false 33 182 138 true 5817257 read 2 true 1218151 currently-reading 42 true 1218150 to-read 2 false 3185112 kinda-reading-but-kinda-not 1 false 3400720 will-probably-never-finish http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44178584 to: The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records (Paperback) by Ashley Kahn
This was a well-researched book about the ups, downs and in-betweens of Impulse Records. Striking the right blend of being informative without being snooze-inducing, it's a great volume for any jazz enthusiast. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63167604 Rock and Roll Cage Match: Music's Greatest Rivalries, Decided (Paperback) by Sean Manning
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44180067 to: The "Clash": Strummer, Jones, Simonon, Headon (Hardcover) by The Clash
Am amazing book, just a really fun read. The archival stuff is fun eye candy, and the years give their collective and individual perspective some extra weight. Definitely worth your while of you're a fan of rock, especially punk music. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28875762 to: Blankets (Paperback) by Craig Thompson
Oh WOW. Just an amazing recounting of the highs & lows the author/artist had growing up in the '90s. As intensely personal a story as it is, I would be highly surprised if anyone who had some rites of passage during the last decade could NOT read this and get some (to coin a phrase) serious haunts. And though there is a LOT of Christianity in the book, that hand is never overplayed by Thompson. In fact, the way he struggles with it is almost as compelling as the main Teen Love angle. Not as well-developed as the Teen Love angle (the only real flaw the book has, to me) but still a good counterpoint that keeps the book going.

Overall, just an amazing book. don't let it being over 500 pages intimidate you, it'll go by too fast anyway. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25701631 to: A Confederacy of Dunces (Paperback) by John Kennedy Toole
Well, it was a good book. And, yes, a rather funny (if kinda dated now) book. Not really sure what else I can add to it all the many things said over the years other than it makes me glad I moved out of my mother's basement. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35656269 to: The Highwaymen (Paperback) by Adam Freeman
Something of a sleeper series, this mini-series is a the best action-spy-thriller Hollywood hasn't made. Quips are exchanged, plots are twisted and many things either go boom or get shot or stabbed. I almost feel like saying too much else gives it away. But, yes, it's so good it makes me want to kick Michael Bay in the throat. Again. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/34208539 to: Pedro and Me (Paperback) by Judd Winick
Yep, the graphic novel Judd from The Real World: San Francisco created to celebrate the life of Pedro, also from that season of the show. I know every superlative imaginable has been thrown that way already, all I can say is if you don't like this book you (probably) very uninterested in other people's feeling, incredibly homophobic (maybe racist) or think Puck was a really cool dude.

Not to overstate the matter TOO much... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33527978 to: Superman: Emperor Joker (Paperback) by Jeph Loeb
Well, the idea was good: give Joker the power Mxylplitx (or however he spells his name) and see what madness ensues. Sadly the execution was wanting. I usually give most crossovers the benefit of the doubt, but this one really was a good example of how too many cooks can spoil the soup. If this had been a limited series or just in one Supes title (whichever one Joe Kelly was writing at the time--Action Comics, I believe), this would've been so much better. Of the four writers involved, he was really the only one to manage the tricky storytelling balance really well. The others involved were hit-or-(more often)-miss with the demands of Joker's peculiar brand of chaos writ on a cosmic scale. The art was above-to-well-above-average (another symptom of crossovers), which the sheer lunacy of the premise providing a broad pallate of possibilities mostly fulfilled.

Overall, really glad I only checked it out of the library and didn't spend any actual money on it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33085134 Mike's review of The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand

Back in UNCW--got about a hundred pages in, then crapped out. Mind you, this was 94-95, when most things crapped out for too long because of a certain individual who we all know and rarely name. Just more collateral damage under her black heels.

I figure it was just a funny category to put stuff in. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28875287 to: Fables: Legends in Exile (Volume 1) by Bill Willingham
The premise is simple: all the fairy tale folk we know live in "our" world. But murder and romance tend to complicate things. An excellent job of "establishing the beachhead" for this new-yet-familiar world. ]]>