Currently reading
Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God changed my life. I’m only about fifty pages in but I can tell this one is almost as beautiful.
Recently read
Tinkers by Paul Harding. Beautiful, difficult, original, prayerful, frustrating, wonderful. Recent winner of the Pulitzer Prize and I think it deserved it, although it is very, very slow in places. But redeems itself with passages of keen beauty.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave. A true literary page-turner. I couldn’t put it down. The kind of book you want everyone you know to read.
Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd. Excellent in every way.
Listening to
Lifted Off the Ground-Chely Wright-revealing, honest, intimate
Shelby Lynne-Tears, Lies, and Alibis. Her best album since I Am…
Band of Horses-Infinte Arms. A great album for writing, sitting, thinking, driving.
The Thin Red Line Soundtrack-One of my favorite movies and soundtracks
“I Forget It’s There”–Lay Low
Golden Apples of the Sun–Caroline Herring (this one has been on my top playlist for months and months now…can’t get enough of it)
Favorite Books
My Antonia-Willa Cather.Jude the Obscure-Thomas Hardy.Angle of Repose-Wallace Stegner.To Kill a Mockingbird-Harper Lee.Fair and Tender Ladies-Lee Smith.O Pioneers!-Willa Cather. Home-Marilynne Robinson.A Prayer for Owen Meany-John Irving. Sons and Lovers-DH Lawrence. Gilead-Marilynne Robinson.The Woodlanders-Thomas Hardy.Love Medicine-Louise Erdrich.Tess of the D’Urbervilles-Thomas Hardy.Because of Winn Dixie-Kate DiCamillo.Housekeeping-Marilynne Robinson.The Color Purple-Alice Walker.The Dollmaker-Harriette Arnow.A Yellow Raft in Blue Water-Michael Dorris.Coming Through Slaughter-Michael Onndaatje.The Clearing-Tim Gautreaux.The Unquiet Earth/Storming Heaven-Denise Giardina.Alias Grace-Margaret Atwood.Father and Son-Larry Brown.Of Love and Other Demons-Marquez.Raney-Clyde Edgerton.Bridge to Terabithia-Katharine Paterson. The Homecoming-Earl Hamner, Jr.Black Mountain Breakdown-Lee Smith.Pilgrim at Tinker Creek-Annie Dillard.The Outsiders-SE Hinton. Peyton Place-Grace Metalious.River of Earth-James Still.Thirst-Mary Oliver.Bucolics-Maurice Manning.Where the Long Grass Bends-Neela Vaswani.Doubt-John Patrick Shanley.The Glass Menagerie-Tennessee Williams.Come Back, Little Sheba-William Inge.
Favorite Movies
Tender Mercies.Places in the Heart.Bonnie and Clyde.Dazed and Confused.Hud.Paper Moon.Junebug.Jude. Badlands.The Color of Paradise.In the Bedroom.Harold and Maude.Matewan.Dogfight.Coal Miner’s Daughter.The Outsiders.The Last Picture Show.A Very Long Engagement.Little Miss Sunshine.Children of Men.Volver.Splendor in the Grass.East of Eden.I Confess.The Birds.About Schmidt.Love Actually.Gas Food Lodging.The Missing.The Ice Storm.I Am Sam.A History of Violence.ET.A Perfect World.Stand by Me.Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!.Talk to Her.Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.Psycho.Another Woman.Breakfast at Tiffany’s.Marnie.The Village.Torn Curtain.Cool Hand Luke.Far North.Night Mother.Postman in the Mountains.Little Miss Sunshine. Into the Wild.Come Early Morning.The New World.Days of Heaven.Muriel’s Wedding. Heavenly Creatures.Psycho.Sweet Dreams.Notes on a Scandal.
Favorite Music
Jean Ritchie.Tom Petty.Teddy Thompson.Loretta Lynn.Scott Miller.The White Stripes.Brandi Carlile.Indigo Girls.Tim O’Brien.Alison Krauss. Darrell Scott.Sufjan Stevens.Abigail Washburn.AdrienneYoung.Bob Dylan.Lucinda Williams.Buddy Miller.Susan Tedeschi.Gillian Welch.Patty Griffin.Patty Loveless.Tracy Chapman.U2.Old Crow Medicine Show.Bonnie Raitt.Josh Ritter.Joan Osborne.Carla Gover.Mitch Barrett.Cat Stevens.Kate Larken.Ray LaMontagne.John Cougar Mellencamp.Patsy Cline.Nina Simone.Chet Baker.Prince.Buddy Miller.Grey Delisle.Cyndi Lauper.Joan Osborne.Emmylou Harris.Dock Boggs.Hazel Dickens.Alice Gerard.Bill Monroe.Roscoe Holcomb.Stringbean.Iris Dement.John Prine.Kelly Willis.Linda Thompson.Sinead O’Connor.Shelby Lynne.Allison Moorer.Iron and Wine.Tift Merrit.Tina Turner.Tom T. Hall.REM.The Be Good Tanyas.The Beatles.The Black Keys.Bobbie Gentry.John Hiatt.The McGarrigles.Kim Richey.The Mamas and the Papas.Marshall Chapman.
