BOOKS THREAD

The Lives of Brian, the new memoir by AC/DC singer Brian Johnson, could easily be subtitled It's A Long Way To The Top If You Want To Rock and Roll. This is an entertaining look at his life, beginning with his childhood in post-war Newcastle and his scuffling days playing pubs and working men's clubs in the northeast of England (and enjoying some success with a minor band named Geordie) while juggling a wife and two small children and jobs as a draftsman, windshield installer and car detailer. He also discusses the origin of the trademark cloth cap he wears onstage. He doesn't get the call to join AC/DC until well into the last third of the book and it covers his audition, the making of Back in Black, replacing Bon Scott, the subsequent tour and the hearing problems that forced him from the band. He teases more stories in another book so we'll see......

 

Since it also came up in the TV Thread - "Slow Horses," the first book of the series, is a delightful, quick read. It's around 250, 300 pages, but moves quick, in its descriptions and its pacing. Good stuff if you like noir / spy stuff.

 

A concise book called Fallout by Lesley M. M. Blume about the writing and editing of John Hersey's legendary New Yorker article about Hiroshima. Recommend.

 

The Stones' music and legendary excess and debauchery has been chronicled in countless books and documentaries and fans looking for discussion of either in Charlie's Good Tonight, the new authorised bio of Charlie Watts by Paul Sexton, will find both in short supply. There's rarely a discouraging word here about Charlie or the Stones (Watts's substance abuse issues are glossed over in a couple of pages and seminal events such as Altamont barely rate a sentence). And while he admitted to not being a fan of the Stones' music (apparently his wife was) there is much here about his family, his love for jazz and fine clothes and his interest in collecting cars (though he didn't drive), horses, drum sets and Civil War artifacts.

There are plenty of quotes here from Mick, Keef, Ron Wood and Bill Wyman as well as others in the Stones' orbit. While it's not as seismic as Keef's book it's a fine look at the life and times of the guy who so ably kept time for that band for decades.

 

Barnum: An American Life by Robert Wilson. Really learned a lot from this one. Didn't know of Barnum's political career (his steadfast support for the Union; he got elected to the Connecticut state legislature just so he could vote for the 13th Amendment; ran for Congress against a distant cousin and lost) his writing (published several autobiographies plus a book debunking hoaxes) and how much time he spent as a public lecturer.

Highly recommend.

 

Just finished reading Graff's "Watergate: A New History," and it was enjoyable. Thorough, well-sourced, but yet not too academic-y (if that's a word). Even though most of us know how the story ends, Graff keeps you jumping to the next short chapter to see what's next.

As someone who's read All the President's Men multiple times, I think Graff shows that book for what it is: An early and sometimes not thorough account of Watergate and the coverup which followed. Even with 50 years of perspective (and numerous books/interviews from the main players in Nixon's administration), we still don't know why they chose to break into Democrat headquarters on June 17, 1972. The theory that it could have been to expose Democratic Party officials' use of a high-class call girl ring is my personal favorite. The more things change ...

One small criticism of Graff's book: The copy editor in me couldn't help but notice some obvious typos that should have been caught and detract from the extensive research that went into this project. One glaring example: A description of Nixon's final morning in the White House begins "The next morning, August 9, 1973, he deviated from his usual breakfast ..." A silly error that should have easily been noticed.

 

Two geographical histories:

Bubble in the Sun by Christopher Knowlton (January 2020) about the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Very fun read. Lots of famous cameos.

The Mirage Factory by Gary Krist (May 2018) about the cultural history of Los Angeles from 1900-1930 focused on three individuals: William Mulholland, D.W. Griffith and Aimee Semple McPherson. The Mulholland chapters are really fascinating (mainly dealing with the Owens Valley water wars) and the other two characters's chapters are way less engrossing.

 

Loved this story about Robert Gottlieb waiting for Robert Caro to finish his LBJ book. There is also an upcoming documentary on the men. And if you ever want a fantastic book about publishing Gottlieb’s Avid Reader is an incredibly fun read.

Bob Gottlieb vs. Bob Caro

 

If you like reading about the outdoors, Craig Childs' books are exceptional. He seems to spend about 10 months of the year roaming the Southwest looking for water in the desert or studying caves and petroglyphs. Extraordinary storyteller. The Animal Dialogues is a great place to start: The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild by Craig Childs

 

You are correct about Pearlman’s books. Just finished it a week or so ago. Very entertaining. But more typos and such than normal.

 

Full disclosure: I have never used Slack.

Maybe that's why I thought Several People are Typing, which is written as a series of Slack conversations, was really funny. It's a quick read.