- Inside the secret world of Trader Joe's - Fortune - Fascinating.
- The James Franco Project - NY Mag - I'll never feel like an overachiever again.
- Solitude and Leadership - The American Scholar - Heart of Darkness and theories of leadership.
Favorite Books Read in 2010
- Octavia Butler, Kindred - An author who reminded me it's possible to write good novels that end in action, not despair.
- J.M. Coetzee, The Life and Times of Michael K - Restrained, subtle, and filled with beautiful writing you have to stop and savor.
- Jacques Derrida, Demeure - Yes, it's theory, but one of my favorite pieces so far.
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated - A whirlwind of humor stopped in its tracks by poignant descriptions of tragedy.
- ---. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - A quieter, rambling novel with similar poignancy.
- Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants - Brilliant character development; also a great audio book.
- Chaim Potok, My Name is Asher Lev - Art and faith treated sensitively, without losing character in this künstlerroman.
- Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge - Short stories that are brief and precise circle around the main character, but in doing so give her depth and spirit.
- Markus Zusak, The Book Thief - Alternately whimsical and heartbreaking, the author has a perfect touch for young adult tragedy.
- Yiyun Li, Gold Boy, Emerald Girl - Loved The Vagrants, looking forward to these short stories.
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Tree of Codes - A little skeptical about this latest book-art project, I'll have to check it out none the less.
- Christopher Paolini - The Inheritance Cycle, book 4 - Grudgingly need to finish the series, if the book comes out this year.
- Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken - I enjoyed Seabiscuit, so this interests me.
- Jonathan Franzen, Freedom - Reviews caught my attention, so I'll give it a shot.
- David Grossman, To the End of the Land - Highly ranked on Amazon, and looks worth reading.
Notable 2010 Movies
- Inception - Really, really impressed.
- The Secret in Their Eyes - Beautifully subtle in the right ways.
- How to Train Your Dragon - Loved the animation, and surprisingly impressed by the writing.
- Black Swan - Brutal to watch, but very effective and thought-provoking.
Movies in 2011
- Contagion - The action-thriller plot doesn't sound terribly interesting, but Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Jude Law? Umm, yes...
- Thor - Skeptical, but interested. He has a hammer. Kenneth Branagh directing, well (thinking Hamlet), but Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman have signed on.
- The Tree of Life - Interesting premise, and I like Sean Penn. Preview looks awesome.
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part II - Duh.
- Water for Elephants - Love the book. A bit nervous about dear Robert, but I think Reese will fit the role pretty well. I'm hoping the director brings a bit more I am Legend, a bit less Britney Spears music video.
- The Giver - Amazing book. Hoping the film can do it justice.
- Another Year
- I Am
- White Material
Still Need to See...
- Social Network - Voice of our generation?
- Toy Story 3 - A lot of hype for an animated flick.
- Rabbit Hole - Looks awesome.
- The King's Speech - It's out, but not available yet.
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