January 2009 Staff PicksLike this list

15 items

• The Black Tower

  Bayard, Louis

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  Post-Revolutionary France turns out to be an ideal setting for a historical mystery thriller because the characters have all lived through such interesting times - and they also have many motivations to keep secrets. As the French Republic settles…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Good Omens

  the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

  Gaiman, Neil

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  The end of the world is near. Actually, it will occur next Saturday, according to the prophetess, Agnes Nutter, Witch. As the day approaches, the forces of good and evil gather for one final showdown. Among their ranks are the four bikers of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Love You More Than You Know

  Ames, Jonathan

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  Jonathan Ames could possibly be funnier than David Sedaris. He’s Sedaris with an edge. This collection of essays chronicles his misadventures as a working writer. Ames’ stories range from the ridiculous to the heart wrenching. He will have you…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Out Stealing Horses

  Petterson, Per, 1952-

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  Quiet and melancholy as only the frozen north can be, this Norwegian novel has a way of creeping up on you. We follow Trond, a solitary man nearing 70 who has relocated to a small cabin in a remote rural village. Living alone with only a dog for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Grapes of Wrath

  Steinbeck, John, 1902-1968

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  Steinbeck's classic is the story of the Joad family, tenant farmers from Oklahoma who lose their farm in 1939. Lured by a flyer that promises farm work at good wages in California, the Joads set out to find a better future. However, at the end of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families

  Stories From Rwanda

  Gourevitch, Philip, 1961-

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  Gourevitch won the National Book Critics Circle Award for his chronicle of the Rwandan genocide in We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories From Rwanda, which is drawn from the author’s own astute observations…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning

  Bright Eyes (Musical group)

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  Bright Eyes released I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn simultaneously in 2005 to mixed reviews. More praise was heaped on the folksy I'm Wide Awake than the experimental Digital Ash. Conor Oberst, singer/songwriter and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society

  Kinks (Musical group)

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  Released in 1968, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society was a commercial flop and is musically out of step when situated next to The Beatles (White Album) and the Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet. And as different as it is to other…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tigermilk

  Belle and Sebastian (Musical group)

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  The debut album from Belle and Sebastian, which was originally released with a run of 1,000 vinyl copies, transformed a group of unknown young Scots into indie heroes. Not surprisingly, it was rereleased in 1999. The ten songs on the album written…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Volume 1

  She & Him

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  She’s indie actress Zooey Deschanel. He’s musician Matt Ward. Volume One is their joint effort: a surprisingly warm, understated pop album. The songs were written by Deschanel, with the exception of a few covers. “I Was Made For You” and “Sweet…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Devil Wears Prada

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  Meryl Streep deserves yet another Oscar nomination for her delicious turn as Miranda Priestly, the wicked Devil of the title, aka the boss from hell. Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a young journalism grad trying to break into the magazine business,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lonesome Jim

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  What’s a 27-year-old guy afflicted with chronic despair and stuck in a nowhere job to do? In Jim’s case the answer is to go back home to small town Indiana to have a nervous break down. Problem is, while he loves his family, he really doesn’t like…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Persepolis

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  The animated film of Marjane Strapi’s graphic memoir uses the predominantly black and white images in the same style as her book and not surprisingly, Satrapi worked closely with director Vincent Paronnaud on the potent and intelligent film. A…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sophie Scholl

  die letzten Tage

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  Oscar nominated Sophie Scholl: Final Days is an exquisite and moving dramatization of the final days of the White Rose, a Nazi resistance a group composed primarily of university students. The White Rose operated between 1942 and early in 1943 as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The edge of Heaven

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  Director Fatih Akin is a rising star of world cinema, a German wunderkind of Turkish descent whose best films are about the collision of East and West. His stories about Turkish-German characters raise interesting questions about the complex…Read moreRead more of this annotation