Items about books I want to read, #23

Posted by: A. Rivera on: September 10, 2011

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Here we go with the 23rd post in the by now semi-regular series of “Items about books I want to read.” The saying “so many books, so little time” is very applicable here. I keep finding out about books that sound interesting that I want to read. At times, I also find books that I think are unique or quirky somehow, and I would like to read those as well. Thus I continue building these lists, and if any of my three readers out there find an idea or two for a book to read because of these posts, well, that is an added bonus. So, here we go:

Items about books:

• I enjoy a good drink now and then, in moderation of course. There is a new history of bars in America out (via the Smithsonian Magazine website).  The book argues that bars and other drinking establishments are places where conversations can start. I wonder how that compares to the idea of coffeehouses as intellectual and conversation spaces, an idea I’ve read about elsewhere (in The Coffee House, which I do not really recommend and in The Coffee Book, which is a better read about coffee). One way to find out is to read the book. The book in question is America Walks into a Bar by Christine Sismondo. (A hat tip to The Millions).
• The blog Awful Library Books listed this book: Beefcake: the Muscle Magazines of America, 1950-1970. The bloggers briefly describe it as “an interesting look at how the idea of the ‘beefcake’ came to be throughout the history of men’s magazines.” Another way to look at it, according to the bloggers, is that it gives a look at standards of male beauty, at least in a given time of history. For me, it seems like a look at American pop culture. Being the curious reader seeking to learn more, I am adding the book to my list. The book is likely one that ladies may appreciate a bit more since it seems to feature (from what little is highlighted by ALB) some good beefcake photography, but I think anyone who appreciates some good art may find it of interest.
• The Jewish Book Council Blog highlights a book on the relationship between the Jewish people and Chinese food. This book is about the experiences of a Jewish-American man as a Peace Corps volunteer in China. The topic of Jews and Chinese food is one I encountered before in the book The Fortune Cookie Chronicles. Do keep in mind that Michael Levy, the author of the book highlighted in the JBC Blog, is looking at food in China, not Chinese food as we know it in the States; that distinction is important. Levy’s book is entitled Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating with China’s Other Billion. It does sound like an interesting book.
• This is more of an art book, but it does seem neat. For years, I’ve kept a personal journal, but I am not very good at sketching things in it. So this book of famous journals and sketchbooks looks interesting. Who knows, I may find some inspiration. The book is Julia Rothman’s Drawn In: a Peek Into the Inspiring Sketchbooks of 44 Fine Artists, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, and Cartoonists. Found via Notebook Stories.
• From the Palimpsest blog, a book about handwriting and how it persists in the age of technology. As a journal writer, and likely a member of the last generation who actually had to learn handwriting and penmanship in school, I do have an affinity for handwriting things. The book is Sonja Neef’s Imprint and Trace: Handwriting in the Age of Technology.
• Via Notebook Stories, a tip about a book about businesses’ need to find niches instead of trying to do everything for everybody. The book is James Harkin’s Niche: Why the Market No Longer Favors the Mainstream.
• A new book (as of this post) on information literacy. I have not been reading books related to my work and specialization as often as I should, so I am adding this to my list. The book is A Guide to Teaching  Information Literacy: 101 Practical Tips. A hat tip to the Information Literacy Weblog.
• Guys Lit Wire review a science fiction classic: The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. I have to fix this gap in my science fiction reading soon.
• Guys Lit Wire also review a book that falls within my line of work: Neal Wyatt’s The Reader’s Advisory Guide to Nonfiction. I do a bit of reader advisory here and there, and it is an area of librarianship I do enjoy. I also read a lot of nonfiction myself, so this may be good book to look over just for reading ideas. In addition, a few years ago I read Burgin’s book on the same topic, so it seems that a comparison may be in order.
• Via the Powell’s blog, a review of Susie Bright’s new memoir Big Sex, Little Death: A Memoir. I do read Ms. Bright’s blog (warning to the sensitive: contains erotic content), which I do find interesting, and I often learn something new from reading her work. While memoir is not one of my favorite genres, I am hoping this might be a better example of that genre.
• This one sounds like a fun, little book. I always like books of trivia and rare facts and history, so this seems up my alley. PhiloBiblos reviews the book Lost States: True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States that Never Made it.
• I have said before that I may well be part of the last generation to learn handwriting and penmanship. I still write in my personal journal, and my handwriting is still pretty good (though it could use some more practice to make it as neat as when I was a kid). Anyhow, Blog of a Bookslut mentions the book Script and Scribble: the Rise and Fall of Handwriting. The blog also points to an article on the demise of handwriting which may be of interest.
• A book on sex? That sounds interesting. Joking aside, this history of New York and sex, The Forbidden Apple, does sound interesting. Now, I found out about it via the Vintage Sleaze blog (warning to the sensitive: this blog can and does contain risque content), which highlights how the book discusses army sex ed. and how it was not exactly successful.

 

Book lists and bibliographies:

• Via the Comics Bulletin webzine, a list of “Top 10 Crime Comics of the Last 20 Years.” Sin City is the only one I’ve read from the list, so I have some catching up to do. A hat tip to BuzzFeed.
• Via Good.is site, a list of books on the topic of riots. Of the list, I have read Among the thugs, which I also saw performed. Excellent work. I will have to give others in the list a try.
• Via the Jewish Book Council Blog, here is “a Gay Jewish Reading List.”

 

Tags: books and reading, lists