Catching up on the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The latest Marvel movie - Avengers: Infinity War - is now the fastest movie to make 1 billion dollars at the box office. Infinity War is the 19th movie in this popular franchise. Have you seen them all? Need help keeping Marvel, DC, X-Men, and all the other superheroes straight? Here's a list of the Marvel series entries - place a hold today!

• Iron Man (2008) - The first entry to this universe follows Tony Stark as he builds a high-tech suit to escape captivity - and become a hero along the way. 
• The Incredible Hulk (2008) - Bruce Banner scours the world for a cure to his alter-ego, the brash and destructive Hulk.
• Iron Man 2 (2010) - Now publicly known as Iron Man, Tony Stark faces pressure from the government to share his technology with the military. 
• Thor (2011) - The first MCU movie to show us worlds other than Earth, Thor follows the arrogant lightning god on his quest to save Earth from an invasion from his homeworld. 
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - Takes a step away from contemporary to Earth to World War 2, where soldier Steve Rogers is given experimental treatment to become the ultimate weapon to fight against the Axis powers.
• Avengers (2012) - When an alien invasion hits New York, all of the superheroes from the previous films - plus some new faces - team up to take them down. 
• Iron Man 3 (2013) - The beginning of "Phase 2" of the Marvel universe follows Tony Stark as he attempts to rebuild his life as his enemies attempt to destroy him. 
• Thor: The Dark World (2013) - Thor fights an ancient race in order to stop them from recovering a powerful artifact. 
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - In this superhero flick turned spy thriller, Captain America encounters an enemy he thought long dead. 
• Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - Marvel meets sci-fi in this planet-hopping adventure following a gang of misfits. 
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - In the aftermath of the alien invasion of New York, Tony Stark attempts to build a supercomputer to protect the Earth...but when it gains awareness it turns against the Avengers. 
• Ant-Man (2015) - Former thief Scott Lang stumbles into a suit that allows him to shrink in size and pull off incredible heists. 
• Captain America: Civil War (2016) - After the events of Age of Ultron, some of the Avengers feel the need for government supervision and accountability, causing a rift between heroes. 
• Doctor Strange (2016) - A surgeon whose talent is destroyed in a car accident meets a sorcerer who trains him in the mystic arts. 
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017) - The Guardians are back on another adventure across space as they struggle to keep their new 'family' together. 
• Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - High school student Peter Parker works to balance his powers with his responsibility as a student under the mentorship of Tony Stark. 
• Thor: Ragnarok (2017) - In Norse mythology, "Ragnarok" is the end of the world. Thor is imprisoned as a new villain arises with a mission to bring about Ragnarok. 
• Black Panther (2018) - After being introduced in Civil War, T'Challa returns to his home country of Wakanda - a high-tech paradise hidden from the world - only to find his claim to the throne is contested. 
• Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - All of the heroes come together in order to stop Thanos, who is constructing an artifact that will allow him alter reality at will. 

Bonjour Paris: Novels set in Paris

With its long  complicated history, glorious gardens, spectacular architecture and chic street cafes its no wonder visiting Paris is a dream destination for many travelers. Authors alike love the City of Lights and countless novels are set in this most romantic and intriguing city. Can't make it to Paris this year, pick up one of these books and off you go no reservations required. Bon voyage.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Meeting  through mutual friends in Chicago, Hadley is captivated by the brash "beautiful boy" Ernest Hemingway, and after a brief courtship and small wedding, they take off for Paris, where Hadley makes a convincing transformation from an over protected child to a game and brave young woman who puts up with poor living conditions and crushing loneliness to support her husband's career.

The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
A Parisian architect is paid generously to create secret hiding spaces for Jews in his Nazi-occupied country but struggles with risking his life for a cause he is indecisive towards, until a personal failure brings home their suffering.

Paris: A Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
Taking readers on a journey through Parisian history, this sweeping multi-generational saga filled with romance, danger and rich detail beautifully illuminates the City of Lights, from its founding under the Romans to the hotbed of cultural activity during the 1920's and 1930's that included Picasso and many others.

Private Paris by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
Asked to find a girl who is on the run from a ruthless drug dealer, Jack Morgan identifies disturbing links to a series of murders involving Paris's cultural elite.

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Idiosyncratic and charming, Jean Perdu bookstore owner of the Literary Apothecary, a floating bookshop. When a new tenant in his apartment building sets in motion events that force Jean to re-evaluate his past, he finds himself floating off down the rivers of France in search of lost love, new love, and friends he didn't know he needed.

The Paris Spy: A Maggie Hope Mystery by Susan Ella McNeal
American-born spy and code-breaker extraordinaire Maggie Hope penetrates Nazi Paris on behalf of the British government during the blackest days of World War II.

 Christmas in Paris by Anita Hughes
Isabel Lawson, rising star in the finance cancels her wedding days before the big day because her fiancee decides to take over the family farm and expects her to milk cows along side him. She then  decides to travel to Paris on their planned honeymoon-alone. It's when she locks herself out of her suite at the Hotel Crillon, she meets Alec who changes everything. A Christmastime love affair in Paris filled with charm and all the delights of the season.

While You're Waiting - Royal Wedding Fiction/Nonfiction at GPL

Now that the romantic destiny of Prince William and Kate has been cemented with three beautiful little royals, there is a frenzy brewing over the upcoming union of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. If you're a royal family enthusiast like I am, you'll be eagerly anticipating the splendor and drama of what's to come on May 19 - an American-born actress marrying into the British royal family! This is the stuff that romance and fairy tales are made of. If you simply cannot wait, here are some books to tide you over in the meantime.

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
This delightful spin on the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton is the perfect beachy, weekend read for anyone who loves love stories with a healthy dose of humor. Here, Will and Kate are replaced by Nick and Bex--he's the heir to the British throne, she's the American who effortlessly steals his heart. Can they weather many obstacles to find their Happily Ever After? Part fairy tale, part cautionary tale, the novel is pure fun from start to finish.

The Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot
This is the first new adult instalment of the Princess Diaries series which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding - but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare. For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community centre, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. Mia's gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael has taken her to an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island and popped the question! But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother's leaked "fake" wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia's father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone especially herself that she's not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

The Royals by Kitty Kelley
Draws on more than one thousand interviews to present a revelatory biography of Britain's embattled House of Windsor.

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
When impoverished Miss Kate Daltry meets Prince Gabriel at a ball, the prince is drawn to this spirited beauty despite being engaged to another, but their irresistible attraction is ill-fated until a kiss changes everything.

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .

Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son by Penny Junor
Describes the colorful life of Prince Harry, from losing his mother, Princess Diana, when he was only 12 to his mischievous choices during his teens and his military career as a young man.

Enjoy the culmination of the real romance on May 19th from the comfort of your easy chair at home.

After A QUIET PLACE, Try...

This sound-focused horror movie has been the top and talk of the box office. If you liked the quiet, tense atmosphere of A QUIET PLACE, place a hold on some of these movies:

• Wait Until Dark: A tense home invasion thriller in the home of a blind woman (played by Audrey Hepburn). Where A Quiet Place focuses on sound, Wait Until Dark uses sight to keep you on the edge of your seat. 
• Don't Breathe: Similar to Wait Until Dark, a home invasion taking place in the home of a blind man quickly turns into a cat and mouse game...only the homeowner is more dangerous than he seems. If you liked A Quiet Place's creative use of sound but prefer your thrillers more grounded in reality, look no further. 
• Signs: A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields. Similar in both setting and tension to A Quiet Place, though with more focus on mystery and drama then scares.  

You might also like these books: 

• Bird Box by Josh Malerman: In this post-apocalyptic thriller, the mere sight of a mysterious phenomenon is enough to drive you insane...and so the main characters constantly wear blindfolds as they attempt to navigate to a new safe haven. Replaces A Quiet Place's sound for sight but keeps the tension just as high.  
• The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker: After the world ends, estranged father Edgar attempts to run across the country in order to be reunited with his family. Perfect for fans of A Quiet Place's focus on family. 
• Metro 2033 by Dmitriĭ Glukhovskiĭ: This cult novel, translate from Russian, tells the story of a nearly-extinct humanity taking refuge in the subway tunnels of Moscow from radiated, unearthly monsters. 
• I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: A classic of post-apocalyptic fiction, Matheson's story has been adapted for the big screen several times. A man copes with the knowledge that he is the last human left on Earth...because everyone else has become a vampire. 

Quirky characters and quirky families

Our book group just finished reading Fredrik Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Anyone who has read Backman (famously known for A Man Called Ove) knows that he writes his stories about eccentric characters. Here are some stories about quirky characters and family members:

My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Elsa is 7 years old and different. Her grandmother is 77 years old and crazy. She is also Elsa's best and only friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stores. When her grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has hurt, Elsa's greatest adventure begins.

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
Meet Frank. Frank is an odd 9-year-old boy who has a higher IQ than Einstein’s and dresses as if he were on a movie set in the early 1920s–and he is someone with whom you are sure to fall in love. Frank’s reclusive mother is an author whose publisher has just sent Alice Whitley to serve as an assistant and ensure the next book is completed. The relationship between Frank and Alice is magical.

Big Fish: a Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace

When his attempts to get to know his dying father fail, William Bloom makes up stories that recreate his father's life in heroic proportions.

Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple

Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action--life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office--but not Eleanor--that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret.

Movies to watch in April while we wait for May

Spring is here and what a relief! I retired my winter coat a couple of weeks ago, I just couldn't bring myself to wear it one more day. I see the tulips and the daffodils poking through and the warmer weather is sure to follow. Here is a list of movies, to watch while we wait for May flowers and baseball, loosely tied to the season, the months, or new beginnings.

The Rookie
Pieces of April
Hope Springs
Hope Springs (British)
Trishna
Shawshank Redemption
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Fever Pitch
It Happens Every Spring
Field of Dreams

After READY PLAYER ONE, Try...

Steven Spielberg's latest adaptation is an ode to the pop culture of the 70's through early 2000's. There are too many movie, music, book, and video game references to list in one blog post, but if you liked Ready Player One in theaters, check out the movies below:


The Shining 

The Iron Giant 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure 

Alien 

Saturday Night Fever 

The Breakfast Club 

Serenity 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day 

Back to the Future 

Superman 

Jurassic Park 

Akira

War of the Worlds

Beetlejuice 

The Dark Crystal 

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 

Say Anything



For books similar to Ready Player One, be sure to stop by this blog post from last month.