Ferndale Library Recommends: Kerrie's Ferndale Findings

Kerrie Patterson comes to us from Waterford where she had experience serving the circulation staff of that area's larger, bustling public library. Coming on six-months into the job here at FPL, she still digs our town's laid-back atmosphere and how much of a role the library plays in the community...

"Such as," Patterson says, "conducting the Ferndale Reads group reading event, with the 'flash-mob' style launch at Rust Belt. There's also the Metro Times Blowout coming through here," (with the Library featured as one of many venues for said-local music festival).

Another awesome event, Patterson noted, is our First Stop Fridays - the monthly local music showcase. (We're hoping someday soon to feature the Ferndale-based quartet who produced the album topping Patterson's list, below...)

She claims there's no real theme here, but I can say, at least, that most of these items came right from the shelves here at FPL. One of them was recommendation given to Patterson by Reference Librarian Darlene Hellenberg. The last title listed is special, though, since it's something we wouldn't have owned as part of our collection were it not for Patterson's recommendation of it toward our Youth Services Librarian, Susan Paley. Cheers, then, to Patterson, for joining our FPL team and helping things run that much more smoothly (as well as bolster our fledgling anime-collection). 

Kerrie's Picks 

By Kerrie Patterson

1. FUR – Image on the Reverse

CD – FUR (Currently New)

FUR is a great local band that I’ve seen quite a few times now, and I’ve never been disappointed. The vocals are great and the music is similar to post-punk era bands such as Joy Division, so if you’re a fan of that type of sound, I highly recommend you check them out. They played a great show at the DIY Festival last summer, frequent the Magic Bag, and I last saw them recently at The Loving Touch for the release party of this, their newest album. My personal favorite is Track 2, “Farewell, Shirley Temple,” though they recently released a video for “Satellites.”

2. Schultz, Schuyler - Beer, Food and Flavor: A Guide to Tasting, Pairing, and the Culture of Craft Beer

641.23 S (Currently New)

Having only been exposed to BMC (Bud, Miller and Coors) growing up, I always thought beer was disgusting, until one night when I went to Motor City Brewing Works with friends and tried a vanilla porter. Now I’m a craft beer lover that has tried over 200 different beers, and my wallet has hated me ever since. Books like this one offer food pairing suggestions, as well as information about the different types of beer and how they’re made. I can’t wait until summer when I can lovingly nurse a vanilla porter again outside at the WAB.

3. Margaret Atwood – Oryx and Crake

FIC – Atwood

I’ve been a fan of Atwood since The Handmaid’s Tale (great book and movie, by the way) but I haven’t read anything else from her until Darlene recommended Oryx and Crake. We’re both fans of dystopian lit and I absolutely loved it. I also loved the follow up, The Year of the Flood, but I liked this more since I loved the characters of Oryx and Crake, who aren’t mentioned as much in the sequel. The third book in this trilogy is expected to come out in the fall of this year, and I can’t wait!

4. Frankenweenie

DVD Comedy F (Currently New)

I’m not much of a movie person, but this one has creepy kids, grave digging, zombie pets, Frankenstein and horror movie references…yeah, I’m game! This is a story about a boy losing his dog and bringing it back to life, and even a hardened cat lover like me enjoyed it. Later, like anything involving corpse reanimation, chaos ensues (and the whole thing could have been prevented if Victor’s dad didn’t force him into sports!). It’s a fairly short film but I loved the art style and offbeat humor, and it’s a great addition to Burton’s animated work.

5. Code Geass

DVD Anime G (Currently New)

I don’t watch anime as much as I did when I was younger, though I still like to watch some every now and then. I wondered one day why our anime collection was so small, which sparked a collaborative effort with Susan to try and flesh out the collection a bit. So far, this is all we’ve been able to purchase, but hopefully we can get our hands on my other suggestions. I enjoyed this series a few years ago and also loved the artwork.

The story is a bit violent and political, however, so keep that in mind. There is a second season which is also great, but we unfortunately don’t own it yet. We can fix that!