Penner's Picks...for now
The following suggestions are supplementary to the material covered in my classes. Any literature, films, and music that I mention in this section are, in my opinion, worthy of your further examination.
Books
(recent and noteworthy top reads: updated January 2019)
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (Fiction)
The Blue Parrot by John Moore (Fiction)
The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano (Fiction)
The Confabulist by Seven Galloway (Fiction)
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (Fiction)
The Flame by Leonard Cohen (Poetry)
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (Fiction)
Rick Mercer Final Report by Rick Mercer (Rants)
The Lost City of the Monkey God Douglas Preston (Non-Fiction)
(read ages ago, but still noteworthy)
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden (Fiction)
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan (Fiction)
But Beautiful by Geoff Dyer (Biographical Fiction)
Water Music by T.C. Boyle (Fiction)
Wild Child by T.C. Boyle (Historical Fiction)
Empire of Illusion by Chris Hedges (Non-Fiction)
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer (Non-Fiction)
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris (Non-Fiction)
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem (Fiction)
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (Fiction)
Anything by Michael Chabon (when I say anything, I mean any of his books)
Music (just a few artists you may not already be familiar with)
1. Rock
Radiohead, Sloan, Arctic Monkeys, Matthew Good, The Dudes, Jeff Beck, Jethro Tull, Laura Nyro (she inspired many great song writers), Neko Case, Paul Weller, Ray LaMontagne, Ron Sexsmith, The Sheepdogs, Warren Zevon, Wild T. & the Spirit (blues rock), Tom Waits (a musical poet).
2. Jazz
Thelonious Monk, Django Reinhardt, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, and all the other greats!
10 Jazz Albums to Listen to Before You Die
Films (Where do I begin? How about with just five for now)
1. Midnight in Paris
2. Wonder Boys (also a great novel by Michael Chabon)
3. Stranger Than Fiction
4. Almost Famous
5. High Fidelity (also a great novel by Nick Hornby)
Steven Wright's Best
mentalfloss.com/article/60461/20-steven-wrights-funniest-jokes-his-59th-birthday