ALBUMS

THEN:

Flood – They Might Be Giants

You know that song, “Istanbul Not Constantinople?” The one you thought was from The Muppet Show? Welcome They Might Be Giants (TMBG, for short). From gloriously eccentric songs like “Istanbul,” or “Birdhouse in Your Soul” to social statements like “My Racist Friend,” some might call this kind of music “nerd rock,” but everyone else just calls TMBG “great music.”

NOW:

Showroom of Compassion – Cake

Sacramento-grown indie sensation Cake returns to the well after a seven-year drought with a brand new album. Recorded and engineered at their solar-powered studio right here in Sacramento, Cake brings back their signature horns and John McCrea’s unmistakable vocal delivery, with some great new hits, including the new single “Sick of You.” It’s every bit as catchy as you’ve come to expect from these masters of the hook. Homemade is always best!

—Sharon Penny

BOOKS

THEN:

One Special Summer by Jacqueline and Lee Bouvier

Created in 1951 and first published in 1974, One Special Summer is the endearing travelogue written by Jacqueline Bouvier and her sister Lee, on the occasion of their graduation from college and high school respectively, and during their trip to Europe aboard the Queen Elizabeth. The read is a delightful relic of days gone by, handwritten by both sisters and including rare publication of Jackie’s own illustrations.

NOW:

Jackie As Editor: The Literary Life of Jacqueline Kennedy-Onassis by Gregory Lawrence

History remembers Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis as a wife. Stylish, tragic Jackie Kennedy; paparazzi magnet “Jackie O.” But Jackie’s post-marriage publishing career as editor of Viking, then Doubleday, lasted longer than both of her famous marriages. Lawrence reveals with fascinating anecdotes and interviews the verve that Jackie brought to publishing.

—Sharon Penny

FILMS

THEN:

Phar Lap

Long before America fell in love with the movie Seabiscuit and the film’s namesake underdog, Phar Lap, the true story of an unpedigreed Australian racehorse with champion speed and an unflappable trainer, galloped into the hearts of both sports fans and filmgoers. Big-time heart? Yep. Tearjerker? You bet. Worth seeing? For every possible reason, but keep the Kleenex close.

NOW:

Secretariat

Secretariat, the world’s greatest racehorse (pipe down Man ‘O War fans, there’s no debate), finally gets his 15 minutes on the big-screen (far longer than the record-breaking thoroughbred needed to dominate the biggest tracks in racing). The film – good but with great, heart-stopping race scenes – chronicles Big Red’s amazing triumph through his tough owner and eccentric trainer.

—Jenn Thornton