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Jon Hamm recommended Arcadia in Books (curated)

 
Arcadia
Arcadia
Iain Pears | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I love reading plays. Part of the reason I became an actor was that I would read one and think, 'Ah, it’d be fun to be in that.' Arcadia is about the discovery of certain theories of physics and math, but it’s also a love story — a sad love story — infused with ideas of early feminism and the Industrial Revolution. The action bounces back and forth between the early 1800s and modern times stylistically and smoothly. And the words are just beautiful. Stoppard has an amazing command of the English language. He moves the plot along in such a way that if you’re not paying close attention, you won’t catch the five or six things that are going on. This is probably my favorite play — it’s got this weird combination of excellent dramatic writing and math and science. It sounds kind of nerdy, but there you go."

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Gruff Rhys recommended Crab Day by Cate Le Bon in Music (curated)

 
Crab Day by Cate Le Bon
Crab Day by Cate Le Bon
2016 | Alternative, Pop, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is another record that has taken up my time over the past decade or so and I think this is her best album. I can't wait for the next one. She's been brilliant in forging her own path and it's really exciting. She played with us on the Neon Neon stuff but she was releasing records, mostly in the Welsh language, for a few years before then. I think she's on a really interesting musical journey. She is an amazing songwriter, a very natural songwriter who could write anything. She was in LA but she's been in the Lake District for a couple of years now. With this record in particular, there are some incredibly profound songs and she makes experimentation and improvisation extremely palatable to the ears which is very hard to do. Just to be able to make really unique pop music is also incredibly hard to do!"

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A Welsh Choral Spectacular by Dafydd Iwan
A Welsh Choral Spectacular by Dafydd Iwan
2012 | Classical
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

Yma O Hyd by Dafydd Iwan

(0 Ratings)

Track

"If you’re a fan of one of the Welsh rugby regions, then you’ll know this song. At Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, this is what they come out to, and it’s amazing. The lyric is about the Welsh language and how it has withstood the Romans and English culture, but you don’t actually need to know that to appreciate the song. If you play it and it’s raining outside you can feel its spectral power. Dafydd Iwan had a long career in politics with Plaid Cymru but he is also a folk singer. I first heard it about 10 years ago when I went to see Cardiff Blues play the Scarlets. They came on to this song and it just hit me somewhere between my heart and my brain – the perfect place for a song to hit you. I wish I knew how to bottle the feeling this song gives me."

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Liz Phair recommended The God of Small Things in Books (curated)

 
The God of Small Things
The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy | 1998 | Essays
8.3 (7 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I’m a big fan of writers who emphasize the importance of personal interaction. I’d rather guess at a plot by accumulating minute observation of the behaviors of characters than be driven down a straight road with predictable lefts and rights. In her debut novel, Roy writes like a human microscope, moving her focus in and out of different time periods and opening up the petals of language to reveal ever more tightly coiled insights. Fraternal twins Rahel and Estha Kochamma share a devastating secret that’s tainted their lives, mirroring the corruption at the heart of India’s ruling system that has exploited and polluted the country for decades. Untangling effects from causes is never more exquisitely wrought than in this masterful and sensitive opus. Roy is one of those rare authors who has the power to trick you into believing her stories are your own."

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