I have a fascination with music and the undead, so reading Keith Richards' autobiography was a no-brainer, and I'm glad I did!
Life is absolutely brimmI have a fascination with music and the undead, so reading Keith Richards' autobiography was a no-brainer, and I'm glad I did!
Life is absolutely brimming with all the Rolling Stones stories a fan could hope for. It starts with a humorous and tense drug story, then it reverts to a more innocent time when Richards was a sort of part-time hooligan, a kid of the East-end streets. This was easily my favorite part of the book, this and the Stones' formation. Basically everything before the money and fame enters the picture.
Richards is not shy about dishing dirt. This is not a man bred to polite society. Life's rough, shit happens and he's not about to sweep it all under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. That's refreshing in its way, but the real draw of this book is the music. Richards loves music and really comes alive when he's talking about it. The many passages reminiscing about his musical roots, his idols and his favorite musicians are a real joy to read. The formation of the Stones gets a fairly thorough going over, at least from his perspective. And that was quite a while ago, after some heavy mind-altering experiences, so it's a minor miracle he remembers any of it.
Drugs. Phew, that man took a lot of drugs! That he survived it all is the real miracle. He gives his theory on how he got through it, but still, lady luck must have played some part. Learning that he's been drug-free for the last 30+ years was a surprise. All in all though, I could've done without all of the many drug and drinking anecdotes. They take up a huge chunk of the book. Obviously it would be a sham of a biography if they weren't included, so I'm just speaking on a personal taste level. To me, hearing another's stories about being stoned is about as interesting as listening to someone else talk about their dreams. Mildly interesting, mostly inconsequential.
Life is long. Richards got a little help from his friends and family, who add stories and anecdotes from their own perspective. His son Marlon, who spent a significant chunk of his youth traveling and touring with his father, weighs in regularly.
I listened to the audiobook version that was narrated mostly by Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley. Tom Waits makes a cameo. Richards does the intro and comes back at the end to read some passages from his journal. Some twenty-five hours or more into the audiobook, I was hazily listening to Richards' pleasant gravelly drone as he wrapped up the book and suddenly I realized I was listening to him extoll the virtues of Patrick O'Brian's Master & Commander books, one of my all-time favorite series. I've read and listened to all 20 books about three times over now. O'Brian's work is gorgeous, his setting description and character development is astounding. However, he's not widely read and his fans tend to be bookish types, so you can imagine how shocked I was to hear this famous rock'n'roll guitar god praising an author who has been called "the male Jane Austen." Richards doesn't just offhandedly mention the books, he explains his love of them and dwells on the main characters, likening their friendship bond to that of him and Mick Jagger. As a book/music geek, this provided an unexpectedly pleasant "happy ending" for me....more
Theft by Finding is like a b-sides and rarities album, a retrospective that includes a bunch of old stuff, rough cuts, alternative versions of the hitTheft by Finding is like a b-sides and rarities album, a retrospective that includes a bunch of old stuff, rough cuts, alternative versions of the hits, etc. It's designed for preexisting fans of the artist. They're the ones yearning for this sort of material. I'm one of them.
This might also be enjoyable for non-fans, who just like a good salacious diary, something that feels gossipy and gives you the sense that dirt has been properly dished. Most of this dirt however is on himself and the dirt-poor. Theft by Finding covers Sedaris' early years when he was a down-and-out drug addict. There were times when he was a few bucks away from being homeless. But rest assured, he brings out the funny in it all.
The early years are fascinating when his struggle was hampered by personality and bad habits. Many will not enjoy this because of that. Or I should say, many do not enjoy this because of that. Source: I've read reviews of his previous books that touch upon this era of his life.
If nothing else this is an interesting rags to riches story, which ends about the time that his life turns into one unending book tour. There's only so much one can write about that life style before it bores. However, there's PLENTY of juicy diary material prior to that, so dig in! ...more
I expected laughs coming out of my butt and instead I got a relative dud. I did not see that coming!
I am a fan of Amy Schumer, yes warts and all*, andI expected laughs coming out of my butt and instead I got a relative dud. I did not see that coming!
I am a fan of Amy Schumer, yes warts and all*, and so I expected to love this book. Her show is hilarious, her stand-up is good stuff, and I really enjoyed her movie Trainwreck...or A Girl Without Complexes as it is known in Russia. This book, however, does not meet expectations.
The subject matter is hit and miss. I really enjoyed when she got on the topic of her show or movie. There was some snort-laugh-worthy material in her dating stories. I wasn't so interested in her stuffed animals, though, and didn't feel like they needed a full chapter of their own. There is a lot of time spent on her mom and dad, who are honestly more interesting people than Amy comes off as in this book.
She's just not a truly wild and crazy gal. While it didn't make for an exciting read, it was interesting to find out that she's actually an introvert of sorts who forces herself to perform. She'd be more at home spending most nights, well, at home. She's a movie-on-the-couch-in-PJs-with-a-bowl-of-brownie-mix kind of date night girl. And I don't hate on that! Hell, that sounds like heaven to me. Problem is, when you're writing an autobiography and that's the kind of a material you're working with, the book ain't gonna thrill ya.
Amy is also not a terribly dynamic reader. There isn't a lot of life in her reading voice. I chose to listen to this in audiobook format, because I feel like you should always read a comedian's book that way. They're writing about themselves, they're natural performers, this is right up their alley! Well, looks like I have to amend my "always" when it comes to comedians' audiobook narration. Schumer sounded like she was on valium a third of the time, bored to death during another third, and on top of things and engaged for the third third.
Now, I've bagged on this book for most of this review, but in fairness, it's not horrible. Yes, it did take more than a month to get through seven cds, which is an astronomical amount of time for such a short book. However, I have read worse and this doesn't come close. As a Schumer fan, let's just say I was let down. I expected a laugh-riot and was surprised when I didn't get it. That doesn't mean there isn't merit herein. It just means I set the bar too high.
* Mostly I'm talking about the few a-holes that have dug up her past and tried to throw it in her face. Others claim she's stealing jokes. I've looked into it, and to me this just sounds like jealousy and sour grapes. The rumors and accusations I've seen have all been from dudes and the ax they're grinding stinks of fear, as if they're afraid vaginas have invaded and will one day rule the world if dudes don't whip out their penises and beat them back!...more
These Matthew Scudder books aren't action-packed, sometimes they're even slow, but boy howdy, do I ever enjoy them!
I like the picture you get of New YThese Matthew Scudder books aren't action-packed, sometimes they're even slow, but boy howdy, do I ever enjoy them!
I like the picture you get of New York City in the '70s (At least with these first few books in the series. I'm not sure about the rest, because I haven't read them). I love Scudder's character. He's not in it for the money. Admirable. I like the light mystery involved in each book. Lawrence Block keeps you guessing! All of these things and probably a few more I'm forgetting right now just jive really well with my reading tastes!
Usually with these books there's a certain amount of psychology, as in the psychology of the killer. However, in A Stab in the Dark we get even more of a look at "why?". Psycho killers and their copycats are given a decent an examination here. It's not super deep. These Scudder books are fairly short after all. However, it is about as long as you'd want it to be in a crime fiction pleasure read.
So, book #4 in the series was a success and I'll definitely be moving on to #5!...more
It's high time I started on book one in Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series, because I am LOVING what I'm reading so far!
Scudder is a once-cop, onIt's high time I started on book one in Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series, because I am LOVING what I'm reading so far!
Scudder is a once-cop, once-private investigator cum investigator (just seems to depend on the day and his finances) who's battling alcoholism. (view spoiler)[An old school friend/crook he's been recently reacquainted with is trying to get his life in order when he gets done in. (hide spoiler)] He's forced into a case somewhat close to his hardened heart, so he ends up looking into it just as much for the pay as for his own conscience.
In fine Block fashion, the reader is left wondering "Is this the guy who done it?...No wait, it's gotta be this guy! Or maybe..." almost right up to the end. I might've figured it out sooner, but I got stuck on this one character and having made up my mind it was him, I spent a third of a book looking for clues specifically for this one guy, thus missing any clues that would've pointed to the real killer. I swallowed the red herring bones and all. The clue that I was on the wrong track came when my killer got killed. Doh!
Folks that are looking for a straightforward mystery or crime story won't get it in A Drop of the Hard Stuff. Nope, and that's the beauty of it for me. I prefer books with some literary merit (SNOB ALERT!) and this has it. I'm not talking about highfalutin poetical bs, I'm talking about a little more character development than what you usually get with the genre stuff. You get plenty of character in this one! Scudder is working on his first year of sobriety and so many of the scenes take place in AA meetings. Block described some dynamite scenes of temptation and inner turmoil that really made you feel for these sad sods.
Even though I felt like this book provided some great insights into that world, of course not everyone's going to be down with reading about depressing AA meetings. Even I got a tad bored a time or two. There isn't a lot of action in this one, but when it heats up, it gets intense.
Now, it's time for me to start from book one. I am completely ready to get to know this Scudder fellow from the beginning!...more
Oh no... not another book by this guy. And as if he couldn't be more self-centered, it's an autobiographical travel journal?
Let me guess, it's "a quiOh no... not another book by this guy. And as if he couldn't be more self-centered, it's an autobiographical travel journal?
Let me guess, it's "a quirky, humor-based piece that transports travelers to an exotic locale". Ugh, so sick of those. It includes photos...yeah, probably because he can barely write! To be fair, it's got a few things going for it, such as it's free, it's short and you can download it straight from its Goodreads page.
Go Home, Oaxaca. You're Drunk. might be 5-stars-good, but I'm sure as shit not reading it...again....more
A Dictionary of Pub, Inn and Tavern Signs is a very precise and accurate title. Not since A Chronological History of New-England in the Form of AnnalsA Dictionary of Pub, Inn and Tavern Signs is a very precise and accurate title. Not since A Chronological History of New-England in the Form of Annals: Being a Summary and Exact Account of the Most Material Transactions and Occurences relating to this Country, in the Order of Time wherein they happened, from the Discovery by Capt. Gosnold in 1602, to the Arrival of Governor Belcher, in 1730. With an Introduction, Containing a Brief Epitome of the most Remarkable Transactions and Events Abroad, from the Creation: including the Connected line of time, the Succession of Patriarchs and Sovereigns by Thomas Prince has a book title been more precise!
A dictionary of pub, inn and tavern signs is exactly what this book gives you. So, while enjoyable if you're interested in the topic, this is not going to be rollercoasters and fireworks for most.
It's hardly academic either. Just the same, it's thorough enough for the casualness of the topic. I just wish some of the entries were a bit more detailed:
Custom HouseFound in many coastal towns, these are pubs that were formerly the local customs officer's headquarters.
Soooo, "Custom House" pubs are named after the custom house. Got it.
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Some are more detailed, but only slightly:
Cutlers ArmsAs the name suggests, this sign relates to the cutlery trade and is particularly associated with the Sheffield area, although also found elsewhere.
So, "Cutler's Arms" is in regards to cutler's arms and it's found...in places. Wow.
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Jumping off the snark-wagon for fairness's sake, the reader is occasionally given a good, chunky entry like:
GreenThere are a multitude of green people, animals and objects named on inn signs. The Green Man, a pagan symbol, shows the face of a dead man with greenery growing from its mouth. It symbolizes life springing from death. Jack in the Green is a living personification of the same figure, though some signs show Robin Hood. Green Man and Still is thought to have indicated a publican who was also a herbalist. Uniforms are commonly depicted, as in the Green Coat Boy, an inmate of a home for fatherless children, as opposed to orphans who are remembered in the name Grey Coat Boy. Military connections are found in Green Beret, Green Howard, named after the regiment, Green Jacket and Royal Green Jacket. Quite different are Green Carnation, a reference to the flower habitually worn by Oscar Wilde, Greendale Oak, a large oak tree in Mansfield that had an arch cut through it to accommodate a roadway, Green Dragon, Green Gables, Greengage, the plum, Green Gingerman, a reference to local trade in green ginger, Greenhouse, Greenmantle, a novel by John Buchan (1875-1940), Green Parrot and Green Tree, a colloquial name for the oak.
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Entries such as the one for Green makes me, a chronic penny-pincher (or pence-pincher in this instance), cringe a little less when I think of the ten pounds I spent on this thing while on vacation with my wife in a little shop in The Shambles in York, UK.
Ratings Note: 3.5 stars
* * * Appendix: Personal Pub Favorites! * * *
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese [image] [image][image] "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is a public house in the City of London, England, located at 145 Fleet Street, on Wine Office Court...at this location since 1538...rebuilt shortly after the Great Fire of 1666...The vaulted cellars are thought to belong to a 13th-century Carmelite monastery which once occupied the site. The entrance to this pub is situated in a narrow alleyway and is very unassuming, yet once inside visitors will realise that the pub occupies a lot of floor space and has numerous bars and gloomy rooms." - Wikipedia
The Cheese is hands down the funnest pub I've ever been to. It's like a playground for pub enthusiasts. On your first visit you'll find it difficult to...well, find. The pub is on a main street, but down a dark, narrow and unassuming alley. Once inside you can actually get lost. Do wander around and investigate the many catacomb-like nooks and numerous floors, especially the crypt-like bar below.
The Golden Fleece [image] "The Golden Fleece is an inn in York, England, which has a free house pub on the ground floor and four guest bedrooms above. It was mentioned in the York City Archives as far back as 1503.[1][2] The inn claims to be the most haunted public house in the City of York." - Wikipedia
Ye Olde Fighting Cocks [image] [image][image] "Ye Olde Fighting Cocks is a public house in St Albans, Hertfordshire, which is one of several that lay claim to being the oldest in England." - Wikipedia
When I was seventeen, I drank some very good beer, I drank some very good beer I purchased with a fake ID. My name was Brian McGee, I stayed up listenin' tWhen I was seventeen, I drank some very good beer, I drank some very good beer I purchased with a fake ID. My name was Brian McGee, I stayed up listenin' to Queen When I was seventeen.
Great song, but honestly I was in my 30s and it was about 2005 when I went to England that I tasted my first truly good beer.
[image] (That's not me pictured, thank god.)
Then round about '06 I got into American craft beer and the following year I took the plunge into brewing. Ah, those were delicious days **le sigh**...As a consequence my wife made that Christmas's theme very beery. Beers of the World was as pretty a present as any picture, for it is essentially a picture book.
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There is some text - helpful stats, specifications, notes on taste - but the pics of bottles and frothy glasses of the golden nectar dominate the page. Page after page of eye-popping pics.
Another thing it does to the eyes is open them. For instance, were you aware that Canada makes other kinds of beer besides Molson? You wouldn't know it by the ads coming down from up north...
There are regional differences too. Just by flipping through the big ol' pages you can see that the "Latin America and Caribbean" region mostly sticks with light beer, probably mostly made from corn (gross!). You've got to assume it's because of the heat. Who wants to drink a double chocolate oatmeal stout when the thermometer is topping 100F?
Yet, there are surprises too. The slim "Scandinavian" section also would indicate that they too prefer the light beers one associates with warm, summery days. What the hell? You'd expect them to be chowing down on knife-n-forkers like Ireland's plethora of thick-as-mud stouts and reds like Guinness, Killians, Beamish, Murphys, etc etc etc. Man, the Irish really took to beer.
Other notable take-aways: - France should just quit with their brewing farce and stick to wine. Why? Because... - Belgium's got you covered. - The Czech Republic should sue Budweiser into the ground for stealing Budvar. - Okay England we get it, every one of your bajillion villages makes its own beer. - Africa apparently doesn't make beer? According to this book it would appear they don't. - That's BULLSHIT! I've had a tasty Ethiopian stout at an Ethiopian restaurant! - Microbreweries have helped America catch up with the rest of the world beer-wise.
If you are of the mind that all beer is the same, you are incorrect. Seek out Beers of the World and get yourself educated!
I knew the guy had substance abuse issues, but sheeesh! That's like saying Kim Kardashian had a little plastic surgery!
Too Fat to Fish is a no-holds-bI knew the guy had substance abuse issues, but sheeesh! That's like saying Kim Kardashian had a little plastic surgery!
Too Fat to Fish is a no-holds-barred, tell-all that goes into great detail regarding the very depths comedian Artie Lange has sunk to. And apparently he's not finished. During the reading of this audiobook* Lange had to quit and have friends help him finish reading the book, because he was going through severe withdrawal symptoms after trying to quit heroine yet again. It is the broken record of his life.
If you know anything about him and his career, none of this will be a surprise. He's hitchhiking down the well-traveled road of the fat and brash comedian, à la Belushi and Farley, among others. What will surprise you is what a decent book this turned out to be. Yes, it is filled with self-deprecation, self-loathing, self...well, just self. But what do you expect? It's an autobiography by an addict. However, when he's not self-indulging, he gets down to some good old fashioned storytelling. His youth and upbringing is nothing out of the ordinary, but he's got tales to tell which can at times be funny, sad and even touching as hell.
* Yes audiobook. You think I would've picked this up if I wasn't able to breeze through it while driving, exercising, making dinner and taking dumps? Hell no!...more
Once upon a time I picked up a Lawrence Block book. I liked it, so I tried another. The next one was from his Matthew Scudder series. Now I'm hooked.
SOnce upon a time I picked up a Lawrence Block book. I liked it, so I tried another. The next one was from his Matthew Scudder series. Now I'm hooked.
Scudder debuted in 1976's The Sins of the Fathers as an alcoholic ex-cop who had recently quit the NYPD and left his family after accidentally causing the death of a young girl. Living in a rent-controlled hotel room in Hell's Kitchen, he earns his living as an unlicensed private investigator—or, as he puts it, "doing favors for friends." - Wikipedia
Scudder's not a prototypical "lovable" guy and yet I love him. I wanna be best buds with him. What I would give to hang out, have a beer and shoot the shit with this guy! Oh the stories he could tell!
Block has spun a solid yarn here with The Sins of the Fathers. Some might call it a yawn, as there's not a lot of action considering this is a crime story. I admit the pace is a bit slow and there's no explosive climax.
However, this is still great reading. I was totally engaged with the character and the story. Everything felt very real. I chalk that up to Mr. Block's chops. You can tell the dude's done some writing prior to this point (<-- Understatement intended). He's comfortable in his skin. Everything's all very relaxed and natural. There's an obvious and satisfactory flow to this work.
I'm definitely moving on to Time to Murder and Create!...more
Kerouac can spin an enjoyable yarn, as long as you don't mind rambling along with him on directionless paths with no real goal in mind but to spin thaKerouac can spin an enjoyable yarn, as long as you don't mind rambling along with him on directionless paths with no real goal in mind but to spin that yarn.
In The Dharma Bums he takes the reader from city-drop-outs to mountain solitude, the mind-fuck excitement and shit of civilization to the glorious simplicity and utter loneliness of a retreat back to nature.
Even though he cheats the reader with some quick-fix adverbs in place of the proper description owed his audience, Kerouac still deserves all the accolades bestowed upon him, and so every now and then when I'm in the mood I don't mind taking one of these long hikes with writers of his ilk.
Slap a few rhyming words together vaguely associated with your intended meaning and call it philosophical poetry. That's my problem with some of the beat poets, whom I blame for the crap classic rock songwriters of the 60s and 70s passed off as lyrics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0iuax...
But I digress.
The Dharma Bums is poetry, even if I do think some of it's silly nonsense....more
I love books that open my eyes, teach me something, and even go so far as to re-educate me on the fallacies foisted upon me by ill-informed elementaryI love books that open my eyes, teach me something, and even go so far as to re-educate me on the fallacies foisted upon me by ill-informed elementary school teachers. To that last end, I found the chapter on Johnny Appleseed very enlightening as well as highly entertaining.
Michael Pollan is more humorous and, let's just say, more adventurous than one might expect from a journalist/botanist (see his passages on hallucinogenic plants.) I appreciate his willingness to "go first" in the same way I tip my hat to daring bastard who first tried, say, lobster. I assume it went down like this: "What's this? A giant, saltwater, armor-clad cockroach? Definitely looks poisonous....Fuck it, I'm hungry." Trying new, unknown food must have been done on a dare or at least with starvation lurking close at-hand.
Farmers on any scale will enjoy and find use in The Botany of Desire. As a pallid yellow-thumb aspiring to green, I know I learned a few things. For one, I've finally transitioned over to organic apples. I don't know who would eat another kind after reading this book. Why with the chemicals already?! Good lord!...more
You don't have to be chubby, bearded and balding to brew beer, but it helps!
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I lost some weight and my brewing skillz just weren't the same aftYou don't have to be chubby, bearded and balding to brew beer, but it helps!
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I lost some weight and my brewing skillz just weren't the same afterwards...
Brewing Quality Beers came with a kit I bought at a homebrew shop when beginning my journey to better beer! It looks a little like this...
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It's quite a handy little book for the beginner! Brewing Quality Beers will give you the necessary basics to get your first batch done.
My first attempt was a "British Pub Ale," which basically was meant to be a Bass: [image] I was a noob and I got nervous, not giving the fermenting process the time it needed to kick in and give it that bubbly liveliness needed to keep a beer from tasting flat. The friend or two I allowed taste it were kind to me in their criticism, but I knew it tasted like ass or maybe chode...yes, it was quite "tainted".
I tried other ale styles with varying degrees of success. I remember really liking my attempt at a dark wheat beer. But then I got a little above myself and tried to get into alchemy and shit and killed a perfectly nice stout with a chemically hazelnut extract.
Word to the wise, if you're just looking to turn grain, sugar and yeast into a basic ale without poisoning* anyone who drinks it, Byron Burch's book helps you take your first baby-beer-step. It'll give you the tools to brew to your heart's content, but if you want to move beyond that and get into some advanced techniques, you'll need to do some further reading.
* You won't literally poison someone (unless you add poison) because the alcohol content kills off germs, but you might severely gross them out with flat beer and off-flavors.
Ya gotta have a beer when you're reading a book called Beer. I had a few actually and here's the resulting review...
That's too many fucking subtitles!Ya gotta have a beer when you're reading a book called Beer. I had a few actually and here's the resulting review...
That's too many fucking subtitles!
I don't even remember whats this about. I should...bah...*indecipherable*...I should read dis again.
Stop swaying! I will cut you! Nah, I don mean thah... I love you, man!...Corn all....Cornhole...Cornholio.... Goddamn ridick-ridickull-us name. Martyn Cornellsssuch a cunt!
I don't WANNA go home... Hey! Hey, gityer damn handzzzoff me! You don' know me!...more
