Laura loves Tom. Tom loves Laura. So why is Tom marrying Lila? And who are the Romantics anyway? It turns out that the Romantics is a group of college friends so named because of the various and changing romantic entanglements among the members.

Now it is 6 years after college graduation and they have settled into more or less permanent pairs, some already married, others engaged. They reunite for the wedding of Lila and Tom with Laura as the maid of honor. The story takes place over the 24 hours prior to the wedding ceremony but the author skillfully integrates group history into her narrative so readers are up to date on the characters’ pasts and the development of the group dynamics. Hope and despair collide as the ceremony nears. Is this the moment when Laura realizes she has outgrown Tom, or will his impending marriage break her heart? Will Tom go through with the marriage? Read The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer and find out. Or watch the movie.

San José Public Library now has Blu-ray DVDs as well as traditional DVDs!

• Blu-ray players have come down in price and will play any DVD, not just Blu-ray discs (“regular” DVD players WILL NOT PLAY Blu-ray discs, however; you must have a Blu-ray player to play a Blu-ray disc)
• Blu-ray discs offer durability and a better viewing experience
• More major movie titles are being offered in Blu-ray format

Blu-ray DVD packaging will look very similar to current DVD packaging, but the case will be labeled as Blu-ray in a banner across the case and on the label. The catalog will also state that the title is a BLURAY DVD. Look for Children’s Blu-ray DVD titles, such as the movie Rango (also in the system in regular DVD format) and a selection of Young Adult and Adult motion picture titles.

With the rise in cost of private media subscriptions remember that you can still check out DVD's at your local library for free. Feature films now have a lending period of 3 weeks at San José Public Library and you can borrow up to 10 titles.  We have a wide variety of items.  I enjoy the National Geographic documentaries that are available.  Here are some titles to keep an eye out for: A Traveler's Guide to the Planets and Monster Black Holes. Come in and browse our collections!

Two weeks ago I was watching an episode of "Pushing Daisies" where Kristen Chenowith and Ellen Greene sang a version of a song called "Birdhouse in Your Soul." This song was written and performed 20 years ago by the group They Might Be Giants. Well, I had to look up information about this alternative rock group and found out that not only are they performing music for grownups, but they are also writing and performing music for young ones too. They have produced CDs and DVDs that help young children (and not-so-young children) learn about numbers, the alphabet  and even science. They have also performed music for television (Blue's Clues) and movies (Meet the Robinsons and Coraline).   I think they are a fun group to listen to.  Interested in their music? Come visit us and check out some of the the DVDs and CDs they perform on. View the video below to meet the Elements or watch They Might Be Giants introduce us to the elements.

Today playoff season begins for our very own San Jose Sharks. In celebration of what will be their road to Lord Stanley’s Cup, here are some quite interesting facts about hockey, the Sharks, and anything else related. 

• The Stanley Cup is the only professional sports trophy that is passed from team member to team member of the winning team.
• The Montreal Canadiens have won the most Stanley Cup titles… 24!  Their nickname, “Habs” comes from “les habitants” a name given to the first settlers of New France during the 17th Century.
• “Sharks” was actually the runner-up name for the team.  The initial name for the team was going to be the Blades. 
• Coach Todd McLellan tied former NHL coach Mike Keenan with 152 wins in his first three seasons with the Sharks.  McLellan’s former job was as assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings.
• The Junior Sharks 12 U girls hockey team won the first national title for the programbeating the New England Jr. Falcons on April 2nd. 

Let's Go Sharks!

Hey Harry Potter movie fans!  Get first dibs on the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows....at the LIBRARY????  Yes, HP fans, rejoice!  You can see the movie two days before it's wide release on tax day, April 15!  Wow!

Of course, we always encourage reading the book first!  There are several differences from the book.  Most significantly, Kreacher's "breakthrough" is not developed on film.  It was one of the most uplifting scenes in the book, IMHO.

This is all leading up to the movie finale on July 14th!  Read the whole series again before that time, though:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Meet all of the characters for the first time)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Learn about the first horcrux here!)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Sirius!)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (The nail-biting Triwizard Tournament)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry, the angry outcast)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Romance is in the air)

To keep up with the wizarding ways, visit some fun HP sites, including:

Mugglenet

Leaky Cauldron

Expelliarmus!