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Well, come rain or snow, wind or sleet, Corona Public Library has countless treasures for you. Whether you are searching for a new DVD; an old DVD chestnut; a popular novel; a classic book; or an interesting audiobook, surely the library's the place to visit. Come in and feast your eyes - can't locate a title? We're here to help! You may also want to download an Ebook or an audiobook on your brand new device - check the catalog and see what terrific treats await you!

So let's begin with some very satisfying, superb, just swell DVD selections ~

Check out Buck (2011), the documentary about the man who became the "Horse Whisperer." You will find it in the nonfiction book section where we keep our documentaries. This one happens to be a biography, so you will locate it under DVD B Brannaman. This is a fascinating look at a gentle individual who has experienced phenomenal success working with "difficult" horses. His unique approach to training horses eschews the violence from his own upbringing (his physically abusive father terrorized the family), teaching horse handlers to employ sensitivity and leadership. Buck works wonders with not only the horses, but also seems to get to the root of issues of the many horse owners, who have cited certain challenges. Footage shows Buck, as a child. Viewers will find themselves cheering for him and rooting for his wonderful new foster parents who turned his life around, allowing him to become the wonder that he is. Buck's magical, transformative approach appears to work near miracles. A compassionate, respectful and understanding individual - you will love becoming acquainted with Buck Brannaman. DVD B BRANNAMAN
For an extra treat, please read the wonderful interview here with Buck Brannaman.

Extract (2009) is a mostly silly, but pretty hilarious comedy featuring Jason Bateman and Kristen Wiig (pre-Bridesmaids' success), written and directed by Office Space's Mike Judge, who also produced and acted in this film. The story focuses on the owner of a flavor extract manufacturing plant (Bateman) who finds himself in one precarious situation after another. If he isn't worried that his plant is short-staffed following an accident, then it's the worry over whether or not his wife is faithful compunded by the attentions of a young woman con-artist, who works for him. By the way, this is a comedy! If you're familiar with Mike Judge's work, you will probably quickly fall under the Extract spell - absurd comedy mixes with understated dialogue - Extract, similar to Office Space, may already be a cult favorite. DVD FIC EXT

The film adaptation of Sarah's Key (2010) is exquisite. The scenery and cinematography are captivating from the opening scenes; this is a powerful, vivid yet difficult film. Kristin Scott Thomas plays journalist Julia Jarmond who is married to a Frenchman. She is commissioned to write an article about the notorious Vel d'Hiv round up, which took place in Paris in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah. Julia learns that the apartment she and her husband Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. Unsentimental, complicated, gripping: a must-see. DVD FIC SAR

Let's look at a wide variety of BOOKS

The Hungry Season (2010) is a compelling, harrowing family portrait written by T. Greenwood; the author introduces the reader to a family in need of rescue. Greenwood's effective, eloquent word artistry and her knack for developing subtle, suspenseful scenes offers us a close-up of Sam and Mena Mason, who have returned to a rural Vermont cabin near where Sam was raised. Having spent many an idyllic summer here with their twins, Franny and Finn, this is the first season here since Franny's tragic death. Sam's attempts to salvage his family parallel the tales of Finn's growing camaraderie with a local teen and a hopeful, but obsessed admirer of Sam's. A sensitive, complex novel that is anything but formulaic. APBK GREENWOOD
Take a peek at this interview with T. Greenwood.

Gus Lee's China Boy (1991) is a warm, engaging autobiographical novel that depicts a young Chinese boy growing up in 1950's San Francisco. We meet Kai Ting, the seven-year-old hero of the novel, as he copes with a distant father, a missing mother and a tyrannical stepmother and as he struggles to contend with America. The story, with all its Dickensian charm, is an endearing view of a sensitive young boy struggling to overcome the new evil stepmother at home and bullies on the mean streets of a big city. His salvation is the YMCA: his saviors, a group of retired boxers. A magical, charming coming of age story. Warm, funny, deeply moving, this is a brilliantly rendered study of family relationships, culture shock, sharp differences and humanity. FIC LEE

Music through the Floor (2005), by Eric Puchner, winner of the NY Public Library's Young Lions's Fiction Award
is a collection of wonderful short stories. Edgy, exhilarating, insightful, each selection contains humor and irony. His characters include ten-year-old boys, teenaged girls, illegal immigrants, ESL teachers, Americans abroad - yet they represent all of us. This irresistible collection of fragile loners and misunderstood muddlers in these nine gems makes for some incandescent, infectious, intelligent tales. Puchner certainly keeps the art of the short story alive. FIC PUCHNER

Now let's hear some tales. . .AUDIOBOOKS

A Long Way Down (2005) by Nick Hornby is a real treat, read by a cast of narrators that includes Kate Reading, Simon Vance and Scott Brick. Three Londoners and one American find themselves on the famous roof of Topper's House, where they have each come to end their lives. We meet J.J., Jess, Martin and Maureen. Inhibited by the idea of having an audience, they agree instead to form a support group of sorts. What follows is a dazzling narrative display which enhances Hornby's emotional and often hilarious story about a group of misfits who learn to measure life in moments. And for those who might shy away from the subject matter, no worries here: Hornby's novel is grimly comic, oddly moving and full of life. SC FIC HORNBY
Here's an insightful interview with author, Hornby.

Laura Moriarty's While I'm Falling (2009) sheds light on a mother-daughter relationship. In this case, the mother is attempting to keep her life afloat, while the daughter is trying to grow up. So compelling, Moriarty delves into this realistic narrow world with honesty, developing a cast of vivid and flawed characters that grabs hold of our attention. There are painful, real mistakes, consequences and redemptions. Most of the action takes place over the course of just a few days, a condensed time frame that offers the novel an additional intensity. Moriarty'e eye for detail is what makes this novel rise above the domestic tale - the readers are Laura Gibson and Alma Cuervo, both excellent. SC FIC MORIARTY

Breathing Room (2007) is a novel written by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, read by the incomparable Kate Fleming. This is an amusing tale of a self-help author who finds herself in need of some major assistance. After a disgruntled assistant bad-mouths her to the tabloids, Dr. Isabel Favor's accountant runs off with her money and then her fiancé leaves her for another woman. The self-help diva decides to take a breather in the Italian countryside. There she meets Lorenzo (Ren) Gage, a devilishly handsome movie star, best known for his onscreen roles and lothario antics off. Chaos and romance battle it out in this humorous, wild and wacky, yet, somehow insightful, contemporary love story. Its optimistic heroine and conflicted star settle in against Italy's magical hill country - how hard is it to fall in love with a farmhouse nestled in a Tuscan olive grove?! SC FIC PHILLIPS