Brown is, like William Faulkner, from Mississippi, but his lean, muscular prose is closer to Raymond Carver’s. Brown understands his down-and-out characters to the marrow and somehow manages to write about truly unsympathetic characters with both compassion and ruthless honesty. A former firefighter turned full-time writer, Brown authored a couple of collections of short stories, and several novels, including Dirty Work, Joe, Fay, and Father and Son. He was just getting warmed up when he died at the age of 53, but the body of work he left behind is formidable.

The Handsome Family

A literal mom-and-pop enterprise, married couple Brett and Rennie Sparks formed the Handsome Family nearly 10 years ago and have made a series of spooky, unforgettable records leading up to the recently released The Last Days of Wonder. She writes ‘em, and he sings ‘em. Their sound and sensibility is a unique blend of old-style country music (stripped of insipid orchestral arrangements or the slickness that defines so much of the modern sound) and some of the most literate songwriting ever put to music. Rennie Sparks’ stories are captivating, and the pervasive feeling of doom in them is driven home by Brett’s warbling baritone. The music is simple and spare, but haunting. Their records aren’t easy to find in stores, but if you order from their Web site, you might even score a signed copy. They are definitely worth the effort.

Roger Ebert

I have been watching and reading Roger Ebert since I was a kid, and I still love him. His movie reviews are sometimes better than the movies he reviews, and I find him to be among the most reliable reviewers out there. I miss his banter with Gene Siskel, who died a few years ago, but his writing remains both insightful and entertaining. He has his own Web site, which is filled with reviews — both new and old — which I have bookmarked. Every Friday, I turn to it for the latest reviews of new releases. Ebert is currently recovering from surgery but hopefully will be writing again soon. He made the “thumbs up” famous, but it is his writing, sense of humor, and good common sense that make Roger Ebert the best mainstream movie critic of the era. Get well soon, Roger!

— By Chris Cox