Friday, March 27, 2015

Part One: Coben's Murder Dreams

Fiction

The Stranger by Harlan Coben. Bill Crider linked to an interview with Coben. COben doesn't work at home because he gets distracted by house and home issues.  He'll go to the grocery store coffee shop.

Murder on the Champ De Mars by Cara Black.  Another murder in Paris. Page 54 says, "A pang hit her." Sweet! the end papers have city maps.

The Edge of Dreams by Rhys Bowen. Rhys is a guy's name, right? Let me check...nope. Rhys is a woman.  Hey, Bowen was been awarded an Edgar, and Anthony, and a Agatha award. That means Bowen's books are a big deal.

Life or Death by Michael Robotham. I like this guy's novels but have not read one in a while.

The Fifth Heart by Dan Simmons. I like this guy's novels, too. Another historical novel mixing real people with characters.

Non Fiction

Understanding Your Cat or Kitten by H. Ellen Whiteley, DVM. One of the cats living in my house, Vampire Fang, has been hassling the dog, Petra. I think the cat is jealous that Petra gets to go outside. Vampire Fang will hover by the back door and bolt outside if you are not watching. My wife and I will holler at the children, "Don't let the cat out!"

Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Son of the Son: the Don Rosa Library Vol. 1. Republished comics in a nice big hardcover. Page 62 says, "Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Large Print

Cold Betrayal by JA Jance. Same as the regular print with BIG LETTERS.


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

One Book. Several Photos. A video.

NonFiction

102 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy.  Nice cover.

Photographs

The outside wall of the stage in Library Hall was stenciled by Jill Kessenich who donated her time and expertise to the project. Jill also designed the library remodel.

New stenciling on the edge of the stage in Library Hall

Outdoor ice skating rink in Commons Park the night of February 18, 2015. There was a cold front, temp was -9 Fahrenheit. That's -22 Celsius, Dunedin.

Outdoor Ice Skating Rink in Commons Park,

-8 Fahrenheit on February 18, 2015 at 9PM

I do not recall if I posted this video of February's Knickerbocker Ice Festival. The weather was perfect. Cold enough for ice and snow but warm enough, and no wind, to be comfortable outside.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Quarterly Issue by James Patterson

Fiction

Endangered by C.J. Box.  Joe Pickett solves crime in WY or MT. I'm note sure. You'll have to check the setting yourself. Maybe ND? I hear Box is a good dude.

Cold Betrayal by J.A. Jance. Some sort of mystery.

NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson Amalgamated Writing Services and Marshall Karp.  Karp is an uncommon name. Karp sounds like the name of a P.I. in a novel, good thing Karp writes P.I. novels.

A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear.  Judging by the photo this is a wartime novel set on Gibraltar.

Last One Home by Debbie Macomber.  The cover photo says "Expensive gazebo I never use." The graphic artist says, "I'm gonna add some lanterns to this sucker. And here is another. And another. And another. Aw, heck, why stop now?"

The Assassin by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. No matter where a Cussler novel is set the cover will be covered in flames.

Forgiveness 4 You by Ann Bauer. The cover says Bauer wrote The Forever Marriage.  I never heard of that book but will look it up in out catalog. Yeah, we don't have it but copies are available from other libraries.

Mrs. Grant and Madame Julie by Jennifer Chiaverini. Another Civil War era novel, I suppose.  Yeah, kinda. Grant's wife owned a woman who was also her "best friend". Yeah, well...

World Gone By by Dennis Lehane.  Crime and mobsters in 1943 Miami.

Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.  Big name literary guy's latest novel.  Ooh, dig the map on the end papers.

NonFiction

Dead Wake: the last crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. More non fiction by the popular Larson.  Sweet, more maps in the end papers.

Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture: committee study of the Central Intelligence Agency's detention and interrogation program by Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. 

Big Words

Large Print

Makin' Miracles by Lin Stepp.

Searching for Grace Kelly by Michael Callahan. Found her.

Marriage Charmer by Linda Lael Miller.

Shocking Secret of a Guest at the Wedding by Victoria Alexander.

Dead Heat by Allison Brennan.

The Assassin by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott.

Mightier Than The Sword by Jeffrey Archer.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

3D Printer Workshop

3D Printing: You Path to World Domination

Hey, Dunedin, is 3D printing a popular library thing in NZ? The printers get a lot of "gee whiz, that's amazing!" attention. The printer is very neat but children then need to learn how to use computer software packages to create the items.

I explained how the printer works and is set-up. We used a mobile computer lab to show the simple online design resources at tinkercad.com and design some objects.



Wednesday, March 11, 2015

La La La

Singers Sing Songs, Microphones Help Record, Factories Press Plastic

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 by [various musicians). Singers sing soundtrack singles.


The Man Upstairs by Robyn Hitchcock.


Friday, March 06, 2015

Extreme Whiplash, Girl

DVD

WWE Extreme Rules starring [big dudes].  Big dudes jump around, do athletic stuff, and gets smooshed.


Gone Girl starring Ben Affleck, I still have not read the book. I read Flynn's other two books and really enjoyed the Kansas one, Dark Places. That's a movie now, too, except it was filmed in Louisiana.


Whiplash starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. Drummer has a mean teacher. Drummer?


Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Romance from Lorelei James

Fiction

Saddled and Spurred by Lorelei James. Lorelei James is the same as Lori Armstrong but with sex and romance.  James's novels always check out well. I chatted with Armstrong at the Bouchercon conference in St. Louis. I'm not sure if she is still writing mysteries and thrillers, she had publisher trouble a couple years ago.

EDIT: Yeah, Armstrong still writes her Judy Collins mystery series and published a novella last year. Her Mercy Gunderson mysteries did well here. Trio link.

Monday, March 02, 2015

I Heard One of These Guys on the Radio

Fiction

A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott. Not this lady.

Empire by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. Not them.

Revenant by Kat Richardson. Not her. But, her books do well here and she attended Murder and Mayhem in Muskego/Milwaukee a couple times.

Descent by Tim Johnston. Not this guy.

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders. Not her. Nice cover though.

The Murder Man by Tony Parsons. This guy. I heard this guy on the radio. You can listen yourself, if you like.

NonFiction and Regulars

NonFiction

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan and illustrated by John Rocco.  Greek myths as told by Riordan's Percy Jackson character.

Reads Well With Others by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes.  Collection of the daily comic strip, Unshelved. Like this: 




Yoga for Runners by Christine Felstead.  Page 69 says, This imbalance creates a torquing action in the knee, which pulls the kneecap and twists it to the side so the patella no longer tracks as it should; over time this crates pain and wears down the cartilage around the knee.

Fiction

Prodigal Son by Danielle Steel.

In Plain Sight by Fern Michaels.

Double Fudge Brownie Murder by Joanne Fluke.

Hush by Laura Lippman.

Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer.

Friday, February 27, 2015

J.D. Rhoades Will Be Happy

Fiction

Devil's Dust by J.D. Rhoades. When Rhoades isn't posting on Facebook he is lawyering. When he's not lawyering he's writing novels. When he's writing novels he's writing this from page 215, "If I go in there,' Keller said, 'What Are you going to do?"

Easy Death by Daniel Boyd. I read this book and enjoyed it. Bill Crider read it too.  Armed robbers in 1951 Ohio battle a blizzard.

Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King. Dreaming of spies, or spies who are dreaming?  Let's see what page 57 has to say about it, His search left Holmes, as one might expect, unconvinced. Well, that clears up nothing.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. A popular book group book. So, I bought a copy.

The Walking Dead, Volume 22: a new beginning by Robert Kirkman.  I have not watched the show past the first few episodes of season two.

You Could Be Home By Now by Tracy Manaster.  I think this is about a miscarriage. The dustcover is unclear.  Page 191 says, It should have been.

NonFiction

What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. and John Holdren. Replacing an older edition. This yellow cover will not age well.

The Homeschooling Handbook by Lorilee Lippincott. Another replacement of an old edition.

No-Drama Discipline by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D.  I think I ordered this off an online recommendation. Or not.

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. An older book but Ramsey's advice is popular.

Body Sculpting Bible for Women: workout journal by James Villepigue and Hugo Rivera. This series has been going for over a decade and is still popular. The women's versions check out more than the men's so I bought this one.I should have skipped buying this since it is designed as a journal for a single user to record their progress. Over half the pages are blank forms.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Oops, Missed One

Fiction

If I Fall, If I Die by Michael Christie.  I feel bad about missing this book in my last post. I go on record with my deepest apologies to Mr. Christie. It is well know that he is not only a great author but a great man.

  • It's no surprise that Mr. Christie is often referred to as "the greatest living writer in that house over there."  
  • Mr. Christie's touch has been documented as a possible cure for Poison Oak.
  • A casual glance by Mr. Christie can turn a sad dog happy.
  • Mr. Christie climbed Mount Everest without oxygen and while wearing shorts.
  • The first time Mr Christie took a airplane ride the pilot was incapacitated by illness and Mr. Christie was asked to land the plane. Mr. Christie did so using only his left hand.
  • When the local tow truck was unavailable Mr. Christie's neighbor called on Mr. Christie for help. Mr. Christie arrived riding an incumbent bicycle, hooked the bike to his neighbor's broken down F450, and towed the truck 5.5 miles into town. 
Oops. Large Print? Where did this come from?

The Sixteenth of June by Maya Lang. Well.  I guess Ms. Lang is a nice lady.

More Marine Music

A Laser Can Decode The Digital Information On These Thin Discs

Be Glad Then, America by The President's Own U.S. Marine Band. Marines play music and sing songs. The Band sends out free CDs. The CD performances are neat but does not include these dudes in a parking lot.



The Joshua Tree by U2. Donated disc definitely due to circ'. Irishman sings songs of rock'n'roll.



John Prine by John Prine. Singers sings songs of country. The Library Page wrote the title of this 1971 album as Atlantic. Is Atlantic Records still around? Let me check...yep, they publish that Ed Sheeran guy.



The Complete Blind Willie Johnson by Blind Willie Johnson.  Bluesman sings songs of sorrow. Two CDs and the booklet has a neat essay.



Noble Beast by Andrew Bird. Multi-instrumentalist plays music and sings songs. Another older album but it'll get used.



Thursday, February 19, 2015

Tall English Guy and Lemony Snicket's Assistant/Spokesman

Fiction

Run by Andrew Grant.  Thriller with computer expert fired and harassed and figuring out why. I spoke on camera with Grant's wife Tasha Alexander (we have her books, too) at Murder and Mayhem in Muskego. That interview was part of the Great Video Debacle of 2011 where both of my cameras either screwed up or I was unable to transfer the data to my computer. Stupid computers.

Sweetland by Michael Crummey. I like the cover. Crummey is a Newfie.  (I'll hold the jokes.) The book sounds good. A rural holdout on a island off Newfoundland is being pressured to leave so everyone on the island can get a government payment to vacate the island.

We Are Pirates by Daniel Handler. Lemony Snicket's spokesman writes another novel. Something about pirates in modern San Francisco bay. Maybe they'll attack that Google barge. Unknown status of orphans in the plot.

Uncle Janice by Matt Burgess.  This one sounds good. Whoever wrote the copy on the dustcover sold me on the book. 24-year-old NYPD Officer is one month from finishing an 18-month narcotics undercover assignment that would earn her an automatic promotion.

Twelve Days by Alex Berenson. This guy's books do well. Wait a minute. Maybe Alex is a woman's name. Let me check...nope, it's a dude.

A Pleasure and A Calling by Phil Hogan. I'm not sure about the cover. I kinda like the photo but kinda don't like it.




Funny Girl by Nick Hornby.  1964 English beauty contest winner wants to be a commedianne, not a model. I think commedianne should be spelled with two M's so I'm keeping it that way. Plus an extra D, commeddianne. And four E's commeediannee.

The Light Keeper's Legacy by Kathleen Ernst. Ernst writes American Girl novels and spoke here in 2013. The room was packed!


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

I'm Kinda Busy, Just A List

Musical Data on Digital Disc

Black Messiah by D'Angelo and the Vanguard. Famed soul singer sings soulfully.

Crosby, Stills and Nash by Crosby, Stills and Nash. Singers sing songs on their first album.

Legend: the best of Bob Marley and the Wailers by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Jamaican singers sing with Jamaican accents.

Foreign Affairs by Tom Waites. Old album by singer gargling gravel.

The Ultimate Collection by Freddie King. Guitarist plucks guitar strings. Dig the 1970s hair.



Rarities: 1971-2003 by The Rolling Stones.  English guys sing under distributed songs.

DVD

Nightcrawler starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Bill Paxton. Creepy guy films crime scenes to sell to TV stations and Bill Paxton makes the movie interesting.


Monday, February 16, 2015

Large Print. With Commentary!

Large Print

Life is Sweet by Elizabeth Bass.  "Three years ago, Becca Hudson threw a dart at a map, hit Leesburg, Virginia and deiced it was the perfect place to start over."  So, if her dart hit five inches to the right she would have bought a boat and anchored in the Atlantic?

Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag.  My cold cold heart pumps the black blood of evil.

Rose Gold by Walter Mosley.  Easy Rawlins has to rescue a Patty Hearst-like kidnap victim. I believe the Patty Hearst brainwashing theory.

Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb. Obsessing what? Decay? Putrifaction?

Crash and Burn by Lisa Gardner. I've been watching the U.S. TV version of The Killing. There is a scene where the dead girl's family is casket shopping and the funeral director mentions a burial vault. What's the point of a vault anyway? Groundwater worries? Grave robbing?

As Close as Sisters by Colleen Faulkner.  I have it on good authority* that Colleen Faulkner is sometimes called "Coll". (* my imagination.)

The Bone Orchard by Paul Doiron. I'll skip that tour.

The Betrayed by Heather Graham. Something my dog thinks every day she does not get a walk.

Language of Hoofbeats by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Like when you ask a horse how old it is and it stomps it's foot.

A Map of Betrayal by Ha Jin.  Otherwise known as "A Map of Political Actions"

The Look of Love by Sarah Jio. Something my dog gives when she does go on a walk.

Rizzoli & Isles Die Again by Tess Gerritsen. Because when the television show is doing well you have to tie-in the two titles.

In Your Dreams by Kristan Higgins. That could mean anything. I've had really boring and tedious dreams.

NonFiction

Artisan Bread: 100 years of techniques and tips by Keith Cohen. I like bread.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Big Fiction Pile,One Paperback, Musical Interlude

Paperback 

By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates.  Woman visits the Outer Banks, lands a librarian job, solves a theft and murder.

Fiction

My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh.  M.O.? Moe?

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman. "Short fictions and disturbances" says the cover.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Hannah has written 22 novels. That is a lot of books. Do you think she has boxes of leftovers stashed in her basement. Some writers get extra copies for free, some have to buy their own.

Motive by Jonathan Kellerman.  Big, bright colors on this cover. I think this guy did the cover.

Crash and Burn by Lisa Gardner.  Gardner does two books a year and her author photo has some back lighting making it look kinda dramatic.  Philbrick Photography did the author photo.  A photo of Gardner is included in the photographer's sample work on his webpage.

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.  The cover has a picture of a spool of blue thread.

Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb. Page 268 says Center mass...removed...hair...cap...watched murder.

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger. Unger writes a lot of books. I have not yet read one. Unger lives in Florida.

Death of a Liar by M.C. Beaton.  Page 30 says, "At police headquarters in Strathbane, Jimmy ordered all the material from Liz's cottage to be brought to them in an interview room, because, as he said, if they had it all out in the detectives' room, Blair would shove his face in."

Musical Interlude

This Finn Brothers song came up on shuffle. I had not heard it in a while.


Monday, February 09, 2015

Knickerbocker Secrets

Fiction

The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn. Sir Richard has a month to find a wife.

Knickerbocker

The Knickerbocker is in it's fifth year, or so. There is a trivia contest, snow golf, ice skating, ice cream eating and snowman making contests, candlelight snowshoeing, and more. Here is a portion of Saturday's events.


Starred Up Driver is a Coffee Slave

DVD

The Retrieval starring [actors I never heard of]. A 13-year-old slave boy works for bounty hunters who look for fugitive slaves in 1864. The boy is told to gain the fugitives' trust and lead them to the bounty hunters.


Big Driver starring Maria Bello and Joan Jett.  Joan Jett?! Cool.


Starred Up starring Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn.  Violent teen convict ends up in same prison as his father.


Coffee Town starring Glen Howerton, Josh Broban. Dead beat who hangs out at coffee shop all day tries to stop the store from being sold.



Thursday, February 05, 2015

Whata to Read 53: "Comeback" by Richard Stark.

What to Read

Comeback by Richard Stark. Donald Westlake wrote several novels using the pseudonym Richard Stark. Almost all of those novels featured Parker, an expert thief and robber. But, even all of Parker's skill and planning cannot prevent the incompetence of others and random chance.  


Comeback is Westlake's 1997 return to his Stark work after a 23 year break. Here is an excerpt from the first four pages.