BOOKS 4 YOU (AND 4 US)

Us play4mesters have been rugging up and hiding from the cold lately with BOOKS to keep us company. For your browsing pleasure we've recently set up a BOOK FUN 4 YOU page which shows selections of Must-Reads, Oprah's Book Club Titles, Fiction Books By Muso Authors, Prize Winning Books and much, much more. Check 'em all out here.

All of us over here are eagerly anticipating the new Sex & The City book which coincides with the release of the new Sex & The City movie. And, because we LOVE to be self indulgent, here are some of our favourite reads of recent times:


Anthea (Marketing / Newsletter & Blog writer / Hand Dancer) loved Things The Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett:

Mark Oliver Everett (better known as E from the band, Eels) has written an autobiography. Autobiographies are dangerous territory as they're the ultimate form of self indulgence, however E pulls it off perfectly. Admittedly, he has had a more interesting and dramatic life than you're average "rockstar". There's a lot of death, a lot of sadness and a lot of depression in his story, but its all told in such a humorous and humble way. And, it must be hard to convey such humbleness when telling your life story.
This autobiography reads much like an Eels album is heard: its depressing as hell but at the same time its oddly uplifting and kind of beautiful in an ugly sort of a way. I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

Buy your copy now


Lauren (Marketing / Whip Cracker) loved Strangeland by Tracey Emin:

Tracey Emin, best know for her dirty bedsheets, recounts her childhood living in the sleepy British seaside town of Margate, amongst other fantasmagorical tales. This is more like a series of short stories, pieced together to give a sometimes autobiographical account of her life and times. In parts seeming more fiction than fact, it wasn't quite as gritty as I'd hoped for, but worth a page turn.

Buy your copy now


Joanne (Books Product Manager / Knitting Extraordinaire) loved Monsters Of Templeton by Lauren Groff:

This book is centred around a small town with a vast and interesting history which surrounds mainly one family and their secrets. Willie is the latest generation of this family who comes home from University in disgrace. As she deals with with her own sorrow of a lost love affair, and potentially a new child, she discovers her family's sordid secrets from the past, fuelled by the search for her real father. Through her research she discovers much more than the family secrets in the many chapters of the town's history.

I really enjoyed the way the author tied the historical aspects of the story to the present through Willie's endeavour to find her parentage. She brings to life characters from the past that are believable and engaging. She also includes the myths and superstitions of past eras by introducing a monster in the lake, not unlike the Loch Ness Monster. This monster, though fanciful, brings the entire story together and so much of the family's lives are tied to the life of the monster. The small town setting of this story both endears me to it and makes me recoil at the same time. Like Willie I found myself cringing at the small town behaviours and attitudes and yet looking forward to the character's support and care for her when she needed it. A great read.

Buy your copy now


Daniel C (Customer Service / Resident Movie Buff) loved Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis:

A good friend recommended this one to me, saying it was first time she'd been too afraid to read a book at home alone. If a character based loosely based on Easton Elis' sordid past isn't frightening enough, this genre hopping, tension building page turner, also mixes in a large dose of supernatural horror.

Buy your copy now

Play4me's DVD Sale!

Hello Bloggers!

Some of my favourite DVDs EVER are on sale over at Play4me at the moment. Most of them can be found over here. But there are a few other favourites that are extra cheap at the moment that I want to tell you all about.

Little Miss Sunshine

As far as I'm concerned, this is one of the few movies that actually deserves all of the hype that surrounds it. It's just so... So luffly! And funny. And clever. But unfortunately, with a movie that's been discussed so much - its hard to say anything new about it. So, all that's left to say is - it's cheap at the moment. You can buy a copy from Play4me for only $14.95!

Buy now for only $14.95


Superbad

First, I should confess that I have a weird crush on little George Michael (Michael Cera... Who's character in Superbad is actually named Evan, but he'll always be George Michael from Arrested Development to me). I can't explain why I have said crush or where it came from, but by golly he can make me giggle. He's the quintessential awkward teenage boy, no one plays that character better than him. Sure, you can ramble about how he's been type-cast and he can only play one character, BUT - again, no one does it better!

So, Superbad... the movie uses some teenage movie, gross-out comedy style techniques whilst still staying surprisingly true to life. Yes, ridiculous things happen - but it seems more realistic than in movies that Superbad could be compared to like Road Trip and American Pie. For example, the boys all have a big night out that will no doubt change them forever. In this night out, they go to 2 different parties... And I swear to you - I went to BOTH of those parties when I was in high school!

Plus, the girls in the movie are genuinely likable and attractive. Usually teen movies have blonde, stupid girls as the ones that all the boys are after. In Superbad, the girls are still stunning but they're also intelligent and while watching the movie, I thought "yeah, if I was a 17 year old boy - I'd have a crush on them too".

Other highlights were the sex scene ("Yeah, they said that would happen in health class" - teehee) and the scene where little George Michael sings. Again, teehee!

Buy Superbad now for only $21.95

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Since I've already started making confessions in this blog, I'll continue. I should just put it out there that I went to drama school. Because of that, its no surprise that Rocky Horror is one of my favourite movies of all time. If, like me - you've got the soundtrack, you've been to a midnight session of the film somewhere and you've been known on occasion to bust out "Sweet Transvestite" at a karaoke night - then, clearly the 25th Anniversary DVD is a must have for you.

Buy now for only $14.95

Other highlights from our current DVD sale include:

Walk The Line - buy now for only $14.95

Entourage - Season 1 - buy now for only $28.95

The Adventures of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert - buy now for only $14.95

Now for the boring bit,

Please remember that all of the products mentioned here were on sale at the time this was written... But this is a blog - and we don't delete posts... So, by the time you're reading this - they may no longer be on sale... But they might be - so you should check 'em out. :-)

PS: Go on, have a lil look at him!

Upcoming CDs That Play4me Hearts

If you're an avid play4me visitor, then you will have noticed that we now have Top 10 Upcoming CDs and DVDs charts up on the site.

So, I thought I'd talk you through why we're so excited about some of the upcoming CDs:

Ladytron - Velocifero (out 2nd June):

Indie dance favourites Ladytron are baaaaaaack! Gosh, just writing "Ladytron" has put their 2003 song Seventeen in my head... And now it'll be there all day.

Not only do Ladytron have a new album out in June, but they're also paying us Australians a visit in October. Ohh ahhh!

Pre order your copy now

Dresden Dolls - No, Virginia (out 19th May):

As the name suggest, this is the companion album for their last release Yes, Virginia. Its got 5 new tracks on it plus a cover of the Psychedelic Furs classic, "Pretty In Pink".

I remember when I first heard Coin Opperated Boy (off their self titled album). I remember instantly being inspired to pantomime. Later, when my friends and I all knew every word to it - I came up with a theory that a girl's favourite line from that song said a lot about her and what she wants from a relationship.
Such as:
My friend Rhiannon liked "I can even take him in the bath" the best (clearly that makes her a little minx)
My friend Christine liked, "saying that he loves me and he's thinking of me, straight and to the point..." (she just wants to be loved)
And then there was my favourite line, "will you persist even after I bet you a million dollars that I'll never love you?" (I guess that suggests that I'm... not a very good person to be interested in).

What new insights on life will the Dresden Dolls have on this new album? We'll have to wait and see.

Pre order your copy now

So Fresh - The #1s (Out 19th May):

POP fans in Australia LOVE the So Fresh range. And this is an interesting one, featuring number 1 hits from the 1990's and the naughties. It has songs to make you dance and bodyroll like Britney's Toxic and JT's Rock Your Body.

Then there are a few surprise entries in this one - songs that most of us had forgotten about like TATU's All The Things She Said, Wheatus' Teenage Dirtbag and Alien Ant Farm's Michael Jackson cover, Smooth Criminal.

Lotsa hits, lotsa fun.

Pre order your copy now

Trial Kennedy - New Manic Art (out 2nd June):

If you get the Play4me newsletter or a regular blog reader, then you've already read my rants about Melbourne rockers Trial Kennedy. We all love them here at Play4me, they're finally releasing their debut full length album and we hope that they take over the world.

Head over here for your chance to win a massive Trial Kennedy and Macbeth Footwear prize pack.

Pre order your copy now