![]() Alone: A Novel of Suspense $7.99 I usually enjoy Lisa Gardner's books , and know a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required, but the behavior of the protagonist Bobby is just plain unbelievable. He kills a man righteously in the line of duty and because of some obscure law is being sued criminally by the man's parents. Can such a law really exist? How would the police ever be able to do their job? The father-in-law an incredibly rich and powerful judge. Of course! So what does our hero do? He meets the widow openly in a public museum. He goes to the judge's house when beckoned, where he is offered a bribe. He goes to the wife's house when she says she hears an intruder, finding the nanny dead, hung in a blatantly fake suicide. He tells the widow the suicide is faked before he calls the police. Nope, no way i can get past all that. Especially when the wife is thoroughly unlikeable. All the women in the book are, actually. ![]() Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo $13.98 Are you tired of listening to over-produced power-pop? Do you like music that sounds like it's been recorded in a bomb shelter? Well, you are in luck. Alone deviates from Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo's recent brand of slick commercial rock (Make Believe and Maladroit) by venturing into lo-fi territory with vocal experimentation ("Ooh") and stripped-down melodic structures ("Longtime Sunshine") among other things. The 19 home-recorded tracks span Cuomo's career from 1992 to 2007. Throughout that 15 year period Cuomo wrote and recorded several hundred songs, the majority of which have never been released until now. Although many of the songs featured on Alone were recorded before 1996, it illustrates his growth as an artist over the years. Strains of angst and frustration that are found on early Weezer albums, can be seen in the emotional rawness of "The World We Love So Much." This song is particularly refreshing because it showcases a vocal range that is seldom heard in his other recorded music. However, while there are some hits, there are a few are misses, like the awkward R&B synth ballad "This Is The Way" and the barbershop quarter-inspired harmonies of "Dude, We're Finally Landing." Because the sound quality varies so throughout the album, it is truly surprisingly to hear due to Cuomo's penchant for perfectionism. A gritty synth-tinged demo of Weezer's biggest hit, "Buddy Holly" made the cut. On Alone the song is played at a considerably slower tempo, showing the changes made in the final cut on 1990's Blue Album. There is also a hazy Beastie Boys-styled cover of Ice Cube's 1990 hit "The Bomb." The hodge-podge of musical styles combines pop melodies, synthesizers, and just enough twee to keep hipsters in tow. There are moments on Alone (particularly on"Superfriend" and "Blast Off!") when it sounds like an early-era Weezer album. Among the album are several undiscovered gems, like "Lover In The Snow" and "I Was Made For You" that showcase the bespectacled rocker's uncanny ability to write songs with great pop-sensibility and diary-honest eclecticism. ![]() Living Alone and Loving It: A Guide to Relishing the Solo Life $12.00 Ms. Feldon's book on living alone is based on her own experiences and reflects what she has learned through living alone and the advice she has been given and which she would give to a friend in the same circumstances. What she has to say can be a good starting point for coming to terms with the single life, especially for people who rather suddenly find themselves without a companion. Not every word of this book will be of help to every single person who reads it. What Feldon does when trying to cope with loneliness and depression is not readily available to everyone, things like flying to the south of France or gathering one's friends around. However, the essence of the ideas is there for anyone to mold to their own purpose and purse strings. Overall, one of Feldon's most important contributions is spreading the knowledge that there are other singles out there. Singleness is not a recognized condition in the world around us, except for the young set, many of whom have not yet married. Recognition of the aging of our population, although studied and reported, has not yet had an effect on marketing, access to social events, etc. With books like this, perhaps we will at last be counted. |
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