We get up close and personal with 22 famous works of art everyone knows, or thinks they do. They have become icons, seen on calendars, mugs and t-shirts. Yet in this 7 disc award-winning series, we get the stories behind them—how were they created, what influence they have had on others and how the works got from the artist to the museum. Each work, while seemingly familiar is inherently mysterious with stories of political intrigue, scandal, violence, financial ruin and ego. Each DVD takes 3 paintings in a time period and examines each one independently, with the last disc focusing on 3 pieces of sculpture. One of the most fascinating episodes to me was Degas’s sculpture “The Little Dancer Aged 14” which is now considered endearing and charming but when it was first done, it was an outrage to polite society and looked upon as hideous and shameful. This is a unique and totally captivating approach to art, one piece at a time.

This is a fictionalized story of one painting-a masterpiece by French impressionist Auguste Renoir. The critic Emile Zola claims there has been no masterpiece yet painted by an Impressionist, so Renoir sets out to paint one, capturing la vie moderne, by collecting models and setting them on a terrace of a riverside restaurant. All 14 are actual people including Alphonsine, whose family own the restaurant and has feelings for Renoir, the painter Gustave Caillebotte, and Aline, a young seamstress who will someday be his wife and model in many of his later works. The author tells their stories as well as the artist’s creative journey with the same inventive and unique voice as she did in her Girl in Hyacinth Blue and The Passion of Artemesia.

Now imagine what the world would be without masterpieces. This documentary with newsreel footage and interviews of eyewitnesses, historians and relatives of art collectors shows the almost unimaginable and chilling story of how great works of art were stolen from collectors and museums throughout Europe during WWII by Hitler and his regime and the epic feat by America, Europe and Russia to find and save them—many of them lost to this day. 

I have been to this restaurant in San Francisco and it is wonderful. They always have delicious sandwiches and desserts. I wanted a recipe for French macarons (not the coconut haystacks, think meringue and buttercream frosting.) This cookbook has a recipe and variations. I made the lavender and honey French macarons and I also added my own variation and made orange and orange blossom. They turned out very well, although I would recommend making only one batch at a time to prevent the meringue batter from falling. The rest of the book is full of beautiful pictures and other yummy recipes.

This movie is delightful! Penelope is a girl with a family curse, a curse in which she was born with the nose of a pig. To break the curse, she must marry one of her own, a rich blue blood, or so she thinks. She meets many a suitors but only one who doesn’t run in fear for his life, but he won’t marry her. Penelope then strikes out on her own to experience the world after living indoors for 25 years. The costume design and set decoration are brilliant, colorful and whimsical. This is a movie I enjoy watching over and over.

This book is full of all sorts of wacky jewelry projects. Ever thought that the items in your supply cabinet at work had such potential but didn’t know what to do with them? This book will help. Combining office supplies with, beads, vintage charms and other doodads, you will sure to be the queen of accessories in the office.

I have been to the hardware store many a time, looking at all the whosits and whatsits wondering what I could possibly make out of all those parts. Here is a book with all sorts of interesting projects, one of my favorites being the lightbulb earrings. If you are a little bit steampunk and a little bit crafty this is the book for you.

Remember all those songs you sang when you were a kid, Home on the range, Farmer in the dell, 99 bottles of beer on the wall? This book has adapted those songs into icky monster themed songs. Home on the range has become Home of the strange, Take me out to the ball game is now Take me out to the graveyard. This books promises lots of singing enjoyment accompanied by wonderful illustrations by Gris Grimly.

When I first saw the fluffy cover featuring Spider-Man and Mary Jane as high schoolers, I literally scrunched my nose at it. But borrowing from a library means reading stuff you aren't sure you'd enjoy, so I gave it a shot and discovered how charming the series is. This story is a rare look into Mary Jane's anxious but hopeful inner life. Despite being popular at school, Mary Jane struggles to fit in with her friends and can’t figure out who she really wants to be. Her problems are portrayed with an emotional depth that is wonderful to see in a superhero comic. Funny and appropriate cameos from villains and heroes should keep regular readers entertained as well, though I suspect shojo manga fans should be happiest.

I grew up loving mythology and folktales from around the world, so it makes me really happy to see comics paying homage to their older counterparts. Superhero comics are a form of modern mythology, so it is none too astonishing that X-Men lore overlaps with traditional stories from around the world. Particularly uncanny is how fitting the "The Friendship of the Tortoise and the Eagle" is in depicting Magneto and Professor X's troubled relationship; the fable resonates so heartbreakingly well that it becomes hard for me to imagine the two classic tales as separate ones. Like Jean Grey as the Phoenix, classic Marvel story arcs and old folktales are broken down and given new lives.

Like Art Spiegelman's “Maus”, anthropomorphized animals populate "I Killed Adolf Hitler". Unlike “Maus”, the grim story is a violent mix of noir thriller and science fiction. When an assassin is given the task of going back in time and killing Hitler, it wouldn't be a proper time travel story if plans didn't go awry. Deadpan humor and understated melancholy ensure that this title is a good introduction to Jason's work.

Already an outsider at school, Skim retreats into a world of her own and writes sardonic observations in her diary (for example: "my school = goldfish tank of stupid"). She examines memories of being an outcast, her half-consummated feelings for her English teacher, and what spirituality means to her as a Wiccan-in-training. Reading “Skim” doesn’t remind me of my own high school experience so much as it simply embodies what it’s like to be a certain age.

I love reading Kibuishi’s webcomic, Copper (http://www.boltcity.com/copper/), so I eagerly picked up “Amulet” and found the same breathtaking artwork and poignant writing. The story of a boy and sister trying to save their mother in a fantasy world is both familiar and heartbreaking. The fantasy world they get sucked into is eerie and beautiful, but also dangerous and menacing. Emily, the older sister, is no stranger to difficult situations and is determined to make things right for her everyone in her family no matter what it takes.