Oscar season, by Mary McNamara

This was great fun to read while watching the Academy Awards. McNamara has been a reporter for the Los Angeles Times writing about Hollywood for 17 years so is able to give this story authenticity. Juliette, the heroine, is the PR director for a major Hollywood hotel. Who knew hotels had PR directors?! Juliette's job is to make sure the hottest stars stay at her hotel, and that they are treated extremely well. I loved her description of the Oscar fanny-packs that the staff is issued; the bags contain everything from aspirin to Xanax. You're seeing behind the scenes, and you're guessing which character was inspired by which famous actor or actress; I enjoyed it.

Double Cross, by James Patterson

Psychologist Alex Cross stars again and so does the evil Kyle Craig. Sentenced to death, Kyle still manages to escape from a maximum security prison with the help of his attorney, who obligingly hangs himself in Kyle's cell. Would your attorney do that for you? Two of Kyle's big fans are on a killing spree, "in your honor," they tell him. The best thing is that Alex has a new lady, but I didn't like the ending. I think Patterson's agent called and told him to wrap it up.

Duma Key, by Stephen King

One of my absolute favorite authors, King has written about a contractor who comes to Duma Key, Florida, to recuperate from the accident which left him one-armed. His doctor has told him to get a hobby, and Edgar Freemantle used to like to draw, so he picks up a pencil. Six hundred pages later, I finally took a deep breath. My sister, also a big King fan, was reading it too and sent me text messages which I had to ignore. A little bit of fun, a little bit of horror, and a little bit of rock n roll with a big message about doing what's right.

Capitol conspiracy, by William Bernhardt

Ben Kincaid, now junior senator from Oklahoma, is shot in the cheek during an assassintion attempt on the President. Bernhardt gets to the heart of the civil rights and privacy issues surrounding us in post-9/11 as the President pushes for a temporary ban on the Bill of Rights. Good story.

Cloverfield [movie]

I'm a pacifist and a vegetarian. I say that first because, I'm a sucker for movies where things get blown up and destroyed. This starts out as a love story, then a love story gone wrong, then suddenly there are monsters in New York and the head of the Statue of Liberty comes flying out of the sky. Lots of running and panting, and you actually get to see the monsters. Best of all, the cameraman gets swallowed by one and there's wonderful red goo and gore. I liked the quirky ending too. I also ate half a bucket of popcorn so I wouldn't get too seasick from the jerky hand-held camera style. Great fun.

There Will be Blood [movie]

I had to see the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis in this movie, and as promised, he is absolutely outstanding. However, I was blown away by Paul Dano as the young minister. Here is a young actor to watch; he was perfect in "Little Miss Sunshine" as the mute older brother of Abigail Breslin's character and he is mesmerizing here. The score, or soundtrack, or music, was a huge part of this experience, from the sound of a mining horn to ominous violins to sweet hymns. A truly enriching experience.

the 3:10 to Yuma [movie]

I love Westerns. The first record I ever bought was Frankie Lane singing "Rawhide" (until I discovered Elvis, another country singer). This movie is a superb Western, old style heroes and villains. The bad guy even proudly wears a black hat. Russell Crowe is excellent as a train robber without a conscience. Christian Bale, the unlikely hero who just wants to keep his farm from foreclosure, inspires sympathy and admiration. His son, played by Logan Lerman, is a moody teenager who hates his father. Peter Fonda does an excellent job as an embittered bounty hunter. Terrific.

Beverly Hills dead, by Stuart Woods

At last! A good story from Woods after a series of superficial gloppy books featuring Stone Barrington. Set in 1940's Hollywood, this combines the Hollywood Ten, a slick hero, and (in the last quarter of the book) a murder. Even though it's filled with stereotypes, I enjoyed seeing the back lots of early moviemaking. And you might recognize a couple of names here, if you're a Woods fan.

Paula Spencer, by Roddy Doyle

From the author of "The woman who walked into doors," published in 1996, this continues the story of Paula Spencer. Paula has not had a drink for four months and it's wonderful to watch her come alive again. Her husband, the no-good wife-beating jerk, is long dead - shot during the police after a kidnapping. Doyle has a real knack for describing the inner life of a woman, a mother, and an alcoholic. I loved it and cheered for Paula!