Well, friends, winter has come and gone. Here in Winnipeg, it was a mild one. So mild, in fact, that the skating trail on the Red and Assiniboine rivers was only open for, like, a few days, which was a huge bummer. A lesson, I guess, in not taking things you love for granted, eh?
Still, it was a busy one in our house, which didn’t leave a lot of time for reading. But I was spending a few hours on the bus each week, heading into the office when necessary, which provides good conditions for reading — provided nobody pukes next to where you’re sitting.
In February, my buddy Gonzalo Riedel released a memoir entitled Never Better. I haven’t gotten to it yet, but I know it will be both a great read, as he’s a fantastic writer, but also a heartbreaker, as it concerns the passing of his wife Erica shortly after their second child was born, about eight years ago. Gonzalo and I worked together back in the day at Kustom Kulture and we had a lot of laughs over the years. I was happy to reconnect with him, and hope to stay in better touch going forward. Never Better is currently sitting there atop my TBR pile, so I’ll be sure to let you know more about it next time around.
In the meantime, here’s a run down of some reading I enjoyed this winter, in hopes that you’ll maybe find something here you’ll enjoy, too.
Growing Up Dead in Texas by Stephen Graham Jones — Generational trauma, played out as a fictional (?), evocative, bleak memoir set in sparsest West Texas. Different than other stuff I’ve read of Jones, and definitely worth checking out.
Bad Foundations by Brian Allen Carr — Reviewed this puppy for the Freep (read that review here). Definitely recommend.
Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon — Really enjoyed this memoir. I’ve only ever been a casual Sonic Youth fan, at best. I’ve owned Goo and Dirty on CD and LP, respectively, and loved watching 1991: The Year Punk Broke for the first time back in the day, but only ever intermittently streamed the rest of their catalogue, occasionally going on a deep dive into the early stuff or spinning Daydream Nation on repeat over the course of a workday. However, this is a worthwhile read for anyone with even a passing interest in the band, or more importantly contemporary art in general. Gordon is a great writer with a keen eye and lots of insight into creativity. Her new record is pretty good, too.
Thurston Moore on the streets of Austin, Texas, SXSW 2013, outside the Mohawk if memory serves me well (which, it may not).
Sonic Life: A memoir by Thurston Moore — Not as well written nor as insightful (but twice as long!) as Gordon’s, I still enjoyed this new Sonic Youth memoir, despite how it tended to drag in places throughout. If you’re a completist, it may be worth your time, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a kinship with Moore, particularly as he detailed his music obsessed youth.
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin — Solid piece of sci-fi here. I’m still not totally on board with Le Guin’s style, but the more I read of her, the more I am digging it. The Dispossessed was great, though it did come with a lot of hype, which I figure it mostly lived up to. Will keep digging at her short-stories, I think, before tackling another of her novels.
The Sandman (Vol. 5 - A Game of You) by Neil Gaiman — Pretty solid entry in the Sandman saga, tying together some pieces from earlier books, particularly “The Doll House”, which I really enjoyed.
The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart — The second volume of this Merlin trilogy, following a young king Arthur from conception to his raising of Macsen’s magic sword. These books have been hitting a sweet spot for me, not gonna lie. Very enjoyable.
Saga of the Swamp Thing Book 5 & 6 by Alan Moore — Great pair of books to cap off to this series. Maybe not my favourite arc, but some interesting Batman crossover action, and the final chapter, “My Blue Heaven”, felt reminiscent of some of Moore’s later work with Watchmen, particularly Dr. Manhattan’s period of self-imposed exile on the moon in Book 5. Book 6 went even further afield, exploring deep space and some Silver Age characters from the DC Universe (that I would never have heard of, had I not picked this volume up). Glad to have read the series, and already looking forward to re-reading it, whenever that time may be, somewhere down the line.
The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols — An entertaining epic tale of colonialism and class war in northern New Mexico. Had never heard of Nichols until he died earlier this year, which prompted me to check out his writing. Interesting guy. The book may be a little long, dragging here and there, but overall worth the read, with humour throughout that had me chuckling along more than a few times.
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker — Saw some chatter about this book online, so figured I should check it out. Very enjoyable, short read full of what should be mundane observations about corporate life1. But I totally dug it. A pleasure to read from start to finish.
The Sandman (Vol. 6 - Fables & Recollections) by Neil Gaiman — Another book that acts more like an anthology than a novel, with stories connecting historic figures like Marco Polo, Orpheus, and Mark Twain across the ages, by way of Dream. Some really interesting writing, particularly when in regards to storytelling itself. “You shouldn’t trust the storyteller; only trust the story.”
Liberation Day by George Saunders — Enjoyable little collection from ol’ Saunders. Perhaps not his best, as he tends at time (IMO) to become a bit too George Saundersy with a couple of these stories (which is still pretty good, but). A few, though, really stood out, especially “The Mom of Bold Action” and “Elliott Spencer”, in both form and content, and “My Home” a brief, moving story in the epistolary style that also served as a fitting conclusion to the collection.
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart — Stewart’s final instalment in her Merlin trilogy wasn’t my favourite in the series, but it certainly wrapped the series up nicely, cleverly incorporating many of the Arthurian tales that have endured. Glad I spent the time with these three books. I think I’ll take a little break before wrapping up her series with The Wicked Day, which focuses on the life of Mordred. Arthur’s bastard-son-by-incest-with-his-witch-half-sister Morgause.
Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore — Short little graphic novel, worth giving a read to if you’re into that sort of thing. Assumed it was a longer run, rather than a one-off. Still, fun way to spend an hour.
Opioid, Indiana by Brian Allen Carr — After reading Bad Foundations, I knew I needed to read more of Carr’s output. This heartbreaking little novel was fantastic, gritty and grimy and despite the subject matter funny as hell. He really nailed the tactile feelings of working a dishpit, too. Highly recommend.
The Sandman (Vol. 7 - Brief Lives) by Neil Gaiman — Another great installment in the series, this one focused on family and how each of us live our own brief lives.
Earlier this winter, the Winnipeg Free Press ran a review of Where the Pavement Turns to Sand in early January, written by Christ Rutkowski, one of Canada’s foremost experts on UFOs. I was thrilled! You can read the review here. And you can order yourself a copy of the book, if you haven’t already, here.
Speaking of brief lives and not taking things for granted, an old friend of mine died unexpectedly in late January. While we had been close friends back in elementary school, and kept in touch somewhat through high school and out into the world, we hadn’t really spoken in over 10 years. Still, it was jarring and sad to hear that he died, and I’m feeling for his family and those who knew him better than I did, especially in recent times. As we get older, it can be harder to keep in touch with your friends and loved ones. But it’s worth the while to reach out, now and then, even just to say Hey, what’s up? I’m feeling that lately, for real.
I also got the chance, recently, to check out a new horror-based bookstore here in Winnipeg called Raven’s End Books. They’re doing great stuff, and in a very Winnipeg twist, when I showed up to do the interview, discovered the owner and I used to work together briefly back in The Manitoban days, circa 2008/9. I wrote a little profile for the FP Community Review, which you can read here.
Earlier this month, my buddy Derek and I went down to the Park Theatre for a nice little evening of rock n roll, by way of Dead Bob, the latest project from John Wright of NoMeansNo, Hanson Brothers, etc.
Satanic Rights were as enjoyable an opener as they’ve ever been, while instrumental band Agassiz were lights out. Fantastic stuff. Meanwhile, Dead Bob blew our minds! It was such a lights out performance, I was thinking about it for days after. Still, nearly two weeks later, I’m inspired by the gig.
Dead Bob @ Park Theatre, March 11, 2024
Check out David Guillas of Agassiz’s recent post about it, for more (and subscribe to his wonderful newsletter while you’re there, eh).
Finally, I had a chance to answer a couple questions for The Next Best Book Blog, which was fun. You can read those answers, and more, over here. Cheers!
Particularly great use of footnotes throughout, as well. Top notch.