This week we are pleased to welcome back staff from the WRL Circulation Services Division to BFGB. Today’s review comes from Mandy Malone, who opens the week with an exciting and thought-provoking thriller.

Upon finishing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I set the book aside, shook my head, and muttered my frustration with Stieg Larsson. Not because I was unhappy with the book, far from it. Rather, I was caught off guard by how much the novel engaged me on an intellectual level, and how reaching the last page filled me with an unexpected sense of loss and despair – a reaction I don‘t typically have when I read a book. I could only react with bemused frustration towards the author who evoked such emotions.

Set in Larsson’s native Sweden, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo begins with a premise that seems simple enough, at least on the surface. For more than 40 years, an octogenarian industrialist named Henrik Vanger has been haunted by the disappearance of his beloved great-niece Harriet. Vanger is convinced that Harriet was murdered and he wants to make one last effort to solve the mystery. He asks Mikael Blomkvist, an outspoken journalist recently convicted of libel, to reexamine the case and, hopefully, find the solution. Blomkvist is skeptical about the case, but in addition to a handsome fee, the bait Vanger dangles before him makes the offer too good to pass up. Vanger has information that will enable Blomkvist to clear himself in the libel case. As Blomkvist’s investigation proceeds, he crosses paths with Lisbeth Salander, whose backstory forms the other part of the narrative. Salander, who may be one of the most compelling anti-heroines of contemporary literature, is a 24-year-old pierced and tattooed genius computer hacker who works as a researcher for a security company. She’s also sullen and almost pathologically antisocial and has been under court ordered guardianship since she was a teenager. The character is frequently compared to a disturbing Pippi Longstocking. Together, Blomkvist and Salander uncover a legacy of dark family secrets with links to a series of unsolved murders, untangle a complicated web of financial corruption, and forge a unique personal connection.

Aside from Larsson’s complex plot and characters, what I found myself contemplating long after I finished the book were its themes of free will and personal responsibility, particularly when it comes to criminal activity. Larsson’s villains commit horrific acts, and Blomkvist and Salander are often at odds as to whether or not an offender’s behavior is shaped by their background. Blomkvist believes that criminal behavior is largely influenced by societal forces and/or upbringing; Salander vehemently disagrees, believing that wrongdoing is a matter of choice regardless of the offender‘s background. “It’s as if we no longer believe anyone has a will of their own,” she says at one point. While Salander herself exacts revenge on certain characters in the novel, she only targets those who commit evil acts. I like it when a book offers themes I can really sink my teeth into, and I was pleasantly surprised I found it with this book.

Larsson died after completing this book and two sequels, The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest (due out in June 2010).

Check the WRL catalog for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Clue could possibly be my favorite movie of all time. It’s at least in the top 10. Excluding the original Star Wars trilogy, it is certainly the movie I’ve seen the most times, and it was one of my first VHS tapes (back when they cost an arm and a leg). A news reporter happened to mention that her daughter loved watching Clue at sleepovers and my mom thought I might like it. When it comes to board games, we’ve always been a Clue-playing family. The movie industry isn’t particularly known for movies based on board games, but this movie transcends the game, and is wonderful in ways that have nothing to do with Colonel Mustard in the Hall with the Revolver. It is very entertaining and the actors’ performances will keep you laughing throughout, particularly those by Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn.

The movie follows the basic premise of the game. Mr. Body winds up dead at a dinner party attended by all the usual color-coded suspects. So, whodunit? It could be any of our six main characters, or the maid, cook, butler, or any of the passers-by that seem to keep ringing the mansion’s doorbell. As Wadsworth the butler puts it, “We all had the opportunity, we all had a motive.” Everyone proclaims their innocence, and when they split up to search the house for someone else who could have done it, more bodies begin to pile up. The movie really takes off when Wadsworth proclaims, “Very well, I know who did it. And furthermore I’m going to tell you how it was all done.” From there the movie becomes a hilarious high speed re-creation of the events of the evening leading up to the capture and arrest of the murderer or murderers. When originally released, movie theaters received one of three possible endings, all of which are included on the DVD.

Check the WRL catalog for Clue.

Anthony Horowitz may be best known in the book world for his Alex Rider adventures. I, however, first became aware of him through his Diamond Brothers Mystery series. Set in London, the books are narrated by Nick Diamond, kid brother to “detective” Tim Diamond. I put detective in quotes because he is rarely able to actually detect anything. His real name is Herbert Timothy Simple, and he was fired from the police force before becoming a private eye. Although Nick is the younger brother, he is the real brains of the operation.

Their first story is The Falcon’s Malteser, an obvious play on the Maltese Falcon. It is the story of a box of Maltesers, or malted milk balls, that once belonged to a criminal by the name of The Falcon. See what Horowitz did there? The box is left in the care of Tim, but when the man who pays him to look after it turns up dead, Tim is suddenly a suspect. Nick must take over the case to prove Tim’s innocence, protect the box of Maltesers from all of the shady characters after it, and discover why The Falcon prized a box of candy so much. It is an update on a classic noir, with mystery, suspense, and humor.

Check the WRL catalog for The Falcon’s Malteser.

There is something a bit meta about blogging about a DVD about blogging, but I’m doing it anyway. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog was originally released as a series of three 15 minute webisodes created by Joss Whedon (of Buffy-fame) during the writers’ strike. It has now been released as a DVD and is definitely worth checking out. It features the acting and singing talents of Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible, an aspiring super villain. He blogs (and sings) about his efforts to become a member of the Evil League of Evil, his nemesis Captain Hammer, played by Firefly’s Nathan Fillion, and his love for fellow laundromat user Penny.

Dr. Horrible’s current attempt to join the Evil League includes the creation of a Freeze Ray (“It’s not a Death Ray or an Ice Beam, that’s all Johnny Snow”) that will freeze time. When things don’t go quite as planned, word comes down from the Evil League that his application will be denied unless he kills someone.

Dr. Horrible is unbelievably funny, touching, heart-wrenching, and has catchy songs, too. The DVD features a sing-along commentary track and fan-created Evil League of Evil video applications which are, in some cases, just as funny as the blog they were inspired by.  Perhaps the most important lesson to be learned from Dr. Horrible’s blog is to be careful what you say on your video blog, since both your nemesis and the police could be watching!

Check the WRL catalog for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

Strange things happen to Meridian Sozu. Her biggest problem does not come from boys, homework, or an unhappy family life. Her biggest problem is the fact that animals tend to drop dead around her. She believes she is causing their deaths, but in truth they just seem to find her when it is their time. Her problem was limited to animals until her sixteenth birthday. On her way home from the bus stop, a car crash occurs that kills many of her classmates. She is uninjured, but has a painful physical reaction to the event. As the strange pains send her to the brink of unconsciousness, Meridian is swept up by her parents and rushed to the bus station. This is not exactly a typical parental reaction, and it becomes clear that her mom and dad have not been entirely honest with her. They send her to live under the care of her aunt, saying that they love her, but that they will probably never see her again. Not the happiest of birthdays. But this significant birthday is the key to her new life. She is beginning to come into her powers as a Fenestra.

Your next question is bound to be the same one Meridian posed when she first heard the term…what is a Fenestra? A Fenestra is a half-angel, half-human hybrid, whose job it is to help souls cross over for the Creator. She must learn how to control her ability, or the pain she felt after the car crash will eventually kill her. Her aunt, who also happens to be a Fenestra, will train her with the assistance of a young man named Tens, who has been somehow cosmically chosen to be Meridian’s protector.

In their efforts to train Meridian, her aunt and Tens are up against a few deadlines. In addition to avoiding her own death, Meridian must learn to wield her new powers quickly to fight a new threat that is looming in town. If there are angels around to help souls cross for the Creator, there are also those whose job it is to send souls to the Destroyer, called Aternocti. They are hoping to destroy Meridian before she can fully control her powers.

A battle is looming between the Fenestra and Aternocti, and Meridian is caught in the middle. Author Amber Kizer has clearly spent much time developing the story of Meridian’s world. Meridian and the reader both learn about her abilities and the history of the Fenestra together as the story unfolds. Look for a sequel in 2011.

Check the WRL catalog for Meridian.

“There’s 104 days of summer vacation, and school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to spend it. Like maybe…”

So begins the theme song of the Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb. Phineas and Ferb are brothers with a perpetual summer of fun at their fingertips. Phineas is the verbal idea man, devising the most out-of-this-world projects and plans. Ferb is the softspoken man of action who can make it, build it, and bring the plans to life. Their sister, Candace, is on a lifelong mission to “bust her brothers,” which means she wants her parents, specifically her mother, to catch the boys in the act and punish them. Their pet platypus, Perry, has a secret identity as Agent P. His job is to keep the evil Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz from bringing ruin to the Tri-State Area. The family’s parents are blissfully unaware of the goings on inside their home, or more typically, out in the back yard.

You may have guessed that this is meant to be a children’s TV show, but there is humor and enjoyment here for adults as well. As in many Disney productions, jokes are included for the entertainment of adults watching with their children. The animation is well done, and the voice acting is spot-on. Each episode includes a brief musical interlude with an original song written to support the plot. The characters either break into song, or a montage is shown with music to accompany their actions.

Between Phineas and Ferb’s daily creation, Candace’s efforts to bust them, Perry’s duel with Doofenshmirtz, and the requisite song, there’s a lot to pack into such a short show, but the episodes are well-paced so that it never feels rushed. In-jokes and references to previous episodes are fun to spot, and throughout the course of the series Phineas and Ferb have done nearly everything they mention in their theme song: building a rocket, fighting a mummy, discovering something that doesn’t exist, giving a monkey a shower, and of course driving their sister insane.

Among the episodes featured on these two DVDs are some of my personal favorites, including standouts I, Brobot, in which Phineas and Ferb build Phinedroids and Ferbots, Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror, in which the boys build a beach in their backyard, and Flop Starz, in which the boys endeavor to be one-hit wonders.

Check the WRL catalog for The Fast and the Phineas, and The Daze of Summer.

Within hours of the massacre last week at Fort Hood, reporters were asking Dave Cullen if the rampage was “like Columbine.” Cullen cautions that we can’t know yet—that we must wait for the facts. “If we guess now, the myths will be with us forever.”

Cullen knows how hard myths die. He was a reporter at Columbine on April 20, 1999, and has worked on the story ever since. He has seen the stubborn persistence of early, inaccurate beliefs: the crime was variously blamed on some combination of Marilyn Manson, a “Trench Coat Mafia,” Satanism, and bullying in those first chaotic days. Ten years later, Cullen puts the myths to rest in a masterwork of reporting that finds the ideal balance between sensitivity and service to the truth.

Columbine sets out to answer the question of questions: why? Should we be surprised to learn that there are at least two whys? Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were both seriously messed up, but in very different ways. Drawing on interviews and reams of documents, including journals by the killers that were made public in 2006, Cullen details their final year, during which they planned the attack and engaged in troubling behavior that was not exactly unknown to authorities.

The narrative shifts back and forth in time from the murder plot to the personal stories of the victims—those who survived and those who died—to the community’s response to the tragedy. There are accounts of heroism that I hadn’t known about: two Eagle Scouts who tried to save a beloved teacher who was bleeding to death… a Lutheran minister who held a secret funeral for Dylan Klebold and expressed sympathy for his parents, acts of compassion that cost him his job.

Of all the books that I have read in 2009, Columbine is the one that stays with me. It tells a dark and disturbing story, difficult to read but important to know. Mostly, it makes me grateful for reporters like Dave Cullen who work to bring the truth to light, no matter how unwelcome it might be.

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Here’s a tale with a bracing lack of ambiguity. It is a shameful story, an incredible story that I wish were a work of fiction.

Abdulrahman Zeitoun exemplified the “American dream.” A Syrian-American citizen who had settled in New Orleans in 1994, he ran his own successful painting and contracting company, and was known to customers all over town as a hardworking, reliable family man.

Then Katrina came. His wife and children left before the storm, but Zeitoun (nobody called him by his first name) stayed behind in order to look after their properties. After the levees failed, he remembered an old canoe that he had stashed away, and took to paddling around the flooded streets. Because the canoe was so silent, he was able to hear feeble cries for help that rescuers in motorboats and helicopters would never have noticed. He saved a woman who had been clinging to a shelf in her drowned living room for 24 hours. He took food to dogs left behind by their owners. A devout Muslim, Zeitoun believed that God had meant for him to stay in the city and help people. Every day at noon, he phoned his wife, Kathy, who was with friends in Arizona, to tell her that he was OK.

One day, he stopped calling. He simply disappeared from the face of the earth. The story of what happened to him is as appalling as it is compelling. No, he did not fall into the hands of lawless hoodlums; he fell into the hands of people charged with upholding the law.

This is essentially an oral history, Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun’s story as told to the author. Don’t expect a thoroughly documented work of reportage. Not that anyone, as far as I know, has come forward to contradict the Zeitouns’ account of their ordeal.

In the future, the “Zeitoun Affair” may come to stand as an object lesson in injustice and prejudice just as the Dreyfus Affair did in France 100 years ago.  The story is creating ripples. The director Jonathan Demme is planning a movie (an animated film, inspired by the book’s cover artwork by Rachell Sumpter). And Dave Eggers is using proceeds from the book to create a nonprofit foundation to support the rebuilding of New Orleans and the promotion of human rights.

Check the WRL catalog for Zeitoun

If you think you’re allergic to folk music, here’s the cure. This three-disc anthology of live recordings contains some of the most powerful, soulful music ever made with or without benefit of amplifiers. It’s not folk music in the “folkie” singer-songwriter genre—the performers are mostly Southerners born in the late 19th or early 20th century who played in the old-time, early country or blues traditions: Maybelle Carter, Dock Boggs, Mississippi John Hurt, Clarence Ashley, Bill Monroe.

The boxed set’s 55 tracks document a series of concerts in Greenwich Village during the folk revival of the early sixties. A group of young scholars that included Peter K. Siegel and the late Mike Seeger brought traditional artists to New York to perform for audiences who truly understood how great they were. These musicians had been forgotten, and were now being rediscovered late in their lives. On one track, the banjo player and bluesman Dock Boggs tells the crowd that he had put aside his banjo for the past 25 years, working as a coal miner until Mike Seeger called him up out of the blue.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because these are important archival recordings, they are difficult to listen to. The tracks have been chosen for their drive and universal appeal. The sound quality is excellent. There are fiddle tunes, blues, ballads, gospel songs, solos, duets, trios and quartets. Needless to say, there is no filler–every track is worthy of your full attention. A few personal favorites: Bill Monroe’s wailing vocal and turbo-charged mandolin on “Brakeman’s Blues;” Maybelle Carter’s soulful rendition of “The Storms are On the Ocean;” several numbers by the exuberant one-man band, Jesse Fuller; and the joyous gospel song, “Before This Time Another Year,” by Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers.

Acoustic guitar players, listen closely to Fred McDowell, John Hurt, Jesse Fuller, Doc Watson, Roscoe Holcomb. These are the masters you want to emulate.

Happily, we are now in the throes of a new folk revival. Ex-punk rockers are forming old-time string bands, and young hipsters are flocking to fiddle-and-banjo festivals. This recording should delight and inspire this generation and their grandchildren, too.

Check the WRL catalog for Friends of Old Time Music

A team of Swedish police detectives are trying to solve a murder. It takes months. They start with no clues. They wait for a break in the case. They stare out the window at the rain. They play endless games of chess. They walk the streets of Stockholm after dark, looking up at people in lit windows. They drink coffee.

Dull reading? Not for a second. The story moves swiftly along, especially in the many long passages of dialogue. The economy of the prose is a wonder.  Instead of breakneck action, the novel offers the great pleasure of watching professionals at work, really at work, in their offices, on the phone, in the interview room.

Roseanna is the first in a series of 10 crime novels by the husband-and-wife team of Sjöwall and Wahlöö. Originally published between 1965 and 1975 (the year of Wahlöö’s death), they have now been reissued by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. The fact that they are back in print has everything to do with the current craze for Nordic crime fiction, sometimes dubbed “Scandinavian Noir.” Sjöwall and Wahlöö invented this genre, and they are its master artists. In April 2008, the Times of London ranked them 15th on their list of the top 50 crime writers (though if there were a competition for Most Umlauts in an Author’s Name, they would surely take first place).

The central character in the series is Martin Beck, First Detective Inspector with the National Police. He is an ordinary man with one exceptional quality: his skill in questioning witnesses and suspects and knowing when they are lying. But Beck is no lone sleuth. He and his colleagues form an ensemble cast whose daily routines and minor idiosyncrasies are detailed with dry humor. Here, they are searching for the killer of an unidentified woman whose body was dredged from a lake. What they gradually learn about her and how she lived her life makes them ever more determined to arrest her murderer, no matter how long it takes.

The novel is strongly grounded in its Swedish settings, so much so that I recommend using Google Earth as a companion to your reading. Follow the detectives as they stake out a house on Runeberg Street or tail a suspect down Småland Street, keeping in mind that Sweden, and the world, have changed since the book was written some 45 years ago.

Check the WRL catalog for Roseanna