This is the story of a rotund Russian exile who finds himself adrift and bereft in a strange, exuberantly crooked little country. Shteyngart is a wickedly sharp young writer with a great satiric eye.

The definitive history of the Florida Everglades, where I spent some of the best days of my childhood. Grunwald compellingly recounts the greedy destruction of this amazing wetland and the improbably ambitious scheme to save what's left of it. A terrific -- and important -- piece of environmental journalism.

I don't know how many times I've seen the Rolling Stones in concert, but I still loved this documentary, which was shot in IMAX at the Beacon Theater in New York. As old as they are, the band has never sounded better.

One of the funniest movies ever made, with some of the coolest dialogue ever written -- a Coen Brothers' classic. Nick Cage and Holly Hunter are wonderful as the barren, trailer-park couple who kidnap a quintuplet because they don't think the parents will notice if one goes missing.

Mudcrutch was the name of Tom Petty's first serious band, back at Dub's Lounge in Gainesville, Florida. Last year he reassembled the group, brought in two of the Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and recorded this album. Good, solid rock-and-roll.