Things I've enjoyed lately.

1. The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon.

Take the Warsaw Ghetto, make it cool and contemporary, fill it with interesting people with fully fleshed out backgrounds, then move it to Alaska.
Excellent alt-history hardboiled detective novel, and well worth the read. Knowledge of Yiddish and Judaism is helpful, but not at all necessary. If you read it and have questions, feel free to ping me. :-)

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book, since I've never quite been able to enjoy Michael Chabon's work before now. (Kavalier and Clay failed to hold my attention.)

(How many alt-history hardboiled detective novels are there, anyways?)

2. The complete set of Star Wars Radio dramas.

This was part of Aliza's Hanukah present to me this year. In the early eighties, NPR made audio drama versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, but didn't make Return of the Jedi because of financial issues (ROTJ was finally made in 1996). Most of the cast of the movies is absent (with Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams being the only exceptions), so you get to enjoy other actors' takes on the roles. The stories are expanded greatly (Star Wars is 7 (!) CDs long, Empire 5, and Jedi 3), and are lots of fun to listen to.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt

Aliza and I saw Benjamin Button on New Year's Day. It's a captivating, well-acted story with a fantastic cast. The ending made me sad, even if it was expected. It's a long movie, clocking in at three hours, so make a bathroom pitstop beforehand.

WHat have you been enjoying lately?

Things I've enjoyed lately.

1. The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon.

Take the Warsaw Ghetto, make it cool and contemporary, fill it with interesting people with fully fleshed out backgrounds, then move it to Alaska.
Excellent alt-history hardboiled detective novel, and well worth the read. Knowledge of Yiddish and Judaism is helpful, but not at all necessary. If you read it and have questions, feel free to ping me. :-)

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book, since I've never quite been able to enjoy Michael Chabon's work before now. (Kavalier and Clay failed to hold my attention.)

(How many alt-history hardboiled detective novels are there, anyways?)

2. The complete set of Star Wars Radio dramas.

This was part of Aliza's Hanukah present to me this year. In the early eighties, NPR made audio drama versions of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, but didn't make Return of the Jedi because of financial issues (ROTJ was finally made in 1996). Most of the cast of the movies is absent (with Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Billy Dee Williams being the only exceptions), so you get to enjoy other actors' takes on the roles. The stories are expanded greatly (Star Wars is 7 (!) CDs long, Empire 5, and Jedi 3), and are lots of fun to listen to.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt

Aliza and I saw Benjamin Button on New Year's Day. It's a captivating, well-acted story with a fantastic cast. The ending made me sad, even if it was expected. It's a long movie, clocking in at three hours, so make a bathroom pitstop beforehand.

WHat have you been enjoying lately?