Category Archives: Top Picks

Ahhh September. My favorite month of the year despite having to say goodbye to summer. It’s true it’s my birthday month, but I just like it because it’s usually a beautiful time of year (see photo at left). On Friday, … Continue reading →

I had a quick trip to California last week for my father’s retirement party. Congrats Dad, I never thought you’d give up working, but you finally did it. What a brilliant and long career. And now you can enjoy so … Continue reading →

Greetings once again. Sorry I have been away. My folks arrived in town for a visit and we took them on a tour of the Canadian Rockies. I can’t believe how lucky we were to enjoy such gorgeous weather on … Continue reading →

May is now upon us — can you believe it? Lately I’ve been busy playing in a couple tennis tournaments, trading in an old car, and making plans to attend the memorial service of my friend back East and then … Continue reading →

March is over now. It went by in a blur. It was consuming but not exactly conducive for reading or blogging. I had a good time on our biking and camping trip in Arizona mid-month, but sadly the close friend … Continue reading →

Happy March. We’ve just about made it to the start of spring, which is always a bit exciting for those living in a Northern country. Though May is usually the time when a lot of flowers open and things turn … Continue reading →

February is already here and trying to escape me. Tomorrow I leave for D.C. and Virginia for a week to visit friends and my old digs. It should be fun but what’s this talk about a chance of more snow … Continue reading →

Happy New Year everyone. It’s hard to believe it’s 2016. I hope everyone had fun and safe holidays. We just arrived home from California and were met with about six inches of new snow here in Canada, which will be good for cross-country skiing this weekend.

Over break we saw the movie “Brooklyn” (adapted from the 2009 Colm Toibin novel), which turned out to be a perfect film to take my parents to — not violent, not racy, not action-packed, just nostalgic, and who can pass up that? Set in the 1950s, it’s about an Irish girl who comes to New York City and ultimately must choose between the two countries, boys, and the lives that exist within. Actress Saoirse Ronan does a great job as the innocent-eyed, conflicted immigrant. She seems to shine in these roles adapted from well-known novels; besides “Brooklyn,” Ronan’s also been in “The Lovely Bones” as the murdered girl in purgatory, and in “Atonement” as the tattle-tale, lying sister — who can forget that role? This time she’s quite a bit less nefarious and has grown up since those days. Have you seen “Brooklyn” and what did you think?

Meanwhile I’ve been looking at what’s coming out in January releases. This month, there’s new books by such popular authors as Melanie Benjamin, Sebastian Faulks, Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Hill, Chris Bohjalian, and Bill Bryson among others. Quite a good lineup, but I’ll probably need to narrow my sights, so I’ll likely grab Elizabeth Strout’s slim new novel “My Name Is Lucy Barton” as I’m a fan of her books and have read all of them so it’s not like I can pass this one up.

Besides Strout, there’s three books by debut novelists that have received considerable praise that I’m curious to check out. First, Sunil Yapa’s novel “Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist,” which is set amid Seattle’s 1999 World Trade Organization protests. Apparently it involves seven characters whose lives change forever over the course of one afternoon. From blurbs I’ve seen, the novel looks to be a pretty powerful and visceral read; some are calling it the first great read of 2016. Is it? Author Smith Henderson says it’s “a story that is as tragic as it is relevant, as unflinching as it is humane.” Hmm. I’ll have to read it to see.

“The Lightkeepers” by Abby Geni is another debut novel that I’m curious about. It’s about a nature photographer who takes a one-year residency on the exotic Farallon Islands off the coast of California. Need I say more? The Farallon Islands, people! I haven’t gotten over the Farallons since Susan Casey’s 2005 nonfiction book “The Devil’s Teeth.”) Anyways, the photographer’s only companions there are a group of scientists who are studying the birds and sharks. But after an assault and death occur on the island, each member falls under suspicion. “The Lightkeepers” sounds like a haunting adventure set against the backdrop of a wild and incredible habitat. I likely can’t pass it up.

Lastly in debut novels Garth Greenwell’s novel “What Belongs to You” is apparently about an American teacher who finds himself caught in a relationship with a hustler that causes him anguish and forces him to confront his fraught past and Southern childhood. Kirkus Reviews calls the novel “a luminous, searing exploration of desire, alienation, and the powerful tattoo of the past.” It might not be for everyone, but author Hanya Yanagihara hails it too — as well as all the reviews so far on Goodreads, which says it’s beautifully written. Hmm dark but worth a read?

As for movies in January, I’ll likely see Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Revenant” which is based partly on the 2002 novel by Michael Punke. I know it looks like a grisly (get the pun?) survival/revenge story set in the 1820s, but it was filmed near where we live — in our local mountains — so of course we’re going to see it; it’s full of nature scenes. I’ve heard the filming was quite hard on Leo; he was out there standing in freezing water and weather, gripes. And how did they film that scene with the grizzly? I’d like to know. Holy smokes I don’t want bad dreams of running into bears in the woods — as just this fall we had a grizzly on the trail up a ways in front of us. Luckily we went our own separate ways.

The other movie I might need to check out is the action-adventure with Chris Pine, Eric Bana, and Casey Affleck called “The Finest Hours,” which is about a death-defying 1952 Coast Guard rescue in stormy seas of workers on a couple of oil tankers. I’m not sure if the special effects of the high seas will ruin it and make it look too fake, but I usually have to revisit Eric Bana in anything he’s in, ever since his role in the film “Munich.” Add in Pine and Casey and you basically have a film. But we will see. And for now, I’m skipping the Benghazi film “13 Hours” because director Michael Bay has put out some terrible flicks over the years and I’m afraid that this might be more of the same.

Lastly for January, there’s not a lot of new album releases for the month: David Bowie is putting out “Blackstar,” Sia is putting out “This Is Acting,” and the Tedeschi Trucks Band is releasing “Let Me Get By.” All of which could be good, but I’ll pick little-known Tennessee bluegrass artist Sierra Hull with her fourth album “Weighted Mind” for my pick of the month.

What about you — which new books, movies, or albums are you most looking forward to this month?

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We had a fun time in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving at my sister’s. It was warm enough to go for some scenic walks, ride bikes, and take a boat ride — in addition to eating plenty of turkey and stuffing and visiting with my relatives. What a great place!

But it was a short, world-wind trip and now we’re back amid December with the whole Christmas season upon us. I’m hoping it won’t be too much of a mad rush, but it likely will. How was your Thanksgiving?

For books this month there’s only a couple coming out that I have my eye on. First off, I’m curious about Italian author Paolo Giordano’s new novel “Like Family” as a few years back I liked his offbeat debut novel “The Solitude of Prime Numbers,” which I heard the author read from at our city’s annual book festival. I would also like to read Giordano’s Afghanistan war novel “The Human Body,” which I missed somehow. But this new one, his third novel, is about an older woman who becomes a nanny and housekeeper for a couple about to have their first child. Over time she becomes essential to their small household but then later gets a cancer diagnosis that affects each family member in different ways. It sounds like a heartrending story and I’m game to find out more.

Secondly, I’m interested in checking out Matthew FitzSimmons’ debut thriller “The Short Drop” since a lot of readers have given it high marks for a suspense novel. I typically don’t read suspense thrillers but every once in awhile I’ll take the plunge if something is said to be a great ride — so to speak. This one is about the U.S. vice president’s missing daughter, which is a case that has remained unsolved for a decade. But now new evidence surfaces just as a legendary hacker and Marine is set to covertly investigate the case, while the VP is campaigning for the presidency. It sounds pretty juicy and might be a good fast read during this busy holiday season.

Meanwhile major movie season is upon us and this month brings a slew of new offerings to theaters. Much of the talk is about the return of “Star Wars” after a number of years absent with “The Force Awakens,” but I haven’t seen the franchise since “Return of the Jedi” in 1983 and I don’t plan to venture again to the galaxy far far away — even though the old crew of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher are reuniting for it. Who knows what shape they’ll appear, or what this latest script will bring forth.

After checking out the December film list, I don’t think there’s one movie that sticks out majorly to me but perhaps I’m most curious to see “In the Heart of the Sea” and “Macbeth” with Michael Fassbender. I hear some critics are ticked that Shakespeare’s lines have been cut in the new Macbeth film and that it focuses a lot on atmosphere and style but still I’m drawn to see it. I’m game to see most of the films Fassbender is in. He rocked in the “Steve Jobs” movie and so if he’s in this too, then all hail Macbeth that shall be king!

As for “In the Heart of the Sea,” most of Ron Howard’s films are usually quite good, and it’s based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 award-winning nonfiction book about the loss of the Whaleship Essex in the Pacific Ocean in 1820, so what more do you need? It’s an event that inspired Herman Melvin’s “Moby-Dick.” I still hope to read Philbrick’s book beforehand, which I should have done years ago. Chris Hemsworth as the lead character is not too shabby to look at either. I once sat through an entire rental of the crazy “Blackhat” movie because of Hemsworth, though I never got around to seeing him in “Thor” or “Rush.”

In other December movies, “Concussion” and “Joy” could be worth seeing, though it appears “Concussion” has received only a 65% critic approval rating so far on Rotten Tomatoes, so go figure. Bloggers seem to be liking the “Concussion” book though by Jeanne Marie Laskas. I’m not sure what to think of the movie “Joy,” which appears to be another David O. Russell film starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (more Silver Linings plus American Hustle stuff). Surprisingly the financial movie “The Big Short,” based on the book by Michael Lewis, has received high praise and a 78% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m not sure about wanting to see a financial flick at Christmas but the all-star acting cast of Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling could be worth seeing. There’s also a Michael Caine-Harvey Keitel buddy retirement movie set in the Swiss Alps called “Youth” that looks to be poignant and have a few laughs.

Lastly I will save talking about the Leo DiCaprio movie “The Revenant” till January when it comes out nationwide. Suffice it to say, the trailer of it slightly reminds me of the film “Jeremiah Johnson,” which I’ve seen half a dozen times, but on steroids perhaps, and I will likely have to see it. It looks pretty intense. But if you’re looking for a small but pretty entertaining film in December and January, you might check out “The Lady in the Van” with Maggie Smith. I saw it at our city’s film festival a couple months back and it’s a nice sleeper hit. Written by British playwright and author Alan Bennett, it tells the true story of an elderly woman who lived in a dilapidated van on Bennett’s driveway for 15 years. The movie is one of those quiet gems that’s not to be missed either as a home rental or as a matinee at the theater.

Lastly for new albums in December, I’m sure there’s a lot of great Christmas music out to get in to the holiday spirit. I usually play the same Christmas albums every year by Sarah McLachlan, Chris Isaak, and the soundtrack to “Love Actually” along with classical pieces to get me in the right mind-set. But for new, non-Christmas albums, I’ll pick Coldplay’s seventh studio album “A Head Full of Dreams” as my pick for the month.

What about you — which books, movies, or albums out this month are you most looking forward to?

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