Killer Piks is a monthly review of books, movies, and music by people who are obsessed with books, movies and music.

Books

A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola

by Lacy Simons

A Secret History of Coffee, Coca & Cola is an illustrated book disclosing new research in the coca leaf trade conducted by The Coca-Cola Company. 2011 marked the 125th anniversary of Coke, and the 50th anniversary of the international drug control treaty that allows Coca-Cola exclusive access to the coca plant. Did you know that last bit? I didn't know that last bit. Says the author: "Most people are familiar with tales of cocaine being an early ingredient of 'Coke' tonic; it's an era the company makes every effort to bury. Yet coca leaf, the source of cocaine, which has been banned in the U.S. since 1914, has been part of Coca-Cola's secret formula for over 100 years." You might recognize Ricardo Cortes's name and illustration style from last year's super-funny-not-really-for-kids-children's-book Go the F*ck to Sleep. Akashic, the small press Cortes worked with on that book, got behind this new project. (No surprise there: Akashic's motto is "reverse-gentrification of the literary world." They like Cortes so much they're soon reprinting his 2005 book, It's Just a Plant: A Children's Story about Marijuana. So there's that.)

Lacy Simons is the owner and operator of hello hello books, which opened in August 2011 adjacent to Rock City Cafe, in Rockland. She is a reader, a maker, and a collector of fine-point pens and terrible jokes. To find more picks and reads: facebook.com/hellohellobooks Twitter: @hellohellobooks.

Movies

The Ref

by Tiffany Howard

For me, the holiday season is never complete without a screening of the 1994 black comedy The Ref.  Directed by the late Ted Demme (Beautiful Girls, Blow) and starring Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis, this irreverent farce is the perfect antidote to the Hallmark confections that saturate the airwaves this time of year.  Following an unsuccessful heist, hapless burglar Gus carjacks an affluent but unhappy couple in order to avoid capture.  He soon regrets his plan to lay low in their suburban home, as being taken hostage does little to quell the warring couple's relentless bickering.  Add to the mix, a son just home from reform school and squabbling relatives arriving for Christmas Eve dinner and it isn't long before Gus finds himself in the unlikely roles of marriage counselor and referee.  Though its wit is often biting, this movie is not without heart.  And, in my opinion, it wouldn't be the holidays without a little bit of both.

Tiffany Howard and Jim Dandy co-own Opera House Video, an independent video rental store in downtown Belfast featuring an extensive collection of new releases, foreign films, documentaries, classics and television series. Each takes turns writing the movie review. Find them on Facebook at Opera House Video.

Music

A Dave Brubeck Christmas

by Nathaniel Bernier

Upon hearing of Dave Brubeck's passing this December, I really felt a pang of musical emptiness envelope me.  Rather, it was a realization that a huge body of work would see nothing new; a massive amount of original jazz pieces would cease to be continued.  Granted, there will undoubtedly be many posthumous releases, as record companies rarely see an end to the possibilities (doesn't Elvis have a new album coming out in 2013?) and i will surely check out all those that are offered.  Having been a bit of a jazz-man in my early years, playing alto sax and other woodwinds in my youth, Brubeck's compositions were always a staple, especially the always distinguishable Take Five.  It is with a level of sadness that I write this month's review, but even more so, it's an enjoyable trek down memory lane, prompting a bevy of emotions from a storied past.

'Tis the season for a wonderful Christmas album that appeared in 1996: A Dave Brubeck Christmas, a great collection of classic re-workings and even a couple originals.  Check out classic pieces like Jingle Bells, which have been made much more bouncy than could have been thought with a piano plinking out the notes.  The tickled ivories give great flavor to all the songs here and along with the Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown'Christmas, this is a must-have for fans of jazz, fans of history, fans of Christmas music and fans of all-around pure musical talent.

Nathaniel "Natty B" Bernier, owner of Wild Rufus Records previously retail and now online, has immersed himself in music for 35 years, hosting several radio shows, deejaying at clubs and parties, writing music reviews and interviewing artists.  He lives on the coast of Maine and continues to live through music.   Find him at http://www.wildrufus.com or http://wildrufus.blogspot.com/