Title Recommendations based on Josh Baskin
This rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in modern day East Village New York. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life.
Everyone deserves a chance to follow their dreams, but some people only get one shot. Tyler Gage is a rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks and the only thing that stands between him and an unfulfilled life are his dreams of one day making it out of there. Nora is a privileged ballet dancer attending Baltimore's ultra-elite Maryland School of the Arts.
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becomes his trusted protege.
Firefly is set onboard of Malcolm Reynolds's space ship the Serenity, with Hoban "Wash" Washburn and his wife Zoe and six other crew members. The Serenity is a smuggling ship that drifts through the galaxy looking for the jobs that other people can't or won't do. Mal and his crew live a dangerous lifestyle, and it requires laser focus and the expertise of a pilot like Wash to keep them alive.
A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration.
Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism, and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him, and has been a perennial favorite since it first appeared over 150 years ago. This exciting new translation with Jillian Tamaki's brilliant cover art will be a gift both to readers who have already fallen for its timeless story and to new readers discovering it for the first time.
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for 'Master of the Universe' Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he's pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy. But Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." So begins Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's classic novel of manners and mores in early-nineteenth-century England. As the Bennets prepare their five grown daughters to enter into society, each shows personality traits that illuminate their future prospects as wives. Jane, the oldest, is the most demure and traditional, and Lydia, the youngest, the most headstrong and impulsive. Attention centers on haughty second-born Elizabeth, and her blossoming relationship with the dashing but aloof Fitzwilliam Darcy. Adversaries at first in the endless rounds of balls, parties, and social gatherings, they soon develop a grudging respect for one another that blossoms into romance when each comes to appreciate the tender feelings that course beneath the veneer of their propriety and reserve.
Earth is facing an apocalyptic future, and five ordinary people are the world's only hope: a cheerleader, a webcam stripper, a hospice nurse, a computer programmer, and a paper executive. They have each just discovered their unique powers (including telekinesis and seeing the future), but evil Sylar is trying to steal all their powers for himself.
Parks and Recreation takes place in Pawnee, Indiana. It is smack in America's heartland, and the lead character Leslie Knope puts the "heart" in Pawnee. Leslie and her colleagues not only face a dwindling budget and endless red tape, but they also have a boss from Hell named Ron. Ron, a staunch libertarian who believes government should do as little as possible. Leslie and her team work double-time to pick up the slack.
The Office follows the employees of a branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The region is led by Michael Scott, who has an unorthodox managerial style. As Michael puts it, "I guess the atmosphere that I've created here is that I'm a friend first, and a boss second, and probably an entertainer third." Unfortunately, not everyone is entertained by Michael.
Torchwood features characters who have fallen deep into the rabbit hole that is the darker side of the Whovian universe. Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, and Gwen Cooper are part of Torchwood Three—a secret organization whose mission is to protect earth from evil extraterrestrial beings. The three of them are complex and at times flawed characters—but, do not get too attached, because central characters are not protected from their own potential demise.
Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.
Love Actually follows seemingly unrelated people as their lives begin to intertwine while they fall in, and out, of love. Affections languish and develop as Christmas draws near.
Caroline Channing finds herself living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, after her father's fall from grace. Martin Channing, it turns out, was at the top of a sinister ponzi scheme, and as a result he's lost all of his money and been thrown in jail. This means that Caroline had to take a big step down: she moved to Brooklyn. The horror! Thankfully, Caroline befriends Max Black, who educates her on the rules of the gutter.
