ALBUMS

THEN 

MTV Unplugged in New York—Nirvana

It wasn’t just Kurt’s plaintive vocals that made Unplugged so timeless. It was Dave “beat-the-drum-kit-like-it-owes-me-money” Grohl, switching his drumsticks for brushes; it was Kris Novoselic strapping on an accordion for “Jesus Doesn’t Want Me for a Sunbeam”; it was the whole band in a pure expression of their true artistic talent.   

NOW 

 

Unpeeled—Cage the Elephant 

Unpeeled is the end result of Cage the Elephant’s 2017 stripped-back tour featuring a string section and new arrangements of some of their best-loved songs, plus a killer cover of Wreckless Eric’s “Whole Wide World” punk rock anthem…resulting in a great album for new fans and diehards alike.  

BOOKS

THEN

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

A year ago, I purchased The Night Circus for no other reason than I liked the cover artwork. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days. It’s like reading a Mark Ryden painting or a really good Tim Burton movie (they used to exist, trust me). With a slow-burn romance underpinning the marvels of this strange circus, The Night Circus has all the hallmarks of a great, unputdownable summer read.

NOW

 The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Ellen Marie Wiseman, author of the bestselling What She Left Behind returns with a tale of interwoven lives. In 1931, Lilly Blackwood’s family sells her to a circus sideshow; in 1951, Julia Blackwood finds photos of a strange young girl in a circus after inheriting the Blackwood estate. Their stories intertwine as Julia seeks to learn the truth of Lilly’s fate. 

 

DVDs

THEN 

 A Knight’s Tale

Nike-branded armor? A dance number set to David Bowie’s “Golden Years”? In this medieval movie based on the first tale of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, you can bet critics got their tweed jackets in a bunch over the movie’s anachronisms. But audiences thought (and still think) it was a hoot, thanks to Heath Ledger, Paul Bettany and Alan Tudyk. 

NOW 

 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Sure Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was a critical flop, but critics hate fun. Besides, the legend of King Arthur is wrapped up in so much mythology that who’s to say he WASN’T a swashbuckling man of action? On top of the action-y fun, men and women will come together to appreciate Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam’s hella-ripped King Arthur.   

by Sharon Penny