British TV – Is It Really Better Than American?

Or does it just seem that way because of the snazzy accents? 

One of the best things about the amazing number of television shows on DVD is the many British television series that you could only see either by having BBC America, or by travelling to the British Isles yourself.  (Since TPT seems to only play Keeping Up Appearances and Good Neighbors.  Over and over.)

Some of the most popular ones include the new Doctor Who and Torchwood, which have quite a lot of requests.   Personally, I have a (now, not-so) secret love for Hotel Babylon, which is essentially, The Love Boat in London.  See how it always comes back to The Love Boat? 

So share:  What are some of your favorite British tv shows on DVD?  (Carol J.)

How Do You Pronounce . . .

Therese came up with a great idea for a posting–pronouncing tricky author’s names.  She mentioned a couple to start with:  John Lescroart, which is unexpectedly pronounced “less-qwah”, and Jodi Picoult, pronounced ‘Pee-KOE’, like the tea – per her website.  My favorite author name pronunciation mnemonic is for Jon Scieszka–it rhymes with “Fresca”!

If you’re looking for author pronunciations straight from the author themself, check out Teachingbooks.net Author Pronunciation Guide.  It’s a compilation of authors introducing themselves, and pronouncing their names.

Any names in particular that stump you, or that you hesitate every time you have to say them to a patron?  (Carol J.)

Did You Read . . . Free for All?

Subtitled Oddballs, Geeks and Gangstas in the Public Library, Free for All by Don Borchert is the kind of book that a lot of librarians wished that they had written.  Concentrating much more on the patrons and the culture of the library than on the actual work of librarianship, Borchert tells an excellent story.  PW says “From patrons who rack up hundreds of dollars in fines to missing pet rats and fist-fighting mothers, Borchert has seen it all, and his account gives a human interest spin to this undervalued profession.”

Did you read it?  What did you think?  (Carol J.)