More of the Same Writers and a Repaired Star Wars Paperback

Fiction

Locked In by Marcia Muller. Sharon McCone has "locked-in syndrome". After a late night attack at her P.I. firm she is mentally sharp but unable to move any part of her body. Her staff gathers clues while McCone tries to figure out who attacked her.

There Goes the Bridge by M.C. Beaton. "An Agatha Raisin Mystery" This probably has a recipe too. It seems like that type of mystery.

The Professional by Robert B. Parker. Another Spenser novel.

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber. A perfect Christmas? You mean you ask for something and people don't say, "I'm not buying you any gun stuff!" or "Don't you have enough knives already?"

Blackstone and the New World by Sally Spencer. I thought these books were reprints of a dead author. Nope the author is alive and well. The author is also a guy, Alan Rustage.

13 1/2 Nevada Barr. A new standalone by Barr. Literature professor Polly lives in New Orleans and has a new architect boyfriend. Meanwhile, a recently released killer leaves Minnesota for New Orleans.

NonFiction

Manhood for Amateurs: the pleasures and regrets of a husband, father, and son by Michael Chabon. Here is my advice for Chabon, "Get a haircut, you look like a hippy."

Star Wars Repairs

Star Wars Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron Volume 1 by [no author listed]. These paperbacks are poorly bound and fall apart frequently.

I'm Sick. You're Lucky I'm Listing These At All So Don't Expect Any Fascinating Insights

Music CDs

A Hard Day's Night, Yellow Submarine, The Beatles (White Album) by The Beatles.

Fiction

Missing by Beverly Lewis. Amish with head cover.

An Expensive Education by Nick McDonell. International intrigue and espionage.

Hardball by Sara Paretsky.

Last Kiss by Luanne Rice.

Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman. Kellerman abandoned the author photos where he is layered in eye-makeup.

Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls. "A True Life Novel" Woman in West Texas makes her own way or something.

When Autumn Leaves by Amy S. Foster. The cover looks very familiar.

Marshmallows for Breakfast by Dorothy Koomson.

The Gates by John Connolly. Connolly, Connelly, what's the difference?

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. Basketball with gorillas according to the cover.

NonFiction

When Someone You Love is Bipolar: help and support for you and your partner by Cynthia G. Last, PhD.

He Was My Chief: the memoirs of Adolf Hitler's secretary by Christa Schroeder. From 1933 to her arrest in May, 1945. Dirty, stinking, filthy, rotten Nazis.

Understanding Parkinson's Disease: a self-help guide, 2nd Edition by David L. Cram, et al.

World Coins and Currency, 2nd Edition by Arlyn G. Sieber.

Legal Forms Toolkit by Daniel Sitarz.

Easy Christmas Cut-Up Cakes for Kids by Mella Barlow.

Toys and Prices 2009 edited by Tom Bartsch.

Cheerleading: technique, training, show by Miriam Lopez Hernandez de Alba.

Gun Digest 2010 edited by Dan Shideler.

Guns Illustrated 2009 edited by Derrek Sigler.

Big Book of Country Rock from Hal Leonard Publishing. Piano, vocal and guitar parts.

Designing Jewelry with Semiprecious Beads by Kim Gover.

Pro Makeup: salon secrets of the professionals by Kit Spencer.

Large Print

I'm too tired to list these. I'm going home.

Why does Little Steven insist on playing Palisades Park?

What to Read 31: Books on Sex

The American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week reminded me that I was going to do a book talk about books on sex. The topic covers so many different areas that I decided to limit myself to mostly non-fiction titles and grouped them together under subjects of my own devising.






Titles include:

Marvel Romance by Stan Lee, et al

Blankets: an illustrated novel by Craig Thompson

Green Bay: love stories and other affairs by Sandy Sullivan

Loose Girl: a memoir of promiscuity by Kerry Cohen

Bunny Tales : behind closed doors at the Playboy Mansion by Izabella St. James

Confessions of a Naughty Mommy : how I found my lost libido by Heidi Raykeil

Real Sex : the naked truth about chastity by Lauren F. Winner

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

Princess on the Brink and I Know It’s Over by Meg Cabot

Staying Safe: a teen's guide to sexually transmitted diseases by Miranda Hunter

You Ought Know: a guy's guide to sex by Bill Kelly

Sex, Puberty and All That Stuff : a guide to growing up by Jacquie Bailey

Enchanted Again by Nancy Madore

The Empress's New Lingerie and Other Erotic Fairy Tales : bedtime stories for grownups by Hillary Rollins

Sex Dreams : what it means when you dream about a celebrity, your boss, an ex-lover, a stranger by Carol Cummings

Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Woman : ten keys to unlocking ultimate pleasure by Laura and Jennifer Berman

Better Sex Through Yoga : easy routines to boost your sex drive, enhance physical pleasure, and spice up your bedroom life by Jacquie Greaux

The "Go ask Alice" Book of Answers : a guide to good physical, sexual, and emotional health by Columbia University. Health Education Program.

The New Love and Sex After 60 by Robert N. Butler

Superflirt by Tracey Cox

Domestic Sex Goddess by Kate Taylor

Dehydrated Jewish Rappers Visitng Chicago With a Migraine

Music CDs

Light by Matisyahu. My apologies, I just read that he is a reggae singer. But he does sing about religion.

Large Print

The Spire by Richard North Patterson. Some book.

Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas. The cover photo has a gal in a wedding dress.

NonFiction

Rough Guide to Chicago by Rich McHugh. "Rough Guides are designed to be good to read and easy to use."

Essential Nonprofit Fundraising Handbook by Michael A. Sand and Linda Lysakowski.

Keeler Migraine Method: a groundbreaking individualized treatment program from the renowned headache clinic by Robert Cowan, MD.

Dehydrator Bible: includes over 400 recipes by Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt and Don Mercer. Books on preserving food have long legs so I thought this might fit in.

Decorative Painting Techniques for Walls, Floors, Ceilings and Furniture by Elise C. Kinkead and Gail E. McCauley. For people more ambitious than I am. We had a carpenter install two new doors at our house. On our old house the front door took a lot of time to do and I am so glad I did not try to do it myself.

McGraw-Hill's ASVAB, 2nd Edition by Dr. Janet E. Wall. I feel like I should study this book just to remember all the stuff from school I have forgotten.

LEMON BARS! (for me), NONFICTION (for you)

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars by Carolyn Wey. Eaten by me.









NonFiction

Mixed Martial Arts Unleashed: mastering the most effective moves for victory by Mickey Dimic.

Rock Band by Hal Leonard Corporation. Sheet music for "Twenty-five songs from the hit video game."

Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by Tess Mallos.

1001 Ideas for Bathrooms: the ultimate source book: fixtures, accessories, and decorative treatments by Jerri Farris.

Compost Specialist: the essential guide to creating and using garden compost, and using potting and seed composts by David Squire.

Home Landscaping by Creative Homeowner Press. "Designing gardens. Selecting the best plants. Growing trees, shrubs & flowers."

Nature Alternatives for You and Your Home: 175 recipes to make eco-friendly products by Casey Kellar. Cleaning products, beauty creams, personal care, deodorizers.

Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies: an easy to use reference for natural health care by Martha Schindler Connors.

One Pot French: more than 100 easy, authentic recipes by Jean-Pierre Challet.

Photoshop CS4 by Gary David Bouton and Carole Matthews.

Beaded Chain Mail Jewelry: timeless techniques with a twist by Dylon Whyte.

Bread Machine Bible: more than 100 recipes for delicious home baking with your bread machine by Anne Sheasby.

Tamales by Daniel Hoyer.

Country Living One-Dish Country Suppers: delicious casseroles, fritattas, roasts, and stews from Hearst Books.

Body Sculpting Bible Express: Women's Edition by James Villepigue and Hugo Rivera. We have an earlier edition that did well so I bought this too.

Lake Mills High School Homecoming Parade

I recorded the Homecoming Parade as it came through downtown. I really need a better camera; the current unit does not pick up motion very well.

Missed A Music CD

Music CD

Revolution by Miranda Lambert. Singer sings songs while simultaneously striking sexy stances.

13.25" of NonFiction and 1" of Fiction

Fiction (Height x Width x Thickness)

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke. 8.5x5 7/8 x 1 inches.

NonFiction (Height x Width x Thickness)

250 Questions You Should Ask to Get Out of Debt by David and Marcia Rye. 8.5x5.5x1 inches.

Wisconsin Curiosities by Michael Feldman and Diana Cook. 9x6x5/8 inches.

Wisconsin's Ghosts by Sherry Strub. 9x6x5/8 inches.

Best Church Supper Recipes edited by Heidi Lloyd (Taste of Home magazine). 9 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 5/8 inches.

The Vegan Table: 200 unforgettable recipes for entertaining every guest at every occasion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. 9.5 x 7.5 x 1 inches.

Taste of Home: casseroles, slow-cookers and soups by Janet Briggs. 9 x 8 3/8 x 1.25 inches.

Business Start-Up Toolkit by Daniel Sitarz. 9 1/16 x 7 1/16 x 7/8 inches.

Personal Bankruptcy Toolkit by Daniel Sitarz. 9 1/16 x 7 1/16 x 7/8 inches.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Preserving Food by Karen K. Brees, Ph.D. 9 1/16 x 7 5/16 x 13/16 inches.

Knock'Em Dead 2009: the ultimate job search guide by Martin Yate, C.P.C. 9 3/16 x 8 x 15/16 inches.

QuickBooks 2009: the official guide by Kathy Ivens. 9 1/8 x 7 3/8 x 1 5/8 inches.

Altered Shoes: a step-by-step guide to making your footwear fabulous by Marty Stevens-Heebner. 10 7/8 x 8 1/4 x 5/16 inches.

Fussy Eater's Recipe Book: 135 quick, tasty, and healthy recipes that your kids will actually eat by Annabel Karmel. 9 15/16 x 7 11/16 x 3/4 inches.

Ultimate Scholarship Book 2010 by Gen and Kelly Tanabe. 11 x 8.5 x 2 inches.

Classic John Deere Two-Cylinder Tractors: history, models, variations and specifications 1918-1960 by John Dietz and Jeff Hackett. 11.25 x 8 11/16 x 5/8 inches.

Doctor Who: the visual dictionary by Jacqueline Rayner. 12 1/8 x 10 3/16 x 1/2 inches.

More Fiction: Tasha and Tamera Alexander, Johnny D. Boggs, Jeff Lindsay

Fiction

Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman. Beautiful newcomer to Reidsville, CO must marry the local sheriff to claim her inheritance of the local railway.

Rio Chama by Johnny D. Boggs. Gunfighter Britton Wade takes on the challenge to transport a priest lynching condemned man to the gallows. But, the condemned man's father is the wealthy and powerful Senator Cole and the Senator does not want his son to hang. I read Boggs' Spur Award winner Camp Ford, it was good.

Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay. I've never seen the television series but have really enjoyed the books. The third book in the series, preceding this one, diverted from the usual storyline and involved demon possession. This fourth novel is back again to Dexter's usual problems of trying hard pass as a normal person while still following his hobby of murder.

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. Sequel to Atwood's Oryx and Crake and set in a post-apocalyptic land.

The Inheritance by Tamera Alexander. Inspirational romance. All these inspirational titles have the same cover designs. There will be a demurely dressed, pretty gal in her early to mid-twenties in the front and a rugged but handsome dude in the background. Both figures are outdoors in a field or the mountains or both.

Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander. A different series with the same dang cover style.

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander. Newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves are honeymooning in Constantinople when a harem girl is murdered. A local diplomat recognizes the victim as his daughter, who was kidnapped twenty years earlier, and Emily and Colin promise to investigate. Alexander was at last year's Murder and Mayhem in Muskego (and also scheduled for this year's) and her books sounded interesting. I bought this one since her other book we have A Fatal Waltz circ'ed well.

Rough Country by John Sandford. The usual.

Evil for Evil by James R. Benn. Another World War Two mystery by Benn featuring former Boston policeman Billy Boyle. Boyle is sent to Northern Ireland to track down some missing BARs that the IRA plans to use in an uprising and maybe ally themselves with the Axis. This is a good series, I recommended it before.

Red's Hot Honky-Tonk Bar by Pamela Morsi. Fortysomething Red is suddenly the guardian of two grandkids she barely knows. How will she mix the kids into her late-nights, bar owning lifestyle, and boy-toy boyfriend?

The Siege by Stephen White. Children of the Sec. of the Army and a Supreme Court Justice are captive inside the Skull and Bones building.

Stardust by Joseph Kanon. 1945 Hollywood where a returned veteran does not believe his successful movie-making brother killed himself.

Blood Safari by Deon Meyer. Emma sees a picture of her brother on the evening news as a murder suspect. But, her brother disappeared 20 years earlier in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Emma makes some inquiries and is attacked, so she hires a personal security guy and goes searching.

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo. I don't care enough to read the description.

All the Dead Voices by Declan Hughes. Dublin private investigator investigates. This series has been popular here.

The Puzzle King by Betsy Carter. Woman works to rescue her relatives from 1936 Germany.

Great News! New Gun Books! (Not Processed Yet However)

DVD

The Mentalist: season one starring Simon Someoneorother, and ThatReallyFitChick, and TheMuscularAsianDude. Celebrity psychic who is really just an expert on body language and human behavior helps California police solve crimes.

Fiction

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke. Another recipe mystery.

NonFiction

Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom. Albom has an 88-year-old rabbi ask Albom to do his eulogy. Meanwhile Albom gets involved with an urban Christian Pastor in Detroit. "Albom and the two men of God explore issues that perplex modern man."

The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding: everything a nursing mother needs to know by Marianne Neifert, MD. Some lady returned a breastfeeding book just yesterday.

Why We Buy: the science of shopping by Paco Underhill. Updated and revised version. How do people approach sales, move through stores, read signs, touch items to determine purchase?

Large Print

Pilgrims: a Wobegon romance by Garrison Keillor.

Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom.

Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods.

I Should Only Buy Mediocre Music CDs Because That's All That Seems to Check Out

Fiction

Blood's A Rover by James Ellroy. The great one returns! Crime and politics intersect in 1960's Los Angeles. Read it.

Intervention by Terri Blackstock. Young drug addict disappears on way to rehab and her interventionist is found murdered. Addict's mom tries to convince investigating cop that the missing girl is innocent.

Dark Tiger by William G. Taply. Stoney woke up in the VA with no memory of his past life. But, Stoney retained memory expertise, languages, etc. Seven years later he gets infrequent checks from shadowy government men checking on his memory while working as a fishing guide in Maine. One of those government types has Stoney work undercover at a fishing lodge to see why an agent was killed in a faked murder-suicide pact.

Pilgrims: a Wobegon romance by Garrison Keillor. Do you think there are people who write Wobegon fan faction? That would be sad.

Lost Art of Gratitude by Alexander McCall Smith. "An Isabel Dalhousie Novel." Scottish mom helps in financial investigation while dealing with a niece, her would-be-husband, and a crabby professor.

Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Sing along with me: I don't care, I don't care, I don't care at all.

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. Young married couple move to Kenya for a year. Husband practices medicine and wife does photography. The two climb Mount Kenya and a friend dies in accident.

Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods.

NonFiction

High on Arrival by Mackenzie Phillips. Did it happen or not? I say "Yes," because that dude was messed up.

Reagan's Secret War: the untold story of his fight to save the world from nuclear disaster by Martin and Annelise Anderson. "Reagan intendedfrom his first days in office to bring down the Soviet Union, that he considered eliminating nuclear weapons his paramount objective, and that he - no his subordinates - was the principal architect of the policies that ultimately brought the Soviets to the nuclear-arms negotiating table."

No Time for Tact: 365 days of the wit, words, and wisdom of Larry Winget by Larry Winget. I have no idea who this guy is but his books sell well and circ elsewhere in our system.

Why Fish Fart: and other useless or gross information about the world by Francesca Gould. Including: where can you find "the mound of ears", why do skunks stink, which infection causes bleeding from the eyes.

Arguing with Idiots: how to stop small minds and big government by Glenn Beck. I've only seen this guy for about five minutes worth of television but he seems to be a real tool.

Lord of the Rings: weapons and warfare by Chris Smith, Forewaord by Christopher Lee. A replacement for our worn-out copy.

Those Reissued Beatles CDs. Fogerty, Cornell Hurd.

The Beatles Remasters (in order of how stacked on my desk)

Abbey Road by The Beatles.

Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles.

Beatles for Sale by The Beatles.

Rubber Soul by The Beatles.

Let It Be by The Beatles.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles.

With the Bealtes by The Beatles.

Revolver by The Beatles.

Help! by The Beatles.

CDs

American Shadows: the songs of Moon Mullican by the Cornell Hurd Band. I was looking at a Bob Wills CD and remembered Bill Crider mentioning the Cornell Hurd Band. I think Hurd plays a kind of Texas Swing and honky-tonk. Although Crider's main reason for mentioning the band is probably that his son does sound work for them.

The Blue Ridge Rangers by John Fogerty. I presume he complains about politics on this one too.




Joy by Phish. I don't smoke marijuana so I have never heard their music.

One Chick Book, TV You've Seen, GED, Large Print

DVD

30 Rock: Season Two starring [people you've heard about already]. Includes deleted scenes, Muppets, making of an episode, audio commentary.

Fiction

Miranda's Big Mistake by Jill Mansell. Miranda plans revenge on her ex-boyfriend when she "discovers he left his wife when he found out she was pregnant."

NonFiction

Master the GED: 2010 by Peterson's.

Large Print

The Signal by Ron Carlson. Mack and Vonnie are soon to be divorced but still on a backpack trip to Wyoming. This supposed to be a goodbye trip but criminal minded Mack is tracking a signal deeper and deeper into the woods.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. "A remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a penetrating look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant."
Bleah.

Honor Murders, Adoption, Coffee Drinking Madisonian, Humping Vampires

AudioBooks

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. 8 CDs at 10 hours. This is the first Anita Blake novel with a 1993 copyright. That makes 16 years of vampires having group sex right? Or was that some fairys and werewolves thing?

Fiction

No Time to Wave Goodbye by Jacquelyn Mitchard. Some sort of sequel to that Ocean book. The bio on the cover says Mitchard has seven kids. Seven?!

Last Song by Nicholas Sparks. Do all his book's need to have a beach or water scene on the cover? Teen of divorce spends summer with dad in NC and meets local hunk.

Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid. McDermid's crime novels have a big following. Psychologist Dr. Tony Hill assists the police in the murder of soccer star and then in the bombing of a stadium.

Over-Easy by S. Kay Weber. Vacationers in Door County, WI get drawn into a mystery.

Night Monster by James Swain. Former cop, and current private investigator, Jack Carpenter is asked by his daughter to help with a creep following her college basketball team around. Carpenter runs across a connection to a cold case from his cop days.

NonFiction

Murder in the Name of Honor: the true story of one woman's heroic fight against an unbelievable crime by Rana Husseini. Investigation into honor killings which happen about 5000 times a year around the world.

You Can Adopt by Susan Caughman and Isolde Motley. "From deciding to homecoming - practical advice and real-life stories from adoptive families."

Spanish for Gringos, 2nd Edition by William C. Harvey.

Large Print

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs.

Surrender Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee.

Chosen to Die by Lisa Jackson.

Ian Says

"You're so fluffy, I'm going to eat your nose."

What to Read 30: Scott Phillips and Lee Goldberg

Two recommended novels.

Two Actors Demoted to B-List with a Stunt Casting and Michael Biehn

DVD

Streets of Blood starring Val Kilmer, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Sharon Stone, Michael Biehn. Six months after Hurricane Katrina two corrupt New Orleans cops are cutting loose. Like I said before, Val Kilmer DVDs always check out.

Four Large Print Novels

Large Print

Fragment by Warren Fahy. The library barcode is right on top of the author's name and now his last name looks like "Fart".

The Shortest Distance Between Two Women by Kris Radish. Crappy cover. I'm guessing this is a best-friends-forever novel and not a women-being-mean-to-each-other novel.

Vanished by Joseph Finder. Some thriller.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. The library barcode is right on top of this author's name and makes it look like "penis". Just kidding.

I'm Going to Get Those New Beatles Albums

The Beatles

I'm going to order those remastered albums on CD. I think I'll place the order tonight.

Update: I just ordered (6:54 PM pm) ABBEY ROAD, BEATLES FOR SALE, HARD DAY'S NIGHT, HELP!, LET IT BE, MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, PLEASE PLEASE ME, REVOLVER, RUBBER SOUL, SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND, WITH THE BEATLES, YELLOW SUBMARINE.

Second update: Crap. I just noticed I missed the White Album.

Fiction

The Missing by Beverly Lewis. One of those Amish books.

Day After Night by Anita Diamant. Snap Judgment from Cover: Teenage girls live and learn love on a Jewish Kibbutzz in the 1950s. Real Plot: Hey! I was kinda close. Four women tell story of 1945 escape from English prison near Haifa by Holocaust survivors.

NonFiction

Master of War: the life of General George H. Thomas by Benson Bobrick. Thomas was a very successful Union general during the Civil War, "The Rock of Chickamagua". Both Sherman and Grant derided him as "Slow Trot Thomas". But he "Thomas was methodical and careful, and always prepared...he was quick to analyze every situation and always knew what to do and when to do it."

I looked for a video of Uncle Tupelo playing Chickamagua but YouTube only has a Son Volt version.

Two Television Series on DVD with Scotch

DVD

Mad Men: Season Two starring [pretty people]. You probably heard of this show.



The Middleman starring [actors and hair gel]. Artist is recruited by secret agency for fight evil.




Badgers starring [badgers]. Badgers.

Two Sex Books with Victor Gischler

Fiction

Vampire a Go-Go by Victor Gischler. The latest from the writer of Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. The back of the book says little about the plot. Something about werewolves, alchemists and gun-toting Jesuits. None of that matters because every on of Gischler's books have been quite good. He always has a good bit of humor within a quickly moving story. So try it out.

The Spire by Richard North Patterson. Mark Darrow grew up poor but brilliant. A local college prof mentored Darrow who became a "superb trial lawyer". Darrow is asked to be the college President and finds that a murder case from when Darrow was a student there may have resulted in a wrong conviction.

Green by Ted Dekker. Thriller of some kind. Something about a guy falling asleep and waking up two thousand years later in a new Eden split by the Green and the Black Forest.

Enchanted Dreams: erotic tales of the supernatural by Nancy Madore. Our other Madore book, Enchanted Again, checks out pretty well so I ordered this one. Seven stories.
Random page:
As I was settling into the warm, sudsy water of Vincent's bathtub, there came a tap on the bathroom door.

"Yes?"

The door slipped open a few inches, "Would you like more wine?"

"I would, and company, too, if you care to stay," I heard myself responding. The warm water and wine were having their effect.

He closed the lid of the toilet and sat down there.

"How old are you?" I asked him.

"Eighty-five." he said with a smug smile. He look like a man in his early thirties.

"Still in your prime," I murmured. He laughed.

"Is it true vampires live forever?" I asked.
Vampires? O crap, not again.

NonFiction

Domestic Sex Goddess by Kate Taylor. Some sex themed nonfiction goes out and some doesn't. There is no telling. Nina Hartley's Guide to Total Sex and Confessions of a Naughty Mommy checked out okay. But, Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Women has done twice as well. Some things never check out. Like Staying Safe: a teen's guide to sexually transmitted diseases, we've had that for four years and it has never left the shelf. This one shows boobs and buttocks.

Large Print

Even Money by Felix Frances and Dick Frances.

Intervention by Robin Cook.

92 Pacific Boulevard by Debbie Macomber.

Two DVDs, Three Picture Books, Four CDs, Six Open Windows

DVD

Extreme Rules 2009 starring [lots of wrestler dudes]. The back cover says that Big Show weighs in at 485 pounds! Hokey smokes!

Suerveillance starring Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond. Two FBI agents assisting in a murder case have to detangle three varying eyewitness stories.



Music CDs

Back From the Dead by Spinal Tap. New songs and old songs. Do you think anyone ever tries that old joke with Christopher Guest, "Do you have any naked pictures of your wife? Want to buy some?"

Lotusflow3r by Prince. This actually three discs: Elixer by Bria Valente, Lotusflow3r by Prince, and MPLSound by Prince.

Lines, Vines and Trying Times by The Jonas Brothers. As I said in the bat video, I would have bought this sooner but I thought we already had it. I've heard portions of that Paranoid song and liked what I heard. I have not yet heard the full thing. I still like the Kinks best anyway.



Sunny Side Up by Paolo Nutini. Scottish guy with Italian name with strumming acoustic guitars.




Picture Books

Stretch by Doreen Cronin and Scott Menchin. Subject headings are: 1. Stories in rhyme. 2. Stretching exercises - Fiction.

What Really Happened to Humpty? by Jeanie Franz Ransom and Stephen Axelsen. From the LOC cataloging info: Detective Joe Dumpty rushes to investigate the mysterious circumstances under which his older brother, Humpty, fell from a wall on his first day as captain of the new Neighborhood Watch program. Where is Sheriff Rhodes when you need him? He's coming up for election you know.

Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Cynthia Rylant and Gustaf Tenggren. I just read Mr. Monk Goes to Germany where Monk and his assistant go to the Lohr region of Germany from where the fairy tale originated.

Ghost Written, No Such Agency, Pigeon Detectives

Fiction

Heaven's Keep by William Kent Krueger. Krueger's books are supposed to be pretty good. The body of Cork O'Connor's wife went missing in a plane crash in the Wyoming mountains. A few months later he learns the pilot may have been a fraud. Cork goes looking for evidence and runs into DANGER!

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs. Temperance Brennan awakes, with her hands and feet bound, in a cold, dark, enclosed place. She traces back through a series of Montreal area murders and the possibility that a colleague may have sabotaged laboratory work. Will she escape the DANGER?!

Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood. The Fargos, a fortune hunting wife and husband, find a German U-Boat in a Maryland swamp that holds a map piece leading to an ancient treasure. A rich half-Persian, half-Russian millionaire wants the treasure and puts the Fargos in DANGER!

Large Print

Smash Cut by Sandra Brown. Lawyer takes on case of a nephew murdering his own wealthy uncle. The uncle's mistress tries to interfere with the lawyer's case. Mistress is caught in several lies and puts everyone in DANGER!

Pigeon Detectives

Wait For Me by The Pigeon Detectives. I'm in DANGER! of listening to this album and Richard Thompson music all afternoon instead of weeding old books.

NonFiction

Beading with Filigree by Cynthia Deis. A replacement for a copy that was either mangled through negligence or mutilated when someone stole some pages. If I find the person responsible she is in DANGER!

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin. I heard a radio interview with Halperin. Halperin intended an expose on Jackson that would give final proof of Jackson's guilt as a pedophile. Instead, Halperin became convinced of Jackson's innocence of all sex allegations. Halperin did find out Jackson was gay and weird and in DANGER! from drug abuse.
Post-death updates to the book seem to have been very rushed. The picture captions are incomplete and resultingly bizarre.

The Secret Sentry: the untold story of the National Security Agency by Matthew M. Aid. The history of the super-secret NSA from it's post-war inception to today's mission of protecting us from DANGER!

Two Ghostwriters and the DVDs I Opened with the Bat

Fiction

Even Money by Dick Francis and Felix Francis. British bookie is approached by man claiming to be his father. Bookie's parents were supposed to have died when the Bookie was an infant. Hours later the Bookie's father is stabbed to death. What a warm and uplifting story.

Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. Character Alex Cross writes a novel about his great-uncle who was fighting the Ku Klux Klan in 1900 Mississippi. You know what I always say about Nazis, right? Dirty, filthy, stinking, rotten Nazis? The same goes for the Klan.

DVD

The Great Buck Howard starring Steve Zahn, Ricky Jay, John Malkovich, Tom Hanks Son. Former bigshot mentalist is on the bottom of a career slump. His new assistant and a new publicist get him back in the limelight.

I Love You Man starring [Apatow regulars], Lou Ferrigno. Guy with no friends tries to find guy to be his best man. Meets a dude he gets along with.

Taken starring Liam Neeson. Former spy's daughter is kidnapped in Paris. Spy has hissy fit with guns.

Hannah Montana: the movie starring Miley Cyrus. Snotty and self-important teen pop star gets sent to the family farm to get her to behave. Her 20-year-old boyfriend then moves into the family home.

Inkheart starring that Mummy Guy. Mummy Guy reads stories and they come to life. He and daughter have to put the characters back. Someone should do a study of how many real characters versus CGI characters Mummy Guy has had to perform with.

Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams, Alan Arkin. Single mom and her slacker sister start a business as biohazard cleaners for crime scenes and accidents.

Duplicity starring who cares? Opposing corporate spies are hot for each other.

New Stuff for 24 August 2009

Some new DVDs and CDs. Plus a special guest appearance from a local bat found floating in the toilet bowl this morning.

Two Audiobooks, A Dead Bat in the Toilet

AudioBooks

Blindman's Bluff by Faye Kellerman. 10 CDs. "LAPD homicide detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, will be blindsided by a brutal multiple murderer in this twisting tale of suspense."

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz. 7 CDs at 9 hours. Dude who talks to the dead goes to small CA seaside town when he gets dreams of an "all encompassing red tide."

Dead Bat in Toilet

Dead Bat in Upstairs Toilet

Not Many New Books. I Should Do Another Video.

Adult Fiction

Vanishing Act by Fern Michaels. What are the chances I will ever read a Fern Michaels novel? Very, very low. Maybe if I were to be kidnapped and locked in a room with nothing but a Michaels novel.

Filler

Jonas Brothers by Maggie Maron. Joe's favorite drink is Orange Gatorade. Kevin's favorite drink is coffee. Coffee!? Hey, I like that guy now!

I Love Dirt: 52 activities to help you and your kids discover the wonders of nature by Jennifer Ward. Divided by season. We were playing outside yesterday afternoon and the dog wanted to go back inside. I told her to stop whining.

Fractured Fairy Tales by Rocky and Bullwinkle. I'm listening to the Underground Garage (advance to track 5 of 10 for the story). They are playing the audio of Fractured Fairytale's version of Rumpelstitskin. Rumpelstiltskin is a PR man.

Simply Delicious! by Margaret Mahy. A resourceful father engages in all kinds of acrobatic moves to keep an assortment of jungle creatures from getting the double-dip-chocolate-chip-and-cherry ice cream cone he is taking home to his son.
Hey, Crider. There is a crocodile in this one.

Donut Holes by Jim Braughler. Jim brought in donut holes this morning. The sour cream kind.

Oops, Missed Two Comics

Unstoppable: Astonishing X-Men by Josh Whedon and John Cassaday. Super heroes save the world

Dangerous: Astonishing X-Men by Josh Whedon and John Cassaday. A powerful enemy [is] living among the X-Men.

Colonel Volkovoy Returns

DVD

Eastbound and Down: complete first season starring Danny McBride. A drunken lout lives too hard and loses his skills as a big-league pitcher. Lout ends up living with his brother and teaching PE at the local middle school while he "wreaks havoc with his boorish behavior and even makes a pre-emptive romantic strike on his former high school squeeze, now a teacher engaged to the school principal."

Fiction

The Venona Cable by Brent Ghelfi. Col. Volkovoy is a covert Russian Army officer and a leader in Moscow's crime world. Volk is taken to the crime scene of a murdered Hollywood cinematographer implicated in the '50s as a spy. Among the dead man's possessions is a photograph is Volk's long-missing father.

Vanished by Joseph Finder. Lauren and her husband, Roger, are mugged. Lauren is knocked out and Roger is missing. Lauren calls Rogers brother, Nick, to find Roger.

Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks. Some fantasy thing.

Obsession: an erotic tale by Gloria Vanderbilt. Lady finds secret letters hidden among her recently deceased husband's possessions.

Crazy Library Customer

A story from Stephanie about a crazy lady who came in a year or two ago. More stories as they become available.




In reference to a couple comments I have had on the nature of this video: One of the great things about Libraries, and there are many, is that anyone can come and use the Library. Libraries get the whole of society including the homeless, mentally ill, socially tactless, and generally clueless. They are all welcome. But, sometimes, bizarre and inappropriate behavior is part of the package. This incident occurred in the center of the Library in front of staff and several customers.

Remembering this incident is not intended to belittle the lady but to laugh about the situation and the whole event. My intent was not to mock a someone with a mental illness. The customer is entirely welcome to return and use the Library.

Four Large Print Novels

All our large print novels are bought on two subscription services from Gale/Cengage and Center Point Large Print. I don't actually select the titles.

Large Print

Storm Cycle by Iris and Roy Johansen. Computer genius Rachel tries to rescue archeologist John who is trapped in an Egyptian tomb. John may have discovered a secret to cure Rachel's dying sister.

Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney. Opening to a random page: "Not yet." The cook eyed her severely. "You never mentioned that you had a husband."

Hello Goodbye by Emily Chenowith. Abby travels to northern New Hampshire with her parents in the summer. Her mother has just been diagnosed with malignant brain tumor and visitors come to see her mom for the last time.

Below Zero by C.J. Box. Box's novels are supposed to be quite good. Sheriff Joe Pickett's oldest daughter Sherry is convinced that Pickett's foster daughter survived a massacre and has been calling on the telephone.

CJ Box is confirmed to attend the Murder and Mayhem in Muskego conference on Nov 14, '09. The conference line-up for this year looks great. Well, the list looks great to me because I have read several of the authors. Heck, I already signed up.

I Returned And Found These

DVD

Dexter the Third Season starring [actors]. Evil guy does evil things.

AudioBooks

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child. 12 CDs, 14.5 hours. Jack Reacher fights evil.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. 7 CDs, who knows how long. New Jersey bounty hunter fights evil.

Still Life by Louise Penny. 8 CDs, 9.5 hours. Quebecois cop fights evil.

Relentless by Dean Koontz. 8 CDs, 9.25 hours. Author fights evil book reviewer.

Fiction

Shoot the Lawyer Twice by Michael Bowen. Milwaukee lawyer and his professor wife fight evil.

Blindman's Bluff by Faye Kellerman. LAPD homicide investigator fights evil.

Intervention by Robin Cook. Doctor fights evil.

Large Print

Diamond in the Rough by Diana Palmer. Library Director fights evil by fighting against ugly book covers.

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand. Married couple drowns in evil ocean.

Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall. Lady in Kentucky finds that something evil is killing wolves.

Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer. Kat becomes obsessive about cutting costs to fight evil.

What to Read 29: Jim Oliver's Motorcycle Journey

I'm still in Lindsborg, KS. Today was the Thor's Roar motorcycle rally. Jim Oliver spoke in the meeting room at the local bank about his around the world motorcycle trip he made in 2004. Oliver wrote about it in Lucille and the XXX Road available from his website at: http://www.raymondjames.com/JamesOliver/. We'll have the book available from the Library once I can order it and get it cataloged.

Oliver and a pal rode their BMW GS bikes west from Vladivostok, Russia through Europe. Oliver then air-shipped his bike to Montreal and drove the rest of the way home.

Isn't it nice how I can legitimately add "XXX" to the subject heading (tags) without using it to try and grab attention? If Jim Oliver went to Nagocdoches would people mistake him for Joe R. Lansdale?

What to Read 28: Marcus Sakey

What to Read: Marcus Sakey's At the City's Edge.

Also, an introduction to my magical box of books.

Two CDS by Two Different Bands

Music CDs

The other day I read an online comment by an author I follow, Anthony Neil Smith. His discussion on literary versus popular fiction touched on the similarity of Top 40 vs. "artist" music. Here we have two albums that fit that comparison. Wilco has a been a successful band but is more of a critics' darling than a stadium filler. Dave Matthews sells lots of records, gets airplay, and sells out concerts. I like a lot of Wilco's stuff but I do not consider feedback to be an instrument. Dave Matthews I couldn't give a rat's ass about - but I'll be fair and say I have not heard many songs.


Wilco (the album) by Wilco. This Wilco album is supposed to be more accessible; that means it probably doesn't have that artsy noise crap.

Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King by the Dave Matthews Band. Who was it from their band that died? Some horn player? All I know is that the fella was fairly young and it's a dang shame about that. (I'm not being sarcastic.)

Two Adult, Thirteen Young Adult, One Sitting Library Director

Fiction

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. Heh, heh. Weiner.

Blade: playing dead by Tim Bowler. Hey...this is a young adult novel. It was mis-cataloged. That means the title to this post is wrong.

Young Adult

Killer Pizza by Greg Taylor. Toby dreams of being a chef. He takes a summer job at Killer Pizza and has some cool co-workers. Then he finds out that Killer Pizza is "a front for a monster-hunting organization!"

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce. Book two in the Beka Cooper series. Beka is now a "Dog", a local cop in Corus. When counterfeit coins start disrupting the local economy Beka and another Dog go undercover in another city, Port Caynn, where the coins originate.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. This is a good idea. But it should be a real-life guide for vampire book fans. (Charlie Huston fans excluded.)

Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel. Beginner pilot Matt is working on the Starclimber, "a vessel that literally climbs into the cosmos", on a voyage with scientist Kate. They end up surounded by strange lifeforms and the crew has to battle mechanical failures.

Just Another Hero by Sharon M. Draper. "Conclusion to the two-time Coretta Scott King honor trilogy," with HS students facing a mass murderer in their school.

Carbon Diaries, 2015 by Saci Lloyd. The environment "has gone completely mad" and the British government orders extreme cutbacks on carbon release. The weather still freaks out with frozen winters and vicious summer storms.

Hannah's Winter by Kierin Meehan. Hannah would rather be back in Australia than living in Japan. Hannah and her new friend Miki discover a riddle in a stationary shop.

Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart. I took Boy #! to swim lessons a few weeks ago and grabbed the wrong book when we left. I think the one I got was the Mysterious Benedict Society. It was pretty good but I still fell asleep at the lessons. The humidity and heat in there always makes me sleepy.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Must be a Spyderco book.

Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry. Yech.

Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer. Another yech.

Funny How Things Change by Melissa Wyatt. Yech, again.

Hunger: a gone novel by Michael Grant. Preppies.

Library Director

What to Do at the Desk: tasks to keep you occupied at the circulation desk during slow foot traffic by Gerard Saylor.

Another Variety Pack With a Recycled Title

DVD

Reno 911!: the complete sixth season starring [actors]. I like this show. The movie version was on tv the other day. They have a scene filmed in a library.

Doc Martin: season one and season two. "Brilliant but socially awkward and neurotic Doc Martin develops an aversion to blood, abandons his career as a celebrated London surgeon and becomes the only doctor in a sleepy small town where his tactless manner soon has everyone in an uproar." Recommended by Maury from the Mens Book Club.

Large Print

Trust No One by Gregg Hurwitz. Nick Horrigan is grabbed by a SWAT team and taken to a nuclear plant where a terrorist demands to speak to Nick. Nick has no idea who the guy is.

A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert. Blah.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. Young Irish woman in the 1950s leaves for work in Brooklyn. She has a tough transition, learns to like it, and then has to head back to Ireland.

NonFiction

Get Cooking by Sam Stearns. Kid cook does book.

AudioBooks

One Step Behind by Helen Mankell. Swedish murder mystery.

Two-Bear Mambo by Joe R. Lansdale. Hap and Leonard search for Leonard's missing lawyer, Florida. Florida was investigating the jailhouse death of a bluesman's son in the "Klan-infested East Texas town of Grovetown."

I Missed a Stack of Fiction

Fiction

Undone by Karin Slaughter. I was making fun of Slaughter's name the other day when my wife was reading one of her books. Suspenseful murder mystery in Georgia with a trauma doctor and some cops.

Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini. Defense attorney Paul Madriani defends a woman against murder in a case that involves secrets from the Cold War and priceless gold coins.
I listened to a Martini novel where some bad cops were setting up Madriani. There is a great get-even point where a bad cop is burglarizing Madriani's home and Madriani whacks the dude across the face with a club.

The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock. The Hellers escape from the dirty, filthy, stinking, rotten Nazis and move to Illinois. Once the war starts someone starts spreading rumors about the Heller family and the eldest daughter, now a newspaper reporter, tries to find out who is at fault.

Get Real by Donald Westlake. A comedic mystery by the recently deceased Westlake. Dortmunder and his burglary crew are followed by cameras from a reality tv show.

Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance. I already wrote that story about Jance at the Phoenix Public Library with the frozen Dove bars. I read yesterday that Phoenix PL has taken a major budget hit. They have tons of dough for capital projects like new branches and renovations, but they cannot spend that capital money on operating expenses.

Words

NonFiction

The Word Snoop: a wild and witty tour of the English language by Ursula Dubosarsky. A fun book on words, the history of the written word, and misuse of words. This whole freaking blog is a misuse of words.

Large Print

The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner. Hot chick on the cover.

A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey. Hot chick on the cover.

Burn by Linda Howard. Hot chick on the cover.

The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles. River bridge on the cover.

There's Something About St. Tropez by Elizabeth Adler. Hot chick on the cover.

Knock Out by Catherine Coulter. Lincoln Monument on the cover.

James Lee Burke and Some Large Print with Plot Guesses

Fiction

Rain Gods by James Lee Burke. Hackleberry Holland has taken the job as town sheriff on the Texas-Mexican border. The mass grave of nine illegal immigrants is found behind a local church and Hack investigates the murder. Meanwhile, some dude and his dudette are being hunted by paid killers who think dude and dudette have information about the murders.

The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olson. "A tattoo shop mystery" Tattoo artist Brett makes an appointment to ink a girl's arm with her fiance's name. The girl never shows and Brett receives a visit from the cops asking about her. Brett ends up searching Las Vegas on the case.

The cover on this was really well done - the author posted an image online a few months ago - but the small size of the paperback takes away from it.

Suite 606 by J.D. Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, and Mary Kay McComas. Short stories with ghosts, deception, lovers apart for years, pounding storm, twist of fate, mother and son lost in the threads of history, impaired wizard, ritualistic murder, etc.

Large Print with Guesses on Plot

Summer House by Nancy Thayer. My guess: Widow in her sixties returns to summer house with mixed feelings and meets a handsome new neighbor. Love ensues amidst her guilt on stepping out on the dead husband. With sex.

The Increment by David Ignatius. My guess: Tourist gets caught in the blood feuds of an old Italian village. With hot Italian girl sex.

Tempted by His Kiss by Tracy Ann Warren. My guess: Regency romance. With discrete sex.

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham. My guess: Laughter and champaign as young bride juggles wedding plans, pushy parents, ex-paramours, and a disinterested groom. With fears of infidelity sex.

Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver. My guess: a serial killer specializes in vehicular homicide and staged auto "accidents". With cop and victim sex.

What to Read 27: Tom Piccirilli's "The Coldest Mile"

What to Read 27: Tom Piccirilli's The Coldest Mile. A continuation of the story told in The Cold Spot.

Four Audiobooks, Elvis Costello, Morrisey, Chesterfield Kings, others

Music CDs

Only by Night by the Kings of Leon. Limeys love Leon.

(Older tune.)


Years of Refusal by Morrissey. Embedding was disabled. Here is a link.

Relapse by Eminem. Rap music.

Secret, Profane and Sugarcane by Elvis Costello.

(Another old one.)



Living Thing by Peter, Bjorn and John. I have no idea about these dudes but they seem to sell records and dislike razors.

Psychedelic Sunrise by The Chesterfield Kings. Another favorite of Little Steven and his Underground Garage. [Independent thought, what's that?]





21st Century Breakdown by Green Day. I'm just not seeing it anymore with these guys. I'll try listening to the album but I don't expect much from it.

Wait for Me by Moby. Bald guy plays more keyboards and eats vegetables.

My Turn by Tanya Tucker. Wasn't Tucker a pill popping sex machine in the '80s? I read that somewhere.

Jazz in the Garden by The Stanley Clark Trio with Hiromi and Lenny White. I first heard of Clarke was when he teamed up with Stuart Copeland and a girl singer to make Animal Logic.





Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin. The last disc cracked so I replaced it.

Chickenfoot by Chickenfoot. "Super group" with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Chad Smith, and Michael Anthony.

DVD

Marvelous Machines! Military C-5 Galaxy and C-130 Hercules. "Learn about the exciting world of military aircraft up close..from high flotation landing gear to the massive turbofan engines." This was meant for the kids' collection in the basement but landed in adult DVD. We'll see how it goes and move it down if there are no takers. Not that there is any more room for additional kids DVDs. That space is packed full.

Audiobooks

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer. 10 CDs at 12 hours. "Milo is drawn into a conspiracy that links riots in the Sudan, an assassin committing suicide, and an old friend who's been accused of selling secrets to the Chinese."

The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith. 10 Cds at 11 hours. The Soviet Union in 1956 is politically fracturing after the death of Stalin. Former state security cop Leo is being hunted by revenge for Leo's past eagerness at work. I read this book's predecessor, Child 44, and it was fairly decent.

Loser's Town by Daniel Depp. Hollywood P.I. is hired to protect actor from a blackmail scheme by a gangster with aspirations of being a movie producer. Depp got a lot of early press for this novel because he is Johnny Depp's older brother. The book is supposed to be good.

The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles. Penn is the new mayor of Natchez, MS and has taken the job to help change things. Penn learns that one of the town's casino riverboats has been pulling in high rollers with blood sport. Penn has to go up agains the big money and the Natchez locals who get a share.

ALA Annual Conference in Chicago

I went down to the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago to see the exhibits.

Two

Fiction

Black Hills by (supposedly) Nora Roberts. I'm starting to think almost all these authors with multiple books a year are purely ghost written. This "Roberts" book has a blue cover - like many of her other books - with a full moon and a leopard.

NonFiction

Top 10 Florence and Tuscany by Reid Bramblett. A travel guide from DK's Eyewitness Travel series. The cover says, "Pull-out map and guide." Well I would certainly hope so. How crappy would a travel guide be without a map?

Norwegian Chick Rockers, More Mexican Wrestling, Two CDs Worth of Nick Lowe

Music CDs

Saint Valentine's Day Massacre by The Cocktail Slippers. Norwegian chicks sing garage rock tunes. Featured by Little Steven on his syndicated radio show which I love to listen to.

Quiet Please: the new best of Nick Lowe by Nick Lowe. You have to be cruel to be kind.

DVDs

Thin Ice starring Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, William Sadler, Camryn Manheim. Selleck has done a excellent job with these adaptations of Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone novels.

Dia de los Muertos. Mexican wrestling featuring El Hijo Santo vs. La Park in a steel cage match.
Viva Guerrero!. Eddie Guerrero's wrestling life is celebrated by other famous wrestlers.

Reaper: season two starring That Guy From Twin Peaks, That Guy From Grounded for Life. Slacker finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil. Now slacker has to work for the devil by catching escaped souls.

Fiction

Even by Andrew Grant. Former nsval intelligence officer from Britain is set-up for murder in New York City.

John Ceepak, Lansdale, Tractors, Vietnam Memoir

Fiction

Mind Scrambler by Chris Grabenstein. John Ceepak and his narrating partner Danny Boyle return for another mystery on the New Jersey shore. The two are on vacation in Atlantic City when Danny meets an old friend who nannies for a magician. The girl is strangled and Ceepak and Boyle get involved.

Punisher: War Journal: Secret Invasion by Fraction, Remender, Spurrier, Chaykin, Macdonald, Dell'Edera. Judging from the cover the Punisher fights green aliens with pointy ears.

Run A Crooked Mile by Janet LaPierre. Rosemary moves to the California mountains to be alone. He she ends up taking in the dog of a recent murder victim. Mystery and danger follow.

Vanilla Ride: a Hap and Leonard novel by Joe R. Lansdale. East Texas pals Hap and Leonard tend to stir up trouble and when "rescuing a friend's daughter from an abusive, no-good drug dealer" Hap and Leonard end up stirring trouble with the Dixie Mafia who want payback.
Lansdale does real good work.

NonFiction

Classic Farmall Tractors: history, models, variations and specifications 1922-1975 by Kenneth Updike.

The Ghosts of Thua Thien: an American soldier's memoir of Vietnam by John A. Nesser. "Nesser was deployed to the Ashau Valley, site of some of the war's heaviest fighting, and served eight months as an infantry rifleman before becoming a door gunner for a Chinook helicopter. In this stirring memoir, he recalls in detail the exhausting missions in the mountainous jungle, the terror of walking into an ambush, the dull-edged anxiety that filled quiet days, and the steady fear of being shot out of the sky."

Romanticize It All You Want, But Bonnie and Clyde were Scumbag Killers

Fiction

Dropped Dead Stitch by Maggie Sefton. "Delicious Recipes and Knitting Pattern Included." I think you know my opinion on this book.

Hot House Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire by Margot Berwin. I needed to buy more chick books. Divorcee Lila starts learning about plants and rare plants and finds a rare fern in a NYC laundromat. Lila travels to the Yucatan jungle to plant hunt.

A Wild Affair by Gemma Townley. Jessica finds her fiance in an embrace with another woman. Jessica awakes in the bed of her fiance's male business rival. Soon Jessica sees that htings are not as they appeared, can she save what she has lost?

The Dark Horse by Craig Johnson. Johnson's novels are supposed to be pretty good. "Interweaving classic noir sensibilities with contemporary themes of social justice, Craig Johnson's popular Walt Longmire mysteries transport readers to the sparse and rugged landscape of Wyoming."

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. in 1962 Mississippi a recent college grad, a black maid who just lost a son, and a black cook with a sassy mouth "come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk...because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times."

NonFiction

Go Down Together: the true untold story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn. If learned all you know about Bonnie and Clyde from the movies "the real story is completely different - and far more fascinating...Clyde and Bonnie were perhaps the most inept crooks ever, and their two-year crime spree was as much a reign of error as it was of terror."

Joan: the mysterious life of the heretic who became a saint by Donald Spoto. We needed a new Joan of Arc biography to replace the one falling apart.

Town and Country Days Parade

Just a Bunch of Books

Novels I Will Not Read

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk. Foreign exchange student is actually a spy and saboteur sent to plan and execute a terrorist attack "that will bring this big dumb country and its fat dumb inhabitants to its knees."
I wonder how many spies and terrorists have come to the U.S. all charged-up to cause trouble and then, after staying awhile, said "Screw that," and joined the neighbors for a beer?

Patterns in the Sand by Sally Goldenbaum. "A Seaside Knitters Mystery." How exciting! A knitting mystery. There's nothing that says death and suspense like knitting.

A Rogue of My Own by Johanna Lindsey. Is this one of those romances where the wild, free-roaming dude is drawn into the arms of some broad who tames his ways? Johanna Lindsey lives in Maine. Lindsey sells tons of books but I wonder if any are ghost written. I'll also bet she has the bucks to have a pretty big house - but I'll also bet she wasted her money on couches and bathtubs instead of installing an indoor shooting range.

NonFiction For Paranoids and Casual Reading

If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Be Okay: how to know if your child's illness is really an emergency by Lara Zibners, MD.

Mental Floss Presents Be Amazing by Maggie Koerth-Baker. Learn to Leave you mark on history, Train a cat, win a duel, build a dynasty, sell a kidney on the black market, perform your own surgery.
The surgery section mentions Aron Ralston who had his arm crushed and stuck when rock climbing in Utah in 2003. After a few days Ralston cut his arm off to get out. My brother mentioned once about meeting or hearing about this guy before the accident and that basically Ralston was an idiot and bound to have something happen to him.

Three NonFic, Two Fic

Fiction

The Scoop by Fern Michaels. Daisy Multroon takes over an ice cream stand in rural Georgia from her aging great aunt. Daisy is retreating from a soured engagement in the big city and decides a change of pace is in order. Daisy promptly and disastrously finds out that running a small business in a small town is tougher than she thought; her experience as a Atlanta investment banker has not prepared her for teenage employees, unreliable suppliers, and the handsome building inspector, Bud. Sparks fly between Daisy and Bud and they are not sparks of love. Yet.

I made all that up.

Swimsuit by Maxine Paetro and James Patterson. Ex-cop reporter hunts Hawaii for missing supermodel.

NonFiction

Methland: the death and life of an American small town by Nick Reding. Reding researches Oelwin, IA whose depressed economy has become dependent on the meth trade.

Novelist and former Deputy Sheriff Donald Harstad is from NE Iowa. He had four or five good crime novels set in rural Iowa. What the heck has Harstad been doing? Maybe I should try and find the guy's phone number or email and ask him.

Not So Big Remodeling: tailoring your home for the way you really live by Sarah Susanka and Marc Vassallo. "With small thoughtful changes the home you live in can be the home you love."

The NFL Gameday Cookbook: 150 recipes to feed the hungriest fan from preseason to the Super Bowl by Ray Lampe.

What to Read 26: Brent Hartinger

I had a phone interview with author Brent Hartinger about two of his novels, Geography Club and Order of the Poison Oak. But, the dang camera was accidentally turned off about 30 seconds into our conversation. I was too humiliated to try and re-schedule another phone call.

Lazy Greyhounds, A Couple Novels

DVD

The Mighty Celt starring Gillian Anderson and Robert Carlyle. Boy living with single mom in Ireland strikes deal with greyhound trainer to get to keep a dog if boy trains dog to win three races.
I bought this because it has greyhounds and Gillian Anderson.

Princess of Nebraska starring [people you do not know]. Pregnant Chinese student studying in Nebraska travels to San Francisco for, possibly, an abortion. Directed by Wayne Wang who does good stuff.

Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser. People fall into the center of the Earth and overcome cgi produced obstacles.

Fiction

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. I think I read one of these books a long time ago. I don't know bupkis about the characters but have heard enough to make this prediction: Plum goes after a bail-jumper, Plum's grandmother acts crazy, Plum experiences sexual tension and romantic trouble, other bounty hunters both help and hinder.

The Memory Collector by Meg Gardiner. Jo calls herself a 'deadshrinker'. She is a forensic psychologist who helps determine the mental state of people before they died. She gets called to help with a guy who has lost his short term memory. While Jo helps the guy she discovers a link between the guy and a 'biological agent'.

Non Fiction

The Secrets of Happy Families: eight keys to building a lifetime of connection and contentment by Scott Haltzman, M.D.