Posted in Dark humor, Documentary, Jinker's Picks on May 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Warning: you will be laughing your head off five minutes into this movie and probably won’t stop until the credits roll. The subject is not humorous, but the production delivers the facts in a tongue-in-cheek manner which is extremely entertaining.
This is a documentary about the introduction and spread of the Toad Bufo Marinus in [...]
Posted in Jinker's Picks, Mysteries, Plot on April 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Agatha Christie is the Queen of the Golden Age detective novel. Although she did not invent the formula — a murder occurring within a small group of intimates, all of whom have a motive for the crime, and the intervention of an übersleuth with insights far superior to those of the plodding police — she [...]
Posted in Audiobook, Characters, Jinker's Picks, Mysteries, Quirky characters on April 29, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I thought it would be interesting to blog this title because the premise is so bizarre. I wasn’t looking forward to reading it, though. I’m not crazy about the idea of animals as sleuths. I was pleasantly surprised, however. Three Bags Full is not cutesy but quite tongue-in-cheek. The sheep act, for the most part, [...]
Posted in Audiobook, Characters, Jinker's Picks, Mysteries on April 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is Chief Inspector Armand Gamache’s fourth outing in Penny’s Three Pines Mystery series. This time the milieu is not the Village of Three Pines but the Manoir Bellechasse, an isolated, luxurious Quebec country inn. Gamache and his wife are there enjoying a relaxing 30th anniversary vacation, which is rudely interrupted by the murder of [...]
Posted in Historical Nonfiction, Jinker's Picks, Nonfiction, True Crime on April 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Here in Williamsburg, we’re all familiar with George Wythe. He lived here for 30 years and his original house still stands in Colonial Williamsburg. He’s known as a Williamsburg representative to the House of Burgesses, an early proponent of American independence, first Virginia signer of the Declaration of Independence, a delegate to the Continental Congress, [...]
Posted in Books, Children's, Jinker's Picks, Readers' advisory on March 14, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I adore this book for three reasons: (1) It is beautifully illustrated (2) Walter reminds me of my dog (3) Farts are hilarious!
Many may consider fart books puerile; however, there is more to this book than simple canine flatulence. Walter teaches us the value of tolerance and unconditional love. Yes, the same point could be [...]
Posted in Adventure, Books, Jinker's Picks, Readers' advisory, Setting on March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Nothing makes you appreciate your mundane existence more than a good Everest disaster narrative. Yes, your life may be boring, but at least you’re not alone on the highest peak in the world suffering from hypoxia, cerebral edema, or simply freezing to death.
High Crimes is an expose of the corruption of Mount Everest anchored by [...]
Posted in Books, Jinker's Picks, Mysteries, Quirky characters, Readers' advisory, Setting on March 12, 2008 | 2 Comments »
I came across this little gem on WRL’s shelves recently as I was processing a no-use report for the mystery collection. Books on this list have not been checked out in two years or more and are prime candidates for weeding from the collection. As I leafed through this particular book, I was overcome by [...]
Posted in Books, Jinker's Picks, Memoir, Nonfiction, Readers' advisory on March 11, 2008 | 4 Comments »
At the age of 12, Howard Dully underwent a trans-orbital (through the eye sockets) lobotomy at the behest of his stepmother, who could not cope with his behavioral problems. In frank and straightforward language, Dully (now 52) describes his dysfunctional family background in the years leading up to the procedure. He then relates the story [...]
Posted in Adventure, Books, Jinker's Picks, Nonfiction, Readers' advisory on March 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
In July 1967, a group of 12 men attempted to summit Alaska’s Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America. At one point the expedition split into two groups, with one meeting a tragic fate. The surviving group included the expedition’s leader, Joe Wilcox, who some blamed for the tragedy. Tabor, onetime contributor to Outside [...]
