Cover reveal: A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema

Finally! Here is the cover of my forthcoming movie review book, A Nerd Girl's Guide to Cinema.

The book will be published in late February. Stay tuned for official release date!

Listen up: 24 hours of music

A while back I decided to create a playlist that would take all the good parts of the radio — a variety of music — and leave out all the bad parts of the radio — commercials, songs that suck.  And now I've ended up with a solid 24 hours of music I like.

This list was a departure for me in a few ways. Usually I like my playlists to have themes, but this one had no theme. If a song segued well from its predecessor, it was in; one of the things I hate most about the radio is that there's so little regard for how songs work together. I mean, I like Nine Inch Nails and I like James Taylor — but that doesn't mean I want to hear them back-to-back.

So here, if you care to listen for yourself, is the complete 24-hour playlist. Enjoy!

• Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones
• The Infanta - The Decemberists
• Big Hollow Man - Danielle Dax
• The Killing Jar - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• Caught a Lite Sneeze - Tori Amos
• Girl With the Red Balloon - The Civil Wars
• A Common Disaster - Cowboy Junkies
• Johnny Feelgood - Liz Phair
• Nature Boy - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
• Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums - A Perfect Circle
• Bones - MS MR
• Is She Weird - The Pixies
• Creep - Radiohead
• Blood and Roses - The Smithereens
• Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
• Matte Kudasai - King Crimson
• Vienna - Ultravox
• Goin' Out West - Tom Waits
• Run Through the Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Big Empty - Stone Temple Pilots
• When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
• How Soon is Now? - The Smiths
• Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - Elton John
• Days and Days - Concrete Blonde
• Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez
• Walk on By - Isaac Hayes
• Child in Time - Deep Purple
• Fred's World - Angelo Badalamenti
• Just Like You Imagined - Nine Inch Nails
• Lucretia My Reflection - The Sisters of Mercy
• 2000 Light Years From Home - The Rolling Stones
• Silent Lucidity - Queensryche
• No New Tale to Tell - Love and Rockets
• Everyday is Like Sunday - Morrissey
• The Boys of Summer - Don Henley
• The Bed's Too Big Without You - The Police
• Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
• Head Like a Hole - Nine Inch Nails
• A Song From Under the Floorboards - Magazine
• Add it Up - Violent Femmes
• Gold Lion - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• 52 Girls - The B-52s
• Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers
• I Wanna Be Like You - Los Lobos
• Apeman - The Kinks
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants
• Just Another Day - Oingo Boingo
• Goodbye Horses - Q Lazzarus
• Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie
• Tom Sawyer - Rush
• Transmission - Joy Division
• Cat House - Danielle Dax
• Cecilia Ann - The Pixies
• Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos
• Watching the Detectives - Elvis Costello
• Hunter - Dido
• Where Do the Children Play? - Cat Stevens
• My Little Town - Paul Simon
• Joey - Concrete Blonde
• The Flame - Cheap Trick
• Kiss From a Rose - Seal
• Theme from The Valley of the Dolls - k. d. lang
• La Vie en Rose - Louis Armstrong
• Coney Island Baby - Tom Waits
• Pretty Fifties - David Lynch
• Runaway - Del Shannon
• 96 Tears - ? and the Mysterians
• Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress - The Hollies
• Julie's in the Drug Squad - The Clash
• Jump Around - House of Pain
• White Lines - Grandmaster Flash
• Atomic Dog - George Clinton
• Genius of Love - The Tom Tom Club
• Hey Ya! - OutKast
• Can't Make Love - Wall of Voodoo
• Tainted Love - Soft Cell
• Close To Me - The Cure
• I Melt With You - Modern English
• Beautiful World - Devo
• Psycho Killer (Live) - Talking Heads
• Memo From Turner - The Rolling Stones
• Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
• A Pistol for Paddy Garcia - The Pogues
• Morricone Theme - Wall of Voodoo
• Per Qualche Dollaro in Più - Ennio Morricone
• Battle Without Honor or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei
• 21st Century Digital Boy - Bad Religion
• Suffragette City - David Bowie
• Shock the Monkey - Peter Gabriel
• Love is a Stranger - Eurythmics
• All For Love of One - Mediaeval Baebes
• Summoning of the Muse - Dead Can Dance
• The World Spins - Julee Cruise
• La Serenissima - Loreena McKennitt
• Willow's Song - Faith and the Muse
• Ghost of Love - David Lynch
• Incarceration of a Flower Child - Marianne Faithfull
• Bliss - Tori Amos
• Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie
• Master and Servant - Depeche Mode
• Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
• Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand
• Ballroom Blitz - Sweet
• My Baby Does Good Sculptures - The Rezillos
• T-Town - The Glory Holes
• Jerry Was a Race Car Driver - Primus
• Baby I Love You - The Yayhoos
• The Breakup Song - Greg Kihn Band
• Buddy Holly - Weezer
• Baby Blue - Badfinger
• One - Three Dog Night
• Sally Go 'Round the Roses - The Jaynetts
• Dear Prudence - The Beatles
• Polyester Bride - Liz Phair
• No Myth - Michael Penn
• Tempted - Squeeze
• Found Out About You - The Gin Blossoms
• Caroline - Concrete Blonde
• Tear in Your Hand - Tori Amos
• Someone Saved my Life Tonight - Elton John
• Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty
• Bad Sneakers - Steely Dan
• Wake Up - Arcade Fire
• Sweetest Thing - U2
• The Love Cats - The Cure
• Marry Me - Emilie Autumn
• Dirty Dog - Switchblade Symphony
• Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
• Un Amico - Ennio Morricone
• O Children - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Ball of Confusion - Love and Rockets
• Big Time - Peter Gabriel
• Shitloads of Money - Liz Phair
• Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones
• Eminence Front - The Who
• Making Plans for Nigel - XTC
• Secret Agent Man - Devo
• Close (To The Edit) - Art of Noise
• One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
• Little Girls - Oingo Boingo
• Too Young to Date - D-Day
• Busy Child - The Crystal Method
• Blue Monday - New Order
• End of Line - Daft Punk
• Closer - Nine Inch Nails
• Suspiria - Goblin
• Tubular Bells (Opening Theme) - Mike Oldfield
• Magic and Ecstasy - Ennio Morricone
• Betrayal (Sorcerer Theme) - Tangerine Dream
• Nicaragua - Jerry Goldsmith
• Last: The Lonely Shepherd - Zamfir
• Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
• Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
• Alsatian Cousin - Morrissey
• Come Out and Play - The Offspring
• Ball and Chain - Social Distortion
• Anything, Anything - Dramarama
• Girl U Want - Devo
• Rock Lobster - The B-52s
• Saber Dance - The UK Subs
• Misirlou - Dick Dale
• Il Giardino Dell Delizie - Ennio Morricone
• Im Nin'Alu - Ofra Haza
• Isabella - The Mediaeval Baebes
• Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
• Past the Mission - Tori Amos
• Big Log - Robert Plant
• I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash
• Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
• One Thing Leads to Another - The Fixx
• Driver Down - Trent Reznor
• Is That All There Is? - Cristina
• Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf
• It's a Sin to Tell a Lie - Dolly Dawn
• My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker
• Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - The Platters
• I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline
• Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
• Dad I'm in Jail - Was (Not Was)
• God's Away on Business - Tom Waits
• Lucifer Sam - Pink Floyd
• Spy Vs. Spy - Combustible Edison
• Incense and Peppermint - The Strawberry Alarm Clock
• Hold Tight - Dave, Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick, and Tick
• Come and Get Your Love - Redbone
• Love is Like Oxygen - Sweet
• Turn to Stone - Electric Light Orchestra
• Cruel to be Kind - Nick Lowe
• Help! - The Beatles
• All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople
• Come and Get It - Badfinger
• Stuck in the Middle With You - Stealer's Wheel
• Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
• Another Saturday Night - Cat Stevens
• Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon
• Baby Got Going - Liz Phair
• Favorite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - Haircut 100
• Stand and Deliver - Adam and the Ants
• The Queen is Dead - The Smiths
• Entertain - Sleater-Kinney
• Anarchy - KMFDM
• Dragula - Rob Zombie
• Hell Broke Luce - Tom Waits
• FFF - Public Image Ltd.
• Piggy - Nine Inch Nails
• Venus in Furs - The Velvet Underground
• Spark - Tori Amos
• Night of a Thousand Furry Toys - Rick Wright
• Mercy Street - Peter Gabriel
• C'est la Mort - The Civil Wars
• Don't Let it Bring You Down - Neil Young
• Twist in my Sobriety - Tanita Tikaram
• All Dead, All Dead - Queen
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
• Moving Through Time - Angelo Badalamenti
• Martha's Dream - Nick Cave
• Quintet for Glass and String - Garry Eister
• Rabbia e Tarantella - Ennio Morricone
• Procession - The Wicker Man Soundtrack
• Memorial - Michael Nyman
• Shalott - Emilie Autumn
• Yes, Anastasia - Tori Amos
• Scarborough Fair/Canticle - Simon and Garfunkel
• Julia Dream - Pink Floyd
• I'm Not in Love - 10cc
• Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles
• This Corrosion - The Sisters of Mercy
• The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - Genesis
• 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson
• What God Wants (Part 1) - Roger Waters
• Happiness in Slavery - Nine Inch Nails
• Peace Frog - The Doors
• Grindhouse (Main Theme) - Robert Rodriguez
• Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones
• Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
• Childhood's End - Pink Floyd
• Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars
• Freedom - Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton
• Johnstown - O Susanna
• Ballad of a Thin Man - Bob Dylan
• Babe, You Turn Me On - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Femme Fatale - The Velvet Underground
• Precious Things - Tori Amos
• Thank God I'm Pretty - Emilie Autumn
• Cities in Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees
• Red Bats With Teeth - Angelo Badalamenti
• Senza Motivo Apparente - Ennio Morricone
• Terminal Frost - Pink Floyd
• Flying - The Beatles
• Sugar Magnolia - The Grateful Dead
• Domino - Van Morrison
• What Makes You Happy - Liz Phair
• Why Can't I Touch It? - The Buzzcocks
• New Frontier - Donald Fagen
• Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel
• Lookin' Out My Back Door - Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Like a Soldier - Johnny Cash
• Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
• Who Did That to You? - John Legend
• You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
• Twilight Zone - Golden Earring
• Orange Crush - R.E.M.
• Rock the Casbah - The Clash
• Party at Ground Zero - Fishbone
• The Suits are Picking Up the Bill - Squirrel Nut Zippers
• Balboa Blue - The Marketts
• Take Five - Dave Brubeck
• Cadillac - Combustible Edison
• Pablo Picasso - The Burning Sensations
• Riders in the Sky - Dick Dale
• Jackie Chan - The Dollyrots
• I Say Nothing - Voice of the Beehive
• Paperback Writer - The Beatles
• Someday, Someway - Marshall Crenshaw
• Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
• You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
• I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred
• Got to Give It Up - Marvin Gaye
• Jungle Love - The Time
• Kiss - Tom Jones and the Art of Noise
• Chick Habit - April March
• Cherry Bomb - The Runaways
• My Sharona - The Knack
• Walking in L.A. - Missing Persons
• Touch Piggy's Eyes - Danielle Dax
• Thela Hun Ginjeet - King Crimson
• Oh Look - KMFDM
• March of the Pigs - Nine Inch Nails
• Opheliac - Emilie Autumn
• Liquid Diamonds - Tori Amos
• Trovommi Amor - The Mediaeval Baebes
• Until the End of the World - Julee Cruise
• Carolyn's Fingers - The Cocteau Twins
• Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
• Coming Back to Life - Pink Floyd
• What is Love? - Howard Jones
• Harmony - Elton John
• 5:15 - The Who
• My Old School - Steely Dan
• Fall On Me - R.E.M.
• And Your Bird Can Sing - The Beatles
• Turn Around - They Might Be Giants
• The Time Warp - Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack
• Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye - Phantom of the Paradise Soundtrack
• Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
• Goody Two Shoes - Adam Ant
• Pump it Up - Elvis Costello
• Doctorin' the Tardis - The Timelords
• Brass Monkey - The Beastie Boys
• Because I Got High - Afroman
• Just One Fix - Ministry
• The Perfect Drug - Nine Inch Nails
• Jeremy - Pearl Jam
• Midnight Rambler - The Rolling Stones
• Pills and Soap - Elvis Costello
• I Don't Mind If You Forget Me - Morrissey
• Elephant Talk - King Crimson
• They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
• Tidal Wave - Dick Dale
• Faccia a Faccia - Ennio Morricone
• Dominion/Mother Russia - The Sisters of Mercy
• Never Gonna Stop - Rob Zombie
• Clubbed to Death - Rob Dougan
• Principles of Lust/Sadeness - Enigma
• Dream Song - Ministry
• The Mark Has Been Made - Nine Inch Nails
• All Tomorrow's Parties - The Velvet Underground
• White Rabbit - The Jefferson Airplane
• Angel - Jimi Hendrix
• Gloomy Sunday - The Smithereens
• Delia's Gone - Johnny Cash
• Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
• Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
• Life in a Northern Town - The Dream Academy
• Rockin' Back Inside my Heart - Julee Cruise
• Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9) - Pink Floyd
• The Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
• Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
• Love, Reign O'er Me - The Who
• A Day in the Life - The Beatles 

Today's mood

Reading recommendations: Underrated or little-known books

It's a new year and I'm sure we're all on the lookout for some good books to read in the coming months. And if you're not sure what should be next on your reading list, may I recommend some books that are underrated or not as well known as they should be? You'll see some familiar author names here, but you may not know the titles.

Boys and Girls Together - William Goldman
Years before he brought us the story of Wesley and Buttercup, and before he made us all a little bit nervous about going to the dentist, William Goldman gave us a fantastic story of five ordinary young people brought to their fates - and in some cases their dooms - by the city of New York. It's sprawling yet intimate, often heartbreaking, and occasionally funny.

Cavedweller - Dorothy Allison
Dorothy Allison's second (and to this date, last) novel hasn't the raw power of her debut Bastard Out of Carolina, and it loses its narrative focus halfway through, but it is still a remarkable tale of sisterhood, family, and healing the heart. When her rock star ex-husband dies in a motorcycle crash, singer Delia Byrd takes her daughter Cissy back to Delia's small hometown in Georgia, to reunite with Delia's two other daughters from her abusive first marriage. Though not without its dark moments, it's a much more optimistic book than Bastard Out of Carolina.

Til We Have Faces - C. S. Lewis
Though not nearly as well known as the Narnia books or The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis' retelling of the Cupid and Psyche myth is fascinating. Told from the viewpoint of Psyche's sister Orual, it deftly addresses the question of faith and where the line is between loyalty to the divine and to the earthly.

Fevre Dream - George R. R. Martin
If you're waiting oh so patiently for the next book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, you could do worse than to read this intriguing mix of 19th-century riverboats and vampires. Yes, you read that correctly. Martin not only makes this unlikely combination work, but he does so while skewering the tropes of vampire fiction and ending things in a way you don't quite expect. It doesn't have the sprawl, scope, or grandeur of the Westeros books, but is still a fine read.

The Getaway - Jim Thompson
I'm cheating a bit, as The Getaway isn't really that unknown of a Thompson book. But The Grifters and The Killer Inside Me get all the press, so I want to stump for The Getaway. Married criminals Doc and Carol pull off the proverbial last big score without much of a hitch - it's escaping to safety (a South American town that's a semi-legendary haven for criminals) that's the hard part. Bad luck, miscalculations, and distrust escalate into a grim, almost existential final chapter that's unlike anything else I've read in crime fiction.

More reviews for Undertow!

This year my Christmas was particularly merry, as bloggers reviewed my new mystery, Undertow.

The Reading Cafe says, "[Kelly Cozy] blew me away again." Read full review.

The Book Bag says, "it kept me on the edge of my seat." Read full review.

Book Bag Lady says, "It was suspenseful and exhilarating all at the same time." Read full review.

Ciska's Book Chest says, "Cozy knows how to create characters and set atmosphere." Read full review.

I am very grateful to all of these bloggers for reading my book and sharing their thoughts on it with their readers.