My Picks of the Week! (April 3rd)

Happy April, my Muses!

Even though yesterday was April Fool's Day and I have a good sense of humor, I'm not much of a prankster. So there won't be any crazy surprises on my blog today! There are not that many releases to start off the month, but the books, movies, and tv series I do mention are definitely worth checking out. Immortal City by: Scott Spear is destined to be a crowd pleaser. I won an ARC copy of the book several months ago and reviewed it, so to refresh your memory, click HERE to read my thoughts on it. I've had my eye on the somewhat controversial YA novel I Hunt Killers by: Barry Lyga. It sorta reminds me of the show Dexter. I guess I will have to read it to see if there are truly any similarities.

I also want to give everyone a heads up on the television shows I have included below. Some of these shows are either Canadian and being released in the US or are only being released in Canada. The US and Canada have the same region coding, meaning that if you buy a disc online that is from Canada, it will play in US dvd players, unlike discs from the UK, China, etc. Amazon does not just cater to US buyers; there is Amazon.ca (Canada), Amazon.uk (United Kingdom; most of these discs are in PAL format, which means unless you have a region FREE dvd/blu-ray player, these discs will NOT play in US or Canadian dvd players), etc. So, for example, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: Season 2 is being released on dvd only in Canada. But, the "buy" link I have provided below will take you to the Amazon.ca website where you can buy it. Again, if you live in the US, the discs WILL play on your dvd player since we share the same region coding as Canada. Hmm, I think I should dedicate a post on region coding since it can get confusing. *makes a mental note*

If anyone has any questions or comments about region coding, feel free to leave me a comment and I will explain further!

Happy shopping!

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BOOKS (April 3rd)

ADULT BOOKS

Savage Awakening (Alpha Pack, #2)
by: J.D. Tyler

A group of former Navy SEALS, the Alpha Pack is a top-secret team of wolf shifters with Psy powers combating the greatest dangers in the world. But sometime those dangers are more intimate than they bargained for…

After a mission goes wrong, Aric Savage is taken prisoner. Half-dead and despairing, he makes a stunning discovery: his Pack mate Micah Chase, who was reported dead, is a fellow captive. When the Alpha team goes into full-rescue mode, accompanying them is an absolute stunner with sable hair—and a spine of solid steel.

LAPD officer and Psy Dreamwalker Rowan Chase has one priority: her brother Micah’s recovery. Still, she can’t help but be drawn to Aric, the ruggedly handsome wolf shifter who pleasures her as no man ever has—however fleeting their affair is destined to be. But when Aric’s life is endangered, Rowan must ask herself what she’s willing to sacrifice in the name of love, for the man fated to be her Bondmate.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

Untouched (The Amoveo Legend, #2)
by: Sara Humphreys

The Amoveo are shape-shifting animal clans who live secretly among humans and must find their pre-destined soul mate while avoiding the enemy that seeks to destroy them all.
Beautiful plus-size model Kerry Smithson appears to have it all, but inside she harbors a crippling secret and avoids all physical contact. Until she encounters gorgeous Dante Coltari, an Amoveo shifter. In her, he believes he has finally found his life mate. But how does he convince her...and keep her safe?

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

YOUNG ADULT

I Hunt Killers
by: Barry Lyga

What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper (Jazz) Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could--from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret--could he be more like his father than anyone knows

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

Immortal City
by: Scott Speer

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect--everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat … and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

Radiate
by: Marley Gibson

Hayley Matthews is determined to be the best cheerleader she can. She works hard and pushes herself 110% all the time. Then Hayley finds a lump on her leg. The diagnosis is cancer. The prognosis is unclear. She could lose her leg. Or maybe her life.

At first Haley is scared, terrified. In an instant, everything she’s worked for seems out of reach. But Haley is strong. She’s going to fight this disease. She will not let it take her life or her dreams.

Release Date: 3 April 2012

Website | Buy

The Shape of Desire (Shifting Circle, #1)
by: Sharon Shinn

For fifteen years Maria Devane has been desperately, passionately in love with Dante Romano. But despite loving him with all of her heart and soul, Maria knows that Dante can never give all of himself back-at least not all the time.
Every month, Dante shifts shape, becoming a wild animal. During those times, he wanders far and wide, leaving Maria alone. He can't choose when he shifts, the transition is often abrupt and, as he gets older, the time he spends in human form is gradually decreasing. But Maria, who loves him without hesitation, wouldn't trade their unusual relationship for anything.
Since the beginning, she has kept his secret, knowing that their love is worth the danger. But when a string of brutal attacks occur in local parks during the times when Dante is in animal form, Maria is forced to consider whether the lies she's been telling about her life have turned into lies she's telling herself.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

MOVIES & TV SERIES (APRIL 3rd)

MOVIES


Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged
Directed by: Chris Mortensen

Starring: n/a (documentary)

Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged is a feature length documentary film that examines the resurging interest in Ayn Rand's epic and controversial 1957 novel and the validity of its dire prediction for America. Set in what novelist and philosopher Rand called 'the day after tomorrow,' Atlas depicts an America in crisis, brought to her knees by a corrupt establishment of government regulators and businessmen with political pull - the 'looters' and the 'moochers' - who prey on individual achievement. Ayn Rand & the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged looks into Rand's background for the ideas and philosophy that inspired and shaped her novel and seeks to determine whether America is indeed headed for the disastrous outcome she predicted.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

London River
Directed by: Rachid Bouchareb

Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Sotigui Kouyate

London 2005--It's the story of Ousmane and Mrs. Sommers, both humble people living ordinary lives, he in France, she in the Channel Islands. He has a son - she has a daughter - they both are students in London. Not hearing from their dear children after the July 7th 2005 bombing, they decide to start a journey together in search of the two teenagers. And although they come from different religious backgrounds - Ousmane is Muslim and Mrs. Sommer is Christian - they will share the same hope in finding their children alive. Putting aside their cultural differences, they will give each other the strength to continue the search and maintain the faith.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

Tyrannosaur
Directed by: Paddy Considine

Starring: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman

Joseph is an unemployed widower with a drinking problem, a man crippled by his own volatile temperament and furious anger. Hannah is a Christian worker at a charity shop, a respectable woman who seems wholesome and happy. When circumstance brings the pair together, Hannah appears as Joseph's guardian angel, tempering his fury and offering him warmth, kindness and acceptance. As their relationship develops, Hannah's own secrets are revealed - her husband is violent and abusive - and Joseph emerges as her unlikely savior. With striking performances and a deeply felt story, actor-turned-writer/director Paddy Considine's film is a stunning debut about the emergence of grace and redemption from the least likely of places.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

War Horse
Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse-an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

We Bought A Zoo
Directed by: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson

Acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) directs an amazing and true story about a single dad who decides his family needs a fresh start, so he and his two children move to the most unlikely of places: a zoo. With the help of an eclectic staff, and with many misadventures along the way, the family works to return the dilapidated zoo to its former wonder and glory.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

TV SERIES

Braquo: Season 1 (Canadian Release)
*French with English subtitles*

Starring: Jean-Hugues Anglade

A dark realistic cop series from world-famous filmmaker Olivier Marchal. Braquo follows a squad of Paris cops who exist in the blurred boundaries at the very edge of the law, often using violence and intimidation to get the job done. The lives of these officers change radically when their squad leader, falsely accused of corruption, commits suicide. Determined to clear his name they start an investigation of their own, only to find that the police department itself stands in their way.

Driven by adrenaline and a thirst for justice, they must turn their backs on the laws they're sworn to enforce if they are to uncover the truth. Facing constant danger from all sides - and with the two most likely outcomes being imprisonment or death - the stakes couldn't be higher, but that merely serves to crank up the tension in this acclaimed series.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: Season 1 (Canadian Release)

Starring: Jason Mewes

Todd and the gang return for more gore-a-fying adventures at Crowley High. Todd is torn between his horny needs and his dark destiny, Jenny discovers the reason behind her Dad's disappearance, Curtis' ex-girlfriend returns to throw the Gang in turmoil, and Hannah discovers a secret so disturbing that it threatens her own identity. Meanwhile, Atticus is determined to unlock the Book's power for himself, and Jimmy is, well, doing Jimmy things.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy

Torchwood: Miracle Day (Season 4)

Starring: John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Bill Pullman

Torchwood: Miracle Day is the fourth season of the British sci-fi television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running show Doctor Who. In contrast to the first three series, which were produced by the BBC, the fourth series is a British-American co-production involving the BBC's drama production house BBC Cymru Wales or BBC Worldwide and the US premium network STARZ.

The fourth season of Torchwood explores this universe: One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging -- they get hurt and sick -- but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four month's time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?", he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.

Release Date: 3 April 2012
Website | Buy