Check It Out

On the brink of anti-boredom month, it’s time to break your routine,

step outside the box and do something different.

If you’re a die-hard John Grisham fan, head down a trail of new legal

thrills with John Lescroart’s “The Oath.” In his ninth installment

starring likable attorney Dismas Hardy and his homicide cop pal Abe

Glitsky, the master crime-writer explores greed and violence in a medical

setting.

When the CEO of San Francisco’s largest HMO dies in his own hospital,

presumably of injuries sustained in a hit-and-run accident, an autopsy

reveals a lethal dose of potassium. Attending physician Eric Kensing

becomes the prime suspect, and a gripping mystery about financial

realities versus patient needs ensues.

Ready to march to a different drummer? If you’ve outgrown Britney

Spears, listen to cuts by more mature diva Celine Dion on her newest CD,

“A New Day Has Come.” Track the soul-drenched harmonies of Grammy-winner

Alicia Keys on “Songs in A Minor.”

For your viewing pleasure, head for new DVDs. Borrow “K-Pax” from any

Newport Beach Public Library, and use your best out-of-the-box thinking

to figure out whether Prot, played by Kevin Spacey, is really an alien or

merely a psychotic human being.

Getting hungry? Pass on the hamburgers and check out “Street Food,”

Rose Grant’s compilation of recipes from around the globe, including such

treats as falafel, souvlakia and Croque Monsieur. Round out your culinary

trip with “Asian Noodles,” crammed with tips for turning udon and ramen

into pho and pad thai.

In the mood for something active? If you’ve never been on a fairway,

teach yourself the fundamentals of golf with Rudy Duran’s “In Every Kid

There Lurks a Tiger.” Trade step classes for pumping up your mind and

body, with “Power Yoga for Dummies.”

If you’ve always wanted to learn a foreign language, take a crack at

“Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read the Secret Language of the

Pharaohs.” In this introduction to ancient pictographs, British doctoral

student Bridget McDermott provides an illustrated guide to a phonetic

writing system used to communicate about everything from the flooding of

the Nile to survival in the underworld.

For mastering something more practical, check out “The Rent-A-Husband

Guide to a Safe, Problem-Free Home,” in which Kaile R. Warren and Jane

Craig provide tips for hundreds of home-repair solutions. Whether you’re

a man or a woman who’s never unclogged a toilet, painted a room or fixed

a leaky faucet, this new volume may give you the confidence to tackle

home improvements -- or at least check up on those you’ve hired to do the

dirty work.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Sara Barnicle. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers

by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org.