Books I've read recently

No time like the time that one's boyfriend and house guests are all at band practice to write a blog post about books you've read recently to alleviate boredom. I considered taking up the 50 book challenge after Roxanne and Neal Pollack did it, but since I know myself and my inability to stick with a program, I decided not to. But that doesn't mean I haven't been reading, so here's some stuff I've read since Christmas. A lot of these books were Christmas gifts.

Girl Groups. It's a round-up of various girl groups, written by a guy who collects records of singing groups. I wrote about this book earlier--I have a thing for singers, especially female singers, so it was a lot of fun to read. I don't have the attention span to read full-length biographies of musicians I like, so these collections of short ones are a good way to get the behind-the-scenes fix without getting bored.

Teenage Confidential. My boyfriend bought this for me, mostly for the artwork, I think. It was a quick and interesting read. I'm guessing that most people don't think much on how "teenagers" are a modern concept, pretty much invented in the 20th century. I know I didn't. The sections on the rock and roll culture that arose in the 50s are enjoyable, of course, and the author was careful to remember that the juvenile deliquency "problem" really began during WWII, when young people were left adrift.

America. Yup. "The Daily Show" book. I think everyone got this for Christmas. I had some good laughs reading it, but I have to say that the most fun part was watching my conservative Republican relatives start looking through it cautiously, as if the liberalism might infect by the mere touch and then getting sucked into the humor and just enjoying the book.

We Owe You Nothing. It's a collection of interviews from the magazine Punk Planet. I'm surprised I never checked it out before--the cover photo of Kathleen Hanna is the sort of thing that usually catches my attention. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the inclusive, open-minded attitude of the interviews--even though the editor has strong political views, he was able to get good interviews out of people who disagreed with him or just didn't really give two shits about politics.

Nerve's Guide to Sex Etiquette. Cute, breezy read. A nice antidote to the wretched advice columns that I like to make fun of--the writers, Emma and Lo, make it a point to refute the sexist stereotype that women aren't really that interested in sex. Also, they are very funny women, which may seem like a physical impossibility, but I promise you it isn't. I now know how to behave at an orgy, though I have strong doubts that I will never need that information.