Staff Picks

Kes [DVD]

2012-02-11T15:57:00.000-05:00

Kes a film by Ken Loach

Film recommendations certainly play a role in a day's work at the Arts & Music department. It's often my favorite task to help someone find a film that fits their taste and am always flattered when a patron asks for me to select something that I enjoyed. Recently, the favor was reciprocated. A regular patron suggested, based on our many movie conversations, that I might enjoy the film Kes. He was correct and to continue the dialog, here's my take:

Kes is a story that I consider the Northern England equivalent of Truffaut's 400 Blows. Made a decade later, director Ken Loach, who certainly chooses not to glamorize youth or pander to children, creates a nearly bleak portrait of childhood. His central character, Billy Casper, lives in a poor, working class mining community and seems to have his future decided for him at 15 years of age. While not absolutely going for the heavy handed approach, Loach is suggesting flaws in, what he considers, the still existing English class system.

Billy eventually finds an escape from the constant bullying from adult figures (his headmaster, classmates, older brother, gym teacher, etc.) when he notices a nest on a neighbor's property. He studies the science of training birds and eventually develops trust with a kestrel he appropriately christens "Kes". His dedication and care earns him the respect from a group of classmates and a caring English teacher (who is possibly the only kind adult in the film).

Kes, which is heartbreaking and desolate feeling at times, is a remarkable work. Loach's nonjudgmental camera style, the simple and lyrical imagery, the falconry scenes with young Billy's textbook narration and soft English landscape gives the film a quality not unlike a documentary.

The Penny Whistle Book

2012-02-11T09:23:00.000-05:00

The Penny Whistle Book by Robin Williamson

A couple months ago, I saw The Penny Whistle Book come up to the Arts & Music library and happened to notice that it was penned by the Incredible String Band's Robin Williamson. He was essentially one half of the group, sharing vocal and songwriting duties with Mike Heron. At this time I also was thinking about the arrangement for a song of my own and was in need to have a flute or whistle type sound for a two note hook in the final chorus (a la "Penny Lane").

The sensible thing to do I thought was to go to check out the book and head to Downtown Sounds in Northampton and see how much one of these whistles costs... Turns out they're very cheap (something like $10). I cracked the book open, read the introduction and was making sounds and playing scales right away.

The slim Penny Whistle Book is filled with traditional American and British tunes with accompanying illustrations that reference the era in which the pieces were most likely composed. The sheet music is also perfect for playing instrumental accompaniment like guitar or banjo because chords are placed at the top of the staffs.

The penny whistle is a fun and simple instrument to play. You really don't need to be able to read musical notation or have special technique in operating a mouthpiece. You just place your fingers on the holes and blow!

Old Jews Telling Jokes [Book on CD]

2012-02-10T12:20:00.001-05:00

Old Jews Telling Jokes

This project started as a website, still going strong at oldjewstellingjokes.com. A couple of guys and their dads started rounding up all their "aunts and uncles, wise-cracking attorneys and periodontists," as the web site says. Each clip is a couple of minutes of one person telling a joke. These are not professional comedians, they are ordinary people from the culture that created the Marx Brothers, the Catskill circuit, and Mel Brooks. Some of the stories have been around a long time, but nearly all of them land between amusing and hilarious on the laugh-o-meter. You'll find ironic, raunchy, and self-deprecating bits as well as some marvelous timing and delivery. The narrator I could do without. Still, it beats therapy.

Fabergé Eggs

2012-02-08T12:37:00.002-05:00

Fabergé Eggs introduction and commentaries by Christopher Forbes

Seeing that I am an incredibly wealthy man, I know a thing or two about Fabergé eggs. You're probably asking yourself right now, "if this person is filthy rich, then why is he posting on the Forbes Staff Picks Blog?" Fair question. In the late 80's, I was a victim to a bizarre ruling in which a 40 year sentence of of public library labor was slapped upon me. All this for spilling a little citrus salsa and guacamole on the original Gutenberg Bible!

Carl Fabergé was a brilliant man as far as inspiring others to create the highest quality of material. Interestingly, he himself worked on nothing from the House of Fabergé. According to Forbes' introduction, those responsible for the craftsmanship were Michael Evlampievich Perchin and Henrik Henrik Wigström.

Fabergé Eggs exhibits large, full page, color images of these elaborate works of art. The last section of the book has pencil reproductions for these eggs that were once presented to czars and czarinas on Orthodox Christian Easters from 1885-1917. Text accompanies the images with information on who initially received the piece, additional historical information and the item's detailed measurements.

The intricate design to these pieces is astounding and I'm sure you will feel a pang of desire to own one of the surviving, priceless eggs (I currently have four in my collection). If need assistance finding Christopher Forbes' book, just look for me. I'm the one with the ascot and monocle.

Blood, Bones, & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef

2012-02-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Blood, Bones, & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
Hailed as "the best memoir by a chef ever" by Anthony Bourdain, and a NY Times Notable Book in 2010, this unusual memoir follows the life of Gabrielle Hamilton, now chef/owner of Prune in NYC. It is unusual in that Hamilton is such a good writer, and seemingly holds nothing back, allowing us to see the bad and ugly along with the good.
The quality of her writing is partially explained with her MFA from the University of Michigan, an experience she relates in ambivalent terms, "It's a tired reading style...it attaches more importance to the words than the words themselves -- as they've been arranged, could possibly sustain, and it gives poets and poetry a bad name. Which is not what I came to graduate school for; I want to forever admire poets."
The bad and the ugly includes her wayward youth and relationship with her family after her parent's divorce. How she develops from a lost girl to opening an award-winning restaurant in New York and a marriage with an Italian doctor (and his family), is a compelling story, with lots of detail of the food along the way, that never feels like it bogs down the story.

And here, as a treat to celebrate my last day before continuing on my journey, when we drove to the coast, past fields of shooting asparagus and trees about to burst forth, and we stopped finally at the water’s edge in St. Malo- here are platters of shellfish pulled that very morning from the sea-langouste, langoustines, moules, crevetted, huitres, bigorneaux, coques. These are the pearl-tipped hat pins stuck into a wine bottle cork for pulling to the meats of the sea snails. The tide ran out, and the fishing boats slumped in the mud attached to their slack anchors like leashed dogs sleeping in the yard. The particular smell of sea mud went up our nostrils as we slurped the brine from the shells in front of us, so expertly and neatly arranged on the tiers.

Hindugrass [CD]

2012-02-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

Hindugrass by John Heitzenrater, Carolyn Balfe, Yunior Terr, Evan Fraser, and Austin Wrinkle

What could you find in common between the classical and folk music of Northern India, and old time and bluegrass music of the Southeastern United States? Quite a lot actually, and Hindugrass does an excellent job exploring and exploiting those similarities. Headed by John Heitzenrater on sarod, Hindugrass is alternatively haunting and driving, lyrical and percussive, familiar and strange. In addition to sarod we hear, fiddle (played in American style), bass, tabla, kanjira, bones, and other percussive instruments. The melodies comfortably shifts back and forth between a more eastern and a more western sound, but the rhythms show a primarily Indian influence, with the melodic and percussive instruments alike taking part in the polyrhythm , tihai, and other rhythmic devices that are responsible for much of the excitement of Indian music. This is an exciting recording for lovers of Appalachian and Indian music alike. You can get a preview of their music at http://www.hindugrass.net/, or borrow the CD from the library to hear the whole thing!

Red Mist

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
If you mention Patricia Cornwell in conversation, the general consensus is that her earlier books were better. Agreed. I did not read her last 2 or 3 books but glad that I picked this one to start up again.
Kay Scarpetta and her group can interesting and they have some good moments in this latest book. It was a fast read, kept me turning the pages and I mostly liked it.
The ending felt too rushed and too tidy. Still, it was worth the quick read and I look forward to her next one.

Page One: Inside the New York Times

2012-01-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

Page One: Inside the New York Times a film by Andrew Rossi

Andrew Rossi's film Page One explores the role of print media in a rapidly changing technological landscape. The documentary goes inside the Eighth Avenue tower and we watch events unfold and become shaped into articles that eventually get delivered to our doorsteps.

The Internet has redirected the way in which many people seek information and this proves to be a financial threat to the survival of every newspaper. When Julian Assange's initial YouTube barrage is dropped on the heads of the public, the Times writers not only have to think how to cover the event, they also need to ponder how it affects journalism on the whole. The WikiLeaks organization may upload footage, reach millions of people in a matter or moments and have little accountability in how they present their broadcast. The Times realizes that though they must follow the guidelines of responsible reporting, they still need to compete with this brand of information giving on some level.

Staff members are also profiled and followed around through the course of pitching and working on articles. We go inside meetings and presentations, too. David Carr, arguably the star of this film, is seen laying down the law in a meeting with Vice personnel, seeing his elderly father and giving a presentation on technology and media. Carr and many of the staff on screen, discuss the role of technology and Twitter and other social media.

Though the advertising and subscriptions that power the New York Times are at all time lows, the paper continues to move forward. Page One documents this tense, transitional period and shows the organization working on the fly to stay in the business.

Snuff

2012-01-23T10:09:00.003-05:00

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

One Terry Pratchett Discworld novel is much like another, and I mean that as a compliment, the way I would about the Marx Brothers or P.G. Wodehouse. Pratchett is reliably funny, satirical, detailed, and quick, coming at you from all sides (including footnotes). In Discworld there are no sacred cows, and in this latest installment cows feature prominently since streetwise city detective Sam Vimes has been lured by his formidable wife to her country estate on vacation.
Pretty soon the deceptively sleepy village reveals there's more than manure to meet the eye, and Vimes is entangled in crimes and secrets that rival his usual pastimes in the metropolis.
Start anywhere; you won't regret it.

Talking heads Chronology [DVD]

2012-01-20T09:46:00.000-05:00

Talking heads Chronology

An official retrospective DVD compilation of rare footage and performances from throughout the Talking Heads illustrious career. The footage spanschronologically from mic tests and rough 1976 black and white footage of theband in NYC to television and festival performances during the height of theirfame in the early 80’s. As the quality of the footage improves, the bandbecomes tighter and more assured, adding members until it culminates in theart-house funk monster period of Remain in Light and Speaking in Tongues. Thisdevelopment and gradual expansion of the band in style and number mirrors thesequences of Stop Making Sense, the bands epic masterpiece concert film, butalso allows a rare live glimpse of the late 70’s Heads whose angular tightlystructured charm was just as innovative for its time as their later afro-cubanfunk explorations. Talking Heads fans havewaited for years without any significant “archived material” from the band andfew releases outside of greatest hits compilations, and this release providesthe perfect companion to Jonathan Demme’s 1983 concert film. The DVD is boundwithin a book with some great photographs of the band and extensive liner notesby Lester Bangs, who lets loose with his usual unrestrained hyperbolic blurt.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away

2012-01-19T15:31:00.000-05:00

I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away by Bill Bryson

A collection of articles originally written for a weekly British magazine chronicles Bryson's humorous reintroduction to life in America: "The intricacies of modern American life still often leave me muddled." From dental floss hotlines, to cupholders, to the abundance of trees in New Hampshire, Bryson entertains us with his laugh-out-loud writing.

Krazy Kat: the Comic Art of George Herriman

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman

Krazy Kat was a remarkable and hugely influential comic daily comic. Found in newspapers around the country for over 30 years, from 1913 and 1944, it would influence comics greats such as Charles M. Schulz, Will Eisner, and Bill Watterson. Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman provides an overview of the life and works of Krazy Kat creator George Herriman, and includes a large collection of beautifully reproduced daily and Sunday Krazy Kat strips.

Herriman's astonishing Sunday Krazy Kats are reason to pick up this book alone. Giant, free form, brightly colored affairs, unconstrained by the rigid panels of today's strips, it is the surreal landscapes and innovative design of the Sunday strips for which Herriman is best know, and with good reason. (Fans of Calvin and Hobbes will imeadiatly recognize the influence of these strips on Bill Waterson's Spaceman Spiff strips.)

Krazy Kat is not particularly funny, but I love reading it. Krazy Kat is dreamlike and poetic, a little bit difficult, and very much worth your while. Full of characters and images you will not forget, this is a bit of comics history you should definitely check out.

A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney

2012-01-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

A Bigger Message: Conversations with David Hockney by Martin Gayford

Critic Martin Gayford has been interviewing David Hockney for many years and the two have developed a warm friendship that extends past their professional relationship. In A Bigger Message, Gayford collects several conversations with the famed British artist. Discussions range from new technology, photography, stage design, living in different parts of the world, various histories of classical art and Hockney's own process.

Gayford frames each chapter with a theme that corresponds to the many phases of Hockney's career. One very interesting segment discusses his attraction to creating work on an iPhone or iPad. The book exhibits several of these small scale works that look very much like detailed watercolors.

These pieces along with massive painted landscapes, stills of video installations and photographs of Hockney at work are weaved in and out of Gayford's brief biographical information and extensive dialog with the tireless artist. Like many innovative, creative people, he is also very much a student of art. Hockney, and here I'll sound redundant, is a thoughtful thinker and his meditations on artistic movements, motivation and life are extremely fascinating and inspiring.

Christmas Wedding

2012-01-09T20:46:00.003-05:00

Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Widow Gabby Summerhill invites her 4 children and their families home to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to celebrate Christmas together, their first holiday together since their father died 3 years ago. Gabby announced in a video message to her children that she will be getting married on Christmas but the identity of the groom will remain a secret until the wedding. While the book is not a typical James Patterson thriller, it has many emotional twists and turns.

Murder Your Darlings

2012-01-09T12:35:00.003-05:00

Murder Your Darlings by J.J. Murphy

First in a new cozy series, Murder Your Darlings features Dorothy Parker and her Vicious Circle of friends at the Algonquin Round Table. Real people mingle with fictional characters in a historically-based setting. Not to worry, liberties are taken to make it more entertaining, and you don't have to be bothered with the facts unless you choose to read the historical note at the end.

When a drama critic is found stabbed with his own fountain pen under the legendary Round Table, Mrs. Parker and Robert Benchley, together with the police and a team of bootlegging gangsters, chase down the murderer while spewing sarcastic quips, puns, and one-liners all over New York. William Faulkner makes a delightful cameo. The parody is hilarious and my only quibble is that some of the punch lines are too obviously set up. Still, I'll be gleefully anticipating the next Algonquin Round Table Mystery.

East, West

2012-01-06T10:45:00.001-05:00

East, west stories by Salman Rushdie

I love short stories and I've made a resolution to read more of them this year. With this in mind, but as I haven't yet read any new story collections this year, I've picked an old favorite for this post. East, West is a collection of stories by British Indian author Salman Rushdie. Rushdie's writing here is witty and colorful, and these stories, are quick, enjoyable reads. Rushdie draws inspiration from a variety of sources, both classic (Shakespeare, the life of Muhammad) and modern (The Wizard of Oz, Rambo, Star Trek). The plots are not particularly memorable (I've read the volume several times but can never quite remember how the stories unfold), but the flavor of the stories, and the voice of the author will stick with you. (I've found that to be true of much of Rushdie's writing—if you are going to enjoy Rushdie you probably won't mind this in the least.) A good introduction to this important author.

Winter's Bone

2012-01-05T15:57:00.003-05:00

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

Set in the Ozarks in the unforgiving winter. Ree Dolly, a 16-year-old who is the defacto head-of-household, has taken on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers and caring for her mentally withdrawn mother. A knock on the door informs her that her father has skipped bail, and she will lose the house that has been in her family for generations unless he is found, dead or alive. This book is very atmosopheric, with the winter hanging over the story. It has an older feel, partially because of the poverty and living conditions that are treated as commonplace, until you realize that Jessup Dolly had been arrested for running a meth lab. Ree Dolly is a strong girl, old beyond her years, trying to fight for her family in an unforgiving landscape.

Collaborations

2011-12-25T11:26:00.000-05:00

Collaborations by Ravi Shankar & George Harrison

George Harrison was first wowed by the sitar, a traditional Indian stringed instrument, on the set of the Beatles film Help!. The young pop star was intrigued and transfixed by the music he heard. He later went out and bought his own sitar at a shop in London and found his way round the neck enough to dub a part onto "Norwegian Wood" on the Rubber Soul album. Harrison then wanted to go beyond his rudimentary plucking on the instrument and properly learn. Well, why not get lessons from the master Ravi Shankar?

The two studied together in Los Angeles, California and later in India. Though the Beatle did not pursue a career with the sitar after discovering the amount of years, intense training and discipline it takes to play classical Indian music, he and Shankar became life long friends. This boxed set Collaborations celebrates the two musicians' friendship, spiritual connection and recorded musical partnerships. Harrison was involved as a producer (and sometimes a musician) on three of Shankar's albums ranging from 1974-1997 and they all appear here along with a live concert dvd and a beautiful hardcover book.

Widow's War

2011-12-19T08:10:00.003-05:00

Widow's War by Sally Gunning

Set on Cape Cod (in the area which is now Brewster), in the year 1761 we meet Lyddie Berry, whose husband drowns while whaling. She defies convention and chooses not to live with her son-in-law (and who could blame her), and holds onto the law of being able to use (but not own) 1/3 of her husband's property. She defies social, legal and religious strictures of her time, and makes her way through a world that is not made for independent women. Throw in some romance and intrigue with the details of daily life and you have a very captivating story. The author was led to the subject by her own historical research into her family, and her familiarity with the area is clear in the book.

Bread and Jam for Frances

2011-12-16T14:19:00.001-05:00

Bread and jam for Frances by Russell Hoban. Pictures by Lillian Hoban.

I love picture books, but I generally refrain from posting children's materials to this blog. When I heard that the author of Bread and Jam for Frances had died, however, I wanted to share this book from my childhood. Bread and Jam for Frances tells the story of a young child (who happens to be a badger) who loves bread and jam and doesn't want to eat anything else. With memorable characters, and great illustrations, I the Frances books will be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

(Interestingly, the Wikipedia page on Russell Hoban reveals that he wrote books for adults as well. I didn't know that! Forbes Library has one of them, Riddley Walker, and many more are available through interlibrary loan!)

Tap [DVD]

2011-12-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

Tap

Have you ever seen the Nicholas Brothers dance? If you haven't, take a look at some of their clips on YouTube. You might want to start with their famous performance in Stormy Weather (of course, you can borrow Stormy Weather from the library and watch the whole film). I'm also quite fond of Lucky Number, a charming song and dance routine performed by a younger Fayard and Harold. That's some fine dancing.

Tap is a 1989 film that celebrates the kind of syncopated, jazz dancing practiced by the Nicholas Brothers. Gregory Hines stars as Max Washington, a talented tap dancer who gave up dance for what he saw as a more profitable life as a burglar, got caught and went to prison, and then rediscovered dancing as a way to cope with his solitary confinement. The story follows Max after his release, and as he is reunited with old friends, all of whom seem to have an opinion on how he should live his life.

There is some great dancing in Tap. This is hardly surprising given the cast. In addition to the talented Gregory Hines, we also find a number of old tap greats, including Harold Nicholas (of the Nicholas Brothers!), Jimmy Slyde (of the Slyde Brothers), and most recognizably, Sammy Davis Junior of Rat Pack fame, in his last film role. Representing a younger generation, we also see a young Savion Glover. (Glover would eventually do the choreography for the the dancing penguins in Happy Feet, a fact that is hard to forget, though it is insignificant compared to his other accomplishments.)

Tap isn't a great film. It too often falls into cinematic cliches, and its final scene, which is supposed to be an inspiring combination of rock and tap, is a disappointment. Still, it is an enjoyable film, worth watching if you love dance, and a wonderful reminder of the great tradition of jazz tap, which has, sadly, fallen out of cinematic favor.

Rags & tangos [CD]

2011-12-12T10:15:00.000-05:00

Rags & tangos by Ernesto Nazareth, James Scott, Joseph F. Lamb performed by Joshua Rifkin, piano

Put this in the CD player, close your eyes (assuming you're not driving) and be transported to turn-of-the-20th-century piano heaven. Ernesto Nazareth is the greatest composer you've never heard of. His music is descended from Brazilian choro, Frédéric Chopin, and the soul of dance hall piano. In between the Nazareth "tangos" --which aren't really tangos in any conventional sense-- are works by my two favorite ragtime composers: James Scott, the bridge from Joplin to jazz, and Joseph Lamb, who can make the romantic tradition sound like striptease music and fill your heart with nostalgia for places and times that never were. One listen is worth ten thousand words.

That is All

2011-12-11T11:32:00.000-05:00

That is All by John Hodgman

Previously I reviewed John Hodgman's The Areas of My Expertise, his first volume of complete world knowledge. Now, I'll take a moment to give more of the same praise to the third and final installment, That is All. Again, Hodgman provides fake historical information and hysterically terrible advice (including the necessary tools to become a deranged millionaire). In addition, he continues the page after page factoid calendar that appeared in More Information Than You Require; only this time he decides to predict the FUTURE right up to the coming apocalypse scheduled for December 21, 2012.

That is All is a magnificent read... and it even has its own trailer:

THAT IS ALL from John Hodgman

Wild Flag [Music CD]

2011-12-10T10:45:00.001-05:00

Wild Flag by Wild Flag

Dear Reader,

I would never lie to you. And when I say to you that I like to rock, I hope you understand that what I am saying is an absolute truth. Wild Flag's self-titled debut album is what rock n' roll ought to be: loud, fast, played live and without a lot of fuss. This supergroup features ex-members of Sleater-Kinney, The Minders and Helium. What stands out most to me musically is Carrie Brownstein's (of Portlandia fame) blistering riffs, the spirited drums fills of Janet Weiss and the harmony sound the four vocalists create. The stellar musicianship of this bassless, garage rock quartet often propels these excellent songs into uncharted territory.

Just a couple examples for you... The lead off track "Romance" has some reverbed out surf overtones and a chorus that can't help getting stuck in your head. On "Glass Tambourine", the group certainly draws from the Nuggets archives, but then moves into a spaced out heavy jam that the late Jimi Hendrix would certainly appreciate.

I love this album and that's a fact!

Sincerely,

-JSM

P.S. Please enjoy this music video directed by Tom Scharpling.

Wild Flag - Romance from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Winter in Wartime [DVD]

2011-12-09T13:27:00.001-05:00

Winter in Wartime

This beautifully shot period film follows 13 year old Michiel, a small town boy inNazi-occupied Holland in the Winter of 1945. Michiel’s childhood innocence and restless desire for adventure lead himinto increasingly dark and morally ambiguous territories when the realities ofwar, resistance and adulthood collideand converge upon his small town life. He is apprehensive about his father’s uneasycooperation with their German occupiers and looks up to his uncle Ben, aresistance fighter whose connections, gifts and attitude intrigue Michiel. Whenan allied fighter pilot crashes near the village, Michiel and his sister, ayoung nurse, are drawn into the search for the pilot and must debate whether totake action or remain silent, and question who they can truly trust. The film,while somewhat conventional in some of its WWII era plotlines, offers enoughtwists and intrigue to keep the viewer’s attention, but its real appeal isgrounded heavily in the films setting. The scenes are filmed beautifully andthe village, woods, snow, bicycles, knitwear and natural light combine to givethe film an enchanting sense of place, and ground the viewer in Michiel’sconflicted world, caught between action and fear, occupation and resistance andchildhood innocence and the risks of adult responsibilities. This film is oneof several Forbes films now added in Blu-Ray and DVD (both discs are includedin one case, so patrons will not mistakenly get home and find the filmunplayable), and the Blu-Ray is especially recommended for its crisp picture,which captures the film’s setting wonderfully.

Submarine [DVD]

2011-12-09T11:49:00.001-05:00

Submarine

Olivier Tate (played byyoung actor Craig Roberts), the protagonist in Richard Adoaye’s quiet, quirky,charming, dark and thoroughly enjoyable film Submarine is a likeable precociousWelsh boy searching for an identity and direction in the stifling climate ofsmall town coastal Southern Wales. He tries on affectations: "I'vetried smoking a pipe, flipping coins – listening exclusively to Frenchcrooners, I've even had a hat phase". This quote is immediately followedof course, with a shot of him at the family dinner table, wearing a BlueStetson, looking fairly ridiculous. His teenage flailing about for identityfinds its focus when he discovers the dark and indifferent charms of classmateJordana (Yasmin Paige), who lures him into more and more morally reprehensibleschoolyard acts. She is outwardly resistant to his charms except when he ismisbehaving, and seems most allured by his taking part in the bullying of afellow school girl. The cast is fantastic, both Paige and Roberts inhabit theirroles fully and believably, while the adult characters (Sally Hawkins and NoahTaylor as Olivier’s parents), are comically stuck in their own lazy unspokendespair, too wrapped up in their own ridiculous melodramas to offer guidance toOlivier. Paddy Considine appears as an almost incongruously broad comic foiland rival to both Olivier Tate and his father. Adoaye, most famous for his workon the UK sitcom “The IT Crowd”, who adapted the script from a novel by JoeDunthorne, directs the film with care and fills it with beautiful shots of thebeaches, woods and amusement parks of the Welsh Coast. There are aspects of thefilm’s plot, details and cinematic style which will appeal to fans of manyother refreshingly offbeat comic films (Wes Anderson’s films in particular) butthe unique characters, acting performances and Welsh character give it a charmall its own.

Talking Tabla [CD]

2011-12-05T17:51:00.001-05:00

Talking Tabla by Bikram Ghosh

Talking Tabla is an exciting recording showing off the work of a masterful tabla player. The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument, and is ubiquitous in the classical music of Northern India. The tabla consists of two hand drums of contrasting designs: on the left is a kettle drum with a deep sound and variable pitch; on the right is smaller conical drum with a high, fixed pitch. The drums are struck with the fingers and palms of the hands to create the sounds known as bols, these are the syllables of North Indian drumming and can be spoken as well as played; well performed, they sound very much like language, hence the title of this album, Talking Tabla.

On Talking Tabla Bikram Ghosh plays a variety of compositions, fixed and improvised, in a variety of styles, including a piece in the less familiar Carnatic style of South India. Although Bikram Ghosh's tabla is the focus of these recordings we are not deprived of melody—Ramesh Mishra does a beautiful job playing the sarangi (a kind of elaborate fiddle) on several tracks and on the third track Ghosh accompanies Tarun Bhattacharya's santoor (hammered dulcimer). In addition, Ghosh's beautiful baya (left hand drum) application creates a kind of melody of its own. (To fully appreciate this a pair of good speakers or headphones are recommended—don't listen to this one through your laptop speakers!) Even those who are bored by the idea of an album devoted to the drums should consider listening to Talking Tabla.

Maphead

2011-12-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

I like maps, I like geography and I mostly liked this book. Ken Jennings' book had many interesting stories to tell; my favorites being the sections on early cartography, the London Map Fair and the National Geographic Bee. He lost me however with the couple of chapters devoted to GPS (games and navigation) and geocaching. I was disappointed that I did not love this book in its entirety but would recommend it nevertheless because of the author's informative and witty writing.

The Glasgow School [CD]

2011-11-30T12:27:00.001-05:00

The Glasgow School by Orange Juice

File this one under "neglected".

Due to odd sizes of items, value, age, et cetera, we sometimes have material here at Forbes that lacks a certain "browseability" or just isn't given an ideal sight line. The Glasgow School certainly falls somewher under this category. This cd, filed with our boxed sets because of its book bound style case, may be a little off the radar for our casual music browser.

Orange Juice, fronted by Edwyn Collins, was a group that successfully meshed clever, highly literary lyrics with danceable musical accompaniment. The songs on The Glasgow School collects the band's first singles and outtakes. These sessions sound more rough around the edges than the slicker produced records that followed. Collins' romantic, baritone voice handles the majority of the lead singing with James Kirk interjecting some gems here and there (Kirk would leave OJ after the release of the classic full length debut You Can't Hide Your Love Forever).

Here we have inspired music from Scotland at the start of the 80's representing the lighter side of the post-punk era. Lyrically, they match wits with the best. Collins laments in Blue Boy "Oh curse and bless him with the gabardine which surrounds him/See him writhe at the sight of your eyes which repel him". Their lasting influence is easily heard throughout the catalogs of the Smiths, Belle & Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand and hopefully, if people can find Orange Juice, many more musicians to come.

Doctor Who: The Awakening [DVD]

2011-11-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

Doctor Who: The Awakening

Peter Davison stars as the Doctor with the cricket inspired get up and celery stalk fastened to his lapel. You'll have to wait until Davison's last appearance however to learn the purpose of the mysterious vegetable! Regarding this particular shorter story, the Doctor promises to reunite his companion Tegan with her grandfather in her present time of 1984.

If it were only that simple...

When they arrive at the quaint village of Little Hodcombe, they are greeted by people with long flowing beards in suited armor on horseback. The Doctor and his companions are led to believe the townspeople are taking part in some sort of reenactment of a famous civil war battle from 1643.

We soon discover that they have actually landed in a time parallel between the years 1643 and 1984 due to an underground beast who is also warping the minds of Little Hodcombe's citizens and projecting humans from the 17th century in their reality. Confused yet? Check it out for yourself and enjoy this entertaining two-part Doctor Who adventure.

Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites [CD]

2011-11-23T11:28:00.001-05:00

Bach unaccompanied cello suites performed on double bass by Edgar Meyer

This is one of the most amazing CDs I have ever heard. Edgar Meyer is a musician's musician who is in high demand in the classical, folk and bluegrass worlds. He has partnered with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, Bela Fleck and Mark O'Connor, and he composed a violin concerto for Hilary Hahn. Here he partners with Johann Sebastian Bach in a new interpretation of the suites for solo cello with a much deeper voice. He solves the technical problems of the bass -- larger reach and slower-speaking strings, for example -- with a technical mastery that is just mind-boggling. But this is not just virtuosic fireworks. The bass sings under his fingers. And you can hear the 30 years of practice and love for the repertoire in this recording. Meyer is right up there with Casals on my shelf.

The Night Circus

2011-11-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Evocative. Descriptive. Atmospheric. The Night Circus is a good story, but its the atmosphere that will keep you turning the pages. Set in the late Victorian era, The Night Circus tells the story of two students, Celia and Marco, forced by their individual teachers to compete against each other in a game they don't understand. Their playing field is an unusual circus, which becomes more and more fantastic as the two young magicians populate the circus with their increasingly elaborate creations. A carousel with strikingly realistic animals. A tree without leaves or flowers, but covered with candles which never go out or melt away. A hall in which hundreds of mirrors each show something unexpected. A garden made of perpetually unmelting of ice.

Everything about Le Cirque des Rêves is improbable, and much of the book is devoted to describing the circus and the experience of visiting it. The narrative shifts in time, place, and voice, but always describes the circus or the people connected to it. Some chapters are written in the second person, and while most of the book is written in the third person some chapters are completely without characters (unless you count the circus itself); these chapters especially create a feeling of immersion and they felt to me as if they were in the second person, even if they did not use the word "you".

The level of detail is appropriately, but sometimes startlingly, varied. Morgenstern often writes at length about minutia such the smell of the popcorn, or the costume of a particular performer, only to gloss over the details of a conversation in the most general language. These glosses may, perhaps, represent some lost opportunities on Morgenstern's part, where she could have further fleshed out her story, but on the whole I found them unobjectionable and even welcome; not only did they help keep the story focused, but they contributed to the tone of the novel, which I found unusual but very much enjoyed.

The Night Circus is a fantasy, and a romance of sorts, and will be enjoyed by many open-minded readers of both genres.

Chasing Fire

2011-11-18T09:56:00.005-05:00

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts

Rowan Tripp has been fighting fires since she was 18, and is the daughter of a retired forest fire fighting legend. We meet the new crop of rookies, and get to see the intense ways they train, as well as meet the surviving crew from the previous season when they lost one of their own. The fire season is difficult enough on its own, but we find that someone hasn't let go of last year's tragedy. The suspense is more in the people vs. fire, with a lot of details including training, equipment and on the line fire fighting. Although this definitely qualifies as a romance, I didn't find it too over the top, and felt the steam came more from the water vs. fire than the relationships. There is a secondary romance that adds an interesting element.

Let's Spend the Night Together [DVD]

2011-11-16T12:01:00.001-05:00

Let's Spend the Night Together a film by Hal Ashby

I remember watching the Rolling Stones in Let's Spend the Night Together a few times on television when I was in high school. I know this sounds unbelievable, but VH1 used to show concert films and was actually a music station back in the day. Maybe I couldn't get behind the 1981 renditions of the classic 60's tunes at the time or was distracted by Mick Jagger's football tights ... truth is, I didn't really dig the concert film when I first watched it.

Fast forward to last night. I popped in this dvd for nostalgia sake and wound up really enjoying myself. The performances are unbelievable! In addition, I made the statement to my friend who was sitting next to me on the sofa that "this just might be the best Stones concert film ever."

The boys barrel through 24 songs in under 90 minutes with the right blend of machismo and camp that we expect from the band. Despite playing a huge stadium, they're very, very loose with unexpected bendy guitar riffs distributed throughout by Ron and Keith , jazzy drum fills care of Mr. Watts and Mick's wild singing. If you look close enough, you may even see a smile on Bill Wyman's face, too. Some of the older songs appear to be unrehearsed to a certain extent while more recent cuts from Tattoo You, Emotional Rescue and Some Girls are played tight like a classic rhythm and blues review. We're also treated to a bonus keyboard section featuring Ian McLagan (of the Small Faces & Faces fame) sitting behind the organ and classic stones session man Ian Stewart on piano.

It's also important to note that a serious filmmaker was on staff for Let's Spend the Night Together. Hal Ashby, whose credits include Harold & Maude, The Last Detail, Being There and many other fantastic titles, directed the film. It's always interesting to see the difference between a standard concert film and one that was overseen by a true artist. Martin Scorsese's work on the Last Waltz and D.A. Pennebaker's Montery Pop are other excellent examples. They tend to spend more time with the performers and not make pointless quick cuts. There is something to be said in what these filmmakers find interesting and insist the audience see on stage.

The real lesson learned however is that it doesn't hurt to revisit films you may not have enjoyed at one stage in your life. You never know in what direction your taste may take you.

Kansas City [DVD]

2011-11-12T14:18:00.005-05:00

Kansas City a film by Robert Altman

It's 1934 and on the eve of a local election in Kansas City, Missouri.

Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Blondie, a comically fast talking wife of a petty thief. When her husband gets picked up by an intimidating local jazz and gambling club owner stroke gangster named Seldom Seen (played by the great musician and activist Harry Belafonte), Blondie hatches a kidnapping scheme of her own. At gunpoint she drags Carolyn Stilton, the opium addicted wife of a local senator, along through the city in an attempt to free her husband. Miranda Richardson and Altman mainstay Michael Murphy are cast as the seemingly loveless Stilton couple.

Tension enters the film only moments after it begins and it continues to build and build throughout. The backdrop of this chilling drama is the soulful and swinging jazz music that pulsates from Seldom Seen's Hey Hey Club. In addition, Steve Buscemi, in a role that seems to have served as a warm up for his stint on Boardwalk Empire, is one of the many actors who appear in memorable smaller parts.

Kansas City, though not as loose and off the cuff as many classic Altman movies of the 1970's, is possibly the director's most suspenseful.

Nook [e-book reader]

2011-11-09T10:21:00.011-05:00

Nook

The Barnes & Noble Nook is one of ten e-book readers you can check out from the Arts & Music desk at Forbes. Each one has over a hundred books pre-loaded on it. I recently borrowed the Kobo to read a Sherlock Holmes story I needed for a class. It was my first time taking one of these little gadgets home to bed. Despite being devoted to the printed page since 1963, I confess to a certain attraction. Imagine my wild surmise when I saw that I could read over a hundred classics in any type size I wanted, while only carrying one little tablet. Next I'm going to check out a Kindle to get a jump on the waiting list for the bestsellers that are already on it. All the e-book readers can be used with free Overdrive library e-books, too, but I didn't have time to try that feature in my two allotted weeks. My bookshelf is already getting jealous.

Here's a little sample of the authors on the Nook in my hand:

Jane Austen, two Brontës, Lewis Carroll, Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Hardy, Aldous Huxley, Henry James, James Joyce, Franz Kafka, Sinclair Lewis, Herman Melville, Leo Tolstoy (world's lightest copy of War and Peace!), Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, P.G. Wodehouse, Virginia Woolf, Frederick Douglass, Henry Thoreau, William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and W.B. Yeats. There's also a whole (virtual) shelf of books on local history in and around Northampton.

Day For Night [DVD]

2011-11-07T16:04:00.000-05:00

Day For Night

La Nuit Américaine, or Day for Night, is one of my favorite films. This 1973 film by French director François Truffaut shows the cast and crew of a dramatic film on and off the set. In addition to the obvious work necessarily to make a film—selecting costumes and props, learning lines, building sets, performing for the camera, adjusting lights, etc.—we also see these men and women as they make friends, suffer nervous breakdowns, fall in love, gossip, run away, return, and otherwise live rather complicated lives.

The film stars Jacqueline Bisset and Jean-Pierre Léaud as the film within the film's young stars, but the film truly has an ensemble cast, with many talented actors portraying a wide array of interesting and memorable characters. Truffaut himself is part of the cast, as he not only directs the film, but also plays the director of film within the film. The music is by Georges Delerue, who also worked with Truffaut on a number of other films.

Sempre Susan: A Memoir of Susan Sontag

2011-11-05T13:41:00.001-04:00

This very short memoir of the association between Ingrid Nunez and Susan Sontag recounts their friendship/mentorship during the time that Sontag was writing “On Photography” and New York literary life in the 1970’s. Nunez was hired by Sontag to help sort out her correspondence. She then became involved with Sontag’s son, David Rieff, and for a period of time the three of them lived in the same apartment. There are many glimpses into Sontag’s writing life and habits which I found very interesting. Susan Sontag is often portrayed as a very difficult person and Nunez does show some instances of how that was true but she also rounds out the portrait with other details that showed Sontag as a complicated person with many aspects including vulnerability, conflicted and humorous and loving.

Blood on the Tracks [Music CD]

2011-10-25T09:00:00.004-04:00

Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan

Once this guy I knew split up with his girlfriend and then he was gone for a while. I think he went to his uncle's farm out in Kentucky or somewhere. When he came back, he had a beard and seemed a bit more serious. I asked him how he was feeling and he softly replied, "I've been listening to a lot of Blood on the Tracks, man."

Blood on the Tracks? I had heard of that, but I was in the twilight of my teenage years: I was still thinking of and enjoying Dylan with the big curly hair, polka dot shirt, pointy shoes and Al Kooper playing groovy organ riffs. Still, I sought out this folky record.

Dylan at that time was going through the break up of a marriage and though the author denies any trace of autobiographic tendencies, the songs appear to reflect this time of his life. The album opens with "Tangled Up in Blue", a lyrical bombast about two lives crossing. Other highlights include "Idiot Wind", the eight minutes and change "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" and "Shelter From the Storm".

Like the majority of his work, the lyrics read like poetry on Blood on the Tracks and here we find Dylan with his heart on his sleeve and at his most tender and delicate state. When I went through break-ups as a younger lad, I tended to go with early Beach Boy albums. They had those beautiful harmonies that are underlined with melancholy. It's easy to wallow and hold onto sadness like a serpent to the neck with this sort of music. On Blood on the Tracks, Dylan is presenting a more mature and grown up outlet for heartbreak, man.

The Lacuna [Book on CD]

2011-10-23T10:00:00.003-04:00

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver reads her ambitious 2009 novel in a soft and expressive voice with deliberate pacing. The story unfolds over three decades in Mexico and the U.S., and each character has a particular voice within the author's reading. It centers on the young man Harrison Shepherd whose parents (American father and Mexican mother) are marginal to the picture, and who keeps diaries in which he is a third-person narrator of his own life. Though he holds himself as a perpetual outsider, his life is in the middle of some serious action: as a teenager he gets a job as a plasterer and then a cook for Diego Rivera, living with the painter, his artist wife Frida Kahlo and the exiled Leon Trotsky for whom Shepherd does clerical work. Later, he moves to South Carolina on his own and becomes a successful novelist, until he is targeted by Joe McCarthy's HUAC. The fictionalized descriptions of these larger-than-life figures and the historical events surrounding them are the focus of the novel, with the main character acting as quiet observer and chronicler, adding his own wry take on the proceedings. It's an unusual device that creates an inside view of epic times through distant eyes that could be your own. Which is not to say there's no emotion in it--there's more than enough passion in the cast of characters, and plenty of historical context to arouse the reader's.

The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian

2011-10-19T20:25:00.004-04:00

The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie; art by Ellen Forney.

He is known as Junior on the Spokane Indian reservation he calls home, and Arnold at the all-white school Reardan in the nearby farm-town. Arnold/Junior Spirit leads a split existence once he decides that he needs to change schools in order to give himself the chance of escaping the poverty and alcoholism that he is surrounded by on the reservation. A book filled with tragedy manages to be uplifting and funny, with cartoons drawn by Arnold interspersed throughout. This young adult novel tells a universal coming-of-age story. This was also one of the Top Ten Challenged Books in 2010 according to ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom - a great reason to read it!

Last Train Home [DVD]

2011-10-17T10:36:00.005-04:00

Last Train Home

There are 130 million migrant workers in China, many of whom only journey home to see their families once a year on Chinese New Year. Lixin Fan’s 2009 award winning documentary follows the journey, conflict and struggle of one such family and is a film of remarkable impact. To its western audiences, the film is an eye opening look into the arduous lives of the thousands of low wage workers who produce assemble and manufacture many of our imported goods. While the film exposes the insidious impact of globalization and the poor working conditions of Chinese low wage workers, it is equally successful in capturing universal family conflicts and generational differences. The ‘mass exodus’ of Chinese workers home for the Spring Festival is the world’s largest human migration. The arduous journey of the Zhang family from their urban factory and cramped living conditions back to their poor rural village vividly illustrates the dramatic changes Chinese society has undergone as a result of its economic role in the global marketplace. The film is shot in a cinema-verite, fly on the wall style and the viewer is confronted not only by our role and responsibility as the world’s largest consumers, but by our perspective as the viewer of this hauntingly intimate look into the lives of this family. The parents of the family have sacrificed being present to raise their children for the purpose of sending enough money home to allow their children to pursue their education and have a better life than they have. When their rebellious teenage daughter confronts them about their continual absence and the pressure they place on her to succeed, she addresses the camera directly and the viewer can’t help but feel connected to this extraordinarily personal, politically relevant and remarkably timely film.

The Fifty Review Club: An Unconventional Post

2011-10-15T10:59:00.012-04:00

Fifty Films

I was glancing at the sidebar on the Forbes Staff Picks Blog and noticed that the number fifty was next to my initials. Fifty reviews. Moments later I was ushered into a secret room in the Forbes Library (of course it was revealed by pulling a book back in the stacks!) and was presented with a spread like no other, a Swedish massage and a gold plated computer mouse. Confetti spilled from the ceiling and Philadelphia's own Todd Rundgren (he really liked my review of A Wizard, A True Star) performed a private concert.

This celebration got me thinking; perhaps I should do something "fifty" related now that I'm a member of the Fifty Review Club. A detailed synopsis of 50 First Dates ? Haven't seen it. An overview of 50 Cent's discography? I'm unfamiliar. Then I thought perhaps I ought to make a list. People who work at libraries love lists! I've come up with fifty films that mean something to me that are in our collection (just click on the titles to see the record in the catalog) and have decided to quickly free associate. I've limited myself to stay under ten words and type the first thing that pops into my head. See you at the 100th party. -JSM

8 1/2 -I've had dreams like this

24 Hour Party People -the Manchester scene as told by Tony Wilson

2001: A Space Odyssey -the effects are still unrivaled
Arthur -a drunken love story
Atlantic City -lemons
After Hours -one of those really bad nights out
Badlands - "Love is Strange"
Blue Velvet -wha!!!????
The Blues Brothers -My first favorite film
Breathless -jump cuts
California Split -Gould & Segal roll the dice
Le Cercle Rouge -reds & blues
Claire’s Knee -yup, this has got to be French
Do The Right Thing -crazy thought provoking potboiler
Don’t Look Now -I still can't believe that ending

Down By Law -"I scream you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"
Duck Soup -comedy 101
F For Fake -magic tricks
The Fearless Vampire Killers -gory/funny
Gosford Park -Stephen Fry as Inspector Thompson in the third act
Hannah and Her Sisters -Woody at his best
A Hard Day’s Night -black & white Beatlemania
The Householder -a loving film about arranged marriage
The Jerk -"he hates cans!"
Joe Versus The Volcano -listen to this
Key Largo -Bogey & Bacall & Robinson
The Long Goodbye -the sleepy Philip Marlowe
The Lost Weekend -writer's block anyone?
Meek’s Cutoff -remember "the Oregon Trail" video game?
Nosferatu the Vampyre -spooky Kinski
Opening Night -going off the script
Paper Moon -cute grifter's tale
Playtime -Hulot tries to get a job
Rosemary’s Baby -"tannis anyone?"
Rushmore -a coming of age story like no other
The Rutles: All You Need is Cash -the best telling of the Beatles
The Science of Sleep -arts and crafts
A Serious Man -Jefferson Airplane
Simon of the Desert -the funniest religious film
Small Change -one of the few realistic portrayals of children
Smiles of a Summer Night -wait, Bergman's funny??
The Squid and the Whale -Pink Floyd plagiarism
Straw Dogs -a violent film that strongly advocates nonviolence
Sullivan’s Travels -Sturges makes a road movie
They All Laughed -an ingredient in the Wes Anderson formula
The Thin Man -my favorite detective couple
Time Bandits -a must see for all young adults
The Two of Us -here come the waterworks
Vertigo -the old switcheroo
Walkabout -Roeg in the outback

Incognito : the secret lives of the brain

2011-10-15T09:08:00.004-04:00

Incognito : the secret lives of the brain by David M. Eagleman

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain is a fun and informal look at the subconscious, and often surprising, workings of the human brain. Consciousness, Eagleman says, only sheds light on a tiny portion of the way our minds work. Most of what goes into our decisions, our preferences, our very thoughts, is invisible to us. The inner workings of the brain are revealed not by introspection; instead, we learn the most about our own thoughts by considering behavioral studies, the perceptions of illusions, and the revealing actions of those suffering from brain damage or cognitive disorders. From such observations we learn that the perception of motion does not require movement, that the acquisition of skills does not require conscious memory, and that certain types of logical problems are easy for us only when they are given meaning in a social context.

This book is meant to entertain. It is not the place to go if you are looking for a good understanding of the science of the human mind. But if you want an enjoyable read which provides some surprising insights into human behavior, you may enjoy Ingcognito.

A Book of Secrets

2011-10-14T11:36:00.007-04:00

A Book of Secrets : illegitimate daughters, absent fathers by Michael Holroyd.

A fascinating combined biography of a place, the Villa Cimbrone on a hill above the Italian village of Ravello, and the people connected to it throughout different time periods. The work of biographer Michael Holyrod reads like a detective story and features such characters as Alice Keppel, the mistress of both the second Lord Grimthorpe and the Prince of Wales; to Eve Fairfax, a muse of Auguste Rodin; to the novelist Violet Trefusis, the lover of Vita Sackville-West and daughter of Alice Keppel. Having read extensively about some of these people already because of my interest in Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group, this book was a wonderful way to fill in some of the missing gaps and to add to my interest of this subject.

New Morning [Music CD]

2011-10-12T13:54:00.007-04:00

New Morning by Bob Dylan

The late 1960's early/ 70's happens to be a great period for Bob Dylan, thank you for asking. Nashville Skyline, the Basement Tapes, Self Portrait (though many have said I'm crazy for admitting I like this one), Pat Garret & Billy the Kid are the albums I return to the most within this artist's prolific catalog. 1970's New Morning may be the most enjoyable listen from this period.

The album kicks off with the pining romance gesture that is "If Not For You". The song has an almost Velvet Underground pulse juxtaposed with bouncy organ and country guitar picking. George Harrison would record his version the following year on his album All Things Must Pass. The bluesy and rock n' roll sounds predictably find their way onto this record. There's also lighthearted moments in "Winterlude" where Bob croons "this dude thinks your fine" and in the silly jazz rap "If Dogs Run Free" featuring a barrelhouse piano send up at the top of the song.

Dylan's voice and delivery began to shift around 1968. He lost a bit of the raspy quality that his earlier recordings possessed and started leaning a bit on the softer side in his vocals. This is not to say he's taking a casual approach to his singing; Dylan is most noticeably passionate on the title track, "Day of the Locusts" and "the Man in Me" (featured in the soundtrack of the Big Lebowski).

New Morning is just another one of those perfect Bob Dylan records.

Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang [DVD]

2011-10-11T11:25:00.004-04:00

Doctor Who: The Talons of Weng-Chiang

As a Doctor Who nerd and an admirer of several of the lead actors in this long running science-fiction series, it is difficult to come up with a favorite episode or story. One finds much of what is discussed on various websites, television programs, magazines, blogs... or real life conversations for that matter tend to fall under the categorizing or ranking of books, films, music, athletes, politicians, restaurants, etc. Is this need for placement really all that necessary? Must our filing cabinets extend throughout all of space and time?

Let's just say, that the The Talons of Weng-Chiang from the Tom Baker era is a story that I really, really enjoy.

Robert Holmes, who was one of the more prolific and humorous writers of the Doctor Who enterprise, scripts an exciting adventure taking place in Victorian London. Our time traveling protagonist called "the Doctor" and his assistant Leela find themselves mixed up an other worldly, underground cult, battling a giant sewer rat and dealing with a scary looking puppet (I know, right?!!). The episode has a Sherlock Holmes motife: the vested Doctor is fully equipped with a long herringbone overcoat, a deerstalker hat and cravat. Furthermore, Holmes (this time I'm talking about Robert) playfully throws in several references to Conan Doyle's writings.

The Talons of Weng-Chiang is an excellent introduction to Doctor Who if you're unfamiliar with the series. The script is dynamite, there are memorable, comedic supporting roles and it ABSOLUTELY STARS THE GREATEST ACTOR TO PLAY THE DOCTOR. Busted... caught ranking, categorizing and picking favorites. I guess it's just what we do.

The Magicians

2011-10-09T10:00:00.004-04:00

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

What if Harry Potter and his friends were older and lived in New York instead of England? Despite its references to Narnia and other fantasy classics, The Magicians is not a children's book. The protagonist is neither hero nor anti-hero -- he's more like an actual human being (granted, with magical gifts) looking for meaning in the world and generally failing to find it. He and his classmates graduate from a secret, elite college for wizards and don't know what to do with the rest of their lives. (Here's where the existential literary fiction comes in.) Everything is open to question -- was that a quest we were given, or are we just projecting? -- and the lines between good and evil are often unclear, or beside the point. The plot is twisty enough and the prose captivating and spiced with humor. There are occasional disappointments, but The Magicians is still an adventure that's hard to put down. It's going to make a great movie someday.

Girl Groups [DVD]

2011-10-06T15:03:00.005-04:00

Girl Groups

This rare, long out of print copy of Steve Alpert and Stephanie Bennett’s 1982 film provides a joyous glimpse into the history and development of the girl group sound. In addition to candid interviews with key figures like Darlene Love, Mary Wilson, Ronnie Spector, Arlene Smith and Ellie Greenwich, the film includes rare performance footage discovered by the filmmakers in the damp basement of a local TV affiliate in Windsor, Canada. These clips and performances by seminal groups of the era were originally aired on Teen Town, Detroit’s local version of American Bandstand. The film traces the history of the girl group sound from song writers in the Brill Building in New York to Motown and beyond, and includes clips of the Ronettes, Martha and the Vandellas, the Shangri-Las, the Marvelettes, the Angels, the Dixie Cups, the Shirelles, Dee Dee Sharp and a rare short color film of the Exciters bizarrely miming “Tell Her” in the general direction of lions and bears in a zoo. The film quality is certainly dated and shows it’s age in places, and a segment on the Supremes runs perhaps a bit too long (Motown required a minimum of ten songs to be featured for the rights to the Supremes) while other important groups are barely mentioned. All things considered, the interview segments and performances more than make up for these faults and the film stands as a valuable artifact of the times, and must viewing for fans of the Girl Group Sound.

Wicked Autumn: A Max Tudor Novel

2011-10-05T15:07:00.000-04:00

Wicked Autumn: A Max Tudor Novel by G. M. Mailliet

First in a new series, this book is an homage to the traditional English village mystery. Max Tudor is the village priest, settling into his peaceful existence in the peaceful village of Nether Monkslip - a far cry from his previous life as an MI5 agent. Wanda Batton-Smythe is the self-styled head of the village, and head of the Nether Monkslip Women's Institute, organizing the fall Harvest Fayre, and creating ill-feelings and enemies in her wake. She had no close friends, but did anyone really hate her enough to kill her? Max Tudor finds himself in the middle of the investigation, and we can look forward to visiting the other villages that he is also responsible for in future books. I believe that this is the type of mystery that provides all the clues for you to be able to figure out the culprit, although I was just happy to go along for the ride.

Two things that endeared this book to me from the (near) beginning:

Cast of Characters list (when I was writing my great mystery novel as a preteen, this was as far as I got)
Wanda is reading a Booker-prize winner, and says, "In no year, in fact, had she enjoyed reading any of the Booker winners, but she felt honor-bound to read them, and to drop into conversation the fact that she was reading them." I read this before the short list for the Booker prize came out this year, and was surprised that were actually several books that I am interested in reading, including The Sisters Brothers.

An American in Paris [DVD]

2011-10-01T09:00:00.007-04:00

An American in Paris

An American in Paris has long been one of my favorite films. Gene Kelly stars as Jerry, a charming if somewhat overly persistent American artist living in Paris. Oscar Levant plays another American, Jerry's grouchy but endearing pianist friend Adam, and Georges Guetary plays the part of Henri, a French musical star who is friends with the two Americans. Adam and Jerry are perpetually broke, Jerry because he can't sell his paintings and Adam because he hasn't worked in years (he describes himself as the world's oldest child prodigy). Many of the most charming scenes in the film take place in around the little cafe above which Adam and Jerry both live and which Henri frequently visits.

Early in the film Jerry meets the rich Milo Roberts (Nina Foch), whose professional interest in his work is a thin disguise for her hopes for romance. Jerry reluctantly accepts her patronage, but romantically he is more interested in Lise (Leslie Caron in her first film role), a young woman who, with time, becomes equally drawn to him but who is, though Jerry doesn't know it, already engaged to Henri.

While the plot of the film is driven by these romances, the spirit of the film is driven by the music of George Gershwin. Gershwin's music is used throughout the film: all of the songs are by George and Ira, the music for the sixteen minute ballet is an arrangement of Gershwin's An American in Paris, and the remainder of the score draws heavily on these and other Gershwin compositions. We hear strains of Rhapsody in Blue and during a memorable dream sequence we are treated to a performance of the Concerto in F for Piano and Orchestra in which Adam performs not just on the piano, but on all the other instruments as well.

—And, of course, the dancing. The dancing in this film is incredible. The performances, the choreography, the costumes—there is no aspect of these dances that fails to impress. Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron are a perfect match; it is hard to imagine any other two dancers pulling off the required athletic grace or the perfectly balanced blend of ballet and popular dance styles showcased so well in this film. From the good spirited cheer of I've Got Rhythm and By Strauss to the sarcastic mocking of This Time It's Really Love, and the earnest romance Our Love Is Here to Stay, to the passionate and diverse American in Paris ballet, these are dances you will remember and want to see again.

Art 21 [DVD]

2011-09-28T13:14:00.014-04:00

Art 21

The Forbes DVD collection is impressive to say the least. One of my favorite sections is the Art documentaries that I regularly check to increase my knowledge and for inspiration. Being an avid reader of art in general and artists biographies in particular, I looked at the DVD ‘s for some visual candy.

I checked out Art 21: art in the twenty-first century, seasons 1&2 originally aired on PBS. The artists are grouped loosely according to themes (i.e. Place, Spirituality, Identity and Consumption) and shows them discussing their work, themes, and working styles. Being able to see how an artist created a work I was familiar with or discovering a new artist really kept my attention, led me to find books and other materials on a few artists and in some cases provided inspiration and a little push to work on my own projects. Naturally I didn’t like all the works, came away with favorites – Kara Walker, Collier Schorr, Vija Celmins – and found that it definitely was time well spent watching the artists that I didn’t particularly like or yet don’t understand.

Starting From Happy

2011-09-25T09:00:00.004-04:00

Starting From Happy by Patricia Marx

Patricia Marx, a regular contributor to the New Yorker and a former Saturday Night Live writer, had me convulsing in fits of laughter on the sofa with her new book Starting From Happy. Fans of Woody Allen or Miranda July's surreal, humorous short fiction and lovers of Demetri Martin's use of pie charts will certainly enjoy.

Here we have the love story (sort of...) of Imogene and Wally. I suppose won't divulge too much more about the principles for there are many twists and turns. The author appears as Patty. We don't know where she fits into this narrative exactly, but she's able to comment when necessary.

Graphs are exhibited, kumquats are drawn.

Marx divides her text in short "chaplettes" that are often composed with brief dialog, nonchalant time shifts or just plain quick bursts of deadpan humor . This storytelling device not only helps usher the plot along with vigor, it also gives the author the opportunity to deliver some sublimely meta moments. I'll leave you with one of my favorite instances:

318.

"One more question," said Wally. "Do you think we'll be in this book long enough for them to hear me stop pleading with you?"

319.

Enough Horsing Around.

The Mighty Uke [DVD]

2011-09-23T10:00:00.003-04:00

The Mighty Uke

Given the scores of people who have borrowed ukuleles from this library, it was time for me to watch a documentary on the uke. According to filmmakers Tony Coleman and Margaret Meagher, the humble ukulele (which means "jumping flea" in Hawaiian) is at the crest of a worldwide resurgence in popularity. Why? Well, it's accessible, it's cheap, it sounds pretty good right from the start, you can adapt a huge variety of music to it, and it's small and easy to carry around. Who would have guessed, as our 1920s-era ukulele method books languished on the shelves since the last uke fad died out, that in the 21st century there would be ukulele clubs in every major city? Or that a virtuosic ukulele player (is ukulelist a word?) would be hitting the pop charts?

This is a delightful movie about people having fun making music for themselves and with their friends. The archival footage of musicians and hula dancers alone is worth the price of admission (which is free, but who's counting?). The joy is catching and you may next find yourself borrowing Jim Beloff's books or a Jake Shimabukuro CD, or looking up the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain on youtube.

Cutter's Way [DVD]

2011-09-19T19:05:00.010-04:00

Cutter's Way a film by Ivan Passer

"These are just the facts, Rich. I mean, I haven't even begun to let my imagination loose on this thing."

A film about our first head librarian? Telling a tale of the creation of the Cutter System (the same system Forbes Library uses to this day)? I'm afraid not... though Dylan and I are working on the second draft of the Charles Ammi Cutter Story. In theaters 2039.

Rather, Cutter's Way is a film directed by Czech New Wave pioneer Ivan Passer that stars Jeff Bridges and John Heard. Heard plays Alex Cutter, a one armed, one legged, eye patch wearing bitter Vietnam veteran who is on the verge of losing touch with reality. Side bar: I tend to get drawn to movies where a character wears an eye patch (True Grit, The American Friend (though Nicholas Ray really needed to wear one of those in real life), Kill Bill, Thunderball or any pirate film come to mind). Cutter lives his life with the feeling that he has nothing to lose and often exists in a drunken stupor without the will to live. Though his antics on some occasions are entertaining to his wife Mo and his closest friend Richard Bone (Jeff Bridges), most of the time he's putting himself and others in danger.

Bone, a yacht salesman who doubles as some sort of refined-hippie-vagabond-couch-surfing dude, witnesses the disposing of a body after a murder. He decides to flee the scene and not get involved (not getting involved happens to be a central theme of Richard Bone), but winds up being questioned and finds himself on the front page of the paper. Cutter, in turn, becomes obsessed with this case and is convinced he knows who has committed the terrible act.

Cutter's Way is an overlooked film that explores the limits of friendship and expertly combines the genres of drama, mystery, comedy, adventure and film noir.

Baking: From my Home to Yours

2011-09-19T15:16:00.004-04:00

Baking: From my Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Over the past 20 years Greenspan has written 10 cookbooks and won six James Beard and IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) awards for them. This book is pretty enough to be a coffee table book, but enticing enough that you will quickly take it into the kitchen. From muffins to cookies to fancy cakes, the author and her recipes are very accessible. This is my go-to baking cookbook for muffins, scones, cookies and more. Everything I have made from this book has been easy and delicious. Her more recent book is Around my French Table: More than 300 Recipes from my Home to Yours.

Wedding Season

2011-09-17T09:50:00.003-04:00

Wedding Season by Katie Fforde

Wedding Season is the story of wedding planner Sarah who secretly doesn't believe in love. Her personal love life is non-existent as she plans the perfect nuptials of others. The book begins as she takes on two new clients who are getting married on the same day in just a few months--a celebrity and her own sister. Sarah's friends, dress maker Elsa and hairdresser Bron have also not been lucky in love until now. This British romantic novels follows the 3 women as they meet new men and deal with demanding brides. While the story is somewhat predictable, anyone in the midst of wedding planning will enjoy the romance and comedy.

Birds of the Gods [DVD]

2011-09-15T14:25:00.007-04:00

Birds of the Gods

This 2011 DVD release of the latest beautiful and informative documentary from the BBC/Nature series captures the spectacular beauty of the native birds of New Guinea. In the 16^th century European explorers named the gorgeous and elusive birds of the island “Birds of Paradise”. The local indigenous people have revered them for centuries and honor them as sacred ancestors by wearing their feathers as status symbols in elaborate headdresses during tribal ceremonies. This tradition, however, has made the more exotic and colorful birds’ feathers highly prized and, together with loss of habitat, has threatened the species’ survival and made them vulnerable to extinction. The ever-present BBC narrator David Attenborough introduces us to local biologists and conservationists, Miriam Supuma and Paul Igog, whose knowledge of the area and expertise guides us through the dense forests to document the elusive birds. The film does a good job of conveying the difficulty and challenges posed to researchers in the area, who must face incredibly difficult terrain, elusive and skittish subjects and are faced with centuries of local tradition and customs in their efforts to research and protect the birds of New Guinea. The joy of the researchers, when they do witness one of the elusive birds mating displays and dances, is palpable and infectious. The birds of New Guinea have evolved in relative isolation for thousands of years and have developed a wide variety of plumage, some with vivid iridescent blue and green coloring while others have tail feathers up the three times the length of their body. Overall, the film offers a satisfying, informative and visually captivating look at a corner of the world the viewer might not be familiar with and is a sure hit for birdwatchers and fans of nature docs alike.

Paul Taylor, Dancemaker [DVD]

2011-09-15T10:00:00.005-04:00

Paul Taylor, Dancemaker

Paul Taylor is an innovative dancer and choreographer. He is known for his pioneering work in modern dance and his long career which began in the 1950s (he danced in Martha Graham's company) and continues today. His choreography can be startling, beautiful, frightening, comical, serious, ornate, minimalist, and much else besides.

This documentary about Paul Taylor's career focuses on the Paul Taylor Dance company as they prepare and perform a number pieces. We see the company rehearsing and performing, but best of all, we get to see Paul work with the company as he creates new dances. We are also treated to historical footage of Paul performing as a young man. The dancing is fantastic, and the portrait of this great artist is complex. This film is a great introduction to Paul's work for those unfamiliar with it as well as a treat for those who have already grown to love the dances he creates.

Sing You Home

2011-09-14T12:23:00.009-04:00

Sing You Home by Jodie Picoult

Jody Picoult has always been a popular author with library patrons as evidenced by the number of requests I receive to place holds on her books. I had not read one of her books but decided that her most current novel which deals with some current "controversial" topics including gay rights, reproductive rights, the evangelical Christian movement among others would be one that would hold my attention. I enjoyed reading this book and it kept me interested through its fair treatment of the issues mentioned above. This book, whether you are on one side or the other of the issues or open to all viewpoints, will keep you wanting to read it because of its compelling story line and strong character development.

Henning Goes to the Movies [CD]

2011-09-14T09:34:00.012-04:00

Henning Goes to the Movies by Henning Ohlenbusch

Please excuse the following burst of textual immodesty... Ahem. As founder and president (not to mention CEO, secretary, vice president & mascot) of the Forbes Film Club, I can safely say that I know a thing or two about the cinema. In addition, it was in college where I studied video and film, wrote lengthy ramblings dealing with issues within the worlds of documentary film and German cinema, composed pretentious screenplays and starred in some student produced shorts that feature poor lighting (often typecast as a chat show host, bud did sport a tricorne hat once for a period piece). I later found myself in Texas working in a video library/archive and spent most evenings devouring the collection and attending curated film festivals. To this day, little gives me greater pleasure than sitting in the theater, munching on popcorn and seeing something unfold on the big screen.

I have very personal connections to a handful of films and I believe movies we love can have a great impact on how we define ourselves. This is why Henning Goes to the Movies is so appealing.

Nine movies. Nine songs. Henning Ohlenbusch, lyricist extraordinaire/singer/songwriter of the group School For the Dead, is the architect (perhaps I should use director in this instance?) behind this wonderful album. He sings about the hilariously raunchy Super Bad, David Lynch's quiet drama the Straight Story, the horror classic Poltergeist, the coming of age classic the Year My Voice Broke and more. His approach to these pieces is not a highlight of important plot points; rather he shares his personal experience with each film. Through introducing a specific character's perspective or providing an overall sentiment of a movie, Ohlenbusch invites the listener to go on a cinematic journey.

His folksy pop songs are simply arranged to bring us close to the stories. He also tastefully sets the scene with appropriate backing. We find ourselves somewhere in the distant future in Logan's Run with weaving backward electric guitar and at an old time carnival in Joe Vs. the Volcano. Though voice and acoustic guitar tend to be in the forefront throughout, keyboards, glockenspiel, subtle effects, electric bass, harmony vocals and percussion expand the mix.

This a great collection of songs, even without the movie theme. And I should mention that you really don't need to have seen the films to appreciate the record. It is, however, even more of a gratifying listen for those of us who find that films are an important fabric of our lives.

The Bedwetter

2011-09-12T11:58:00.007-04:00

The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman

Comedian and actor Sarah Silverman is known for her outrageously rude humor which belies her ingenuous appearance. Her memoir, subtitled "stories of courage, redemption, and pee," revels in contradictions and brilliant comic timing. Silverman uses shame to promote self-respect. Her "potty humor" is bizarrely sophisticated. She uses meta-political incorrectness to express sincere liberal tolerance. She endears herself to her audience through obnoxiousness.

It's hard to tell how much of these stories are factually true, but in Silverman's comic style, the exaggeration and twistedness bring out a deeper truth.

Note: The subject matter and the short chapters make this ideal bathroom reading, though you might lose track of time in there, and the people waiting outside will hear you laughing.

The Psychopath Test

2011-09-11T10:18:00.000-04:00

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson

The popular fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes once stated,“when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

The Psychopath Test, a work of non-fiction, begins as a real life mystery to discover the meaning and motivation behind selected mailings of a strange bound book entitled Being or Nothingness (note we are not referring to Sartre's Being and Nothingness). Jon Ronson, a journalist and the author of the highly successful novel the Men Who Stare at Goats, is enlisted to find the source and make some sense of the text.

Many aspects of the authors life begin to arrive at certain parallels as the quest progresses and further mysteries unfurl themselves. He finds himself in conversation with members of the church of Scientology (who hold a strong opposition to the field of psychiatry) which leads to an interview with a particular inmate at the Broadmoor Asylum who claims he has faked madness as an escape a lengthy jail sentence.

Ronson becomes intrigued with the concept of psychopathy and learns that there is a specific test that helps experts determine whether any individual has psychopathic tendencies. It should be noted that overall, these studies claim to reveal that 1 out of every 100 people happen to be psychopaths (you're now cataloging and making a mental list of all the people you know, aren't you?). He later applies the test to an infamously ruthless CEO after learning studies show that 4 out of every 100 big business, corporate leaders happen to be psychopaths. This interview with the man possessing a menagerie of predatorial creature artwork offers plenty of laughs. You may have heard an excerpt from this humorous section of the book and also the Broadmoor story on NPR's This American Life.

The Psychopath Test eventually extends from Ronson's personal adventure to discuss the history of experimental treatments for troubled individuals, the present state of the psychiatric and mental health fields and also pharmaceutical industry. While Ronson carefully exhibits little or no bias on these aforementioned subjects, he skillfully presents issues at hand. Though his journey leads him to come face to face with serious and thought provoking dilemmas, Ronson is able find humor in certain situations and always keeps the reader entertained. At one stage the author writes, "I was writing a book about the madness industry and only just realizing that I was part of the industry."

Twentieth Century

2011-09-10T11:49:00.003-04:00

Twentieth Century a film by Howard Hawks

John Barrymore and Carole Lombard star in, what some site as the first screwball comedy, Twentieth Century. The film's director, Howard Hawks, who delivered several box office smashes in the form of the more macho features (his credits include the original Scarface, Rio Bravo, the Big Sleep), was also adept to orchestrate the gut busting comedy piece. He later went on to direct other classics in this genre such as Bringing Up Baby and His Girl Friday.

Sort of a silly version of the Red Shoes (though the film we're discussing predates it), Twentieth Century presents a didactic relationship in the entertainment business. Oscar Jaffe, a Broadway producer played by Barrymore, casts an unknown to actress to play the lead in his newest production. This actress (brilliantly performed by Lombard) is put through the ringer and subjected to plenty of condescending exercises and verbal tirades by this larger than life figure. Despite his questionable methods and erratic behavior, Jaffe manages to mold this unknown into a household name. He also dictates that her household name shall be "Lily Garland".

Once Garland has attained fame and fortune, she no longer needs the temperamental Oscar Jaffe in her life. As a result, the producer soon falls on hard times. Not only does he realize that he needs Garland back in his life for professional reasons, he discovers that he's madly in love with the starlet! His crusade, at times devious, to win back her favor knows no bounds.

Barrymore's portrayal of Jaffe, which is grandiose in one instant and hilariously pathetic the next, propels the story at a breakneck pace. Filled with slapstick gags and wild monologues, the actor gives one of the most memorable comedic performances committed to film.

On Wednesday September 21st 2011, there is a free screening of Twentieth Century in the Forbes Library Community Room at 7pm. This film was generously donated through the patron driven Pleasant St. Video fund.

The Best One Dish Suppers

2011-09-07T20:44:00.007-04:00

The Best One Dish Suppers by the editors of Cook's Illustrated

This cookbook is a collection of recipes from American's Test Kitchen that are all made in one pan or one pot or a dutch oven or a slow cooker. There are 180 recipes with 169 illustrations and tips, tricks and helpful hints accompany the step by step recipes. The recipes include stews, soups, casseroles, pot pies and stir-frys. Several vegetarian options are also included. This cookbook is great to try out some new twists on comfort foods and cool weather favorites.

Hell is Empty

2011-09-05T15:51:00.003-04:00

Hell is Empty by Craig Johnson

Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire series is one of my favorites. Part mystery, part western, set in the remote and mythical Absaroka County, Wyoming with a wonderful cast of characters, with sheriff Walt Longmire at the center. I was thrilled when I heard that A&E has been filming the new series Longmire based on these books.

Walt starts off on routine prisoner exchange, dreaming of lasagna and his daughter's upcoming marriage. The prisoner exchange hits some complications and Walt heads off into the Bighorn Mountains after the prisoner Raynaud Shade, a Crow Indian and a sociopath who claims to hear voices and seems to know that the (same?) voices have also spoken to Walt when he has been in the mountains. Walt is led through the icy hell of the peaks of Wyoming by Virgil, coming across his own demons, and yes, carrying Dante's Inferno to complete the metaphor. The latest in the Walt Longmire series; start with The Cold Dish.

Grateful Dawg [DVD]

2011-09-02T08:00:00.005-04:00

Grateful Dawg a film by Gillian Grisman

This film celebrates the musical collaborations of Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. The film, by David's daughter Gillian, is an affectionate tribute to the music created when these two musical giants worked together. Garcia and Grisman shared a common enthusiasm for bluegrass and American roots music, but Grisman had a tight and disciplined approach to the music, while Garcia was well known for his relaxed attitude. Something special happened when they worked together, as Grisman loosened up, Garcia became more focused, and each took on some of the best qualities of the other.

This film isn't particularly rich in storytelling, and it is nothing special to look at, but it contains some good interviews with Grisman, Garcia, and their many collaborators, including Vassar Clements and Peter Rowan of Old and in the Way. The real focus of the film, however, is the music, and the camaraderie between these great musicians, and that is how it should be. The film's editors often made the unfortunate decision to show footage, often in slow motion, which doesn't match the music being played, but this is easy to over look. All you have to do is close your eyes and listen—and listening to these two play together is a joy.

Under the Volcano

2011-08-29T19:54:00.006-04:00

Under th e Volcano a film by John Huston

Albert Finney stars in one the last films by the prolific American director, John Huston. Under the Volcano is based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Malcolm Lowry.

Delusions and alcoholism are the central themes of this film. We join Finney's character, Geoffrey Firmin, just after the Day of Dead fiesta in Mexico in 1939. Firmin, who is an alcoholic and bitter English consul, wanders throughout a beautiful Mexican village with his life spiraling out of control. Though he tries to pull himself together when his estranged wife (played by Jacqueline Bisset) stops for a visit, moments of clarity and decent behavior are few and far between.

Finney's portrayal of this troubled character would most likely be over the top handled by another actor. He manages to create someone loud and belligerent, pitiful and charming on some occasions. We want him to dig himself out of this self-inflicted crisis, but we understand that he's incapable. Huston paints this personal drama with the beauty of the Mexican village and also a strange wallpaper of supporting characters (including the director/writer/actor Emilio Fernández).

This Criterion Collection dvd has a painstakingly assembled bonus disc that profiles John Huston, provides behind the scenes footage and includes the film Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (narrated by the late Richard Burton).

The Bones of All Men [music CD]

2011-08-25T15:07:00.006-04:00

The Bones of All Men by Philip Pickett and Richard Thompson

This album marries two of my favorite genres of music: specifically, 16th century Renaissance dances and British folk-rock of the 1960s and '70s.
Richard Thompson and some ex-Fairport Convention comrades joined conductor and multi-instrumentalist Philip Pickett (who has Albion Band credentials as well as early music) in 1998 to rock out on a selection of tunes by William Byrd's contemporaries. When I used to play electric harpsichord for English Country Dancing back in the early '90s, this was the sort of sound I dreamed of achieving. Imagine a note-perfect recorder consort accompanied by Dave Mattacks on drums, or dueling krumhorn and electric guitar, or virginal with a very electrified bass continuo. The tunes are brilliantly arranged, irresistibly driving, reverently irreverent (or vice versa), passionately fun and absolutely classic in every sense of the word. Turn it up, way up.

Welcome to the Monkey House [DVD]

2011-08-22T18:19:00.009-04:00

Welcome to the Monkey House

Selections from Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s Welcome to the Monkey House, an anthology of shorter fiction, appeared on the Showtime channel in the early 1990's. The series was on the air for a brief time, but all of the episodes exist on a dvd that we've just received from the Pleasant St. Video collection.

Welcome to the Monkey House is fascinating from the outset; the author makes an on camera introduction to the episodes. His opening dialog is the only instance of seeing him on film/tape that I can recall (until this moment, I've used my imagination to estimate his mannerisms via book jacket photographs!).

The stories and the overall feel of the series strike a kinship with David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks. Both idiosyncratic television programs were on the air around the same time, draw from 1950's style and also deal with the abnormal. A mysterious double life, a sadistic battle of wits involving humans as chess pieces, a woman's obsession with home design catalogs and a child's eventful night without a babysitter all feature in Welcome to the Monkey House.

Vonnegut has always struck me as someone who has the ability of skillfully introducing science fiction elements or ideas into his writing without having them seem far removed from contemporary society. Though he often delves into the world of science fiction, I can't classify him solely as a science fiction writer. His laconic central characters tend to ease us into strange, new worlds by having a dark sense of humor or an overall surly, sarcastic attitude toward the present state. For instance, a soap opera actor portraying a doctor is lead into mansion that houses an elderly woman whose only original body part is her head. The actor is initially surprised, but accepts the situation within moments after the orchestrator of this scientific achievement gives his explanation in the most blasé fashion possible.

Kurt Vonnegut's stories are wonderfully captured in this series and feature performances by Madeline Kahn, Frank Langella, Jon Cryer and many more fine character actors. It was a short lived television program, but it managed to capture some of the author's bizarrely brilliant concepts.

The Broken Shore

2011-08-22T14:08:00.004-04:00

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple
Joe Cashin is a big city cop who has gone back to his childhood home on the coast of South Australia to recuperate, physically and mentally. When a local millionaire is murdered, Cashin won't accept the easy story that some local aboriginal boys are responsible. In the course of the investigation, Australian political and social divisions are examined. The sense of place is practically another character, but be warned: this is a darker Australia than is often portrayed in the media. Includes helpful Glossary of Australian Terms. Temple is the winner of five Ned Kelly Awards by the Crime Writers' Association of Australia.

Glorious [DVD]

2011-08-17T18:10:00.006-04:00

Glorious written and performed by Eddie Izzard

I love Eddie Izzard's stand-up. In Glorious he lopes across the stage imitating an evil giraffe, he runs in mock fright exclaiming, "I'm covered in bees!", and he delivers a stream of unconventional witticisms, comical sound effects, and insightful observations.

Eddie's jokes are carefully written but his delivery is casual and off the cuff. His jokes often rely on gesture and facial expressions, never more so than in his routine on "machines that lie", during which he mimes the frustrations of making good toast and demonstrates the visual similarity between someone adjusting the tap in a shower and a safebreaker. (He ends this routine with a wonderful visual pun which I will refrain from describing—you will appreciate it better if it takes you by surprise.)

I don't care much for stand-up, but I make an exception for Izzard's smart, irreverent, performances. His shows are always entertaining and Glorious is one of his best.

Return To Cookie Mountain [CD]

2011-08-15T10:30:00.007-04:00

Return To Cookie Mountain (2006), by the Brooklyn-based quintet TV On The Radio, was my introduction to this group’s music and I quickly became a fan. I really enjoy the unique harmonies and vocal layerings of the two primary vocalists Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone. The melodies are also exceptional and have been described as “atmospheric” and “spacious” Their music is not easy to categorize but some close approximations include: indie-rock, soul and trip-hop. Repeated listenings to this CD always reveal more pleasurable discoveries of their unique sound. Two outstanding tracks for me are “I Was A Lover” and “A Method”.

Louis C.K. : Hilarious [DVD]

2011-08-12T12:38:00.008-04:00

Louis C.K. : Hilarious

If you are easily offended by delicate or obscene subject matter, this 2010 concert film is, clearly, blatantly, spectacularly… not for you. Come to think of it, if you are offended by ANY words, in and of themselves, regardless of context, you may want to look elsewhere. It’s not that Louis is un-necessarily mean spirited or seeks to offend (well, except that he admittedly is and does, admitting at one point herein that shocking people makes him laugh) but he will leave many people squirming in their seats, probably laughing inside, but uncomfortable, to be sure. To those that love Louis C.K. , and I count myself strongly among them, his latest hour is the pinnacle of years of discipline and work on the road . It is the first Stand-Up film ever to be accepted at Sundance and the first stand-up comedy film in decades to show in theaters.

Unlike most working comics, Louie has been creating a completely new hour of stand-up every year, abandoning all older material, testing new routines every spring and summer in clubs and theaters before filming an hour special when his new hour is fully developed. Despite the obvious shock factor in many of the bits, what makes his comedy work so well is the surprising heart and thought that go into the writing, and the natural, “I just thought of this and I’m going to share it with you” delivery . When you are watching Louis perform at his best, you see the exasperated self-loathing character he describes and believe in it fully, to the point where you forget that he performs the act night in and night out, and it can be unsettling to see the same joke performed again elsewhere. Much of the best material he has used in his last few specials have been inspired by his role as a devoted father of two daughters and the experience of his recent divorce. When he delivers lines about the ridiculous anger and exasperation many parents feel but never openly express, it is always obvious and without question how much he loves his own children. While he brilliantly and savagely mocks the stupidity and spoiled impatience of modern day America, he saves his strongest contempt for himself.

The best stand-up is often that which lays bare the desperation and pain of our brief and ridiculous moment on earth and allows us to laugh at the most fragile and childish of our own instincts. At its best this film recalls some of the finest moments of his heroes, Pryor’s ability to make us laugh at his most painful moments and Carlin’s ability to dissect the absurdity of his time and make us see and laugh at ourselves. The film, however, is 100% Louie, and is the painfully funny work of a stand-up at the height of his powers.

Wheel of Time [DVD]

2011-08-10T10:13:00.006-04:00

Wheel of Time a film by Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog, director of Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre: the Wrath of God and Stroszek, has almost become equally as famous for his non-fiction work in recent years thanks to the success of the fabulous Grizzly Man documentary. Forbes Library is fortunate to be receiving several of Herzog's documentaries (many of which currently hard to find, out of print titles) through our acquisition of the Pleasant St. Video collection thanks to the kind donations from our patrons.

I first saw Wheel of Time at a Werner Herzog retrospective in Austin, TX. I must confess that I didn't know much about the film or this German auteur at the time. I would soon receive a wonderful education by purchasing a pass to attend the rest of the festival and also borrowing everything I could find by the director at the video library where I was then employed.

The film chronicles a Buddhist pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya, India. At this destination, several artists create a giant, yet intricate, sand design or "sand mandala" (which is referred to as the wheel of time). The creation of the sand mandala is carefully constructed over a lengthy period of time and the viewer is constantly worried that it will not be completed by its deadline (or at least I was feeling tense). The stunning landscape along our travelers' journey and the vibrant colors of the dyed sand are brilliantly captured by the film's gorgeous cinematography. There is also a personal interview Herzog conducts with the Dalai Lama.

Wheel of Time, along with many of his documentaries, is certainly as interesting and entertaining as his classic fiction films. In both mediums, we are often supplied with adventure, drama, social commentary, humor and taken to exotic locales. Whether going up in a strange flying apparatus into a rainforest canopy, living in the jungle while filming, hauling a riverboat up a mountain, eating his own shoe, working with wild bears and collaborating with Klaus Kinski (!), Werner Herzog has managed to survive and also produce great art. It wasn't until a 2006 BBC interview when his life became (arguably) most in danger when a sniper opened fire with an air rifle. After the shooting Herzog calmly commented, "it was not a significant bullet. I am not afraid."

One of our Thursdays is missing

2011-08-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

One of our Thursdays is missing by Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde's latest offering in the Thursday Next series is a metafictional tour de farce. The original Thursday -- literary police Special Operations Agent (ret.) and the star of her own series of novels-with-novels -- has disappeared, and it's up to her fictional character to find her by impersonating the real Thursday. There's a border dispute in BookWorld between the genres of Racy Novel and Women's Fiction, and if Thursday doesn'y show up for the peace talks, war might ensue. Fforde sprinkles his story with characters and allusions from the classics and popular fiction, and makes liberal use of puns including setting up whole subplots just for a punch line. His style is uncategorizable and nearly indescribable, at least not in a way that makes any sense, but irresistibly entertaining and uniquely inventive. This sequel refers back to things that happened (or didn't) in previous titles in the series, and it might help to start with the first installment, The Eyre Affair.

The Last Days of Disco [DVD]

2011-08-08T17:52:00.008-04:00

The Last Days of Disco a film by Whit Stillman

Whit Stillman's third feature, The Last Days of Disco, is set in New York City the early 1980's. Here we find a group of young professionals who are all, whether they are aware or not, in a period of transition. This moment of change also mirrors the current stage of the popular music (please see the title!).

Alice (Chloë Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), somewhat recent graduates of Hampshire College, are working in the lower echelons of the publishing industry. Despite having not much in common (and they can readily admit that they may not be ideal candidates for friendship), the duo decides to share a railroad style apartment with another young woman.

The tight living quarters teamed with Charlotte's persistent insensitivity create a great deal of tension and bickering. Furthermore, there's also tussling over potential/previous love interests. An escape from this turmoil is the local hot spot; it's a fashionable discotheque possibly modeled in Stillman's memory from his days hanging out at the famed Studio 54. Chris Eigeman, a Stillman mainstay, is cast as Des McGrath. McGrath is a sardonic manager at the said Manhattan club and he ultimately realizes that the owner has some sort of a shady operation going on.

When viewing The Last Days of Disco, one can't help appreciating the dedication in creating such memorable characters and the overall writing in general. The film is filled with quick and witty dialog... most of which you cannot imagine being spoken by actual people. In one instance, Eigeman's character begs the question, "do yuppies even exist? No one says, 'I am a yuppie,' it's always the other guy who's a yuppie. I think for a group to exist, somebody has to admit to be part of it."

The struggle of social identity and finding one's general placement in society underlie this brilliant comedic drama.

ps- After a viewing, one may discover that disco does not suck!

A Discovery of Witches

2011-08-05T12:32:00.002-04:00

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Witches and vampires for grownups. A more sophisticated world of fantasy, with academia, history and a love of books thrown in for good measure are wondefully devleoped in this debut by a history professor.

Diana Bishop has spent her life denying her heritage, as the last of a powerful family of witches. While doing historical research at Oxford, she meets Matthew Clairmont, a several century old vampire. One of the manuscripts that Diana requests at the Bodleian is under intense scrutiny by the community of witches, vampires and daemons, and may hold the secrets to the evolution of these uncooperative species. Soon, Diana and Matthew find themselves alienated from both communities. Great description and attention to detail, realistic characters -- as much as vampires and witches can be. This is the first in a projected trilogy, and you won't be able to wait for the sequel when you finish this book.

Camping with Henry and Tom [audio download]

2011-08-03T20:44:00.008-04:00

Camping with Henry and Tom by Mark St. Germain

This "book" is the audio to a play performed at L.A. Theatre Works in 2006 starring Alan Alda and was borrowed using Overdrive (see the reference desk for more information on how to download free books to your phone or e-reader!).
The off-broadway play is a fictional account of inspired by an actual camping trip in 1921 with friends Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Warren Harding. The three men set off camping and their car breaks down and we hear their chatter as they are lost in the woods. It is filled with humor and historical facts as we hear how Ford aspires to be President and President Harding would rather spend time with a mistress.

Out of the Silent Planet

2011-08-01T19:15:00.008-04:00

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

In this early work of science fiction (Out of the Silent Planet was first published in 1938) C.S. Lewis tells the story of a philology professor, much reminiscent of Lewis's friend J.R.R Tolkien, who, while exploring a mysterious house in the English countryside, is kidnapped and brought to the mysterious planet of Malacandra aboard a strange space–going vehicle. The professor escapes his captors soon after they land, and he finds himself terrified in an unfamiliar world. His curiosity overcomes his fear, however, when he discovers that many of the native creatures possess the ability to speak and share a common tongue. During his time on Malacandra the professor learns much about the planet and its inhabitants, but even more about his own home, the Earth, and the place of human kind in the universe.

This is an engaging tale, characterized by a sense of wonder and enthusiasm which is too often lacking in newer works of speculative fiction. It is as much a fantasy story as it is science fiction, and with its exploration of the nature of good and evil and its Christian inspired themes it has some resemblance to Lewis's more familiar Chronicles of Narnia, though it is a more serious, more adult book in many ways.

Out of the Silent Planet is a quick, enjoyable read, that provides much food for thought to those who want it, without weighing down those who would rather do without. It's also the first book in a trilogy; those who enjoy it will want to continue with it's successors Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength.

Room

2011-07-27T09:55:00.008-04:00

Room by Emma Donoghue

Having read some reviews of this book which described the harrowing situation of the two main characters, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to read it or not. I’m glad I did though because the characters of Ma and Jack were so well developed and held my interest so thoroughly that I read this book almost non-stop during a two day period. Emma Donoghue has written a wonderful character driven novel which is absolutely a must read. A previous staff review clearly explains the plot line (Nov.1, 2010)

The Good Earth

2011-07-21T12:03:00.003-04:00

The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
Wang Lung, rising from humble Chinese farmer to wealthy landowner, gloried in the soil he worked. He held it above his family, even above his gods. But soon, between Wang Lung and the kindly soil that sustained him, came flood and drought, pestilence and revolution...
Through this one Chinese peasant and his children, Nobel Prize-winner Pearl S. Buck traces the whole cycle of life, its terrors, its passion, its persistent ambitions and its rewards. Her brilliant novel -- beloved by millions of readers throughout the world -- is a universal tale of the destiny of men.

The Whistling Season

2011-07-21T10:41:00.002-04:00

The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
"Can't cook but doesn't bite." So begins the newspaper ad offering the services of an "A-1 housekeeper, sound morals, exceptional disposition" that draws the hungry attention of widower Oliver Milliron in the fall of 1909. And so begins the unforgettable season that deposits the noncooking, nonbiting, ever-whistling Rose Llewellyn and her font-of-knowledge brother, Morris Morgan, in Marias Coulee along with a stamped of homesteaders drawn by the promise of the Big Ditch -- a gargantuan irrigation project intended to make the Montana prairie bloom. When the schoolmarm runs off with an itinerant preacher, Morris is pressed into service, setting the stage for the "several kinds of education" -- none of them of the textbook variety -- Morris and Rose will bring to Oliver, his three sons, and the rambunctious students in the region's one-room schoolhouse.
A paean to a vanished way of life and the eccentric individuals and idiosyncratic institutions that made it fertile, The Whistling Season is Ivan Doig at his evocative best.

Any Day Now: David Bowie

2011-07-13T11:30:00.005-04:00

Any Day Now: David Bowie: the London Years, 1947-1974 by Kevin Cann

Any Day Now covers Bowie's early life and the beginning phases of his exceptional musical career. This painstakingly assembled biography/chronology lists studio session dates and concert appearances, presents press clippings and handwritten letters and also provides a complete discography for the said period in time. Most impressive is the multitude of incredible photographs of the adventurous singer; each page is filled with striking images, large and small. It's an interesting read and account of the rapidly progressing artist in both appearance and musical style.

Rocannon's World

2011-07-12T12:04:00.002-04:00

Rocannon's World by Ursula K. Le Guin

Ursula Le Guin's first novel seamlessly blends science fiction and fantasy. Rocannon, an ethnologist, visits the planet Formalhaut II to study the native culture, and finds himself trapped when his ship is destroyed. In his adventures he rides on the back of giant winged cats, meets the various species inhabiting the planet, some of which have striking similarities to the men, elves, and dwarves of fantasy fiction, and must confront a mysterious presence in a cave. In Rocannon's World, Le Guin explores the implications of space travel, faster than light communication, and the meeting of alien cultures. A powerful story, appropriate for fans of either genre.

The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide [magazine]

2011-07-08T09:15:00.006-04:00

The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide

The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide (formerly The Harvard Gay & Lesbian Review, 1994-1999) is a bimonthly journal centered around a conceptual theme with contributions from leading scholars and writers in the given field. Also in each issue are interviews, poetry and both in depth and brief book reviews which are great for either catching up or for keeping current of interesting literary developments. Some notable contributors have included Andrew Holleran, Emma Donoghue, Larry Kramer, Jewelle Gomez and Barney Frank.

Man Ray in Paris

2011-07-06T09:03:00.006-04:00

Man Ray in Paris by Erin C. Garcia

We've recently been hit with a steady current of material spotlighting Americans residing among the Parisians in the 1920's. Several fantastic books on the subject have been published this year along with the opening of Woody Allen's new comedy Midnight in Paris.

Paris in the 1920's was a creative haven for many artists, critics, filmmakers and writers. Man Ray, who would not wish to be simply classified as a photographer (he considered himself a painter who also took photographs, made films and worked with sculpture and collage), came to France in 1921 and produced some of his most revered photographic work. Basing much of his craft on experimentation and dreamlike imagery, he aligned himself with artists in the Dada and Surrealist movements. In Erin C. Garcia's book, we see portraits of Man Ray's colleagues which include Jean Cocteau, Hans Arp, Salvador Dalí and Marcel Duchamp.

Man Ray in Paris provides many stunning photographic plates and also chronicles the artist's stay in the City of Light.

The Weird Sisters

2011-07-01T16:39:00.006-04:00

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

The first odd thing I noticed about this novel is that it's told in the first person plural. It's a clever and engaging device for sisters talking about themselves and each other, and kept me attentive to whose point of view I was reading as it shifted from the inside of a character's head to one, two or three characters collectively observing another. The voice is opinionated, familiar, loyal, funny, and often jealous or spiteful as siblings are about each other. Not much happens (three adult sisters move home as their mother struggles with cancer; they find themselves to be more than they thought) but plot doesn't much matter as the book is about personalities, family relationships, and how we evolve through involvement with others. A rich vein of Shakespeare runs through Weird Sisters in the naming of characters, the professor father's constant quoting, and the cast of literary archetypes that inhabit these contemporary, believable women.

The Illusionist [DVD]

2011-06-18T11:50:00.004-04:00

The Illusionist a film by Sylvain Chomet

The Triplets of Belleville animator/director takes on an unrealized script of the late French comedian, writer and director Jacques Tati in the Illusionist. This remarkable, melancholic film features an animated Tati in the role of the magician named Tatcischeff (Tati's actual last name) at a time when vaudeville performances are beginning to become a passé form of entertainment.

On a trip to Scotland for an appearance, Tatcischeff meets a young girl who winds up following him to London. The magician takes her under his care and winds up going broke funding her desire for expensive clothing. The two also come into contact with several eccentric and delightful characters surrounding the changing 1960's entertainment industry.

What we have in the Illusionist is a funny, elegant and moving film which marries the essence of Jacques Tati's brilliance and the stylish animation of Sylvain Chomet.

A Wizard, A True Star [CD]

2011-06-18T11:29:00.005-04:00

A Wizard, A True Star by Todd Rundgren

Todd Rundgren, hot off the heels of Something/Anything? and its hits "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light", released an experimental album called A Wizard, A True Star in 1973. The record is a strangely assembled pastiche of synthesizer driven pop songs, homages to Disney soundtracks and wacky Spike Jones records, soul covers and dark, personal compositions.

Nearly all of the songs run together on this recording creating a frantic, but inspired listening experience. Ever the innovative musician and producer, Rundgren's engaging arrangements and subtle overdubs make this record a gratifying headphone listen.

Live at the Star Club Hamburg [CD]

2011-06-13T14:15:00.006-04:00

Live at the Star Club Hamburg by Jerry Lee Lewis

Live albums are always tricky; sure, a lot of your favorite songs appear on the track listing, but often the magic isn't quite there. Artists often issue live recordings as an inexpensive way to fulfill contracts with their record labels. A certain magic can be missing from the original studio recording or you're just left with poor sound quality.

Live at the Star Club Hamburg happens to be one of the exceptions to this trend. Backed by the Nashville Teens, Jerry Lee Lewis delivers one of the fiercest live concerts that has ever been captured on tape. The piano, much like the drums, is an instrument where physicality can be a variable. A musician's force has much to do with the overall sound. Jerry Lee, sounding possessed (and possibly a little in the bag), pounds like a piano with fury and rage like it's his last night to raise hell on Earth.

For some context, it's 1964 and the the British Invasion is in full force. The Beatles had taken Hamburg by storm a couple of years back. Army stints, jail time, religious conversion and death put an end to most of the original 1950's rockers. The Killer also had his share of controversy when he married his 13 year old cousin while still legally bound to another woman. The days of chart topping hits probably seemed like a distant past.

What does Jerry Lee do then? Well, he heads out to a small stage in Hamburg and plays one of the most aggressive sets ever heard. The crowd is in a frenzy throughout his set chanting "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!" while he rolls over songs that were personal hits like "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and popular favorites of his contemporaries such as "Long Tall Sally", "Matchbox" and "Hound Dog". Essentially, he's delivering a similar song selection as the Liverpudlians brought with them to Germany; only Lewis is far more aggressive and is perhaps trying to prove that he's an original rocker.

Fans of 50's rock n' roll will certainly enjoy this record. I also feel comfortable recommending Live at the Star Club Hamburg to fans of more raw groups like the Stooges or the MC5.

A House, a Street, a City : the Story of 17 Summer

2011-06-09T13:52:00.007-04:00

A House, a Street, a City : the Story of 17 Summer by Lu Stone

Published as part of Northampton’s 350^th Anniversary Chapbook Series, Lu Stone’s remarkable history of the house and street she called home is a fascinating portrait of the many interwoven stories which make up our neighborhoods. Finely illustrated and impeccably researched, the book is a rich tapestry of the many lives whose fates crossed in the neighborhood in the 110+ years before she purchased the house in 1983. The subjects range from working class families and Olympic athletes to Lewis Warner, the President of the Hampshire County National Bank who suddenly absconded with hundreds of thousands of dollars from the bank in 1898. The book remains one of the finest examples of a ‘people’s history’ we have in the region, of dusty stories forgotten through the ages but rediscovered through neighbor’s anecdotes, dusty old newspapers, library microfilm and aging photographs cherished by relatives. The house in question, which sits today mere yards from 7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts, around the corner from the generic strip that is present-day King St., stood on the edge between a neighborhood of working class families and the stately homes and towering trees of 19^th century King St. The book provides a priceless snapshot of local history, illuminating lives forgotten, reviving cherished memories and in the process helping us to understand the town’s history as a whole. This book is, as always, available to borrow from the library's collection but is also, along with others from the 350th Anniversary Chapbook series, available for purchase at the Forbes Circulation Desk.

Plastic Ono Band [CD]

2011-06-09T13:44:00.005-04:00

Plastic Ono Band by John Lennon

The Plastic Ono Band LP is commonly referred to as the “Primal Scream” album as John and Yoko were going through Arthur Janov’s Primal Scream therapy during the album’s creation in 1970. While Lennon’s lyrics had been hinting at the pain of his childhood since “Help” and “I’m a loser”, on Plastic Ono Band he becomes overtly confessional and addresses directly the disillusionment and isolation of fame and the overwhelming pain of his youth. The cryptic and surreal wordplay that characterized many of John’s contributions to the Beatles albums of the late 60’s is abandoned here and the results are split equally between straightforward quiet love songs (“Hold on”, “Love” and “Look at Me” which more closely resemble his fingerpicked contributions from 1968 such as “Julia” and “Dear Prudence”), filthy distorted rockers (“I Found out” and “Well, Well, Well” which share the heavy tube distortion sounds of “Revolution” and “Cold Turkey”) and epic declarations of loss and rebirth (“Mother” and “God”, both of which feature ‘simple’ piano/bass/drums arrangements). Released in October 1970, in the wake of Altamont, Manson and Kent State, “Plastic Ono Band” addresses the disillusionment of the end of the sixties, the break-up and dispelling of the Beatles myth and the tragedies of John’s childhood. Opening with the intense primal therapy of “Mother” (in which John finally overtly addresses his feelings of abandonment as a child and his mother’s sudden death just as they were reconciling) and closing with the myth-busting “God”, the album is easily Lennon’s most cohesive solo work. Lennon famously hated the sound of his own voice unadorned, and was constantly imploring producers to swathe it in reverb or other effects, and his most famous Beatles contributions were often dense, sonically experimental psychedelic studio creations. On Plastic Ono Band, stripped of daft wordplay and overproduction (Phil Spector, who produced half the sessions, is most notable here for his uncharacteristic restraint), with exceptional accompaniment by Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Klaus Voorman, Lennon produces his most complete raw and honest solo work.

Anthem for Doomed Youth

2011-06-07T13:54:00.007-04:00

Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn

The 19th Daisy Dalrymple mystery was my introduction to this cozy murder series. Daisy is an aristocratic young mother whose husband is a Detective Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard. Set in 1920s London, the mystery revolves around some veterans of the 'Great War' whose bodies were found secretly buried in Epping Forest. The heroine possesses curiosity, common sense, intuition and a sly sense of humor. The period setting is engaging and the unraveling of the plot complicated enough to keep turning the pages. With the lead character's appeal and just the right amount of Anglophilia, this was fun enough for me to borrow another one.

Electric Ladyland [CD]

2011-06-04T11:04:00.008-04:00

Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

You find yourself alone, lying in a field of flowers. You've just been awoken by the distant pounding of what sounds like a tympani. Looking ahead, your feet seem miles away and a group of bunnies are gnawing on your blue jeans. Jimi once rapped, "Ho hum. I'm as good as bunnies- and you know how good bunnies are." Just shake 'em off, brother or sister; they're just hungry after a long, hot summer night. The drum fades and nature, and in fact everything you hear as well, is moving backward. Fear not, you're in Electric Ladyland, friend. Have you ever been?

Take out that note from your back pocket. No matter the urge to call the telephone number written on there, trust me, you don't want to see Little Miss Strange again. Rip it to shreds.

Spend the next fifteen minutes drying yourself off from the still raining, still dreaming sky with the Experience in concert, floating somewhere in the the astral plane. "Voodoo Chile" is the jam. Look left and see a Marshall stack and a white Fender Strat resting comfortably. It's been tuned and awaiting on you, man. Put the strap on over your shoulder (and make sure you're going lefty), pick the open A-string (that's the second heaviest on the axe), let it ring and move on over toward the amplifier. Things will start buzzing and feeding back some brilliant musical colors and waveforms. Mitch and Noel should be launching off that any minute now.

A singular door will appear in the middle of the field somewhere behind you. Open it and look out into outer-space with those Gypsy eyes. Grab the burning midnight lamp, step out and be mindful of the crosstown traffic. Mr. Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is your soundtrack... and your guide, baby.

Keep the sounds of Electric Ladyland steady and you'll find your way.

The Martian Chronicles

2011-05-31T14:44:00.004-04:00

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.

A science-fiction classic, The Martian Chronicles tells a story of the colonization of Mars through a series of short stories and vignettes. Bradbury imagines Mars as the home of an ancient and beautiful civilization, doomed to fall when it encounters the shortsighted and destructive people of Earth. Despite the gloomy prospects for all involved, Bradbury's stories are full of humor, and make for a quick and very enjoyable read.

Interestingly, these stories have been the subject of several radio dramas and audio productions; I first encountered them listening to Relic Radio's science-fiction podcast, where they are still available to download, and here at the library you can find radio theater versions on audio tape (Old Time Radio: Science Fiction) as well as a long playing record of Leonard Nimoy reading two of the stories (The Martian Chronicles).

How to wrap five eggs

2011-05-28T12:09:00.006-04:00

How To Wrap Five Eggs: Japanese Design in Traditional Packaging photography by Michikazu Sakai

This is a beautiful book containing handsome black and white photographs of simple products packaged in simple materials: rice straw, bamboo, ceramics, paper, and even leaves. The boxes, wrappers, and casks depicted in this volume are all hand-made and most of them are quite wonderfully elegant, from the humble eggs of the title, to utilitarian jars of miso, and expensive casks of sake meant as souvenirs and gifts.

Black Books [DVD]

2011-05-25T10:09:00.007-04:00

Black Books

Irish comedian Dylan Moran stars in the BBC television series Black Books. The show was written and created by Moran and the folks who brought us Father Ted.

Bernard Black, a cranky and boozy book shop owner, wants absolutely nothing to do with his customers and does very little to aid his decaying store. He's joined by his friend and neighboring shop employee, Fran and Manny, his hapless, but loveable (possibly unpaid) employee. We join these three on many madcap adventures and exercises in generally poor customer service. While a fair amount the gags fall under the customer/employee dynamic or displays of tremendous laziness, we also get a fair amount of surreal humor.

The Areas of My Expertise

2011-05-23T19:48:00.004-04:00

The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman

The sometimes actor, television presenter/personality, unlicensed internet judge and humorist, John Hodgman, has a brilliant collection of nonsense in the universe called The Areas of My Expertise. Fear not, his writings do not simply float in the nebulous; it's all compiled in a BOOK!

In it we find delightful and ridiculous made up facts and anecdotes concerning hobos (he provides 700 hobo names), werewolves and various bizarre historical factoids. It's also filled with entertaining lists ("Nine Presidents Who Had Hooks For Hands") and dubious advice (see the amusing section on effective attack ads or "How To Win a Fight" ). This book is excess at its best.

ps- If you enjoy this volume, there's more.

The Triplets of Belleville [DVD]

2011-05-23T15:10:00.004-04:00

The Triplets of Belleville

Sylvain Chomet's feature-length animated film is like nothing you've ever seen. It's weird, funny, sad, serious, lighthearted, suspenseful, perverse, sweet, surreal, retro, postmodern, and fantastic (in both senses of the word). There is virtually no dialogue, but there is music, adventure and character aplenty. The animation is hand-drawn and loaded with sophisticated detail. There are homages to Fred Astaire, Josephine Baker, Jacques Tati, the Andrews Sisters, and Django Reinhardt. The plot is quite satisfying, yet the style is the overwhelming story here. Despite the near-total absence of language, it could only be French. I have seen it three times so far and haven't begun to get tired of it.