnected, which evidences itself in unrealistic people-pleasing standards, and the erosion of civility. She has developed an enthusiastic, practical guide to achieving a healthy sense of interconnectedness within one’s culture and community.
	The Last Kingdom: Season One Rotten Tomatoes: 92% This is a sleeper hit (based on a wonderful historical fiction series by Bernard Cornwell about England in the time of Alfred the Great) with wonderful characters and beautiful production values – a good match for Vikings and Game of Thrones fans.