Hi, this is Kimber with your new releases this week. If you just can’t wait for the May release of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, we’ve got a Scandinavian crime novel to keep you busy. This week also offers a catchy collaboration between two of music’s most interesting artists, the DVD release of an Oscar-nominated favorite from last year, and a video game that has players performing such seemingly disparate tasks as mountain climbing and crafting. At least you won’t be bored.
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Fiction: The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbo
With the popularity of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Henning Mankell’s novels, Scandinavia is the latest hotspot for crime fiction, despite its otherwise chilly reputation. Though it was released in Norway in 2006, Jo Nesbo’s The Devil’s Star is just making its way westward and makes its American debut this week. Following Nemesis and The Redbreast, The Devil’s Star returns readers to the grisly world of detective Harry Hole.
With struggles to spare, Hole is a flawed hero who would feel right at home in the world of film noir. This time around, he must investigate the murder of a victim who is found minus a finger and plus a pentagram-like diamond embedded in her eye. Sounds gross, but advance praise indicates that it’s gripping as well.
Also new in fiction books this week: The Serialist by David Gordon, Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein, and more. See them all at Fiction New Releases.
Nonfiction: The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Grann
New Yorker writer David Grann’s last nonfiction book, The Lost City of Z, might have seemed like a simple story of South American adventure, but its subtitle – “A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon” — reveals that it’s about more than just discovery. Grann focused on a legendary lost explorer, whose passion and drive for a mythic civilization led to his death, and the author finds himself similarly entranced by the story he is researching. His new collection, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, boasts a similar focus and an equally tantalizing subtitle: “Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession.”
The Lost City of Z reads like fiction, and these journalistic explorations should feature the same strange-but-true appeal. There’s the titular tale of the murdered devotee of Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as stories about a scientist consumed by his search for a giant squid and a race against time set beneath the streets of New York City. Grann’s excellent prose is sure to elevate these already-addictive narratives to something more than a guilty pleasure.
Also new in nonfiction books this week: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler, Courage and Consequence by Karl Rove, and more. See them all at Nonfiction New Releases.
Movies in Theaters: Green Zone
The last time Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass collaborated, the explosive result was the critical and box office success The Bourne Ultimatum. Now they reunite for Green Zone, a Iraq-set thriller that hopes to follow in the sandy footsteps of thought-provoking actioner (and Oscar winner) The Hurt Locker. Damon stars as an army leader who uncovers a conspiracy in his attempts to find weapons of mass destruction.
If you want to win tickets to see Green Zone, be sure to visit the film’s page on GetGlue. If you’re a guru of related items such as Matt Damon, The Hurt Locker, or Full Metal Jacket, you could see the movie for free. Minus the price of popcorn, of course.
Also new in theaters this week: Remember Me, She’s Out of My League, and more. See them all at Movies in Theaters.
Music: Broken Bells by Broken Bells
Blending indie-rock earnestness with the polish of electronica, the collaboration known as Broken Bells takes the successful formula of The Postal Service (band frontman + electronica producer) and gets an entire different result. In this case, it’s the lead singer of The Shins, James Mercer, who pairs with Danger Mouse, best known for Beatles/Jay-Z mash-up The Gray Album and as one half of Gnarls Barkley.
From its anthemic opening track — which feels like it should arrive ready with a lighter for live shows — the eponymous album Broken Bells is a fine mix of upbeat and chill. It’s the perfect choice for a low-key party that you just aren’t ready to end (you know, if people still played whole albums at parties).
Also new in music this week: Plastic Beach by Gorillaz, Valleys of Neptune by Jimi Hendrix, and more. See them all at Music New Releases.
New on DVD: Up in the Air
Up in the Air might have come up emptyhanded at the Oscars, but that doesn’t mean this excellent comedic drama isn’t worth watching. At once timely and timeless, Jason Reitman’s latest film (after Juno and Thank You for Smoking) is like the Jerry Maguire of the aughts — minus the too-cute kid and overdose on schmaltz.
Reitman and Sheldon Turner’s screenplay — which smartly adds to Walter Kirn’s original novel — is a big part of the film’s success, but it’s tough to overlook the contributions of the cast. Only George Clooney could have charmed us in a role that would have had lesser actors resorting to smarm, and support from Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons, and Zach Galifianakis proves that even Clooney — and his lone-wolf character — can’t do it alone.
Also new on DVD this week: Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire, Capitalism: A Love Story, and more. See them all at New on DVD.
Video Games: The Daring Game for Girls
Rather than focusing on shopping, cooking, or other stereotypically female video game pursuits, The Daring Game for Girls encourages young women to be, well, daring. Based on the book of the same name, this Nintendo DS offering works like a playbook for strong women-to-be.
Within the game, adventures can be close to home (making crafts or camping) or far-flung (scaling Mount McKinley or hiking across Africa), all leading players toward the goal of becoming a Daring Girl. Earning badges makes quests seem Girl Scout-esque, but cookie-selling has been replaced by tasks such as working at a lemonade stand. It’s no business school, but it seems like a step in the right direction in the male-dominated world of video games.
Also new in video games this week: Final Fantasty XIII, Yakuza 3, and more. See them all at Video Game New Releases.
In addition to the newest releases, we also have the previous weeks’ movies, books, and more in our new Recently Released section.
