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By Crystal, January 18, 2011

According to the official tourism board for the region, Scandinavia consists of the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.    I’ve found some very interesting facts about Scandinavia.  Their cuisine consists of  more than just pickled herring!  Scandinavians experience some of the most breathtaking views of the Northern Lights.  And of particular importance to me, much of the world’s best dance and pop music hails from these countries!

The Danish pop band Alphabeat has reportedly relocated to London, but their cheerfully playful dance-pop tracks remain inspired by fellow Scandinavian band ABBA. ESSENTIAL tracks: Fascination, Public Image.

Although NPL doesn’t own any pop music from Finland, we have plenty recordings of this famous classical composer‘s body of work, known especially for his symphonies.

Bjork became a singing sensation in her native Iceland by age 11, and was in several bands (including the Sugarcubes) before she launched a solo career.   Her famous voice can go from a whisper to a roar  in just a few notes.   ESSENTIAL tracks:  Human Behavior, Hyperballad, Pagan Poetry.

Norway‘s Annie works with some of the scene’s hottest producers to combine her sweet vocals with tasty beats, creating some of the most catchy dance pop on rotation. ESSENTIAL tracks:  Chewing Gum, I Don’t Like Your Band.

Lately all I’ve been listening to is Sweden‘s Robyn.  Already an international pop star, Robyn is fast gaining attention in the U.S.  Tag her music as deeply confessional, danceable, and happily infectious!   ESSENTIAL tracks:  Do You Know (What It Takes) – available as a download on freegal, Dancing On My Own.

And speaking of  dancing, if you aren’t yet, you will be after watching this video.

[youtube dMH0bHeiRNg 300 193]

-crystal

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By Beth, January 12, 2011

If you like the addictive, almost tall-tale quality of The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses, try Catherine Gildiner’s two memoirs: Too Close to the Falls and After the Falls.  The subject matter is different (a girl growing up in 1950’s New York State), but the rapid-fire, whirlwind writing style is the same.

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By Bryan, January 11, 2011

Drop City
by T.C. Boyle

Considering the on-going cultural paradigm shift from smog to green, processed to whole foods, and suburban super-sizing to frugal back-to-basics living, it seems a perfect time to revisit T.C. Boyle’s 2003 novel Drop City. Inspired by the 1960s intentional community of the same name, Drop City chronicles the relocation of a scatterbrained hippy commune to a tough-as-nails Alaska town. This bout of space cadet v. fur trapper is decidedly not Northern Exposure. There are clash of cultures and exchange of bullets. Positive and negative aspects of man’s attempts to return to nature are explored: the hypocrisy, the reality, the pain of it all. The book features a cavalcade of heart-warming (or heart-wrenching) societal drop outs, each with a different means to the same end: unplugging from the society of the spectacle. Boyle manages to simultaneously explain the rise of both Whole Foods Market and Sarah Palin in popular consciousness. It is best book I’ve read so far in 2011. The bar is now high.

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By Bryan, January 10, 2011

Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom was definitely the it book of 2010. If you enjoyed Freedom, or his previous novel, The Corrections, you might enjoy some of these other literary dramas about families that try to do right but things just fall apart and/or explode in their faces. Some of these titles have a satirical bent, while others are more straight-laced. Remember though, no matter what you choose to read, your kids will read the opposite.

Check out Jonathan Franzen Read-a-likes.

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By Kyle, January 6, 2011

The Veteran
by Frederick Forsyth

I have to admit that this audio book was chosen only because I was desperate for something I hadn’t already heard/read for the daily commute. Oh, but what an excellent choice this turned out to be.

The Veteran is a collection of five longish short stories that absolutely grab you from the very beginning of each selection. The stories are as varied as their locale – from the seedy side of London to the mountains of Montana. Forsyth is a master at crafting stories with intricate plots which are populated with wonderfully developed characters in which the choice of the setting becomes almost a primary character. The suspense and mystery, along with the occasional ‘O. Henry’ like twists of plot, caused me to linger longer in the car, maybe even going the long way home in order to continue listening.

- Betsy

This review pertains to the CD Audio edition. Check out the print and other versions.