July 2022
Amy's Pick
The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey (2019)
In this different view of World War II, three young women from Boston - Dottie, Viv, and Fiona - decide to help the war effort and become Red Cross volunteers in 1944 in this riveting historical fiction. The setting is described so well that I felt like I was there with them in this great story about friendship, courage, and romance in the face of war.
Laura's Picks
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (2021)
Science fiction can get dark-robot uprisings, dying Earths, hostile megafauna-so it's a refreshing change to read something hopeful. Sibling Dex is a tea monk who loves their job and yet suffers from burnout. While on a solitary journey, Dex meets Mosscap, a sentient robot who emerges from the wilderness to fulfill an ancient promise made to mankind: to check in after centuries of avoidance and to receive an answer to the question "What do people need?" Compassionate and meditative, this book is dedicated "to anybody who could use a break." And really, isn't that all of us?
How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North (2022)
We're not saying you have plans to take over the world - that would be silly! Ha ha! But if you did, then this entertaining manual would be a necessity. Learn how to build a secret base, hold the Earth's core hostage, and achieve supervillain greatness by using the power of science.
Diane's Picks
Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (2019)
It all seemed perfect, until it wasn't in this psychological thriller. This is a fast-paced book with many threads and little surprises to uncover. And like any great murder mystery, it has clues, suspicious persons, and red herrings. And when the big reveal happens, it is brilliant and shocking.
The Magician by Colm Toibin (2021)
If you are interested in a historical fiction account of the life and times of Thomas Mann, the great German fiction writer who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1929 this is the book. It traces Mann's life from his birth (1875) to his death (1955). I found myself researching aspects of the book to dig deeper into the facts.
John's Picks
New by Paul McCartney (2013)
The sixteenth studio album by the former Beatle and his first solo effort in seven years. New was inspired by what were then recent events in McCartney's life such as his marriage to Nancy Shevell and older memories such as his songwriting partnership with John Lennon. With four different producers on the album, New has a diverse but still unified feel to it, giving McCartney an even more modern sound.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
A self-referential action comedy starring Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself. In the film, Cage, in a career slump, agrees to attend a wealthy fan's (played by Pedro Pascal) birthday party for one million dollars. However, things go awry when the CIA gets involved due to the fan's potentially criminal connections. Hilarious and also heartwarming, if you're a fan of Nicolas Cage, there is little doubt that you will enjoy this film.
GoldenEye (1995)
The seventeenth film in the James Bond franchise and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the titular secret agent. Named after author Ian Fleming's Jamaican estate, GoldenEye launches Bond into the post-Cold War era filled with a new cast of characters, most notably, Judi Dench as "M." With action-packed sequences and sharply written dialogue, GoldenEye is one of the best Bond films of the entire series.