Top Picks: Peter Robinson's mystery novel 'In the Dark Places,' Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls' album 'Positive Songs for Negative People,' and more
Sports pioneer
The newest 鈥淎merican Masters鈥� documentary from PBS showcases Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win at Wimbledon. chronicles Gibson鈥檚 early life in addition to her achievements both within and beyond the world of sports. Did you know she recorded a jazz album and played a part in a John Wayne movie? 鈥淎lthea鈥� airs Sept. 4 at 9 p.m.听
Double mystery
In rainy Yorkshire, England, Inspector Alan Banks and his colleagues encounter a missing-persons case, a murder, and a tractor theft 鈥� all related, of course. The Inspector Banks series of procedurals is a popular one, but even new readers will have no trouble keeping up in Peter Robinson鈥檚 latest, .听Robinson offers a perfectly paced and satisfying mystery filled with just the right amount of menace and a believable cast of diverse male and female detectives.听
Working woes听
Marion Cotillard earned a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her work in . In the film, Sandra (Cotillard) must ask her fellow employees to forgo bonuses in order for her to get her job back. The brutalizing effects of the world economy on the working class, so prevalent in the news, get a human face on the big screen. 鈥淭wo Days, One Night鈥� is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.听
Live from the sea
Take a dive into the deep with , a PBS and BBC coproduction that brings viewers to California鈥檚 Monterey Bay. Live programming will happen over three nights to show how the ecosystem of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, with its diverse and captivating marine life, has rebounded. 鈥淏ig Blue Live鈥� airs on PBS from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 from 8 to 9 p.m. EDT and PDT, and at www.pbs.org/big-blue-live.听
True troubadour
You gotta love Frank Turner, Britain鈥檚 answer to Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978. All passion, swagger, and heart-on-sleeve, Turner and his cohorts, The Sleeping Souls, leave it all on the field on their sixth 鈥� and best 鈥� studio album, . The album starts and ends with two touching acoustic numbers, but the meat in the middle is pure FT, hard-charging and fully committed to the gospel of rock 鈥檔鈥� roll.
