Posts Tagged Book Review
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August 27, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Philip Matthews & Paul Horan: Funny As – The Story of New Zealand Comedy
Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy Philip Matthews & Paul Horan Auckland University Press Read this as either standalone volume or as the tie-in (as intended) with recent TV series of the same name. Cleverly, you don’t need to watch Funny-As the TV series to enjoy Funny-As the book (though I don’t know […]Archive
August 17, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Charles Moriarty: Back To Amy
Back To Amy Charles Moriarty Cassell The death of Amy Winehouse made me feel very odd – I couldn’t process my feelings about it; I’ve realised now – in many ways that’s because I said a goodbye to her around the time of her “Rehab”-fame. The second album, Back To Black, is largely superb. And I can acknowledge that now. But even with that acknowledgment […]Archive
August 7, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
It Was The Worst: # 21 Reading A Book About James Blunt
I’ve read some really bad music books. This is the worst. Please understand that I wish I was joking when I tell you that a publisher sent me a copy of a book called Different Country, Same State: On The Road With James Blunt. Please understand I wish I was joking when I tell you that I read the entire thing.Archive
July 28, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Alan Duff: A Conversation With My Country
A Conversation With My Country Alan Duff Penguin Alan Duff wrote one of New Zealand’s most important books – Once Were Warriors. It’s not a particularly well written book. But its timing was crucial. It meant something. Since then he repeated the formula until no one cared, perfected the Old Man Yells At Cloud-persona of the truly entitled, right-wing newspaper columnist […]Archive
July 22, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Shayne Carter: Dead People I Have Known
Dead People I Have Known Shayne Carter VUP I started this book before there were any reviews of it anywhere – I was loving it. Like everyone! But shelved it to get to other things. And then (finally) finished it just after every single review had been printed or posted. Lots of great column inches in celebration […]Archive
June 11, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Howard Stern: Howard Stern Comes Again
Howard Stern Comes Again Howard Stern Simon & Schuster The shorthand that follows Howard Stern around is “shock jock”. He is at pains to let you know he’s moved on from that phase. When he was a shock-jock he ruled the airwaves – and people, famously, wanted to see what he would say next. One of […]Archive
May 26, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Jessica Hopper: Night Moves
Night Moves Jessica Hopper University of Texas Press, First Edition edition Jessica Hopper collected up two decades of her music criticism recently and it’s a great read – covering hip-hop, pop and indie. She was a publicist, DJ, mover and groover before – and around – being a paid, published music writer. So for her next book she’s taken her own diaries from the early 00s when […]Archive
May 9, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Bret Easton Ellis: White
White Bret Easton Ellis Knopf; 1st Edition edition “Stop whining, take your medicine; grow the fuck up” – this is Bret Easton Ellis’ advice in his first effort at non-fiction; a book written to largely justify a series of individual tweets and then all-out Twitter brawls, a book that starts promisingly as actual memoir and then shifts just as surreally […]Archive
May 3, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Jaron Lanier: Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now Jaron Lanier Henry Holt and Co. Jaron Lanier was there for the building of the internet, an early chat-room visitor (and developer), a guy with major tech credentials. He’s become an internet philosopher, a fierce critic of Silicon Valley; he’s like any writer with a troubled history and […]Archive
May 1, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
Colin Hogg: Off The Road
Sam Hunt: Off The Road Colin Hogg (w/ Sam Hunt) HarperCollins When I read The Spinoff’s review of this book – I laughed. I loved it. Brilliantly written – and I winced at the thought that it was probably true, but that I still wanted to read Off The Road because the book that started the friendship between Hunt and Hogg, and the […]Archive
May 1, 2019 by Simon Sweetman