Let's start with some of that jazz: John Coltrane jazz to be specific. The new book Colt
rane - the story of a sound by Ben Ratliff follows the career and art of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane from his beginnings with Miles Davis in the 1950's to his more, shall we say, "experimental" recordings up to the time of his death. Hold on though, that's just the first half. The second half talks about the influence of Coltrane as a musical and spiritual figure in popular (and sometimes not-as-popular-as-it-should-be-because-of-the-word-"jazz") culture. Stop down and pick up some Coltrane CDs downstairs, too, and they will certainly become some of your favorite things.
rane - the story of a sound by Ben Ratliff follows the career and art of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane from his beginnings with Miles Davis in the 1950's to his more, shall we say, "experimental" recordings up to the time of his death. Hold on though, that's just the first half. The second half talks about the influence of Coltrane as a musical and spiritual figure in popular (and sometimes not-as-popular-as-it-should-be-because-of-the-word-"jazz") culture. Stop down and pick up some Coltrane CDs downstairs, too, and they will certainly become some of your favorite things.And now to the funnier side of life, illustrated (in great 1980's detail), in the book Spy - The
Funny Years by Kurt Andersen, Graydon Carter, and George Kalogerakis - a look at the great days of the late-lamented humor magazine. Think of the Daily Show or the Colbert Report in glossy magazine format (or, perhaps more accurately, think of the books that those shows have produced). And really, when you get down to it, is there any decade more ripe for making fun of than the eighties? This book will make you laugh more than Bill Cosby trying to tell you that "New Coke" is better than "Classic Coke". According to the back cover blurb Donald Trump describes Spy as "a piece of garbage". And he ought to know. Enjoy!
Funny Years by Kurt Andersen, Graydon Carter, and George Kalogerakis - a look at the great days of the late-lamented humor magazine. Think of the Daily Show or the Colbert Report in glossy magazine format (or, perhaps more accurately, think of the books that those shows have produced). And really, when you get down to it, is there any decade more ripe for making fun of than the eighties? This book will make you laugh more than Bill Cosby trying to tell you that "New Coke" is better than "Classic Coke". According to the back cover blurb Donald Trump describes Spy as "a piece of garbage". And he ought to know. Enjoy! While it would be great to spend the entire afternoon telling you about every single one of the new non-fiction titles on the Great Blue Nonfiction Wall, we're just going to mention one 
more, The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Hope and Survival by Zainab Salbi which "takes readers into the heart of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Sudan to hear the stories of women who daily reclaim the lives of their families and communities from the ashes of conflict." A truly moving book well worth reading.
more, The Other Side of War: Women's Stories of Hope and Survival by Zainab Salbi which "takes readers into the heart of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Columbia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Sudan to hear the stories of women who daily reclaim the lives of their families and communities from the ashes of conflict." A truly moving book well worth reading.For these new titles and more, you owe it to yourself to visit the Great Blue Nonfiction Wall before you need to get out the shovel.
No comments:
Post a Comment