Cathleen's Pick: The House of Silk

Calling all Baker Street Irregulars!  Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk, a new exploit of Sherlock Holmes, lives up to the high standard of the original stories.  Derek Jacobi is perfect as the voice of Dr. Watson, and the twisty mystery is one of the most complex and harrowing yet.

Cathleen's Pick: Some Lessons Learned

Vocal dynamo Kristin Chenoweth returns to her Oklahoma roots with Some Lessons Learned.  Tap your boots with the spirited tunes (“What Would Dolly Do?”), be touched by the sweeter ones (“Fathers and Daughters” – destined to be a wedding favorite), and replay the showstoppers (“I Was Here”) in this vibrant new release.

Cathleen's Pick: After the Golden Age

Imagine if The Incredibles had a grown daughter without any superpowers, and you’ll have an idea of Celia West’s life.  After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn is a fast-paced, sarcastic adventure of one woman with extraordinary family issues.  Great escapist fun that’s perfect for shaking up your usual reading.

Cathleen's Pick: Sita Sings the Blues

Sita Sings the Blues is a flash of genius that paints the story of Ramayana with 1920s early jazz.  Artist Nina Paley intercuts a modern American break-up story with Hindu mythology and brings them to life in an unusual blend of animation styles.  Bold, brilliant, and weirdly charming.

Cathleen's Pick: Great Classic Mysteries

The intellectual gamesmanship of modern detective tales can be traced to many of the stories featured in Great Classic Mysteries.  Twelve iconic investigations will immerse you in intrigue and test your powers of deduction.  Excellent performances by audio all-stars including Simon Vance and Simon Prebble make this collection one not to miss. 

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Cathleen of the Fiction/AV/Teen Department recommends The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown:

"Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." - Robert Frost

The Andreas sisters are named for three wildly different Shakespeare heroines, and the one thing they have in common is that their lives are messy.  Bianca has just been fired and is swimming in debt.  Cordelia gives up her semi-nomadic life when she discovers she’s pregnant.  Rosalind had already been living at home in order to care for their ailing parents, and the tension of her upcoming wedding isn’t helping.  In Eleanor Brown’s The Weird Sisters, all three end up back under the same roof, and the curtain rises on a masterful blend of drama and lightness that would make the Bard proud.

Cathleen's Pick: Wild Young Hearts

Take the energy of a '60s girl group and mix it with a little modern funk, and you may well find yourself with Wild Young Hearts.  The London trio known as the Noisettes plays with tone and style in an unpredictable set of exuberant vocals and dynamic rhythms.

Cathleen's Pick: Playing by Heart

As one character observes, “talking about love is like dancing about architecture.”  Yet, Playing by Heart makes the intricate steps seem appealing.  A surprising ensemble including Sean Connery, Jon Stewart, and Angelina Jolie play out intertwining storylines exploring relationships at different stages.  This overlooked gem has warmth, wit, and style.

Cathleen's Pick: The Past is a Foreign Country

Though Swedish crime fiction is all the rage, other nations have their own twisted secrets.  The Past is a Foreign Country, a new import from Italy’s prize-winning Gianrico Carofiglio, details a law student’s slow descent into darkness while under the influence of a charismatic con.

Cathleen's Pick: I Am the Messenger

Stop one incompetent bank robber, and everyone thinks you’re a hero.  Then Ed receives an Ace of Diamonds with three addresses written on it.  Why?  I Am the Messenger is the unusual story of a likable slacker who tries saving the day one mysterious playing card at a time.