good books

FICTION The Maytrees: A Novel, by Annie Dillard (Harper Collins, 2007) • This crisp novel, set at the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, after World War II, tracks the lives of an eccentric bohemian couple. The two live for poetry, painting and the simple life until…well, you’ll see. Pulitzer Prize–winner Dillard elegantly interweaves history, topography and lyrical imagery with themes of love, leaving and longing.

COFFEE TABLE The Lincoln Highway: Coast to Coast from Times Square to the Golden Gate, by Michael Wallis and Michael S. Williamson (Norton, 2007) • The retro cover will lure you into this glossy book about a pre-interstate highway, once known as the Lincoln. Lively text and excellent color photos—of art deco monuments, Mom and Pop diner owners and nostalgic, only-in-America landmarks—make you feel like you’re taking a blast-from-the-past trek across the country, even if you never get off the couch.

good movies

DOCUMENTARY Les Paul: Chasing Sound! (KOCH Entertainment, 2007; unrated) • The inventor of the famed Gibson “Les Paul” solid-body electric guitar (and much more) turned 92 this year. But as this tribute makes clear, Paul is an extremely high-functioning senior citizen. Having lived several lives—inventor, jazz wizard, pop star—he’s still a sellout performer every Monday at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club. The feature-length film is as lively as the man himself, a perfect celebration for a unique American.

DRAMA Bridge to Terabithia (Disney, 2007; Rated PG) • Filmed in pristine New Zealand, this smart movie—based on Katherine Paterson’s sensitive young-adult novel—deals gently with some tough themes. Jess (Josh Hutcherson), a fifth-grade loner from an impoverished home, finds hope and a best friend when a new neighbor moves in (AnnaSophia Robb). The two create an enchanting make-believe world over which they rule. When the unthinkable happens, Jess must choose his path in the real world. It’s a good film to watch with the kids, and discuss.

good music

MUSICAL COMEDY Hairspray, Soundtrack to the Motion Picture (New Line Records, 2007) • There are 19 feel-good cuts here, based on the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical. Don’t expect a new sound, but these arrangements absolutely capture the peppy bubblegum rock of the early 1960s. People danced in the aisles at the movie; you’ll boogie at home to the CD.

ECLECTIC It’s Not Big It’s Large, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band (Lost Highway, 2007) • Just to be clear, Lovett’s band, he says, “borders on what folks might think of as Big Band but isn’t.” OK, then—not big, but large, as in lots of members. And they all happen to be stellar musicians. This CD was recorded live in the studio, and you can feel the musical synergy. Some songs are almost jazz, some almost blues. But they’re all really good.