Books I would like to read

Here's a list of books I'd like to read this year. Let's see what I end up reading.  

The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography by Alex James 

The Business of Books: How International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read 

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami 

Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks 

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 

The Somnabulist by Jonathan Barnes 

Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott 

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan 

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz 

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson 

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I finally read The Road, although I still haven’t seen the movie. The man and his son were trying to survive in some sort of post-apocalyptic world where bad guys had taken over. The stark and short wording throughout echoed their plight of living (barely) an existence that prohibited them from saying or doing more than what was required for survival. They couldn’t take any chances and their lives were almost void of feeling. The father loved his son, but he saw nothing redeeming in the world and trusted no one. He stayed alive only for his son. His son, on the other hand, still wanted to see the good in other people. Whenever they came across a child or man, he wanted to take them in and take care of them. I think it’s interesting that the son survived and not the father. If the son wanted to take people in, he had hopes that the larger community would someday come together and rebuild the world. The father had no such hopes. He could not see past the day-to-day. It was interesting, enjoyable, and a fast read.

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Taken by Trees at Union Hall on Feb 13

Bill took me to see Taken By Trees at Union Hall on February 13 for Valentine’s Day. This pre-tour show was sold out and took place in the crowded, dark basement of Union Hall. It was as lovely as songstress, Victoria Bergsman. Victoria’s elegance and soft-spoken nature are reflected in this, her solo project. There were no loud guitars, if any at all. The psychedelic sound of the music, along with a smoke machine, helped to create an ambiance of hanging out in your friend’s basement, listening to records, and burning incense. Not to mention that Victoria had made a video for each song to be projected on the wall behind the band, but apologized because they could not get it to work. They played songs from their new album, East of Eden, as well as some favorites from Open Field. Songs included Lost & Found, Way Too Young, To Lose Someone, and Anna.

Towards the end of the show, a couple of girls in the audience were talking very loudly. It is my guess that they were too drunk to be aware of how loud they were talking, but their voices echoed throughout the room. Victoria called them out on it. She thanked the audience for being brilliant with the exception of the girls who were “talking about massage and other girlie things.” Everyone laughed. It was so funny, but the girls continued to talk even after she embarrassed them.

After the show, I went to the merch table to buy the new album on vinyl. Victoria was standing right there so of course I told her how much I enjoyed the show. She thanked me and I’m very excited now to say that I talked to her. With the purchase of the album I got a free cd of the songs that played before the band went on. Very awesome show!

This is funny. You can donate money to the band on their website. http://www.takenbytrees.com/donations/

New pictures of the kitties

It's winter!

He's done.

It's seems as though when I become obsessed with something, say a band or musician, it feels like no one else cares about them. But it usually turns out that over in Britain everyone is all ready over it. Here's a meditation on why you can stick a fork in Alex Turner.

http://musosguide.com/whatever-people-say-i-am-thats-what-i-probably-am-maybe…/9476

And there you have it. According to this writer, not only was the first Arctic Monkeys album their best, but it changed the face of music. As you may have guessed, I wholeheartedly disagree since I'm in love with his "ridiculously pompous...side project" the Last Shadow Puppets.