Earlier this year, I read my first Bukowski book, Post Office, and I liked his straightforward, gritty style. Ham on Rye is supposed to be his masterpiece, so I gave it a try. The book chronicles the pretty unhappy years of Bukowski’s childhood and adolescence, told through his alter ego, Henry Chinaski. There’s lots of belittling by his father (including…
This is a very cool book that describes in excellent detail some mythical musical gems that for whatever reason never got to see the light of day. The author covers all genres, and has done some impressive research. At the end of each album description, he gives a rating on the odds that the record will ever be released. The…
This was a really interesting book about the history of gay Brooklyn, impeccably researched and filled with fascinating stories about the borough’s queer and trans denizens. It starts in 1855 with the publication of Brooklyn resident Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, and ends just before Stonewall. Brooklyn was a prominent port, and the waterfront attracted quite the crowed, particularly sailors,…
BONUS IMAGE: I found this one from my Ghana collection that I had not posted.
I’ve gotten very into street photography this year, reading lots of books on the topic. Alex Webb is a well-known photographer, as is his wife Rebecca, although neither is really thought of as a ‘street photographer’ in the same way as Joel Meyerowitz or Garry Winogrand, for example. Still, with this book being part of Aperture magazine’s Photography Workshop series,…
Henry Carroll writes small, very helpful, very useful little books about photography. A few months ago, I read his book about taking great photographs in general, and I really got a lot out of it. In this book, he focuses on taking photos of people. In his very clear, encouraging style, he points out some basic rule or technique, and…
I’m late to the party in terms of reading Charles Bukowski. My high school friend John was a big fan, and I know other people who rave about his work, and I love the aesthetics of the book covers, but I’d never read anything of his until now. Not sure what I was expecting, but with Post Office you get…
This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. A very well-written coming-of-age story about a black teenager, Niru, and his best friend, a white girl named Meredith, and their lives in Washington, DC. Niru is an excellent student and a track star who’s been accepted to Harvard in the fall. Meredith has a crush on Niru, but…
Once I get a new tech-gadget, I tend to buy a few accessories to either safeguard my investment, or to make it easier or more fun to use, or both. The Ricoh GR III digital camera is no different. I usually worry about cracks and scratches on any device that has an LCD screen. I’ve been an iPhone user from Day…
Joel Meyerowitz is an amazing street photographer. He’s has published more than 25 photobooks and has had exhibits in museums and galleries all over the world. In his clear, concise, very relatable manner, he gives his inspiring philosophy on photography, along with dozens of photos that illustrate his points and display his skill and talent. The message really resonated with…
We Cast a Shadow is a satirical story in the future about a father (a black man) who tries to protect his bi-racial son from the rampant racism in the world. He does this by desperately climbing the corporate ladder at his law firm so that he can earn enough money for surgical procedures that will lighten his son’s skin…
This short book, by a successful Broadway, TV and film producer, is written like a long-form, multi-chaptered letter. The addressee is his 18-year old son. When his son came out to him as gay, the author was compelled to look back on his own experiences and struggles as a gay man, and hopefully pass on some advice and wisdom. The…
Regular readers of my blog know that even though I retired from veterinary practice three years ago, I’ve remained active in the veterinary community. I still author the bimonthly “The Vet Is In” column for Catster magazine, and I still pop into Dr. Soboroff’s practice, New York Cat Hospital, every now and then to visit him and Dr. Sheheri and…