March 09, 2010

Books Read in 2010

date refers to date finished; i.e., just b/c I finished two books in a given day doesn't mean I read two entire books that day!

• Blackout, by Connie Willis (3/9)
  
• The Rebel Angels, by Robertson Davies (3/5) (re-read)
  
• How to Knit a Love Song, by Rachael Herron (3/3)
  
• Black and White, by Jackie Kessler & Caitlin Kittredge (2/26)
  
• The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (2/11) (re-read)
  
• Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth 1), by Terry Goodkind (2/10) (re-read)
  
• The First Rule; a Joe Pike Novel, by Robert Crais (2/4)
  
• The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (1/31)
  
• Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (1/28)
  
• Shades of Grey, by Jasper Fforde (1/28)
  
• Man Walks Into a Room, by Nicole Krauss (1/22)
  
• The Prophecy of the Sisters, by Michelle Zink (1/15)
  
• A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle (1/15) (re-read)
  
• Lonely Werewolf Girl, by Martin Millar (1/13)
  
• This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper (1/3)
  
• Night Child, by Jes Battis (1/3)
  

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2010, Books

March 08, 2010

Duff Does Live Music 2010

• The Magnetic Fields (3/7)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2010, Gigs

February 13, 2010

Duff at the Movies 2010

• A Single Man (2/12)
• Sherlock Holmes (1/15)
• Daybreakers (1/4)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2010, Movies

December 31, 2009

Books Read in 2009

date refers to date finished only; some books get started, and then set down for ages. i.e., just b/c I finished two books in a given day doesn't mean I read two entire books that day!

• The Good Fairies of New York, by Martin Millar (12/30)
  
• Marcher, by Chris Beckett (12/28)
  
• A Plea for Eros, By Siri Hustvedt (12/27)
  
• The Flying Troutmans, by Miriam Toews (12/22)
  
• City of Thieves, by David Benioff (12/21)
  
• Undiscovered Country, by Lin Enger (12/14)
  
• Doubleblind, by Ann Aguirre (12/13)
  
• Blue Diablo, by Ann Aguirre (12/6)
  
• Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?, by Preston Jones and Greg Graffin (11/29)
  
• The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks (11/25)
  
• Normal People Don't Live Like This, by Dylan Landis (11/21)
  
• The English American, by Alison Larkin (11/20)
  
• Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins (11/18)
  
• Fire, by Kristin Cashore (11/16)
  
• Graceling, by Kristin Cashore (11/16)
  
• Magic in the Shadows, by Devon Monk (11/8)
  
• Toast, by Nigel Slater (11/5)
  
• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson (10/28)
  
• Mother of Storms, by John Barnes (10/26)
  
• Ravens, by George Dawes Green (10/19)
  
• Even Money, by Dick Francis (and Felix Francis) (10/16)
  
• Liar, by Justine Larbalestier (10/14)
  
• Midnighters 3: Blue Noon, by Scott Westerfeld (10/13)
  
• The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean (10/12)
  
• Sweep 15: Night's Child, by Cate Tiernan (10/10)
  
• Midnighters 2: Touching Darkness, by Scott Westerfeld (10/9)
  
• Sweep 14: Full Circle, by Cate Tiernan (10/8)
  
• Sweep 13: Reckoning, by Cate Tiernan (10/8)
  
• Sweep 12: Eclipse, by Cate Tiernan (10/7)
  
• Midnighters 1: The Secret Hour, by Scott Westerfeld (9/30)
  
• Sweep 11: Origins, by Cate Tiernan (9/29)
  
• Sweep 10: Seeker, by Cate Tiernan (9/28)
  
• Sweep 9: Strife, by Cate Tiernan (9/26)
  
• Sweep 8: Changeling, by Cate Tiernan (9/25)
  
• Sweep 7: The Calling, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• Sweep 6: Spellbound, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• Sweep 5: Awakening, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• Sweep 4: Dark Magick, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• Sweep 3: Blood Witch, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• Sweep 2: The Coven, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• Sweep 1: Book of Shadows, by Cate Tiernan (9/23)
  
• A Pair of Blue Eyes, by Thomas Hardy (9/20)
  
• Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (9/18)
  
• Evil at Heart, by Chelsea Cain (9/11)
  
• White Time, by Margo Lanagan (8/31) (stories)
  
• Hunting Ground, by Patricia Briggs (8/25)
  
• Happy All the Time, by Laurie Colwin (8/24)
  
• Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs (8/20)
  
• Carved in Bone, by Jefferson Bass (8/17)
  
• Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill (8/16)
  
• Sea Lord, by Virginia Kantra (8/2)
  
• Sea Fever, by Virginia Kantra (8/1)
  
• Mark of the Demon, by Diana Rowland (7/31)
  
• Sea Witch, by Virginia Kantra (7/28)
  
• The Death of Sweet Mister, by Daniel Woodrell (7/27)
  
• In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (7/27)
  
• Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (7/25)
  
• Emerald City, by Jennifer Egan (6/25)
  
• 13 Bullets, by David Wellington (6/21)
  
• Old Man's War, by John Scalzi (6/19)
  
• Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn (6/12)
  
• Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem (6/8)
  
• Magic in the Blood, by Devon Monk (6/3)
  
• Gone Tomorrow: A Reacher Novel, by Lee Child (6/1)
  
• Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris (5/31)
  
• All Summer, by Claire Kilroy (5/28)
  
• Dracula, by Bram Stoker (5/21) (re-read)
  
• Wanderlust, by Ann Aguirre (5/21)
  
• Grimspace, by Ann Aguirre (5/18)
  
• From Dead to Worse, by Charlaine Harris (5/11)
  
• All Together Dead, by Charlaine Harris (5/8)
  
• Definitely Dead, by Charlaine Harris (5/6)
  
• The Dart League King, by Keith Lee Morris (5/4)
  
• Dead as a Doornail, by Charlaine Harris (5/1)
  
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart (4/25)
  
• Eureka Street, by Robert McLiam Wilson (4/24)
  
• Club Dead, by Charlaine Harris (4/23)
  
• Living Dead in Dallas, by Charlaine Harris (4/21)
  
• Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris (4/14)
  
• The Three Evanglists, by Fred Vargas (4/14)
  
• Tell No One, by Harlan Coben (4/12)
  
• Elantris, by Brandon Sanderson (4/11)
  
• Then We Came to the End, by Joshua Ferris (4/8)
  
• City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare (4/2)
  
• Little Bee, by Chris Cleave (4/1)
  
• The Pianist, by Wladyslaw Szpilman (3/28)
  
• The Feminists Go Swimming, by Michael Collins (3/28)
  
• Circle of the Dead, by Ingrid Black (3/27)
  
• City of Refuge, by Tom Piazza (3/25)
  
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan (3/19)
  
• Domestic Violence, by Eavan Boland (3/12) (poetry)
  
• Flesh and Bone, by Jefferson Bass (3/9)
  
• A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenberg (3/8)
  
• The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson (3/8)
  
• Bone Crossed, by Patricia Briggs (3/7)
  
• Antarctica, by Claire Keegan (3/6) (stories)
  
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson (3/4) (re-read)
  
• For All We Know, by Ciaran Carson (2/26) (poetry)
  
• Delicate Edible Birds, by Lauren Groff (2/22) (stories)
  
• Dark Hollow, by John Connolly (2/22)
  
• Sweetheart, by Chelsea Cain (2/21)
  
• Every Dead Thing, by John Connolly (2/19)
  
• Lies of Silence, by Brian Moore (2/17)
  
• The Devil's Bones, by Jefferson Bass (2/16)
  
• L.A. Outlaws, by T. Jefferson Parker (2/15)
  
• The Broom of the System, by David Foster Wallace (2/13)
  
• Satan Says, by Sharon Olds (2/11) (poetry)(reread)
  
• Stories of Your Life and Others, by Ted Chiang (1/31) (stories)
  
• The Partly Cloudy Patriot, by Sarah Vowell (1/28)
  
• Tethered, by Amy MacKinnon (1/24)
  
• City of Ashes, by Cassandra Clare (1/24)
  
• Magic to the Bone, by Devon Monk (1/21)
  
• Mainspring, by Jay Lake (1/19)
  
• A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens (reread) (1/14)
  
• HeartSick, by Chelsea Cain (1/4)
  
• Shakespeare Wrote for Money, by Nick Hornby (1/3) (essays)
  
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (1/2)
  
• City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare (1/2)
  

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2009, Books

December 27, 2009

Duff at the Movies 2009

• An Education (12/27)
• Crazy Heart (12/26)
• The Young Victoria (12/24)
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox (12/23)
• Avatar (12/18)
• New Moon (12/15)
• Up in the Air (12/3)
• Zombieland (10/25)
• Fish Tank (Chicago Film Festival) (10/15)
• Girls on the Wall (documentary) (Chicago Film Festival) (10/11)
• Love and Savagery (Chicago Film Festival) (10/10)
• SPY(IES) (ESPION(S) en francais) (Chicago Film Festival) (10/10)
• Whip It! (10/3)
• Inglourious Basterds (8/23)
• Thirst (8/22)
• Julie & Julia (8/19)
• District 9 (8/12)
• Ponyo (the whole thing this time!) (8/10)
• Ponyo (first 1.5 hrs.) (8/6)
• Paper Heart (7/16)
• Hurt Locker (7/15)
• 500 Days of Summer (7/7)
• Public Enemies (7/4)
• Hump Day (6/29)
• Moon (6/15)
• Away We Go (6/4)
• State of Play (5/24)
• Terminator: Salvation (5/23)
• Star Trek (5/11)
• Gigantic (4/10)
• Sunshine Cleaning (4/4)
• Gran Torino (4/2)
• Duplicity (3/22)
• Push (3/14)
• The Reader (3/4)
• The Class (en francais: Entre Les Murs) (2/28)
• The Wrestler (2/1)
• Coraline (1/15)
• Slumdog Millionaire (1/2)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2009, Movies

December 20, 2009

Duff Does Live Music 2009

• Purple Apple (12/19)
• Joseph Arthur (11/27)
• The Horse's Ha (11/27)
• Depeche Mode (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• Of Montreal (2nd x) (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• Fleet Foxes (2nd x) (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• Ben Folds (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• Bon Iver (4th x) (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• White Lies (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• The Knux (Lollapalooza) (8/8)
• Empty Orchestra!!! (7/8)
• Metric (6/14)
• Telekinesis (6/7)
• Prairie Cartel (2nd x)(2/13)
• Griffin House (3rd x)(2/8)

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2009, Gigs

March 24, 2009

Duff's Favorite Tunes 2008

This is pretty redundant at this point, not only because it's nearly the end of March, but considering I did monthly reviews of pretty much everything I bought in 2008, as well as occasionally posting thoughts on individual albums. (I may have skipped things like "CDs bought in foreign countries" and such.) But this makes those "give me some music ideas" emails less annoying.

(with links to Snip commentary. sometimes.)

Favorite Albums:

Matt Costa "Unfamiliar Faces" Quirky and unexpected. Fave songs: "Mr. Pitiful" and "Miss Magnolia"

Bon Iver "For Emma, Forever Ago" Swoon. I know all the cool kids had this album in 2007. I ain't that cool, yo. Love the album, love him in concert (see Favorite Gigs category down at the bottom). Love love love. Fave song: Re: Stacks

Jesse Malin "Glitter in the Gutter" Rockin'. Can't even pick a fave song, just love the entire thing.

Fleet Foxes Listening to FF is like sitting in a field of daisies in 1973 while people around you kiss and weave each other bracelets. May be a bit 'twee for some. (But it's so pretty!) Fave Songs: "White Winter Hymnal" "He Doesn't Know Why" "Your Protector" "Oliver James"

Earlimart "Hymn & Her" With every album they just get better and better. Pretty and intimate. Fave songs: "Time for Yourself" "For the Birds" "Town Where You Belong"

My Morning Jacket "Evil Urges" I lovelovelove this album. But I did NOT like "Z". At all. If you peruse le Internet, you may find that everyone who liked this album was not much of an MMJ fan before, and those who were, were greatly disappointed. Ah well. Fave song: "I'm amazed"

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin "Pershing" I didn't even listen to this album until months after I bought it. Which is just so wrong 'cuz it's so good. Fave song: "Heers"

Carla Bruni "Comme si de rien n'etait" Her french albums just take my breath away. Why do I even pretend to try to learn this language? I'll never sound like this when I speak. Fave song: "Tu Es Ma Came"

The Submarines "Honeysuckle Weeks" Has the same intimate boy/girl vibe of Earlimart but more poppy, more upbeat. It just grew on me more and more as the year went by. Fave songs: "Swimming Pool" "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie"

Keane "Perfect Symmetry" This one totally took me by surprise. Fave songs: "Better than This" "Time to Go" "The Lovers Are Losing"

Runners Up

• Billionaires "Really Real for Forever" I would love to see these guys live.
  
• Nana Grizol "Love It Love It" Upbeat! Fun times!
  
• Raconteurs "Consolers of the Lonely" I always wind up listening to Jack White's various projects more than I expect to.
  
• Nada Surf "Lucky" Whole album is good. "See These Bones" is such a great song.
  
• Missy Higgins "On a Clear Night" She's got such a great voice.
  
• Meg Hutchinson "Come Up Full" First three songs just knock it out of the park. Really lovely.
  
• Gnarls Barkley "The Odd Couple" Too bad it got such an abrupt release. I think it's just as awesome as their first one.
• Beck "Modern Guilt" Really good, just never listened to it much
  
• Everlast "Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford" This guy's voice just kills me
  
• Frightened Rabbit "The Midnight Organ Fight" Would've been a total fave if I'd managed to buy it before December. Le sigh. And I absolutely LOVE "Backwards Walk".
  

Favorite 2008 Artist Not Mentioned Anywhere Above:

Joseph Arthur who put out FOUR EPs ("Crazy Rain" "Could We Survive" "Vagabond Skies" and "Foreign Girls") as well as joining with the Lonely Astronauts for a full album ("Temporary Peple"). Which puts him at ridiculous output levels, along the lines of Ryan Adams and Joe Purdy. I really loved all the EPs; the full album is good, just not quite at their level. Fave songs: "Slow Me Down" "Lovely Cost" "Radio Euphoria"

Guilty Pleasure: Shwayze
Violent-Femme reminiscent: Wave Pictures "Instant Coffee Baby"
Dance, dance, dance: Cut Copy "In Ghost Colours"; Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip "Angles"

Favorite Singles: (not on any of the aforementioned albums)

• "Halo" Beyonce
  
• "Alphabutt" Kimya Dawson
  
• "Too Drunk to Dream" Magnetic FIelds
  
• "It's Amazing" Jem
  
• "Honey Let Me Sing You a Song" Matt Hires
  
• "I Never Thought I Could Feel This Way About a Boy" The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
  
• "Fighter Girl" Mason Jennings
  
• "I Wrote a Song About Your Car" Mike Doughty (first heard years ago. FINALLY on an album)
  
• "Forever Song "Josh Pyke
  
• "She Loves Everybody" Chester French
  
• "Sing Along" Virginia Coalition
  
• "I Woke Up Today" Port O'Brien
  
• "Ode to Sad Clown" Joe Purdy
  
• "Rise" Will Dailey Sometimes watching reruns leads to listening to old tunes. (Interpret "sometimes" liberally.)
  
• "Roadway Hymn" La Rocca
  
• "She's Not Me" Madonna
  
• "Incredible" Madonna
  
• "Last Thing on Your Mind" Lights
  
• "U and Me" Trina
  
• "Mrs. Officer" Lil Wayne
  
• "Hologram" Katie Herzig
  
• "How the Day Sounds" Greg Laswell
  
• "Chicago" Lucy Wainwright Roche
  
• "All that Remains" Raya Yarbrough & Bear McCreary
  
• "Moment of Weakness" Matt White
  
• "Alright, Okay" Ryan Auffenberg
  
• "The Ground That We Stand On" Hawksley Workman
  
• "City" Paddy Casey (love the opening)
  
• "Sober" Pink
  
• "Daddy's Little Girl" The Knux
  
• "Spaceman" The Killers
  
• "This Is Your Life" The Killers
  
• "Duet" Rachael Yamagata & Ray LaMontagne
  

Favorite Covers:

• "Folsom Prison Blues" Everlast (Johnny Cash) This is just so many times awesome. The whistly horse sound? Yeesss.
  
• "Forever Young" Audra Mae & Forest Rangers (Rod Stewart) Featured on Sons of Anarchy.
  
• "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" First Aid Kit (Fleet Foxes) Even prettier than the original. Super spooky.
  
• "I Should Have Known Better" She & Him (Beatles) You really can't go wrong with a Beatles cover. Myself, I would go with "Run for Your Life".
  

Favorite Gigs:

So I sorta went to 70 shows in 2008. I'd totally say that next time I wonder how I'm wasting all my time away, you could just yell "Concerts!" except I seem to have SERIOUSLY turned this trend around in 2009 (three months in and I've only been to two shows. What?!?). Anywho... 10 of those 70 were openers, so it was really only 60 shows. And 6 were at Monolith, 5 at Lollapalooza and 13(!) at Pitchfork, so you know, that's really like seeing 24 sets at three shows so... Anyway, my favorites were:

• Bon Iver Who I saw three times but my favorite was the second time which was at Lakeshore Theater, which is literally around the corner from home. and has seats. yay for both, says the old lady.
• Crowded House Mostly because they sing my favorite song of all time and I've only been waiting to see these guys live practically my entire adult life. And yes, I know it's not the FULL original lineup.
• Matt Nathanson More for his humorous banter than for the tunes.
• Earlimart. So so pretty.
• Avett Brothers. These guys could fill up the world with their sound.
• Band of Horses. A truly magical moment at Monolith.
• Great Lake Swimmers. FINAFUCKINGLY.
• Mumford and Sons. So unexpected.

Posted by Duff - Say What? - Permalink | filed under 2008, All Faves, FaveTunes