Dogs of Babel Written by Carolyn Parkhurst Was this a good book? No. Was it a page turner? Yes. Was it more proof that the two are not one and the same? Absolutely. Carolyn Parkhurst wrote her first novel and, basically, anyone who can actually finish a novel should be celebrated, even a novelist whose book is constructed with rudimentary elements of cohesion, ease of flow and word choice. Parkhurst did deliver on all of the above: her story is the picture of a grieving widower trying to unconventionally unwind his beloved wife's mysterious death with the dog (and notably the only offspring) they shared. The anecdotes of their relationship are shared in short, palatable stories that beg for more. There is the occasional deluge into disbelief, but they are sparse and forgivable. This book reads remarkably like a woman is writing it while desperately trying to employ the voice of a man. That is to say, Dogs of Babel is narrated by a man, but written by a woman- and that is blatantly clear. When I say men and women don't exactly think the same way, I'm not making the most profound point; I'm delivering a sentiment that has ruined relationships, families and nations throughout history. Men and women just don't think the same about a lot of things, but maybe most of all in the nature of relationships. So, while this was a page turner, it reeked painfully of a woman describing a relationship the way she wished a man would describe that relationship, and this phantom persona pervaded everything, like a character never acknowledged in the book, but felt by the reader.

		The Brain Trust Written by Dr. Larry McCleary We might not want to think about aging and our eventual decline just yet, but what we do right now might actually make a real difference in how much we think about later, or think about anything at all. In Surgeon Larry McCleary's book, he exlpains how simple changes in diet and lifestyle could prevent migraine headaches, Alzheimer's disease, brain cancer, and a slew of other diseases you generally want to avoid. There are a whole bunch of complicated studies and scientific explanations about insulin and metabolic function, but impressively, this book, unlike your college nutritional science textbook, doesn't put you to sleep. Dr. McCleary is named quite appropriately for he is as clear and straightforward as a brain surgeon could possibly be. So quit watching late night info-mercials about long life Chinese herbal hooey and grab a copy of this instead.

		Small Sins Mood Swings On his 2006 debut as Small Sins, Thomas D'Arcy set his lovelorn laments to Moog-filled, Postal Serviced pop. Here, the Toronto native employs the same mid-tempo drum machines and steady synths, but behind the warm electro-purrs, he's gone from bummed out to bellicose. Thinly reverberating album opener "I Need a Friend" initiates D'Arcy's affinity for firearms, and by the time penultimate track "Bullet" rolls around, the singer/producer has a piece packed ("On the Run") and has threatened to use it ("On the Line"). Still, he's more convincing as a romantic than a renegade.

Previous Twixt Picks

		Indecision Written by Benjamin Kunkel Dwight Wilmerding is putting his hopes in a little white and blue pill. But this isn't The Matrix or Alice in Wonderland, this is New York City. All his ennui and his mediocre successes with his career, with women and with life are now "curable" with a breakthrough medication. But in Indecision, the debut novel by Benjamin Kunkel, Dwight learns that that as far as "cures" go, there's one for everything, but not for everyone. Kunkel's book brings us a refreshing and honest perspective of young adult lost inside himself and searching to be found.

		Once Written and Directed by John Carney Two people making beautiful music. This is the simple description of Once, what is sure to be one of the most fulfilling and envigorating films of 2007. Glen Hansard, as the tortured, lovesick street musician, and Marketa Irglova, as the young, flower-peddling pianist, are so charming, heartfelt and vulnerable it is impossible not to care about them the moment they step on screen. Hansard and Irglova, as both talented actors and musicians (who wrote most and performed all of the soundtrack), are an indelible pair of losts souls, in the same vein as as Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation or Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphi in Before Sunset. Films about love and passion that have the ability to transcend both the romantic and the platonic are a rare and delicate treasure. Don't let this one pass you by.

		Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida Take a trip through the harsh Nordic wilderness with the protagonist of this touching and intricate novel about "re-identification" and family. After twenty-eight-year-old Clarissa Iverton discovers that her deceased father was not her biological one, Clarissa goes in search of the mother who deserted her years before. Author, Vendela Vida (wife of Dave Eggers and recent new mother) paints a vivid and totally original picture of a woman who is faced with the answers to questions she never imagined asking.

		God Grew Tired of Us Directed by Christoher Dillon Quinn Imagine being the same age as you are now, but having suffered through a world of genocide, political catastrophe, and exodus, and you will have the rare look provided by this documentary. The astounding chronicle of three boys' journies from Africa to the United States is a true testament to the power and determination of human will.

		Malajube Trompe L'Oeil You could say Malajube's "Trompe-L'oeil" is full of danceable lush guitar-driven electropop melodies, if you want to be boring about it. These songs are truly much like half-remembered dreams that weave into reality, culminating into lapses of deja-vu (the French-Canadian kind). Malajube may not be as as inventive as their hype alludes to, but they sure can craft a catchy tune with heavy doses of energetic intensity. If you don't understand French, don't worry. No language requirement is needed to enjoy the latest from this Montreal quintet.

		Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl With chapter names that read like a syllabus for a survey literature course, and a narrator who goes to Harvard, this debut novel by Marisha Pessl, puts a very elitist sheen over what happens to be an exceptionally easy to read and gripping who done it story. The novel follows protagonist and narrator, Blue Van Meer through a labyrinthine course of events leading up to her teacher, Hannah Schneider's unseemly death (by strangling). Pessl's prose is unabashedly intelligent but with so much warmth and humor that you can't wait to delve into Blue's mysterious past. Even though the reader knows from the introduction that Hannah's death is impending, the suspense Pessl creates and her vivid characters make this the kind of book that keeps you guessing and captures your attention chapter after chapter after chapter after chapter after . . . it's long by the way, but worth every minute.

		Half Nelson Directed by Ryan Fleck For practically less than it costs these days to fill up your gas tank, a great little movie has been made and it's called Half Nelson. The plot follows the life of Daniel Dunn (Ryan Gosling) a young-ish junior high history teacher who has a fondness for cocaine. When one of his students Dre (Shareeka Epps) discovers him cracked out late at night in the girls locker room, their teacher-student relationship blurs into an odd version of friendship and sometimes guardianship, but it is never truly clear who is taking care of whom. In fact many things in this movie are left unclear, relationships are messy, associations are inferred rather than explained, and therein lies the film's greatest strength, its subtlety. It reveals what it needs to and gives the audience enough credit to figure out the rest. Director and writer Ryan Fleck, with the help of co-writer Anna Boden, have brought to the screen a script that is simple and heartbreaking and real, and as such its themes are both modest in execution and transcendent at their conclusions. With stunning performances given by both Gosling (a far cry from his succored heartthrob persona in The Notebook) and newcomer Epps (no relation to Omar) this is a movie that will move you, so move your ass and go see it! It won't be in theatres much longer.

		Millbrook Cathedrals In one word Millbrook is exuberant. These boys from Los Angeles make music that feels like raw emotion with melody. On the first track, "Meet Me in the fields" on their latest EP offering, Cathedrals, Millbrook's lyrics wax poetic, backed by a full orchestra, with musing lines like, "They say true love is like a flood, if that's the case then I hope you drown." From the lounge room jazz beats in the adorable ode "white girl" to their Beatles-esque (circa Sergeant Pepper)crooning circus march "Mr. Go Lightly" Millbrook never has a dull moment. Keep an ear out for the last offering in their EP's-that-begin-with-C Trilogy (Confessionals, Cathedrals . . .), Catacombs, coming soon. To hear their songs and get info on tour dates be sure to visit www.myspace.com/millbrook.

		The Underminer By Mike Albo and Viriginia Heffernan Who is The Underminer? He is the arbiter of the back-handed compliment and the destroyer of self-esteem. He is also, inexplicably, your friend. While you long for the underminer's validation, you secretly wish for her slow, painful demise. This perfect paradox is brought to life hilariously by Mike Albo and Viriginia Heffernan. True, the book is a one-note comedy, but the pop-culture references and the original voice keep it from growing stale.

		Brick written and directed by Rian Johnson A movie like Brick is not meant to be appreciated by the faint of brain. Writer and director, Rian Johnson has constructed a crossword puzzle of a film, the kind of murder mystery that becomes more addictive with every indecipherable phrase. The story swirls around the lead character's, Brendan's (Joseph Gordon Levit), search for the who, how and why behind the death of his ex girlfriend Emily (Emile De Ravin). Sounds simple, right? About as simple as the phrase "The pin's got tug scraping yegs," which means something very cogent in Brick-speak, though it probably means absolutely nothing to you now. Phrases like this make up about 75% of the movie, and while initially the audience will have trouble understanding the film's secret language, the frustration gives way to a desire to crack the code. The inner-workings of the dialogue become more apparent at roughly the same rate as the plot becomes lucid, a wonderful mimetic trick if ever there was one. You've really got to hand it to Johnson, a 32 year old USC film school grad, and his ensemble of talented 20-something actors who carry this film noir piece with ease, style, and a sly sense of humor.

		The Evasion-English Dictionary written by Maggie Balistreri The English Language is complicated enough as it is, but in this witty and brutally honest handbook, Maggie Balistreri proves that English is even further complicated by our current obsession with using language to avoid saying what we really mean. Accompanied by sharp and clever examples, Balistreri demonstrates how many words are more than just what they mean, like the word 'relationship,' which used when talking to a significant other really means "you" (e.g. your girlfriend stating, "This relationship just isn't working for me anymore."), and how the word 'but' in many contexts is a key word that denotes someone's been bullshitting you.(e.g. A comment like, "I really like that dress on you, but I think you can find something better.") This book will make you laugh out loud, but it will also cause you to think twice about the words we use and why we use them.

		Junebug directed by Phil Morrison This is a movie for anyone who appreciates low budget film making, acting that is at once hilarious and heartbreaking, and for anyone who loves or hates The South. In this bittersweet comedy, George (Alesandro Nivola) returns to his home town in North Carolina accompanied by his new wife, Madeline (Embeth Davidtz) to visit a host of tightly-knit and extremely quirky relatives. Wonderful performances are given by seasoned actors Celia Weston (The Village, Runaway Jury, Legally Blonde) and Frank Hoyt Taylor (Walk The Line, Big Fish, 28 Days) as George's mother and father, but the real standouts in this film are its younger actors, Amy Adams (nominated for an Oscar for this performance) as George's sister, Ashley, and Benjamin McKenzie (known for his brilliantly bland role as Ryan on The OC) as Ashley's husband, Johnny. These two actors prove they can handle complex roles that require both subtlety and serious comedy.

		Voxtrot Raised By Wolves On Voxtrot's eponymous debut, these jangle-popping gents gear up their guitars and gush their guts. With lines like "we are desperate, lonely and underpaid" ("Raised By Wolves") steered through a lo-fi veneer, the Austin, Texas quartet's buoyant pop draws easy comparisons to the melodic and melancholy grandeur of the Smiths—but that's only if Morrissey snorted some serotonin and then succumbed to his sweet tooth.