Pulphead: Essays | 
pickI greatly enjoyed this essay collection covering everything from animal violence to living in Peyton's Place. I do wish there had been fewer pieces about music, but there wasn't a single boring work. His essay on blues The Unknown Bards made me think of White Tears, while the following piece on Bunny Wailer inevitably called to mind James' Brief History of Seven Killings. One of the best essay collections I've read this year.
I have been enjoying essay collections lately & I just devoured the first 100 pages of the tagged book. The essay I just finished was a hilarious, yet honest look at reality tv. Especially Real World & the strange subculture surrounding it. The one before was heartbreaking. It was Sullivan's experiences in New Orleans right after Katrina. Thoughtful, funny, indignant, moving. Often in the same essay.
I‘ve been in the biggest reading slump I‘ve been in for the past few months. It‘s actually pretty upsetting not enjoying or feeling engaged with the books I‘ve been reading—like a part of myself is gone. That sounds pretty dramatic, but it‘s true. Things are starting to get back to normal now though. Revenge of the Lawn and Men Without Women (Murakami) started pulling me out of the slump. This book is doing a good job of getting me back on track.
pickFinally finished this excellent collection of essays. If there's any unifying theme to the book, it's transience and loss, either from the subject at hand (dead friends, underappreciated artists, lost or changing cultural movements) or from the author's own life (his departure from religion, his interestingly strained relationship with his house). By turns hilarious and deeply moving, contemplative and ridiculous, this is one to seek out.
#catchingup on #marchintoreading
3 - Recent Non-Fiction
A little unsure if essays count towards non-fiction; I guess there're elements of bias in even the more straight-forward textbooks, but I appreciate the acknowledged subjectivity of this kind of writing. Reading about the healthcare debate as it was back in 2009 (i.e., when it was off my radar) is pretty surreal.
"Once you've known Him as a god, it's hard to find comfort in the man."
#Riotgrams day 25 - Favorite Quote
Can seem hokey to say a writer speaks to you, speaks for you. Reading "Upon This Rock" in a shopping mall all those years ago, that's what Sullivan did. The most human article on one's relationship with faith vs religion (Still identify w/ the former if not the latter) I've come across, and a salient look @ "Christian Rock" music to boot.
I remember Ricky and me running into each other in the hallway the first day of seventh grade and with a confusion that we were far too young to handle, both being like, “Why aren‘t you in any of my classes?” When I think about it, I never saw those boys again, not after that day. Axl got away.
Pulphead is about a range of topics American. Some of Sullivan's essays I loved, not least for his tone of voice, but sadly there were also many that went over my head. I am not quite versed enough in American (social, political, and economic) history.
This made me panic about a wasted life then laugh very hard
pickI have an endless love for essay collections and this did not disappoint! I felt there were definitely one or two ones I enjoyed less but I think half of the reason why is because so many of them are brilliant. Highly recommend!
That's a wrap! #24in48 First #readathon attempted:
Time - 19h57
Finished - 3
Partially read - 3
Pages - 858 (and an audiobook)
Time difference has murdered me in these the waning hours of #24in48 but determined to see it and this through in the last hour! #readathon
pickDoing the #2016ReadHarderChallenge? Here's a great recommendation for "Read a collection of essays." This is a fascinating look at American culture, with deep dives into subjects like Axl Rose, Michael Jackson, Christian Rock, and more. Here's the rest of challenge: http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge
pickRevisiting one of my favorite essays, a piece about Axl Rose, in this amazing collection by JJS. If you're doing the #readharderchallenge, this is a perfect book for the essay selection. It's full of fascinating and strange subjects. 🤘🏻
