Netflix and Chilly Season
It’s officially holiday season, and all the hoopla that comes with it is in full swing. In my family, we’re already deep into extensive menu planning and there’s a lot of preferences and taste palettes to tend to. For us, and I’m sure for many others, food is by far the most important part of the holiday and our fridge is always so stuffed, something always falls out when you open the door. Hanukkah begins this Sunday, which mean potato latkes for days, and it’ll be lamb on Christmas Day, which I always look forward to.
In true form, with the holiday season comes holiday season movies...and there’s several to get excited about. Word on the street is that Thanksgiving weekend at the box office was the biggest in history, which is such great news. While there is something so convenient and comfortable about watching a movie at home, the theater is such a glorious social gathering place. I’d really hate to see it go. I’ve always been and continue to be a supporter of the theater --- I get there as often as I can, which is way more than the average person. Plus, the theater is the perfect escape from all that family time over the holidays. You can go alone (which I often prefer) or with family, and the best part is you don’t have to talk! Woooweee, win-win for all. Many of the films I mention below I’ve already brought up in past newsletters, but the time to catch them in theaters is finally upon us. So, be sure to mark your calendars throughout December.
The Favourite is already out, and it’s on the top of my list. While it isn’t based on the book, the story is compelling and humorous and is totally worth mentioning. It’s set in the 18th century and focuses on the close friends and confidants of Queen Anne. When two women get close to the Queen, hilarity ensues as they vie for the Queen’s affection. The cast is remarkably commendable: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult, and it’s already receiving many accolades from the critics. It hit theaters last Friday, November 23rd, but only in limited release. So, if you can’t find a showing near you, rent it when it hits on demand. You can see the trailer here.
The subject of the queen is trending in films, and Mary Queen of Scots hits theaters one week from today: Friday, December 7th. This one is based on a book: QUEEN OF SCOTS: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy and tells the life story of, you guessed it, Mary Queen of Scots. Saoirse Ronan, who I absolutely love and starred in some real cinematic gems like Lady Bird, Brooklyn and On Chesil Beach, plays Mary. Margot Robbie, who is also a personal fave (I Tonya, Suicide Squad, The Wolf of Wall Street), stars as Mary’s cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. The two seem like such an unexpected but very fiesty duo, and I can’t wait to see them together on screen. Check out the trailer here.
The much anticipated Aquaman will finally be released on Friday, December 21st. Based on the DC comic book series of the same name, the film stars Jason Momoa as Aquaman. Nicole Kidman, Amber Heard and Willem Dafoe also star, so it seems like this will be another win for the comic book movie world. James Wan is directing, and his previous works include Saw, The Conjuring and Furious 7. Peep the trailer here.
I predict Vice will be a serious blockbuster and a major contender for the awards season. It comes out on Christmas Day and also has a stellar cast: Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell, Amy Adams and Steve Carell. It tells the story of Dick Cheney’s role as Vice President during the George W. Bush administration. Bale plays Cheney and, in true Bale form, got majorly prepared for the role. Rockwell plays W, Adams plays Cheney’s wife and Carell is Donald Rumsfeld. You’re probably familiar with director Adam McKay’s other work: The Big Short, Anchorman and Step Brothers, to name a few. Point is, this is going to be great, probably super great. The trailer gives me chills every time I watch it because Bale is just phenomenal.
On the Basis of Sex also hits theaters on Christmas Day. Oh gosh, maybe I have to double feature this year. Starring Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the film follows RBG as a young lawyer who works with her husband on a gender discrimination case. Truthfully, this film is definitely not for everyone, but if you’re into RBG and/or legal dramas, you’ll most definitely enjoy it. Watch the trailer here.
When you’re not at the theater this December, you’ll probably be reading. Here’s some new books to check out this week:
Look: it's not the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but it's still a George R. R. Martin book. In FIRE & BLOOD: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History), Martin tells the history of the Targaryen family. Centuries before the events of A GAME OF THRONES, House Targaryen --- the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria --- took up residence on Dragonstone. FIRE & BLOOD begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart. What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel.
In KILLING COMMENDATORE by Haruki Murakami, a thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a previously unseen painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious 13-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist’s home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors.
Elie Wiesel --- a Nobel laureate, activist, adviser to world leaders, and the author of more than 40 books --- taught at Boston University for nearly four decades. With this book WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom, Ariel Burger --- devoted protégé, apprentice and friend --- takes us into the sacred space of Wiesel’s classroom. There, Wiesel challenged his students to explore moral complexity and to resist the dangerous lure of absolutes. In bringing together never-before-recounted moments between Wiesel and his students, WITNESS serves as a moral education in and of itself --- a primer on educating against indifference, on the urgency of memory and individual responsibility, and on the role of literature, music and art in making the world a more compassionate place.
Happy watching and reading!
5 Things To Obsess About This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is getting a sequel
2. If you're a Ferrante fan, read these seven books on female friendship
3. Moulin Rouge is coming to Broadway
4. Netflix is adapting many Roald Dahl books
5. Idris Elba is People's Sexiest Man Alive
Until next time,
Nicole Sherman
THE COLORS OF ALL THE CATTLE: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (19) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Lisette Lecat
When Mma Potokwane suggests to Mma Ramotswe that she run for a seat on the Gaborone City Council, Mma Ramotswe is at first reluctant. But when she learns that developers plan to build the flashy Big Fun Hotel next to a graveyard, she allows herself to be persuaded. Her opponent is none other than Mma Makutsi’s old nemesis, Violet Sephotho, who is in the pocket of the hotel developers. Meanwhile, Mma Ramotswe has acquired a new client: one of her late father’s old friends, who was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Charlie volunteers to be the lead investigator in the case to prove he’s ready to be more than an apprentice, as well as to impress a new girlfriend. Reviewed by Amie Taylor.
DEAD IN THE DARK: A Cooper & Fry Mystery by Stephen Booth (Mystery)
Ten years ago, Reece Bower was accused of killing his wife, a crime he always denied. Extensive police searches near his home found no trace of Annette Bower's remains, and the case against him collapsed. But now memories of the original investigation have been resurrected for Detective Inspector Ben Cooper --- because Reece Bower himself has disappeared, and his new wife wants answers. Cooper can't call on the Major Crime Unit and DS Diane Fry for help unless he can prove that a murder took place --- which is impossible without a body. As his search moves into the caves and abandoned mines in the isolated depths of Lathkilldale, the question is: Who would want revenge for the death of Annette Bower? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
FIRE & BLOOD: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History) written by George R. R. Martin, illustrated by Doug Wheatley (Fantasy)
Audiobook available, read by Simon Vance
Centuries before the events of A GAME OF THRONES, House Targaryen --- the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria --- took up residence on Dragonstone. FIRE & BLOOD begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart. What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman and Stephen Hubbard.
FIRST THE THUNDER by Randall Silvis (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Will Damron
Products of their run-down Pennsylvania mining town, three brothers grapple with their lives in decline. Harvey drives a delivery truck; Stevie works odd jobs; and Will is a struggling bar owner whose wife, Laci, is edging toward desperation when her boss offers her more money…for a price. Then, in this tight circle where prosperity is rare --- and hope, even rarer --- comes a breaking point in a simple but indefensible slight. When Harvey gets shafted by his brother-in-law in a deal over a vintage Indian motorcycle, he enlists the help of Stevie and Will to set things right. But the revenge plan goes awry, and the three men stumble upon a shocking secret that, if revealed, would upend their lives. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
FUGITIVE RED by Jason Starr (Thriller)
Jack and Maria live in a claustrophobic Manhattan apartment with their eight-year-old son. While they both love Jonah, they don’t seem to have much else in common. When Jack finds out about a new extramarital dating app, he quickly meets Sophia, who goes by the online name Fugitive Red. Jack and Sophia hit it off and have a steamy online affair. When Jack agrees to rendezvous with Sophia at her townhouse, he discovers her dead and immediately becomes a person of interest in the murder. Convinced that Sophia’s husband is the killer, Jack sets out to prove his innocence and save his marriage. Instead, he leaves a trail of dead bodies in his wake. Worse, he discovers that he has been the victim of a sinister scheme that may cost him his life. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
IN THE GALWAY SILENCE: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gerry O'Brien
After much tragedy and violence, Jack Taylor has a new woman in his life, a freshly bought apartment, and little sign of trouble on the horizon. Once again, though, trouble comes to him, this time in the form of a wealthy Frenchman who wants Jack to investigate the double-murder of his twin sons. Meanwhile, Jack is roped into looking after his girlfriend’s nine-year-old son, and is in for a shock with the appearance of a character out of his past. The plot is one big chess game, and all of the pieces seem to be moving at the behest of one dangerously mysterious player: a vigilante called “Silence,” because he’s the last thing his victims will ever hear. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
KILLING COMMENDATORE written by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Kirby Heyborne
A thirty-something portrait painter in Tokyo is abandoned by his wife and finds himself holed up in the mountain home of a famous artist, Tomohiko Amada. When he discovers a previously unseen painting in the attic, he unintentionally opens a circle of mysterious circumstances. To close it, he must complete a journey that involves a mysterious ringing bell, a two-foot-high physical manifestation of an Idea, a dapper businessman who lives across the valley, a precocious 13-year-old girl, a Nazi assassination attempt during World War II in Vienna, a pit in the woods behind the artist’s home, and an underworld haunted by Double Metaphors. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
LONG ROAD TO MERCY: An Atlee Pine Thriller by David Baldacci (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley and Kyf Brewer
When one of the Grand Canyon's mules is found stabbed to death at the bottom of the canyon --- and its rider missing --- FBI agent Atlee Pine is called in to investigate. It soon seems clear that the lost tourist had something more clandestine than sightseeing in mind. But just as Pine begins to put together clues pointing to a terrifying plot, she's abruptly called off the case. If she disobeys direct orders by continuing to search for the missing man, it will mean the end of her career. But unless Pine keeps working the case and discovers the truth, it could spell the very end of democracy in America as we know it. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Fiction/Dark Humor)
Audiobook available, read by Adepero Oduye
Korede’s sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she's exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she's willing to go to protect her. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
NIGHT OF MIRACLES by Elizabeth Berg (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Elizabeth Berg
Lucille Howard is getting on in years, but she stays busy. Thanks to the inspiration of her dearly departed friend Arthur Truluv, she has begun to teach baking classes. Her classes have become so popular that she’s hired Iris, a new resident of Mason, Missouri, as an assistant. Iris doesn’t know how to bake, but she needs to keep her mind off a big decision she sorely regrets. When a new family moves in next door and tragedy strikes, Lucille begins to look out for Lincoln, their son. Lincoln’s parents aren’t the only ones in town facing hard choices and uncertain futures. In these difficult times, the residents of Mason come together and find the true power of community --- just when they need it the most. Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.
NIGHTTOWN: A Junior Bender Mystery by Timothy Hallinan (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Berkrot
Los Angeles burglar Junior Bender and his girlfriend, Ronnie, are in desperate need of cash to hire a kidnapper to snatch Ronnie’s two-year-old son back from her ex. A nameless woman in an orange wig has offered Junior 50 grand to break into the abandoned house of a recently deceased 97-year-old recluse, Daisy Horton, and steal a doll from her collection. Junior figures there must be something hidden inside the doll that can get him in a heap of trouble. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that he’s not the only one looking for the doll. When an old friend ends up murdered, Junior decides he will stop at nothing to figure out who the woman in the orange wig is, and why she wants the doll badly enough to leave a trail of bodies in her wake. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Caroline Lee
Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can’t even admit to themselves. Frances Welty, the formerly bestselling romantic novelist, arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back and a broken heart. The person who intrigues her most is the strange and charismatic owner/director of the resort. Could this person really have the answers Frances didn’t even know she was seeking? Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer ---- or should she run while she still can? It’s not long before every guest at Tranquillum House is asking the same question. Reviewed by Leah DeCesare (www.leahdecesare.com).
QUARTERBACK: Inside the Most Important Position in the National Football League by John Feinstein (Sports)
Audiobook available, read by John Feinstein
In the National Football League, one player becomes the face of a franchise, one player receives all the accolades and all the blame, and one player's hand will guide the rise or fall of an entire team's season --- and the dreams of millions of fans. There are 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL on any given Sunday, and their lives are built around pressure, stardom and incredible talent. Legendary bestselling sportswriter John Feinstein shows readers what it's really like to play the glory position and to live that life --- mapping out a journey that runs from college stardom to the NFL draft to taking command of the huddle and marching a team down the field with a nation of fans cheering. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
SOMEONE LIKE ME by M. R. Carey (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Robin Miles
Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home. But there's another side to Liz --- one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme. And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating. Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin.
TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Andre Blake
A leader has fallen, and Alex Cross joins the procession of mourners from Capitol Hill to the White House. Then a sniper's bullet strikes a target in the heart of DC. Alex Cross' wife, Bree Stone, newly elevated chief of DC detectives, must solve the case or lose her position. The Secret Service and the FBI deploy as well in the race to find the shooter. Alex is tasked by the new President to lead an investigation unprecedented in scale and scope. But is the sniper's strike only the beginning of a larger attack on the nation? Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
A THOUSAND DOORS: An Anthology of Many Lives edited by J.T. Ellison (Fiction/Anthology)
Forty-year-old Mia Jensen is home after a terrible day, trying to figure out how she's come to this point in her life, when she hears a strange noise from the kitchen. She investigates, only to be brutally attacked and left for dead. As she dies, she experiences some of the lives that could have been hers had she only made a different choice. Can one woman can find peace with the path she's chosen before it slips through her fingers forever? Through the unique voices of New York Times bestsellers and rising stars in women's fiction, A THOUSAND DOORS examines how our smallest decisions can create lasting effects, and allows the thought Can we actually change our lives? Reviewed by Rebecca Wasniak.
THE THREE BETHS by Jeff Abbott (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ellen Archer
My mom would never leave me. This has been Mariah Dunning's motto. So when she glimpses her mother --- who's been missing for the past year --- on the other side of a food court, Mariah's conviction becomes stronger than ever. Or is she losing her mind? When Beth Dunning disappeared without a trace, suspicion for her murder immediately fell upon Mariah's father. Until Mariah stumbles upon two other recent disappearances from Lakehaven. And all three women had the same name: Beth. Mariah would give anything to find out what happened to her mother and clear her father's name. But the truth may be more devastating than she could have imagined. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
WITNESS: Lessons from Elie Wiesel’s Classroom by Ariel Burger (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Jason Culp
Elie Wiesel --- a Nobel laureate, activist, adviser to world leaders, and the author of more than 40 books --- taught at Boston University for nearly four decades. With this book, Ariel Burger --- devoted protégé, apprentice and friend --- takes us into the sacred space of Wiesel’s classroom. There, Wiesel challenged his students to explore moral complexity and to resist the dangerous lure of absolutes. In bringing together never-before-recounted moments between Wiesel and his students, WITNESS serves as a moral education in and of itself --- a primer on educating against indifference, on the urgency of memory and individual responsibility, and on the role of literature, music and art in making the world a more compassionate place. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
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