A charming children’s book, Suzy Lee’s “Wave” uses lovely watercolor and charcoal images to tell the story of a young girl’s encounter with a magical, playful ocean wave. The book has no words, making it almost universally accessible. The illustrations beautifully convey a sense of wonder at the natural world, and are a reminder of how much can be expressed through simple means. Recommended for children, as well as adults who can forget their grown-up concerns for a few delightful moments.
Reading Nocturnes: five stories of music and nightfall was a good experience. Now, like listening to a song and having it repeat through one’s mind, I continue to reflect on Kazuo Ishiguro’s work. Those who have studied music may find a special appreciation for this collection but it is not a necessity to enjoy the short stories. Ishiguro composes his stories precisely with well-tuned characters as well as the sense of time (modern) and place. You may recognize a recurrent theme throughout the book though each entry is a complete piece. Again, if you’ve studied or appreciate music, it may be hard to close this book without hearing the stories’ arrangements over and over—and not in a bad way.
Nocturnes is appropriate for adults or young adults.
“The Beatles Rock Band” is similar to all the other editions of the Rock Band franchise, which means that there are a variety of fun songs to choose from, but this time they’re all by The Beatles. The best part about this game is the ability to add up to three microphones for the vocal harmonies of The Beatles. Although this game does neglect a few hits that probably should have been included, most notably “Help,” it still contains a lot of great Beatles tunes along with band trivia. It is a great game to break out at parties not only for fun, but also for the fact that as long as you have three microphones, you band could have up to six members. Older children will like the game but adults might find it most entertaining since the songs are familiar.
