Staff Picks Reviewer: Faith

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg [Audiobook]

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The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan [DVD]

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The movie adaptation of Joseph Papp’s Broadway production has everything: swordfights, love affairs, comedy, and the original brilliant lyrics and music. In updating Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta for a modern (i.e. 1983) audience, Papp cast the multitalented Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline in the leading roles. Ronstadt’s soprano is more than equal to Mabel’s vocal fireworks, and Kline embodies the over-the-top macho swashbuckler with panache. The sets are stylistically reminiscent of the stage rather than attempting realism, preserving the sense of watching a musical in the theater. The incomparable Angela Lansbury is featured as Frederic’s old nursemaid Ruth, and the rest of the cast isn’t too shabby either. A perfect introduction to G & S.

Cold Comfort Farm [DVD]

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This witty satire is based on Stella Gibbons’s 1932 comic novel. It’s clever, charming, hilarious, and delightfully twisted in that inimitable British way. A large extended family of eccentric (not to say depraved) characters is brilliantly cast, featuring, among others, Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Fry, and Joanna Lumley. It milks every drop of humor out of its simple premise: a young woman, recently orphaned, goes to live with her relatives in the country and attempts to create order out of generations of chaos. The movie is remarkably faithful to the novel of the same name, which is hilarious too.

fRoots [Magazine]

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fRoots (formerly Folk Roots) covers modern and traditional music with roots from around the globe. Feature articles, CD and concert reviews, and even advertising span world music from Scotland to South Africa and from ukulele to sitar. Some issues include a CD sampler. With its broad coverage of past, present and the cutting edge and its passion for folk as a constantly-evolving genre, fRoots is the last, best roots music magazine.

Writings and Drawings by James Thurber [Book]

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Thurber’s comic genius pervades this compilation of his short stories, essays and cartoons. It’s full of treasures like The night the bed fell, The catbird seat, The secret life of Walter Mitty, and the ever-current Fables for our time. His wit ranges from deadpan to farcical, from whimsical to satirical. His command of the American language is elegant and hilarious, his drawings without equal. The only drawback to this Library of America omnibus is that it doesn’t include everything and once addicted, you’ll have to go back to the shelves for more.

Jeeves & Wooster [DVD]

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Starring the incomparable comedic duo of Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, this British TV series is an adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves stories. The actors embody the upper-class goofball and his omniscient valet perfectly, and the free-flowing wit and rampant silliness are irresistible. Fry’s eyebrows say it all.

Bargaining with the Devil by Robert Mnookin [Book]

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The head of Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, Mnookin offers guidance on how to make a wise decision about engaging with an untrustworthy adversary. He identifies traps to avoid, strategies and tools for analyzing challenging situations. Case studies from the lives of business and political leaders (including Churchill and Mandela) as well as ordinary citizens illustrate the principles and are fascinating stories in their own right.

Big Old Life by Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem [Music CD]

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Local (western MA and CT) musicians Daisy Mayhem create something truly unique which they jokingly call “Agnostic Gospel.” With folk roots, rich vocal harmonies, sophisticated arrangements and passionate attitude, they make music that is original, moving and fun.

Open Season by Archer Mayor [Book]

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The 1988 debut of Brattleboro police detective Joe Gunther depicts small town life with all its charms and frustrations. The characters are multifaceted and believable, and the suspense stays on till the end. If you know the town of Brattleboro, you’ll find familiar places and types.

Stuff : Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee [Book]

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This is a fascinating account of how people get to the point that their living space is unlivable because of the sheer volume of possessions they can’t manage to get rid of. The authors explore case histories and the psychological and neurological reasons behind hoarding behavior. There’s a little bit of someone you know in here.

Born to Kvetch by Michael Wex [Book]

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A humorous history of the Yiddish language from the middle ages to today traces the origins of numerous everyday terms, citing events throughout the past one thousand years that contributed to Jewish European communication practices while offering insight into Yiddish relationships with nature, sex, food, and more.

Farewell, my Subaru by Doug Fine [Audiobook, Book]

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A practical and funny memoir of an ex-suburbanite’s adventures creating a sustainable lifestyle in New Mexico, living “off the grid” with dairy goats, monsoons, and biofuels.