Archive | Book Matters
I wake with the sun. The air is as sweet as it ever gets in Brooklyn; the early morning, as gentle and warm. My permakitten creeps next to me on our fire escape and together we study the city, so pretty while it sleeps. And yet. I keep thinking about how easily sweet the air was in the Sunshine Noir: A 5-Film Primer
It’s that time of year again. Technically it’s spring, but less technically it’s “sprintertime,” in which the weather, somedays cold and gray, still feels an awful lot like wintertime. The best way to cure such April blues? Sunshine noir films, in which the typically dark and shadowy film noir genre – all private eyes, drifters, con men, and love triangles – are dragged into the sunlight, just like we want to be. Here are some iconic examples of the genre, all of which are book adaptations. Continue Reading →
The Horse’s Mouth: 5 Celeb-Read Memoirs
I like podcasts as much as the next girl, but sometimes audiobooks are best; they are long enough to last a whole journey, and unencumbered by the “you knows” and “likes” that are impossible to utterly omit in extemporaneous speech. I have a special soft spot in my heart for celeb memoirs read by their authors. Sparkling performances, juicy dish: The best ones may not be Jane Austen but are sure to keep you awake at the wheel. Here are some of my favorites.
Celebrate the Dreamer in You by Dolly Parton
I don’t trust people who don’t like Dolly Parton. A sweet, smart survivor, she’s one of the brightest lights in contemporary entertainment. She’s also one of the most quotable (“I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb, and I also know that I’m not blonde”), though her spirit is too pure to be dismissed as camp. Here she reads her inspirational tome in such bubbly, confiding cadences that you start to believe that you, too, can grow up dirt-poor and go on to own an amusement park, record best-selling albums, launch a Broadway show, and singlehandedly improve literacy rates in your home state. Bonus: Mz. Parton sings on this audio-tome as well. Continue Reading →