I'd never heard of Iris Dement before this album. And I'll be honest, I judged it for the cover. I wanted to hear what kind of music this woman was making. It was like going back in time. This is country music of the purest kind, made in 2012. It is beautiful, mournful and honest. It is sad, and joyful and brutal. If you only listen to one song, make it, "The Night I Learned How Not to Pray". This song will sit on your heart for days. It is the essence of country music - the yearning, sacrifice and pain that we go through in our lives. All of us. This music might not be for everyone - but Iris Dement is for me. I love this artist.
Remember, remember, the 5th of November.
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
I know of no reason, why the Gunpowder Treason.
Should ever be forgot.
Every year, on the 5th of Neover, I and anyone who wants to, watch V for Vendetta. I'm not British, and I'm not sure I have a real appreciation for Guy Fawkes Day. But V for Vendetta is one of my all time favorite movies. Top ten. This show has everything. Great acting, writing, costumes, music and of course, storytelling. I sometimes will show an edited version in my government classes. It doesn't matter how many times I see it, I can still go home and watch it again.
Democracy is fragile. It is up to us to maintain it. We must vote. We must be involved, because if we allow politicians to run our country, then we're not really a democracy anymore. This movie reminds me of the most important political point...
"People shouldn't be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
One of the craziest, coolest books I've read in a long time. A dizzying mixture of science fiction and detective noir. Takeshi Kovachs is a detective in a future where saving your consciousness is as easy as removing a battery from your spine. Your body dies, no problem, unload it, and load it into a new sleeve (the future term for body). So murder is nearly impossible. Kovachs is hired to solve the murder of his employer who has already resleeved and insists he was murdered rather than committed suicide as the police contend. A book well worth your time.
Important Note: This is detective noir at its finest; which means sex and swearing. If either of those bother you, don't bother with this book.
I've never listened to a Kaki King album until this one. I knew about King from the movie August Rush - an incredible story about a boy, alone in the world, connected to his lost parents through music. The music in the movie is beautiful and unique. For some reason I felt compelled to listen to Glow and I wasn't disappointed. This CD is full of lush, complex songs that defy categories. It is just gorgeously composed, intricately performed, instrumental music that fills your ears with beauty. It's a CD that can easily be listened to in the background, or actively for its complexity. I could not recommend this CD more highly, to anyone. This isn't a gender, or genre specific album. It's for everyone and it changed the way I listen to music. Absolutely worth your time and your money.
Netflix has changed the way many of us watch TV. A lot of us would prefer to watch an entire season than wait from episode to episode and suffer through irritating commercials. And then there are shows like Blue Bloods. Despite how much I dislike CBS and their not sharing their shows with Hulu and despite that their annoyingly loud commercials that often are glitchy, I still watch Blue Bloods. I love this show.
Its premise is simple, a family of cops and lawyers, often on different sides of an issue, fight for what they think is right. The thing that makes me come back week after week is that the shows are tightly scripted, well acted, and are provocative in their themes. Each week the family struggles with justice, honor, integrity and commitment. Right now, if you made me choose from the few shows I still watch on Hulu, or from the networks themselves, it would be Blue Bloods.
There is something about a formula. It's comforting. Like a Sunday meal at your parents house. You know it won't be surprising, but it will be satisfying. That's Vince Flynn and his Mitch Rapp books. Mitch Rapp is America's killing machine; a 007 without the flashy gadgets. He knows who America's enemies are and he's in the world to kill them. Simple.
In this book we've gone back in time to see how Rapp came into being. He's in France and he's taking out one of America's biggest problem terrorists at the time - Libya. But there's a problem, they know he's coming. Rapp finds himself trapped, injured and alone, wondering who set him up and who he can trust.
The book is fun and fulfilling - like a Sunday meal at your parents house. It just isn't surprising. Rapp makes it through and the bad guys loose. Did I spoil desert?
I am a huge Harry Bosch fan. If he were real I'd donate to his campaign, even though he would be a terrible politician. Which is one of the reasons I really like him. He says what he means and often he doesn't say anything at all. In this book we continue following Bosch as he's now retired from the police force and is cleaning up an old case that is bothering him. Encouraged by another ex-cop who could never finish the case, Bosch goes in search of some answers, and as is often the case, he is warned off and threatened, which only makes him more curious. The case goes deeper and further back than he had anticipated. As he pursues the leads he comes back into contact with his ex wife who he still bleeds for, and an old FBI colleague who also wants to know the end of the case. Bosch gets to the bottom as always. This was one of my least favorite Bosch novels, but that is like saying it was one of my least favorite pieces of pizza. I still love it. I still want more. I still can't wait for the next one.
