Monthly Archives: April 2015

“Selma” (May release) depicts the civil rights march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery Ala., which dramatized the case for voting rights for Afro-American citizens.  Other than the portrayal  of President Lyndon Johnson as lukewarm to the cause, … Continue reading →

Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking aren’t the only real-life persons in the movies. Here are three more critically-favored bio-pics.  “Wild” is based Cheryl Strayed’s  memoir of her 1995 solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. The film’s “free-associative, memory-driven narrative” … Continue reading →

The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer has just been announced as the winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Says the review committee: “an imaginative and intricate novel inspired by the horrors of World War II.”  The library has print … Continue reading →

It’s not often that films with serious scientific themes feature in popular films, let alone get Oscar nominations.  Yet this year we had two, featuring that most abstract of sciences: mathematics.   Alan Turing’s (The Imitation Game) code breaking work laid the foundations … Continue reading →

Crime and suspense in continental settings.  In “Blood on Snow” by Jo Nesbø, Olav, a “fixer” for a drug kingpin gets an unusual task from his boss: to “fix” his wife, Corrine. But when Olav suspects that she’s being blackmailed, his … Continue reading →

Crime and suspense stories that break from genre conventions.  Not so faced-paced as some, but deeper in character and atmosphere.   “The Bone Tree” by Greg Iles continues the investigation of the death  of civil rights workers begun in “Natchez Burning.” … Continue reading →

Readers looking for plot-driven, fast-paced page turners might try these new stories. “Memory Man” by Dave Baldacci introduces Amos Decker, who, as the result of a football injury, forgets nothing, “counts in colors and sees time.” His rare abilities are brought into … Continue reading →

Here are two stories for true crime readers. “Missoula” by Jon Krakauer is set in what might be a typical college town, except between 2008 and 2013, 350 sexual assaults were reported to the Missoula police.  Krakauer’s “devastating narrative” explores … Continue reading →

On the new book shelf at the Nichols Library are Six Really Good Novels  that got a positive nod form the critics but which also make for absorbing reading.  Titles include “The Children’s Crusade,” Ann Packer’s “flawless” family history; “Whispering  Shadows” Jan … Continue reading →

Among the new DVD arrivals are several brilliant film adaptations of familiar books.  “Outlander Season One” begins the cinematic version of Diana Gabaldon’s books about a British combat nurse who travels back in time the days of Prince Charlie’s rebellion … Continue reading →