Staff Choices
Posted by Uncle Will on 03/05/09
With apologies to Auntie Anne, I did not really begin to listen to the complete works of Led Zeppelin until my kids coerced me in the '80's. Although this book has a great many illustrations, I found the anecdotes the best part. I wasn't really aware of just how famous this band was and the impact that it made on the lives of so many young musicians and artists. I grew up on Swing music and Sinatra, not heavy rock and roll. At the time I did know that Jimmy Page was arguably one of best ever lead guitarist and a creative genius and innovator. I remembered a picture from the '70's where he was playing electric guitar with a violin bow and thought "...Gee, that's K00L, who would've thought..." I also remember that this road-weary band was brutal to motels. There are several stories mentioned about their shenanigans on and off stage. I think what I enjoyed the most was that this book was a collaboration of many writers who all had interesting perspectives.
Posted by Uncle Will on 02/20/09
So I checked out this new book by James Patterson. It is the 2nd in his Michael Bennett series. I had a little free time so I started reading. Another day off blown. Several hours later I was finished (technically, I saved the last 10 pages for bedtime). Just couldn't help myself. Bennett is the character who just lost his wife, who together they had adopted 10 children; the oldest being 13. He is a hostage negotiator and homicide detective in New York City. His struggle is to provide a loving home for his kids and still keep the streets of NY safe. This time around Bennett is dealing with bad guys that take his family hostage. We know that in the end this hero will prevail. It is his journey that I enjoyed reading.
Posted by Ultra Violet on 02/19/09
This was the most generous biography I have ever read. Alan Alda writes so much more about the people in his life; his wife, children and colleagues, than he does about himself. When he does write about himself it is with merciless honesty. Although there are humorous moments, it is not overall a funny book. It is much more about finding out what your personal values are and how to connect with those around you. It is a touchingly human book that makes for a very pleasant and inspiring read.
Posted by jfreier on 02/16/09
The Rise of Lubchenko is a sequel to Finding Lubchenko,the author fills in the blanks in the opening of this book,so it's o.k to read them out of order. The protagonist, Evan Macalister, is a 16 year old only child of a wealthy owner of a biological company, his mother died when he was 10, and his relationship with his father is strained at best. Evan's father makes a mysterious and sudden trip to Brussels leaving Evan alone,Evan gets an anonymous call saying his father's partner plans to sell smallpox virus to terrorists in Europe. Evan and his best friend Ruben and girlfriend Erika ,all wealthy young kids zip off to Paris to find their soldier of fortune friend Lubchenko. The following adventure is funny, and fast paced, Evan and his friends are a mix of Ferris Bueller and Jack Bauer, it would make a great movie.
Posted by Auntie Anne on 02/10/09
This novel, the 5th in Philippa Gregory’s "Tudor" series, is a fictional accounting of the early years of the spectacular reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Thanks to her step sister, Queen Mary (otherwise known as “Bloody Mary”) she has inherited a bankrupt country, plagued by enmity and fear, threatened by war with France and/or Spain, where treason is the norm. As queen of England in the mid-16th century, where no woman has reigned as the sovereign ruler, Elizabeth is expected to marry a strong prince who will govern the troubled country. The young queen refuses to relinquish her power to a foreign prince, however. She is madly in love with Sir Robert Dudley, who is very inconveniently married, but who has dangerous ambitions of not only becoming the queen’s husband, but the sole ruler of England.
The story is actually told through the eyes of Dudley’s wife, Amy, who knows that Elizabeth's ambitious leap to the throne will lure her husband back to the power and intrigue of the glamorous Tudor court, and a passionate love affair with the young queen. Gregory puts a little bit different spin on the character of Queen Elizabeth, portraying her as somewhat insecure and unsure of herself, who is easily influenced by the cunningly charming Sir Robert. Things get pretty dicey as war with France and Spain is imminent. Elizabeth is torn between the advice of her faithful adviser, William Cecil, and the manipulative, seductive Robert Dudley, and comes dangerously close to marrying Dudley when his wife mysteriously dies.
Philippa Gregory once again gives the reader an intimate look at a country on the brink of greatness or disaster. One brilliant ruler, who happened to be a woman, stood steadfast in her love of her country and determination to return to greatness, but would not sell out to any man in order to achieve this.
Posted by Uncle Will on 02/03/09
At the half-way point of this novel the word "vampire" is first mentioned. I've read my share of vampire novels and I really enjoyed this one because of how different it is. The setting is modern day Sweden. A strange elderly man and young girl arrive late at night in a taxi in the town of Blackeburg and move into an apartment. Their nocturnal transgressions are viewed by their new neighbor, Oskar, who lives in the adjourning apartment with his mother. Oskar is a middle-school student who is terrorized daily by the town's three bullies. He has dreams of serious payback.
Oskar befriends the new girl, Eli, who is like no one that he has ever met. Around the same time that the new couple hit town a serial killer begins mutilating his victims. There are several subplots which all blend nicely together.
This book is not blatantly gruesome like several in this genre. It is more subtle. Take for example this description of a newly turned vampire: ". . .Inside Virginia's heart a separate little brain is forming. This new brain has, during its initial stage of development, been dependent of the large brain. Now it is self-sufficient, and what Virginia during a terrible moment sensed is completely correct: it would live on even if her body died..."
How often does a reader get an attempt by the author to actually describe the transformation going on inside the body of his vampire character? Check out the picture of the author on the back sleeve and read what he did for a living before turning to writing. I think he should have used this picture on the book cover instead of the other one. This book has been made into a film that is coming soon to a theatre near you.
Posted by pandar on 01/22/09
Richard Wright's The Outsider tells the story of Cross Damon, a black man living in Chicago around 1950 who, after a narrowly escaping death in a freak 'El' derailment, lets the world believe he is dead and leaves for New York City to live as a ghost, a non-entity, an outsider. But when he gets to NY he finds his past life's habits impossible to leave behind. Damon, an intellectual prone to obsessive thought and bouts of self-loathing, is borne immutably down the path he had tread his entire life, only now with the full understanding of its isolation, despair, and violence.
One of the most frightening books I've read since, well, Richard Wright's classic Native Son, this book examines the difficulty of changing one's lot and the futility and danger of trying to do right through criminal, nefarious means. And above that, it's a beautifully written, fully self-aware novel about the existence of those who never seem to fit.
Posted by cclapper on 01/20/09
I had never read any of Nora Roberts works, nor any books which might be considered "romance novels". Both are very popular, and I was curious to see what the excitement's all about. So I decided to read Ms Roberts Three Sisters Island Trilogy - which has been in demand for some time.
First Book: Dance Upon The Air.
We begin during the Salem Witch Trials. Three real witches: Air, Earth, and Fire, cast a section of New England three miles out to sea to create Three Sisters Island, a refuge safe from bigotry and hatred. Their island is secure, but each will be tested by a dark evil.
We begin during the Salem Witch Trials. Three real witches: Air, Earth, and Fire, cast a section of New England three miles out to sea to create Three Sisters Island, a refuge safe from bigotry and hatred. Their island is secure, but each will be tested by a dark evil.
Modern day: A woman, very much alone, finds her way to the island where she will find out much about herself and even more, perhaps, about friendship, community, and love.
Second Book: Heaven And Earth
A no-nonsense woman, with her feet firmly on the ground, begins to feel the pull of forces beyond her control. Elemental powers of attraction and perhaps... love.
A no-nonsense woman, with her feet firmly on the ground, begins to feel the pull of forces beyond her control. Elemental powers of attraction and perhaps... love.
Third Book: Face The Fire
A woman, secure in her power and place, must face a passion from her past and a malignant power from another time.
A woman, secure in her power and place, must face a passion from her past and a malignant power from another time.
This trilogy may change your thinking about romance novels. Inventive, colorful, and always warm and surprising, this series kept me involved. Nora Roberts is a skilled storyteller. She surprised me - perhaps you'll be surprised by Nora Roberts, too!
Posted by Auntie Anne on 01/18/09
I must admit that I was drawn to this mystery because of the manner in which the murder victim died – she was electrocuted while sitting in a lawn chair on a frozen lake while watching a curling tournament in a remote and frozen Canadian village. I was intrigued …
The story takes place at Christmastime, in a present-day idyllic and picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines. The author does an excellent job of drawing you into this lovely, heart-warming scene with its colorful cast of characters. These congenial people were even willing to be hospitable and welcoming to CC de Poitiers, a cold, cruel and vindictive woman new to the town. Someone, however, had had enough of her frigid cruelty and decided to heat her up with jumper cables and a monster generator. Suspects abound with lots of red herrings, twists, turns and subplots to keep the reader guessing.
Not only is this a very well-written who-done-it in the Agatha Christie style, there is definitely a deeper, more thought-provoking layer to the plot and particularly to the protagonist, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sureté de Québec. Gamache is insightful, compassionate, clever, and loyal – a Chief Detective that Hercule Poirot would be proud to work with. This is the second book in the Three Pines series, so book number one is definitely on my “Must Read” list, as well as the third.
Posted by Uncle Will on 01/17/09
This book is over 10 years old, but like some fine wines, some films, especially the more seedy type, need time to "age" and acquire a reputation and cult following. This doesn't mean that the films get any better, but it can mean that one might find something redeemable or worthwhile when watching it. I was a student of film years back and have seen a great number of films; some good, some mostly not good. This book is a tribute to the latter: B-movies and their directors such as Roger Corman, who was known to circle automobiles and have them put on their headlights and use that as his lighting technique when filming outdoors after dusk! This was a fun book. It has a lot of pictures and the 1-paragraph film descriptions are clever and concise. It features a nice Director, Category and Cast Index. This is a pleasant alternative to sitting at a computer and navigating IMDB.
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