L.D. Fargo Public Library in Lake Mills, WI 120 East Madison Street, Lake Mills, WI 53551 920.648.2166
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Two NonFiction and Another Bouchercon Freebie
While They Slept: an inquiry into the murder of a family by Kathryn Harrison. 18-year-old kills his parents and a sister. Spares the other sister. An uplifting family story.
Quicken 2011: the official guide by Bobbi Sandberg. I bought a previous annual manual. Manual Samuel. Samuel Cram-you-ill. Cram-you-ill Spam-a-hill. I need a rhyming dictionary.
Fiction
Three Seconds by Roslund and Hellstrom. Co-authors Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom were doing signings at Bouchercon. I picked up this free book but did not get it signed. Some other Scandinavians were doing a signing in the bar early that evening. I didn't get a book but got a free drink.
Free Drink at Bouchercon Signing
At the above mentioned signing I asked the waitress for some sort of IPA. When she got back I ended up with a Budweiser. I don't like Budweiser. I did not complain because the gal was busy and the drink was free. I drank the lousy beer anyway. It was free.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Christa Faust and Clare O'Donohue Overkill
I sat next to O'Donohue during a breakfast event at Bouchercon. O'Donohue has written a series of cozy mysteries that sounded like people here would like them. O'Donohue also has a newer mystery series based on her own job as a free lance news producer.
Double Cross. Quilter is asked to teach class at a New York bed-and-breakfast where the business owner is murdered.
Devil's Puzzle. Quilting group has to solve mystery of a skeleton in one member's backyard and the town's witchcraft history.
Missing Persons. Soon to be divorced Kate's husband is killed. Kate takes a television assignment on a missing persons case and the cases overlap.
Christa Faust
Faust was also at Bouchercon but I did speak to her. I didn't have anything to say.
Choke Hold. Angela Dare, retired porn star, entered witness protection after helping break a kidnapping and prostitution ring. A former co-star is killed and Dare shepherds the friend's mixed martial arts fighting son.
Fiction
Mortal Terror by James R. Benn. Great WWII series featuring character Billy Boyle. Boyle is a troubleshooting investigator for his uncle, General Eisenhower. A killer is targeting officers and Boyle is sent to quietly clean things up.
Shock Wave by John Sandford. Minnesota.
Trackers by Deon Meyer. Meyer was also at Bouchercon. I congratulated him on his novel Blood Safari.
Thirteen House by Deon Meyer. Meyer is a big, tall dude. His English seemed pretty dang good so I wonder why he writes in Afrikaans and has his work translated by someone else.
Headhunters by Jo Nesbo. Recommended by Anthony Neil Smith who is teaching our writing workshop this November. At least I think it was Nesbo. Some Scandinavian guy anyway.
Doverkeepers by Alice Hoffman. Cover has a long-haired girl with a dove on each shoulder.
Prey by Linda Howard. We have two copies because one was donated. That is dandy since this novel has plenty of holds.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Another copy.
October Fest by Jess Lourey. Presidential debate at Octoberfest ends in murder.
Murder Unleashed by Rita Mae Brown. Some sort of dog mystery.
13 Million Dollar Pop by David Levien. I met Levien at Bouchercon too. Levien writes a lot of screenplays. I asked what they were and I have seen none of the flicks. I made fun of him. He was good guy.
Heirloom Murders by Kathleen Ernst. Wisconsin author. Wisconsin setting. Wisconsin murder.
Police and Thieves by James Patrick Hunt. Earlier Hunt books have proved popular here.
DVD: Violence, Bodybuilding, Cars, Talking Beaver, Bad Parenting
Hanna starring Saoirse Ronan and Eric Bana. Girl is raised in rural Finland by her father to be an assassin. I was an short-term exchange student to Finland after high school. We drove to a museum in Helsinki and I spent most of the checking out the girls.
Thor starring Guy With a Hammer. Guy With A Hammer hurts hedonistic heathens with hammering.
Incendies starring French Canadians. Dying mother asks kids to travel to Middle East. Family mystery.
Fast Five starring [same people as last time] and Dwayne Johnson. Car chases! Machine guns! Bikinis! Posturing! One liners! Brazil!
The Beaver starring Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster. Guy has a mental breakdown and can only talk by using a beaver hand puppet.
Everything Must Go starring Will Ferrell. Guy's wife ejects him from his house and puts everything on the lawn. Guy has a yard sale. This looks like it might be way too "learns an important lesson about life"-y.
Win Win starring Paul Giamatti and Alex Shaffer. High school wrestling.
Cruel Teenage Fighter Pilots Head to Space in Tweed
Classic Fighters: the inside story by Ray Bonds. "Inside story" is a pun. Each entry has "incredibly detailed cutaway drawings" of each plane. I keep mixing up plane and plain. I think the early days of each style of aircraft are neat. The WWI planes and the early days of jets.
Space by Andrew Chaiken. Coffee table book with great photos and text of space flight and history. My sons add guns onto their Lego Space Shuttle. "Pow! Pssh! K-sh!"
Tweed: more than 20 contemporary designs to knit by Nancy J. Thomas. Two models in the whole book with a gal and a guy who forgot to shave.
Why Good Kids Act Cruel: the hidden truth about the pre-teen years by Carl Pickhardt, PhD. Early adolescence is a phase of anxiety, of uncertainty, of insecurity. To make matters worse, although all kids are going through the same transformation, none of them share what it is like, each feeling alone, isolated, and unique. The result is that even fantastic kids will do and say harmful things.
What Do You Expect? She's A Teenager!: a hope and happiness guide for moms with daughters ages 11-19 by Arden Greenspan-Goldberg. Yeah, no kidding. I've worked with teenage girls at the library but having them at home must be very difficult at times.
Friday, October 07, 2011
An Event of Cultural Interest
I forgot about the video files from this event. I stuck them together.
Sight and Sound
Blitz starring Jason Statham, Paddy Considine. London cop Brant cracks heads while hunting a killer. Based off the Ken Bruen books. Bruen's Brant is a feared cop among both crooks and cops and his work and personal activities cover both sides of the law.
Sound
1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber. 5 CDs at 6 hours. Cover has three dogs in a basket. As if those dogs would actually stay in the basket.
The Accident by Linwood Barclay. 11 CDs at 12.33 hours. I was sure I spoke to Barclay at a Bouchercon party hosted by Random House. I just saw Barclay's photo and it was not the same guy. I must have gotten his name mixed up.
Justice by Karen Robards. 10 CDs at 11.5 hours.
Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen. Another Rizzoli and Isles novel. 9 CDs at 10 hours.
Area 51: an uncensored history of America's top secret history base by Annie Jacobsen. 15 CDs at 16.25 hours.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
What to Read 44: Chasing the Devil by David Reichert
Chasing the Devil: my twenty year quest to capture the Green River Killer by David Reichert.
Two Novels for You
Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn. A superspy does super spying. Guy is out to assassinate an Iranian and travels around the globe. Because that is what spies do, they travel around the world making last minute airline reservations and stay in expensive downtown hotels.
Prey by Linda Howard. Many customers have reservations for this book.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Five Novels, Cartoons, Bouchercon Report
1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber. "A Cedar Cove Novel" These just keep coming out. I wonder if they are being ghosted. Single mom in Cedar Grove expects a great Christmas. But, someone left basket of puppies on her doorstep and her kids invited her ex-husband for the holiday.
Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock.
Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke. Sheriff in a rural, Texas border town investigates a torture killing.
An Angel for Christmas by Heather Graham. Heather Graham the actress is from Wisconsin. I cannot recall from where and will not look it up.
Veil of Lies by Jeri Westerson. A paperback version I got for free at Bouchercon.
NonFiction
How to Draw Cartoons: s step-by-step guide with 1000 illustrations by Ivan Hissey and Curtis Tappenden. I may bring this home for Boy #1. He has been drawing comics lately after reading things like Wimpy Kid and Captain Underpants.
Bouchercon 2011 in St. Louis
Bouchercon was a few weeks ago. I attended. Bouchercon is an annual meeting for authors and fans of mysteries, crime and suspense novels.
I barely talked to anyone except for a few guys in the bar and at the Random House party. I had three goals of the event. 1- Say hello to Bill Crider. 2. Say hello to Barbara Fister. 3. Say hello to Patti Abbot. I completed the first two objectives and missed the third.
The advantage of a librarian attending Bouchercon is to learn more about new books, old books, and all sorts of authors for genres that are very popular with library users. Bouchercon is also a chance to learn more about the publishing industry from the author's perspective. I took about ten pictures all week, here are five.
Bill Crider waiting to sign books
New copies of Quarry's Ex
New copies of Choke Hold
Panel members for Girl Trouble about 'bad girls" in fiction
I stocked up on coffee before the Girl Trouble panel
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Lorine Niedecker: a poet's life
Lorine Niedecker: a poet's life by Margot Peters. Lorine Niedecker...was a poet of extraordinary talent whose life and work were long enveloped in obscurity. Margot does a lot of research for each of her biographies. Margot will be speaking here, at the library, on November 26th.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Firm Dragon Fish Tank
The Firm Weight Loss System: turbocharge weight loss featuring [some blond woman]. 40 minutes of exercise.
Fish Tank starring Michael Fassbender and British people. 15-yr-old girl lives with mom and sister in English housing project. Mom's attractive boyfriend moves in and tension builds.
Audiobooks on CD
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin. 38 CDs at 49 hours. 49 hours? What the heck? I'm listening to the always quotable Joe R. Lansdale's Vanilla Ride and that is only 7.5 hours.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A New Quarry Novel
Quarry's Ex by Max Allan Collins. A novel set early in the career of Quarry the hit man. Quarry gets hired for a job and learns the case involves his ex-wife. These books are fantastic.
- Interesting Fact About Max Allan Collins #1: He is fairly tall.
- Interesting Fact About Max Allan Collins #2: He is a good singer. Not for his vocal ability but for his energy and emotion.
Large Print
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer. Dock in 1920 Bristol, England gets scholarship to exclusive school.
Audiobook on CD
In the Sea There are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda. 4 CDs at 4.5 hours. Based on the true story of Enaratollah Akbari. Akbari was ten-years-old when his family fled the Taliban in Afghanistan to Pakistan. Left on his own, Akbari traveled on his own through Iran, Turkey, and Greece to asylum in Italy. The title says Bill Crider, I don't know if the story does.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Three Fic, Two "Writing As", and One Non
Getting Off by Lawrence Block (writing as Jill Emerson). Another novel recovery by Hard Case Crime. This is a older novel Block did in the '50s or '60s. A serial killer woman who murders who one-night stands starts to track down the men she did not kill before.
Son of Stone by "Stuart Woods". Because, really, does Woods write his books anymore? Maybe he does an outline and a final edit.
Lethal by Sandra Brown. Widow with young daughter caught by a suspected mass murderer who claims the woman's dead policeman husband was hiding something valuable.
Large Print
Canyons of Night by Jayne Ann Krent (writing as Jayne Castle).
Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry.
NonFiction
Grand Pursuit: the story of economic genius by Sylvia Nasser. Narrative of the history and development of economics and it's rise from the destitute and poor of London.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Duel to Death! Watson vs. Mitchard!
American Boys by Larry Watson. The Milwaukee Mauler enters the cage carrying his latest novel. A 1962 setting featuring a young guy with a "feverish longing for [a] mysterious woman." If Watson survives he will be here, in our library, on November, 12th.
Second Nature by Jacquelyn Mitchard. The Madame Master of Madison bursts out with a love story. A woman facially disfigured during a childhood fire decides to a new surgery to restore her face to what it was. If Mitchard survives she will be at the Watertown Friends of the Library on October 6th.
Non-Wisconsin Fiction
The Race by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. "An Isaac Bell Adventure." Something to do with airplanes.
The Vault by Ruth Rendell. I've read good things about Rendell's novels but have not yet read one of them. Murder mystery set in London.
New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb. An In Death novel.
DVD
24: Season 8 starring Kiefer Sutherland and The Weaver Stance. Secret agent fights secret bad guys.
Cell 211 starring Spaniards. Prison guard on his first day at work gets knocked unconscious. Guard awakes to find out a riot has occurred and he is in the middle of it. Guard has to pass as a prisoner.
Bereavement starring Michael Biehn and John Savage. I ordered this because Biehn and Savage are both in it. In 1989 a 6-year-old is kidnapped by a serial killer who teaches him to kill.
Friday, September 09, 2011
2.5" to 3" of Fiction
Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill. 272 pages with acknowledgments. This is listed again because the spine label had to be redone. Bill thanks Roger Smith and Christa Faust in his acknowledgments. I always have difficulty spelling acknowledments.
The Mercy by Beverly Lewis. 306 pages with author's note.
Burning Soul by John Connolly. 406 pages with acknawludgmints. Connolly thanks Howie Carr for the Boston background and information of Carr's The Brothers Bulger. I read that book.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Two Movies, One Television Show
The Horseman starring [Australians]. Man's daughter is murdered and he murders for revenge and "reaches a new level of brutality."
Prisoner of Her Past featuring Sonia Reich and Howard Reich. Sixty years after surviving a concentration camp Sonia Reich's PTSD catches up with her and she thinks everyone is out to kill her. Her son films her and also traces the PTSD effects on kids who survived Hurricane Katrina. Dirty, filthy, rotten, stinking nazis.
Single-Handed: Series (Season) One starring [Irish People]. Irish Garda (police) Seargeant from Dublin is transferred out West and takes over his father's rural beat. As chief law-enforcement officer in this insular community, Jack soon learns the hard truth [of working alone].
Lake Mills 175th Anniversary
I was going to go around this past weekend and take photos of the many events that were scheduled. I did not do so. My family did attend the car show on Sunday.
The Handy Man tries out a Ferrari.
The "upper" grill off a Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner. One of two Fairlanes at the car show.
Panoz Esperante. The owner said the company only built about 230 of these. The owner told me the exact number but I cannot recall it, look it up yourself.
I guess this came from Germany. That makes sense since this badge was on a Porsche.
Lotus Europa Special. This puts the driver and passenger incredibly close to the ground.
Renault 4CV. My apologies but I do not know any insulting jokes about French cars.
Edsel grill. A face only Sheriff Dan Rhodes could love.
1930s MG Midget that won the overall judging and peoples choice award. The car was highly polished with copper tubes routed all around the engine bay. There is no way the Midget's owner drove the car here.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
New Guy, Old Guy, North Country
Northwest Angle by William Kent Krueger. Continuing character Cork O'Connor is on vacation in Lake of the Woods, MN. Someone is dead. Infant boy is found. Cork has to protect boy from bad guys.
Crimes in Southern Indiana by Frank Bill. First book by short story writer. "The union jobs and family farms that kept the white on the picket fences have given way to meth labs, backwoods gunrunners, and bare-knuckle brawling." Bill has gotten a lot of raves from other writers, like Anthony Neil Smith who will teach our writing workshop on Nov. 5th.
Heartwishes by Jude Deveraux. "An Edilean Novel." Edilean?
Only Time Will tell by Jeffrey Archer. First in a new series about 1920s guy from the English docks who wins scholarship to a prestigious school. Sounds like that novel by that one guy. You know who I mean. I had to read the book in high school.
Liquid Smoke by Jeff Shelby. Surfer mystery by author in Texas. These are supposed to be good. Try reading Winslow's Dawn Patrol for surfing comparison. Then email the author you liked the least and complain at him. Writers love that.
End of Days by Robert Gleason. Some lady who has stockpiled for apocalypse finds out about a plot for apocalypse. The flyleaf's plot description is very confusing.
The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman. I'm attending Bouchercon in St. Louis in a couple weeks. Lippman is scheduled to be there. She sells a lot of books. I think if I run into her I'll say something like. "Oh, do you write books?"
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny. Inspector Gamache investigates another murder in the small Quebec town of Three Pines. The mortality rate in Three Pines is worse than that of Bill Crider's Blacklin County.
Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson and Marshall Karp. I saw a television advertisement for this book. Patterson is not scheduled for Bouchercon in St. Louis. He is probably too busy counting his money.
The Cut by George Pelecanos. Another guy with a big following among fellow writers. Former soldier who served in Iraq has a new job in D.C.: "recovering stolen property, no questions asked, as long as he gets his cut - 40 percent."
Friday, September 02, 2011
Musical Interlude. Again.
I will have to holler at the Pages to get working on the processing. Here is something I just heard on BBC's 6 Music channel. 6 Music is my favorite radio station.
Some guys called Foster the People.
Someone is a fan of apocalypse movies.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Six
Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs. Murder at a NASCAR race.
Two
Ice Station by Peter Tonkin. Floating nuclear station in Siberian Sea threatened by an ice storm and human intrigue.
Three
Where the Shadows Lie by Michael Ridpath. Boston cop on loan to Icelandic Police Forces has a murder to work on. "Strikingly original plot," says the flyleaf.
Four
Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs. LARGE PRINT MURDER AT NASCAR.
Five
Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. Women immigrants from Japan to San Francisco to get married.
Six
Legends of Shannara by Terry Brooks. How many of these Shannara books are there? Counting is not easy when there are multiple series set there.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Stray Dog in the Library
A girl came in the back door last night (August 24th) amidst lots of barking. I asked her if the dog outside was hers. She nervously said no. Her grandmother was still outside getting barked at and both were a bit scared of the dog.
I called 911 to get animal control - which for Lake Mills is contracted through the Humane Society. A local police officer showed up and tried to loop a dog catcher noose but the dog was too skittish and skittered away. The Officer was patient and trying not to injure or the dog, or get bitten.
The dog was not aggressive. He was just nervous and barky. Really barky. Woof, woof, woof, woof, bark, bark, woof, woof. The dog was hanging around the back door and not wandering off. I let him inside to see if that would calm him down and he did not.
Neither of us could coax the dog into the squad car. The dog had looked all over the library but was not satisfied that whoever he was looking for was not there. I left about fifteen minutes after close and the PO stayed for the dog catcher.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Oops. There is a new one.
Ink Flamingos by Karen E. Olson. Fourth in the paperback series featuring Las Vegas tattoo artist Brett Kavanaugh. When hot shot rock'n'roller Dee Carmichael dies Brett is seen leaving the dead girl's hotel room. Except, is wasn't Brett. Uh-oh what will happen?
Will Brett start sleuthing?
Will Brett find the real killer?
Will Olson write about tattooing and Vegas scenery?
Will Olson's publisher continue to hire the same graphic artist who does the neat book covers for this series?
Will Olson buy me a new .45?
Nothing New - Musical Interlude
Liam Finn, as mentioned below by Dunedin, is the son of Neil Finn. Our copy of I'll be Lightning has circ'ed 17 times. I ordered the next album, Fomo, which releases this fall.
Off the first album.
Liam and the rest of his family were part of the 7 Worlds Collide concerts in Kiwi-land. Neil Finn invited musicians to Auckland to collaborate. The second album from 2009, The Sun Came Out, features songs and performances by several well-known musician types. A lesser known Kiwi dude is Don McGlashan.
I really like the whole double album of Sun. There is a neat tune by the bassist from Wilco, John Stirratt. This one is by Johnny Marr and Jeff Tweedy, Too Blue.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Two Novels
Beach Trees by Karen White. Those are beach bushes on the cover. Not trees.
Fiction
Ideal Man by Julie Garwood. Cover has a manly man photoshopped with a pistol and badge.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Split Second Dexter Has to Suck It and See This Morning
Split Second by Catherine Coulter. No author photos on most large print books.
DVD
Dexter: the fifth season starring James Remar. Remar was always good at playing the bad guy. I watched season one of this but kept getting the plots from novels and tv episodes confused. The gal who plays Dexter's sister was rail thin.
Digital Music Even If No One Refers to CDs as Digital Music
Suck It and See by The Arctic Monkeys. [Comment withheld]
This Loud Morning by David Cook. [No comment to withhold]
The guy with the ear? Man, I have no idea...
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Books, Music, Tom Piccirilli
Every Shallow Cut by Tom Piccirilli. This novel has received very good reviews. I know because Piccirilli always links to them. I think the story has something to do with a road trip and murder. Since this is a Piccirilli book I almost guarantee a muscle car in the story.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin. This won a Big Time Novel Award. Two guys grow up as friends until one is suspected in a girl's disappearance. Twenty years later the same guy is suspected in another disappearance and the other guy is a cop.
With A Little Luck by Caprice Crane. The cover says: Teenage romance. The back says: Adult romance in Los Angeles radio station.
Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan. Irish woman travels to New York in 1920s to make money for injured husband at home. Will she return to Ireland or stay in the U.S.?
Set the Night on Fire by Libby Fischer Hellmann. Hellmann's books check out here. This one came out last December. Don't tell anyone I missed the pub date. Hellmann Fact: She's a nice lady and does not look like her vertically smooshed author photo.
Spiral by Paul McLuen. Thriller with nanorobots, scientists, and a lousy cover.
Only Mine by Susan Mallery. Paperback contemporary romance.
Angela Sloan by James Whorton, Jr. 14-year-old girl's CIA agent father disappears. She tries to find him in post-Watergate D.C. "A priceless coming-of-age story about stealing diner food and salvaging lost identities."
Music on CD
The Harrow and the Harvest by Gillian Welch. Old-time country music fans rejoice by wearing straw hats.
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Monday, August 15, 2011
Mystery Pack
One Dog Night by David Rosenfelt. Something about dogs.
Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry. Something about old London.
Death in High Places by Jo Bannister. Something about mountain climbing.
A Bad Day for Scandal by Sophie Littlefield. Something about a frying pan.
Mr. Monk on the Couch by Lee Goldberg Something about Monk being insane.
Back of Beyond by C.J. Box. Something about campfires. EDIT: Holy Carp! Box has a picture of himself without his hat!
Disturbance by Jan Burke. Something about moths.
Gentlemen's Hour by Don Winslow. Something about water.
Misterioso by Arne Dahl. Something about darts.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Scott Phillips Writes Creepy Sex, Donald Ray Pollock Writes Depressing Rural
The Adjustment by Scott Phillips. Post-War Wichita, KS is an airplane town. Built on cattle drives, the town now runs on airplane manufacturing. Army vet Wayne Ogden is out to destroy Collins Aircraft and its founder. But, in return, Wayne is being blackmailed. Corruption, violence, illicit sex and booze, innocent romance. Phillips does real good work.
The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock. Rural residents of Southern Ohio and West Virginia followed over 20 years. I read Pollocks short story collection Knockemstiff after reading a recommendation from author Craig Davidson. Knockemstiff was good.
Cold Vengeance by Preston and Child. Revenge and international settings.
The Sixes by Kate White. Lame cover with a motif you have seen a million times.
Victory and Honor by W.E.B Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV. Spy operations at the end of world war two.
Darkness My Old Friend by Lisa Unger. Cover has a girl running through foggy, dark woods.
The Pack by Jason Starr. Starr does suspense and crime novels. Laid off dad meets other dads in a park. Joins them for drinks. Starts to change...
Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. Romance.
Devil Colony by James Rollins. My enthusiasm is fading.
Iron House by John Hart. I am almost finished.
Death Factory by Joe Domenici. Ah, finished. Now to add italics and and post this thing.
French Gunfights, Medieval Swordfights, Modern Day Bombfights
36th Precinct starring That Other Gerard, Frenchmen. Armed robbers are on a crime spree. The first police lieutenant who catches the gang gets the police chief job. Competition ensues. Shotgun violence follows.
Jesse Stone: No Remorse starring Mustache, William Sadler. Jesse Stone story based on Parker's characters but penned by Mustache and Michael Brandman. Bill Crider says, "[nothing]". Well, I guess he either did not watch it or never blogged about it.
Source Code starring Jake Welsh-y. Soldier goes back in time to stop a bombing on a railway and get a date with a passenger.
Ironclad starring Brian Cox, Derek Jacobi, Armor, Swords, CGI. "The devastating battle for Rochester Castle is a true story of honor, action and excitement."
Music Inscribed Onto... You Get the Idea
Join Us by They Might Be Giants. Songs.
Legendary Weapons by Wu Tang. My brother once bought me a Wu Tang Clan CD. I have no idea why he did that. I kinda liked it but could not understand what the guys were saying.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Musical Interlude
Another Neil Finn edition.
1980
1991
2001 (quality is below average)
2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Ooh La La. Now THAT Is A Book
German Automatic Weapons of World War II by Robert Bruce. Neat close-up photos of the mechanisms and how the parts fit together. Dirty, rotten, stinking, filthy nazis had some mechanically fascinating weapons. The Fallschirmjaegergewehr is fascinating. I should take this on summer vacation.
Music Translated Into Binary, Digital Language, Written Into a Thin Sheet of Metal, Then Layered Into a Plastic Disc
Gold by Steely Dan. "Expanded edition includes 4 additional recordings over 60 minutes worth of music."
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Packers, Commandos, Witches, AC/DC, Jockeys, Mobsters
Rockers and Rollers: a full-throttle memoir by Brian Johnson. Lead singer of AC/DC remembers his life after recalling whatever cars he owned at the time. "Now I know I take the piss out of Porsches a lot, but it;s only because racing against them is so difficult, because they never break, sort of."
Family Secrets: the case that crippled the Chicago mob by Jeff Coen. Shootings, bombings, loansharking.
Aaron Rodgers: leader of the pack by Rob Reischel. Lots of big color photos.
Return to Titletown: the remarkable story of the 2010 Green Bay Packers edited Joe Funk. Game by game with many color photos.
The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals edited by Gail Damerow. Providing nests for your ducks and geese to lay their eggs in helps keep the eggs clean and protects them from being cooked by the sun.
Pavement Chalk Artist: the three-dimensional drawings of Julian Beever by Julian Beever.
Rights of the People: how our search for safety invades our liberties by David K. Shipler. How have our rights to privacy and justice been undermined? What exactly have we lost?
Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey. Is that last name a kind of joke? I'm late on buying this one, I should have noticed it's absence earlier.
Heaven is for Real: a little boy's astounding story of his trip to heaven and back by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. Same story, different kid.
10 Commando by Ian Dear. Ten Commando was composed entirely of men who came from Nazi-occupied countries such as Holland, Poland, and France.
Enter Night: a biography of Metallica by Mick Wall.
Fiction
Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Magic in Chicago.
Gamble by Felix Frances. Felix finished this one his father and he started.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Missed One: Hobo With a ShotguA
Hobo With A Shotgun starring Rutger Hauer. A recommendation from novelist Tom Piccirilli.
I wonder if they reference Hitcher.
The Return of Christa Faust (and Lee Goldberg) Plus Rural Murder
Small Town Murder Songs starring Peter Stormare, Jill Hennessy, Martha Plimpton. Cop whose small town has not had a murder in decades has one now. Cop is determined to find the killer even with mistrust of state cop in charge of the investigation.
Doctor Who: Series Six, Part One starring The Scrawny Doctor, English People. The Doctor lands in 1960s America and other places with aliens.
My family spends way too much time watching Doctor Who and Top Gear on BBC America. Then Boys #1 and #2 tell me about the horsepower ratings and top speeds of exotic sports cars. "If Top Gear reviewed the Hyundai Sonata they would call it the Hyndai Snot-ta!" [Hysterical laughter]
The Lincoln Lawyer starring Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, John Leguizamo, Bryan Cranston, Marisa Tomei. Impressive cast list, huh? The book was good and this film version is supposed to be pretty decent. I wonder how they work in a topless McConaughey. Maybe exiting the shower? At the beach? Wearing a tank top?
Fiction
Supernatural: Coyote's Kiss by Christa Faust. An original novel featuring characters from the television show. Let's look at the back... Guided by the tattooed, pistol-packing bandita on a motorcycle, Xochi Cazadora, the brothers are plunged into a terrifying world of Aztec gods and monsters. Yep, that sounds like a Faust novel all right.
Justice by Karen Robards. An uninspired cover.
The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines. A good cover. Teen girl in 1942 secretly works her PI dad's recent case when she hears a boy at her school is involved. Sneaking out of the house, dancing at the Savoy, double-crossing her friends...this one sounds like a Megan Abbott novel.
Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore. This may be a YA novel. Girl from family of witches prefers to separate that from "normal" life. While ranch-sitting for an aunt a dangerous ghost is more than she can handle.
NonFiction
Tied In: the business, history, and craft of media tie-in writing edited by Lee Goldberg. I used to sneer at tie-ins until I read what G0ldberg had to say. I have not, however, read what the other Goldberg (Tod) has to say. I can now find out because his is the first piece in here, Does a Real Writer Write Tie-Ins?, and directly addresses my past distaste for tie-ins.
The Deer and the Naturalist: dreamwork and the soul's journey by Mary Edwards.
Large Print
Monument to Murder by Margaret Truman.
Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver. James Bond novel with bigger type.
Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy.
AudioBooks on CD
Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich. 7 CDs at 8.5 hours. Guy steals moon rock for his girlfriend. Gets arrested.
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson. 10 CDs at 12.6 hours. Robots eat people. Or something.
Music on CD
Nina Simone: 17 masters by Nina Simone. 17 selected tracks.
Monday, July 25, 2011
CDs by Gordon Lightfoot, David Bowie and other, lesser beings
Sleeps with Angels by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
Waiting for the Sun by The Doors.
Strange Days by The Doors.
Young Americans by David Bowie.
The Best of Earth Wind and Fire: Volumes 1 and 2 by Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Broken Arrow by Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
Morrison Hotel by The Doors.
L.A. Woman by The Doors.
John Lennon Collection by John Lennon.
The Band by The Band.
Gord's Gold by Gordon Lightfoot.
Talking Book by Steve Wonder.
Cosmo's Factory by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Willie and the Poor Boys by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
One of Those Nights by The Eagles.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Greasy Little Punks And Their Electrified Guitars, Wiggling Around and Grunting. Howling!
Time in a Bottle: Jim Croce's greatest love songs by Jim Croce. Plane wreck death? I don't recall.
GP/Grievous Angel by Gram Parsons. Parsons was supposed to be highly influential in the late '60s and early '70s by mixing country and rock. His musician pals dug his sound and went on to man popular and big selling bands. Parsons killed himself with booze and drugs.
Band of Gypsys by Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix killed himself with drugs, too.
The Soft Parade by The Doors. Also dead by drugs. This album does not have any famous tunes.
Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan. Dylan pre- and post-dates all those dead guys. I saw him play in Champaign, IL last fall. His guitarist was Charlie Sexton. Sexton was a guitar prodigy in Texas and had this tune rotate on MTV for a time in about 1985.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Six More CDs of Idolatrous, Devil Music LEading Our Nation Into Communism and Fluoridation
Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Mirror Ball by Neil Young. I've never much cared about Young but do like a few tunes.
Music on CD (that was incorrectly processed and needs to be redone)
Vauxhall and I by Morrissey. I was going to get a haircut this coming week. Maybe I should just add more hair "products" and Morrissey it.
Nilsson Schmilsson by Harry Nillson.
Diamond Dogs by David Bowie. This is one of the re-releases from Ryko that came out 20 years ago.
whitechocolatespaceegg by Liz Phair.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Music: Mormons, Ivers, Hitchcock, Weird Al, Secret Sisters
O Holy Night by Jackie Evancho. I bought this? Maybe this is the current "Little girl with "voice of an angel'" kid. Two discs.
The Book of Mormon by Original Broadway Cast. Includes a thick booklet full of lyrics and photos that does not want to STAY IN THE DANG CASE!
Codes and Keys by Death Cab For Cutie. Death Cab For Cutie was recently awarded the prestigious Stupidest Band Name Ever award.
Jagjaguwaa by Bon Iver. This dude was in some magazine, and on tv, getting shilled by Michael Perry, promoted through media in Madison. I have not idea who he is.
Propellor Time by Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3. I like Hitchcock's work.
The King is Dead by The Decemberists. Is this a hipster band? I think it might be. You know, ironic or "vintage" t-shirts, PBR beer, aviator sunglasses, sideburns... Oh, maybe not. Glenn, regular library patron and music fan, just now expressed interest.
Alpocalypse by Weird Al Yankovic. One CD and one DVD. Parodies of Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and a Doors parody about Craigslist.
The Secret Sisters by The Secret Sisters. Two gals I heard on the CBC one day. One of them tried out at a performers showcase in Nashville and was invited back. She brought her sister along for the second performance. The first song is the best. The rest are well done but are covers of tunes you've already heard a bunch of times.
Now That's What I call Music!: 38 featuring [Who? What? Does no one own a dictionary?]
Fiction
Split Second by Catherine Coulter. 419 pages.
Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel [supposedly]. Queen... gracious... arbiter... divorce... penthouse... hairdressers... bone structure... truth... prospect... consumes... thirty... football... memorable... whack... upside... brimming... insight... itself... always.
Large Print
When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey. Half-naked dude in tight pants on the cover.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Summer Reading Program
This year's SRP had almost 350 registrations. This is the last week of programming and ends with a Scholastic Book Fair. Kids who finished the reading program receive a five dollar credit towards the book sale.
Therapy Dogs
We had a few therapy dogs join us through the summer. Kids signed up for 15 minute segments to read to the dogs.
This Whippet listened to kids for two hours and then volunteered to shelf read.
Portuguese Water Poodles prefer regency romances.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Warped, Tavern Going Dragons Occupying Iraq for Geothermal Work
A Dance of Dragons by George R.R. Martin. Book five in the series adapted into a SEAN BEAN vehicle by HBO.
NonFiction
The Smart Guide to Geothermal by Donal Blaise Lloyd. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's "green". Did you also know it saves a crap load of money? Lake Mills Middle School has a geothermal set-up and it is very neat-o.
Tavern League: portraits of Wisconsin Bars by Carl Corey. No Lake Mills representation. I gotta tell you though, some of the pictured people just look like bar owners. There is a location index in the back of the book but this is really crying out for a map. I was going to link to some online photos but the publisher does not have any good ones. You can watch the PBS NewsHour piece about the book.
Iraq War and Occupation: a struggle for democracy by D.C. Everest Area Schools. Oral history project edited by students in Weston, WI. Okay. I admit I was sneering at this book when I first saw it. I expected an amateurish publication. I just looked through and was impressed. I'll probably read this.
The Book of U.S. Government Jobs, 11th edition by Dennis V. Damp. I want a job in Australia with free airfare for my family, a nice house, and allowance for two cars. Nice cars, too. One of those souped up Holdens. And beer money. And allowance for four trips back to the U.S. per year. And two months vacation. And a gun license and ammo allowance so I can shoot IPSC.
Music on CD
Vans Warped Tour: 2011 featuring Paramoure and 49 other bands that I never heard of.
Now That's What I Call Country: Volume 4 featuring Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood and many other pop singers masquerading as country music.
DVD
Forager's Harvest: a guide to identifying , harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants by Samuel Thayer. Two discs. The boys and I should watch this and take a guidebook into the woods the next Saturday my wife works.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
What to Read 43: Author events for November, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sheriff Rhodes, Like a Tick Buried in the Skin: Dismembered Australians
Of All Sad Words by Bill Crider. 6 CDs at 6.5 hours. I was online the other day, like every day, and saw that Recorded Books has audio versions of a few Dan Rhodes novels. I ordered a couple. The narrator previously won an Audie Award.
Murder in Four Parts by Bill Crider. 6 CDs at 6.75. Sheriff Rhodes is now everywhere in this library. You cannot escape him. Crider's high living retirement has been supported by the people of Lake Mills and rural residents of Jefferson County. I hope he thinks of us as he is chauffeured across Southern France in his newly purchased Bentley.
DVD
Beneath Hill 60 starring [people you never heard of]. Australian infantry are tasked to fight in the military mines in the Western Front.
SHAPE: Power Burn Express. Exercise with long, elastic bands.
Large Print
Threading the Needle by Marie Bostwick.
Fallen by Karen Slaughter.
Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin.
Wrecker by Summer Wood. Nice cover.
Friendship Bread by Darien Gee.
Moonlight Cove by Sherryl Woods.
Creed's Honor by Linda Lael Miller. Another cowboy romance.
Spider Web by Earlene Fowler.
Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith. I thought Smith was dead. Nope, I just looked him up and he is not very old. Smith has a fascinating autobio on his web page.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
One if by Paper, Two if by CD
Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner. The perspective on the photoshopped cover image looks skewed. There was some lady in WI who recently won a writing contest run by Weiner.
CD
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich. 5 CDs at 6.366 hours. I don't care about this series but you can listen all you like.
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares. 8 CDs at 10 hours. I looked at the back and saw the words "Rhode Island". How is Rhode Island even a state? That place is so small they must have more Senators than Representatives. Does everyone take a turn in the state house? If I fall asleep in Rhode Island and snore will I wake people in Massachusetts? If Rhode Island was a little farther north we could just give it to Canada. Rhode Island is so insignificant that the spellcheck keeps asking to correct Rhode.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Comics for Cooking Canadian Crime and Kill the Irishman
Kill the Irishman starring Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio. 1976 gang war in Cleveland includes 36 bombs. Local crook splits from the mafia to build his own organization.
USS Wisconsin: the last battleship by Wisconsin Public Television. You can either A: watch this and talk about the great PBS show you saw. Or, B: Watch this and complain about PBS.
Sentimental Reflections: America's heritage in story, scenery and song. These were on sale so I bought six to try them out. The company produces four seasonally themed discs a year. These include stories on Utah's sand dunes, Door County, Mackinac Island, Pony Express, Drive-In theaters, and different areas around the United States.
Music
Scandalous by Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears. A new album recommended by Anthony Neil Smith. Smith will be here from 10 AM to 3 PM on Nov. 5th to share his knowledge for a novel writing workshop. Sharing his knowledge? Heck the class is 4 hours and 45 minutes too long! Ha! Get it? I made a joke.
Seriously, Smith does this teaching stuff for a living and it will be worth your $25 (lunch included) to attend. For the first 15 minutes anyway! Ha! I did it again! Ha!
NonFiction
Mobs, Mayhem, and Murder: tales from the St. Louis Police beat by Tim O'Neil. True crime readers are loyal to the genre. I figured to try this out. "I've shot men in my time, but I never shot one that didn't deserve it." Charley Birger, leader of the Birger Gang, to the Post Dispatch two hours before his execution April 19, 1928. Bouchercon - a conference for fans and writers of mysteries and crime fiction - is in St. Louis this September.
Vegetarian Cooking by Emma Summer. Big book with lots of color photos.
Homestyle in a Hurry by Vicki [No Last Name] JoAnn [No Last Name]. Cookbook with one of those lousy spiral bindings.
Forager's Harvest: a guide to identifying, harvesting, and preparing edible wild plants by Samuel Thayer. Two DVDs on things to eat.
Canada by Lonely Planet travel guides. I really enjoyed my honeymoon trip to Montreal a few years ago. I could say how many years ago if I could remember how long we have been married.
Rough Guide to Italy. You know who just went to Italy? Famed crime writer Anthony Neil Smith. $25 buys you access on November 5th.
Top 10 England's Lake District by Eyewitness travel guides. #1 pub in Ullswater is Traveller's Rest.
Lonely Planet Los Angeles, San Diego and Southern California. San Diego sure is nice. Nice and expensive. You know what is nice and inexpensive? Our November 5th writing workshop with Anthony Neil Smith.
Reading to Your Baby by Alison LR Davies. No, you don't need read these 94 pages to read to your kid. This has tips for people unused to kids or looking for info on child development.
Creating Dairyland by Edward Janus. How Wisconsin became a dairy state.
Gotham Central: Book Four: Corrigan by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker. Cops in GOtham have to face off against crooks and "the city's biggest vigilante: Batman."
Thor of Godstorm by Kurt Busiek and Steve Rude. I bought this because I like Busiek's stories.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty. I bought this because of the new movie. Lots of bright colors.
Friday, July 08, 2011
Author Visits in November
I have spent several days trying to write a catchy title to include the four authors we scheduled for this November. I came up blank. If any of the three or four of you blog readers can think of something please let me know.
5 November 2011, 10 AM to 3 PM. Anthony Neil Smith's Crime Novel Writing Workshop. Join award winning crime novelist Smith as he walks participants through the novel writing process: outlining, research, character development, and plotting. $25 per person. Lunch from Water House Foods included.
12 November 2011, 1 PM to 3 PM. Novelist Larry Watson. Watson will speak about his writing career and latest novel, American Boy. Watson is a Milwaukee resident and famed for his tightly drawn stories about families in rural Montana. Watson's Montana 1948 was previously selected for the Jefferson County Reads program.
19 November 2011, 6 PM to 7:30 PM. Novelist Susanna Daniel. Madison resident Daniel's latest book is Stiltsville. Stiltsville is partially set among the stilt houses of Miami's Biscayne Bay and follows a Georgia transplant who falls in love with both Miami and one of the city's men. Afterwards, you can join the Main Street Program's Legendary Nights event for "deer season widows".
26 November 2011, 6 PM to 7:30 PM. Biographer Margot Peters. Lake Mills resident Peters has authored several biographies including books on Charlotte Bronte, Bernard Shaw, and famed stage actors Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Peters biography on Wisconsin poet Lorine Niedecker, Lorine Niedecker: A Poets Life, will be published in October.
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Canoeing Crider Crow Court
Paddling Southern Wisconsin: 85 great trips by canoe and kayak by Mike Svob. I have a rowboat but no oars. I really need to get some oars for that thing.
Milan and the Lakes by DK Eyewitness Travel. Anthony Neil Smith went to Italy on some sort of book tour. He posted a link to photos but I'm not going to look the address up for you.
Fiction
Flashback by Dan Simmons. Guy gets addicted to new drug. Has trouble working.
Thunder of Heaven: a Joshua Jordan novel by Tim L. LaHaye. Another novel about the apocalypse. Apocalypse is difficult to type and spell.
Sarah Court by Craig Davidson. Why did I buy this? Was the book recommended? Well reviewed? Ohhh, this is that Canadian guy. I like his books. Story: five families living next to one another: How well do you know your neighbors? How well do you know your own family? Ultimately, how well do you know yourself?
White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick. A horror novel that looks like it should be in the YA section.
Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen. Gerritsen seems like a nice lady but I still won't read this.
Brute Strength by Susan Conant. "A Dog Lover's Mystery" The cover illustration of a dog makes this look like a chapter book.
Escape by Barbara Delinsky. Young, lady lawyer has career and family ennui induced crisis. Skips work early, leaves Manhattan, goes to New Hampshire where she spent a summer during college.
A Dark and Stormy Night by Jeanne M. Dams. Beagle status unknown.
Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance. I'll bet someone gets betrayed.
Undead and Undermined by Mary Janice Davidson. I read a book about the underground war during World War One. The Limeys would dig deep under the Kraut lines to listen, defend against enemy mines, and plants tons of explosives. The miners would always want to dig lower than the enemy. That was undermining.
Wild Hog Murders by The Great and Marvelous Bill Crider, Chronicler of Crocodiles, Recorder of Rhodes, Paramour of Paris. Sheriff Rhodes of Blacklin County, Texas has the usual trouble of idiots, dead bodies, feral hogs, motorcycle gangsters, county commissioners, etc. What is the death rate in Blacklin County?
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Travel Books, Coffee, Birds, Patterson Factory
Now You See Her compiled by Unified Workers of the Patterson Factory for Literary Excellence. "A good wife and mother vanishes."
A Cup of Joe by Sandra Balzo. This came out in 2010 but I missed ordering it. Other books in the series have proven popular here.
Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell. Girl takes boat down Michigan river to find her missing mother.
NonFiction
Backyard Guide to the Birds of North America by Jonathan Alderfer and Paul Hess. The call of the Scarlet Tanager is a hoarse chip-burr. "Sticky mud pellets allow the Barn Swallow to adhere to its nest directly to a vertical wall."
Rough Guide to Las Vegas by Greg Ward. If this is a rough guide does it include things like: best alleys to sleep in, best bail bondsmen, cheapest hooch, tips for pickpockets.
Hawaii by Eyewitness Travel.
Top 10 Las Vegas by Connie Emerson. Best family restaurant: Fatburger. Best getting around: foot power. Best hiking trail: Mouse's Tank, Valley of Fire.
DVD: Sex, Violence, Lies, Bieber, B-Movie Cage
Hall Pass starring Jason Sudeikis, Owen Wilson. Two guys given "hall pass" by wives to screw around.
Sucker Punch starring Scott Glenn, Jon Hamm, Teenage Girls. Teenage girls escape from a CGI prison with CGI violence against CGI bad guys on a CGI battlefield.
Just Go With It starring Annoying Guy, Jennifer Aniston. Guy lies to girl and has friend's children pretend to be his.
Justin Bieber: never say never starring Justin Bieber and Bieber Fever. Concert film of teen heartthrob from Canada.
Drive Angry starring Crazy Nic Cage, William Fichtner, GirlWith BigHair. Guy escapes hell to wreak revenge. Didn't Cage already do this with a motorcycle? These seems to have lots of muscle cars and fiery explosions. I'll bet Tom Piccirilli liked it.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Musical Interlude
Nothing new on the processing cart. Here is Levon Helm. You can get the CD once I return it tomorrow.
Here is Elvis Costello's version, if you prefer. Costello does have Richard Thompson playing along.
Heck, while I'm at, here is Nick Lowe as well. Richard Thompson is best.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Food, Drink, Compost
Complete Guide to Preserving Meat, Fish and Game by Ken Oster. Other food preservation guides have checked out. I don't know if meat and fish preserving will go or not.
How to Build, Maintain and Use A Compost System by Kelly Smith. Barrels, bins, garbage cans with holes in the sides.
Complete Guide to Poultry Breeds by Melissa Nelson. Chicken books are popular here. I do not know why. Chicken keeping is not allowed inside the city. Be discreet. Good thing hairy dogs that love to bark are allowed. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble.
Complete Test Preparation ASVAB: Power Practice by Learning Express, LLC.
Big Book of Cupcakes by
** Emergency Musical Interlude **
BBC's 6 Music is replaying performances from the Glastonbury Festival. I'm listening - loudly - on my headphones. They are playing this now.
...Betty Crocker. Cupcakes are all the rage now. I was reading a review of some of the better known cupcake restaurants around the country and most of them were panned.
Martha Stewart's Pies and Tarts from the editors of Martha Stewart Living. "The large yield of this recipe makes it perfect for parties."
It Gets Betters: coming out, overcoming bullying, and creating a life worth living edited by Dan Savage. Book version of the internet campaign. The only name I recognize is David Sedaris. He and his sister Amy should likely be avoided when they are together. They were riding a crowded El train in Chicago once. Her stop came first, and while she was going out the train door she loudly said to him (paraphrasing), "So long, David, and good luck with that rape trial. I'm sure you'll get off."
Great Potluck Cookbook by Good Housekeeping. Casseroles.
Drink This, Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. Calorie comparisons of commonly available restaurant drinks. There a couple decent beers listed: Sam Adams Lager, Guinness, Bass Ale, Flying Dog Dogtoberfest, Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, Redhook ESB, Leffe Blonde Beer, a couple Sierra Nevadas.
I used to buy Bass and Redhook ESB all the time. I think Bass cases were sold at Sam's Club in Glendale. Redhook ESB was tougher to find. I think their production is still kinda low and their distribution not as wide. Redhook was one of the first brewers to have a webpage.
Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding. "Be extra careful about the juice you purchase."