DVD
I am Legend starring Will Smith. Will Smith takes his shirt off and shoots zombies. Or vampires. Bill Crider re-read the novel and had a few things to say about it. But, why should I listen to some some weird Texas stranger spout off about things? I've had a weird Texan to deal with all my life. From now I will employ independent thought and not act as Crider's slavish monkey.
Fiction
Of All Sad Words by Bill Crider. Maybe you missed this the first time I mentioned it. That Crider is a genius!
Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman. Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis hunt down another killer. Kellerman's eye make-up is not nearly as obvious as it once was.
Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh. Wambaugh is back to novels after a slew of true crime titles. Another humorous yet serious look at police work in Los Angeles.
Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry. The Prince of Wales invites several financiers and their wives to dinner to discuss an African railway. The party comes to a rough end when the men's evening entertainment - a whore - is found dead on the Queen's monogrammed sheets. Thomas Pitt of the Special Services enlists his maid Gracie to help solve the crime.
Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff. Short stories by Wolff.
Large Print
Betrayal by John Lescroat. Attorney Dismas Hardy takes on the appeal of a National Guard reservist who killed a private contractor he knew in Iraq.
Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell. Mystery set in the forests of Northern Canada.
Three Shirt Deal by Stephen J. Cannell. Cannell has become a good novelist. An Internal Affairs detective asks Shane Scully to assist in investigating a recanted confession taken by a vicious cop Scully has a bad history with.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
DVDs
DVD
No Country For Old Men starring Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin. Sociopathic hit man does a star studded tour across the Rio Grande region of Texas.
Five Days starring [people]. A mother vanishes into thin air. Her children, abandoned in her car, also end up missing. As police search for clues over three gut-wrenching months, the woman's husband and family learn that nobody's quite what they seem. In the end, five days prove critical in solving the case.
Hunting Party starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard. A war criminal is on the loose in Yugoslavia. The U.N. claims they cannot find him but vacationing journalist takes only a couple hours to find him. "What begins as an impulsive reporting adventure immediately turns dangerous..."
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck. Nineteen year old Bob Ford's desire for fame leads to a plan to kill Jesse James. Here are the facts: Jesse James was a scumbag, thief, robber, and murderer.
Fabulously Fit Moms: Sleek and Sexy Workouts and Upper Body Blast with Jennifer Nicole Lee.
No Country For Old Men starring Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin. Sociopathic hit man does a star studded tour across the Rio Grande region of Texas.
Five Days starring [people]. A mother vanishes into thin air. Her children, abandoned in her car, also end up missing. As police search for clues over three gut-wrenching months, the woman's husband and family learn that nobody's quite what they seem. In the end, five days prove critical in solving the case.
Hunting Party starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard. A war criminal is on the loose in Yugoslavia. The U.N. claims they cannot find him but vacationing journalist takes only a couple hours to find him. "What begins as an impulsive reporting adventure immediately turns dangerous..."
Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck. Nineteen year old Bob Ford's desire for fame leads to a plan to kill Jesse James. Here are the facts: Jesse James was a scumbag, thief, robber, and murderer.
Fabulously Fit Moms: Sleek and Sexy Workouts and Upper Body Blast with Jennifer Nicole Lee.
Three Fiction, One Sopranos, One Audio
Fiction
Stalked by Brian Freeman. Cop Jonathan Stride in Duluth looks for "seductive young woman..following a twisted trail, Stride uncovers a sordid web of violence and voyeurism...his lover, Serena Dial is chasing a blackmailer who knows all the city's dirty secrets...a predator with a vicious path is hunting them - with a terrifying plan for revenge...Freeman will keep you glued to your seat and turning the pages [of this] frighteningly compelling saga."
Charley's Web by Joy Fielding. Charley Webb writes a controversial newspaper column in Florida. When she gets an offer to write the biography of a female child killer she takes the offer and starts getting death threats.
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein. The cover has an illustration of a river with an urban skyline across the water. Six streams of yellow CAUTION tape are spread across the view.
NonFiction
Sopranos: the complete book by Brett Martin. Episodes, character bios, actor commentaries, sets and locations and a whole bunch of photos.
AudioBook
Souvenir by Therese Fowler. Meg and Carson were always figured to marry. Meg married some other dude for money and seventeen years later Carson returns to town as Meg is already with domestic troubles.
Stalked by Brian Freeman. Cop Jonathan Stride in Duluth looks for "seductive young woman..following a twisted trail, Stride uncovers a sordid web of violence and voyeurism...his lover, Serena Dial is chasing a blackmailer who knows all the city's dirty secrets...a predator with a vicious path is hunting them - with a terrifying plan for revenge...Freeman will keep you glued to your seat and turning the pages [of this] frighteningly compelling saga."
Charley's Web by Joy Fielding. Charley Webb writes a controversial newspaper column in Florida. When she gets an offer to write the biography of a female child killer she takes the offer and starts getting death threats.
Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein. The cover has an illustration of a river with an urban skyline across the water. Six streams of yellow CAUTION tape are spread across the view.
NonFiction
Sopranos: the complete book by Brett Martin. Episodes, character bios, actor commentaries, sets and locations and a whole bunch of photos.
AudioBook
Souvenir by Therese Fowler. Meg and Carson were always figured to marry. Meg married some other dude for money and seventeen years later Carson returns to town as Meg is already with domestic troubles.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Three Mysteries, Anne Rice, Arthritis Treatment, Killer's Wife
Mysteries
Dead Time by Stephen White. Colorado psychologist Alan's ex-wife Merideth comes to him for help in finding his ex-wife's missing surrogate mom. Alan finds a tie-in to a tragic Grand Canyon trip by Merideth's fiancee and "unearths a series of secrets and deceptions that someone wishes to keep buried at all costs."
Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo. Coffee in Milwaukee. A coffee trade show in Milwaukee features rivalries and clashing egos. Attendees really see red when coffee shop owner Maggy finds a body under her table.
Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. Third in a series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Quebec Provincial Police. Gamache is called to the small Quebec town of Three Pines to investigate a death during a seance. A well written "literary mystery" with neat characters and setting.
Fiction
Killer's Wife by Bill Floyd. Leigh has lived quietly with her son in North Carolina for six years. Things are fine until a still mourning father exposes Leigh's past as the wife of a serial killer whose testimony sealed her husband's death sentence. And now another serial killer is copying her husband's work and focusing on people from Leigh's past.
Christ the Lord: the road to Cana by Anne Rice. Anne Rice, huh? A vampire Jesus?
Large Print
Strangers in Death by Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb. Prominent businessman Thomas Anders dies by strangulation in bed in 2060 New York. A crime of passion or an execution?
Non Fiction
Too Young to Feel Old: the arthritis doctor's 28-day formula for pain-free living by Richard H. Blau, MD, F.A.C.R..
Dead Time by Stephen White. Colorado psychologist Alan's ex-wife Merideth comes to him for help in finding his ex-wife's missing surrogate mom. Alan finds a tie-in to a tragic Grand Canyon trip by Merideth's fiancee and "unearths a series of secrets and deceptions that someone wishes to keep buried at all costs."
Grounds for Murder by Sandra Balzo. Coffee in Milwaukee. A coffee trade show in Milwaukee features rivalries and clashing egos. Attendees really see red when coffee shop owner Maggy finds a body under her table.
Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. Third in a series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Quebec Provincial Police. Gamache is called to the small Quebec town of Three Pines to investigate a death during a seance. A well written "literary mystery" with neat characters and setting.
Fiction
Killer's Wife by Bill Floyd. Leigh has lived quietly with her son in North Carolina for six years. Things are fine until a still mourning father exposes Leigh's past as the wife of a serial killer whose testimony sealed her husband's death sentence. And now another serial killer is copying her husband's work and focusing on people from Leigh's past.
Christ the Lord: the road to Cana by Anne Rice. Anne Rice, huh? A vampire Jesus?
Large Print
Strangers in Death by Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb. Prominent businessman Thomas Anders dies by strangulation in bed in 2060 New York. A crime of passion or an execution?
Non Fiction
Too Young to Feel Old: the arthritis doctor's 28-day formula for pain-free living by Richard H. Blau, MD, F.A.C.R..
More Music
CDs
We Have You Surrounded by The Dirtbombs. Garage rock from Detroit. Playing in Madison in May.
Here My Dear by Marvin Gaye. Gaye's bizarre divorce album from 1978. Part of his divorce settlement included that he make an album and his wife would receive all proceeds. Gaye produced this "two-disc-long confessional on the deterioration of their marriage; starting from the opening notes of the title track, Gaye viciously cuts with every lyric deeper into an explanation of why the relationship died the way it did. Gaye uses the album, right down to its packaging, to exorcise his personal demons with subtle visual digs and less-than-subtle lyrical attacks."
Love is Simple by The Akron Family. I cannot recall why I ordered this. I think the band appeared on someone else's disc.
Lust, Lust, Lust by the Raveonettes. A duo from Copenhagen. "The sound of a band rescuing their career from the clutches of cliché and rediscovering the magic that made them so exciting on their debut."
Some People Have Real Problems by Sia. A singer with a lot of recent press. Listen.
Hernando by North Mississippi Allstars. Roots rock from Mississippi. Another band with recent press. Listen.
We Have You Surrounded by The Dirtbombs. Garage rock from Detroit. Playing in Madison in May.
Here My Dear by Marvin Gaye. Gaye's bizarre divorce album from 1978. Part of his divorce settlement included that he make an album and his wife would receive all proceeds. Gaye produced this "two-disc-long confessional on the deterioration of their marriage; starting from the opening notes of the title track, Gaye viciously cuts with every lyric deeper into an explanation of why the relationship died the way it did. Gaye uses the album, right down to its packaging, to exorcise his personal demons with subtle visual digs and less-than-subtle lyrical attacks."
Love is Simple by The Akron Family. I cannot recall why I ordered this. I think the band appeared on someone else's disc.
Lust, Lust, Lust by the Raveonettes. A duo from Copenhagen. "The sound of a band rescuing their career from the clutches of cliché and rediscovering the magic that made them so exciting on their debut."
Some People Have Real Problems by Sia. A singer with a lot of recent press. Listen.
Hernando by North Mississippi Allstars. Roots rock from Mississippi. Another band with recent press. Listen.
Bunch of DVDs
DVD
Wild Women of Wongo starring Jean Hawkshaw, Johnny Walsh. The classic 1959 picture. The Wongo women reject their brutish men when the handsome Prince of Goona proposes the two tribes unite to fight off the Tribe of Ape Men.
Here is the story on this one. I originally ordered the 2007 picture The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo produced by the creators and writers of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 with voice over comments ridiculing the original 1959 picture. We could not find a catalog record for Film Crew and sent it over to West Bend to have it cataloged. But, the notes attached to that DVD were lost and the staff there assumed the item was a donation. Since the selectors at West Bend decided not to add the "donation" they put it in their book sale and some lucky duck bought it and took it home.
Since the staff at West Bend erred, Director Michael offered to buy a replacement. I sent Mike the information for Film Crew but whoever ordered the replacement bought the original 1959 version. Since the original seems so wonderfully awful I'm just going to keep it.
30 Days of Night starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. Vampires visit an Alaskan town in winter while the sun is gone for 30 days.
Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis. Animated telling of Beowulf.
Iceman Interviews. A compilation of three HBO programs on Richard Kuklinski. Kuklinski was a paid killer from New Jersey convicted for murder. He was interviewed on camera by psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz. Kuklinski was a scary guy.
In the Valley of Elah starring Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron. Soldier Mike Deerfield's father Hank goes searching for Mike after Mike disappears on his return from Iraq.
Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale and Steve Zahn, directed by Werner Herzog. Gustavus drop-out Zahn plays a fellow POW of Dieter Dengler. Both men plan escape from a Vietnamese POW prison camp.
Watch Herzog's documentary Little Dieter Learns to Fly to learn more about Dengler and his escape.
Chalk starring some dudes. Fake documentary style comedy about a struggling first year teacher and his colleagues. I read a good review in the Madison paper when this was in the theater.
Torchwood: the complete first season. A spin-off of the the latest Dr. Who. My wife was lobbying for me to buy this.
Land of the Dead starring John Leguizamo, Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper. A zombie movie? At the Lake Mills Library? Unthinkable! The latest entry in George A. Romero's zombie tale.
Sea Change starring Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sean Young, William Sadler. The fourth entry in Selleck's dramatizations of Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone mystery series. These have been good movies.
Things We Lost in the Fire starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. Audrey's loving husband dies in a fire leaving her and her children adrift. Audrey invites her husband's longtime pal Jerry to stay with the family and they "discover hope and happiness in their new lives."
Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook. Young man travels across U.S. and into Alaska and dies in the wilderness.
Wild Women of Wongo starring Jean Hawkshaw, Johnny Walsh. The classic 1959 picture. The Wongo women reject their brutish men when the handsome Prince of Goona proposes the two tribes unite to fight off the Tribe of Ape Men.
Here is the story on this one. I originally ordered the 2007 picture The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo produced by the creators and writers of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 with voice over comments ridiculing the original 1959 picture. We could not find a catalog record for Film Crew and sent it over to West Bend to have it cataloged. But, the notes attached to that DVD were lost and the staff there assumed the item was a donation. Since the selectors at West Bend decided not to add the "donation" they put it in their book sale and some lucky duck bought it and took it home.
Since the staff at West Bend erred, Director Michael offered to buy a replacement. I sent Mike the information for Film Crew but whoever ordered the replacement bought the original 1959 version. Since the original seems so wonderfully awful I'm just going to keep it.
30 Days of Night starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George. Vampires visit an Alaskan town in winter while the sun is gone for 30 days.
Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis. Animated telling of Beowulf.
Iceman Interviews. A compilation of three HBO programs on Richard Kuklinski. Kuklinski was a paid killer from New Jersey convicted for murder. He was interviewed on camera by psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz. Kuklinski was a scary guy.
In the Valley of Elah starring Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron. Soldier Mike Deerfield's father Hank goes searching for Mike after Mike disappears on his return from Iraq.
Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale and Steve Zahn, directed by Werner Herzog. Gustavus drop-out Zahn plays a fellow POW of Dieter Dengler. Both men plan escape from a Vietnamese POW prison camp.
Watch Herzog's documentary Little Dieter Learns to Fly to learn more about Dengler and his escape.
Chalk starring some dudes. Fake documentary style comedy about a struggling first year teacher and his colleagues. I read a good review in the Madison paper when this was in the theater.
Torchwood: the complete first season. A spin-off of the the latest Dr. Who. My wife was lobbying for me to buy this.
Land of the Dead starring John Leguizamo, Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper. A zombie movie? At the Lake Mills Library? Unthinkable! The latest entry in George A. Romero's zombie tale.
Sea Change starring Tom Selleck, Kathy Baker, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sean Young, William Sadler. The fourth entry in Selleck's dramatizations of Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone mystery series. These have been good movies.
Things We Lost in the Fire starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. Audrey's loving husband dies in a fire leaving her and her children adrift. Audrey invites her husband's longtime pal Jerry to stay with the family and they "discover hope and happiness in their new lives."
Into the Wild starring Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook. Young man travels across U.S. and into Alaska and dies in the wilderness.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Fiction - Mostly Chick Lit
Fiction
What I Was by Meg Rosoff. Elderly man looks back on a 50 year friendship with a guy named Finn.
Waking Brigid by Francis Clark. Savannah, Georgia escaped most of the ravages of the Civil War and lies undamaged. Irish nun Brigid works in Savannah when a prominent citizen is somehow murdered alone in his cell at the insane asylum. Brigid's ability to speak to the dead is required by the church as they fight against the demons possessing the city.
Hell's Bay by James W. Hall. Thorn bums around the Florida Keys as a fisherman. While guiding a fishing tour in the mangroves of Hell's Bay long-lost relatives track him down asking for help in the murder of their matriarch. Trouble ensues.
Song Yet Sung by James McBride. Slave revolt in 1850 Maryland.
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Catherine Grace left small town Ringgold, Georgia for Atlanta. Brought back by family tragedy she wonders is she might belong in Ringgold after all.
Dakota by Martha Grimes. Sequel to Biting the Moon and amnesiac Andi Oliver's travels from job to job in the West. Working on a North Dakota pig farm a stranger tracks down Andi and demands answers about her past.
Senator's Wife by Sue Miller. Bestseller about one gal and her neighbor.
Souvenirs by Therese Fowler. I don't care. You can look it up.
L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker. This is supposed to be real good. Celebrity crook Allison ends up at the murder scene of 10 people. Deputy Charlie Hood stops a crime witness from leaving. Action ensues.
Prepared for Rage by Dana Stabenow. A vengefull Pakistani backed by terrorist looks to sabotage a NASA shuttle launch in Florida. The Coast Guard patrols off shore and the FBI works with them.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Eight grade outcast Kate's new neighbor across the street is "coolest girl in the world" Tully. Kate and Tully become fast friends. "Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the mainstay of their lives."
Blech!
What I Was by Meg Rosoff. Elderly man looks back on a 50 year friendship with a guy named Finn.
Waking Brigid by Francis Clark. Savannah, Georgia escaped most of the ravages of the Civil War and lies undamaged. Irish nun Brigid works in Savannah when a prominent citizen is somehow murdered alone in his cell at the insane asylum. Brigid's ability to speak to the dead is required by the church as they fight against the demons possessing the city.
Hell's Bay by James W. Hall. Thorn bums around the Florida Keys as a fisherman. While guiding a fishing tour in the mangroves of Hell's Bay long-lost relatives track him down asking for help in the murder of their matriarch. Trouble ensues.
Song Yet Sung by James McBride. Slave revolt in 1850 Maryland.
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. Catherine Grace left small town Ringgold, Georgia for Atlanta. Brought back by family tragedy she wonders is she might belong in Ringgold after all.
Dakota by Martha Grimes. Sequel to Biting the Moon and amnesiac Andi Oliver's travels from job to job in the West. Working on a North Dakota pig farm a stranger tracks down Andi and demands answers about her past.
Senator's Wife by Sue Miller. Bestseller about one gal and her neighbor.
Souvenirs by Therese Fowler. I don't care. You can look it up.
L.A. Outlaws by T. Jefferson Parker. This is supposed to be real good. Celebrity crook Allison ends up at the murder scene of 10 people. Deputy Charlie Hood stops a crime witness from leaving. Action ensues.
Prepared for Rage by Dana Stabenow. A vengefull Pakistani backed by terrorist looks to sabotage a NASA shuttle launch in Florida. The Coast Guard patrols off shore and the FBI works with them.
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Eight grade outcast Kate's new neighbor across the street is "coolest girl in the world" Tully. Kate and Tully become fast friends. "Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the mainstay of their lives."
Blech!
Mysteries
Mysteries
Calumet City by Charlie Newton. Chicago cop Patty Black "redefines the word badass". The result of a broken home and numerous tragedies she is a tough gal in a tough job. When a chaotic raid on a drug-house reveals a body sealed inside a wall Patti's past starts coming back to haunt her.
Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees. Former school principal Omar Yussef now works for the UN inspecting schools in the Gaza Strip. A teacher is accused of working for the CIA and Yussef's Swedish boss is captured by gunmen. The UN pulls out it's staff after another worker is killed and Yussef tries to free both the teacher and the Swede. "To do so he must confront the corruption and violence of Gaza's warring government factions and untangle the links between the teacher's arrest, the kidnapping of his colleagues, the murder of an officer in one of the Palestinian security services, and a stolen missile."
Murder in the Rue de Paradis by Cara Black. Parisian gal Aimee says yes to the marriage proposal made when her lover returns from working in Egypt. The next day Aimee gets a call to identify the body of her new fiancee. Aimee looks for the killer.
Crows by Maris Soule. CPA P.J. Benson returns from walking her dog to find a dead man in her house. The police suspect her as the killer and P.J. starts to worry if the family history of schizophrenia has hit her when she receives weird phone calls and gets crows flying in her house.
I had a bat in the Library last night. I bet crows are worse than bats with all their feathers and droppings.
Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith. Numbskull cowboys Old Red and Big Red are devotees of Sherlock Holmes and his "deducifying". On a visit to San Francisco they set out to prove a dead friend's supposed suicide is murder.
Calumet City by Charlie Newton. Chicago cop Patty Black "redefines the word badass". The result of a broken home and numerous tragedies she is a tough gal in a tough job. When a chaotic raid on a drug-house reveals a body sealed inside a wall Patti's past starts coming back to haunt her.
Grave in Gaza by Matt Beynon Rees. Former school principal Omar Yussef now works for the UN inspecting schools in the Gaza Strip. A teacher is accused of working for the CIA and Yussef's Swedish boss is captured by gunmen. The UN pulls out it's staff after another worker is killed and Yussef tries to free both the teacher and the Swede. "To do so he must confront the corruption and violence of Gaza's warring government factions and untangle the links between the teacher's arrest, the kidnapping of his colleagues, the murder of an officer in one of the Palestinian security services, and a stolen missile."
Murder in the Rue de Paradis by Cara Black. Parisian gal Aimee says yes to the marriage proposal made when her lover returns from working in Egypt. The next day Aimee gets a call to identify the body of her new fiancee. Aimee looks for the killer.
Crows by Maris Soule. CPA P.J. Benson returns from walking her dog to find a dead man in her house. The police suspect her as the killer and P.J. starts to worry if the family history of schizophrenia has hit her when she receives weird phone calls and gets crows flying in her house.
I had a bat in the Library last night. I bet crows are worse than bats with all their feathers and droppings.
Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith. Numbskull cowboys Old Red and Big Red are devotees of Sherlock Holmes and his "deducifying". On a visit to San Francisco they set out to prove a dead friend's supposed suicide is murder.
Two DVDs: Michael Clayton and Steve Zahn
Michael Clayton starring George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, a burning car. Clayton works as a fixer for a high power law firm. No longer a lawyer, Clayton's work is to clean up messes. The firm's newly ethical whistleblowing lawyer is a big mess.
Comanche Moon starring Steve Zahn, Val Kilmer, Karl Urban, Wes Studi, Rachel Griffiths, Adam Beach. Gustavus drop-out Zahn and Karl Urban play Augustus McCray and Woodrow Call in this prequel to Lonesome Dove. I read that Val Kilmer took this job because he got the production to film on his New Mexico ranch. Kilmer did that for another picture too. Adam Beach is Canadian. Karl Urban is a Kiwi. Rachel Griffiths is Australian.
Comanche Moon starring Steve Zahn, Val Kilmer, Karl Urban, Wes Studi, Rachel Griffiths, Adam Beach. Gustavus drop-out Zahn and Karl Urban play Augustus McCray and Woodrow Call in this prequel to Lonesome Dove. I read that Val Kilmer took this job because he got the production to film on his New Mexico ranch. Kilmer did that for another picture too. Adam Beach is Canadian. Karl Urban is a Kiwi. Rachel Griffiths is Australian.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Music: a couple "Best of '07", Steve Earl's wife, some goofy guys
Rock
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon. Listed on several Best of 2007 lists. Catchy tunes from Austin, TX.
Wincing the Night Away by The Shins. Another of the Best of 2007. Dudes from New Mexico (I think).
The Black and White Album by The Hives. How did I miss ordering this before? Garage rock (according to Little Steven) via Sweden. Good stuff.
It Is Time For A Love Revolution by Lenny Kravitz.
Jazz
Nightmoves by Kurt Elling. Jazz vocalist Elling has a silly beard and wide acclaim. A Gustavus graduate.
Country
16 Biggest Hits by Alan Jackson. I need to buy more country music. Jackson's albums have circulated very well.
Mockingbird by Allison Moorer. Please tell me how fat, old Steve Earl married this gal. I know it's none of my business but I'm still curious about it. Earle plays guitar on one song. Moorer wrote one song and chose the rest. Nice singing voice that Moorer gal has.
Goofy Guys
Super Taranta! by Gogol Bordello. I have no idea what this is about. Some sort of rock n' roll performance art. Someone mentioned them to me in the bar at Tyranena. I need to get out more.
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon. Listed on several Best of 2007 lists. Catchy tunes from Austin, TX.
Wincing the Night Away by The Shins. Another of the Best of 2007. Dudes from New Mexico (I think).
The Black and White Album by The Hives. How did I miss ordering this before? Garage rock (according to Little Steven) via Sweden. Good stuff.
It Is Time For A Love Revolution by Lenny Kravitz.
Jazz
Nightmoves by Kurt Elling. Jazz vocalist Elling has a silly beard and wide acclaim. A Gustavus graduate.
Country
16 Biggest Hits by Alan Jackson. I need to buy more country music. Jackson's albums have circulated very well.
Mockingbird by Allison Moorer. Please tell me how fat, old Steve Earl married this gal. I know it's none of my business but I'm still curious about it. Earle plays guitar on one song. Moorer wrote one song and chose the rest. Nice singing voice that Moorer gal has.
Goofy Guys
Super Taranta! by Gogol Bordello. I have no idea what this is about. Some sort of rock n' roll performance art. Someone mentioned them to me in the bar at Tyranena. I need to get out more.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Two
Understanding Nonverbal Learning Disabilities: a commonsense guide for parents and professionals by Maggie Mamen.
Blood Brother by Nora Roberts. First book of a new horror triology.
Blood Brother by Nora Roberts. First book of a new horror triology.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A Crider and Two Other Mysteries Plus Some Reader Favorites
Mysteries
Of All Sad Words by Bill Crider. Crider's latest Sheriff Dan Rhodes novel. Rhodes is the sheriff of a rural Blacklin County in Texas. To Rhodes the saddest words are, "It seemed like a good idea at the time." More humor and adventure from Crider. I guarantee Rhodes will deal with idiots and get beat up by someone.
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear. I like the cover illustration.
Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Another one of those recipe murders.
Fiction
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. Lexi went from working girl to big-shot executive in three years. Too bad she just lost three years worth of memory in a car wreck.
Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel. Release date of February 26th.
Fast Track by Fern Michaels. The Sisterhood goes after more revenge or something.
Large Print
First Patient by Michael Palmer. Judging from the title and cover illustration this is about the President's doctor and is some sort of thriller.
Of All Sad Words by Bill Crider. Crider's latest Sheriff Dan Rhodes novel. Rhodes is the sheriff of a rural Blacklin County in Texas. To Rhodes the saddest words are, "It seemed like a good idea at the time." More humor and adventure from Crider. I guarantee Rhodes will deal with idiots and get beat up by someone.
An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear. I like the cover illustration.
Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke. Another one of those recipe murders.
Fiction
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. Lexi went from working girl to big-shot executive in three years. Too bad she just lost three years worth of memory in a car wreck.
Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel. Release date of February 26th.
Fast Track by Fern Michaels. The Sisterhood goes after more revenge or something.
Large Print
First Patient by Michael Palmer. Judging from the title and cover illustration this is about the President's doctor and is some sort of thriller.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
One CD
Music
Chinatown by Paul Filipowicz. Local blues dude Filipowicz plays guitar and sings the transplanted Mississippi blues of Chicago via Aztalan, WI.
Chinatown by Paul Filipowicz. Local blues dude Filipowicz plays guitar and sings the transplanted Mississippi blues of Chicago via Aztalan, WI.
Large Print. Eight of them.
Large Print Fiction
Lord John and the Hand of the Devils by Diana Gabaldon. "Three tales of war, intrigue, and espionage that feature one of her most popular characters: Lord John."
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Book conservator is hired to analyze and conserve the Sarajevo Haggadah. Finds clues to it's history from artifacts in the binding.
Touchstone by Laurie R. King. Bennett is in seclusion in 1930s Cornwall hiding his unwanted ability to read minds by touching people. FBI agent Harris tracks him down to pressure him into work. Sounds a lot like the Dead Zone.
Come Walk With Me by Joan Medlicott. Some romance.
Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley. Easy Rawlin's is hired to find his friend Christmas Black by both Black's daughter and the Army.
Winter Roses by Diana Palmer. Some romance.
Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs. Woman moves back home. A romance.
Large Print NonFiction
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat. Edwidge was placed in the care of a Pastor Joseph when her parents left Haiti for the U.S. When she too left Haiti for the U.S. she left behind the only family she really knew. In 2004
Pastor Joseph leaves Haiti for the U.S. and dies within days.
Lord John and the Hand of the Devils by Diana Gabaldon. "Three tales of war, intrigue, and espionage that feature one of her most popular characters: Lord John."
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Book conservator is hired to analyze and conserve the Sarajevo Haggadah. Finds clues to it's history from artifacts in the binding.
Touchstone by Laurie R. King. Bennett is in seclusion in 1930s Cornwall hiding his unwanted ability to read minds by touching people. FBI agent Harris tracks him down to pressure him into work. Sounds a lot like the Dead Zone.
Come Walk With Me by Joan Medlicott. Some romance.
Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley. Easy Rawlin's is hired to find his friend Christmas Black by both Black's daughter and the Army.
Winter Roses by Diana Palmer. Some romance.
Snowfall at Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs. Woman moves back home. A romance.
Large Print NonFiction
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat. Edwidge was placed in the care of a Pastor Joseph when her parents left Haiti for the U.S. When she too left Haiti for the U.S. she left behind the only family she really knew. In 2004
Pastor Joseph leaves Haiti for the U.S. and dies within days.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
One DVD and One Book
DVD
American Gangster starring Rusell Crowe and Denzel Washington. Crime pays for a while, then you go to prison. Contains both the theatrical version and the "extended" version. This also has Cuba Gooding, Jr. in it. That guy is good in everything. Ted Levine is in this too. I don't think that Levine always dies like he used to in older flicks like Heat and Silence of the Lambs.
NonFiction
American Ruins by Arthur Drooker. Black and white photos from across the U.S. of ruined buildings. Indian dwellings in the Western desert, antebellum mansions in the South, the Bethlehem Steel Mill, a ghost town in Nevada.
American Gangster starring Rusell Crowe and Denzel Washington. Crime pays for a while, then you go to prison. Contains both the theatrical version and the "extended" version. This also has Cuba Gooding, Jr. in it. That guy is good in everything. Ted Levine is in this too. I don't think that Levine always dies like he used to in older flicks like Heat and Silence of the Lambs.
NonFiction
American Ruins by Arthur Drooker. Black and white photos from across the U.S. of ruined buildings. Indian dwellings in the Western desert, antebellum mansions in the South, the Bethlehem Steel Mill, a ghost town in Nevada.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Navy Cross, "Extras", other stuff
DVD
Extras: the complete first season and Extras: the complete second season starring Ricky Gervais, and a bunch of big, big, big stars. Gervais wants to be a big-time actor but is stuck as a film extra. He approaches various big, big,big actors for advice. Luckily for the viewing audience all the big, big, big actors - playing themselves - are bat crap loony.
NonFiction
Navy Cross: extraordinary heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts by James E. Wise, Jr. and Scott Baron. Twenty sailors and Marines from Afghanistan and Iraq. Other recipients are from Vietnam, Korea, WW2 and WW1. The Preface says " The word 'hero' has been abused to the point where today anyone might be crowned with the title. In truth, however, a hero is someone who puts his or her life on the line for others."
Later in the preface the authors say how medal disbursement - specifically the Navy Cross - is proportionately lower than in Korea and Vietnam. But I've read many accounts of "medal inflation" in Vietnam where friends would nominate one another to assist in career advancement. I would bet the number of medals also depends on the unit. A group of guys who are in gunfights all the time must constantly be risking themselves for one another and frequent heroism most seem normal. A unit with little enemy contact that gets in a big gunfight, under the same circumstances as the other unit, may seem super heroic.
I'm glad I don't decide on the awards.
Fiction
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline.
Large Print
Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker.
Caroline's Child & Dr. Texas by Debbie Macomber. Volume two of the Heart of Texas series.
Extras: the complete first season and Extras: the complete second season starring Ricky Gervais, and a bunch of big, big, big stars. Gervais wants to be a big-time actor but is stuck as a film extra. He approaches various big, big,big actors for advice. Luckily for the viewing audience all the big, big, big actors - playing themselves - are bat crap loony.
NonFiction
Navy Cross: extraordinary heroism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts by James E. Wise, Jr. and Scott Baron. Twenty sailors and Marines from Afghanistan and Iraq. Other recipients are from Vietnam, Korea, WW2 and WW1. The Preface says " The word 'hero' has been abused to the point where today anyone might be crowned with the title. In truth, however, a hero is someone who puts his or her life on the line for others."
Later in the preface the authors say how medal disbursement - specifically the Navy Cross - is proportionately lower than in Korea and Vietnam. But I've read many accounts of "medal inflation" in Vietnam where friends would nominate one another to assist in career advancement. I would bet the number of medals also depends on the unit. A group of guys who are in gunfights all the time must constantly be risking themselves for one another and frequent heroism most seem normal. A unit with little enemy contact that gets in a big gunfight, under the same circumstances as the other unit, may seem super heroic.
I'm glad I don't decide on the awards.
Fiction
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline.
Large Print
Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker.
Caroline's Child & Dr. Texas by Debbie Macomber. Volume two of the Heart of Texas series.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Secrets, A. Lee Martinez, Kidnapping, Twin Higgins
DVD
Gone Baby Gone starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman. Private detective and his female partner are hired to help find a missing girl. The girl isn't missing, she was taken, and the path to find her becomes increasingly dangerous.
NonFiction
Fitness Walking, 2nd Edition by Therese Iknoian. Fitness programs for all levels, speeds, and distances.
A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren. Warren created an interesting mix of post mail and the internet with www.postsecrets.com. People create and send their own postcards to Warren and each postcard carries a secret the sender has never before revealed. A sampling (last one is mine and not in the book):
"It sucks having your dad go to jail when you are only in sixth grade. I still hold it against him..."
"When I was in college I made $ writing papers for other people. Now I'm a teacher & I feel like a hypocrite every time I give a 0 for cheating."
"I greatly enjoy listening to Adam and the Ants and still remember most of the lyrics."
Fiction
Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez. Martinez writes a fun mix of humorous yet serious Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. Automatic has hulking machine Mack Megaton trying to earn citizenship in the Empire. He goes looking for his missing neighbors.
Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. Beaton. A Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Killing Ground by Jack Higgins. British intelligence officer Sean Dillon decides to help Caspar whose Bedouin father kidnapped Caspar's thirteen-year-old daughter for marriage to an Iraqi terrorist.
Large Print
Killing Ground by Jack Higgins. British intelligence officer Sean Dillon decides to help Caspar whose Bedouin father kidnapped Caspar's thirteen-year-old daughter for marriage to an Iraqi terrorist.
Gone Baby Gone starring Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman. Private detective and his female partner are hired to help find a missing girl. The girl isn't missing, she was taken, and the path to find her becomes increasingly dangerous.
NonFiction
Fitness Walking, 2nd Edition by Therese Iknoian. Fitness programs for all levels, speeds, and distances.
A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren. Warren created an interesting mix of post mail and the internet with www.postsecrets.com. People create and send their own postcards to Warren and each postcard carries a secret the sender has never before revealed. A sampling (last one is mine and not in the book):
"It sucks having your dad go to jail when you are only in sixth grade. I still hold it against him..."
"When I was in college I made $ writing papers for other people. Now I'm a teacher & I feel like a hypocrite every time I give a 0 for cheating."
"I greatly enjoy listening to Adam and the Ants and still remember most of the lyrics."
Fiction
Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez. Martinez writes a fun mix of humorous yet serious Science Fiction and Fantasy novels. Automatic has hulking machine Mack Megaton trying to earn citizenship in the Empire. He goes looking for his missing neighbors.
Death of a Gentle Lady by M.C. Beaton. A Hamish Macbeth mystery.
Killing Ground by Jack Higgins. British intelligence officer Sean Dillon decides to help Caspar whose Bedouin father kidnapped Caspar's thirteen-year-old daughter for marriage to an Iraqi terrorist.
Large Print
Killing Ground by Jack Higgins. British intelligence officer Sean Dillon decides to help Caspar whose Bedouin father kidnapped Caspar's thirteen-year-old daughter for marriage to an Iraqi terrorist.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Two DVDs, Steve Earle's Sister-in-Law, and Otis the Banjo Player
DVDs
W: the history of Wisconsin football. "This action-packed and fascinating DVD explores the famous names, games and plays that formed the great football traditions of this Big Ten favorite." With over twenty interviews.
1 and 0: one record setting season. "The story of the 2006 Wisconsin Badgers." Narrated by Matt Lepay, the "Voice of the Badgers", with game highlights, player commentary, and other extras.
Music
Recapturing the Banjo by Otis Taylor. Remind me, why did I order this? I must have seen it on list somewhere. It sure is good though. The booklet has a short essay on banjo history and it's origins in Africa and the way the instrument was appropriated by different cultures. Otis plays traditional folk tunes and contemporary songs. EDIT, 2-12-08: This is a good album.
Just a Little Lovin' by Shelby Lynne. "Inspired by Dusty Springfield." "Perhaps the first thing to make the listener aware of is that Lynne makes no attempt to sound like her subject. She is a singer with her own phrasing, manner of articulation, and sense of rhythm."
One Book
Smoothies and Juices: simple and delicious easy-to-make recipes by Christine Ambridge.
W: the history of Wisconsin football. "This action-packed and fascinating DVD explores the famous names, games and plays that formed the great football traditions of this Big Ten favorite." With over twenty interviews.
1 and 0: one record setting season. "The story of the 2006 Wisconsin Badgers." Narrated by Matt Lepay, the "Voice of the Badgers", with game highlights, player commentary, and other extras.
Music
Recapturing the Banjo by Otis Taylor. Remind me, why did I order this? I must have seen it on list somewhere. It sure is good though. The booklet has a short essay on banjo history and it's origins in Africa and the way the instrument was appropriated by different cultures. Otis plays traditional folk tunes and contemporary songs. EDIT, 2-12-08: This is a good album.
Just a Little Lovin' by Shelby Lynne. "Inspired by Dusty Springfield." "Perhaps the first thing to make the listener aware of is that Lynne makes no attempt to sound like her subject. She is a singer with her own phrasing, manner of articulation, and sense of rhythm."
One Book
Smoothies and Juices: simple and delicious easy-to-make recipes by Christine Ambridge.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Natural Remedies in Spanish, Two Large Print, Two Fiction, Three Audio
Spanish
El Gran Libro de los Remedios Naturales by Luis Tomas Melgar.
Large Print
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz.
Purrfect Murder by Rita Mae Brown
Fiction
Nightshadows by William F. Nolan. Anthology of horror short stories.
Rogue Officer by Garry Douglas Kilworth. British Infantry Lieutenenat "Fancy Jack" Crossman is posted to India right after the Mutiny. I read a before Crossman book once before, Winter Soldiers, and it was pretty good.
AudioBook on CD
High Crimes: the fate of Everest in an age of greed by Michael Kodas. Kodas joined an Everest expedition in 2004 and found thieves, whores, con men, blackmailers and drug dealers at the base camps. Koda was threatened by his own teammate, thieves stole their gear, and a partner was beaten unconscious.
Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig. Mary Alsworthy accepts a spying job from Lord Vaughn to finance the upcoming social season. she must infiltrate the Black Tulip's circle before their planned invasion of England is undertaken.
Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. Willie returns home to Templeton, NY after a disasterous affair. When a dead lake monster surfaces the town's silence is disturbed and Willie learns her unknown father may be a local man. Willie starts digging around and founds out more about her family and town than expected.
El Gran Libro de los Remedios Naturales by Luis Tomas Melgar.
Large Print
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz.
Purrfect Murder by Rita Mae Brown
Fiction
Nightshadows by William F. Nolan. Anthology of horror short stories.
Rogue Officer by Garry Douglas Kilworth. British Infantry Lieutenenat "Fancy Jack" Crossman is posted to India right after the Mutiny. I read a before Crossman book once before, Winter Soldiers, and it was pretty good.
AudioBook on CD
High Crimes: the fate of Everest in an age of greed by Michael Kodas. Kodas joined an Everest expedition in 2004 and found thieves, whores, con men, blackmailers and drug dealers at the base camps. Koda was threatened by his own teammate, thieves stole their gear, and a partner was beaten unconscious.
Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig. Mary Alsworthy accepts a spying job from Lord Vaughn to finance the upcoming social season. she must infiltrate the Black Tulip's circle before their planned invasion of England is undertaken.
Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff. Willie returns home to Templeton, NY after a disasterous affair. When a dead lake monster surfaces the town's silence is disturbed and Willie learns her unknown father may be a local man. Willie starts digging around and founds out more about her family and town than expected.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Three DVDs and Two AudioBooks
DVD
Snow Buddies starring a bunch of puppies and voice-overs. "Daring dogs have to band together with their new friends and muster up the courage to face the fur-raising challenges ahead. But will they have what it takes to win the race and find their way back home?" Shelved downstairs in the children's section.
The Brave One starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews. New York radio host is assaulted and fiancee murdered. Radio host gets a pistol and goes out for revenge. I think.
Across the Universe starring Julie Taylor, Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess. Liverpudlian goes to U.S. in 1960s. Meets gal who joins anti-war movement. Story told through the performances of Beatles songs.
AudioBooks
Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker. Ex-con Crow shows up in Paradise, MA asking Jesse Stone to leave him alone while he looks for a runaway teen girl. Four hours, 48 minutes long.
7th Heaven by James Patterson. "The women's murder club's most terrifying case ever."
Snow Buddies starring a bunch of puppies and voice-overs. "Daring dogs have to band together with their new friends and muster up the courage to face the fur-raising challenges ahead. But will they have what it takes to win the race and find their way back home?" Shelved downstairs in the children's section.
The Brave One starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews. New York radio host is assaulted and fiancee murdered. Radio host gets a pistol and goes out for revenge. I think.
Across the Universe starring Julie Taylor, Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess. Liverpudlian goes to U.S. in 1960s. Meets gal who joins anti-war movement. Story told through the performances of Beatles songs.
AudioBooks
Stranger in Paradise by Robert B. Parker. Ex-con Crow shows up in Paradise, MA asking Jesse Stone to leave him alone while he looks for a runaway teen girl. Four hours, 48 minutes long.
7th Heaven by James Patterson. "The women's murder club's most terrifying case ever."
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