Hot This Week: July 31

As we say goodbye to the month of July, we have a rare week with no new movies on the list, which means a second week at the top for The Lost City of Z. French Montana lands his sophomore album at #3, just behind heavy hitters Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. The fiction list is bookended by new titles from Michael Connelly and B.A. Paris, while a memoir from writer Sherman Alexie jumps on in non-fiction.

DVD

1. The Lost City of Z
2. CHiPs
3. Smurfs: The Lost Village
4. Logan
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. Get Out
7. Fist Fight
8. John Wick Chapter 2
9. Power Rangers
10. The Lego Batman Movie

CD

1. Jay-Z, 4:44
2. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
3. French Montana, Jungle Rules
4. DJ Khaled, Grateful
5. Ed Sheeran, Divide
6. Imagine Dragons, Evolve
7. Moana Soundtrack
8. Khalid, American Teen
9. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
10. Calvin Harris, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1

Fiction

1. The Late Show, Michael Connelly
2. Camino Island, John Grisham
3. House of Spies, Daniel Silva
4. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
5. Murder Games, James Patterson and Howard Roughan
6. The Identicals, Elin Hilderbrand
7. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
8. Use of Force, Brad Thor
9. The Duchess, Danielle Steel
10. The Breakdown, B.A. Paris

Non-Fiction

1. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
2. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
3. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, Al Franken
4. Rediscovering Americanism, Mark R. Levin
5. Understanding Trump, Newt Gingrich
6. Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
7. Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann
8. You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Sherman Alexie
9. The Swamp, Eric Bolling
10. I Can't Make This Up, Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss

Hot This Week: July 24

Three new movies on this week's list are led by The Lost City of Z, based on the book by David Grann. The new release from Jay-Z tops the music chart. A new Gabriel Allon thriller from Daniel Silva bumps John Grisham from the top spot in fiction, while the return of Hamilton and a new book from Bill Nye shake things up in non-fiction.

DVD

1. The Lost City of Z
2. CHiPs
3. Logan
4. Get Out
5. Power Rangers
6. Beauty and the Beast
7. John Wick Chapter 2
8. Fist Fight
9. Smurfs: The Lost Village
10. Table 19

CD

1. Jay-Z, 4:44
2. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
3. DJ Khaled, Grateful
4. Ed Sheeran, Divide
5. Imagine Dragons, Evolve
6. Haim, Something to Tell You
7. Calvin Harris, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1
8. Moana Soundtrack
9. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
10. 2 Chainz, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music

Fiction

1. House of Spies, Daniel Silva
2. Camino Island, John Grisham
3. Murder Games, James Patterson and Howard Roughan
4. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
5. Use of Force, Brad Thor
6. The Identicals, Elin Hilderbrand
7. The Duchess, Danielle Steel
8. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
9. Two Nights, Kathy Reichs
10. The Silent Corner, Dean Koontz

Non-Fiction

1. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
2. Rediscovering Americanism, Mark R. Levin
3. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
4. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, Al Franken
5. The Swamp, Eric Bolling
6. Understanding Trump, Newt Gingrich
7. Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
8. Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter
9. I Can't Make This Up, Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss
10. Everything All at Once, Bill Nye

Dunkirk Brings WWII to Life

Written by Jon Williams

May, 1940. With World War II in its early days, the Battle of France raged. As the month wore on, the advance of the German military left a group of Allied forces cut off and pushed back to the sea near Dunkirk. Thus began Operation Dynamo, a British-led effort to evacuate the Allied soldiers, so crucial to the already tenuous war effort, from their perilous situation. Because of the shallow waters in the area, only small craft could be used. Nevertheless, the eight-day action resulted in the successful rescue of more than 300,000 men.

This is the story told by the new epic war movie Dunkirk, in theaters this week. It’s the latest from filmmaker Christopher Nolan, who’s known for his trilogy of Batman films (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises), as well as movies like Inception and Interstellar. Dunkirk stars Batman alumni Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy along with Kenneth Branagh and pop star Harry Styles in his acting debut.

Patrons interested in the story behind the Battle of Dunkirk are in luck, with a wealth of materials examining this momentous event. To go along with the movie, historian Joshua Levine has taken a fresh look at the lives of all those involved in the battle for a companion audiobook. Walter Lord’s 2012 work The Miracle of Dunkirk was based on extensive interviews with the battle’s survivors. And in 2004, the BBC put together a three-episode docudrama that broke the battle down to show how it progressed on a day-by-day basis.

With the end of World War II now more than seventy years in the past, it won’t be long before it fades from living memory. However, there is no shortage of media that will preserve its legacy for future generations. One of the most valuable contributions is from acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns, whose documentary series The War deals primarily with the perspective of Americans on the home front. Along similar lines is WWII in HD, which uses immersive footage to depict the front lines. Also produced by the History Channel, The Third Reich examines the rise of Nazi Germany. On the other side of the world, War in the Pacific and Hell in the Pacific look at the war as it took place away from the Atlantic Theater.

There are also plenty of dramatized accounts; as Dunkirk shows, World War II is always fertile ground for stories to be told on the big and small screens. Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers come immediately to mind, as do The Dirty Dozen and The Bridge on the River Kwai, as well as Schindler’s List for the Holocaust. The miniseries The Winds of War, based on Herman Wouk’s novel, follows a far-flung American family as they get caught up in the war along with the United States. On the Pacific side, Clint Eastwood’s duology consisting of Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima is hard to beat.

There are literally hundreds more documentaries and movies which delve into World War II and its various aspects. To find more, simply SmartBrowse World War II on our website, and please let us know about those you’ve found to be interesting and/or popular at your library in the comments section below.

Hot This Week: July 17

The big-screen reboot of the popular late-'70s/early-'80s TV show CHiPs wins the week in movies. DJ Khaled holds on for a second week at #1 in music, followed by the new album from Calvin Harris. The audiobook lists remain largely the same from last week, with a new romance from Julie Garwood being the only title to debut.

DVD

1. CHiPs
2. Logan
3. Power Rangers
4. John Wick Chapter 2
5. Get Out
6. The Lego Batman Movie
7. Beauty and the Beast
8. Fist Fight
9. Life
10. A Cure for Wellness

CD

1. DJ Khaled, Grateful
2. Calvin Harris, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1
3. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
4. Imagine Dragons, Evolve
5. Ed Sheeran, Divide
6. 2 Chainz, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
7. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
8. Stone Sour, Hydrograd
9. Moana Soundtrack
10. Khalid, American Teen

Fiction

1. Camino Island, John Grisham
2. Murder Games, James Patterson and Howard Roughan
3. Use of Force, Brad Thor
4. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
5. The Duchess, Danielle Steel
6. The Identicals, Elin Hilderbrand
7. Wired, Julie Garwood
8. A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
9. The Silent Corner, Dean Koontz
10. The Force, Don Winslow

Non-Fiction

1. Rediscovering Americanism, Mark R. Levin
2. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
3. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
4. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, Al Franken
5. The Swamp, Eric Bolling
6. Understanding Trump, Newt Gingrich
7. Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
8. I Can't Make This Up, Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss
9. Theft by Finding, David Sedaris
10. Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann

Hot This Week: July 10

With summer blockbuster season in full swing, the new Power Rangers movie leaps atop the week's movie listing. DJ Khaled's new album takes over the music chart, while a new Deluxe Edition of Prince's Purple Rain brings that classic back to the forefront as well. New novels by James Patterson, Brad Thor, and Danielle Steel debut behind John Grisham in fiction, while two new political titles make the list in non-fiction.

DVD

1. Power Rangers
2. Life
3. Logan
4. The Lego Batman Movie
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. Get Out
7. John Wick Chapter 2
8. Fist Fight
9. Before I Fall
10. A Dog's Purpose

CD

1. DJ Khaled, Grateful
2. Imagine Dragons, Evolve
3. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
4. Prince and the Revolution, Purple Rain
5. 2 Chainz, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
6. 311, Mosaic
7. Ed Sheeran, Divide
8. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
9. Moana Soundtrack
10. Post Malone, Stoney

Fiction

1. Camino Island, John Grisham
2. Murder Games, James Patterson and Howard Roughan
3. Use of Force, Brad Thor 
4. The Duchess, Danielle Steel
5. The Identicals, Elin Hilderbrand
6. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
7. The Silent Corner, Dean Koontz
8. Tom Clancy: Point of Contact, Mike Maden
9. Come Sundown, Nora Roberts
10. Dragon Teeth, Michael Crichton

Non-Fiction

1. Rediscovering Americanism, Mark R. Levin
2. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
3. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
4. The Swamp, Eric Bolling
5. Understanding Trump, Newt Gingrich
6. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, Al Franken
7. Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
8. Theft by Finding, David Sedaris
9. I Can't Make This Up, Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss
10. Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann

Hot This Week: July 3

Two new superhero movies with vastly different tones - Logan and The Lego Batman Movie - top this week's movie list. Half of the music chart is made up of new releases, led by Lorde and 2 Chainz. John Grisham holds on for another week at #1 in fiction, while astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson surges back to the top in non-fiction.

Have a wonderful Independence Day!

DVD

1. Logan
2. The Lego Batman Movie
3. John Wick Chapter 2
4. Get Out
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. Fist Fight
7. A Dog's Purpose
8. Life
9. The Shack
10. Fifty Shades Darker

CD

1. Lorde, Melodrama
2. 2 Chainz, Pretty Girls Like Trap Music
3. Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
4. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound
5. Nickelback, Feed the Machine
6. Ed Sheeran, Divide
7. Fleet Foxes, Crack-Up
8. Bruno Mars, 24K Magic
9. SZA, Ctrl
10. Post Malone, Stoney

Fiction

1. Camino Island, John Grisham
2. The Silent Corner, Dean Koontz
3. The Identicals, Elin Hilderbrand
4. Into the Water, Paula Hawkins
5. Dangerous Minds, Janet Evanovich
6. Tom Clancy: Point of Contact, Mike Maden
7. Kiss Carlo, Adriana Trigiani
8. Dragon Teeth, Michael Crichton
9. Come Sundown, Nora Roberts
10. The Force, Don Winslow

Non-Fiction

1. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, Neil deGrasse Tyson
2. Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance
3. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, Al Franken
4. Understanding Trump, Newt Gingrich
5. I Can't Make This Up, Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss
6. Theft by Finding, David Sedaris
7. Option B, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
8. Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Civil War, David Fisher
9. Killers of the Flower Moon, David Grann
10. Hunger, Roxane Gay