News & Events

News & Events - Programs for Older Adults

Fall in Love with Your eReader on Valentine's Day

Fall in love with your eReader" on Tuesday, Valentine's Day, February 14, at Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, Middletown. Join library staff members in the library's Hubbard Room at 10:00 to explore the world of e-readers. Are you thinking of purchasing one of the new, popular eReaders that are on the market? Or, maybe you were given a Nook, or a Kindle or iPad over the holidays and still have questions about it. We will go over some of the different kinds of eReaders and how to use them to download free library books. There will be stations set up around the room for specific devices. Bring your eReader and your questions with you. Tip sheets will be available, as well as handouts on what to look for when purchasing an eReader. Registration is not required. Contact the Information Department at 860-347-2520 with questions.

From Page to Screen: Great Movies from Great Books

How many times have you heard this: “The movie wasn’t as good as the book”? But, even though some great stories have been wrecked by Hollywood, a number of film adaptations have been as good as the books on which they were based. In some cases, the films were even better! Russell Library gives you the chance to judge for yourself when it presents "Great Movies from Great Books" on the first Tuesday of month, February through May, 2012. Film critic Richard Alleva will introduce four of the best adaptations ever made and will pinpoint just how, in each case, a great moviemaker has preserved the essence of a great tale.

Showings will be at 12:00 noon in the Hubbard Room. Bring a sandwich, and the library will provide beverages and dessert.

Tuesday, February 7 Oliver Twist (1948)

February 7th is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, a novelist who has never lost his popularity and whose books have been a continual source of inspiration for moviemakers. In celebration we will show perhaps the greatest of Dickens’ adaptations, Oliver Twist, for which the great David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago) carved a two-hour screenplay out of a 600 page novel. We’ll find out about the uproar created in America when charges of anti-Semitism were brought against Lean and actor Alec Guiness for their portrayal of Fagin. Just to show how different adaptations can be, we’ll watch a few scenes from Oliver!, a wonderful musical that transforms the grim realities of the book into playfulness and hilarity.

Tuesday, March 6 Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Breakfast at Tiffany's How could Truman Capote’s novella, a minor masterpiece with a gay sensibility, become a completely heterosexual romance which secured Audrey Hepburn’s stardom and made the “little black dress” the most astonishing stroke of high fashion of the 20th century? Did you know that Marilyn Monroe was considered for the role of Holly Golightly? Or that George Peppard, the male lead, was practically shunned by the rest of the cast?

Tuesday, April 3 The Fallen Idol (1948)

What happens when a great writer turns one of his own stories into a screenplay? And what happens when a 30-page tale becomes a 2-hour film? We’ll find out how director Carol Reed and writer Graham Greene turned a sad study of childhood disillusionment into a thriller that out Hitchcocks Hitchcock. Featuring the great Sir Ralph Richardson as a butler with a terrifying secret.

Tuesday, May 1 The Dead (1987)

The Dead directed by John Huston We know that moviemakers usually change literary works drastically. But can a great story really make a great film when every single page of it, almost every paragraph, is brought to the screen? This superb John Huston cinematization of a James Joyce novella does exactly that. By the time this short movie is over, you’ll know one Irish family almost as well as your own, and you will feel as if you’ve been to the party the family throws, with all its joy, music, romance, wistfulness and sense of self-discovery.

Alturas Duo in Concert

On Saturday, February 11, the Alturas Duo will perform at 2pm in the Hubbard Room. The snow date is Saturday, February 25.

The Alturas Duo, features Carlos Boltes (viola and charango) and Scott Hill (guitar). This Duo is one of the most engaging ensembles performing in the chamber music world today. The only group of its kind, they created the idea of playing South American and classical music by bringing together the unusual combination of the viola, charango and guitar. Their artistic virtuosity and audience rapport has made them a favorite with audiences and critics alike throughout North and South America. The Duo has performed in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Bolivia, throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. They took First Prize at the 2006 New England International Chamber Music Competition, and won the 2009 CMA / ASCAP (Chamber Music America / American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Award for Adventurous Programming.

New Magazines

Russell Library has added subscriptions to a number of magazines that we hope will appeal to the varied interests and needs of our library community. For the handy among you there are titles such as Wood, Cloth Paper Scissors, and Stringing. Sports buffs will enjoy Sporting News and Golf Digest. Looking for an excuse to spend time outdoors, try current issue of Camping Life, American Photo, and Outside. Rounding out the new titles, look for Allure, Fast Company (small business and business management), Treasures (collectibles) and WebMD (health). In the Teen Zone we have added PC Gamer and Thrasher. Kiwi and Working Mother will appeal to moms and dads and can be found in the Children’s Room.