Patriotic Movies

With the Fourth of July just around the corner, I was thinking of what can put us in the mood for the holiday beside barbecues and fireworks--movies!  After spending time outside in the heat, try cooling off inside with one of these patriotic picks (which can be checked out from our library, of course):

• American Sniper  A Navy SEAL is one of the nation's best snipers in history, saving countless lives while doing four tours of duty.
• Apollo 13  When something goes wrong on a mission to the moon, NASA has to find a way to bring three astronauts safely home.
• Born on the Fourth of July  A marine accidentally kills a fellow soldier and becomes paralyzed during his second tour of duty in Vietnam.
• John Adams  Depicts the life of the Founding Father and second president.
• The Patriot  A peaceful South Carolina farmer turns patriot and fights the British in the American Revolution.
• Patton  Focuses on the American general, George S. Patton, during World War II.
• Pearl Harbor  Presents the Japanese attack on the American naval base in Hawaii and how it impacts the lives of those involved.
• Saving Private Ryan  After D-Day, a small band of soldiers searches for an army private who lost three soldiers during the course of the war.
• Top Gun  Elite fighter pilots push each other to be the best at the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School.
• Unbroken  An Olympic athlete joins the military during World War II, survives a plane crash in the Pacific, is stranded on a raft for 47 days, and is captured by the Japanese who send him to a POW camp.

Enjoy one of these good movies or whatever it is you're doing this Fourth of July!

Wishing you a happy, fun, and safe holiday from the perch.

Books and Tea

Like many perch librarians, I like tea.  Hot tea, iced tea, sweetened tea, unsweetened tea, black tea, white tea, green tea, boba tea.  Get the idea?  I like tea.  There's just something about that little cup full of happiness that fills you with peace and calm.  The hot varieties make you slow down to avoid scalding your tongue, and the cold varieties make you slow down to savor the flavor.

And beside a scone, what goes perfectly with tea?  Books, of course!  Picture this: a cozy nook by a window, a comfy chair to curl up in, a cup of tea to sip on, and a book you can't put down.  Now honestly, fellow book lovers, does it get any better than that?

Maybe you have that special reading place at home?  Or maybe there's that special reading place somewhere in town?  There are a number of bakery cafes and tea houses that are inviting venues for reading.  I especially like this one bakery cafe (the Rockwood Bakery in Spokane) which is in an older building with big picture windows, high ceilings, rose colored walls, wood floors, and mismatched tables and chairs.  Whenever I go there, I can get lost in a book and cup of tea for hours.

Speaking for myself, I absolutely love the perfect cup of jasmine tea--nice, light, and floral (I like Two Leaves and a Bud).  When I'm in the mood for a strong, full-bodied tea, my little splurge is tea from the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC (you can order it online).  If I want a more fruity variety, I enjoy a cup of black currant tea from Ahmad Tea of London.

Do you have a favorite tea and a special reading place?  Share it with us!

Clinking tea cups with you from the perch.