jazz age

Several years ago I stumbled upon a blog about Louis Armstrong’s career (dippermouthblogspot.com) written by Ricky Riccardi.  Now Riccardi has written What a Wonderful World:  The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years. He is currently the project archivist for the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the author of this engaging book about Armstrong’s later career.  I was able to see Riccardi in person this summer when the Satchmo Summerfest just happened to be taking place while I was in New Orleans on vacation.  He was providing a/v assistance for an interview session with George Avakian

I had not experienced The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald before I read it this month for my book club. I didn't know what I was missing! A great story about class and status, relationships, wealth, power, lost love, and loyalty. I listened to this rather than read it. Actor, Tim Robbins was the narrator and did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the book and the characters. The other great thing about the audio version is that it included letters from the author to his publisher, friends, and fellow writers. You find out exactly what Fitzgerald thought of this work and what