While I read this without the full appreciation of its context - it isn't the 1950's, I'm not English, a war veteran or suffering (much) from class issue - it is still a glorious book and a fun read. "Lucky Jim" tells the story of a 1st year professor in an English university struggling against his varying levels of boredom and displeasure in with his job, topic, peers, senior professors and faculty, girlfriend (for lack of a better term) and his overall lot in life.
While the context might not be as applicable today as it was when it was written, there is still a lot to like and sympathise with about Jim. He struggles to get a head and succeed in job he doesn't like but needs (in part because he can't do much else), impress bosses he doesn't like, struggles in his relationship with coworkers and neighbors he can't stand, he is just like us (or me at times). Throw in his hilarious fights with the artist son of his Department Head boss and it was all I needed to dive right in and make the push to the end as quickly as possible. he drinks, he smokes, he grouses silently about his dimwitted boss, he plots against his annoying neighbor, he struggles with his suicidal girlfriend and then repeats it all over and over. What more can you ask for.
Read it folks and enjoy. I did.
Book can be found here (not where I got it)
http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Penguin-Classics-Kingsley-Amis/dp/0140186301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233197845&sr=1-1
6 down, 94 to go. Finished 1/28/2009
This post was written listening to "Sweet Oblivion" by The Screaming Trees & "Twice Upon A Time - The Singles" by Siouxsie & The Banshees
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
We Got the Neutron Bomb by Marc Spitz & Brendan Mullen
Nothing like the memories parent hating children with anger management issues convinced they changed the world and made history, at least until the next group of kids came and screwed it up. Add in a fair amount of East Coast Bias bitching and you have the story of the LA Punk scene. An interesting tale with very interesting characters, but not a book made for reading in one long sitting. Actually the writing style - short chapters made up of interviews of people who were there and those in the know (with no in between narrative), each focusing on a particular piece of the story, with some linear flow from chapter to chapter (they kind of, but don't completely go in chronological order) - makes this book an ideal read 2 chapters, read something else, read some more later kind of book.
"We Got the Neutron Bomb" was written by Marc Spitz (late of Spin) and Brendan Mullen (who was part of the scene and owned one of the clubs some of the chapters take place in) wrote this, as among other things, a West Coast response to Legs McNeil's book "Please Kill Me" (one of the many hundreds in my to-read pile) giving those based in LA their time in the sun (in LA even the punk rockers get sun), covering bands such as X, The Germs, Black Flag, The Runaways and many others. It starts with the beginning of the movement, covering the original haunts and first bands through the progression into many splinter genres, such as Hardcore, New Wave, stuff neo-Nazis surfers liked and Rockabilly, and the eventual commercial success of some bands and the death of a movement.
The problem I sometimes have with books like this is half the time I find myself doing one of two things:
1 - underlining artist, albums and tracks and inevitably buying more CDs then I need
2 - cursing at the current speaker for being such a whiny, self-centered & self-important kvetch who doesn't realize that drunkenly getting on stage with 3 of his fellow high school dropouts in some dingy basement of a 5th rate club in a bad neighborhood of LA and playing mediocre music for the members of the next 6 bands who will be getting on stage does not make you a Genius. It more than likely makes you a semi-talented high school dropout with a drug problem.
I think the above reactions stem from my love of music, interest in Punk in particular (I think X is in my top-ten), my compulsion to keep buying CDs combined with my total inability to have a "This album changed my life" moment or a similar type of reaction to anything I listen to. I guess it all boils down to an "That song was great and I think you're super talented, but let's not get carried away here" attitude about music (and movies or TV for that manner).
An interesting accompaniment to this book is the What We Do Is Secret biopic that came out on DVD about a month ago. I watched as I was trying to finish the book. Certainly worth a Netflixing
Book can be found here
http://www.amazon.com/We-Got-Neutron-Bomb-L/dp/0609807749/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232508891&sr=1-1
5 down, 95 to go. Finished 01/10/2008.
This post was written listening to "The Essential Pebbles Collection - Volume Three European Garage"
"We Got the Neutron Bomb" was written by Marc Spitz (late of Spin) and Brendan Mullen (who was part of the scene and owned one of the clubs some of the chapters take place in) wrote this, as among other things, a West Coast response to Legs McNeil's book "Please Kill Me" (one of the many hundreds in my to-read pile) giving those based in LA their time in the sun (in LA even the punk rockers get sun), covering bands such as X, The Germs, Black Flag, The Runaways and many others. It starts with the beginning of the movement, covering the original haunts and first bands through the progression into many splinter genres, such as Hardcore, New Wave, stuff neo-Nazis surfers liked and Rockabilly, and the eventual commercial success of some bands and the death of a movement.
The problem I sometimes have with books like this is half the time I find myself doing one of two things:
1 - underlining artist, albums and tracks and inevitably buying more CDs then I need
2 - cursing at the current speaker for being such a whiny, self-centered & self-important kvetch who doesn't realize that drunkenly getting on stage with 3 of his fellow high school dropouts in some dingy basement of a 5th rate club in a bad neighborhood of LA and playing mediocre music for the members of the next 6 bands who will be getting on stage does not make you a Genius. It more than likely makes you a semi-talented high school dropout with a drug problem.
I think the above reactions stem from my love of music, interest in Punk in particular (I think X is in my top-ten), my compulsion to keep buying CDs combined with my total inability to have a "This album changed my life" moment or a similar type of reaction to anything I listen to. I guess it all boils down to an "That song was great and I think you're super talented, but let's not get carried away here" attitude about music (and movies or TV for that manner).
An interesting accompaniment to this book is the What We Do Is Secret biopic that came out on DVD about a month ago. I watched as I was trying to finish the book. Certainly worth a Netflixing
Book can be found here
http://www.amazon.com/We-Got-Neutron-Bomb-L/dp/0609807749/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232508891&sr=1-1
5 down, 95 to go. Finished 01/10/2008.
This post was written listening to "The Essential Pebbles Collection - Volume Three European Garage"
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Uneasy Money by P.G. Wodehouse
Engagements wanted and unwanted, made, broken, unbroken, re-broken, re-unbroken - check
Befuddled men and the women who love, tolerate, overpower, ignore and or despise them - check
Money made, lost, inherited, disinherited, re-inherited, spent and possibly (but not often) earned - check
The never ending quest for a financially secure marriage - double check
Snake - check
Monkey - check
Dancing girls - check
Drink - check
Golf - check
Yes folks, we have a Wodehouse novel. Always fun, always enjoyable and always a good read. Yes there is bit (or more) of a formula to Wodehouse novels. So? It is a beautiful formula that works every time (though you might not want to read many of his books back-to-back).
In Uneasy Money we meet:
- Lord Dawlish, owner of a penniless title and recent inheritor of one millions pounds, a reward for fixing a wayward slice, as he attempts to give half of that inheritance to who he believes is the rightful inheritor
- Claire Fenwick, his not quiet successful actress fiancee who has dreams of a much grander life, one she pushes our Lord Dawlish to achieve and provide her
- Elizabeth Boyd, a British girl living in Brookport, Long Island NY, trying to make a go of it raising bees
- Claude Nutcombe Boyd, her unhelpful lush of a brother, pining for his lost fast times as an actor drinking his way through
Plus many other fun characters displaying the general wackiness we all know and love from the late, great Mr. Wodehouse.
Book can be found here (I didn't buy it here):
http://www.amazon.com/Uneasy-Money-P-G-Wodehouse/dp/1585675725/ref=ed_oe_h
4 down, 96 to go. Finished 12/31/2008.
This post was written listening to and watching Elvis Costello's "Kojak Variety", NFL Playoffs and "24 Redemption"
Befuddled men and the women who love, tolerate, overpower, ignore and or despise them - check
Money made, lost, inherited, disinherited, re-inherited, spent and possibly (but not often) earned - check
The never ending quest for a financially secure marriage - double check
Snake - check
Monkey - check
Dancing girls - check
Drink - check
Golf - check
Yes folks, we have a Wodehouse novel. Always fun, always enjoyable and always a good read. Yes there is bit (or more) of a formula to Wodehouse novels. So? It is a beautiful formula that works every time (though you might not want to read many of his books back-to-back).
In Uneasy Money we meet:
- Lord Dawlish, owner of a penniless title and recent inheritor of one millions pounds, a reward for fixing a wayward slice, as he attempts to give half of that inheritance to who he believes is the rightful inheritor
- Claire Fenwick, his not quiet successful actress fiancee who has dreams of a much grander life, one she pushes our Lord Dawlish to achieve and provide her
- Elizabeth Boyd, a British girl living in Brookport, Long Island NY, trying to make a go of it raising bees
- Claude Nutcombe Boyd, her unhelpful lush of a brother, pining for his lost fast times as an actor drinking his way through
Plus many other fun characters displaying the general wackiness we all know and love from the late, great Mr. Wodehouse.
Book can be found here (I didn't buy it here):
http://www.amazon.com/Uneasy-Money-P-G-Wodehouse/dp/1585675725/ref=ed_oe_h
4 down, 96 to go. Finished 12/31/2008.
This post was written listening to and watching Elvis Costello's "Kojak Variety", NFL Playoffs and "24 Redemption"
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