Category: Books (Page 2 of 2)

Four books made their way to our doorstep today.

We had purchased them just last Sunday from amazon.co.uk, and since we were told at the time that they probably wouldn’t be shipped off before New Year, it was a pleasant surprise to find them sealed, delivered and ready to be fondled at such short notice. Amazon, it must be said, is amazing.

The books, should you wonder, are:

Food of the Gods — Terence McKenna
Gabriela used to have a copy of this, and recommended it to me. The subtitle reads “A radical history of plants, drugs and human evolution”. Hmmm…

the Perennial Philosophy — Aldous Huxley
Gabriela’s dad insisted this was one of the best books he’s ever read, so we decided to buy a copy. Subtitle “An interpretation of the great mystics, east and west”. This one looks interesting to me.

The Frank Zappa Companion — Ben Watson
Now we’re getting into known territory. Both of us are big FZ fans, and this booklet (a mere 191 pages) provides an album by album rundown, providing background info, band line-ups and — Ben Watson being Ben Watson — some highly subjective commentary. Not for the faint-at-heart (but I managed to read through Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play so I think I’ll pull through).

Frank Zappa – A Biography — Barry Miles
Been jonesing for this one ever since it was released in October. A luxurious hardcover edition, 387 pages of the life of FZ. What I appreciate from this book (from what I’ve read and heard in interviews with its author) is the fact that it maintains an obvious respect for Uncle Frank, while at the same time not shying away from observations that are actually quite critical of the man’s persona. Can’t wait to read this.

There’s something very gratifying about buying a book, as opposed to, oh say, lending it from the library. It’s almost a visceral experience. And so, to obtain 4 books all at once in one carefully taped up cardboard box, is as visceral as visceral gets.
Now then. Off to read. Will report on each one of these books as I read them.