Wellesley Free Library Staff Reads

Rob Recommends the Movie "Waste Land"

2012-01-31T14:48:00.003-05:00

I have to admit that I was not overly anxious to see the film. My wife heard that it was good and insisted we try it. But somehow a movie about garbage pickers in a Brazilian dump didn't seem like the most uplifting film in the world. Wrong on both counts: It was a great film and it was definitely not depressing. Director Lucy Walker films artist Vik Muniz as he engages the catadores of the vast Jardim Gramacho dump on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, in an art project. The pickers are actually recyclers, a distinction they are quick to point out. They are paid by recycling wholesalers to reclaim specific materials from mountains of garbage. During the course of the film we get to know about five of the pickers. What makes the film so absorbing is the attitude of Muniz and Walker, both avoiding the twin traps of romanticizing their subjects or viewing them as specimens through some laboratory instrument. The artist's goal of transformation is accomplished mostly by the group's participation in the project, but also more materially in raising money for the pickers' own Association of Recycling Pickers of Jardim Gramacho. A wonderful movie.

Debra recommends: Four Seasons in Rome : on twins, insomnia, and the biggest funeral in the history of the world

2012-01-31T11:08:00.017-05:00

The recipient of an American Academy fellowship, the Rome Prize, Anthony Doerr travels to Rome for one year with his wife and six month old twins prepared to complete his novel. He is pleasantly diverted from his writing by the wonders of the Eternal city, the beautiful Italian countryside and the joys and trials of parenting twin baby boys.
Doerr is an outstanding, award winning writer (New York Public Library, National Endowment for the Arts, American Library Association) whose intimate reflections will leave you planning a Roman holiday.

Following is a sample of Doerr's writing describing a rain storm shortly after the family arrives in Rome.

'Our first storm: Lightning lashes the domes of churches. Hail clatters on the terrace. In the early morning, the air seems shinier and purer than I've seen it. Dawn stretches across the gardens, pulling tiny shadows out of the blades of grass, draining through the needles of the umbrella pines. The old walls look washed, almost new: a thousand speckled tints of bronze, trailing lacework of ivy, glossy tangles of capers'

Four Seasons in Rome by Anthony Doerr

-DB

Megan recommends: The Good Wife

2012-01-30T14:59:00.005-05:00

Yes, you could say that I watch too much TV. One show I really like is The Good Wife. It's currently in its 3rd season on CBS, but you can watch seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. Borrow them from us! A twist on the usual legal saga stuff, with Julianna Margulies and Christine Baranski. And if you're wondering what happened to Josh Charles after Sports Night (especially after he starred in the cinematic classic, Don't Tell Mom, the Babysitter's Dead), catch him here as a morally ambiguous law partner.

Sue Recommends The Drop by Michael Connelly

2012-01-29T14:51:00.005-05:00

Harry Bosch is back better than ever in Michael Connelly's latest release, The Drop. Lately Connelly has been known for his Mickey Haller (Bosch's half brother) books, mostly due to the release of the Lincoln Lawyer movie.

For diehard Connelly followers, such as me, Harry Bosch is the preferred character. Perhaps it is because he knows all of the tricks and has great insights necessary to solve crimes where the forensics don't spell out the killer. The Drop has so many twists and turns as Harry learns he cannot even trust his partner as he tries to find out whether the son of a former foe in the police department and L.A. council member committed suicide or was thrown to his death. What is suspicious is that this council member requested Harry--a little political intrigue afoot.

If you haven't read the Harry Bosch series, you are in for a treat. Do you have to read them in order? No, but they are more meaningful if you understand some of the relationships and cases that may be referred to in the current novel. Happy reading!

SH

Mike Suggests some Bill Willingham

2012-01-23T15:36:00.003-05:00

I'm an unabashed fan of graphic novels. Wait, let me stop trying to act like I'm not a nerd and call them by their rightful title: comic books. Those of you who have asked me for a recommendation of what comic you should read have probably been subjected to at least ten minutes of me gushing about how much I adore Bill Willingham and his long-running comic, Fables, which may be the greatest ongoing comic and second only to Neil Gaiman's Sandman series in my comic pantheon.

Bill's work is very similar to Neil's in that he's taking the stories that reside deep down in our cultural memory--fables, folk tales, etc.--and remixing, revamping, and recombobulating them into something completely new and fascinating. Like most authors, before tackling the entire cosmos of humanity's rich storytelling past and writing his magnum opus, he had to cut his teeth and what he had written (and, sometimes, drawn) has finally been collected for the fanboys and fangirls into the aptly named Bad Doings & Big Ideas. So for those of you out there who have shared my passion for all things Willingham, you can't say I didn't tell you. And for those of you who have never heard of him but enjoy the works of greats like Neil Gaiman, what are you waiting for?!?

Wise Man's Fear

2012-01-23T14:15:00.004-05:00

The Wise Man's Fear
By Rothfuss, Patrick
2011-03 - Daw Books
9780756404734 Check Our Catalog

Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm. …More

The sequel to the epic The Name of the Wind. Kvothe is forced to leave the university and seek his destiny. Readers who like character building and the works of George R. R. Martin should read.

Eve Arnold - Photographer

2012-01-10T10:46:00.006-05:00

Eve Arnold, a grande dame of news photography, died on January 4 at the age of 99. Her celebrity photos included such luminaries as Joan Crawford, Malcom X, Anthony Quinn, Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe with whom she developed a unique rapport. Her interest was not limited to the rich and famous however. Her world travels took her to South African shantytowns, a Havana brothel, a Moscow psychiatric hospital, among others where she documented another side of life. She was the official photographer on over 40 movie sets. Magnum Photos hired Ms. Arnold as one of its first female photographers in 1951 and she became a member of its cooperative in 1957.

Born in Philadelphia, she was one of nine children of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine. Arnold died in Britain where she has lived since 1961.

Magna Brava : Magnum's Women Photographers

-DB

Still more Swedish crime recommended by Rob

2012-01-09T10:14:00.003-05:00

Three Seconds by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom

Booklist’s starred review for Three Seconds ends with this: “Crime fiction rarely gets as good as this.” (Booklist has been reviewing books for over 100 years, and their reviewers know a thing or two about crime fiction!) Booklist review and Swedish Crime Novel of the Year (2009) Award aside, Three Seconds is a darned good read. The protagonist is an informer deep inside the Polish mafia seeking to extend its grip of the drug trade in Sweden. Piet’s handler’s handlers high up in the government are quite used to playing fast and loose with rules and procedures (not to mention laws) when it comes to paid informants. When another informant is killed with Piet as an accomplice, the authors bring in the venerable Ewert Grens to solve the murder. The result is a high tension, edge-of-your-seat thriller which will make you want to go out and grab other books by the Roslund/Hellstrom writing team. (But you better hurry because I’m about to go grab one myself…)

Sue Recommends Brotherband Chronicles Book 1: The Outcasts by John Flanagan

2012-01-07T22:42:00.006-05:00

John Flanagan writes fantasy adventure fiction for young adults. You may have read a recommendation for his first best-selling series--Ranger's Apprentice--right here on this blog. Whether you are 10, 16, or 60, male or female, you will enjoy his likable characters and admire his ability to write a great story.

His new series, Brotherband Chronicles, begins with The Outcasts. This is a companion story to the Ranger's Apprentice and features a coming of age story of young men from medieval Skandia training to be warriors in groups called Brotherbands. As the name implies, one of the Brotherbands is made up of a group of boys who are considered outcasts in the community because of their actions or parentage and thus not picked by the other teams to be a part of their group.

Will Hal, Stig and the other boys in this group be able to compete with the other groups to make a name for themselves and prove that they are truly contributing member of the Skandian community who deserve respect? Stay tuned for more adventures from this rag-tag group of seafaring boys.

SH

Megan recommends: State of Play

2012-01-06T09:14:00.005-05:00

State of Play

No, not the American movie with Russell Crowe. Go watch the six hour British miniseries from 2003. It's got a suspenseful, intricate plot where politicians and journalists collide and it's really well-acted. The research assistant for a member of Parliament is killed in a London Underground accident. At the same time, a teenage pickpocket is shot dead. How are the two connected? That's where the journalists from the London newspaper The Herald come in.

Mike Suggests Marzi

2011-12-30T15:14:00.003-05:00

Marzi: A Memoir by Marzena Sowa, illustrated by Sylvain Savoia

The realm of graphic novels has long been a haven for memoirs, starting with Spiegelman's Maus and continuing into the present with greats such as Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and David B.'s Epileptic. Marzena Sowa adds to the list with her memoir about growing up behind the Iron Curtain in Poland. It's a unique view that contrasts the naivete and curiosity of childhood with the harshness of Communism. A must-read, especially if you've enjoyed Guy Deslisle's travelogues from his time spent in totalitarian countries (Pyongyang, Travels in Burma).

Great Captains of Antiquity

2011-12-29T09:11:00.005-05:00

Gabriel expands upon the groundbreaking work of B. H. Lidell-Hart's Great Captains by offering detailed portraits of six great captains of the ancient world who met the challenges of their age and shaped the future of their societies, and civilization itself, through their actions. While all were great military men, with the exception of Caesar Augustus, they were also great political leaders who, in this capacity more often than through their feats of arms, shaped their societies. All were educated men, and all possessed the quality of imaginative reasoning.

Gabriel analyzes the lives of Thutmose III of Egypt, Sargon II of Assyria, Philip II of Macedon, Hannibal of Carthage, Scipio Africanus of Republican Rome, and Caesar Augustus of Imperial Rome for the lessons contemporary leaders, particularly military leaders, can learn.

This is a short and interesting survey of the careers of some of the great captains of the ancient world. B. H. Lidell-Hart’s Great Captains Unveiled is an expansion of an earlier work Great Captains by Theodore A. Dodge. Dodge’s book examines the military leadership of Alexander, Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus, and Frederick. Lidell-Hart’s book adds Genghis Khan, Sabutai, Saxe, Wallenstein and James Wolfe. Gabriel’s is the more modern analysis in the form of short biographical sketches.

More Mayhem in Stockholm: Read Box 21

2011-12-20T16:26:00.005-05:00

Who’da thunk it? Would you have guessed that normal everyday Americans would be throwing around names like Dag, Dragan, Jerker, Piet,and Lisbeth. “Yes, I remember when Sven saw Jochum in Kronoberg (or was it Klaipeda?)” Swedish crime fiction is hot. And not just Stieg Larsson and his “Girl Who…” series. There’s Hakan Nesser, Camilla Lackberg, Kjell Ericksson, the venerable Henning Mankell and more every second week. (Just check the Minuteman catalog for the subject “Sweden—Fiction” or keywords “Sweden and mystery.”) Box 21 was written by a Swedish writing duo, one of whom is a journalist, the other an ex-criminal. Roslund and Hellstrom set a gritty noir scene, peopled by sex traffickers, dope addicts, corrupt cops, mob enforcers and a few hardworking detectives, who themselves have demons to fight. Ewert Grens is the senior investigator, a brilliant detective but haunted by the assault decades earlier which left his partner Anni brain-damaged and virtually unresponsive in a nursing home. Grens (a crusty and cranky old fellow) and his team have to deal with multiple crimes involving an abused prostitute, her plans for revenge and the murder of a drug addict by the very same man responsible for Anni’s condition. Box 21 kept me up late reading, and I think it will do the same to you.

Megan recommends: Downton Abbey

2011-12-16T14:15:00.004-05:00

Downton Abbey's second season is going to be shown on PBS in January. Missed the first season and need to catch up? Then it's time to borrow Downton Abbey from the library. Kind of an Upstairs Downstairs mini-series, with lots of romance, subterfuge, scandals, and inheritance complications. The story begins with the sinking of the Titanic and ends with the beginning of World War I. Maggie Smith's character has the best lines -- ever. And if you've ever wondered what happened to Elizabeth McGovern after Ordinary People, you'll be happy to see her here as the family matriarch.

Sue Recommends V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

2011-12-14T15:10:00.003-05:00

If you haven't tired of the alphabet mystery series (she is up to V now) by Sue Grafton, V is for Vengeance is not to miss. If you haven't read A to U, you will still enjoy this latest installment.

As Kinsey Milhone, our fearless PI, is innocently buying underwear, she witnesses a shoplifting crime. Little did she realize that being a good citizen and reporting the crime would result in the thief's death and pull her into the world of organized crime. Kinsey's vexing attitude and smart alec tongue keep the tension alive.

Lots of action and twists along the way for those who are looking for a good read on a cold winter's evening.

SH

Peggy Recommends: The Children's Hour (DVD)

2011-12-10T15:17:00.001-05:00

The Children’s Hour (DVD)

I gave this classic film a second look recently and was glad I did. Based on a 1934 play by Lillian Hellman and brought to film by the great William Wyler, this movie was banned in Boston in 1961. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine shine as two long-time friends who run a boarding school for girls. Their quiet world collapses when a spoiled bully in the school spreads the gossip that Hepburn and MacLaine are lovers. Supported by James Garner and Fay Bainter, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, this film shines with something we gotten used to living without—actual acting. No gizmos, special effects or flashbacks. The whole story is told in the script and in the actresses and actors faces. Depending on your age, you’ll remember the fear, disgust, and venom depicted here that was directed toward homosexuals or you’ll be profoundly grateful that you don’t, and that we’ve traveled such a long way since. PM

Peggy Recommends: Boston Irish by Edward Delaney

2011-12-10T10:49:00.004-05:00

A cursory browse of the Boston Globe review Boston Irish by Edward Delaney intrigued me enough to put it on my “remember-to-read” list. Southie, tough Irish characters, corruption, feuds, the Catholic Church, all sounded to me like an interesting, but perhaps predictable mix. I was more than surprised to be deeply drawn into this complex novel and its characters that inhabit the late 1990s world of South Boston and the widening scandal of sexual abuse in the Boston Archdiocese. The towns of Wellesley, Needham, Newton, Brookline and Milton get nods as do Boston College, Cardinal Law, and the Chancery. I felt I entered into the lives, and more importantly into the minds, of this interlocking set of characters, and particularly into the minds of the most unappealing ones. There are few books that have done that for me. Don’t miss this dark but stunning novel. PM

Mike's going to let Lev do the talking

2011-12-08T12:29:00.003-05:00

If you've stopped by the reference desk and asked me for a good fantasy book to read, or told me that you've enjoyed Harry Potter but were looking for something more adult, or even said that you don't like fantasy for one reason or another, then chances are I sent you home with Lev Grossman's The Magicians. And if you haven't yet read it yet, then you have to do so--especially since it's one of the rare series where the sequel is even better than the first title.

Well, this post isn't about the book so much as the author, who just happens to also be the book critic at Time Magazine. Taking advantage of the lack of books published before Christmas he looks forward to books to be published in the new year, naming seven that he's looking forward to in 2012; and I have to admit I'm a very bad librarian because I only recognized one name on the list (the National Book Award finalist and difficult-to-pronounce Paolo Bacigalupi). Regardless of my ignorance, I've made an early New Year's resolution and am planning to pick up two or three on this list and, for those of you who will be looking to relax after the hectic times and overbearing family encountered during the holiday season, I'd suggest you put a couple of these titles on hold . . .

Memories of Ice

2011-12-08T10:05:00.005-05:00

Memorie of Ice
By Erikson, Steven
2006-08 - Forge
9780765348807 Check Our Catalog

A terrifying new empire: the Pannion Domin has appeared on the continent of Genabackis. Like a tide of corrupted blood, it seethes across the land, devouring all in its path. For it would seem something altogether darker and more malign threatens this world. Rumors abound that the Crippled God is now unchained and intent on a terrible revenge.

This is the third book in Erikson's 10 volume Malazan book of the Fallen series. Each volume is mostly self-contained although many plot lines are going on at once. Epic fantasy full of gods, elder races, magic, and huge battles. Erikson's work is often compared to J. R. R. Matins, each has plots within plots.

Classics for a New Age

2011-11-30T11:32:00.015-05:00

Three modern-classic cookbooks, two in newly revised forms and one a new gathering of two decades of culinary expertise, will soon be available for your browsing pleasure here at the library. All three are meant to be useful and cook-friendly.

The Silver Spoon, Second Edition Phaidon, 1,500 pages.

The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook America's Test Kitchen, 890 pages.

The Professional Chef, Ninth Edition Wiley, 1,212 pages.

-DB

Let Freedom Sing!

2011-11-30T09:27:00.005-05:00

Music of the Civil Rights Movement
This is a far-reaching collection of songs by, for or about participants in the civil rights movement. You'll find blues, folk, jazz, gospel, rock, funk, pop, r&b, soul, hip-hop and all the blends and fusions possible among the musical styles. The songs date from the forties all the way to 2008. Let Freedom Sing provides a great reminder about how integral music was to the movement: in the streets, churches, jails, segregated lunch counters as well as the concert halls. The artists read like a who's who of Black (and some White) musicians: Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, B.B. King, Bob Marley, Neville Brothers, Mahalia Jackson, Bob Dylan, Nat King Cole, Big Bill Broonzy, Josh White, Phil Ochs, Harry Belafonte, Otis Redding, the Weavers and a few dozen more. The who's who doesn't include everyone (notable exceptions include Paul Robeson, Sam Cooke, Leadbelly and Miriam Makeba), but then it is only 3 CDs. If you've never heard Billie Holiday singing Strange Fruit or Nina Simone singing Mississippi Goddam, you have to check out this set.

Sue Recommends Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic by Linda Carroll

2011-11-29T15:05:00.004-05:00

Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic is an important book for parents who have student athletes. Traumatic Head Injuries are becoming more commonplace in high school and college athletics and not just for football or basketball players.

I personally have seen the consequences of young athletes being victims of head injuries playing volleyball and lacrosse. The effects are not always apparent and the athlete finishes the game only to have symptoms appear later, the next day, or never. Symptoms may last weeks, months or longer preventing students from completing their coursework and graduating on time. In the meantime, students and parents hold their breath that there will be no permanent brain damage.

Concussion Crisis presents high school, college and pro athletes' stories. Linda Carroll, a health journalist, also provides the critical information regarding the anatomy and physiology of concussions and concerns of doctors and researchers.

The brain fascinates us all and the health of the brain should never be taken for granted.

SH

Mike detects that you'll enjoy Sleuth

2011-11-19T15:09:00.006-05:00

Sleuth, with Michael Caine and Lawrence Olivier

I've been dipping my toes into the mystery genre these past few months and my most recent foray was one that I've particularly enjoyed. In Sleuth (originally a Tony Award-winning play by Anthony Shaffer), Michael Caine plays a dapper young man who has wooed the wife of a millionaire detective fiction author, played by Lawrence Olivier. Invited to the author's mansion, the young Casanova is drawn into a game of wits with a man who has made his life out of weaving intricate traps and games. The talents of these two fine actors are on display as the story takes us through a series of intrigues and plays for the upper hand; it's sure to be a crowdpleaser whether you're a mystery fan or just enjoy watching a couple of great actors.

Last of the Amazons

2011-11-18T14:07:00.004-05:00

Last of the Amazons
By Pressfield, Steven
2002-01 - Wheeler Publishing
9780754018391 Check Our Catalog

The author of the international bestsellers "Gates of Fire and "Tides of War delivers his most gripping and imaginative novel of the ancient world-a stunning epic of love and war that breathes life into the grand myth of the ferocious female warrior culture of the Amazons.
Steven Pressfield has gained a passionate worldwide following for his magnificent novels of ancient Greece, "Gates of Fire and "Tides of War. In "Last of the Amazons, Pressfield has surpassed himself, re-creating a vanished world in a brilliant novel that will delight his loyal readers and bring legions more to his singular and powerful restoration of the past.
In the time before Homer, the legendary Theseus, King of Athens (an actual historical figure), set sail on a journey that brought him into the land of "tal Kyrte, the "free people," a nation of proud female warriors whom the Greeks called "Amazons." The Amazons, bound to each other as lovers as well as fighters, distrusted the Greeks, with their boastful talk of "civilization." So when the great war queen Antiope fell in love with Theseus and fled with the Greeks, the mighty Amazon nation rose up in rage.

"From the Hardcover edition. …More

Megan suggests: Union Atlantic

2011-11-16T10:15:00.004-05:00

Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett

This book, written before the crash of 2008, centers around a bank in Boston and its questionable investments. Young banker Doug Fanning has risen from an impoverished upbringing and is struggling to keep his bank Union Atlantic afloat. Doug has also built himself a McMansion in a Weston/Wellesley-like town on was once conservation land and is embroiled in a conflict with his neighbor, retired schoolteacher Charlotte Graves. Charlotte's brother, Henry, happens to be the president of the New York Federal Reserve, which is keeping a watchful eye on Union Atlantic. Interesting stuff... food for thought and a really well-written book by Wellesley High School grad Haslett.

Sue Recommends The Litigators by John Grisham

2011-11-10T17:48:00.011-05:00

Grisham returns to the world of tort cases (King of Torts, 2003) and street lawyers (The Street Lawyer, 1998) with his new legal thriller entitled The Litigators. He follows David Zinc, a Harvard Law School graduate, from the elite world of corporate law to the life of a lowly street lawyer. David thought anything had to be better than his job with a large high power law firm until he offers his services to the partners of Finley & Figg, who are basically ambulance chasers.

Figg decides that big money can be found by joining the assault on the much hated and maligned drug industry in a tort case regarding a drug name Krayoxx, a popular cholesterol-reducing drug. That's when David becomes a quick study on being a trial lawyer (when his new bosses begin to drop out of the picture) and decides what he wants to be when he grows up. The ending is a bit unbelievable but this is fiction, right?

The audiobook is read by Dennis Boutsikaris and his narration does not add much to the story. I enjoyed the story in spite of him. SH

Rob Recommends You Get What You Pay For

2011-11-08T16:38:00.003-05:00

Meet Tony Cassella, the hard-boiled private eye with a none-too-typical resume. He dropped out of Yale Law School, testified against fellow corrections officers, has mob connections and knows who to talk to in the New York political machine. He has troubles with his girlfriend and his mom’s boyfriend, a priest, wants in on Tony’s biggest case. And that case involves proving that Ronald Reagan’s newly appointed attorney-general is corrupt. Corruption runs through this noir novel as if it were one of the main characters. As for Tony, you’ll have to read the book to see if can resist the temptations dangled in front of him and remain true to his principles.

And again, Ruth Reichl

2011-11-08T11:31:00.020-05:00

The esteemed food writer and longtime Gourmet magazine editor sums up the prevailing 'eat local' message in a beautiful quote published last Saturday in the Wall Street Journal.

The meal that changed my life was in Crete, when I was about 20, on my honeymoon with my then-husband. We walked up this mountain and at the top there was a hut and an old woman. She sat us on chairs outside and brought us olive oil that she had pressed, a plate of onions she had grown, some olives and some wine that her neighbor had made. Then she went down the hill to go fishing. She came back up and built a fire, and sprinkled the fish she'd caught with herbs from the hillside. We sat there eating this grilled fish and bread and the olive oil, ending with yogurt from her own goats. I had never had food that simple or so much of its place. This was 1970, when you couldn't get good olive oil in America. I thought, This is how I want to eat for the rest of my life.

Ms Reichl's books may be found in our cookbook section on the second floor.

Please share your own food story with us. We look forward to hearing from you!

-DB

Megan suggests: Miss New India

2011-11-04T13:38:00.005-04:00

Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee

Commitment to family, sexual ethics, and the position of women in modern India are all touched on in this novel. Anjali Bose runs away from her family -- and from an upcoming arranged marriage -- to work in a call center in Bangalore. It's a brave new world for a single girl in the city.

Recipes Remembered is a treasure

2011-11-03T10:35:00.015-04:00

Recipes Remembered, A Celebration of Survival by June Hersh, is most definitely not your typical cookbook. It is a journey which takes the reader from one of the most harrowing times in history to the possibility of endurance and triumph through chance, luck, perseverance and personal faith. The recipes and personal stories were gathered from survivors around the map of Europe who fell victim to hatred from Poland, Germany, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium and France. The 170 recipes are as diverse as the survivors themselves, whose recollections and photographs will touch you in countless ways. With the publication of this special cookbook, Ms. Hersh ensures the legacy of the courageous people who shared their stories with her.

-DB

Mike (and NPR listeners) suggests a hundred SciFi/Fantasy books

2011-10-25T11:39:00.002-04:00

Over the summer NPR asked its listeners to nominate and vote for their favorite SciFi and Fantasy books in order to create a list of the 100 best. Summer's over and the list is out. But what fun is a list ranking them? I mean, really--those of you who are fans, could you really choose between JRR Tolkein and George RR Martin? Aren't Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein just as good but in different ways? That's why I ask you to look to the amazing (and funny) flowchart below, taken from the NPR Top 100 list and remixed by the good people at SF Signal, which provides a more nuanced method to deciding what you read next.

You can also take a look at the interactive list at http://www.sfsignal.com/interactive/npr100.htm, which is a good way to keep from losing your eyesight when looking at the tiny print above. I promise, there's going to be something for you on this list!

Rob recommends Old Crow Medicine Show

2011-10-22T12:14:00.004-04:00

So we were chicken-sitting for our Catskill Mountain friends in early August. They were returning a little early from vacation just so we could overlap a little and actually see each other. I was in my frantic got-to-get-dinner-on-the-table mode and decided to put some music on to ease the process along. I turned on Laura’s CD player without looking at what music she’d selected. It turned out to be Old Crow Medicine Show. What a treat! Who knew? I’d never heard of them. They’re in that nexus of country/bluegrass/rockabilly/folk blues where everyone hears something different. The band has played all the usual places from the Grand Ole Opry to Prairie Home Companion to Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The album we were listening to was O.C.M.S., with a mix of original and traditional songs. “Wagon Wheel” the group’s signature song was adapted with new verses from an unfinished Dylan song. Their other albums have a few clunkers, but you won’t find any on this one.

Food Memoirs

2011-10-19T11:58:00.033-04:00

The current explosion of cooking blogs has triggered a renewed interest in food memoirs, including the popular Julie and Julia : my year of cooking dangerously by Julie Powell. Some of my favorites have appeared in previous blog posts. Following are some worth repeating and several additional titles.

A homemade life : stories and recipes from my kitchen table by Molly Wizenberg. Molly offers 50 recipes and lessons from the kitchen and beyond about love and life. Molly's blog, Orangette.blogspot.com, is a showstopping photo essay as well as a food blog.

Eating my words : an appetite for life by Mimi Sheraton. Veteran food writer Sheraton was the New York Times' restaurant critic in the 70's and 80's. Her enthusiastic memoir tells of her adventures as a food lover and journalist.

Tender at the bone : growing up at the table and Comfort me with apples : more adventures at the table by Ruth Reichl. Two delightful memoirs by restaurant critic Reichl.

Trail of crumbs : hunger, love and the search for home : a memoir by Kim Sunee. When tragedy interrupts her life as a 3 year old in South Korea, Sunee is transplanted to New Orleans and adopted by a young couple. Throughout her life, feelings of being an outsider persist and food and cooking are where she finds solace and a sense of belonging.

The tenth muse : my life in food by Judith Jones. From the legendary editor who published Mastering the art of French cooking by Julia Child, a truly inspiring memoir.

Do you have personal favorites? Please share them with us!

-DB

Sue Recommends Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

2011-10-16T22:02:00.008-04:00

If you haven't placed your request for Jeffrey Archer's new multi-generational family saga--the Clifton Chronicles, Only Time Will Tell, do it today. The series, which is semi-autobiographical, will include 5 books with one released each year. The first book begins the story of Harry Clifton's family with Harry as a young boy in Bristol, England with his widowed mother, Maisie, making great sacrifices to pull him out of poverty conditions and send him to Oxford. In this book ,which spans 2 decades from the end of The Great War to World War II, Archer takes the reader from England to the United States with lots of secrets waiting to be revealed, mysteries to be solved, and relationships between characters that Archer masterfully develops and brings to life so the reader is right there in the story. This is not to be missed.

If you have the opportunity to listen to the audio, Roger Allam works magic with the words as he did with Archer's Prisoner of Birth. You will not be able to get out of the car when you reach your destination if you are listening while driving.

Other multi-generational sagas you might enjoy are Howard Fast's The Immigrants and John Jakes' American Bicentennial Series.

The library has a new Booklist Brochure recommending other multi-generational sagas. Stop by the Reference Desk and pick one up.

SH

Megan recommends: The Hour

2011-10-16T15:36:00.003-04:00

The Hour

This series just finished its run on BBC America and it was really well done. If you missed it, borrow the DVD from the Wellesley Free Library. The six hour miniseries is about a news program making its debut on the BBC in the 1950s. Russian spies, MI6, murder, intrigue, ever-present British class issues and _lots_ of smoking and drinking. It's also fun to watch Dominic West (yes, Jimmy McNulty from The Wire) play the show's upper-class anchorman.

What If Science

2011-10-12T14:40:00.004-04:00

What If the Earth Had Two Moons?: And Nine Other Thought-Provoking Speculations on the Solar System

by Neil F.Comins

In What If the Earth Had Two Moons, Neil Comins leads us on a fascinating ten-world journey as we explore what our planet would be like under different astronomical conditions. In each case, the Earth would be different, often in surprising ways. The title chapter, for example, gives us a second moon orbiting closer to Earth than the one we have now. The night sky is a lot brighter, but that won't last forever. Eventually the moons collide, with one extra-massive moon emerging after a period during which Earth sports a Saturn-like ring. This and nine and other speculative essays provide us with insights into the Earth as it exists today, while shedding new light on the burgeoning search for life on planets orbiting other stars.

Alternate history looks at "what if" scenarios focusing on important historical turning points and presents a different version based on science, fact and conjecture. Neil F. Comins has used this formula for Earth's astronomical conditions. Follows on the author's previous, "What If the Moon Didn't Exist?"

TB

A couple of good comics . . .

2011-10-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

Okay, let's admit it: I'm a nerd. I'm a librarian, a hot dog enthusiast, and have a regular pull list at my local comics shop. If you understood that last point then I'm sorry to tell you: you're a nerd too . . . .

But you're a nerd in luck, because I've got a couple of ongoing series recommendations for you, so check it out.

Sweet Tooth
Jeff Lemire, author & illustrator

In this ongoing series from Vertigo, an imprintof DC Comics, Jeff Lemire takes the Mad Max approach to a genetic apocalypsefor mankind. Horror sweeps the world asmothers give birth to babies who are a hybrid of human and animal, and deathfollows in its wake as men and women alike succumb to the incurabledisease. Sweet Tooth, the titlecharacter, may be the answer to why it is happening. Recommended if you’ve enjoyed Brian K.Vaughan’s excellent story of a similar genetic apocalypse, Y: The Last Man.

The InvincibleIron Man

Matt Fraction,author with Salvador Larroca, artist

High on my list of current favorites, Matt Fraction givesus the post-Civil War Tony Stark, a man bereft of his company, wealth, friendsand respect; in short, all of the things that made Tony Stark who he is. But there’s one essential Stark element keptintact—his undefeatable can-do attitude—that provides fuel for the fire as heseeks to rebuild his empire, take on the enemies who brought him so low, andcreate even better technologies for the benefit of mankind. The question remains, however: can Starkmaintain and not self-destruct?

Rob recommends Citizen Vince by Jess Walter

2011-09-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

You know how Elmore Leonard takes a petty criminal—say a car thief or armed robber—and portrays him as a full human being? With feelings, doubts, honorable traits, a sense of humor, good friends, scruples sometimes? That’s Citizen Vince. Jess Walter gives us a criminal we can root for in Vince Camden, a little cog in the Mob who maneuvers his way into the Witness Protection Program and winds up making donuts in Spokane Washington.

Despite his ongoing criminal enterprise and despite the past, in the form of a hit man, coming back to bite him, Vince really does yearn for a “normal” life. The story is set in the final days of the Carter—Reagan presidential race in 1980 and Vince becomes obsessed with the idea of his casting his vote as the sine qua non of true citizenship. Jess Walter surrounds his hero with a cast of likable and quirky characters, all occupying the netherworld that’s the stuff of crime novels. Definitely worth a read for those who appreciate a crime novel outside the crime novel mold.

Jim Dale narrates the Night Circus

2011-09-26T19:46:00.023-04:00

Jim Dale, who narrates The Night Circus, is best known for his outstanding narration of the Harry Potter series, which made him a Guinness World Record holder for creating 146 voices. Dale has won a record 10 "Audie Awards", the 'Oscars' of the audiobook world, including 4 "Narrator of the Year Awards" and 13 "Earphones Awards". With such stellar credentials, you may enjoy listening to his reading of Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, a critically acclaimed magical circus tale of imagination, greed and intrigue set in early 20th century America and Europe.
If you enjoy audiobooks, who are your favorite narrators? We'd love to hear from you!

Sue Recommends The Submission by Amy Waldman

2011-09-24T22:55:00.003-04:00

Picture the United States public anxiously awaiting the announcement of the winner of a contest to design the memorial to those who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

What would be the reaction when it is announced that the winner of a beautiful garden design is an American-born Muslim architect, the son of immigrants from India? Add to this scenario that one of the members of the jury selecting the design is the widow of one of those who died that tragic day.

Amy Walden did just that in The Submission, her first published novel. The release of this title so soon after the dedication of the actual memorial makes it so much more intense and opens your eyes to the many angry and opportunistic people who use displays of tribute to benefit their own selfish political and social causes.

Don't miss this extraordinary book!

SH

Megan recommends: Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It

2011-09-24T13:15:00.005-04:00

Both Ways is the Only Way I Wan t It by Maile Meloy

The book group at the library read this collection of short stories last month. Usually they're a tough crowd and don't like anything. Much to my surprise everybody liked these stories! Both Ways was included in the New York Times Ten Best Books of 2009. Contradictions abound in these stories as characters try to have it "both ways." The vulnerabilities and vacillations of the people in these stories make them interesting

maf

Project Orion

2011-09-15T14:19:00.009-04:00

Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship

by George B. Dyson

It was the late 1950s. The Cold War was raging. Sputnik had made its voyage and the space race was on. In America, it was the age of tail fins and "duck and cover," but it was also a time of big ideas and dreams. On his way to school one day, George Dyson learned of a truly fantastical idea: massive space vehicles that would be powered by explosions of multiple hydrogen bombs. Among the brilliant minds behind this project was George's father, the eminent physicist Freeman Dyson.

Project Orion brought together a cadre of brilliant physicists, the first such assemblage since the Manhattan Project of fifteen years earlier. In an idyllic seaside community in southern California-the very picture of 1950s suburban prosperity-a handful of scientists, tackled a massive project that required the ingenuity of an engineer and the vision of a great theoretician.

Their ambitious work, although ultimately futile, took place against the political and cultural backdrop of the Cold War, when nuclear technology spelled both promise and terror. Dyson's prodigious historical and scientific research, combined with his personal reminiscences and connections, make for a lively, richly detailed narrative.

The story of the first attempt to use nuclear power for manned star flight.

NASA has just released a new video of its next deep space rocket, to see it click Here.

TB

Neutral Milk Hotel, Gavin Bryars, and Tinariwen

2011-09-15T13:30:00.005-04:00

So what does fuzz folk, modern orchestral music, and African blues/rock played by former rebels have in common? Well, this past Saturday I had the pleasure of encountering all three at one concert. Those of you who may be fans of the band may already know that Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel was in Boston this weekend, playing his first shows in New England since 1998. For those of you who don't know Jeff Mangum, he's a bit of a J. D. Salinger figure among musicians, having made his masterpiece back in 1998 with the release In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, shortly after permanently disbanding the band and only sporadically touring on his own thereafter. The album has since become a seminal work among musicians, songwriters and fans due to Jeff Mangum's layered lyrics involving siamese twins, Anne Frank, angels and the cycle of death & rebirth, supported by an intermingling of multiple organs, musical saw, and hard-driving guitar.

As if that wasn't odd enough for you, opening for Jeff Mangum was ACME, a string quartet from NYC which, according to their website, "is dedicated to the outstanding performance of masterworks from the 20th and 21st centuries." The selection that really raised the hair on my arm was a work of Gavin Bryars, a British composer whose work "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet" features an unaccompanied elderly man singing an off-beat religious song. As the performers told the story, Gavin Bryars had filmed this man as a part of a documentary and was so taken by the song that he looped it on a recorder and was listening to it in his office, a shared space with other artists. Not thinking about the music playing on loop, he took off to get a cup of coffee and returned to find that everyone in the office was transfixed by this music, some even to the point of weeping. Realizing the potential and strength of the old man's song, he wrote a composition for it with a slow buildup of string instruments that play on variations while his warbling voice extols a simple statement of faith.

So, on to the final piece--what do African rock rebels have to do with all this? During the concert Jeff Mangum was being a pretty amiable guy and asked if anyone had any questions. When asked what was the last concert he had been to and he answered "Tinariwen." Being the geeky librarian I am, I did a search of our catalog while leaving and brought up several albums which have been stuck on repeat on my iPod this last week. These former Touareg rebels have traded in their guns for guitars and have been produced several albums marrying American Blues music to African sensibilities, bringing the blues back home as it were.

So, I hope that my joy in music will be your gain and that you'll give at least one of these great musicians a try because I don't know if I'll ever come up with a more eclectic list than this!

Cook Food : a manifesto for easy, healthy, local eating

2011-09-09T10:55:00.017-04:00

The mundane title and cover art of Lisa Jervis' slim treatise belies the contents of her manual for being at home in the kitchen. The author guides the reader on a path to cook and eat animal-free recipes without a guilty conscience and without spending lots of money. A cook with a social conscience, Ms Jervis strives to inspire both the new and experienced cook. Check out Cook Food for a fun guide to healthy, local and responsible eating.

Other titles in our cookbook collection include:

The conscious kitchen : the new way to buy and cook food - to protect the Earth, improve your health and eat deliciously by Alexandra Zissu.

Super natural every day : well-loved recipes from my natural foods kitchen by Heidi Swanson.

Super natural cooking : five ways to incorporate whole and natural foods into your cooking by Heidi Swanson.

The 150 healthiest 15-minute recipes on earth : the surprising, unbiased truth about how to make the most deliciously nutritious meals at home - in just minutes a day by Jonny Bowden and Jeannette Lee Bessinger.

Wildly Affordable Organic : eat fabulous food, get healthy, and save the planet - all on $5 a day or less by Linda Watson.

What are your favorite titles? We look forward to hearing from you!

-DB

Rob Recommends The Zero, by Jess Walter

2011-09-07T13:18:00.002-04:00

Meet Brian Remy. Brian was a cop, a first responder at 9/11. For all the world, he seemed to have come away from Ground Zero intact. But he’s not quite alright. First, there are the flashes and floaters in his eyes. And then there’s the apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. More problematic though are his memory lapses. At random times at random intervals, he loses his memory—not all of it, but enough so that he rarely knows what he’s supposed to be doing at the moment. Remy finds himself reassigned to a special unit charged with reconstructing the universe of paper destroyed in the Towers’ collapse. His role is to help track down a possible terrorist whose name appeared on a scrap of paper salvaged from the explosion. The reader is ushered into a Kafkaesque world in which the bureaucracy—peopled by superiors, subordinates and fellow cops who mistake his memory lapses for genius or humor—chugs along in a disconnected post 9/11 reality of its own. The author manages to inject just enough black humor, social satire and hilarious dialog which, when added to the surreal setting, makes for an absorbing, edgy take on September the Eleventh.

Sue Recommends Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

2011-09-01T08:53:00.008-04:00

The adventure that began in Fever Dream with FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast and his hunt to discover what really happened to his wife Helen 12 years earlier in Africa, continues with Cold Vengeance, the 11th book in the Pendergast series.

There are many twists and turns as the conspiracy is slowly revealed through the surprising information revealed by his brother-in-law, Judson Esterhazy, as he tries to kill Pendergast in Scotland and the special agent's relentless, and of course, unconventional investigation.

It would be best to read Fever Dream first to understand what has already occurred in Pendergast's attempt to get to the truth. However, Cold Vengeance does not finish the story but keeps the reader waiting for the next book in the series.

For those of you who hate for a story to end, this trilogy would be a great read. Many of you may be surprised to know that Douglas Preston grew up in Wellesley. SH

Mike's Hoping the Creeks Don't Rise . . . .

2011-08-26T14:05:00.004-04:00

I wouldn't call it delicious irony, but it's pretty ironic that we're bracing for a hurricane to hit the East Coast and I've just finished Douglas Brinkley's The Great Deluge, a recounting of the horrors following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (today being just a few days shy of the six year anniversary of the event). Visiting New Orleans just this past month prompted my interest in the subject, where swaths of still-unoccupied or still-damaged row houses dominate the landscape in sections of the Treme, Marigny, and other neighborhoods.

Covering a week-long period that involves days before and after the Hurricane's landfall, Brinkley documents the ineptitude of government officials and inability of government institutions to take charge that led to the "federally-induced disaster" as locals have taken to describing it. The void of responsibility was filled by the man-on-the-street who took it upon themselves to help out those in need, with a myriad of examples provided by Brinkley. Told in a style that deftly balances finger-pointing with a recounting of compassionate deeds, Brinkley has written an immensely important contribution to the literature of natural and government-induced disasters.

image courtesy Flickr user News Muse

Give my Regards to Broadway, Part 2

2011-08-18T09:53:00.011-04:00

Without further ado, here are the rest of my picks for best Broadway soundtracks.

6. Gypsy

Sing out, Louise! This iconic musical based on the memoirs of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee has been popularly revived on Broadway many times, turned into a classic film with Natalie Wood and Rosalind Russell, and made into a TV movie starring Bette Midler. Gypsy tells the story of Lee’s rise to fame, no thanks to her Mama Rose, who is the ultimate stage mother. Though the backstage shenanigans are fun, it’s the heart-wrenching relationship between mother and daughter which gives this play its soul.

Check out the 2003 Broadway revival starring Bernadette Peters.

Or the TV version starring Bette Midler.

7. West Side Story

Pay no attention to the ill-conceived 2009 revival of this Shakespearean classic. West Side Story is an old standby, and it’s fantastic the way it was. It’s Romeo and Juliet set in 1950s New York, with rival gangs and ethnic groups instead of families. Though the amount of ballet dancing it contains renders it not realistic, it’s still an awesome musical with a memorable soundtrack.

8. Chicago

Chicago is Kander and Ebb’s classic, iconic musical, and it’s still a delight to listen to. This soundtrack contains classic songs such as “All That Jazz” and “Nowadays,” and just oozes Broadway and Fosse. Bebe Neuwirth and Ann Reinking put new faces and voices on the memorable Velma and Roxie, and their rendition remains my favorite.

9. Cabaret

Cabaret is another well known musical, set in the late 1930s, when Berlin was full of decadence and sex. The play chronicles the lives of the performers at the Kit Kat Klub, who are trying as hard as they can to avoid the fact that the world is falling apart around them. The songs Sally Bowles sings end up as parallels to the rise of the Third Reich and the impending war. The best part of the most recent revival is the addition of “Maybe This Time”, an import from the film version.

10. An honorable mention goes to the Book of Mormon, the newest and hottest ticket on Broadway. I haven’t heard or seen this 2011 Tony winner yet, but if it’s all it’s cracked up to be, it’s bound to be brilliant and hilarious. The music and lyrics are a collaboration between South Park’s Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez, so I don’t see how it could go wrong! If you end up getting your hands on this before I do (I’m pretty far down on the holds list!), let me know what you think.

- GT

Rob the librarian recommends The Librarian by Larry Beinhart

2011-08-16T14:44:00.004-04:00

Larry Beinhart has a knack for turning “vast right-wing conspiracies” into believable page-turners (see my review of American Hero, May 13, 2010). In The Librarian, we have an ordinary librarian (is there such a thing??), an unassuming, work-a-day librarian finding himself entwined in a conspiracy to steal the election of the United States president. In the process, he also finds himself jumping out of windows, dodging bullets, donning disguises and all sorts of other stuff rarely taught in Library School. The Machiavellian plot brings together a billionaire, a secretary of state and a sitting Supreme Court justice (with the assistance of an Oliver North stand-in and his crew of plumbers) all united in their belief that the country must not fall into the hands of the weak, unpatriotic liberals. Even if the voters choose the weak, unpatriotic liberals. Like in American Hero, the unlikely conspiracy in clever hands (and in today’s political world where no scheme seems impossibly low and dirty), is just plausible enough to get you thinking. And truly, where else will you find a trio of courageous, swashbuckling librarians saving the nation powerful evil-doers?

Megan recommends: The Cookbook Collector

2011-08-15T13:34:00.004-04:00

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman

Two sisters in Silicon Valley in the boom years of the 1990s. One is the CEO of a tech company about to go public, the other is a graduate student in philosophy working in an antiquarian book store. A novel about getting and spending, and the substitutes we find when we can't get what we're looking for.

Deb's Gluten-Free Choices

2011-08-12T11:33:00.029-04:00

The current demand for gluten-free recipes and products is being met with a slew of new cookbooks devoted to this regimen. Come browse our collection on the second floor. Following are some of our holdings.

Artisanal gluten-free cupcakes : 50 from scratch recipes to delight every cupcake devotee - gluten-free and otherwise by Kelli and Peter Bronski

Gluten-free Asian kitchen by Laura B. Russell

BabyCakes : vegan, gluten-free, and (mostly) sugar0free recipes from New York's most talked-about bakery by Erin McKenna

The gloriously gluten-free cookbook spicing up life with Italian, Asian and Mexican recipes by Vanessa Maltin

Allergy free desserts : gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free delights by Susan Gordon

Give my regards to Broadway... (part 1)

2011-08-11T16:41:00.011-04:00

In honor of a recent trip to New York City where I spent much of my time seeing Broadway musicals, I decided to recommend Broadway soundtracks. Here’s a list of some tried and true favorites, as well as some new ones to check out. These are in no particular order, but read the first 5 here, and stay tuned to read the other 5 next week!

1. Rent

Rent is an update of the opera La Boheme, and chronicles the trials and tribulations of a group of bohemians, anarchists, artists, and friends in New York’s East Village. The score is upbeat and infectious, and it never fails to entertain. I blast this one in the car in traffic jams. If you like the soundtrack, you can check out the revival, currently running Off Broadway. (And if you do go, tell me how it is, because I’m dying for tickets!)

2. Avenue Q

In Avenue Q, Muppets which look an awful lot like those on Sesame Street, teach you valuable lessons. Such as, “the Internet is for porn,” “There is life outside your apartment” and “If you were gay, it’d be OK.” Even Gary Coleman makes an appearance in puppet form. I’m not sure I can really say much more about it – just give it a listen and prepare to laugh. Avenue Q is currently running Off Broadway.

3. In the Heigh ts

Join this group of immigrants as they tell us all about their lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Some have aspirations to leave the barrio which reach as far as California, and some would be happy just to move downtown. Some are trying fervently to save their little community, as the neighborhood cycles through different ethnicities and cultures. Composer Lin-Manuel Miranda borrows from different styles of music, such as rap and salsa, and also takes his influences from his Broadway predecessors like Jonathan Larson and Stephen Sondheim. It’s infectious, joyous and poignant. Definitely my favorite in recent Broadway history.

4. Wicked

This soundtrack boasts instant classic Broadway tunes such as “Defying Gravity,” “I’m Not that Girl,” and “For Good.” Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth play the lead roles, and their renditions of these songs quickly became iconic. Give this a listen if you haven’t already.

5. Anything Goes

The revival of this Cole Porter classic, which stars Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney, the evangelist turned nightclub singer, is one of the hottest tickets on Broadway right now, and for good reason. The upbeat soundtrack contains classic songs like the title track, “Blow Gabriel Blow,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” Until the current revival is available on CD (release date September 20, 2011), check out this 1987 version starring Broadway legend Patti Lupone.

Sue Recommends Eyes Wide Open by Andrew Gross

2011-08-08T16:28:00.006-04:00

Andrew Gross is best known for his 5 best selling novels co-written with James Patterson, but he also is gaining a reputation internationally with his ability to weave a highly developed thriller on his own.

His novel The Dark Tide was nominated for Best Thriller of the Year by the International Thriller Writers.

The difference in his new mystery/thriller, Eyes Wide Open, is that he combines the true tragedy of the death of his bipolar nephew at the bottom of the 600 foot high Morrow Bay Rock (see alexwemissyou.com) with a suspenseful story of family secrets and a murdering cult leader.

This story line elicits memories (for those of you old enough in the 1960s) of the Sharon Tate and LaBianca murders by Charles Manson and his cult family, for which many of them are imprisoned to this day.

This author is one to watch and this book with its grisly murders is not for the weak of heart or stomach.

Summer Movie Tie-In's, Comic Book Style!

2011-08-02T11:45:00.006-04:00

For those of you who are comic book fans or read comics as a kid, this summer might find you pale and pasty as you're spending the majority of your time indoors enjoying a movie rather than outdoors enjoying the sun. With both DC and Marvel in the game, as well as other comic-based movies like Cowboys & Aliens, you've got your plate full. So now that you've seen the movies, what comics should you read?

If you've been enjoying Marvel's blockbusters like Thor and Captain America, look no further than Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America and J. Michael Straczynski's Thor series. Brubaker has taken the Captain along some of the most groundbreaking storylines in comic history starting with the reintroduction of Bucky, his long-lost sidekick who was brainwashed into working as a Soviet assassin--and that's not to mention the widely publicized Death of Captain America that followed. Straczynski's run on Thor was unfortunately cut short when the author jumped ship for DC but was widely acclaimed as one of the strongest run on the mythological Thunder God's comic as he returned from the dead and the destruction of Ragnarok to engage with some of the century's most disastrous human- and nature-born events like Hurricane Katrina and genocide in Africa.

DC has begun unearthing some of their popular crime fighters and started with the intergalactic peace officer Green Lantern, and much like Brubaker with Captain America, Geoff Johns has taken the character of Hal Jordan and reinvented him to take on some of the events that have had the greatest impact on the DC Universe, like the Blackest Night/Brightest Day series. Even if you were underwhelmed by the movie you shouldn't hold it against Johns, trust me.

Listen to Madeleine Peyroux sing

2011-07-28T11:30:00.028-04:00

Singer Madeeline Peyroux began her career in the Latin Quarter of Paris at age 15. Inspired by the early American blues and jazz repertoire, she honed her vocal and guitar skills in Europe. She developed an uncanny likeness in sound to Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf. The New York Times said she could "inhabit Holiday and Piaf, doing the tragic, pinched-voice thing perfectly." Her solo albums include Bare Bones, Half the Perfect World, Careless Love and Dreamland.

Her newest album, Standing on the Rooftop, explores American roots music. One of my favorite tracks, Jerome Kern's The Way You Look Tonight, is recorded on the album Got You on My Mind with William Gallison on harmonica. A somewhat overdone classic, Peyroux' version is well worth listening to - you will definitely sing along and put a smile on your face.

Sue Recommends Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich

2011-07-23T15:09:00.004-04:00

Stephanie Plum is back for Book 17, Smokin' Seventeen. The pressure is on to make a decision on which hunk in her life will be her only one--handsome Detective Joe Morelli or mysterious, muscle-bound Ranger. She continues to be in hilarious situations in New Jersey with her sidekick, Lula (a former prostitute), as she tracks down subjects who failed to appear in court for her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie.

Lots of laughs are in store. Be ready to call your friends or wake your husband to read laugh out loud passages from the book. The humor is what keeps me waiting for the next book in the series--in this case, Explosive Eighteen (Nov. 22, 2011). For more fun, listen to the audiobook as the reader, Lorelei King, brings the characters to life.

Fans will also enjoy the One for the Money movie based on Evanovich's first book in the series. The cast includes Katherine Heigl as Stephanie, Sherri Shepherd as Lula, Jason O’Mara as Morelli, Daniel Sunjata as Ranger, and Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur. Evanovich sold the rights to the movie so she had no control on changes made in the story. Hope it will be just as entertaining as her books.

SH

Trailer from rhpub group

Megan recommends: The Station Agent

2011-07-21T16:19:00.005-04:00

The Station Agent

I went to college with Tom McCarthy and remember riding the elevator in our apartment building with him senior year. We both lived on the sixth floor. Little did I know that he would one day become a well-known actor and director. The Station Agent is the first movie he wrote and directed and it's a really great small film. What's it about? Many things and not much at all...relationships, solitude versus companionship. Best of all, A+ for an _actual_ positive portrayal of a public librarian in a movie.
MAF

Read these celebrity memoirs, not those other ones

2011-07-21T14:06:00.008-04:00

As you may have noticed lately, celebrity memoirs are the newest rage in the publishing world. It seems as though everyone from Bill Clinton to Kanye West has published a memoir lately, which makes it hard to want to read any of them at all. I myself had a hard time believing that any of the newly minted “authors” would be able to turn out a good read. However, being a former dancer, film student and production assistant, as well as a current theater geek, I found that all I need for a good celebrity memoir is lots of backstage shenanigans, some Hollywood gossip, and a well spoken comedienne. These three were my recent favorites from the crop.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I had heard about Bossypants through all of the various media channels, but dismissed it as just another celebrity memoir. I finally picked it up in an airport, waiting for my four hour flight delay. I read almost the entire book while waiting for my flight, and then finished it on the plane. Knowing that Fey is indeed a writer and has come up with some of the most creative stuff on recent television, I should not have been surprised at how much I enjoyed her book, yet I was. Through mock-instruction, silly diagrams, and just the right amount of comedic hyperbole, Fey tells us about her childhood, how she got her start in showbiz, her rise to writing fame, and her relationship with her husband and daughter.

Backstage shenanigans from SNL and 30 Rock abound, and fans of hers will be thrilled to learn about all of the famed SNL sketches she wrote, many of them springing from her time as a Second City cast member. One of my favorite stories involves Fey’s first job as a receptionist at the Y in Chicago, where she also met Amy Poehler. Another details Fey’s theory on why male writers are different from female writers, and the reason is hilarious (and true). She also talks a lot about being a working mom, balancing her work life and home life, and how she manages to do that while still working 16 hour days with the mostly male writing staff on 30 Rock.

I read the old fashioned paper version, but fair warning about the audio book: Fey herself reads it, which is entertaining, but if you’re listening in the car, for instance, you are not privy to the illustrations, photos and diagrams which enhance the content.

Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin

Catapulting off the success of her wildly popular reality show My Life on the D List, Kathy Griffin writes about her childhood, how she got her start in Hollywood, where she learned how to save all that money, where she learned how to make fun of celebrities, and other juicy tidbits from her life. As her comedy suggests, she writes with a witty and sardonic sense of humor, but also captures the not so nice parts of life with a wisdom and wit that endears her to readers.

Comedic highlights include tales of her early days with the Groundlings comedy troupe, where she met the likes of Andy Dick and Lisa Kudrow, one of whom stayed her friend and other who found fame on a popular TV show; Backstage shenanigans involving Brooke Shields, from her time on Suddenly Susan; and bloopers from filming her reality show.

Griffin also gets serious at some points, recounting her experiences with her now deceased brother, her husband who stole large amounts of money from her, and her botched liposuction procedure. These serious moments serve to enrich the narrative, and by the end of the book, I wanted Kathy Griffin to be my best friend. She had interesting stories to tell, and you could tell there were a lot more where those came from. Unfortunately, her stand up specials on Bravo and the occasional live show I can afford will have to do, especially since she has decided to end her reality show, probably due to exhaustion – the woman never stops working, which is another thing we learn about her in the book.

A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth

In Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth’s memoir, readers learn that before she was the fabulous Cheno, she was Kristie, multiple times runner up at the Miss Oklahoma pageant. Although at first it seems like just another celebrity memoir, and one that includes God to boot, Chenoweth has some interesting and funny things to say about the depths of Broadway and Hollywood. Among other things, she describes her relationship with faith – she often wonders how a faith which has helped her so much in life can create such cruel people, and she also wonders how she sometimes gets lumped in with the extremists. Her story about her experience as a guest on the 700 Club is priceless, as she recounts how she disappointed thousands of her gay fans by appearing on a very right-wing Christian television show, unbeknownst to her.

There are also lots of backstage shenanigans in Chenoweth’s book, including her time as master’s student in Opera at the University of Oklahoma; her stint as a performer at the now defunct theme park Opryland; Her turn as Galinda in Wicked, opposite Idina Menzel, a relationship which was tabloid fodder; her role on the critically acclaimed but cancelled Pushing Daisies, and her on again-off again relationship with Aaron Sorkin, which inspired an entire character on one of his TV shows.

My only warning to readers is that it’s written by a (credited) ghost writer, and you can sometimes tell that the stories are not exclusively in Kristin’s voice. I listened to the audiobook version, and while it was entertaining to listen to Kristin read it in her own voice, I could tell that she herself hadn’t written it, as words were mispronounced and she often sounded as though she were reading fiction.

Mike bets you'd like to read about someone else's crummy vacation . . . .

2011-07-15T11:40:00.003-04:00

A family--the matriarch Emily, recently widowed; Meg, her soon-to-be-divorced daughter with children; and Ken, her underemployed artist photographer son with wife and kids--travels from their disparate hometowns to spend a last week together at the family lake house that was their refuge for so many summers. The book drifts quickly into a prevailing melancholy as a four-day-long rain storm moves in and forces the family to begin confronting the uncomfortable realities of their lives. As the rains lift they see the inevitable conclusion to their stay, which is ultimately escape from each other and back into their lives, where nobody will be there to judge but themselves for the way their lives have turned out.

The language that the author uses is rich, much more rich than you may feel these unlikeable characters deserve, but it helps the reader to understand why these individuals deserve your attention. Let's face it, returning home isn't always easy, and even when we're adults we're faced with the prospect of assuming our childhood roles when we take cover under our parents' roof.

Emily is a character that is easy to dislike as she nitpicks her children and makes them feel guilty for the paths their lives have taken but when the author allows a glimpse of her interior monologue her intentions aren't always in alignment with the way she is perceived. Stuart O'Nan recently wrote the sequel to this titled "Emily, Alone" which perfectly summarizes my expectation of where she would be left after leaving the summer house.

Remember Science?

2011-07-12T09:12:00.012-04:00

The Canon
by Natalie Angier

Natalie Angier draws on conversations with hundreds of the world's top scientists and on her own work as a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for the New York Times to create a thoroughly entertaining guide to scientific literacy. The Canon is for every parent who has ever panicked when a child asked how the earth was formed or what electricity is. Angier's writing brings science to life, reigniting our own childhood delight in discovering how the world works. The Canon is a joyride through the major scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy. Along the way, we learn what is actually happening when our ice cream melts or our coffee gets cold, what our liver cells do when we eat a caramel, why the horse is an example of evolution at work, and how we're all really made of stardust.

Have you forgot all that science you had in school? This book will be a great choice for a quick and easy review. The Canon also covers the great science issues of the day - from stem cells and bird flu to evolution and global warming.
TB

Easy A is surprisingly good!

2011-07-07T16:46:00.009-04:00

At the beginning of Easy A, Olive Penderghast tells us that she would like her life to be like an 80’s movie. She wishes John Hughes directed her life, so she could ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey or find John Cusack holding a boom box outside her window. It turns out that Olive’s life is similar to a John Hughes movie (and in a smart move by the writers, 80’s movie references abound in the dialogue). Her story starts when her English class is reading The Scarlet Letter, and in a feeble attempt to be noticed by her hilarious but self-absorbed best friend Rhee, Olive sarcastically tells her that she lost her virginity to a college guy. Rhee believes it, and soon Olive has a reputation she didn’t create, but might as well embrace, as it comes with a new found notoriety. Wackiness ensues when Olive decides she can make money off the deal and help her gay, unpopular, or unattractive friends by charging them money to tell people they slept with her.

The rest of the plot purposely resembles The Scarlet Letter, and slyly references its predecessors in the teen rom-com genre. I know you’re thinking that it sounds just like every other teen movie ever. But what sets Easy A apart from its counterparts is the witty dialogue, smart acting, and a sharp sense of humor. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, nor does the writer assume that the audience is made up of idiots. Teens will love the self referential humor, as well as the shrewd observations about life in high school. Adults will love the witty banter and the charming cast. Emma Stone is delightful as Olive, and Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci are hilarious as Olive’s hippie parents.

I was delighted that Easy A was so smart and funny, since I knew it would be an inevitable addition to my collection, which is already bursting at the seams with teen angst and romantic comedy. I can’t resist watching it every time it’s on TV, or even every time I see it on my DVD shelf.

Sisterhood Everlasting

2011-07-07T15:07:00.008-04:00

In Sisterhood Everlasting, Ann Brashares returns to finish off the story of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. For die-hard fans, Sisterhood Everlasting is a slightly shocking, but ultimately satisfying end to the series. For newcomers, the novel will serve as a stand-alone tear jerker.

When we last left the sisterhood, the girls were just finishing up their first year of college – Bridget spent some time on an archeological dig in Turkey, where she connected with the idea of finding your roots; Tibby had come off of a dramatic, on again, off again year with Brian; Lena reveled in new love while still hankering feelings for Kostos; and Carmen found her niche at a summer drama workshop. Now it’s ten years later, and the girls are just turning 30, all of them on the cusp of something they’re not sure of. As a long time fan of the series, it was riveting from the moment I opened it, just to find out what the girls are up to as adults.

The rest of the book, however, follows the untimely demise of a beloved character, so unlike the rest of the Sisterhood novels, this is not for the fainthearted. It gets into some pretty heavy stuff, but the story soon turns into a mystery of sorts, which turns out to be pretty entertaining to try to solve. Fans of the original series may be shocked and disappointed with some of the author’s choices, and though the novel is not as strong as its predecessors, the characters we know and love do show up from time to time in the new book. Sisterhood Everlasting was, if nothing else, an entertaining beach read, and an interesting way to say goodbye to the Sisterhood.

Rob Recommends American Savior

2011-07-07T09:23:00.004-04:00

Jesus Christ returns to run for the presidency of the United States. Sound improbable? Well, maybe not. Most of the characters in American Savior were doubters and skeptics too. But there was something to the man (other than a couple of minor miracles), something that wiped out all your cynicism and made you believe that people could rebuild a world gone wrong. Something in the man's essence--his charisma, his authenticity and his ability to connect with anyone--finally wins over Russ Thomas, the TV reporter called upon to help pull together a last minute campaign for president.
American Savior is funny; at times, very funny. Having an all-knowing/all-seeing "person" in your life can lead to some embarrassing moments. And the author, Roland Merullo, exercises little restraint in lampooning such media celebrities as Hurry Linneament, Bull O'Malley, Jim Wearer, Roger Popopoffolous, Bulf Spritzer and Ann Canter.
While not exactly sympathetic toward established religions, Merullo is at the same time both irreverent and reverent in his treatment of Christ. If you can forgive the sacreligiousness, you'll enjoy this summer read at the intersection of religion, politics and humor.

Listen to Learning to Die in Miami

2011-07-06T11:34:00.018-04:00

Carlos Eire, the National Book Award winner of Waiting for Snow in Havana, continues his memoir of exile from Cuba and arduous assimilation into American society in 1960's Miami in Learning to Die in Miami. Eire is sent To Florida with his older brother, Tony and
14,000 other Cuban children as part of Operation Pedro Pan. His parents' plan to join him in his relocation away from Castro eventually fails when the Cuban missile crisis intercedes and closes Cuba's borders permanently. His life in foster homes is painfully but humorously detailed. The challenges he faces living as an 11 year old 'orphan' in a strange country trying to learn a new language may be familiar to all immigrants thrust into unknown worlds, desperately wishing to fit in and belong. With excellent narration by Robert Fass, Learning to Die in Miami may give you a peek into the immigrant experience of a child struggling to survive in a foreign culture. Do you have your own story of assimilation to share? We welcome your comments!

-DB

Sue Recommends The Delta Solution by Patrick Robinson

2011-06-30T17:00:00.001-04:00

Patrick Robinson combines two elements that have made national news in the last year--pirates of Somalia and the daunting Navy Seals--in his newest international thriller, The Delta Solution. No one is safe from these Somalian "businessmen" (as the pirates like to call themselves), even ships carrying food and aid to the starving people of their own country.

This is the third military thriller in the Mark Bedford series, the first two being Diamondhead (2009) and Intercept (2010). Mark Bedford returns to active military service as an instructor who is drafted to lead a team of hand-picked Seals in shutting down the out of control piracy in the Indian Ocean. He is not a stranger to terrorists, having battled them in Iraq and Pakistan (in his two earlier books). Lots of action and thrills for those who enjoy books by Vince Flynn, Steve Berry, and James Rollins. SH

Of note is that Robins0n lives in Ireland but spends his summers in our own Cape Cod.

SH

Megan suggests: The Larry Sanders Show

2011-06-30T16:40:00.007-04:00

The Larry Sanders Show

Remember the 90s? Care to relive the days of shoulder pads? Then it's time to watch (or re-watch) The Larry Sanders Show, which ran on HBO from 1992-1998. Sit in front of your TV for quite some time because we own all six seasons at WFL! The show stars Garry Shandling as the neurotic and self-absorbed TV talk show host Larry Sanders. Lots of celebrity guest spots and it's fun to watch Jeremy Piven and Janeane Garafalo in supporting roles.

Mike Wants You To Step Into the Second Line

2011-06-22T17:18:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, my mind has been on other things this week because come Friday I'm on my way to the annual American Library Association conference. This year's conference is especially sweet since it will happen in the granddaddy of party towns, home of the Who Dat Nation, New Orleans. To add to my excitement, the television show that I'm going to preach to you about is set in a place I'll be staying, a neighborhood just north of the French Quarter.

If you've read this blog before or had the ill luck to talk to me on a day when I'm thinking of it, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of David Simon and his past HBO television show The Wire. The Treme is set in its namesake neighborhood and pulls from the cast of characters that you'll find walking down the streets: the down-on-their-luck musicians hustling to get by, the bartenders weary of lending an ear, harried police and the lawyers keeping an eye on them. The show is rife with New Orleans' rich musical tradition, where you have at least one big name musician making a guest appearance; toss in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and you've got yourself something to keep your attention.

In contrast to his previous series, David Simon is taking his time in setting viewers up for major story moves; much like life, the earth-shattering moments aren't set up for a season's worth of wrap-ups. After all, the event that shook the character's bedrock has already happened, and they're just starting to pick up the pieces. It's this process of starting over that's the meat of the show, and the potatoes are memories of places, events, and things that came to signify what it means to live in New Orleans which are now just starting to show from under the receding flood.

A Fire Upon the Deep

2011-06-22T16:53:00.006-04:00

A Fire Upon the Deep
by Vernor Vinge

A Fire Upon the Deep is a gripping tale of galactic war told on a cosmic scale. Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, the farther from the galactic core the smarter you can become. At the galaxy's rim transcendent super-intelligent entities dwell. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when an ancient Transcendent artifact is used as a weapon, it unwittingly unleashes an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence. Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue mission, not entirely composed of humans, must rescue the children-and a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization.

Winner of the Hugo award in 1993 this is an adventure story full of thought provoking scientific ideas. Aliens, interstellar war, ancient artifacts and evil gods maneuver for control of the galaxy. Dog lovers will enjoy the Tines; a pack-mind alien race. Vinge keeps you wanting to know what happens next alternating between events in space and events on the Tine world. A sequel called The Children of the Sky is due this October. Vinge published a prequel A Deepness in the Sky in 1999.
TB

Got Vegan?

2011-06-16T11:56:00.023-04:00

If you've been thinking about going vegan but don't know where to start, peruse the following popular titles in our cookbook section for ideas. And remember - you can even eat cupcakes and remain faithful to a vegan diet.

Vegan Cupcakes take over the world : 75 dairy-free recipes for cupcakes that rule by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

The gluten-free vegan : 150 delicious gluten-free, animal-free recipes by Susan O'Brien.

The 30-minute vegan's taste of the East : 150 Asian-inspired recipes from soba noodles to summer rolls by Mark Reinfeld and Jennifer Murray.

The get healthy, go vegan cookbook by Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb.

Vegan Diner : classic comfort food for the body & soul by Julie Hasson.

-DB