Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you.

Beasts of the Southern Wild [DVD]

The low-budget drama film Beasts Of The Southern Wild directed by Benh Zeitlin, stars the actress Quvenzhané Wallis as the character Hushpuppy and the actor Dwight Henry as the character Wink.

A big storm is approaching a small Louisiana bayou community called The Bathtub where a girl named Hushpuppy lives with her father Wink. Hushpuppy and her father Wink and several members of the community do not evacuate before the storm arrives, and the film explores the relationship between Hushpuppy and Wink and some other members of their community with a few occasional fantasy elements thrown in.

I like it because even though the low-budget limited this film's potential, it was still well-acted to the point that it sometimes felt real or like a documentary. Some of the other things I liked are the funny and emotional moments, the fantasy elements, the father and daughter relationship, and the portrayal of survivors of a storm and their sense of community.

I think that other people would like it because it is a good and unique low-budget dramatic film that involves family and community before, during, and after a major storm. I think that Beasts Of The Southern Wild is worth watching. It was probably one of the best films that I saw last year, and it was a film that surprised me and that almost made me cry. I am glad that I watched it even though I had no idea what it was about before I watched it.

If Beasts of the Southern Wild interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.

On this day in 1844, the first telegraph line in the US between Baltimore, MC and Washington, DC opened. Samuel FB Morse, creator of the Morse Code, sent the first officially telegraphed message: "What hath God wrought?"

If you're curious about Morse Code or telegraphs, here are a few resources we have for you:

Items in our catalog about the telegraph, including its use in the Civil War.

A video from our Access Video collection (patrons may need to supply their library card numbers to view at home:

Today is the 100th birth anniversary of mathemetician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz. According to Chase's Calendar of Events Lorenz was:

"..father of chaos theory who formulated the idea of the "butterfly effect" -- that a small, seemingly insignificant act or disturbance can actually have huge consequences. His famous 1972 talk, 'Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?' helped poularize the notion."

If you want to know more about the Butterfly Effect, here is a video from our Access Video collection that explains it:

If your familiarity with the Butterfly Effect is through the 2004 Ashton Kutcher movie of the same name, don't worry. We have that, too. [Click for item in online catalog]

What is a Moog (pronounced Mogue) you ask? It’s an early synthesizer from the mid 1960’s named after it’s creator Robert Moog (with the help of Herb Deutsch). At the time, it was very innovative because it gave musicians and composers new and exciting sounds to perform and create. They could make electronic sounds, real instrument sounds, or something in-between. But you must program it. By connecting a series of jacks and patch chords you could change and create sounds by manipulating sound waves. And it was small enough to be portable so musicians could take it to concerts and into the studios. The Moog could be heard in movies and on television shows such as The Partridge Family.

The Moog has a bit of a cult following with a Moogfest held annually in May. There is also the Bog Moog Foundation which strives to inspire creativity through Dr. Bob’s Sound School where children are taught about electronics and sound physics.

The Music Minute would like to honor Robert (Bob) Moog’s May birthday by highlighting the many albums featuring the Moog synthesizer. You can use your 5 free weekly downloads and/or 3 free daily hours of streaming music listening, all from Freegal, the free and legal website.

This week the library added an interesting new book to the collection that shows how information gathered by studying internet use can tell a great deal about how people really feel.

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are is written by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, a Harvard-trained economist, former Google data scientist, and New York Times writer. He argues that much of what we think about people is wrong because almost everyone will lie on things like surveys. He says that what they do on the internet is much more valuable in determining what they really think. Every time we do an internet search or click on an ad or link, it tells researchers something about us. And because we think that we are doing this in private, we are more likely to divulge our true feelings and thoughts. Scientists and researchers are able to use this information to analyze people’s views on all sorts of topics from religion and politics to what types of things they really enjoy.

The author says that studying data like this is a whole new way of studying the human mind. He uses personal anecdotes and stories, along with the results of actual studies that have yielded surprising results. He says that there is almost no limit to what can be learned about human nature from this data and it will change the way we view the world.

Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you.

Skinny Suppers by Brooke Griffin

A great cookbook for healthier meals is Skinny Suppers by Brooke Griffin, the creator of skinnymom.com. I like this book because it is attractive with its inviting colored paper and colored fonts. I also like the colored pictures of the recipes that make everything look so good you can’t wait to try a recipe. Foods like Coconut Fish Sticks, Grilled Chicken and Fruit Salad Wraps, Vegetarian Chipotle Black Bean Burgers, Cilantro Lime Rice, Santa Fe Quinoa Sizzling Skillet, Sour Cream Enchiladas, Parmesan Chicken Nuggets, Un-Sloppy Janes, Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Rolls are all made just a little better for you with a few healthier substitutions.

She also has little inspirational quotes and sayings peppered throughout the book which I find really sweet such as “when you are about to give up remember why you started in the first place”. Anyone who likes simple recipes that are also appealing to the eye will like this cookbook (and it never hurts to be a bit healthier).

If Skinny Suppers interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.

Active library patrons will know that Beauregard Parish Library gives you free tools to manage your money. One of the greatest tools we share for Finance and Investing is ValueLine.

If finance is one of your topics of interest, too, you may find it interesting that the New York Stock Exchange was founded on this day in 1792. According to Chase's Calendar of Events, the stock exchange would meet under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street in good weather or go inside to a coffeehouse in bad weather.

Embedded below is a video from our Access Video collection about the founding of the New York Stock Exchange.

Children's book lovers of all ages will know the name Margaret Rey as the author half of the team that brought you Curious George. The Curious George series was first published in 1941 with only 7 books, but now it has over 133 titles translated into 26 different languages.

If you're a fan of Curious George or you want to introduce the mischievous monkey and the Man in the Yellow Hat to your children, take a look in our online catalog here.

The 1970’s: Pet rocks (mine’s name was Albert), Weebles that wobble (but they don’t fall down), and the Happy Face. Nostalgic for the 70’s or would you simply like to explore some music from a decade you have never seen or heard? Well, Freegal has plenty of free music from the 70’s from light pop to some music that will mellow you out.

☺“Playground in My Mind” by Clint Holmes from Radio Hits of the ‘70s

☻“Time” by The Alan Parsons Project from The Essential Alan Parsons Project

☺“Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band from Starland Vocal Band

☻“Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” by Dawn featuring Tony Orlando from The Definitive Collection

☺“All By Myself” by Eric Carmen from Eric Carmen

☻“Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright from The Motion of Hidden Fire

☺“Without You” by Harry Nilsson from Nilsson Schmilsson

☻“I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” by the Hillside Singers from I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing

☺“Wildfire” by Michael Murphy from Blue Sky-Night Thunder

☻“I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash from The Best Of Johnny Nash

Use your 5 free weekly downloads or your 3 free daily hours of commercial-free streaming music to listen to music of the 70’s or explore your own music.

☻Have A Nice Day!! (I kind of had to say it.)

Are you interested in the great mysteries of the universe but don’t have the time or the patience to slog through the enormous scientific books on astrophysics? Then one of our new books might be just the thing for you.

Check out Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. You may be familiar with Dr. Tyson from his hit radio and television program “StarTalk” or his other award winning books. (He has even appeared on the popular sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”!) Dr. Tyson is known for his ability to relate complex scientific information to regular people. This book is a shining example of that. He uses witty anecdotes and clear language to explain topics such as quantum mechanics, the search for life in the universe, and black holes, all in short, easy to read chapters. Even people who normally stay away from anything “scientific” will find this book entertaining and enlightening.

This book is certainly not intended to make anyone an expert in astrophysics, but its twelve essays are designed to give readers enough of an understanding of the key concepts that they will be able to better understand what is going on in our world. It is located in adult non-fiction in Dewey number 523.01. This section is where all of the astrophysics books are found, so if you read this one and want to get more detailed information about one or more of the subjects discussed, you should be able to find it here.

Looking to find one of our rural branches? Check the bottom of the library's home page! All of our branches are listed, and a link is provided to a map of the location, as close as Google will get.

The Beauregard Parish Library strives to make its resources available to all of the residents of Beauregard Parish. If something is not available at your local branch, put in a request and it'll be transferred from one of our other branches if we have it for your convenience!

Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you.

Absolutely Fabulous [DVD]

Would I be dating myself if I said that Ab Fab was (is!) a cult classic? Eddy and Patsy are back in this current vision of the retro (not old!) BBC series! Written once again by Jennifer Saunders, Absoloutely Fabulous, The Movie (2016) features the self-indulgent and champagne-fueled duo, PR guru and now grandmother Edina "Eddy" Monsoon (Saunders) and magazine editor Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley), as they search for their Shangri-La around each next corner.

Follow Eddy, Patsy, Saffy, Mother, and Bubble as they flounder through the fashion industry, facing looming poverty, paparazzi, professional exile, embezzlement, estrangement, and even murder charges! With at least 60 cameos and 90 female impersonators, "Edina and Patsy are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to; shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around London’s trendiest hotspots. Blamed for a major incident at an uber fashionable launch party, they become entangled in a media storm and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forevermore!" Source

Geared for mature (not old!) fans, Absoloutely Fabulous, The Movie delivered hilarity just like the retro (not old!) series. A must see final chapter for Ab Fab fans!

If Absolutely Fabulous interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.

If you are a fan of the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, you might be interested in a new book we received this week.

Check out: Tales from the Yawning Portal compiled by Kim Mohan and Mike Mearls. This richly illustrated book contains seven of the most compelling dungeons from the more than forty year history of the game. These adventures have been inspired by places and events in far-flung lands across the D&D universe, collected in a single volume for your enjoyment. Many are classics that have been updated for use with the fifth edition of the Player’s Handbook.

According to user comments from Amazon, the adventures are short and easy to read. They are detailed but open to interpretation and are appropriate for both experienced players and those new to the game. The user also states that, although it is designed to be used with fifth edition rules, it would not be too difficult to adapt to other editions.

If this sounds like something that interests you, come in and check it out. The book can be found in the adult non-fiction section of the library in Dewey number 793.93. If you need help locating this or any other item, be sure to ask one of our helpful staff members.

Need to do some work at home but don't have a computer, or your computer is down? The Library has laptops for check out!

The BTOP laptops are laptops with Windows 7, Microsoft Office, and a few other programs. They can be checked out at any of our branches. They have wifi built in, so you can connect to your router at home if you have one.

However, to keep our patrons safe from viruses, the laptops completely reset themselves after being shut down. So if you need to keep copies of anything, you'll need to plug in a USB key and save your work there. (If you need a USB key, we sell them!) The BTOP laptops only check out for a week, and you have to wait a week before you can check them out again. Still, they're a great resource when you need to do a little work!

Need a suggestion for something to read or watch from the library this weekend? Maybe you'd like to check out an ebook or audiobook? Try some of our Staff Picks, to find what some of the other people in our parish are enjoying.

We know that not every staff pick will appeal to every patron, but not to worry! If you need help selecting something, we have online tools like Book Browse and our Online Catalog, or you can ask one of our friendly staff members to help search for you.

Desperation by Stephen King

Something is very wrong in the mining town of Desperation, NV. A rogue police officer is abusing his power in the worst of ways, citizens are going insane (or missing), dangerous animals lurk around every corner, and fear clings like a heavy fog.

This book is not for the faint of heart or stomach. You will beg characters to leave town (they won’t), and your heart will race as a mysterious survivor child seems to be the only chance out of Desperation.

Enjoy this audibook of Stephen King’s latest tale of horror during a long drive or as you go for a walk...wherever the lights will remain on.

If Desperation interests you, feel free to request or check it out. We'll be back next Thursday with a different Staff Pick.