Monday, December 28, 2015

Hot This Week: December 28

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! For the last week of the year, the latest installment of the Mission: Impossible action franchise took top honors in the movie world. Adele has yet another week with two albums on the chart, keeping her latest at #1. Harper Lee finds her way back onto the last fiction list of the year, as does a biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in non-fiction.

DVD
  1. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
  2. Trainwreck
  3. Ant-Man
  4. Vacation
  5. Self/less
  6. Max
  7. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
  8. Inside Out
  9. Jurassic World
  10. No Escape
CD
  1. Adele, 25
  2. Justin Bieber, Purpose
  3. Pentatonix, That's Christmas to Me
  4. One Direction, Made in the A.M.
  5. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  6. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
  7. Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams
  8. Michael Buble, Christmas
  9. Taylor Swift, 1989
  10. Adele, 21 
Fiction
  1. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  2. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  3. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  5. Cross Justice, James Patterson
  6. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  7. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom
  8. The Guilty, David Baldacci
  9. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  10. Commander in Chief, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  4. What If?, Randall Munroe
  5. Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham
  6. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  7. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  8. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  9. Crippled America, Donald Trump
  10. Notorious RBG, Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Monday, December 21, 2015

Hot This Week: December 21

Heading into the holiday week, the Amy Schumer comedy Trainwreck takes the top movie spot, followed closely by Paul Rudd's entry into the Marvel universe. Adele maintains her reign over the music chart, joined this week by such newcomers as Coldplay and Rick Ross. The fiction and non-fiction lists both just see some movement in their orders, while the titles from last week all keep their momentum.

DVD
  1. Trainwreck
  2. Ant-Man
  3. Vacation
  4. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
  5. Self/less
  6. No Escape
  7. Max
  8. Jurassic World
  9. Inside Out
  10. Knock Knock
CD
  1. Adele, 25
  2. Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams
  3. Justin Bieber, Purpose
  4. Pentatonix, That's Christmas to Me
  5. G-Eazy, When It's Dark Out
  6. Rick Ross, Black Market
  7. Troye Sivan, Blue Neighbourhood
  8. One Direction, Made in the A.M.
  9. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
  10. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
Fiction
  1. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  2. Cross Justice, James Patterson
  3. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  5. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  6. The Guilty, David Baldacci
  7. Commander in Chief, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
  8. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  9. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom
  10. Tricky Twenty-Two, Janet Evanovich
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  4. Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham
  5. What If?, Randall Munroe
  6. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  7. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  8. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  9. Crippled America, Donald Trump
  10. Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon

Monday, December 14, 2015

Hot This Week: December 14

Action and adventure are on the menu for this week as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. takes over the movie listing. Adele's juggernaut 25 album continues its domination of the music chart. In fiction, Mark Greaney's continuation of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series is the week's only newcomer, while the non-fiction list just sees a shuffling of familiar titles.

DVD
  1. The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
  2. Vacation
  3. Self/less
  4. No Escape
  5. Max
  6. Jurassic World
  7. Inside Out
  8. American Ultra
  9. San Andreas
  10. Southpaw
CD
  1. Adele, 25
  2. Justin Bieber, Purpose
  3. Pentatonix, That's Christmas to Me
  4. One Direction, Made in the A.M.
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  7. Carrie Underwood, Storyteller
  8. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap 
  9. Michael Buble, Christmas
  10. NOW That's What I Call Music 56
Fiction
  1. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  2. Cross Justice, James Patterson
  3. Commander in Chief, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
  4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  5. The Guilty, David Baldacci 
  6. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  7. Tricky Twenty-Two, Janet Evanovich
  8. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  9. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom
  10. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  4. Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham
  5. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  6. Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon
  7. What If?, Randall Munroe
  8. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  9. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  10. Crippled America, Donald Trump

Monday, December 7, 2015

Hot This Week: December 7

It's fitting, with the original Griswolds coming back into pop culture's consciousness due to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, that the new Griswolds top this week's movie list, leading a slate that contains five new titles. Adele's new album 25 rockets ahead of the pack on the music chart, and it brings her last album, 21, onto the list with it. James Patterson's latest Alex Cross adventure takes over the fiction list, while a memoir from Carly Simon joins the non-fiction list.

DVD
  1. Vacation
  2. Jurassic World
  3. No Escape
  4. Max
  5. Inside Out 
  6. San Andreas
  7. American Ultra
  8. Terminator Genisys
  9. Pixels
  10. Ricki and the Flash
CD
  1. Adele, 25
  2. Justin Bieber, Purpose
  3. One Direction, Made in the A.M.
  4. Jadakiss, Top 5 Dead or Alive
  5. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  6. Pentatonix, That's Christmas to Me
  7. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
  8. Enya, Dark Sky Island
  9. Adele, 21
  10. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
Fiction
  1. Cross Justice, James Patterson
  2. Tricky Twenty-Two, Janet Evanovich
  3. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  4. The Guilty, David Baldacci
  5. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  6. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  7. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom
  8. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  9. The Crossing, Michael Connelly
  10. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham
  4. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  5. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 
  6. Binge, Tyler Oakley
  7. Boys in the Trees, Carly Simon
  8. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  9. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  10. Crippled America, Donald Trump

Monday, November 30, 2015

Hot This Week: November 30

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The last movie list of November is taken over by the ferocious dinosaurs of Jurassic World, the hottest blockbuster of the summer. The music chart is dominated by new titles, with only two holdovers remaining from last week. It's not much different in fiction, with five new titles making the list, including the top two. Non-fiction, on the other hand, sees only the return of a few familiar favorites.

DVD
  1. Jurassic World
  2. Inside Out
  3. Terminator Genisys
  4. San Andreas
  5. Paper Towns
  6. Pixels
  7. Spy
  8. Southpaw
  9. The Gift
  10. Magic Mike XXL
CD
  1. Justin Bieber, Purpose
  2. One Direction, Made in the A.M.
  3. Logic, The Incredible True Story
  4. Jeezy, Church in These Streets
  5. Chris Young, I'm Comin' Over
  6. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
  7. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Letters from the Labyrinth
  8. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  9. Alessia Cara, Know It All
  10. Kirk Franklin, Losing My Religion 
Fiction
  1. Tricky Twenty-Two, Janet Evanovich
  2. The Guilty, David Baldacci
  3. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  4. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  5. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  6. The Crossing, Michael Connelly
  7. All Dressed in White, Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
  8. The Pharaoh's Secret, Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
  9. The Mistletoe Inn, Richard Paul Evans
  10. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham
  4. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  5. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  6. M Train, Patti Smith
  7. Lights Out, Ted Keppel
  8. Notorious RBG, Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
  9. Binge, Tyler Oakley
  10. Crippled America, Donald Trump

Monday, November 23, 2015

Hot This Week: November 23

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nicolas Cage bring new movies to this week's list, while the titles around them remain the same. In music, Chris Stapleton and Eric Church hold onto their momentum from the CMAs, and a rerelease of a hits compilation puts the Fab Four back on the charts as well. In fiction, a new novel from Mitch Albom leads a slate of four new titles, while in non-fiction, Jon Meacham's biography of the elder President Bush takes the top spot.

DVD
  1. Terminator Genisys
  2. Inside Out
  3. San Andreas
  4. Pixels
  5. Spy
  6. The Gift
  7. Southpaw
  8. Magic Mike XXL
  9. Pay the Ghost
  10. Pitch Perfect 2
CD
  1. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
  2. Eric Church, Mr. Misunderstood
  3. Ellie Goulding, Delirium
  4. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  5. Tim McGraw, Damn Country Music
  6. The Beatles, 1
  7. NOW That's What I Call Music 56
  8. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  9. Carrie Underwood, Storyteller
  10. Sara Bareilles, What's Inside: Songs from Waitress
Fiction
  1. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  2. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  3. The Crossing, Michael Connelly
  4. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom
  5. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  6. Crimson Shore, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  7. The Promise, Robert Crais
  8. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  9. The Japanese Lover, Isabel Allende
  10. Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith
Non-Fiction
  1. Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  4. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  5. Crippled America, Donald Trump 
  6. My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem
  7. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  8. A More Perfect Union, Ben and Candy Carson
  9. Binge, Tyler Oakley
  10. Wildflower, Drew Barrymore

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

A New TV Special from Jim Henson

Written by Jon Williams

Jim Henson was a pioneering figure in the world of puppetry, bringing it to the forefront of entertainment, particularly for children. His sudden passing in 1990 at the young age of 53 left an enormous void. Although his companies and his beloved creations have carried on, Henson’s voice (both literal and figurative) has been sadly missing these last 25 years.

Thanks to a chance discovery, that’s about to change, at least for one more TV special. In 2009, a new partnership sent Lisa Henson into her father’s archives, where she found a treatment for an unproduced feature themed for Thanksgiving. Jim Henson had gone so far as to put some puppets together, and then the project was apparently abandoned for some reason. Looking it over, she knew it was something that should see the light of day—and now it will. This Saturday, November 21, Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow will air on Lifetime, and it will be available on DVD the following Tuesday. This will follow the graphic novel version (available on hoopla) that was made last year.

The original treatment for the show dates back to the late 1960s, and Lisa suspects it got shelved when her father got involved with Sesame Street. As his previous experience had been with a local show in the Washington, D.C. area, the wildly popular children’s educational show was the rest of the world’s introduction to Henson and his style of puppetry. Most of the iconic puppets that did so much to draw children’s interest to the show were designed by Henson—including Kermit the Frog, arguably his most famous creation.

Not wanting to known as a purveyor only of entertainment for children, Henson then began developing The Muppet Show, which, after struggling to find a TV home in the United States, made its debut in Great Britain in 1976. While the show’s humor may have been aimed at a more grown-up audience than Sesame Street, obviously, its colorful and lovable Muppet characters (such as Kermit) ensured that the show would appeal to children as well (as I can attest from personal experience). And he never stepped fully away from the world of children’s entertainment, bringing Fraggle Rock to life in 1983, among others.

The success of The Muppet Show allowed Henson to take his talents to the big screen. He began, naturally enough, with movies about those same Muppets. The Muppet Movie came out in 1979, and was followed by The Great Muppet Caper in 1981 and The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984. It was during this time that Henson was consulted by George Lucas for assistance with creating the character of Yoda for The Empire Strikes Back. Henson also took his own dive into fantasy, with features like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.

Needless to say, Jim Henson created a vast wealth of imaginary worlds that have captured the imagination of generations. And the thirst for his characters and his brand of entertainment didn’t stop with his passing. Five more Muppet movies have been made since 1990, including the recent iterations (The Muppets in 2011 and Muppets Most Wanted in 2014) that led to the new Muppets TV show that’s currently airing. There’s also a new Fraggle Rock movie in development, to star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Obviously, interest in Mr. Henson’s work remains high, even more than 25 years later. SmartBrowse his name on our website for plenty more material both from and about this wonderful entertainer.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Hot This Week: November 16

There are four new movies on this week's list, led by the disaster film San Andreas. A big night at the CMAs helped to propel Chris Stapleton to the top of this week's music chart, followed at #3 by the new surprise album from fellow country music star Eric Church. Stephen King's new collection of short stories tops the fiction list, while in non-fiction, a new book exploring Thomas Jefferson's presidency leads four newcomers.

DVD
  1. San Andreas
  2. Pixels
  3. Spy
  4. The Gift
  5. Inside Out
  6. Southpaw
  7. Magic Mike XXL
  8. Pitch Perfect 2
  9. Tomorrowland
  10. Furious 7
CD
  1. Chris Stapleton, Traveller
  2. Carrie Underwood, Storyteller
  3. Eric Church, Mr. Misunderstood
  4. NOW That's What I Call Music 56
  5. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  6. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  7. 5 Seconds of Summer, Sounds Good Feels Good
  8. We Love Disney
  9. Def Leppard, Def Leppard
  10. Taylor Swift, 1989
Fiction
  1. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams, Stephen King
  2. The Crossing, Michael Connelly
  3. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  4. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  5. Avenue of Mysteries, John Irving
  6. Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith
  7. Depraved Heart, Patricia Cornwell
  8. The Survivor, Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
  9. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  10. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager
  3. A More Perfect Union, Ben and Candy Carson
  4. Crippled America, Donald Trump
  5. The Witches, Stacy Schiff
  6. Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
  7. Lights Out, Ted Koppel
  8. My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem
  9. Government Zero, Michael Savage
  10. Binge, Tyler Oakley

Monday, November 9, 2015

Hot This Week: November 9

If your patrons like new movies (and who doesn't?), they'll love this week's list, whose five new titles include something for just about everyone. It's much the same on the music chart, where you'll find four new CDs, and where excitement about her new single and upcoming album has pushed Adele's 21 back into prominence. In fiction, John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks hold onto the top two spots while Patricia Cornwell, Elizabeth George, and Alexander McCall Smith debut new novels. There are even five new titles on the non-fiction list, including a look at the Salem Witch Trials and a memoir from Drew Barrymore.

DVD
  1. Spy
  2. Pixels
  3. Southpaw
  4. Poltergeist
  5. Pitch Perfect 2
  6. Tomorrowland
  7. Furious 7
  8. Entourage
  9. Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron
  10. Insidious: Chapter 3
CD
  1. 5 Seconds of Summer, Sounds Good Feels Good
  2. Carrie Underwood, Storyteller
  3. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  4. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  5. Blake Shelton, Reloaded: 20 #1 Hits
  6. Taylor Swift, 1989
  7. Pentatonix, Pentatonix
  8. Selena Gomez, Revival
  9. Andrea Bocelli, Cinema
  10. Adele, 21
Fiction
  1. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  2. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  3. Depraved Heart, Patricia Cornwell
  4. A Banquet of Consequences, Elizabeth George
  5. The Survivor, Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
  6. Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith
  7. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine, Alexander McCall Smith
  8. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  9. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin
  10. The Murder House, James Patterson and David Ellis
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. The Witches, Stacy Schiff 
  3. Government Zero, Michael Savage
  4. Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
  5. A More Perfect Union, Ben and Candy Carson
  6. Binge, Tyler Oakley
  7. Notorious RBG, Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
  8. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  9. Wildflower, Drew Barrymore 
  10. Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, Carrie Brownstein

Monday, November 2, 2015

Hot This Week: November 2

The weather may be cooling down, but the Barden Bellas are hot as the a cappella hit Pitch Perfect 2 leaps atop the week's movie list. And that style carries over onto the music charts as well, with The Sing-Off winners Pentatonix scoring the #1 spot with their first full-length album. Four new titles grace the fiction list, led by John Grisham and the latest Cormoran Strike novel from Robert Galbraith. In non-fiction, a collection of essays from a YouTube star and a book on leadership from two Navy SEALs make their debuts.

DVD
  1. Pitch Perfect 2
  2. Tomorrowland
  3. Furious 7
  4. Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron
  5. Insidious: Chapter 3
  6. Mad Max: Fury Road
  7. Cinderella
  8. Home
  9. Get Hard
  10. The Age of Adaline
CD
  1. Pentatonix, Pentatonix
  2. Demi Lovato, Confident
  3. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  4. Machine Gun Kelly, General Admission
  5. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  6. The Game, Documentary 2.5
  7. Selena Gomez, Revival
  8. Taylor Swift, 1989
  9. Coheed and Cambria, The Color Before the Sun
  10. The Game, Documentary 2
Fiction
  1. Rogue Lawyer, John Grisham
  2. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  3. Career of Evil, Robert Galbraith
  4. Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
  5. The Survivor, Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
  6. The Lake House, Kate Morton
  7. The Murder House, James Patterson and David Ellis
  8. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  9. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  10. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Binge, Tyler Oakley
  3. A More Perfect Union, Ben and Candy Carson
  4. M Train, Patti Smith
  5. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  6. Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink, Elvis Costello
  7. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  8. Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
  9. The Last of the President's Men, Bob Woodward
  10. A Common Struggle, Patrick J. Kennedy

Monday, October 26, 2015

Hot This Week: October 26

The latest installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise races to the top of this week's movie listing, while fellow newcomer Tomorrowland comes in just behind the Avengers. Selena Gomez and the Game put their new albums atop the music chart. Nicholas Sparks takes over the week's fiction list, and Garth Risk Hallberg's City on Fire, about NYC in the 1970s, joins as well at #5. In non-fiction, a political tome from Bob Woodward and a music memoir from Elvis Costello break into the top ten.

DVD
  1. Furious 7
  2. Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron
  3. Tomorrowland
  4. Insidious: Chapter 3
  5. Mad Max: Fury Road
  6. Cinderella
  7. The Age of Adaline
  8. Home
  9. Hot Pursuit
  10. Dark Places
CD
  1. Selena Gomez, Revival
  2. The Game, Documentary 2
  3. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  4. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  7. Janet Jackson, Unbreakable
  8. Thomas Rhett, Tangled Up
  9. Jana Kramer, Thirty One
  10. Ed Sheeran, X
Fiction
  1. See Me, Nicholas Sparks
  2. The Survivor, Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
  3. The Murder House, James Patterson and David Ellis
  4. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin
  5. City on Fire, Garth Risk Hallberg
  6. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  7. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  8. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  9. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  10. Make Me, Lee Child
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. A More Perfect Union, Ben and Candy Carson
  3. M Train, Patti Smith
  4. A Common Struggle, Patrick J. Kennedy
  5. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  6. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  7. The Last of the President's Men, Bob Woodward
  8. Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink, Elvis Costello
  9. Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson
  10. Rosemary, Kate Clifford Larson

Monday, October 19, 2015

Hot This Week: October 19

This week the Avengers jump to the top of the movie list, from their debut last week at #3. Also, don't miss Dark Places down the list at six, the latest dark thriller adapted from a novel by Gillian Flynn of Gone Girl fame. In music, Janet Jackson's return to the scene has brought her to the forefront, as well as the top of the chart. Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills take over the fiction list, followed by a new book from George R.R. Martin, an auxiliary tale to his celebrated A Song of Ice and Fire (a.k.a. Game of Thrones) series, set about a century earlier. And there's a smorgasbord of new titles on the non-fiction list, ranging from politics and finance to music and biography.

DVD
  1. Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron
  2. Insidious: Chapter 3
  3. Mad Max: Fury Road
  4. Cinderella
  5. The Age of Adaline
  6. Dark Places
  7. Home
  8. Air
  9. Hot Pursuit
  10. Get Hard
CD
  1. Janet Jackson, Unbreakable
  2. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  3. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  4. Tamar Braxton, Calling All Lovers
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. Thomas Rhett, Tangled Up
  7. George Strait, Cold Beer Conversation
  8. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  9. Don Henley, Cass County
  10. Clutch, Psychic Warfare
Fiction
  1. The Survivor, Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills
  2. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin
  3. The Murder House, James Patterson and David Ellis
  4. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  5. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  6. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  7. Make Me, Lee Child
  8. Shadows of Self, Brandon Sanderson
  9. After You, Jojo Moyes
  10. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. A More Perfect Union, Ben and Candy Carson
  3. M Train, Patti Smith
  4. A Common Struggle, Patrick J. Kennedy
  5. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  6. Rosemary, Kate Clifford Larson
  7. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  8. The Courage to Act, Ben Bernanke
  9. Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson
  10. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande

Monday, October 12, 2015

Hot This Week: October 12

The Avengers are back on the movie list, with their second superhero team-up Age of Ultron making its debut at #3. There's a ton of new music on the chart this week—only the Weeknd and Taylor Swift remain from last week—led by Fetty Wap and Don Henley in the top two spots. James Patterson, Jojo Moyes, and Jim Butcher join the fiction list with their new novels, while new titles from Ann Romney and Edward Klein jump on in non-fiction.

DVD
  1. Mad Max: Fury Road
  2. Cinderella
  3. Marvel's The Avengers: Age of Ultron
  4. The Age of Adaline
  5. Cop Car
  6. Hot Pursuit
  7. Home
  8. Get Hard
  9. Unfriended
  10. Aloha
CD
  1. Fetty Wap, Fetty Wap
  2. Don Henley, Cass County
  3. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  4. Thomas Rhett, Tangled Up
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. Chvrches, Every Open Eye
  7. Disclosure, Caracal
  8. The Dead Weather, Dodge and Burn
  9. Bryson Tiller, T R A P S O U L
  10. Hamilton Original Broadway Cast Recording
Fiction
  1. The Murder House, James Patterson and David Ellis
  2. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  3. After You, Jojo Moyes
  4. Make Me, Lee Child
  5. The Aeronaut's Windless, Jim Butcher
  6. Come Rain or Come Shine, Jan Karon
  7. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  8. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  9. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  10. X, Sue Grafton
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  3. Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson
  4. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  5. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
  6. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  7. In This Together, Ann Romney 
  8. 1944, Jay Winik
  9. Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari
  10. Unlikeable, Edward Klein

Monday, October 5, 2015

Hot This Week: October 5

If you're looking for some crazy action, look no further than the latest installment of Mad Max, which hits the movie listing this week at the very top; also, don't miss Boulevard, the final dramatic role from the late Robin Williams. New music abounds with seven new albums, including Ryan Adams's cover of Taylor Swift's entire 1989 album. Just one new title breaks onto the fiction list, with the latest from Jan Karon jumping all the way to #1. The latest Killing title from Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard leads three new titles on the non-fiction list.

DVD
  1. Mad Max: Fury Road
  2. Cinderella
  3. The Age of Adaline
  4. Home
  5. Hot Pursuit
  6. Unfriended
  7. Get Hard
  8. Aloha
  9. Boulevard
  10. True Story
CD
  1. Lana Del Rey, Honeymoon
  2. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  3. Mac Miller, GO:OD AM
  4. David Gilmour, Rattle That Lock
  5. Shinedown, Threat to Survival
  6. Ryan Adams, 1989
  7. Taylor Swift, 1989
  8. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  9. Andy Mineo, Uncomfortable
  10. Keith Richards, Crosseyed Heart
Fiction
  1. Come Rain or Come Shine, Jan Karon
  2. Make Me, Lee Child
  3. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  4. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  5. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  6. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  7. X, Sue Grafton
  8. Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff
  9. Purity, Jonathan Franzen
  10. Devoted in Death, J.D. Robb
Non-Fiction
  1. Killing Reagan, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
  2. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  3. Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson
  4. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  5. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
  6. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  7. Plunder and Deceit, Mark R. Levin
  8. 1944, Jay Winik
  9. Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari
  10. The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr

Monday, September 28, 2015

Hot This Week: September 28

The Age of Adaline holds on to top the final movie listing of September, followed by the latest fairy tale adaptation of Cinderella. Half of the titles on the music chart are new this week, although none of them could overtake the Weeknd to claim the #1 slot. The fiction list includes new titles from such authors as J.D. Robb, Catherine Coulter, and Janet Evanovich. There are even four new titles on the non-fiction list, led by comedian Mindy Kaling's follow-up to Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

DVD
  1. The Age of Adaline
  2. Cinderella
  3. Unfriended
  4. Home
  5. Hot Pursuit
  6. Aloha
  7. Love & Mercy
  8. Get Hard
  9. True Story
  10. Little Boy
CD
  1. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  2. Bring Me the Horizon, That's the Spirit
  3. Brett Eldredge, Illinois
  4. Slayer, Repentless
  5. Taylor Swift, 1989
  6. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  7. Five Finger Death Punch, Got Your Six
  8. Gary Clark Jr., The Story of Sonny Boy Slim
  9. Ed Sheeran, X
  10. Duran Duran, Paper Gods
Fiction
  1. Make Me, Lee Child
  2. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  3. Devoted in Death, J.D. Robb
  4. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  5. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  6. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  7. Fates and Furies, Lauren Groff
  8. X, Sue Grafton
  9. The End Game, Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison
  10. The Scam, Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
Non-Fiction
  1. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
  2. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  3. The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr
  4. Fast Girl, Suzy Favor Hamilton
  5. Killing the Messenger, David Brock
  6. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
  7. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  8. Plunder and Deceit, Mark R. Levin
  9. Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari
  10. Exceptional, Dick and Liz Cheney

Monday, September 21, 2015

Hot This Week: September 21

The end of summer is looming, but these titles are still hot. The Age of Adaline takes over this week's movie list, along with two other new titles. Four new CDs on the music chart include a couple of metal albums from Five Finger Death Punch and Iron Maiden, while the Weeknd holds strong at #1. Lee Child and Salman Rushdie join the ranks of fiction favorites, while new titles from rocker Chrissie Hynde and Dale Russakoff do the same in non-fiction.

DVD
  1. The Age of Adaline
  2. Unfriended
  3. Home
  4. Hot Pursuit
  5. Aloha
  6. Get Hard
  7. True Story
  8. Insurgent
  9. American Heist
  10. The Longest Ride
CD
  1. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  2. Five Finger Death Punch, Got Your Six
  3. Travi$ Scott, Rodeo
  4. Iron Maiden, The Book of Souls
  5. Troye Sivan, Wild (EP)
  6. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  7. Taylor Swift, 1989
  8. Halsey, Badlands
  9. Ed Sheeran, X
  10. Future, DS2
Fiction
  1. Make Me, Lee Child
  2. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  3. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  4. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  5. Star Wars: Aftermath, Chuck Wendig
  6. Purity, Jonathan Franzen
  7. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  8. X, Sue Grafton
  9. Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, Salman Rushdie
  10. Undercover, Danielle Steel
Non-Fiction
  1. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  2. Plunder and Deceit, Mark R. Levin
  3. Exceptional, Dick and Liz Cheney
  4. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  5. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
  6. Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari
  7. Reckless, Chrissie Hynde
  8. Neurotribes, Steve Silberman
  9. Dead Wake, Erik Larson
  10. The Prize, Dale Russakoff

Monday, September 14, 2015

Hot This Week: September 14

Three new movies make this week's list, led by True Story, the story of a journalist caught up in a case of stolen identity. Five new CDs break onto the music chart, led by new titles from the Weeknd and Halsey in the top two spots. A wave of heavy hitters bring five new titles onto the fiction list for the week as well, including a new Lisbeth Salander novel at the top. There are also three new non-fiction titles this week, including the most recent book from late neurologist Oliver Sacks.

DVD
  1. Home
  2. Aloha
  3. Hot Pursuit
  4. Get Hard
  5. True Story
  6. Insurgent
  7. Lila & Eve
  8. The Longest Ride
  9. Good Kill
  10. The D Train
CD
  1. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness
  2. Halsey, Badlands
  3. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  4. Taylor Swift, 1989
  5. Dr. Dre, Compton
  6. Ed Sheeran, X
  7. Maddie & Tae, Start Here
  8. Beach House, Depression Cherry
  9. Ben Rector, Brand New
  10. Disturbed, Immortalized
Fiction
  1. The Girl in the Spider's Web, David Lagercrantz
  2. Purity, Jonathan Franzen
  3. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  4. Star Wars: Aftermath, Chuck Wendig
  5. X, Sue Grafton
  6. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  7. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  8. Undercover, Danielle Steel
  9. The Solomon Curse, Clive Cussler
  10. The Nature of the Beast, Louise Penny
Non-Fiction
  1. Plunder and Deceit, Mark R. Levin
  2. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  3. Exceptional, Dick and Liz Cheney
  4. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  5. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
  6. Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari
  7. Neurotribes, Steve Silberman 
  8. On the Move, Oliver Sacks
  9. Dead Wake, Erik Larson
  10. Sisters in Law, Linda Hirshman

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Hot This Week: September 8

We hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! We also hope you're in the mood for new movies, because there are six of them on this week's hot list. Music did nearly as well, with four new discs making it onto the chart. Even the fiction list gets into the act with four new titles, breaking up the trio that has gripped the top three spots for several weeks. Just one new audiobook makes its way onto the non-fiction list: Steve Silberman's examination of the autism spectrum.

DVD
  1. Home
  2. Aloha
  3. Hot Pursuit 
  4. Lila & Eve
  5. Get Hard
  6. Insurgent
  7. The Longest Ride
  8. The Water Diviner
  9. Big Game
  10. The Runner
CD
  1. Disturbed, Immortalized
  2. Luke Bryan, Kill the Lights
  3. Dr. Dre, Compton
  4. Kip Moore, Wild Ones
  5. Ed Sheeran, X
  6. Rob Thomas, The Great Unknown
  7. Taylor Swift, 1989
  8. Ghost B.C., Meliora
  9. N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton
  10. NOW That's What I Call Music 55
Fiction
  1. X, Sue Grafton
  2. Go Set a Watchman, Harper Lee
  3. The Nature of the Beast, Louise Penny
  4. The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins
  5. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
  6. The Taming of the Queen, Philippa Gregory
  7. Secondhand Souls, Christopher Moore
  8. Friction, Sandra Brown
  9. Alert, James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
  10. The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah
Non-Fiction
  1. Plunder and Deceit, Mark R. Levin
  2. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
  3. The Wright Brothers, David McCullough
  4. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
  5. Modern Romance, Aziz Ansari
  6. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), Felicia Day
  7. Dead Wake, Erik Larson
  8. Neurotribes, Steve Silberman 
  9. The Road to Character, David Brooks
  10. A Full Life, Jimmy Carter