Friday, July 13, 2007

DVDs

Meatballs starring Bill Murray and Chris Makepeace. Bill Murrary is the Head Camp Counselor at North Star summer camp. This is the so-called "Special Edition" of Meatballs with some extra features added in. This is a great movie even without all the extra 'stuff'.

Ghost Rider starring Nicholas Cage, some Girl-of-a-the-moment, Peter Fonda and - Hey! - Donal Logue! That guy is great! Anyway, Cage sells his soul to the devil and has to moonlight as a fiery corpse who chases down evil souls to send to Hell. Bill Crider liked it, said it was goofy fun.

Children of Men starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. It's 2027 and no children have been born in 18 years. Clive is asked by a former girlfriend to escort to safety the only pregnant woman in the world.

Tegan and Sara: "It's not fun. Don't do it!" Starring Tegan and Sara. back when I used to listen to CBC3 I heard a couple tunes by the two melodic sisters Tegan and Sara. So I bought their So Jealous album for the Library. Then I bought this DVD for the Library. Then the DVD sat for several months until we could find a catalogue record for it. Here it is: a concert film, a few videos and making the album So Jealous.

A new Gun Book! (and some other stuff)

Non Fiction

Gun: a visual history. This is a DK publication which means the photography and graphic design are excellent. Wheellocks, flintlocks, percussion caps, pinfires, machine guns, etc.

Learn to Draw in a Weekend by Richard Taylor. Step-by-step exercises using basic geometric shapes show you how to get started or improve your drawing ability.

101 Great Things to Do with Your Digital Camera by Simon Joinson. "Fascinating, useful, inventive and original ways to make the most of your digital camera."

Hiking With Kids: taking those first steps with young hikers, 2nd Edition by Robin Tawney Nichols. Learn how to select the correct gear, fun activities on the trail, trail etiquette and safety and first aid.

Fiction

Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke. Dave Robicheaux gets deployed from Iberia Parish to patrol New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina hits. New Orleans is reduced to a medieval society with no power grid and no legal authorities. Amidst the devastation and turmoil Dave is after a serial rapist and a dangerous vigilante.

AudioBooks

Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje.A father and two teen daughters work their California farm with a male farmhand. After a violent episode, the characters are followed along as they try and leave peacefully.

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child. Jack Reacher has been 'off the grid' fro ten years no. He has no license, back account, telephone and no address. When a former Army colleague is able to find him, Reacher hears that his former Army investigative team is being killed off.

Crashing Through: a true story of risk, adventure, and the man who dared to see by Robert Kurson, Blinded when three years old Mike May was already greatly successfull professionally and socially. When he hears of a stem cell treatment that may renew his sight he tries it out.

The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka. Susanka's bestselling Not So Big House books revealed a living philosophy through architecture. Now, Susanka directly addresses the "less is truly more" way of living.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

DVD

Letters from Iwo Jima starring Ken Watanabe and a bunch of other Japanese actors. The Battle of Iwo Jima from the enemies' perspective.

New Books? Hoo-ray! Hoo-rah! Hoo-roo!

Fiction

Hose Monkey by Tony Spinosa. Joe lost his NYPD job to corruption, his family to divorce and his brother to 9/11. During the days Joe works as a "hose monkey' delivering heating oil to homes on Long Island. When a retarded employee of his company is murdered Joe decides to investigate.

Tender Mercies and Blessing in Disguise by Lauraine Snelling. Two inspirational, romance novels with stories set among the inhabitants of Blessing, North Dakota. In Blessing, heartbroken Augusta leaves Norway for America and her relatives. While those relatives await her at the Blessing depot, Augusta boards the wrong train and meets Kane....who is waiting for his mail-order Norwegian bride. The model for the cover is real good lookin'. In Tender Mary is visiting her brother Zeb in Blessing. Mary assists at the schoolhouse and strikes up ore than a friendship with bachelor Pastor John.

The Reliance by M.L. Tyndall. Captain Edmund's wife is missing and presumed dead. Edmund drowns himself in rum and joins up with the pirate Collier. But, Charlisse is alive and held captive by the pirate Kent. Aarrgghh.

Non Fiction

Long Distance Cyclists' handbook, 2nd Edition by Simon Doughty. All the preparation and equipment needed to successfully complete a thirty-mile charity ride or the 3,000 Race Across America.

Perfect Phrases for Negotiating Salary and Job Offers by Matthew and Nanette DeLuca. Ask for and earn the money you deserve.

Starting Out: Chess Tactics and Checkmates by Chris Ward. Instruction for both improving and expert players.

Animal Tracking Basics by Jon Young and Tiffany Morgan. Good tracking involves more than tracks and scat. This teaches awareness of the animal's food, travel and resting spots.

Michigan Breweries by Paul Ruschmann and Maryanne Nasiatka. A guide to the state's 66 regional breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs. An actual reason to visit that lousy, godforsaken state. Go Illini! Go Badgers!

Mastering Skeet: fundamental shooting techniques for hitting the target in championship form by King Heiple. Control your vision and prevent flinching, best leads for each station, shooters' perception of the skeets' flight. Heck, I don't even a shotgun anymore. Well... I do have a 16 gauge, bolt action Marlin. But, I don't trust it.