My Summer Reading List

This summer has been a good summer for me book wise. I have always enjoyed reading, even since I was little. I have knocked out quite a few books this summer, across a spectrum of genres. So I am going to list them out and add a little insight on why I enjoyed or didn't enjoy said book. And how the book came under my radar.

1. The Language of Fear by Del James - (Thriller)

I found out about this author because of being a Guns N Roses' fan, he co wrote a couple of songs and one of the short stories in this book is what the music video November Rain is based upon. The book is about a collection of short stories that I classify as thriller. They are quite intense, some are rock n roll in their subject, but mostly just people in extreme circumstances. Some are quite gruesome, one involves a young couple, the boyfriend pours gasoline on his girlfriend, then himself and well, it gets worse. Overall, this is an exciting and interesting read, check it out.

2. Waiting for the Sun: A Rock and Roll History of Los Angeles by Barney Hoskyns - (Music History)

As the title states, this book is about the history of the Los Angeles Music scene. It was a pretty interesting read, lots of details and really the author got into every spectrum of rock n roll, but I felt that it focused too much on the the Early years, 3/4ths of the book is pre-1980, so a little unbalanced, the 80s and 90s were some really important times and L.A. was the center of it. Overall, well done, but probably only if you are really into knowing everything.

3. Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America by Eric Nuzum (Music History)

Great read, found this at half-priced books. Quick read though, about 200 pages, then a timeline of every act of censorship in music. Book is primarily on the different reasonings of who music has been censored, and sometimes how it has backfired. It was released in 2000 and could use an update. If you are the least bit interested in music censorship, check it out.

4. South Park and Philosophy: You Know, I Learned Something Today by Various (Philosophy)

5. Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul by Various (Philosophy)

6. The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer by Various (Philosophy)

So I am going to discuss these three books together. I got started on a philosophy kick for about 2 or 3 weeks, it is kind of similar to what I learned in my Comm classes, so I though, go check it out. Overall, all of these books are well put together, but are very esoteric at times. The South Park one was my least favorite, I struggled through it to say the least. The Batman one was neat, I am only familiar with the films, but it posed some interesting questions about the characters. The Simpsons was by far the best one, just enjoyable and not too tough to comprehend. Check this series out, there is a company that makes these, along with dozens more under the category of philosophy and pop culture, it will help you appreciate certain movies and shows more because it gives you a new depth of knowledge.

7. The Bridge at Andau by James A. Michener (History)

The first history book of the summer, finally! This is a great short book, I read it in an afternoon drive in Hawaii. The book is about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, this period of about month where Hungarians fought back against the communist regime that was installed by Stalin. The book is wonderfully written. The author was a reporter who created characters off of the real people he met, though some are real and real names are sometimes used. The Hungarian people faced a great deal of oppression and reading section about the labor camps for political extremists (non-communists) made what happened at Gitmo sound tame. Eastern Europe is a fascinating region and the Hungarian people are a strong and determined people.

8. Are You There Vodka, It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler (Humor)

9. My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler (Humor)

Well, these two were great light hearted reading. Handler is a funny story teller and has had a unique life. Of the two books I prefer Are You There..., a little less raunchy and more of a biography in the classic sense. Though, My Horizontal, did produce alot of laughs. I think that Handler's writing would be described by many as male, she speaks her mind and has no problems of using profane language and discussing sexual escapades. In some ways, I see it as more of a feminist writing. But, really, these books are about getting a laugh, buy and enjoy.

10. StoriTelling - Tori Spelling (Biography)

Decent, but she attempts to come across as down to earth, when she can't. She still appears snobbish, she complains about getting a BMW on her 16th birthday. She writes in a simple fashion, she talks about her marriages, her discussion of early boyfriends is interesting as it appears that a couple were bordering on emotional abuse, so I do feel some sympathy to her. Basically got this, her life is not a fairytale, and I think that is what she was aiming for.

11. Whores: An Oral Biography of Perry Farrell and Jane's Addiction (Paperback)by Drendan Mullen (Music/biography)

Just finished this one, enjoyed it a great deal. Jane's Addiction has been ignored as one of the true pioneers of the alternative scene, they have gotten some credit, but more is due, this book in part does that. It reads somewhat like The Dirt, interviews with the band members plus friends, managers, and musical contemporaries. The focus is mainly on the early days up to the breakup, then kind of lost some momentum, it skipped entire years for some people in the band. Perry Ferrell's journey is fascinating, so if you have interest in their music or the alt rock area, check this out.

12. Ruthless by Jerry Heller (Music/autobiography)

Jerry Heller was the manager of N.W.A. probably one of the most important artists in the rap genre. Not only was he the manager, he was the close friend of the band's leader Eazy-E. This book do talk about the background of the group, but mainly the period in which Heller worked with the group. He does talk about himself for a portion of the book, and does stir the pot with some comments about Ice Cube and Dr Dre, both of whom left the group under not so good terms. But, this is probably the best book written about this group, NWA created gangsta rap, they talked about what they lived and what they lived was an intense life with guns, drugs, sex, and violence, a point that Heller makes and cannot be argued with. Check this out, but be prepared for some bias opinions.

13. Off The Rails: by Rudy Sarzo (Music/Memoir)

Rudy Sarzo is a bassist who has worked with countless bands, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio, and Ozzy Osbourne. This book is about Rudy's time with the Ozzy Osbourne band in the early 80s, but mainly Randy Rhoads, Rudy's friend and Ozzy's guitarist who died tragically in a plane crash at the age of 25. Rhoads was an incredible talent and I think this may be the only book about him, his musical talent was amazing, albeit his contributions brief, two albums with Ozzy and a few Japan releases with Quiet Riot, plus some live stuff. Sarzo also writes really well, he writes using little profanity. Great stories and a great tribute to Rhoads.

14. Snake Eyes: Confessions of a Replacement Rock star by Stacey Blades (Music/Memoir)

Stacey Blades is the guitarist for L.A. Guns, a somewhat well known band, best known for their tribute to Jayne Mansfield "Ballad of Jayne". Blades has had an interesting life, born and raised in Canada and began his music career towards the tail end of the 1980s, he was born in 1968. He has had somewhat typical rock n roll adventures, drugs/alcohol problems, strippers, exwives, bad band mates, but seems to be overall happy with the life he has lead. His writing though could stand to improve, I think he used the work 'kickass' at least 100 times. But, overall, this guy has had an interesting career, that many people arent aware of.

15. A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer (Memoir/Self Help/Inspiration)

Found this book at target, heard about it because of a song by the band Buckcherry, titled the same as the book and was based upon the book. The book was a tough one, it is the memoir of the author who faced unthinkable abuse by his alcoholic mother. It is a brief book, about 150 pages, could be read in a couple of hours. Ultimately, the book's message is to never give up on yourself, not surprising for the author who made this into a career as a motivational speaker. If nothing else, it is a unique and intense story. Read it, but be prepared to be shocked.

16. Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Mark Levine (Music/Unsure)

This book was pretty interesting. The author travels to several countries in the MidEast (Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Iran). Basically the author examines how heavy metal exists and impacts the culture of each country. There were some negative reviews for it, but it is intersting, just be prepared for a rather dense read at times. It is interesting to think about the implications that Western Culture has on the Mid East, the population in all of these countries is young, and in some ways the perfect audience, (angry, alienated, oppressed). You just wouldn't think that metal would an audience like it does in this region. This region is important and this book had the ability to take the reader there.

Well, that wraps up what I have read so far this summer. I have a couple in the queue as well, one on the Trail of Tears, a true crime, and another book on music, that surely will not disappoint. So, stay tuned, because part 2 of this list will be coming. And, if you enjoy this list please leave your comments and such.