Category: Recommendations

• Back-to-Back: Tournament of Books Recap 2026

  Middletown readers can’t get enough of Kristin Hannah. When the bracket for this year’s tournament was unveiled in late February, the librarians at Russell Library were puzzled about which ones to pick in their brackets. “I have NO idea which one is going to win,” said one of my coworkers. “I could honestly see at…

  Jack B.

  April 13, 2026

  Book Reviews, Contests, Libraries, Middletown, CT, Recommendations

  Bracket, EverythingIsTuberculosis, MarchMadness, RussellLibraryGames, TheWomenByKristinHannah, TournamentOfBooks

• Why Vote for Russell Library?

  Thanks to our fabulous patrons, Russell Library has been nominated for CT Insider’s 2026 competition for Best Cultural Attraction for Families. If you look at the listing of other nominees, you might notice that we are the only library nominated. As a devoted reader of CT Insider’s Connecticut Magazine myself, it was news to me…

  Amy S.

  April 6, 2026

  Contests, Events, Graphic Novels / Manga, Inside Stories, Kids and Teens, Libraries, Library Services, Recommendations

  ActivityRoom, BuildingBlocks, BuildingTable, Chicks, Concert, ConnecticutMagazine, CTInsider, DinosaurBones, IndoorPlayroom, LEGOs, MegaChess, PettingZoo, PingPong, SarahLouRichards, ScienceSaturday, TheSpace, ToniesAndYotos, TrainTable, WallMaze, YogaForLittles

• Reading the Movies

  Have you ever read a book that you just loved, but then you watched the movie version and it’s just so different that you’re disappointed, sad, or even angry? As a librarian who also loves movies, I’ve had that happen many times. So what’s to be done? With few exceptions, movies and even series (formerly…

  Amy S.

  March 23, 2026

  Book Reviews, Contests, Graphic Novels / Manga, Kids and Teens, Lost In Translation, Movies, Recommendations, Trending

  AlfredHitchcock, AllisonPearson, AnneRice, Beloved, Buffy/Spike, BuffyTheVampireSlayer, DaphneDuMaurier, EJDickson, Hamlet, Hamnet, IDontKnowHowSheDoesIt, IfIHadLegsIdKickYou, InterviewWithAVampire, KPopDemonHunters, MaryBronstein, MeeshTheBadDemon, MinJinLee, Miyazaki, MyNeighborTotoro, NoveList, OneBadMother, OneBattleAfterAnother, Oscars, Pachinko, PhilipaGregory, Read-alike, Rebecca, RoseByrne, RyanCoogler, SarahJessicaParker, Shakespeare, Sinners, SpiritedAway, StudioGhibli, TheWhiteQueen, ThomasPynchon, ToniMorrison, VampiresOfElNorte, Vineland, WolfHall

• Oscar Predictions from a Local Movie Expert

  by Amy S. The 97th Academy Awards air on Sunday, March 15th. To get ready, we asked Professor Michael Slowik, Vice Chair of the College of Film and the Moving Image at Wesleyan University, to give us his predictions for the top awards. Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay: Sinners and One Battle After…

  Amy S.

  March 9, 2026

  Contests, Movies, Recommendations, Trending

  1930sAmerica, AcademyAwards, ActorsAwards, BAFTA, BestAdaptedScreenplay, BestAnimatedFilm, BestCinematography, BestDirector, BestInternationalFilm, BestOriginalScreenplay, BestSupportingActor, BestSupportingActress, CollegeOfFilmAndTheMovingImage, CriticsChoiceAwards, DrMichaelSlowik, FilmStudies, Golden, Hamnet, JessieBuckley, KPopDemonHunters, LeonardoDiCaprio, MichaelBJordan, OneBattleAfterAnother, Oscars, PaulThomasAnderson, SeanPenn, SentimentalValue, Sinners, StellanSkarsgård, TeyanaTaylor, TrainDreams, WesleyanUniversity

• Analog Soul

  Some people think analog media is dead. Why bother buying an entire album when you can just stream that song? Who wants to develop a roll of film when we can store thousands of photos on our phones? Is it really necessary to carry around a stack of books when e-readers exist? It’s a valid…

  Cate T.

  February 23, 2026

  Inside Stories, Library Services, Recommendations

  AliceInWonderland, Analog, Arcades, Atari, BeKindRewind, Blu-Ray, Cassette, CDs, Cinnabun, DisneyVault, Dumbo, DVDs, GardenStateParkway, GenX, Mapquest, MenloParkMall, Mixtape, Movies, Nintendo, Nostalgia, RobinHood, Sega, Spotify, Streaming, SuncoastMotionPictureCompany, Tapes, VHS, VintageVinyl