a book, a movie & a song

Everybody around me is talking about Super Bowl. And I'm like "Super what?". I'm sure I won't be spending time in front of the TV watching American Football. There are so many things I'd rather do instead! Read a good book, for example. Or watch an inspiring movie. Or even put my iPod to work. Here are some ideas for you...

A book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Do you remember the time when people used to send written letters? Those on paper, enclosed on an envelope, and carefully sealed? With stamps and such? If you do (and you miss it) of if you don't (and want to see how it was like), this book will dig out the fun of letters in such a powerful way: you'll be reading letters the characters are sending to each other, back and forth, and you'll be peaking into lives in the middle of the Second World War, in a small England village, with its peculiar inhabitants and old traditions. They will share secrets and tell you about how they're coping with the war, how they're looking for poetry and doing small acts of transgression that normally aren't included in those great heroic war stories. This is a perfect book to read in one sit over the weekend, and I highly recommend that you do.

A movie: Frida

When I was a child Frida Khalo paintings terrified me: those scary auto-portraits showing a woman and her facial hair, always in some kind of painful scenario. Learning about the life of Frida helped me understand and love her work. This particular movie is a correct account (as far as Hollywood accounts go), and you can feel how passionate and relevant this artist was.

A song: Australia - The Shins

Such a joyous video! It totally summarizes Fridays to me. I hope your Friday is fun and colorful too.