Devereaux Delivers New and @ Your Library

These great titles are waiting for you @ your library!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 09:00:00 PDT

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore

Kirkus Reviews –

Well, not Florence, Mary and Diana, but rather three close friends from Plainview, Ind., who, from their adolescence to their maturity, meet to gossip and consolidate their friendship at a local eatery. Odette, Clarice and Barbara Jean have been inseparable since the late 1960s, when they met in high school. Although Barbara Jean was at first an outsider, she quickly bonded with the other two, and they began calling themselves--and being called by others--the Supremes. The novel opens some 40 years after their salad days, when Odette hears of the death of Big Earl, founder of the eponymous black-owned-and-operated restaurant. (We also find out that this news has been conveyed to Odette by her mother, who's been dead for six years.) Through both Odette's narrative and a more neutral third-person perspective, we learn of the trio's personal problems and the rise and fall of their relationships. Odette, for example, is married to the patient and long-suffering James, and recently, she's discovered she has cancer. Clarice has long been married to Richmond, a charming cad who's serially and terminally unfaithful--and she needs to decide whether to leave him or not. And Barbara Jean, who married her husband, 42-year-old Lester, the day after she graduated from high school, is now dealing with his death and confronting the alcoholism that struck unforgivingly with the earlier death of her young son. Throughout the Supremes' intertwined stories is one constant--meeting and eating at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, now run by his son Little Earl, a place where relationships are forged, scandals are aired and copious amounts of chicken are consumed. A novel of strong women, evocative memories and deep friendship.

Suspect by Robert Crais

Kirkus Reviews –

Veteran thriller-maven Crais (Taken, 2012, etc.) returns with a pleasingly perplexing storyline fresh from the headlines. The heroine of the piece is Maggie, a 3-year-old German shepherd on her second deployment as a patrol and bomb-sniffing dog in Afghanistan. She is fiercely loyal to her handler--so when the inevitable happens, as it does in the evocative, grisly set piece that opens Crais' latest, she's thrown for a loop. Crais has to get a little didactic to provide the basis for innocent civilians: "Dogs suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder shared similar stress reactions with humans, and could sometimes be retrained, but it was slow work that required great patience on the part of the trainer, and enormous trust on the part of the dog." True dat. For her sacrifice, Maggie is not sent to live out her life on the farm, but instead teamed up with trauma-stricken, guilt-ridden LAPD officer Scott James, who, like Maggie, has lost his partner in action. The difference is that Maggie's handlers know who the bad guys were, whereas James has to go Rambo and find out who shot up him and his friend. The answer, revealed after a sequence of carefully plotted, well-described episodes, won't come as a surprise to anyone who's read James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential, though the resolution is more up-to-date. The story takes in vast swaths of Los Angeles in all its multicultural glory, with baddies in the drug and diamond and policing businesses alike. And it's oddly affecting, with Crais ably capturing the bond between humans and canines without veering into sentimentality. A solid, muscular thriller, well-spun.

Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner

Kirkus Reviews –

A team of hard-nosed professionals interrupts a troubled couple's tentative reunion by kidnapping them both, along with their teenage daughter, in Gardner's latest kitchen-sink thrill ride. Ever since Libby Denbe caught her husband, Justin, a handsome and wealthy Boston construction czar, cheating on her, their marriage has been on life support. Their experimental night out turns into a nightmare when they return to find three masked men in their Beacon Hill home terrorizing their 15-year-old daughter, Ashlyn. Swiftly overpowered and driven off in the kidnappers' van, the family can only wonder why they're being held in an unused prison in northern New Hampshire. At the same time, corporate investigator Tessa Leoni, whose firm had been hired by Denbe Construction to handle security problems, and New Hampshire county cop Wyatt Foster wonder why all three of them were kidnapped when Justin is clearly the one worth the most money--and why long hours pass with no ransom demand. The clues point to an inside job masterminded by one of Denbe Construction's top brass: chief financial officer Ruth Chan, chief operating officer Anita Bennett, or construction manager Chris Lopez. Alternating, as in Catch Me (2012), between third-person installments of the search for leads in the case and the beleaguered heroine's first-person accounts of her torment at the hands of the bad guys, Gardner generates such irresistible momentum that most readers will forgive the combination of cool-eyed professional investigation and heavy-breathing domestic soap opera as a family even Libby describes as "three mere clichés" begins to disintegrate still further under the grueling pressure. Even readers who figure out the ringleader long before Tessa and Wyatt will get behind on their sleep turning pages to make sure they're right.

Until the End of Time by Danielle Steel

Kirkus Reviews –

Steel's latest novel uses two love stories to pose and answer questions about the meaning of life and love. The first story, set in 1975, is a romance between the son of wealthy, class-conscious parents and a coal miner's daughter, who has become a successful design consultant for Vogue magazine in New York City. After marrying against his parents' wishes, Bill Sweet leaves the family law firm to study theology and pursue his dream of becoming an Episcopal minister. His wife continues the work she loves as a fashion consultant, but after surviving an ectopic pregnancy, Jenny decides to give up her career in New York so she and Bill can accept an offer from a church in Moose, Wyo. Reading about their warm welcome and the ease with which they blend into the culture of the Western town is heartwarming, and the significant good Jenny does for some of the women of the town is uplifting and inspiring. The second story is set in 2013. A young Amish woman in Lancaster County, Pa., who has always loved to read the classics, writes a book and secretly sends it to a publisher in New York. The publisher falls in love with the voice of the book and when, with much difficulty, they finally meet, they both feel that fate has brought them together. This story of romance through hardship and across decades has a spiritual appeal.

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Kirkus Reviews –

A consistently arresting, frequently stunning collection of eight stories. Though Russell enjoyed her breakthrough--both popular and critical--with her debut novel (Swamplandia!, 2011), she had earlier attracted notice with her short stories(St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, 2006). Here, she returns to that format with startling effect, reinforcing the uniqueness of her fiction, employing situations that are implausible, even outlandish, to illuminate the human condition. Or the vampire condition, as she does in the opening title story, where the ostensibly unthreatening narrator comes to term with immortality, love and loss, and his essential nature. Then there's "The Seagull Army Descends on Strong Beach, 1979," about a 14-year-old boy's sexual initiation during a summer in which he is so acutely self-conscious that he barely notices that his town has been invaded by sea gulls, "gulls grouped so thickly that from a distance they looked like snowbanks." Perhaps the most ingenious of this inspired lot is "The New Veterans," with a comparatively realistic setup that finds soldiers who are returning from battle given massages to reduce stress. In one particular relationship, the elaborately tattooed back of a young veteran provides a narrative all its own, one transformed by the narrative process of the massage. The interplay has profound implications for both the masseuse and her initially reluctant patient; both discover that "healing hurts sometimes." The two shortest stories are also the slightest, though both reflect the seemingly boundless imagination of the author. "The Barn at the End of Our Term" finds a seemingly random group of former presidents in denial (at both their loss of power and the fact that they have somehow become horses), and "Dougbert Shackleton's Rules for Antarctic Tailgating" presents the "Food Chain Games" as the ultimate spectator sport. With the concluding "The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis," about a group of teenage bullies and an urban scarecrow, the fiction blurs all distinction between creative whimsy and moral imperative. Even more impressive than Russell's critically acclaimed novel.

A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy

Kirkus Reviews –

The beloved, prolific Binchy's posthumous last novel is classic Binchy (Minding Frankie, 2011, etc.), peeking into the lives of characters from various walks of life brought together at a newly opened inn on the West Coast of Ireland. After 20 years in America and pretending she's been widowed by an American husband she never actually married, Chicky returns to her hometown of Stoneybridge to turn an elderly spinster's run-down cliffside mansion into an inn. To help renovate Stone House, she hires her childhood friend Nuala's son, Rigger, whose history of delinquency has made Nuala desperate to remove him from Dublin, where she's raised him as a single mother. Soon, Rigger is morally reformed and in love. To run the business end, Chicky hires her niece Orla, whose life in London has soured. Together, they get the place ready for the first week of paying guests: 34-year-old nurse Winnie arrives trapped into a vacation with her boyfriend's sophisticated, disapproving mother. A famous American actor takes advantage of a missed flight connection to escape the trappings of stardom for a week. Married doctors come for a respite from their crippling if unwarranted sense of responsibility for the terrible deaths they have witnessed. The heir to a Swedish accounting firm, who has set his father's expectations above his own love of music, comes to Stoneybridge to look up a musician friend. A husband and wife, whose lives together revolve around entering contests, consider their week at Stone House a disappointing consolation prize compared to the trip to Paris they didn't win. A retired girls' school principal receives the Stoneybridge vacation as a retirement gift she refuses to enjoy. And a clairvoyant librarian in love with a married man comes for a week to recover from her broken heart and avoid her second sight. While Binchy's stories are sketchier than usual, perhaps understandably rushed, her fans will find solace as hearts mend and relationships sort themselves out one last time.

Start your weekend off right with these great bestsellers.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:00:08 PDT

Damascus Countdown by Joel C. Rosenberg

From Barnes & Noble –

The first reports indicated that the Israeli strikes were successful: Iran's nuclear warheads had been taken out and, like it or not, the world was now a safer place. But CIA operative David Shirazi knows that, if anything, the dangers have escalated: His undercover sources tell him that two armed missiles somehow survived the attack and no one, not even him, can yet know when and where they will be flying. A Middle East thriller you won't easily forget.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Kirkus Reviews –

A high-class meal provides an unlikely window into privilege, violence and madness. Paul, the narrator of this caustic tale, initially appears to be an accomplished man who's just slightly eccentric and prone to condescension: As he and his wife prepare for a pricey dinner with his brother and sister-in-law, he rhetorically rolls his eyes at wait staff, pop culture and especially his brother, a rising star in the Dutch political world. The mood is mysteriously tense in the opening chapters, as the foursome talk around each other, and Paul's contempt expands. The source of the anxiety soon becomes evident: Paul's teenage son, along with Paul's brother's children, was involved in a violent incident, and though the videos circulating on TV and YouTube are grainy, there's a high risk they'll be identified. The formality of the meal is undone by the parents' desperate effort to keep a lid on the potential scandal: Sections are primly titled "Aperitif," "Appetizer" and so on, but Koch deliberately sends the narrative off-menu as it becomes clear that Paul's anxiety is more than just a modest personality tic, and the foursome's high-toned concerns about justice and egalitarianism collapse into unseemly self-interest. The novel can be ineffectually on the nose when it comes to discussions of white guilt and class, the brothers' wives are thin characters, and scenes meant to underscore Paul's madness have an unrealistic vibe that show Koch isn't averse to a gratuitous, melodramatic shock or two. Even so, Koch's slow revelation of the central crisis is expertly paced, and he's opened up a serious question of what parents owe their children, and how much of their character is passed on to them. At its best, a chilling vision of the ugliness of keeping up appearances.

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson Series #7) by Patricia Briggs

From Barnes & Noble –

Mercy Thompson's new mate Adam Hauptman is missing—and that's just the beginning of the bad news for this resourceful shapeshifter. Adam's daughter and his entire werewolf pack have also been abducted and Mercy suspects the kidnappings are political sabotage, but she feels as if she had nowhere to turn for help. Well, almost nowhere: There are the vampire seethe. The breakthrough seventh installment of a bestselling series in our stores and online.

Insane City by Dave Barry

Kirkus Reviews –

Hangovers, bridesmaids, Haitian refugees and rogue primates run amok in Miami. Big, goofy comedy in the vein of Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey doesn't come by as often as most readers would like and neither do straight-up novels by the likes of Barry (Lunatics, 2012, etc.). So, to have two entries by the Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist in a single year is momentous. For this (nominally) adult-oriented novel, Barry returns to the broad strokes and over-the-top characters that marked early novels Big Trouble and Tricky Business. Seth Weinstein is a good-hearted, unambitious professional tweeter on the verge of marrying up to Tina Clark, a wealthy debutante whose affection for Seth is largely based on his sense of humor. Seth's "Groom Posse" has loaded up for his bachelor party with the traditional elements of booze, strippers and a complete lack of common sense, starting by stocking his baggage with sex toys. Back at the hotel, Tina and her sister Meghan work with wedding planners and try to reel in the Posse's antics while her father, a member of a secret cabal called The Group of Eleven, conspires to join the even more exclusive Group of Six. "So you're not bleeding from the head and hanging out with a Beyoncé look-alike and a Jerry Springer bouncer carrying a large snake?" Tina asks--it's one of those weekends. Despite the adult content, Barry keeps the humor good-naturedly bawdy while simultaneously throwing in everything but the kitchen sink. While the Groom Posse are standard fare from every bachelor-party film you've ever seen, the supporting cast is inspired insanity. Among the subjects of Barry's whacked-out character studies are Hot Bod competitor Cyndi, who takes a shine to Seth; wedding planner Blaze Gear, with assistants Traci and Tracee in tow; an angry, expensive stripper and her gargantuan pimp; a Haitian family on the run; and a rogue orangutan named Trevor. Yes, really. Utterly familiar but funny.

Hot titles for summertime fun

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 27 May 2013 09:00:07 PDT

Long Shot by Mike Piazza with Lonnie Wheeler

Kirkus Reviews –

Arguably the game's greatest offensive catcher recounts his controversial career. Of all the Hall of Fame–worthy catchers of the past 40 years, few names start an argument more quickly than Mike Piazza. Chosen 1,390th by the Dodgers in the 1988 draft, a courtesy pick engineered by family friend Tommy Lasorda, Piazza went on to set the all-time home-run record for his demanding position, playing, as one observer remarked, "as if he is tearing somebody's head off." With the assistance of Wheeler (co-author: Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher and a Hall of Fame Hitter Talk About How the Game is Played, 2009, etc.), Piazza explains the reasons for this intense single-mindedness, an anger ballplayers describe as "a chronic case of the red-ass. " The stink of his low draft position never really dissipated, he insists, retarding his progress in the minors, opening him up to charges of nepotism and leaving him at the mercy of the game's politics. Jealousy over his family's vast wealth, resentment of his interfering father's widespread baseball connections and enduring skepticism over his defensive skills (a bum rap, he says) all conspired to deprive him of honors due--at least a couple of MVP awards--or even simple credit for the hard work he put in to excel. That unrelenting dedication is well-documented here, along with the season-by-season highlights of his sterling career, principally with the Dodgers and Mets. He addresses his famous confrontations with Roger Clemens, writes movingly about playing in New York when the twin towers fell and adamantly denies performance-enhancing drug rumors that threaten his Hall of Fame candidacy. A curious mix of fervent metal head and devout Catholic, Piazza appears to understand how his self-centeredness needlessly alienated many, but his apologies can barely be heard over the loud and constant rehashing of grievances. A superior ballplayer, still a work-in-progress as a human being.

Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss

Kirkus Reviews –

A revelatory look at America's increasing consumption of unhealthy products and at how the biggest food manufacturers ignore health risks, and employ savvy advertising campaigns, to keep us hooked on the ingredients that ensure big profit. In an era where morbid numbers of people are living with diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure,New York Times Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Moss (Palace Coup, 1989) discovers through ardent research--much of it interviews with current and former executives of Kraft, PepsiCo and other massive conglomerates--that there is shockingly little regulation of the processes behind the design and sale of foods purposely laden with dangerous levels of salt, sugar and fat. As the average American works longer hours and spends more time outside of the home, the demand for easy-to-cook and tasty meals has skyrocketed. In response, food giants provide an enormous slate of processed food options, almost all of which require immense amounts of salt, fat and/or sugar to cover the taste of poor-quality ingredients. Pulling no punches, the author points out that the recent trend of "healthy" items is no loss for these food manufacturers, who capitalize on creating new lines of spinoff products labeled "low-salt" or "sugar-free," when in fact those products require a significant increase in one of the other triad of flavors to remain palatable. Many products are laden with these ingredients in ways that would surprise the consumer: A single cookie, for example, might require several servings' worth of undetectable salt to retain its irresistible crunch, while it also contains up to five teaspoons of sugar. Moss breaks down the chemical science behind the molecular appeal of these foods, as well as behind the advertising strategies that are so successful in getting consumers to buy not only the "healthier" versions of popular foods, but the originals, as well. If this trend is to be reversed, he argues, it might take a social revolution of empowered consumers, a goal within reach if accurate information is available and pressure is put on these companies to dramatically alter the contents of its processed foods. A shocking, galvanizing manifesto against the corporations manipulating nutrition to fatten their bottom line--one of the most important books of the year.

The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics by Leonard Susskind and George Hrabovsky

Publishers Weekly –

Readers ready to embrace their inner applied mathematician will enjoy this brisk, bare-bones introduction to classical mechanics drawn from Stanford University’s “Continuing Studies” program. Although physicist Susskind (The Black Hole War) and science advocate Hrabovsky touch briefly on electricity and magnetism, the book is primarily about mechanics and the motion of particles. The authors open with a look at closed and open systems and the reversibility of physical laws, a concept central to the field. Next are rigorous chapters on trigonometry and vectors, and a no-nonsense intro to differential and integral calculus, and how these tools are used to calculate the motion of objects through space. Not for the faint of heart, successive chapters introduce Newton’s law of motion, the complex mathematics of “systems” of particles, phase space, conservation of momentum, and the Principle of Least Action, which allows scientists to “package” a system’s velocity, mass, direction, and forces into a single function. The authors intend this book as a toolkit for determined readers who want to teach themselves basic mechanics. Although their discussions are clear enough, even the hardiest reader will want to bring a basic calculus text along for the journey.

The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church by John Thavis

Kirkus Reviews –

A seasoned reporter on the Vatican beat takes us for an irreverent and revealing visit. Frequently from the vantage of the reportorial fly on the wall, Thavis, retired Rome bureau chief of the Catholic News Service, looks candidly at the goings-on at Saint Peter's. His report, even without comment on the problematic events at the Vatican Bank, serves as a case study in management--and mismanagement--at a considerable worldwide enterprise with 400,000 priestly representatives. Though much history resonates throughout all church events, Thavis concentrates on the history he has witnessed firsthand, including the process of bell-ringing on the naming of a new pope and the work of various functionaries in the organization. We learn of the fight to save a unique ancient cemetery against the need for more underground parking and how the matter of the Legion of Christ was bungled when its founder was revealed as a thieving predator and why His Holiness didn't deal with an anti-Semitic bishop. Thavis also relates his time on the road with the pontiff and notes a futile visit by George W. Bush. He reviews the stalled drives to canonize the late John Paul or Pius XII, whose wartime role is still debated. Especially provocative are the chapters dealing with the mismanagement of diverse sex scandals and, finally, an appraisal of the opaque personality of Benedict, who seems, at least in public, detached, disengaged and often distracted. Like many in political life, the incumbent pope's remarks are subject to considerable spin, "part of the great communications disconnect at the Vatican." (Yet now His Holiness has acquired the Twitter handle "@pontifex." How it's used remains to be seen.) Not only provocative, this report is illuminating and fully accessible to members of the faith and doubters alike.

Why Priests?: A Failed Tradition by Garry Wills

Kirkus Reviews –

Pulitzer Prize winner Wills (Verdi's Shakespeare, 2011, etc.), a venerable voice on church history, thought and practice, provides a stunning critique of the Roman Catholic priesthood. Without equivocation, the author argues that the entire institution of the priesthood is based on pure fallacy. Wills' argument is not a Protestant one disguised as Catholic; it is entirely Catholic in its tone and approach, making it all the more compelling to all readers. The author begins by explaining the unparalleled importance of the priesthood in Catholic doctrine, always reminding readers that this importance is based primarily on Eucharistic theology. The miracle of transubstantiation is the linchpin for the power of the priesthood. By systematically deconstructing the Book of Hebrews, Wills begins to undermine the concept of the Roman Catholic priest. Going further, he boldly confronts the idea of Christ's death as "sacrifice," theorizing that the incarnation, not the crucifixion, was the truer source of humanity's atonement. Wills' book is sure to provoke controversy, but his arguments are well-constructed and hard to ignore. While giving due respect to those priests through the ages who served others in humility, he points out that the exalted caste of the priesthood is at best antithetical to Jesus' teachings about community and piety. At worst, it allows sin and corruption to fester. Wills' writing is informed by accessible erudition and marked by subtle sarcasm (such as describing the Host as "a kind of benevolent kryptonite," or discussing the things Anselm "does not allow God to do"). Though many Catholics will flatly reject Wills' arguments on principle, many others will find him to be elucidating doubts they may have already had. A comprehensive, critical exploration of the origin and meaning of priesthood and a formidable volley lobbed at tradition.

These Academy Award nominated films are not to miss.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 24 May 2013 09:00:04 PDT

The Impossible (2012)

Naomi Watts (Actor), Ewan McGregor (Actor)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity)

Genres: Drama, Foreign, Thriller, Nature

Run Time: 1 hour 54 minutes

Synopsis –

As Maria, Henry and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, they are looking forward to a few days in a tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. Maria freezes in fear when she sees a huge wall of black water racing across the hotel grounds towards them. Based on a true story about a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time, the terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives.

Django Unchained (2012)

Jamie Foxx (Actor), Christoph Waltz (Actor)

Quentin Tarantino(Director)

MPAA Rating: R (for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity.)

Genres: Western, Period, Action/Adventure

Run Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Synopsis –

Django is a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz. Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles - dead or alive. Success leads Schultz to free Django, though the two men choose not to go their separate ways. Instead, Schultz seeks out the South's most wanted criminals with Django by his side. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda, the wife he lost to the slave trade long ago. Django and Schultz's search ultimately leads them to Calvin Candie, the proprietor of "Candyland," an infamous plantation. Exploring the compound under false pretenses, Django and Schultz arouse the suspicion of Stephen, Candie's trusted house slave. Their moves are marked, and a treacherous organization closes in on them. If Django and Schultz are to escape with Broomhilda, they must choose between independence and solidarity, between sacrifice and survival.

Great summertime reading can always be found @ your library

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:00:01 PDT

The Sound of Broken Glass (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series #15) by Deborah Crombie

Kirkus Reviews –

Friendships go seriously awry. When DS Melody Talbot spends the night with guitarist Andy Monahan, a witness and possibly even a suspect in a murder case, she can't decide which is worse: having to confess her indiscretion to her boss, Acting DCI Gemma James, or to her good mate Doug Cullen, a copper laid up with a bad leg. Andy had argued with barrister Vincent Arnott, the victim, between sets at a pub in the Crystal Palace area. Could the musician have followed Arnott to the sleazy Belvedere Hotel, plied him with drugs, stripped him naked, trussed him up, then strangled him with a scarf that left threads embedded in his neck? With an assist from her husband, Duncan Kincaid, now on leave from his Scotland Yard purview to take care of little orphan Charlotte, whom they hope to adopt, Gemma interviews Andy's manager, a record producer hoping to pair Andy with new sensation Poppy, band members and kin. When another barrister, Shaun Francis, is murdered in identical fashion, the only link between the two dead men seems to be Andy. It is not until Duncan listens to a tale of a 13-year-old's betrayal that tawdry gossip and legal shenanigans come to light, implicating a widowed French teacher and a much-bullied boy nursing grievances that cry out for revenge. Another solid outing for the reliable Crombie (No Mark Upon Her, 2012, etc.), who turns a judicious eye on secrets that can overwhelm what they're meant to protect despite the best intentions.

Speaking from among the Bones (Flavia de Luce Series #5) by Alan Bradley

Kirkus Reviews –

Irrepressible Flavia de Luce, the self-taught whiz kid who adores cyanide and has a soft spot for strychnine, confronts lead poisoning. To celebrate St. Tancred's quincentennial, the vicar has asked permission from the diocese to open the holy man's tomb and have his remains present at the feast. Naturally, 11-year-old Flavia, who loves corpses the way other girls her age love butterflies and unicorns, mounts her bicycle, Gladys, and races to the church to be first in line to see the remains. The vicar, the diggers and Flavia are aghast when the first corpse they come upon belongs to Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, who died with a gas mask on and a bit of ruffle at his throat. Inspector Hewitt is at a loss, but Flavia has stepped up to crime-solving before (I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, 2011, etc.). Despite the distressing news that the debts of her father, the colonel, so exceed his income that Buckshaw, the family home, must be put on the market, Flavia conscientiously collects blood dabs; discovers love rivals in the Ladies Altar Guild; meets Magistrate Ridley-Smith's son, locked away in the upper reaches of Bogmore Hall, who mistakes Flavia for her long-gone mother, Harriet; discovers a tunnel leading from the cemetery to St. Tancred's crypt; and consults with private eye Adam Sowerby, who knows that some Latin marginalia in an ancient text and plant lore gleaned from herbalist Mad Meg are important clues. Then there's nothing more to do than call Inspector Hewitt into the study and explain everything to him. But can young Flavia, who can deal with even grand-scale mayhem, cope with her father's pronouncement on the very last page? The Flavia bandwagon rolls on: Not only will she star in five more novels, but she'll also shine in several made-for-television films.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Kirkus Reviews –

A baker enlists a Nazi hunter to entrap a nonagenarian who may have brutalized her grandmother in Picoult's ambitious latest. Sage, who works in a bakery attached to a New Hampshire retreat center, prefers the overnight hours bakers keep. Her face is scarred (from a trauma not immediately revealed), and she is mourning her mother's recent death. Having abandoned her Jewish faith, Sage is estranged from her two sisters, but she is still close to her grandmother, Minka, a Holocaust survivor. Josef, a much respected 95-year-old retired German teacher, confesses to Sage that he is a former SS officer, real name Reiner, who once was an Auschwitz guard. Sage calls in Leo, a Washington, D.C.–based FBI agent who specializes in tracking down Nazi fugitives. Leo asks her to elicit Minka's story, never before told, in hopes of finding an eyewitness to Josef's atrocities. Reiner's and Minka's wartime experiences form the bulk of the novel. Reiner, a bully recruited early by the Hitler Youth and later by the SS, is soon inured to slaughter by presiding over mass killings of Jews in Poland. Later assigned to Auschwitz along with his (comparatively speaking) gentler and more sensitive brother Franz, Reiner distinguishes himself as a particularly brutal overseer of the women's camp. Franz, meanwhile, keeps his hands relatively blood-free by supervising the camp's accounting office. Minka's story takes her from an idyllic childhood as a baker's daughter to the misery of the Polish ghetto and imprisonment in Auschwitz. Readers will see the final twist coming far in advance due to unwieldy plot contrivances which only serve to emphasize what they are intended to conceal. Still, a fictional testament as horrifying as it is suspenseful.

The Striker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

Kirkus Reviews –

Cussler and company add to his fifth series, following the handsome young investigator Isaac Bell as he goes solo for the first time on a case for the Van Dorn Detective Agency. The year is 1902, and Bell is undercover in West Virginia investigating sabotage in a mine owned by ruthless John "Black Jack" Gleason, owner of the Gleason Consolidated Coal & Coke Company. The tall, blond-haired Bell stands out among hard-worn immigrant mining crews, all the more so since he is nearly killed while attempting to stop a runaway train of tipple cars. Cussler and Scott dig up interesting historical scene-setting factoids, including references to esoteric classic automobiles, Pittsburgh's posh Duquesne Club, and the history of massacres and brutal strikebreaking as unions begin to organize. The action shifts from the dangerous depths of a coal mine to Wall Street, to a confrontation in a tunnel being dug for the New York subway and to a riverboat battle between two paddle-wheelers. There are deft characterizations--Bell's detective crew, Kisley and Fulton, explosives and muscle; Wish Clarke, a "crack sleuth" occasionally in the bottle; Bell's nemesis, Henry Clay, illegitimate offspring of a bohemian artist, rejected Van Dorn protégé and now an amoral double agent; Jim Higgins, pacifist union organizer, and his beautiful, firebrand radical sister, Mary; and Archibald Angel Abbott IV, master of disguise--and the requisite hard-boiled dialogue like, "[You'll] be waiting in Hell for the next batch to come down and tell you who was laughing. Drop 'em and elevate!" Clay morphs into Claggart, agent provocateur allied with nefarious monopolist manipulator Judge James Congdon, and Bell ricochets from West Virginia to Pittsburgh, New York City and Cincinnati, leaving in his wake gun battles, knife fights and explosions--it helps that he's heir to a Boston banking fortune, has friends with private railcars and need not rely on expense accounting--working to prevent Clay-Claggart-Congdon from instigating a war that will wipe out striking miners and their families. Classic Cussler, offering action in an interesting setting.

More new bestsellers are packing the shelves @ your library!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:05 PDT

Private Berlin by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan

Kirkus Reviews –

Another industrial thriller from the Patterson (Private Games, 2012, etc.) factory. The Wall has fallen, and in Berlin, a security firm named Private flourishes. Among its many other activities, Private is recently back from the London Olympics--the subject of Patterson et al.'s Private Games--only to find that things are emphatically not cool in the Heimat. When top agent and earner Chris Schneider goes missing, everyone fears the worst. Rightly, too, for the worst comes to pass in gruesome ways that are best described by a first-person narrator, who interrupts the omniscient third-person narrator at the most inconvenient of moments. There's a gimmick to that, showy enough to let us know that the bad guy is most definitely a very bad guy, implicated and in league with all sorts of lesser villains in a Blofeld-ian sort of way. (Sneers he of a new toy of torture, "I click on the starter. There's a snapping noise and then a thin, intense flame bursts from a tube. ‘Twenty-four hundred degrees,' I say, enjoying the terror flaring in Mattie's face.") Said Mattie is the heroine of the piece, a tough cookie with a talent for mayhem and a sharp, analytical mind, like Private's other operatives, whether good or evil. In the end, we get a revisitation of the Cold War, complete with Stasi files and the requisite intrigues; it's nothing fans of the Bond and Ludlum franchises haven't seen before, and though it's second-tier, it's competent enough. Call it cut-rate Bourne, then, with enough action to keep the story moving and enough verisimilitude to belay having to suspend disbelief too often.

Proof of Guilt (Inspector Ian Rutledge Series #15) by Charles Todd

Kirkus Reviews –

Inspector Rutledge's 15th investigation concerns a corpse without a name. Although its injuries are consistent with being struck down by a motorcar, the body lying in a quiet street in Chelsea shows signs of having been dragged along, and all identification was removed except for a handsome heirloom watch in a vest pocket. Tracing the origin of the timepiece leads Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge (The Confession, 2012, etc.) to French, French and Traynor, wine merchants: Lewis French, grandson of the founder, inherited the watch after his older brother Michael died in the war. Mr. Lewis French is unavailable to interview. Gooding, the firm's chief clerk, says he's in Essex awaiting the arrival of his partner and cousin Matthew Traynor, who oversees the firm's production of Madeira in Portugal. But is he? His sister hasn't spoken to him recently. Nor has his fiancee, or his former fiancee. Could Lewis be the Chelsea corpse? Could it be Matthew Traynor, who has yet to arrive from Portugal? Rutledge discovers sibling squabbles and a heated encounter decades ago concerning the ownership of the Portuguese vineyards. Following this lead brings him to the doorstep of a Mrs. Bennett, whose husband is missing and whose staff is composed of prisoners and mental patients released to her care, including the manipulative Alfonso Diaz, who looks forward to returning to Portugal to die. When more unidentifiable bodies turn up, Rutledge will have his hands full putting names to them, identifying motives for their deaths and disproving his Acting Chief Superintendent's choice of villains. Sturdily if not elegantly plotted, with the ghost of Hamish, the soldier Rutledge ordered executed in the war, still haranguing him.

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder (Hannah Swensen Series #16) by Joanne Fluke

Kirkus Reviews –

All of Lake Eden is agog when the police chief's secretary takes a tumble from the penthouse of a condo complex. Fabulously wealthy Roger Dalworth has pulled out all the stops for the grand reopening of the Albion Hotel, his new luxury condo project. A caterer from Minneapolis! Red Velvet Surprise Cupcakes from The Cookie Jar for dessert! The evening is so grand that The Cookie Jar's owner, Hannah Swensen (Cinnamon Roll Murder, 2012, etc.), in eye makeup and pantyhose, decides to tour the Albion's posh penthouse, complete with its outdoor garden. Hannah is luckier than Barbara Donnelly, whose own tour of the penthouse ends in a headfirst plunge to the parking lot. Barbara survives, much addled, leaving amateur sleuth Hannah to decode her ramblings about her brother (Barbara is an only child) and a furry white monster that lurks in her hospital room. Hannah soon has her own worries. She finds Dr. Bev Thorndike, her former rival for local dentist Norman Rhodes' affections, in her red Maserati at the bottom of Miller's Pond. Even though Dr. Bev has recently become engaged to Roger, her death puts Hannah very much on Detective Mike Kingston's radar screen. Can Hannah find the real culprit before Mike ends the discussion of whether he or Norman will be the one to wrestle her to the altar by putting her in the slammer instead? Even when she's in pantyhose, Hannah's grit and quick thinking once more save the day.

Shadow of Freedom by David Weber

From Barnes & Noble –

Honor Harrington's best friend Michelle Henke has just masterminded the most overwhelming defeat of the Solarian League Navy in its long history, but with their humiliation comes a new yearning for revenge. While Michelle mulls over this looming danger, she must also contemplate a request for assistance from an unfamiliar source. She realizes that it might well be a double cross, but there are some offers that she just can't refuse..... A stellar addition to a high-flying battle sci-fi series.

Don't miss these talked about hits!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:13 PDT

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Bruce Willis (Actor)

Edward Norton (Actor)

Wes Anderson (Director)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sexual content and smoking)

Genres: Drama

Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Synopsis –

Two twelve-year-olds fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore -- and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.

Magic Mike (2012)

Channing Tatum (Actor)

Alex Pettyfer (Actor)

Steven Soderbergh (Director)

MPAA Rating: R (for pervasive sexual content, brief graphic nudity, language and some drug use)

Genres: Drama, Comedy

Run Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Synopsis –

Set in the world of male strippers, Mike takes a young dancer called The Kid under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

Thrills and mystery can always be found our bestsellers

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:00:00 PDT

The Last Threshold (Neverwinter Saga #4) by R. A. Salvatore

From Publisher –

In the final book of the #4 New York Times best-selling Neverwinter Saga, Drizzt Do’Urden navigates a winding path littered with secrets and lies. Tangled up in his companion Dahlia’s dark secrets, the ties that once held her close to Drizzt threaten to tear as her bonds to his former foe, Artemis Entreri, continue to grow. Meanwhile, in the caverns of Gauntlgrym, the drow Tiago Baenre enlists the help of Bregan D’aerthe in his quest to destroy Drizzt. While making promises they may not keep, the agents of the elite drow mercenary group hide plans of their own. Determined to stand for what’s right in the Realms once again, Drizzt forges a new road north—toward Icewind Dale. Will his new companions follow? Can he fight the darkness alone? Either way, he knows now where he’s headed—back to the only place that’s ever felt like home.

Night Moves (Doc Ford Series #20) by Randy Wayne White

Kirkus Reviews –

Sanibel Island's most swashbuckling marine biologist goes in search of five Navy bombers that vanished nearly 70 years ago and finds both more and less. Marion D. Ford (Chasing Midnight, 2012, etc.) is a sucker for derring-do and friendship. So it's easy for Dan Futch, the best pilot Doc Ford knows, to enlist his help, and that of his hipster wingman Tomlinson, in tracing Flight 19, which took off from Fort Lauderdale in December 1945 and vanished without a trace--unless you count a telegram lost radioman George Paonessa apparently sent his brother three weeks later. The real-life mystery went far to fuel myths about the Bermuda Triangle that Doc would just as soon dispel. But he's the one who's nearly dispelled when Dan's plane abruptly goes down with him and Tomlinson aboard. It's an obvious case of sabotage, Dan tells the other survivors, but who'd want to sabotage such a mission? Well, says Tomlinson, there's Kondo Ogbay, the Haitian drug lord he's run afoul of, and Cressa Arturo, the married woman currently sharing his bed. The list of suspects soon expands to include Cressa's wealthy younger husband, Rob, and her crazy brother-in-law, Dean Arturo, Luke Smith of Adventure World Productions and Brazilian import/export CEO Alberto Sabino, aka contract killer Vargas Diemer. These amiably assorted worthies take turns--sometimes solo, sometimes in teams--alternately cozying up to Doc and his pals and drawing down on them. The search for Flight 19 doesn't exactly get forgotten in the tangle of subplots, but it loses so much urgency that it's a pleasing surprise when it finally gets wound up. A lesser adventure aimed at action fans who agree with Raymond Chandler that a great story is a succession of great scenes.

The Night Ranger (John Wells Series #7) by Alex Berenson

Kirkus Reviews –

A tense thriller that relies equally on bravery, wit and 21st-century American firepower. A group of U.S. workers for WorldCares/ChildrenFirst are in Kenya to help Somali refugees. One day, they are kidnapped and held for ransom. The victims' families hire John Wells, an ex-CIA agent who converted to Islam in a previous novel. Wells is smart, tough and honorable, but none of that stops him from being one hell of a killer. In his first foray into Africa, he coordinates his efforts with the CIA, though not all his government contacts like or trust him. Meanwhile, the frightened hostages must endure rough treatment by captors who have problems of their own. Berenson's thorough research gives the reader vivid images of Somalia, a hostile, ungovernable land where outlaws and hyenas are near the top of the food chain. In one tense scene, a deadly 6-foot-long mamba slithers over Wells. But the drones terrify and fascinate even more, controlled from air-conditioned comfort back in the United States. What can the operator see and do to a distant enemy before returning to his comfortable home? The worst part is that the technology is believable and probably accurate. The novel also prompts but does not pose the question: How many is it acceptable to kill in order to save how few? A cynic might add "how many Africans" and "how few Americans," although the novel has no racial slant. The enemy might be anyone, anywhere in the world, caught in the sights of an airborne Reaper. Setting aside the troubling trends in warfare, though, Berenson gives readers top-notch, fast-paced excitement in a part of the world unfamiliar to many Americans. John Wells (The Faithful Spy, 2006, etc.) is a worthy hero readers can count on.

The Power Trip by Jackie Collins

Kirkus Reviews –

A birthday cruise on the Sea of Cortez with some of the most beautiful people in the world is threatened first by personal intrigues and then by pirates. Life in the fast lane has hit the open seas. Collins (Goddess of Vengeance, 2011, etc.) returns with an impossibly glamorous cast vacationing on the Bianca, a yacht named for billionaire Russian businessman Aleksandr Kasianenko's mistress. Accompanying Aleksandr and supermodel Bianca are five other couples, all thinly disguised variations on real celebrities. Taye Sherwin, a U.K. soccer phenom, arrives with his interior designer wife, Ashley, who has forgiven but not forgotten Taye's infidelity. Cliff Baxter, commitment-phobic movie star, brings his girlfriend, Lori. Sinister Senator Hammond Patterson escorts his unhappy wife, Sierra, who hides his clandestine affairs behind her perfect politician's-wife facade. Luca Perez, Latin pop star, escorts his insufferably self-centered British boyfriend, Jeromy. And Flynn, jaded journalist, invites his enigmatic friend, Xuan, who once smuggled herself out of communist China and now chronicles injustices. But everyone has secrets, and one of Aleksandr's secrets has snagged in the mind of Russian mobster Sergei Zukov. Fairly obsessed with their own sexual hijinks and power bids, the couples are taken quite by surprise when pirates, aided by a mole onboard, invade the yacht. Yet, even the pirates have troubles, including a wayward girlfriend, conflicting plans and a tropical storm. Intrigue, scandal, rape and tragic (or not-so-tragic) deaths ensue. After the dust settles, a series of epilogues too neatly ties off the loose ends. The queen of chronicling the lives of the jet set, Collins toggles rapidly between plotlines, keeping the action moving and the sex abundant. Glitzy and exciting.

Girl Power is alive in these remarkable bestsellers!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:00:01 PDT

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Kirkus Reviews –

Facebook COO Sandberg (ranked fifth in Forbes' 2011 list of the most powerful women in the world) reveals how gender discrimination still operates against her and other less-fortunate women. When she learned about the list, she reports, "I felt embarrassed and exposed." Even in her position, she still felt the pressure of social conditioning, the expectation that women should subordinate themselves to men. Taking examples from her own experience, Sandberg shows how expected gender roles work against women seeking top jobs, even though they now earn "63 percent of the master's degrees in the United States." Not only are women forced to juxtapose family and job responsibilities, but they face more subtle pressures. From early childhood, females are discouraged from being assertive. "Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct," writes the author. While it is assumed that men who are committed to their families can have successful careers, for women, the choices are more difficult due to the fact that they will usually be the primary caregivers. The failure of social provisions--extended family leave, flexible working hours, etc., which are the norm in many European countries--make life especially difficult for middle-income families (and single parents) due to the high cost of good child care. Women internalize this, frequently making career decisions to accommodate their expectation of the demands that will be imposed by having a family in the future. In Sandberg's case, this involved rejecting a desirable international fellowship. She argues the need for a redefinition of gender roles so that men expect to share primary responsibility for child care, parents receive social support to accommodate work and family responsibilities, and stereotyping of male and female behavior is recognized as pernicious. A compelling case for reforms that support family values in the continuing "march toward true equality."

Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court by Sandra Day O'Connor

Kirkus Reviews –

Here comes the judge--and she has stories to tell. O'Connor (The Majesty of the Law, 2003, etc.), the first woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court--though, she hastens to add, not the first woman to hold a post of importance in that highest judiciary in the land--has been retired for half a decade, but still she is asked what being a justice is like. And, of course, she's heavily involved in civic education, educating Americans about what being American is about. The result is this lightly told but deeply thought-through history of the court, part of "a government that develops and evolves, that grows and changes, over time." Her case studies are many, including Marbury v. Madison, which articulated some of that evolution and established the court's authority as the final arbiter of the constitutionality of legislation, and some of Daniel Webster's greatest hits--for, she reminds us, Webster argued some 200 cases before the court, "known for his ability to marshal precedents and historical evidence with skill." Apart from the most significant cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education, O'Connor examines just a few minor cases and then mostly to illustrate points about the humanity of the court--Scalia is a funny guy, Rehnquist was a card, etc. She is candid, opinionated and even entertaining throughout, though we wait breathlessly for the fly-on-the-wall story of how the Supreme Court decided to give George W. Bush the presidency. For the time being, a well-considered, lively survey of what the Supreme Court does, how it's constituted and, bonus round, how to argue before it.

Sum It Up: A Thousand and Ninety-Eight Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective by Pat Summitt and Sally Jenkins

From Barnes & Noble –

In 2009, when the Sporting News named the 50 Greatest Coaches of All-Time, only one woman's name was on the list: Pat Summit. The honor came as no surprise. The longtime (1974-2009) Tennessee Vols women's basketball coach is, after all, the only NCAA coach to ever amass 1,000 victories and she does have eight national championships to her credit. All those achievements fell into perspective when, in 2011, when Summit was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. This inspiring autobiography recounts the career and the life of a woman who has always continued to fight until the final buzzer.

Until I Say Good-Bye: My Year of Living with Joy by Susan Spencer-Wendel

Publishers Weekly –

Journalist Spencer-Wendel discovered she was ill when her left hand suddenly became withered. As she struggles to come to terms with knowing something is wrong—not wanting to find out, then not fully believing the doctor's ALS diagnosis—she writes with courage and strength. When she gets the news, the 40-something author is in her prime, blessed with a great reporter job at the Palm Beach Post and loving family. Using benefits from an insurance policy, she quits her job and decides to take trips with her family and friends, so that she can have all of the amazing experiences she's put off and create lasting memories. She goes to the final space shuttle launch with her youngest son, having never been to Cape Canaveral, even though her home is only hours away. A few months later, joined by her best friend, she sees the aurora borealis in the Yukon. It's there that Spencer-Wendel's philosophy plays out, as it does many times more, as she briefly caught the lights before tripping and missing the rest. She is appreciative and grateful for those few seconds and banishes regrets. There are certainly moments of heartbreak that she doesn't shy away from, such as when she goes shopping for bridal dresses with her teenaged daughter, knowing she'll miss any future wedding. Spencer-Wendel's life will sadly be cut short, but in writing her story, she shows her family and friends how to go on, choosing happiness and love over fear.

Great movies for the kid in everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:10 PDT

ParaNorman (2012)

Leslie Mann (Actor)

Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Actor)

Chris Butler (Director)

Sam Fell (Director)

MPAA Rating: PG (for scary action and images, thematic elements, some rude humor and language)

Genres: Animated, Comedy, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Action/Adventure

Run Time: 1 hour 93 minutes

Synopsis –

When a small town comes under siege by zombies, who can it call? Only misunderstood local boy Norman, who is able to speak with the dead. In addition to the zombies, he'll have to take on ghosts, witches and, worst, of all, grown-ups, to save his town from a centuries-old curse. But this young ghoul whisperer may find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

John C. Reilly (Actor)

Sarah Silverman (Actor)

Rich Moore (Director)

MPAA Rating: PG (for some rude humor and mild action/violence)

Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Comedy

Run Time: 1 hour 33 minutes

Synopsis –

Ralph is tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, the "good guy" star of their game who always gets to save the day. But after decades doing the same thing and seeing all the glory go to Felix, Ralph decides he's tired of playing the role of a bad guy. He takes matters into his own massive hands and sets off on a game-hopping journey across the arcade through every generation of video games to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero. On his quest, he meets the tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun from the first-person action game Hero's Duty. But it's the feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz from the candy-coated cart racing game, Sugar Rush, whose world is threatened when Ralph accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade. Will Ralph realize his dream and save the day before it's too late?

These memoirs will leave a song in your heart...

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:00:06 PDT

Hitmaker: The Man and His Music by Tommy Mottola and Cal Fussman

Kirkus Reviews –

The former head of Sony Music Entertainment pens an earthy, self-congratulatory memoir of his rise to the top of the music industry during its most lucrative era. With an assist from co-author Fussman (After Jackie: Pride, Prejudice, and Baseball's Forgotten Heroes: An Oral History, 2007, etc.), Mottola affects a conversational style steeped in the flavors of his Bronx origins. "Arthur Avenue was one of my first tastemakers," he writes. "It taught me what is good." The mélange of sounds he heard in his childhood neighborhood--black doo-wop, Italian pop and Latin salsa, among others--would stay with him as he became a tastemaker for the world. Actually, Mottola came of age in Westchester, where he attended a prep school. He skipped college and, with his parents' backing, attempted to launch a musical career as a Bobby Darrin–style crooner under the stage name T.D. Valentine. While he never scored a hit of his own, Mottola learned what went into making hits for other people. His star rose as a music manager when he gently steered his first clients Hall & Oates away from folk and progressive rock to their trademark blue-eyed Philly soul. Mottola was virtually unique among his corporate peers in having the experience of working as a musician and manager, and he used it to great advantage, carefully molding the careers of Gloria Estefan, Celine Dion and Shakira. Most notoriously, perhaps, he tightly controlled the output of ex-wife Mariah Carey; she wanted to break out into hip-hop and got pushed into making an album of Christmas music instead. "You're trying to make me into a franchise," she once told Mottola. "What do you think I am, McDonald's?" The author concedes that he might have wronged Carey, but he is unapologetic about his role in turning the music business into a global multibillion-dollar corporate industry. Approving blurbs from colleagues between chapters back him up. Music lovers will be divided over whether they agree with Mottola and friends that those contributions were net positive, but business students will find his insiders' view valuable and his street smarts charming.

Remembering Whitney: My Story of Love, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped by Cissy Houston

Kirkus Reviews –

A talented, flawed artist, seen through the eyes of a loving, forgiving mother. Considering what her daughter put her through, most readers will be impressed by Cissy's patience and unconditional loyalty. Cissy, a well-respected yet underappreciated vocalist herself, relates Whitney's highest highs and lowest lows with honesty, but not much in the way of introspection or insight. The narrative proceeds in a this-happened-then-this-happened-then-this-happened fashion, readable and breezy but lacking depth. Cissy all but glosses over her own impressive career, which is unfortunate, since she recorded as a background vocalist for Wilson Pickett, Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Gregg Allman, David Bowie, Diana Ross and many others. Still, there is plenty of material that Houston devotee's will find fascinating: Young Whitney's (aka Nippy) childhood thrall with music and her speedy ascension up the music-industry ladder; the insider view of the behind-the-scenes machinations that helped Whitney get to and remain at the top of the charts; and Whitney's true feelings about fame. Many readers will pick up the book hoping to learn the real deal about her tumultuous, toxic relationship with fellow singer Bobby Brown and her descent into substance-abuse–based madness. While Cissy details how she bent over backward to save her daughter, she offers precious little information about what happened in the Houston/Brown household. However, that sort of salacious material would be out of place in this mostly affectionate remembrance of an iconic singer whose whole story will likely never be told. Fans of the Houston ladies will laugh, cry and beg for more. The rest of us will shrug and move on.

The Soundtrack of My Life by Clive Davis

Kirkus Reviews –

Revealing, entertaining account of the fortunes--almost always waxing--of the music mogul. Writing with ace Rolling Stone journalist DeCurtis, Davis recounts his rise from an impoverished Brooklyn childhood to heading Columbia Records and other labels. That rise came by way of hard work and attendance at Harvard Law School, where he qualified for the Review but, ever entrepreneurial, joined the activities board because the post offered a small stipend. As counsel to Columbia, he found that he had an ear for music and an eye for talent, and from there, he rocketed upward. In his tenure at Columbia and Arista, Davis discovered many artists and elevated many others, and he is gracious toward almost all, if carefully so: Paul Simon, we gather, is prickly, and Whitney Houston was a constant handful (about The Bodyguard: "She held her own, but you couldn't say her performance was inspiring"). Davis is also remarkably catholic in his tastes, having worked with everyone from Miles Davis to Laura Nyro to Johnny Cash to the Grateful Dead to Sean Combs and his coterie of rappers ("When I went to artist showcases or parties Puffy threw for his label's stars in clubs around the city late at night, I never once brought a bodyguard"). The anecdotes are fun to read, if seldom newsworthy; what is of greater value is Davis' detailing of how hits are made. As he writes, "I think there's a bit of confusion between pop music and pop success," adding that although the Dead and Patti Smith, and even Aretha Franklin, weren't pop artists, he was able to work his magic on them to produce hits--and lots of money. A touch overlong, but a pleasure to read, elevated and menschy at the same time.

Summer reading options have never been better!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:00:03 PDT

Calculated in Death (In Death Series #36) by J. D. Robb

Kirkus Reviews –

Beautiful people meet unlovely numbers in Lt. Eve Dallas' 36th case. Even in 2060, upscale citizens still need accountants, but Marta Dickenson was evidently one accountant too many. Someone hoping to make her death look like a mugging gone bad broke her neck, stripped off her coat and earrings, and left her at the bottom of a stairwell in an apartment building Bradley Whitestone and his two partners are rehabbing. But since the killer didn't think to take Marta's expensive footwear, Eve Dallas and her partner, Detective Delia Peabody, know from the first that this was no random robbery. The evidence points to one of the well-heeled clients Marta handled for the firm of Brewer, Kyle, and Martini. Maybe it was trust-fund dependent Candida Mobsley, who treated Marta's audit the way most people would treat a pesky mosquito. Maybe it was Latisha Vance or Angie Carabelli of the decorating firm Your Space. Or Carter Young-Sachs or Ty Biden, salt-and-pepper business partners. Or Sterling Alexander and the similarly mismatched Thomas Pope. And since whoever it was wouldn't have wanted to take on the job personally, Dallas and Peabody must also search for the killer who was hired to do the dastardly deed and who doesn't seem to be finished. The setup screams danger and suspense, but in between Dallas' lightning inferences at the initial crime scene and the confrontation with an overconfident accomplice, the case is strictly routine, with no surprises likely for anyone familiar with Dallas' best-selling series. On the plus side, Dallas and her zillionaire husband, Roarke, continue to enjoy a great sex life, including one interlude only moments before the denouement. It's enough to make you nostalgic for the 2060s.

The Chance: A Novel by Karen Kingsbury

Kirkus Reviews –

Another weeper from Christian-fiction diva Kingsbury, this time featuring a prayerful NBA star and his long-lost first love. Kingsbury appears to concede that a slavish adherence to the sterner side of Christianity can subvert that religion's founding principles, as happens when Alan Tucker, a Marine drill instructor, casts off his wife, Caroline, after discovering she is pregnant with a lover's child. Righteous though it may be, his implacable anger has ruinous long-term consequences. He immediately moves from Savannah to Camp Pendleton, San Diego, ostensibly to save teenage daughter Ellie from the shame of growing up near her disgraced mother and her illegitimate half sibling. (Abortion, of course, is never brought up, nor is the question of contraception.) Ellie is devastated: She'll leave behind Nolan, her closest childhood friend, a promising basketball player whose moves are described with a sportswriter's skill. The teenagers, both 15, are chastely awakening to love, and before Ellie departs, they bury letters confessing their true feelings under a favorite tree. They make a pact to return on June 1st, 11 years hence, to dig up the box and read the letters. Cut to the present. Caroline is raising her son, John, and writing weekly letters to Ellie, which go unanswered. Long estranged from Alan, Ellie has forsworn college, has an illegitimate child of her own, daughter Kinzie, and works as a beautician. Nolan, a superstar with the Atlanta Hawks, is far out of her league: There are paparazzi-perpetrated rumors of girlfriends galore. When Alan shows up to beg forgiveness for a shocking transgression, it's only Kinzie's faith that causes Ellie to relent. But as June 1st approaches, can she undo 11 years of miscommunication and bad luck? Since deus ex machina is Kingsbury's go-to plot device, nothing, particularly redemption, is left to chance. Unfortunately, putting everything in the Almighty's hands leaves mere mortals with little to do, which makes for tedious reading. Will appeal mainly to Kingsbury devotees, as well as lovers of religious tracts…and basketball.

Deadly Stakes: A Novel by J. A. Jance

Kirkus Reviews –

Agreeing to look into a murder case for an acquaintance becomes a very dangerous game for an Arizona crime expert. Now that she's finished managing her mother's unsuccessful election campaign, former reporter Ali Reynolds (Left for Dead, 2012, etc.) is at loose ends, but not for long. Ali had met Lynn Martinson when they were both doing a television story on a cyberstalker. She's concerned that Lynn's bad taste in men may have carried over to her new boyfriend, Chip Ralston, an Alzheimer's expert who treated her father. When Chip's gold-digging ex-wife is found stabbed to death in the desert, Lynn and Chip are arrested by an overzealous prosecutor, and Ali agrees to investigate for Lynn's court-appointed attorney. Going one better than the police, who haven't found out who reported the crime, Ali learns that it was A.J. Sanders, a frightened teen out in the desert looking for a hidden treasure his ex-convict father wrote him about after turning up on A.J.'s 16th birthday with a car and enough money to pay for gas and insurance. When James Sanders' body is found near the crime scene, both the police, who are not happy with Ali's investigation, and Ali herself are determined to establish a connection. With help from her boyfriend's clever go-to computer expert, Ali finds some things the police have missed--perhaps enough to lead her into a deathtrap. Prolific Jance melds elements of the thriller and police procedural with a touch of romance to carry readers swiftly to an unexpected conclusion.

Ever After (Rachel Morgan Series #11) by Kim Harrison

Kirkus Reviews –

The 11th volume in Harrison's popular ongoing urban-fantasy series (A Perfect Blood, 2012, etc.) continues to chronicle the adventures of Rachel Morgan, who is both a witch and a detective. In Harrison's alternate universe, set in Cincinnati, the world of magical beings, including vampires, witches, elves, werewolves and demons, has crossed with the world of humans. In partnership with Ivy, a vampire, and Jenks, a pixy, Rachel now works as a freelance investigator. When her friend Quen asks her to watch over Trent, a handsome but stubborn elf who attracts trouble, Rachel bridles at the idea. Then, she discovers that someone is abducting what are known as Rosewood babies, infants stricken with a usually fatal, supernaturally inspired disease. When both Rachel's close friend and goddaughter disappear, Rachel and Trent have no choice but to put aside past differences and join forces in order to find them and set things right. Along the way, the pair discovers they are up against a merciless and powerful demon named Ku'Sox, who forces Rachel to go outside the realm in which she normally dwells into what is known as the Ever After in order to recover her abducted friends. Harrison's fans know every corner of the imaginary and intricate world the author has created, including Rachel's history with Trent, which complicates the path she must take in order to retrieve her friends. Adding to the fanciful characters' drama is a past when a genetic-manipulation cataclysm reduced the human population and changed the balance of how humans and the others interact. The storyline is populated with insider references that will mystify those who haven't already been steeped in the world Harrison has created, but for fans of her work, this lengthy and complicated volume will be a welcome new addition to her universe. There's no denying this tale is skillfully written, but the author's tendency to rely heavily on endless, mundane dialogue can be a turnoff to readers who would rather have their stories short, sweet and to the point.

Does everyone live Happy Ever After with these series conclusions????

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:00:01 PDT

Harry Potter Double Feature: Year 7, Parts 1 & 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Daniel Radcliffe (Actor)

Rupert Grint (Actor)

David Yates (Director)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images)

Genres: Adaptation, Action/Adventure, Sequel, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Synopsis –

Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort's immortality and destruction -- the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart. Meanwhile, the wizarding world has become a dangerous place for all enemies of the Dark Lord. The long-feared war has begun and Voldemort's Death Eaters seize control of the Ministry of Magic and even Hogwarts, terrorizing and arresting anyone who might oppose them. But the one prize they still seek is the one most valuable to Voldemort: Harry Potter. The Chosen One has become the hunted one as the Death Eaters search for Harry with orders to bring him to Voldemort...alive. Harry's only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him. But as he searches for clues, he uncovers an old and almost forgotten tale -- the legend of the Deathly Hallows. And if the legend turns out to be true, it could give Voldemort the ultimate power he seeks. Little does Harry know that his future has already been decided by his past when, on that fateful day, he became "the Boy Who Lived." No longer just a boy, Harry Potter is drawing ever closer to the task for which he has been preparing since the day he first stepped into Hogwarts: the ultimate battle with Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Daniel Radcliffe (Actor)

Rupert Grint (Actor)

David Yates (Director)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for some sequences of intense action violence and frightening images)

Genres: Adaptation, Action/Adventure, Sequel, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Run Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Synopsis –

In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)

Kristen Stewart (Actor)

Robert Pattinson (Actor)

Bill Condon (Director)

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sensuality and partial nudity)

Genres: Romance, Drama, Adaptation, Sequel, Thriller

Run Time: 1 hour 56 minutes

Synopsis –

Bella awakens transformed – she is now a mother and finally... a vampire. While her husband Edward delights in her beauty, speed, and uncommon self-control, newborn Bella has never felt more alive; and the destiny of her best friend Jacob Black has become entwined in that of their exceptional daughter Renesmee. The arrival of a creature so rare cements an extended family, but will soon ignite forces that threaten to destroy them all.

Our bestsellers are more than just fiction!!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 01 May 2013 09:00:07 PDT

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

Kirkus Reviews –

President from 1923 to 1929, Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) is traditionally dismissed as an honorable mediocrity, but journalist Shlaes (The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, 2007, etc.) argues that he was better than that. The author makes a convincing case, but readers who don't share her conservative views may not agree that he was superior to FDR, whom she skewered in The Forgotten Man. Raised in rural Vermont, Coolidge practiced law in Massachusetts. His celebrated New England reserve describes him accurately, but he was popular and flourished in Republican state politics. Progressive at first, he steadily grew less so, backing William Howard Taft against Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. As governor, he achieved national fame and the vice presidency by crushing the 1919 Boston police strike. Taking over after President Warren Harding's death, Coolidge set to work reducing federal taxes, expenses and personnel. By contemporary standards, he was a moderate. His opposition to business regulation and social programs provoked only modest controversy. Times were prosperous, and he got the credit and became very popular. Clearly an admirer, Shlaes stresses that, under Coolidge, the budget was balanced, tax cuts reduced the top rate by half, the national debt fell, and unemployment remained below five percent. Wages rose and interest rates fell, as well, so the poor had jobs and could borrow money more easily. Most historians portray the 1920s as a simpler time, but the author maintains that Coolidge's hands-off, minimal government, free-market approach remains ideal. Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan provides an enthusiastic endorsement, and like-minded readers will find Shlaes' well-researched but highly opinionated biography deeply satisfying.

Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior by Rorke Denver and Ellis Henican

Kirkus Reviews –

A 14-year veteran of more than 200 combat missions reflects on a career training and leading the Navy's elite warriors. Thanks to their many conspicuous successes since 9/11, the SEALs are enjoying a golden moment, celebrated in a number of books and films. Though they number barely 2,500, the SEALs' special skills have proven especially effective in an unconventional terror war, so much so that intense pressure exists now to create more of these special operators, even as the brotherhood attempts to hold the line, fearful of compromising standards and quality. Denver addresses this intraservice controversy, but his story explains why it will take more than a Pentagon fiat to create more SEALs. The fact remains: Few people have the strength, resilience, aggressiveness and mental toughness sufficient to survive BUD/S, their tortuously rigorous entry program, and the subsequent years of advanced training and moment's notice, high-risk deployments. SEALs come in all shapes and sizes, and it's impossible to predict who will succeed. With the help of Newsday columnist Henican (co-author: In the Blink of an Eye: Dale, Daytona, and the Day that Changed Everything, 2011, etc.), Denver takes us through a few SEAL missions, including the bin Laden raid, the sniping of Somali pirates and some house-to-house operations in Iraq. But his focus here is on the training, the lessons taught--that winning pays, that small details matter, that thorough preparation is essential, that nothing about war is fair--and on explaining the SEAL culture, from the outrageous "van brawls" (don't ask) and the enduring fraternal network, to the solemn significance of the gold Trident and the unique self-knowledge that comes with being a "meat eater," a man who's killed someone on the battlefield. "What can't these SEALs do?" To hear Denver tell it, when it comes to special operations, hardly anything at all. Good reading for military buffs.

Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff

Kirkus Reviews –

Iggy Pop meets Jim Carroll and Charles Bukowski in this gritty downer of a Rust Belt portrait. "I threw my cigarette butt into the sewer grate. I looked up into the rain. That's when a bird shit on my face." Thus writes former New York Timesand Detroit News reporter LeDuff (US Guys: The True and Twisted Mind of the American Man, 2007, etc.), and he means nothing remotely humorous by it. His Detroit is a set out of Blade Runner, and never mind all that Kid Rock and sundry entrepreneurs have been doing to revive the Motor City; LeDuff isn't convinced: The place is toast, its people what an editor of his used to spit out: "losers." "That was 80 percent of the country," LeDuff counters, "and the new globalized economic structure was cranking out more." Even the locals have pretty much given up on the place; says one hard-bitten cop, "This whole town is just a worm-infested shit pile, Charlie….It's a dead city. And anybody says any different doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about." With so much going against the place, readers can't help but cheer when something goes right, as occasionally it does. Indeed, the heart soars when things don't go absolutely wrong, as when LeDuff's scrawny brother stands up to a hoodlum in a vainglorious, near-suicidal encounter at a bus stop. Along the way, the author looks at some of the toxic ingredients that have brought Detroit to its knees, including the aforementioned globalization, the replacement of local industry with a service economy of crime and, particularly, the noxious effects of racism, which he examines through his own family history. There's little joy in these pages, and one hopes that Detroit will endure, if only to cheer LeDuff up. A book full of both literary grace and hard-won world-weariness.

The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change by Al Gore

Kirkus Reviews –

A tour de force of Big Picture thinking in which the former vice president gets his inner wonk on. Gore (Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, 2009, etc.) writes that this book had its origins in an on-the-road conversation about the drivers of global change--of all kinds, from economic to cultural to environmental. The author spent the next few years outlining, outlining and outlining again--and then thinking, gathering, sifting and writing a tome that he reckons is "data-driven and based on deep research and reporting--not speculation, alarmism, naïve optimism, or blue-sky conjecture." It is all of the former, with a quarter of the book given over to notes, and none of the latter. One of the six drivers Gore enumerates is the emergence of a technologically driven "global mind" that tends toward the liberating and away from the repressive. At the same time, though, there has emerged a libertarian puritanism that insists on "the reallocation of decision-making power from democratic processes to market mechanisms," dismissing "the very notion that something called the public interest even existed." Sustainable energy sources have similarly emerged even as market mechanisms have pushed "fracking" of fossil fuel deposits, such that--it would not be a Gore book without, yes, alarming statistics--"in the United States an estimated 30 trillion gallons of toxic liquid waste have been injected into more than 680,000 wells." Biomedicine has made extraordinary advances, and yet, because of "unhealthy corporate control of the public policy decision-making process," medical care is in complete disarray. And so on, the good with the bad. Which will prevail is the question; if for the good, Gore urges, we will need to see "a shift in consciousness powerful enough to change the current course of civilization." Provocative, smart, densely argued--and deserving of a wide audience and wider discussion.

April bestsellers are now @ your library

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:00:08 PDT

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Kirkus Reviews –

Biographical novel of Anne Morrow and her troubled marriage to pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh. Anne, self-effacing daughter of a suffragette and an ambassador, is surprised when Charles, already a celebrity thanks to his first trans-Atlantic flight in 1927, asks her--instead of her blonde, outgoing older sister Elisabeth--to go flying with him. And it is Anne whom Charles will marry. At first, the glamorous couple's life consists of flights all over the world: Anne becomes a pilot and navigator and Charles' indispensable sidekick. However, when in 1932 the Lindberghs' first child is kidnapped from his nursery, the resulting press furor almost destroys Anne. In addition to her grief over her lost firstborn, a grief that Lindy doesn't appear to share, Anne suffers the downside of fame as public adulation turns to prurient sensationalism. The couple takes refuge abroad, where they enjoy the orderly routine and docile press of the Hitler regime, as long as Charles is willing to accept a Nazi medal and attend rallies. However, Kristallnacht proves too much even for Lindbergh's anti-Semitism, and he and Anne return to the States as war threatens. As more children arrive, Anne is beginning to bridle at Charles' domineering ways, however the aspiring author is too insecure to contradict him even as he offends her liberal friends and family by siding with right-wing groups who claim that the Jews are trying to force America into war. At Charles' behest, and against her own principles, she pens The Wave of the Future (1940), an isolationist screed which renders her anathema to the intelligentsia: Even her alma mater, Smith College, disowns her. In 1974, after 47 years of wedlock, Anne must decide whether to finally confront her husband. Although the portrayal of such a passive character could easily turn tepid, Benjamin maintains interest, even suspense, as readers wonder when Anne's healthy rebellious instincts will burst the bonds of her dutiful deference. A thoughtful examination of the forces which shaped the author of Gift from the Sea

A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story by Sister Souljah

Kirkus Reviews –

A novel that reads more like a memoir than fiction. The narrator talks the authentic talk of tough girls in the hood, although she continually protests that she "comes from money" and attaches inordinate significance to trivial fashion items like bags and boots. After her parents are arrested, this precocious 10-year-old girl is "kidnapped" by social services. When she takes offense at a remark made by a social worker about her mother, she stabs the woman in the neck with a sharpened No. 2 pencil in the neck and is thereafter incarcerated in a juvenile detention facility, where she meets and trades life stories with other inmates. All of the stories are horrific, some in predictable, stereotypical ways, some so idiosyncratic they could be based on that proverbial truth that is stranger than fiction. Although she is much younger than the others, she is recruited into a clique called The Diamond Needles by an older white girl, and together, they later escape and go to live on an Indian reservation with a woman the girl knows. The novel takes the reader into the moment-to-moment, day-to-day life of Porsche Santiaga from early childhood to young womanhood, a life of dancing, yearning for her family and mourning for her momma; a life of seeking and eventually discovering love. A book that will appeal to the author's many fans.

Drinking and Tweeting: And Other Brandi Blunders by Brandi Glanville and Leslie Bruce

LA Weekly.com - Ali Trachta

“Is there a Pulitzer category for memoirs by jilted reality stars who like to talk smack about ex-husbands and "bonus moms?" Because if so, this book should win it... The best piece of celeb literature we've ever come across.

Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt That Brought Him to Justice by Kevin Cullen and Shelley Murphy

Kirkus Reviews –

A well-researched book claiming to be "the first complete and authoritative account" of the life of criminal James "Whitey" Bulger. From his Boston childhood to his current home in a prison cell, Boston Globe reporters Cullen and Murphy follow their subject through every documented moment in his life. Bulger is a true "Southie" character, his name well-known to residents of the mostly Irish neighborhood before gentrification. After starting as a petty juvenile criminal, he moved quickly to auto theft and then bank robbery, landing himself in prison. Bulger even did a stint in Alcatraz before earning enough good-behavior time to end his sentence more than a decade early. When he returned to Boston, the criminal underworld was ripe for the picking; rather than going straight, he went to the top of what some called the Irish mob--with the support of the FBI. The authors can't quite decide if they want to let the story become personal. They work hard to refer to themselves in the third person but make it clear what they think of their subject and his accomplices. Maintaining distance was a mistake, as personalizing their involvement could make the book stronger, with more palpable tension and the consequences of attracting Bulger's attention more real. Still, Bulger's crimes and partnerships are so compelling that the pages almost turn themselves. Moments of insight into his mind make the book sparkle--e.g., the scene when he's finally caught and refuses to kneel. The authors explain, "Whitey's biggest concern, he later said, was that there were oil stains on the garage floor where he was standing." Solid writing, remarkable details and the addition of Bulger's fairly recent capture make this a worthy addition to the literature of the mob.

Take home a hit film today!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:00:00 PDT

Flight

Denzel Washington (Actor), Don Cheadle (Actor)

Robert Zemeckis (Director)

MPAA Rating - R (for drug and alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and an intense action sequence)

Genres - Drama

Run Time - 2 hours 19 minutes

Synopsis –

Whip Whitaker, a seasoned airline pilot, miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more is learned, more questions than answers arise as to who or what was really at fault and what really happened on that plane?

Margaret

Anna Paquin (Actor), Matt Damon (Actor)

Kenneth Lonergan (Director)

MPAA Rating - R (for strong language, sexuality, some drug use and disturbing images)

Genres - Teen, Drama, Romance

Run Time - 2 hours 30 minutes

Synopsis –

Lisa, a 17-year-old New York City high-school student feels certain that she inadvertently played a role in a traffic accident that has claimed a woman's life. In her attempts to set things right she meets with opposition at every step. Torn apart with frustration, she begins emotionally brutalizing her family, her friends, her teachers, and most of all, herself. She has been confronted quite unexpectedly with a basic truth: that her youthful ideals are on a collision course against the realities and compromises of the adult world.

The Master

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Actor), Joaquin Phoenix (Actor)

Paul Thomas Anderson (Director)

MPAA Rating - R (for sexual content, graphic nudity and language)

Genres - Drama

Run Time - 2 hours 18 minutes

Synopsis –

A charismatic man returns home to America from World War II and forms a faith-based organization. He is now known as "the Master" and his belief system is catching on. As the group is gaining momentum and adding new converts, a young drifter arrives and becomes the Master’s invaluable aid.

New best sellers are now available!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:00:02 PDT

Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson

Library Journal –

Alex Cross arrested hotshot plastic surgeon Elijah Creem for sleeping with underage girls, but Creem is now out of prison and has used his skills to change his face. Meanwhile, a young woman is found hanging, having just given birth, but the baby is missing. And Alex doesn't realize that he is being watched. I think we can guess where this is going. With 75 million copies of his books in print, Patterson is the king of crime.

Bad Blood by Dana Stabenow

Kirkus Reviews –

A clash of family cultures may be behind a series of murders. The Alaskan villages of Kushtaka and Kuskulana share a salmon-filled river and a deep-rooted mutual hatred. Kushtaka natives, mostly Macks, adhere to the old ways and live in near poverty. Across the river, the Kuskulana residents, mostly Christiansons, reap the benefits of modernity. When state trooper Sgt. Jim Chopin is called in, Roger Christianson takes him to the Mack fish wheel, where the body of Tyler Mack has been found. Although Tyler's family considered him a lazy schemer, they're covering up evidence and plotting revenge. Jim's girlfriend, private eye Kate Shugak, a Native Alaskan with many family connections in the vast area known as the Park, quickly becomes involved. No sooner is Tyler's death ruled a murder then the body of Mitch Halvorsen is found sealed up in the house he's building on the Kuskulana side of the river. Mitch's brother Kenny demands revenge against the Kushtakers. Jim is sure that Mitch and Kenny were smuggling in alcohol and possibly drugs for the nearby mine workers, but his questions produce only silence and lies on both sides of the river. In the meantime, Ryan Christianson and Jennifer Mack, who have fallen in love, are secretly meeting even though their romance is certain to cause more trouble. Kate (Restless in the Grave, 2012, etc.), along with her half-wolf, Mutt, works her own angle and takes steps that may put her in danger in more ways than she can imagine. To her usual atmospheric detection, Stabenow adds more than a hint of Romeo and Juliet, or the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Bloodfire Quest: The Dark Legacy of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Kirkus Reviews –

The second book in Brooks' ongoing Dark Legacy of Shannara epic-fantasy trilogy. Brooks continues the adventure begun in his last book, 2012's Wards of Faerie, set in his long-running Shannara fictional universe. In the last installment, the young Elven Druid Aphenglow Elessedil helped assemble a group--including her relative, the magic-wielding Ard Rhys Khyber Elessedil, and Railing and Redden Ohmsford, who could summon the magical wishsong, among others--for a quest to find and recover the legendary missing Elfstones in order to keep them from those who would use them for evil purposes. Some of the questing party wound up outside of their own land and in the grim Forbidding, where, at the start of this book, they find themselves trapped; there they face dangerous creatures, including giant insects and Goblins. Meanwhile, those on the other side of the Forbidding wall, including an airship-piloting Aphenglow, her sister Arlingfant, Elven Hunter Cymrian and an injured Railing, face battles and challenges of their own. As with many fantasy trilogies, this second book is a bit heavy on exposition at times and seems to serve mostly as a buildup for more dramatic events in the third and final installment. That said, Brooks mixes things up here with several sharp battle scenes, for which he brings his distinct talent, giving a true grandeur to clashes involving terrifying creatures and powerful magic. Brooks' fans, it also bears mentioning, will have a relatively short time to wait for a resolution to the story, as the final book of the trilogy, Witch Wraith, is currently set to be published in 2013. A fine middle chapter to Brooks' latest Shannara adventure.

Breaking Point (Joe Pickett Series #13) by C. J. Box

Kirkus Reviews –

Wyoming Fish and Game Warden Joe Pickett, who attracts trouble the way carcasses attract maggots (Force of Nature, 2012, etc.), gets in the line of fire between an old friend and the Feds. When two EPA agents, sent all the way from Denver to take contractor Butch Roberson into custody. are shot to death, Butch himself is the obvious suspect. But Joe, who saw Butch only hours before he disappeared, can't help wondering why the EPA was so interested in Butch, whose attempt to build a new house for his family in Aspen Highlands blew up in his face, and why the new, race-baiting EPA regional director Juan Julio Batista has taken such a personal interest in the case. Joe has no time for any speculations, though, before he's pressed into service to lead an ill-equipped EPA party searching for Butch up the mountain where he was last seen. Little does Joe know that he's not the only one on the hunt. His old nemesis, ex-Sheriff Kyle McLanahan, has heard the rumor of a big reward for bringing in Butch and has gotten Dave Farkus, a clueless employee Butch fired, to lead him and Jimmy Sollis, the no-account brother of slain deputy Trent Sollis, to Butch first. Box doles out complications and misfortunes with masterly control; each time you're convinced things can't get any worse for Butch or Joe, they do, usually in unexpected ways. And every twist tightens the analogy between the shiftless vigilantes after Butch and the Feds determined to capture or kill him, two parties that are not only equally villainous, but villainous in exactly the same way. Its basis in a real-life conflict makes Joe's 13th case one of his most tendentious, but it's Box who makes it one of his most exciting.

What better way to spend the day than with these great films.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:30:00 PDT

How to Survive a Plague

Peter Staley (Actor), Larry Kramer (Actor)

David France (Director)

MPAA Rating - NR

Genres - Documentary

Run Time - 1 hour 49 minutes

Synopsis –

The story of the brave young men and women who successfully reversed the tide of an epidemic, demanded the attention of a fearful nation and stopped AIDS from becoming a death sentence. This imrobable group of activists bucked oppression and, with no scientific training, infiltrated government agencies and the pharmaceutical industry, helping to identify promising new medication and treatments and move them through trials and into drugstores in record time. In the process, they saved their own lives and ended the darkest days of a veritable plague, while virtually emptying AIDS wards in Amican hospitals in the process. The powerful story of their fight is a classic tale of empowerment and activism that has since inspired movements for change in everything from breast cancer research to Occupy Wall Street. Their story stands as a powerful inspiration to future generations, a road map, and a call to arms. This is how you change the world.

21 Jump Street

Jonah Hill (Actor), Channing Tatum (Actor)

Phil Lord (Director), Chris Miller (Director)

MPAA Rating - R (for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material, teen drinking and some violence)

Genres - Adaptation, Comedy, Action/Adventure

Run Time - 1 hour 35 minutes

Synopsis –

Schmidt and Jenko are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier - and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

War Horse

Jeremy Irvine (Actor), Peter Mullan (Actor)

Steven Spielberg (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for intense sequences of war violence)

Genres - Action/Adventure, Adaptation, Drama

Run Time - 2 hours 26 minutes

Synopsis –

A friendship begins between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the horse moves through the First World War, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets -- British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter.

Your Sister's Sister

Emily Blunt (Actor), Mark Duplass (Actor)

Lynn Shelton (Director)

MPAA Rating - R (for for language and some sexual content)

Genres - Drama

Run Time - 1 hour 30 minutes

Synopsis –

A year after his brother's death, Jack is still emotionally fragile. When he makes a scene at a memorial party, Iris decides to intervene. She gets Jack to oil up his old bike and drive out to her father's cabin on an island on Puget Sound, where she hopes he will be able to work through things. When Jack arrives at the cabin, he does not find restorative solitude but instead Iris' sister Hannah, nursing a wounded heart and a bottle of tequila. After throwing back a few drinks, these two end up getting to know each other a little more intimately. Their hangover wake-up call arrives the next morning in the form of Iris with a bag of groceries in hand.

These great movies will leave you shaken not stirred.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:00:05 PDT

Skyfall

Daniel Craig (Actor), Judi Dench (Actor)

Sam Mendes (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking)

Genres - Action/Adventure, Sequel

Run Time - 2 hours 23 minutes

Synopsis –

Bond’s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) is tested as her past returns to haunt her. With MI6 now compromised from both inside and out, M is left with one ally she can trust: Bond. 007 takes to the shadows – aided only by field agent, Eve (Naomie Harris) – following a trail to the mysterious Silva (Javier Bardem), whose lethal and hidden motives have yet to reveal themselves.

Source Code

Jake Gyllenhaal (Actor), Michelle Monaghan (Actor)

Duncan Jones (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for some violence including disturbing images, and for language.)

Genres - Action/Adventure, Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama

Run Time - 1 hour 34 minutes

Synopsis –

When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he's ever known, he learns he's part of a government experiment called the "Source Code," a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.

Looper

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Actor), Bruce Willis (Actor)

Rian Johnson (Director)

MPAA Rating - R (for strong violence, language, some sexuality/nudity and drug content)

Genres - Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller

Run Time - 1 hour 58 minutes

Synopsis –

In the future, time travel will be invented - but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a "looper" - a hired gun, like Joe - is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good until the day the mob decides to "close the loop," sending back Joe's future self for assassination.

Great new movies that everyone can enjoy!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:00:02 PDT

The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence (Actor), Josh Hutcherson (Actor)

Gary Ross (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for for intense thematic violent material and disturbing images -- all involving teens)

Genres - Action/Adventure, Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Run Time - 2 hours 22 minutes

Synopsis –

Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her younger sister's place to enter the games, and is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy when she's pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, with a screenplay by Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 26 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following. It has spent more than 180 consecutive weeks/more than three consecutive years to date on The New York Times bestseller list since its publication in September 2008, and has also appeared consistently on USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Emma Watson (Actor), Logan Lerman (Actor)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight - all involving teens)

Genres - Adaptation, Drama

Run Time - 1 hour 43 minutes

Product Description –

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is based on the wildly popular novel by Stephen Chbosky about a freshman named Charlie (Logan Lerman) who is always watching from the sidelines until a pair of charismatic seniors takes him under their wing. Beautiful, free-s pirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her fearless stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller) shepherd Charlie through new friendships, first love, burgeoning sexuality, bacchanalian parties, midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the quest for the perfect song.

Pitch Perfect

Anna Kendrick (Actor), Brittany Snow (Actor)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for sexual material, language and drug references)

Genres - Comedy

Run Time - 1 hour 52 minutes

Synopsis –

Beca is that girl who'd rather listen to what's coming out of her headphones than what's coming out of you. Arriving at her new college, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together.

When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college "a cappella." This could wind up either the coolest thing they'll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.

Classic films for the holiday weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:00:02 PDT

Eagle Has Landed

Michael Caine (Actor), Donald Sutherland (Actor)

John Sturges (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG

Genres - Drama, War, Action/Adventure

Run Time - 2 hours 15 minutes

Synopsis –

John Sturges's adaptation of Jack Higgins's best-selling suspense novel stars Michael Caine as Nazi Col. Kurt Steiner. When the Nazi high command learns in late 1943 that Winston Churchill will be spending time at a country estate in Norfolk, it hatches an audacious scheme to kidnap the prime minister and spirit him to Germany for enforced negotiations with Der Führer. Heinrich Himmler (Donald Pleasence) assigns Col. Max Radl (Robert Duvall) to mastermind the operaton. He enlists the aid of Steiner, who has been imprisoned for subordination and is awaiting sentence, by offering him a chance to save his life. Liam Devlin (Donald Sutherland), an IRA lifer who hates the British, also signs on for the mission. Steiner and his commando team parachute into the small village of Sudley disguised as Polish soldiers and appear to the populace to be paratroopers running through exercises. As they await the arrival of Churchill, one of the commandos rescues a boy from drowning in a nearby river, inadvertently revealing his Nazi colors in the process. Steiner realizes that some changes will have to made in his timetable. THE EAGLE HAS LANDED is an enjoyable Alistair MacLean-like mission impossible, ably served by Sturges and a stellar cast.

Night Train to Munich

Margaret Lockwood (Actor), Rex Harrison (Actor)

Carol Reed (Director)

MPAA Rating - Unrated

Genres - Drama

Run Time - 1 hour 30 minutes

Synopsis –

Taking his cue from Hitchcock's recent success THE LADY VANISHES, Carol Reed borrowed both that film's writers (Sidney Gilliat, Frank Launder) and its low-key comic duo (Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne) to concoct this witty, vastly entertaining spy thriller. As a result of the imminent threat of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Nazi troops, Dr. Axel Bomasch (James Harcourt), the inventor of a new technique for armor-plating artillery, escapes to England while his daughter Anna (Margaret Lockwood) is captured and sent to a concentration camp. Although she escapes from the camp and rejoins her father, the Nazis kidnap the Czech pair and take them back to Germany. British agent Gus Bennett (Rex Harrison), who has already displayed an amusing gift for disguise, now makes use of it by infiltrating the German high-command in an effort to save the Bomasches. The film barrels to its finish in a dizzying array of twists and turns, with a still-astonishing cable-car escape in the Swiss Alps. Between the pre-Bond insouciance of the young Harrison, the deadpan exchanges of Radford and Wayne, the overall intelligence of the script, and the steady hand of Carol Reed, this film raises the genre to a very high level.

Royal Wedding/Belle of New York

Royal Wedding

Fred Astaire (Actor), Jane Powell(Actor)

MPAA Rating - Unrated

Genres - Musical/Performing Arts

Run Time - 1 hour 30 minutes

Synopsis –

Dancing and romance collide in ROYAL WEDDING as a brother-sister dance team (Fred Astaire and Jane Powell) open their musical show in London shortly before the English royal wedding and find love of their own. Showcasing some of Astaire's most memorable dance scenes in film history--Astaire's hat-rack partner and his dancing on the ceiling (impressive even to those jaded by special effects)--this tale of finding true love when it's least expected, and least wanted, has delighted audiences since the movie's release in 1951.

Flirty Ellen and dance-focused Tom have escaped the clutches of many marriage-minded partners, keeping their joint entertainment careers their first priority. When they leave New York to sail for London to open a new musical show, Ellen leaves behind many besotted men but no regrets. But when a ladies' man (and lord) falls hard for Ellen, and a British girl in the dance chorus needs Tom's help to locate her fiancé, both brother and sister realize that this time love must come first.

Belle of New York

Fred Astaire (Actor), Vera-Ellen (Actor)

MPAA Rating - Unrated

Genres - Musical/Performing Arts

Run Time - 1 hour 21 minutes

Synopsis –

urn-of-the-century New York City. Astaire is Charlie Hill, a playboy who falls head-over-heels in love with Angela Bonfils (Vera-Ellen), a mission worker, and attempts to woo her with his charm, dancing ability, and singing voice. Songs include: "I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man", "Let a Little Love Come In", "Baby Doll", "Oops", "Seeing's Believing", "Naughty but Nice", and "Bachelor's Dinner Song."

Comic book heroes come to life @ your library

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:00:02 PDT

Captain America: The First Avenger

Chris Evans (Actor), Hugo Weaving (Actor)

Joe Johnston (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13

Genres - Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Run Time - 2 hours 4 minutes

Synopsis –

Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christian Bale (Actor), Michael Caine (Actor)

Christopher Nolan (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language)

Genres - Adaptation, Action/Adventure, Crime, Sequel

Run Time - 2 hours 44 minutes

Synopsis –

It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act.

But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

Marvel's The Avengers

Robert Downey Jr. (Actor), Chris Evans (Actor)

Joss Whedon (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for intense sequences of sci-if violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference)

Genres - Adaptation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Run Time - 2 hours 22 minutes

Synopsis –

Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow answer the call to action when Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., initiates a daring, globe-spanning recruitment effort to assemble The Avengers team to defeat an unexpected enemy threatening global safety and security. Despite pulling together the ultimate dream team, Nick Fury and longtime confidant Agent Coulson must find a way to convince the Super Heroes to work with, not against each other, when the powerful and dangerous Loki gains access to the Cosmic Cube and its unlimited power.

Tale of war both real and fiction are found @ your library

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 09:00:05 PDT

Empire and Honor (Honor Bound Series #7) by W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV

Kirkus Reviews –

The seventh in Griffin's (Victory and Honor, 2011, etc.) Honor Bound series offers more of USMC Maj. Cletus Frade's escapades. Here, Griffin's all-stuff-military-and–intrigue battleground is Argentina. The time is immediately post–World War II, with Juan Perón and Evita double-dealing and Nazis on the side. The good-guy movers and shakers believe the USSR is the next enemy, and remnants of the disbanded OSS (soon to be CIA) want to hide the high command of Abwehr Ost, the Wehrmacht's anti-communist intelligence group, in Argentina far away from the Soviets. The U.S. rocket program needed von Braun; the spooks needed Abwehr Ost. Argentina is the chosen hideaway, which is complicated by the fact that Argentina is also the lair of Operation Phoenix, a plan by Nazi SS-types dead set on reincarnating fascism. Frade's late biological father was a rich Argentine colonel, and so Frade's unofficially charged with rooting out bad Germans and securing good Germans. This book maintains Griffin's standard narrative trick of employing heroes with stupendous wealth, airplanes and secure hideaways readily available. Frade also happens to be Perón's godson, but Frade dislikes Tio Juan, which muddies dealings with the Argentine government, mainly Gen. Bernardo Martín, chief of the Bureau of Internal Security. Some Argentines want to assassinate Perón, but many don't, in spite of Perón being corrupt and overly ambitious, since Perón's death might spark a civil war. The primary narrative thread involves locating U-234, a submarine that ferried scheming SS-types intent on persevering with fascism's failures. U-234 also hauled a half-ton of uranium oxide the SS bad guys want to sell to the USSR to finance Operation Phoenix. Although heavily reliant on exposition, the book provides sufficient back story and works as a stand-alone read. Nothing beats a cinder-block–sized adventure novel on a winter weekend.

My Share of the Task: A Memoir by General Stanley McChrystal

From Barnes & Noble

General Stanley McChrystal's new book has already received stellar reviews. One early reader lauding it as "the finest military memoir of his generation," and Walter Isaacson calling it "a brilliant book about leadership wrapped inside a fascinating personal narrative." Reports about the outspoken former Commander of all NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan were not always so superlative. A 2010 Rolling Stone article about him entitled "The Runaway General" landed him in trouble that resulted in his resignation. In My Share of the Task, this former four-star general addresses directly the major episodes, learning experiences, and controversies of his eventful career. Certain to garner prominent reviews nationwide.

A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II by Adam Makos and Larry Alexander

Publishers Weekly –

Military historian and aviation enthusiast Makos, along with WWII biographer Alexander (In the Footsteps of the Band of Brothers), delivers a top-notch narrative of the unlikely encounter between one of Germany’s leading fighter aces, Franz Stigler, and the rookie crew of an American bomber in the frigid skies of Germany in December 1943—upon engaging the already damaged American plane, Stigler had mercy on his enemies and escorted them to safety. Building on the events of that encounter, Makos crafts a multifaceted story, relating the career of Stigler from his first taste of combat in North Africa to his final assignment flying jet fighters in the waning battles of the war in Europe. He also follows American Lt. Charlie Brown and his crew through training and to the successful completion of their combat tour in April 1944. Based on thousands of hours of interviews and an evident knowledge of his subject, Makos details the frantic life of the German fighter pilots living on the edge, and the American bomber crews, far from home, fighting to survive. The book is a riveting story of humanity and mercy set against the ghastly backdrop of war.

The latest bestsellers from the greatest authors are @ your library!

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:03 PDT

The Husband List by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Kirkus Reviews –

Will a young woman defy her mother and all society to be with the man she loves? Although Caroline Maxwell's meddling mother has created a list of socially desirable (read: those with money) potential suitors for her eldest daughter, free-spirited Caroline is equally certain that she'd rather have adventures of her own. In pursuit of that goal, she sneaks around in search of education, an act her mother would doubtless want to hide from Amelia and Helen, Caroline's younger twin sisters. Besides, Caroline's heart is set on her brother Eddie's childhood friend, roguish Jack Culhane, though she knows her mother would certainly never approve. What matters more to Caroline is whether Jack returns her affections, a question she's on the cusp of answering when Lord Bremerton enters the picture. Renowned as one of England's most eligible bachelors, Lord Bremerton seems keen to be caught by a net that Caroline's reluctant to cast. She feels creeped out when he's around and suspects that, in spite of his gentlemanly title, he's anything but. Since Harriet Vandermeulen has set her sights on a winter wedding with Jack--even though she may have failed to mention it to him--Caroline knows the time to choose is running out. Will she do her family proud and marry a man who can bring a title to the Maxwells, or will she follow her dream and convince Jack once and for all that his heart belongs to her? Though details such as Caroline's fondness for chocolate cake may endear her to hungry readers, the characters aren't meaty or distinctive enough to dig into, leaving Evanovich and Kelly (Love in a Nutshell, 2012) on safe but familiar ground.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini

Kirkus Reviews –

From the intimate domestic circles of the political elite, a dressmaker witnesses the upheavals of 19th-century America. Chiaverini (The Giving Quilt, 2012, etc.) sets aside her Elm Creek Quilts series for this historical novel about Elizabeth Keckley. Drawing upon the rich milieu of Civil War America, as well as Keckley's own memoir (published in 1868 as Behind the Scenes), Chiaverini weaves the story of a woman who lived as both slave and freedwoman. Elizabeth learns her trade by making clothes for her fellow slaves, and once freed, she plies her needle so skillfully that the wives of Republicans and Democrats clamor for her designs. Varina, the second wife of Jefferson Davis, even seeks to take Elizabeth with her to Montgomery when the South secedes and her husband becomes president of the Confederacy. Despite her desire to journey with Varina, Elizabeth decides to stay in Washington, since traveling further South will erase most of her freedoms. Her decision leads to her new position as Mary Todd Lincoln's modiste. Elizabeth not only designs and sews Mary's clothes, but she also arranges her hair, helps her dress, cares for her children at times and becomes her confidante. As others nearly shun Mary for her extravagances during wartime, not to mention her mercurial personality, she relies more and more heavily upon Elizabeth. Their relationship affords an interesting perspective for viewing the cultural and social turmoil of the times, for no matter how much Elizabeth is respected for her skills and no matter how intimately Mary trusts her with her confidences, Elizabeth remains a former slave, and she must be reminded of her place. While the backdrop is strikingly vivid, Chiaverini's domestic tale dawdles too often in the details of dress fittings and quilt piecings, leaving Elizabeth's emotional terrain glimpsed but not traveled.

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis

The New York Times Book Review - Isabel Wilkerson

In a movement as vast as the Great Migration, there are so many stories buried in the ashes of memory, so much untold and yet to be sung that perhaps no book should bear the burden of telling it all. In the end, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is less about the migration than about a mother's loss and the toll it takes on her and her children, their feeble attempts to escape their lives and the costs borne by every one of them. Hattie's family represents itself and itself alone. This deeply felt novel does not seek to tell the story of all, but of one that perhaps might have been.

Take home a great movie this weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Josh) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:00:02 PDT

The Amazing Spider-Man

Andrew Garfield (Actor), Emma Stone (Actor)

Marc Webb (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence)

Genres - Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Adaptation

Run Time - 2 hours 16 minutes

Synopsis –

Peter Parker, an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy, and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance -- leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Quvenzhané Wallis (Actor), Dwight Henry (Actor)

Benh Zeitlin (Director)

MPAA Rating - PG-13 (for thematic material including child imperilment, some disturbing images, language and brief sensuality)

Genres – Drama

Run Time - 1 hour 32 minutes

Synopsis –

In a forgotten but defiant bayou community cut off from the rest of the world by a sprawling levee, a six-year-old girl exists on the brink of orphanhood. Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions.

Cabin in the Woods

Chris Hemsworth (Actor), Kristen Connolly(Actor)

MPAA Rating - R (for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity)

Genres - Horror, Thriller, Comedy

Run Time - 1 hour 35 minutes

Synopsis -

Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen.

If you think you know this story, think again.