Hi, this is Kimber with your new releases this week. We’re highlighting sure-to-be favorites such as a YA fiction title that should appeal to adult fans as well as teens, an entertaining trip to Wall Street from one of nonfiction’s biggest names, the film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and the long-awaited sequel to God of War II. If you’re not in line yet, we suggest you get moving.
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Fiction: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
Thanks to the success of Twilight and The Hunger Games, it’s now acceptable to be a fully independent adult who still likes to read YA fiction. With its gorgeous cover (that belies none of its teen-centric sensibilities), Kimberly Derting’s The Body Finder promises both to avoid embarrassing its adult fans while entrancing them in its paranormal-inflected narrative. (Plus, teen hardcovers are cheaper than their adult counterparts.)
In The Body Finder, sixteen-year-old Violet Ambrose struggles with conventional adolescent problems (her love for her best friend, Jay) and entirely unconventional ones (her ability to sense the final moments of the dead). Derting’s debut weaves the familiar with the unfamiliar, combining Violet and Jay’s romance with the unsolved mystery of a horrific serial killer who may turn Violet into his next target.
Also new in fiction books this week: The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald, Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim, and more. See them all at Fiction New Releases.
Nonfiction: The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Former Wall Street whiz Michael Lewis has visited the world of business before in Liar’s Poker and The Money Culture, so it’s no surprise that he would return there in an era where finance fascinates more than just MBA holders. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine delves into the current crisis from the perspective of the few who saw it coming and highlights the idiocy of those who should have.
Lewis is famous for writing about everything from football to Silicon Valley with an insider’s perspective that never excludes outsiders. The frequently funny writer is sure to both entertain and educate his readers about the issue that pervades the news and has an impact on their own lives.
Also new in nonfiction books this week: Getting Organized in the Google Era by Douglas Merrill, Not My Boy! by Rodney Peete, and more. See them all at Nonfiction New Releases.
Movies in Theaters: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
American fans of Stieg Larsson’s thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo may have to wait years for an English-language adaptation of the bestselling novel (David Fincher is reportedly interested), but the Swedish original hits select theaters this week. The award-winning film (and its source material) deserves praise for focusing on a reluctant heroine whose Asperger’s Syndrome keeps her both interesting and a significant distance away from traditional heroes.
The film makes more sense if you’ve read the novel (since the action of 600+ pages has to be seriously shortened to come in at 2 1/2 hours on screen), but it’s a fascinating introduction to Larsson’s chilly world. With its focus on grisly crimes committed over the span of decades, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo seems like great source material for Fincher (the director of smart thrillers such as Seven and Zodiac).
Also new in theaters this week: The Bounty Hunter, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and more. See them all at Movies in Theaters.
Music: The Best of Twelve Nights in Hollywood by Ella Fitzgerald
Even those utterly unfamiliar with the sometimes sometimes difficult-to-navigate waters of jazz can recognize the rich tones of Ella Fitzgerald. Her indelible takes on jazz classics have permeated pop culture and movies in particular, so it’s fitting that there should be so many familiar tunes in the new concert collection The Best of Twelve Nights in Hollywood. “Give Me the Simple Life,” “Mack the Knife,” and “Anything Goes” are just a few of the fizzy picks that sizzle with the energy of a live show.
The audience’s applause and Fitzgerald’s own laughs sneak into some of the recordings, but it’s as polished as if it were recorded in a top-tier studio. This album whittles the 75 songs of Twelve Nights in Hollywood into a sweet baker’s dozen, providing a sampler that goes from sexy to swinging and back again in 13 tracks.
Also new in music this week: Under Great White Northern Lights by The White Stripes, Throne to the Wolves by From First to Last, and more. See them all at Music New Releases.
New on DVD: Broken Embraces
If not for the deft touch of director Pedro Almodovar and his frequent muse Penelope Cruz, Broken Embraces might feel like the stuff of the Lifetime Movie Network. But Almodovar is a master of the melodrama, and his latest film plays like an old Hollywood offering, complete with Cruz’s legendary beauty and ever-more-impressive talent. Even though the Oscars gave Almodovar’s film the rare pass in its Foreign Language Film category, cinephiles know better than to do the same.
Cruz may get top billing, but Bad Education’s Lluis Homar lies at the heart of the story that crosses two decades. In the 1990s, writer Mateo Blanco is blinded in a car accident, but he is more traumatized by the death of his lover (Cruz). The new millennium finds him transformed into Harry Caine, an alter ego he creates after he feels lost in her absence. This non-linear film is an ode to both cinematic love and romantic attachment, and it’s another stylish addition to Almodovar’s filmography.
Also new on DVD this week: The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Princess and the Frog, and more. See them all at New on DVD.
Video Games: God of War III
This entry in the bestselling series features enough blood to turn any violence-hating mother into a crusader and enough incredible graphics to turn any casual gamer into an addict. Epic doesn’t even begin to describe the action of God of War III, which is so popular that you might notice that streets feel just a bit emptier in the wake of its release tomorrow.
In this installment, our feared anti-hero Kratos continues his mammoth task of fighting Zeus and the rest of the Olympians. This might seem daunting; that is, until you look at Kratos’s arsenal, which includes the Nemean Cestus, a pair of bone-blasting fists that turn the warrior’s already-terrifying hands into the deadliest of weapons. Zeus had better start running….
Also new in video games this week: Dragon Age Origins: Awakening, Metro 2033, 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 Recently Released section.
