Friday, February 29, 2008

Fiction - Mostly Chick Lit

Fiction

What I Was by Meg Rosoff. Elderly man looks back on a 50 year friendship with a guy named Finn.

Waking Brigid by Francis Clark. Savannah, Georgia escaped most of the ravages of the Civil War and lies undamaged. Irish nun Brigid works in Savannah when a prominent citizen is somehow murdered alone in his cell at the insane asylum. Brigid's ability to speak to the dead is required by the church as they fight against the demons possessing the city.

Hell's Bay by James W. Hall. Thorn bums around the Florida Keys as a fisherman. While guiding a fishing tour in the mangroves of Hell's Bay long-lost relatives track him down asking for help in the murder of their matriarch. Trouble ensues.

Song Yet Sung by James McBride. Slave revolt in 1850 Maryland.

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Catherine Grace left small town Ringgold, Georgia for Atlanta. Brought back by family tragedy she wonders is she might belong in Ringgold after all.

Dakota by Martha Grimes. Sequel to Biting the Moon and amnesiac Andi Oliver's travels from job to job in the West. Working on a North Dakota pig farm a stranger tracks down Andi and demands answers about her past.

Senator's Wife by Sue Miller. Bestseller about one gal and her neighbor.

Souvenirs by Therese Fowler. I don't care. You can look it up.

L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker. This is supposed to be real good. Celebrity crook Allison ends up at the murder scene of 10 people. Deputy Charlie Hood stops a crime witness from leaving. Action ensues.

Prepared for Rage by Dana Stabenow. A vengefull Pakistani backed by terrorist looks to sabotage a NASA shuttle launch in Florida. The Coast Guard patrols off shore and the FBI works with them.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Eight grade outcast Kate's new neighbor across the street is "coolest girl in the world" Tully. Kate and Tully become fast friends. "Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the mainstay of their lives."
Blech!

Mysteries

Mysteries

Calumet City by Charlie Newton. Chicago cop Patty Black "redefines the word badass". The result of a broken home and numerous tragedies she is a tough gal in a tough job. When a chaotic raid on a drug-house reveals a body sealed inside a wall Patti's past starts coming back to haunt her.

Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees. Former school principal Omar Yussef now works for the UN inspecting schools in the Gaza Strip. A teacher is accused of working for the CIA and Yussef's Swedish boss is captured by gunmen. The UN pulls out it's staff after another worker is killed and Yussef tries to free both the teacher and the Swede. "To do so he must confront the corruption and violence of Gaza's warring government factions and untangle the links between the teacher's arrest, the kidnapping of his colleagues, the murder of an officer in one of the Palestinian security services, and a stolen missile."

Murder in the Rue de Paradis by Cara Black. Parisian gal Aimee says yes to the marriage proposal made when her lover returns from working in Egypt. The next day Aimee gets a call to identify the body of her new fiancee. Aimee looks for the killer.

Crows by Maris Soule. CPA P.J. Benson returns from walking her dog to find a dead man in her house. The police suspect her as the killer and P.J. starts to worry if the family history of schizophrenia has hit her when she receives weird phone calls and gets crows flying in her house.
I had a bat in the Library last night. I bet crows are worse than bats with all their feathers and droppings.

Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith. Numbskull cowboys Old Red and Big Red are devotees of Sherlock Holmes and his "deducifying". On a visit to San Francisco they set out to prove a dead friend's supposed suicide is murder.

Two DVDs: Michael Clayton and Steve Zahn

Michael Clayton starring George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, a burning car. Clayton works as a fixer for a high power law firm. No longer a lawyer, Clayton's work is to clean up messes. The firm's newly ethical whistleblowing lawyer is a big mess.

Comanche Moon starring Steve Zahn, Val Kilmer, Karl Urban, Wes Studi, Rachel Griffiths, Adam Beach. Gustavus drop-out Zahn and Karl Urban play Augustus McCray and Woodrow Call in this prequel to Lonesome Dove. I read that Val Kilmer took this job because he got the production to film on his New Mexico ranch. Kilmer did that for another picture too. Adam Beach is Canadian. Karl Urban is a Kiwi. Rachel Griffiths is Australian.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Music: a couple "Best of '07", Steve Earl's wife, some goofy guys

Rock
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon. Listed on several Best of 2007 lists. Catchy tunes from Austin, TX.

Wincing the Night Away by The Shins. Another of the Best of 2007. Dudes from New Mexico (I think).

The Black and White Album by The Hives. How did I miss ordering this before? Garage rock (according to Little Steven) via Sweden. Good stuff.

It Is Time For A Love Revolution by Lenny Kravitz.

Jazz
Nightmoves by Kurt Elling. Jazz vocalist Elling has a silly beard and wide acclaim. A Gustavus graduate.

Country
16 Biggest Hits by Alan Jackson. I need to buy more country music. Jackson's albums have circulated very well.

Mockingbird by Allison Moorer. Please tell me how fat, old Steve Earl married this gal. I know it's none of my business but I'm still curious about it. Earle plays guitar on one song. Moorer wrote one song and chose the rest. Nice singing voice that Moorer gal has.

Goofy Guys
Super Taranta! by Gogol Bordello. I have no idea what this is about. Some sort of rock n' roll performance art. Someone mentioned them to me in the bar at Tyranena. I need to get out more.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Two

Understanding Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: a commonsense guide for parents and professionals by Maggie Mamen.

Blood Brother by Nora Roberts. First book of a new horror triology.