mccannta

2007 Reading List

• ATONEMENT - Ian McEwan
  This is not just another Iam McEwan novel, it is, by far, the best modern novel I have ever read. McEwan's prose is savory and sweet-it is to be relished like a fine wine. The man can describe just about anything. This novel specifically, and McEwan's writing in general, will spoil you with its quality and beauty. You may not read another Joh Grisham novel again. This novel, and now a major motion picture, is just about perfect. It is complex and nuanced and compelling; its a big story, an epic that does not disappoint in its ending. And what an ending it is. It has a fantastic ending; not one in which Bruce Willis saves the earth with a brave act of self-sacrifice (hear the music swelling?) but one in which the entire novel, all the characters and plot lines, the emotions wrenched and suspended aloft throughout the entire story come to a beautifully complete and wholly satisfying conclusion. I recomend this book to everyone. Everyone, that is, that is literate and fairly intelligent. Be advised, the story prominently features the worst curse word in the English language; it wouldn't be that same without it.
  
• UNDAUNTED COURAGE - Stephen E. Ambrose
  This is a fantastic biography of Merriwether Lewis and William Clark and their Corps of Discovery that explored the Louisiana Purchase. , two of greatest explorers and Americans to ever live.
• AMSTERDAM - Ian McEwan
  This brief McEwan novel is fantastic. It's witty, fast-paced, and devilishly fun. Two dispicably self-absorbed former lovers of a recently deceased socialite make a solem pact whose consequences will change their lives and possibly alter the course of political leadership in England. This novel is fun.
  
• SATURDAY - Ian McEwan
  One fascinating day in the life of a sucessful surgeon will alter his life and that of his family. This is a quick-paced novel with a fantastic last 100 pages.
  
• ATONEMENT - Ian McEwan
  This is not just another Iam McEwan novel, it is the best modern novel I may have ever read. It is a great story with a fantastic ending. I recomend this book to everyone. Everyone, that is, that is literate and fairly intelligent. Be advised, the story prominently features the worst curse word in the English language.
• ATONEMENT - Ian McEwan
  This is not just another Iam McEwan novel, it is the best modern novel I may have ever read. It is a great story with a fantastic ending. I recomend this book to everyone. Everyone, that is, that is literate and fairly intelligent. Be advised, the story prominently features the worst curse word in the English language.
• ATONEMENT - Ian McEwan
  This is not just another Iam McEwan novel, it is the best modern novel I may have ever read. It is a great story with a fantastic ending. I recomend this book to everyone. Everyone, that is, that is literate and fairly intelligent. Be advised, the story prominently features the worst curse word in the English language.
• NAKED - David Sedaris
  Another great book by David Sedaris. A total laugh-riot.
• THE CONTENT OF OUR CHARACTER - Shelby Steele
  This is the best book I have ever read on race in America. I re-read this classic for Martin Luther King's birthday.
• A ROOM WITH A VIEW- E. M. Forester
• THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV - Fyodor Dostoevsky
  I am re-reading the classic Russian epic. I am reading a translation by Richard Pervear and Larissa Volokhonsky that is awesome. It is so much better than the older Constance Garrett version. This translation seems much more Russian; it has a roughness, a foreign quality that seems much more authentic, less Westernized. Follow the title link or the book image link for a hardcover version of this masterpiece of Russian literature. See my character summary when you begin reading and this study guide for more background.
• WHITE GUILT - Shelby Steele
  The book tagline is "How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era."
• A ROOM WITH A VIEW- E. M. Forester
• DESPAIR - Vladamir Nabakov
• ON CHESIL BEACH - Ian McEwan
  This was my initial introduction to the wiriting of Ian McEwan. This novella is centered around a couple's wedding night in 1962. Though the setting might seem like that of a porn movie, it is actually very good. This story is very intimate without being seedy or voyouristic.
• JOHN ADAMS - David McCullough
  While Atonement is the best novel I have read, 'John Adams' is the best book I have read this year. It is tough to believe so prominant a figure could have accomplished so much and played so prominant a role in the creation and formation of this wonderful country. McCullough is such a fantastic writer that this material takes on a life of its own in a great narriative that is hard to put down. Read this book!!
• TRUMAN - David McCullough
  This was another great McCullough book. 
• HOW THE IRISH SAVED CIVILIZATION - Thomas Cahill
• THE WORST HARD TIME - Timothy Egan
  This National Book Award winner about the Dust Bowl in the 1930s is great.
• JOHNSTOWN FLOOD - David McCullough
• PARADISE LOST - John Milton
• DANGEROUS NATION - Robert Kagan

Books in progress...

• THE PASSION OF THE WESTERN MIND - Richard Tarnas

2006 Reading List

• PRESIDENT REAGAN - Richard Reeves
• IN A DIFFERENT VOICE - Carol Gilligan
• THREE NIGHTS IN AUGUST - Buzz Bissinger
  Non-Fiction. This quasi-biography of one of Major League Baseball's most successful managers, Tony LaRussa of the 2006 World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. His biography is fashioned around a 3-day Cardinal home stand against the Chicago Cubs, one of professional sports greatest rivalries.
• THE ODYSSEY - Homer
  I finally read one the classics of ancient literature.
• ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY - David Sedaris
  Non-Fiction. I wouldn't describe his books as comedy though they are side-spittingly funny. He writes short stories about his childhood, family, and, well, just life. Needless to say, they made great Christmas gifts.
• TALK TO THE HAND - Lynne Truss
  Non-Fiction. The book tagline is "The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door." Sequel to Eats, Shoots & Leaves.
• THE WORLD IS FLAT - Thomas Friedman
  Non-Fiction. The new world of the 21st century is changing at an unbelievable speed. Friedman's book will help you catch-up with the speed.
• MYTHS, LIES AND DOWNRIGHT STUPIDITY - John Stossel
  Non-Fiction. John Stossel is a investigative journalist and television reporter for ABC's 20/20. He is also a political Libertarian and in his book, the most articulate advocate for his Libertarian ideology.
• BLIND MAN'S BLUFF - Sherry Sontag
  Non-Fiction. These are the true stories of United States and Russian submarine crews during the cold war. This is an amazing book. Books like this are very rare as the silent service does not lend itself to many detailed accounts of missions due to their highly classified nature. This book has been a God-send to the families of 50 years of submariners who may have never known what danger and amazing service their husbands and sons have performed for a grateful nation. 
• PERSUASION - Jane Austen
  I have continued my seeming homosexual attraction to demonstrable classical feminine fiction. I'm not gay, she is the best female writer I have ever read, period. 
• NORTHANGER ABBEY - Jane Austen
• PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - Jane Austen
• THE BROTHERS K - David James Duncan
  This was the surprising literary find of the year for me. It is loosely based on Dostoevsky's masterpiece. The family is the Chance's and the title is an alliteration to the father's career as a minor league pitcher. (K is an abbreviation for strikeouts in baseball)
• THE BROKER - John Grisham
  Not the best writer but a crafter of great plots and harrowing suspense. Great airplane read.
• THE AWAKENING- Kate Chopin
  'The Awakening' was a boring and uneventful story. It was supposedly the "Rochele Rochele" of the early 20th century but it just seemed aimless. Didn't like it, not worth your time
• JANE EYRE - Charlotte Brontë
  Wow, what a writer. I loved this book; its a great story by itself but it's also gorgeously written by one of the English language's best writer.
• MAYFLOWER - Nathaniel Philbrick
  A fantastic account of the first real settlement in the new world. It will astound you how shaky and lucky this settlement was and how easily it could have ended up just like Jamestown. It's a miracle that our Republic was ever born.
• 1984 - George Orwell
  A chilling look into the future (past?)
• WUTHERING HEIGHTS - Emily Brontë
  The other Brontë sister; for her only novel, she mustered all her creative energy and hit a walk-off home run. It remains on of literature's most disturbing explorations into the dark side of romantic passion. 
• THE IDIOT - Fyodor Dostoevsky
  Not my favorite. At times, Dostoevsky's brilliance shines through but not enough to support a book of 'The Idiot's' length, 615 pages.
• 1776 - David McCullough
  How the Republic survived amidst all that could have gone wrong is truly a sign of God's favor upon our country.
• THE INNOCENT MAN- John Grisham
  'Murder and Injustice in a Small Town' is the tagline for the true story of the wrongful conviction of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz in Ada, Oklahoma. His first non-fiction book, it is as terrifying as it is gripping.

McCann Winter CD Mix

This is where you can find information and playlists for my Winter 2006/2007 CD Mix. The theme of the collection is 'Great Singer/Songwriters.' I hope you enjoy it...

Each disc has a different post that contains the playlist for that CD. You will also find a link at the top of each post for a .PDF of that playlist that you can download.

• Winter Mix CD #1 Playlist
• Winter Mix CD #2 Playlist
• Winter Mix CD #3 Playlist
• Winter Mix CD #4 Playlist

I included the songs that I did assuming 2 things: first, that you already own a fair amount of the songs that I included; second, if you liked any song you did not already own, you could purchase the CD or buy the song on iTunes. I am not trying to bootleg music, just turn you on to music you may not have heard about or have forgotten how great it was if you have heard of it before. Enjoy the collection and Merry (belated) Christmas! 

Winter CD #1

The following songs comprise my 06-07 Winter Mix CD #1. The songs are not ranked but listed in the order they appear on the CD. Download .PDF of Winter Playlist #1.

              Song Name – Artist: Album

1. Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois – Sufjan Stevens: Come On Feel The Illinoise!
   Beautiful chords in a haunting and off-center time signature. Only Sufjan Stevens could write such a beautiful song comparing the trinity to a UFO sighting. See an interview from Rolling Stone to get an idea who this strange young man is: (Rolling Stone Interview)



2. Summer Skin – Death Cab For Cutie: Plans
   Best DCFC song on their CD. Their writing is so deep and mature, poignant and penetrating – an odd feat for folks relatively young. Their writing has a familiar texture that is surprisingly intimate and authentic.



3. West Point - Jonatha Brooke & The Story: Plumb
   Great song from a great artist. Jonatha has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard. She is similar to Crystal Lewis and Rocco DeLuca (probably the first simile linking Crystal and Rocco ever attempted!) in that their music is as much a vocal experience as songs in their own right. Most of her other albums have been a disappointment for me but I love everything about ‘Plumb.’ The vocals are awesome and the songwriting itself is fantastic as well. Jonatha Brooke reminds me of a softer, more subtle version of Ani DiFranco.
       You're still written in my days, all the pages coming back to me (What a line!!!)
       I will carry you along, singing discreetly
       Old raincoat, two lives, no boyfriend, no wife
       Don't want to die here and nobody know
       Don't want to die here and nobody know



4. Take It From Me – The Weepies: Say I Am You
   This is the first song on my favorite album of 2006, Say I Am You. There is so much more to The Weepies music than a quick listen would reveal; it’s simple and catchy and vulnerable and, not to be too simplistic - very musical.



5. Hurricane – Mindy Smith: One Moment More
   Mindy Smith makes it all sound so easy. Her music also doesn’t fit easily into prearranged genres. ‘Hurricane’ is never rushed in its delivery. It’s not lazy and the emotion ebbs and flows but her vocal grounds is and gives it a gentleness and grace that would have been lost had another artist sung it. This is ‘Big Sky Country’ music. It seems at home in the Great Plains; much like Jennifer Knapp’s first album ‘Kansas.’



6. If I Had A Boat - Lyle Lovett: Pontiac
   A great classic song from a classic voice. To blindly label Lyle Lovett as ‘country music’ is to both misunderstand the genre and ignore his amazing uniqueness. No standard genre exists for his music except ‘genius.’ I feel a loneliness to his voice and music. Maybe this is because it seems so different and set apart; it stands so separate and distinct from anyone else.



7. San Francisco – Steve Tannen (The Weepies): Big Senorita
   Steve Tannen is one half of The Weepies. This song is so catchy and fun to sing. “A mandolin trills ecstatically above acoustic guitar's strum while the drums and percussion pound out a shuffling samba-like beat. … the expression here is of pure joy as the wheels spin on the pavement, moving away from a dead relationship toward a fresh start somewhere else.”
   (from a review at: AcousticLive)



8. Useless Desires - Patty Griffin: Impossible Dream
   This has been the song of my life for the 2nd half of 2006; my constant counselor and reassuring companion. Ms. Griffin, thank-you for your song, it has saved me.
   
      Every day I take a bitter pill that gets me on my way
      For the little aches and pains
      The ones I have from day to day
      To help me think a little less about the things I miss
      To help me not to wonder how I ended up like this
      …
      I walk down to the railroad track and ride a rusty train
      With a million other faces I shoot through the city veins
      Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye old friend
      You wanted to be free
      Somewhere beyond the bitter end is where I want to be



9. Tension Is A Passing Note – Sixpence None The Richer: Divine Discontent
   This is a modern psalm for musicians or anyone else passionately following a dream. An honest prayer from a distinctive voice.



10. How Will He Find Me - Deb Talan (The Weepies): A Bird Flies Out
    Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, solo artists in their own right, make up the stellar acoustic group ‘The Weepies.’ Easily one of the best musical finds of 2006 (True credit for finding The Weepies belongs squarely with former Fear Factor winner Whitney Schmink, one of the best musical palates around). The Weepies’ music seems fairly light and simple when given a cursory listen. However, with a little more attention you’ll find incredibly catchy tunes delivered effortlessly from two very unique and soothing voices with understated but very choice production. Their writing reveals an innocence about love that is neither trite or naïve but genuine and refreshing. ‘How Will He Find Me’ is a solo effort from Deb Talan. It is a simple and honest that is heartfelt without being pollyanna-ish.
    
       How will he ever find me
       Only held by gravity - faded with uncertainty
       No longer young and not that pretty
       How will he ever find me



11. Your Heart Is an Empty Room - Death Cab For Cutie: Plans
    I found a link to the video for this song. I never know what to expect from a video after being aquainted with a song already. I don’t know what the DCFC guys look like or how they act but, from the video, I was not surprised. Check it out at YouTube.



12. Cannonball - Damien Rice: O
    Blower’s Daughter, my ass, this is easily the best Damien Rice song there is. Such a delicate melody. This song has one of the best recordings of acoustic guitars ever.



13. Painting Pictures Of Egypt - Sara Groves: Conversations
    Pretty deep lyrics – you can’t return to where you were before and have things be the same. Steps of faith only move in one direction, forward.
    
       I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt
       Leaving out what it lacked
       The future seems so hard
       And I want to go back
       But the places that used to fit me
       Cannot hold the things I’ve learned
       And those roads closed off to me
       While my back was turned



14. Another White Dash - Butterfly Boucher: Another White Dash - Single
       There is something exciting about leaving everything behind
       There is something deep and pulling leaving everything behind
       Something about having everything
       You think you'll ever need
       Sitting in the seat next to you



15. Charm Attack (New) – Leona Naess: Comatised
    A catchy song from a beautiful gal. Awesome production, great energy, so clean



16. Girl America - Mat Kearney: Nothing Left To Lose
    Great acoustic and electric guitar chords, totally make the song – check out 2nd verse 1:38 – 1:58. The lyric is poignant, sensitive and compassionate without being cheesy.



17. Christina – Patty Griffin: Flaming Red
    Christina was written about Christina Onasis. So sad and tragic.
       It's a wondrous world of ridiculous things
       With nothing so rare as the love that it brings
       In the silence of a smile that understands



18. There There – Radiohead: Hail To The Thief
    A clear change of pace and mood for the Radiohead song. The sweet beat set by the toms and then the sick and dirty guitar melody: Kick Ass. There is latent, anxious energy in this song, just waiting to explode.



19. Building A Mystery – Sarah McLachlan: Surfacing
    I total classic from a musical goddess…

Winter CD #2

Download .PDF of Winter Playlist #2.

              Song Name – Artist: Album

1. Colorful – Rocco DeLuca & The Burden: I Trust You To Kill Me
   One thing you can say about Rocco is that he isn’t subtle. His vocal is unbelievable. It is tearing, biting, seething with passion and energy. He is a OC home-town boy and owes his success as much to his record company’s high-profile co-owner Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer of TVs 24) as to his voice. His band also is one reason he has become so popular: they are such a great rhythm section. Colorful is a greats song…



2. Sunshine – Keane: Hopes And Fears
   A Rhodes, bass and drums never sounded so airy and ethereal.



3. Pyramid Song – Radiohead: Amnesiac
   Hauntingly beautiful chords in a very strange time signature. It’s classic Radiohead: part psychosis-induced genius and part tortured-insanity.



4. New Slang – The Shins: Oh, Inverted World
   This song reminds me of riding my bike as a child (though, not with a bike helmet as kids do today). We all owe Zach Braff a collective thanks…didn’t he discover The Shins for everyone?
   I’m looking in on the good life i might be doomed never to find.



5. Out Of The Woods - Nickel Creek: Nickel Creek
   A classic Nickel Creek song. It is a great song to sing all the parts to.
   Best part of the song: There is a ‘Oooohh-oooohh’ at 3:30 that is heavenly; it’s almost a groan. It is after the line (3:24, girl vocal) “…into a picture of me…” and before “…in my head.”
      I roller coaster for you
      Time out of mind must be heavenly
      It's all enchanted and wild
      Just like my heart said it was gonna be



6. Comes A Time - Nada Surf: The Weight Is A Gift
   A melancholy gem of a song. The lazy time has a great feel. The guitar creates a hazy, dreamlike or gently rocking feel. I was torn whether to include this song or ‘Your Legs Grow” on the CD. Both are great songs and it was a toss-up. Enjoy…



7. Crazy As Me - Alison Krauss & Union Station: Lonely Runs Both Ways
   Scripture says that the Holy Spirit prays for us with groans, words that are deeper than we can express (Rom 8:26). If the Holy Spirit could write a song, tapping words and feelings from the very essence of my being, this is the song that would spring forth.



8. World Spins Madly On - The Weepies: Say I Am You
   Again, how is this not the title song for a movie? Perfectly sublime background vocals from Deb Talan on this song.



9. Full-Fledged Strangers - Jonatha Brooke & The Story: Plumb
   No one can deliver a vocal like Jonatha. Great drum/bass rhythm line. It is so fun to sing all the background vocal parts, especially 3:00 minutes in to the end of the song…



10. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab For Cutie: Plans
    DCFC – Plans is easily the second best CD for 2006, (the first in The Weepies – Say I Am You). The writing is so mature and creative, wisdom well beyond their years.
       Sorrow drips into your heart through a pinhole
       Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound
       But while you debate half empty or half full
       It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown



11. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Sufjan Stevens: Come On Feel The Illinoise!
    Sufjan Stevens’ music is the most creative and original music I have heard in many years. His writing is very deep and challenging emotionally and spiritually. His music is also very creative. He plays the oboe, flute, vibraphone, glockenspiel, accordion, sleigh bells, triangle and a Casiotone MT-70. The music draws from high school marching bands, show tunes and ambient electronics.
    Before getting into Sufjan Stevens’ music, beware: his writing is very deep and difficult to make sense of sometimes. He doesn’t telegraph the emotion or point of his songs but, like the complexity of life, love and loss, they are murky and tough to make sense of.
    A terrifyingly beautiful song finding similarities with mass murderer John Wayne Gacy, Jr. and the hearts of all men and women.
       And in my best behavior - I am really just like him
       Look beneath the floorboards - For the secrets I have hid



12. Allison Is Crazy – Steve Tannen: Stopped At A Green Light
    Steve Tannen is the other half of ‘The Weepies.’ I absolutely love this song. It is so catchy and fun to sing; It seems I could sing this song for hours…
       Allison is crazy in grace amazing
       She’s a dreamer never came to
       She’s walking on my street
       Through the glass in her bare feet
       You know my heart beats only for you
       Monkey see monkey do I’m just trying to get on back to you
       
       You could take away the shotgun but that’s just a symptom
       I think you better treat the whole disease
       Could you fix it with the Phen-Phen
       Come home in the A.M.
       When the night is fait accomplis, please, please
       I’m just trying to get on back to you



13. This Side – Nickel Creek: This Side
    Fun to sing along to. A ton of music for just a guitar, a mandolin and a drum. It has an in-your-face production quality.



14. Crashing Down - Mat Kearney: Nothing Left To Lose
    Fresh new voice and sound. So commercial sounding without being a sell-out. Good musical arrangement, not simple by any means. A 21st century rock anthem.



15. Nightswimming – R.E.M.: Automatic For The People
    An early 90’s classic. It makes me long for a road-trip. A simple piano and solo vocal song: exquisite!



16. Down in Flames – Mindy Smith: One Moment More
    What a casual and soothing voice. She has created a sound that is warm and delicate that seems so natural. She is not blazing any new trails lyrically but it doesn’t seem tired and worn or whiney either, just honest and matter-of-fact.
       I would tell you I am happy
       If I wasn't so damn sad
       And the loneliness both overwhelms and keeps me empty
       That's how it's been for a while



17. Brothers On a Hotel Bed - Death Cab For Cutie: Plans
    Misery has many different textures. DCFC has written a sad song that says just enough. Don’t mistake the theme as regret, it is more accurately resignation: misery through a thousand tiny disappointments and atrophied dreams.



18. Shotgun Down The Avalanche – Shawn Colvin: Steady On
    A pop-folk classic; ethereal and mystifying. Her writing is so good, so very, very good.

Winter CD #3

Download .PDF of Winter Playlist #3.

              Song Name – Artist: Album

1. Gotta Have You - The Weepies: Say I Am You
   Another great Weepies song. The texture of her voice makes this recording. It is unpolished and lazy but not juvenile sounding. She is a gem.



2. Daylight – Alison Krauss & Union Station: New Favorite
   A voice that is nothing short of divine.



3. Lovers in a Dangerous Time – Barenaked Ladies: All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001
   Great remake of a great song. One of be best lines ever…
      When you’re lovers in a dangerous time
      Sometimes you’re made to feel as if your loves a crime
      Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
      Got to kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight



4. Rain - Patty Griffin: 1,000 Kisses
   Seems as though you are outside during a short respite between seemingly never ending bands of rain. The wind is blowing and all around is wet; creation itself seems to be weeping.
      It’s hard to know when to give up the fight
      Two things you want will just never be right
      It’s never rained like it has to night before
      
      Now I don't wanna beg you baby
      For something maybe you could never give
      I'm not looking for the rest of your life
      I just want another chance to live



5. Is This All? – Jonatha Brooke & The Story: Plumb
   How a single human being can sing this song is beyond me; it should be physically impossible. What a vocal range, what control - so smooth.
   Amazing vocal lick: 2:15 – 3:08, whole 2nd verse!
      So when you sleep do not dream,
      The dreams they weigh you down
      When you carry them along with you
      They will wrack your lovely body, report back to your soul
      With all the sickening sweets of the afternoon
      As we lose the last of innocence-like some romantic notion
      Buried by the fashion of disdain.
      You can make the world your apple-but take a bite before it sours-
      Or you can make the world your charm or your chain



6. Grey Sky Eyes – Carbon Leaf: Indian Summer
   A friend turned me on to Carbon Leaf, tough to listen to though, to many memories



7. Casmir Pulaski Day – Sufjan Stevens: Come On Feel The Illinoise!
   Casmir Pulaski Day is regional holiday (Illinois and Wisconsin) that honors a Revolutionary War hero of Polish decent.
   “The song is a monstrously sad acoustic ballad about a friend dying of cancer and leaving a lot of painful spiritual questions behind. The singer prays for his friend, but his friend dies anyway; the singer is too young and scared to ask God why, so the trumpet solo has to ask.” (Rolling Stone review: http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/7370215/illinois)
   
   The last lines of the song are terrifying; is God really this way? I’m inclined to thinks so…
      Oh the glory when he took our place
      But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
      And he takes and he takes and he takes



8. I Can’t Make You Love Me – George Michael: Best Of…
   Without question, one of the saddest songs ever written. This version features George Michael. His voice is perfect for this lyric. It does take some to get used to, the Bonnie Raitt version is sacrosanct.



9. Inconsolable - Jonatha Brooke & The Story: Plumb
   At least total misery encourages beautiful songs. This is everyone’s favorite break-up song…



10. Sleeping with the Lights On – Teitur: Poetry & Aeroplanes
    Sorrow and loss set to music. Perfect for a movie soundtrack. The pain is the lyric is very present, not romantic or looking back but raw and real.



11. Unraveling – Deb Talan: A Bird Flies Out
    A simple song that is deceptively complex. A relaxed meter but a hurried and anxious feel that is mirrored in the lyric. Favorite part of song: 3 Oooohs, 2:56 – 3:12. Great vocal production, the song wouldn’t be the same without them.



12. Nothing In My Way – Keane: Under the Iron Sea
    Great chorus, fun to sing. It also has a cool bridge.



13. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab For Cutie: Plans
    An excellent song. Simple sounding but great chords. Nice walk-down at end of chorus, makes a great ring-tone.



14. Want To – Sugarland: Enjoy The Ride
    I know, a country song? Yes and No. The line between what is country and what isn’t country is a joke now. This is a great pop song and I really like the tenderness and genuine authenticity in it. Though her voice gets a little heavy, I like the song a good deal.



15. Reasons Why - Nickel Creek: Nickel Creek
    Great song to sing all the parts!
       And knowing how hard it hurts when we fall
       We lean another ladder against the wrong wall
       And climb high to the highest rung, to shake fists at the sky
       While others have excuses, I have my reasons why



16. A Home – Dixie Chicks: Home
    Such a sad song. Natalie Mains’ beautiful vocals matched with great songwriters and Alison Krauss producing. This is easily their best CD.
       Four walls, a roof, a door, some windows
       Just a place to run when my working day is through
       They say home is where the heart is
       If the exception proves the rule I guess that's true



17. Living in Twilight - The Weepies: Say I Am You
    Why are directors and producers not beating down The Weepies door trying to get this song into their movie? This is such a visual song, dreamlike; close your eyes, your mind will begin to edit a collage of memories together matched perfectly while the song plays. Great vocal arrangement and so fun to sing both parts. This song has great bridge (1:44 – 2:10 ‘Step out into twilight’).

Winter CD #4

Download .PDF of Winter Playlist #4.

              Song Name – Artist: Album

1. Too Little, Too Late – Jojo: The High Road
   Bubble gum pop, yes. But this song has more than all the others. Her vocal is great and is delivered very well. Great pop vocal production makes a great, fun song



2. Missing Missouri – Sara Evans: Real Fine Place
   Well, yes, I am from Missouri but that is not the reason I added this song to the list. It is, however, the reason I even know about the song in the first place. While visiting St. Louis for Thanksgiving, I heard a lot of this song on the radio; a natural hometown favorite. I brought this little gem home for all of you. Also, let there be no mistake, Missouri is pronounced \mi - 'zur-E\, not \muh – zur –UH\. Sara Evans’ voice is great and the song does capture what life is like in the Midwest, though she is from southern Missouri, near Cape Girardeau.



3. Out Loud – Mindy Smith: Long Island Shores
   Enough cannot be said about this fantastic artist. To quote my usually more articulate roommate, the illustrious Dave Gundlach, “This song’s awesome.” It’s the small details that make her so great. Notice the background harmony vocals in the second chorus (1:38) that are faded out at the end of each phrase (1:45 and 1:58). The effect allows the beauty of the vocal harmony to not overwhelm or complicate the simple vocal melody. She is phenomenal…



4. Fallen – Sarah McLachlan: Afterglow
   Trying to pick one Sarah song among her myriad great ones is difficult. While I thought the ‘Afterglow’ album wasn’t very good, I love this song. This lyric is the universal experience of humanity, our sin:
      Be the long awaited answer
      To a long and painful fight
      Truth be told I tried my best
      But somewhere long the way
      I got caught up in all there was to offer
      But the cost was so much more than I could bear
   
   and abandonment…
      Heaven bend to take my hand
      I've nowhere left to turn
      I'm lost to these I thought were friends
      To everyone I know
      Oh they turn their heads embarrassed
      Pretend that they don't see
      That it's one mis-step one slip before you know it
      And there doesn't seem away to be redeemed



5. Wichita Skyline – Shawn Colvin: A Few Small Repairs
   Like the Sarah MacLachlan song above, it is so difficult to pick a song from an artist like Shawn Colvin who has written so many great ones. I love this song because it is often overlooked. Her music is so unpretentious and honest. Like Mindy Smith, her music is the music of the Midwestern plains. 



6. Goodbye Is All We Have – Alison Krauss & Union Station: Lonely Runs Both Ways
   So effortless, so fair, so delicate. Never has a voice been matched with such perfectly appropriate instrumentation and talent.



7. Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way – LeAnn Rimes: This Woman
   This is a oft overlooked song about a new widow and getting on with life. The understated background vocal is a nice touch (Vince Gill, I think).
      Mama says that I just shouldn't speak to you
      Susan says that I should just move on
      You oughta see the way these people look at me
      When they see me 'round here talking to this stone
      Everybody thinks I've lost my mind
      But I just take it day by day



8. Advice For The Young At Heart – Tears For Fears: Sowing The Seeds of Love
   A gem that is only 18 years old! The engineering/production for Tears For Fears has preserved this great coming-of-age song.
      And when I think of you and all the love that's due
      I'll make a promise, I'll make a stand
      Cos to these big brown eyes, this comes as no surprise
      We've got the whole wide world in our hands
      Advice for the young at heart - Soon we will be older
      When we gonna make it work?



9. Fill Me Up – Shawn Colvin: These Four Walls
   This is from the newest SC cd These Four Walls. This song, while new, is classic SC. Acoustic driving melody with dreamy hollow-body electric playing rhythm lines. Choice vocal stacking with a great bass line makes this a great song



10. Please Stay – Mindy Smith: Long Island Shores
    Long Island-bred, Tennessee-settled singer-songwriter Mindy Smith is like a well-aged whisky- smooth and with an expert kick. She isn’t a woman to waste many words and her lyrics have an old-world economy to them, and she sings everything with a sober, restrained grace. (from iTunes Review)



11. Waiting For The Sun – Sixpence None The Richer: Divine Discontent
    If you do not own Divine Discontent from Sixpence, you are missing out. They are a great band with a superb vocalist. As this song builds in energy, from verse to chorus, it successively gains energy.



12. Sleeps With Butterflies – Tori Amos: Sleeps With Butterflies
    Tori is another artist with a pile of hits. I chose this because it is sorta obscure and romantic. I love her vocal production and writing. She is consistently one of the most honest songwriters around; at times, uncomfortably so. I found her video on YouTube, it is really beautiful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqRzAVC9zxI
       You say the word, You know I will find you
       Or if you need some time, I don't mind
       I don't hold on
       To the tail of your kite
       I'm not like the girls that you've known
       But I believe I'm worth coming home to
       Kiss away night
       This girl only sleeps with butterflies



13. Sunrise – Norah Jones: Feels Like Home
    I don’t really know if I like her music or her personally. Clearly a vocal and piano talent, her shy and self-effacing public persona is so completely charming. A true artist who got into music for the music and only the music.



14. Easy – Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked Ladies Are Me
    Here is a relatively new song from the BNLs. Their harmony is great in this song.



15. Sing – Travis: The Invisible Band
    As we near conclusion, a pop-folk classic from Travis. I don’t know how to describe them except to say they are The Shins before The Shins were The Shins.



16. Wind It Up - Barenaked Ladies: Barenaked Ladies Are Me
    Great, electric guitar lead. The expert production and engineering shows how it is possible to combine a big, dirty sounding electric guitar with an ordinary acoustic guitar, lead and background vocals, keys and rhythm and still end up with a clear and polished sound. It also shows how you can marry a big, delayed reverb sound with short, ambient reverb sounds in the same song. Oh, I also love everything the Barenaked Ladies do! Enjoy….



17. Dani California – Red Hot Chili Peppers
    And finally, my choice for the Grammy for Best Rock Performance or Best Rock Song. How is it that the same band that was kicking ass when I was in High School is still so hot? They, like your humble author, are only getting better with age!



18. Long Island Shores – Mindy Smith: Long Island Shores
    This the title track from Mindy Smith’s newest album is positively stunning. It’s an ultra-personal tale (as was her earlier hit “Come To Jesus”) that follows her back to Long Island for a family reunion where she places yellow roses at her mother’s grave.



19. Cooling – Tori Amos: To Venus And Back, Disc2
    This a live recording and earlier on the disc she talks about her songs as if there were alive, treasured friends of hers alone. How cool is that works of art appear to their creator to have relational existence. She says that this song is one of her favorites of all the songs. This is my goodbye to you...

Brothers Karamazov - Character Summary

The following is brief summary for the characters in Fyodor Dostoevksy's "The Brothers Karamazov." This list is not exhaustive but only serves to assist the reader at to the significance of all the many characters found in Dostoevsky's masterpiece.

Another frustrating feature of Russian literature is that Russian names can be difficult to understand and have many variants, this guide will be helpful. Russian names are composed of first name, a patronymic (from father's first name), and family name. Formal address requires the use of first name and patronymic. Diminutives are commonly used among family and friends and are for the most part endearing, but in a certain blunt form (Katka, Mitka, Alyoshka, Rakitka) can be insulting and dismissive. Stressed syllables are noted in italics.

Karamazov, Fyodor Pavlovich
- Old buffoon of which his murder is the central feature of the book
    Dmitri Fyodorovich
    - mother was Fyodor Karamazov's first wife, Adalaida
        (Mitya, Mitka, Mitenka, Mitri Fyodorovich)
    Ivan Fyodorovich
    - mother was Fyodor Karamazov's second wife, Sophia
        (Vanya, Vanka, Vanechka)
    Alexei Fyodorovich
    - mother was Fyodor Karamazov's second wife, Sophia
        (Alyosha, Alyoshka, Alyoshenka, Alyoshechka,
        Alexeichik, Lyosha, Lyoshenka)

Adelaida Ivanovna Miusov
- first wife of Fyodor Karamazov, a beautiful and intelligent girl with a dowry; she left him for a destitute seminarian

Sophia Ivanovna
- the second wife of Fyodor Karamazov, known as the 'shrieker' , she died eight years into her marriage

Kutuzov, Grigory Vasilievich (also Vasiliev)
- faithful and devoted servant of Fyodor Karamazov
    Marfa Ignatievna (also Ignatieva)
    - wife of Grigory; as a couple, they had no children of their
    own, save one who died when only 2 weeks old. They cared
    for all three Karamazov children after their mothers died;
    they also raised Smerdyakov.

Zosima (Zinovy before he became a monk)
- famous elder residing at the monestary in Karamazov's hometown; beloved mentor and father-figure of Alyosha

Khokhlakov, Katerina Osipovna
- met with Zosima to have him heal her daughter 0f paralysis
    Liza Katerinovna (Lise)

Verkhovtsev, Agafya Ivanovna
- daughter of a colonel Dmitri met while in the army; older half-sister to Katerina Ivanovna

Verkhovtsev, Katerina Ivanovna
(Katya, Katka, Katenka)
- Dmitri's fiancé and half-sister to Agafya Ivanovna

Svetlov, Agrafena Alexandrovna
(Grushenka, Grusha, Grushka)
- woman Dmitri caroused with while being the fiance of Katerina Ivanovna; both Dmitri and Fyodor say they are in love with her

Lizaveta Smerdyashchaya
(Stinking Lizaveta; no family name)
- holy fool around town; she was found unexpectedly pregnant, father of child unknown; she died in childbirth

Smerdyakov, Pavel Fyodorovich
- illegitimate son of 'stinking Lizaveta', raised by Grigory and Marfa Kutuzov; he was a servant to Fyodor Karamazov

Snegiryov, Nikolai Ilyich
    Arina Petrovna
    Varvara Nikolaevna (Varya)
    Nina Nikolaevna (Ninochka)
    Ilyusha (Ilyushechka, Ilyushka)

Krasotkin, Nikolai Ivanov (Kolya)

Miusov, Pyotr Alexandrovich
- cousin of Fyodor Karamazov's first wife, Adelaida Ivanovna; briefly took care of Dmitri Karamazov when he was a young child

Ratkitin, Mikhail Osipovich
    (Misha, Rakitka, Rakitushka)

Paissy
- stern head elder at Alyosha's monestary

Ferapont

Ippolit Kirillovich (no family name)

Nelyudov, Nikolai Parfenovich

Fetyukovich

Herzenstube
- town doctor

Maximov (Maximushka)

Kalganov, Pyotr Fomich (Petrusha)
- friend of Pyotr Miusov

Perkhotin, Pyotr Ilyich

Trifon Borisovich (also Borisich)

Fedosya Markovna
(Fenya, also Fedosya Markov)

Samsonov, Kuzma Kuzmich

Makarov, Mikhail Makarovich
(also Makarich)

Mussyalovich

Vrublevsky

Maria Kondratievna (no family name)

Varvinsky

Yefim Pavlovich Polenov
- heir of Fyodor Karamazov's second wife Sophia Ivanovna's benefactoress the General's widow. He took care of Ivan and Alexei and provided for thier education 

While there are many different translations of The Brothers Karamazov, I highly recommend reading the Richard Pervear/Larissa Volokhonsky version (buy it in hardcover, you'll have it forever). It is much better translation than the Constance Garrett version and has many endnotes that serve to illuminate the text in very helpful ways.

This post has been adapted from: Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, trans. Richard Pervear and Larissa Volokhonsky (New York: Vintage Classics, Random House, 1991).

Professor Thomas Beyer from Middlebury College has a great online study guide for The Brothers Karamazov with summaries and character sketches much more detailed that what I have listed above.