Posts Tagged Books
Archive
January 2, 2022 by Simon Sweetman
R.I.P. Joan Didion
Just ahead of Christmas it was very sad to hear of the passing of Joan Didion. She lived a long and extraordinary life and wrote so beautifully, so dutifully also. She was a chronicler of times, putting art into journalism, putting her life down on the page alongside all she captured. She’s been one of […]Archive
November 2, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Science Fiction Double Feature: Writing and Reading Sci Fi
Advances in science and medicine have meant we can now predict the life expectancy – we can know how long everyone will live. We know if the life will be cut short. Everyone is given a medical passport when they turn 10. It is stamped with an expiration date. The last six months of anyone’s […]Archive
September 12, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Reading In Stolen Moments
To have time to read is, I swear, the ultimate luxury. But at the same time, it’s nourishment for the soul. And I consider it a necessity. To be brain-fried to a level where you cannot sit with one book for FOMO regarding all of the other books you’ve bought or have on loan might […]Archive
September 10, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Books That Blew My Mind # 8: “The Executioner’s Song” by Norman Mailer
The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer I loved Norman Mailer before I read him – because of his book, The Fight, and specifically his appearances in the great documentary, When We Were Kings. Of course I would go on to read The Fight – and it really is a work of genius, one of the […]Archive
September 7, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
My Favourite Author That I’ve Never Read
I couldn’t know I was doing this at the time, but the day before we went into lockdown I armed myself with a bunch of books by George Saunders. I did this because he’s one of my favourite writers that I’ve never read. You read that correctly. I often write about Authors I Admire but […]Archive
September 4, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: King Collection
The first book by Stephen King that I read was Pet Semetary – with its typo in the title. And maybe I didn’t even know that was wrong when I read it – everything seemed so right, I’d found my new home. The second book by Stephen King for me was It. The cover as […]Archive
August 31, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Some Lockdown Reading
I’m a big reader, always with several books on the go. My mixture of genres (always a graphic novel on the go, always a volume of poetry, usually one or two non-fiction and a novel or book of short-stories too) and the mix of library books, things to review, things borrowed from friends and new/ish […]Archive
August 25, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Poem: Bill Conti Scores The Great American Novel
People talk about The Great American Novel like it’s a thing. It is a thing – but it’s not a book, and it’s never going to be. Bruce Springsteen probably thinks he’s written The Great American Novel. But he just dragged John Steinbeck down into rock’n’roll. There are many photographers that have taken The Great […]Archive
August 22, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
In Praise of Ditching Your Record Collection
So many people with collections can’t bear even the thought of parting with their books or records or vintage toys or sneakers or whatever it is that makes up their fixation… But sometimes it’s a necessity. I trade records all the time. I’ve done swaps, I’ve taken crates of records to the secondhand stores and […]Archive
August 21, 2021 by Simon Sweetman
Lindy West: Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema
Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema Lindy West Hachette Books Lindy West’s latest book is not brand-spanking new. It’s been out for a wee bit – but when I got to it I devoured it in pretty much one go. That is almost the review right there! The book hooked me […]Archive
August 19, 2021 by Simon Sweetman