ALBUMS

THEN

The Kick Inside—Kate Bush

"The Kick Inside" by

Not to be all “my god what have we done with our lives,” but Kate Bush was 19 years old when she released The Kick Inside. Some of the songs were written when she was as young as 15. I’ve loved “Wuthering Heights” my entire life but knowing that it sprang from the heart of a passionate, creatively brave teenager makes me love it a full thousand times more. 

NOW

High As Hope—Florence + The Machine  

"High As Hope" by Florence + The Machine

Ride the epic waves of melancholy, joy, love, loneliness, and all that lies between with the fourth studio album from Florence + the Machine. The album marks Florence’s own producing debut, and promises a deeper vulnerability and a moving, soulful journey for fans and listeners. 

BOOKS

THEN

Grant by Ron Chernow

"Grant" by Ron Chernow

The man who brought Hamilton to life, Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Chernow returns to apply his magic touch to the life of general and president Ulysses S. Grant. Dispensing with the usual black and white caricatures of Grant’s ineptitude and drunkenness/courage and ruthlessness, Chernow provides the much-needed shades of gray that give a deeper understanding of this incredibly mercurial historical figure. 

NOW

Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

"Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency" by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

ABC News Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams shines a spotlight on the last murder trial of Abraham Lincoln before he became president. Breathing life and intrigue into this little-known corner of Lincoln’s past, we learn the deep personal connections Lincoln had to the case on both sides, the painful challenges he suffered during the case, and explore the relevance the case still has to our modern lives today. 

DVDs

THEN 

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Godzilla movies made my Saturday mornings fun. And when I got older, they made my sleepless Saturday nights/wee hours of Sunday morning fun, too. The Godzilla franchise was a cinematic gift that kept giving and when he met Mechagodzilla (i.e., a freakin robot), it was like when Johnny met Baby in Dirty Dancing. Worlds collided, magic happened, and my life was forever changed. 

NOW

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Some movies invite deep consideration and encourage you to tease apart the threads of meaning and delve into the intentions of the creator. Other movies, like Pacific Rim: Uprising, invite you to eat metric tons of popcorn and escape reality. Robots + monsters = a damn fine Saturday night.

By Sharon Penny