"I’m not that keen on contrafactual books. Erpenbeck’s novel is something different, though. By letting people die and then come to life again in the next chapter, she tells an epic family story covering an essential part of Europe’s 20th century."

"I don’t know how he made this movie, except that he used the real people. This is where Soderbergh learned half of his shit (as I’m sure he’ll admit). This is an amazing three-disc set, with hours of documentary footage."

"A book on collective nouns that I read from often, and I wish more people knew about it. I am madly in love with collective nouns! They make language so colorful and ticklish. I love throwing them into casual conversation."

"This book succeeds on so many levels, though the brightest, most resounding message is encouraging people to find their voice, speak up and believe in themselves. It's also about overcoming extreme obstacles and rising above negative energy with poise and grace."

"Worth it for the pictures alone - people celebrating the important moments of their lives. There's an Indian banquet where everyone is eating off of leaves, sitting on the floor. One of these days, I'm going to thrown an event like that."

"This is always the first choice when people say they have a new television set or home cinema system and they want to watch a great visual movie. I always choose this because I feel it has an incredible presence."

"Exquisite John Ford, breaking all our hearts. This is the western I recommend to people who don’t think they like westerns. The scene when Victor Mature as the tubercular Doc Holliday recites Hamlet’s famous soliloquy shouldn’t work, but it absolutely dazzles."

"This is McCullers’s most vicious and finest work, though I love all her work. The narrative stars a closeted army captain on a Southern military base, and a surrounding cast of depressed, outrageous, flamboyant, and cruel characters, or rather, people."

"It’s a delightful little melody that almost anybody can sing. Sam Cooke said something about hit records: If people can sing along with you, it probably will be a hit record. I love Pharrell’s delivery of that song. It’s perfect."