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Posts Tagged Book

Archive

August 12, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

My Regression: Reading Novelisations, Watching TV Movies

I am regressing somewhat into an interesting focus within my areas of interest – movies, music and books. I’ve only just noticed this. A pattern. I’m obsessed with collecting soundtrack albums (on CD) which I’ve decided is a very benign and in-character form of late mid-life crisis. This is healthy-enough and not hurting anyone. I […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged [OST], 80s, 90s, Blog, Book, CD, Collecting, Comfort, Essay, Film, Movie, My Regression, My Regression: Reading Novelisations Watching TV Movies, Novelisation, Reading, Reading Novelisations, Regression, Soundtrack, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, TV, TV Movie, Watching TV Movies ·

Archive

July 14, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

In Cold Blood vs. The Bonfire of The Vanities: Non-Fiction Novels and The New Journalism

Truman Capote released In Cold Blood in 1966; Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of The Vanities was published in 1987. Twenty-one years between them, the two books continue to have lasting effect as influential treatises regarding, what Wolfe confirmed by title in his 1973 text of the same name, as ‘The New Journalism’. These two books […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged America, Blog, Book, Books, Essay, In Cold Blood, In Cold Blood vs. The Bonfire of The Vanities, In Cold Blood vs. The Bonfire of The Vanities: Non-Fiction Novels and The New Journalism, In Cold Blood vsNon-Fiction Novels and The New Journalism, Journalism, Literature, Non-Fiction Novel, The Bonfire of The Vanities, The New Journalism, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Writerss, Writing ·

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July 13, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Edith Wharton: Tragedy and Satire in The House of Mirth

“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth” –  Ecclesiastes 7:4 Edith Wharton’s novel takes its title from the above-cited biblical call to heed. Published in 1905, at a stage when the writer was still relatively unknown, The House of Mirth […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Author, Book, Classic, Criticism, Edith Wharton, Edith Wharton: Tragedy and Satire in The House of Mirth, Essay, Review, Satire, The House of Mirth, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, Tragedy, Tragedy and Satire in The House of Mirth, Writer, Writing ·

Archive

June 21, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

What A Good Score! – #16: The Shawshank Redemption by Thomas Newman

It’s that rare thing. I loved the film, and the music – and the book it was based on; well, the story. The trifecta. (Actually, I did love the book that the story was in, the whole thing, so there’s that too). The Shawshank Redemption is so good that it’s almost a cliché now – […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged [OST], Blog, Book, CD, Good Score, If I Didn't Have You, Ink Spots, Lovesick Blues, Novella, Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption, Score, Soundtrack, Stephen King, Story, The Marriage of Figaro, The Shawshank Redemption, Thomas Newman, What A Good Score!, What A Good Score! – #1, What A Good Score! – #16:, What A Good Score! – #16: The Shawshank Redemption by Thomas Newman ·

Archive

June 14, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

David Sedaris: Happy-Go-Lucky

Happy-Go-Lucky David Sedaris Little, Brown and Company; First Edition A new David Sedaris book is a treat. If you’re a fan, a convert, you’re generally there for life – keen and waiting. He’s given us plenty already, and been very generous across the last few years with a bit of closet-cleaning resulting in two volumes […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Book, Book Review, David Sedaris, David Sedaris: Happy-Go-Lucky, Essays, Happy Go Lucky, Non-FIction, Review, Sedaris, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Writing ·

Archive

June 4, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

The Mary Gauthier Starter-Kit

Mary Gauthier (you pronounce it “Go-Shay”) is one of those great, great songwriters that never seems to get mentioned in the first breath of great songwriters. It’s a little bit of a secret. But like John Prine, and I would add Paul Kelly straight in there too, she’s got songs for days. Songs, in fact, […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Book, Mary Gauthier, Memoir, Playlist, Songwriter, The Mary Gauthier Starter-Kit, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Writer ·

Archive

May 12, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Bono’s Book

This is absolutely no lie: I’m pumped to read Bono’s memoir. Out in November.  Here’s a wee extract. Bono is perhaps best known of course for being the “There’s Wally!” of rock-docs. But when he’s not being memed, when he’s not promising change, when he’s not getting right in under the goat(ee) of post-punkers, he’s […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Bono, Bono’s Book, Book, Memoir, Preview, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, U2 ·

Archive

April 7, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Tricky and Rickie: Two Great Recent Music Memoirs

I’ve read so many music biographies, memoirs and autobiographies. I used to call it an “occupational hazard” – I mean it was nearly a first love, I remember reading books about John Lennon and Mick Jagger and Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan when I was 12 and 13 years old. I was into all sorts […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Book, Hell Is Round The Corner, Last Chance Texaco, Music Memoir, Rickie Lee Jones, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, Tricky, Tricky and Rickie: Two Great Recent Music Memoirs, Two Great Recent Music Memoirs ·

Archive

April 1, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Noelle McCarthy: Grand

Grand: Becoming My Mother’s Daughter Noelle McCarthy Penguin It’s quite possible that Grand by Noelle McCarthy is the best memoir of 2022. One of the best books. It is brand new. Out this week. There has been much hype. All of it justified. There will be more hype. And so there should.
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Alcohol, Alcoholism, Auckland, bFM, Book, Book Review, Featherston, Grand: Becoming My Mother’s Daughter, Ireland, Memoir, Noelle McCarthy, Noelle McCarthy: Grand, NZ, Radio, RNZ, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here ·

Archive

March 20, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Steve Braunias: Cover Story

Cover Story: 100 Beautiful, Strange and Frankly Incredible New Zealand LP Covers Steve Braunias Oratia Books Designed to show replica-sized prints of the album covers, and therefore itself the size of a 12” record (or boxset of them) and ready to be shelved alongside your record collection, Cover Story is, like many of the very […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 100 Beautiful, 12", Book, Book Review, Cover Story, Cover Story: 100 Beautiful, Kiwi, LP, NZ, Oratia Books, Record, Steve Braunias, Steve Braunias: Cover Story, Strange and Frankly Incredible New Zealand LP Covers, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, Vinyl ·

Archive

March 17, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Bob Odenkirk: Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama Bob Odenkirk Penguin Random House I love Bob Odenkirk. Have done since before I knew his name. He just kept popping up on things. That same face in everything. A mild smirk. A guy who had some sadness, some trauma etched onto him and laced all through his comedy. A guy […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Autobiography, Bob Odenkirk, Bob Odenkirk: Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, Book, Book Review, Comedian, Comedy, Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, David Cross, Director, Get A Life, Memoir, Movie, Mr. Show, Penguin Random House, SNL, Stage, Star, The Ben Stiller Show, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, TV, Writer, Writing ·

Archive

March 11, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Not Much Of A Bookstore Job

One year, when I gave up on university before it gave up on me, I made a last ditch effort to climb the hill and instead of going to class I studied the wall at Student Job Search, saw a piece of paper with a listing for a bookstore job. I’d always wanted one of […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Book, Bookstore, Bookstore Job, Essay, Not Much Of A Bookstore Job, Story, Student, To follow me in all the right places check out the Linktree right here. And to subscribe to my Substack newsletter “Sounds Good” click here, Writing ·
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