Read, Watch, Listen

I've been thinking a lot about new content that I want to bring to the blog, and one of the things that I really wanted to include more of was recommendations for media that I've been enjoying recently. Instead of doing full scale reviews, I figured I would try something a little more low key. Hence: Read, Watch, Listen. 

Read: Uprooted by Naomi Novik. This is one of the best books that I've read recently. I honestly didn't want to put it down! Start with a basic fairytale premise - a dragon, a girl in a tower, a malicious Wood - and then give it new depth and life. Give the heroine wit and charm and a real voice and will of her own. Make the Dragon a wizard, not cruel but merely cold and disconnected. Turn the Wood from a setting into a character, a tragic, vicious, and above all unique villain. Beautifully written and full of distinctive character, I would recommend it to anyone interested in a great novel about strength, fear, love, and female friendship.

Watch: UnReal. The second season of this stellar show (from Lifetime, of all places) promises to up the ante on their stinging critique of reality TV, particularly The Bachelor. I held off watching the first season for quite a while, wondering how good a show from Lifetime could possibly be. The answer - very.

Listen: The B-52s - The B-52s. This album basically is summer to me. How could it not be with a song like Rock Lobster? I love the bouncy, beachy beats, the offbeat vocals, and how they still feel so modern and fresh, despite the fact that this album is nearly 40 years old.

So... read any good books lately?