May 2023 Recommended Reading and Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I sincerely apologize for keeping you all waiting for so long - I bet you thought I was going to skip this month. Well, my reading has been considerably bogged down, and I had some things to attend to, so I was a bit at a loss as to what I could recommend. Since the last vestiges of winter have passed for now, and I bet some of you are itching to get outside, I decided to go with a rather short choice for the reading, as well as a film that I hope isn't too taxing.

Reading: Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell

This brief fable - so short it can be read within a day - was Orwell's first book to intentionally fuse fiction with politics, satirizing the ascension of Stalinism through the tale of farm animals who rise up against their oppressive owners to form a more equal society, only for some of them to seize power for their own purposes, thus dooming the great experiment. The relevance may never be lost, sadly, though the names have changed, and Orwell demonstrates astute criticism as well as engaging storytelling.

Mass Market: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-George-Orwell/dp/0451526341/
Trade 1: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-Fairy-George-Orwell/dp/0452277507/
Trade 2: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-George-Orwell/dp/0452284244/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-Fairy-Modern-Classic-ebook/dp/B003K16PUU/



Viewing: Witness for the Prosecution (Billy Wilder, 1957)

Based on a play by Agatha Christie, this is a courtroom drama in which a prestigious barrister is called upon to defend a man accused of murdering a widow for money, made complicated by the prosecution calling his current wife to testify against him. But nothing is as it seems. Headed by the triple leads of Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich, the film is yet another stellar outing from the veteran Wilder, an entertaining and often comic thriller worth several rewatches.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Prosecution-Tyrone-Power/dp/B00K6D1QV8/
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Prosecution-Blu-ray-Tyrone-Power/dp/B00K6D1S7A/
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Witness-Prosecution-Tyrone-Power/dp/B00BWA6HZ4/


The month may be half over already, but I hope these can fill out your time. Enjoy the weather!