Book'd

If you follow me on Goodreads, you may have noted that I quit both Wicked and On The Road. You know how a certain album fits perfectly with a certain time in your life, and if you'd discovered it a month earlier, you may not have embraced it in the same way? I think books can be like that, too. It wasn't the right time for either of those two.

I did, however, finish Breathers, the zombie fic by S.G. Browne, and I definitely recommend it. Seeing as it is from the perspective of a Zombie, you'll find yourself agreeing with the most peculiar things. There are a couple of plot twists that keep you hooked, and I didn't expect it to end like it did, but it was quite satisfying. If you want to feel empathy for a member of the undead, pick this up.

Last night I finished Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy by Eric G. Wilson, and I have mixed feelings about it.  First of all, as someone who has experienced depression, you kind of want to knock some sense into this guy. Perhaps with an anvil. Or a 2x4. The support for his argument comes largely from troubled artists who created great works during times of incredible pain. Well, you know, bravo and shit, but for every person that can create during a blue period, there's ten who can't function--who can't be there for their families, who can't do their job, who just can't get out of bed in the morning. On that end, I think he's blowing a lot of hot air.

HOWEVER. When he talks about balance--about the horror of being complacent and not feeling the kind of angst that inspires change--I get that. The whole principle of there being no moutains without the valleys and embracing the range of emotions as opposed to being a numb, neutral person. I'd say it's worth reading if you can tolerate chunks of flowery language AND you promise not to toss your meds and succumb to a life on your couch watching reality TV and justify it by calling it "performance art."

Pop Culture commenter Chuck Klosterman has a new book out! Eating The Dinosaur is a collection of essays not unlike Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (my fave), Killing Yourself To Live, IV and Fargo Rock City (haven't read that one). Do I have to sell you on him at all?

For any of you who liked The Tipping Point, Blink or Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell put out What The Dog Saw and you can read the whole intro and part of the first chapter here. It got me hooked, that's for sure.

Lastly, I enter a lot of goodreads "first reads" giveaways. I entered for above book because the title reminded me of Paramore. Guess what? I won. I'm not a terribly religious person, but hey, I'm open-minded, so we'll see how this goes.

Heard of any new stuff lately? Which musicians that you know of read the most? Quit any books because they didn't feel right, lately?