Saturday, November 28, 2015

DVDs and Why I Bought Them

DVD

Rectify: the second season starring [actors]. I bought this because season one circ'ed well.

Orange is the New Black: season two starring Taylor Schilling. I bought this because people like it.

The Knick: the complete first season starring Clive Owen. I bought this because Anthony Neil Smith was raving about it.



Downton Abbey: season five starring [actors]. I bought this because the show is still going strong enough for people to still keep watching.


Veep: the complete second season starring [that woman actor from Seinfeld whose name skips my mind]. I bought this because it gets Emmy nominations and awards.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl starring [actors]. I bought this because I figured people would want to watch it.

Mad Men: the finale season part 2 starring Jon Hamm. I bought this because people will watch it and because the DVD weasels split the final season into two sets so that everyone has to pay twice as much.

Game of Thrones: fourth season starring [actors]. I bought this because: popular, dragons, horses swords, nudity, scheming, etc.

Dark Places starring Charlize Theron. I bought this because I enjoyed the book and Gillian Flynn is currently a Big Deal.



Scandal: the complete fourth season starring [actors]. I bought this after I found out the show has many fans.

The Blacklist: the complete second season starring James Spader. I bought this because many people watch the show.

iZombie starring [blond woman]. I bought this because my wife watches the show and I figure other people will as well.

Friday, November 20, 2015

A Lansdale, A Collins, A Gorman, and Four NonFic

Joe R. Lansdale

Fender Lizards by Joe R. Lansdale. The Sage of East Texas writes another YA novel. Except this is shelved in regular fiction. Oh well, let's see how it runs in regular fic.

Fiction

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin illustrations by Gary  Gianni. Something to do with swords and horses and stuff. Gianni used to illustrate the Prince Valiant weeklies. I read Valiant.

Fate of the Union by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens. Collins and Clemens - or - Collins/Clemens - or - CC write a second novel featuring ex-Secret Service Agent Joe Reeder investigating murder and political conspiracy. The first book, Supreme Justice, was good and is over in the Fiction section. To my left. No, my left. Go down, turn right at the break in the shelves, and it will be in the first aisle.

On Monday the Library Board was looking at sample chairs to replace the chairs in Library Hall. The saleslady said the chairs were made by HON in Muscatine, Iowa. I said, "That's where Max Allan Collins lives." She said, "Okay."

Elimination by Ed Gorman.  Gorman also lives in Iowa. I read a previous novel featuring political consultant Dev Conrad. That book was enjoyable. If you read this one tell me if you like it. If you don't like it you can email Gorman and tell him all the reasons why. I hear that authors love those kinds of emails.

The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans. Evans lives in Utah. I wonder how much time he has spent in Iowa. Most of my Iowa time has been drive time.

NonFiction

Milwaukee Mayhem: Murder and mystery in the Cream City's first century by Matthew W. Prigge. I've spent a some overnights in Iowa with relatives but that was over 30 years ago in Marshalltown.

Navigating the Alzheimer's Journey: a compass for caregiving by Carol Bowlby Sifton. I had an overnight recruiting trip to Wartburg College in 1988 or 1989. I was there for a scholarship competition.

A Settler's Year: pioneer life through the seasons by Kathleen Ernst. Set in Old World Wisconsin. I've been to Old World Wisconsin when my older son's fourth grade class took a trip there.

The Givenness of Things: essays by Marilynne Robinson. Old World Wisconsin is not in Iowa.

Large Print

Large Print


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Quarterly Cussler

Fiction

The Guilty by David Baldacci. Baldacci had his author photo taken outside and he is not wearing a tie.

A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan.  Egan should call herself "The Double E".

The Whites by Richard Price writing as Harry Brandt. I think this book came out a while ago. Price's author photo is black and white.

Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich. Evanovich cranks'em out. Does she just work all day every day, or is she so good at things that she barely has to revise?

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. Literary adaptation of the radio show.

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith. Another thriller from J.K. Rowling. I listened to the first book in the series and it was fun. The book was also super long.

Pharaoh's Secret by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. Wow, this cover is not filled with explosions and fireballs like most Cussler novel covers.

A Death in the Family by Michael Stanley. Murder in Botswana by two guys who write together under one name.

All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke. Both these authors are Big Deal Writers so I suppose this should be pretty good. I sure hope so because I do not appreciate the cover.

Naughtier Than Nice by Eric Jerome Dickey. Don't Dickey novels always end up on the bestseller list? This is Christmas themed.

Large Print



NonFiction

The Oregon Trail: a new American journey by Rinker Buck. Buck and his brother traveled by wagon from Missouri to Oregon.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Large Pie

NonFiction

Pie: 300 tired-and-true recipes for delicious homemade pie by Ken Haedrich. Page 498 says, "Meanwhile ... beat the ... soft peaks ... and ... fold ... aluminum ... garnish ... with ... ice-water."

Large Print


Monday, November 09, 2015

ACT Ordinary, Gift Skunk

NonFiction

Up Your ACT Score by Chris Arp and Veritas Tutors. Page 174 says, "x always refers to the input."

Skunk Hill: a native ceremonial community in Wisconsin by Robert A. Birmingham. Archeologist writes book about Potawatomi village founded to maintain traditional native culture. Should native be Native? I'm not certain.

Clive Barker's Tapping the Vein by John Bolton, et al. Comic book versions of Barker stories, a book from 2002.

Come As You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D. Page 129 says, "Let it."

Delicious One-Pot Dishes by Linda Gassenheimer. Gassenheimer. That is a fun name to same.  Page says, " This is a shortcut version of a favorite Southern dish."

Fiction

The Splendor of Ordinary Days by Jeff High. Doctor takes small town job to pay medical school debts.

Audiobook on CD

A Good Family by Erik Fassnacht. 18 hours on 5CDs. Fassnacht.  That is a fun name to say. 

DVD

The Gift starring Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, Joel Edgeton. Creepy dude scares married couple.


BOB DYLAN // LIKE A ROLLING STONE from Alessio Ruta on Vimeo.


Jurassic World starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard.  Dinosaurs escape or something. I am not sure, I did not care enough about this flick to found out what it is about.


Friday, November 06, 2015

Musical Music Makers

Instruments Are Played, Recordings Are Made, Distribution Is Varied

Picking Up The Pieces by Jewel. Country sings sings new songs.



Introducing Darlene Love by Darlene Love. Famous back-up singer sings songs with Little Steven.


Kill The Lights by Luke Bryan. Country pop singer sings country pop.


Bad Magic by Motorhead. HEAVY METAL LEMMY SINGS HEAVY METAL SONGS.



Cass County by Don Henley. Famous rock drummer sings country songs about Texas.


Got Your Six by Five Finger Death Punch. HEAVY METAL BAND PLAYS LOUD INSTRUMENTS AND SINGS.



Are You Satisfied? by Slaves. Remember when I posted a Slaves music video over and over a couple weeks ago. That was not a mistake.




Top 25 Praise Songs: 2016 by Various Artists. Various artists sing various songs.

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Shiney Sound Discs

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

Compton: a soundtrack by Dr. Dre. Rappers rap about rapping for a rap movie about rappers who rap and become famous.

Call Me Insane by Dale Watson. Country music singer plays guitar and sings about mental health.


Gates of Gold by Los Lobos. Los Angelinos sing in both English and Spanish.


Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A. Re-release of famous album with rappers rapping about living in California.

Crosseyed Heart by keith Richards. Famous guitarist sings songs, smokes cigarettes, and releases a solo album.

Monday, November 02, 2015

*No Relation*

NonFiction

Fast Girl: a life spent running from madness by Suzy Favor Hamilton. Former Olympian suffers from mental illness and goes into prostitution. I read an interview with Hamilton and this sounds like a fascinating book. Hamilton is a well known Sconnie so her "outing" as a high price call girl made headlines.

Fiction

Winter Stroll by Elin Hildebrand. Popular novelist writes a Christmas novel.

The Theory of Death by Faye Kellerman. Popular novelist writes a thriller.

Gatefather by Orson Scott Card. Famous novelist writes a fantasy novel.

Die Easy by Zoe Sharp. Popular novelist has earlier novels reprinted in the U.S. by Pegasus Books. Sharp was at Bouchercon in St. Louis. I didn't say hello because hello was all I would have had to say.

After Alice by Gregory Maguire. Popular author writes novel about Alice.

The Scribe by Matthew Guinn. 1881 Atlanta policeman has to find serial killer targeting wealthy black people.

Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline. Popular author writes a thriller novel. Author photo on the back cover is big but I cannot see if she is wearing a watch.

Christmas Bells by Jennifer Chiaverini. Popular author writes a Christmas novel. I thought the cover said Christmas Balls.




Playing With Fire by Tess Gerritsen. Popular author writes a novel about something or other. Let me check... Some kind of satanic sheet music. I think. Hey, Gerritsen is wearing a watch in her photo but the watch face is away from the camera.

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell. Popular author writes another thriller. Her watch is showing, but the darn thing is shaded so I cannot tell the time.

Wrath of the Furies by Steven Saylor (no relation). Popular author (no relation) writes another novel set in Rome. 

Gischler Gun Bastards

Victor Gischler 


HellBound by Victor Gischler. Something about an evil trucker who decapitates people?



NonFiction

State of Wisconsin Blue Book, 2015-2016. Flip through and sneer at your political opposites.

Bastards by Mary Anna King.  King's mother was a poor parent with lots of children. King was adopted by her grandparents and left wondering about her mother, her runaway father, and all the siblings she was she sure to discover later on.

Lights Out: a cyber attack, a nation unprepared, surviving the aftermath by Ted Koppel. People who warn and prepare for the possibility of long term - measured in months - power outage.



The Upcycle T-shirt by Jenelle Montilone.  Craft book for crafty people who do crafty crafts.

Gunsmithing the Ar-15, volume 2 by Patrick Sweeney. I was iffy on ordering this book because circ's on previous AR15 are iffy. Some of those items check-out a lot and some just sit on the shelf.

Girl World: how to ditch the drama and find your inner amazing! by Patricia Ottaviano. My inner amazing wants to go home and take a nap.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

I ordered this?

DVD

Morituris: Legions of the Dead starring [Europeans]. Horror novel set in the Romanian mountains when people try and attend a rave. Gore ensues.


Black Jesus: season 1 starring Gerald Johnson and Charlie Murphy. Jesus lives in Compton, CA.



The Duke of Burgundy starring Sidse Babett Knudsen and Chiara D'Anna. Man, I don't what this is. Some sort of Gothic sex and manipulation movie.


Final Girl starring Abigail Breslin. Girl wooed by dudes to a forest so they can hunt and kill her. Things do not go as planned.


When Calls the Heart, Season One starring Erin Krakow and Lori Loughlin. Based on Janette Oke's novels about life in a coal town for a new teacher and several widows.


Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Trick-or-Treating October 28, 4-6PM

Candy

The annual downtown Trick-or-Treating is tomorrow evening from 4-6PM.
We have 24.25 pounds of candy.





Monday, October 26, 2015

Boxing, Selfishness, and Chercover

Fiction

The Devil's Game by Sean Chercover. Either this novel or it's predecessor, Trinity Game, his the bestseller list. International thriller with a former Vatican investigator looking into a deadly pathogen.

NonFiction

The Age of Selfishness: Ayn Rand, morality, and the financial crisis by Darryl Cunningham. A "devastating analysis of our current economic world" and how Rand's followers caused the economic collapse of 2008.

A Hurting Sport: an inside look at another year in boxing by Thomas Hauser. Annual compilation of Hauser's boxing articles and commentary. I picked up an earlier volume a year or two ago and I really enjoyed reading it. Hauser wrote a few mysteries, The Beethoven Conspiracy was good.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

A Bit of Both

NonFiction

Paid For: my journey through prostitution by Rachel Moran. This had a real good review. Moran was a street kid who started prostituting and as a teen. Moran quit the work at 22-years-old and discusses the mental and physical aspects of the work. Page 25 says, [I cannot find a short sentence].

Unabrow: misadventures of a late bloomer by Una Lamarche. Humorous essays about growing up and then becoming a parent. Page 248 says, "Is Una a reliable narrator?"

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson edited by Thomas H. Johnson. We either needed a copy or the last copy was beat to heck.

Fiction

Lake House by Kate Morton. The cover illustration says, "Rough seas ahead!"

Host by Robin Cook. The cover illustration says, "That man has no face!"

Fear the Dark by Kay Hooper. The cover illustration says, "I'm not going in there."

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham. The cover illustration says, "Wow, this is a nice downtown view, check out the construction cranes over there."

Golden Age by Jane Smiley. The cover illustration says, "Yeah, but I don't think it'll rain so let's walk."

Large Print

Monday, October 19, 2015

Gischler Dishing Stars for Seniors

Gischler

The Tattooed Duchess by Victor Gischler. Swords and sorcery sequel to Ink Mage.







Fiction

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani. 1930s Hollywood with Loretta Young and her employee/friend.

Dishing the Dirt by M.C. Beaton. Agatha Raisin is suspected of murder.

NonFiction

Windows 10 for Seniors for the Beginning Computer User by Visual Steps. A not-so-thick computer book.

Murach's MySQL, 2nd Edition by Joel Murach. A thick computer book. Page 472 says, "In the next few figures, you'll learn how to set system variables."

CCNA Cisco certified network associate routing and switching study guide (Exam 200-101, ICND2), with Boson NetSim, limited edition by Richard Deal

DVD

Packers Road to XLV: post-season collector's edition by NFL Films.

America's game, the Super Bowl champions. Super Bowl XXXI :1996 Green Bay Packers by NFL Films.

America's game. 1966 Green Bay Packers : the Super Bowl champions by NFL Films.

America's game, the Super Bowl champions. Super Bowl II:1997 Green Bay Packers by NFL Films.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Three Novels, Computer Stuff, Civil War

Fiction

Foreign Affairs by Stuart Woods. Your quarterly installation.

City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg. This has some really heavy paper. It is 903 pages long. There are some illustrations.

See Me by Nicholas Sparks. Man meets woman and romance begins.

NonFiction

CompTIA Network+ Certification Exam Guide: exam N10-006, sixth edition by Mike Meyers. I have no idea what this is but figure it will be used. Page 436 says, "To get on the IPv6 network, you need to leap over this gap, to implement an IPv4-to-IPv6 tunnel."

Civil War Album: complete photographic history - Fort Sumter to Appomattox edited by William C. Davis and Bell L. Wiley. This is very neat. A tall and thick book filled with almost 4,000 images. Page 447 says, "Beyond the Wheat Field, at the southernmost edge of the Rose Farm, raged a heavy fight that left scores of dead Confederates behind."

Books on CD

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter.

Alert by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.

The Murder House by James Patterson and David Ellis.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

The One Where I Purchase A Bunch Of TV Shows

DVD

The Red Road: complete first season starring [actors].  Modern day trouble between a town's Anglos and the mountain's Native American tribe.


Full House: season 5 starring [I don't care]. Man, I really dislike this show, but someone told me this is still popular. So I bought a couple seasons. I'll buy more seasons later.

Full House: season 8 starring [I still don't care].

The Big Bang Theory: complete eight season starring [other people]. I've watch some of one episode.

Modern Family: complete sixth season starring That Guy From Married With Children. Comedy.

Empire: season one starring [more people]. I have wanted to watch this show and never did.

The Jinx: the life and deaths of Robert Durst starring [a killer]. Super wealthy man gets away with murder.

The Flash: complete first season starring [Mr. Speedy].

Top of the Lake starring [Kiwis]. Pregnant woman goes missing in a lake on the South Island and woman detective looks for her. Jane Campion did this production. Hey, Dunedin, is this any good?