Archive for the ‘literature’ Category

Master and Margarita: the Musical

Saturday, August 26th, 2006

Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that he is going to write a musical version of Bulgakov’s novel which also happens to be one of my favorite books. It’s not so far off, considering that Bulgakov actually wrote much of the novel with the stage in mind. I’ll keep an open mind, but the whole thing is bound to be a tremendously complicated undertaking, considering that it is actually three distinctive plots intricately woven together.

It just so happens that the Master and Margarita will be my Library Book Discussion for this Fall. I wanted to do it on Halloween, but I’ll save the oversized black cats and my centurion costume for another day.

Now playing: New Order – Temptation on XM Streaming Online

Don’t fear the Reader…

Saturday, August 12th, 2006

Satisfy your morbid curiosity or craving for a little dark humor. Here is the promised splattering of grim books, morbid music and movies .
I’d love suggestions if anyone has any.

Books
Stiff : the curious lives of human cadavers / by Mary Roach
Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia / edited by Gretchen Worden
R.I.P. : the complete book of death and dying / Constance Jones.
The dead beat : lost souls, lucky stiffs, and the perverse pleasures of obituaries / by Marilyn Johnson
Assassination vacation / by Sarah Vowell
Goth Bible: A compendium for the darkly inclined / by
Book of bunny suicides / by Andy Riley

Travel
Where are they buried? : how did they die? / Tod Benoit
San Francisco bizarro : a guide to notorious sights, lusty pursuits, and downright freakiness in the City by the Bay / by Jack Boulware
L.A. bizzaro! : the insider’s guide to the obscure, the absurd, and the perverse in Los Angeles / by Anthony R. Lovett, Matt Marania
Haunted houses of California : a ghostly guide to haunted houses & wandering spirits / by Antoinette May

Fiction
Crash / by J.G. Ballard
A dirty job / by Christopher Moore
A Series of Unfortunate Events / by Lemony Snicket (not just for kids)
Cautionary tales for children / by Hillaire Belloc and Edward Gorey

Music
Murder ballads / Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Assassins, the original cast recording / music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim ; book by John Weidman
Colma : the musical, original motion picture soundtrack / music and lyrics by H.P. Mendoza

Movies & TV Shows
Better off Dead
Curdled
Delicatessen
Natural Born Killers
Murder by Death
Six feet under
Dead like me

By the way, if you haven’t heard the Nick Cave / Enya version of Don’t Fear the Reaper listen here