If the relationship between cinema and music has always been flaunted, the implication of painting in cinema turns out to be subtler. Cinema and Painting sheds light on a tendency unjustly ignored through eight glaring examples.

Summertime is a good time to revisit existentialism. For those who need more than sun and surf, reading about the inevitable futility of life may be just the remedy for all the giddiness around you. Abé tells the story of a an insect collector who travels to a remote seaside village to chase bugs. In his determination to catch a particular beetle, he wanders into a village and is unknowingly trapped by the local villagers.

Written in 1870, Venus in Furs is Sacher-Masoch's unavoidable masterpiece, which resulted in the birth of "Masochism". This is the first important book that focused on describing a relationship between man & woman where love becomes an approved slavery.

Featuring Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who Went Up The Creek, Carolyn Hart's April Fool Dead, Anne Perry's Southampton Row and Elizabeth Peters' The Golden One.

Featuring Aimee and David Thurlo's Red Mesa, Catherine Coutler's Hemlock Bay, Carol Higgins Clark's Fleeced, Anne George's Murder Boogies with Elvis, Simon Brett's Death on the Downs and Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity: Detective.

Featuring: Susan Witting Albert's Bloodroot, Martha Grimes's The Blue Last, Parnell Hall's Puzzled to Death, Elizabeth Peters' Lord of the Silent, Anne Perry's Funeral in Blue & Dorothy Gilman's Kaledioscope.

Englishman Mayle, author of the best seller A Year in Provence, has come back with a formulaic sequel. Returning to Provence after a 4 year hiatus in the U.S., this George Lucas of Provence brings us yet another tribute to his spiritual homeland. This time, though, it’s more of a book of charming sketches than anything else.

If you’re looking for a guide to give you an accurate picture of the place you’re heading, then Rough Guide is undeniably the best series of travel guides that blends informative reviews with wry observation of the local fauna.

Poor Jewel. Even a book of poetry ridiculing hers, copying everything from her cover photo to dedication to titles of poems, is better than her own futile effort.