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By Amanda, March 20, 2010

Lady Antebellum/ Need You Now
By Lady Antebellum

If you’re looking for some good music, then I have got the group for you. (Even if you’re not looking, you should still hear these guys). Two years ago the relatively unknown group Lady Antebellum hit the country music scene, selling just 40,000 copies of their self-titled debut album in their first week out. Made up of two guys and a girl (but sadly no pizza place), it took a while for the sound of Charles Kelley (brother to pop star, Josh Kelley), Hilary Scott, and Dave Haywood to catch on at radio.

Last July, however, “I Run to You” became the band’s first number one hit.  Partially because of the successes of “Run to You” and the debut single from their second album, “Need you Now,” but also because of high profile performances, like at the Grammy Awards and on Oprah, Lady A’s sophomore release sold almost 500,000 copies its first week out in January.  It’s since done about 200,000 more, meaning the album is certified gold.  In this depressing age of decreasing sales, those numbers are huge.  What a difference a coupla years makes.

Need You Now is more mature, with a little more depth to their material than the first album. “For this record,” Charles said, “We wrote a lot…but we [also] went and found a couple of really strong songs that we didn’t write, and I’m just as proud of those as I am of the ones we wrote. And again, we’re storytellers and not everything has to be a personal experience, but something you can relate to.”

I bet most of you have heard “Need You Now” or “American Honey” the latest single. If you want to listen to a couple of Lady A’s musical offerings, you can check out March’s Popmatic Podcast.

Before I leave you, I want to give a shout out to Michael Rojas, keyboard player extraordinaire for both Lady A albums.  I met Michael when I first moved to town to intern at Sony, and he was always one of my favorite session players.  In listening to the songs, I was loving what I was hearing – enough that I pulled out the booklet to see who it was. I should have known.  So congrats to Michael for some awesome finger work. Rock on, my friend. And rock on, Lady A.

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By Amanda, February 20, 2010

American Wife
By Curtis Sitenfeld

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to tackle my ever-increasing to-be-read list.  You know, that mountainous pile of books you check out, but never seem to get to before they have to go back to the library? So far I’ve been making decent progress and one of the books on my lengthy list was Curtis Sittenfeld’s third novel, American Wife.  I’ve wanted to read this one since it came out, way back in September of 2008.

The book is supposedly inspired by the life of former First Lady, Laura Bush.  But if I hadn’t known that fact going in, I probably wouldn’t have picked up on it.  The plot follows the life of Alice Lindgren (aka Mrs. Bush) as she grows up and meets blueblooded party guy Charlie Blackwell. Instead of Texas, we’ve moved north to the great state of Wisconsin – where cheese is cheese.

 It really is true what they say – the third time’s a charm because this is the third novel from Sittenfeld, and it’s my favorite. I couldn’t really get into her first release, Prep, and while I loved the first half of her second novel, The Man of My Dreams, I hated the back half. American Wife was good all the way through. I did have a couple spots in the middle where I started getting nervous – but that should be true for any good novel.  Some of the events were a little shocking, but I’ll leave those as mysterious teasers.  It would be interesting to know how many of the events mentioned really occurred and how many Sittenfeld created.

 I always have moments with this author where I feel like she’s in my head, and I’m sitting there thinking “I just had that same thought.”  I guess that means that I readily identify with her characters.  Sittenfeld graduated from the famed Iowa Writer’s Workshop, and I would classify her work as chick lit with a brain.  It’s not so much Joanie loves Chachi, as Joan magnanimously adores Charles. (If you’d like to hear more about the Iowa Writer’s Workshop or Curtis Sitenfeld, tune into this Popmatic Podcast.)

 Okay, so that’s one less book I have to find time to read in 2010.  Only 1,763, no 64, to go.  That doable, right? Right?

- Amanda

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By Amanda, February 13, 2010

Top Ten Reasons to Revisit The West Wing

In honor of President’s Day, I thought we should take a moment and honor one of the best fictional shows about our government. So here now, my Top Ten Reasons to Revisit The West Wing.

10. The library has seven seasons and many of these discs are ready and waiting for you to check them out today!
9. Lisa Cuddy was a call-girl extraodinaire who dated Sam before moving to Princeton Plainsboro to corral Dr. House.
8. Toby and Sam and Will, oh my!
7. Agent Gibbs (pre-NCIS) shows up in season 2 as a Secret Service agent for CJ.
6. White House tours are free!!!  Oh wait, that’s the real West Wing…  
5. Dear Danny Concannon – congrats on the Pulitzer.  Good to see you grew out of that nerdy phase.
4. For seven seasons, Martin Sheen really thought he was president and I was ok with that.
3. Allison Janney and her 4 Emmy’s.  We love you, CJ, oh yes we do.  We love you, CJ, and will be true…ummm, sorry.  Little Bye Bye Birdie for you.  Sometimes it happens, what can I say?
2. Josh and Donna – will they, won’t they, will they, won’t they…wouldn’t you? 
Annnnnd…a drum roll please……..
1. This is some of the best writing for television, bar none.  Thanks Aaron Sorkin!

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By Amanda, February 6, 2010

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder
by Rebecca Wells

I have to start by saying that I hate tear jerkers.  I don’t want to read something that is going to make me sad.  And yet in the middle of this book, I found myself bawling but still thinking “this is a great book.”  I’m sure I’m more shocked by this than you are.  Not to mention, this is one of the best books I’ve read in quite a while.

The story starts out in the 1960’s in La Luna, LA where we meet the Ponder family.  Calla Lily’s mother, or M’Dear as she called her, runs a beauty salon on the side porch of their house, where she dispenses love, wisdom, and healing.  Calla decides at a very young age that she wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps. 

Calla is no stranger to heartache, but somehow she always manages to get through it, with the help of her family, friends, and the always present Moon Lady.  As she grows, she moves to New Orleans to go to beauty school (because who didn’t want to be a hairdresser in the Big Easy in the 70’s?), always planning to return home to her beloved La Luna.

I’m not really sure what I expected when I started this book.  I read The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood when it came out, and while I liked it, I didn’t think it was all that great.  I see reflections of the ya-yas in this one, but the story ends up being so much more complete. Without getting too spoilery on you, I thought the ending was going to take a more predictable path, and I was relieved when it veered away right at the end. 

Wells weaves a lush web full of relatable and lovable characters into an almost mythical setting, complete with fairy godmother in the Moon Lady who watches over Calla from above.  Life’s not always easy, but as Calla’s M’Dear used to say, “You can get through anything as long as you keep breathing.”  Just make sure you bring along some Kleenex.

- Amanda

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By Amanda, January 23, 2010

It’s that time of year again – award show season, and I didn’t want to be left out.  With the popularity of a certain teenage vampire series (which will remain nameless due to the fact that I’m not totally in love with it, unlike the rest of the female universe), the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy genres have exploded with new reads.  It can be a daunting task to figure out where to start, so I thought I’d offer a little advice on books I’ve found to be eminently more readable than The Book That Will Not Be Named (see also this PNR bibliography).  So here now, the absolutely meaningless, but hopefully still enjoyable, PNRUFies (pronounced pa-NER-fies).

Longest Series – local author, Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunters at 30 books/stories. Honorable mention to Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake books at 22 and Christine Feehan’s Dark series at 20.  For those REALLY long car trips, I’d suggest starting one of these.

Best Sidekick – Bob from Harry Dresden – he’s a talking skull who knows everything about everything.  Seriously, what else do you need and where can I get one?

Most Cliffhangery (This category is so frustrating that I had to invent a word for it) – Fever series from Karen Marie Moning.  You’ll scream. You’ll cry.  You’ll throw your book across the room (unless it’s a library book, then you’ll gently set it on the nearest table, lovingly brushing off any crumbs or lint, before you turn and punch the wall). Be warned – this one’s got at least one more book to go, and it’s not supposed to come out until December ’10.  Oh the humanity!

Wizard with the Biggest Hero Complex – Tie: Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden and John Pritkin from Cassie Palmer by Karen Chance. Harry’s never met a spell he wouldn’t try in the name of saving the world.  Pritkin would have had something quippy to say, but he’s already saved the world four times since we asked him for a quote.

Best Living Arrangements – The church in which Rachel and Ivy reside in Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series.  A witch and a vampire living in a decommissioned church – you’d think it would be more peaceful.  Honorable Mention to Jean-Claude’s underground lair in Anita Blake and the Black Dagger Brotherhood compound care of the Warden.

Craziest Relatives – Tie: “Grandpa” Eddie from Julie Kenner’s Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series and Niall, Sookie’s fairy great-grandfather, from Charlaine Harris’s True Blood-inspiring series.  One’s not related, one’s not human, but there’s still so much to love.

The Dr. Evil Award for Excellence in Villainy (I haven’t talked to Dr. Evil about this personally, but I’m sure he’d agree that these bad guys are worthy of being compared to someone who went to evil medical school) – Lilith from LA Banks’s Vampire Huntress series.  I mean, come on, she’s married to the devil – that’s evil. Honorable mention to Lash and the creepy baby-powder scented Lessers from J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood.

And there you have it.  The PNRUFy Class of 2010.  I was really hoping to see some Weather Wardens or Werecats in the lineup, but I guess there’s always next year. Agree or disagree with the winners – but either way, these books are all pretty good reading.  Happy PNRUFy-ing!

- Amanda

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By Amanda, January 16, 2010

Superfreakonomics
By Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Who would have ever thought that a book about microeconomics would be so interesting?  Especially the second time around?  After really enjoying Freakonomics, the first book from this talented writing team of dueling Steves, I wanted to see what new and seemingly incomparable comparisons they made.  Here are some intriguing facts I learned:

1) The spread of television through rural India vastly improved the lives of women by decreasing the amount of domestic abuse they were forced to endure.  Whether this was because the women saw strong, positive role models and tried to emulate them, or their husbands were just too busy watching soccer to torture their wives, was indeterminable.

2) If a computer screen does not load in 1 sec., most people will lose their train of thought.  If it takes up to 10 secs., most people will have already started thinking about something else entirely.  Think about that the next time you are at a hospital as a patient waiting for a diagnosis and the network slows down…

3)  There is a group of scientists just outside of Seattle who have potentially figured out how to stop global warming.  If you want to know how, you have to read the book, but I’ve long held the opinion that if we put chemicals in the air that made it warmer, why couldn’t we put chemicals in the air that negated the original chemicals we had already dispersed? That’s basically their idea in a nut shell, and it’s actually a very interesting concept.

This book is full of thought-inducing ideas, and I think Round 2 was just as good, if not better than Round 1.  Thanks Steves!

- Amanda

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By Amanda,

Divine Misdemeanors
By Laurell K. Hamilton

Ok, I need a hand count.  How many of you love Laurell K. Hamilton?  Alrighty, now how many of you hate her? Yep, that’s what I thought.  You’re either one or the other.  I happen to fall on the love her side of things.  LKH doesn’t write Great American Novels, but that’s partially why I like both her Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series so much.  They are pure entertainment.

Divine Misdemeanors is the latest Merry release.  **Spoiler Alert** With all the pseudo-climatic events of the previous book, Swallowing Darkness, I was surprised (pleasantly so) to find out that this one was even coming out. I was afraid that the series was ending.  DM’s dedication indicated that LKH had a hard time with the book, and it kind of showed. I’m sure it was difficult to find a new story path after tying up some of the previous threads so neatly.

Merry and the guys exiled themselves back to LA.  The Princess, Rhys, and Galen have gone to work for Merry’s old detective agency.  Doyle, Frost, Kitto, and several others, including former guards of Prince Cel,  set up house in Maeve Reed’s estate while she is in Europe.  In working with the police, Merry learns that someone is killing demi-fey, and she has to figure out how to stop it.

If you are fans of Darkness and Frost, this is not going to be your favorite installment.  The guys are there, but they are all work and no play.  Rhys and Sholto stepped up, though, and **Seriously, if you want to be surprised, stop reading!** it was nice to see Rhys get his own sithen (although, it’s an old apartment building? Gee, thanks Faery. You shouldn’t have…no really…). That should give LKH some material to work with to build some new story lines. Overall, though, DM kind of felt like a filler book. I hope LKH can find her way forward from here, because I really want to see what happens when the babies are born. Keeping my fingers crossed…

- Amanda

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By Amanda, January 9, 2010

Nashville: The Occupied City, 1862-1863
By Walter T. Durham

I am not originally from Nashville, so I didn’t grow up learning about the history of this place I’ve chosen to call home.  What I am, however, is a Civil War buff.  (I’m also a Yankee, but you won’t hold that against me, right?)

I came across Durham’s book one day in the stacks and thought it would be interesting.  Most of the Civil War knowledge I’ve acquired has been about the Deep South, or places like Savannah or Richmond.  I don’t know much about the Western Theater.  Or should I say, I didn’t know much until I read Durham’s book. For instance, I did not realize that Nashville was considered the second most important Confederate city (after New Orleans) in terms of shipping and supplies, and yet the Confederates did nothing to protect it.  No breastworks, no new fortifications, no ditches, nothing.  It was also the closest capital city to the North, which made the lack of protection a little more puzzling.

I also found it interesting that the term “Old Glory” originated here. A retired sea captain gave the Union officers the old American flag that he’d flown from his ship so they’d have one to raise above the capital building. 

Make sure you read the author’s introduction, because there is a nice shout out to our very own Nashville Room and the great staff that works there.

Now I’m caught up to 1863, but even I knew that most of the fun happened after that.  It looks like I’ll have to read Durham’s sequel, Reluctant Partners, so I can see how things turn out…

- Amanda

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By Amanda,

Revolution
By: Miranda Lambert

 In 2003, Miranda Lambert came in a disappointing third place on the first season of the now defunct Nashville Star.  Seven years later, Lambert has released her third CD, Revolution, and her career is hotter than ever.  She is the most successful musician of any that were on Nashville Star.

On Revolution, Lambert shows her softer side with songs like my favorite, “Dead Flowers,” and “The House that Built Me.”  Miranda performed a one night show at The Ryman in September ‘09 to celebrate the release of this album, and when she played “The House that Built Me” with her parents in the audience, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place (including mine, and I’m not a crier.)

Ran doesn’t shy away from her rowdy side, though, rocking the house with songs like “Somewhere Trouble Don’t Go” or the big single “White Liar.”  You can hear a short clip of “Dead Flowers” by listening to our Popmatic Podcast. Revolution was definately one of my favorite albums of 2009.

- Amanda