Top Picks: Spotify's 'Songs to Sing in the Car,' PBS's 'Wonders of Mexico,' and more
Car tunes
Spotify has a great playlist for your summer road trip. Aptly named , it鈥檚 an irresistible mix of contemporary radio hits by the biggest stars in pop and R&B today as well as a generous sampling of the great voices of the past 10 years, such as Adele, Sam Smith, Sia, Alessia Cara, Hozier, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, and Pink. With some clearly marked exceptions, all tracks are family-friendly. Get your car-aoke on!
Dinner guidance
It鈥檚 an age-old question: Where should we go for dinner? The can help with booking reservations or provide suggestions if you don鈥檛 know where to start, including searching for restaurants based on location or what kind of food they offer. A new layout makes the process even faster if you鈥檙e going out. OpenTable is free for iOS and Android.
Exploring Mexico
A new series on PBS, , brings viewers along on a tour of Mexico, including deserts located in the northern part of the country and the Maya Tropical Forest, uncovering the beauty of its culture and wildlife. It premi猫res Aug. 1 at 9 p.m.
Money matter
Some love to check out economic headlines, but others might wish for a little more guidance on what鈥檚 going on. The NPR podcast Planet Money makes economic news easy to understand, taking unusual approaches to covering the latest business stories. You can find it at .
Story of forgiveness
The movie stars Forest Whitaker as Desmond Tutu, telling the based-on-real-life story of the encounter he had with a white separatist named Piet Blomfeld (Eric Bana). Monitor film critic Peter Rainer praises the work of actress Thandi Makhubele, who plays the mother of a likely murdered teenage girl who asks Tutu to figure out what happened and eventually meets the culprit. 鈥淵ou ask yourself how this woman will ever find it in herself to forgive,鈥� he writes. 鈥淎nd yet she does, and in a way that most of us could never believe ourselves capable of.鈥澛犫�淭he Forgiven鈥� is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
