Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Glocks, More Sniping, Sam Spade, Naughty Secretaries

DVD

Frost Nixon starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. Nixon agrees to interviews with David Frost in an attempt to salvage his reputation. Opps, should have thought that over.

Fiction


Fatal Flip by Peg Marberg. Small-town interior designer Jean Hastings gets a job to redo an old Victorian house being "flipped" by a local realtor partnership. Harried preparations for the open house get even more frantic when one of the "flippers" is found dead.
This is like one of those recipe murders but instead there are "Decorating tips included".

Remembering the Bones by Frances Itani. Born on the same day as Queen Elizabeth II, Canadian lady Georgina is invited to the queen's 80th birthday. On her drive to the airport she crashes off the road into a wooded ravine. Her memories of family stories, her wit, and the various roles she has played in life help keep her alive.

NonFiction

The Accounting Game: basic accounting fresh from the lemonade stand by Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff. Accounting training from the example of a child's lemonade stand to learn assets, liabilities, earnings, inventory, etc.

To Be A Military Sniper by Gregory Mast and Hans Halberstadt. All the steps and training snipers go through to become a skilled sniper.
I helped judge the Senior Portfolios for the local high school last year. Senior Portfolios are a graduation requirement with students pulling together examples of school work and personal life over the past four years to show how they have changed and grown. One kid was all set to join the Marines. He had only a week or two after graduation and then he was headed straight to San Diego for training. His contract had him signed up to head to sniper skill after his advanced infantry training. I tried keeping on eye on the local paper for the inevitable Corps press release about him but never saw anything.

Gun Digest Book of the Glock, 2nd Edition by Patrick Sweeney. "How to accessorize and tune your Glock." There isn't much customization to do with a Glock so there is plenty of information on model variations, calibers, sights, barrels, and so forth.

12 SAT Practice Tests, with PSAT, Second Edition by McGraw-Hill.

The Naughty Secretary Club: the working girl's guide to handmade jewelry by Jennifer Perkins. The main title intrigues, the subtitle disappoints.

Hella Nation: looking for Happy Meals in Kandahar, rocking the side pipe, wingnut's war against The Gap, and other adventures with the totally lost tribes of America by Evan Wright. Observations of "people for whom the American dream is either just out of grasp of something they've chosen to reject altogether."

How to Sell Your Home in Any Market by Loren K. Keim.

Knitting: the complete guide by Jane Davis.

Large Print

Serendipity by Louise Shaffer. 37-year-old mom researches her famous parents and grandparents.

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer. Former CIA officer goes back undercover when a long hunted killer's capture leads to clues that a colleague may have been a double-agent.

Spade & Archer by Joe Gores. A prequel to The Maltese Falcon.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Four DVDs with Germans, Frenchies, Spaniards, and Hot Chicks

DVD

The Reader starring Kate Winslett and Ralph Fiennes. Lady working streetcar in post-war Berlin has affair with teen man. Years later he sees her again when she is brought to trial as a concentration camp guard.
You already know about this one. Winslett does nude scenes and wins an Oscar.

Tell No One starring Krisitn Scott Thomas and a bunch of French actors. Doctor is still grieving the death of his wife eight years ago. When new bodies are found at her murder site he is against suspected by the cops. Then he gets a video e-mailed to him suggesting his wife is still alive.
This is supposed to be an incredibly good thriller.

Time Crimes starring [Spaniards]. "One of the best time travel movies of all time." A man being hunted by a killer stumbles into a lab and enters a time machine.

The Spirit starring Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson. Central City cop Denny Colt is killed but brought back to life as The Spirit.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Fifteen Novels

Fiction

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Zombies make everything better.

Wicked Games by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush.

Boneman's Daughters by Ted Dekker. Serial killer the BoneMan wants the perfect daughter. When the girls he kidnaps do not meet his expectations he breaks all their bones and leaves them to die.

Miss Julia Delivers the Goods by Ann B. Ross. Goods delivered by Miss Julia.

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. Lady almost throws away a "have you seen this child" flyer when she recognizes the kid as her adopted son.

Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg. Radio host Kevin Brace answers his front door covered in blood and tells the deliveryman, "I killed her." But strange fingerprints, a self-destructive victim, and the defendants refusal to say anything past that one statement leaves the situation questionable.

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark. Broadway star runs into man who killed her best friend years ago. When Broadway star is shot her husband is accused. The prosecutor finds things are not what they appear.

Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark. "A Regan Reilly Mystery."

Nightwalker by Heather Graham. Ghost of murdered man haunts the last woman to see him alive and a private investigator.

The Perfect Poison by Amanda Quick. "An Arcane Society Novel."

Large Print

Execution Dock by Anne Perry.

Love Mercy by Earlene Fowler.

Long Lost by Harlan Coben.

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult.

Nightwalker by Heather Graham.

NonFiction: Diesels, Dogs, Disorders

NonFiction

How Your Child Learns Best: brain friendly strategies you can use to ignit your child's learning and increase school success by Judy Willia, MD, MEd. Targeted strategies from a neurologist working as a full-time classroom teacher.

OCD Answer Book: professional answers to more than 250 top questions about obsessive-compulsive disorder by Patrick B. McGrath, Ph.D. At least 5 million people in the U.S. are experience symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.

Bipolar Disorder Answer Book: professional answers to mor than 275 top questions by Charles Atkins, M.D.

Troubleshooting and Repairing Diesel Engines, 4th Edition by Paul Dempsey.

60,000+ Best Baby Names by Diane Stafford. Baby name books always check-out.

Retirement Planning for the Utterly Confused by Paul Petillo.

One Nation Under Dog: adventures in the new world of prozac-popping puppies, dog-park politics, and organic pet food by Michael Schaffer. My dog has awful breath. We need to get her teeth cleaned.

What to Read 23: Zombies!

Three zombie novels.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
World War Z by Max Brooks.
The Rising by Brian Keene.


Rest of the AudioBooks

AudioBooks

The Touch of Fire by Linda Howard. Western romance. One of those romances where th woman changes the guy.

Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child. "In remote Alaska, a monster is discovered frozen in th ice. Despite warnings from locals, the creature is freed from its icy coffin and is now stalking its victims one by one."

Blood Sins by Kay Hooper. Tessa Gray is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate a religious cult.


Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum and fellow bounty hunter Diesel search th New Jersey Pine Barrens for a wanted killer and his new partner.

Another Life by Andrew Vachss. Burke's father-figure, a "legendary crime planner", lies in a coma. Shadowy government man promises to provide th best medical care and to clear the criminal records of Burke and anyon who helps to find a Saudi Prince's kidnappd two-year-old son.

The Women by T.C. Boyle. Fictional telling of Frank Lloyd Wright's love affairs.