[Book Nerd Links] Norman Mailer, Tom Wolfe, Punk/No-Wave, and Book Illustrations

Posted on May 20, 2018 by maedez

YOU, TOO, CAN LIVE IN NORMAN MAILER’S HOUSE [THE PARIS REVIEW]
TOM WOLFE, STRAIGHT-ARROW VIRGINIA GENT [THE PARIS REVEIW]
FABULOUS PHOTOS FROM NYC’S PUNK AND NO-WAVE ERA [FLAVORWIRE]
STUNNING ILLUSTRATIONS FOR NEW EDITIONS OF ‘FAHRENHEIT 451’ AND ‘I AM LEGEND’ [FLAVORWIRE]

[Non-Book News] Rest in Peace, Janet Cunningham

Posted on April 7, 2018 by maedez

Rest in Punk: Celebrating Janet Cunningham, Alternative Casting Agent Extraordinaire [LA WEEKLY]

11 Books I Enjoyed in 2017

Posted on January 8, 2018 by maedez

I enjoyed most of the books I read in 2017, but here are 11 that, for different reasons, caught my fancy.

In no particular order, they are:

SHAKESPEARE: THE WORLD AS STAGE BY BILL BRYSON
SINATRA: HOLLYWOOD HIS WAY BY TIMOTHY KNIGHT
BEAUTIFUL BOREDOM: IDLENESS AND FEMININE SELF-REALIZATION IN THE VICTORIAN NOVEL BY LEE ANNA MAYNARD
LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE BY FRANCES AND JOSEPH GIES
PAIN, PARTIES, WORK: SYLVIA PLATH IN NEW YORK, SUMMER 1953 BY ELIZABETH WINDER
UNDER THE BIG BLACK SUN: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF L.A. PUNK BY JOHN DOE
IN THE GREAT GREEN ROOM: THE BRILLIANT AND BOLD LIFE OF MARGARET WISE BROWN BY AMY GARY
GRETA GARBO: THE MYSTERY OF STYLE BY STEFANIA RICCI
WHEN PARIS SIZZLED: THE 1920S PARIS OF HEMINGWAY, CHANEL, COCTEAU, COLE PORTER, JOSEPHINE BAKER, AND THEIR FRIENDS BY MARY MCAULIFFE
SIRENS & SINNERS: A VISUAL HISTORY OF WEIMAR FILM 1918-1933 BY HANS HELMUT PRINZLER
THE BEST MINDS OF MY GENERATION: A LITERARY HISTORY OF THE BEATS BY ALLEN GINSBERG

What were your fave books of 2017? Please share with me in the comments.

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New Year’s Day Reading

Posted on January 1, 2018 by maedez

Outside the Lines

What Are You Reading in February?

Posted on February 24, 2017 by maedez

What is on your end-of-winter book list? I’m finishing up preliminary work for my novella; as a result, I haven’t been able to devote too much time to reading. Here’s where I’m at this month…

Since 1st February, I’ve finished:

Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk by John Doe with Tom DeSavia and Friends (Foreword by Billie Joe Armstrong)

I’m Currently Reading:

Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto and Beyond 1977-1981 by Liz Worth
Hotel Florida: Truth, Love, and Death in the Spanish Civil War by Amanda Vaill
The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion by Tracy Daugherty
Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

Which book on your list do you most look forward to reading, and why?

Please share with me in the comments!

Books! Calendars! Comics!

Posted on December 30, 2016 by maedez

I always shop for books and calendars between Christmas and New Year’s Day. As usual, I ended up with quite the eclectic mix (although the combination makes sense in my head). Do you like to buy books this time of year?