Sunday, August 7, 2011

Personal Wreck Week: List #1

***For the Friend Who Needs an Update on a Rec. List That's Now Several Years Old***

(Dear friend --- with one exception, I have not repeated any items from the earlier list. If you've already read/watched any of these, let me know, and I'll try to swap in a replacement.)

Click on Rec. #s (where available) for more information. The other recommendations will eventually get their own posts, as well.


To Read

1. Saturday Night, by Susan Orlean (Rec. #15): You'll love the cross-country armchair travel as seen through Orlean's eyes.

2. Guys and Dolls, by Damon Runyon (Rec. #44): Approach this as you would approach Wodehouse.

3. The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim (Rec. #113): How did you not read this before you went to Italy earlier this year? How? How?

4. Bad Machinery, by John Allison (Rec. #138): You will appreciate and enjoy this sense of humor. And then you will become addicted. Ha!

5. Uncertain Voyage, by Dorothy Gilman (Rec. #167): Gilman writes some retro-fun introspective action-suspense.


6. Loves Lies Bleeding, by Edmund Crispin: This mystery features a blackmailing dog. Enough said.

7. The Semi-Attached Couple, Emily Eden: It's a comedy in the vein of Jane Austen and it's in the public domain.

8. Gentlemen and Players, by Joanne Harris: This psychological suspense novel is set at an elite British boys school.

9. The Angel's Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón: You must, must, must get the audio version as read by Dan Stevens. Trust me.

10. The Ivy Tree, by Mary Stewart: Stewart's story of an elaborate con is beautifully plotted and deliciously written.



To Watch

1. Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (Rec. #108): You'll come for the accents and stay for the story.

2. East Is East (Rec. #163): It's either a comedy with a serious side or a drama with laughs. You decide.

3. Berkeley Square: This miniseries will amply fill any costume drama gap in your life right now.

4. Desert Flower: You might have missed this film when it was released in U.S. theaters earlier this year --- it's a depressing/uplifting true story.

5. Young @ Heart: Old people singing Sonic Youth!

3 comments:

  1. What a fantastic list for this person! I'm sure she'll add everything to her to-be-read/watched list. I believe this person owns but has not read Gentleman and Players. I also believe that she has already read the Angel's Game, though she has not listened to the audio, so she might have to remedy that. I mean, that's what I hear...

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  2. Oh no, The Angel's Game must be listened to. It is worth the whole 13 discs just to hear Dan Stevens say the word "flesh."

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  3. Done and done -- I'll add the audio book to my list!

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