Witchblade: Volume I: Borne Again by Ron Marz and others

Witchblade: Volume 1: Borne Again
by Ron Marz

Before I read this I had only read the Witchblade/Lara Croft crossover. I am reading the current series Tomb Raider comics so I know about that character, but this introduction to Witchblade made me want to read more. This graphic novel collection is available on Hoopla, so I gave it a try and I really liked it. The Witchblade is a glove that bonds into the wearer with the power to transform the them into a strong armored version of herself and gives her other powers, including healing abilities. It has been worn by numerous women in the past; currently its wearer is Sara Pezzini, a sheriff in present day NY state. The crimes she solves on the job, sometimes also involve monsters which inhabit the world (unknown to most of the citizens), which she fights using the Witchblade.

In this book there are two overlapping stories; one in the present and one in the past. The story in the past shows how she tried to rid herself of the Witchblade and lock it away safely in the Vatican so no one else could yield it and in the present, a being of light obtains part of it. There is a lot of past and present character development in this story. It’s not clear when she merged with the Witchblade in the first place, but she says it’s been so much of her life she can’t seem to separate the two. The story in the past shows that she’s had enough of fighting monsters because of the toll it took on her and her family (lost her daughter and turned to drinking). However, the story in present shows her coming to terms with the fact that she and the Witchblade are inseparable. I really enjoyed this, but I ought to say that there is violence, blood, people with their heads cut off, and creepy monsters in the pages, so if you don’t want that kind of thing in what you read, then this is not for you, nor is it for children. I liked this one because of the mystery and fantasy elements and because of the deepness and complexity the character has, so I will definitely be reading more.

If you want to try this one you can check it out on Hoopla, which is a digital streaming service our library subscribes to. There is not much in the way of set up, you simply go to www.hoopladigital.com (or follow a link from our online catalog) to create an account, and then view the book through your browser. For graphic novels like this one it allows you to see the whole page at once and or you can be zoomed in on each box to read the text easier or check out the details in the art. If you like this item, you might like these too – There are other Witchblade graphic novels available on Hoopla; I didn’t look closely when checking this out but the four issues just before this are available (Rebirth Vol. 4) as is a Witchblade / Devi crossover.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Danger Girl series, available on Hoople. It’s a bit like James Bond, with a group of spy girls and less of the supernatural stuff.] [ publisher’s official Witchblade: Borne Again web page ] | [ official Ron Marz blog ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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The Story of Kullervo by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Story of Kullervo
by J.R.R. Tolkien

For someone not familiar with the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien, this book would probably be of little interest. The Story of Kullervo, one of Tolkien’s earliest works, is based on the Kalevala. Tolkien began translating this Finnish mythology while at college and it nearly consumed him. It has been said that this work laid the groundwork for his own creation, the Silmarillion; this can be seen in the similarity between the tragic heroes in both. If I had not read The Silmarillion before this, I most likely would not have been interested in this. The book includes essays by Tolkien presented to two different literary societies in his college days. I found the book to be very interesting, but it is difficult reading with all the additional notes and glossaries. Any fan of Tolkien’s mythologies or his work on Beowulf would enjoy this book.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Tolkien’s Silmarillion or his translation of Beowulf.] [ Wikipedia page for The Story of Kullervo ] | [ www.tolkiensociety.org/ ]

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle
by Rick Riordan

 The Hidden Oracle is the first book in the new Trials of Apollo series from author Rick Riordan. Readers who are fans of the Percy Jackson series will definitely enjoy this book! There are several interactions with characters we know and love from that series, as well as several new characters that promise lots of interest and excitement.

Apollo has angered his father Zeus, and has been cast out of Olympus. He must learn to survive in our world as a mortal teenager until he can figure out a way to get back into Zeus’s good graces. He is not in a body he would have chosen, he is no longer immortal, he doesn’t know who to trust, and his memory is faulty because a mortal human mind doesn’t have the space for all his godly immortal knowledge. He is as full of himself as you’d expect the God of music, truth, prophecy, healing, plague, poetry, the sun and light to be, despite being cast into a gawky, acne-covered sixteen-year-old mortal named Lester. This book has the action, drama, and humor Rick Riordan fans are used to, along with appearances by Percy Jackson!
One of my favorite parts of this book was the chapter headings. Since Apollo is the god of poetyr, the chapter headings are haikus that offer the reader a small bit of insight into what’s coming without really reveling anything!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Sword of Summer, by Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (first Percy Jackson book), Artemis Fowl, by Eion Colfer, and Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins] [ official Hidden Oracle page on the official Rick Riordan web site ]

Recommended by Kolette S.
Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

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The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane

The Wounded Sky
by Diane Duane

In the early years of professionally-published Star Trek fiction, I read every Trek novel published by Bantam in the 1970s, and most of the first 100 or more of the “classic Trek” novels put out by Pocket Books starting in the 1980s. Once the Star Trek spin-off series — Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise — came on the scene, the number of novels being published across the franchise by Pocket Books became far more than I could keep up with — check out our Star Trek: The Reading List booklist to see how many there were! None-the-less, over the 50-year history of Star Trek, I have read probably 250 to 300 of the Star Trek novels, and I will have to say this is one of my top ten favorites. In my opinion, Diane Duane is perhaps one of the two best Star Trek fiction writers (overall) around, alongside Peter David. This novel was written in an era when authors could take chances with the established principle characters, as well as create original “new” crew members who could share the limelight. Not too many years after this was published, the powers-that-be put much stricter guidelines on what could be written for officially published Star Trek. But The Wounded Sky benefitted from coming out during an era of greater freedom for authors. Duane nails the characterization of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest of the well-known crew perfectly, but it is her original characters, including K’t’lk, a crystalline spider-like scientist whose experimental new drive system the Enterprise is testing, that she creates something unforgettable. I can’t recommend this Star Trek novel highly enough!

Interesting note: The plot of this novel was modified dramatically, in order to adapt it into an early first-season episode of Star Trek the Next Generation — “Where No One Has Gone Before”.

[If you enjoy this, then I also strongly recommend that you try Diane Duane’s other Star Trek novels, including Doctor’s Orders, Spock’s World, Dark Mirror, and the novels in her Romulan series, including My Enemy, My Ally, The Romulan Way (which features a terrific inclusion of a Horta crewperson!), Swordhunt, Honor Blade and The Empty Chair.]

[ The Wounded Sky page on Memory Alpha — the Star Trek wiki ] | [ official Diane Duane web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

A Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman [Backman or CD Backman] 

I identified very strongly with this story, even though the protagonist is a 59-year-old Swedish male and I am a 56-year-old American woman. Our age bracket is about the only similarity between us, on the surface, that is. This is a contemporary tale about love and loss – really it is, stick with it! — and how the past influences the future, and how the future can be brighter than one might think after having lived through various tragedies and injustices over a lifetime. Ove (oo-vuh) is someone you would most likely characterize as crabby and unhappy, much like the “You kids get off my lawn!” persona, until you get to know him much better. Which goal his new neighbor, a very pregnant Iranian woman with a tall blond husband and two young daughters, sets out to achieve. Along the way, I found myself agreeing with Ove on almost every subject about which he had an opinion, and that’s most everything. I also found myself engrossed in the story of Ove’s life and how he coped with and overcame many obstacles that would have crushed a lesser, less focused person. That’s not to say that Ove doesn’t want to give up at times, but I’ll let you discover more about that yourself. Without giving too much away, suffice it to say that Ove is more like an onion than a potato, which latter he eats on a regular basis, and his layers are revealed with humor and heartache in equal parts. I listened to the audio edition of the book which is narrated by American actor George Newbern, who does a wonderful job of giving each character a distinct voice and capturing the blend of bluster and benevolence of “a man called Ove.” (The novel contains occasional swearing and some adult subject matter.)

[ official A Man Called Ove page on the publisher’s official Fredrik Backman web site (author’s own official site is in Swedish) ]

Recommended by Becky W. C.
Walt Branch Library

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
by Agatha Christie

 This is the fourth book in the Poirot series; the detective has recently retired and settled down in an English village, but does not tell anyone of his past profession. However someone figures it out after one of the villagers is murdered and come to him for help. This novel is narrated by his neighbor, the village doctor, who accompanies him throughout the case like Captain Hastings does from time to time. I do really like the stories that are narrated in this way, in the first person, because I feel reminded of the Sherlock stories that are narrated by Watson. Although I did guess correctly at the ending, it still was not a disappointing read. I would really recommend it if you want a good mystery.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Mysterious Affair at Styles, by Agatha Christie] [ official Murder of Roger Ackroyd page on the official Agatha Christie web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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The Sharknado series on DVD

Sharknado series [DVD Sharknado] 

 

For many years, the Syfy channel on cable, previously known as the SciFi Channel, has been known for two things — the production of fairly high quality science fiction drama series (Farscape, the various Stargate series, Warehouse 13, Eureka, The Dresden Files, Continuum, Battlestar Galactica, Sliders, Alpha, Tremors, etc.), and schlocky, horribly cheesy Saturday Night Movies (Dinocroc vs Supergator, Android Apocalypse, Ghostquake, Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep, and the legendary Mansquito!). In the summer of 2013, a new installment in this series of goofball horror films premiered on the network — Sharknado. as with many of Syfy’s original horror films, the cast was comprised of either former child stars, or B-list and C-list actors. In this case, the lead was Ian Ziering (previously a minor star on Beverly Hills 90210, and featured on an early season of Dancing With the Stars) as Fin Shepard, and Tara Reid as Fin’s ex-wife. A freak storm causes water spouts to suck up huge numbers of man-eating sharks off the coast of southern California and deposit them in flooded areas inland. The storyline is ridiculous, the acting is atrocious, and the special effects are beyond cheesy. And yet…this became one of the most popular of Syfy’s made-for-TV-movies, even earning a DVD release. Syfy has subsequently produced a second and a third film in the series, set in New York, and Washington D.C. respectively, which aired in 2014 (Sharknado 2: The Second One) and 2015 (Sharknado 3: Oh, Hell No!), and a fourth entry is scheduled to premiere July 31st, 2016 (Sharknado: The Fourth Awakens). Ziering continues to be the lead character as Fin, with Reid’s character becoming more prominent as the stories progress. The rest of the casts of each of the films has been comprised, again, by former stars or unknowns. Don’t watch any of these expecting high quality or you’ll be disappointed. Even the filmmakers realize this, going to further and further extremes for their zany “flying sharks” gimmicks. But, if you find yourself invested, even the tiniest bit, in these characters, it’s fun to watch them go through their exaggerated lives. I give the series a rating of “8” not for the quality, which is really more like a “4” or “5”, but instead for its silly entertainment value! Turn your common sense off and enjoy some Sharknado!

[ Internet Movie Database entries for these films ] | [ Syfy’s official Sharknado 4 web site ] 

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir by Stan Lee and Peter David

Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir
by Stan Lee and Peter David

It seems only fitting that the official autobiography of legendary comics publisher and pop-culture icon Stan Lee would be printed in graphic novel format! Co-written by comics writer Peter David, with absolutely beautiful art by Colleen Doran, Lee roams backwards and forwards through his life and career, sharing anecdotes about the events that proved formative to his publishing/writing style, and the fellow comic book legends whom he worked with over the course of over 5 decades behind Marvel Comics.

Though Lee is frequently accused of not giving enough credit to the fellow creative types that worked with him in creating such iconic comic book characters as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Iron-Man, Doctor Strange, The Uncanny X-Men and so many more, in this telling he certainly pays tribute to the many fellow artistes that were involved in those seminal events — Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and so many more. Lee’s autobiography is told with a great sense of self-deprecating humor, and Lee breaks the “fourth wall”, stopping to talk to the reader from the comic panels, even as the other illustrated figures wonder who he’s talking to.

Having had the opportunity recently to see Stan Lee live and in-person at a Kansas City Comicon (reportedly one of the last conventions the 93-year-old icon will attend), I’m proud to own a signed copy of this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Lee’s version of Marvel Comics history. Just keep in mind that other creators may have different interpretations of some of the events than Lee did!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Marvel Comics: The Untold Story, by Sean Howe, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way, by Stan Lee, How to Write Comics the Marvel Way, by Stan Lee, Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World’s Greatest Comics, by Lee Daniels or Comic Wars: How Two Tycoons Battled Over the Marvel Comics Empire, and Both Lost, by Dan Raviv.]

[ publisher’s official Amazing Fantastic Incredible web site ] | [ official Stan Lee web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Pole to Pole with Michael Palin (on DVD)

Pole to Pole
by Michael Palin [DVD 910.4 Pol] 

Traveling from the North to South Pole, avoiding air travel when possible, Palin goes through 16 countries in 141 days: North Pole to Greenland, Norway, Finland, the USSR, Turkey, Egypt, Cape Town, then a flight to South America, traveling down to Punta Arenas and then to Antarctica where he reaches the South Pole. This is not the first or last trip of this caliber that Palin has been on, but that does not diminish its originality or excitement. Like his other adventures including Full Circle, Himalaya, Sahara and New Europe, I whole heartedly recommend it to a traveler or adventurer.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Around the World in 80 Days or Full Circle, also starring Michael Palin.] [Also available in traditional print format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this mini-series ] | [ Pole to Pole on the official Palin’s Travels web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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Peril at End House by Agatha Christie (on CD)

Peril at End House
by Agatha Christie [Compact Disc Christie] 

While Poirot is on vacation he says he is there no way that a case could distract him. He finds it difficult to resist however; whilst chatting to a young woman at the hotel she narrowly escapes being shot at during their conversation. Like others in this series, there are twists up to the very end. The narrator, Hugh Fraser, does a good job with the different voices for the characters. He actually plays the part of Captain Hastings in some of the TV adaptations, who is the character who narrates the story. Although not my favorite story in the series so far, it's still really good.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Death in the Clouds or Murder in Mesopotamia, also by Agatha Christie] [ official Peril at End House page on the official Agatha Christie web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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Star Trek 365 and Star Trek the Next Generation 365 by Paula Block

Star Trek 365
by Paula Block and Terry Erdmann [791.457 StaYb] 

In this year (2016) when the original Star Trek series will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, I’ve been enjoying revisiting some of my favorite Star Trek non-fiction behind-the-scenes books. Star Trek 365 is one of the best. Paula M. Block’s look back at the history of the production of the original series is chock full of rare photos and illustrations, many never seen in publication previously. Much like a Day-by-Day calendar, where you look at a different photo, comic or witty observation each and every day, Star Trek 365 (and the similar volume Star Trek the Next Generation 365 for the follow-up series) has 365 short chapters, filled with obscure yet fascinating trivia and production minutiae. These books have an unusual format — they are short in height but very thick in content. The depth of research that went into assembling these treasure troves of Star Trek history is impressive.

These two books are definite must reads for anyone who truly considers themselves a Trekkie or a Trekker, but they should also prove to fascinating reads for general TV science fiction fans.

[ Star Trek 365 page at Memory Alpha ] | [ Paula M. Block page at Memory Alpha ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

The Husband’s Secret
by Liane Moriarty

The more I listen to audiobooks, the more I find that I especially enjoy listening to a reader with an accent. I don’t know why that is–what is it that we, especially mid-westerners who lack any type of accent at all, find so attractive about the dialect of people from another part of the world? It’s fascinating to me; and if that makes me shallow, so be it!

Anyway, beyond the lovely voice and accent of the reader, I found this book to be very entertaining and captivating. It focuses on three different women who, from the start, would seem to have little or nothing in common. As the story goes on, however, you find that their lives are incredibly intertwined. Although this book isn’t cataloged as a mystery, it certainly would qualify as one in my opinion. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I definitely felt a bit of the “whodunnit” suspense going on throughout the story!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins, or Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, by Maria Semple]

 

[ official The Husband’s Secret page on the official Liane Moriarty web site ]

Recommended by Tracy T.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Wild (on DVD)

Wild
[DVD Wild]

Cheryl Strayed’s blistering autobiography Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail was one of my absolute favorite reads three years ago, and when I heard that it was being turned into a biographical film to star Reese Witherspoon as Strayed, I was filled with both hope and trepidation. The book was such a personal story, and opened up so much of Strayed’s troubled life, in its exploration of how a 1000+ mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail allowed her to purge some demons and come to terms with loss, that I wasn’t sure a film would be able to honestly capture that emotion.
Admittedly, I am a fan of Reese Witherspoon, and she does turn in a marvelous, nuanced performance in Wild. However, the book is far more powerful, in part because the filmmakers had to telescope the book’s events and cut out several key moments from Strayed’s experiences. The cinematography is terrific, the supporting cast was fine. And the storytelling gimmick of jumping backwards and forwards in time is (for the most part) effective. However, the film just felt somehow…disconnected…from the emotional events that seemed so powerful in the book. If you haven’t read the book, I do recommend this film. However, I recommend reading the book (or listening to the audiobook, as I did) even more!

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Wild web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Bloodline by Claudia Gray

Bloodline
by Claudia Gray

Leia Organa has been an underdeveloped character in many Star Wars novels. “Bloodlines” remedies this in a big way. The story focuses on Leia, once again a Senator. The New Republic Senate has become ineffectual. Senators are polarized into two hyper-partisan factions that both view any sort of compromise as the worst sort of weakness. The rise of a new crime cartel gives Leia the chance to bridge the gap between the bickering political factions and actually do some good for the galaxy. Along the way she will come face to face with her past. To some new breed of criminals she is revered as “Huttslayer”. To a paramilitary militia hoping to resurrect the Empire, she is a dangerous adversary to be eliminated. And a long lost message from the past forces Leia to confront her legacy as the daughter of Darth Vader. Described as “House of Cards meets Star Wars”, “Bloodlines” deftly mixes political intrigue with action. The book is a very fun read that provides all sorts of wonderful insights into the inner workings of Leia. I hesitate to say that any Star Wars book is a “must read”. However, given the background and insight “Bloodline” provides about Leia and the story that leads to “The Force Awakens”, this is one I would say is a must-read for any Star Wars fan.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Lost Stars, by Claudia Gray, or Aftermath, by Chuck Wendig] [ official Bloodline page on the official Claudia Gray web site ]

Recommended by Corey G.
Gere Branch Library

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Toni Tennille: A Memoir by Toni Tennille

Toni Tennille: A Memoir
by Toni Tennille and Caroline Tennille St. Clair

Toni Tennille has been one of my favorite female vocalists since she burst onto the music scene with her Grammy-winning recording of “Love Will Keep Us Together” with husband Daryl Dragon back in 1975. Daryl Dragon was better known as “Captain of the Keyboards” in his position as keyboardist for the Beach Boys on tour and the name “Captain” stuck. Daryl soon brought along his girlfriend Toni to join the band as an additional keyboardist, giving her the distinction of being the only female to be a part of the Beach Boys touring band back in the 1970s. Since that time, Toni has distinguished herself with having a prime-time music show on ABC, her own talk show, and a successful run with an off-Broadway production of Victor/Victoria. She recorded her own series of music CDs of Big Band songs and has performed with orchestras all over the country. With what appeared to be a perfect marriage and successful music career, the world was astounded when Toni suddenly filed for divorce as she and Daryl neared their 40th wedding anniversary. This book explains in great detail what led to that decision and how Toni survived so many years in a loveless marriage. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to any fan of the Captain and Tennille.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of the Beach Boys book reviews, also by this reviewer.] [ official Toni Tennille web site ]

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Entropy Effect by Vonda N. McIntyre

The Entropy Effect
by Vonda N. McIntyre

 This is a really short novel that is available in print and on Hoopla’s digital streaming service as an audiobook. I listened to audio version on Hoopla and like the other Star Trek audiobooks there are some added in sound effects and music. In this story the Enterprise is called to transport a dangerous criminal to a rehab center. The prisoner is a physicist who has worked with time travel and has been accused of murder. There are crewmen guarding his cell, but somehow he rushes on to the bridge and murders Captain Kirk. Spock figures out what’s going on and decides something has to be done because the physicist has meddled with time travel to the point he created a deadly time warp, drastically shorting in the time remaining in the universe. Bones joins him in the mission and hopes to save Kirk too. If you liked the Star Trek movie where they went back in time to save the whales (IV: The Voyage Home), you’ll like this one too. I’d also appeal to readers who like time travel fiction.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the movies Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, or The Back to the Future Trilogy] [ official Entropy Effect page at Memory Alpha ] | [ official Vonda N. McIntyre web site ] 

Read more like this on the Star Trek: The Reading List booklist on BookGuide

 

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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After You by Jojo Moyes

After You
by Jojo Moyes

For anyone who read (or watched) Me Before You this sequel provides much- needed answers to questions left hanging at the end of the story. What happened to Louisa? To Will’s family? How does a person move on when their happy ending isn’t what they thought it would be? In keeping with the style of ‘Me Before You’, ‘After You’ is by turns funny, unsettling, and heart-wrenching. Louisa cannot return to the quiet life she led before Will. Her journey to a ‘new normal’ is not smooth, but will feel familiar to those who have experienced loss & the grief that comes after.

If you loved the first book, but were left wanting more- then pick up After You.

[ official After You page on the official Jojo Moyes web site ]

Recommended by Shelly R.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Captains by William Shatner (on DVD)

The Captains
by William Shatner [DVD 791.457 StaYc]

In 2011, Star Trek actor William “Captain Kirk” Shatner released this special documentary, in which he sat down for extended conversations with the five actors who have succeeded him in the “Captain’s chair” in subsequent Trek series — Patrick Stewart (Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek the Next Generation), Avery Brooks (Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek Deep Space Nine), Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek Voyager), Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer on Enterprise) and Chris Pine (James T. Kirk in the reboot movies starting in 2009).

In typical Shatner schmoose-fest style, the conversations these actors have frequently come back to Shatner and his own acting experiences, but it is still fascinating to watch these iconic combinations of performers as they interact. This production is perfect for true Trekkies and even for casual viewers of the various iterations Trek has had over its 50-year history, but would also be good viewing for anyone who considers themselves a student of television production, or who is curious about the impact of cultural phenomena on working actors — in other words, how did all these actors cope with the “fan” cults around Star Trek.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official The Captains web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Dark of the Moon by John Sandford

Dark of the Moon
by John Sandford

I read one of John Sandford’s “Prey” books recently, and I loved it! A friend told me his Virgil Flowers series is also good. So I found the first in that series, which is this book. I think this series is GREAT!!! I loved the mystery, and I honestly did not see “whodunnit” until just when Flowers discovered it. Speaking of “that f***ing Flowers,” I would love to meet this guy in real life! Long hair, writer AND detective, wearer of jeans and concert/band t-shirts–sounds fabulous!!! The other characters were well enough developed to suit the story, as well. I truly enjoy Sandford’s writing style!

I’m just getting into mysteries, and both this series and the “Prey” series of Sandford’s can be considered on my ‘to read’ list!!!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Field of Prey, by John Sandford] [ official Dark of the Moon page on the official John Sandford web site ]

Recommended by Tracy T.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

The Three-Body Problem
by Cixin Liu

This novel won the 2015 Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction novel, as voted on by science fiction fans at the World Science Fiction Convention. It is an English-language translation of one of China’s most beloved science fiction authors. It is also the first volume of a trilogy.

Told in alternating contemporary and flash-back sequences, from the perspective of several characters, The Three-Body Problem explores the ramifications of a “First Contact” scenario, in which the human being who is making long-distance contact with a potentially hostile alien race four light-years away, is a Chinese scientist who has lost her family in China’s Cultural Revolution, and who feels that humanity would benefit from an alien society coming to — most likely — subjugate us. This was a fascinating read, with a large cast of characters to follow — I was glad to have a list of the main cast at the front of the book to look back at as all the Chinese language names became a bit overwhelming.

In the end, while I appreciated the chance to read science fiction coming from another culture, I only gave it a five rating because large portions of the plot involved scientists regurgitating information to the reader — it felt a bit too much like being in a lecture hall. But, if you’re a fan of hard SF, and want to read something written with a different political and social bias that the vast majority of science fiction published for English-language readers, I do recommend it!

[ The Three-Body Problem page on Wikipedia ] | [ Cixin Liu page on Wikipedia ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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El Deafo by Cece Bell

El Deafo
by Cece Bell [j Bell] 

Cece has adjusted to life with a large hearing aid strapped to her chest, and she enjoys her all deaf school. When her family decides to move, and she leaves all her friends and must begin going to a school where she is the only deaf person, she is nervous that the other kids won’t like her and will make fun of her. When Cece gets a stronger hearing aide, she suddenly can hear her teacher wherever she is in the building: teachers lounge, hallway, even the bathroom. This seems like a super power and is the source of inspiration for her superhero alter-ego El Deafo. Cece learns how to accept her deafness, and how to navigate the world and the people in it.

I thought this book was somewhat inspirational. Cece struggles and even gives up at times, but in the end, she learns to be happy with who she is. This book is somewhat of a memoir, as the author tells about her life growing up hearing impaired.

[This book is a current Golden Sower nominee!] [ El Deafo page on Wikipedia ] | [ official Cece Bell blog ]

Recommended by Marie P.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Keep Moving and Other Tips and Truths About Aging by Dick Van Dyke on Compact Disc

Keep Moving and Other Tips and Truths About Aging
by Dick Van Dyke [Compact Disc Biography Van Dyke] 

Having enjoyed Dick Van Dyke’s very entertaining autobiography — My Lucky Life In and Out of Showbiz — a couple of years ago, I was excited to see that he had a new book out in 2015, and that he had recorded the audiobook adaptation of it himself. I was surprised, once I started to listen to this one that it wasn’t purely an entertainment biography, but was, instead, Van Dyke’s guide to how to live life as a senior. Van Dyke had just turned 89 at the time he was writing this volume, and looking back on almost 90 years of life, he has developed a number of personal philosophies and behavior choices that keep him happy and healthy and he’s happy to share with his fans. Don’t get me wrong — he does share quite a lot of stories about his life in showbiz, but frequently with an eye towards illustrating his points about lifestyle choices that lead to happiness and personal contentment.

Personally, I find his one most essential rule of behavior to be the most interesting — as the title of the book indicates, that’s “Keep Moving”. Van Dyke quotes a lot of statistics throughout the book, but one telling stat was that one of the most essential activities for maintaining a healthy and active mind in your senior years is to dance…and Dick dances every single day! A fun and enlightening volume, particularly entertaining as read by Van Dyke in audiobook format!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try My Lucky Life In and Out of Showbiz, by Dick Van Dyke (also on audio by Van Dyke).]

[ official Keep Moving web page from Weinstein Publishing ] | [ Wikipedia page for Dick Van Dyke ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø

The Redeemer
by Jo Nesbø

The libraries’ Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group finally got around to reading and discussing a Jo Nesbø novel for our April 2016 meeting. We ended up using this, the sixth volume in Nesbø’s Harry Hole series, featuring a brilliant Oslo murder investigator who’s also a struggling alcoholic, and who regularly faces career challenges and difficulties with his personal life. This particular volume in the series features an assassin who has come to Oslo to kill someone, but the wrong man is killed, and when a quirk of the weather traps the killer in Norway instead of allowing them to escape, they realized their mistake and stick around to fix the problem.

The characters are all well-drawn, particularly Harry himself, and the ruthless, determined killer. I didn’t really get a specific feel for Oslo and the other settings, other than as cold, drab, emotionally-draining locales. The plot kept pulling me along, as well as the curiosity to find out how Harry would deal with the larger issues associated with the case — he turns out to be the kind of honorable detective who doesn’t necessarily follow all of the rules — occasionally doing the “wrong thing” for the “right reason”. I ended up really liking Harry, even if the plot of the novel didn’t truly hold my interest.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of the Harry Hole series, by Jo Nesbø]

[ official The Redeemer page on the official English-language Jo Nesbø web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Godzilla (2014) on DVD

Godzilla (2014) 

[DVD Godzilla]

There’s a general rule of thumb among Godzilla fans that movie-makers should just let the Japanese movie studios make all the Godzilla films. This was especially true after the 1998 “reimagining” of the Godzilla mythology, starring Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno, directed by Roland Emmerich, which was pretty universally hated. It was therefore with some trepidation that I decided to watch the 2014 American-made Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards and featuring a large, mostly-American cast (including Bryan Cranston, fresh off his stint on Breaking Bad).

This version of Godzilla remains true to many of the standard Godzilla tropes, and the look of the creature is certainly an improvement over the the more lizard-like creature featured in the 1998 film. The special effects are tremendous in this film, as is the set design and especially the sound editing — Godzilla’s patented roar is back! The acting is fine — you don’t really expect top-notch acting performances in a giant monster movie — particularly Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ken Watanabe. But ultimately, the enjoyment of a Godzilla film comes down to how well Godzilla itself is done, and this version of the creature was done very well. That being said, my biggest complaint about this film is the limited amount of time Godzilla itself spends on screen. For a “giant monster” movie, I was hoping more of the action would actually feature the “giant monsters”, and not the humans who are reacting to them. Still, an improvement over the 1998 film, and a fun movie to watch. After seeing this, I’m happy to know that the producers of this particular version of Godzilla plan to do a trilogy of films (the others to appear in 2018 and 2020), the third of which will recreate Godzilla vs. King Kong.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of the classic Japanese Toho Studios Godzilla films — most available online!]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Facebook page for this Godzilla movie ]

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Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie on Compact Disc

Death in the Clouds
by Agatha Christie [Compact Disc Christie] 

Once again Mr. Poirot is in the right place at the right time. Whilst on board an aircraft a murder is committed. However, the detective is prone to air sickness and spends most of the flight sleeping. The victim had been in the business of lending money; her assistant had been given instructions to burn all her papers if she were to pass away. By doing so, figuring out possible suspects and motives becomes more difficult. But nothing is impossible with Poirot’s order and method. As with the rest of the series I’ve read so far, it’s enjoyable. I’d put it somewhere in the middle; neither the best nor worst. Perhaps not the best if you’re traveling by air anytime soon. It was a bit funny with a modern perspective; attempting to smoke cigarettes on a plane — oh dear!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Murder in Mesopotamia and Murder on the Orient Express, also by Christie]

[ official Death in the Clouds page on the official Agatha Christie web site ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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