I’ve been a fan of Richard Ford ever since I read The Sportswriter in 1986 and his short story collection, Rock Springs in 1987. Ford won a Pulitzer Prize for Independence Day. I highly recommend all Richard Ford’s books. In the May 18 issue of Newsweek, Richard Ford shared his thoughts on books that influenced him.
MY FIVE MOST ESSENTIAL BOOKS
1. “Essays” by Ralph Waldo Emerson. A plain-spoken, cunning tour of inconsistency, yearning and faith.
2. “The Moviegoer” by Walker Percy. A seriocomic masterpiece that exploits the human connection between bliss and bale.
3. “Inferno” by Dante. Serious things here. But often very funny too, and useful: it lets you know what really happens if you’re bad.
4. “Collected Stories” by John Cheever. A feast of great wit and dire, closeorder human observation that perfects the short-story form.
5. “The Snopes Trilogy” by William Faulkner. America’s best writer of the last century at his funny-nastiest and most accessible.
A BOOK TO WHICH YOU ALWAYS RETURN: “Collected Stories” by Eudora Welty. Proves you can do remarkable things if you just stay home and do them.
A CLASSIC YOU REVISITED WITH DISAPPOINTMENT: “Ulysses” by James Joyce. Way too long, and unduly obscure. Should have stuck to short stories.
Star Trek bursts onto the screen with all kinds of action. From this breathless beginning, we follow James T. Kirk growing up as a rebellious kid and a troubled young man. Captain Christopher Pike, played with scene-stealing excellence by veteran actor Bruce Greenwood, recruits the young Kirk (Chris Pine) for Star Fleet Academy. There, Kirk meets Bones (Karl Uban), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and Spock (Zachary Quinto), all well cast. There’s one incredible coincidence in the plot, but by the time it happens, you’re well into the story and will forgive anything. You’re going to love this movie! GRADE: A
I thought Booker T. was dead. After all, I grew up listening to Booker T. and the MGs in Sixties and it has been 20 years since Booker T.’s last CD. But Potato Hole makes the wait worth it. Now backed by the Drive-By Truckers, Booker T. can still create great rock instrumentals. Neil Young plays blistering guitar on nine of the ten tracks. From the first few notes of the first song, “Pound It Out,” I knew this CD is going to be good. GRADE: A. 
After correcting 100 term papers, my brain was fried so I decided to escape into a Marvel animated feature. The Ultimate Avengers tells the tale of how the Avengers were formed and features a dramatic battle with alien forces. Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Giant Man, Wasp, the Hulk, and, of course, Captain America don’t quite work together right off the bat. There’s the usual Marvel conflict between the superheroes. But when the chips are down…
In 1969, Simon and Garfunkel were at the height of their popularity and their powers. Most of their classic hits–“Homeward Bound,” “At the Zoo,” “Feelin’ Groovy,” Scarborough Fair,” “The Boxer,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “I am a Rock,” “The Sounds of Silence,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”–were behind them. Only their breakup and solo careers loomed on the horizon. If you’re a Simon and Garfunkel fan, you’ve probably been waiting decades for this legendary performance to be released. Both singers are in fine voice, but you can barely hear the band, which may explain why it took Columbia 40 years to release this. GRADE: B
At the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, across the street from the world-famous Anchor Bar (Home of the Original Buffalo Chicken Wings), flutist Emmanuel Pahud, harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock, and cellist Johnathan Manson played a terrific concert. If you listen to Pahud’s CD of the complete Bach flute sonatas, you’ll get a good facsimile of much of what we heard. But there were a few delightful surprises. Trevor Pinnock also played Purcell’s “Suite No. 4 in A minor, Z66” and Jonathan Mansion played Bach’s “Sonata in E Major, BWV 1035” which you’ll hear in the recently released movie, The Soloist, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx. If these guys are performing in your area, don’t miss them!
What do you want in a Summer Action Movie? Explosions? Check. Fights? Check. Special effects? Check, check. Wolverine has all you want in a Summer Action Movie, plus Hugh Jackman. He was born to play Wolverine. I know Roger Ebert and other critics have dismissed Wolverine, but they’re wrong. I enjoyed Wolverine and you will too. GRADE: B+