Tag Archives: books

Hey Nichole, what’ve you been reading?

Well, friends, I still haven’t finished “John Quincy Adams: An American Visionary,” and Goodreads tells me I’m 8 books behind on my 2017 Reading Challenge. But I have been reading, albeit more slowly and sporadically than usual.

For some reason that I’m certain was just a coincidence and not at all related to politics, I started the year with some bleak stuff. In January and February I read Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad” and Annie Proulx’s “Barkskins,” and they were both brutal. So much so that I didn’t read anything else for a month, at which time I read Ron Rash’s “The Risen.” It was neither as harsh nor as good as some of his previous work.

And then I skipped yet another full month of reading. That’s very strange for me, and I’m not sure what happened. I think I may have been in a fugue state. Maybe Baron von Strucker has turned me into a Winter Soldier. Who could know?

Anyway, I’ve been back on the reading rainbow since last month. I’ve recently read:

  • Tom Perotta’s “The Leftovers.” It was OK.
  • Liane Moriarty’s “Big Little Lies.” Also OK.
  • Patrick Rothfuss’s “The Wise Man’s Fear.” It’s the second book in a fantasy trilogy, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first one. Hopefully the last one will be better — and less focused on our hero’s burgeoning love life.
  • Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime.” This is the best book I’ve read this year. It’s an interesting and surprisingly moving biography.
  • Rebecca Dinerstein’s “The Sunlit Night.” It wasn’t bad, but I had to force myself to finish it. I didn’t connect with any of the characters.

    I have a couple more books waiting on my Kindle, and I just checked out Eowyn Ivey’s new book. June and July are usually heavy reading months for me; maybe I’ll get caught up on my reading challenge before August.

    What’ve you been reading?

  • Reading rainbow

    I managed not to find a single link to find one link to share with you this week! The Big Picture always has stunning photos, but their World Animal Day post is extra-spectacular. Narwhales! Did you read anything worthwhile on the Internet this week?

    Speaking of reading, I’ve hit another book drought, and I’d like to get out of it. So please, give me your recommendations.

    1. What was the last book you read?
    2. Was it worth reading?
    3. What’s your favorite book?

    On the pages of a Rolling Stone

    Rolling Stone has never been my cup of tea. On a minor note, I don’t like the format. The magazine’s too big to hold comfortably. My main complaint about it, though, is that it’s far too self-congratulatory for my taste. Jann Wenner writes that a “Rolling Stone interview is still the most intimate, penetrating and perceptive conversation going.” I disagree. Whenever I read Rolling Stone, I think about what Lester Bangs said in “Almost Famous” about writers not letting the musicians think they’re friends: “My advice to you. I know you think those guys are your friends. You wanna be a true friend to them? Be honest, and unmerciful.” Rolling Stone reads like their writers have definitely fallen for the friend thing, and they’re far from unmerciful.

    So why’d I pick “The Rolling Stone Interviews” up at the library? I wanted to read the Neil Young interview, and I knew Rockford would probably enjoy the whole book.

    Regardless of my anti-Rolling Stone bias, “The Rolling Stone Interviews” was an interesting read. Musicians I didn’t think much of before — Jim Morrison, for example — came across as more interesting and less irritating than I’d expected. Others — and here I’m specifically thinking of John Lennon — surprised me with their arrogance and general nastiness. Morrison had quite a bit to say about manipulating the media, and the interview left me with the impression that he was a pretty savvy character. Lennon emphasized his genius repeatedly. Maybe so, but it sure doesn’t make you likeable, fella. I wish I hadn’t read the Lennon interview, because I like the Beatles’ music quite a lot and I’m afraid this is going to taint it.

    The Rolling Stone Interviews” might not be the deepest tome ever written, but it’s certainly interesting. If you don’t read anything else in it, be sure to check out Andy Warhol’s “interview” with Truman Capote. As you might expect, it’s terrifically weird.