What We're Reading: Tracy

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, by Dan Yaccarino.

Growing up in the 1970s, one of my favorite television programs was The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. I remember being captivated by the imagery he conveyed of strange sea creatures and otherworldly underwater landscapes. Equally captivating is this new children's biography of the oceanographic pioneer, written and illustrated by the uniquely talented Dan Yaccarino. The slight text is just right for readers "testing the waters" of biographies: interesting, comprehensive, but not overwhelming. The multi-layered illustrations, done in Yaccarino's distinctive "modern retro" style, perfectly complement the subject. "Quotation bubbles," colored circles containing quotes from Cousteau, rise up from each illustration spread, like the air bubbles that rise from diver's oxygen tanks. My favorite, "When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself," is a fitting epitaph for a man who shared his own extraordinary life and talents with the world.

What We're Reading: Edward

Lock Artist

by Steve Hamilton

This novel is NOT part of Hamilton's award winning Alex McKnight series. In this novel, Mike has not talked since an incident when he was eight. His condition has made him a loner. Mike makes his first friend in a high school art class. At a party his friend gets Mike to display his ability to pick locks. This simple demonstration sets Mike on a troubled path. When a high school prank goes wrong, Mike gets caught. Mike's probation gets him involved with a man who has criminal connections. Mike learns to crack safes to pay off the man's debts. But the man's daughter may be Mike's salvation. Will Mike go with the flow and begin a life of crime? Will Mike's love help him to go straight? The chapters of the book go forward and backward in time much like the combinations on the locks that Mike picks. Sit back, read and enjoy.

What We're Watching: Tracy

Undersea Kingdom, starring Ray "Crash" Corrigan, with Lon Chaney Jr.


Here's the ultimate in escapist film: a journey to Atlantis by "Rocket Submarine" to thwart the evil mastermind who is causing cataclysmic earthquakes on the surface with his "Disintegrator," a fantastic Tesla-inspired machine. And that's not all: there are also murderous robots, careening horse-drawn chariots, magnetic weapons, rocket ships, and even an "Invisible Wall" of "atom rays". This classic 1936 chapter film is known as the "Silly Hat Serial" for its abundance of creatively absurd headgear, an example of which can be seen on the DVD cover above. Undersea Kingdom is filled with great "retro futuristic" imagery, and stars Crash Corrigan, a renowned stunt man and B-film actor who was particularly famed for his skill at performing while wearing a gorilla suit. Also featured is horror film legend Lon Chaney Jr. as a villainous Atlantean henchman.

What We're Watching: Tracy

Captain Midnight, starring Dave O'Brien and Dorothy Short.

In 1942, the phenomenally popular radio show, Captain Midnight, made the transition to the big screen as a 15 chapter serial. The Captain, a patriotic yet mysterious flying ace, battled super villain Ivan Shark, who had embarked on a campaign of terror, bombing cities across America while he searched for the "secret range finder" that would make him unstoppable. Each episode ended with a cliffhanger, guaranteed to bring the young audience back the following week to see if the Captain escaped his latest peril. Mix yourself a tall glass of Ovaltine (the show's longtime sponsor), hang the blackout curtains, settle back and enjoy the adventures of Captain Midnight.

What We're Listening To: Cathy

An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor

Those who have read or listened to the other books by Patrick Taylor about Ballybucklebo and its two doctors (An Irish Country Doctor, An Irish Country Village, and An Irish Country Christmas), have also come to know their housekeeper Kinky Kincaid as a friendly and efficient part of the household. This book is her story. The story of growing up on a farm in Cork in the 1920's. Her struggle to have a better life than most of the women around her despite the attitudes of the time towards working wives. And this is the story of how Maureen O'Hanlon met Paudeen Kincaid. It's a great Irish story that includes ghosts and the shee and the sight - and tragedy. With the audio version, of course, you get to hear the story told in that wonderful Irish Cork accent, so.

What We're Reading: Laurie

Willow by Julia Hoban

Willow has moved in with her brother and sister-in-law after a terrible accident. She is a 17 year old girl in a new school and is horribly afraid to let anyone into her world fearing that her deepest secret will be revealed. Willow struggles to fit in with her new classmates until she meets a boy who will change her life in a way she never believed possible. This is a very moving story of a young woman who must learn to forgive herself and try to open up to those around her.

What We're Reading: Edward

Apostle

by Brad Thor

Newly elected President Allen is committed to changing American foreign and domestic policy. When the daughter of his richest supporter is kidnapped in Afghanistan, President Allen is blackmailed into trying to free her.The price for her freedom is the release of an al-Qaeda mastermind captured by Afghanistan forces. President Allen can not use American forces, so he turns to Scott Harvath for help. Harvath is a former Navy SEAL and intelligence operative. This is his sixth thrilling adventure. Harvath takes on the assignment but is loath to free the al-Qaeda operative. With the help of some friends, private security contractors in Afghanistan, he sets out to both free the kidnapped daughter and to get the al-Qaeda operative into American custody. Will he survive this impossible assignment? Will President Allen survive the revelation that he was being blackmailed?