Inside WSKG

The best idea since sliced bread...

by Crystal Sarakas

As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm an avid reader. I'm also faced with the problem of not having enough space for all the books I buy, and the annoying realization that I might spend too much money on books. I frequent the library quite often, but there are a lot of books and authors that I enjoy that aren't found at the local libraries.

So imagine my giddiness when I discovered Paperspine.* It's Netflix, but for books. The subscription prices are very reasonable - even the most expensive tier is less than what I spend per month on books. I spent some time last night comparing my 'I want to read this but the libraries don't have it and I'm not sure about buying it' list to what's available on Paperspine. Out of 20 books I compared, only 4 weren't available. It looks like Paperspine is only doing paperbacks or trade paperbacks right now, but they say they're looking at a hardcover plan too.

I think I may have found an answer to the space/money issues. I'm all excited. I'll let you know how it goes.

*Disclaimer: This is not an endorsement of this company. I have no idea how well it works so if it's something you find you're interested in, please do your own research and such. But if you do join, let's see if there's a friends option where we can compare reading lists.

New AACM Book

by Scott Hollis

Trombonist George Lewis has authored a new history of the Association For The Advancement Of Creative Musicians, the musicians collective founded in Chicago in 1965 and still active today.   Looks interesting! 

Reading: The Next Generation

by Crystal Sarakas

Harper Collins has decided to post complete books on its website - for free - in hopes of increasing book sales. For the next month, you can read Paulo Coelho's The Witch of Portobello; Roger Director's I Dream In Blue: Life, Death and the New York Giants; Mark Halperin's The Undecided Voter's Guide to the Next President; Robert Irvine's Mission: Cook! My Life, My Recipes, and Making the Impossible Easy, and Erin Hunter's Warriors: Into the Wild. 

Being the sucker for books that I am, I immediately went and checked out the website but I also ran into the problem I've always had when it comes to online books - I can't stand to read them. It's one thing to stare at a computer screen when doing work (or writing, which I frequently do at home) but to just sit there and read? It makes my eyes hurt and is the biggest obstacle for me in reading e-books.

Of course, there are several electronic readers that have hit the market in recent years. Some of them, including Sony's Reader Digital Book, have gone to great lengths to improve the readability of the devices, claiming that it reads just like a book. Alas, I wasn't able to purchase one because they aren't compatible with my Mac.

Then along comes Amazon's Kindle. A portable reader that can hold up to 200 books, isn't backlit (which eases the eyestrain problem) and - best of all - doesn't require a PC. It has its own wireless thingie (that being the technical term I'm sure) that downloads whatever you want to read from the Kindle store - including newspaper subscriptions, magazines, blogs and books. It's the part about being able to download magazines and newspapers that really got my attention - so much waste is generated with these short-life items but does that balance out the energy and resources that go into making the Kindle?

Still, I'm sold. Except - they're sold out, quite possible for many months. But I still think I'll be getting one of these nifty things at some point in the future (once I save up the slightly hefty $400 needed to buy one).

In the meantime, I'll just have to do my reading the old-fashioned way.

Coltrane: The Story Of A Sound

by Scott Hollis

You could fill an entire shelf with the numerous biographies and writings about John Coltrane that have been published since the great saxophonist's death, and I've just finished reading the latest, Ben Ratliff's "Coltrane: The Story Of A Sound," published last year. The book is divided into two parts. The first half traces Trane's musical development, from some very early amateur recordings all the way through the free jazz experiments of his last years, with a good bit of space devoted to musical analysis of specific solos and performances. The second half examines Coltrane's influence in the jazz world and the culture at large, including the long shadow his legacy casts on players and listeners even today. This is definitely a musical biography, with less attention paid to the personal details of Coltrane's life, and more devoted to the specifics of his remarkable creative development. For that reason, it would probably not be the first Coltrane biography that I would suggest to a new or interested fan. Still, for those looking for a thoughtful and insightful look into the musical and creative process of this jazz giant, this is a good read, and the second half makes it especially distinctive among Coltrane biographies. "Coltrane: The Story Of A Sound" is certainly a worthy addition to the ever-expanding library of John Coltrane literature.

Jazz Writer Richard Cook Dies

by Scott Hollis

Just heard that British jazz critic and writer Richard Cook has died of cancer, far too young at the age of 50. Cook is co-author, along with Brian Morton, of the Penguin Guide To Jazz Recordings, for my money the most useful and engaging jazz record guide on the market today.  Currently in it's 8th edition, the Penguin Guide is mammoth, and I'm always amazed that there's enough time in your average human lifespan for a mere two individuals to have listened to the thousands of recordings covered in the book - and not to have merely listened casually, but with enough attention to carefully evaluate the music.  Even when you don't agree with them, you definitely come away with a healthy respect for the opinions of Cook and Morton.  Perhaps even more importantly, the Penguin Guide is not only informative, but just plain fun to read, with a sly sense of humor and a real love for the music evident throughout.  I must also add that it contains, on it's back cover, one of the most accurate blurbs I've ever come across, courtesy of Fortune magazine: "It's the kind of book that you'll yank off the shelf to look up a quick fact and still be reading two hours later."  Yep.  Been there, done that.  More times than I can remember.  R.I.P Mr. Cook.

give me books or give me ...

by Crystal Sarakas

I'd like to say I was surprised when a recent poll came out that revealed that 1 in 4 adults didn't read a single book last year, but I wasn't. I had read a similar poll a couple of years ago so it wasn't news for me. That doesn't make it any less depressing.

Personally, I can't remember a time when I haven't been a fanatical reader. I started early and by the time I hit 1st grade, reading was my number 1 hobby. While I've certainly expanded my portfolio of fun in the years since, I still rank curling up with a good book as one of my top three favorite things to do.

I've been blessed (or cursed, depending on how you look at it) with the ability to read very fast. I read 106 books last year and set a goal for 2007 of reading 100 'new to me' books (I tend to re-read my favorites a lot and I wanted to expand my horizons). So far, I'm up to 44. My fiction reads go faster than my non-fiction, but I enjoy just about anything with words in it.

I don't think everyone should be like me. It's become a bit silly at times to shell out $25 for a new hardcover that I know I'll be finished with in just a few hours.  But to not read a single book at all? I can't imagine a world like that. What do people fill their time with? I'll grant that the age of the Internet has certainly given us a new, shiny distraction that takes away from time for other interests so perhaps it just boils down to having to choose between hobbies. For me, I would rather give up television that give up books. Even my movie-going days have dwindled, although that has more to do with the substandard manners of most audiences these days than a lack of desire to see good films.

It does get me thinking as to how the public broadcasting industry might get involved with encouraging reading in our communities. A region-wide book club? Regular events with authors? More book-related programming?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Are you a reader? How often do you read? And if you have a book recommendation for me, I'm always looking for the next great read!

(Image: The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg)

Pass the chocolate frogs, please

by Crystal Sarakas

So this past weekend, I, along with 11 million of my closest friends, ventured out and picked up the final Harry Potter book. I actually went out at midnight Friday, but took one look at the mob scene that was the "line" for getting the book, and went back home. I  stopped by the bookstore Saturday afternoon and walked in, picked up the book, paid and was out again in about 10 minutes. Much less stress.

I finished it late last night, not because I necessarily wanted to push myself to read it that fast, but because I didn't want it to be spoiled for me by various online people who decided that making random posts to spoil the ending was their idea of a good time. Apparently, these people were also around during the midnight parties; one person at the bookstore said that several people had to be escorted out of the store by the police because they were shouting spoilers and generally trying to ruin people's fun.

I just don't get people like that.

I enjoyed the book, even though the first couple hundred pages seemed to drag a bit. The final half was a whirlwind of action indeed though, and I'm really looking forward to seeing this one on the silver screen. There's one duel in particular that I can't wait to see, even if the final confrontation between Harry and You-Know-Who was slightly anticlimactic. J.K. Rowling introduced a lot of story in this one - enough that I plan to read it again at a slightly less than breakneck pace, just to catch and understand all of the lore that she wove into the story.

What I do find so fascinating about the Harry Potter phenomena is that all this hype and hysteria isn't about a rock star, or the latest geek gadget or some blond famous only for being famous - in this particular case, all this hype is over a book. My husband and I went out to the Ramblin' Pig in Conklin for dinner on Sunday (their barbecue is absolutely delicious) and there were two people toting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with them. I saw someone sitting a bustop on the way to work today, reading it while they waited for their bus. It seemed like everywhere I looked this weekend, there it was - all those people feverishly devouring the final fate of a boy named Harry.

It made my bibliophilic heart quite happy.