Book Review: "The Girl You Left Behind" by Jojo Moyes

I had never heard of Jojo Moyes before I read her last book, Me Before You, earlier this year. As I mentioned in my review of that book, it kicked my a-- emotionally, and it will definitely be included on my list of the best books I read in 2013.

Needless to say, following that book definitely raised my expectations about her latest, The Girl You Left Behind. And while this book may not have left me an emotional wreck, it, too, was tremendously satisfying, compelling, and overall, a terrific read.

During World War I, Sophie Lefevre is left alone with her sister, her niece and nephew, and her teenage brother when her artist husband, Edouard, goes off to fight. When their French town is taken over by German soldiers, Sophie and her family find their small hotel becomes the place the soldiers eat their dinner each night. While this move creates a great deal of work for Sophie and her sister, Helene, it also gives them a chance to get supplies and other comforts that have been stripped from them since the occupation began, and this causes some resentment and suspicion among their neighbors.

Sophie also catches the attention of the new Kommandant, who appears to be a man conflicted about his role in the war. The Kommandant is also drawn to a painting of Sophie that her husband did shortly after they met. Risking her life and the lives and well-being of her family, as well as her reputation, Sophie decides to leverage the Kommandant's interest to help reunite her with her husband. But the consequences of this request have far-reaching implications.

Fast forward nearly 100 years. The painting of Sophie was given to Liv Halston as a gift from her architect husband, and it remains one of her most treasured possessions after his unexpected death. When a random series of events calls the painting's provenance into question, Liv is forced into fighting to hold onto this keepsake, even as an unpleasant truth is uncovered, and even though the risks of her fighting cost her financially and emotionally.

This is a powerful book about courage, fighting for what you believe in no matter what happens around you and no matter what the consequences, and the power of love. It also is an interesting exploration about the way art and other valuables were seized during the first and second World Wars, which I'd always heard about but never really thought much about.

What I love so much about the way Moyes writes is that she creates complex characters that are more than meets the eye. She's not afraid to give them flaws, to make them slightly unlikeable. She draws you into the plot immediately, and you find yourself hooked, because you need to know how the plot will be resolved. The Girl You Left Behind proves that the appeal and the success of Me Before You wasn't just a fluke, and now I'll need to go back and read some of her earlier novels.

Simply put, Jojo Moyes is an author to add to your reading list if you haven't already, and then you'll find that at least her two most recent books are utterly worth reading.

To my little sister...

Today my sister Meredith celebrates the big 4-0. And in honor of her birthday, I share this classic McDonald's commercial from the 1980s.

There's not that much of an age gap (despite what she likes to tell people), and our lives didn't really emulate the commercial, but the sentiment is the same. (There was more eating of my crayons and destroying my coloring books, plus busting the door to my bedroom open when I was singing at the top of my lungs, but it is what it is.)

Plus, the commercial makes me cry.

So, Meredith, I wish you the happiest of birthdays and every wish you wish for yourself. I love you!

Cool cover song of the week...

Michael Jackson was so exceptionally talented, there have been (and continue to be) so many artists who have tried to emulate or imitate him. While some have been more successful than others in these attempts, it is a tribute to the breadth and depth of Jackson's talent that his music and his dancing continues to live on through others.

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) was released by The Jacksons in late 1978. It hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979, and #3 on the R&B Singles chart. The first performance of the song was on the second leg of The Jacksons' Destiny Tour in 1979. In 1984 it was performed on the Victory Tour, and it would be the last song performed live by the Jacksons before the death of Michael Jackson in 2009.

Justin Timberlake has proven himself to be far more talented than people gave him credit for when he hit the scene with N'Sync in the late 1990s (after his stint as a Mouseketeer). He sings, he dances, he acts, and he's proven tremendously deft with comedy, as his many appearances on Saturday Night Live have proven. He recently took on a live performance (dancing and all) of Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) for BBC Radio 1, and it's pretty impressive.

Give it a look:

And here's the original from the Jacksons:

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Jolene by The White Stripes

Book Review: "The Maid's Version" by Daniel Woodrell

Certain authors have a language and a style all their own. I don't mean an invented language, like Tolkien, Pratchett, or Rowling, but rather a way of capturing language that is unique to them. Daniel Woodrell, who has written books such as Winter's Bone and The Death of Sweet Mister is one of those authors. His ability to capture the language of people in the Ozarks makes his books feel tremendously authentic and even more captivating.

In 1929, the small community of West Table, Missouri was rocked by a fire and explosion in the Arbor Dance Hall, which killed 42 people. As with any tragedy, immediately talk turned to the causes of this disaster and who was responsible. Was it caused by the local gypsies? Mobsters from St. Louis on the hunt for one of their own? The frenzy unleashed by a preacher who lashed out at the immoral behavior of the dancers and partiers? Or was it simply a tragic accident?

Alma DeGeer Dunahew knows what caused the tragedy that killed her flirtatious sister, Ruby. But Alma, who works as a maid for one of West Table's most prominent families, is viewed as crazy by the town citizens, many of whom don't really want to know what happened that night, or are willing to turn a blind eye to the truth if it protects the town from the effects of the Great Depression. Her need to speak the truth leads her to lose her job, her mind, and estranges her from one of her sons, John Paul.

Years later, Alma finally has the opportunity to tell her story from start to finish, to her grandson, Alek. And the story, populated with mobsters, hobos, preachers, local businessmen, criminals, and lawmen, not to mention brief glimpses of many of those who were killed or injured in the fire, is a complicated one, but one that utterly captures the Dunahew family's struggles. Alma encourages Alek to "Tell it. Go on and tell it." And tell it he does.

The Maid's Version is a short book—only about 170 pages—but it is packed with a powerful narrative and so many colorful characters, it's difficult to remember who everyone is. Woodrell's storytelling ability is in fine form, as is his evocative language, and while this book may not be as strong as some of his previous ones, it's still a tremendously interesting and, ultimately, tragic story. It does take some concentrating, however, because the book meanders back and forth between 1929 and 1963, when Alek is, essentially, hearing Alma's story.

Daniel Woodrell is an exceptional writer. While this book doesn't have the tension or violence of some of his other books, Alma's story is very much worth hearing.

Movie Review: "The Family"

When I first started seeing previews for The Family, I thought, "Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer on the run from the mob? Yes, please." Of course, I hoped that the movie wouldn't be a total waste of their talents. While it doesn't break any new ground, the two have the opportunity to have more fun than they often have in movies, so how can that be disappointing?

Giovanni Manzoni (De Niro) and his family have been in the witness protection program since his testimony led to several high ranking members of a Mafia family to be imprisoned. Protecting them is a tough job for FBI agent Robert "Stan" Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones, at his taciturnest), because old habits die hard, and the family doesn't seem to assimilate very well. So Giovanni "becomes" Fred Blake, and his family—wife Maggie (Pfeiffer), daughter Belle (Glee's Dianna Agron), and son Warren (John D'Leo)—wind up in a remote village in France, and fitting in proves, well, difficult.

More often than not, the family seems to have a bit of a tendency toward violence as a way of solving problems (except for Warren, who leans more toward extortion, theft, and blackmail). And suddenly Giovanni has an unquenchable urge to write his memoirs, which no one will be able to read. It's not long before the mob higher-ups find out where they're hiding, and they descend upon the little town, embodying every mafia stereotype imaginable.

It's fun to watch Pfeiffer and De Niro poke fun at their previous roles in mafia movies—Pfeiffer in Married to the Mob and De Niro in, well, too many to count. While they don't have a ton of scenes together, the pair has a believable chemistry. Jones does what Jones does best, glower and grimace, and act irritated, and it's funniest when he's stuck watching Giovanni speaking at a local film club meeting about—of all things—Goodfellas. Agron and D'Leo both have their moments and more than hold their own against De Niro and Pfeiffer.

While the movie has a predictable plot, and you can see many of the jokes coming in advance (especially if you've seen the previews), it's still good fun to see De Niro not be so intense, and see Pfeiffer at ease in a movie for the first time in a long while. Definitely worth a matinee or a home viewing when it's available.

Book Review: "The Sound of Things Falling" by Juan Gabriel Vasquez

Antonio Yammara was a young law professor in Colombia during the violent days in which Pablo Escobar ruled and frightened his country. He enjoys speaking about the law to his students, even in such a lawless country, and is enjoying a romantic relationship with one of them.

One day he has a chance encounter with Ricardo Laverde, a mysterious ex-convict, at a billiards club. The two begin to form a casual friendship, although Antonio has more questions about Laverde than he is willing to ask. And then one day, their lives become intertwined indelibly, as Laverde is murdered in a drive-by shooting and Antonio is wounded.

A few years later, Antonio continues to live in pain and in fear, his life and his relationships in shambles because of it. Reading a news story rekindles a fire in his memory about the day Laverde was killed, and stokes Antonio's need to understand why. This need leads him on a journey to a young beekeeper in the Colombian countryside, who helps answer some of his questions about who Laverde was and why he was killed, but there are still questions that remain unanswered, both about Laverde as well as Antonio's country.

This book wasn't quite what I expected given how it began. I thought it was beautifully written and very well-translated, and the story was very compelling, with some scenes of immense emotional power. I really liked the characters and found them complex and tremendously intriguing. However, I felt as if the book spent more time than necessary on Laverde's family history, and while the story of his relationship with his wife was lovely to read, I wanted the book to devote more time to Antonio and his search for answers, as it left me with more questions than resolution. I also felt that the book meandered a bit too much, and never quite got back on course.

Life is never simple, and sometimes trying to unravel a mystery leaves us with more questions than answers. The Sound of Things Falling is a poetic look at the mysteries of life and a lamenting reminiscence of a country with a rich history and a troubling legacy of violence. It's imperfect, but pretty powerful.

It's almost like Stephen King's "It"...

Warning: Do not read this blog post if you suffer from coulrophobia, the debilitating fear of clowns.

The town of Northampton, England, about 60 miles outside of London, is a fairly idyllic town which has a rich history dating back to the Bronze Age and is home to two rugby teams.

Oh, and since Friday, September 13, it's been terrorized by a clown.

Yes, you read that right. A red-haired, masked stranger in full clown regalia who wanders the streets at night carrying a bouquet of balloons, has appeared every night at various places around Northampton. But although he has frightened Northampton's citizens, who liken him to Pennywise, the evil clown in Stephen King's novel, It, the clown says, "I don't terrorise people. I just want to be spotted."

"He doesn't juggle. He doesn't twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares," Northampton Herald & Post explained.

Is this a publicity stunt? A cry for help? Not at all, says the Northampton Clown. He has said—on his Facebook page and in a few interviews with media—that while people may be scared when he pops up, that's all part of the fun. That's his goal: "I just want to amuse people."

"Most people enjoy being a bit freaked out and then they can laugh about it afterwards," he said. "It's like watching a horror movie, when people get scared they usually start laughing."

And apparently that's not all. Because the clown has apparently given birth (so to speak) to a legion of friends and enemies, including Boris, the self-proclaimed "Clown Catcher." Dressed in a purple superhero suit, he also wanders the streets after dark and, on his Facebook page explains, "I am the official clown catcher. I am not here to scare anyone. I am not here to hurt anyone. I come in peace!" In fact, he only seems to want to meet the clown and take a picture with him.

Not quite sure what to make of this, but it reminds me of my freshman year in college when I read King's It. I had never been afraid of clowns before but, as those of you who've read the book can attest, Pennywise the clown scared the crap out of me. One of my college roommates used to pick up the book and read it when I was busy. One afternoon we were playing basketball in our room, and the ball rolled under my bed. Apparently my roommate had hidden a clown mask under there as a prank.

I didn't sleep in my bed for a week. Needless to say, I'm not visiting Northampton anytime soon...

Book Review: "Nine Inches: Stories" by Tom Perrotta

I've been a big fan of Tom Perrotta's for some time now. While I love his use of language and his ear for dialogue, I particularly like the way he is able to make his books so compelling when they're not necessarily about a major catastrophe or turning point. Instead, they so accurately capture the everyday moments of everyday lives, and the moment when a character's decision takes them off the rails a bit.

All of the stories in Perrotta's new collection, Nine Inches, do a terrific job of capturing those moments. The narrators of these stories are all dealing with something—divorce, the dissolution of relationships, injury, dissatisfaction with their life at the current time. These stories feature familiar characters in situations you can understand or perhaps even identify with, which is what makes them compelling and enjoyable.

In The Smile on Happy Chang's Face, a man battling unhappiness and petty inferiority brings his issues along with him when umpiring a Little League championship game. Senior Season tells the story of an injured high school football player unable to cope with his life now that he is no longer playing, and his elderly neighbor provides the cause of some frustration. The narrator of Backrub is stuck in a dead-end job while all of his friends went off to college, and has some interesting encounters with a local policeman. In Kiddie Pool, an elderly man makes some interesting late-night discoveries about his estranged best friend and next-door neighbor. And in the title story (named for the distance that slow-dancing middle school students needed to keep between them), a teacher wonders how his life might have been different if he pursued his true feelings.

I really enjoyed nearly all of the 10 stories in this collection (of course, some more than others), and felt like probably all of them could be expanded into full-length novels. With many of the stories, I wanted to know what happened next with the characters after the stories ended. That, to me, is always the mark of truly well-written and interesting stories.

If you're a fan of Tom Perrotta's, definitely pick up this collection, as you'll enjoy the familiarity and complexity of his storytelling. And if you've never read any of Perrotta's novels, but are simply a fan of short stories or good writing, pick up this collection, too, because you'll definitely find a lot of the latter.

Give this kid a pony!!

It's been said so many times before that the beauty and purity of children's hearts and thoughts can take your breath away. That absolutely happened when I heard this story about eight-year-old Ryan.

Ryan has a twin sister named Amber. Amber loves to have fun and be silly, just like other eight-year-old girls. But Amber is also picked on at her school because of her weight. She does not do anything to antagonize it. She just goes to class. She hears the names being called and takes it. Just like most children who are bullied she holds a lot of it in.

But one day, Amber told her mother, Karen, she wished she was not around anymore. Then there would be no more name calling.

Ryan did the only thing he thought could help. When asked by his mother to write a letter to Santa with his Christmas wish list, he wrote the following:

Dear Santa,

My mom said to send you a Christmas list. I wanted a remote control car and helicopter but I do not want that anymore. Kids at school are still picking on Amber and it is not fair because she does not do anything to them and it makes me mad. I prayed they would stop, but God is busy and I need your help. Is it against the rules to give up gifts early? Can you ask Big Time Rush to come to Amber’s birthday party? It will make her so happy. If you do not get them to come that is fine, just get her everything she asked for.

Thanks Santa,

Love Ryan

PS- My mom throws the best birthday parties. You can come if you want.

Karen was so touched, she put the letter up on her Facebook page, and it has since gone viral all over the world.

I hope Amber realizes how lucky she is to have a twin brother like Ryan, and Karen knows what special children she has. But more than that, I hope that as he gets older, Ryan's heart and spirit don't change.

The world needs more people who think the way Ryan does.

Book Review: "At the Bottom of Everything" by Ben Dolnick

Adam and Thomas were best friends when they were growing up in Washington, DC. Thomas was one of the brightest kids in their prep school—quirky, unique, aloof—and Adam welcomed the opportunity to try and crack his shell. Plus, Adam envied Thomas' stable home life, a mother committed to social justice and a father who values his intelligence.

Their friendship was fairly intense until high school, when Adam began focusing on sports, girls, and parties, and Thomas continued down his own path. Yet partly out of obligation and partly out of nostalgia, the boys still got together briefly, and their encounters became focused more on mischief and pranks. One night, one of their schemes goes dangerously out of control, and the aftereffects cause their friendship to end. And while Adam can move beyond the incident, it affects Thomas far more intensely.

Fast forward 10 years, and Adam's life isn't quite going in the direction he had hoped. Lonely and depressed after his breakup with his girlfriend, bored in his job as an academic tutor, he begins a brief affair with one of his students' mothers which, as you might imagine, doesn't end well. He is unsure what to do with his life or what to make of himself. A chance encounter with Thomas' mother brings his former friendship back into his mind, especially as she asks for Adam's help to try and find Thomas, who has apparently disappeared to India.

"'What I really want to make sure you know is just that your old friend, skinny Thomas Pell, is drowning. We all are, and we're reaching out to you for help.'"

But Adam thinks, "'Your old friend is drowning.' Well, so was I."

With nothing to keep him in the U.S., Adam embarks on a journey to find and rescue his old friend, and follows his trail to India. But when he discovers why Thomas has made the journey, and how he has changed in 10 years, Adam realizes that bringing Thomas home is just the tip of the iceberg. And along the way, Adam confronts some of his own mental and emotional issues, and he realizes he is as much in need of rescue as Thomas may be.

How far would you go for an old friend? How much do the events of our childhood affect us later in life? Ben Dolnick's At the Bottom of Everything is a book about finding yourself in the midst of trying to help someone else, and how much our lives can turn on just one single incident.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book as Adam reflected on both his current situation and reminisced about his friendship with Thomas, but I felt as if once he went to India, the book lost its focus. A great deal of time was spent on spiritual issues, as Thomas had sought the guidance of a guru in India, but it almost seemed like a wholly separate story than what the book initially was about. I thought Thomas in particular was a fascinating and heartbreaking character, and the way Dolnick illustrated Thomas' mental state, and how it affected both of his parents, was tremendously well done.

What I've liked about Dolnick's earlier books is his ability to capture everyday situations and "regular" people, and make you care about them. He does that in At the Bottom of Everything, although the book loses its way just as its narrator is trying to find his.

Cool cover song of the week...

While I don't listen to classic country music that often, I've always been a big fan of Dolly Parton. She sang one of my favorite songs of all time, Here You Come Again, and I remember listening to that song and its B-side, Me and Little Andy, so many times growing up, hanging out in my friend Lisa's basement listening to her jukebox. (Ah, childhood...)

Parton's hit song Jolene was released in October 1973, and hit #1 on the country music charts in February 1974. This song about jealousy, the fear that the stunningly beautiful Jolene might take her man (just because she can) is at times plaintive and powerful, and Rolling Stone ranked it as #219 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

When thinking of bands that might cover this song, you might not expect The White Stripes to be included on this list, but the band released their cover version in 2004. Although sometimes I think Jack White goes way over the top with his music, I really like his version of this song, especially the fact that he left the song lyrics intact, unlike so many artists who record a song previously recorded by a singer of the opposite gender.

Here's The White Stripes' version:

Here's a surprisingly good version by America's favorite pariah, Miley Cyrus:

And here's the original from Miss Dolly Parton herself:

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Book Review: "The Beginning of Everything" by Robyn Schneider

"I still think that everyone's life, no matter how unremarkable, has a singular tragic encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. That moment is the catalyst—the first step in the equation. But knowing the first step will get you nowhere—it's what comes after that determines the result."

So says Ezra Faulkner, the president of his high school's junior class and captain of the varsity tennis team. For Ezra, that tragic encounter is when his BMW is blindsided by a hit-and-run driver, leaving his leg shattered, his wrist injured, and ending any hopes of ever playing sports again. After spending the summer recovering from his injuries, he returns for his senior year of high school and everything is different—his girlfriend has found someone new, his friends have moved on without him, and he's not sure what life is like outside of the "in crowd."

But after reconnecting with his childhood best friend, and being suckered into joining the debate team, he meets Cassidy Thorpe, an intelligent, beautiful, mischievous, and mysterious transfer student who was a legendary debate competitor at a rival high school before she disappeared, only to return as a student at Ezra's high school. She forces Ezra to embrace his intelligence and realize he needs to work for his dreams instead of expecting everything to be handed to him as it always has been. And as the pair's friendship turns to romance, Ezra realizes that Cassidy is the type of girl he has been looking for all along. Until the relationship suddenly sours for reasons he can't understand.

I absolutely loved everything about The Beginning of Everything. Robyn Schneider did such a terrific job creating and giving depth to her characters and creating a plot that draws you in instantaneously and hooks you completely. Schneider's dialogue is tremendously intelligent and witty without being overly precious—honestly, if she thinks this way in "real life," I totally could see myself being friends with her. It truly is, as Kirkus said in its review of the book, "Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels."

This is a book about trying to figure out where you belong, even though you've truly known it all along. It's about being pushed beyond your comfort zone, being forced to believe you're more than you've always thought you were, and how important it is to find friends you truly identify with rather than feel obligated to be with to uphold expectations. And more than that, this is a story about not letting your life be defined by the adversities you're dealing with.

I've said quite often how impressed I've been over the last few years with the outstanding quality of YA fiction, particularly stories that aren't dystopian in nature and/or don't include vampires, werewolves, angels, or others with superpowers. (Not that there's anything wrong with those books.) While The Beginning of Everything may be classified as a YA novel, it's equally as good as—if not better—than some "adult" novels I've read recently. Besides, it's not every novel that makes me wish I could relive my high school days with the kind of awareness and self-confidence that the characters in this book do!

You got big dreams...

Do you remember when you were younger, when it didn't matter what your goals were but you were absolutely committed to achieving them? They could be as exotic as identifying your superpower or becoming a professional baseball player, or as mundane as memorizing all of the Best Actor Oscar winners in history. (Okay, so maybe that one was just my goal. Achieved, BTW.)

Somewhere along the path of growing up, many of us stop believing that all of our goals and dreams can come true. The idealism of childhood is so terrific, and it's up to us to try and nurture that wide-eyed enthusiasm for as long as we can.

This letter was shared on the internet; it's a list written by a guy's son who was getting ready to start third grade. These goals are fantastic, outlandish, fun, and simple. I hope he's able to achieve at least a few of them. (My favorite—perhaps no surprise—is "become a nerd." Again, achieved.)

Doesn't this make you want to start dreaming again?

Book Review: "The Last Whisper in the Dark" by Tom Piccirilli

Every time I read one of Tom Piccirilli's books, I think two things. First, he is a fantastic writer. And second, why isn't this man a household name? So many of Piccirilli's books deftly mesh terrifically complex characters, whip-smart dialogue, movie-worthy action, and great suspense. If you've not read one of his books and you're a fan of crime novels (or just damned good writing), pick one of them up and you'll be hooked.

The Last Whisper in the Dark is a follow-up to the equally fantastic The Last Kind Words. Terrier "Terry" Rand (yes, his family are all named after dog breeds, which feels less idiosyncratic in this book) is a thief, descended from a long line of thieves among members of the Rand family. He desperately wants a "normal" life but the obligations of family and the urge that is in his blood. He knows the path down which his genetics will lead him, but he isn't sure whether fighting it is the right thing to do.

When he fled his Long Island home and his family years before, he broke a promise to Kimmy, the woman he loved. And even though she married his former best friend, Chub, and had a daughter, Terry can't stop thinking about how this should be his life. He can't stop him from watching over Chub, although he's not sure whether he wants Chub to run the straight and narrow, or screw up so he might have another chance with Kimmy. But when he discovers that Chub has gotten in over his head, he promises Kimmy he'll bring her husband home, no matter what it does to him.

Meanwhile, the pull of family becomes even stronger for Terry, as he tries to save his younger sister, Dale, an aspiring actress, from destroying her life through her involvement in a dangerous Web series; as he tries to figure out where his brooding father goes at night; and when he is recruited by estranged family members he never knew he had—once-famous film executives turned horror movie producers—to right some wrongs in their business. But while Terry laments his past and fears his future, he is compelled to focus on the here and now, no matter how dangerous it may prove to him.

I am just so taken with the characters in this book as well as its predecessor. Terry Rand is so complicated, so compelling, one of those people you shouldn't like because of what they do but you can't help but be drawn to them. He is unapologetic about the way he lives his life, even as it's tearing him up inside (and sometimes outside), even though this life has taken such a toll on his family through the years, and this book is as much about that gravitational pull toward wrong than anything else. But at the same time, this is a book about family loyalty, family secrets, and how family can both draw you in and send you running (and reeling).

Piccirilli's writing is simply electrifying at times. There's enough action to get your blood pumping, and enough soul-searching to challenge you. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next, although I wouldn't mind a return to the Rand family.

Book Review: "The Evening Hour" by Carter Sickels

Twenty-seven-year-old Cole Freeman has lived in rural Dove County, West Virginia for his entire life. Raised by his snake-handling pastor grandfather and his doting grandmother, he has never felt completely comfortable, although he lacks the motivation to make changes. Cole works as an aide in a nursing home, and many of the elderly residents take to him for his gentle manner and willingness to indulge them by listening to their stories and not dissuading them when they confuse him for a long-lost relative.

While Cole doesn't mind spending time with the residents, his job has a lucrative side benefit, in that he is able to steal money and other valuables from them, and they're often too unaware to realize it. He also resells the prescription medications that some of his grandmother's friends and other people in the community sell him. He knows what he is doing is wrong, but he feels powerless to stop what he has put into motion.

His grandfather's fire-and-brimstone preaching scarred him in many ways, and coupled with a childhood stutter, Cole has never been able to truly feel good about himself. As a teenager he had a very close relationship with his best friend, Terry Rose, who moved away and got married. But Terry's return to Dove County unsettles Cole in a number of ways, and it affects the relationships he pursues with two different women, each of whom has their own issues to deal with.

Dove County is under siege from the local mining corporation, which has been buying up and destroying all of the available land it can, convincing residents to sell their property and move away. Yet Cole has convinced his grandmother not to sell her land, and he refuses to do so either, despite the opportunities he could pursue with the money. When a tragedy occurs in his hometown, it helps put things into perspective for Cole, and it serves as somewhat of a catalyst for him to begin trying to take control of his own life.

Where do our obligations lie, with ourselves or with those we love? Should we finally put our own happiness above others' wishes if we've spent our whole life doing what is better for others? When you've never believed that you're capable of succeeding, how can you be motivated to try and pursue a life different than the one you have? The Evening Hour strives to answer those questions, although the answers aren't always easy to find.

Carter Sickels is a terrific writer. His use of language and imagery reminds me a little of one of my favorite writers, James Lee Burke. While Cole isn't the most sympathetic character given some of his behaviors, I found myself drawn into his life and wondered what would happen to him and those around him. I was glad that Sickels didn't fall into any real dramatic traps with the plot, which would have derailed the simple beauty of this book.

I enjoyed this book although, like many around him, I wanted Cole to do something more, to try and move out of his comfort zone. This is more a book of reflection than action, but Sickels' storytelling makes it a book worth reading, even if it tended to be a bleak story. I look forward to seeing what's next in Sickels' career.

Book Review: "The Explanation for Everything" by Lauren Grodstein

I've often remarked that at times I just want to enjoy a book or movie simply for what it is without thinking about heavier issues, or dissecting how plausible the plot may actually be. Sometimes I just want to laugh, or cry, or be transported into some fantastical place or time, without considering deeper meaning. The converse, however, is also true—sometimes I enjoy books or movies that make me think, that stretch my mind beyond simply appreciating the talent that went into the work's creation, and perhaps force me to consider different perspectives or ideas.

Lauren Grodstein's new novel, The Explanation for Everything, definitely falls into the latter category. Andy Waite is a biologist at a small New Jersey college. He is a diehard evolutionist, having learned from one of the foremost experts on the topic while he was a graduate student at Princeton. But Andy's life hasn't gone the way he planned—he's raising his two young daughters on his own following the sudden death of his wife several years ago, he's worried about getting tenure, and he's trying to make the results of his years of research make enough sense to be worthy of a major scientific grant.

Andy teaches a biology course called "There is No God." While rarely students try to challenge what he teaches, every so often he has a student express dissent about the Darwinian and other scientific theories he introduces them to. One day he is approached by Melissa Potter, a transfer student, who asks Andy to direct her independent study. But it isn't any theory Melissa is interested in pursuing—her independent study will focus on intelligent design, the idea that the creation of the universe and science must have been the work of an intelligent designer, or God. Melissa's course of study is in direct contrast to everything Andy has taught and believed for years.

As Andy struggles with the everyday challenges of raising two daughters on his own, trying to further his career, and dealing with the memories of his wife, he begins to wonder if everything that he has put his belief in might not be as black and white as he has thought. Is there a God? Should we put our faith in a creator, instead of in science? This book explores both sides of the debate, and wonders if a little faith is truly what we need to survive.

I was tremendously intrigued by this book and think Lauren Grodstein is a tremendously talented storyteller. I liked the fact that she explored the ideas of evolutionism and intelligent design without ultimately saying whether one is right and one is wrong, instead allowing you to make your own conclusions. While Andy at times was a little bit passive (understandably), I thought the struggles his character went through were moving and truly human. And when the book dealt with his own questions of faith and trust, the story really resonated with me.

Although there were a few subplots in the book, one involving Andy's neighbor and one involving an outspoken student, that I didn't feel were fleshed out as much as the rest of the story, I found this book very compelling without being heavy handed. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Grodstein's previous novel, A Friend of the Family, one which also raised questions for me while drawing me into the plot, I am a definite fan of her storytelling ability, and I look forward to continuing to watch her career progress.

Cool cover song of the week...

It's funny how sometimes songs written for movie soundtracks gain more notoriety than the movies themselves. One shining example is Phil Collins' 1984 hit, Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now), recorded for the Jeff Bridges-Rachel Ward-James Woods film Against All Odds. The film, a remake of the 1947 movie Out of the Past, barely made a dent at the box office.

The song, however, hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (the first time for Collins), and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. (The less said about Ann Reinking's performance of the song on the Oscars that year instead of Collins, the better.)

For me, this song has a great deal of emotional poignancy. The music video (remember those?) was in heavy rotation on MTV in March 1984, which was when my baby brother died of SIDS. Strangely it seemed as if this song followed me everywhere, and still, nearly 30 years later, that time in my life is the first thing I think of when I hear this song.

While the song has been covered a number of times, most notably by Mariah Carey in 2000 (she recorded a second version later that year with Irish boy band Westlife), my favorite cover version was recorded by indie band The Postal Service, ironically for the 2004 Josh Hartnett movie Wicker Park. In the first verse, the song almost has an Owl City-like quality, but then as the beat gets slightly more uptempo, the vocals get richer. The New York Post and Rolling Stone both included this version in their list of the best cover songs of all time.

Here's The Postal Service's version:

Here's the Westlife/Mariah Carey version:

And here's Phil Collins' original. (Boy, what Jeff Bridges looked like in 1984...):

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Book Review: "The Affairs of Others" by Amy Grace Loyd

Celia Cassill is a widow whose husband died far too young five years ago. Although the money she received from her husband's estate allowed her to move out of their Brooklyn neighborhood into another, and purchase an apartment building in which she lives and rents space to others, she didn't move far, and she hasn't been able to let go.

"Grief carried on too long is a self-indulgence. George had said that to me once...We don't always have a choice, I told him in reply then."

Celia's life is lonely and empty, save for mourning her husband and holding tight to his memories. She keeps a respectable distance from most of her tenants, although she pays special attention to the elderly Mr. Coughlan, a former ferry captain. But when one of her tenants, George, sublets his apartment to his friend, Hope, her arrival cracks Celia's solitary world open. Hope is exotic, mercurial, searching for refuge following her husband's affair. As she becomes involved in a passionate, sometimes violent relationship with a man from her past, Hope's actions draw Celia in, and for the first time in a long time, Celia starts to feel something other than loneliness.

Hope's presence changes Celia. Suddenly this woman always so mindful about keeping distance from her tenants finds herself getting more involved in their lives, sometimes surreptitiously. Her actions move from careful and quiet to more reckless and flighty. But will these be permanent changes, or will she find herself drawn back to her previous existence?

The Affairs of Others tells a familiar story of a woman who has so distanced herself from any emotions to avoid the pain they cause that she cuts herself off from relationships with anyone. Yet as she finds herself suddenly awakened to possibilities she hadn't considered in some time, she is unsure whether she is ultimately capable of changing, or whether she'll always be grounded back to the life she's made for herself.

Amy Grace Loyd, the former literary editor of Playboy, is a very talented writer. I love her use of language which took on almost poetic qualities at times, describing love, loss, longing, loneliness, and grief. But I was never able to warm up to the characters—it's almost as if the wall that Celia built around herself to keep others out kept me out as well, and Hope's behavior, which troubled and intrigued Celia so near the start of the book, made her a character that was difficult to like.

There have been other books which have their narrator playing the part of voyeur, but this gives that theme an interesting twist. I just wish I had the opportunity to get to know Celia more and understand her actions and motivations better, because that would have given the book additional depth I missed. But Amy Grace Loyd's writing deserves to be read.

Movie Review: "The World's End"

It's been said you can never go home again. Whether or not that's true, trying to relive your past isn't always advisable, because it's rare that you can capture the magic of your glory days.

Gary King (Simon Pegg) has learned that lesson the hard way. When he and his four best friends were seniors in high school in 1990, they were at the top of their game—Gary more so than anyone else. Cocky, confident, popular with the ladies, the quintet had some spectacular memories. One night around their high school graduation, they planned to accomplish a worthy goal—conquering the epic pub crawl in their town, with one pint of beer at all 12 pubs, ending at The World's End. While they weren't successful in this feat, for Gary, that night was the highlight of his life—one that he hasn't been able to replicate more than 20 years later.

Determined to relive those memories, Gary reunites his friends—his estranged wingman, Andy (Nick Frost, Pegg's compatriot from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz); his rival, Steven (The Bourne Ultimatum's Paddy Considine); perpetually henpecked Peter (Ray Donovan's Eddie Marsan); and type-A real estate agent Oliver, aka "O-Man" (Bilbo Baggins himself, Martin Freeman). No one, particularly Andy, seems interested in drinking themselves into oblivion for one last hurrah, but Gary's charm convinces them to make the return trip to their hometown.

The pub crawl clearly emphasizes that Gary has never grown up or moved past high school, and it reopens some old wounds from those days. Yet a jealous rivalry between Gary and Steven for Oliver's sister, Sam (Jack Reacher's Rosamund Pike) appears to be the least of their problems, when the group discovers their hometown has been taken over by robots (although not quite robots). Suddenly the very fate of the world lies in the hands of these old friends, who must put aside their own issues to help protect life as we know it.

As you might imagine from the description, this is about where the movie goes from wry and funny to outlandishly silly and a little off the rails. It's certainly what you'd expect from the team behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but truth be told, I would have been satisfied if the film had stuck to the story of the friends attempting the epic pub crawl without the ink-spouting replicants. It's almost as if Pegg and his co-writer, Edgar Wright, just wanted to cram everything they could into this movie, which left it a little weighted down rather than the stupidly funny movie I was expecting.

When the film allows Pegg and company to relive days of yore, pick up old fights and start new ones, it really shines, because the actors play really well against each other. Pegg and Frost are a terrific film pair, and Considine in particular has a wry, smirking bravado that works for his character. Everyone seems to be having a good time (you almost expect them to burst into laughter a few times), and that adds to the amusement factor.

In the end, this is definitely an amusing movie for a matinee or a rental (when available), as long as you keep its limitations in mind.

Movie Review: "Closed Circuit"

Remember that line from Rockwell's 1980s hit with Michael Jackson, "I always feel like somebody's watching me"? At the start of Closed Circuit, you see camera after camera focused on what appears to be a regular day at London's Borough Market. Couples fight, friends gossip, parents reprimand their children, people walk through the crowds talking on their cell phones. A random panel truck pulls into an alley where it shouldn't be parked, but no one really suspects a problem. And then the truck explodes, killing 120 people.

A Turkish suspect, Farroukh Erdogan (Denis Moschitto), is arrested for masterminding the bombing, and awaits trial. Attorney Martin Rose (Eric Bana) is appointed to lead Erdogan's defense team after the first attorney's death. But because the government's case against Erdogan includes information so sensitive it could impact national security, Rose will not be able to hear this evidence; instead, a special advocate for the defense, Claudia Simmons-Howe (The Town's Rebecca Hall), will be the only one to hear the evidence and argue whether it should be used in the trial. There's one small problem: Martin and Claudia once had an affair, from which they both still bear emotional scars. And as you might imagine, the two attorneys swore there was no impediment to them working together.

The more Martin digs into the evidence surrounding his client the more he realizes the case against him is not what it seems, yet Erdogan has no plausible defense. Both he and Claudia grow ever more paranoid that they are being watched and manipulated, especially once they uncover a major aspect of the case. But where do you turn when it seems like everyone is watching you, everyone is trying to steer you away from doing what is right? How far will you take your principles, even if doing so may put you and those you care about in danger?

Closed Circuit is a highly intelligent thriller that seems scarily plausible given what we've learned about our governments over the years. While I always question thrillers in which the "bad guys" are always one step ahead, always know exactly what it is that is happening, the movie definitely kept me intrigued (if not completely buying all of it) from start to finish. With movies like these, you wonder just how the plot will tie itself up, and I wasn't disappointed here, even if I wasn't entirely surprised.

This movie works in large part because of the performances and the chemistry of Bana and Hall. Bana, while sexy as hell, has always struck me as a cerebral hero, which may be one reason his performance in Hulk didn't work as well, but that thoughtful passion and simmering rage works here. And I don't know why Rebecca Hall isn't a bigger star; she's proved her mettle using both her native British accent and gone American in movies such as Vicky Cristina Barcelona, plus she's gorgeous to boot. I loved the way these two played off of each other, and you could feel the emotional history between them.

I've been fairly vague in my plot synopsis because I don't want to give anything away. But suffice it to say Closed Circuit (which I keep referring to as Short Circuit, which is a wholly different film) is a complex, compelling, and well-acted movie that may stretch your plausibility meter a bit, but it's still worth a watch.

Movie Review: "Short Term 12"

Earlier in the year, a colleague asked me what was the best movie I had seen thus far, and I struggled to find an answer beyond Star Trek: Into Darkness and the zombie rom-com Warm Bodies (which I really did enjoy, BTW). Now, nine months into 2013, I can definitely say I've seen some fantastic, memorable, and affecting movies—Fruitvale Station, The Spectacular Now, The Way Way Back, Mud, Much Ado about Nothing, and now, Short Term 12, which was truly terrific.

Short Term 12 is the name of a foster care facility that focuses on teenagers with emotional issues. It's supposed to be a short-term solution until the county figures out a more permanent solution for these kids, but some wind up staying there for more than a year. The home is run by Grace (Brie Larson, of United States of Tara and The Spectacular Now) and her goofy-but-lovable boyfriend Mason (Tony Award-winner John Gallagher Jr.), who are fiercely protective of the kids but are not willing to cut them any slack.

Grace and Mason's secret-but-not-really relationship is tested over a period of days by Grace's unexpected pregnancy, the pressure of unrevealed secrets, and the arrival in the home of Jayden (Last Man Standing's Kaitlyn Dever), a troubled teenager who tries to cover up her problems with sullen attitude. Jayden ignites a fire into Grace, who recognizes in the girl more similarities than she'll care to admit. Add to this issues with a few of the home's other residents, and you've got a brewing emotional disaster sure to challenge even the strongest people.

Short Term 12, written and directed by Destin Cretton, is a quiet powerhouse of a film that keeps surprising you every time you expect it to take the usual turns. You learn surprising details about the characters, which give you more insight into their actions. There are scenes of tremendous emotional poignancy—perhaps none more gut-punching than a rap song performed by moody Marcus (Keith Stanfield), who is about to be released from the home on his 18th birthday.

While the movie certainly triggers your emotions, at no point is any of the plot overly manipulative or contrived to provoke a particular reaction. Each scene contributes to the overall power of this movie. I was so worried that the film would take a wrong step into familiar, clichéd territory time and time again, and time and time again Cretton's nuanced script shifted, but never misled. Beyond the script, this is a movie that soars because of its performances. Larson, Gallagher, Dever, and Stanfield, as well as those in the smaller, supporting roles, are all spot-on and so mesmerizing.

One of the reasons I love living in the Washington area is the number of movie theaters that show "smaller" and/or independent movies instead of just the same films (in IMAX, 3D, etc.) on 10 different screens. I hope people get the opportunity to see Short Term 12 because it is a film that absolutely deserves an audience. If it comes to your area, see it. I hope it moves and amazes you like it did me.