July 2008 Staff PicksLike this list

16 items

• Being Committed

  a Novel

  Maxted, Anna

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  Hannah’s boyfriend Jason has just proposed, but she has politely declined. She soon regrets it when he becomes engaged to the girl next door. Jason agrees to give Hannah a second chance, but only if she agrees to his terms. Hannah grudgingly accepts…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Black Swan Green

  a Novel

  Mitchell, David (David Stephen)

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  In this touching, funny coming-of-age tale set in the English Midland, 13-year-old Jason Taylor struggles with a stammer so diabolical that it becomes a character in its own right. (It even has a name: "Hangman"). Set in 1982 and peppered with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Child 44

  Smith, Tom Rob

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  A conflicted State Security officer in post-WWII Russia makes for an unusually sympathetic character in Smith's debut novel. Stalinist Russia is officially a society without crime, but when Leo Demidov discovers what looks like a series of brutal…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mom's Cancer

  Fies, Brian

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  When journalist Brian Fies's mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, he kept a journal recording his family's emotional roller-coaster ride through diagnosis, treatment and care. First published as a web comic strip, the story was a great success,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Revolutions

  Kunzru, Hari, 1969-

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  It’s 1998 and Michael Frame is living quietly in the suburbs with his wife and her daughter. But Michael Frame has a hidden past that neither his wife nor stepdaughter are aware of and an acquaintance from the past, who knows him not as Michael…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Outlander

  Adamson, Gil,

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  Adamson’s debut is an engrossing adventure novel that takes place in the Rockies in 1903. After killing her husband, nineteen year-old Mary Boulton is on the run from her two brother-in-laws who are on her trail. Encountering number of both…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

  Foo Fighters (Musical group)

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  Those of us who grew up with records know the importance of the opening track on an album. It's a greeting and a promise, an aural handshake that sets the stage for things to come. Listening to the new Grammy-winning album from the Foo Fighters on…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everything All the Time

  Band of Horses (Musical group)

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  Band of Horses can best be described as atmospheric and understated. While being lumped under the indie rock banner, their sound is refreshing. The songs are melodic and thoughtful without being mopey. These guys even throw in some nice guitar work…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Flying Club Cup

  Beirut (Musical group)

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  A departure from the gypsy infused music of Gulag Orkestar, Beriut's second full-length album, Flying Club Cup, Zach Condon draws on the music and culture of France. Recorded in Arcade Fire's masonic church studio the album displays a decidedly more…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lust Lust Lust

  Raveonettes (Musical group)

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  Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, but raised on classic American 60s rock, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo craft simple, sweet vocal harmonies reminiscent of the Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly and set them in songs lasting under three minutes, like…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• OK Computer

  Radiohead (Musical group)

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  Radiohead is cited as an influence by just about every indie band in and out of the UK, and OK Computer finds them at the peak of their powers. Anchored as usual by the dreamy tenor of Thom Yorke and the sparkling guitars of the Greenwood brothers,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Queen

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  A discerning character study, Stephen Frears’ The Queen uses the perfect backdrop of the election of Prime Minister Tony Blair and the death of Princess Diana to highlight the disconnect between Elizabeth II and her subjects. After the shocking…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Serenity

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  When 17-year-old telepath River Tam escapes from the government facility where she was being trained as a weapon, she and her brother take shelter with a crew of mercenaries on a starship called Serenity. The crew of Serenity are not strangers to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sweeney Todd. The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

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  When you hear the words "movie musical", do you click your heels for joy or run for the hills? If you tend to be in the first camp, then Stephen Sondheim should be a familiar name. Known for challenging the traditional musical, he never went darker…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Volver

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  Penelope Cruz shines in Pedro Almodovar’s latest tale of women’s lives. Cruz plays the strong and beautiful Raimunda. After the unexpected death of her deadbeat husband Raimunda must figure out how to look after her self and her daughter’s future…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Witchfinder General

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  Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a former One Book One Chicago selection, dealt with the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century, but such events happened throughout Europe as well. Michael Reeves' 1968 film is very loosely…Read moreRead more of this annotation