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December 29, 2006
Shorties
The Australian profiles television cook and author Nigella Lawson, the "goddess of gastroporn."
In cookery writing she discovered another way of relating to the world: not only "channelling normal obsessions and greed", but continuing a sort of dialogue with her sister and mother. Her second book, How to be a Domestic Goddess, made her a star and author of the year at the 2001 British Book Awards. The title was a joke, she insisted to little avail: "I lurch from chaos to chaos. I can't find my driving licence and my clothes are everywhere - cooking is the neatest thing I do."
The Independent's music critics list their favorite albums of 2006.
NPR's Five for Friday offers a collection of "lists with a twist for 2006."
Craig Finn of the Hold Steady talks to the Indianapolis Star.
"One of the things about nostalgia is the way people try to remember the American teenage experience," Finn said. "What I'm trying to do is bring up the idea that 17 isn't always the wind rushing through your hair in a convertible with a beautiful girl. It can also be painful or embarrassing. I think you feel things a lot bigger than they are, and it's a great time to write about."
Reading Rants! lists "Historical Fiction for Hipsters: Stories from the past that won't make you snore."
At the Oxford American website, author Cintra Wilson interviews musician-author Richard Hell.
CW: Does punkish decadence still inspire you?
RH: Well, “punk” is decadent in that it’s comparable to the barbarians overrunning the empire. But it’s the empire that’s decadent, not the punks.
Wired News recaps the year in video games.
Minnesota Public Radio profiles the non-profit literary press, Graywolf Press, and its $1 million fundraising campaign.
Southern Voice lists the year's best gay-related books.
Canadian singer-songwriter Angela Desveaux talks to Harp about her songwriting.
“I enjoyed a lot of the stuff I was doing in bands like the Sonny Best Band, but when it came to my own songs, I couldn’t write that way,” she says. “Most of the music in the other bands was very upbeat, and I find it easier to write downbeat songs than happy ones. If I never had to perform in front of an audience, I’d write nothing but sad songs, but people need to have something more affirming when you’re playing live.”
NPR profiles legendary children's author Beatrix Potter.
OC Weekly lists this year's "British invasion" bands.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune lists the best and worst local music of the year.
OC Weekly explains how you, too, can learn to like musical theater.
Most people say musicals suck because the propensity for characters to suddenly break into song doesn’t resemble real life. Well, circumstances have recently landed me in the audience at several Orange County musicals, and so I believe I am speaking with some authority when I say right back: of course musicals don’t resemble real life.
Except for when they do . . . and I don’t know about you, but I’ve just about always got a song in my head, if not my heart, and it’s usually driving me nuts, not to mention what it does to others when one of those songs suddenly escapes my lips. And I hate it when people sing along with the car radio. So it turns out that musicals are very much like a part of real life. It’s just a part I don’t tend to like very much.
The Irish Times previews 2007's crop of music releases.
The Los Angeles Times recaps the year in books.
PrideSource lists the year's best fiction books.
2x3x7 lists the best books published in 2006.
The Rich Girls Are Weeping lists the ten albums they liked best in 2006.
Investigatia lists the year's top ten Creative Commons music releases.
Robert Pollard's second comedy album, Meet the King: Asshole 2 (vinyl only) is on sale now.
see also:
Largehearted Boy's favorite albums of 2006
2006 Year-end Music List Compilation
this week's CD & DVD releases
