Books
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Why this book isn't being released on November 22 is completely beyond us, but regardless, here it is, Stephen King's newest 1,000 page gigantic book. This book is not what we've come to expect by Stephen King, not by his horror roots or his modern fantasy tales -- this is a ridiculous story about time travelling to stop John F. Kennedy from being assassinated. How does this happen? Well, the main character's buddy happens to have a storeroom that's a portal to 1958. So, logically, they decide to start there, in '58 and work their way to stopping JFK's assassination. Ridiculous? Yes. But that doesn't mean this won't be an enjoyable tale.
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto EcoIt has been a while since we've seen a book from Umberto Eco and The Prague Cemetery looks to be just as controversial and massive as everything he's ever done. The book covers a lot of ground, from the Jesuit plot against Freemasons to Hitler and the Elders of Zion. It's a conspiracy theory through and through but like Eco's best work, you'd never know it as a thriller on a glance. It's a book that will go over your head on several occasions, but while the chaos and changing fonts are busy giving you a headache the story -- at least the parts you understand -- will certainly keep you pushing through it.
DVDs
Life in a Day
Life in a Day seeks to do one thing: chronicle the world on July 24, 2010. Yes, the entire world. Over 4,500 hours of footage uploaded to YouTube was combed over by director Kevin MacDonald to create one, singular view of human history on one day. It is the story of us -- truly, just us, the normal people (or as normal as the people who upload things to YouTube can be) and with the backing of producer Ridley Scott, this film is much bigger than you'd think.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (11-11-11)What better day to end the Harry Potter era than 11-11-11? We don't really know if it's supposed to mean anything, but it sounds cool. Harry Potter fans have probably already seen this movie 900 times in the theater, but if you're not one of those, you might have been frightened away by the 60-year-olds in wizard caps and steered clear, so you can now dork out in the privacy of your own home. The big news is that this will be your one and only chance to pick up the stand-alone disc, as after this year, the series will only be sold in one box-set addition.
Games
Skyrim (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) (11-11-11)
Do you enjoy wandering around a massive fantasy world with dragons flying around in it? How about doing whatever the hell you want? You can eat some food, cut some wood, steal some things from your neighbors, kill some monsters or smooch on a lady (or guy) for as long as you want. Of course, you should be out saving the world and figuring out what the deal is with all these dragons, but let's be honest, smooching and robbing your neighbors sounds a hell of a lot more fun. Skyrim promises to be one of the biggest games of year -- as in the size of it -- it's a massive world, with hundreds of things to waste your days with. If you've ever thought to yourself, "I wish Grand Theft Auto had dragons and elves," this is your new favorite thing.
Super Mario Land 3D (3DS)The 3DS has been stagnant since its initial release because it has been missing a good reason to actually own one. Now, with the appearance of Nintendo's prized character, there is finally a reason to purchase a 3DS and be proud of it. It's Mario in every way shape and form, with jumping and minor puzzle solving accented by the best 3D we've ever seen in a game. It's hard to say this, as it's almost always a gimmick, but for the first time, 3D actually adds to the experience here. If you own a 3DS, you need to pick this up.
Comics
Adventures of Herge by Jose-Louis Bocquet, Jean-Luc Fromental, Stanislas Barthelemy
What's the best way to make a biography about a comic artist? Make a comic, of course -- which is exactly what this is. Telling the story of Georges Prosper Remi, who is better known by his pen name, Herge, or the man behind the Tintin series, Adventures of Herge tells his story in the only way it possibly could. The book is clearly influenced by the style of Tintin as well, fitting in as a homage to Herge as much as a biography. His story includes being imprisoned after World War II, an affair with Fanny Vlamynch and a bizarre and humorous encounter with Andy Warhol.
Valve Presents Sacrifice and Other Steam powered Stories by variousYou wouldn't really think a comic book about a bunch of video games would be interesting in any way, but Valve is one of the rare exceptions as they're a company who has demonstrated consistent quality of the past several years. This book is as fan-driven as possible, but with over three hundred pages of stories, from the humorous to the serious, it's sure to appeal to a wide range of people. Everyone's favorite's will be appearing here, from Portal to Team Fortress, and there is sure to a few jibes at the repeating non-showing of Half-Life 3.
