Cultcha

Remember the Margaret Atwood book I bought while I was in Chicago but never got around to reading? (Sure you do.) Well, I brought it with me to Mexico and holy hell, that woman can write. Like most folks, I'd read "The Handmaid's Tale" years ago, and loved it, but never explored further. I think I was intimidated by her prolificness (which isn't a word but totally should be) -- 13 novels, 15 volumes of poetry, plus short fiction, radio scripts, children's books, etc., etc., and so forth! I mean, where do you start?

Start with "The Blind Assassin." Seriously. It's a masterpiece.

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While aimlessly flipping channels the other night, I lucked onto the end of a Great Performances production of the recent revival of Sondheim's COMPANY. The show itself is not without difficulties, but the music is as vibrant and compelling as ever, and good lord, Raul Esparza as Bobby --! Words cannot do his performance justice. He is commanding, charismatic, and an incredible singer. It takes a lot to knock my cynical socks off, and boy, he did it and then some. Check your local listings and set your TIVO.