UDM Libraries Book of the Week

The night after another unsatisfactory New Year party, Tim’s (Domhnall Gleeson) father (Bill Nighy) tells his son that the men in his family have always had the ability to travel through time. Tim can’t change history, but he can change what happens and has happened in his own life – so he decides to make his world a better place…by getting a girlfriend (Rachel McAdams). But as his unusual life progresses, Tim finds out that his unique gift can’t save him from the sorrows and ups and downs that affect all families, everywhere. From filmmaker Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral), About Time is a comedy about love and time travel, which discovers that, in the end, making the most of life may not need time travel at all.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In a contemporary adaptation of Langston Hughes’ celebrated play, the holiday musical drama BLACK NATIVITY follows Langston (Jacob Latimore), a street-wise teen from Baltimore raised by a single mother, as he journeys to New York City to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives Reverend Cornell and Aretha Cobbs (Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett). Unwilling to live by the imposing Reverend Cobbs’ rules, a frustrated Langston is determined to return home to his mother, Naima (Jennifer Hudson). Langston embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey and along with his new friends, and a little divine intervention, he discovers the true meaning of faith, healing, and family. Written by Fox Searchlight

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Victoria Ballard Bell

As architecture and design programs throughout the world break out of the classroom and adopt the holistic methods of design/build programs, the need for a textbook that bridges the gap between construction materials and design sensibility is sorely needed. In Materials for Design 2, authors Victoria Ballard Bell and Patrick Rand revisit the format of their award-winning first volume and present sixty new case studies of materials put to imaginative use by today’s brightest architects. Bell and Rand introduce each material type—glass, concrete, wood, metal, plastic, and stone—with new text describing its history and significance. Accessible case studies highlight recent advances in design and construction around the world—from a wooden church in Finland and huts in Thailand to a bank encased in a glass cube in Denmark. In a materials landscape that constantly changes to meet the demands of contemporary designers, Materials for Design 2 is an up-to-date guide to the best and most exciting materials at their disposal.

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GOOD LUCK ON YOUR FINALS!

A sweet, magical film filled with great music, likable characters, and striking effects, Frozen is a fairy tale about overcoming obstacles and the power of true love. Princesses Anna and Elsa are sisters and the closest friends until one day Elsa discovers that she can no longer control her power to create ice and snow. Terrified for the safety of her sister and everyone around her, Elsa isolates herself and vows to never feel any sort of passionate emotion again in hopes of suppressing her powers. But when Elsa comes of age and is set to be crowned queen, she must open the gates of the palace and let in the public, not to mention her sister Anna. Things go horribly wrong and Anna pursues her sister into the mountains in an attempt to save Elsa and reverse the deep freeze that Elsa has inadvertently released on the kingdom of Arendelle. Along the way, Anna joins forces with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), an ice seller with a strangely close relationship with his reindeer Sven, and Olaf (Josh Gad), a goofy snowman whom she suddenly remembers from early childhood. In the end, Anna and Elsa discover that only by embracing their deepest feelings do they have a chance of saving themselves and the kingdom. Inspired by “The Snow Queen” story by Hans Christian Andersen, the film has plenty of quirky, lovable characters along with a nice blend of corny humor, serious sentiment, suspense, and peril. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel deliver rousing performances of great music that includes original songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and an original score by Christophe Beck, and the visual effects are simply stunning. Frozen definitely succeeds in captivating audiences young, old, and every age in between. –Tami Horiuchi

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