Category Archives: Music, Movies, and other Muses

A line from a song, an image from a film, an unexpected moment of beauty in everyday life – my mind absorbs them all

Summer Reading List Ideas

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With Memorial Day (in the US) coming up this weekend, this marks the official start of summer. Many people are putting together their vacation ideas, and along with that, their summer reading lists.

So here’s my take on the summer reading list. I’m not offering specific titles, but rather ideas about what kinds of books to put on your list. If you have a goal to read 5 or 10 or 50 books this summer, then how about some variety and unexpected items? 

A classic. You know, one of those 19th century tomes that people either love or hate. Whether you’re a fan of the classics or not, there’s usually a reason those authors and their books are now considered classics.

A new book. Maybe even a hot new bestseller that just hit the shelves. I believe that old books and new books are equally valid, even if the genres, subject matters, and writing styles are wildly different. Continue reading →

Music Review: “Asha,” AO Music

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The world music group AO Music is back with another superb album of high-energy sounds and enlightening vocals. The group’s name – AO – means pure light or all colors in ancient Polynesian, and “light” and “colors” are good words to describe this music.

As always, the incomparable Miriam Stockley leads the vocals on nearly every track. AO co-producer Richard Gannaway contributes to several songs, along with the voices of children’s choirs from around the world.

In a bit of a departure from their recent albums, many of the songs on Asha are in English – like “Love Knows the Way,” “The Wildest Dream,” “Where in the New World,” and others. AO has liberally used vocalese for many of their songs in the past (vocalese: made-up phonetics, open to personal interpretation, that fit the rhythm of the music). While there are still vocalese lyrics to be heard on this album, many of the songs are in English, Zulu, Polynesian, Scottish Gaelic, or a blend of languages. Continue reading →