Top Picks: Andrew Bird's 'Are You Serious,' the podcast 'The Memory Palace,' and more
Bird takes flight
Andrew Bird is a man of many talents, all of them highly developed. On his 13th album, , he unveils yet another trio of talents: husband, lover, and father. And Bird鈥檚 newfound domesticity pervades the music, informing the writing, adding poignancy to the singing, and raising the emotional stakes. From the passionate pop of 鈥淐apsized鈥� to the heart-on-sleeve arena rock of 鈥淰alleys of the Young,鈥� Bird soars.
Engrossing historical tales
Looking for bite-sized but engrossing historical stories? The podcast The Memory Palace, which was created and is hosted by Nate DiMeo, tells listeners about lesser-known historical events, with a recent episode featuring the life of the famous MGM lion. Check it out at .
Handy TV reminders
In our current age of quality television, it can be difficult to keep track of the many shows you鈥檙e watching, let alone when they return with new episodes or the time at which they air. The free app , which is available for iOS and Android, can help with that. Next Episode alerts you when a new episode is available, recommends shows based on the ones you鈥檙e watching now, and notifies you when one of your favorite programs is renewed (or 鈥� hopefully not 鈥� canceled).聽
Jennifer Lawrence a 鈥榡oy鈥� to watch
Actress Jennifer Lawrence and director David O. Russell team up again for the movie , which is now available on DVD and Blu-ray and tells the based-on-real-life story of Joy Mangano, who invented the Miracle Mop. Lawrence is, as always, terrific at playing tough, and to a point, the frenetic interactions between Joy鈥檚 various family members, played by actors including Robert De Niro and Diane Ladd, have a nut-brain verve.聽聽
Breaking down the classics
Too intimidated by 鈥淎nna Karenina鈥�? The app may be for you. Motivated readers need not apply, but if you鈥檝e been needing a nudge to start a classic, Serial Reader can help. It sends you a section of a classic book every day, breaking a novel like 鈥淢oby-Dick鈥� or 鈥淎 Tale of Two Cities鈥� down into less intense portions. It鈥檚 available free of charge for iOS.聽
