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Popular Culture September 2013
"I'm not a good guy. I mean, I don't hurt anybody. But I don't help, either."
~ Louis C.K., American stand-up comedian
New and Recently Released!
Wear Your Dreams: My Life in Tattoos - by Ed Hardy with Joel Selvin
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/18/2013
Share Wear Your Dreams%3a My Life in Tattoos ISBN-13: 9781250008824
ISBN-10: 1250008824
Ed Hardy's designs are everywhere -- even if you have no idea who he is or what they look like, chances are you've seen them on shirts, handbags, shoes, even energy drinks. But they originated as tattoos, designed by Hardy, who inked people even when it was illegal and opened tattoo parlors in Vancouver, Seattle, and San Diego. In his memoir, Hardy recounts his journey from creative kid to cultural trendsetter -- though he admits to conflicting feelings about his deal with French designer Christian Audigier, who's behind all those shirts and shoes. If you're interested in tattoo culture, you won't want to miss this memoir, which also reflects on tattooing history.
I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) - by Chuck Klosterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/09/2013
Share I Wear the Black Hat%3a Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) ISBN-13: 9781439184493
ISBN-10: 1439184496
In his latest book, award-winning critic Chuck Klosterman takes on the concept of villainy, mostly (but not entirely) in pop culture, and how we understand it. From the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair to Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, Klosterman uses familiar references to describe how youthful idealism can give way to an adult sympathy for -- if not evil -- then at least the questionable choices of some notorious cultural figures. What's the appeal of badness? Read this "lively tour of villainy" (Minneapolis StarTribune) to figure it out.
Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution: From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad - by Brett Martin
Publisher: The Penguin Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/27/2013
Share Difficult Men%3a Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution%3a From The Sopranos and The Wire to Mad Men and Breaking Bad ISBN-13: 9781594204197
ISBN-10: 1594204195
Why do so many popular television shows today seem to have rather anti-heroic male protagonists? And why are these shows so good? In this fascinating assessment of the programs that helped TV (especially cable TV) become a legitimate art form in the last 15 years, author Brett Martin explores the nuance and creativity that distinguishes such shows as The Wire, Deadwood, The Sopranos, and Mad Men. He also shares insights into the complicated personalities of their boundary-pushing creators. Full of both serious commentary and behind-the-scenes info (Martin's a fan of these shows, after all), this is a great read for anyone interested in today's challenging more programs.
Mo' Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove - by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Ben Greenman
Publisher: Grand Central
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 06/18/2013
Share Mo ISBN-13: 9781455501359
ISBN-10: 1455501352
For those who don't know him, Questlove (or ?uestlove, or Ahmir Thompson) is the drummer for the Grammy Award-winning group The Roots, which also serves as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. He's also a producer, DJ, and cultural critic. In his first book, Questlove discusses a range of topics, including the influence of hip-hop on his life and career and his interactions with other musicians and artists like Jay Z and Common. Part personal history, part history of The Roots, and part music critique, Mo' Meta Blues is "insightful, provocative, and impossible to put down" (Library Journal).
Focus on: Hunting and Fishing
No Shortage of Good Days - by John Gierach
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 04/24/2012
Share No Shortage of Good Days ISBN-13: 9780743291767
ISBN-10: 074329176X
Author John Gierach is a fly fisher who has written more than 20 books on the topic, from personal musings to dedicated how-tos on tying flies. No Shortage of Good Days falls into the former category, as it's a collection of essays that reflect his visits to regions ranging from the Great Smoky Mountains to Mexico to the Canadian Maritimes and topics like fishing etiquette, mosquitoes, and the charms of third-rate streams. There's plenty of advice too, but it's Gierach's humor and insight that makes him so popular.
The Big One: An Island, an Obsession, and the Furious Pursuit of a Great Fish - by David Kinney
Publisher: PGW
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 07/06/2010
Share The Big One%3a An Island, an Obsession, and the Furious Pursuit of a Great Fish ISBN-13: 9780802144768
ISBN-10: 0802144764
Like Mark Obmascik's The Big Year, David Kinney's The Big One traces the all-out nature of sports competition. Only in this case, instead of record-setting bird-watching, it's the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby that has hopefuls maniacally chasing their dreams. Introducing the colorful characters who descend on the island for the month-long competition (which started in 1946) and their sometimes bitter rivalries, Kinney also explores the tournament's history and the relationship between the island's residents and its visitors. If you love vivid accounts of sporting competitions, you needn't even be a fisherman to enjoy The Big One.
Girl Hunter: Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time - by Georgia Pellegrini
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 12/13/2011
Share Girl Hunter%3a Revolutionizing the Way We Eat, One Hunt at a Time ISBN-13: 9780738214665
ISBN-10: 0738214663
Georgia Pellegrini is a French Culinary Institute-trained chef and blogger who began hunting several years ago in response to her changing views on sourcing meat: she wanted to know if she could eat only that which she had obtained -- hunted -- herself. As she learned how to hunt and field-dress her kills, she also found she'd become part of a larger tradition. Hunters may enjoy her experiences, but foodies will as well; you could also try newbie hunter Lily Raff McCaulou's Call of the Mild. Or, for another, similarly thought-provoking read on dietary philosophy, try vegan-turned-hunter Tovar Cerulli's The Mindful Carnivore.
American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon - by Steven Rinella
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 09/15/2009
Share American Buffalo%3a In Search of a Lost Icon ISBN-13: 9780385521697
ISBN-10: 0385521693
Fascinated by the American buffalo ever since he found a bison skull as a child, Steven Rinella won a chance to hunt buffalo in Alaska in 2005. Though this book shares the tale of this Alaskan hunt, it also addresses the question Rinella asked himself countless times: "How can I claim to love the very thing that I worked so hard to kill?" Rinella also tells the story of the American buffalo -- its past, present, and likely future -- and how it has affected (or been affected by) the country's politics. (You can also read more about Rinella's hunting experiences in his reflective, discursive Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter).
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