Artists of the Month
- Calvin Harris: In case you haven't figured it out, Calvin Harris is pretty much the artist of my life. This month we had the first leaks of the "Flashback" remixes, as well as Calvin on the cover of the November issue of MixMag. And he continues to tweet entertainingly.
- La Roux: One of the better live shows I've seen in the past several months reminded me why I was such a La Roux champion back in the spring. I now have renewed appreciation for their very competent debut effort.
- Duck Sauce: Totally hooked on the song "Anyway," a fab soulful dance product of this A-Trak and Armand van Helden collaboration.
- Groove Armada: Another great single that hooked me after one listen is the track "I Won't Kneel"
- Phonat: More addictive tracks on my currently uber-looped playlist - "Learn to Recycle" and "Set Me Free."
Things I Cooked
- Cassoulet with pork ribs
- Risotto with tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, and parmesan
- Irish beef & stout stew
- Red Velvet cake
Movies
- Zombieland
- St. Trinian's
- An Education
- The Boys Are Back
- The Damned United
- Where The Wild Things Are
- The Invention of Lying
- Bright Star
Books
- The Tailor of Panama, John le Carré. This one wasn't as confusing as some of his others, but by the time I finished the book, I still wasn't sure of the point of it all. I have one more le Carré on my bookshelf, and then I think I will give up on him and move on to other spy-novelists. Johnny boy here is just too much work with too small a payoff for me. In this case, I would recommend just watching the movie, which I recall fondly, unlike the book (Pierce Brosnan probably helps in that department - he is glaringly absent from the printed page.)
- Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters, Jane Austen & Ben Winters. Not as good as Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. This mashup outing felt much more forced and the original story had to be manipulated much more to fit in the Sea Monster concept. This read more like a SciFi fan fiction that a clever reworking of an undisputed classic. And of course there is the fact that Sea Monsters just aren't as cool as Zombies. Also, no Alan Rickman ;)
- As They Were, M.F.K. Fisher. A soothing collection of autobiographical short stories about Fisher's life in Europe and California. This is the first Fisher book I have read and I was quite pleased by her writing style, honesty, and approach to life that is both reflective and receptive. As books like this tend to do, it made me miss Europe and reflect on my own adventures there.
- Just Listen, Mark Goulston. I read this one for work, but I would highly recommend it to everyone because it offers good advice on how to communicate better. Its a quick read that is easy to follow and understand. It is also easy to go back to the sections most pertinent and applicable to your life and the situations in which you are most often faced with communication challenges.
- Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder, Gyles Brandreth. The second book in Brandreth's Wilde mystery series did not disappoint. Highly atmospheric, with historical facts deftly woven into the fiction and a well constructed mystery, this book is a quick entertaining read full of the wry wit that was Wilde's signature.
