Before the Motion Picture Production Code was enforced in mid-1934, depression era “pre-Code” Hollywood (1929 – 1934) created daring, sophisticated, honest, funny and morally questioning films that are still relevant today. Try out the Forbidden Hollywood Collection and Pre-Code Hollywood Collection and then read more about pre-Code films here.
Canadian cult favorite Twitch City was created by, written by, and stars Don McKellar as Curtis, a shut-in television addict and manipulator extraordinaire. The show ran thirteen episodes and has a quirky cast of characters, including the infamous Cat Food Killer. Show your couch potato solidarity by tuning into Twitch City!
You can hear the rhythm of the Old West in these sparsely written audiobooks, narrated by Titus Welliver. In Robert B. Parker’s Appaloosa and Resolution, hired guns Everett Hitch and Virgil Cole must create law and order where none exists, guided by their sense of duty, honor, and friendship.
Diane of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik:
Naomi Novik’s exciting series about intelligent dragons and their human riders has won multiple awards for best new writer. The series so far consists of His Majesty’s Dragon, Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory, and Victory of Eagles. The Times of London called the Temeraire series, “Patrick O’Brian crossed with Anne McCaffrey: historic, seafaring adventure, with dragons.”
Most days Ms. Novik can be found with her laptop in a cafe at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the few places where she can concentrate enough to churn out the 6,000 words that she considers adds up to a productive day.
David Simon‘s exhilarating and heartbreaking crime drama, the critically acclaimed The Wire, transcends the scope of most crime dramas. Brilliantly written, acted, and directed, it is as addictive as the drugs the Baltimore dealers are pushing. Get hooked on The Wire!
Diane of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke:
Astonished to find another practicing magician in early 1800s England, Mr. Norrell accepts the garrulous, charming Jonathan Strange as his pupil. However, it soon becomes clear that their ideas of what English magic ought to be are very different. Strange’s heedless pursuit of long-forgotten magic threatens to destroy not only his partnership with Norrell, but everything he holds dear.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is a New York Times bestseller, the winner of the 2005 World Fantasy and 2005 Hugo Awards, and Time magazine’s #1 fiction book of 2004.
