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Hemingway, Ernest: I remember reading my first Hemingway novel when I was 21, and I loved it. It was The Sun Also Rises, and is still one of my favorite books. I then ripped through A Farewell to Arms (another favorite), The Old Man and the Sea, and The Garden of Eden. Our book club read A Moveable Feast, which was a fascinating account of the ex-pat community in Paris during the 1920s. I think his simplicity of language makes his novels compelling. He gets right to the point, which then allows the reader to get to the characters and story and deeper meanings. Hemingway is still one of my favorites.
Hughes, Langston: I'm not a huge poetry guy, but I do love slam poetry. To me, slam poetry is jazz and hip hop. Hughes wasn't a slam poet per se, but I think a lot of his work compares favorably to rhythmic expression. My first exposure to Hughes, that I can remember, was in my senior year of high school. I came across a poem by Hughes called "Trumpet Player" and I selected it to dissect and analyze for my annual poetry project. Reading it I saw references to so many great jazz musicians. I then ended up reading a whole lot more by him and loved it all. (The kids are reading some of his poetry this week for school, and when I pulled out my book, there was a post-it note on the page with "Trumpet Player.") Later I discovered his book Not Without Laughter, which I'd never known existed. What a great read. I find the whole Harlem Renaissance era fascinating and can see where the authors and artists of that period laid the groundwork for so much of what happened in the 20th century when it comes to civil rights.
Hozier: I first heard the name Hozier in a video I saw of Ed Sheeran doing a Q&A with fans. Someone asked who he was listening to at the time, and he said he was obsessed with Hozier, so I looked him up. His song "Take Me to Church" was a Grammy nominee for the Song of the Year, and it is powerful stuff. Later, Stacy and I were in a music store doing some Christmas shopping and they played the entire album overhead. First of all, yes, we were there that long and beyond. What a day! Secondly, I said to Stacy, "This whole album is really good." I was not entirely surprised to receive it as a Christmas gift. Anyway, you should really check out this album. Some of my favorite tracks are "Jackie and Wilson," "Work Song," "Foreigner's God," and "Cherry Wine."
Huey Lewis and the News: As a Bay Area boy I have to include them here. Huey Lewis was everywhere when I was a kid--baseball games, local concerts, TV, you name it. He's got a great 80s/90s pop feel, including that ever so recognizable horn section. It is distinctly different from Chicago and Peter Cetera, but no less iconic in my mind. And who doesn't picture Marty McFly racing to school on his skateboard when "Power of Love" comes on?
Home: There is nothing I love more than being home with our family. It never gets old. Sure, we enjoy getting out with friends, or as a family, but honestly, home is the best. We play games, listen to music, watch movies, share TV together, cook and eat great food. Who wouldn't want to hang out at home?
Homeschooling: This has been such a great thing in our family's life. We have two great kids who are intelligent, creative, and motivated, and having the flexibility of homeschooling gives them such great opportunities to explore so many interests. There have been times that, for a variety of reasons, I haven't been as involved as I would have liked, and I feel like I missed out on some really neat experiences. We've got a great approach and schedule for our schooling right now and I'm SO happy that I get to do so much with the kids. It's incredibly fun and rewarding to be there when they make a discovery or have something "click" for the first time. Homeschooling is not for everyone, and not everyone who would like to can, so I feel so fortunate that our family is in the right situation.
12 comments:
Awesome. I totally predicted the Hemingway and Huey Lewis picks. I thought you might do Langston Hughes, too. And check it out, we both wrote about home and homeschooling - totally unplanned! These are great. I'm glad you're involved in homeschooling the kids. As much as I love it, one can feel burned out at times. But when we're in a good flow, it's awesome. And Hozier? You're welcome. :P
I feel so predictable this time around. Now I wish I'd gotten more creative and "out there." It's kind of fun to have similar lists sometimes, though.
Hemingway--Yes!
Hughes--Yes!
Huey--Yes! (I saw him at the NM State Fair in 87 and it certainly wasn't the biggest stage production I've ever seen, but it is one of the most fun concerts I've been to.
And I haven't listened to the whole Hozier cd, but I like him now because he had Annie Lennox on stage with him at the Grammy awards.
I like Hozier too! I have only heard Take Me to Church. I didn't know all of these things about you. I had never even heard of Langston Hughes before this post. I mean, I may have heard the name somewhere . . . I really enjoyed the post.
Jimmy - I bet the concert was great. Huey is really all about the music, which is showmanship enough. Definitely check out Hozier's album. If I could suggest just one track, then listen to "Foreigner's God." It's very powerful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaLk9rmDv4E
Max - I'm glad you like Hozier. I think you'd like a lot of the album. I hope you'd heard the name Langston Hughes before Wednesday . . .
I sadly can't agree with almost any of these, but we can still be friends, right? I just do not get Hemingway. The simplicity of language must be too simple for complicated me. :)
oh! Except for home! I also love being at home.
Emily, matching opinions has never been requisite for friendship, in my opinion. I fully recognize how polarizing Hemingway is. Either he speaks to you or he doesn't, like most other authors. At least we agree on Home.
Slam poetry is my favorite kind of poetry. :) It's so cool.
I've listened to some of the other songs by Hozier, and it's all really good! I'll have to pay more attention to the songs you mentioned.
Oh, home! I should've put that on my list. That's a good one.
I enjoy Hemmingway too. My favorite genre is probably American fiction.
I, too, enjoy home. I'm too much of a home body. I've got friends who seem to be up for doing things more than we are. I sometimes wonder if I was single if I'd want to leave home more. However, being married, I'm content to just stay home a lot of the time.
Dave loves Hemingway, so obviously that doesn't get in our way. The Old Man and the Sea is his jam.
Emily, I read The Old Man and the Sea for basic literacy's sake, but it wasn't my favorite Hemingway work. I'd be curious to hear why Dave likes that book over the others.
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