58 Books in 52 Weeks

In January, I decided that my New Year's resolution would consist of reading 52 books in 52 weeks. Although the notion of reading a book a week seemed daunting at first, it eventually became rather comforting.  In fact, overtime, I felt somewhat figety or naked without a book in my hand.  As of today, I have surpassed my ambitious expectations by reading 58 books in 52 weeks.

Throughout our distressing year in rather volatile political circumstances, I have traveled to several different asteroids, the Pacific Crest Trail, and Hogwarts.  I have entered the minds of writers who have succumbed to loss but also secured victory.  I was there to share these moments both fictional and real with an ever growing sense of empathy.

I would highly recommend this triumphant challenge to you dear reader, whoever you may be.  Regardless of where you are in life, I truly believe that you can benefit greatly from this pleasurable task.  With that said, here is my comprehensive (and glorious) list of all of the books I have consumed in the last 52 weeks:

1.  The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

For lovers of: sunsets, loneliness and philosophy 

2.  Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: mind reeling non-fiction

3.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed 

For lovers of: Jon Krakauer, bucket lists and new beginnings

4.  Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

For lovers of: Gone Girl, beach reads

5.  Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

For lovers of: Africana critical theory

6.  The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

For lovers of: Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie"

7.  Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris 

For lovers of: humorous essays featuring redneck families, early speech therapy fiascos, and living abroad in France

8.  Life of Pi - Yann Martel

For lovers of: spiritual magical realism

9.  The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 

For lovers of: Downton Abby, the emotionally repressed

10.  The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

For lovers of: absurd but strangely engaging love stories

11.  Modern Romance - Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg

For lovers of: sociology, witty celebrity memoirs and self help books

12.  White Teeth - Zadie Smith

For lovers of: a solid debut novel

13.  The Death of Ivan Iiyich - Leo Tolstoy 

For lovers of: compelling deathbed reads

14.  The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

For lovers of: campy page turners

15.  One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey

For lovers of: classic mental asylum novels

16.  Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg 

For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for the laaaaadies

17.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: boarding schools, wizardry and quadditch

18.  The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates - Wes Moore

For lovers of: nature vs nurture

19.  Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

For lovers of: the movie "Apocalypse Now"

20.  What the Dog Saw - Malcolm Gladwell

For lovers of: both The New Yorker and Malcolm Gladwell

21.  Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 

For lovers of: Jane Austen, PBS and tea time

22.  The Bridge of San Luis Rey - Thornton Wilder 

For lovers of: divine intervention, historical fiction

23.  Dark Places - Gillian Flynn 

For lovers of: rural mysteries, female psychological protagonists

24.  Gilead - Marilynne Robinson

For lovers of: Non-preachy religious literary fiction

25.  The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

For lovers of: Books that blur the lines between fiction and memoir

26.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: house elves and enchanted car rides

27.  The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

For lovers of: marriage and honest memoirs dealing with loss

28.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

For lovers of: Hogsmeade, Firebolts and butter beer

29.  Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 

For lovers of: novels that are simultaneously unsettling and serene

30.  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: world cups, playful gnomes and reliving those awkward awkward days of adolescence


31.  Everyman - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: existential crisises


32.  The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
For lovers of: children's fantasy literature


33.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: freedom of speech and endurance


34.  Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth
For lovers of: edgy 1960's coming of age novels


35.  The Last Tycoon - F. Scott Fitzgerald
For lovers of: show biz romance novels

36.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: slightly more mature elements in their children's literature


37.  Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
For lovers of: video game dystopian novels


38.  How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
For lovers of: common knowledge


39.  I Hunt Killers - Barry Lyga
For lovers of: pulp(ish) young adult fiction


40.  Designing Your Life - Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
For lovers of: career-driven self help books....for anyone who hasn't found their calling


41.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
For lovers of: Snape, good vs. evil, a fulfilling climax to a long-awaited conclusion


42.  Funny Girl - Nick Hornby
For lovers of: man-boy fiction...for women


43.  Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell
For lovers of: cold, cold 'country noir.'


44.  The Fall - Albert Camus
For lovers of: existential 'what does it all mean' late night reads


45. DJ Shadow's Endtroducing (33 1/3) - Eliot Wilder
For lovers of: the album none other than 'Endtroducing'


46.  Girl in a Band - Kim Gordon
For lovers of: women who rock


47.  Maus - Art Spiegalman
For lovers of: comic book memoirs for history buffs


48.  A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgress
For lovers of: droogs, pol, dratsing, oh and free will


49.  Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
For lovers of: precocious family narratives

50.  Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: mesmerizing but haunting literary fiction


51.  Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
For lovers of: tragic novellas


52.  Navel Gazing - Michael Ian Black
For lovers of: (anyone who enjoys complaining about aging)


53.  One More Thing - B.J. Novak
For lovers of: comedic short stories


54.  White Noise - Don DeLillo
For lovers of: contemporary(ish) satire


55.  The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
For lovers of: the arts and the fountain of youth

56.  Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
For lovers of: graphic novels directed towards prototype hipsters


57.  The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
For lovers of: NPR, Whit Stillman and love triangles


58.  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
For lovers of: logic and whimsy



See also:

Books Read in 2014
Books Read in 2015

Which books did you read this year?

Top Albums and Singles of 2016

It has been difficult to remain optimistic in 2016.  Having lost more than a handful of prominent artists like David Bowie, Prince, Phife Dawg, Leonard Cohen, and Sharon Jones, one may wonder if the next crop of performers are capable of making an indelible footprint.  Along with the demise of some of America's most respected musicians, many critics are pondering the future of several influential genres including rock 'n' roll.

Speaking of 'the future'.....

It would be nearly impossible to talk about this year in music without talking politics.  I think it's safe to say that none of us have witnessed an election as vile and unsettling during our lifetimes.  Naturally, through this unpredicable upheaval, our nation's music has reflected our anxiety through a number of inspired protest songs.   We may not know what our future holds with Trump in office, but I am certain that today's artists will continue to churn out some artistically perceptive anthems.

Top 5 Albums

1.  Blackstar - David Bowie

2.  case/lang/veirs - case/lang/veirs 

3.  You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen

4. Paging Mr. Proust - The Jayhawks

5.  We Got It From Here.... - A Tribe Called Quest

Top 40 Singles

1.  Changes - Charles Bradley

2.  Celebrate - Anderson .Paak

3.  We The People - A Tribe Called Quest

4.  The Valley - Mayer Hawthorne

5.  Shut Up, Kiss Me, Hold Me Tight - Angel Olsen

6.  Safe And Sound - Justice

7.  I Can't Give It All Away - David Bowie

8.  Dark Child - Marlon Williams

9.  In Bloom  - Sturgill Simpson

10.  Wow - Beck

11.  Little Baby - M. Ward

12.  Tearing Me Up - Bob Moses

13.  Face Down In The Gutter of Your Love - Dent May

14.  You Want It Darker - Leonard Cohen

15.  Real Love - Father John Misty

16.  Capsized - Andrew Bird

17.  Certainty - Temples

18.  If I Ever Was A Child - Wilco

19.  Frank Sinatra - The Avalanches

20.  Run Sister Run - Cass McCombs

21.  Quite Like You - Andy Shauf

22.  Atomic Number - Case/Lang/Veirs

23.  City of Angels - The Head and the Heart

24.  Theme for a Taiwanese Woman in Lime Green - Devendra Banhart

25.  Burn The Witch - Radiohead

26.  These Words - The Lemon Twigs

27.   Lovers In The Sun - Jayhawks

28.  Same Old Lie - Jim James

29.  When A Woman Is Around - Unloved

30.  Wanted To Want It Too - C Duncan

31.  Noisy Days Are Over - Field Music

32.  Break Into Your Heart - Iggy Pop

33.  Tesselation - Mild High Club

34.  Sea of Noise - St. Paul & The Broken Bones

35.  Four Degrees - Anohni

36.  Cranes In The Sky - Solange

37.  Can't You Tell - Aimee Mann

38.  Whatever, Wherever - Band of Horses

39.  Glowed Up - Kaytranada ft. Anderson .Paak

40.  A 1000 Times - Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam

What have I missed this year?  Include your top albums in the 'comments' section.

See also: Top Albums and Singles for 2015
Top Albums and Singles of 2014

Election Season Pick-Me-Upper

When you scan the news, it appears as though every article features headlines starring Trump or Clinton.

It's difficult to avoid political trash talk at the water cooler or dinner table.  In fact, it's impossible to avoid hearing about these strong-willed candidates unless you take a technology detox or nearly avoid all human contact.

Take a deep breath.  We have yet one more week left of this vicious election cycle, so instead of sulking about, why not peep some adorably hilarious golden retriever clips?

Oh, and by the way....you're welcome.

 

The Funniest or Most Accurate Presidential Debate Tweets

Photo Source: www.kktv.com

Television networks have anticipated viewership for the first of three 2016 presidential debates to skyrocket to 100 million; which is comparable to Super Bowl audiences.  Although I don't have the Nielsen results from tonight's debate, I can definitely attest that the presidential discourse functioned like a hair-raising football game.  The contentious tension between both opponents proved that neither was afraid to play dirty.  Fans of the political sport took to Twitter to provide a vivid play by play of the (death) match.  I have curated a few of the funniest or most accurate tweets for comic relief. 

See also:  The Best Irreverent Trump Tweets

Digital Scrapbook: New City New Life

I can't tell you how many blog posts I've read that issue the disclaimer: "I'm sorry I haven't been blogging.  I've been so busy....yada yada yada."  

I'm not entirely sure if I should apologize to said readers because I haven't the slightest notion if anyone has actually noticed or cared about my blogosphere absence.  (Trust me, this is clearly a pragmatic realization and not a pity statement.  With 1 billion websites out there, who am I to hold one's interest regularly?)  Fortunately, I realized my "busyness" could translate into a solid new post.  

For the past two years, I had been living in a desert ghost town in the middle of the Imperial Valley.  With the highest unemployment in the entire country, El Centro has been denounced as one of the most miserable places to live.

This summer, (to my relief), my husband and I have relocated to Sacramento for his new teaching job.  Moving nine hours away, apartment hunting and having your car totaled by a reckless driver is more than enough to keep one preoccupied for a month or two.  

It hasn't even been a month in my our new home, but I feel like a child exploring new terrains for the first time.   When you have been locked inside your apartment due to 118 degree desert heat, you almost forget what the outside world looks like, apart from what you've seen on television.  

So here's to new signs of culture.  Here's to not having to search for a job, but a career instead.  Here's to a new city, and new life.  

Digital Scrapbook

Exploring The American River Bike trail

The touristy (but still charming) Old Town

Wandering through the historic district and urban neighborhood Midtown

Discovering my new favorite Sacramento coffee shop - Temple Coffee Roasters

.....and crashing at home after an eventful and satisfying day

GUEST POST: British Rock's Response to Brexit

Everybody and their cousins across the pond have an opinion about the recent Brexit vote. Whatever your feelings, British rock - a staple mesh of genres across the decades - has apparently been anticipating this event for a while now. And in classic rock fashion, it has responded.

1. Moving to LA - Art Brut

Art Brut delivers a catchy breakup song perfect for Brexit - the penultimate decoupling. If the English weather and disdain for regulations gets you down, just get deported - to LA! Fantasies will come true, clothing will come off - it’s all possible in the City of Angels. You’ll be able to let loose and leave the U.K. to it’s own problems - drinking with Morrissey on a California beach. Sounds better than renegotiating trade deals.

2. Australia - The Kinks  

Why stay in a dilapidated ex-empire when you can sun it up in the colonies? This one keeps the island motif of the U.K. but with kangaroos. Australia sounds pretty nice - sun, surfing, opportunity. It also doesn’t like immigrants - just like the U.K.! Davies and crew paint a sonic picture of the continent that is also a country - almost convincing you to immigrate (but then you remember the child sized spiders).

3. Subterranean Homesick Alien - Radiohead

Stiff upper lip and all - but backing out of the common European market was an uptight move. Radiohead knows this type - they basically inhabit this planet. Thom Yorke laments the sad state of the Earth in 1996 which perfectly mirrors the miserable Brexit mood. He wishes aliens would just take him away. Don’t we all - don’t most British now? Well, not most, just 47.5%.

4. Move On - David Bowie

Always the icon, David Bowie was consistently ahead of his time. He also “moved on” from the jolly U.K. early. A New Yorker from 1992 to his death, Bowie left his home island - probably precogniscent of Brexit, right? He sang about this feeling on a track he recorded in Switzerland about wanderlust. He’s just a “traveling man” - which would be harder having to present a passport at the border. Bowie sings about his favorite haunts abroad and someone calling him to leave in the song - maybe it’s Boris Johnson.

-- British Jeff

Music Discovery Mondays - What Will Be This Year's Summer Anthem?

Image Source: FactMag 

What makes a summer anthem?  To most, summer symbolizes long hazy sunny days, vacation, weddings, bbq parties, beach parties....really just parties in general.  With that said, a summer anthem needs to typify our social gatherings.  It needs to be decidedly catchy and danceable.  I have selected three contenders that could easily qualify as this summer's anthem.  Let me know which song you think will be the song of the summer.

1.  Wow - Beck

Beck's music is like an eclectic box of chocolate.  You never know what you're gonna get.  After winning a grammy for his somber and reflective 2014 album 'Morning Phase', Beck is ready this summer to 'giddy up' and take on the responsibility of turning out infectious grooves.  His latest single 'Wow,' is no exception.

2.  Frankie Sinatra - The Avalanches

The Avalanches, an Australian electronic group earned international appeal with their 2000 album 'Since I Left You.'  Since that time, however, The Avalanches haven't left us with any new albums to enjoy...until now that is.  After a sixteen year hiatus, the Avalanches are back with a new album 'Wildflower,' and a new electro/calypso single titled 'Frankie' that will surely earworm its way into your noggin.  

3.  Can't Stop The Feeling

I never thought I would select a Justin Timberlake ditty on my blog, but it is so apparent he wants this year's 'Song of the Summer' title so badly.  With a feel-good vibe and music video that heavily resembles Pharrell Williams' 2013 hit 'Happy,' Timberlake is practically asking you to place this track on your summer wedding playlist.  

The Best Movies You Aren't Watching On Netflix - Volume 6

            Photo Credit: Babble

As of yesterday, it has been announced that Netflix will hold exclusive rights to stream Disney movies.  This coveted deal also includes movies from Disney's subsidiaries Marvel, Pixar, and Lucasfilm.  If you aren't already a Netflix subscriber, you very well may succumb if you have young children or claim to be a Disney fiend yourself.  For current subscribers, I present to you a list of movies to keep you preoccupied through this September.

Children & Family

E.T.

The Princess Bride

The Walt Disney Short Films Collection

Comedies

Best Man Holiday

John Mulaney - The Comeback Kid

Tangerine 

Documentaries

Batkid

The True Cost

Indie Game

Dramas

Great Expectations (1998)

Erin Brockovich

Chocolat

Foreign 

The Visitors

Two Days, One Night

Infernal Affairs (Inspiration for The Departed)

Musicals

The Last Five Years

Begin Again

The Young Girls of Rocheford

Action/Thrillers

Primal Fear

Witness

Unforgiven

Don't forget to check out former volumes: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5

Music Discovery Mondays - New Soul Music

                                                      Photo Credit: Cascade Tickets

I can't think of any other genre that gives me 'the feels' quite like soul music.  Sometimes it appears as if these musical artists will burst unless they get something off their chest...and music is their only outlet or valid source of communication.  I don't know about you, but I can certainly relate.

Fortunately, there is still a market for soul music, or really any genre for that matter if you look hard enough.  Whether you need a cathartic cry or a new hook to groove to, look no further than some new tracks listed below.

1.  Changes - Charles Bradley

At 67 years old, Charles Bradley proves that it's never too old to follow your dreams.  With three albums under his belt, Bradley is just now finding his voice.  Even if that means covering the Black Sabbath single "Changes," and making it entirely his own.  This version will make you ask, "Ozzy who?"

2.  This Is Where We Came In - The James Hunter Six

Hailing from Essex, England, James Hunter knows how to capture the true essence of blue-eyed soul.  With a new album, Hold On!, released on the prized soul label Daptone Records, you know you will hearing a lot more from this sextet.  

3.  Get You Back - Mayer Hawthorne

Longtime favorite of mine, Mayer Hawthorne has released his fourth studio album, Man About Town that harks back to his first album.  Need more crooning to go along with your swooning?  Be sure to watch his noir-influenced music video trilogy.   

Top 11 Most Relatable Anna Kendrick Tweets

Image Source: Adweek

Apparently celebrities are just like us!  They put their pants on one leg at a time.  (Even if those pants cost a whopping $800).  Sometimes Twitter is a reminder that all of us mere mortal beings occasionally struggle with a unhealthy relationship with carbs, awkward human interactions and the perils of adulthood.

On her Twitter account, actress Anna Kendrick seems to explicitly say what you've been thinking at one time or another.  Listed below are 11 of her most relatable tweets.

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See also: 

Best Tweets Using the Make a Movie Hip Hashtag

The Funniest Tweets Using the I Still Facebook Because Hashtag

The Best Irreverent Donald Trump Tweets

The Best Tweets Using the Rachel Dolezal Hashtag

Funniest Tweets Using the Hipster Crimes Hashtag