Artists of the Month
- Basement Jaxx: "Raindrops" on repeat, baby! Not sick of it yet (though it's only been 10 days or so)
- Cale Parks: Blows me away every time I see him live, and his latest CD is pretty darn good too. Extra points for the album being titled Sparklace.
- Calvin Harris: the boy doesn't quit. This month he gets a mention because the DJ at Cobalt in DC not only played "The Girls," but also played Dragonette's "The Boys." Frenetic dancing ensued, and it felt so good. No one else can make me feel quite the way Calvin does. And his remix of Passion Pit's "The Reeling" is looking like it will be second only to "Raindrops" for spring jam dominance.
Things I Cooked
- Lime & cumin crusted pork tenderloin with asparagus and Brussels' Sprouts
- Chicken lemon egg and rice soup
- Matzo ball soup
- Barbecue beef with broccoli cheddar rice
- Turkey, ham, and brie sandwiches with honeycup mustard and butter
- Roasted zucchini pizzas
Movies
- Adventureland
- Observe & Report
- State of Play
- Fighting
- Easy Virtue
- Don McKay
Books
- The Green Knight, Iris Murdoch: I must say I really didn't get this book. It took way to long to catch my interest, and then once I was interested, I felt let down by the ending of the book. I guess it was supposed to be a comedy of manners of sorts, but the joke was lost on me.
- My Name Is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok: I read this during Passover, just to be super topical. A very vibrant, vivid book that oozes truth. The descriptions made the actions and Asher's thoughts jump off the page. Very well crafted.
- Lethal Legacy, Linda Fairstein. The latest from my latest crime thriller novelist. This one goes behind the scenes at the New York Public Library. The pacing was a little off in that everything seemed to be happening far too fast, but it was still a fun read. I finished it in a weekend during two train rides and laundry. A good beach read for sure.
- Finn, Jon Clinch. An interesting extension of Huckleberry Finn. The prose is very high (there were words I didn't know!), in striking contrast to Twain's original. However, the use of language is very fluid and extremely evocative. Clinch paints pictures of the Mississippi and its denizens with his words, and the pictures stick with you.
