AUDIO BOOKS (CDs)

  We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein ~ On a November day in 1940, Adam Paskow becomes a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto, where the Jews of the city are cut off from their former lives and held captive by Nazi guards to await an uncertain fate. Weeks later, he is approached by a mysterious figure with a surprising request: Would he join a secret group of archivists working to preserve the truth of what is happening inside these walls? Adam agrees and begins taking testimonies from his students, friends, and neighbors. He learns about their childhoods and their daydreams, their passions and their fears, their desperate strategies for safety and survival. The stories form a portrait of endurance in a world where no choices are good ones. One of the people Adam interviews is his flatmate Sala Wiskoff, who is stoic, determined, and funny—and married with two children. Over the months of their confinement, in the presence of her family, Adam and Sala fall in love. As they desperately carve out intimacy, their relationship feels both impossible and vital, their connection keeping them alive. But when Adam discovers a possible escape from the Ghetto, he is faced with an unbearable choice: whom can he save, and at what cost ?   The Phoenix crown by Kate Quinn ~ Versailles, 1912. At the height of an intoxicating Paris summer, a mysterious American millionaire attends a sumptuous costume ball with his bride, on whom he has bestowed the legendary Phoenix Crown, a priceless relic of Beijing’s fallen Summer Palace. The party of the century kicks off with three hundred guests, nine hundred bottles of champagne, and one quest for justice that spans two continents and six years. San Francisco, 1906. In a bustling city of newly minted millionaires and hopeful upstarts, four very different women cross paths: a resourceful Chinatown embroideress desperately searching for her lost love, a silver-voiced soprano who performs alongside Enrico Caruso, a mysteriously disappeared artist, and an independent female botanist obsessed with collecting a rare flower that only blooms at night. One man seemingly holds the key to their questions: Henry Thornton, the charming railroad magnate whose extraordinary collection of Chinese antiques includes the Phoenix Crown. The women’s lives are thrown into chaos when the San Francisco earthquake rips the city apart and Thornton disappears… leaving a mystery in his wake that reaches further than anyone could have imagined.   Losing Spring by V. C. Andrews ~ Caroline Bryer is the daughter of a very conservative TSA agent and former military brat, Morgan Bryer. Her mother, Linsey Bryer, is a descendent of the Sutherland real estate family. Their organized, suburban life in Colonie, New York, is rigorously regulated and leaves little room for deviation from the norm. When Linsey, Morgan, and Caroline attend the wake of their neighbor Mr. Gleeson, they meet his charming daughter Natalie “Nattie” Gleeson, who works for the American ambassador to France. Linsey and Nattie strike up a fast friendship as women of a similar age in very different places in their lives — Linsey a devoted mother and housewife, and Nattie an international diplomat living an independent and freewheeling life. Their friendship soon evolves into a romance, leading to the collapse of Linsey’s marriage and her disinheritance from the Sutherland family fortune. … a whirlwind of unexpected death, family estrangement, and a forbidden inheritance become Caroline’s new reality as she struggles to navigate the loss of her mother, the mind-boggling wealth of the Sutherland family (who quickly lock her away from the world), and the loss of contact with her father following the divorce.   Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes ~ Nisha Cantor lives the globetrotting life of the seriously wealthy, until her husband announces a divorce and cuts her off. Nisha is determined to hang onto her glamorous life. But in the meantime, she must scramble to cope-she doesn’t even have the shoes she was, until a moment ago, standing in.That’s because Sam Kemp – in the bleakest point of her life – has accidentally taken Nisha’s gym bag. But Sam hardly has time to worry about a lost gym bag-she’s struggling to keep herself and her family afloat. When she tries on Nisha’s six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes, the resulting jolt of confidence that makes her realize something must change–and that thing is herself.Full of Jojo Moyes’ signature humor, brilliant storytelling, and warmth, Someone Else’s Shoes is a story about how just one little thing can suddenly change everything.    

MOVIES (DVDs & Blu-Ray)

  Next goal wins ~ Follows the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. With the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen, hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this humorous and heartfelt underdog story.     Lisa Frankenstein ~ A coming of RAGE love story about a teenager and her infatuation, who happens to be a corpse. After a set of horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a journey to find love, happiness, and a few missing body parts.     Madam Web ~ Cassandra Webb is a New York City paramedic who starts to show signs of clairvoyance. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she must protect three young women from a mysterious adversary who wants them dead.     Dune, Part Two ~ The mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen on a warpath of revenge and endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.    

MUSIC (CDs)

Now that’s what I call ’90s R&B ~ Features 16 of the best R&B songs from the decade with tracks from Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, Bobby Brown, Babyface, Toni Braxton and more.   Reasonable Woman by Sia ~ Sia’s first proper album since 2016 is so filled to the brim with pop perfection, it almost overwhelms with how effortless it is for her to craft such instantly connectable songs. The collection is everything Sia does best, and the sonic equivalent of a myriad of things: an empowering embrace, secrets told late at night, going to the best party in the world, the vulnerability of declaring you love someone, the steadfast determination to keep going, even if your love isn’t returned; the messiness of being human; the exuberance of being human. In essence, it is life happening to us, happening for us; the songs mirror back to us being alive with every chorus.   Only God was above us by Vampire Weekend ~ The fifth studio album, it marks the third collaboration between the band and their longtime producer Ariel Rechtshaid. It is also the first album recorded by the band as a trio of vocalist-guitarist Ezra Koenig, bassist Chris Baio and drummer Chris Tomson after the 2016 departure of keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij.   Evolution by Sheryl Crow ~ Nine-time Grammy Award winner and 2023 Rock and Roll HalloOf Fame Inductee Sheryl Crow will release her 11th full-length studio album. The album comes as a welcomed surprise after Crow publicly said she would not release another full-length album after Threads (2018). It kicks off with her lead single Alarm Clock, which is perhaps Sheryl Crow’s most radio-friendly pop song since Soak Up the Sun.  

VIDEO GAMES

 

MLB The Show 2024 for the Xbox Series X~ Celebrate and learn about baseball legends throughout the sport’s history. The Storylines mode transports you into baseball’s past to relive iconic moments of baseball’s unsung and unknown heroes. Experience career-defining moments through a combination of immersive gameplay that will educate and inspire you to make history of your own.   Dragon’s Dogma II for the Playstation 5 ~ You are the chosen one who shall slay the Dragon and claim the throne. Set forth on your grand adventure, Arisen! Challenge your creativity in diverse combat against fabled monsters. Adventure alongside Pawns, intelligent companions who learn from you and other players. A deeply detailed, immersive fantasy world awaits!     Skulls and Bones for the Xbox Series X ~ Enter the perilous paradise of Skull and Bones, inspired by the Indian Ocean during the Golden Age of Piracy, as you overcome the odds and rise from an outcast to an infamous pirate.       Helldivers II for the Playstation 5 ~ Enlist in the Helldivers and join the fight for freedom across a hostile galaxy in a fast, frantic, and ferocious third-person shooter. Become a Legend – You will be assembled into squads of up to four Helldivers and assigned strategic missions. Watch each other’s back – friendly fire is an unfortunate certainty of war, but victory without teamwork is impossible.