Umi's bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 23 Jul 2024 05:18:58 -0700 60 Umi's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Captive / The Fugitive (In Search of Lost Time, #5-6)]]> 18801 In Search of Lost Time contains both The Captive (1923) and The Fugitive (1925). In The Captive, Proust’s narrator describes living in his mother’s Paris apartment with his lover, Albertine, and subsequently falling out of love with her. In The Fugitive, the narrator loses Albertine forever. Rich with irony, The Captive and The Fugitive inspire meditations on desire, sexual love, music, and the art of introspection.

For this authoritative English-language edition, D. J. Enright has revised the late Terence Kilmartin’s acclaimed reworking of C. K. Scott Moncrieff’s translation to take into account the new definitive French editions of Á la recherché du temps perdu (the final volume of these new editions was published by the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade in 1989).]]> 957 Marcel Proust 0375753117 Umi 4 4.38 1923 The Captive / The Fugitive (In Search of Lost Time, #5-6)
author: Marcel Proust
name: Umi
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1923
rating: 4
read at: 2014/12/20
date added: 2024/07/23
shelves:
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]]> Bream Gives Me Hiccups 24886634
Taking its title from a group of stories that begin the book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups moves from contemporary L.A. to the dorm rooms of an American college to ancient Pompeii, throwing the reader into a universe of social misfits, reimagined scenes from history, and ridiculous overreactions. In one piece, a tense email exchange between a young man and his girlfriend is taken over by his sister, who is obsessed with the Bosnian genocide (The situation reminds me of a little historical blip called the Karadordevo agreement); in another, a college freshman forced to live with a roommate is stunned when one of her ramen packets goes missing (she didn't have "one" of my ramens. She had a chicken ramen); in another piece, Alexander Graham Bell has teething problems with his invention (I've been calling Mabel all day, she doesn't pick up! Yes, of course I dialed the right number - 2!).

United by Eisenberg's gift for humor and character, and grouped into chapters that open with illustrations by award-winning cartoonist Jean Jullien, the witty pieces collected in Bream Gives Me Hiccups explore the various insanities of the modern world, and mark the arrival of a fantastically funny, self-ironic, and original voice.]]> 273 Jesse Eisenberg 0802124046 Umi 4 3.49 Bream Gives Me Hiccups
author: Jesse Eisenberg
name: Umi
average rating: 3.49
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/26
date added: 2023/12/01
shelves:
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Loved the column when it was on mcsweeneys, loved the man since he was in the Squid and the Whale. Was uncertain about the other selections, but many made me laugh out loud in public, which is always the mark of a truly good Funny Little Read. The only major disappointment was when I googled Jesse about a tenth of the way through this book to see what he even does these days and found out he not that recently got married and had a child - could he not have waited for me? Kinda inconsiderate tbh, hence the 1-star dock
]]> The Hermit and the Wild Woman 8509502 188 Edith Wharton Umi 4
All that aside, some of these aren't bad. Aesthetes, artists, the usual cast I suppose, come together for a collection decidedly well crafted but not super exciting. I dunno, probably time for me to get back to writing (and about modes of production no less), on old advice given to me by a freegan in the park by St. Mark's Church not to write more than I read. ]]> 3.36 1908 The Hermit and the Wild Woman
author: Edith Wharton
name: Umi
average rating: 3.36
book published: 1908
rating: 4
read at: 2015/09/06
date added: 2023/05/24
shelves:
review:
I read this on a plane and clearly conflated it with another book. By now you're probably all wondering why I'm going through Ms. Wharton's bibliography and I kind of am too. As I found with Mr. Proust, sometimes the obscure works have remained obscure for a reason; seeking them out gives us insight into the writer and closure for carrying through themes but one reaches a point where one begins to realise not only that publishing was a different game in those days and maybe that's a worthwhile enough realisation in itself, especially with regards to our obsession today with multifaceted finished projects and how these contribute to one's total image.

All that aside, some of these aren't bad. Aesthetes, artists, the usual cast I suppose, come together for a collection decidedly well crafted but not super exciting. I dunno, probably time for me to get back to writing (and about modes of production no less), on old advice given to me by a freegan in the park by St. Mark's Church not to write more than I read.
]]> <![CDATA[Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics]]> 391156 Why Cats Paint took the art world and animal world by storm with its unprecedented photographic record of cat creativity. Those seminal books in feline aesthetics are now offered in new pocket-size editions filled with the best from each volume, making purrfect gifts for cat lovers and art lovers alike.]]> 144 Heather Busch 1580087930 Umi 5 4.06 1990 Why Cats Paint: A Theory of Feline Aesthetics
author: Heather Busch
name: Umi
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/14
date added: 2022/12/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride]]> 22694572
This is not that story. It is the story of the "happily ever aftermath"--the wedding.

In this funny and moving memoir, Knisley--a working artist skeptical of the very institution of marriage--rolls up her sleeves and gets to work putting her personal artistic stamp on a tradition almost as old as humanity itself. From the venue (building a barn) to the reception (constructing a photo booth) to her wedding dress (sewing her own veil), Knisley channels her artist's ingenuity into every element of the wedding planning process, finally emerging from the creative chaos to stand, certain and joyful, at the altar with the man she loves.]]> 292 Lucy Knisley 1626722498 Umi 4 3.92 2016 Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride
author: Lucy Knisley
name: Umi
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/13
date added: 2022/12/13
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]]> <![CDATA[Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos]]> 30145085
Except get pregnant.

Her whole life, Lucy Knisley wanted to be a mother. But when it was finally the perfect time, conceiving turned out to be harder than anything she’d ever attempted. Fertility problems were followed by miscarriages, and her eventual successful pregnancy plagued by health issues, up to a dramatic, near-death experience during labor and delivery.

This moving, hilarious, and surprisingly informative memoir not only follows Lucy’s personal transition into motherhood but also illustrates the history and science of reproductive health from all angles, including curious facts and inspiring (and notorious) figures in medicine and midwifery. Whether you’ve got kids, want them, or want nothing to do with them, there’s something in this graphic memoir to open your mind and heart.]]> 248 Lucy Knisley Umi 5 4.37 2019 Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos
author: Lucy Knisley
name: Umi
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/03
date added: 2022/12/03
shelves:
review:
I’m a noted child hater/birth-feeling-nauseated-about-er and this made me cry so YES it’s really that good. Super sweet and a wonderful progression from her early stuff. Loved how she was able to tell such a personal story and at the same time share a wider and inclusive story about the history of giving birth AND do it all in a way that was affecting and surprisingly inclusive of those who don’t have much interest in experiencing it for themselves!
]]> <![CDATA[Stepping Stones (Peapod Farm, #1)]]> 42424403 Jen is used to not getting what she wants. So suddenly moving to the country and getting new stepsisters shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

Jen did not want to leave the city. She did not want to move to a farm with her mom and her mom's new boyfriend, Walter. She did not want to leave her friends and her dad.

Most of all, Jen did not want to get new "sisters," Andy and Reese.

If learning new chores on Peapod Farm wasn't hard enough, then having to deal with perfect-at-everything Andy might be the last straw for Jen. Besides cleaning the chicken coop, trying to keep up with the customers at the local farmers' market, and missing her old life, Jen has to deal with her own insecurities about this new family . . . and where she fits in.]]> 224 Lucy Knisley Umi 4
Plus, there are kittens.]]> 4.01 2020 Stepping Stones (Peapod Farm, #1)
author: Lucy Knisley
name: Umi
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/29
date added: 2022/11/29
shelves:
review:
Transposes a bunch of what I find overly precious and a little irritating in all of Knisley’s other work (adulation for her mother! superficial self-reflection! kinda narrow experience of the world!) to an ostensibly fictional setting and makes it all actually work! Stories that have been relayed in her memoirs to uncertain effect work perfectly as things happening to the characters in real time here, the sometimes overly twee sketchbook stuff is adorbs as the character’s own sketchbook, and it’s just a really sweet story overall.

Plus, there are kittens.
]]> <![CDATA[Relish: My Life in the Kitchen]]> 15786110
Lucy Knisley loves food. The daughter of a chef and a gourmet, this talented young cartoonist comes by her obsession honestly. In her forthright, thoughtful, and funny memoir, Lucy traces key episodes in her life thus far, framed by what she was eating at the time and lessons learned about food, cooking, and life. Each chapter is bookended with an illustrated recipe—many of them treasured family dishes, and a few of them Lucy's original inventions.

A welcome read for anyone who ever felt more passion for a sandwich than is strictly speaking proper, Relish is a book for our time: it invites the reader to celebrate food as a connection to our bodies and a connection to the earth, rather than an enemy, a compulsion, or a consumer product.]]> 173 Lucy Knisley 1596436239 Umi 3 3.95 2013 Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
author: Lucy Knisley
name: Umi
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/29
date added: 2022/11/29
shelves:
review:
Ended up on a bit of a Lucy Knisley binge after randomly remembering that I liked her comics and blog when I was in high school when I was up at like five am with terrible cramps this weekend and hormones aside, a lot of what I found charming about her work in high school I found really irritating now. It’s not bad, the drawings are a marked improvement from the first book, but I find that it sort of just lacks depth overall and it’s like? is this a memoir? is this an illustrated cookbook? is this a family photo album with some menus stuck in between the pages? I’m sorry! I didn’t get it!
]]> French Milk 1574310 179 Lucy Knisley 0978942752 Umi 2 3.34 2007 French Milk
author: Lucy Knisley
name: Umi
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2022/11/28
date added: 2022/11/28
shelves:
review:
Everything looks good if you draw it with a brush pen!
]]> Perfumes: The Guide 1197770 The first book of its kind: a definitive guide to the world of perfume

Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez are experts in the world of scent. Turin, a renowned scientist, and Sanchez, a longtime perfume critic, have spent years sniffing the world’s most elegant and beautiful—as well as some truly terrible—perfumes. In Perfumes: The Guide, they combine their talents and experience to review more than twelve hundred fragrances, separating the divine from the good from the monumentally awful. Through witty, irreverent, and illuminating prose, the reviews in Perfumes not only provide consumers with an essential guide to shopping for fragrance, but also make for a unique reading experience.

Perfumes features introductions to women’s and men’s fragrances and an informative “frequently asked questions� section including:
� What is the difference between eau de toilette and perfume?
� How long can I keep perfume before it goes bad?
� What’s better: splash bottles or spray atomizers?
� What are perfumes made of?
� Should I change my fragrance each season?

Perfumes: The Guide is an authoritative, one-of-a-kind book that will do for fragrance what Robert Parker’s books have done for wine. Beautifully designed and elegantly illustrated, this book will be the perfect gift for collectors and anyone who’s ever had an interest in the fascinating subject of perfume.

Read Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez's posts on the Penguin Blog.]]> 384 Luca Turin 0670018651 Umi 4 4.19 2008 Perfumes: The Guide
author: Luca Turin
name: Umi
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/22
date added: 2022/11/22
shelves:
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]]> Sex and the City 7455 304 Candace Bushnell 0446617687 Umi 5 3.45 1996 Sex and the City
author: Candace Bushnell
name: Umi
average rating: 3.45
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/17
date added: 2022/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> Perfumes: The Guide 40659625
The 2018 guide includes all new content, including
- “Ten Years Later,� looking back on the last decade of fragrance
- “The Shifting Shape of Fragrance 1918�2018�
- all new FAQ
- over 1,200 individual reviews: masculine and feminine, mainstream and arcane, from the latest Guerlains to a 5-star masterpiece by a small Malaysian firm
- an expanded glossary
- top 10 lists, this time including not just masculines and feminines but introverts and extroverts, the best retro, citrus, oud, and more
]]> 346 Luca Turin 994988554X Umi 3 4.14 2018 Perfumes: The Guide
author: Luca Turin
name: Umi
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/31
date added: 2022/10/31
shelves:
review:
Less a review of the book, more a review of the fragrances contained therein; kind of a bummer that contemporary perfume is characterised by (I write ‘plagued by a demand for� then thought it was too mean) clean, light scents and most of the stuff with the smallest suggestions of presence are some variations on an amber/vanilla/spice party. I feel cliched decrying the ban on oakmoss, but would that I could have perused the perfume department when chypres ruled the counters! Alas, I’ll have to settle for scouring the shelves of forgotten pharmacies for dusty bottles and, double alas, reformulations.
]]> Summer Fun 52034695 From acclaimed author Jeanne Thornton, an epic, singular look at fandom, creativity, longing, and trans identity

Gala, a young trans woman, works at a hostel in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. She is obsessed with the Get Happies, the quintessential 1960s Californian band, helmed by its resident genius, B�-. Why did the band stop making music? Why did they never release their rumored album, Summer Fun?

Gala writes letters to B�- that shed light not only on the Get Happies, but paint an extraordinary portrait of Gala. The parallel narratives of B�- and Gala form a dialogue about creation–of music, identity, self, culture, and counterculture.

Summer Fun is an epic and magical work of trans literature that marks Thornton as one of our most exciting and original novelists.]]> 432 Jeanne Thornton 1641292385 Umi 5 4.14 2021 Summer Fun
author: Jeanne Thornton
name: Umi
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/26
date added: 2022/10/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance]]> 55270118
Aside from Mary Prince, enslaved West Indian women had few opportunities to record their stories for posterity. Yet from their dusty footprints and the umpteen small clues they left for us to unravel, there’s no question that they earned their place in history. Pick any Caribbean island and you’ll find race, skin colour and rank interacting with gender in a unique and often volatile way. Moreover, the evidence points to a distinctly female role in the development of a culture of slave resistance—a role that was not just central, but downright dynamic.

From the coffle-line to the Great House, enslaved women found ways of fighting back that beggar belief. Whether responding to the horrendous conditions of plantation life, the sadistic vagaries of their captors or the “peculiar burdens of their sex,� their collective sanity relied on a highly subversive adaptation of the values and cultures they smuggled with them naked from different parts of Africa. By sustaining or adapting remembered cultural practices, they ensured that the lives of chattel slaves retained both meaning and purpose. This sense of self gave rise to a sense of agency and over time, both their subtle acts of insubordination and their conscious acts of rebellion came to undermine the very fabric and survival of West Indian slavery.]]> 209 Stella Dadzie 1788738845 Umi 5 4.35 2020 A Kick in the Belly: Women, Slavery and Resistance
author: Stella Dadzie
name: Umi
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/10/11
date added: 2022/10/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Happy Hour 54173267 With the verve and bite of My Year of Rest and Relaxation and the whip-smart, wisecracking sensibility of a golden-age Hollywood heroine, Marlowe Granados’s stunning début brilliantly captures a summer of striving in New York City.

Refreshing and wry in equal measure, Happy Hour is an intoxicating novel of youth well spent. Isa Epley is all of twenty-one years old, and already wise enough to understand that the purpose of life is the pursuit of pleasure. After a sojourn across the pond, she arrives in New York City for a summer of adventure with her best friend, one newly blond Gala Novak. They have little money, but that’s hardly going to stop them from having a good time.

In her diary, Isa describes a sweltering summer in the glittering city. By day, the girls sell clothes in a market stall, pinching pennies for their Bed-Stuy sublet and bodega lunches. By night, they weave from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side to the Hamptons among a rotating cast of celebrities, artists, Internet entrepreneurs, stuffy intellectuals, and bad-mannered grifters. Money runs ever tighter and the strain tests their friendship as they try to convert their social capital into something more lasting than their precarious gigs as au pairs, nightclub hostesses, paid audience members, and aspiring foot fetish models. Through it all, Isa’s bold, beguiling voice captures the precise thrill of cultivating a life of glamour and intrigue as she juggles paying her dues with skipping out on the bill.

Happy Hour announces a dazzling new talent in Marlowe Granados, whose exquisite wit recalls Anita Loos’s 1925 classic, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, updated to evoke a recent, golden period of hope and transformation—the summer of 2013. A cri de cœur for party girls and anyone who has ever felt entitled to an adventure of their own, Happy Hour is an effervescent tonic for the ails of contemporary life.]]> 280 Marlowe Granados 1989919006 Umi 2 3.46 2020 Happy Hour
author: Marlowe Granados
name: Umi
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2022/10/05
date added: 2022/10/05
shelves:
review:
I mean, what did I really expect from a book where the narrator numbers ‘a bottle of Tanqueray� among things that can be purchased for $50?
]]> <![CDATA[The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There]]> 57093755 321 Jenna Fischer 0063007606 Umi 3 4.21 2022 The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There
author: Jenna Fischer
name: Umi
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/10/04
date added: 2022/10/04
shelves:
review:
Kind of felt like a really long acknowledgements section where they just thanked everyone who worked on the show, which is nice but doesn’t make for super compelling listening, also lots of overlap with the podcast which was probably made more apparent by the fact that I listened to this as an audiobook. On the other hand, probably fun if you just want a greatest hits of the stuff covered in the podcast!
]]> I'm Glad My Mom Died 59364173
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,� eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?� She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly , she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!�), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.]]> 320 Jennette McCurdy Umi 2
There doesn’t seem to have been a lot of consideration for the overall narrative - threads are introduced but never really followed, there are a lot of missed opportunities for her to draw interesting parallels (especially between going from an enmeshed relationship with her mother to attempting to heal through an enmeshment-adjacent relationship with her life coach), and it all ends up reading like a tedious laundry list of just stuff that happened.

Which, fine - if she was going for like ‘I was detached from this� then ok, she got halfway there, but it doesn’t really seem like that was the case? It doesn’t go far enough in any direction, whether it’s like ‘this seemed totally normal� or like ‘my mom was awesome� in the first half and then ‘oh my god WHAT no who am I now and what were these memories� in the second half or literally whatever!

And really, the largest failing of the book is how it doesn’t really convey how these moms (or probably parents, whatever) can do all of the laundry list of wtf stuff BUT ALSO every so often, when you least expect it, throw you a very weird bone that makes you feel like of course! This person DOES know me and understand me and care about me! AND they can do it on a level no one else can! Now if only I could understand what I did to deserve this I can keep doing it and not ever get the other responses also what other responses I feel extremely guilty for ever having thought those were wrong sorry I didn’t mean it - there are one or two mentions of how she manages to get specific praise from her mother or tries to overanalyse situations to keep certain reactions from occurring but they don’t really put the reader in that mindset, they sort of just fall flat and are honestly probably missed by people who haven’t experienced that kind of stuff.

About halfway through I was like, isn’t this supposed to be funny? And then I was like, isn’t that a little narcissistic of you, Dienstag?? Not everything is here for your entertainment! Just because you were expected to shroud any semblance of a regular emotion in an amusing little anecdote doesn’t mean everyone has to! But then I was like... the book is called I’m Glad my Mom Died! The cover photo is the girl like ]]> 4.45 2022 I'm Glad My Mom Died
author: Jennette McCurdy
name: Umi
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2022/09/07
date added: 2022/09/07
shelves:
review:
The writing is pretty simplistic, and it’s unclear whether this is a stylistic choice to underscore that a lot of this happened while she was a child or whether it’s the result of her own shortcomings as a writer. Unfortunately, I’m inclined to think it’s the latter.

There doesn’t seem to have been a lot of consideration for the overall narrative - threads are introduced but never really followed, there are a lot of missed opportunities for her to draw interesting parallels (especially between going from an enmeshed relationship with her mother to attempting to heal through an enmeshment-adjacent relationship with her life coach), and it all ends up reading like a tedious laundry list of just stuff that happened.

Which, fine - if she was going for like ‘I was detached from this� then ok, she got halfway there, but it doesn’t really seem like that was the case? It doesn’t go far enough in any direction, whether it’s like ‘this seemed totally normal� or like ‘my mom was awesome� in the first half and then ‘oh my god WHAT no who am I now and what were these memories� in the second half or literally whatever!

And really, the largest failing of the book is how it doesn’t really convey how these moms (or probably parents, whatever) can do all of the laundry list of wtf stuff BUT ALSO every so often, when you least expect it, throw you a very weird bone that makes you feel like of course! This person DOES know me and understand me and care about me! AND they can do it on a level no one else can! Now if only I could understand what I did to deserve this I can keep doing it and not ever get the other responses also what other responses I feel extremely guilty for ever having thought those were wrong sorry I didn’t mean it - there are one or two mentions of how she manages to get specific praise from her mother or tries to overanalyse situations to keep certain reactions from occurring but they don’t really put the reader in that mindset, they sort of just fall flat and are honestly probably missed by people who haven’t experienced that kind of stuff.

About halfway through I was like, isn’t this supposed to be funny? And then I was like, isn’t that a little narcissistic of you, Dienstag?? Not everything is here for your entertainment! Just because you were expected to shroud any semblance of a regular emotion in an amusing little anecdote doesn’t mean everyone has to! But then I was like... the book is called I’m Glad my Mom Died! The cover photo is the girl like
]]> <![CDATA[Pattern Drafting & Grading Women's and Misses' Garment Design]]> 42417432 148 Mayer Rohr Umi 5 4.75 Pattern Drafting & Grading Women's and Misses' Garment Design
author: Mayer Rohr
name: Umi
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/28
date added: 2022/08/28
shelves:
review:
Contains all the info you need to draft patterns for all the Good garments (pyjamas! cigarette trousers! hot pants! lingerie! little dresses!) AND places the measurements of certain a petite adult firmly in the adult size range!! Literal only complaint is that I didn’t find this ten years ago!!
]]> Skinhead 229043 114 Nick Knight 0711900523 Umi 3 3.97 1982 Skinhead
author: Nick Knight
name: Umi
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/25
date added: 2022/08/25
shelves:
review:
Hate to sound like I’m looking down my nose at them from my lofty perch at the Formica table of an eccentrically-themed soho espresso bar but I always thought of skinheads as sort of illiterate and the reviews here unfortunately seem to bear that out... and actually maybe the book does too, the best bit was the illustrations like halfway through...
]]> <![CDATA[The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession]]> 14546 The Emperor of Scent tells of the scientific maverick Luca Turin, a connoisseur and something of an aesthete who wrote a bestselling perfume guide and bandied about an outrageous new theory on the human sense of smell. Drawing on cutting-edge work in biology, chemistry, and physics, Turin used his obsession with perfume and his eerie gift for smell to turn the cloistered worlds of the smell business and science upside down, leading to a solution to the last great mystery of the senses: how the nose works.]]> 352 Chandler Burr 0375759816 Umi 3 4.16 The Emperor of Scent: A True Story of Perfume and Obsession
author: Chandler Burr
name: Umi
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/25
date added: 2022/08/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fit for Real People: Sew Great Clothes Using ANY Pattern (Sewing for Real People series)]]> 920331 256 Pati Palmer 0935278656 Umi 1
I do get why books like this are important and I am sure that if you are a real height and build this is a real resource... I just find it really odd (not to mention frustrando...) that petite sizes consistently get totally overlooked...]]> 4.24 1998 Fit for Real People: Sew Great Clothes Using ANY Pattern (Sewing for Real People series)
author: Pati Palmer
name: Umi
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1998
rating: 1
read at: 2022/08/17
date added: 2022/08/17
shelves:
review:
I forgot!! Petite women aren't real people!! There are literally like two paragraphs about fit issues petite women encounter and one of them starts by saying that the term petite 'has to do with height' (nope nope nope it means you're proportionally smaller than those 'real people') and the other is three line drawings of 'where you would shorten a pattern if you were a true petite' then a paragraph about how most people who are short are not actually petite (duh!! If I had the proportions of a normal person but were just short, why would I be looking for advice on adapting patterns for petite women?!). Literally most pattern companies used to make petite misses' AND juniors' clothing AND department stores used to have extensive petite offerings that weren't just like 'would you like to work in a bank?' or 'would you like to be a middle class mom?' so I don't get why there are literally NO resources out there on sewing for ~true~ petites??

I do get why books like this are important and I am sure that if you are a real height and build this is a real resource... I just find it really odd (not to mention frustrando...) that petite sizes consistently get totally overlooked...
]]> <![CDATA[Lingerie Design: A Complete Course]]> 28665609
The book documents the rise of the deluxe lingerie brand. This interest in luxury labels has led many young designers to chose lingerie as a creative outlet � conscious of fashion, but also with a clear view of their own 'lingerie world'. The book features the work of 30 lingerie designers from around the world, bringing out the individuality of each designer and providing a compelling insight into their working methods.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, it presents inspirational images from the designers' collections alongside their sketches and mood boards.

In this book, Pamela Powell takes a very practical approach, showing how to design and construct lingerie, sleepwear, and foundation garments. Step-by-step illustrations demonstrate the basic slopers and show how to manipulate them into different styles. Advice is given about how to work with the specialty fabrics used in the industry including woven, knit, power stretch, and bias-cut fabrics.

Specially commissioned photographs and diagrams are used to showcase construction techniques specific to lingerie including boning, elastic, and lace insertion, and how and where to use the myriad of closures available. A final chapter on embellishment shows how to add unique and personal touches to garments and apply that luxurious finish.]]> 304 Pamela Powell 178067791X Umi 4 4.37 Lingerie Design: A Complete Course
author: Pamela Powell
name: Umi
average rating: 4.37
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/13
date added: 2022/08/13
shelves:
review:
Very thorough tho also very much for the modern consumer (would have liked more info on making 20s/30s style garments and less about corsets and foundation garments but that’s just me!)
]]> <![CDATA[Sewing Lingerie That Fits: Stylish Underwear, Sleepwear and Loungewear for Everyday Living]]> 1080830 138 Karen Morris 156158309X Umi 3 3.94 2001 Sewing Lingerie That Fits: Stylish Underwear, Sleepwear and Loungewear for Everyday Living
author: Karen Morris
name: Umi
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/13
date added: 2022/08/13
shelves:
review:
Was this secretly native advertising for J. Crew? Also includes a lot more about embellishing pieces than adapting basic patterns to make different garments. Helpful for making the basics seem approachable tho
]]> <![CDATA[Techniques of Dressmaking and Soft Tailoring]]> 7532604 208 E.Lucy Towers 0340185988 Umi 3 3.00 1974 Techniques of Dressmaking and Soft Tailoring
author: E.Lucy Towers
name: Umi
average rating: 3.00
book published: 1974
rating: 3
read at: 2022/08/13
date added: 2022/08/13
shelves:
review:
More focussed on sewing than fitting but useful nonetheless
]]> Complete Guide to Sewing 34226 Guide to sewing 528 Virginia Colton 0895770261 Umi 4 4.37 1976 Complete Guide to Sewing
author: Virginia Colton
name: Umi
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/13
date added: 2022/08/13
shelves:
review:
Not quite riveting but... buttonholing? Eyeletting?
]]> Adventures on the Wine Route 41301 288 Kermit Lynch 0374522669 Umi 4 4.24 1988 Adventures on the Wine Route
author: Kermit Lynch
name: Umi
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/07
date added: 2022/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]> Lonely Boy 30048098
Steve’s modern Dickensian tale begins in the streets of Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush, West London, where as a lonely, neglected boy living off his wits and petty thievery he is given purpose by the glam art rock of David Bowie and Roxy Music and becomes one of the first generation of ragamuffin punks taken under the wings of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood.

For the very first time Steve describes the sadness of never having known his dad, the neglect and abuse he suffered at the hands of his step father, and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime spent in remand centres and prison.

From the Kings Road of the early seventies, through the years of the Sex Pistols, Punk Rock and the recording of Never Mind the Bollocks (ranked number 41 in Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Albums of All Time), to his self-imposed exile in New York and Los Angeles where he battled with alcohol, heroin and sex addiction � caught in a cycle of rehab and relapse � Lonely Boy, written with music journalist and author Ben Thompson, is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who, with the Sex Pistols, changed history.]]> 320 Steve Jones 1785150677 Umi 4 3.97 2017 Lonely Boy
author: Steve Jones
name: Umi
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/06
date added: 2022/08/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York]]> 1742032
In Paris at the elegant Hermès, we see Jean Claude Ellena, his company's new head perfumer, given a he must create a scent to resuscitate Hermès's perfume business and challenge le monstre of the industry, bestselling Chanel No. 5. Will his pilgrimage to a garden on the Nile supply the inspiration he needs? The answer lies in Burr's informative and mesmerizing portrait of some of the extraordinary personalities who envision, design, create, and launch the perfumes that drive their billion-dollar industry.]]> 306 Chandler Burr 0805080376 Umi 4 3.83 2008 The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York
author: Chandler Burr
name: Umi
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/26
date added: 2022/06/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Life in the UK Test: Practice Questions: Questions and Answers for British Citizenship and Settlement Tests]]> 819313 Henry Dillon 0955215935 Umi 3 3.21 2007 Life in the UK Test: Practice Questions: Questions and Answers for British Citizenship and Settlement Tests
author: Henry Dillon
name: Umi
average rating: 3.21
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/20
date added: 2022/06/20
shelves:
review:
Retrovirus is the right answer!
]]> <![CDATA[Life in the United Kingdom: Official Study Guide]]> 17624103 143 Home Office 0113413424 Umi 3 A) Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away
B) Watching the girls go by and spending money on beer
C) Feeding the pigeons and sometimes feeding the sparrows, too
D) Opposing terrorist groups and serving on juries

Lots of questions about terrorism and juries, not nearly enough about the important stuff (independent record labels, watching Come Dine with Me when you’re hungover, The Kittens� Wedding and other taxidermy by Walter Potter) ]]> 2.98 2013 Life in the United Kingdom: Official Study Guide
author: Home Office
name: Umi
average rating: 2.98
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/14
date added: 2022/06/14
shelves:
review:
TWO fundamental parts of British life are:
A) Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away
B) Watching the girls go by and spending money on beer
C) Feeding the pigeons and sometimes feeding the sparrows, too
D) Opposing terrorist groups and serving on juries

Lots of questions about terrorism and juries, not nearly enough about the important stuff (independent record labels, watching Come Dine with Me when you’re hungover, The Kittens� Wedding and other taxidermy by Walter Potter)
]]> <![CDATA[Life in the Uk Test: Handbook 2022]]> 60524638 0 Henry Dillon 1907389814 Umi 3 3.62 Life in the Uk Test: Handbook 2022
author: Henry Dillon
name: Umi
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/06/12
date added: 2022/06/12
shelves:
review:
From the Hundred Years War to the Crimea, with a lance and a musket and a Roman spear, this book gives a brief overview of things like Bronze Age civilisation and wars and how the government is set up - brief being the operative phrase here, like, if you were hoping to use the perhaps hipper and more obscure ‘I missed the 1418 war, but not the sorrow afterwards� as your review, you’ll be sadly outta luck because they don’t mention that, you’ll have to look it up yourself and then spend like an hour reading random articles on Wikipedia and then at least two hours revisiting your favourite photos of Mick Jones, then having a small crisis about having had the same fave pics since you were a teen for several hours, and I guess this is why they say to study for this over a few days CAN YOU TELL IM PANICKING WHY CANT I JUST TAKE A TEST ON POP BANDS WHO CAME FROM ART SCHOOLS AND THE CURRENT 6MUSIC SCHEDULE INSTEAD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
]]> The Shuttle 1057543 The Shuttle is about American heiresses marrying English aristocrats; by extension it is about the effect of American energy, dynamism and affluence on an effete and impoverished English ruling class. Sir Nigel Anstruthers crosses the Atlantic to look for a rich wife and returns with the daughter of an American millionaire, Rosalie Vanderpoel. He turns out to be a bully, a miser and a philanderer and virtually imprisons his wife in the house. Only when Rosalie's sister Bettina is grown up does it occur to her and her father that some sort of rescue expedition should take place. And the beautiful, kind and dynamic Bettina leaves for Europe to try and find out why Rosalie has, inexplicably, chosen to lose touch with her family. In the process she engages in a psychological war with Sir Nigel; meets and falls in love with another Englishman; and starts to use the Vanderpoel money to modernize ‘Stornham Court�.

The book’s title refers to ships shuttling back and forth over the Atlantic (Frances Hodgson Burnett herself traveled between the two countries thirty-three times, something very unusual then).]]> 476 Frances Hodgson Burnett 1903155614 Umi 5 3.99 1906 The Shuttle
author: Frances Hodgson Burnett
name: Umi
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1906
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/12
date added: 2022/06/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[GENERATION X : What's Behind the Rebellious Anger of Britain's Untamed Youth? Here in Their Own Words is How They Really Feel About Drugs, Drink, God, Sex, Class, Color and Kicks]]> 509649 Here- in their own words-is how they really feel about drugs,drink,God,sex ,class,color and kicks]]> 192 Charles Hamblett Umi 5 4.00 1964 GENERATION X : What's Behind the Rebellious Anger of Britain's Untamed Youth? Here in Their Own Words is How They Really Feel About Drugs, Drink, God, Sex, Class, Color and Kicks
author: Charles Hamblett
name: Umi
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1964
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/11
date added: 2022/06/11
shelves:
review:
‘If you’re a Mod, you’re a Mod twenty-four hours a day...� Difficult to say whether the original speaker meant this to encompass the time spent trawling eBay for relative steals on out of print books, but this one was well worth tracking down - essential reading for anyone whose time outside their ad agency job is occupied by such noble pursuits as making their own clothes and playing Blue Beat singles for their cats!
]]> <![CDATA[The Autobiography of Malcolm X]]> 92057
Through a life of passion and struggle, Malcolm X became one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century. In this riveting account, he tells of his journey from a prison cell to Mecca, describing his transition from hoodlum to Muslim minister. Here, the man who called himself "the angriest Black man in America" relates how his conversion to true Islam helped him confront his rage and recognize the brotherhood of all mankind.

An established classic of modern America, "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" was hailed by the New York Times as "Extraordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book." Still extraordinary, still important, this electrifying story has transformed Malcolm X's life into his legacy. The strength of his words, and the power of his ideas continue to resonate more than a generation after they first appeared.]]> 466 Malcolm X Umi 5 4.35 1965 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
author: Malcolm X
name: Umi
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1965
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/10
date added: 2022/06/10
shelves:
review:
Read this for a school project in eighth grade and recently found that I referenced various parts of it a lot in conversation so I figured it was probably time to revisit it. Obviously glad I did - there was plenty I hadn’t remembered but found very affecting and thought-provoking, and my cat loved having me read it aloud to her (she is a very big fan of Prince Buster, so it only makes sense she’d want to learn more about the Nation of Islam). Highly recommend to all eighth graders, former eighth graders, and any discerning felines you may know.
]]> Lady Chatterley’s Lover 32049 376 D.H. Lawrence 039460430X Umi 5 3.56 1928 Lady Chatterley’s Lover
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: Umi
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1928
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/27
date added: 2022/05/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Worn: A People's History of Clothing]]> 56753473 A sweeping and captivatingly told history of clothing and the stuff it's made of--an unparalleled deep dive into how we've made what we wear, and how our garments have transformed our societies, our planet, and our lives.

In this ambitious, panoramic social history, Sofi Thanhauser brilliantly tells five stories--Linen, Cotton, Silk, Synthetics, Wool--about the clothes we wear and where they come from, illuminating our world in unexpected ways. She takes us from the opulent court of Louis Quatorze to the labor camps in modern-day Chinese-occupied Xinjiang. We see how textiles were once dyed from lichen, shells, bark, saffron, and beetles, displaying distinctive regional weaves and knits, and how the modern Western garment industry has refashioned our attire into the homogenous and disposable uniforms popularized by fast fashion brands. Thanhauser makes clear how the clothing industry has become one of the planet's worst polluters, relying on chronically underpaid and exploited laborers. But she also shows us how micro-communities and companies of textile and clothing makers in every corner of the world are rediscovering ancestral and ethical methods for making what we wear.

Drawn from years of intensive research and reporting from around the world, and brimming with fascinating anecdotal material, Worn reveals to us that our clothing comes not just from the countries listed on the tags or ready-made from our factories--it comes, as well, from deep in our histories.]]> 400 Sofi Thanhauser 1524748390 Umi 2
The author dedicates a significant amount of time to discussing Beyoncé’s tailor (you think being into Beyoncé makes you quirky and hip, we get it) but then undermines a lot of her point by relating the story of going to a tailor in Southeast Asia to get a blouse made - instead of making some point about how tailoring is highly-regarded in some places but has become almost a tourist attraction in others and how that happened and why we place the value we do, she rhapsodises about being measured for a blouse, being told how much fabric she’ll need, then having a sales assistant show her that she could drape some of the fabric over herself in a mirror to see how it’d look as a blouse and how connected it made her feel to the process... in which she participated only as a consumer, without naming any of the actual people who made anything...

Also, she goes on and on about how she’s never had any experience like this in the west and I’m just like... have you ever been to a fabric store? You can literally do this anywhere, you just can’t exoticise it and weirdly tell on yourself in the same way, sorry!

There’s also a lot that can be boiled down to people choosing to make garments vs people who have no choice but to make garments but rather than just say outright, like, look! Mass production is terrible! The US ruined the economies for places then put factories there and didn’t leave any viably better options for anyone so now people have to be on loud assembly lines making hoodies at scale and there’s literally nothing redeemable about it! And sometimes changing all of this feels really really hopeless but some people can make things sustainably at small scales and it’s kind of interesting how they personally make it work (using machinery that 70 years ago would have lined sweatshops and been regarded as bad and eroding craftsmanship* but whatever, I guess) even if it’s not really feasible for everyone and has its own weird pitfalls. Instead, she sets it up as this weird dichotomy of like sweatshops! people like fast fashion! let me shoehorn in my weird fake feminism! you may not know this, but america is sometimes bad? and like shh i’m weaving. shhh i’m weaving on a 200-year-old loom. let me shoehorn in something that shows how hip i am, like referring to women mill workers as ‘hustler-scholars.� in england, knitters are civilised and understand, like, yarn terroir.

And it gets really tiresome!! And then she ends with all these grand romantic proclamations about sewing and writing and I was just like... lady, I spend all day writing and then I spend a lot of my nights and weekends sewing and knitting. To misquote Kicking and Screaming, I am thinking of clothes, and parts of clothes, sometimes in warehouses in random parts of the city. And while I am doing all of that, my thoughts are literally nothing like what you’re describing, please just stop, for both of us. Also, the knitting community here is very weird and by weird I mean racist and I think it’s strange that you didn’t go into that side of ‘heritage crafts� but I should have known better by that point in the book. Also overall the book is suuuper US-centric and, like, no thanks!

*I have a 1933 chain stitch embroidery machine (of which, also, I’m pretty sure she names the wrong inventor, but whatever) so I’m by no means immune to this

]]> 4.20 2022 Worn: A People's History of Clothing
author: Sofi Thanhauser
name: Umi
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2022/05/15
date added: 2022/05/15
shelves:
review:
No Logo for people who were into Kinfolk and discovered socialism in 2016; more like a people’s history of articles the Guardian has published over the last like five years (down to the sea silk, really).

The author dedicates a significant amount of time to discussing Beyoncé’s tailor (you think being into Beyoncé makes you quirky and hip, we get it) but then undermines a lot of her point by relating the story of going to a tailor in Southeast Asia to get a blouse made - instead of making some point about how tailoring is highly-regarded in some places but has become almost a tourist attraction in others and how that happened and why we place the value we do, she rhapsodises about being measured for a blouse, being told how much fabric she’ll need, then having a sales assistant show her that she could drape some of the fabric over herself in a mirror to see how it’d look as a blouse and how connected it made her feel to the process... in which she participated only as a consumer, without naming any of the actual people who made anything...

Also, she goes on and on about how she’s never had any experience like this in the west and I’m just like... have you ever been to a fabric store? You can literally do this anywhere, you just can’t exoticise it and weirdly tell on yourself in the same way, sorry!

There’s also a lot that can be boiled down to people choosing to make garments vs people who have no choice but to make garments but rather than just say outright, like, look! Mass production is terrible! The US ruined the economies for places then put factories there and didn’t leave any viably better options for anyone so now people have to be on loud assembly lines making hoodies at scale and there’s literally nothing redeemable about it! And sometimes changing all of this feels really really hopeless but some people can make things sustainably at small scales and it’s kind of interesting how they personally make it work (using machinery that 70 years ago would have lined sweatshops and been regarded as bad and eroding craftsmanship* but whatever, I guess) even if it’s not really feasible for everyone and has its own weird pitfalls. Instead, she sets it up as this weird dichotomy of like sweatshops! people like fast fashion! let me shoehorn in my weird fake feminism! you may not know this, but america is sometimes bad? and like shh i’m weaving. shhh i’m weaving on a 200-year-old loom. let me shoehorn in something that shows how hip i am, like referring to women mill workers as ‘hustler-scholars.� in england, knitters are civilised and understand, like, yarn terroir.

And it gets really tiresome!! And then she ends with all these grand romantic proclamations about sewing and writing and I was just like... lady, I spend all day writing and then I spend a lot of my nights and weekends sewing and knitting. To misquote Kicking and Screaming, I am thinking of clothes, and parts of clothes, sometimes in warehouses in random parts of the city. And while I am doing all of that, my thoughts are literally nothing like what you’re describing, please just stop, for both of us. Also, the knitting community here is very weird and by weird I mean racist and I think it’s strange that you didn’t go into that side of ‘heritage crafts� but I should have known better by that point in the book. Also overall the book is suuuper US-centric and, like, no thanks!

*I have a 1933 chain stitch embroidery machine (of which, also, I’m pretty sure she names the wrong inventor, but whatever) so I’m by no means immune to this


]]> <![CDATA[A Grace Paley Reader: Stories, Essays, and Poetry]]> 29875917 One of The New Yorker's Books We Loved in 2017

A Grace Paley Reader compiles a selection of Paley's writing across genres, showcasing her breadth of work as well as her extraordinary insight and brilliant economy of words.

A writer like Paley, writes George Saunders, "comes along and brightens language up again, takes it aside and gives it a pep talk, sends it back renewed, so it can do its job, which is to wake us up." Best known for her inimitable short stories, Grace Paley was also an enormously talented essayist and poet, as well as a fierce activist. She was a tireless member of the antiwar movement, the civil rights movement, the tenants' rights movement, the anti-nuclear-power movement, and the Women's Pentagon Action, among other causes, and proved herself to be a passionate citizen of each of her communities--New York City and rural Vermont.]]> 400 Grace Paley 0374165823 Umi 4 4.24 2017 A Grace Paley Reader: Stories, Essays, and Poetry
author: Grace Paley
name: Umi
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/28
date added: 2022/04/28
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Official DVSA Guide to Learning to Drive]]> 37789292 144 0115535500 Umi 3 3.50 1990 The Official DVSA Guide to Learning to Drive
author: Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency
name: Umi
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/26
date added: 2022/04/26
shelves:
review:
Indispensable for anyone who aspires to own the largest collection of hatchbacks in the UK - or simply avoid minor women’s whiplash from continually braking too hard
]]> The Official Highway Code 25682280 152 0115533427 Umi 3 3.88 1930 The Official Highway Code
author: Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency
name: Umi
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1930
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/26
date added: 2022/04/26
shelves:
review:
It’s a book that says ‘I’m in control of my vehicle�
]]> Arabella 311150
On her way to London Arabella's carriage breaks down outside the hunting lodge of the wealthy and socially prominent Robert Beaumaris, fate cast her in his path. Arabella's only fault is impetuosity, and her pride stung when she overhears a remark of her path of arrogant host, who accused her of being another petty female after his wealth, the proud, headstrong ingenue made a most startling claim -- she was an heiress! A pretense that deeply amuses the jaded Beau. To counter her white lie, Beaumaris launches her into high society and thereby subjects her to all kinds of amorous fortune hunters in London and other embarrassments.

Suddenly Arabella found herself the talk of the ton and pursued by some of the most eligible young men of the day. But only one caught Arabella's fancy: Beaumaris, the handsome and dedicated bachelor. She should know better than to allow herself to be provoked by nonpareil Beau. But would her deceitful charade destroy her one chance for true love...?

Beaumaris, however, although a most artful matrimonial dodger, badly underestimated his seemingly naive adversary... When compassionate Arabella rescues such unfortunate creatures as a mistreated chimney sweep and a mixed-breed mongrel, she foists them upon Beaumaris, who finds he rather enjoys the role of rescuer and is soon given the opportunity to prove his worth in the person of Bertram Tallant, the also impetuous young brother of Arabella....]]> 280 Georgette Heyer 0099465620 Umi 3
It’s enjoyable enough! I get why people like this! I don’t think it’s bad I just prefer my fun reads to centre on people a liiiittle less overwhelmingly winsome and with a little more self-aware irony and pointed jabs, or, failing that, retro glamour and very detailed descriptions of fancy food (this book DID deliver on descriptions of clothes, I WILL give it that!!) ]]> 4.04 1949 Arabella
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Umi
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1949
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/04/20
shelves:
review:
I thought this was supposed to be romantic and spicey and it was but in the way that when you go to an Indian restaurant in Berlin and order something that isn’t, like, rice, they’re like it’s going to be spicey!! Are you SURE you want spicey?? It’s REALLY SPICEY!, and then you get it and even avowéd spice wimps like myself are like...... is cream a spice? What is this?

It’s enjoyable enough! I get why people like this! I don’t think it’s bad I just prefer my fun reads to centre on people a liiiittle less overwhelmingly winsome and with a little more self-aware irony and pointed jabs, or, failing that, retro glamour and very detailed descriptions of fancy food (this book DID deliver on descriptions of clothes, I WILL give it that!!)
]]> Ms Ice Sandwich 32927264 A quixotic and funny tale about first love � from the Akutagawa Prize-winning author.

Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her. He is in awe of her aloofness, her skill at slipping sandwiches into bags, and, most electric of all, her ice-blue eyelids. Every day he is drawn to the supermarket just to watch her in action. But life has a way of interfering � there is his mother, forever distracted, who can tell the fortunes of women; his grandmother, silently dying, who listens to his heart; and his classmate, Tutti, no stranger to pain, who shares her private thrilling world with him.

Tender, warm, yet unsentimental, Ms Ice Sandwich is a story about new starts, parents who have departed, and the importance of saying goodbye.]]> 92 Mieko Kawakami 1782273301 Umi 4 Brb buying blue eyeshadow 3.76 2013 Ms Ice Sandwich
author: Mieko Kawakami
name: Umi
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/04/20
shelves:
review:
Brb buying blue eyeshadow
]]> Scooter Girl 532390 176 Chynna Clugston Flores 1929998880 Umi 4 3.71 2004 Scooter Girl
author: Chynna Clugston Flores
name: Umi
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/13
date added: 2022/04/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blue Monday, Vol. 3: Inbetween Days]]> 152154 112 Chynna Clugston Flores 192999866X Umi 3 4.13 2003 Blue Monday, Vol. 3: Inbetween Days
author: Chynna Clugston Flores
name: Umi
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/10
date added: 2022/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> The Fran Lebowitz Reader 55362
In "elegant, finely honed prose" ( The Washington Post Book World ), Lebowitz limns the vicissitudes of contemporary urban life—its fads, trends, crazes, morals, and fashions. By turns ironic, facetious, deadpan, sarcastic, wry, wisecracking, and waggish, Fran Lebowitz is always wickedly entertaining.]]> 333 Fran Lebowitz 0679761802 Umi 5 3.68 1994 The Fran Lebowitz Reader
author: Fran Lebowitz
name: Umi
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/06
date added: 2022/04/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Rubyfruit Jungle 165395 246 Rita Mae Brown 0553146963 Umi 5 3.92 1973 Rubyfruit Jungle
author: Rita Mae Brown
name: Umi
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1973
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/19
date added: 2022/02/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Blue Monday, Vol. 2: Absolute Beginners]]> 328352 112 Chynna Clugston Flores 1929998171 Umi 4 4.10 2001 Blue Monday, Vol. 2: Absolute Beginners
author: Chynna Clugston Flores
name: Umi
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/15
date added: 2022/02/15
shelves:
review:
Like if the six seasons of Riverdale I’ve accidentally ended up watching could laugh at themselves AND guest dj at britpop nite!
]]> <![CDATA[Ska'd for Life: A Personal Journey with The Specials]]> 2210047 320 Horace Panter 033044073X Umi 4
Lots of nice photos included tho not enough discussion of the clothes (yeah, yeah, he discusses why not but still!). It's also interesting because this came out like a year before they all reunited (sort of...) and he's very generous in his evaluations of everyone's contributions and pretty forgiving of everyone's various quirks and you do kiiiind of wonder whether he'd write some of this the same way now. Overall tho, it's a fun read and a neat look at one of my cat's favourite bands.

*trim is bright pink to match the cover of I Just Can't Stop it tho, sorry (not really sorry, why hasn't anyone from The Beat done a fun memoir??)]]> 3.81 2007 Ska'd for Life: A Personal Journey with The Specials
author: Horace Panter
name: Umi
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/07
date added: 2022/02/08
shelves:
review:
The way the hardcover edition is typeset makes it look like this is the Mrs Hinch Home book for middle-aged men, but not only does the paperback version have more normal margins, the whole book is... surprisingly well-written! It's very conversational and, like, happened-to-run-into-a-guy-who-used-to-be-in-a-cool-band-at-the-pub-and-got-to-hear-his-fun-stories, but in the best possible way. I also generally think that people reproducing their diaries in their memoirs is kind of a cop out but somehow it worked in this, maybe because it helped emphasise how much they released and toured in such a short space of time? (and yet girls who make their own clothes still think black and white checkerboard is a fun way to paint their bathrooms in 2022!*)

Lots of nice photos included tho not enough discussion of the clothes (yeah, yeah, he discusses why not but still!). It's also interesting because this came out like a year before they all reunited (sort of...) and he's very generous in his evaluations of everyone's contributions and pretty forgiving of everyone's various quirks and you do kiiiind of wonder whether he'd write some of this the same way now. Overall tho, it's a fun read and a neat look at one of my cat's favourite bands.

*trim is bright pink to match the cover of I Just Can't Stop it tho, sorry (not really sorry, why hasn't anyone from The Beat done a fun memoir??)
]]> <![CDATA[Patternmaking for Fashion Design]]> 763858 Sewing guides included for the pleated trouser (with pattern layout), belt/loops, pockets, and zipper; the jean pant with pockets, countour belt, and fly front; and the gusset. Updated jacket foundation draft includes fabric preparation, interfacing, chest piece, tape control, and shoulder pads. Pant drafts–Trouser draft including pocket, waistband, and loop; dungaree foundation draft; grunge pant draft; and three jean waistline variations including pocket and sewing instruction. Includes fitting corrections for the basic patterns. Unique section on patternmaking for bias-cut garments.

For anyone developing their patternmaking skills.

]]> 805 Helen Joseph Armstrong 0131112112 Umi 4 4.17 1987 Patternmaking for Fashion Design
author: Helen Joseph Armstrong
name: Umi
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2021/12/15
date added: 2021/12/15
shelves:
review:
Was going to give this five stars and say it was exhaustive, but then I realised there’s no pyjamas! What’s this lady have against sleepwear?! Also yeah as others mentioned it’s geared toward industrial use so the fit advice may be pretty useless for petite ladies and I’m slightly nervous that drafting a new trouser pattern from this book will just be slightly off, proportionally. Good for really regular size people and finally getting a lot of concepts tho!!
]]> <![CDATA[You Are Beautiful And You Are Alone: The Biography Of Nico]]> 56221010 YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND YOU ARE ALONE is a new biography of Nico, the mysterious singer best known for her work with the Velvet Underground and her solo album Chelsea Girl. Her life is tangled in myth--much of it of her own invention. Rock and roll cultural historian Jennifer Bickerdike delivers a definitive book that unravels the story while making a convincing case for Nico's enduring importance.

Over the course of her career, Nico was an ever-evolving myth: art film house actress, highly coveted fashion model, Dietrich of Punk, Femme Fatale, Chelsea Girl, Garbo of Goth, The Last Bohemian, Heroin Junkie. Lester Bangs described her as 'a true enigma.' At age 27, Nico became Andy Warhol's newest Superstar, featuring in his one commercial break out hit film Chelsea Girls and garnering the position of chanteuse for the Velvet Underground. It wasn't Nico's musical chops which got her the gig; it was her striking beauty. Her seeming otherworldly and unattainable presence was further amplified by her reputation for dating rock stars (Brian Jones, Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, among others). She became famous for being Nico.

Yet Nico's talent and her contribution to rock culture are often overlooked. She spent most of her career as a solo artist on the road, determined to make music, seemingly against all the odds, enduring empty concert halls, abusive fans, and the often perilous reality of being an ageing artist and drug addict. She created mesmerizing and unique projects that inspired a generation of artists, including Henry Rollins, Morrissey, Siousxie Sioux and the Banshees and Iggy Pop.

Drawing on the archives at the Andy Warhol Museum and at Nico's record labels, various private collections, and rarely seen footage, and featuring exclusive new interviews from those who knew her best, including Iggy Pop and Danny Fields, and those inspired by her legacy.]]> 512 Jennifer Otter Bickerdike 0306922908 Umi 2
For those not of that certain contingent, congratulations! Not only are you probably extremely functional at a lot of regular people things, I think you might actually have been the intended audience for this book because I definitely wasn’t. But I should have been, and that’s part of what made this such a disappointing read.

Nico is my favourite singer EVER. It was the summer before ninth grade when I plunged headlong into my (still ongoing) David Bowie obsession and of course there were two groups that would come up in everything I’d read: The Stooges and The Velvet Underground. I knew immediately that I needed to learn everything about these bands and listen to them immediately. But I don’t think I listened to The Stooges properly until like that winter (when I saw the first 30 minutes of Velvet Goldmine for the first time?), and that’s because I got completely stuck on The Velvet Underground and Nico and Chelsea Girl.

There were already plenty of songs that I thought had been written Just For Me, to describe some feeling I was having decades before I could have felt it, and there were plenty of girl singers I looked at and thought yes, that is So Me, but Nico was like that times a million. Hearing her sing for the first time was, and still is, unlike anything else. If you are a weird girl with an artistic streak and an inclination toward the glamorous, Nico is your beacon. When you take refuge in the costume shop every day after ninth grade, you play her early albums OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER, as if somehow they’ll infuse you with the ability to speak seven languages and look stunning and move to foreign countries and fall in with cool crowds and record music and appear in weird films and generally have a life that is way more interesting than spending your days getting bullied and your nights being harangued for either not wanting to be a lawyer or certainly being one more failed geometry grade away from certain heroin addiction.

Of course, having that life is boring and sad in its own way (ok FINE I never got to look STUNNING but that was sort of unrealistic to hope anyway and I’m WORKING on the seven languages, CHILL OUT!!) but it doesn’t stop you from leading your best friend in Berlin and your husband on an expedition to Grunewald on Nico’s birthday to try and find her grave because you’re moving in like a week and this was like the one thing you ever cared about seeing here and somehow you’ve never actually made it there (and we didn’t then either and it got dark as we got near the spot and my friend was like ummm you know Wildschwein live here and we were like ]]> 3.88 2021 You Are Beautiful And You Are Alone: The Biography Of Nico
author: Jennifer Otter Bickerdike
name: Umi
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2021/12/09
date added: 2021/12/09
shelves:
review:
The author misspells Pete Townshend’s name in the notes section at the end of the book, which, for a certain contingent, will say everything.

For those not of that certain contingent, congratulations! Not only are you probably extremely functional at a lot of regular people things, I think you might actually have been the intended audience for this book because I definitely wasn’t. But I should have been, and that’s part of what made this such a disappointing read.

Nico is my favourite singer EVER. It was the summer before ninth grade when I plunged headlong into my (still ongoing) David Bowie obsession and of course there were two groups that would come up in everything I’d read: The Stooges and The Velvet Underground. I knew immediately that I needed to learn everything about these bands and listen to them immediately. But I don’t think I listened to The Stooges properly until like that winter (when I saw the first 30 minutes of Velvet Goldmine for the first time?), and that’s because I got completely stuck on The Velvet Underground and Nico and Chelsea Girl.

There were already plenty of songs that I thought had been written Just For Me, to describe some feeling I was having decades before I could have felt it, and there were plenty of girl singers I looked at and thought yes, that is So Me, but Nico was like that times a million. Hearing her sing for the first time was, and still is, unlike anything else. If you are a weird girl with an artistic streak and an inclination toward the glamorous, Nico is your beacon. When you take refuge in the costume shop every day after ninth grade, you play her early albums OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER, as if somehow they’ll infuse you with the ability to speak seven languages and look stunning and move to foreign countries and fall in with cool crowds and record music and appear in weird films and generally have a life that is way more interesting than spending your days getting bullied and your nights being harangued for either not wanting to be a lawyer or certainly being one more failed geometry grade away from certain heroin addiction.

Of course, having that life is boring and sad in its own way (ok FINE I never got to look STUNNING but that was sort of unrealistic to hope anyway and I’m WORKING on the seven languages, CHILL OUT!!) but it doesn’t stop you from leading your best friend in Berlin and your husband on an expedition to Grunewald on Nico’s birthday to try and find her grave because you’re moving in like a week and this was like the one thing you ever cared about seeing here and somehow you’ve never actually made it there (and we didn’t then either and it got dark as we got near the spot and my friend was like ummm you know Wildschwein live here and we were like
]]> <![CDATA[Mods!: Over 150 Photographs from the Early '60's of the Original Mods!]]> 740212 128 Richard Barnes 0859651738 Umi 5 4.20 1979 Mods!: Over 150 Photographs from the Early '60's of the Original Mods!
author: Richard Barnes
name: Umi
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1979
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/04
date added: 2021/12/04
shelves:
review:
Honestly more useful than every stupid self-help book about adult ADHD, COMBINED
]]> <![CDATA[Fire in the Soul: Reincarnation from Antietam to Ground Zero]]> 59627893 348 Jeffrey J Keene 0578325012 Umi 0 to-read 3.50 Fire in the Soul: Reincarnation from Antietam to Ground Zero
author: Jeffrey J Keene
name: Umi
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Walls Come Tumbling Down: The Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge]]> 31886628
Through the voices of campaigners, musicians, artists and politicians, Daniel Rachel charts this extraordinary and pivotal period between 1976 and 1992, following the rise and fall of three key movements of the time: Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge, revealing how they both shaped, and were shaped by, the music of a generation.

Consisting of new and exclusive in-depth conversations with over 100 contributors, including Pauline Black, Billy Bragg, Jerry Dammers, Phill Jupitus, Neil Kinnock, Linton Kwesi-Johnson, Tom Robinson, Clare Short, Tracey Thorn and many more, Walls Come Tumbling Down is a fascinating, polyphonic and authoritative account of those crucial sixteen years in Britain's history, from the acclaimed writer of Isle of Noises.

Walls Come Tumbling Down also features more than 150 images � many rare or previously unpublished � from some of the greatest names in photography, including Adrian Boot, Chalkie Davies, Jill Furmanovsky, Syd Shelton, Pennie Smith, Steve Rapport and Virginia Turbett.]]> 593 Daniel Rachel 1447272706 Umi 4 Like 80% of my boyfriends ( 4.23 2016 Walls Come Tumbling Down: The Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge
author: Daniel Rachel
name: Umi
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/13
date added: 2021/11/13
shelves:
review:
Like 80% of my boyfriends (
]]> Cats in the Belfry 1379946 155 Doreen Tovey 1840244526 Umi 2
I came across one of the other books in the series at an antiquarian bookshop in July and the illustrations were VERY cute but I was VERY unemployed and had just spent like my last £20 on 1960s belt-making kits and a big ol Starbucks so I had to leave it there and find the whole series elsewhere. I’d planned to plow through the volumes on the train up to Newcastle for a wedding but instead had to do an extremely stressful copy test so maybe I just got off to a bad start but I don’t actually think so - I think it’s actually harder to write amusing and whimsical books about animals (and especially one’s own pets) than it seems.

There are so many episodes that begin with promise but just fall flat, and I can’t decide if it’s indicative of this country’s general attitude towards cats (i.e. indifference) or just that the author isn’t that funny (I feel certain that the cats themselves were very funny, but if your cat-rearing ethos is as laissez-faire as many people’s here, I don’t know that observing and portraying that is going to happen that effectively).

I think for stories like this to work we need some level of the kitties being too wise to be kitties juxtaposed at just the right moments with the reminder to both us and them that they are cats after all, and we love them because they both transcend and exemplify their natural state. The cats in this book are never portrayed as more than pets or little entities meant to provide their owners with amusing anecdotes, and that gets tiresome, especially when the narrator isn’t that amusing or interesting herself. I get that if people aren’t as obsessed with their cats as I am, they’re going to think of them in the pet way not in the tiny genius gourmand who is also sometimes thwarted by inconsiderately-arranged furniture and recordings of other cats on tv, but also, their loss. And subsequently mine because then I read their books and think they’ll be fun and this one extremely is not. ]]> 4.12 1957 Cats in the Belfry
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1957
rating: 2
read at: 2021/11/13
date added: 2021/11/13
shelves:
review:
This ostensibly charming book about craziey kitties is like 200 pages and took me literally four months to finish which really says it all, doesn’t it?

I came across one of the other books in the series at an antiquarian bookshop in July and the illustrations were VERY cute but I was VERY unemployed and had just spent like my last £20 on 1960s belt-making kits and a big ol Starbucks so I had to leave it there and find the whole series elsewhere. I’d planned to plow through the volumes on the train up to Newcastle for a wedding but instead had to do an extremely stressful copy test so maybe I just got off to a bad start but I don’t actually think so - I think it’s actually harder to write amusing and whimsical books about animals (and especially one’s own pets) than it seems.

There are so many episodes that begin with promise but just fall flat, and I can’t decide if it’s indicative of this country’s general attitude towards cats (i.e. indifference) or just that the author isn’t that funny (I feel certain that the cats themselves were very funny, but if your cat-rearing ethos is as laissez-faire as many people’s here, I don’t know that observing and portraying that is going to happen that effectively).

I think for stories like this to work we need some level of the kitties being too wise to be kitties juxtaposed at just the right moments with the reminder to both us and them that they are cats after all, and we love them because they both transcend and exemplify their natural state. The cats in this book are never portrayed as more than pets or little entities meant to provide their owners with amusing anecdotes, and that gets tiresome, especially when the narrator isn’t that amusing or interesting herself. I get that if people aren’t as obsessed with their cats as I am, they’re going to think of them in the pet way not in the tiny genius gourmand who is also sometimes thwarted by inconsiderately-arranged furniture and recordings of other cats on tv, but also, their loss. And subsequently mine because then I read their books and think they’ll be fun and this one extremely is not.
]]> Pointed Portraits 6254739 0 Chalkie Davies 0906008336 Umi 4
One star docked because there is only one photo of The Specials and it’s kind of an expected one.]]> 4.00 Pointed Portraits
author: Chalkie Davies
name: Umi
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2021/11/10
date added: 2021/11/10
shelves:
review:
Contains a photo of Joe Stummer and Mick Jones I’ve never seen anywhere else ever before (and I used to spend HOURS on that random French website with all the Clash photos. HOURS!!) so YEAH I’d say my decision to scour the web for other Eel Pie book releases was honestly... not one of my worst.

One star docked because there is only one photo of The Specials and it’s kind of an expected one.
]]> <![CDATA[Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television, Belle Poitrine]]> 187119
For Belle Poitrine, née Mayble Schlumpfert, all the world's a stage and she's the most important player on it. At once coy and coercive, with a name that means "beautiful bosom" in French, she claws her way from Striver's Row to the silver screen. Recalling Belle's career, which ranged from portraying Anne Boleyn in Oh, Henry to roles in both Sodom and its sequel Gomorrah (not to mention the classic Papaya Paradise ), Little Me serves up copious quanitites of husbands, couture, and Pink Lady cocktails, with international adventures and a murder trial to boot.

A runaway bestseller that made its way to Broadway, starring Sid Caesar in 1962 and Martin Short in 1998, Little Me is now reprinted--with all of the 150 historic, hysterical photographs depicting the funniest scenes from Belle's sordid life, including cameo appearances by the author and Rosalind Russell. Considered a collector's item, the first edition of Little Me was like a performance in book form. Now this glittering spoof of celebrity is gloriously reincarnated for connoisseurs of all things chick and cheeky.]]> 304 Patrick Dennis 0767913477 Umi 3 4.12 1961 Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television, Belle Poitrine
author: Patrick Dennis
name: Umi
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1961
rating: 3
read at: 2021/10/21
date added: 2021/10/21
shelves:
review:
Probably way more fun to have been involved in making this than it was to read it
]]> To Throw Away Unopened 35406499 SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2018

What was I fighting for? Even now I'm not sure. Something so old and so deep, it has no words, no shape, no logic.

Every memoir is a battle between reality and invention - but in her follow up to Clothes, Music, Boys, Viv Albertine has reinvented the genre with her unflinching honesty.

To Throw Away Unopened is a fearless dissection of one woman's obsession with the truth - the truth about family, power, and her identity as a rebel and outsider. It is a gaping wound of a book, both an exercise in blood-letting and psychological archaeology, excavating what lies beneath: the fear, the loneliness, the anger. It is a brutal expose of human dysfunctionality, the impossibility of true intimacy, and the damage wrought upon us by secrets and revelations, siblings and parents.

Yet it is also a testament to how we can rebuild ourselves and come to face the world again. It is a portrait of the love stories that constitute a life, often bringing as much pain as joy. With the inimitable blend of humour, vulnerability, and intelligence that makes Viv Albertine one of our finest authors working today, To Throw Away Unopened smashes through layers of propriety and leads us into a new place of savage self-discovery.]]> 307 Viv Albertine 0571326234 Umi 3
In the first book, there's the weird tampon-in-a-teacup-style feminism, rhapsodising about motherhood, and extreme dislike of animals BUT it's counterbalanced by all this really great stuff about what it is to be an artist as a woman and finding your path making things and a lot of other bits I really needed to hear at the time so I really loved it!

But it was also kind of interesting, because at the same time I was reading all those books about healing from emotionally neglectful mothers and all of them suggest stuff like buying magazines and making collages of random women you feel could be maternal figures or something and at the time I was like oh what like best case scenario there'll be like one tiny photo of Patti Smith in the back of some rando magazine I can get from the Sainsbury's across the street? I'm not nineteen any more, self-help book! I think NOT!!

And anyway I had this very weird reaction to Clothes Music Boys which was WOW this book was VERY meaningful to me but I think I have actually very little in common with Viv Albertine, which sounds very weird to say because obviously we have very little in common? But also we are both ladies who make things and like boys and clothes and pop songs and have descriptors on the 'stubborn' to 'obstinate' spectrum applied to us more than regularly? So usually I feel like that is a grande commonalité?

It feels sort of unfair to compare this to another basically unrelated book I just happened to read before it, but I loved John Lurie's memoir SO MUCH and for many reasons, but mostly because he covers the death of his father and the way he reacted to it in ways that I totally COULD relate to and which were both similar enough to my own experience to resonate and different enough to help me consider different angles of what had happened AND THEN he also has a really funny sense of humour and a delightful attitude to his encounters with the little absurdities that pervade everyday existence so many little descriptions of people and scenarios just completely KILLED me!! I liked getting a little look into how he sees the world and his experiences, and I felt like it was in some way very American but not in the usual way that that descriptor occurs to me (when I am watching a TV show and it is irritating) in a like, aw, this is a whole type of people we used to have kind of more of in my home country, and I forgot how funny they are!

I understand that like every review I write on here is either harping on people for having no sense of humour or praising them for having senses of humour PRECISELY IN LINE WITH MY OWN and I get that that is also maybe unfair, but we all get one type of social media to use as our personal diary and this is my one (twitter is for complaining and asking cinemas what format the screening is in, obviously) and I think what reading the other memoir and then this one in succession made apparent to me was... actually I have no idea. Part of me is like, well, I guess there's a BIG difference between people who lose a parent early in life and people who lose a parent late in life, and Albertine sort of touches on that when she's talking about how no one in The Slits had or had a relationship with their father, or had a very hands-on mother and that allowed them to forge the paths they did, but there's a real difference between like 'well they were never really around' and like 'suddenly I had to confront a parent's mortality and was thrown into some very weird situations, some of which were, I guess, of my own making but I'm still not sure how entirely but you kind of just have to laugh about some of it don't you!' but then part of me is like that is a big statement to make and it definitely doesn't apply to everyone so idk what I'm talking about.

And then part of me is like, maybe I just didn't like this book and only liked the other one because John Lurie's sense of humour reminds me of my dad's and Viv Albertine is a woman around my mom's age and my dad was the parent I liked so not only am I a closet misogynist but apparently predisposed to dislike every middle-aged woman I encounter! But beyond being roughly the same age, my mom and Viv Albertine have basically nothing in common (am I secretly resentful of Viv for one interview youtube happened to serve me once where she said something like I'd never look to music to change the world today, I'd encourage a girl to go to law school instead? Obviously not, even if that was the fight my mother waged with me almost weekly from the age of nine onwards, as IF she could even have known that and she made the point eloquently and not evocative of some kind of combo punishment and denial of someone's actual proclivities and abilities), so I basically just disliked this book on its own merits or lack thereof, I guess.

It also forced me to have a mild existential crisis about all of this stuff, which now I think may have been good ultimately? But otherwise I'm just like dang I do not have time for people who are this mired in being miserable all the time? And that's where the humourless thing really bugs me? But also she refers to a scone as a cake toward the end of the book and I guess if I had grown up in a culture that used the same word for like cupcakes as for regular breakfast pastries, I'd be pretty unhappy most of the time too (I mean, can you even imagine being offered a 'cake,' only for it to be a muffin or something? This island, sometimes.)

And mostly her attitude towards animals is honestly just upsetting (there's a line in the first book about how people who like animals a lot tend not to like people very much and while I did find that funny I don't actually think it's true) and there's more of it in this book in the first one and that coupled with all of the stuff with her mother and daughter was actually... a little alienating, I guess is the word I've been looking for. Which I guess goes back to the 'relatable' thing, I obviously don't expect to be able to relate to everything I read but I don't want to feel actively excluded or upset? (You may draw the obvious and unfortunate parallel here yourself)

Well I'm glad I figured that out and now Prince Buster is on the radio so I gotta dance with my cat, the only entity toward whom I've ever felt vaguely maternal! Check back next week for more self-help, ska, and super long soliloquies!! ]]> 4.18 2018 To Throw Away Unopened
author: Viv Albertine
name: Umi
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/21
date added: 2021/09/21
shelves:
review:
I dunno... part of me feels like reading this right after the John Lurie one was sort of unfair but another part of me is like... ooookay... she took all the parts I couldn't relate to in her first book and made a whole book out of them... and then it's like... do I have to relate to it? Why do I care if it's 'relatable' (with apologies to my college dramaturgy professor, who abhorred the word)?

In the first book, there's the weird tampon-in-a-teacup-style feminism, rhapsodising about motherhood, and extreme dislike of animals BUT it's counterbalanced by all this really great stuff about what it is to be an artist as a woman and finding your path making things and a lot of other bits I really needed to hear at the time so I really loved it!

But it was also kind of interesting, because at the same time I was reading all those books about healing from emotionally neglectful mothers and all of them suggest stuff like buying magazines and making collages of random women you feel could be maternal figures or something and at the time I was like oh what like best case scenario there'll be like one tiny photo of Patti Smith in the back of some rando magazine I can get from the Sainsbury's across the street? I'm not nineteen any more, self-help book! I think NOT!!

And anyway I had this very weird reaction to Clothes Music Boys which was WOW this book was VERY meaningful to me but I think I have actually very little in common with Viv Albertine, which sounds very weird to say because obviously we have very little in common? But also we are both ladies who make things and like boys and clothes and pop songs and have descriptors on the 'stubborn' to 'obstinate' spectrum applied to us more than regularly? So usually I feel like that is a grande commonalité?

It feels sort of unfair to compare this to another basically unrelated book I just happened to read before it, but I loved John Lurie's memoir SO MUCH and for many reasons, but mostly because he covers the death of his father and the way he reacted to it in ways that I totally COULD relate to and which were both similar enough to my own experience to resonate and different enough to help me consider different angles of what had happened AND THEN he also has a really funny sense of humour and a delightful attitude to his encounters with the little absurdities that pervade everyday existence so many little descriptions of people and scenarios just completely KILLED me!! I liked getting a little look into how he sees the world and his experiences, and I felt like it was in some way very American but not in the usual way that that descriptor occurs to me (when I am watching a TV show and it is irritating) in a like, aw, this is a whole type of people we used to have kind of more of in my home country, and I forgot how funny they are!

I understand that like every review I write on here is either harping on people for having no sense of humour or praising them for having senses of humour PRECISELY IN LINE WITH MY OWN and I get that that is also maybe unfair, but we all get one type of social media to use as our personal diary and this is my one (twitter is for complaining and asking cinemas what format the screening is in, obviously) and I think what reading the other memoir and then this one in succession made apparent to me was... actually I have no idea. Part of me is like, well, I guess there's a BIG difference between people who lose a parent early in life and people who lose a parent late in life, and Albertine sort of touches on that when she's talking about how no one in The Slits had or had a relationship with their father, or had a very hands-on mother and that allowed them to forge the paths they did, but there's a real difference between like 'well they were never really around' and like 'suddenly I had to confront a parent's mortality and was thrown into some very weird situations, some of which were, I guess, of my own making but I'm still not sure how entirely but you kind of just have to laugh about some of it don't you!' but then part of me is like that is a big statement to make and it definitely doesn't apply to everyone so idk what I'm talking about.

And then part of me is like, maybe I just didn't like this book and only liked the other one because John Lurie's sense of humour reminds me of my dad's and Viv Albertine is a woman around my mom's age and my dad was the parent I liked so not only am I a closet misogynist but apparently predisposed to dislike every middle-aged woman I encounter! But beyond being roughly the same age, my mom and Viv Albertine have basically nothing in common (am I secretly resentful of Viv for one interview youtube happened to serve me once where she said something like I'd never look to music to change the world today, I'd encourage a girl to go to law school instead? Obviously not, even if that was the fight my mother waged with me almost weekly from the age of nine onwards, as IF she could even have known that and she made the point eloquently and not evocative of some kind of combo punishment and denial of someone's actual proclivities and abilities), so I basically just disliked this book on its own merits or lack thereof, I guess.

It also forced me to have a mild existential crisis about all of this stuff, which now I think may have been good ultimately? But otherwise I'm just like dang I do not have time for people who are this mired in being miserable all the time? And that's where the humourless thing really bugs me? But also she refers to a scone as a cake toward the end of the book and I guess if I had grown up in a culture that used the same word for like cupcakes as for regular breakfast pastries, I'd be pretty unhappy most of the time too (I mean, can you even imagine being offered a 'cake,' only for it to be a muffin or something? This island, sometimes.)

And mostly her attitude towards animals is honestly just upsetting (there's a line in the first book about how people who like animals a lot tend not to like people very much and while I did find that funny I don't actually think it's true) and there's more of it in this book in the first one and that coupled with all of the stuff with her mother and daughter was actually... a little alienating, I guess is the word I've been looking for. Which I guess goes back to the 'relatable' thing, I obviously don't expect to be able to relate to everything I read but I don't want to feel actively excluded or upset? (You may draw the obvious and unfortunate parallel here yourself)

Well I'm glad I figured that out and now Prince Buster is on the radio so I gotta dance with my cat, the only entity toward whom I've ever felt vaguely maternal! Check back next week for more self-help, ska, and super long soliloquies!!
]]> <![CDATA[Bonnaz Machine Training Manual, Basic Repairs & Maintenance Plus Tricks of the Trade - A Comprehensive Study of the Embroidery Business (Artistic Touch #1)]]> 59041187
- Noah Johnson, Stitch-Rite Embroidery]]> 155 Ruth E. Franklin Umi 5
Very helpful for those of us who feel that learning to embroider our own bowling shirts is somehow a crucial prerequisite to starting our own independent labels and obliquely retro groups, undoubtedly useful to the saner among us as well!]]> 5.00 Bonnaz Machine Training Manual, Basic Repairs & Maintenance Plus Tricks of the Trade - A Comprehensive Study of the Embroidery Business (Artistic Touch #1)
author: Ruth E. Franklin
name: Umi
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/20
date added: 2021/09/20
shelves:
review:
Indispensible volume for the chain stitch embroiderer. Franklin actually worked with ACTUAL NUDIE COHN so you know it's good. Covers everything you need to know from machine maintenance to the intricacies of stitching styles with some neat lettering guides thrown in for good measure.

Very helpful for those of us who feel that learning to embroider our own bowling shirts is somehow a crucial prerequisite to starting our own independent labels and obliquely retro groups, undoubtedly useful to the saner among us as well!
]]> <![CDATA[The History of Bones: A Memoir]]> 56912822 The quintessential depiction of 1980s New York and the downtown scene from the artist, actor, musician, and composer John Lurie

In the tornado that was downtown New York in the 1980s, John Lurie stood at the vortex. After founding the band The Lounge Lizards with his brother, Evan, in 1979, Lurie quickly became a centrifugal figure in the world of outsider artists, cutting-edge filmmakers, and cultural rebels. Now Lurie vibrantly brings to life the whole wash of 1980s New York as he developed his artistic soul over the course of the decade and came into orbit with all the prominent artists of that time and place, including Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry, Boris Policeband, and, especially, Jean-Michel Basquiat, the enigmatic prodigy who spent a year sleeping on the floor of Lurie's East Third Street apartment.

It may feel like Disney World now, but in The History of Bones, the East Village, through Lurie's clear-eyed reminiscence, comes to teeming, gritty life. The book is full of grime and frank humor--Lurie holds nothing back in this journey to one of the most significant moments in our cultural history, one whose reverberations are still strongly felt today.

History may repeat itself, but the way downtown New York happened in the 1980s will never happen again. Luckily, through this beautiful memoir, we all have a front-row seat.]]> 448 John Lurie 0399592970 Umi 5 4.21 2021 The History of Bones: A Memoir
author: John Lurie
name: Umi
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/09/19
date added: 2021/09/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Designing Women: The art, technique, and cost of being beautiful]]> 13488467 276 Margaretta Byers Umi 2
Such was the case with this book. It does have a cute cover, but this quickly gives way to pretty meh illustrations throughout and WOW way harsh advice with a few very... dated descriptors!! The whole first section is about dressing for your body type and in just, like, a way meaner than necessary way! Who knew there were so many things we were all supposed to be feeling self-conscious about and concealing?! And in primarily neutral shades, no less!! It’s pretty depressing, and I’m torn between being like oh what like anyone has ever taken any of this stuff seriously and then remembering that I’ve heard people parrot back weird stuff about what colours or combinations they think they can’t wear and I’m like :( (also, this author states that green is one of the best colours for everyone and that lilac and green is an ideal colour combo. LILAC and GREEN.)

Unfortunately, this book contains a pretty interesting list of contemporary designers, many of whom I’d never encountered previously, so I kind of have to say it has value in that regard. Similarly, it’s interesting to read about the fabrics that were most commonly used at the time, as well as the furs (though weirdly no mention of ocelot), and to hear the author advocate for assembling what are effectively capsule wardrobes (though they’re just as joyless as their 2015 french girl/minimalist/scandi neutral counterparts, yikes!).

But my charitability (it’s a word now, autocorrect, let me live!) ends there, because I finally realised why this book and all the others in its ilk we’ve read out of curiosity and a vague desire to be annoyed by something specific bother me so much! They all treat clothing like it’s some horrible cross we must bear, and as though it’s both the only thing keeping you from looking good but also the only thing you can hope to employ to conceal all those bad features you never even knew you had! And that is a real bummer mindset to have!

I will admit that I am given to daily apoplexies over how badly most people dress today, but I don’t think it’s really their fault (it’s the fault of whatever online retailer it is who sells those leotards that look like real clothing in the tube ads but look like not even online dance outlet quality in real life, you know the one I mean) and I really don’t think making them feel bad about it and also themselves is going to make them dress any better!

I DO think that dispensing with this weird type/shape/hair colour nonsense, and encouraging everyone to find their own style and feel confident enough to express it WOULD help people dress better! I also think not making clothing out of polyester any more would be a major factor in this, not least because it’s an environmental blight but also because it never looks right and hits the worst combo of both itchy and sweaty, though maybe this veers too far into personal dicta territory.

And speaking of which, I don’t ACTUALLY think that everyone needs to follow my personal solution to my own sartorial dilemmas, i.e. to dress like Jerry Dammers and Jean Seberg going to a Mary Blair exhibition, to dress well! If your dream is to look like you’re playing UV Raye in the space station’s production of Enlightenment: Forays into the Light Spectrum (music by Hiroshi Yoshimura), wear all the lilac (and, of course, green) polyester you want! Clothing should be fun! Colour is for everyone! And it would just be nice to see more books from a million years ago but also today espouse these same very serious ideals! ]]> 4.00 1938 Designing Women: The art, technique, and cost of being beautiful
author: Margaretta Byers
name: Umi
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1938
rating: 2
read at: 2021/09/14
date added: 2021/09/14
shelves:
review:
Like most people, I occasionally find myself browsing the online stock of rare fashion bookstores at two in the morning and then, lured in by cute illustrations and pre-1970 copyright dates, scouring the internet to find ways to read them, only to forget what I was looking at by the time I wake up the next day and then leaving the archive.org tabs open for like two months.

Such was the case with this book. It does have a cute cover, but this quickly gives way to pretty meh illustrations throughout and WOW way harsh advice with a few very... dated descriptors!! The whole first section is about dressing for your body type and in just, like, a way meaner than necessary way! Who knew there were so many things we were all supposed to be feeling self-conscious about and concealing?! And in primarily neutral shades, no less!! It’s pretty depressing, and I’m torn between being like oh what like anyone has ever taken any of this stuff seriously and then remembering that I’ve heard people parrot back weird stuff about what colours or combinations they think they can’t wear and I’m like :( (also, this author states that green is one of the best colours for everyone and that lilac and green is an ideal colour combo. LILAC and GREEN.)

Unfortunately, this book contains a pretty interesting list of contemporary designers, many of whom I’d never encountered previously, so I kind of have to say it has value in that regard. Similarly, it’s interesting to read about the fabrics that were most commonly used at the time, as well as the furs (though weirdly no mention of ocelot), and to hear the author advocate for assembling what are effectively capsule wardrobes (though they’re just as joyless as their 2015 french girl/minimalist/scandi neutral counterparts, yikes!).

But my charitability (it’s a word now, autocorrect, let me live!) ends there, because I finally realised why this book and all the others in its ilk we’ve read out of curiosity and a vague desire to be annoyed by something specific bother me so much! They all treat clothing like it’s some horrible cross we must bear, and as though it’s both the only thing keeping you from looking good but also the only thing you can hope to employ to conceal all those bad features you never even knew you had! And that is a real bummer mindset to have!

I will admit that I am given to daily apoplexies over how badly most people dress today, but I don’t think it’s really their fault (it’s the fault of whatever online retailer it is who sells those leotards that look like real clothing in the tube ads but look like not even online dance outlet quality in real life, you know the one I mean) and I really don’t think making them feel bad about it and also themselves is going to make them dress any better!

I DO think that dispensing with this weird type/shape/hair colour nonsense, and encouraging everyone to find their own style and feel confident enough to express it WOULD help people dress better! I also think not making clothing out of polyester any more would be a major factor in this, not least because it’s an environmental blight but also because it never looks right and hits the worst combo of both itchy and sweaty, though maybe this veers too far into personal dicta territory.

And speaking of which, I don’t ACTUALLY think that everyone needs to follow my personal solution to my own sartorial dilemmas, i.e. to dress like Jerry Dammers and Jean Seberg going to a Mary Blair exhibition, to dress well! If your dream is to look like you’re playing UV Raye in the space station’s production of Enlightenment: Forays into the Light Spectrum (music by Hiroshi Yoshimura), wear all the lilac (and, of course, green) polyester you want! Clothing should be fun! Colour is for everyone! And it would just be nice to see more books from a million years ago but also today espouse these same very serious ideals!
]]> <![CDATA[Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties]]> 7863 A magisterial, kaleidoscopic, riveting history of Los Angeles in the Sixties

Histories of the US Sixties invariably focus on New York City, but Los Angeles was an epicenter of that decade's political and social earthquake. LA was a launchpad for Black Power--where Malcolm X and Angela Davis first came to prominence and the Watts uprising shook the nation--and home to the Chicano walkouts and Moratorium, as well as birthplace of "Asian America" as a political identity, base of the antiwar movement, and of course, center of California counterculture.

Mike Davis and Jon Wiener provide the first comprehensive history of LA in the Sixties, drawing on extensive archival research, scores of interviews with principal figures of the 1960s movements, and personal histories (both Davis and Wiener are native Los Angelenos). Following on from Davis's award-winning LA history, City of Quartz, and picking up where the celebrated California historian Kevin Starr left off (his eight-volume history of California ends in 1963), Set the Night on Fire is a fascinating historical corrective, delivered in scintillating and fiercely elegant prose.]]> 800 Mike Davis 0805075704 Umi 4
However - and you should know this is serious because I’m flouting grammatical convention - it does feel a little more a like a sampler platter than a complete meal at times, and the authors REALLY tip their hand in the epilogue. They make a very offhanded mention of ‘the rebirth of downtown property values� being a positive of Bradley’s mayoral term and just completely leave it at that and like... I’m sorry, what?! I need a lot more context for this remark!! Are they seriously trying to say that badly-renovated theme bars and scummy New York developers have been a positive for the city?! COME ON!! On a less personal note, they also refer to ‘pro-immigrant cardinal... mahony� and like...... that may be true, but, like, it’s probably one of the last epithets I think of when I think of that guy?

I know it sounds insane, but reading that just made me question everything I’d read in the preceding five hundred pages - like, they’d made a lot of people I’d never heard of sound neat! They must be neat! But then they made stuff I know to have been pretty bad sound weirdly positive in the epilogue, SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE?! The worst part is that loads of people who will read this will be recent transplants doing so in their ‘lofts� (buddy..... those are zoned for residential use...... you don’t have to hide the mattress, the kitties, and the stove to prove you only use it as a studio at any time........ they’re not lofts) and they’ll be like yes, downtown used to be terrible but is very cool now, I like whiskey bars that have had their original elements removed and replaced with eyesore repro garbage, I am so disconnected from everything in this city and the world that I cannot help but take everything at its positive face value and somehow feel self-congratulatory about it? And I would not like to be like those people! So now I’m agitated and my husband is going to have to hear me complain about Tom Gilmore at dinner and whine about how no one who writes about Los Angeles really ‘gets it� as if there’s even an ‘it� to ‘get�!!

The worst part is I actually liked this book! I’d actually like a WHOLE book about Gidra, who get a paltry fifteen pages at the end, because they seemed really interesting, and I liked learning about all the women’s groups, and it was cool to get all the details about so many things I knew on a cursory or pop cultural level (riots on the sunset strip, Watts, KPFK, Sister Corita Kent, to name a few) BUT the the epilogue threw me into this strange place of not being able to trust anything SO I DON’T KNOW ANY MORE!

If only I were one of those opportunistic New Yorkers, maybe I’d have something articulate to say! But alas I must default to my scattered-yet-charming hyperbole and cross my fingers attempting to put this stuff into words doesn’t mark me as embarrassingly reactionary! But talking about property values feels reactionary! And very coded! I have to go fold the laundry and try not to think about this any more! Parts of this were good! Maybe I need to stop feeling compelled to read personal essays masquerading as smart people books! Definitely I need to end this review now! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
]]> 4.41 2020 Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties
author: Mike Davis
name: Umi
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2021/09/04
date added: 2021/09/04
shelves:
review:
There were many points where I was like AUGHGGH! I LITERALLY grew UP in Los Angeles, why am I JUST learning about this NOW?! And most of the book is crazy interesting and does a good job in the first section of setting the scene for the circumstances that effected the groups covered in the following chapters.

However - and you should know this is serious because I’m flouting grammatical convention - it does feel a little more a like a sampler platter than a complete meal at times, and the authors REALLY tip their hand in the epilogue. They make a very offhanded mention of ‘the rebirth of downtown property values� being a positive of Bradley’s mayoral term and just completely leave it at that and like... I’m sorry, what?! I need a lot more context for this remark!! Are they seriously trying to say that badly-renovated theme bars and scummy New York developers have been a positive for the city?! COME ON!! On a less personal note, they also refer to ‘pro-immigrant cardinal... mahony� and like...... that may be true, but, like, it’s probably one of the last epithets I think of when I think of that guy?

I know it sounds insane, but reading that just made me question everything I’d read in the preceding five hundred pages - like, they’d made a lot of people I’d never heard of sound neat! They must be neat! But then they made stuff I know to have been pretty bad sound weirdly positive in the epilogue, SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE?! The worst part is that loads of people who will read this will be recent transplants doing so in their ‘lofts� (buddy..... those are zoned for residential use...... you don’t have to hide the mattress, the kitties, and the stove to prove you only use it as a studio at any time........ they’re not lofts) and they’ll be like yes, downtown used to be terrible but is very cool now, I like whiskey bars that have had their original elements removed and replaced with eyesore repro garbage, I am so disconnected from everything in this city and the world that I cannot help but take everything at its positive face value and somehow feel self-congratulatory about it? And I would not like to be like those people! So now I’m agitated and my husband is going to have to hear me complain about Tom Gilmore at dinner and whine about how no one who writes about Los Angeles really ‘gets it� as if there’s even an ‘it� to ‘get�!!

The worst part is I actually liked this book! I’d actually like a WHOLE book about Gidra, who get a paltry fifteen pages at the end, because they seemed really interesting, and I liked learning about all the women’s groups, and it was cool to get all the details about so many things I knew on a cursory or pop cultural level (riots on the sunset strip, Watts, KPFK, Sister Corita Kent, to name a few) BUT the the epilogue threw me into this strange place of not being able to trust anything SO I DON’T KNOW ANY MORE!

If only I were one of those opportunistic New Yorkers, maybe I’d have something articulate to say! But alas I must default to my scattered-yet-charming hyperbole and cross my fingers attempting to put this stuff into words doesn’t mark me as embarrassingly reactionary! But talking about property values feels reactionary! And very coded! I have to go fold the laundry and try not to think about this any more! Parts of this were good! Maybe I need to stop feeling compelled to read personal essays masquerading as smart people books! Definitely I need to end this review now! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

]]> Truths About Whisky 26653851
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.]]> 136 John Jameson 1297496345 Umi 3 4.00 2008 Truths About Whisky
author: John Jameson
name: Umi
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2021/09/02
date added: 2021/09/02
shelves:
review:
Reading 1870s branded content to write 2020s branded content. They got to use a lot more obscure words (circumbendibus! toper! moiety!) but also get kinda whingey and use a few too many numbers and, um, randomly racist anecdotes, so I don’t know how good of an example they really are to follow. A lotta hot goss about the Irish whiskey trade in the 1800s but nothing that’ll be particularly shocking or amusing if you’ve read Mayhew. Interesting to learn the same types of casks are still used today. Contains a line about ‘silent spirits and fictitious whiskey trade,� which could certainly have been the title of Elvis Costello and Cait O’Riordan’s late 80s critically acclaimed but never formally released in America folk duets album.
]]> <![CDATA[Can't Stand Up For Falling Down: Rock'n'Roll War Stories]]> 35992649 The Sunday Times' Music Book of the Year 2017Allan Jones launched Uncut magazine in 1997 and for 15 years wrote a popular monthly column called Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before, based on his experiences as a music journalist in the 70s and 80s, a gilded time for the music press. By turns hilarious, cautionary, poignant and powerful, the Stop Me... stories collected here include encounters with some of rock's most iconic stars, including David Bowie, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Elvis Costello, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Smiths, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam. From backstage brawls and drug blow-outs, to riots, superstar punch-ups, hotel room confessionals and tour bus lunacy, these are stories from the madness of a music scene now long gone.]]> 353 Allan Jones 140888593X Umi 3
The intro is like, I have a lot of opinions and thanks to all my opinions I waltzed into writing about them for Melody Maker when music magazines were Very Cool And Exciting, Once Upon A Time, and I was like ]]> 3.91 2017 Can't Stand Up For Falling Down: Rock'n'Roll War Stories
author: Allan Jones
name: Umi
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/30
date added: 2021/08/30
shelves:
review:
Ended up reading this because I came across the Google Books preview of the interview with Jerry Dammers while searching for something else and it showed like the first page but the rest were like :) sorry :) these aren’t included in the preview for this book :) so I obviously had to put whatever very important work I was doing on hold and see if the library had the book so I could read the whole obviously way more important interview.

The intro is like, I have a lot of opinions and thanks to all my opinions I waltzed into writing about them for Melody Maker when music magazines were Very Cool And Exciting, Once Upon A Time, and I was like
]]> <![CDATA[Pants for Real People: Fit and Sew for Any Body (Sewing for Real People)]]> 5459 176 Pati Palmer 0935278575 Umi 3
i know that’s unnecessarily snarky but where’s the guide to fitting tiny mod pants for tiny mod ladies? ARE SMALL PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DRESS LIKE IT’S 1958 NOT DESERVING OF PANT FITTING GUIDANCE?! Someday my fave glad-i-stopped-by-this-random-souvenir-shop-in-little-tokyo-on-the-way-from-picking-up-ghost-town-at-tower-records-to-seeing-the-go-go’s-at-madame-wong’s trousers will give out (i know, those are early 80s references, but the trousers themselves are early 60s but i think early 60s people wore them for like ? sukiyaki parties ? and early 80s people found them in the back of the store and wore them to be photographed by ann summa and early 00s people maybe didn’t care that much because early 20s people (me) were able to buy three pairs a few years ago and wear them all the time) and i would like to be prepared, and also to stop feeling like ]]> 4.17 2003 Pants for Real People: Fit and Sew for Any Body (Sewing for Real People)
author: Pati Palmer
name: Umi
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2021/08/14
date added: 2021/08/14
shelves:
review:
good to know that very slim petite women are not real people, but i didn’t really want to make 90s mom pants anyway i guess

i know that’s unnecessarily snarky but where’s the guide to fitting tiny mod pants for tiny mod ladies? ARE SMALL PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DRESS LIKE IT’S 1958 NOT DESERVING OF PANT FITTING GUIDANCE?! Someday my fave glad-i-stopped-by-this-random-souvenir-shop-in-little-tokyo-on-the-way-from-picking-up-ghost-town-at-tower-records-to-seeing-the-go-go’s-at-madame-wong’s trousers will give out (i know, those are early 80s references, but the trousers themselves are early 60s but i think early 60s people wore them for like ? sukiyaki parties ? and early 80s people found them in the back of the store and wore them to be photographed by ann summa and early 00s people maybe didn’t care that much because early 20s people (me) were able to buy three pairs a few years ago and wear them all the time) and i would like to be prepared, and also to stop feeling like
]]> Please Don't Eat the Daisies 1235257 192 Jean Kerr 0385048602 Umi 5 3.92 1957 Please Don't Eat the Daisies
author: Jean Kerr
name: Umi
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1957
rating: 5
read at: 2021/08/14
date added: 2021/08/14
shelves:
review:
Literally the first essay is about how the author wanted to find a career that allowed her to stay up until three in the morning and wake up at noon so yeah it’s mid century short funny essays by a lady perfection
]]> <![CDATA[Here We Go, Round the Mulberry Bush]]> 12146527 214 Hunter Davies Umi 3 3.75 1965 Here We Go, Round the Mulberry Bush
author: Hunter Davies
name: Umi
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1965
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/18
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves:
review:
Honestly, pretty solid for something I bought at Oxfam because the cover was cute (I have the movie tie-in one which is decidedly more fun than the one here) and I knew it would play nice with the rest of my bookshelf and read while running around town to two different stores to buy 1960s buttons and belt-making kits yesterday and tanning today. It’s got a lot of fun internal monologues about the trials and tribulations of one boy’s quest for teenage tru luv and forced me to have a lot of internal monologues about why I would hate this if it were set today but thought it was pretty fun from 1965, so all in all not bad!
]]> Cats in Concord 3136957
When Doreen Tovey's beloved sealpoint cat Saphra dies, she cannot bear the thought of getting another cat. So when she's offered a kitten as successor to Saphra, she puts as many obstacles in the way as possible. The new kitten would have to be a sealpoint boy. He would have to be one of the Killdown strain. And he would have to be related to the champion stud cat who was grandfather to Saphra. Surely no kitten could meet all these criteria? But one could -- little Rama, the size of a Toby jug and white as snow except for his dusky mask and legs, wins Doreen over at first sight.]]> 162 Doreen Tovey 0786232099 Umi 0 to-read 4.18 2001 Cats in Concord
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A comfort of cats 1982078 180 Doreen Tovey 0312150881 Umi 0 to-read 4.33 1979 A comfort of cats
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1979
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> More Cats in the Belfry 6751873
In this tale of cats and calamities, new feline characters arrive to terrorise the tranquil West Country village. The timid lilac-point kitten Shantung is joined by the bold-as-brass Saphra, who was raised by a parrot and has a penchant for hidden treasure. The terrible twosome are all set to make the cottage a hotbed for mischief.

With cameo appearances from Father Adams, Fred Ferry, and the nosy Mrs. Binney, there's never a dull moment, and love is in the air for one of the villagers...]]> 208 Doreen Tovey 184024769X Umi 0 to-read 4.41 1995 More Cats in the Belfry
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.41
book published: 1995
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Coming of Saska (Doreen Tovey)]]> 1379949 160 Doreen Tovey 1840245956 Umi 0 to-read 4.22 1977 The Coming of Saska (Doreen Tovey)
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1977
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Double Trouble (Doreen Tovey) 1379945 160 Doreen Tovey 1840245697 Umi 0 to-read 4.26 1972 Double Trouble (Doreen Tovey)
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1972
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The New Boy 1379948 160 Doreen Tovey 1840245174 Umi 0 to-read 4.32 1970 The New Boy
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1970
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Cats in May 1379947 160 Doreen Tovey 1840244976 Umi 0 to-read 4.15 1959 Cats in May
author: Doreen Tovey
name: Umi
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1959
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Appalachia in the Sixties: Decade of Reawakening]]> 1945220
Focusing mainly on the coalfields of West Virginia, eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia, and north-central Tennessee, the editors first present selections that reflect the "rediscovery" of the region as a problem area in the early sixties and describe the federal programs designed to rehabilitate it and their results. Other sections focus on the politics of the coal industry, the extent and impact of the continued migration from the region, and the persistence of human suffering and environmental devastation. A final section moves into the 1970s with proposals for the future. Although they conclude that there is little ground for claiming success in solving the region's problems, the editors find signs of hope in the scattered movements toward grass-roots organization described by some of the contributors, and in the new tendency to define solutions in terms of reconstruction rather than amelioration.]]> 280 David S. Walls 0813101352 Umi 0 to-read 3.60 1972 Appalachia in the Sixties: Decade of Reawakening
author: David S. Walls
name: Umi
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1972
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/07/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times]]> 11036817 THE STORY OF SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND LITTLE-KNOWN ACTIVISTS OF THE 1960s, IN A DEEPLY SOURCED NARRATIVE HISTORY

The historians of the late 1960s have emphasized the work of a group of white college activists who courageously took to the streets to protest the war in Vietnam and continuing racial inequality. Poor and working-class whites have tended to be painted as spectators, reactionaries, and, even, racists. Most Americans, the story goes, just watched the political movements of the sixties go by.

James Tracy and Amy Sonnie, who have been interviewing activists from the era for nearly ten years, reject this old narrative. They show that poor and working-class radicals, inspired by the Civil Rights movement, the Black Panthers, and progressive populism, started to organize significant political struggles against racism and inequality during the 1960s and 1970s. Among these groups:

+ JOIN Community Union brought together southern migrants, student radicals, and welfare recipients in Chicago to fight for housing, health, and welfare . . .

+ The Young Patriots Organization and Rising Up Angry organized self-identified hillbillies, Chicago greasers, Vietnam vets, and young feminists into a legendary “Rainbow Coalition� with Black and Puerto Rican activists . . .

+ In Philadelphia, the October 4th Organization united residents of industrial Kensington against big business, war, and a repressive police force . . .

+ In the Bronx, White Lightning occupied hospitals and built coalitions with doctors to fight for the rights of drug addicts and the poor.

Exploring an untold history of the New Left, the book shows how these groups helped to redefine community organizing—and transforms the way we think about a pivotal moment in U.S. history.]]> 256 Amy Sonnie 1935554662 Umi 0 to-read 4.32 2011 Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power: Community Organizing in Radical Times
author: Amy Sonnie
name: Umi
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/07/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Our Appalachia: An Oral History]]> 222554
The words on the page have the ring of truth, for these are the people of Appalachia speaking for themselves. Here they recollect an earlier time of isolation but of independence and neighborliness. For a nearer time they tell of the great changes that took place in Appalachia with the growth of coal mining and railroads and the disruption of old ways. Persisting through the years and sounding clearly in the interviews are the dignity of the Appalachian people and their close ties with the land, despite the exploitation and change they have endured.

When first published, Our Appalachia was widely praised. This new edition again makes available an authentic source of social history for all those with an interest in the region.]]> 408 Laurel Shackelford 0813101840 Umi 0 to-read 4.22 1977 Our Appalachia: An Oral History
author: Laurel Shackelford
name: Umi
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1977
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/07/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945]]> 5379526
Ronald D Eller has worked with local leaders, state policymakers, and national planners to translate the lessons of private industrial-development history into public policy affecting the region. In Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945, Eller examines the politics of development in Appalachia since World War II with an eye toward exploring the idea of progress as it has evolved in modern America. Appalachia's struggle to overcome poverty, to live in harmony with the land, and to respect the diversity of cultures and the value of community is also an American story. In the end, Eller concludes, "Appalachia was not different from the rest of America; it was in fact a mirror of what the nation was becoming."]]> 376 Ronald D. Eller 0813125235 Umi 0 to-read 4.10 2008 Uneven Ground: Appalachia since 1945
author: Ronald D. Eller
name: Umi
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/07/15
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]]> <![CDATA[What You Are Getting Wrong about Appalachia]]> 35606508 What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia is a frank assessment of America’s recent fascination with the people and problems of the region. The book analyzes trends in contemporary writing on Appalachia, presents a brief history of Appalachia with an eye toward unpacking Appalachian stereotypes, and provides examples of writing, art, and policy created by Appalachians as opposed to for Appalachians. The book offers a must-needed insider’s perspective on the region.]]> 200 Elizabeth Catte 0998904147 Umi 0 to-read 4.02 2018 What You Are Getting Wrong about Appalachia
author: Elizabeth Catte
name: Umi
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2018
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/07/15
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia]]> 33931717 How the United States underdeveloped Appalachia

Appalachia--among the most storied and yet least understood regions in America--has long been associated with poverty and backwardness. But how did this image arise and what exactly does it mean? In Ramp Hollow, Steven Stoll launches an original investigation into the history of Appalachia and its place in U.S. history, with a special emphasis on how generations of its inhabitants lived, worked, survived, and depended on natural resources held in common.

Ramp Hollow traces the rise of the Appalachian homestead and how its self-sufficiency resisted dependence on money and the industrial society arising elsewhere in the United States--until, beginning in the nineteenth century, extractive industries kicked off a "scramble for Appalachia" that left struggling homesteaders dispossessed of their land. As the men disappeared into coal mines and timber camps, and their families moved into shantytowns or deeper into the mountains, the commons of Appalachia were, in effect, enclosed, and the fate of the region was sealed.

Ramp Hollow takes a provocative look at Appalachia, and the workings of dispossession around the world, by upending our notions about progress and development. Stoll ranges widely from literature to history to economics in order to expose a devastating process whose repercussions we still feel today.]]> 432 Steven Stoll 080909505X Umi 0 to-read 3.84 2017 Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia
author: Steven Stoll
name: Umi
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2017
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/07/15
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]]> <![CDATA[Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants]]> 17465709 Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.]]> 408 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1571313354 Umi 5 4.52 2013 Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Umi
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2021/07/03
date added: 2021/07/03
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]]> Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic 26135825
Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.]]> 232 Alison Bechdel 0618871713 Umi 4 4.07 2006 Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
author: Alison Bechdel
name: Umi
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/20
date added: 2021/06/20
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]]> <![CDATA[Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women]]> 31213015 One woman’s remarkable odyssey from tragedy to prison to recovery—and recognition as a leading figure in the national justice reform movement

Susan Burton’s world changed in an instant when her five-year-old son was killed by a van on their street in South Los Angeles. Consumed by grief and without access to professional help, Susan self-medicated, becoming addicted first to cocaine, then crack. As a resident of South L.A., an impoverished black community under siege by the War on Drugs, it was but a matter of time before Susan was arrested. She cycled in and out of prison for fifteen years; never was she offered therapy or treatment for addiction. On her own, she eventually found a private drug rehabilitation facility.

Once clean, Susan dedicated her life to supporting women facing similar struggles. She began by greeting women as they took their first steps of freedom, welcoming them into her home, providing a space of safety and community. Her organization, A New Way of Life, now operates five safe homes in Los Angeles that supply a lifeline to hundreds of formerly incarcerated women and their children—setting them on the track to education and employment rather than returns to prison. Susan is now nationally known as an advocate for restoring basic civil and human rights to those who have served time. Ms. Burton not only humanizes the deleterious impact of mass incarceration, it also points the way to the kind of structural and policy changes that will offer formerly incarcerated people the possibility of a life of meaning and dignity.]]> 228 Susan Burton 1620972123 Umi 5 4.59 2017 Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women
author: Susan Burton
name: Umi
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/19
date added: 2021/06/19
shelves:
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]]> <![CDATA[To Exist is to Resist: Black Feminism in Europe]]> 43015145 Deeply aware that they are constructed as “others� living in a racialized and hierarchical continent, the contributors explore gender, class, sexuality, and legal status to show that they are both invisible—presumed to be absent from and irrelevant to European societies—and hyper-visible, assumed to be passive and sexualized, angry and irrational.
In imagining a future outside the neocolonial frames and practices of contemporary Europe, this book explores a variety of critical spaces including motherhood and the home, friendships and intimate relationships, activism and community, and literature, dance, and film.
]]> 272 Akwugo Emejulu Umi 0 to-read 4.34 To Exist is to Resist: Black Feminism in Europe
author: Akwugo Emejulu
name: Umi
average rating: 4.34
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones]]> 1478481 Left of Karl Marx, Carole Boyce Davies assesses the activism, writing, and legacy of Claudia Jones (1915�1964), a pioneering Afro-Caribbean radical intellectual, dedicated communist, and feminist. Jones is buried in London’s Highgate Cemetery, to the left of Karl Marx—a location that Boyce Davies finds fitting given how Jones expanded Marxism-Leninism to incorporate gender and race in her political critique and activism.

Claudia Cumberbatch Jones was born in Trinidad. In 1924, she moved to New York, where she lived for the next thirty years. She was active in the Communist Party from her early twenties onward. A talented writer and speaker, she traveled throughout the United States lecturing and organizing. In the early 1950s, she wrote a well-known column, “Half the World,� for the Daily Worker. As the U.S. government intensified its efforts to prosecute communists, Jones was arrested several times. She served nearly a year in a U.S. prison before being deported and given asylum by Great Britain in 1955. There she founded The West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Caribbean News and the Caribbean Carnival, an annual London festival that continues today as the Notting Hill Carnival. Boyce Davies examines Jones’s thought and journalism, her political and community organizing, and poetry that the activist wrote while she was imprisoned. Looking at the contents of the FBI file on Jones, Boyce Davies contrasts Jones’s own narration of her life with the federal government’s. Left of Karl Marx establishes Jones as a significant figure within Caribbean intellectual traditions, black U.S. feminism, and the history of communism.]]> 311 Carole Boyce Davies 0822341166 Umi 0 to-read 4.18 2007 Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones
author: Carole Boyce Davies
name: Umi
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story]]> 913316 452 Elaine Brown 0385471076 Umi 0 to-read 4.30 1992 A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story
author: Elaine Brown
name: Umi
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools]]> 25159334
Just 16 percent of female students in the USA, Black girls make up more than one-third of all girls with a school-related arrest. The first book to tell these untold stories, Pushout exposes a world of confined potential and supports the growing movement to address the policies, practices, and cultural illiteracy that push countless students out of school and into unhealthy, unstable, and often unsafe futures.

For four years Monique W. Morris, author of Black Stats, chronicled the experiences of black girls across America whose intricate lives are misunderstood, highly judged—by teachers, administrators, and the justice system—and degraded by the very institutions charged with helping them flourish. Morris shows how, despite obstacles, stigmas, stereotypes, and despair, black girls still find ways to breathe remarkable dignity into their lives in classrooms, juvenile facilities, and beyond.
]]> 277 Monique W. Morris 1620970945 Umi 0 to-read 4.36 2016 Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
author: Monique W. Morris
name: Umi
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement]]> 25159286
On any given day, the United States holds more than eighty-thousand people in solitary confinement, a punishment that―beyond fifteen days―has been denounced as a form of cruel and degrading treatment by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

Now, in a book that will add a startling new dimension to the debates around human rights and prison reform, former and current prisoners describe the devastating effects of isolation on their minds and bodies, the solidarity expressed between individuals who live side by side for years without ever meeting one another face to face, the ever-present specters of madness and suicide, and the struggle to maintain hope and humanity. As Chelsea Manning wrote from her own solitary confinement cell, “The personal accounts by prisoners are some of the most disturbing that I have ever read.�

These firsthand accounts are supplemented by the writing of noted experts, exploring the psychological, legal, ethical, and political dimensions of solitary confinement.

“Do we really think it makes sense to lock so many people alone in tiny cells for twenty-three hours a day, for months, sometimes for years at a time? That is not going to make us safer. That’s not going to make us stronger.� ―President Barack Obama

“Elegant but harrowing.� � San Francisco Chronicle

“A potent cry of anguish from men and women buried way down in the hole.� � Kirkus Reviews]]> 240 Jean Casella 1620971372 Umi 0 to-read 4.32 2016 Hell Is a Very Small Place: Voices from Solitary Confinement
author: Jean Casella
name: Umi
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing California]]> 111975 Golden Gulag provides the first detailed explanation for that buildup by looking at how political and economic forces, ranging from global to local, conjoined to produce the prison boom.

In an informed and impassioned account, Ruth Wilson Gilmore examines this issue through statewide, rural, and urban perspectives to explain how the expansion developed from surpluses of finance capital, labor, land, and state capacity. Detailing crises that hit California’s economy with particular ferocity, she argues that defeats of radical struggles, weakening of labor, and shifting patterns of capital investment have been key conditions for prison growth. The results—a vast and expensive prison system, a huge number of incarcerated young people of color, and the increase in punitive justice such as the “three strikes� law—pose profound and troubling questions for the future of California, the United States, and the world. Golden Gulag provides a rich context for this complex dilemma, and at the same time challenges many cherished assumptions about who benefits and who suffers from the state’s commitment to prison expansion.]]> 412 Ruth Wilson Gilmore 0520242017 Umi 0 to-read 4.41 2007 Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing California
author: Ruth Wilson Gilmore
name: Umi
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2007
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison]]> 18406423
“Nell Bernstein’s book could be for juvenile justice what Rachel Carson’s book was for the environmental movement.� —Andrew Cohen, correspondent, ABC News

When teenagers scuffle during a basketball game, they are typically benched. But when Brian got into it on the court, he and his rival were sprayed in the face at close range with a chemical similar to Mace, denied a shower for twenty-four hours, and then locked in solitary confinement for a month. One in three American children will be arrested by the time they are twenty-three, and many will spend time locked inside horrific detention centers that defy everything we know about what motivates young people to change. In what the San Francisco Chronicle calls “an epic work of investigative journalism that lays bare our nation’s brutal and counterproductive juvenile prisons and is a clarion call to bring our children home,� Nell Bernstein eloquently argues that there is no right way to lock up a child. The very act of isolation denies children the thing that is most essential to their growth and positive relationships with caring adults. Bernstein introduces us to youth across the nation who have suffered violence and psychological torture at the hands of the state. She presents these youths all as fully realized people, not victims. As they describe in their own voices their fight to maintain their humanity and protect their individuality in environments that would deny both, these young people offer a hopeful alternative to the doomed effort to reform a system that should only be dismantled. Interwoven with these heartrending stories is reporting on innovative programs that provide effective alternatives to putting children behind bars. A landmark book, Burning Down the House sparked a national conversation about our inhumane and ineffectual juvenile prisons, and ultimately makes the radical argument that the only path to justice is for state-run detention centers to be abolished completely.]]> 365 Nell Bernstein 1595589562 Umi 0 to-read 4.29 2014 Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison
author: Nell Bernstein
name: Umi
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America's Prison Nation]]> 14964005 244 Beth E. Richie Umi 0 to-read 4.40 2012 Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence, and America's Prison Nation
author: Beth E. Richie
name: Umi
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2012
rating: 0
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date added: 2021/06/19
shelves: to-read
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]]> The Juniper Tree 504535 192 Barbara Comyns 0312302193 Umi 4 3.91 1985 The Juniper Tree
author: Barbara Comyns
name: Umi
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/17
date added: 2021/06/17
shelves:
review:
As in Our Spoons Came from Woolworths, the domestic minutiae and everyday observations make up for the more dramatic reversals; the difference is that in this one the big turn is kind of out of nowhere and resolved a little too easily and in the other it has a little more space to build and recover. I don’t know, they have a pet fox in the other one and that set a really high bar, which I guess was mostly met by the good descriptions of antique stores and generally observing people and the process of making friends and building or rebuilding one’s life, but it’s like it tried to have an interesting plot at the cost of all the nice ruminative stuff I guess? The ending at large is like Comyns got tired of this world and wanted to wrap things up quickly but the last few passages are really beautiful so ?
]]> <![CDATA[Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Auntie Mame, #1)]]> 187060 Auntie Mame sold over two million copies and stayed put on the New York Times bestseller list for 112 weeks. It was made into a play, a Broadway as well as a Hollywood musical, and a fabulous movie starring Rosalind Russell. Since then, Mame has taken her rightful place in the pantheon of Great and Important People as the world's most beloved, madcap, devastatingly sophisticated, and glamorous aunt. She is impossible to resist, and this hilarious story of an orphaned ten-year-old boy sent to live with his aunt is as delicious a read in the twenty-first century as it was in the 1950s.]]> 299 Patrick Dennis 0767908198 Umi 5
This would probably also be good even if you’re not on vacation, it’s HILARIOUS, the little details in the descriptions of people and their homes and everything KILLED me, and the renderings of party dialog and overheard conversations are SPOT ON! Everything I ever want from fun mid-century novel centred on an eccentric ladies (and I’m VERY well-read within the genre!)]]> 4.11 1955 Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Auntie Mame, #1)
author: Patrick Dennis
name: Umi
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2021/06/14
date added: 2021/06/14
shelves:
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I read this ON VACATION and it was PERFECT!!!

This would probably also be good even if you’re not on vacation, it’s HILARIOUS, the little details in the descriptions of people and their homes and everything KILLED me, and the renderings of party dialog and overheard conversations are SPOT ON! Everything I ever want from fun mid-century novel centred on an eccentric ladies (and I’m VERY well-read within the genre!)
]]> Passing 349929 Alternate Cover Edition for 9780142437278.

“I’ve often wondered why more coloured girls…never ‘passed� over. It’s such a frightfully easy thing to do. If one’s the type, all that’s needed is a little nerve.�

Clare Kendry leads a dangerous life. Fair, elegant, and ambitious, she is married to a white man unaware of her African American heritage, and has severed all ties to her past. Clare’s childhood friend, Irene Redfield, just as light-skinned, has chosen to remain within the African American community, but refuses to acknowledge the racism that continues to constrict her family’s happiness. A chance encounter forces both women to confront the lies they have told others—and the secret fears they have buried within themselves.

First published in 1929, Passing is a remarkably candid exploration of shifting racial and sexual boundaries. As acclaimed Larsen biographer Thadious M. Davis writes in her introduction, this landmark novel by the Harlem Renaissance’s premier woman writer also depicts “the golden days of black cultural consciousness.�

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Thadious M. Davis]]> 122 Nella Larsen Umi 3 3.93 1929 Passing
author: Nella Larsen
name: Umi
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1929
rating: 3
read at: 2021/06/11
date added: 2021/06/11
shelves:
review:
Came across this a year ago when I went through all like 200 pages of ‘Classics� on offer as ebooks through the Los Angeles Public Library in Early Quarantine and FINALLY got around to reading it this week. The premise is interesting and I really wanted to like it, but it felt a little brief (especially when there’d be a paragraph talking really generally about how a conversation, but not even necessarily the conversation taking place, could go rather than getting into any specifics about how it was really going) and at times overwrought (the description of the teacup breaking in particular - I don’t like my symbolism signposted that obviously, sorry!). There were also a lot of moments where something interesting would come up a little out of nowhere then be resolved a few pages later, and it might have been nice to see those interwoven through more of the narrative. The descriptions of specific aspects of the characters� social lives are probably ones that’ll pop into my head again from time to time, and reading about Larsen herself and how her experiences surface in the novel was interesting as well.
]]> Face It 46059211
BRAVE, BEAUTIFUL AND BORN TO BE PUNK

DEBBIE HARRY is a musician, actor, activist and the iconic face of New York City cool. As the front-woman of Blondie, she and the band forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life � until now.

In an arresting mix of visceral, soulful storytelling and stunning visuals that includes never-before-seen photographs, bespoke illustrations and fan art installations, Face It upends the standard music memoir while delivering a truly prismatic portrait. With all the grit, grime, and glory recounted in intimate detail, Face It recreates the downtown scene of 1970s New York City, where Blondie played alongside the Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

Following her path from glorious commercial success to heroin addiction, the near-death of partner Chris Stein, a heart-wrenching bankruptcy, and Blondie’s break-up as a band to her multifaceted acting career in more than thirty films, a stunning solo career and the triumphant return of her band, and her tireless advocacy for the environment and LGBTQ rights, Face It is a cinematic story of a woman who made her own path, and set the standard for a generation of artists who followed in her footsteps � a memoir as dynamic as its subject.]]> 369 Debbie Harry 0008229457 Umi 4



*for those of you tracking pets mentioned by cool lady musicians whose memoirs i’ve read recently, i’ve put a cheat sheet together below:
viv albertine - emphatically NOT an animal person
pauline black - puppy, but only mentioned in passing
debbie harry - kitties and ALSO puppies at different times, all of whom play significant roles]]> 3.60 2019 Face It
author: Debbie Harry
name: Umi
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2021/06/10
date added: 2021/06/10
shelves:
review:
Fun as an audiobook! Not as personally moving as some of the other memoirs I’ve read lately but that seems like a bummer reason to fault it - it’s a fun one and like all the best punk/new wave memoirs, dedicates a good amount of time to describing how easy it was to find all the good clothes in thrift stores and junk shops at the time. You also learn the Debbie and Chris had cats that saved them from a fire (well, kind of) then survived another fire, and even though there’s a lot about her current puppies, I liked knowing that Debbie was, at one point, a cat person.* Also the description of recording with Ellie Greenwich (!!!) was very cool.




*for those of you tracking pets mentioned by cool lady musicians whose memoirs i’ve read recently, i’ve put a cheat sheet together below:
viv albertine - emphatically NOT an animal person
pauline black - puppy, but only mentioned in passing
debbie harry - kitties and ALSO puppies at different times, all of whom play significant roles
]]> <![CDATA[Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood]]> 108593 319 Edward M. Hallowell 0684801280 Umi 4 4.09 1992 Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood
author: Edward M. Hallowell
name: Umi
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1992
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/31
date added: 2021/05/31
shelves:
review:
I literally read the section on the biology of ADHD, THAT’S how accessible the writing is. Covers a lot of the same ground as other guides but does so in an enjoyable way and offers a lot of good new tips on managing.
]]> <![CDATA[More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of L.A. Punk]]> 42283201
Picking up where Under the Big Black Sun left off, More Fun in the New World explores the years 1982 to 1987, covering the dizzying pinnacle of L.A.'s punk rock movement as its stars took to the national—and often international—stage. Detailing the eventual splintering of punk into various sub-genres, the second volume of John Doe and Tom DeSavia's west coast punk history portrays the rich cultural diversity of the movement and its characters, the legacy of the scene, how it affected other art forms, and ultimately influenced mainstream pop culture. The book also pays tribute to many of the fallen soldiers of punk rock, the pioneers who left the world much too early but whose influence hasn't faded.

As with Under the Big Black Sun, the book features stories of triumph, failure, stardom, addiction, recovery, and loss as told by the people who were influential in the scene, with a cohesive narrative from authors Doe and DeSavia. Along with many returning voices, More Fun in the New World weaves in the perspectives of musicians Henry Rollins, Fishbone, Billy Zoom, Mike Ness, Jane Weidlin, Keith Morris, Dave Alvin, Louis Pérez, Charlotte Caffey, Peter Case, Chip Kinman, Maria McKee, and Jack Grisham, among others. And renowned artist/illustrator Shepard Fairey, filmmaker Allison Anders, actor Tim Robbins, and pro-skater Tony Hawk each contribute chapters on punk's indelible influence on the artistic spirit.

In addition to stories of success, the book also offers a cautionary tale of an art movement that directly inspired commercially diverse acts such as Green Day, Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, and Neko Case. Readers will find themselves rooting for the purists of punk juxtaposed with the MTV-dominating rock superstars of the time who flaunted a "born to do this, it couldn't be easier" attitude that continued to fuel the flames of new music. More Fun in the New World follows the progression of the first decade of L.A. punk, its conclusion, and its cultural rebirth.]]> 336 John Doe 0306922126 Umi 3 4.23 2019 More Fun In The New World: The Unmaking And Legacy Of L.A. Punk
author: John Doe
name: Umi
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2021/05/31
date added: 2021/05/31
shelves:
review:
Waaaaay too much about The Bangles!! Redeemed by contributions by Henry Rollins and Allison Anders, but still. Also weird to learn that John and Exene at one point lived ‘in the hills above Highland Park� (DO YOU MEAN EAGLE ROCK, JOHN??!?!!), especially in combination with the fact that John mentions in the previous book he moved to Los Angeles with a late 60s International Harvester Travellall - is a one-mile radius of the Figueroa/Buena Vista bus stop a secret hotspot for Travelall drivers or what??
]]> Interior Chinatown 44436221 A deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play.

Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as the protagonist in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. Or is it?

After stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he’s ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown, but the buried legacy of his own family. Infinitely inventive and deeply personal, exploring the themes of pop culture, assimilation, and immigration�Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu’s most moving, daring, and masterful novel yet.]]> 288 Charles Yu Umi 5 3.95 2020 Interior Chinatown
author: Charles Yu
name: Umi
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/31
date added: 2021/05/31
shelves:
review:
What did I even mean when I was whining about ‘contemporary commercial fiction�? Is this technically not also that?! But this was PERFECT and funny and BITING and not trapped in a strange land between airport book and forgettable required reading added to the syllabus to seem ‘relevant.� Tbh I wish there had been a little more experimentation with different forms because it went a little too straight script at times but eh, otherwise it’s great!
]]> <![CDATA[Black By Design: A 2-Tone Memoir]]> 12178326
Black was born in 1953 of Anglo-Jewish/Nigerian parents. Adopted by a white, working class family in Romford in the fifties, Pauline was always made to feel different, both by the local community and members of her extended family, who saw her at best as a curiosity, at worst as an embarrassing inconvenience.

Weaving her rise to fame and recollections of the 2-tone phenomenon with her moving search for her birth parents, Black By Design is a funny and enlightening memoir of music and roots.]]> 320 Pauline Black 184668790X Umi 5
If you also LOVE The Selecter, you’ll probably LIKE this book, because Black’s time as the aforementioned coolest frontwoman ever is a pretty small component of the text. It’s super interesting tho, and I learned not only why my neighbours think it’s weird that all of clothing comes from charity shops but also about the recording processes on the first album that led me to believe I wasn’t that into The Selecter for far too long! Not a lot of hot goss about other 2 Tone groups, but a lot of other interesting anecdotes about touring and Black’s subsequent acting career.

If you’ve spent an inordinate amount of time reading self-help books about dealing with family but recently been like I’m sick of these!! I’m going to read articles online about socialising feral cats instead and actually just watch videos of feral kitten rescues for three hours on a Friday!! No book can force me to make a collage of maternal figures I’d find inspiring!! you may actually get a lot out of this book!! Reading about Black’s journey to reconnect with her birth mother and how she negotiated both being embraced suddenly by her extended birth family but also discovering that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses kind of as an aside and was able to move forward in the relationships in a positive way really resonated for me as I found myself navigating a similar but sort of opposite situation, and I really got a lot out of her writing about family in general.]]> 3.97 2011 Black By Design: A 2-Tone Memoir
author: Pauline Black
name: Umi
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/25
date added: 2021/05/31
shelves:
review:
I was never that into The Selecter - I always felt like I should have been (2 Tone! Girl singer!) but I just wasn’t until I saw DANCE CRAZE, the concert film featuring many 2 Tone bands in 1980 (and randomly made by the son of Joseph Losey and Elizabeth Hawes (??!??!)), and was actually able to see footage of them perform that I was like !! I GET IT!! Pauline Black might actually be the coolest frontwoman, ever!! I LOVE The Selecter!!

If you also LOVE The Selecter, you’ll probably LIKE this book, because Black’s time as the aforementioned coolest frontwoman ever is a pretty small component of the text. It’s super interesting tho, and I learned not only why my neighbours think it’s weird that all of clothing comes from charity shops but also about the recording processes on the first album that led me to believe I wasn’t that into The Selecter for far too long! Not a lot of hot goss about other 2 Tone groups, but a lot of other interesting anecdotes about touring and Black’s subsequent acting career.

If you’ve spent an inordinate amount of time reading self-help books about dealing with family but recently been like I’m sick of these!! I’m going to read articles online about socialising feral cats instead and actually just watch videos of feral kitten rescues for three hours on a Friday!! No book can force me to make a collage of maternal figures I’d find inspiring!! you may actually get a lot out of this book!! Reading about Black’s journey to reconnect with her birth mother and how she negotiated both being embraced suddenly by her extended birth family but also discovering that they were Jehovah’s Witnesses kind of as an aside and was able to move forward in the relationships in a positive way really resonated for me as I found myself navigating a similar but sort of opposite situation, and I really got a lot out of her writing about family in general.
]]> Absolute Beginners 372556
A twentieth-century cult classic, Absolute Beginners remains the style bible for anyone interested in Mod culture and paints a vivid picture of a changing society with insight and sensitivity.]]> 203 Colin MacInnes 0749005408 Umi 5 3.60 1959 Absolute Beginners
author: Colin MacInnes
name: Umi
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1959
rating: 5
read at: 2021/05/16
date added: 2021/05/16
shelves:
review:
Picked this up again on a whim after finally watching the film a month or so ago (David Bowie dances on a giant typewriter! what more could you want?!) and realising that while I remembered the atmosphere and a few of the high points, I didn’t actually remember most of the book that well. Really glad I did, because despite the
]]> The End of Policing 35403039 The problem is not overpolicing, it is policing itself

Recent years have seen an explosion of protest against police brutality and repression. Among activists, journalists and politicians, the conversation about how to respond and improve policing has focused on accountability, diversity, training, and community relations. Unfortunately, these reforms will not produce results, either alone or in combination. The core of the problem must be addressed: the nature of modern policing itself.

This book attempts to spark public discussion by revealing the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control. It shows how the expansion of police authority is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice—even public safety. Drawing on groundbreaking research from across the world, and covering virtually every area in the increasingly broad range of police work, Alex Vitale demonstrates how law enforcement has come to exacerbate the very problems it is supposed to solve.

In contrast, there are places where the robust implementation of policing alternatives—such as legalization, restorative justice, and harm reduction—has led to a decrease in crime, spending, and injustice. The best solution to bad policing may be an end to policing.]]> 272 Alex S. Vitale 1784782912 Umi 3 Would this have been better if I hadn’t listened to it as an audiobook with the narrator whom you just KNOW refers to women as ‘females�? Yeah maybe but I’d also been trying to read it for like a year and kept reading way more fun or interesting stuff instead so I doubt it!
I just generally really disliked a lot of the language he used - there’s a lot of very passive voicey I’m observing this but disavowing myself from having to have any involvement in it and a lot of talk about ‘poor people� that felt really paternalistic AND I THINK IVE HIT ON WHY THIS BOOK ANNOYED ME SO MUCH, which was that it has a real tone of these poor disenfranchised groups :( extremely nonspecific things need to be done to help them structurally, let’s have a lot of overwrought discussions about it in isolation instead of getting involved :) and that is... not my party. And without a dumb personal catchphrase this time, that approach not only has gotta be off putting to any of the actual members of the groups discussed but also presumes that the groups themselves are all monolithic and definitely going to agree with everything he’s proposing, which, like, I find to be a weird pitfall of a lot of writing like this because, like, maybe actually bother talking to any of the people for whom you’re trying to speak?? There’s a really good chance they won’t!!
I’m glad I listened to the audiobook because now I can delete the ebook off my kindle (yes, yes, very ironic, but it was an unwanted gift I’m now running into the ground) and not feel like oh I really ~should~ get around to reading this someday.
Aaaaand for the zero people who read this far, I thought Invisible No More and Hood Feminism covered similar ground about seven hundred million times better.]]> 4.18 2017 The End of Policing
author: Alex S. Vitale
name: Umi
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2021/05/11
date added: 2021/05/11
shelves:
review:
A really concise overview but jeez the audiobook narrator will have you making angry little faces over things you actually agree with, he’s that irritating. Also difficult to take seriously anyone who 1. thinks really decontextualised stuff that’s done in Europe is any kind of model for the US (like ok great that prostitution is legal in Deutschland but it’s hardly the progressive policy anyone likes to pretend it is... not to mention abortion is still illegal and a lot of the reproductive health policies are centred around preserving the right to have children rather than bodily autonomy, but whatever I guess, this was nothing compared to his claim earlier in the book that’s something like the NHS offer substantial options for people with chronic mental health problems and like... uhhhhh, since when?) 2. genuinely used the word ‘transgendered� in 2017.
Would this have been better if I hadn’t listened to it as an audiobook with the narrator whom you just KNOW refers to women as ‘females�? Yeah maybe but I’d also been trying to read it for like a year and kept reading way more fun or interesting stuff instead so I doubt it!
I just generally really disliked a lot of the language he used - there’s a lot of very passive voicey I’m observing this but disavowing myself from having to have any involvement in it and a lot of talk about ‘poor people� that felt really paternalistic AND I THINK IVE HIT ON WHY THIS BOOK ANNOYED ME SO MUCH, which was that it has a real tone of these poor disenfranchised groups :( extremely nonspecific things need to be done to help them structurally, let’s have a lot of overwrought discussions about it in isolation instead of getting involved :) and that is... not my party. And without a dumb personal catchphrase this time, that approach not only has gotta be off putting to any of the actual members of the groups discussed but also presumes that the groups themselves are all monolithic and definitely going to agree with everything he’s proposing, which, like, I find to be a weird pitfall of a lot of writing like this because, like, maybe actually bother talking to any of the people for whom you’re trying to speak?? There’s a really good chance they won’t!!
I’m glad I listened to the audiobook because now I can delete the ebook off my kindle (yes, yes, very ironic, but it was an unwanted gift I’m now running into the ground) and not feel like oh I really ~should~ get around to reading this someday.
Aaaaand for the zero people who read this far, I thought Invisible No More and Hood Feminism covered similar ground about seven hundred million times better.
]]> A Different Drummer 570438
Nearly three decades offer its first publication, A Different Drummer remains one of the most trenchant, imaginative, and hard-hitting works of fiction to come out of the bitter struggle for African-American civil rights.]]> 205 William Melvin Kelley Umi 4
Well. Had I abandoned it, I would indeed have missed the secret cool part. I wasn’t super into the first half (it’s not very long, calm down) but then I felt like it became much more my kind of thing when it got into the family’s perspectives and their backstories. It never fully feels like it comes together as a novel (a lot of details that come into play or are mentioned later are highlighted a little obviously in their initial mentions, and it’s never really made clear why the structure sort of shifts), but what is there is pretty interesting. I’m also kind of amazed it hasn’t been made into a Very Big Deal movie yet; it seems very suited to a screen adaptation? ]]> 4.21 1964 A Different Drummer
author: William Melvin Kelley
name: Umi
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1964
rating: 4
read at: 2021/05/04
date added: 2021/05/04
shelves:
review:
Like the guy I met at the merch table when I saw Neko Case at the Barbican and probably everyone else, I read about this in the g*ard*an like two (?) years ago (the guy literally quoted a line of the article to me verbatim in describing it to me) and am late to this party. I am actually even later than that suggests because it took me a while to get into it, but I have to finish books I start and the article had made the author and the book sound really cool so I didn’t want to abandon it in case I missed the hidden cool part

Well. Had I abandoned it, I would indeed have missed the secret cool part. I wasn’t super into the first half (it’s not very long, calm down) but then I felt like it became much more my kind of thing when it got into the family’s perspectives and their backstories. It never fully feels like it comes together as a novel (a lot of details that come into play or are mentioned later are highlighted a little obviously in their initial mentions, and it’s never really made clear why the structure sort of shifts), but what is there is pretty interesting. I’m also kind of amazed it hasn’t been made into a Very Big Deal movie yet; it seems very suited to a screen adaptation?
]]>