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Welcome to Aaron's Picks!This is my chance to share some of the things I enjoy with the rest of the world, books I love to read and reread, music I enjoy listening to, and movies I love to watch. There are three sections to this page. I highlight one item from each category. If you want to browse all the items in a category (books, music, or movies), scroll down to the category and click in the link right above the highlighted selection. Since this web page is generated dynamically from a database, each time you visit, a selection from each category is randomly chosen as the highlighted item. Featured Book:Dave at Night
Gail Carson Levine
![[Cover Art]](/picks/images/daveatnight.gif)
I ran across this book at my parents' home. It came highly recommended to me by my mother and sister, whose opinions I so often agree with. And since it was written by the author of the immensely fun Cinderella retelling, "Ella Enchanted," I had to read it.
It's the story of always-in-trouble Dave, whose father dies and who is left by his step-mother at the Hebrew Home for Boys, where strict rules and a battering bully of a headmaster make life miserable. Dave, at night, escapes to Harlem (in the 1920s) where adventures ensue. This is a must have. My Rating:
  (4.5 out of 5)
Featured Music:Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
![[Cover Art]](/picks/images/nickelcreek.jpg)
I first heard Nickel Creek when they were guests on Prarie Home Companion on public radio. I like acoustic strings to begin with (the group consists of violin/fiddle, guitar, mandolin, string bass, and vocals) and their bluegrass folk sound.
My sister, whose musical tastes overlap mine considerably, let me borrow her Nickel Creek CD. I'm addicted! I love the instrumentals and the vocal selections. I didn't want to have to return her CD. Fortunately for me, we worked out an arrangement whereby she gave me the CD in exchange for my picking her up from the airport in Las Vegas when she gets back from her trip to Colorado later this month (February 2001). I think I got the better end of the bargain. My favorite vocal tracks are probably track #2 (The Lighthouse's Tale), #5 (Reasons Why), and #11 (The Fox). These guys are good! Nearly perfect, in fact. I'll give 'em a 4.5 out of 5. My Rating:
(4.5 out of 5)
Featured Movie:God's Army
Richard Dutcher
![[Cover Art]](/picks/images/godsarmy.jpg)
This very well executed Richard Dutcher film about missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints played in theaters all over Utah, a few in California, and several screens across the nation. An independent film, this one tells a heartwarming story that holds very true to the LDS missionary experience. I really enjoyed it a lot.
Whether you're a Mormon (a term often used to describe members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) or not, this is an excellent film that lends insight into some of the common experiences of LDS missionaries. Just like Fiddler on the Roof is a strong example of telling a story about deeply religious characters, this film does so too. This film gets a rating of 4.5. My Rating:
(4.5 out of 5)
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