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Blogs & Podcasts

Find early literacy tips and children's books on the Children's Blog. Discover your next great read on the Books Movies Music Blog. Dig into Nashville history with the Community History Blog. Listen to stories, history, and culture on NPL Podcasts. Please see this Note for Readers.

Podcast
legends of film logo

Bill interviews Editor, Director and Producer of the CSI TV series, Alec Smight.  Mr. Smight is the son of the late Jack Smight, who directed No Way to Treat a Lady.  Alec talks about his father’s directing career as well as his own work on CSI.

Podcast
legends of film logo

During this episode of Legends of Film we talk to Jerry Schatzberg, Director of Scarecrow, The Panic in Needle Park, and Sweet Revenge. Mr. Schatzberg discusses casting Morgan Freeman in his breakthrough role, the importance of improvisation, and problems that occur when your lead actor is also your screenwriter.

Podcast
legends of film logo

During this episode we talk to retired New York City Police Officer Randy Jurgensen, who acted as technical advisor on the film set of Report to the Commissioner. Jurgensen explains his role as technical advisor, talks about his acting role as the shooter of Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, and recalls his work on the movie The French Connection (including the case that inspired the film).

Painting of  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
In honor of the beginning of the next series of Sherlock on Masterpiece Mystery, I went to the periodicals stacks to dig up some original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and came across something that interested me even more.
Burial Rites book cover
This is hands-down the best historical fiction that I have read this past year. I cannot say enough about this book, it is so good. The story is compelling and poignant and the atmospheric setting immediately transports the reader to another place and time.
Cover for the TV show "The Fall" starring Gillian Anderson.
Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson is called away from London to  review the handling of a murder investigation led by police in Northern Ireland. Gibson quickly finds procedural mistakes, and evidence that another recent murder may make this the work of a serial killer. When yet another victim is discovered, Gibson is put in charge of the investigation.
Book cover for Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior.
Audio books are my favorite way to sneak a little “reading” into the post-holiday grind. Thankfully, the library has three ways to do it with CD audio, Playaway audio, and downloads from Overdrive.