In Plymouth,Michigan two librarians have decided to wage war on these books and started “weeding”out those books whose 15 minutes of shelf time should have been over years ago. The women,Mary and Holly,not only go through and weed out thier library’s dead books but they created a website dedicated to blogging about the books they pull,but also about the pitched battles they wage with dust bunnies and the spiders who make those books home. Okay,so maybe I am a little dramatic about the battle part,but you get the point.
   Pulling these books not only frees up space but I’m sure thanks to the website and a recent appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show,new fresh and more exciting reading material is on its way to the Plymouth Library.

To learn more about these two book crusaders,I posted the website below.

http://awfullibrarybooks.wordpress.com/

    Way back when,I was a faithful watcher of “JAG” on CBS. Okay,I watched it for two reasons,because I enjoyed watching Donald Bellisario produced series,especially “Airwolf”. And of course,the other reason was the lovely Catherine Bell. The series about military lawyers was well cast,had great stories and never seemed old. It never jumped the shark or wore out its welcome.
   But the cast and the years on the air seemed to be catching up with “JAG” so Bellisario came up with a backdoor plot for a new series about Navy agents called “NCIS”.  It was a hit and CBS greenlit it for a Sept 2003 start.  The very talented but sort of snakebit Mark Harmon was cast as Jethro Gibbs and the show hit the ground running. Which was good considering Harmon’s track record of shows which had failed with him as the main lead,including the very underated “240 Robert”.
   But Donald Bellisario is a mastermind of casting and NCIS was no exception. Every year,the show and the ratings have gotten stronger despite major cast changes (i.e. Sasha Alexander and Lauren Holly).
   And in May of 2007,Bellisario himself left the show after a dispute w/Harmon over working conditions. It didn’t effect the show and adding Cote De Pablo and especially Rocky Carroll to replace Alexander and Holly only have made the whole show even stronger.

  And so using the same method as “JAG” to introduce “NCIS”,a backdoor plot (a show within a show,designed to test how well the viewers will like new faces/plotlines),”NCIS: Los Angeles” was created.
   As the title says,the new team is based in Los Angeles. The cast is pretty strong with Chris O’Donnell,LL Cool J and Linda Hunt being the 3 big guns. Young relatively unknown actors help fill out the rest of the team.

    I have watched the first six shows and while I think once again,the casting is flawless,I am finding myself wanting some holes patched up.
  The team of Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J is perfect. The chemistry and chrisma between these two lead actors,you think they had known each other for years. Both have dark pasts and while the show has tried to clone O’ Donnell’s “Callen” after Mark Harmon’s Gibbs as a man with a unspeakble past….letting the viewer actually catch glimpses of it (foster homes,emotional trust issues,a wife who was killed) only makes him a much more fun character to watch.
    What I have really liked is the give and take of Callen with the team’s resident shrink, Nate “Doc”Getz. There is a real edge in these two dynamic that really will be fun to explore as the writing and series matures.
 One big plus for NCIS:Los Angeles is both more action and not being afraid to use other characters from NCIS to move a plotline along.
  Of course,sometimes its a bit overdone….like bursting into a house EVERY show so far with guns drawn,with no real purpose.  
   And the biggest drawbacks are twofold,the lack of direction for Hunt’s base operation manager. She comes across more like Edna Mole from “The Incredibles” then a shrewed and skilled agent who has seen and done it all. Surely she can do then sample tea and play “Q”.
  The reliance of quick fixes is also hampering. Calling up and finding everyone’s business via computers sort of weakens the field agents. If finding out all the main answers is at the flick of a mouse or keyboard,then why the need for a field team? Having to depend on one’s own wit and experience to get answers makes for far more interesting viewing. 

  But again,I think as the show matures and finds its way,we’ll see less glamour and more brain/instinct based deductions by Callen and Sam Hanna. And what a great ride this will be.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis_los_angeles/

  I picked this up on one of my Dollar Tree book runs. I was caught by the cover and the tagline:

“A deadly drunk driver,a grieving young mother,and their astonishing true story of tragedy and forgiveness”.

  So I bought this book,went home,fixed some coffee and was blown away on so many levels.
   On 25 March 2000,Audrey Kishline,who had achieved national fame as the founder of Moderation Management,a group which taught drinking is ok IF you do it with moderation and control,got behind the wheel of her truck and while driving the wrong way on a cold wintery I-90 in Washington,hit and murdered two people.
   The people killed were Sheryl Maloy’s 12 year old daughter,LaShell and her ex-husband,Danny.

  This book chronicles the impact both before,during and after this terrible act of violence and the aftermath.
  Both women take turns in writing chapters,sharing how they grew up and what led them to that fateful night.
   Audrey’s story is the most compelling..she up grew up a promising ballet dancer. But when she gave it up and moved to live with her father.

 Audrey writes that when she started working for her dad,thats when her drinking started in ernest. It continued after she met and married her husband Brian and increased as time went despite the public image she had as founder of MM.
   Sheryl’s story of growing to adulthood is also a difficult one.  Despite marrying a good military man,events and a hateful family conspired to keep Sheryl was complete happiness. Danny and Sheryl embraced a Christian lifestyle but mistrust and deceit by Sheryl’s family helped end her marriage.

Both women continued to go different directions,Audrey went deeper into the botttle while Sheryl worked hard towards giving Danny and her another chance. It was a little rocky but at the time of the murders,the future looked bright for Sheryl. Her faith and grace were going to be put to the ultimate test.

    Audrey writes about her life after the murders. Due to Washngton laws at the time,she only spent 4 and a half years in prison total for BOTH Danny and LaShell. She writes on what prison was like for her and her family.
   When Sheryl decided she needed to see Audrey to forgive her,it felt right. Despite being warned not to do it,her faith in God helps her reach a peace that is so rarely,ever seen. The bittersweet meeting in jail does wonders for both women on different levels.
   The end of the book recounts how Audrey and Sheryl have become good friends and how Sheryl’s forgiveness has helped her heal. Audrey is not so lucky as she even today struggles with her inability to stop drinking.

I guess as a reader and a victim of a crime like Sheryl was,its the both the forgiveness and the sad fact that that Kishline mocks Danny and LaShell’s deaths by still drinking to really strikes a chord. Why would anyone w/not only a 2nd chance but also forgiveness by her victim,continue to do the same things that led to those deaths.
There are no  easy answers..

Highly recommended.

Not recommended.

  A nice bonus is former Garbage singer Shirley Manson (who also starrred in the series) chips in a song,”Samson and Delilah” that works much better then the other song contributed by Bear’s brother,Brendan.

This is a must have for fans of the Terminator series and well worth checking out even if you are not.

Recommended.

One of the best albums of the year.

www.Teymusic.com

  Born Noel Scott Engel in Ohio in 1943,he first came to the attention of famed crooner Eddie Fisher in the late 1950s. Walker became one of the musicians to master the electric bass guitar and became in-demand session/studio player.
   While the band The Walker Brothers was formed in 1964 in Los Angeles,it was only when they moved to the UK that the band really took off with a bang.
   The band had many major hits in UK and the US and produced 3 very well recieved albums before breaking up in 1967.

Following that,Walker recorded many solo albums but never recaptured the original buzz the band had going. 
   Finally in 1975,the band reunited and released 3 more albums. But the magic was gone and with lukewarm sales,they broke up again 1978.
  After that Walker continued to make music but quietly went from the public’s eye. But his music helped influenced many of our greatest singers including David Bowie,Marc Almond and Radiohead.

   In 2006,filmaker Stephen Kijak released a documentary about Scott Walker and his 30 years of music. The film was very well reviewed and the soundtrack features a slew of very interesting singers covering some of Scott’s songs.
    In listening to this ballad driven album,its easy to see why Walker is so well respected. His songs are warm,dramatic and full of the story.
  Standout cuts include Bee and Flower covering “The Bridge” and the very cool Laurie Anderson singing ”The Electrican” one of Scott’s most well known songs.
     Releasing only 3 albums since 1980 caused Walker’s gift to fade with time with only baby boomer remembering The Walker Brothers’s heyday.
   But now a new generation of artists have turned the spotlight back on a truly gifted songwriter. Take the time to re-discover Scott Walker,this soundtrack is a excellent jumping off point.

highly recommended.