More Good Flicks You Might Have Missed...

Hi Everyone!

If you're not out trick-or-treating tonight, check out these picks from our collection and let me know what you think!

Jill

The Ghost Writer

Directed by Roman Polanski. Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton. Based on the novel The Ghost by Robert Harris. When a gifted ghostwriter is hired to write the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, he quickly finds himself trapped in a web of political and sexual intrigue. Lang is implicated in a scandal over his administration's harsh tactics, and as the ghostwriter digs into the politician's past, he discovers secrets that threaten to jeopardize international relations forever.  2010, Rated PG-13. Drama/Thriller.

Hysteria

Directed by Tanya Wexler.  Starring Felicity Jones, Jonathan Pryce, Rupert Everett, Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal.  In London, 1880, Mortimer Granville is struggling to establish his medical career. When he arrives at the offices of Dr. Robert Dalrymple, London's leading specialist in women's medicine, he is hired on the spot. Granville sets out to find a medical cure for what ails women diagnosed with “female hysteria” and accidentally electrifies love lives forever. 2011, rated R. Comedy/Romance.

Young Adult

Directed by Jason Reitman.  Starring Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson.

After her divorce, a fiction writer decides to return to her hometown a rekindle a romance with a former sweetheart who is now married with children. 2010, Rated R. Comedy/Drama.

Full of Ginger (Ale)

Full of Ginger (Ale)

Fun or crazy?  Making your own ginger ale, that is.  I vote for fun.  But some may disagree, and as my West Virginia relatives are apt to remark,  "you're just full of ginger!"; translate as, you are just so energetic, that you are really making us tired.  But this is so easy, anyone can make this with almost no effort at all.

I love making things that are usually store bought, because they almost always taste better, and, just because it's fun to try new things

As I was making dinner and watching football (Giants vs. Eagles) last Sunday night - lasagna with a light bechamel sauce (saves calories by not using ricotta) - I mentioned to daughter Kate that I was interested in trying the recipe for homemade Ginger Ale from the new issue of Bon Appetit (October 2012, page 66).

Kate promptly said ok, I'll make it, we've got ginger in the freezer.  Did you know you could store fresh ginger in the freezer for months and it keeps really well?  Just pop it in a baggie as is, skin and all, and it will be at the ready for all your ginger-requiring-recipes.

In 15 minutes she had concocted the ginger syrup, and we were enjoying bright and sparking homemade ginger ale.  Do try it, it really is better than bottled, and you can (literally) be full of ginger too, but in a good way.

(If you think you'll like it, double the recipe as this recipe only makes 4 tall glasses of soda. If you do have any extra syrup, it can be refrigerated and stored for up to 2 months.)

Fresh ginger!

Ginger Ale  adapted from Bon Appetit

1/2 cup honey or 1/2 cup granulated sugar (I prefer the sugar version!)
1/2 cup sliced, peeled fresh ginger   (Note:  Peel ginger with the back of a teaspoon, it gets into all the nooks and crannies really well, without slicing away a lot of the good parts.  If the ginger is frozen, it will be more difficult, but not impossible to slice - be careful!)
1/2 cup water
Bottle or two of seltzer water

Combine all ingredients except the seltzer, in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Strain through a sieve and let cool slightly.  Add 2 tablespoons of the ginger syrup to about 8 ounces seltzer water, or to taste, over ice, and stir.  Makes 4 to 8 servings.

Bonus:  the leftover strained candied ginger is delicious eaten as is for dessert, or served over vanilla ice cream.

Last Christmas we got a Soda Stream machine, and I have to report it does turn out outstandingly fresh tasting and lively seltzer, which is perfect for this recipe.

Bon Appetit, as well as many other magazines worthy of your attention, are available in our Library every day.  Come in and read, and/or take out a few.

Diane Whitman
Reference Librarian
Soda Maker

Encyclopedia Britannica Only Online

 Did you hear the news that Encyclopedia Britannica will only be published online? 

Did you know that South Brunswick Library subscribes to Britannica Online and you can login 24/7 with your library card number?

 Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition offers two ways to access this wealth of information. You can choose a library appropriate for your grade level:


1. Britannica Reference Center for high school students and up.
2. Britannica Kids for middle school or elementary students and up.

You can search the encyclopedia as well as magazines, Web sites, and videos. You can also explore Learning Materials, a dictionary and thesaurus, atlases, timelines, and other features — all at the appropriate grade level.

So, don't just Google it.  Use Britannica Online from the your library's website to search more than 120,000 editor reviewed articles which are updated regularly. Read daily features, updates and links to news reports from The New York Times and the the BBC.

Check it out by scrolling down the the library's alphabetical list of databases to click on Britannica.

If you have any questions click on Help to Ask-A-Librarian.

Learn Canning & Preserving Compliments of SBPL

"How to Can, Dry, Freeze or Preserve is just one of the many free adult education classes offered by South Brunswick Public Library from our website. 

This course if filled with everything you need to know to get started in canning and preserving your own foods.  By the time your finish you will be well on your way to making and storing foods like you have thought about for so long.

All you have to do is visit South Brunswick Public Library's home page and click on the Database Link.  Scroll down and click on the Universal Class link. Login or create your own username and password. Then just click on Course Catalog and search for the class you want take. 

You have a teacher who will answer any questions you have by email.  You can network with other students who are taking the class if you want.

Study for fun or study to earn Continuing Education Credits.  Choose from over 500 classes ranging in topics from knitting to Web Development.

You can find out more or ask questions by contacting the Information Desk at the library.