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Game 6

• Written by award-winning novelist Don DeLillo (WHITE NOISE, UNDERWORLD) and directed by Michael Hoffman (SOAPDISH, ONE FINE DAY), GAME 6 is a smart psychological study of a man unable to face the reality of his life. Michael Keaton stars as Nickey Rogan, a successful playwright of Broadway fluff whose new, serious play is scheduled to open on October 25, 1986 -- the same night his beloved Boston R

Written by award-winning novelist Don DeLillo (WHITE NOISE, UNDERWORLD) and directed by Michael Hoffman (SOAPDISH, ONE FINE DAY), GAME 6 is a smart psychological study of a man unable to face the reality of his life. Michael Keaton stars as Nickey Rogan, a successful playwright of Broadway fluff whose new, serious play is scheduled to open on October 25, 1986 -- the same night his beloved Boston Red Sox have a chance at winning the World Series, playing Game 6 against the New York Mets at Shea Stadi! um. Despite his popular success, Rogan sees his life as being as futile as the Red Sox, who have not won the baseball championship since 1918. He's not very close with his daughter (Ari Graynor), his wife (Catherine O'Hara) is divorcing him, his girlfriend (Bebe Neuwirth) doesn't understand him, and his lead actor (Harris Yulin) has a parasite in his brain that is causing him to forget his lines. Meanwhile, Rogan is terrified that hated theater critic Steven Schwimmer (Robert Downey Jr.) will tear his play apart, leaving him a shell of a man, like his friend Elliot Litvack (Griffin Dunne). A former cabdriver, Rogan spends much of the day stuck in taxis in heavy traffic, attempting to engage the hacks in conversation, and bonding better with strangers than with his friends and family. As the curtain approaches, he can't decide whether he'd rather be at the play or watching the game on television, afraid that both might fail him. Hoffman sets the film in a tight-knit New York! City community that moves at a snail's pace, where coincidenc! es both welcome and not abound. Keaton excels as the tortured soul who is looking for that critical hit--in both Broadway and baseball parlance. He just can't face another ball going through his legs. Hoboken's Yo La Tengo composed the movie's excellent score.Game 6, the first produced screenplay by acclaimed novelist Don DeLillo (White Noise), follows the obsession of a playwright, Nicky Rogan (Michael Keaton), whose beloved jinxed Red Sox are playing game six of the 1986 World Series--the same night Rogan's new play opens on Broadway. The stories that intersect to construct this ominous character study are woven by stellar performances by a first-rate cast, including Keaton, who gives a not-quite-unraveled reading that reminds us what a strong character actor he can be. Around Keaton is a fine ensemble, including a brittle Catherine O'Hara as his estranged wife ("Nicky, I'm seeing a prominent divorce attorney." "How prominent?" "He has his own submarine."); Bebe Neuw! irth as his high-strung paramour; Griffin Dunne as an unglued fellow writer; and Robert Downey Jr. as a Buddhist theater critic whose ruinous reviews are as deadly as the loaded gun he takes to premieres. If the plot is a little far-fetched (and the climactic scene preposterous), the audacious writing and gripping performances more than make up for it. As Rogan says, "Winning is easy; losing is complicated." --A.T. Hurley

Mother-Daughter Duet: Getting to the Relationship You Want with Your Adult Daughter

• ISBN13: 9780805446661
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Here is an intriguing and sophisticated murder mystery of an upstanding military officer - the base commander's daughter - who's been leading an unsavory double life.

When a professional military woman with a pristine reputation is found raped and murdered, a preliminary search turns up certain paraphernalia, and sex toys that point to a scandal of major proportions, The chief investigator is reluctant to take the case when he learns that his partner will be a woman with whom he had a tempestuous affair and an unpleasant parting. But duty calls and intrigue begins when they learn that several top-level people may have been involved with the "golden girl" - and many have wanted her dead.
It's Nelson DeMille at his best - exciting, suspenseful and highly provocative.Long before the John Travolta film of The General's Daughter (which the author extols in the foreword), Nelson DeMille's seventh mystery was the breakout hit of his career. The rapid-fire dialogue and scenes are cinematic, and the storytelling puts most movies to shame.

The book has three heroes: Paul Brenner and Cynthia Sunhill of the army's Criminal Investigation Division and Capt. Ann Campbell, found dead with her underpants around her neck on the firing range at Fort Hadley, Georgia. Brenner and Sunhill are lowly warrant officers, but as investigators they can theoretically arrest their superiors--as long as their case is airtight. This ups the tension level, as does the fact that Brenner and Sunhill once had an adulterous affair.

The chief problem, though, is too many suspects. Capt. Campbell, the daughter of the general who runs the base, is literally a poster woman! for the New Army, a West Point grad and Gulf War hero who pos! ed in a life-size recruitment poster. It's pinned up on her basement wall--and when the sleuths touch the poster it swings back to reveal a hidden playroom stocked with sex toys and videos of many army guys in pig masks and the captain in high heels. She was a high-IQ "two percenter"--and Brenner finds that two percenters often wind up on his desk as homicide suspects. Why is this one a victim? It has something to do with the collected works of Nietzsche on her bookshelf, corruption in high places, and the rag and bone shop of the heart.

This is one racy read, and it crackles with authenticity. DeMille is a Vietnam veteran who does for military justice what John Grisham does for civilians. --Tim Appelo Here is an intriguing and sophisticated murder mystery of an upstanding military officer - the base commander's daughter - who's been leading an unsavory double life.

When a professional military woman with a pristine reputation is found raped and murdered, a pre! liminary search turns up certain paraphernalia, and sex toys that point to a scandal of major proportions, The chief investigator is reluctant to take the case when he learns that his partner will be a woman with whom he had a tempestuous affair and an unpleasant parting. But duty calls and intrigue begins when they learn that several top-level people may have been involved with the "golden girl" - and many have wanted her dead.

It's Nelson DeMille at his best - exciting, suspenseful and highly provocative.Long before the John Travolta film of The General's Daughter (which the author extols in the foreword), Nelson DeMille's seventh mystery was the breakout hit of his career. The rapid-fire dialogue and scenes are cinematic, and the storytelling puts most movies to shame.

The book has three heroes: Paul Brenner and Cynthia Sunhill of the army's Criminal Investigation Division and Capt. Ann Campbell, found dead with her underpants around her neck on the! firing range at Fort Hadley, Georgia. Brenner and Sunhill are! lowly w arrant officers, but as investigators they can theoretically arrest their superiors--as long as their case is airtight. This ups the tension level, as does the fact that Brenner and Sunhill once had an adulterous affair.

The chief problem, though, is too many suspects. Capt. Campbell, the daughter of the general who runs the base, is literally a poster woman for the New Army, a West Point grad and Gulf War hero who posed in a life-size recruitment poster. It's pinned up on her basement wall--and when the sleuths touch the poster it swings back to reveal a hidden playroom stocked with sex toys and videos of many army guys in pig masks and the captain in high heels. She was a high-IQ "two percenter"--and Brenner finds that two percenters often wind up on his desk as homicide suspects. Why is this one a victim? It has something to do with the collected works of Nietzsche on her bookshelf, corruption in high places, and the rag and bone shop of the heart.

This is on! e racy read, and it crackles with authenticity. DeMille is a Vietnam veteran who does for military justice what John Grisham does for civilians. --Tim Appelo Here is an intriguing and sophisticated murder mystery of an upstanding military officer - the base commander's daughter - who's been leading an unsavory double life.

When a professional military woman with a pristine reputation is found raped and murdered, a preliminary search turns up certain paraphernalia, and sex toys that point to a scandal of major proportions, The chief investigator is reluctant to take the case when he learns that his partner will be a woman with whom he had a tempestuous affair and an unpleasant parting. But duty calls and intrigue begins when they learn that several top-level people may have been involved with the "golden girl" - and many have wanted her dead.

It's Nelson DeMille at his best - exciting, suspenseful and highly provocative.When eighteen-year-old heiress A! verie Winston travels to faraway Chiarrin, she looks forward t! o the re union with her father and her handsome fianc‚, Morgan. What she finds is entirely different from what she expected. She realizes that Morgan is not the man she thought he was; and she finds herself inexplicably drawn to another. Handsome Lieutenant Ket Du'kai is like no one Averie has ever met, and she enjoys every moment she spends with him, every delicious flirtation. Averie knows she's still engaged to another man, but she can't help but think about Lieutenant Du'kai, and she wonders if he feels the same.Welcome to the End of Empire. Set over two hundred years from now, in a world very much like Imperial Rome, this is the story of General Peter Black, the last decent man, as told through the eyes of his devoted (and illegitimate) daughter, Justa. Raised on battlefields, more comfortable in the company of hard men of war than with women or other children, Justa must keep the truth of her birth hidden. Her father regards her as an embarrassment, a reminder of his one and ! only indiscretion. Yet she is a remarkable woman - one whose keen mind wins her an education at the feet of Emperor Mathias the Glistening himself. All his life, General Black served the noble emperor, and, out of loyalty to the father, continues to serve his son after Mathias' death, even as the son's reign degenerates into an insane tyranny worthy of Nero or Caligula. As the rule of the empire passes from father to son with disastrous results, a strange metal plague begins slowly destroying the empire's technology, plunging the realm into chaos and the world into war. Amid the destruction and upheaval, General Black must decide whether to turn his back on the men and institutions who never loved him nearly as much as he did them, or whether to save his most trusted ally and adviser, his best friend and only real family. "The Martian General's Daughter" is a gripping tale of a world at war; of cunning strategies and vile politics; of bravery, foolishness, and excess. It i! s at once a stirring military adventure, a cautionary tale of ! repeatin g history, a cutting satire, and a heartbreaking examination of the joys and pain inherent in the love between a father and child. Judson's previous novel was selected in multiple best-of-the-year lists. With "The Martian General's Daughter", he offers another must-read epic destined to take its place in the canon of science fiction, and sure to appeal to readers of everything from Orson Scott Card to Walter M Miller, Jr.

From the cradle to college, tell your daughters the truth about life before they believe the culture’s lies.

For mothers with girls newborn to eighteen, Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter is simply a must-have book. Youth culture commentator Vicki Courtney helps moms pinpoint and prepare the discussions that should be ongoing in their daughters' formative years.

To fully address the dynamic social and spiritual issues and influencers at hand, several chapters are written for each of the conve! rsations, which are:

1. You are more than the sum of your parts

2. Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up

3. Sex is great and worth the wait

4. It’s OK to dream about marriage and motherhood

5. Girls gone wild are a dime a dozen—dare to be virtuous

The book is linked to online bonus features offering invaluable tips on having these conversations across the various stages of development: five and under, six to eleven, twelve and up.

A harmonious relationship is possible
 
When your daughter was born, you had a thousand hopes and dreams for her. . .including that one day you'd be best friends.

But as life unfolds, even the best intentions go awry. There are so many challenges on the journey to adult friendship that the reality is fraught with friction and frustration. Thankfully, a harmonious relationship with your daughter is possible.
           
Written by a mother a! nd daughter who have successfully navigated the minefield from! distanc e and tension to acceptance and friendship, Mother-Daughter Duet helps moms open wide the door of communication so that daughters want to walk through it. Filled with personal anecdotes and based on proven principles, each chapter offers timeless wisdom as well as a daughter’s perspective. Often these principles apply to daughters-in-law as well.
           
The relationship between mothers and daughters is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But you can have the loving, authentic bond you always dreamed ofâ€"when you learn the mother-daughter duet.

High Crimes

• ISBN13: 9780312378820
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Ashley Judd stars as Claire Kubik, a high-powered attorney whose perfect life comes down when her husband is charged with high crimes of murder. Enlisting the aid of a shrewd military lawyer (Morgan Freeman), Claire will risk her career and even her life to find the truth in this "head-snapping thriller" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).A welcomed reunion of Kiss the Girls costars Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman makes High Crimes a worthwhile thriller with vivid, likable characters. Efficiently directed by Carl Franklin, this military mystery doesn't have the unpredictable edginess of Franklin's Devil in a Blue Dress, but its twisting plot is sure to hold anyone's attention. Judd plays ! a successful, happily married lawyer whose husband (Jim Caviezel) is accused of killing innocent citizens during his military service in El Salvador some 13 years earlier. A cover-up implicates a powerful Brigadier General (Bruce Davison), but when Judd hires a maverick attorney (Freeman), Judd is caught in a potentially lethal trap of threats and deception. Attentive viewers will stay ahead of the action, and alleged villains are posed as obvious decoys. Still, Judd and Freeman have an appealing rapport (shared with Amanda Peet, playing Judd's vivacious sister), and Freeman's character flaws add worldly spice to yet another rich performance. --Jeff ShannonAshley Judd stars as Claire Kubik, a high-powered attorney whose perfect life comes down when her husband is charged with high crimes of murder. Enlisting the aid of a shrewd military lawyer (Morgan Freeman), Claire will risk her career and even her life to find the truth in this "head-snapping thriller" (Milwaukee! Journal Sentinel).A welcomed reunion of Kiss the Girls! costars Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman makes High Crimes a worthwhile thriller with vivid, likable characters. Efficiently directed by Carl Franklin, this military mystery doesn't have the unpredictable edginess of Franklin's Devil in a Blue Dress, but its twisting plot is sure to hold anyone's attention. Judd plays a successful, happily married lawyer whose husband (Jim Caviezel) is accused of killing innocent citizens during his military service in El Salvador some 13 years earlier. A cover-up implicates a powerful Brigadier General (Bruce Davison), but when Judd hires a maverick attorney (Freeman), Judd is caught in a potentially lethal trap of threats and deception. Attentive viewers will stay ahead of the action, and alleged villains are posed as obvious decoys. Still, Judd and Freeman have an appealing rapport (shared with Amanda Peet, playing Judd's vivacious sister), and Freeman's character flaws add worldly spice to yet another rich performance. --Jeff Sha! nnon

Meet Claire Heller Chapman. A criminal defense attorney who’s made a name for herself by taking onâ€"and winningâ€"the toughest cases, Claire still manages to have a relatively calm life as a Harvard Law School professor, devoted wife, and proud mother to six-year-old Annie. Until one night, when the family is out having dinner, a team of government agents bursts onto the scene…heading straight for Claire’s husband.

Tom Chapman has been arrested for an atrocious crime he swears he did not commit. Claire is desperate to believe himâ€"and prove his innocenceâ€"even when she learns that Tom once had a different name. And a different face. Now, in a top-secret court-martial conducted by the Pentagon, Claire will put everything on the line to defend the man she loves. But as the evidence keeps piling up, the less she knows who her husband really is…and the more he appears to be a cold-blooded murderer.

When (not if---the ! deal has already been signed) this terrific thriller gets ma! de into a movie, you might see Morgan Freeman as a crusty lawyer who specializes in taking on the military establishment tell the actress playing ace Boston barrister and Harvard Law professor Claire Heller Chapman, "Every civilian who's ever gone into a military general court-martial and tried to attack the foundations of the military has lost his case. No exceptions. The military is a tight, closed fraternity. They take it real serious. Military justice is a deadly serious business." Claire has to realize this as she prepares to defend her husband--the man she knows as Tom Chapman, but who the Army says is Ron Kubik-- on charges that he took part in a massacre of 87 civilians in San Salvador 13 years before. Full of doubts about Tom's innocence and her own ability to prove it in an unfamiliar arena, Claire is brought to exciting, moving life by the extravagantly gifted Joseph Finder, whose previous thrillers (Extraordinary Powers, The Zer! o Hour) are available in paperback.

Home on the Range

• Round up the family and get ready for a whole lotta fun with Disney's hilarious animated comedy HOME ON THE RANGE. It's a "total joy," raves Gene Shalit, The Today Show. When a greedy outlaw schemes to take possession of the "Patch Of Heaven" dairy farm, three determined cows, a karate-kicking stallion named Buck, and a colorful coral of critters join forces to save their home. The stakes

Round up the family and get ready for a whole lotta fun with Disney's hilarious animated comedy HOME ON THE RANGE. It's a "total joy," raves Gene Shalit, The Today Show. When a greedy outlaw schemes to take possession of the "Patch Of Heaven" dairy farm, three determined cows, a karate-kicking stallion named Buck, and a colorful coral of critters join forces to save their home. The stakes are sky high as this unlikely animal alliance risks their hides and match wits with a mysterious band of bad guys. Experi! ence Disney's new moo-vie adventure with spectacular bonus features, stunning animation, and original songs performed by k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Tim McGraw, and The Beu Sisters and written by the Academy Award(R)-winning composer of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and ALADDIN. It's "good fun for the whole family," declares Leonard Maltin.A spiky animation style and cowboy yodelling give Home on the Range some charisma. A trio of cows--Maggie (voiced by Roseanne, She-Devil), Mrs. Calloway (Judi Dench, Iris), and Grace (Jennifer Tilly, Bound)--hit the high prairie to track down a cattle rustler named Alameda Slim (Randy Quaid, Kingpin) in hopes that the reward money will save their farm. With the aid of Buck, a horse with heroic ambitions (Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Maguire), the bovine avengers track the villain to his lair and save the day, to the accompaniment of tunes warbled by k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, and Tim McGraw. These songs--composed by! Alan Menken (who wrote the music for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast)--are the movie's strongest element; the characters are largely trumped up to fit a number of weak jokes that reference current pop culture, thus rupturing the movie's Old West world. Still, it looks nifty. --Bret Fetzer

Chocolat

• ISBN13: 9780140282030
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

With movies like Chocolat, it's always best to relax your intellectual faculties and absorb the abundant sensual pleasures, be it the heart-stopping smile of chocolatier Juliette Binoche as she greets a new customer, an intoxicating cup of spiced hot cocoa, or the soothing guitar of an Irish gypsy played by Johnny Depp. Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs from Joanne Harris's popular novel and lovingly directed by Lasse Hallström, the film covers familiar territory and deals in broad metaphors that even a child could comprehend, so it's no surprise that some critics panned it with killjoy fervor. Their objections miss the point. Familiarity can be comforting and so can easy metaphors when placed! in a fable that's as warmly inviting as this one.

Driven by fate, Vianne (Binoche) drifts into a tranquil French village with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol, from Ponette) in the winter of 1959. Her newly opened chocolatier is a source of attraction and fear, since Vianne's ability to revive the villagers' passions threatens to disrupt their repressive traditions. The pious mayor (Alfred Molina) sees Vianne as the enemy, and his war against her peaks with the arrival of "river rats" led by Roux (Depp), whose attraction to Vianne is immediate and reciprocal. Splendid subplots involve a battered wife (Lena Olin), a village elder (Judi Dench), and her estranged daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and while the film's broader strokes may be regrettable (if not for Molina's rich performance, the mayor would be a caricature), its subtleties are often sublime. Chocolat reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them. --Jeff ShannonNom! inated for 5 Academy Awards(R) including Best Picture, Best Ac! tress (J uliette Binoche -- THE ENGLISH PATIENT), and Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench -- SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), CHOCOLAT is the beautiful and captivating comedy from the acclaimed director of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES! Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne (Binoche) would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the straitlaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux (Johnny Depp -- SLEEPY HOLLOW), arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!With movies like Chocolat, it's always best to relax your intellectual faculties and absorb the abundant sensual pleasures, be it the heart-stopping smile of chocolatier Juliette Binoche as she greets a new customer, an intoxicating cup of spiced hot cocoa, or the soothing g! uitar of an Irish gypsy played by Johnny Depp. Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs from Joanne Harris's popular novel and lovingly directed by Lasse Hallström, the film covers familiar territory and deals in broad metaphors that even a child could comprehend, so it's no surprise that some critics panned it with killjoy fervor. Their objections miss the point. Familiarity can be comforting and so can easy metaphors when placed in a fable that's as warmly inviting as this one.

Driven by fate, Vianne (Binoche) drifts into a tranquil French village with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol, from Ponette) in the winter of 1959. Her newly opened chocolatier is a source of attraction and fear, since Vianne's ability to revive the villagers' passions threatens to disrupt their repressive traditions. The pious mayor (Alfred Molina) sees Vianne as the enemy, and his war against her peaks with the arrival of "river rats" led by Roux (Depp), whose attraction to Vianne is im! mediate and reciprocal. Splendid subplots involve a battered w! ife (Len a Olin), a village elder (Judi Dench), and her estranged daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and while the film's broader strokes may be regrettable (if not for Molina's rich performance, the mayor would be a caricature), its subtleties are often sublime. Chocolat reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them. --Jeff ShannonChocolate is the beautiful and captivating comedy from the acclaimed director of the Cider House Rules! Nobody could have imagined the impact that the striking Vianne(Binoche) would make when she arrived in a tranquil, old-fashioned French town. In her very unusual chocolate shop, Vianne begins to create mouth-watering confections that almost magically inspire the strailaced villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness! But it is not until another stranger, the handsome Roux arrives in town that Vianne is finally able to recognize her own desires!With movies like Chocolat, it's always best to relax your ! intellectual faculties and absorb the abundant sensual pleasures, be it the heart-stopping smile of chocolatier Juliette Binoche as she greets a new customer, an intoxicating cup of spiced hot cocoa, or the soothing guitar of an Irish gypsy played by Johnny Depp. Adapted by Robert Nelson Jacobs from Joanne Harris's popular novel and lovingly directed by Lasse Hallström, the film covers familiar territory and deals in broad metaphors that even a child could comprehend, so it's no surprise that some critics panned it with killjoy fervor. Their objections miss the point. Familiarity can be comforting and so can easy metaphors when placed in a fable that's as warmly inviting as this one.

Driven by fate, Vianne (Binoche) drifts into a tranquil French village with her daughter Anouk (Victoire Thivisol, from Ponette) in the winter of 1959. Her newly opened chocolatier is a source of attraction and fear, since Vianne's ability to revive the villagers' passions threat! ens to disrupt their repressive traditions. The pious mayor (A! lfred Mo lina) sees Vianne as the enemy, and his war against her peaks with the arrival of "river rats" led by Roux (Depp), whose attraction to Vianne is immediate and reciprocal. Splendid subplots involve a battered wife (Lena Olin), a village elder (Judi Dench), and her estranged daughter (Carrie-Anne Moss), and while the film's broader strokes may be regrettable (if not for Molina's rich performance, the mayor would be a caricature), its subtleties are often sublime. Chocolat reminds you of life's simple pleasures and invites you to enjoy them. --Jeff ShannonGreeted as "an amazement of riches . . . few readers will be able to resist" by The New York Times, Chocolat is an enchanting novel about temptation, pleasure, and the ultimate folly of self-denial. The town of Lansquenet, solemnly preparing for Lent, is set astir when Vianne Rocher and her spirited daughter arrive on the heels of the carnival and open a chocolate shop across the square from the chu! rch. Vianne's uncanny ability to perceive her customers' private discontents and alleviate them with just the right chocolate treats quickly charms the villagers--and enrages Pere Reynaud, the conservative local priest. Certain that only a witch could create such magical cures, Reynaud vows to block the chocolate festival Vianne plans for Easter Sunday and to run her out of town forever. Witch or not (she'll never tell), Vianne soon sparks a dramatic confrontation between those who prefer the cold comforts of the church and those who revel in their newly discovered taste for pleasure.

"Delectable . . . delicious"-- (USA Today)

"Part fairy tale, part morality tale, laden with high farce and tongue-in-cheek humor . . . suffused with lush detail and finely drawn interesting characters."-- Philadelphia Inquirer

"Harris writes with verve and charm . . . if Colette and Hawthorne had collaborated, the result might have been this serious delight.! "-- The New Yorker

The perfect treat for Valent! ine's Da y and EasterVianne Rocher and her 6-year-old daughter, Anouk, arrive in the small village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes--"a blip on the fast road between Toulouse and Bourdeaux"--in February, during the carnival. Three days later, Vianne opens a luxuriant chocolate shop crammed with the most tempting of confections and offering a mouth-watering variety of hot chocolate drinks. It's Lent, the shop is opposite the church and open on Sundays, and Francis Reynaud, the austere parish priest, is livid.

One by one the locals succumb to Vianne's concoctions. Joanne Harris weaves their secrets and troubles, their loves and desires, into her third novel, with the lightest touch. There's sad, polite Guillame and his dying dog; thieving, beaten-up Joséphine Muscat; schoolchildren who declare it "hypercool" when Vianne says they can help eat the window display--a gingerbread house complete with witch. And there's Armande, still vigorous in her 80s, who can see Anouk's "! imaginary" rabbit, Pantoufle, and recognizes Vianne for who she really is. However, certain villagers--including Armande's snobby daughter and Joséphine's violent husband--side with Reynaud. So when Vianne announces a Grand Festival of Chocolate commencing Easter Sunday, it's all-out war: war between church and chocolate, between good and evil, between love and dogma.

Reminiscent of Herman Hesse's short story "Augustus," Chocolat is an utterly delicious novel, coated in the gentlest of magic, which proves--indisputably and without preaching--that soft centers are best. --Lisa Gee, Amazon.co.uk

Blue Collar Comedy Tour

• A feature film version of America's hit comedy concert tour, "Blue Collar Comedy Tour - The Movie" stars renowned comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall and fellow Blue Collar comics Ron White and Larry The Cable Guy. The film features live stand-up performances filmed at Phoenix's Dodge Theater as well as behind-the-scenes sequences highlighting the individual comedians. The number one comedy

For the first time ever, all three Blue Collar Comedy Tour movies are available to own in one complete set!The redneck quartet from the original Blue Collar Comedy Tour re-groups for another night of laughs, with (mostly) fresh material performed for an upbeat audience. A funny, clubby preface on a tour bus establishes a tone of lowbrow camaraderie among Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall, but once on stage, the differences between each comic's style is considerab! le. Amiable Engvall kicks things off with gentle gibes: "Men are basic: eating, sleeping, sex. I can do all those in my truck." The decadent air of Ron White darkens the show: "If I'd known the difference between 'antidote' and 'anecdote,' my friend would still be alive today." Foxworthy, the likable Everyman, comments on his wife's hypochondria: "Honey, you do not have testicular cancer." Finally, Larry the Cable Guy lowers the bar on sick-hick humor but does score occasionally: "I got a vasectomy at Sears. When I get excited, the garage door opens." --Tom KeoghA feature film version of America's hit comedy concert tour, "Blue Collar Comedy Tour - The Movie" stars renowned comedians Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall and fellow Blue Collar comics Ron White and Larry The Cable Guy. The film features live stand-up performances filmed at Phoenix's Dodge Theater as well as behind-the-scenes sequences highlighting the individual comedians. The number one comedy tour of the ! last two years, The Blue Collar Comedy Tour has grossed more t! han $12 million to date and produced a best-selling live album, The Blue Collar Comedy Tour Live, released in November 2001.It had to happen: A national tour of redneck comedians culminating in this frequently funny concert film, shot in Phoenix. Ron White's scotch-and-tobacco-fueled, fatalistic world view gets things off to a good start. ("That last engine had just enough power to get us to our crash site.") Larry the Cable Guy's creepy-silly persona helps deliver a set long on gross-out humor. ("I've been seein' a good-lookin' girl. But now I lost my binoculars.") Bill Engvall balances the tone with his family-man shtick. ("There needs to be a teenage driver's lane lined with tires and mattresses.") Main event champ Jeff Foxworthy offers fresh material about the act of ice-fishing as an out-of-body experience for fish, describes the bizarre sight of a leaf blower among items confiscated by airport security and, of course, renders his trademark re-re-re-definitions of what constitu! tes a redneck ("a glorious absence of sophistication"). Lots to enjoy here. --Tom Keogh