Books, music, movies, and other stuff Slate writers liked last month.

Slate critics and columnists often recommend all sorts of useful and fascinating stuff: books, documentaries, albums, television shows, new gadgets, and the like. Sometimes these endorsements appear in obvious spots (like our movie reviews), but just as often they come in unexpected places, like a "Dear Prudence" or "Fighting Words" column. So at the start of every month, we'll be publishing a handy roundup of all the things we like, since we figure you'd like some of these things, too. Take a look at our latest favorites, and remember you can purchase Slate T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise at the Slate store.

March 2011

Books

David Bezmozgis' story collection, Natasha
(Recommended by Juliet Lapidos in "Purgatory Lit")

James Gleick's The Information
(Recommended by Tim Wu in "Bit by Bit")

Sarah Bakewell's How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer and Saul Frampton's When I Am Playing With My Cat How Do I Know That She Is Not Playing With Me?
(Recommended by Kwame Anthony Appiah in "The First Liberal")

Tina Fey's Bossypants
(Recommended by Katie Roiphe in "Tina Fey's Tough Girl Feminism")

Meryle Secrest's Modigliani: A Life
(Recommended by Christopher Benfey in " Torrid Life, Transcendent Art")

George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones
(Recommended by Nina Shen Rastogi in "Game of Thrones" and Your Favorite Doorstopper Novels")

Cathleen Schine's The Three Weissmanns of Westport
(Recommended by Emily Bazelon, Hanna Rosin and Margaret Talbot in "DoubleX Audio Book Club: The Three Weissmanns of Westport")