What are you currently reading?

[Lopez]

While hunting through the music section of the Boston Public Library, I found The Heebie Jeebies at CBGB's by Steve Lee Beeber (2006). It's an interesting telling of the influence of Jewish culture, particularly New York Jewish, on punk rock. It can be a bit scholarly at times, but that doesn't get in the way. He starts with Lenny Bruce, then goes to Lou Reed (Louis Rabinowitz), the Dictators (all Jews passing as Italians), the Ramones (half Jewish), Richard (Meyers) Hell, and beyond. Haven't got to the Malcolm MacLaren (a British member of the tribe) part yet where he brings punk to England. So far lots of good stuff. I've always been fascinated by Jewishness. Again I mention an old girl friend, Miss Smallsky, telling me, "You Italians are so Jewish."

[progeezer]

While hunting through the music section of the Boston Public Library, I found The Heebie Jeebies at CBGB's by Steve Lee Beeber (2006). It's an interesting telling of the influence of Jewish culture, particularly New York Jewish, on punk rock. It can be a bit scholarly at times, but that doesn't get in the way. He starts with Lenny Bruce, then goes to Lou Reed (Louis Rabinowitz), the Dictators (all Jews passing as Italians), the Ramones (half Jewish), Richard (Meyers) Hell, and beyond. Haven't got to the Malcolm MacLaren (a British member of the tribe) part yet where he brings punk to England. So far lots of good stuff. I've always been fascinated by Jewishness. Again I mention an old girl friend, Miss Smallsky, telling me, "You Italians are so Jewish."

Now where have I heard that before? So you only love me for my Jewishness?

I'm reading "Fire & Fury - Inside the Trump WH", and for a tragedy, it's hilarious.

[Yodelgoat]

I have been browsing several books at once lately... Can't seem to get hooked on any one of them to finish it...

RUSH FAQ - kind of a filler book into details about Rush most people would not find all that interesting. I am enjoying it.

Far and Wide: Neil Peart's meanderings. It seems interesting at times, but he always seems to wind up at really nice hotels, dining on Lobsters, Jams and varying spirits at the end of a nice leisurely day. None of these things could I afford to do but only very occasionally. So its a bit of a reminder to me that I havent done as well as I should have. I know that's far from his intent, but it is a recurring thing for my mind to wander there. Its not intentional and I dont begrudge anyone their due. Especially someone as talented as the now retired Mr Peart. Retire, now that's something I will likely never experience.

A beautiful question: Frank Wilczek (Nobel Laureate in Physics) After slogging through the gloom of Max Tegmar's Iconic tribute to his entusiastic existential dispair, I decided to hear from other what some would call "the other side". And this book is almost as exciting and fulfilling as Max's tome was. I have enjoyed some of Franks observations about Newtons observations, but probably would enjoy just going straight to Newton himself. But I am actually learning about how boring and insufferable most Nobel Prize winners in Physics actually are. Maybe it will pick up. Maybe there's a chapter on jokes in there somewhere. I do enjoy learning and hearing what people who are smarter than me think and say, but shit, sometimes they're just as boring as turds.

[Koreabruce]

So Max Tegmark's latest book is a slog, you say? Hmmm... I was thinking of getting it. Now I'm not so sure. I enjoyed what he had to say on Sam Harris' podcast. He was on there at least twice, iirc.

I'm still deep into Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature. Fantastic audio book... all 36.43 hours of it.

[Yodelgoat]

Oh just for me, Tegmark was a little too long winded, and not all that thorough in his analysis'. His conclusions are based not on evidence, but the lack thereof. deciding that anything you cant see or feel or measure doesnt exist is a little hasty on his part. After all, he is basing his entire cosmology based on less than 5 percent of what we know is actually here. I think Physics is a very interesting field, but is not "the study of everything", as he kind of portends to conclude in the book.

I learned a lot (which I always do from those who are smarter than me), but I was glad to have the book behind me. Its called Our mathematical universe. But it was, for me, a slog. I find him more interesting to listen to than to read. I dont think I'll pick up anything else by him. Which I would not say about Lawrence Krausse even though he is even more convinced of his existential virtues.

[kid_runningfox]

For work: a bunch of stuff about psy-profiling firms like Cambridge Analytica. Too tedious and inappropriate, if not more than a little alarming, to go into.

For pleasure: Philip Roth: I Married a Communist. Easily my favourite Roth novel yet. Absolutely enthralling from start to (nearly) finish.

[Lopez]

Got three going at the same time: Coco Butternut by Joe Lansdale, Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix, and I'll Bring You the Birds from Out of the Sky by Brian Hodge. The paperbacks book is about all the mass-market horror novels that come out in the 70s and 80s, mostly spawned by the success of The Excorcist, The Other, and Rosemary's Baby. How many times can the Jaws novel can be rewritten by hack writers using sharks and other animals? It's there.

[spellbound]

The Cake And The Rain - Jimmy Webb

[Yodelgoat]

The Cake And The Rain - Jimmy Webb

So.... whats it about? how is it? recommended? let's work with me here...

[spellbound]

Jimmy Webb tells some great tales of songwriter/musician life in California in the late '60s-early '70s. He seemingly knew everyone. If you know nothing about his incredible talent as a songwriter, I could recommend it just for his storytelling. It's not a gossip rag; if it was, I'd have put it down.

[kid_runningfox]

Finished I Married a Communist, now onto:

John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany

[rcarlberg]

Jimmy Webb tells some great tales of songwriter/musician life in California in the late '60s-early '70s. He seemingly knew everyone. If you know nothing about his incredible talent as a songwriter, I could recommend it just for his storytelling. It's not a gossip rag; if it was, I'd have put it down.

Last month I read "What Exactly's Wrong With Me?" by P.F. Sloan, another prolific songwriter of the '60s and '70s (and associate of Webb). Sloan is the classic "unreliable narrator" -- much like Al Kooper's book, "Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards" now that I think of it -- where he keeps getting fired from jobs and kicked out of clubs and dropped from contracts and fired from bands, and it's always THE OTHER GUY'S fault.

Still, some funny stories and a good glimpse into the days when bands never wrote their own material and seldom played their own instruments on their hits.

[interbellum]

John Irvine - A Prayer for Owen Meany

I recognized the title first....
On his website http://john-irving.com/ Irving mentions he's started a new book, while he's also written the screenplay for a teleplay of The World According To Garp.

[SteveSly]

Just finished Bruce Dickinson's new autobiography and really enjoyed it. Talk about a guy who has made the most out of his life. Not many people on this planet who can boast being both the lead vocalist for one of the biggest bands in the world and an airline pilot. Other than his parents he completely passes over his private live though, so even after reading the book I have no clue if he is married, has kids or anything along those lines.

[rcarlberg]

I’m just finishing “Origins of the Specious” by Patricia O’Conner, subtitled “Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language.” Did you know the English accent is newer than an American accent? That there’s historical precedent for pronouncing “ask” as if it’s spelled “aks”? That English has more words for snow than Inuit?

[spellbound]

John Irvine - A Prayer for Owen Meany

Excellent book. One of the best I have read. Enjoy!

[Trane]

I'll be starting Aymeric's book on yes next week.

[interbellum]

Michael Robotham: The Secrets She Keeps

Second thriller without the character of Joe O’Loughlin reminds me a bit of Robert R. McCammon's Mine.

[spellbound]

The Pope Of Palm Beach by Tim Dorsey

[Lopez]

Just finished What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? For me, it is one of those rare books that is not as good as the movie made from it. A companion piece in the book is a short story "What Ever Happened to Charlotte," the basis for the movie Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte. Again, I found that the movie is better.

Up next are Joe Lansdale's Bubba and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers (the sequel to "Bubba Ho-Tep") and Always in Trouble, a history of the record label ESP-Disk.

[Lou]

Just finished a series of books from J J Gonzalez. Clickers, Clickers 2 , Clickers 3, and Clickers Vs Zombies
Clickers are prehistoric hybrid creatures that find their way to the Atlantic shore. They have a crab body, lobster pincers, and a scorpion tail.
They also vary in size from a small dog to larger than a tank. Their scorpion tail delivers venom that cause the victim to melt from the inside out.
Very entertaining series. With CGI, Hollywood should make a film from this. It should be noted that Brian Keene was a co author on a few of these
books. As such, Clickers Vs Zombies is a mash up of characters from the original trilogy, and from the characters in the Keene zombie series that
started with The Rising. What makes his zombies different, is that they are fast, can talk,reason,and work together. Operate cars,and weapons too.
Highly entertaining series for the horror fans!

[mogrooves]

Democracy in America?: What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It , B. Page & M. Gilens

Last one out, turn off the lights....











Martin Gilens

[happytheman]

A friend lent me Shakey Neil Young's Biography around Thanksgiving and I was in the middle of two other books at the time but recently found time to get started on it. About half way thru.. Amazing book.. Neil was always a fav of mine although admittedly I only owned Decade on vinyl back in the day.

[SteveSly]

A friend lent me Shakey Neil Young's Biography around Thanksgiving and I was in the middle of two other books at the time but recently found time to get started on it. About half way thru.. Amazing book.. Neil was always a fav of mine although admittedly I only owned Decade on vinyl back in the day.

I read that quite a few years ago. Very good stuff.

[interbellum]

Just started reading Ian McGuire's historical novel The North Water. Seems it's been nominated for the Man Booker Prize.