Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

When Claire Kovalik and her crew intercept a distress call at the edge of known space, the message leads them to a luxury cruiser, the Aurora, which had been lost for decades. Eager to claim the wreck and cash in on their find, the team boards the vessel only to encounter a horrific scene of mayhem and death. Dead Silence kept me entertained from the very beginning as I was determined to learn what happened to Claire and her crew aboard the Aurora, and what caused the violent scene they encountered.  Not only was this book a real page turner, it also tackled topics including corporate greed, mental illness, and how people deal with stressful/traumatizing experiences. S.A. Barnes did a great job developing her characters, particularly the main character Claire Kovalik, whose experiences at a Mars colony as a child directly influence how she handles the situations she finds herself in throughout the book. I highly recommend this book for any fan of either science fiction or horror as...

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows fictional characters, Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), as well as Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie). Actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double, Cliff Booth, move through the ups and downs of fame and Hollywood life in the late 1960s, while Sharon Tate has a lot of similar experiences separately. I don’t know that I’ve even seen any of Quentin Tarantino’s other movies, but I still really enjoyed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. While the movie can be considered slow at times, the portrayal of this time period of Hollywood feels very authentic and pure. After this movie’s 2019 release, Brad Pitt went on to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2020, which was very well deserved, in my opinion. There’s a sequence at the end that is sure to be enjoyed by anyone who watches the entire movie, even if they didn’t like parts of it. Overall, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood serves as a great period piece and character study, while offerin...

The Suicide Squad is a really good superhero comedy. The cast is great; as always, Margot Robbie is great as Harley Quinn, and Jon Cena makes for a great addition to the DC Extended Universe as Peacemaker. The fighting sequences are very well choreographed, kind of like Birds of Prey (also starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn). I had never seen the original, not-so-well-received Suicide Squad from 2016, but this was still awesome. James Gunn killed it with his usual humor and action that superhero fans can recognize from his other movies, like Guardians of the Galaxy. Overall, The Suicide Squad is a spectacular, colorful, and fun adventure, that’s sure to be enjoyed by DC fans and action fans alike! Shaun Hood Library Page

Black Widow takes place in between the appearances made by Natasha Romanoff AKA Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Fans of the character who haven’t seen Black Widow yet may likely jump to conclusions stating that it’s not an origin story. However, while Black Widow may take place after several other movies that the character has already appeared in, it does bring her back to her troubled past, as well as introducing her family to the audience. I LOVE the opening sequence. Right away, it told me that this is not your typical Marvel movie, it’s something different. I also really enjoyed the new characters. Natasha’s adoptive sister, Yelena (Florence Pugh), is so fun, and of course, nobody can go wrong with David Harbour. Overall, Black Widow manages to be a great superhero movie, while succeeding in bringing spy-thriller vibes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Shaun Hood Library Page