The Books, Movies, and Music of Summer

Ann’s Summertime Picks

Movie – The Manchurian Candidate

My goal is to catch up on classic films this year, and perhaps the cool crispness of black-and-white films will be an antidote to this wilting summer heat. On my list this summer? “The Manchurian Candidate,” “From Here to Eternity,” “Dinner at Eight,” “Born Yesterday,” and dozens more (have any recs for me?). There are favorites to revisit as well, like “Casablanca” and “Roman Holiday,” and of course I’ll be in the theatre for the requisite summer blockbuster or two; I’ve crossed “Star Trek: Into Darkness” off of my list, and I’m still hoping to make in time to see “Monsters University” and “Man of Steel.” Otherwise, you can find me at home in front of the air conditioner, with Otter Pops, basking in the glow of the silver screen.

Music – Johnnyswim

What is it about summer that makes music particularly catchy? When I’m trying to drown the “Fiddler on the Roof” soundtrack out of my head (long story, but there’s only so many times a girl can biddy-biddy-bum her way through “If I Were a Rich Man”), I’m really digging “Heart Beats” by Johnnyswim. Their EP is hauntingly lovely, especially “Don’t Make Keep Heaven Busy,” which has had its share of repeat plays on my car stereo – it’s the perfect wistful lament for driving in the evening when the sun is sinking behind the hills. Preferably right after a summer rainstorm. With an iced tea chilling in the cup holder.

I’m also digging the musical stylings of independent musician (and yes, long-time friend of mine, who will probably kill me for this), Grover Anderson. His EPs run the gamut from classic country twang to modern, spare ballads, to upbeat, Jason Mraz-infused pop. A track logging a lot of time on my playlist is “Boulder,” a song of broken hearts and lost dreams, set against a stark arrangement. Having known Anderson as long as I have, it’s been a real joy to watch him evolve as a songwriter and performer, and his upcoming album is sure to be a stellar addition to his catalog (look for the upcoming track “The Lampolier” – it’s a furious, thumping ride that would have been at home in a Johnny Cash concert, circa “Live at Folsom Prison”). Bonus points for you California readers of ours: Anderson is constantly playing gigs up and down the coast, so check his website for postings near you.

Book – The Awakening

I have a shelf full of books glaring at me, demanding to be read, but they just seem a bit imposing for summertime, when my mind tends to be as restless as a breeze. And as awesome as he may have been, I just can’t see myself lugging David McCulloch’s biography of John Adams to the beach. So what DOES make my reading list? Plenty, as it turns out, both old and new.

In the classics, I’ve found myself drawn to Baroness Orczy’s “The Scarlet Pimpernell,” a classic swashbuckler full of intrigue and dramatics of the scenery-chewing variety. While it’s regarded as a classic, it’s perfect for the adventure-loving young adult reader in your life, or for the late-twentysomething who never got around to reading it when she was a kid.

The restlessness of Edna Pontellier’s late-summer epiphany, as well as the languor of the Louisiana setting, has drawn me back to Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” – a scandal when it was written, but hardly an eyebrow-raiser now. However, Edna’s burgeoning consciousness and the beauty of Chopin’s language make this a timeless pageturner (though I promise, I won’t take it swimming!).

Newer reads? I just finished “Bring Up the Bodies,” Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning sequel to the astonishing “Wolf Hall,” and I’m just starting Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods.” Bryson’s take on his trek over the Appalachian Trail, undertaken shortly after his return to the US after a twenty-year absence, is the perfect companion for a mind that wanders like mine.