Book: Election

Winter is usually the time that I revel in reading and watching movies. This winter however I have been in a slump. Enter Election by Tom Perrotta. Many of you may be familiar of the movie of the same name starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. I had seen bits and pieces of the film, but not enough to spoil the book. How lucky I was.

Aptly named, the book is set in a high school and involves the events surrounding the annual student government election. Involving perspectives from both the teachers and students, Election is an amazingly fast read which blends dark comedy and great characters. I thoroughly recommend both the book and movie - the latter taking some liberties (as all book adaptations do) but still being worthwhile.

Mixtape - Best of 2007

After much deliberation and some considerable fine tuning, I am pleased to announce that my best of 2007 mix is finished. There may very well be an honorable mention mix to follow as there were 40+ songs I was considering... and I am especially disappointed I couldn't fit more. 2007 was a great year for new music and I hope everyone can find a song or two they hadn't heard previously to enjoy. Happy holidays and happy listening.

Book: 1984

Somehow I didn't read this in school... and frankly, that's a little disappointing. Orwell's themes and ideas would be ideal for classroom discussion. Unlike a good majority of what I read in school, this book is interesting, and also relevant to the times (even though it was written 58 years ago). I can't begin to imagine how much different this book would have been if it were written in the last twenty or thirty years. Besides the obvious parallel of Big Brother and the current administration spying on American citizens, too many similarities are to be found.

There's a plethora of things I could discuss about this book, but I don't want to reveal any spoilers. I highly recommend this book for those who haven't read it, and even for people who haven't read it for years.

Mixtape: Jam For The Ladies

Concerning music one thing that has remained constant over the years is that even though my taste changes, my appreciation for female singers hasn't. Yes, I have a special spot in my heart for the ladies. This mix is a selection featuring some of my favorites, not all by any stretch, but a solid showing. The quote from Office Space, "I don't know if it get's any better when he (Michael Bolton) sings When A Man Loves A Woman." I disagree with. However, replace Michael Bolton with Hope Sandoval, Neko Case or Gillian Welch and then you've got something.

Mixtape: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Just in time for Thanksgiving a mix based on the 1987 John Hughes classic, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles." I couldn't find a good polka song that fit the theme but I think this is still a nice collection.

Book: McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories

After thoroughly enjoying McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, I eagerly checked this out from the library. I wasn't as enamored with this collection as I was with Thrilling Tales however there were still some excellent stories to be read. Notably, Margaret Atwood's Lusus Natuare, Stephen King's Lisey and the Madman (a short version of Lisey's story), Heidi Julavits', The Miniaturist and Daniel Handler's, Delmonico to name a few. I still recommend this book to anyone who enjoys short stories as there are more good stories in this anthology then there are disappointing ones.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Mixtape: Left of the Dial

Big ups to Ryan Wilson (goodarts.net) for sending me this super snazzy flash player. It's a nice upgrade from how I was listing the tracks before. Say true.

This week's theme was inspired by a comment of Leanne's. Although these songs aren't hidden gems necessarily, they are all songs from the 80's that were more underground and "alternative" to what was commercially being played on the radio at the time. Because I was still a wee lil' whippersnapper throughout the 80's I wasn't aware of most of these songs until recently. All of the tracks I've selected for this week are from an excellent 4 disc compilation called Left of the Dial. Enjoy!