mood-boosting books and movies!

happy books! :)
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
the winter's tale
by william shakespeare
in this romance written late in shakespeare's career, a king who believes his wife died as a result of his misguided jealousy is shown a "statue" of her 16 years later—and is given the opportunity to begin anew through the transforming power of love, art, and forgiveness.

flush by virginia woolf
flush
by virginia woolf
virginia woolf's funny and moving biography of elizabeth barrett's cocker spaniel is a life story—and a love story—told from the dog's point of view. flush, born and raised in england, accompanies his poet-mistress as she escapes the tyranny of her father's house and elopes to italy with her husband, the poet robert browning.

under milk wood by dylan thomas
under milk wood
by dylan thomas
originally a radio play, first produced in the dark days of world war ii, dylan thomas's incantatory, poetic dialogue gives voice to the inhabitants of a small welsh village, who sleep, speak, and retell their often comic, sometimes beautiful, always vivid dreams.

charlotte's web by eb white
charlotte's web
by e.b. white
this story for readers of all ages features a pig named wilbur who is rescued from slaughter through the ingenuity of his friend charlotte the spider. when words like some pig, terrific, radiant, and humble mysteriously appear in the spider's web above his pen, wilbur attracts widespread attention, wins a prize at the county fair, and is spared to live a comfortable life in the barnyard. a paean to the value of true friendship, good writing—and timely publicity.

persuasion by jane austen
persuasion
by jane austen
the last completed novel by jane austen traces a narrative of autumnal happiness worth waiting for, as anne elliot and captain wentworth learn that there can be a second chance at love—with the person you loved the first time around.


cultural critic caryn james has five for your netflix queue.

monsoon wedding
mira nair's buoyant drama about the traditional wedding of a modern indian woman will make you want to dance. both the bride's and groom's sides bring some wedding essentials—tensions, jealousies, secrets. nair adds hundreds of bright orange marigolds, music ranging from indian folk to pop, and a feeling of pure joy as she reveals the unshakable bonds that unite and divide the most loving families.
millions
millions
before slumdog millionaire, danny boyle directed this witty story of two irish brothers who find a duffel bag full of cash. the 7-year-old sees saints and wants to help the poor; the 9-year-old wants video games. adorable but miraculously treacle-free, boyle's deeply felt movie gets under your skin and makes you truly believe that love is better than money.

tootsie
tootsie
the things people do to find a job! in this silly yet smart comedy, dustin hoffman is a struggling young actor who pretends to be a middle-aged actress to land a role on a soap opera, then keeps up the disguise because he loves his costar (jessica lange). the things people do to connect! watching hoffman come clean, pour his heart out, and explain that he became a better man by being a woman never gets old or less encouraging.

my man godfrey
my man godfrey
as a scatterbrained heiress during the depression, carole lombard finds a dashing homeless man as part of a scavenger hunt and hires him as butler for her flaky family (she has a crush). you laugh at the screwball comedy, swoon at the enchanting romance, and grow to appreciate wise and sane godfrey (william powell). as he demonstrates the rewards of helping your neighbor, he might as well be speaking to our own hard times.

love actually
love actually
love often goes haywire in this starry, cheerful romantic comedy. hugh grant is the british prime minister who falls for his assistant. emma thompson, liam neeson, laura linney, and colin firth are stewing in various states of romantic distress. they sort out their lives and bring you back to the film's glorious beginning: dozens of ordinary people fly into each other's arms at an airport arrivals gate. you feel wrapped in a warm embrace, too, as grant's voice reminds us, "love actually is all around," as essential and free as air.