If Pixar's taking suggestions, I think a movie about animated talking houses would be pretty cool. They could complain about the people living inside them…and, well, that's pretty much my whole idea. It probably won't be worse than Cars.

The Good Dinosaur is definitely a flawed movie, but I haven't seen another animated movie able to so accurately depict the feeling of being in nature. It sticks you inside the huge, scary, beautiful diversity of the wilderness, animals just doing whatever they're doing because…they're animals.

More liberal states tend to like "Project Runway" and "America's Next Top Model" (Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Oregon, Washington and Colorado).

This one actually seems legit, and I can glean some cultural insights from it.

you should introduce me to whoever said that. We are on the same wavelength (though I actually do like a few of Murakami's female characters. Eri especially.)

I did post a comment about it a while back. I was secretly worried someone would notice and think that is the only book I've read over the past year (I'll have you know, I've read lots of books!).

Some great suggestions, The Name of the Wind, A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Sparrow are all great. My favorite recent book has to be The Beautiful Beaurocrat by Helen Phillips. A summary, in bullet point form:

Some great suggestions, The Name of the Wind, A Visit from the Goon Squad and The Sparrow are all great. My favorite recent book has to be The Beautiful Beaurocrat by Helen Phillips. A summary, in bullet point form:

Yeah, I think you're right, sometimes I get the show and the books mixed up.

I think Martin has a definite sentimental streak. Sure, there are a lot of ruthless killers in the GOT universe, but there are also a more-than-usual number of psychopaths who find redemption – or at least a degree of humanity – in the form of a relationship with another person. Think Jaime and Brienne (book version…

Yes, he should have stuck with TV.

I find Lou Reed really fascinating, in a car-crash sort of way.

Stardust was such a let down for me after reading American Gods. It felt like Gaiman had accidentally created the kind of standard fantasy world he meant to undermine.

Ocean at the End of the Lane fits very snugly into the genre of "teenager goes on surreal, symbolic quest and learns something she can apply to the real world." I felt like Gaiman had explored many of the same themes before and better, especially in Coraline.

I took it as a sign that they both had panic attacks at around the same time

"Grandma's candy store" is a great cocktail name…I loved all the hard candies apparently just floating in the drink.

The Arrested Development influence is strong in this one.

Good to know. Patton seems like the kind of person who can bounce back from tragedy. I would have been a lot more worried if this happened to (for example) Mark Maron

Together forever, the fun never ends

This album is exactly what it claims to be – Mark having fun paying homage to favorite songs. It's not anything he hasn't done before, but he's not trying to do anything new or groundbreaking. It's a warm, comforting album – you can feel his love for these songs coming through.