The Huge Culture Post

So when you're barred from interacting with humanity for almost a week, you have a lot of time to read, watch, and listen to things. So I give you my massive review round-up (inspired by Amy Welborn).

BOOKS:

--Liberal Fascism: I cannot say enough good things about it. Get thee a copy immediately.
--Wives and Daughters: Still working on this one, but I love Molly and Roger.
--Orthodoxy (still)
--The Interior Castle (again, still)
--The Big Stone Gap series (re-reads)
--Spe Salvi (the Pope's new encyclical)

MOVIES:
--Northanger Abbey (Yes, Jane obsession is in FULL SWING)
--La Vie En Rose: I finished it. I liked Marian Cottilard's portrayal of Edith Piaf, but the film itself I found rather episodic and disjointed. If you are already familiar with her life and career, you will probably find it less disjointed than I did (I knew nothing about her when I started watching it, other than she was a French singer in the 1940s and 50s). But as this movie is in French, and made for a French audience who is (presumably) much more familiar with "The Sparrow's" life and career,
it was not necessary for the filmmakers to give us a truly exhaustive bio-pic.

CDs:
--Idina Menzel, I Stand. I Love her voice, and it's in wonderful form on this new CD. So far "My Own Worst Enemy" is my favorite track.
--Renee Fleming, I Want Magic! (With James Levine and the Metropolitan Opera orchestra): American opera arias (read: it's in English!) with Fleming's glorious voice backed by a phenomenal orchestra.