This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Library Picks: 'Bad Teacher' and More

Also new at Baldwin is 'The Lady of the Rivers' by Philippa Gregory and 'The Infernals' by John Connolly.

New this week at Baldwin is the latest novels from Philippa Gregory and John Connolly as well as Bad Teacher starring Cameron Diaz. This week's Library Picks are:

Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin

In 1937, with the Japanese poised to invade Nanjing, Minnie Vautrin — an American missionary and the dean of Jinling Women’s College — decides to remain at the school, convinced that her American citizenship will help her safeguard the welfare of the Chinese men and women who work there. She is painfully mistaken. In the aftermath of the invasion, the school becomes a refugee camp for more than ten thousand homeless women and children, and Vautrin must struggle, day after day, to intercede on behalf of the hapless victims. Even when order and civility are eventually restored, Vautrin remains deeply embattled, and she is haunted by the lives she could not save.

Find out what's happening in Birminghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

When the death of Joan of Arc shows her the dangers faced by strong women, Jacquetta, a psychic descendant of a river goddess, studies alchemy and becomes the secret wife of Richard Woodville before returning to the court of Henry VI.

Find out what's happening in Birminghamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Infernals by John Connolly

An angry demon is seeking revenge for Samuel's part in foiling the invasion of Earth by the forces of evil. It wants to get its claws on Samuel, and when Samuel and his faithful dachshund, Boswell, are pulled through a portal into the dark realm, the home of the Infernals, it gets its chance. But catching Samuel is not going to be easy, for the Infernals have not reckoned on the bravery and cleverness of a boy and his dog, or the loyalty of Samuel's friend, the hapless demon Nurd, or the presence of two clueless policemen and the unlucky, if cheerfully optimistic, driver of an ice-cream van. Most of all, no one has planned on the intervention of an unexpected band of little men, for Samuel and Boswell are not the only inhabitants of Earth who have found themselves in the underworld.

Bad Teacher (DVD)

Elizabeth is a foul-mouthed, ruthless junior high teacher who can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiance, she begins to woo a rich, handsome substitute. Competing for his affections is overly energetic colleague, Amy. Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic gym teacher. The consequences of her outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers and herself an education like no other.

Red State (DVD)

Three teenage boys are lured to the town of Cooper's Dell with the promise of a party. But instead of enjoying the night of their dreams, the teens are plunged into the nightmarish world of Pastor Abin Cooper and the Five Points Trinity, a fundamentalist group with a stockpile of weaponry and a deadly moral agenda. When word of the teens' disappearance reaches the authorities, a military task force is mobilized.

To check out any of these books or movies, visit the library's website and reserve your copy straight from the online catalogue. Make sure you come back to Birmingham Patch next week, to see what else is new in the stacks.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Birmingham