50 Books in 2012

[trixi]

1.  Donut Days--Lara Zielin
2.  Orphan Sister-Gwendolen Gross
3.  Daughters Join the Party--Joanna Philbin
4.  The Book of Tomorrow--Cecelia Ahern

[Dan]

1. William Shakespeare - Richard III

[Atzend]

1.  Dick and Jane and Vampires by Laura Marchesani
2.  Poota: The Pink Boy by Jami L. Brown
3.  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
4.  Please by Peter Darbyshire
5.  Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

[Bubba McBubba]

7: “I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution” by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum

Even though I consider myself extremely fortunate to have a career working in video, I most want to direct music videos.  I was exactly the right age in the 80's to be in MTV's target market, and I came to revere a great many of that era's videos, possibly due in part to us rarely having cable at our house during that time.

Which is why I immediately seized this book in my sweaty mitts when I stumbled upon it at a Barnes & Noble a few weeks back.  That it was 50% off was simply icing on the cake.

And “I Want My MTV” did not disappoint.  This doorstop-sized book is a deliriously, gloriously trashy oral history of the network up until to its mid-90's reinvention as a reality TV channel.  The text is little more than one interview snippet after another, but these are well-organized into chapters, and artfully sequenced so that they form a loose narrative.  Also, kudos to the authors for often presenting multiple, conflicting points of view on some subjects.

Nobody will mistake “I Want My MTV” for an intellectual and scholarly work.  But I doubt the network's most ardent fans would think such a book could fairly represent MTV.  Lucky for us, “I Want My MTV” dishes dirt with the kind of reckless abandon that once defined the channel.

Recommended? Highly

[Zafer Kaya]

5.  Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

I loved that book.

[Atzend]

5.  Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

I loved that book.

It took me awhile to get into since I wasn't quite sure where it was going, but it was worth sticking around for the end.  It was a good follow-up, since I really enjoyed Please which had a similar style of no stereotypical plot (or perhaps any plot).

[c-lando]

1. "Eight Million Ways to Die" (a Matthew Scudder novel) - Lawrence Block
I can't seem to find "Stab in the Dark" anywhere.

I've got a bunch of doubles of his stuff, I'll see if I have one of that one.  If so, it's yours.

Thaaaaaaaaaaaank you. My county library system doesn't have it at all and I can't find it at any of the used book shops that I've checked out. I wish we had HALF-PRICED BOOKS down here!

Kwyji - did you ever figure out if you have an extra copy of STAB IN THE DARK?

[Kwyjibo]

I went through a box in the basement and didn't find it.  I have one more place to look, I'll do that this weekend.

[kcneon]

First book of 2012 down!

1.  Diary Of A Rock'n'Roll Star - Ian Hunter

Written on Mott The Hoople's 1972 American tour, this is as much a history lesson as it is a peek into the band.  You get an inside look in what it was like behind the scenes at the venues, hotels, and making the trek across the US - and bits about other bands here and there.  Very cool to read from a foreigner's view in that particular time period.  Had a fun surpise in the middle of the book when the band is traveling the midwest.  Ian wrote 3-4 entries on Kansas City and St. Louis. The new airport had just opened in KC and he talks about visiting a pawn shop in a St. Louis ghetto.  Reading the diary I get a better sense of how his songwriting comes so naturally.  Great, great read!

[Cockney Rebel]

First book of 2012 down!

1.  Diary Of A Rock'n'Roll Star - Ian Hunter

Written on Mott The Hoople's 1972 American tour, this is as much a history lesson as it is a peek into the band.  You get an inside look in what it was like behind the scenes at the venues, hotels, and making the trek across the US - and bits about other bands here and there.  Very cool to read from a foreigner's view in that particular time period.  Had a fun surpise in the middle of the book when the band is traveling the midwest.  Ian wrote 3-4 entries on Kansas City and St. Louis. The new airport had just opened in KC and he talks about visiting a pawn shop in a St. Louis ghetto.  Reading the diary I get a better sense of how his songwriting comes so naturally.  Great, great read!

I bought this on paperback when it was originally published. I have read it several times since. One of THE most genuine rock books in existence IMHO. Adore it.

[MissKitty]

1. A Writer At War: A Soviet Journalist with the Red Army 1941-1945 - Vasily Grossman, edited and translated by Antony Beevor and Luba Vinogradova

2. Savage Chickens: A Survival Kit for Life in the Coop - Doug Savage
3. Radio Head: Up and Down the Dial of British Radio - John Osborne

[lutz]

1. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin
2. A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin

Currently slogging my way through A Storm of Swords. Think I need something short and trashy before continuing with the next two.

[Kwyjibo]

Think I need something short and trashy before continuing with the next two.

Like this?

[lutz]

I claim absolutely no responsibility for derailing the thread in such a horrifying manner.

[Dan]

I dunno. Kwyj hit on a great post. I approve and would totally own it if I'd caused such humor.