BOOKS: The Best Books We Read in 2008

This list was originally found in Paste Magazine.

Stephen King - Past Caring by Robbert Goddard

Amy Sedaris - Like Us: Primate Portraits by Robin Schwartz

Clyde Edgerton - American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country

Daniel Wallace - The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

Elizabeth Gilbert - The Principles of Uncertainty by Maira Kalman

Hillary Jordan - Song Yet Sung by James McBride

Laura Tohe - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Roy Blount Jr. - Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier

Tom Bissell - Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein

Thomas Cahill - The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

Charles McNair - How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Sasa Stanisic

DVD: Dogfight

Birdlace (Phoenix) is this cussy Marine trying to find an ugly date for the dogfight. Rose (hopeful and naive but never pathetic) finds out the nature of the dogfight and gives everyone a piece of her mind (in the commentary, we learn this particular scene of the film was the first take!). The bulk of the movie concerns Birdlace's last night with Rose in the States before he ships off to Vietnam.

There are just SO MANY small things in the film that make this believable.
The love scenes - instead of cutting to the 'good' stuff, she (the director) makes you sit through every painful moment of it.
The setting/atmosphere - contrasted with the rigid 60s, Birdlace is received by the anti-war movement of the 70s when he comes back from Vietnam.
The minor characters have such engaging, distinct personalities.

If you have the patience to watch it or dont feel you "get" the film, I highly suggest the commentary (I personally give the commentary a 5/5 stars). In the commentary, the director notes how the viewer can simultaneously agree with the harsh viewpoint of Birdlace and the idealistic one of Rose. The director also compares Rose to a fluffy duckling about to go into this crowd of men with very different intentions when she chooses her puffy yellow dress to wear to the dogfight.

Look for Brendan Fraser!

4.5/5 stars

MUSIC: Aerial by 2562

Great example of dubstep. Sparse rhythms. Solid bass. I dont really know how to describe it, but I know it when I hear it. Within each song, the beats dont really go anywhere ... so, in a sense, it's like hearing a Nintendo song over and over again. There's not too much flux in the songs. If you're looking for a musical journey, I would say this CD is more of an experience. If that makes sense. This CD is like watching a film with no point versus something plot driven.

If you just want to check out one song, I would recommend Kameleon.

4/5 stars.

DVD: Tropic Thunder

Let me guess. Downey plays a mocking sardonic character, Stiller plays a dense egotistical beefcake and Jack Black farts a lot? NOWAI! I'm just saying that these actors didnt do anything special or different from past roles in this film. There were some funny parts but I personally wasnt rolling hysterically on the floor about it. This film is about a set of actors - your typical action star, the serious actor, a comedian, a hip hop star, and a down to earth newbie actor - who are dropped off in a jungle littered with cameras to get authentic reactions from their stars. Unfortunately, the stars dont know that the landmines and the Vietnamese-type Asians are the real deal. You cant understand what Robert Downey Jr was sayin half the time (and he talks like that during the commentary too!). Some of the funnier parts of the movie were the previews at the beginning, Tom Cruise's makeup (his arm hair is ridiculous), Wilson's agent character, and Stiller's attempt at playing a retarded character in a movie (what can I say? I'm lowbrow). Definitely worth a watch once.

3.5 stars.

BOOKS: Stephen King's 10 best books of 2008

10. The Good Guy, Dean Koontz

9. Old Flames, Jack Ketchum

8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

7. Hollywood Crows, Joseph Wambaugh

6. Heartsick/Sweetheart, Chelsea Cain

5. Nixonland, Rick Perlstein

4. The Tenderness of Wolves, Stef Penney

3. When Will There Be Good News?, Kate Atkinson

2. The Garden of Last Days, Andre Dubus III

1. The novels of Robert Goddard

Swingline Commercial Electric 3 Hole Punch, 20 Sheet Capacity, 3 Hole, A7074525S

4/5 stars



We've had this hole punch at work for over 5 years and just bought another one for a separate office. The old one still works great. I dont think we've ever replaced anything on it. With its sleek 80s design, this hole punch can punch holes through paper unlike any other hand model I've ever seen. Around the 16 pages thickness you can hear the hole punch not punching as neatly as when it punches fewer pages. Plus, I have to hole punch a lot of stapled things, and so I have to separate the stapled stuff in smaller stacks (maybe about 10 pages versus the full 20) because the staples make the stack bigger and it cant fit into the hole punching slot. Price is kind of steep. But four solid stars.

Remember, wait for the sound to stop before you pull the paper out. winkwink.