Poetry
Falling Brick Kills Local Man by Mark Kraushaar. Kraushaar is the winner of the Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry and has had his work published in multiple poetry and literary magazines.
EDIT: Kraushaar just googled his way over here. If you would like to meet the man himself come to the Men's Book Club on April 29th, 7 PM. We will be meeting at the tasting room in Tyranena Brewery. We will discuss The Poet of Tolstoy Park.
NonFiction
Practicing Catholic by James Carroll. Carroll "shows how Roman Catholic struggles illuminate spiritual quests in all faiths...charts the Church's transformation from a reactionary monolith to a vital institution in which the deepest aspects of faith are being called into question."
Fiction
No Survivors by Tom Cain. Samuel Carver, trained assassin, lies hospitalized. His Russian girlfriend has to leave him to go back to her job as a spy. Samuel slowly recovers to follow her and gets entangled in a billionaire's scheme to buy a Russian suitcase nuke.
Blood and Bone by William Lashner. 26 year old Kyle spends his time playing video games, drinking in Philadelphia bars, and scoring chicks. When a former legal partner of his dead father is killed the police look at Kyle as a suspect. Police questioning makes Kyle wonder about what really happened to his father.
Long Lost by Harlan Coben. Myron Bolitar heads to Paris to help a former girlfriend, Terese, who dumped him 10 years ago. She is accused of killing her ex-husband but soon Molitar and Terese are on the run from the police, Homeland Security and the Mossad.
True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman. Hey, a new author photo of Kellerman. He does not have any make-up on and his hair is combed back from his forehead.
Revenge of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. Continuing tales of the detective agency Spellman Inc. Popular and funny mystery series of the Spellman family and the family business of private detecting.
Mixed Blood by Roger Smith. American bank robber Jack is hiding out in Cape Town, South Africa. When he bloodily repulses a home invasion two local cops and a neighboring security guard find out about Jack's profession and are hot after the three million US dollars he last stole.
Supposed to be really good with a great setting in Cape Town where the country's black versus white problems still linger.
The Dakota Cipher by William Dietrich. A french rogue and his Norwegian pal flee France to search the American frontier for a mythic Viking settlement that is supposed to hold Thor's hammer.
Execution Dock by Anne Perry. Monstrous pimp Jericho Phillips is suspected of murdering a thirteen year old boy prostitute. Commander William Monk attempts to catch and hang the monstrous Phillips but the wily crook and his wealthy clients won't make it easy.
Loser's Town by Daniel Depp. Former stuntman David Spandau works as a PI in Hollywood. Depp gets a job to help a blackmailed actor under pressure from a local drug dealer anxious to become a movie producer. "Crackling dialogue, fast-paced plot, and seedy, jaded characters...a gruesomely hilarious, occasionally wistful depiction of what goes on beneath those white letters on the mountainside."
Spade and Archer by Joe Gores. A prequel to The Maltese Falcon.
Shannon by Frank Delaney. Boston priest Robert Shannon travels to Ireland in 1922. Still suffering shell shock from WWI Shannon was sent there to both recover and shut him up about corruption in the Boston archdiocese. He is "thrust headlong into the maelstrom of Irish politics."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Eight Large Print from Ruth the Page
Large Print
Sunset Bay by Susan Mallery.
That Went Well: adventures in caring for my sister by Terrell Harris Dougan. Terrell's retarded sister Irene is "a woman in her sixties who still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny - and who also enjoys playing those characters for the children at the local hospital."
Luke's Story by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
True Colors by Kristin Hannah. Cover photo: Three girls walk through the water at low tide.
Wicked Game by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush. Twenty years after their classmate disappeared the surviving women gather when her body is possibly found. Then the women start being killed.
Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow. Another Alaska novel featuring cop Kate Shugak. I've never read any of these by Stabenow keeps writing them so they must be pretty decent.
Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockman. One of those "Navy SEALs fight evil" novels.
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood. Mourning widower Harper lives in Two Rivers, VT and takes in a pregnant teen who survives a train crash.
Sunset Bay by Susan Mallery.
That Went Well: adventures in caring for my sister by Terrell Harris Dougan. Terrell's retarded sister Irene is "a woman in her sixties who still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny - and who also enjoys playing those characters for the children at the local hospital."
Luke's Story by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
True Colors by Kristin Hannah. Cover photo: Three girls walk through the water at low tide.
Wicked Game by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush. Twenty years after their classmate disappeared the surviving women gather when her body is possibly found. Then the women start being killed.
Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow. Another Alaska novel featuring cop Kate Shugak. I've never read any of these by Stabenow keeps writing them so they must be pretty decent.
Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockman. One of those "Navy SEALs fight evil" novels.
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood. Mourning widower Harper lives in Two Rivers, VT and takes in a pregnant teen who survives a train crash.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Four AudioBooks with Joe Lansdale and Charlie Huston
AudioBooks
Claimed by Shadows by Karen Chance. 11 CDs at 13.5 hours. "In this second entry in the popular Cassaandra Palmer series, Cassie finds herself in possession of more power than she dares to use and at odds with a master vampire."
Mucho Mojo by Joe R. Lansdale. 7 CDs at 8 hours. "Hap and Leonard return in this incredible, mad-dash thriller, loaded with crack addicts, a serial killer, and a body count." Leonard takes along best pal Hap to clean up the house of Leonard's dead uncle. Under the house's rotting floorboards they find a small skeleton in a trunk. Time to investigate.
The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston. 8 CDs at 10 hours. A another novel by the great Charlie Huston. Webster has find a part-time job with a crime scene clean-up company in Los Angeles County. When a hot Malibu girl asks Webster to help her cleanup her brother's trouble Webster knows he should not say yes. But, she is hot.
The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff. 8 CDs at 10 hours. Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr told off a two star general after a mission. Now Korin has been separated from her platoon and sent to protect a scientific expedition on a derelict spaceship and under command of an officer "who might prove more of a menace to the mission's success than anything they encountered."
Claimed by Shadows by Karen Chance. 11 CDs at 13.5 hours. "In this second entry in the popular Cassaandra Palmer series, Cassie finds herself in possession of more power than she dares to use and at odds with a master vampire."
Mucho Mojo by Joe R. Lansdale. 7 CDs at 8 hours. "Hap and Leonard return in this incredible, mad-dash thriller, loaded with crack addicts, a serial killer, and a body count." Leonard takes along best pal Hap to clean up the house of Leonard's dead uncle. Under the house's rotting floorboards they find a small skeleton in a trunk. Time to investigate.
The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston. 8 CDs at 10 hours. A another novel by the great Charlie Huston. Webster has find a part-time job with a crime scene clean-up company in Los Angeles County. When a hot Malibu girl asks Webster to help her cleanup her brother's trouble Webster knows he should not say yes. But, she is hot.
The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff. 8 CDs at 10 hours. Staff Sergeant Torin Kerr told off a two star general after a mission. Now Korin has been separated from her platoon and sent to protect a scientific expedition on a derelict spaceship and under command of an officer "who might prove more of a menace to the mission's success than anything they encountered."
What to Read 22 Barry Eisler's "Fault Line"
What to Read 22
A brief talk with Barry Eisler at the Mystery One Bookstore in Milwaukee. Eisler was worn out at the end of the day but gracious enough to spend ten minutes to talk about Fault Line. Mystery One regularly schedules visiting authors for book signings. Visit them in Milwaukee. But, first visit us in Lake Mills.
A brief talk with Barry Eisler at the Mystery One Bookstore in Milwaukee. Eisler was worn out at the end of the day but gracious enough to spend ten minutes to talk about Fault Line. Mystery One regularly schedules visiting authors for book signings. Visit them in Milwaukee. But, first visit us in Lake Mills.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Piccirilli's Sequel, Bernard Cornwell, Limey Convict, Gal from Minnesota
Fiction
Coldest Mile by Tom Piccirilli. Sequel to Piccirilli's brilliant novel Cold Spot. Chase left the criminal life when he married his cop wife. When his wife was murdered Chase called on his lifetime crook grandfather, Jonah, to help him out. Sociopathic Jonah helped Chase out on condition of payment, meanwhile Chase found out his soul-less grandfather had a pregnant girlfriend. Now, Chase plans to rescue the child from Jonah by making a score as a driver with dysfunctional crime family.
Shatter by Michael Robotham. Psychologist Joe O'Loughlin is trying to save a nude, suicidal woman from jumping into a gorge. Instead of listening to Joe the woman listens to the unknown voice on her cell phone and jumps. Joe is distraught until the woman's daughter convinces him she never would have jumped. Who convinced her to jump? Joe tries to find out.
Sea of Poppies by Amitay Ghosh. Pirates! A mix of Western and Indian sailors man a pirate ship into China's Opium Wars.
Pursuit by Karen Robards. Young lawyer Jessica gets sent by a senior law partner to meet the First Lady as a personal lawyer. When Jessica and the First Lady are in a horrific car crash only Jessica survives. Jessica cannot remember what happened but Secret Service Agent Mark thinks she is hiding something.
Large Print
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer.
NonFiction
100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. "A provocative tale that's one part hard-boiled crime story, one part paranoid espionage thriller, all served in a highball with a Vertigo twist - shaken, not stirred!"
The Unforgiving Minute: a soldier's education by Craig M. Mullaney. Army Captain Mullaney went to West Point, Ranger School, and was a Rhodes Scholar. Combat in Afghanistan and the death of his men show how the seemingly disparate sides, Army vs. scholar, fit together and his Oxford history proves amazingly relevant.
I'm Sorry You Feel That Way: the astonishing but true story of a daughter, sister, slut, wife, mother, and friend to man and dog by Diana Joseph. Humorous tales of life including her retired auto body shop owning father, her NRA supporting son, her common-law-husband professor, and her weird dog.
Joseph teaches creative writing at Mankota State (or whatever it is called now). I wonder if she knows that Anthony Neil Smith guy. He teaches the same thing at a state school in southwestern Minnesota.
AudioBooks
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell. 13 CDs at 16 hours. Cornwell continues to document the history of Englishmen killing Frenchmen.
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Armand Gamache investigates a murder at a Quebec resort.
Coldest Mile by Tom Piccirilli. Sequel to Piccirilli's brilliant novel Cold Spot. Chase left the criminal life when he married his cop wife. When his wife was murdered Chase called on his lifetime crook grandfather, Jonah, to help him out. Sociopathic Jonah helped Chase out on condition of payment, meanwhile Chase found out his soul-less grandfather had a pregnant girlfriend. Now, Chase plans to rescue the child from Jonah by making a score as a driver with dysfunctional crime family.
Shatter by Michael Robotham. Psychologist Joe O'Loughlin is trying to save a nude, suicidal woman from jumping into a gorge. Instead of listening to Joe the woman listens to the unknown voice on her cell phone and jumps. Joe is distraught until the woman's daughter convinces him she never would have jumped. Who convinced her to jump? Joe tries to find out.
Sea of Poppies by Amitay Ghosh. Pirates! A mix of Western and Indian sailors man a pirate ship into China's Opium Wars.
Pursuit by Karen Robards. Young lawyer Jessica gets sent by a senior law partner to meet the First Lady as a personal lawyer. When Jessica and the First Lady are in a horrific car crash only Jessica survives. Jessica cannot remember what happened but Secret Service Agent Mark thinks she is hiding something.
Large Print
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer.
NonFiction
100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso. "A provocative tale that's one part hard-boiled crime story, one part paranoid espionage thriller, all served in a highball with a Vertigo twist - shaken, not stirred!"
The Unforgiving Minute: a soldier's education by Craig M. Mullaney. Army Captain Mullaney went to West Point, Ranger School, and was a Rhodes Scholar. Combat in Afghanistan and the death of his men show how the seemingly disparate sides, Army vs. scholar, fit together and his Oxford history proves amazingly relevant.
I'm Sorry You Feel That Way: the astonishing but true story of a daughter, sister, slut, wife, mother, and friend to man and dog by Diana Joseph. Humorous tales of life including her retired auto body shop owning father, her NRA supporting son, her common-law-husband professor, and her weird dog.
Joseph teaches creative writing at Mankota State (or whatever it is called now). I wonder if she knows that Anthony Neil Smith guy. He teaches the same thing at a state school in southwestern Minnesota.
AudioBooks
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell. 13 CDs at 16 hours. Cornwell continues to document the history of Englishmen killing Frenchmen.
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Armand Gamache investigates a murder at a Quebec resort.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tommy Lee Jones as Dave Robicheaux
DVD
In the Electric Mist starring Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman. Deputy Sheriff dave Robicheaux investigates some murders while dealing with a visiting film crew and a New Orleans gangster visiting town.
What can I say? The book, In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke, is quite good. Tommy Lee Jones is probably good casting. John Goodman is always good, although I imagine the book's fleet-footed character would have to change a bit for the movie. I usually do not get uptight about when a film based on a novel changes things around. I reckon the film makers have to do that to keep the story flowing and cap it at two hours or less.
Bill Crider watched this but I did not read his comments; I did not want his observations to color my own viewing.
Kid Movies
Escape to Witch Mountain starring [interchangeable Disney kids] and Eddie Albert. A new DVD release of the original flick to coincide with remake's release.
Wizards of Waverly Place starring [interchangeable Disney kids].
Ella Enchanted starring Anne Hathaway. A replacement for a lost or broken copy.
In the Electric Mist starring Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman. Deputy Sheriff dave Robicheaux investigates some murders while dealing with a visiting film crew and a New Orleans gangster visiting town.
What can I say? The book, In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke, is quite good. Tommy Lee Jones is probably good casting. John Goodman is always good, although I imagine the book's fleet-footed character would have to change a bit for the movie. I usually do not get uptight about when a film based on a novel changes things around. I reckon the film makers have to do that to keep the story flowing and cap it at two hours or less.
Bill Crider watched this but I did not read his comments; I did not want his observations to color my own viewing.
Kid Movies
Escape to Witch Mountain starring [interchangeable Disney kids] and Eddie Albert. A new DVD release of the original flick to coincide with remake's release.
Wizards of Waverly Place starring [interchangeable Disney kids].
Ella Enchanted starring Anne Hathaway. A replacement for a lost or broken copy.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Glenn's CD Plus Four More
Music CDs
Middle Cyclone by Neko Case. Snap judgment from album cover: Redhead sings songs while roaming the wastelands on a muscle car and getting into swordfights.
No Line on the Horizon by U2. Snap judgment from album art: U2 tries for another Joshua Tree but instead poses on some mud at low tide instead of the desert.
Orange Blossoms by JJ Grey and Mofro. Album art judgment: Blue-eyed soul with a Florida swamp vibe.
Goodnight Oslo by Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3. Cover art snap judgment: Robyn Hitchcock should move to Austin, he's already kept himself weird.
Modernity Killed Every Night by The Wolfmen. Snap judgement from album artwork: Marco Pirroni chubbed out on ale and chips.
Middle Cyclone by Neko Case. Snap judgment from album cover: Redhead sings songs while roaming the wastelands on a muscle car and getting into swordfights.
No Line on the Horizon by U2. Snap judgment from album art: U2 tries for another Joshua Tree but instead poses on some mud at low tide instead of the desert.
Orange Blossoms by JJ Grey and Mofro. Album art judgment: Blue-eyed soul with a Florida swamp vibe.
Goodnight Oslo by Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3. Cover art snap judgment: Robyn Hitchcock should move to Austin, he's already kept himself weird.
Modernity Killed Every Night by The Wolfmen. Snap judgement from album artwork: Marco Pirroni chubbed out on ale and chips.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Four Flicks
DVD
Milk starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, that guy from Alias. Biopic of San Francisco politician.
This is supposed to be a real good flick, I've enjoyed Van Sant's previous movies, Milk seems like he was a good dude, but this movie just doesn't not sound very interesting to me. Watch the preview.
Six String Samurai starring [guy in Buddy Holly glasses]. Kung-Fu dude fights his way through post-apacolyptic Nevada on his way to Las Vegas to become the next king or rock and roll.
I got suckered in by Bill Crider's blog. Again. But, can you blame me? Look at the preview.
Transporter 3 starring Jason Statham and crashing cars. Frank Martin is hired to drive a new passenger. "The stakes are bigger, the enemy is deadlier, and the action has never been hotter."
Watch the preview or catch one of the umpteen television commercials selling the DVD.
Madagascar: escape 2 Africa starring [animated animals]. Watch the preview.
Milk starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, that guy from Alias. Biopic of San Francisco politician.
This is supposed to be a real good flick, I've enjoyed Van Sant's previous movies, Milk seems like he was a good dude, but this movie just doesn't not sound very interesting to me. Watch the preview.
Six String Samurai starring [guy in Buddy Holly glasses]. Kung-Fu dude fights his way through post-apacolyptic Nevada on his way to Las Vegas to become the next king or rock and roll.
I got suckered in by Bill Crider's blog. Again. But, can you blame me? Look at the preview.
Transporter 3 starring Jason Statham and crashing cars. Frank Martin is hired to drive a new passenger. "The stakes are bigger, the enemy is deadlier, and the action has never been hotter."
Watch the preview or catch one of the umpteen television commercials selling the DVD.
Madagascar: escape 2 Africa starring [animated animals]. Watch the preview.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
ZOMBIES! and Three Thrillers (including Barry Eisler)
ZOMBIES!
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. Baltimore cop turned Joe Ledger has been assigned to a counter terrorist task force. Ledger is assigned to the Department of Military Science to stop terrorists from releasing a bio-weapon against the U.S. A bio-weapon that turns people into ZOMBIES!
Cover blurbs by Joe R. Lansdale and Victor Gischler.
Fiction
The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer. Former undercover CIA agent Milo is now working as a manager at the CIA's New York location. When an assassin is arrested his story attracts questions about Milo's colleague and Milo's old cases. Milo goes back undercover to uncover some undercover shenanigans.
Fault Line by Barry Eisler. Silicon Valley attorney Alex has a software inventor client whose invention could promote Alex from mid-level lawyer goon to law firm parterner - or more. When the inventor is found dead Alex is suspicious. When Alex's patent office pal is killed Alex is worried. When someone sneaks into ALex's house at 3 AM and tries to kill him Alex is terrified. Enter Alex's estranged older brother, Ben. Ben has been in Army special forces for years and his specialty as an assassin puts him in perfect position to help his brother. If they can stand each other.
I read an advice copy of this novel and it is excellent.
Corsair by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul. Boat sinks. People look for it. Intrigue and adventure ensue.
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. Baltimore cop turned Joe Ledger has been assigned to a counter terrorist task force. Ledger is assigned to the Department of Military Science to stop terrorists from releasing a bio-weapon against the U.S. A bio-weapon that turns people into ZOMBIES!
Cover blurbs by Joe R. Lansdale and Victor Gischler.
Fiction
The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer. Former undercover CIA agent Milo is now working as a manager at the CIA's New York location. When an assassin is arrested his story attracts questions about Milo's colleague and Milo's old cases. Milo goes back undercover to uncover some undercover shenanigans.
Fault Line by Barry Eisler. Silicon Valley attorney Alex has a software inventor client whose invention could promote Alex from mid-level lawyer goon to law firm parterner - or more. When the inventor is found dead Alex is suspicious. When Alex's patent office pal is killed Alex is worried. When someone sneaks into ALex's house at 3 AM and tries to kill him Alex is terrified. Enter Alex's estranged older brother, Ben. Ben has been in Army special forces for years and his specialty as an assassin puts him in perfect position to help his brother. If they can stand each other.
I read an advice copy of this novel and it is excellent.
Corsair by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul. Boat sinks. People look for it. Intrigue and adventure ensue.
Monday, March 09, 2009
What to Read 21 "Leather Maiden" and "Child 44"
Two thrillers to read: Leather Maiden by Joe R. Lansdale and Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Usual Authors and Four DVDs
DVD
Body of Lies starring Angry Australian and Leonardo DiCaprio. Spy thriller with on the ground CIA agent being guided by his handler back in the U.S.
Choke starring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. Another bizarre tale by Chuck Palahniuk. Sex addict Victor cons restaurants by choking during dinner an deals with his "dying, delusional mother."
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice starring Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin. The Librarian, Flynn, is sent to recover the Judas Chalice, is saved by good-looking French woman, gets ambushed by someone else, Flynn's life is in danger, the world is threatened, blah, blah, blah.
The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich. Single mom in 1928 Los Angeles has son go missing. Police show up with different kid, say mom is crazy and stick her in an asylum. I think. That's what I remember hearing anyway.
Fortunately Jolie does not look like usual in this picture. Meaning she is not all skanky looking.
Fiction
Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke. The typical mystery with recipes.
Dead Silence by Randy Wayne White. Doc Ford is in New York when his girlfriend, a Senator, drives up and is almost abducted. Instead a fourteen year old in town on a prize vacation is snatched. Ford looks for him.
Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. Latest from Picoult. Judging from the cover I am guessing that some kid falls through ice and drowns.
Large Print
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb.
Night and Day by Robert B. Parker.
Body of Lies starring Angry Australian and Leonardo DiCaprio. Spy thriller with on the ground CIA agent being guided by his handler back in the U.S.
Choke starring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston. Another bizarre tale by Chuck Palahniuk. Sex addict Victor cons restaurants by choking during dinner an deals with his "dying, delusional mother."
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice starring Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin. The Librarian, Flynn, is sent to recover the Judas Chalice, is saved by good-looking French woman, gets ambushed by someone else, Flynn's life is in danger, the world is threatened, blah, blah, blah.
The Changeling starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich. Single mom in 1928 Los Angeles has son go missing. Police show up with different kid, say mom is crazy and stick her in an asylum. I think. That's what I remember hearing anyway.
Fortunately Jolie does not look like usual in this picture. Meaning she is not all skanky looking.
Fiction
Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke. The typical mystery with recipes.
Dead Silence by Randy Wayne White. Doc Ford is in New York when his girlfriend, a Senator, drives up and is almost abducted. Instead a fourteen year old in town on a prize vacation is snatched. Ford looks for him.
Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. Latest from Picoult. Judging from the cover I am guessing that some kid falls through ice and drowns.
Large Print
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb.
Night and Day by Robert B. Parker.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Books: Donations, an Englishman in L.A., Large Print
Fiction
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer. What if you did a deed so magnificent you would be remembered for years? Something that would put you the level of LIndbergh, Armstrong, Lewis and Clark? What if you completed the task but had no way to prove it?
Love Mercy by Earlene Fowler. What an awful cover.
Star Bright by Catherine Anderson. Paperback romance.
Turning Point by Peter Turnbull. "A Hennessey and Yellich Mystery". Rural English policeman Hennessey is aging and he needs to accept it train his young team better. But, his experience becomes most vaulable when two murders, committed twenty years apart, are connected.
NonFiction
Death by Leisure: a cautionary tale by Chris Ayres. English journalist gets assigned to Los Angeles and decides to live the big life. He takes advantage of easy credit and, "those idiots you keep hearing about? The ones who brought down the economy by maxing out on easy cash?...Yes, that was Ayres."
Blue Ribbon Quilts by Linda Causee and Rita Weiss.
Arranging Flowers: how to create beautiful bouquets in every season by Martha Stewart.
Large Print
The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer. Thriller with doctors in Africa and Boston.
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy.
The Renegades by T. Jefferson Parker.
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer. What if you did a deed so magnificent you would be remembered for years? Something that would put you the level of LIndbergh, Armstrong, Lewis and Clark? What if you completed the task but had no way to prove it?
Love Mercy by Earlene Fowler. What an awful cover.
Star Bright by Catherine Anderson. Paperback romance.
Turning Point by Peter Turnbull. "A Hennessey and Yellich Mystery". Rural English policeman Hennessey is aging and he needs to accept it train his young team better. But, his experience becomes most vaulable when two murders, committed twenty years apart, are connected.
NonFiction
Death by Leisure: a cautionary tale by Chris Ayres. English journalist gets assigned to Los Angeles and decides to live the big life. He takes advantage of easy credit and, "those idiots you keep hearing about? The ones who brought down the economy by maxing out on easy cash?...Yes, that was Ayres."
Blue Ribbon Quilts by Linda Causee and Rita Weiss.
Arranging Flowers: how to create beautiful bouquets in every season by Martha Stewart.
Large Print
The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer. Thriller with doctors in Africa and Boston.
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy.
The Renegades by T. Jefferson Parker.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Seven CDs Including a Gal I Heard on Radio Australia
Music CDs
Awkward Annie by Kate Rusby. I was listening to an archived episode of The Music Show on the ABC website a while ago and heard the title track to this album. It was a good song and I figured some of you Library nerds might like it. So, I ordered it. It's folkish.
Theater of the Mind by Ludacris. Rapper guy raps. I do not know anything about this guy but I'll bet he has been a motion picture or two. Big name rap guys are always getting cast in the movies.
Rentacrowd by The Len Price 3. Greatness from Great Britain. Music with an early sixties, British Invasion vibe. See their website to listen to some songs.
The Len Price 3 are frequently heard on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Does their popularity on that show have anything to do with being signed to Little Steven's record label?
I, Flathead: the songs of Kash Buk and the Klowns by Ry Cooder. Cooder is been around for quite a while and most likely known for the Buena Vista Social Club album of a few years ago.
His last few albums have been built on themes. My Name is Buddy was written from the perspective of a cat during the Depression. Chavez Ravine was about the barrio in Los Angeles demolished in the 1950s to build Dodger Stadium. I, Flathead is about...something. Look it up yourself, I'm busy.
Already Free by The Derek Trucks Band. I think this guy had a profile in the Madison newspaper. He is married to Susan Tedeschi who is a good singer and whose albums are available here at Lake Mills and elsewhere in the system. Trucks has been a professional musician since his mid-teens and his band plays soul.
Hey Ma by James. We received this CD quite a while ago but it got waylaid on the cataloging cart. Here it is.
The Empyrean by John Frusciante. Frusciante was a rock guitar prodigy who played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers then started using heroin and ended up a strung-out junkie on the streets of Hollywood. Frusciante then cleaned up and started playing again. I ran across a - post-strung-out-junkie - solo tune of his a few years ago and thought it was great. Hopefully this is good too.
Awkward Annie by Kate Rusby. I was listening to an archived episode of The Music Show on the ABC website a while ago and heard the title track to this album. It was a good song and I figured some of you Library nerds might like it. So, I ordered it. It's folkish.
Theater of the Mind by Ludacris. Rapper guy raps. I do not know anything about this guy but I'll bet he has been a motion picture or two. Big name rap guys are always getting cast in the movies.
Rentacrowd by The Len Price 3. Greatness from Great Britain. Music with an early sixties, British Invasion vibe. See their website to listen to some songs.
The Len Price 3 are frequently heard on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Does their popularity on that show have anything to do with being signed to Little Steven's record label?
I, Flathead: the songs of Kash Buk and the Klowns by Ry Cooder. Cooder is been around for quite a while and most likely known for the Buena Vista Social Club album of a few years ago.
His last few albums have been built on themes. My Name is Buddy was written from the perspective of a cat during the Depression. Chavez Ravine was about the barrio in Los Angeles demolished in the 1950s to build Dodger Stadium. I, Flathead is about...something. Look it up yourself, I'm busy.
Already Free by The Derek Trucks Band. I think this guy had a profile in the Madison newspaper. He is married to Susan Tedeschi who is a good singer and whose albums are available here at Lake Mills and elsewhere in the system. Trucks has been a professional musician since his mid-teens and his band plays soul.
Hey Ma by James. We received this CD quite a while ago but it got waylaid on the cataloging cart. Here it is.
The Empyrean by John Frusciante. Frusciante was a rock guitar prodigy who played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers then started using heroin and ended up a strung-out junkie on the streets of Hollywood. Frusciante then cleaned up and started playing again. I ran across a - post-strung-out-junkie - solo tune of his a few years ago and thought it was great. Hopefully this is good too.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Bill Crider Edition: Sheriff Dan Rhodes and Paris Hilton
Fiction
Murder in Four Parts by Bill Crider. Sheriff Dan Rhodes of Blacklin County, TX is fairly easy going. He has to be to put up with the local idiots and blowhards. Now Rhodes has another murder investigation complicated by a rogue alligator, a dog food thief, and barbershop quartets.
Night and Day by Robert B. Parker. Another Jesse Stone novel. Police Chief Stone investigates accusations against the local middle school principal and tries to catch a voyeur who has turned into an aggressive home invader.
There is no doubt that Parker is a great writer. But, why not wait for a movie version with Tom Selleck? Those have been dang good as well. We have all or most of those movies here at the Library on DVD. Either way, you win.
One Day at a Time by Danielle Steel. Does Steel use ghostwriters?
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb. Eve Dallas investigates a a fellow New York policewoman's murder.
NonFiction
Six Degrees of Paris Hilton: inside the sex tapes, scandals, and shakedowns of the new Hollywood by Mark Ebner. From the cover: The shocking true tale of Darnell Riley, a well-mannered middle-class kid from Los Angeles who reinvented himself as a stone-cold gangster in the boxing gyms and bruising streets of Sotuh Central, before serving seven years for a double homicide at fifteen. Released at age twenty-three, he infiltrated a far more decadent crowd whose privileged lifestyle is familiar to most only in weekly magazines. During his six-year stab at Hollywood, Darnell ran with it It girls and bully boys: He befriended Paris Hilton; was associated with multiple sex tapes; held Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis at gunpoint and humiliated him on camera; dated models; ran numbers; trafficked in drugs; carried out contract beatings; and 'possibly' staged a daring series of home-invasion robberies, many of which were attributed to the infamous Bel-Air Burglar.
The Wicked Wit of the West by Irving Brecher and Hank Rosenfeld. Brecher wrote TWO Marx Brothers films, wrote for Milton Berle, "punched up The Wizard of Oz", created The Life of Riley, wrote Bye Bye Birdie, gave Jackie Gleason his first tv series.
Brecher says, "I don't like to quote myself but unfortunately everybody I know who should be quoting me is dead."
Murder in Four Parts by Bill Crider. Sheriff Dan Rhodes of Blacklin County, TX is fairly easy going. He has to be to put up with the local idiots and blowhards. Now Rhodes has another murder investigation complicated by a rogue alligator, a dog food thief, and barbershop quartets.
Night and Day by Robert B. Parker. Another Jesse Stone novel. Police Chief Stone investigates accusations against the local middle school principal and tries to catch a voyeur who has turned into an aggressive home invader.
There is no doubt that Parker is a great writer. But, why not wait for a movie version with Tom Selleck? Those have been dang good as well. We have all or most of those movies here at the Library on DVD. Either way, you win.
One Day at a Time by Danielle Steel. Does Steel use ghostwriters?
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb. Eve Dallas investigates a a fellow New York policewoman's murder.
NonFiction
Six Degrees of Paris Hilton: inside the sex tapes, scandals, and shakedowns of the new Hollywood by Mark Ebner. From the cover: The shocking true tale of Darnell Riley, a well-mannered middle-class kid from Los Angeles who reinvented himself as a stone-cold gangster in the boxing gyms and bruising streets of Sotuh Central, before serving seven years for a double homicide at fifteen. Released at age twenty-three, he infiltrated a far more decadent crowd whose privileged lifestyle is familiar to most only in weekly magazines. During his six-year stab at Hollywood, Darnell ran with it It girls and bully boys: He befriended Paris Hilton; was associated with multiple sex tapes; held Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis at gunpoint and humiliated him on camera; dated models; ran numbers; trafficked in drugs; carried out contract beatings; and 'possibly' staged a daring series of home-invasion robberies, many of which were attributed to the infamous Bel-Air Burglar.
The Wicked Wit of the West by Irving Brecher and Hank Rosenfeld. Brecher wrote TWO Marx Brothers films, wrote for Milton Berle, "punched up The Wizard of Oz", created The Life of Riley, wrote Bye Bye Birdie, gave Jackie Gleason his first tv series.
Brecher says, "I don't like to quote myself but unfortunately everybody I know who should be quoting me is dead."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
What to Read 20, Interview With Emily Maguire
Emily Maguire is the author of Taming the Beast. Ms. Maguire's other work has not yet been published in the U.S. but the UK and Australian editions are available online.
This has been edited to fit YouTube's ten minute time limit.
This has been edited to fit YouTube's ten minute time limit.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Three Mysteries and One Greeley
Fiction
Irish Weed by Andrew M. Greeley.
Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow. "A Kate Shugak novel."
Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear. "A Maisie Dobbs novel."
Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton. "A Hamish Macbeth mystery."
Irish Weed by Andrew M. Greeley.
Whisper to the Blood by Dana Stabenow. "A Kate Shugak novel."
Among the Mad by Jacqueline Winspear. "A Maisie Dobbs novel."
Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton. "A Hamish Macbeth mystery."
Monday, February 16, 2009
Four Films
DVD
Frozen River starring Some Lady Who Got An Oscar Nomination. Poor single mom in rural New York State works with single Mohawk mom in Ontario to run illegal immigrants over from Canada.
Nights in Rodanthe starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Chick movie with single dude Gere and divorced mom Lane hooking up at some resort.
Miracle at St. Anna starring Derek Luke. Black soldiers in World War II.
Please tell me, why don't some people learn when to shut up? Talk, talk, talk, talk. I'm trying to get work done and do not have the time to chat all afternoon.
W. starring Josh Brolin and others. Looks like Thandie Newton plays Condaleeza Rice - there must be a 20 or 30 year age difference there. Richard Dreyfuss as Darth Vader - that could be real good. I'm guessing James Cromwell is George, Sr. - I can see that too. Scott Glenn as Rumsfeld - that could be a stretch.
Frozen River starring Some Lady Who Got An Oscar Nomination. Poor single mom in rural New York State works with single Mohawk mom in Ontario to run illegal immigrants over from Canada.
Nights in Rodanthe starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Chick movie with single dude Gere and divorced mom Lane hooking up at some resort.
Miracle at St. Anna starring Derek Luke. Black soldiers in World War II.
Please tell me, why don't some people learn when to shut up? Talk, talk, talk, talk. I'm trying to get work done and do not have the time to chat all afternoon.
W. starring Josh Brolin and others. Looks like Thandie Newton plays Condaleeza Rice - there must be a 20 or 30 year age difference there. Richard Dreyfuss as Darth Vader - that could be real good. I'm guessing James Cromwell is George, Sr. - I can see that too. Scott Glenn as Rumsfeld - that could be a stretch.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Travel Books, Bad Dog, Another One of Those Dang Vampire Paperbacks
Fiction
Blood Blade: Skinners volume 1 by Marcus Pelegrimas. "There is a world you don't know about, inhabited by supernatural creatures of darkness - vampires, werewolves, and all manner of savage, impossible beasts...But for centuries a special breed of hunter has kept the monsters at bay...These guardians are called SKINNERS."
I blame Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series for all this vampire novel nonsense.
Double Minds by Terri Blackstock. According to the cover Blackstock is the #1 bestselling suspense author. According to the back cover she likes black turtlenecks.
Luke's Story: the Jesus chronicles by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Follows Luke from life as slave to work as physician. His friendship with Paul and Luke's conversion to Christianity.
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy. "With the insight, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and new Ireland."
I heard that Ireland is getting into dire economic straits after having had such a huge economic boon over the past few years.
Deadly Departures by Ted Allbeury. Max buys and sells yachts along the Italian Riviera. Max fought there with local partisans and knows the violence that lies shiny exterior. "Hair raising suspense, brutal violence, steamy sex, high-octane action." according to Booklist.
While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. One sister has a heart attack and the other has to take charge and make tough decisions.
NonFiction
Training the Hard to Train Dog: effective training techniques for working with shy, controlling, and stubborn dogs by Peggy Swager.
Let's Go Europe: 2009 by [some editor]. The back of the book mentions "ice climbing and glacier walking in the majestic Swiss Alps". My brother took a trip doing exactly that. You know what I did? I went to Kansas and saw a camel's hump.
Las Vegas: 2009 by Fodor's.
Let's Go Britain: 2009 by [book editors]. Stop listening to Morrissey and the Len Price 3 in your basement and take a trip there.
Chicago: 2009 by Fodor's. Don't get mugged.
California: 2009 by Fodor's.
Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009.
San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country Restaurants and Hotels: 2009. 390 restaurants with 55 new entries and 55 with meals under $25.
New York City Restaurants and Hotels: 2009. 560 restaurants with 80 new entries and 75 restaurants with meals under $25.
Las Vegas Restaurants and Hotels 2009. 140 new restaurants with 20 new entries and strip clubs with lap dances under $25.
Blood Blade: Skinners volume 1 by Marcus Pelegrimas. "There is a world you don't know about, inhabited by supernatural creatures of darkness - vampires, werewolves, and all manner of savage, impossible beasts...But for centuries a special breed of hunter has kept the monsters at bay...These guardians are called SKINNERS."
I blame Buffy the Vampire Slayer tv series for all this vampire novel nonsense.
Double Minds by Terri Blackstock. According to the cover Blackstock is the #1 bestselling suspense author. According to the back cover she likes black turtlenecks.
Luke's Story: the Jesus chronicles by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. Follows Luke from life as slave to work as physician. His friendship with Paul and Luke's conversion to Christianity.
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy. "With the insight, humor, and compassion we have come to expect from her, Maeve Binchy tells a story of family, friends, patients, and staff who are part of a heart clinic in a community caught between the old and new Ireland."
I heard that Ireland is getting into dire economic straits after having had such a huge economic boon over the past few years.
Deadly Departures by Ted Allbeury. Max buys and sells yachts along the Italian Riviera. Max fought there with local partisans and knows the violence that lies shiny exterior. "Hair raising suspense, brutal violence, steamy sex, high-octane action." according to Booklist.
While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky. One sister has a heart attack and the other has to take charge and make tough decisions.
NonFiction
Training the Hard to Train Dog: effective training techniques for working with shy, controlling, and stubborn dogs by Peggy Swager.
Let's Go Europe: 2009 by [some editor]. The back of the book mentions "ice climbing and glacier walking in the majestic Swiss Alps". My brother took a trip doing exactly that. You know what I did? I went to Kansas and saw a camel's hump.
Las Vegas: 2009 by Fodor's.
Let's Go Britain: 2009 by [book editors]. Stop listening to Morrissey and the Len Price 3 in your basement and take a trip there.
Chicago: 2009 by Fodor's. Don't get mugged.
California: 2009 by Fodor's.
Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2009.
San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country Restaurants and Hotels: 2009. 390 restaurants with 55 new entries and 55 with meals under $25.
New York City Restaurants and Hotels: 2009. 560 restaurants with 80 new entries and 75 restaurants with meals under $25.
Las Vegas Restaurants and Hotels 2009. 140 new restaurants with 20 new entries and strip clubs with lap dances under $25.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
February Auto Ship of Large Print
Large Print - Fiction
On the Grind by Stephen Cannell.
Fireside by Susan Wiggs.
Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth.
Promises of Change by Joan Medlicott.
Eclipse by Richard North Patterson.
Logan by Linda Lael Miller.
A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes.
Large Print - NonFiction
Ayatollah Begs to Differ: the paradox of modern Iran by Hooman Majd.
NonFiction
Ortho's All About Wiring Basics edited by Larry Erickson.
On the Grind by Stephen Cannell.
Fireside by Susan Wiggs.
Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth.
Promises of Change by Joan Medlicott.
Eclipse by Richard North Patterson.
Logan by Linda Lael Miller.
A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes.
Large Print - NonFiction
Ayatollah Begs to Differ: the paradox of modern Iran by Hooman Majd.
NonFiction
Ortho's All About Wiring Basics edited by Larry Erickson.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Fiction Grades Are In: Two Bs, An F, and a Pass
Fiction
Silent Man by Alex Berenson. CIA agent John Wells is driving to work in Langley when he gets attacked by a motorcycle riding assassin during a traffic jam. Wells's fiance is injured, others are killed, and Wells is burning for revenge. Wells follows the assassins trail to Russia and a plot to steal nuclear weapons.
The Renegades by T. Jefferson Parker. "A Charlie Hood Novel"Charlie Hood works as a Deputy for the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Hood gets a new partner who is killed on duty and Hood is after some bad dudes.
Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein. Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper goes to a Manhattan apartment concerning an assault. The victim, a rare book conservator, refuses to cooperate and Cooper tracks the case to the super wealthy Hunt family. The Hunts are passionate book collectors and they and others are after a priceless edition of Alice in Wonderland.
The Women by T.C. Boyle. Frank Lloyd Wright and the four women through his adult life. "Each of these four women's stories plays out in a surprising, comedic and ultimately poignant manner."
Silent Man by Alex Berenson. CIA agent John Wells is driving to work in Langley when he gets attacked by a motorcycle riding assassin during a traffic jam. Wells's fiance is injured, others are killed, and Wells is burning for revenge. Wells follows the assassins trail to Russia and a plot to steal nuclear weapons.
The Renegades by T. Jefferson Parker. "A Charlie Hood Novel"Charlie Hood works as a Deputy for the Los Angeles County Sheriff. Hood gets a new partner who is killed on duty and Hood is after some bad dudes.
Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein. Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper goes to a Manhattan apartment concerning an assault. The victim, a rare book conservator, refuses to cooperate and Cooper tracks the case to the super wealthy Hunt family. The Hunts are passionate book collectors and they and others are after a priceless edition of Alice in Wonderland.
The Women by T.C. Boyle. Frank Lloyd Wright and the four women through his adult life. "Each of these four women's stories plays out in a surprising, comedic and ultimately poignant manner."
Friday, February 06, 2009
Boring Things: Chick Movie and Chick Books
DVD
Secret Life of Bees starring [A bunch of girl singers] and Dakota Fanning. 14-year-old Lily moves in with her nanny and her family to get away from her father and learn more about her dead mother.
Fiction
Flame and the Shadow by Denise Rossetti. The usual: a Fire Witch, Duke of Ombra the sorcerer, kidnapping, "death of her precious daughter", desire, love, betrayal.
Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost. "Nothing's more embarrassing than malfunctioning magic." Tammy has not inherited her family's magical gifts so when her locket that holds the family ghost, Edie, is stolen she needs some help.
NonFiction
Mrs. Lincoln: a life by Catherine Clinton. "Authoritative and utterly engrossing" biography of Mary Todd Lincoln.
Urban Italian: simple recipes and true stories from a life in cooking by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman.
Secret Life of Bees starring [A bunch of girl singers] and Dakota Fanning. 14-year-old Lily moves in with her nanny and her family to get away from her father and learn more about her dead mother.
Fiction
Flame and the Shadow by Denise Rossetti. The usual: a Fire Witch, Duke of Ombra the sorcerer, kidnapping, "death of her precious daughter", desire, love, betrayal.
Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost. "Nothing's more embarrassing than malfunctioning magic." Tammy has not inherited her family's magical gifts so when her locket that holds the family ghost, Edie, is stolen she needs some help.
NonFiction
Mrs. Lincoln: a life by Catherine Clinton. "Authoritative and utterly engrossing" biography of Mary Todd Lincoln.
Urban Italian: simple recipes and true stories from a life in cooking by Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman.
Neat Things: Bruce Campbell and Bernard Cornwell
DVD
My Name is Bruce starring Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi. Guan-di, Chinese protector of the dead, is awakened in the mining town of Gold Lick. Deadbeat actor Bruce Campbell (played by Bruce Campbell) is recruited to save the town.
Fiction
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell. Fictional tale of the battle of Agincourt by Cornwell. Cornwell writes great action novels. Cornwell also loves to write about the English killing Frenchmen; so, Agincourt is a natural topic for him.
NonFiction
Guerrilla Daughter by Virginia Hansen Holmes. Virginia was just shy of her seventh birthday when Pearl Harbor was bombed. From the Spring of 1942 to September '45 she and her family lived on the run on Mindanao Island in the Philippines as her father and teenaged brothers fought the ruthless and murderous Japanese Army.
My Name is Bruce starring Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi. Guan-di, Chinese protector of the dead, is awakened in the mining town of Gold Lick. Deadbeat actor Bruce Campbell (played by Bruce Campbell) is recruited to save the town.
Fiction
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell. Fictional tale of the battle of Agincourt by Cornwell. Cornwell writes great action novels. Cornwell also loves to write about the English killing Frenchmen; so, Agincourt is a natural topic for him.
NonFiction
Guerrilla Daughter by Virginia Hansen Holmes. Virginia was just shy of her seventh birthday when Pearl Harbor was bombed. From the Spring of 1942 to September '45 she and her family lived on the run on Mindanao Island in the Philippines as her father and teenaged brothers fought the ruthless and murderous Japanese Army.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Five DVDs: Hipsters, James Brown, Appaloosa.
DVDs
Appaloosa starring Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons. Western tale adapted from the Robert B. Parker novel. Supposed to be very good.
James Brown Live at the Boston Garden, April 5, 1968 starring James Brown. Filmed the day after Martin Luther King's murder and broadcast live to Boston. Brown's performance is credited with helping prevent the violence and rioting that erupted elsewhere around the country.
James Earl Ray was a real scumbag.
Zack and Miri starring Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Katie Morgan, Traci Lords. Two broke roommates decide to film a pornographic movie as a money making venture. Hilarity ensues.
This is alternatively named Zack and Miri and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. The DVD is sold under either title. Maybe some stores would not retail the DVD if the word porno was in the title.
RocknRolla starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton. Competing London gangsters clash with would-be music moguls, an accountant, and a rocker playing dead to boost sales.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Guy in a band gets dumped by girlfriend and ends up having to spend the night with girlfriend's best friend. Love ensues.
I do not know who Jay Baruchel is but his name is familiar and listed in the credits. I'll have to look him up.
Appaloosa starring Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons. Western tale adapted from the Robert B. Parker novel. Supposed to be very good.
James Brown Live at the Boston Garden, April 5, 1968 starring James Brown. Filmed the day after Martin Luther King's murder and broadcast live to Boston. Brown's performance is credited with helping prevent the violence and rioting that erupted elsewhere around the country.
James Earl Ray was a real scumbag.
Zack and Miri starring Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Katie Morgan, Traci Lords. Two broke roommates decide to film a pornographic movie as a money making venture. Hilarity ensues.
This is alternatively named Zack and Miri and Zack and Miri Make a Porno. The DVD is sold under either title. Maybe some stores would not retail the DVD if the word porno was in the title.
RocknRolla starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton. Competing London gangsters clash with would-be music moguls, an accountant, and a rocker playing dead to boost sales.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Guy in a band gets dumped by girlfriend and ends up having to spend the night with girlfriend's best friend. Love ensues.
I do not know who Jay Baruchel is but his name is familiar and listed in the credits. I'll have to look him up.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
The Bible, Templars, Reagan, An Idiot, MMA
NonFiction
Bible and the People by Lori Anne Ferrell. History of the printed Bible from hand-copied manuscripts to mass produced printing. "The story of what happened to ancient set of writings we call the Bible during those thousand years."
The Templars: the secret history revealed by Barbara Frale. "An explosive new history of the medieval world's most powerful military order." Wielding economic and military might behind a cloak of secrecy. Revealing the history of the trial of the Templars' leadership bu the Inquisition and their secret initiation ceremonies.
Tear Down This Myth: how the Reagan legacy has distorted our politics and haunts our future by Will Bunch. Bunch writes that today's politicians claim to carry Reagan's mantle "no matter preposterous the fit." Reagan's popularity while in office was never very high, his tax cuts did not fuel the economy, his "waste-ridden build-up" did not win the Cold War, ignore his willingness to speak to adversaries and desire to eliminate nukes, Bush I and Clinton's rollback of Reaganomics "spurred a decade of peace and prosperity."
Scratch Beginnings: me, $25, and the search for the American Dream by Adam Shepard. Recent college grad starts out with the clothes on his back and $25. After 12 months he plans to have $2500, a working car, and a furnished apartment.
This sounds like an interesting concept but the guy sounds like an arrogant dipstick.
Blood in the Cage: mixed martial arts, Pat Miletech, and the furious rise of the UFC by L. Jon Wertheim. Author decides to blow the lid off a brutal competition. Then, he finds out it is a real sport, with real athletes, and really interesting. Told with the tale of Pat Miletech who runs one of the most famous mixed martial arts training schools.
* The picture section contains lots of tattoos and cauliflower ear.
* We have a couple UFC fight DVDs if you want. UFC 67 and 68.
Bible and the People by Lori Anne Ferrell. History of the printed Bible from hand-copied manuscripts to mass produced printing. "The story of what happened to ancient set of writings we call the Bible during those thousand years."
The Templars: the secret history revealed by Barbara Frale. "An explosive new history of the medieval world's most powerful military order." Wielding economic and military might behind a cloak of secrecy. Revealing the history of the trial of the Templars' leadership bu the Inquisition and their secret initiation ceremonies.
Tear Down This Myth: how the Reagan legacy has distorted our politics and haunts our future by Will Bunch. Bunch writes that today's politicians claim to carry Reagan's mantle "no matter preposterous the fit." Reagan's popularity while in office was never very high, his tax cuts did not fuel the economy, his "waste-ridden build-up" did not win the Cold War, ignore his willingness to speak to adversaries and desire to eliminate nukes, Bush I and Clinton's rollback of Reaganomics "spurred a decade of peace and prosperity."
Scratch Beginnings: me, $25, and the search for the American Dream by Adam Shepard. Recent college grad starts out with the clothes on his back and $25. After 12 months he plans to have $2500, a working car, and a furnished apartment.
This sounds like an interesting concept but the guy sounds like an arrogant dipstick.
Blood in the Cage: mixed martial arts, Pat Miletech, and the furious rise of the UFC by L. Jon Wertheim. Author decides to blow the lid off a brutal competition. Then, he finds out it is a real sport, with real athletes, and really interesting. Told with the tale of Pat Miletech who runs one of the most famous mixed martial arts training schools.
* The picture section contains lots of tattoos and cauliflower ear.
* We have a couple UFC fight DVDs if you want. UFC 67 and 68.
Where Did All These Dang Novels Come From?
Mystery
The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston. Another fine entry from Huston. Webster takes a job with Clean Team cleaning up the remains of suicides, murders, and train wrecks. When the grieving daughter of a Malibu suicide asks for Webster's assistance he knows he should say no. But, he doesn't.
Positive review by writer Stephen Blackmoore. In fact, I think Blackmoore may be in love with Huston.
Run For Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. It says on the rear flyleaf that Patterson does some sort website promoting children's books. So, I won't make fun of him like I usually do.
Nemesis: the final case of Eliot Ness by William Bernhardt. Eliot Ness has taken work in 1935 Cleveland when the "Torso Killer" starts terrorizing the population.
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Another fine mystery novel featuring Chief Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Provincial Police. Gamache and his wife are summer vacationing at a small inn when a murder happens. Gamache follows the trail back to Penny's familar setting of Three Pines, Quebec.
Leopard's Prey by Suzanne Arruda. Jade del Cameron is has taken a job for a business that is in Africa to capture wild animals to sell to zoos. When Jade's best friends find a murdered man on the coffee plantation Jade's boyfriend is the main suspect. "Once again, an Africa of a bygone era comes alive as plucky, resilient, outspoken Jade del Cameron pits her strengths against man and beast in another top-notch novel of mystery and suspense."
Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg. Goldberg's Monbk novels are recommended by Crider. Monk travels to Paris with his assistant Natalie. Monk wants to tour the sewers because they "are famous making the City of Light admirably sanitary." Monk finds a new skull in a catacombs and Goldberg contrives a way for Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher to fly to Paris and help.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Fast Ships, Black Sails edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Swashbuckling tales of past and present pirates with a fantastical bent. If you get excited by pirates you can check out Pirate Primer: mastering the language of swashbucklers and rogues by George Choundas.
Fiction
Six Seconds by Rick Mofina. "Three strangers entangled in a plot to change the world in only six seconds..." This had a nice review.
True Colors by Kristin Hannah. Chick book with three sisters. Save yourself and read Charlie Huston's book.
Kiwi Wars by Garry Douglas Kilworth. Captain 'Fancy Jack' Crossman of the British Army is sent to New Zealand to fight in the Maori Wars of the 1850s. The Maori are a dangerous and honorable enemy but there are 'nefarious Europeans at work, enriching themselves at land agents.'
Good action novels by Kilworth. I've two others in this series.
Drood by Dan Simmons. 771 pages about the five mysterious years at the end of Charles Dickens life. Dickens survives a horrifying train wreck to become obsessed with "crypts, cemetaries, and the precise length of time it would take for a corpse to dissolve in a lime pit."
Simmons last historical novel, The Terror, was fantastic so I'm betting this is pretty dang good as well.
Fire Gospel by Michael Faber. Down and out linguist Theo visits Iraq to search for surviving historical treasures. After a bombing Theo finds a papyrus scroll that was sealed inside a statue. Theo smuggles the document home, translates it, finds it is a fifth Gospel and tries to make some dough off it. Theo is unprepared for the religious fervor and trouble he stokes up.
Large Print
A Dangerous Place by Jack Higgins.
The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston. Another fine entry from Huston. Webster takes a job with Clean Team cleaning up the remains of suicides, murders, and train wrecks. When the grieving daughter of a Malibu suicide asks for Webster's assistance he knows he should say no. But, he doesn't.
Positive review by writer Stephen Blackmoore. In fact, I think Blackmoore may be in love with Huston.
Run For Your Life by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. It says on the rear flyleaf that Patterson does some sort website promoting children's books. So, I won't make fun of him like I usually do.
Nemesis: the final case of Eliot Ness by William Bernhardt. Eliot Ness has taken work in 1935 Cleveland when the "Torso Killer" starts terrorizing the population.
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. Another fine mystery novel featuring Chief Inspector Gamache of the Quebec Provincial Police. Gamache and his wife are summer vacationing at a small inn when a murder happens. Gamache follows the trail back to Penny's familar setting of Three Pines, Quebec.
Leopard's Prey by Suzanne Arruda. Jade del Cameron is has taken a job for a business that is in Africa to capture wild animals to sell to zoos. When Jade's best friends find a murdered man on the coffee plantation Jade's boyfriend is the main suspect. "Once again, an Africa of a bygone era comes alive as plucky, resilient, outspoken Jade del Cameron pits her strengths against man and beast in another top-notch novel of mystery and suspense."
Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg. Goldberg's Monbk novels are recommended by Crider. Monk travels to Paris with his assistant Natalie. Monk wants to tour the sewers because they "are famous making the City of Light admirably sanitary." Monk finds a new skull in a catacombs and Goldberg contrives a way for Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher to fly to Paris and help.
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Fast Ships, Black Sails edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. Swashbuckling tales of past and present pirates with a fantastical bent. If you get excited by pirates you can check out Pirate Primer: mastering the language of swashbucklers and rogues by George Choundas.
Fiction
Six Seconds by Rick Mofina. "Three strangers entangled in a plot to change the world in only six seconds..." This had a nice review.
True Colors by Kristin Hannah. Chick book with three sisters. Save yourself and read Charlie Huston's book.
Kiwi Wars by Garry Douglas Kilworth. Captain 'Fancy Jack' Crossman of the British Army is sent to New Zealand to fight in the Maori Wars of the 1850s. The Maori are a dangerous and honorable enemy but there are 'nefarious Europeans at work, enriching themselves at land agents.'
Good action novels by Kilworth. I've two others in this series.
Drood by Dan Simmons. 771 pages about the five mysterious years at the end of Charles Dickens life. Dickens survives a horrifying train wreck to become obsessed with "crypts, cemetaries, and the precise length of time it would take for a corpse to dissolve in a lime pit."
Simmons last historical novel, The Terror, was fantastic so I'm betting this is pretty dang good as well.
Fire Gospel by Michael Faber. Down and out linguist Theo visits Iraq to search for surviving historical treasures. After a bombing Theo finds a papyrus scroll that was sealed inside a statue. Theo smuggles the document home, translates it, finds it is a fifth Gospel and tries to make some dough off it. Theo is unprepared for the religious fervor and trouble he stokes up.
Large Print
A Dangerous Place by Jack Higgins.
Monday, February 02, 2009
New Music and DVD From" Springsteen, George Jones, the British, Woody Allen, others
Music CDs
Music from the Land of Hope and Glory by the United States Marine Band. The Marine band sends out free CDs. We received a CD from them before and it was pretty good. So I kept this one. Pieces from Gordon Jacob (William Byrd Suite), Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir Edward Elgar.
Working on a Dream by Bruce Springsteen. Latest album.
The Essential George Jones by George Jones. Two discs with 40 songs. I read the other day that Jones wasn't going to record (or maybe he wouldn't release) He Stopped Loving Her Today because the song was so dang sad. Jones did put the single out and it ended up being his signature song.
Live Evil by Black Sabbath. Reprint of the classic metal album.
Maybe I should try to listen to this. But, I'm pretty sure I would hate it.
Christmas Oratorio by John S. Bach and performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge and Academy of St. Martin of the Fields.
DVDs
Vicky Christina Barcelona starring Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem. Two Americans vacationing in Barcelona and meet a charming Spaniard and his crazy ex-wife. Humorous romantic entanglements ensue.
Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron. Firefighter dedicated to his work has a failing marriage. "This gripping story follows one man's desire to transform his life and marriage through the healing power of faith."
The Express: the Ernie Davis story starring Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Clancy Brown. College football player Ernie Davis overcomes the odds and becomes the first black recipient of the Heisman Trophy. Quaid plays his scowling coach.
Oof! Davis died of leukemia at 23 years old. That's a bummer.
Clancy Brown? Neat, I don't see that guy very often. He played a nutty acting coach in Chump Change. Chump Change had Traci Lords and ends up being a neat tour of the Milwaukee area as Lords's character and the lead character are shown walking to all sorts of different places and bars.
Skins: volume 1 starring [teenage actors and actors playing teenagers]. British teenagers drink, get high, pop pills, have sex, go to school and "manage parent with the finesse only teenagers can."
Music from the Land of Hope and Glory by the United States Marine Band. The Marine band sends out free CDs. We received a CD from them before and it was pretty good. So I kept this one. Pieces from Gordon Jacob (William Byrd Suite), Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sir Edward Elgar.
Working on a Dream by Bruce Springsteen. Latest album.
The Essential George Jones by George Jones. Two discs with 40 songs. I read the other day that Jones wasn't going to record (or maybe he wouldn't release) He Stopped Loving Her Today because the song was so dang sad. Jones did put the single out and it ended up being his signature song.
Live Evil by Black Sabbath. Reprint of the classic metal album.
Maybe I should try to listen to this. But, I'm pretty sure I would hate it.
Christmas Oratorio by John S. Bach and performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge and Academy of St. Martin of the Fields.
DVDs
Vicky Christina Barcelona starring Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem. Two Americans vacationing in Barcelona and meet a charming Spaniard and his crazy ex-wife. Humorous romantic entanglements ensue.
Fireproof starring Kirk Cameron. Firefighter dedicated to his work has a failing marriage. "This gripping story follows one man's desire to transform his life and marriage through the healing power of faith."
The Express: the Ernie Davis story starring Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Clancy Brown. College football player Ernie Davis overcomes the odds and becomes the first black recipient of the Heisman Trophy. Quaid plays his scowling coach.
Oof! Davis died of leukemia at 23 years old. That's a bummer.
Clancy Brown? Neat, I don't see that guy very often. He played a nutty acting coach in Chump Change. Chump Change had Traci Lords and ends up being a neat tour of the Milwaukee area as Lords's character and the lead character are shown walking to all sorts of different places and bars.
Skins: volume 1 starring [teenage actors and actors playing teenagers]. British teenagers drink, get high, pop pills, have sex, go to school and "manage parent with the finesse only teenagers can."
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Two Novels and Two Old CDs That Were Sitting Next To The Novels
Fiction
Returning by Ann Tatlock. A Christian romance with little plot description on the back cover.
Batter Off Dead by Tamar Meyers. "A Pennsylvania Dutch mystery with recipes." Avoid.
Music CDs
Come On Over by Shania Twain. Our lost copy was replaced.
Twain seems like a nice gal. I suppose she is still single. You can fly over to Switzerland and woo her. Of course, O.J. Simpson used to seem like a nice guy too. Maybe Twain is a werewolf like John Oates.
Glide by Jerry Douglas. Mentioned before but the CD had to be reclassified into our Country section.
Returning by Ann Tatlock. A Christian romance with little plot description on the back cover.
Batter Off Dead by Tamar Meyers. "A Pennsylvania Dutch mystery with recipes." Avoid.
Music CDs
Come On Over by Shania Twain. Our lost copy was replaced.
Twain seems like a nice gal. I suppose she is still single. You can fly over to Switzerland and woo her. Of course, O.J. Simpson used to seem like a nice guy too. Maybe Twain is a werewolf like John Oates.
Glide by Jerry Douglas. Mentioned before but the CD had to be reclassified into our Country section.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Two Audiobooks and One CD
Music CD
The Boxmasters by The Boxmasters. Some sort of music by a musical trio featuring Billy Bob Thornton. Sound bites here.
AudioBooks
Angel Creek by Linda Howard. 8 CDs at 9 hours. Orphaned lady running family homestead in Colorado gets into fight over water rights with her hunky neighbor. Be still, my beating heart.
Volk's Shadow by Brent Ghelfi. Colonel Alexei Volkovoy runs a criminal empire while dealing with matters of state security. When an American oil company headquarters is bombed by terrorists it looks like Volkovoy may have been the real target. Gritty and violent.
The Boxmasters by The Boxmasters. Some sort of music by a musical trio featuring Billy Bob Thornton. Sound bites here.
AudioBooks
Angel Creek by Linda Howard. 8 CDs at 9 hours. Orphaned lady running family homestead in Colorado gets into fight over water rights with her hunky neighbor. Be still, my beating heart.
Volk's Shadow by Brent Ghelfi. Colonel Alexei Volkovoy runs a criminal empire while dealing with matters of state security. When an American oil company headquarters is bombed by terrorists it looks like Volkovoy may have been the real target. Gritty and violent.
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Usual Repeats Plus One by Gischler
Fiction
Gun Monkeys by Victor Gischler. Idiot with a itchy trigger finger travels through Florida chased by cops.
If you like this book you can check-out the several other Gischlers we have.
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent. Jessilyn's father vows to take in and care for Jessilyn's best friend Gemma after Gemma's family dies in a fire. Jessilyn is white. Gemma is black. They all live in a small Virginia town in 1932. Guess what trouble starts.
This had a neat review and should be pretty good reading.
Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. A long ago murder murder in North Dakota sets white and Ojibwe communities against one another.
The Usual
Under the Radar by Fern Michaels. The usual.
Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockman. The usual.
A Darker Place by Jack Higgins. The usual.
The Associate by John Grisham. The usual.
Gun Monkeys by Victor Gischler. Idiot with a itchy trigger finger travels through Florida chased by cops.
If you like this book you can check-out the several other Gischlers we have.
Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent. Jessilyn's father vows to take in and care for Jessilyn's best friend Gemma after Gemma's family dies in a fire. Jessilyn is white. Gemma is black. They all live in a small Virginia town in 1932. Guess what trouble starts.
This had a neat review and should be pretty good reading.
Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich. A long ago murder murder in North Dakota sets white and Ojibwe communities against one another.
The Usual
Under the Radar by Fern Michaels. The usual.
Dark of Night by Suzanne Brockman. The usual.
A Darker Place by Jack Higgins. The usual.
The Associate by John Grisham. The usual.
An Older DVD and Three CDs
DVD
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Blidel. I bought this as a replacement and bought the so-called "box set" by mistake. The box set came with this movie, the sequel movie, and a paperback of the novel.
CDs
Exclusive: the forever edition by Chris Brown. I'm not sure if this is rap, r&b, or soul music. Comes with a DVD disc.
Live at the Troubador by Daryl Hall and John Oates. Did I order this? Was it a donation? Two discs from their 2008 performance at a club in California.
Hall an Oates were big when I was in elementary and middle school. After the band broke up the rumor was that they broke up the band because one of the guys was gay and made a pass on the other. That kind of rumor is accepted as truth by an eighth grade guy. The truth is that the guy with the mustache turned into a werewolf.
Remember that goofy looking bass player? I wonder what he is doing now.
Greatest hits: volume 1 by Rascal Flatts. Sixteen songs (three Christmas tunes) from the popular country trio.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Blidel. I bought this as a replacement and bought the so-called "box set" by mistake. The box set came with this movie, the sequel movie, and a paperback of the novel.
CDs
Exclusive: the forever edition by Chris Brown. I'm not sure if this is rap, r&b, or soul music. Comes with a DVD disc.
Live at the Troubador by Daryl Hall and John Oates. Did I order this? Was it a donation? Two discs from their 2008 performance at a club in California.
Hall an Oates were big when I was in elementary and middle school. After the band broke up the rumor was that they broke up the band because one of the guys was gay and made a pass on the other. That kind of rumor is accepted as truth by an eighth grade guy. The truth is that the guy with the mustache turned into a werewolf.
Remember that goofy looking bass player? I wonder what he is doing now.
Greatest hits: volume 1 by Rascal Flatts. Sixteen songs (three Christmas tunes) from the popular country trio.
What to Read 19 "Hunger Games" and "Blood Alone"
What to Read 19
Two books to try: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Blood Alone by James R. Benn.
Two books to try: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Blood Alone by James R. Benn.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Three Large Print and One YA
Large Print
The Treasure by Iris Johansen. Eh.
English Major by Jim Harrison. Freshly divorced sixty-year old guy from Michigan drives West to visit old friends. Eat, drinks, and picks up single women along the way.
The Men's Book Club chose this for the January meeting. I didn't read it.
The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds. Kenny's mother is dead and her father is in prison. Kenny is about to turn eighteen and is living with her father's girlfriend, "Aunt" Flo. Flo's family is a mess, but better than living on the street. Kenny becomes obsessed by the murder of a neighbor.
Young Adult (YA)
3 Willows: the sisterhood grows by Ann Brashares. Chick book for teens.
The Treasure by Iris Johansen. Eh.
English Major by Jim Harrison. Freshly divorced sixty-year old guy from Michigan drives West to visit old friends. Eat, drinks, and picks up single women along the way.
The Men's Book Club chose this for the January meeting. I didn't read it.
The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds. Kenny's mother is dead and her father is in prison. Kenny is about to turn eighteen and is living with her father's girlfriend, "Aunt" Flo. Flo's family is a mess, but better than living on the street. Kenny becomes obsessed by the murder of a neighbor.
Young Adult (YA)
3 Willows: the sisterhood grows by Ann Brashares. Chick book for teens.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Two Crappy Music CDs and a Bunch of Books
Fiction
A Whole New Light by Sandra Brown. Probably some middle aged romance after divorce or death of spouse. The guy will be rugged yet mysterious or grieving. The gal will be second guessing and nervous. The adult children will be both happy and upset.
NonFiction
Save the Last Bullet for Yourself: a soldier of fortune in the Balkans and Somalia by Rob Krott.
Krott, bored out of his mind after leaving the US Army, travels to Croatia in early 1992 and joins the fledgling Croatian Army as a volunteer in the war against Serbia, which is backed by the former Yugoslav Army. Commissioned as an officer in a Croatian Commando unit, he leads combat patrols along the free-fire-zone border. He then sets up a training program for the Commandos, leads forays against Serb positions, snipes enemy soldiers, becomes invovled in intrigue and leaves Croatia just as the Bosnian conflict starts.
Then he goes to Somalia and other deathtraps.
Large Print
Knit Two: a Friday Night Knitting Club novel by Kate Jacobs.
The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith. "The new 44 Scotland Street novel."
Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell.
Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn.
The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler. "A Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery."
Audio Books
Guilty: liberal 'victims' and their assault on America by Ann Coulter. 9 CDS with 10.5 hours of craziness.
Isn't this the same broad who was whining about being "banned" from NBC? Isn't that 'victimhood'? Listen and find out.
Things I've Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi. 11 CDs at 13.5 hours. Author of Reading Lolita in Tehren writes about growing up in Iran.
Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow. Surfing private investigator takes on old kidnapping case in San Diego.
The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry (writing as Scott Brick). 13 CDs at 16.5 hours. Cotton Malone's father may have killed on a top secret mission, not a submarine accident.
Music CDs
Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park.
Safe Trip Home by Dido.
A Whole New Light by Sandra Brown. Probably some middle aged romance after divorce or death of spouse. The guy will be rugged yet mysterious or grieving. The gal will be second guessing and nervous. The adult children will be both happy and upset.
NonFiction
Save the Last Bullet for Yourself: a soldier of fortune in the Balkans and Somalia by Rob Krott.
Krott, bored out of his mind after leaving the US Army, travels to Croatia in early 1992 and joins the fledgling Croatian Army as a volunteer in the war against Serbia, which is backed by the former Yugoslav Army. Commissioned as an officer in a Croatian Commando unit, he leads combat patrols along the free-fire-zone border. He then sets up a training program for the Commandos, leads forays against Serb positions, snipes enemy soldiers, becomes invovled in intrigue and leaves Croatia just as the Bosnian conflict starts.
Then he goes to Somalia and other deathtraps.
Large Print
Knit Two: a Friday Night Knitting Club novel by Kate Jacobs.
The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith. "The new 44 Scotland Street novel."
Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell.
Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn.
The Victoria Vanishes by Christopher Fowler. "A Peculiar Crimes Unit mystery."
Audio Books
Guilty: liberal 'victims' and their assault on America by Ann Coulter. 9 CDS with 10.5 hours of craziness.
Isn't this the same broad who was whining about being "banned" from NBC? Isn't that 'victimhood'? Listen and find out.
Things I've Been Silent About by Azar Nafisi. 11 CDs at 13.5 hours. Author of Reading Lolita in Tehren writes about growing up in Iran.
Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow. Surfing private investigator takes on old kidnapping case in San Diego.
The Charlemagne Pursuit by Steve Berry (writing as Scott Brick). 13 CDs at 16.5 hours. Cotton Malone's father may have killed on a top secret mission, not a submarine accident.
Music CDs
Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park.
Safe Trip Home by Dido.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Music CDs
Live From Austin, TX. by Richard Thompson. Fifteen tunes recorded July 2, 2001 with that aqua colored guitar he always uses.
Tha Carter III by lil Wayne. A rap album.
Hotel California by The Eagles. This will check out.
"Off With Their Heads" by The Kaiser Chiefs. Peppy rock music with nice hooks. If you like this there are two other discs you can place holds on.
Glide by Jerry Douglas. Link to this comment: Jerry Douglas is probably the most famous dobro player in the world, which might sound like damning with faint praise, except that he's also one of the most in-demand session musicians in the world, period, as well as a constantly sought-after producer, and the man John Fogerty describes as "my favorite musician, and I'm including Otis Redding and Elvis in that."
Rockin' With Wanda by Wanda Jackson. Compilation of by the Queen of Rockabilly.
Gospel
Unspoken by Jim Brickman. Gospel piano.
A New Hallelujah by Michael W. Smith. Concert recording from a 2008 performance.
Live From Austin, TX. by Richard Thompson. Fifteen tunes recorded July 2, 2001 with that aqua colored guitar he always uses.
Tha Carter III by lil Wayne. A rap album.
Hotel California by The Eagles. This will check out.
"Off With Their Heads" by The Kaiser Chiefs. Peppy rock music with nice hooks. If you like this there are two other discs you can place holds on.
Glide by Jerry Douglas. Link to this comment: Jerry Douglas is probably the most famous dobro player in the world, which might sound like damning with faint praise, except that he's also one of the most in-demand session musicians in the world, period, as well as a constantly sought-after producer, and the man John Fogerty describes as "my favorite musician, and I'm including Otis Redding and Elvis in that."
Rockin' With Wanda by Wanda Jackson. Compilation of by the Queen of Rockabilly.
Gospel
Unspoken by Jim Brickman. Gospel piano.
A New Hallelujah by Michael W. Smith. Concert recording from a 2008 performance.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
16 and 13/16 Inches of Books
Fiction
Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy. "She steals more than your kiss." Girl wakes up from six month coma accused a car wreck and thinking her family wants her dead.
A Body to Die For by G.A. McKevett. "Voluptuous" private investigator Savannah Reed helps investigate the murder of diet guru's husband.
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. Another Stephanie Plum novel.
Never Tell A Lie by Hallie Ephron. Suspense novel.
B.P.R.D. 1946 by Mike Mignola. Another Hellboy comic.
I have still not watched either Hellboy movie.
Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods. President Lee is facing an election and trouble abroad.
Dead or Alive by Michael McGarrity. Kevin Kierney rushes home to New Mexico when his business partner is murdered by an escaped convict on Kierney's doorstep. Kierney teams up with his Deputy Sheriff son to track the escapee into the mountains.
Outlaw Marshall by Al and Joanna Lacy. Inspirational western fiction. Deputy U.S. Marshall convinces bad guy to go straight. Former bad guy starts tracking other crooks when he is framed for murder and Deputy Marshall comes to the rescue.
Joys of My Life by Alys Clare. "A Hawkenlye Mystery." Nuns in 1199 travel three weeks across England on request of Queen Eleanor. Meanwhile Sir Josse is investigating a report of devil worshipping knights. Both groups meet at construction of the cathedral in Chartres.
Driftless by David Rhodes. Family dramas set in Wisconsin.
This book hit a best of the year list and since it is set in WI. The author published a three books in the 1970s then was paralyzed. A publisher got to wondering what the author was up to, called the author's old agent and asked. The agent called the guy - they had apparently been out of touch for years - and it turns out he had a manuscript (this novel) ready to go.
Eclipse by Richard North Patterson. California lawyer Damon has been divorced by his wife and his work is soulless. He gets a message from an old girlfriend for help. The girlfriend's husband has been charged with murder by a corrupt government in West Africa and Damon agrees to defend him.
Three Weeks to Say Goodbye by C.J. Box. Jack and Melissa adopted a girl nine months ago. The teen father never signed his parental rights away and not the dad's powerful father in Denver wants him to get the child back. Jack and Melissa have to decide how far they will go to protect their kid.
Non Fiction
Unmasked & Anonymous: Shimon & Lindemann consider portraiture by J. Shimon & J. Lindemann. Published by the Milwaukee Art Museum. Selection of different portraits with a spread age for both the subjects and date taken.
I ordered this after following a link from Madison Shooters that mentioned an exhibit at the Art Museum.
The photos include two kinda creepy nudes.
In Sickness and in Power: illnesses in heads of government during the last 100 years by David Owen. When a president falls sick, how is it handled? Do you hide the severity or pretend it never happened? Does the economy and politics go nuts? Covers several people including Nixon, Stalin, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Churchill.
Rich Like Them: my door-to-door search for the secrets of wealth in America's richest neighborhoods by Ryan D'Agostino.
Decorating with Ceramic Tile: innovative techniques & patterns for floors, walls, backsplashes and accents by Jerri Farris. New and updated edition.
Large Print
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. Crapola.
Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy. "She steals more than your kiss." Girl wakes up from six month coma accused a car wreck and thinking her family wants her dead.
A Body to Die For by G.A. McKevett. "Voluptuous" private investigator Savannah Reed helps investigate the murder of diet guru's husband.
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich. Another Stephanie Plum novel.
Never Tell A Lie by Hallie Ephron. Suspense novel.
B.P.R.D. 1946 by Mike Mignola. Another Hellboy comic.
I have still not watched either Hellboy movie.
Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods. President Lee is facing an election and trouble abroad.
Dead or Alive by Michael McGarrity. Kevin Kierney rushes home to New Mexico when his business partner is murdered by an escaped convict on Kierney's doorstep. Kierney teams up with his Deputy Sheriff son to track the escapee into the mountains.
Outlaw Marshall by Al and Joanna Lacy. Inspirational western fiction. Deputy U.S. Marshall convinces bad guy to go straight. Former bad guy starts tracking other crooks when he is framed for murder and Deputy Marshall comes to the rescue.
Joys of My Life by Alys Clare. "A Hawkenlye Mystery." Nuns in 1199 travel three weeks across England on request of Queen Eleanor. Meanwhile Sir Josse is investigating a report of devil worshipping knights. Both groups meet at construction of the cathedral in Chartres.
Driftless by David Rhodes. Family dramas set in Wisconsin.
This book hit a best of the year list and since it is set in WI. The author published a three books in the 1970s then was paralyzed. A publisher got to wondering what the author was up to, called the author's old agent and asked. The agent called the guy - they had apparently been out of touch for years - and it turns out he had a manuscript (this novel) ready to go.
Eclipse by Richard North Patterson. California lawyer Damon has been divorced by his wife and his work is soulless. He gets a message from an old girlfriend for help. The girlfriend's husband has been charged with murder by a corrupt government in West Africa and Damon agrees to defend him.
Three Weeks to Say Goodbye by C.J. Box. Jack and Melissa adopted a girl nine months ago. The teen father never signed his parental rights away and not the dad's powerful father in Denver wants him to get the child back. Jack and Melissa have to decide how far they will go to protect their kid.
Non Fiction
Unmasked & Anonymous: Shimon & Lindemann consider portraiture by J. Shimon & J. Lindemann. Published by the Milwaukee Art Museum. Selection of different portraits with a spread age for both the subjects and date taken.
I ordered this after following a link from Madison Shooters that mentioned an exhibit at the Art Museum.
The photos include two kinda creepy nudes.
In Sickness and in Power: illnesses in heads of government during the last 100 years by David Owen. When a president falls sick, how is it handled? Do you hide the severity or pretend it never happened? Does the economy and politics go nuts? Covers several people including Nixon, Stalin, Kennedy, Eisenhower, and Churchill.
Rich Like Them: my door-to-door search for the secrets of wealth in America's richest neighborhoods by Ryan D'Agostino.
Decorating with Ceramic Tile: innovative techniques & patterns for floors, walls, backsplashes and accents by Jerri Farris. New and updated edition.
Large Print
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. Crapola.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
"More Music, More Music, More Music"
Music CDs
Quantum of Solace: original motion picture soundtrack by David Arnold.
Funhouse by Pink. Some weird pop album. Ordered on suggestion of a Page.
Afterwords by Collective Soul. Greatest hits collection. Also ordered on suggestion of a Page.
Live From Austin, TX. Three albums recorded during performances on Austin City Limits.
Live From Austin, TX. by Waylon Jennings. Recorded April 1, 1989. 17 tunes including Luckenbach, Texas, Good Ol' Boys, Rainy Day Woman.
Live From Austin, TX. by Merle Haggard. Recorded October 30, 1985. Includes a performance of Bob Will's Ida Red (not as good a version).
We also have a compilation of Wills' tunes recorded in the late '30s and early '40s, Seven Miles Out of Town.
I have Encore which is a three disc set of later Will's recordings. I need to check-out Seven Miles.
Live From Austin, TX. by Jerry Lee Lewis. Recorded October 17, 1983. Includes both Rock N' Roll and Country hits.
Quantum of Solace: original motion picture soundtrack by David Arnold.
Funhouse by Pink. Some weird pop album. Ordered on suggestion of a Page.
Afterwords by Collective Soul. Greatest hits collection. Also ordered on suggestion of a Page.
Live From Austin, TX. Three albums recorded during performances on Austin City Limits.
Live From Austin, TX. by Waylon Jennings. Recorded April 1, 1989. 17 tunes including Luckenbach, Texas, Good Ol' Boys, Rainy Day Woman.
Live From Austin, TX. by Merle Haggard. Recorded October 30, 1985. Includes a performance of Bob Will's Ida Red (not as good a version).
We also have a compilation of Wills' tunes recorded in the late '30s and early '40s, Seven Miles Out of Town.
I have Encore which is a three disc set of later Will's recordings. I need to check-out Seven Miles.
Live From Austin, TX. by Jerry Lee Lewis. Recorded October 17, 1983. Includes both Rock N' Roll and Country hits.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Three New DVDs
DVD
10 Items or Less: the complete first and second seasons starring That Guy You See in Lot so Commercials. Leslie takes over the family grocery store, Greens & Grains, after his dad dies. "Of course, the staff of Greens & Grains isn't exactly the brightest. Then again, neither is Leslie." A comedy series from some cable network.
I've caught a couple episodes of this show and thought it was funny and figured someone else might think the same.
Eagle Eye starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan and Billy Bob Thornton. A product placement opportunity for Jeep as Jeep. Plot: two people are "Activated" to be used as assassins and follow around by bad guys using high-tech gizmos.
An American Carol starring David Allen Grier, Kelsey Grammer, Kevin Farley, Leslie Nielsen. Comedy. A Michael Moore type guy wants to band the 4th of July and ghosts of America's past confront him. A conservative response to Moore's movies.
10 Items or Less: the complete first and second seasons starring That Guy You See in Lot so Commercials. Leslie takes over the family grocery store, Greens & Grains, after his dad dies. "Of course, the staff of Greens & Grains isn't exactly the brightest. Then again, neither is Leslie." A comedy series from some cable network.
I've caught a couple episodes of this show and thought it was funny and figured someone else might think the same.
Eagle Eye starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan and Billy Bob Thornton. A product placement opportunity for Jeep as Jeep. Plot: two people are "Activated" to be used as assassins and follow around by bad guys using high-tech gizmos.
An American Carol starring David Allen Grier, Kelsey Grammer, Kevin Farley, Leslie Nielsen. Comedy. A Michael Moore type guy wants to band the 4th of July and ghosts of America's past confront him. A conservative response to Moore's movies.
Monday, January 12, 2009
What to Read 18
Books I will not be reading. Instead of selecting a few items I read and enjoyed, I selected a few items I have not read and would likely NOT enjoy. I had difficulty keeping a short list.
O's Big Book of Happiness
Eclipse from the Warrior series by Erin Hunter
Anything by Karen Robards
Anything by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
One of Those Malibu Nights by Elizabeth Adler
Sugar Queen by Sara Addison Allen
Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Woman by Laura Berman
Harlequin and anything else by Laurell K. Hamilton.
O's Big Book of Happiness
Eclipse from the Warrior series by Erin Hunter
Anything by Karen Robards
Anything by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
One of Those Malibu Nights by Elizabeth Adler
Sugar Queen by Sara Addison Allen
Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Woman by Laura Berman
Harlequin and anything else by Laurell K. Hamilton.
More CDs By Bands I Never Listened To
I ordered quite a few of CDs at the end of the year with left-over moolah. We have 23 discs sitting on the processing cart.
Music
Spirit by Leone Lewis. No clue. Some singer.
David Cook by David Cook. Some guy with plucked eyebrows, an overly neat beard, and eye makeup.
Love on the Inside by Sugarland. Country Western music. Judging by the cover art and musicians' photos this is one of those pop albums marketed as country. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
The guy half of this duo must be going bald because he always wears a hat.
Lucky Old Sun by Kenny Chesney. This guy must be going bald too.
Maybe that's why Chesney and Renee Zellweger got divorced. Maybe Chesney never took his hat off until the wedding night and she freaked out.
Maybe he has a problem worse than balding. Maybe he is missing part of his skull and there is a bare metal plate on his scalp. Or, maybe it is a glass plate and you can see his brains.
Joy to the World by Faith Hill. Whoops...a little late on this one. Hill sings Christmas standards.
That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy by Toby Keith. Keith has an advertisement/competition from Ford in the back of the CD booklet. "Enter to win the new '09 F-150 and go on tour with Toby Keith."
I Am...Sasha Fierce by Beyonce. The title sounds very pretentious. Two disc album.
Fearless by Taylor Swift. Very popular teenaged singer gal of Country & Western music.
Take It to the Limit by Hinder. I think I chose this out of a catalog based on sales. Some sex drugs and rock and roll band with a heavier sound, I think. Justin Who Checks Out Many CDs will be happy with this one.
Don't Forget by Demi Locato. Another teenage singer. Pop songs.
How to Walk Away by Juliana Hatfield. If you didn't already reserve this from another Library in our System.
Rock N Roll Jesus by Kid Rock. This disc has been out a while and has been selling really well. I should have ordered it earlier.
Music
Spirit by Leone Lewis. No clue. Some singer.
David Cook by David Cook. Some guy with plucked eyebrows, an overly neat beard, and eye makeup.
Love on the Inside by Sugarland. Country Western music. Judging by the cover art and musicians' photos this is one of those pop albums marketed as country. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
The guy half of this duo must be going bald because he always wears a hat.
Lucky Old Sun by Kenny Chesney. This guy must be going bald too.
Maybe that's why Chesney and Renee Zellweger got divorced. Maybe Chesney never took his hat off until the wedding night and she freaked out.
Maybe he has a problem worse than balding. Maybe he is missing part of his skull and there is a bare metal plate on his scalp. Or, maybe it is a glass plate and you can see his brains.
Joy to the World by Faith Hill. Whoops...a little late on this one. Hill sings Christmas standards.
That Don't Make Me A Bad Guy by Toby Keith. Keith has an advertisement/competition from Ford in the back of the CD booklet. "Enter to win the new '09 F-150 and go on tour with Toby Keith."
I Am...Sasha Fierce by Beyonce. The title sounds very pretentious. Two disc album.
Fearless by Taylor Swift. Very popular teenaged singer gal of Country & Western music.
Take It to the Limit by Hinder. I think I chose this out of a catalog based on sales. Some sex drugs and rock and roll band with a heavier sound, I think. Justin Who Checks Out Many CDs will be happy with this one.
Don't Forget by Demi Locato. Another teenage singer. Pop songs.
How to Walk Away by Juliana Hatfield. If you didn't already reserve this from another Library in our System.
Rock N Roll Jesus by Kid Rock. This disc has been out a while and has been selling really well. I should have ordered it earlier.
Friday, January 09, 2009
More Music - With More to Come
Music CDs
Gossip in the Grain by Ray La Montagne. I think this was another catalog order. The guy has a beard.
That Lucky Old Sun by Brian Wilson. The genius is definitely no longer reclusive.
Long Road Out of Eden by The Eagles. This is going back back to the processing stack because the Page missed disc number two.
For a neat insight into The Eagles read Heaven and Hell: my life in The Eagles (1974-2001) by Don Felder. Glenn Frey and Don Henley do not come off well. Instead, they sound like major jerkwads.
808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West. I don't listen to Top 40, rap or R&B but West was on Saturday Night Live a couple months ago and the songs were kinda neat.
Dark Horse by Nickelback. Popular band that people love to hate.
Circus by Britney Spears. Selected by a Page. This should get some decent use. Britney sure has.
Greatest Hits by Morrissey. Including all your favorites. Such as: I Hate You, I Hate Myself, I'm So Sad, Leave Me Alone, My Childhood Was Misery.
Gossip in the Grain by Ray La Montagne. I think this was another catalog order. The guy has a beard.
That Lucky Old Sun by Brian Wilson. The genius is definitely no longer reclusive.
Long Road Out of Eden by The Eagles. This is going back back to the processing stack because the Page missed disc number two.
For a neat insight into The Eagles read Heaven and Hell: my life in The Eagles (1974-2001) by Don Felder. Glenn Frey and Don Henley do not come off well. Instead, they sound like major jerkwads.
808s & Heartbreak by Kanye West. I don't listen to Top 40, rap or R&B but West was on Saturday Night Live a couple months ago and the songs were kinda neat.
Dark Horse by Nickelback. Popular band that people love to hate.
Circus by Britney Spears. Selected by a Page. This should get some decent use. Britney sure has.
Greatest Hits by Morrissey. Including all your favorites. Such as: I Hate You, I Hate Myself, I'm So Sad, Leave Me Alone, My Childhood Was Misery.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Music: Years in the making and here for the taking
Music
Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses. There now, feel better?
Black Ice by AC/DC. I took a while getting this one. I kept forgetting.
Greatest Hits: 19 Kids by Keith Urban.
Riot! by Paramore. What is this? I must have ordered this off bestseller chart or something. Maybe I saw it in a catalog.
Chinese Democracy by Guns N' Roses. There now, feel better?
Black Ice by AC/DC. I took a while getting this one. I kept forgetting.
Greatest Hits: 19 Kids by Keith Urban.
Riot! by Paramore. What is this? I must have ordered this off bestseller chart or something. Maybe I saw it in a catalog.
Monday, January 05, 2009
DVD with Brazilian Shoot-em-up, Batman Shoot-em-up and Brad Pitt Shot-in-the-face-up
DVD
Elite Squad starring [Brazilians]. Police Captain in Rio de Janeiro tries to clear the gangs out of one of the slums before his retirement. I promise lots of Taurus handguns.
Hamlet 2 starring Steve Coogan, David Arquette, Catherine Keener. High school drama teacher writes a sequel to Hamlet. Sequel is awful.. Hilarity ensues.
House Bunny starring Anna Faris. Playboy Bunny Shelley gets kicked out of the Playboy Mansion and finds a job as house mom in a loser sorority.
I was listening to Howard Stern this morning and he watched this movie last week and said it was awful. But, he also said Anna Faris did a great job.
I know a family named Ferris.
The Foot Fist Way starring Danny McBride. An inept and bullying Tae Kwon Do teacher finds his wife is cheating on him and treks to meet his celebrity hero who is also a jerk. Very funny.
I took Tae Kwon Do classes for a while. I signed up at a place in Arlington, TX and a couple times the instructor never even showed to unlock the freaking door. Jerk.
Dark Knight starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart. Batman fights the Joker.
Burn After Reading starring George Clooney, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, and John Malkovich. Idiot at a Washington, D.C. gym finds a drunk, fired CIA agent's memoirs in a locker and thinks the memoirs are top secret documents. Idiot and desperate co-worker try to get cash for the info. Meanwhile, sex fiend U.S. Deputy Marshal has lots of sex and goes jogging.
Mamma Mia! starring [actors who cannot sing].
My wife was watching this during vacation at my parents' house. I was in the other room reading a book and had to put a pillow over my head so I would not have to hear it.
Music CDs
Twilight: original motion picture soundtrack with songs by Muse, Paramore, and others.
AudioBooks on CD
Suicide Collectors by David Oppegaard. 7 hours, 13 minutes. "The Despair has plagued the earth for five years" with victims committing suicide. A mysterious group called Collectors pick-up the bodies. Norman takes a stand against the Collectors.
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton. 5 hours, 37 minutes. Agatha is going to remarry until her long-thought-dead drunk of a first husband shows at the wedding. When the drunk is strangled Agatha and would-be second husband are suspects.
Boys Adrift: the five factors driving the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men by Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D. I heard Sax speak at a librarian convention and he did a good job and presented convincing arguments.
Red Helmet by Homer Hickam. Song Hawkins marries a coal mine superintendent and moves to West Virginia and becomes a miner. "In this hauntingly beautiful and romantic novel, he brings alive the little Appalachian town of Highcoal and a people dedicated to mining coal according to the old ways while struggling with modern problems - illegal drugs, environmental destruction, and a world economy that threatens their very existence."
Elite Squad starring [Brazilians]. Police Captain in Rio de Janeiro tries to clear the gangs out of one of the slums before his retirement. I promise lots of Taurus handguns.
Hamlet 2 starring Steve Coogan, David Arquette, Catherine Keener. High school drama teacher writes a sequel to Hamlet. Sequel is awful.. Hilarity ensues.
House Bunny starring Anna Faris. Playboy Bunny Shelley gets kicked out of the Playboy Mansion and finds a job as house mom in a loser sorority.
I was listening to Howard Stern this morning and he watched this movie last week and said it was awful. But, he also said Anna Faris did a great job.
I know a family named Ferris.
The Foot Fist Way starring Danny McBride. An inept and bullying Tae Kwon Do teacher finds his wife is cheating on him and treks to meet his celebrity hero who is also a jerk. Very funny.
I took Tae Kwon Do classes for a while. I signed up at a place in Arlington, TX and a couple times the instructor never even showed to unlock the freaking door. Jerk.
Dark Knight starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart. Batman fights the Joker.
Burn After Reading starring George Clooney, John Malkovich, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, and John Malkovich. Idiot at a Washington, D.C. gym finds a drunk, fired CIA agent's memoirs in a locker and thinks the memoirs are top secret documents. Idiot and desperate co-worker try to get cash for the info. Meanwhile, sex fiend U.S. Deputy Marshal has lots of sex and goes jogging.
Mamma Mia! starring [actors who cannot sing].
My wife was watching this during vacation at my parents' house. I was in the other room reading a book and had to put a pillow over my head so I would not have to hear it.
Music CDs
Twilight: original motion picture soundtrack with songs by Muse, Paramore, and others.
AudioBooks on CD
Suicide Collectors by David Oppegaard. 7 hours, 13 minutes. "The Despair has plagued the earth for five years" with victims committing suicide. A mysterious group called Collectors pick-up the bodies. Norman takes a stand against the Collectors.
Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage by M.C. Beaton. 5 hours, 37 minutes. Agatha is going to remarry until her long-thought-dead drunk of a first husband shows at the wedding. When the drunk is strangled Agatha and would-be second husband are suspects.
Boys Adrift: the five factors driving the growing epidemic of unmotivated boys and underachieving young men by Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D. I heard Sax speak at a librarian convention and he did a good job and presented convincing arguments.
Red Helmet by Homer Hickam. Song Hawkins marries a coal mine superintendent and moves to West Virginia and becomes a miner. "In this hauntingly beautiful and romantic novel, he brings alive the little Appalachian town of Highcoal and a people dedicated to mining coal according to the old ways while struggling with modern problems - illegal drugs, environmental destruction, and a world economy that threatens their very existence."
NonFiction without Garfield
NonFiction
Garfield Minus Garfield by Jim Davis. Dan Walsh erased Garfield from the Garfield comic strips and improved the stories immeasurably.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: why we need a green revolution and how it can renew America by Thomas L. Friedman.
Homeowner's Guide to Managing a Renovation: tough-as-nails tactics for getting the most from your money by Susan E. Solakian. "Every stage of planning and executing a job...walks you through each step of a hypothetical renovation."
George Tooker by George Tooker. Painter who has "over the past sixty years...continued to create radiantly illuminated yet disquieting images. Imbued with moral, spiritual, and sensual power."
Angling the World: ten spectacular adventures in fly fishing by Roy Tanami. Fly fishing travels to Brazil, Russia, New Zealand and elsewhere with great photographs.
Pieces of my Heart by Robert J. Wagner. Actor's autobiography. Wagner always wanted to be an actor and seeing Hollywood stars play the golf course near his childhood Bel Air home only encouraged him. His work in the studio system, his marriage-divorce-marriage-widowerhood with Natalie Wood, and his television work.
Why We Suck: a feel good guide to staying fat, loud, lazy and stupid by Denis Leary. This was on the bestseller list so I bought it. "Part memoir, part self-help tome"
Eating the Sun: how plants power the planet by Oliver Morton. This is supposed to a fascinating, and actually interesting, look at how plants work and the mystery of photosynthesis.
The Customer is Always Wrong by Jeff Martin. "A tragicomic and all-too-revealing collection of essays by writers who have done their time behind the counter and lived to tell the tale."
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins. A look at the War on Terror.
Multiple Bles8ings: surviving to thriving with twins and sextuplets by Jon and kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. That is a lot of kids.
Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron. Ugh.
Garfield Minus Garfield by Jim Davis. Dan Walsh erased Garfield from the Garfield comic strips and improved the stories immeasurably.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: why we need a green revolution and how it can renew America by Thomas L. Friedman.
Homeowner's Guide to Managing a Renovation: tough-as-nails tactics for getting the most from your money by Susan E. Solakian. "Every stage of planning and executing a job...walks you through each step of a hypothetical renovation."
George Tooker by George Tooker. Painter who has "over the past sixty years...continued to create radiantly illuminated yet disquieting images. Imbued with moral, spiritual, and sensual power."
Angling the World: ten spectacular adventures in fly fishing by Roy Tanami. Fly fishing travels to Brazil, Russia, New Zealand and elsewhere with great photographs.
Pieces of my Heart by Robert J. Wagner. Actor's autobiography. Wagner always wanted to be an actor and seeing Hollywood stars play the golf course near his childhood Bel Air home only encouraged him. His work in the studio system, his marriage-divorce-marriage-widowerhood with Natalie Wood, and his television work.
Why We Suck: a feel good guide to staying fat, loud, lazy and stupid by Denis Leary. This was on the bestseller list so I bought it. "Part memoir, part self-help tome"
Eating the Sun: how plants power the planet by Oliver Morton. This is supposed to a fascinating, and actually interesting, look at how plants work and the mystery of photosynthesis.
The Customer is Always Wrong by Jeff Martin. "A tragicomic and all-too-revealing collection of essays by writers who have done their time behind the counter and lived to tell the tale."
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins. A look at the War on Terror.
Multiple Bles8ings: surviving to thriving with twins and sextuplets by Jon and kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. That is a lot of kids.
Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron. Ugh.
Fiction Pile
Fiction
Rebels of Mindanao by Tom Anthony. Former soldier Tom Thornton has retired to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines when former colleagues ask him to find and kill a Turk who is running money to Al Qaeda connected rebels in the jungle.
Dark Ops by W.E.B. Griffin. Assassinations of government officials has some dude looking for who is responsible.
Trophy Exchange by Diane Fanning. Murder mystery.
A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam. Some literary chick book set in East Pakistan, which is soon to become Bangladesh, during a party.
Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood. I do not care.
Contagious by Scott Sigler. Aliens are not invading with spaceships but with pathogens. Former football star Perry has an ability to sense hosts of the disease and teams with a CIA guy to defeat the threat.
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. Paranormal investigators battle evil paranormal people. Or something. This sounds real lame.
Telex From Cuba by Rachel Kushner. Wealthy Americans in pre-revolution Cuba. The parents are oblivious to the country's problems but the kids learn how the cane fields stay working.
A Face at the Window by Sarah Graves. "A home repair is homicide mystery."
Need by Carrie Jones. A Young Adult novel with gold colored lipstick on some gal on the cover.
Ultra Violet by Nancy Bush. Girl's paperback mystery.
The Mirror in the Well by Micheline Aharonian Marcom. "A woman's sexual awakening is a tragedy when the woman is married to someone other than the man who awakens her...This novel will shock and offend some readers. Unapologetically explicit in its language, extreme in some of the acts it catalogues, it makes no pretense of submission to middle-class decency, let alone to expectations of happy endings. All three people in this love triangle are flawed, damaged, human. Things fall apart, and the resolution is unclear. Why does she do it? Who should we read it? The answer in one word: ecstasy."
Rebels of Mindanao by Tom Anthony. Former soldier Tom Thornton has retired to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines when former colleagues ask him to find and kill a Turk who is running money to Al Qaeda connected rebels in the jungle.
Dark Ops by W.E.B. Griffin. Assassinations of government officials has some dude looking for who is responsible.
Trophy Exchange by Diane Fanning. Murder mystery.
A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam. Some literary chick book set in East Pakistan, which is soon to become Bangladesh, during a party.
Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood. I do not care.
Contagious by Scott Sigler. Aliens are not invading with spaceships but with pathogens. Former football star Perry has an ability to sense hosts of the disease and teams with a CIA guy to defeat the threat.
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz. Paranormal investigators battle evil paranormal people. Or something. This sounds real lame.
Telex From Cuba by Rachel Kushner. Wealthy Americans in pre-revolution Cuba. The parents are oblivious to the country's problems but the kids learn how the cane fields stay working.
A Face at the Window by Sarah Graves. "A home repair is homicide mystery."
Need by Carrie Jones. A Young Adult novel with gold colored lipstick on some gal on the cover.
Ultra Violet by Nancy Bush. Girl's paperback mystery.
The Mirror in the Well by Micheline Aharonian Marcom. "A woman's sexual awakening is a tragedy when the woman is married to someone other than the man who awakens her...This novel will shock and offend some readers. Unapologetically explicit in its language, extreme in some of the acts it catalogues, it makes no pretense of submission to middle-class decency, let alone to expectations of happy endings. All three people in this love triangle are flawed, damaged, human. Things fall apart, and the resolution is unclear. Why does she do it? Who should we read it? The answer in one word: ecstasy."
Friday, December 26, 2008
Bounty of Books with Boxing, Blood, and "Watch You Bleed"
Fiction
Fifty-to-One by Charles Ardai. A guy decides to cash in on the pulp fiction market with a mob story by an 18 year old showgirl. Her supposed non-fiction story of a mob hit gets them on the wrong side of the wrong people.
Ardai writes good stuff.
A Promise for Spring by Kim Vogel Sawyer. Judging by the cover this is a Christian romance. Yep. English Gal Emmaline finally goes over to the U.S. after five years away from her fiance. But, will she want to stay on his Kansas sheep farm?
Set by the Solomon River in Kansas in the Northwest corner of Kansas.
Blood Sins by Kay Hooper. FBI agent recruits a young girl to be victim bait for a killer.
NonFiction
No-Man's Land: one man's odyssey through The Odyssey by Scott Huler. Middle-aged guy gets crisis induced philosophical notions of Odysseus and follows his path around the Mediterranean. Huler follows Odysseus' 20 year journey in six months from Troy to Ithaca.
Supposed to be very interesting and entertaining.
In Spite of Myself by Christopher Plummer. Big Secret Revealed: He's Canadian.
The stories of filming Sound of Music are really fun. Or so I've read.
Boxing for Beginners: a guide to competition and fitness by Billy Finegan with Courtney Clark. All the basics of a boxing workout and proper punching, blocking, ducking and slipping.
The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan. Dog guy writes memoir of childhood. Big Secret Revealed: he likes his parents.
Watch You Bleed: the saga of Guns N' Roses by Stephen Davis. You could say this band biography was well-timed to match the recent album release. Or, you could say that Davis lucked out the Chinese Democracy was released at all, let alone near his book's release date.
While on the topic, we have not yet gotten our copy of Chinese Democracy. Neither have the Chinese.
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham. "An orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy." There's a Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy joke in there somewhere. Keep looking, I couldn't find one.
Warlord: a life of Winston Churchill at war, 1874-1945 by Carlo D'Este. This is supposed to be a fantastic biography. That is saying something in a book world crowded by Churchill books.
O's Big Book of Happiness: the best of O, the Oprah Magazine by the editors. Big Secret Revealed: I won't read this.
Fifty-to-One by Charles Ardai. A guy decides to cash in on the pulp fiction market with a mob story by an 18 year old showgirl. Her supposed non-fiction story of a mob hit gets them on the wrong side of the wrong people.
Ardai writes good stuff.
A Promise for Spring by Kim Vogel Sawyer. Judging by the cover this is a Christian romance. Yep. English Gal Emmaline finally goes over to the U.S. after five years away from her fiance. But, will she want to stay on his Kansas sheep farm?
Set by the Solomon River in Kansas in the Northwest corner of Kansas.
Blood Sins by Kay Hooper. FBI agent recruits a young girl to be victim bait for a killer.
NonFiction
No-Man's Land: one man's odyssey through The Odyssey by Scott Huler. Middle-aged guy gets crisis induced philosophical notions of Odysseus and follows his path around the Mediterranean. Huler follows Odysseus' 20 year journey in six months from Troy to Ithaca.
Supposed to be very interesting and entertaining.
In Spite of Myself by Christopher Plummer. Big Secret Revealed: He's Canadian.
The stories of filming Sound of Music are really fun. Or so I've read.
Boxing for Beginners: a guide to competition and fitness by Billy Finegan with Courtney Clark. All the basics of a boxing workout and proper punching, blocking, ducking and slipping.
The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan. Dog guy writes memoir of childhood. Big Secret Revealed: he likes his parents.
Watch You Bleed: the saga of Guns N' Roses by Stephen Davis. You could say this band biography was well-timed to match the recent album release. Or, you could say that Davis lucked out the Chinese Democracy was released at all, let alone near his book's release date.
While on the topic, we have not yet gotten our copy of Chinese Democracy. Neither have the Chinese.
American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham. "An orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, bending the nation to his will in the cause of democracy." There's a Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy joke in there somewhere. Keep looking, I couldn't find one.
Warlord: a life of Winston Churchill at war, 1874-1945 by Carlo D'Este. This is supposed to be a fantastic biography. That is saying something in a book world crowded by Churchill books.
O's Big Book of Happiness: the best of O, the Oprah Magazine by the editors. Big Secret Revealed: I won't read this.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
What to Read 17
Two books to try.
Bill Mauldin: a life up front by Todd DePastino. Mauldin gained fame as a U.S. Army cartoonist during World War Two and won a Pulitzer prize in 1945, Mauldin continued as an an editorial cartoonist and newspaper columnist and was awarded a second Pulitzer in 1959. Book website is at http://www.billmauldinbiography.com/
Killing Floor by Lee Child. First book in the Jack Reacher series of novels. Reacher is a former military policeman traveling the US who gets involved in various troubles. Lee Child's website.
Bill Mauldin: a life up front by Todd DePastino. Mauldin gained fame as a U.S. Army cartoonist during World War Two and won a Pulitzer prize in 1945, Mauldin continued as an an editorial cartoonist and newspaper columnist and was awarded a second Pulitzer in 1959. Book website is at http://www.billmauldinbiography.com/
Killing Floor by Lee Child. First book in the Jack Reacher series of novels. Reacher is a former military policeman traveling the US who gets involved in various troubles. Lee Child's website.
One Last Item Before Christmas Break
Music CD
Mamma Mia!: the movie soundtrack with [people]. I ended up ordering the "Deluxe Album with Bonus 'Behind the Scenes' DVD" for some reason. It comes with a booklet about the production filled with color photos.
Major chick movie.
EDIT: Pierce Brosnan was obviously hired for his acting ability, not his singing ability. However, Meryl Streep does sing well. Big surprise there, when doesn't she do well at something?
ANOTHER EDIT: I take that back. Streep does okay on some songs but not on others.
Mamma Mia!: the movie soundtrack with [people]. I ended up ordering the "Deluxe Album with Bonus 'Behind the Scenes' DVD" for some reason. It comes with a booklet about the production filled with color photos.
Major chick movie.
EDIT: Pierce Brosnan was obviously hired for his acting ability, not his singing ability. However, Meryl Streep does sing well. Big surprise there, when doesn't she do well at something?
ANOTHER EDIT: I take that back. Streep does okay on some songs but not on others.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Two Comedies
DVD
It's Bad For Ya' by George Carlin. "Carlin's Emmy-nominated 14th and final HBO special from the March of 2008 features Carlin's noted irreverent and unapologetic observations on topics ranging from death, religion, bureaucracy, patriotism, overprotected children and big business to the pungent examinations of modern language and the 'decrepit state of the American culture.'"
Includes a 1969 appearance on the Jackie Gleason show.
Step Brothers starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly. Two middle-aged losers have to live together and their parents marry and join households. Their stupidity drives the newlyweds apart and the nitwits try to bring them back together. Supposedly funny.
It's Bad For Ya' by George Carlin. "Carlin's Emmy-nominated 14th and final HBO special from the March of 2008 features Carlin's noted irreverent and unapologetic observations on topics ranging from death, religion, bureaucracy, patriotism, overprotected children and big business to the pungent examinations of modern language and the 'decrepit state of the American culture.'"
Includes a 1969 appearance on the Jackie Gleason show.
Step Brothers starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly. Two middle-aged losers have to live together and their parents marry and join households. Their stupidity drives the newlyweds apart and the nitwits try to bring them back together. Supposedly funny.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
What to Read 16
Rachel the Page recommends two novels: Helen of Troy by Elizabeth George and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie.
Gratuitious Pistol Posing, Jason Bateman, A New AudioBook Vendor
DVD
Hancock starring Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron. Super hero turned bum gets a makeover.
This is rated PG-13 so I assume Theron keeps her shirt on in this one.
Traitor starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. A former undercover intelligence soldier's loyalty is questioned after a terrorist bombing and a prison break.
TransSiberian starring Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley. Tourists on the TransSiberian railway are under suspicion after a drug related murder on board the train.
Get Smart starring Steve Carell and other people. Movie version of television show. I have not seen this.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 staring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively. Young women all share the same pair of pants or something. Looks like they travel to Greece, or Cyprus, or somewhere else in the Mediterranean.
Wanted starring Mrs. Movie Big Shot and others. Young guy is recruited to join a group of assassins and shoot pistols in slow motion.
Tropic Thunder starring Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., Nick Nolte Actors filming a war movie in the jungle get into a real shoot-out. I think.
The Mummy: tomb of the Dragon Emperor starring Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, and Jet Li. Chinese mummy attacks people and gets shot at by tommy-gun wielding guy.
This is also rated PG-13 so Maria Bello must keep her shirt on in this one.
Chaplin starring a bunch of actors. A recent donation. Biopic of Charlie Chaplin.
Gia starring Angelina Jolie. Biopoic of dead model from the 1970's.
For those of you keeping track: this is not rated but I think Jolie does take her shirt off.
Audio Books
I just started buying from Landmark Audiobooks. Here is a new batch.
Cross Country by James Patterson. A vicious killer who has murdered a whole family is followed from D.C. to Nigeria by Detective Alex Cross.
Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker. Narrated by Joe Mantegna.
Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz. Rich guy gets heart transplant and is stalked by crazy lady who wants the heart.
Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. A connection between the murder of Superman's creator and the murder of Abel? Listen to the novel and ponder.
Private Patient by P.D. James. A patient in a private clinic in Dorset, England dies at a private surgery clinic. Inspector Dalgliesh investigates and "suspects multiply all too rapidly."
Divine Justice by David Baldacci. Government assassin 'Oliver Stone' is on the run. The same people he worked for have turned on him and Stone relies on his friends to escape.
A Mercy by Toni Morrison. A Dutch trader in 1680 buys a slave girl who looks for love from an older woman and a handsome blacksmith.
Hancock starring Jason Bateman and Charlize Theron. Super hero turned bum gets a makeover.
This is rated PG-13 so I assume Theron keeps her shirt on in this one.
Traitor starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce. A former undercover intelligence soldier's loyalty is questioned after a terrorist bombing and a prison break.
TransSiberian starring Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley. Tourists on the TransSiberian railway are under suspicion after a drug related murder on board the train.
Get Smart starring Steve Carell and other people. Movie version of television show. I have not seen this.
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 staring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively. Young women all share the same pair of pants or something. Looks like they travel to Greece, or Cyprus, or somewhere else in the Mediterranean.
Wanted starring Mrs. Movie Big Shot and others. Young guy is recruited to join a group of assassins and shoot pistols in slow motion.
Tropic Thunder starring Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., Nick Nolte Actors filming a war movie in the jungle get into a real shoot-out. I think.
The Mummy: tomb of the Dragon Emperor starring Brendan Fraser, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh, and Jet Li. Chinese mummy attacks people and gets shot at by tommy-gun wielding guy.
This is also rated PG-13 so Maria Bello must keep her shirt on in this one.
Chaplin starring a bunch of actors. A recent donation. Biopic of Charlie Chaplin.
Gia starring Angelina Jolie. Biopoic of dead model from the 1970's.
For those of you keeping track: this is not rated but I think Jolie does take her shirt off.
Audio Books
I just started buying from Landmark Audiobooks. Here is a new batch.
Cross Country by James Patterson. A vicious killer who has murdered a whole family is followed from D.C. to Nigeria by Detective Alex Cross.
Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker. Narrated by Joe Mantegna.
Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz. Rich guy gets heart transplant and is stalked by crazy lady who wants the heart.
Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. A connection between the murder of Superman's creator and the murder of Abel? Listen to the novel and ponder.
Private Patient by P.D. James. A patient in a private clinic in Dorset, England dies at a private surgery clinic. Inspector Dalgliesh investigates and "suspects multiply all too rapidly."
Divine Justice by David Baldacci. Government assassin 'Oliver Stone' is on the run. The same people he worked for have turned on him and Stone relies on his friends to escape.
A Mercy by Toni Morrison. A Dutch trader in 1680 buys a slave girl who looks for love from an older woman and a handsome blacksmith.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Books So New You May Cut A Finger
Fiction
Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. Knitting club members at a yarn shop in Manhattan share stories and whatnot.
NonFiction
Forgotten Patriots: the untold story of American prisoners during the Revolutionary War by Edwin G. Burrows. Of teh 200,000 men fighting for America during the Revolutionary War 6,800 died in battle. 32,00 men became prisoners of war. Overcrowded and underfed conditions led to as many as 18,000 deaths in captivity.
Trick or Treatment: the undeniable facts about alternative medicine by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, MD. "What works and what doesn't? What are the secrets, what are the lies? Who can you trust, and who is ripping you off? Can science decide what is best, or do the old wives' tales really rtap into ancient, superior wisdom?"
Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. Knitting club members at a yarn shop in Manhattan share stories and whatnot.
NonFiction
Forgotten Patriots: the untold story of American prisoners during the Revolutionary War by Edwin G. Burrows. Of teh 200,000 men fighting for America during the Revolutionary War 6,800 died in battle. 32,00 men became prisoners of war. Overcrowded and underfed conditions led to as many as 18,000 deaths in captivity.
Trick or Treatment: the undeniable facts about alternative medicine by Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, MD. "What works and what doesn't? What are the secrets, what are the lies? Who can you trust, and who is ripping you off? Can science decide what is best, or do the old wives' tales really rtap into ancient, superior wisdom?"
What to Read 15
An "interview" with Julianna Hatfield about her new book When I Grow Up: a memoir. Hatfield website.
I wrote in a previous post that I was unable to schedule an interview to speak with Ms. Hatfield about her book. Since I already had thought of some questions to ask I decided to do a mock-up.
I wrote in a previous post that I was unable to schedule an interview to speak with Ms. Hatfield about her book. Since I already had thought of some questions to ask I decided to do a mock-up.
Monday, December 15, 2008
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