April 2024

Chris’ Audiobook Pick:

How the penguins saved Veronica by Hazel Prior (2020)

An uplifting tale of how seemingly grouchy and precise eighty-five-year-old Veronica McCreedy, living in a seaside mansion in Scotland, and long estranged from her family, finds a renewed purpose in her life when she meets her adult grandson Patrick, and takes on a good cause of saving the Adélie penguins in Antarctica. Narrated by an entertaining cast, this Audie Award nominee is available as an e-audiobook on Libby

Laura’s Picks:

The tainted cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (2024)

When a high-ranking official is killed when a tree suddenly erupts from his body, the verdict is simple: murder. The brilliant but eccentric Ana Dolabra and her magically altered assistant are summoned to solve the case. This genre-bending novel is both a twisty mystery (with a magical Holmes-and-Watson duo) and a complex piece of fantasy world-building. 

The book of Ile-Rien by Martha Wells (2024)

Newly revised and updated, containing two standalone novels set in the sword-and-sorcery world of Ile-Rien. Fans of Wells’ Murderbot series, take note. The Element of Fire is a twisty and action-packed court intrigue, while Death of the Necromancer begins with a simple heist before transforming into a race against ghoulish terrors.

John’s Picks:

You’re the One by Paul Simon (2000)

The tenth studio album by Paul Simon and one that received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.  This made Simon the first artist to achieve a nomination in that category for five consecutive decades.  Though the album contains no singles, it was remastered four years later with three live bonus tracks.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

A romantic heist film starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo and directed by John McTiernan.  It is a remake of the 1968 film starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway (the latter of whom has a small role as Crown’s psychiatrist).   The film tells the story of the cat-and-mouse game between billionaire art thief Crown and insurance investigator Catherine Banning as they fall in love.  Denis Leary costars as an NYPD detective also on Crown’s trail in an attempt to arrest him.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

A musical biopic comedy directed by Eric Appel about the life and career of “Weird” Al Yankovic, who co-wrote the script with Appel.  Based on a 2010 Funny or Die internet skit, the film itself depicts Yankovic’s life with several aspects of it heavily skewered for comedic effect.   Daniel Radcliffe stars as Yankovic while Evan Rachel Wood costars as Madonna.  Yankovic himself cameos as record producer Tony Scotti and provides the singing voice for Radcliffe’s character.  Much like his satirical music, the film is one giant parody of Yankovic’s life and career.

Lauran’s Picks:

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (2023)

In this gothic piece of historical fiction, Néstor has never been able to escape the night he and his love Nena were attacked by a creature straight out of a nightmare. Believing Nena dead, and fearing her family would blame him, Néstor fled. Nena survives the attack, and nine years later the two reunite amid the war brewing between Mexico and the United States. Néstor sees an opportunity to rekindle their relationship— if he can get Nena to understand the reason he left. But the past still haunts them in more ways than one, and the two will have to work together if they want to survive the night.