Non-fiction book reviews part 2

Non-fiction book reviews part 2 - music

This is part two of a series where you learn more about me, based on the NetGalley review books I request and review. (Part 1 here.) Today we are talking about music. I'm not the biggest music fan. I listen to music, but it's more a "lets put something on while I cook dinner" than a "$1200 for Taylor Swift tickets, seems like a bargain" kind of thing. Recently two books about artists I like (and occasionally listen to) came up on Negalley:

Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life by Tracey Laird (publishing 10/10/2023)

This is a measured, well researched and comprehensive scan across Dolly's whole career. It has lots of information, photos of Dolly across her career and an informative, factual and easy to read tone and layout. It uses a wide range of secondary sources to provide this information. What this book does not do (or try to do) is provide any new or controversial material. It would make a great coffee table book, and I'd recommend putting on a Dolly album, pouring your beverage of choice, sitting back in a comfy chair and enjoying.

David Bowie Rainbowman 1967-1980 by Jerome Soligny (publishing 5 September 2023)

This book is the exact opposite of Dolly Parton, with loads of original research, lots of original interviews and many pages without pictures, which is not surprising, givben this book is more than 700 pages long.

Oddly this book is written in the present tense (in 1969 Bowie is living in...) which I found peculiar. It's full of interviews "with the musicians, producers and friends who knew Bowie best" almost all of whom are men. I don't know if this is a reflection on Bowie and his life or on Soligny. This biography is very, very detailed and gets very technical at times. This is not a volume for the casual fan, but for those who want to take a deep dive into the music of David Bowie.

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Geogradiant MKAL Part 1 - that was unexpected (spoilers)

Stephen West released the first MKAL clue on Thursday night. I started knitting it without looking at spoilers. When I got up on Friday he had sent through an "alternative" clue one. I then went and had a look at the spoiler thread to try to work out what was going on. Which was that some people thought the pattern looked like a "German hate symbol". I knit on anyway, since I was half-way through. Then he took down the original clue, replacing it with a mitred square in garter stitch. The Ravelry forums and Instagram are a complete shit-show, even though Rav is being moderated. It's been a bit disheartening, having something that is usually quite light and fun weighed down with all this. I admire Stephen's quick and sensitive response to this drama. I also feel that anything can look like anything if you squint. To me this looks like a Celtic knot. I think mine is pretty, and I'll knit on through all crises.

Linky Wednesday - the one with the drama

The drama about the Stephen West MKAL continues, and I can't be bothered with it. It's meant to be a fun, interesting, communal knit and and that's not what this year has turned in to. Stephen has done his best in a difficult situation, but I'm just not feeling it. Meanwhile, Israel is at war, and we (as a country) are going to vote "no" on a referendum that asks for basic consideration for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders. So yeah, lots of turmoil here. It's very tiring. I'm knitting a sock and considering what happens next. Luckily the reading was dramatic in a good way. I'm reading a NetGalley review copy of Last Summer at the Lake House and it's great. Super dramatic family drama about three sisters who loose their father unexpectedly and then find out that the family has secrets. I 've nearly finished it and I don't know what I'm going to read next. I've got a bit of a break between review books, so maybe Sta

Mussleburgh musings

I made a Mussleburgh hat earlier in the year, and even though I thought I was following the directions exactly it did not come out quite right. It was a little bit loose. My head is 51 cm, my gauge was 7 stitches, so according to the pattern I knit the right size. It's also a little bit shorter than I would like it. Too long for a beanie, too short for a good turn-up. I couldn't work out why. I still wore it, but it was not quite right. When I decided to knit one for Elise I knew I wanted to make it longer, and tighter. After I finished Elise's (with 24 fewer stitches) I realised something about mine: Now, this is a knit tube. I know how to knit tubes. When I make sleeves or socks, they don't balloon out in the middle. So I decided to reblock it. The instructions actually specifically say to fold it inside each other after blocking, but I probably folded it and dried it on my head, because that's how I block my hats. Not this time: Now it's longer and thinner

What I made, by Sharon

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