When after about 7 months I had mastered the Spanish language to a point where I could read a book, I decided I needed a good book to keep me busy. I walked into a bookshop and there was that book again, Shantaram.

The story on the back of the book instantly grabbed me. A man who had made many mistakes in his life breaks out of an Australian prison and flees to India, Mumbai (Bombay). During his time in India he meets amazing people, from poor but happy friends in the slums to rich and bohemian expats to crime kingpins and street muscle. The thing I love about this book is that he (Lin, as he is called in the book) has is own way of getting along with all of them, without losing his own identity. It shows how people from very different backgrounds can get incredibly connected.

Anyone interested in different cultures should definitely take the time to read this masterpiece. It’s an autobiographic novel based on Mr. Roberts’ own experiences, and by delivering this book he proves Samuel Goldwyn wrong when he said: “I don’t think anyone should write their autobiography until after their dead”.

The story starts with a young widow called Nancy Botwin who after the death of her husband is suddenly alone in raising two boys in a typical American suburb (the town of Agrestic). When she realizes how much her perfect life costs she decides to take an unusual career path, she becomes a potdealer. With the “help” of her strange friends like Andy (her dead husband’s brother), Doug (city counselor), Celia (“friend”), Shane and Silas (her two sons) she gets in all sorts of troubles that come with being a drugdealer. Think driveby shootings, blackmailing, threesomes and slamming genitals in a drawer.

Weeds is now in its 5th season and still going strong. Drug trafficking was never this funny, Jenji seems to have a Dutch soul because the type of taboos that she attacks in this series seem to come straight from an Amsterdam brothel. If you feel like laughing your ass off with jokes about: adultery, masturbation, severe drug abuse (pretty much anything they can get their hands on), racism, religion (if you go to church every sunday, this series is not for you) and pretty much anything shocking; Weeds is your fix. To sum it up, each episode of Weeds equals a fresh Afghan Sativa blend spliff.

1 minute in, Tony (one of the protagonists, the playboy) had already flirted with the naked woman from across the street and pulled a legendary prank on his dad (who has swearing seizures similar to tourettes). The series keeps the swearing, sex and drugs level at a maximum while attacking the most painful of family dramas in the process.

The series itself however is not the reason for me writing about it, because as if the stories were not enough for the viewer, the songs used in the series are simply amazing. The list of amazing melodramatic tunes used in seasons 1 through 3 are just too much to mention. Some of my personal favorites are: The Clash – Bankrobber , Sparklehorse – It’s a wonderful life , Derrick Harriot – Monkey Ska , Shuggie Otis – Aht uh mi head . The guys from E4 really listened to their audience by creating an amazing website with all the information a fan could want. A full episode track listing is available for music lovers to find any song that was used.