Friday, March 30, 2007

New Large Print Fiction, Audio, Music CDs, and a book on stamps

Large Print Fiction

McKettrick's Luck by Linda Lael Miller. Jesse McKenttrick's Arizona ranch is in his blood. He could never sell the property to former local Cheyenne Bridges. But, as sparks start to fly can Cheyenne leave her "play it safe" world for love?

Winter Lodge by Susan Wiggs. Publishers Weekly said, "In her latest bustling romance, Wiggs cooks up a rich stew of family plots past and present, spiced with plenty of generations-old Polish recipes, in this second installment of the Lakeshore Chronicles...With the ease of a master, Wiggs introduces complicated, flesh-and-blood characters into her idyllic but identifiable smalltown setting, sets in motion a refreshingly honest romance, resolves old issues and even finds room for a little mystery. The result is as appealing as the heroine's Polish Apple Strudel, the recipe for which is thankfully included." Gerard Saylor said, "...[you don't want to know what I said]..."

Hide by Lisa Gardner. A starred review from Booklist, "Gardner fans look out: this one will take your breath away. Near the grounds of an abandoned mental hospital, a buried chamber is discovered. Inside are six bodies, one of which may be that of a girl who has been missing for two decades--the best friend of a woman, Annabelle, who has spent her childhood moving from city to city, from identity to identity, hiding from someone or something totally unknown to her. She's been safe for several years now, but a single act of bravery plunges her right back into a life of fear. This is a rich, complex tale that juggles a handful of mysteries at once. Who is the killer, and could it be someone connected with a notorious child murderer? Who or what was Annabelle's family running from? How did her father, a mathematician, know how to set up foolproof new identities? And why does an old sketch of a murder suspect look unsettlingly like Annabelle's father? Head and shoulders above anything else Gardner's written, this riveting novel represents the author at the height of her powers."

The Suspect by John Lescroat. Stuart Gorman wife was insured for three million dollars. Her death by drowning puts Stuart on trial for what seems a slam dunk case for the prosecutor. But Stuart's lawyer, Dismas Hardy, is not an attorney to tangle with in court.

Trouble by Jesse Kellerman. The second novel by Faye and Jonathan's kid. Med student Jonah stops a woman's murder but kills the assailant. Now the D.A. wants to "talk", the dead man's family wants to "talk", and the intended murder victim is turning into Jonah's psycho girlfriend.

Ravenscar Dynasty by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Rich kid Edward's family dies in a house fire in 1904. He swears revenge and rebuilds the family empire.

Audiobooks

Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor. Saylor is an excellent author. His Roma Sub Rosa mystery series were compelling and highly enhanced by Saylor's vast scholarly knowledge of ancient Rome and Roman customs. Roma covers the descendants of two of Rome's founding families. Covering a thousand years of history and the invasion of the Gauls and of Hannibal, the death of Julius Caesar, and the never-ending battles among the patricians for power.

Alibi Man by Tami Hoag. Elena Estes old life is long gone. Once a member of the Palm Beach elite she turned away to become a cop. Disgraced in her chosen profession, Elena has been living on the fringes of Palm Beach when she finds the body of a murdered friend. Elena investigates and finds secrets among the wealthy families of Palm Beach's"bad boys".

Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy. Something about a new highway and a spiritual grove.

Music CDs

The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani. I'll withhold all commentary on this one.

Motorhead: BBC, Live and In-Session by Motorhead. That's right, MOTORHEAD! Two discs from four BBC radio shows recorded live in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1986. With Louie, Louie, Tear Ya Down, No Class, White Line Fever ('79 and '81). Don't forget the Motorhead DVD we have entitled Boneshaker: 25 & Alive.

Stamp Book

Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps: 33rd Edition.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Latest DVDs

DVDs

Let's Go To Prison
starring Will Arnett, Dax Shepard, Chi McBride. Rich guy goes to prison and does not fit in. A comedy.

Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou. A poor fisherman in Sierra Leone finds a mongo-sized pink diamond and gets a smuggler to assist him in rescuing his son from the rebels' child army. I have an automatic dislike for anything with Leonardo DiCaprio in it, but this is supposed to be a really good film.

Bab El Oued City starring [no one you know]. Algiers, Algeria in 1989 is a hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism. Boualem lives in the Bab El Oued district of Algiers and works the night shift as a baker. Boualem sleeps during the day but the local Islamic cleric uses a loudspeaker on Boualem's building to broadcast his sermons. Fed up with being awakened each morning, Boualem steals the speaker and throws it in the ocean. The theft ignites the fundamentalists who muscle their way to control of Bab El Oued.

Aguirre the Wrath of God starring Klaus Kinski. In 1650 Pizarro has destroyed the Incan Empire and after crossing the Andes has bogged down in Peru. In need of money, Pizarro dispatches a lieutenant, Don Lope de Aguirre, to search for El Dorado. Aguirre has visions of concquering all of South America and takes his small band of soldiers down a treacherous river and kills anyone who opposes him. "An unforgettable portrait of madness and power." This is the film where the local indians offered to kill Kinksi because Kinski was such a jerk.

The Prestige starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, David Bowie, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine. Magicians, and former partners, Robert and Alfred are bitter and hated rivals in 1900 London. After Alfred presents an amazing trick, Robert becomes obsessed with uncovering his secret.

Pandora's Box starring Louise Brooks. A special edition, double-disc version of the silent movie milestone. Released in 1929, Pandora's Box made actress Louise Brooks a major star. Brooks' character Lulu is a brash showgirl whose sexuality devastates "everyone she comes in contact with." Features the restored digital transfer, four musical scores with different interpretations, a '98 documentary of Brooks, a rare interview with Brooks from '84, and a book by Brooks covering her relationship with the director.

The Pusher Trilogy starring [more people you never heard of]. Three films by Danish director Nicolas Refn portraying the drug world in Copenhagen. Pusher has drug courier Frank hustling in quicktime to make enough money to pay back his boss, The Duke, after Frank had to ditch his drug load before the police got him. Pusher Two has Tonny, The Duke's son, released from prison. Tonny is a notorious screw-up who has angered every gangster in Copenhagen but The Duke decides to let Tonny back into the fold, knowing it may lead to disaster. Pusher Three: The Duke is a violent and vicious thug on the street. But, at home he is incredibly henpecked, caters to his spoiled daughter, and tolerates his dimwitted thugs.

Iraq Documentary

Off to War: From Rural Arkansas to Iraq: The Complete Ten-Part Series. Follow the Arkansas National Guard from training in Texas to combat missions in Iraq. Arriving in April, 2004 the unit was in Iraq for less than 24 hours when a member was killed. Coverage of the families at home and the soldiers in combat.

Television Series

Deadwood: The Complete First Season starring Keith Carradine, Timothy Olyphant, Brad Dourif. This is a replacement copy, our previous set was defective. The Black Hills of South Dakota in 1876 have turned into the latest destination for gold fever. Deadwood is the biggest town in the gold fields and home to settlers, lawmen, saloon owners, and numeorus unsavory characters.

My Name is Earl: Season One starring Jason Lee and Jaime Pressley. Low-life thief Earl is making up for past misdeeds. Earl has a long list to work on: from criminal acts like stealing a one-legged girl's car, a laptop, and gasoline to misdeeds like shooting a girlfriend with a BB gun.

Veronica Mars: Complete Second Season starring Kristen Bell. Bell continues her work as the high school aged private investigator. Season Two's main mystery is what happened to cause a school bus to plunge off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean.

The Unit: Season One starring Dennis Haysbert, Robert Patrick, Scott Foley. Based upon the book Inside Delta Force by co-producer Eric L. Haney. Unit follows the families and soldiers of the 303rd Logistical Unit who publicly are Army clerks but are actually secret commandos with missions around the globe. Also created by film-maker and playwrite David Mamet.

Monday, March 26, 2007

New Fiction

Fiction

Heartstopper
by Joy Fielding. Sandy Crosbie is the new high school English teacher in small-town Torrance, FL and regrets her recent move. After a runaway teen girl is abducted and murdered in town, one of the prettiest local girls also disappears. With the pressure of a townwide undercurrent of sex and scandal pushing her worries, Sandy also has her own daughter to worry about.

Obsession by Jonathan Kellerman. Obsession returns doctor Alex Delaware and detective Milo Sturgis investigating a deathbed murder confession. Kellerman has a new author photo on Obsession's cover and the new photo doesn't have the obvious, caked-on eye make-up look like previous book jacket photos.

Recently Repaired NonFiction

Superflirt by Tracey Cox. This is a fascinating book. Cox's intended audience is single people looking to learn body language to increase their dating success. But, the information on body language and behaviour is really interesting.