February 9, 2010

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we started to think about the stories that have made us swoon. There are plenty of novels that have captured our hearts, classic and contemporary alike. We fell for Mr. Darcy and pined away for Clare. Here are some of our favorite love stories:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Atonement by Ian McEwan
A Very Long Engagement by Sebastian Japrisot
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
Love Story by Erich Segal
Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman
The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
Cheri; and, The Last of Cheri by Colette
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
Doctor Zhivagho by Boris Pasternak
Love In The Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
Possession by A.S. Byatt
Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Far From The Maddening Crowd by Thomas Hardy
History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Books about Haiti

Posted February 4, 2010

They say the greatest challenge in dealing with a crisis of the magnitude of Haiti's is that after the initial headlines slow down, people who are isolated from the problem tend to forget and move on. One way to keep Haiti in our thoughts is to include that country in our reading.

Fortunately, there is a rich legacy of literature about Haiti, as various sources have pointed out. Two writers have made just about everyone's list of essential reads about Haiti: Edwidge Danticat and Madison Smartt Bell. Danticat's memoir is strongly recommended, and of course her novel Breath, Eyes, Memory has been widely read, since it is a former Oprah Book Club pick. Madison Smartt Bell's historical trilogy gives a sweeping overview of the Haitian context, but his biography of Toussaint Louverture is also widely respected. Recommended next most often, Graham Greene's novel The Comedians concerns Haiti during the rule of Papa Doc. All titles have been strongly recommended.

Widely Recommended Titles about Haiti
All Souls Rising by Madison Smartt Bell
Masters of the Crossroads by Madison Smartt Bell
The Stone that the Builder Refused by Madison Smartt Bell
Toussaint Louverture: A Biography by Madison Smartt Bell
Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
The Agronomist (dvd) directed by Jonathan Demme
The Comedians by Graham Greene
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

Bravo, Beyonce!

Posted February 2, 2010

It was clear that Grammy night belonged to Beyonce who took home a record six statues including one for Best Contemporary R&B Album for I Am….Sasha Fierce. Fierce, indeed. However, Beyonce lost out on the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift for Fearless. And Zac Brown Band took home the Best New Artist Award. There were numerous other winners. Here are some of the award-winning albums from other categories you may have missed:

Best Alternative Album:
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix

Best R & B Album:
BLACKsummer's night by Maxwell

Best Electronic/Dance Album:
The Fame by Lady Gaga

Best Americana Album:
Electric Dirt by Levon Helm

Best Bluegrass Album:
The Crow by Steve Martin

Best Contemporary Blues Album:
Already Free by Derek Trucks Band

Best Contemporary Folk Album:
Townes by Steve Earle

Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album:
Lay Your Burden Down by Buckwheat Zydeco

Best Latin Pop Album:
Sin Frenos by La Quinta Estacion

Best Pop Instrumental Album:
Potato Hole by Booker T.

Check out the full list winners here.

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