Friday, September 25, 2015

Nine New Novels Nicely Narrowed Near Novice Knockers

Fiction

The Race For Paris by Meg Waite Clayton. Two women reporters in 1944 rush to document the liberation of Paris.

Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford. Manhattan social climbers.

The Girl with Deep Blue Eyes by Lawrence Block. Hard Case Crime publishes a brand new novel by the always excellent Block.

Murder House by James Patterson Literary Industries and David Ellis. Your quarterly Patterson delivery. 

The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo. DeCarlo lives in East Texas, I wonder is she knows Joe R. Lansdale. The novel is about broke and pregnant woman heads to her mom's hometown for possible inheritance.

Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter. Slaughter writes a lot of books. Hey, that's the same author photo as the last book. The photo is quite nice and done by Alison Rosa. Rosa's web page has an Slaughter photo, at least it looks like her anyway.

Did You Ever Have A Family by Bill Clegg.  Woman's family all die in sudden disaster. Woman takes a road trip. Do other cultures celebrate the road trip as much as American writers? Kirkus gave this a starred review, that's a big deal.

Sweet Caress by William Boyd.  I read Boyd's Restless, I liked the book.  Woman photojournalist lives through the 20th century.  Boyd lives in London and France. I wonder if he drives back and forth. Seems like that would be easier than flying, the distance cannot be that long and he could take the chunnel.

Come Rain or Come Shine by Jan Karon. Has Karon slowed down her publishing rate? This is a Mitford novel and people sure do enjoy these. Karon's photo was taken outside. It looks hot out.

3 DVD Titles With 2 Audiobooks

DVD

Agent Carter: the complete third season starring Hayley Atwell.  I like this show. You can always tell when the stunt doubles are working though, that and the quick cut editing for the fight scenes is disappointing. The lead character is English.



Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. starring [many people]. I like this show, too. Agents suffers from the same problem as above. Sure, I understand there are plenty of time limitations when making a weekly TV show. You also cannot let an actor portraying a main character get injured and be unable to work. The scenes have to be safer and quick to choreograph, right?



Mad Men starring John Hamm. I've never seen this show. Does this have action sequences? Someone put a video on YouTube of every time someone in the series took a drunk or vomited.



Audiobooks on CD

Robert B. Parker's The Devil Wins by Reed Farrel Coleman. 8 hours on 7 CDs. Coleman is a good dude, he spends a lot of time in Milwaukee. I really enjoyed the two novels he wrote under the pen name Tony Spinosa.

Make Me by Lee Child.  14 hours on 12 CDs. If this novel is like the others then you'll read about Jack Reacher battling bad guys, bedding good girls, and beating feet once the dust settles.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

One Small, Lonely NonFic

NonFiction

Whiskey: what to drink next by Dominic Roskrow. I looked through this book and whatever you end up drinking you better be ready to pay. A lot of these look to start in the $50-a-bottle range. Those single malts have to get pricey. Especially the Japanese ones. Page 204 says, "The sweetness was seen as a way of bringing women into the whiskey category, but research shows that men are just as likely to be drawn to it."


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Large Print

Large Print


Many NonFics

NonFiction

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver.  What's this about, let me check.  Oh, poetry, says so right on the cover.  Wow, She won a Pulitzer in poetry in 1984.

Best Homemade Kids' Snacks on the Planet: more than 200 healthy homemade snacks you and your kids will love by Laura Fuentes. Fuentes has some sort of website. That must be her and her children on pages 220 and 221. There are nice photos in this book. Actually, the entire book design is pretty nice, that is important for a cookbook.

Build the Perfect Bug Out Survival Skills by Creek Stewart. Head to the hills! Bring your guns! Store vodka for trade! Learn to skin rabbits! Pencil sharpener shavings for tinder? That's a good idea. A lot of stuff in here looks fun to try out.

ToddlerCalm: a guide for calmer toddlers and happier parents by Sarah Ockwell-Smith. I'm past the need for this book. I need one of those teenager guides.  Or, one of those "Stop making that sound!" guides.

My First Book of Chess Tactics by David MacEnulty. I should take this home for the 9-year-old. Page 129 says, "If the king takes the rook, it will be unable to stop the promotion."

Coffee Break



NonFiction Continued

Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown.  Brown is Canadian. Brown has black hair.  Brown's husband's name is Dan. I do not know Dan's hair color.

Japanese Jiu-Jitsu: secret techniques of self-defense by Darrell Max Craig. Why did I order this book? Martial arts and self defense books do not usually circ' well. Craig lives in Houston. I wonder if he knows Joe R. Lansdale. I bet Craig always has to spell his first name for people.

The "I Don't Know How to Cook" Book by Mary-Lane Kamberg. What kind of name is Kamberg? The K causes confusion. The "k"  makes me think Finish. The "berg" makes me think German. Maybe it's Russian. Maybe Kamberg's parents moved here as defectors in 1965 but were actually sleeper agents?

Taste of Home: Easy weeknight dinners by Taste of Home.  Taste of Home cookbooks are popular.  You ever watch that Americans TV show? I've not seen it yet, that is about Russkie spies, right?

Manga Crash Course: drawing Manga characters and scenes from start to finish by Mina "Mistiqarts" Petrovic. Russkie is a fun word to say. I feel like a character in a Cold War movie. "Those Russkies are sneaking in, I tell ya! We gotta stop'em!"

The Upcycled T-Shirt by Jenelle Montilone. Learn to use t-shirt fabric to make things, "Roger, you're nuts. Those aren't Russkies, they're scientists! They're dedicated to knowledge and the advancement of humanity."

Big Book of Paleo Recipes by Linda Larsen. Another cookbook. "Yeah, is that what you think? First scientist I ever saw who seemed more interested in the Colonel's orders than the laboratory."

Easy Jewelry Making: 50+ projects edited by Erica Swanson. "The guy just arrived. He left his home, his family, his country. He's trying to make friends Roger, he's not plotting against us, he's working with us."

No End in Sight: uncanny X-Men by Sean Ryan,et al. Mutants do things. "I'm starting to wonder about you, Poindexter. You keep standing up for this shifty guy and I'm starting to wonder about your loyalty. What about it, bub? Maybe your blood is a little too red?"

Drawing Pets by David Williams. Instructional guide.  "That's outrageous! I was in the Pacific and you can compare my record to yours any day! You arrogant jerk!"

Monday, September 21, 2015

Final Patriot Photograph

Fiction

Patriot by Ted Bell.  I have not read any of Bell's novels. This has something about spies, murder, and Russians in Europe.

Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni.  This is about a Seattle Homicide Detective and a serial killer.

The Photograph by Beverly Lewis. This is an Amish novel about three orphaned adult sisters and their brother.

Large Print


Fiction? Non

NonFiction

Campside Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking by Paul Kautz. I still need to take the BALOO training for Cub Scout leaders. Thank goodness a session is coming up later in the month. I've been helping out with Cub Scouts for over six years and still not gotten the training.

DIY: Wardrobe Makeovers by Suzannah Hamlin Stanley. I bet you Stanely has spell both her first and last names to avoid misspelling. Judging by the author photo that is Stanley on the front cover as well. On page 63 she writes, "Press open the old hem."

Guns the Right Way: introducing kids to firearms safety and shooting by Jerry Luciano. As if anyone would write a book called Guns the Wrong Way. Too bad there is no book called Guns the Free Way because ammo costs and range fees really add up.

"Is This Thing On?": A friendly guide to everything digital for newbies, technophobes, and the kicking and screaming by Abby Stokes. Page 347 says, "Let's talk Twitter." Oh, please, let's not talk Twitter.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: four women undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott. This one looks interesting.