Monday, March 05, 2012

Musical Interlude to Remain Relevant

Musical Interlude

"To keep a blog relevant you must keep it current."

I am doing library bills this morning and was listening to BBC's 6 Music (as I often do) and a song came on that reminded me of this tune:




Off a charity album, The Sun Came Out, available from the library.

Friday, March 02, 2012

Snow and Television

Snow

DSC01099

DSC01097

DVD

Boardwalk Empire starring Steve Buscemi and Dabney Coleman. 1920 Atlantic City run by local mob boss.



Downton Abbey: Season One starring Professor McGonagall, That One Gal Who Was Nude in Ragtime. Some sort of English show.



Downton Abbey Season Two same as before. More English family upsets.

Archer: the complete season one starring [comic geniuses]. Genius! Absolute genius!

Archer: the complete season two starring [more genius!].

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Investigations, Gypsies, Ghosts

NonFiction

While America Sleeps by Russ Feingold. Former Senator writes a book. I dare you to look at the 1960s photo with Feingold and his father at not smirk and Feingold Jr.'s awful haircut.

Vigilant Investor: a former SEC enforcer reveals how to fraud-proof your investments by Pat Huddleston. "According to the FBI, Americans are conned out of roughly $40 billion dollars - the equivalent of one Madoff-sized mega-scam - every single year through investment fraud."

The Operators:the wild and terrifying inside story of America's war in Afghanistan by Michael Hastings. Hastings wrote the article in Rolling Stone that helped get General McChrystal canned. I've read criticism of Hastings but do not know how accurate the criticism is. Read this and decide for yourself.

Gypsy Boy: my life in the secret world of the Romany Gypsies by Mike Walsh. A bestseller in the UK. Walsh is gay and that was part of his reason for leaving the gypsy community. Since he would likely have been killed.

Haunted Wisconsin, Third Edition by Michael Norman. Page 106 says, "The pounding in the walls was not the only frightening experience the young girl had in the home."

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Jodi Picoult? Again?

Fiction

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult. Picoult? Again?

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke. Fluke? That was quick.

Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton. Beaton? Already?

Downfall by Terri Blackstock. Blackstock? So soon?

Yours, Mine, Ours by Mary Janice Davidson. Davidson? That was fast.

Victims by Jonathan Kellerman. Kellerman? Speedy, huh?

NonFiction

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Trapped on Treasure Island by Floyd Gottfredson. Gottfredson's original strips from the 1930's? It's only been 70 years. Why so fast?

Thursday, February 23, 2012

28 Discs of Sound and Sight

DVD

Knuckle starring [Irish Travellers]. Twelve years of fist fighting.




Weeds: Season Seven starring Mary-Louise Parker. I guess the promo explains everything.



Louie: the complete first season starring Louis C.K., [various guests]. I found a clip without profanity.




Breaking Dawn: Part One starring Breathing Mannequin, Karate Werewolf.




Audiobooks on CD

Once Upon a Secret: my affair with John F. Kennedy and its aftermath by Mimi Alford. 5 CDs at 6.5 hours. Nineteen-year-old intern had affair with JFK up until his death.

Enemies: a history of the FBI by Tim Weiner. 15 CDs at 18.5 hours. The first definitive history of the FBI's secret intelligence operations.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Monday, February 20, 2012

Boogie Down

Music on Circular Pieces of Plastic With A Small, Centered Hole

Ultra Dance 13 featuring remixes of Lady Gaga, Swedish Hose Mafia, Inna, [and other musicians you never heard of]. Singers sing frantic songs.

While listening to the music you can stare at the album's cover model in the accompanying booklet.



Born to Die by Lana Del Rey. Chanteuse sings atmospheric songs. I've read that Del Rey has been generating a lot of internet discussions over her abilities and previous musical efforts. I like a couple of the tunes.

WITH TIGERS!

Nora Roberts : Writing Machine

Fiction

Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb. Standard Robb cover design. Why does the author bio not say Roberts is the author? There are paperback edition of Rob novels that say right on the cover "Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb".

The Technologists by Matthew Pearl. This guy's books do well. Boston, 1868...marshy... fiery cataclysm... sabotage... shocking... sensationalistic... ingenuity... irrepressible... small secret society... mastermind... studded... shimmer.

I always confuse Matthew Pearl with Daniel Pearl.

Sonoma Rose: an Elm Creek quilts novel by Jennifer Chiaverini. I think Chiaverini makes quilting events a major part of her book tours. Bill Crider should make Bigfoot conferences part of his book tours. Or Emu auctions. Or barbershop quartet conventions. Or noir-ish AARP meetings.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Poetic Large Print

Large Print

Taken by Robert Crais. I once beat a mime while eating a lime. At the time it was sublime, until someone dropped a dime. Now, I do time with a fellow named Slime.

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George. The dock extended into fog as I walked my dog. Where did I leave that corpse?

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner. Some say the artist is lazy. Maybe drugged or a little bit hazy? Recycling cover art is sometimes crazy.

Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz. Psychic talents in the balance. Big, bad dude who can be rude. Will love bloom? Or lead to doom?

10 Novels Including A New One By Stephen Gallagher

Fiction

Bedlam Detective by Stephen Gallagher. Becker is a turn-of-the-century employee of Bedlam Hospital whose job is to investigates wealthy clients to see if they are too insane to handle their affairs. Becker gets involved in a murder case.

Gallagher has done some neat books. I read an old one of his, Valley of Lights, that was quite fun.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. Kinsella is English? I figured she was some Manhattan chick. Gallagher is also a Limey.

Restless in the Grave by Dana Stabenow. The latest Alaska tour courtesy of Stabenow and her detective, Kate Shugak.

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice. Werewolves in Northern California. Maybe the guy just needs a haircut? Did you think of that?

Private Games by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan. Mr. Money Machine has a new co-writer.

Crimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris. A freebie from Bouchercon this past Fall.

I was invited to a librarian breakfast where Harris was the speaker. There were plenty of her fans there, and also fans of the television program. At one point she spoke about how, at times, there was something she did not like or agree with in the television program but she would then look at her last royalty check and feel better. I drank A LOT of coffee at that breakfast.

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner. I wish there were a way to show my extreme sarcasm when I think, "Oh, there is an original title."

Left for Dead by J.A. Jance. Didn't she just have a book? Well...maybe if last July is "just a while ago."

Mrs. God by Peter Straub. This horror novella has a weird history. Copyright is 1990 when it appeared in Houses Without Doors. A ghost story with a researcher staying at the family home that hosted literary greats.

Kill Shot by Vince Flynn. I bet someone gets killed.

Thursday, February 09, 2012

I Am Short on Time, Provide Your Own Wisecracks

Large Print

Angelina's Bachelors by Brian O'Reilly.

The Silver Lotus by Thomas Steinbeck.

Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag.

Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

How It All Began by Penelope Lively.

The List by Martin Fletcher.

Nanjing Requiem by Ha Jin.

The Devil's Elixir by Raymond Khoury.

True Blue by Diana Palmer.

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

One DVD

DVD

Drive starring It Guy in a Scorpion Jacket, Super Dave Osborne's Brother, Hellboy. Guy in Scorpion Jacket gets in trouble when helping a neighbor get out of a jam with the mob. Cars. Blood. Nordic atmosphere in the center of Los Angeles. Bill Crider did not write a review for Drive but he did do one for Drive Angry.


Tuesday, February 07, 2012

One NF, One F, One Audio

NonFiction

Marathon: the ultimate training guide by Hal Higdon. One of the library's regulars tried to put this on reserve. There were no copies in the system so I bought this one. It's about marathons. Page 232 says Scientists and running writers like myself had not yet spread the news that proper fluid replacement can make you run faster. No pictures.

Fiction

Horizon: an aftertime novel by Sophie Littlefield. There are three of four authors with similar names to this lady. This might be written for a YA audience. Some sort of post-apocalyptic tale.

Audiobook on CD

Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag. 9 CDs at 11 hours. Unsolved disappearance...given her daughter up for dead...desperate to find...been..have...knows...evidence...to...when...cunning.

Friday, February 03, 2012

Queen Elizabeth and the Obamas on the Home Front Sniping to Defend Jacob

Fiction

Home Front by Kristin Hannah. Somebody photoshopped that cover all over. Foundering marriage has more stress when wife is deployed.

Defending Jacob by William Landay. This has received some fine reviews. I have an advanced readers copy of this from last Fall and have never cracked it. Attorney has to defend his 14-year-old son accused of murder.

NonFiction

The Obamas by Jodi Kantor. Bio of the couple and the privacy and practicalities of living in the White House.

American Sniper: the autobiography of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. Books on snipers and sniping always check-out.

Elizabeth the Queen: the life of a modern monarch by Sally Bedell Smith. Further subtitle: My life with Corgis.

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Weeding Improves Circulation and Inspire Musical Interludes

Weeding

I have been weeding the nonfiction collection and removing out-of-date and unused items. Whenever I weed I am very surprised to find books that were still on the shelf.

Stacks of weeds on my office floor.
Weeding Books

An update from 1988.
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This "new revised edition" is 14 years old.
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20 years old.
Another old one.

Musical Interlude

That last book reminded me of this.

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Love and Death

Everybody Loves You When You're Dead by Neil Strauss. A collection of interviews and stories by rock journalist Strauss. Pretty interesting.

Monday, January 30, 2012

72 Shiny Plastic Discs

Music on Shiny Plastic Discs That Rapidly Rotate in Your Music Machine

Fomo by Liam Finn. Finny Kiwi sings songs. Dunedin is happy now. I follow this guy's dad on Twitter. His dad can be a very silly man.



100 Proof by Kellie Pickler. Is this the gal singer who sings songs and has been having booze trouble? Nope. That was a different gal with blond hair. Hopefully your viewing of the following YouTube clip will not include a stupid Red Bull advert.



Get Along by Tegan and Sara. Tattooed twins sings songs. I wonder if Sara occasionally crosses out Tegan's name and writes it back in after her own.



Sorry for Party Rocking by LMFAO. I approve of their use of humor. The music blows.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Original soundtrack with at least one singing song. Three discs. Reznor's and Ross' recorded score clocks in at over three hours, and is released in numerous configurations online and at retail, including as a $300 deluxe, signed, six-LP box set. Other than a strident cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," the score is moody, often restrained, and in its way, as disturbing as the film.



Audiobooks on CD

One Perfect Shot by Steven F. Havill. 10.5 hours on 9 CDs. Sounds like the title of a Stephen Hunter novel.

Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. 9.5 hours on 9 CDs. Money machine.

Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Money machine # 2.

A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read. 11 hours on 9 CDs. Madeline Dare, a tough-talking, shotgun-toting ex-debutante, is not your average detective. Then what is the average detective?

Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson. 11.5 hours on 9 CDs. During my freshman J-Term I took Swedish from this guy. Guess what grade I received. Go ahead, guess. That's right, I received a "D". I am not good at languages.

Sharpe's Battle by Bernard Cornwell. 11 hours on 9 CDs. These are always good on audio.

The Drop by Michael Connelly. 11 hours on 9 CDs. Connelly with an E not an O.

Concealed Godzilla Abducts a Warrior. His Destination? Paris

DVD

Concealed Carry Options by Thunder Ranch Training Series. Clint Smith is famous is a famous firearms trainer.



Godzilla starring [Japanese actors]. High-definition of the 1954 picture.



Final Destination 5 starring [CGI disasters]. They made five of these things?! I read that this one is actually good.

Hangover Part Two starring Paul Giamatti. They made a second one of this?!



Midnight in Paris starring Crooked Nose. Guy on vacation in goes back in time during nighttime. I think.

Super 8 starring Guy From TV Show. Aliens or something.

Warrior starring [punches and kicks]. Two MMA fighters are brothers fighting for a large purse.

50/50 starring Seth Rogen, Josepph Gordon-Levitt. Guy gets cancer. Guy's pal is uncomfortable.

Ides of March starring It Guy, George CLonney, Paul Giamatti. Political intrigue during a campaign.



Abduction starring Karate Werewolf. Explodes on-screen...secret past...dangerous reality...dead lie...lethal, no-holds-barred mission...ruthless assassins and questionable allies.



Beginners starring Obi-Wan Kenobi, Canadian Austrian, Fluffy Dog. Adult child of gay dad finds love. Canadian Austrian gets acting awards.



Debt starring Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain. Sam Worthington is the current go-to guy for army stuff, right? I have not yet seen a flick with him.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

3 DVDs and 1 AudioBook

DVD

Sybil Luddington: the female Paul Revere starring [actors]. I figured it would check out.



Company K starring [actors]. World War One drama based on the novel.




Adele Live at the Royal Albert Hall starring Adele singing songs. This DVD looks to be higher production quality than the others.



AudioBook on CD

Scream For Me by Karen Rose. 13 CDs at 16.5 hours. FBI agent's dead, serial killer brother has a copycat or something. There is a woman in trouble, too.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

One Book By Robert Crais

Fiction

Taken by Robert Crais. Elvis Cole is a private detective. Elvis Cole is hired to detect a missing woman. Joe Pike is mysterious and silent. Joe Pike carries around a Colt Python. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike are friends. Elvis Cole and Joe Pike enjoy petting kitties and watching sunsets together.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Media: Wilco Cover, Wilco Originals, Guitarist, Trailer Park Florida, Aircraft

Music on CD

Want More by J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound. Band plays and sings songs.




The Whole Love by Wilco. I am late on this disc with a band that sings songs. I did not know the CD existed. I now know the dang booklet is too big to fit in our dang circulating cases.



I only realized Wilco put an album out after hearing this song after Patti Abbott embedded the tune on her blog.

Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down by Ry Cooder. Cooder sings songs of political nonsense while playing guitar. Cooder has been doing theme albums lately. I've enjoyed them.



Brighter Days by JJ Grey and Mofro. Singer writes and sings songs in Florida. A concert album and DVD. I lucked out by seeing another person, Anthony Neil Smith, post a Grey tune on his blog once. The tune I heard was this tune, accompanied with a surprisingly interesting video, and included on the concert album:



DVD

Hunters in the Sky by Janson Media. 16 programs of World War Two military pilots and aerial battles. Including a guy who was two months old when his father was shot down and 60 years later meets the night fighter pilot who killed him.


Friday, January 20, 2012

Mountain Goat Maid

DVD

The Help starring [newly famous actors]. Something about domestic help, an author, racism, other stuff.



Fiction

Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat by Andrey Bergen. Recommended by both Bill Crider and Victor Gischler. What a combo! Comedic sci-fi set in Melbourne with "guns, intrigue, kidnappings, conspiracy and all sorts of general mayhem that make for cracking good headlines." Narrated by (according to the cover illustration) a talking goat wearing a smoking jacket and drinking a martini.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Gischler Multi-Pack Vs. Nicholas Sparks

Comic Book Compendiums

X-Men: With Great Power by Victor Gischler and [artists]. I screwed up and bought two of these. One paperback and one hardcover. I bet I could have used a semicolon back there. Reptiles in Manhattan, dead bodies, Spider-Man is amazing, "battle foes on multiple fronts", stupid outfits.

X-Men: Death of Dracula by Victor Gischler and [more artists]. Dracula's sons are feuding. I hope Gischler appreciates us buying these comics and gets back to writing novels. According to his online commentary all he does all day is grill dinner, drink wine, dream of Disney World, and hang out in hipster coffee shops to write.

X-Men: First To Last by Christopher Yost and [other artists]. No Gischler content but I am sure Yost tells a fine tale. The Evolutionaries show up to defend the dwindling X-Men.

Money Machine

Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. There are a ton of reserves so I bought another copy.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Two Movies and Snow

DVD

Pirates of the Caribbean: on stranger tides starring Kitt Barrie as Courtroom Wench.



The Robber starring [Germans]. Armed robber moonlights as marathon runner.



Snow

Snow looking across Commons Park

Snow

Snow

Charlie Hood and Other Made-Up People

Fiction

Jaguar by T. Jefferson Parker. LASD Deputy Charlie Hood and his Camaro return. According to a review this novel focuses more on secondary series character Bradley Jones. Jones is a crooked Deputy whose singer-songwriter wife is kidnapped by a Mexican drug lord to write a narcocorrido.

Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith. Smith scripts Soviet shenanigans of Agent Six.

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. A novel about North Korea. I very much doubt a happy ending for this one.

Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. A novel of Catherine the Great. Stachniak's author photo implies she writes her novels in longhand.

Egypt by Nick Drake. The review said this is a neat cop procedural set in the time of the Pharaohs with lots of historical detail.

A Dark and Lonely Place by Edna Buchanan. The author bio says Buchanan is a crazy cat lady.

Other Guy's Bride by Connie Brockman. Romance with mistaken identity in Egypt.

Hurt Machine by Reed Farrell Coleman. Moe Prager, wine shop owner and part-time detective, looks into his former sister-in-law's murder. Coleman is a Jets fan. Poor man.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Two Comic Book Novels and 12 Regular Novels

Comic Book Novels

Zahra's Paradise by Amir and Khalil. June, 2009 and protestor Mehdi has vanished. His mother and brother go "from hospitals to the morgue, from pleasding with corrupt bureaucrats to hacking into a prison's computers" to find out where Mehdi is.

Return to Perdition by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty. Third novel fllowing the O'Sullivan family and their violent history. I just read the third novel in the series. I was a bit disappointed in that one but will still read this one.

Regular Novels

One Hundred and One Nights by Benjamin Buchholz. Oh, yeah. This guy. The author is a Cheesehead and wrote Private Soldiers about the Wisconsin National Guard in Iraq. The novel is about an Iraqi guy who returns there after 13 years in the U.S.

The Duke is Mine by Eloisa James. Paperback romance without a shirtless guy on the cover. Whoops, I take that back. The second, fold back cover has a shirtless guy.

How It All Began by Penelope Lively. People across London are interconnected by chance. Lively won the Booker Prize. I once won the Wooker Prize (not really).

Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell. Cornwell takes another break from killing Frenchmen with Sharpe and continues his Vikings in England series.

Raylan by Elmore Leonard. Deputy U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens gets in more trouble. A random excerpt: "An act of God," Raylan said.

The Rope
by Nevada Barr. Barr writes Anna Pigeon's creation story.

The Chalk Girl
by Carol O'Connell. Some sort of psychological-murder-thriller set in New York City.

House at Sea's End by Elly Griffiths. The cover says A Ruth Galloway Mystery. The author photo says Griffith Hired a Good Photographer. Page 33 says From this Ruth deduces that Jack Hastings does not stand in the Labour interest.

Mr. Kill by Martin Limon. This received a very good review. Part of Limon's Army investigators series set in Korea. Limon is a tall man.

Three-Day Town by Margaret Maron. I pretty sure these are supposed to be good novels by Maron that feature the Judge and cop couple of Deborah and Dwight.

KBL: Kill Bin Laden by John Weisman. I was wondering if this guy had any books out recently. He does. A fictionalization of finding and killing Bin Laden.

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George. A book.

Same As Usual

Large Print

Sleepwalker by Karen Robards. I first typed that as sleepwaker. A description of the way I feel this morning.

Locked On by Tom Clancy.

A Devil is Waiting by Jack Higgins. ...to eat your cake.

D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods.

Cultural Aside

Some guy on an online NZ radio station just said "Good on ya, Bruce."

Friday, January 13, 2012

Large Print, Limeys, Loss

DVD

The Color of Magic starring Sean Astin, David Jason and Tim Curry. Comedic dramatization of the Terry Pratchett novel. 197 minute mini-series.



Going Postal starring Richard Coyle, David Suchet, Claire Foy. Comedic dramatization blah blah blah Pratchett. 185 minute mini-series.



Battle for Marjah starring 272 Marines. Marines are told to kill Taliban and break stuff and then told to make Marjah nice and cozy with good roads.



Tillman Story starring Tillman's Mom and lying politicians. Tillman was caricatured by the press and his death manipulated by the government. His mom and family kept digging and pressing to find out what happened.



Fiction

Demon Lover by Juliet Dark. This kind of stuff is popular. "A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying way possible."

Valley of Dreams by Lauraine Snelling. First novel of the Wild West Wind series. The real trick is to see if I can keep track of this series enough to order the subsequent novels.

Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz. Tattoed male model on front cover. Big author photo on back cover.

Large Print

Soft Target by Stphen Hunter. More .30 rifle love by Hunter. Ugly cover.

Chango's Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William Kennedy. Nice cover. Stupid title.

Incognito by Gregory Murphy. "Meh" cover.

Revenge at Bella Terra: a Scarlet Deception novel by Christina Dodd. Above average cover. I like the mix of light and dark and red colors. Dodd is supposed to do good work.

Dead by Nightfall by Beverly Barton. I think the graphic designer spent about five minutes on this one.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

I Am Under the Weather, Do Not Ask Anything Complicated

Fiction

Need You Now by James Grippando. Weird name.

Gun Games by Faye Kellerman. Which Kellerman is this?

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly. My sinuses are all clogged up.

A Devil is Waiting by Jack Higgins. I took the afternoon off and slept.

Large Print

Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White. I am working my 5-9 PM shift right now.

Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. After sleeping I cleaned out the garage to park the car. There is supposed to be 9-12 inches of snow.

Vigilante by Stephen J. Cannell. I don't believe the forecast.

The Maid by: a novel of Joan of Arc by Kimberly Cutter. If the forecast is true it will be the first time this year I will use the snow blower.

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Meh

Fiction

Deadline by Fern Michaels. Whatever.

Mystery of Daisy Doe by Charlotte Carter. Humph.

NonFiction

Save Your Marriage in Five Minutes A Day by Bonnie Jacobsen, PhD. Nnnn.

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

A New Year With New Fiction You Won't Find Time to Read and AR Practice

New Year Fiction You Won't Have Time For

Heck, I'm reading a Max Allan Collins from 2004. There are several novels that came out in 2011 that I never read.

Sleepwalker by Karen Robards. Karen Robards has blond hair.

Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag. Tami Hoag has short hair and a full page author photo.

77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz. Koontz is sitting on his balls. I'm surprised he doesn't just put up a picture of his dog. That guy loves his dog.

Death Benefit by Robin Cook. Cook wears sweaters.

Private: #1 suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Patterson wears a fancy watch.

NonFiction

The American Presidency edited by Anthony L. Green. Millard Fillmore wore a vest.

Country Licks and Solos: book with DVD and CD by Peter Vogl.

DVD

Practical Shooting: volume 6, the AR-15 by Matt Burkett. Shooting tips. Gear tips. Practice tips. Competition tips. Movement tips. Beef tips.



You still won't shoot like this.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Snow? This winter? Don't be silly.

Snow

This winter has been incredibly mild. Today is the first measurable snow. Measurable according to Gerard Standards. Gerard Standards begin with any snowfall requiring shoveling. (Not to be confused with Gerard's Wife's Standards who thinks everything has to be shoveled.)


First Real Snow of Dec, 2012


Musical Interlude

I heard this on BBC 6 within the past year. I was recently reminded of the song when I followed a link. Fitz and the Tantrums.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Mid- Holiday Fiction

Fiction

Top Suspense: 13 classic stories, by 12 masters of the genre edited by [no one]. Short stories from a bunch of writers who teamed together for electronic publishing. Including Vicki Hendricks [I read a couple novels], Max Allan Collins [got one of his at home], Stephen Gallagher [read 2-3 novels], Lee Goldberg [read several and bought a paperback as a Christmas gift], and Bill Crider [never heard of him].

The handgun on the cover image seems to be a weird combination of a Hi-Power, a Beretta, and one of Tanfoglio's CZ clones. All merged together with an off center suppressor. Suppressors are expensive.

Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner. A paperback donation that I decided to add. This is from 1998.

Locked On by Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney. Something to do with shooting and spies.

D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods. Something to do with hotel chairs and a martini. According to the cover.

Covert Warriors by W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV. Something to do with a photoshop of guys debussing a helicopter onto a partially submerged submarine.

Monday, December 19, 2011

One Book

Book

Parking Lot Picker's Songbook: bass edition by Dix Bruce. Includes two CDs. "Learn to play songs written and recorded by the giants of traditional American music: Bill Monroe, Stanley Brothers, Flatt and Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Osborne Brothers, Jimmy Martin, Doc Watson, and many more!"

Friday, December 16, 2011

Three Discs

Music on CD

Mylo Xyloto by Cold Play. Singer sings songs while band plays instruments.



Audiobook on MP3 CD

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. One MP3 CD at 4 hours. A monster story.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Aliens, Horses, Cars, More Large Print

DVD

Cowboys and Aliens with James Bond, Han Solo, ThatOneGuyWhoDoes AlltheIndianRoles. Aliens attack and eat all the horses. Maybe. I have not seen it. I'm not posting a trailer either.

Top Gear 15 starring The Spaniel, The Short One, The Grouchy One. My kids have seen all these multiple times. I should take this home to watch the outtakes.



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part Two starring [all the same people]. I bought the DVD and Blu-Ray combo pack.

Audiobook on CD

Clodhopper Monologues by Michael Perry. Two CDs, no time listed. Pig and chicken farmer tells tales of family life, farm life, and EMT life. Perry is renowned for his public readings. Samples.

Large Print

Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas.

Inverted Forest by John Dalton.

White Truffles in Winter by N.M. Kelby

Another Try

What to Read 45: Christa Faust and Megan Abbott

What to Read

Choke Hold by Christa Faust and The End of Everything by Megan Abbott.




Interesting Fact One: Abbott did not tell me to take a hike during either of the two occasions we spoke.
Interesting Fact Two: Faust has a small pet dog. Her items in the catalog.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Mountain Of Large Print to Crush Your Puny Skull

Large Print

Devils' Gate by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. Your scrawny hide will burn under the mighty Cussler gaze.

V is Vengeance by Sue Grafton. V is for the vicodin you will need from the beating.

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. Trained doves will peck your eyes out.

Christmas Treasures by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer. The treasures are tree ornaments made from your fingers and toes.

Plain and Fancy Christmas by Cynthia Keller. You will run screaming.

The Vault by Ruth Rendell. They will capture and imprison you.

Cain by Jose Saramago. Cain's punishment is luxury compared to your future.

An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods. Sherryl Woods will fly like a hawk from her home in Florida to pounce on you as if you were a lowly field mouse. You are prey for the predator. A raptor's bodily waste.

Come A Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock. Or go farther away. It does not matter. Escape is futile.

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell. Need I elaborate?

NonFiction

Red Summer:the summer of 1919 and the awakening of black America by Cameron McWhirter. Your future if they allow you to survive that long.

Fiction

Diving the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. We don't have much scifi here at Lake Mills. The books are too dangerous to weakling like yourself.

Flee: a thriller by J.A. Konrath and Ann Voss Peterson. Konrath will write long-winded blog posts about your wasted allegiance to traditional publishing.

The Drop by Michael Connelly. The feeling in your stomach as you see what awaits.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Musical Interlude, Part Two

Musical Interlude, Part Two

Alex Winston's song about her childhood Elvis doll. I'm doing paperwork and listening to music.


Musical Interlude

Musical Interlude

Old guys singing old song. Noel Crombie looks the same as 30 years ago.


Friday, December 09, 2011

Three

One

Homegrown Herbs: a complete guide to growing, using, and enjoying more than 100 herbs by Tammi Hartung.

Two

Conquering ACT Math and Science, Second Edition by Steven W. Dulan.

Three

2012 Scholarship Handbook: 2,100 programs offering private, federal and state money by CollegeBoard.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

NonFiction You Probably Are Not Excited About

NonFiction

Conquering ACT: english, reading and writing, second edition by McGraw-Hill. Would this book tell me if english should be capitalized? I'm too lazy to look it up.

Creating Comics From Start to Finish by Buddy Scalera. Not an artist's guide. Chapters and interviews about the process and business and edited and and penciling and coloring other stuff I havenoideawhattheyaretalkingabout. No mention of Victor Gischler. Gischler sometimes refers to a comics guy named Nick Lowe. But, it seems to be a different Nick Lowe and not the Nick Lowe.



Colossal Collection of Action Poses by Buddy Scalera. Action-packed with 1,200 poses! 1200 photos of models, bodybuilders, and actors wearing underwear and scowling.

Statistics Demystified by Stan Gibilisco.

iPad 2: quicksteps by Joli Ballew. Do fancy stuff with your fancy computer thing.

More NonFiction For School Assignments

A stack of books on topics like pollution, energy, and career guidance.

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Finn Family, Verbs, Jedi, More .30 Caliber Love

CD

Pajama Club by Pajama Club. When Neil Finn is not "twittering" complaints about political ads on Australian television he and his wife sing songs.



Trip by The Verbs. When Meegan Voss is not going crazy with Facebook posts she and her husband sing songs. This is a very good album that took forever to get cataloged and on the shelf.



Great Escape Artist by Jane's Addiction. When Perry Farrell is not fighting heroin urges he is singing songs.

Fiction

Dead Like You by Peter James. Another freebie from Bouchercon in St. Louis. Murders in Brighton, England end with the female victims having their shoes stolen. Christa Faust better stay away from Brighton.

Soft Target by Stephen Hunter. Former Marine sniper is at the Mall of America during a Mumbai style terrorist attack. He needs a rifle.

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell. I read one of these Scarpetta novels. I could not get interested in the characters.

Promise Me Forever by Diane Amos. Young woman flees her drunken father with her younger brother and sister for the idyllic town of Welcome, MT. Welcome is not idyllic and she is out of cash.

Forgotten Affairs of Youth by Alexander McCall Smith. A Dalhousie novel.

Old Republic: Volume Two: threat of peace by Rob Chestney. Comic based off storyline of a video game.

Doctor Who: the Ripper by Tony Lee. Doctor Who travels through time. Doctor Who makes wisecracks. Doctor Who does weird things. Doctor Who is eccentric. Doctor Who discovers an alien plot against humanity.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Rand on Afghanistan, Photographers Shooting Tractor Pastries

NonFiction

Learn to Play the Piano and Keyboard by Nick Freeth. Now you've acquired a suitable keyboard.

Pastry Chef's Apprentice by Mitch Stamm. Mitch does not sound like the name of a pastry chef. Maybe a hunting guide. Or a bartender.

Standard Catalog of Firearms, 2011 by Dan Shideler. Used and new prices. CZ regularly exports 90 percent of its production to over 80 countries. The RAMI is listed as $425 in Very good condition. No separate listing for the polymer framed version.

Classic Farm Tractors: history of the farm tractor by Randy Leffingwell. A whole ton of fancy color photos.

Digital Photography by Jason R. Rich. Take shots of the food as it is served, as well as the presentation of the desserts.

Fast Track to a Better Body by Betty S. Wong and the Editors of Fitness. Lots of color photos. With female models. Oh my.

Afghantsy: the Russians in Afghanistan 1979-1989 by Rodric Braithwaite. Chechnya was a freaking disaster for Russian draftees. Afghanistan must have been just as worse.

Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American right by Jennifer Burns. Featuring a currently fashionable cover design. Ted Turner is a big fan.

What Got You Here Won't Get You There in Sales! by Marshall Goldsmith. Only photos are author photos. One of our partners recently interviewed retired managers.

Friday, December 02, 2011

Dirty Cartoons Rejected By The New Yorker

NonFiction

The Best of the Rejection Collection: 283 cartoons that were too dumb, too dark, or too naughty for The New Yorker edited by Matthew Diffee. With the latest advances in cosmetic surgery, I can make a fifty-five-year-old grandmother look like a thirty-five-year-old transsexual and I'm looking for a card that says, 'Sorry about the herpes." and Will the high mileage and low emissions make my penis seem bigger?

301 Ways to Use Social Media to Boost Your Marketing by Catherine Parker. If you are Anthony Neil Smith you spend every waking hour tweeting people to buy your eBooks.

Chicago Curiosities by Scotti Cohn. I never gave a dang about Chicago when growing up. I used to read the Tribune every day but had no interest in visiting or living there.

Summers: a true love story by Margot Peters. Letters by 16-year-old Peters and a teenage boy from 1949 to 1961. Featured on Wisconsin Public Radio's Chapter-A-Day.

Body Language: techniques on interpreting nonverbal cues in the world and workplace by Aaron Brehove. Many illustrative photos covering micro expressions, posture, hand motions, walking, etc.

Grant Writing Demystified by Mary Ann Payne. A mnemonic device frequently used in developing objectives is SMART.

DVD

Head in the Clouds starring Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz, Stuart Townsend. Sweeping romantic saga of passion, betrayal, and redemption...chooses to live her life solely for pleasure...traveled the world...passion and excitement...two friends...romantic menage a trois...Spanish Civil War...liberation just days away...most difficult decision of his life.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

Belated Bary and Gay Snipers Sing the Blues

Fiction

The Detachment by Barry Eisler. A John Rain Thriller. Eisler pairs his famous killer, Rain, with characters from his last two novels. Lots of intrigue, paranoia, and murder.

NonFiction

Homosexuality edited by Noah Berlatsky. Berlatsky should change his name to Bert because I had to keep looking the name up to correctly spell it. This is part of the Global Viewpoints series. Viewpoints is one of those nonfiction series aimed at middle and high school homework and research projects.

Sniper: American single-shot warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan by Gina Cavallaro with Matt Larsen. In the wars in that American snipers have fought since 9/11, in which there is not front line, no uniformed enemy, and tightly packed urban areas, the snipers in the Special Operations community have developed a more prominent role for themselves with their ability to act as an integral part of an urban assault, pushing ground commanders to pay attention to what snipers can bring to bear o the battlefield.

Road Biking Illinois: a guide to the state's best bike rides by Ted Villaire. After crossing SR 96, you'll pass a large brick hotel called the Nauvoo House.

The Geocaching Handbook: the guide for family friendly, high-tech treasure hunting by Layne Cameron. Many of the markers are made of brass or aluminum attached to a concrete post.

Campfire Stories: things that go bump in the night by William W. Forgey. VIII. He is saved - saved because he left a message where he could be found!

Food Lovers Guide to Chicago: best local specialties, markets, recipes, restaurants & events by Jennifer Olvera. A stark, minimalist dining room sets the tone for a culinary journey.

The Golden Age of the Blues by Richard Havers and Richard Evans. History of blues and biographies of the famous players with a twenty track CD to go with. This book reminds me of Bill Crider. I'm not sure why, maybe because there is a similar book on singing cowboys.

Write A Novel and Get it Published by Nigel Watts. Basically, there are two main options: present tense and past tense.

Letterboxer's Companion: exploring the mysteries hidden in the great outdoors by Randy Hall. If you don't like geocaching you can do this. The width of your paper will be height of the canister.

Insider's Guide to Madison by Kevin Revolinski. Another difficult in name to type. Some soft music is piped in and just a couple of tables are available for customers.

Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo. Because there are tons of holds on this. "Yeah, I did," he said solemnly.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

New Kindles

Kindles

We now have three Kindle Touch eBook readers. I still need to purchase some protective cases and get content loaded onto the machines. Once the readers are cataloged they will be ready for check-out.


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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

James Garner Is A Golden God

NonFiction

The Garner Files by James Garner and Jon Winokur. 60 year career in television and movies and lots of cars and motorcycles. Let's make a short list. Maverick, Rockford Files, The Great Escape, Victor/Victoria, Support Your Local Sheriff, Grand Prix.

Boomerang: travels in the third world by Michael Lewis. The worldwide result of cheap credit from 2002 to 2008. The trademark of Michael Lewis's bestselling books is to tell an important and complex story through characters so outsized and outrageously weird that you'd think they have to be invented.

God, If You're Not Up There, I'm F*cked: tales of stand-up, Saturday Night Live, and other mind-altering mayhem by Darrell Hammond. Physical and mental abuse as a kid lead to "alcoholism and self-mutilation, psychiatric hospitalizations, and misdiagnoses, to the peak of fame and success as the longest-tenured cast member of Saturday Night Live."

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. The life of the perfectionist.

Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick. 127 pages.

Fiction

A Crimson Warning by Tasha Alexander. The tall author's latest historical mystery/romance.

The Marriage Plot byb Jeffrey Eugenides. I really missed on this one and ordered it late. I thought we already had a copy.

Hellboy: the Bride of Hell and others by Mike Mignola. Comic book son of hell fights evil.

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. Tear Out Calendar Inside! Not anymore, I took it out.

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston. Micro-robots are used to kill people in Hawaii.

Dead Last by James W. Hall. Latest entry in the Thorn mystery series. A serial killer is copying a Miami tv show's killer. A good series.

Come A Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock. Cover illustration has man and woman hugging in big, open field.

Wicked Autumn by G.M. Mallet. Looks like a cozy mystery. Has a town map on the inside.

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk. I have not read read a Palhniuk novel. I'll get around to it sometime.

Audiobook on CD

Johnny Cash Read The New Testament. 19 hours on 16 CDs.

Monday, November 28, 2011

DVDs and Paperbacks

DVD (I'm short on time, find your own trailers.)

Zookeeper starring Kevin James. Zookeeper wants to leave the zoo as a way to get girls. Zoo animals start talking to get him to stay. This could be a great horror movie but isn't.

Water for Elephants starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. Veterinarian falls for circus performer during the Depression. I do not know if the elephant talks.

Captain America starring Some Guy In A Costume. Comic book comes about through scientific testing and fights the HYDRA organization.

Consider the Conversation: a documentary on a taboo subject by Micahel Bernhagen and Terry Kaldhusdal. The importance of discussing impending death and how to prepare.

Musical Notes Encoded Into Foil Which Is Mated To A Smooth, Clear Plastic Disc

Beyond the Sun by Chris Isaak. Warblers sings songs.

Bad As Me by Tom Waits. Graveler grunts songs.

Four the Record by Miranda Lambert. Singer sings songs.

Paperbacks

Slocum Along the Corpse River by Jake Logan. Logan is a corporate name and this is the 391st novel in this series of action westerns featuring wanderer John Slocum. There is always a mix of sex and violence in the Slocum novels.

Redemption, Kansas by James Reasoner. Reasoner writes everything and does it well. Texan is injured in cattle stampede and recuperates in Redemtion, KS. While there he wonders about a local killings and fearful residents. Blurb on back cover by Bill Crider. That does not mean I am Crider's dancing monkey and read whatever he tells me to read. (I don't have time.)

Secret Protector by Ann Voss Peterson. Christmas themed romance by the Madison author. Bodyguard protects "lovely heiress" by pretending to be boyfriend.

Books on CD

V is For Vengeance by Sue Grafton. I was speaking to someone on Thanksgiving about this and my comment that Grafton is only four books from retirement. Later that night I was physically ill and had a lousy evening.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Five of the Usual and One New Guy

Fiction

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson. Yes. Please.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton. She is four books from retirement.

Devil's Gate by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. I read a review of one of Cussler's recent collaborations and the reviewer really liked the book.

Large Print

Bonnie by Iris Johansen. Is that spelling Danish? Didn't I ponder this before?

The Next Always by Nora Roberts.

New Guy

The Postmortal by Drew Magary. A discoverr for aging is released and people are immortal. Things happen.

On My Office Door a Week and a Half Ago

Good Note

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

I Want To Go Eat

Uninspired NonFiction

How the Dog Became the Dog: from wolves to our best friends by Mark Derr. ...by eating the kitchen garbage, chewing on tissues, sleeping on the couch, pooping on the driveway, barking at the grass/air/leaves/imaginary squirrels.

New Dimensions in Bead and Wire Jewelry by Margot Potter. New dimensions? Like parallel dimensions?

Top 10 Beijing by DK Eyewitness. I heard few years ago that you cannot make even the vaguest protest action outside Tiananmen Square without having secret police beat the snot out of you and throw you in the back of a black van.

Discover China by Lonely Planet. "Experience the best of China." Like dog meat and pollution.

Fiction, Large Print, Blah Blah Blah

I Married for Happiness by Lily Tuck. Good for you.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch. Well, it's not like your going to actually read Tolstoy, is it?

Coffin Man by James D. Doss. Directions for next Halloween.

Lost December by Richard Paul Evans. I once lost a whole year in Dallas by watching tv and drinking cheap beer.

11/22/63 by Stephen King. Large and regular print versions of a novel that has been getting a huge amount of press. I don't get the all the attention.

Sound and Vision (Repeat)

DVD Documentaries

Polo Kid by Nathaniel McCullagh. "True story of how a 13 year old boy from humble origins became a polo star."



Tabloid: an Errol Morris Love Story by Errol Morris. Obsessed and crazy beauty queen winner kidnaps a guy and becomes queen of tabloid covers.



DVD in Spanish

La Reina del Sur: Volume 1 starring Kate Del Castillo. Una filma con mujer con Walther pistola y negro hair-o.



La Reina del Sur: Volume 2 starring Kate Del Castillo. Further-o adventuras con mujer con negro negro hari-o con Jorge Michael y pointy botas.



Music on Shiny Disc of Plastic

Thirt3en by MegaDeath. Pilot/guitarist sings loud songs of death.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Sewing Truthiness on Vacation with Stars Wars

NonFiction

Sweetwater's Simple Home by LIsa Burnett, Karla Eisenach and Susan Kendrick. "Sew something handmade for every room."

Made at Home: a guide to simple sewing by Lisa Stickley. Many pretty photographs. No models.

Handbag Designer 101 by Emily Blumenthal. Many photos and diagrams. No models.

The 100 Best Affordable Vacations by Jane Wooldridge and Larry Bleiberg. Eleven entries for Wisconsin. No models.

The Cheap Bastard's Guide to Los Angeles by Ashley Wren Collins. No photos. No models. No Wisconsin references.

Here Comes Trouble: stories from my life by Michael Moore. Black and white photos. No models. No index.

Remedy and Reaction: the peculiar American struggle over health care reform by Paul Starr. No models.

Soldier of the American Revolution: a visual reference by Denis Hambucken and Bill Payson. Many nice color photos with re-enactor guys. No models.

Steve McQueen: a biography by Marc Eliot. Black and white photos. No models.

And Nothing But the Truthiness: the rise (and further rise) of Stephen Colbert by Lisa Rogak. Black and white photos. One photo of Amy Sedaris (who is not a model).

Fiction

No Proper Lady by Isabel Cooper. Romance set in 1888 England with magic. Model on the cover.

Comic Book Novel

Star Wars: Knight Errant: volume one Aflame by John Jackson Miller. Human girl Jedi in Utah desert has a light saber. No models.

Books on CD

Blue Knights by Joan Didion. 4 CDs at 4.6 hours. No models.

Back of Beyond by C.J. Box. 9 CDs at 11 hours. No models.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

More More More

Fiction

Hotel Vendome by Danielle Steel.

The Territory by Tricia Fields. Small town Sheriff in West Texas is up against a Mexican drug cartel after killing one cartel hitman and arresting another.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I've read about this book before but do not recall what it is about. Something about a circus.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta. One day a bunch of people disappear. Poof! Some think this was the rapture. Others are not sure.

Zero Day by David Baldacci. Military investigator is in West Virginia helping a murder investigation.

The Outlaw Album by Raniel Woodrell. The latest collection of short stories by the master of rural crime stories.

Comic Book Novels

Blackest Night by Geoff Jones, Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, Joe Prado. Green Lantern fights zombies.

Large Print In A Jumble

Leftovers by Tom Perrotta. Her Sister's Shadow by Katharine Britton. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Secrets of Bella Terra by Christina Dodd.Plugged by Eoin Colfer.Christmas on Nutcracker Court by Judy Duarte.Cat's TablebyMicahelOndaathe.ALAwman'sChristmasby LindaLaelMiller.ShockWavebyJohnSandford.

Music on CD

Music on CD

Torches by Foster the People. Hip guys sing hip songs.



Duets II by Tony Bennett and others. I do not understand Lady Gaga's massive fanbase about her song singing.



Guitar Slinger by Vince Gill. Sings sings songs about guitars.



Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. Singing contest winner sings songs and sings a lousy cover of Patsy Cline.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Swizzlestickerinski, Spillane, Repairman Jack

Fiction

Murder in Lascaux by Betsy Draine and Michael Hinden. Tourist is killed touring Lascoux caves at the same time as Nora and Toby. Nore and Toby are suspects. Nora and Toby have to solve the mystery. Nick and Toby like cooking.

Hell and Gone by Duane Swierczynski. I am way behind on reading this fella's books but he usually tells a fun and fast moving tale. Swizzlestickerinski was at Bouchercon and I listened to a comics panel he sat on.

Consummata by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins. Spillane wrote Delta Factor featuring Morgan the Raider in 1967. The novel was widely enjoyed but Spillane set aside this sequel and never got back to it. Spillane's collaborator Collins finished it. Still set in the '60s Morgan is out to recover money stolen from Cuban exiles in Miami.

Bad Moon Rising by Ed Gorman. More small town Iowa mystery with lawyer and PI Sam McCain. In 1968 McCain looks a murder at a hippie commune.

Prince of Ravenscar by Catherine Coulter. 1831 England with romance and murder as a young Lord's mother tries to marry him off.

Dark at the End by F. Paul Wilson. The last Repairman Jack novel. Wilson kills him off. Wilson is a good Joe. Wilson was at Bouchercon, too. One afternoon a local shooting instructor set up a simulator in a meeting room and was charging people to try it out. I wandered in to watch. Wilson and Zoe Sharp were there. Wilson was hanging out and watching and Zoe was instructing some gal. There was another author there, a British guy, but I cannot recall his name.

Already Gone by John Rector. Rector's third novel is a live wire that crackles with the intensity of a man with nothing left to lose.When two men attack Jake in a parking lot and cut off his finger, he tries to dismiss it as an unlucky case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But when events take a more sinister turn and Diane goes missing, Jake knows he can no longer hide from the truth.

Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. I tried to contact Chiaverini's publisher about an author visit and never heard back. I heard or read that she speaks at a lot of quilting expositions.

Opposites Attract: Literary Fiction and Romance

Fiction

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Guy from Racine writes a book about college baseball and the "hopes, anxieties, and secrets" of five people. Wait, maybe this guy is from Kenosha.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. Novel about a gal who boards a subway train and travels into a parallel existence. Remember the trick to spell parallel? Two "l's" are needed for the parallel lines in the word. Remember the trick to spell spell? Spell spell with ll to spell spell while spelling.

Nightwoods by Charles Frazier. Bill Crider did not like this book very much and wrote that on his blog. A commenter on Crider's blog wrote,

You are a little copycat, having ripped off a couple of other ignorant "reviews" of this really fine novel. I have no trouble without the quotation marks. What a silly thing to get hung up on. This book is so wonderful, and most of my friends who have read it couldn't put it down. Haven't followed your comments before but it's a shame snide little comments might discourage anyone from picking up this great book. Oh, and as far as Night of the Hunter goes, how about both that and Nightwoods being grounded in fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel. You need a little lesson in literary and folk tale history before you write with an assumed authority you can't back up.


Letters From A Unknown Woman by Gerard Woodward (no relation). I'm listening to a John LeCarre novel that LeCarre narrates. LeCarre is a fantastic narrator. I kinda like typing LeCarre. LeCarre. LeCarre. LaCarre.

Always A Temptress by Eileen Dreyer. Military man has to kidnap Lady Kate Seaton to find out a scandal or something.

Riptide by Cherry Adair. Princess. Scavenger named Nick. Arrogant and handsome. Money invested. Treasure hunt. Series of attacks. Strength and courage.

The Return of Black Douglas by Elaine Coffman. "Could this warrior from the past hold the key to her future..." According to the cover illustration the past was rife with steroid abuse.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Joe R. Lansdale, Green Arrow, Dexter

Fiction

The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, 2011 edited by Paula Guran. This has a Joe R. Lansdale story. A Neil Gaiman story. Other people.

City of Whispers by Marcia Muller. Muller is married to Bill Pronzini. When they are bored they throw rocks in San Francisco Bay.

Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Lindsay used to go by Jeffry, not Jeff. I used to go by Gerard The Great, Master of All, Brilliant Sun of Knowledge, and Wickedest Wit of the Universe. [That name never caught on like I thought it would.]

Vacation by Matthew Costello. Nice cover illustration with a metal sink or shower drain covered in blood splatter and an all white background.

GLEE: foreign exchange by Sophia Lowell. Lee Goldberg had some neat things to say about the future of writing tie-in novels.

Green Arrow: into the woods by J.T. Krul. Guy with magic arrows fights evil. I think. I just flipped through and Arrow may just be a hero and not a superhero with powers and magic and such.

Non-Fiction Power Pack With Guns, Kennedy, Teen Libido, and Packers

NonFiction

Jack Kennedy: elusive hero by Chris Matthews. New biography by the Kennedy worshipper.

Bowie: Starman by Paul Trynka. New biography about the great David Bowie. Bowie started performing in 1962.

Portrait of a Monster by Lisa Pulitzer and Cole Thompson. Story of Dutchman Joran van der Sloot accused of murder in Peru and suspected of killing Natalee Holloway.

Tales From the Green Bay Packers Sideline by Chuck Carlson. "A collection of the greatest Packers stories ever told."

The Knitting Book by Frederica Patmore and Vikki Haffenden. Yarns, technique, stitches, patterns. A DK book so it has great photography and layout.

History of Britain and Ireland: the definitive visual guide edited by Pip Morgan. Vikings!

Dirty Little Secret: breaking the silence on teenage girls and promiscuity by Kerry Cohen. A tagline on the cover says: It's not about when girls are having sex. It's about why. This is a topic Megan Abbott sometimes touches on with her blog. Abbott's focus is more on an awakening knowledge and realizations of relationships and life. Dirty Little Secret is more about girls who use sex for love and attention.

Abbott will be in Muskego this weekend. I'm not sure if I want to drive over for the Friday night event. I cannot attend on Saturday.

New Mother's Guide to Breastfeeding by Joan Younger Meek. I suppose this can tie into the above book.

Golden Retriever by Sheila O'Brien Schimpf. A book about dogs.

Labrador Retriever by Terry Albert. A book about dogs.

Vegan Family Meals by Ann Gentry. A book about hippie food.

Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec. A book about small, knitted figures.

Gun Digest 2012 edited by Dan Shideler. A fantastic book about all the guns I cannot afford to purchase.

Three Movies, One TV Show

DVD

Meek's Cutoff starring Michelle Williams, Other People. A wagon train in 1845 is traveling the Oregon Trail. The trail master is an incompetent idiot.



Gossip Girl: the complete fourth season starring [people I never heard of]. Current teen sensations [I think] pretend to be rich, snotty people in New York {I think].



Horrible Bosses starring Big Name Actors. Three guys all have horrible bosses. Three guys decide to murder their bosses. Hilarity ensues.



The Trip starring Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Woody Allen. Two guys travel around England to review restaurants. Two guys argue while doing impersonations.

Friday, November 04, 2011

Comic Book Stuff, Badgers

NonFiction

What It Means to Be A Badger: Barry Alvarez and Wisconsin's greatest players by Justin Doherty. University of Wisconsin football? Or badgers?

Clark Howard's Living in Lean Times by Clark Howard. Financial advice on "250+ ways to buy smarter, spend smarter, and save money."

Comic Books

Superman Grounded by Eddy Barrows and G. Willow Wilson.

Star Wars Omnibus: a long time ago - Volume 4 by David Michilinie.

Comics on DVD

Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively. Some guy gets a magic ring from space.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Two Audiobooks, Local Flavor

Audiobooks on CD

Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger. 10 CDs at 12 hours. Mystery in the north woods.

Litigators by John Grisham. 9 CDs at 11.5 hours. Mystery at a legal firm.

Local Flavor

The downtown Witches Night Out was Wednesday, October 26th. The library ran out of candy twice. The first time we started out with about 300 pieces. I told the Children's Librarian that was not enough. Vindication! After those first pieces ran out I sent a Page to the store for more candy.

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Library Trick or Treat

That kid in the camouflage looks like he is making one of his, "Hmph" sounds.
Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011


Best Weimaraner ever. Look at those ears!
Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011

Witches Night Out 28 October 2011