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Posts Tagged Books

Archive

June 29, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Authors I Admire: # 18 David Foster Wallace

It’s become problematic to talk about David Foster Wallace, to rave about his literary prowess because of his behaviour. But there was a time when he loomed large for me. He was one of the best of his generation. A man who channelled irony and earnestness to write hilarious and dark stories, going to places […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Author, Authors I Admire, Authors I Admire started life as a series of posts on the Phantom Billstickers Facebook page Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Authors I Admire: # 18, Authors I Admire: # 18 David Foster Wallace, Blog, Books, Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, D/FW, David Foster Wallace, Essay, Infinite Jest, Short Stories, The Girl With The Curious Hair, Writer, Writing ·

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March 10, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

For Giving Bukowski: Discovering Charles Bukowski and Letting Him Go

It was a weekday as I recall, but back then they all blurred. And I only went downtown because that was easier than going up the hill, and I went into the bookstore that I’d just discovered, because it was one of the greatest things on earth. (And it still is). Bookstores in general, but […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Alcohol, Alcoholic, Books, Booze, Bukowski, Charles Bukowski, Discovering Charles Bukowski and Letting Him Go, Drinking, For Giving Bukowski, For Giving Bukowski: Discovering Charles Bukowski and Letting Him Go, Ham on Rye, Poetry, Run With The Hunted, Run With The Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader, 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, You Get So Alone At Times It Just Makes Sense ·

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February 22, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Finding Delmore: Only In Dreams

Delmore Schwartz was an American poet, short story writer and scholar. His most famous story is In Dreams Begin Responsibilities. It was first published in 1937 and became the title for Schwartz’ first book. That was published a year later, he was 25. The story has been widely anthologised and is a classic piece of […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Academic, Author, Blog, Book, Books, Delmore Schwarz, European Son, Finding Delmore, Finding Delmore: Only In Dreams, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities, Influence, Lecturer, Lou Reed, My House, Only In Dreams, Second Hand Books, Short Story, Stories, Teacher, Velvet Underground, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Whanganui, Writer, Writing ·

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February 22, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

“Sounds Good” Turns 1: My Substack Newsletter Has Been Going For One Year

“Sounds Good!” on Substack is one. A year of writing and sending out newsletters. If you’re signed up and following you might remember that as recently as two weeks ago I shared all the Friday playlists in one go – 50 weeks of A Little Something For The Weekend playlists. I called that that anniversary […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged "Sounds Good" Turns 1, "Sounds Good" Turns 1: My Substack Newsletter Has Been Going For One Year, Blog, Books, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, Movies, Music, My Substack Newsletter Has Been Going For One Year, Newlsetter, Playlists, Sounds Good, Subscription, Substack, TV, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Writing ·

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February 3, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

Stubs: # 288 – Ben Elton, Wellington, 2021

I didn’t write a review of this show – because I interviewed Ben ahead of the tour. What a treat that was – Ben Elton on the phone. Actually you can have a listen! First I wrote it up for my newsletter and site, then I decided the audio was good enough, so I shared […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2021, Ben Elton, Books, Comedy, Concert, Gig, Interview, Performance, Podcast, Show, Stub, Stubs, Stubs is an occasional feature here at Off The Tracks – looking back through the ticket-stub box and remembering how the show went down., Stubs: # 288, Stubs: # 288 – Ben Elton, The Young Ones, Wellington, Writer, Writing ·

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January 6, 2022 by Simon Sweetman

An Update on Summer Reading (2021/2022)

I love Goodreads – I keep an up to date record of everything I’m reading and I’ve done my very best to remember as far back and add all the books I consumed as a kid. Obviously it can never be a complete list but I have trained my memory to work as well as […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 2021, 2021/2022, 2022, An Update on Summer Reading (2021/2022), Blog, Books, Goodreads, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, Reading, Summer, Update On Summer Reading, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Author, Book, Books, Essay, Essays, Eulogy, Joan Didion, Journalism, Non-FIction, R.I.P., R.I.P. Joan Didion, Tribute, Writer, Writing ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Books, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, Reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Double Feature, Science Fiction Double Feature: Writing and Reading Sci Fi, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Writing, Writing and Reading Sci Fi, Writing and Reading Science Fiction ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Blog, Books, FOMO, Graphic Novel, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, Lockdown, Reading, Reading In Stolen Moments, Stolent Moment, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Work, Writing ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged 1100 Pages, Blog, Book, Books, Books That Blew My Mind, Books That Blew My Mind # 8, Books That Blew My Mind # 8: “The Executioner's Song” by Norman Mailer, Death Penalty, Executioner's Song, Gary Gilmore, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, Non-Fiction Novel, Norman Mailer, The Executioner's Song, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Authors I Admire, Books, Favourite Author, George Saunders, https://linktr.ee/Simonsweetman, My Favourite Author That I’ve Never Read, Never Read, Reading, Want more? Check out my Substack You can also support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Writing ·

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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 […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Books, Carrie, Gerald's Game, It, King Collection, Needful Things, Pet Semetary, Poem, Poem: King Collection, Reading, Stephen King, The Green Mile ·
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