A last few days to left to get some presents for the X-mas holidays, either for your self or friends and family. Being rather bored with the cinema offerings at the moment, I’ve been reading more than watching films (unless I’m catching up on classics).

Books:

1) Cormac McCarthy – Blood Meridian

Incredibly apocalyptic biblical language sweeping you to the darkness of the human heart of existence. Extremely violent. Was recommended to me a year ago or so by John Coulthart and now I’ve heard the Coen brothers have adapted one of his novels to film. I’m still reading it on trains, planes as it just brings me into a trance.

2) World War Z – Max Brooks

Well written horror disguised as an oral account about the great global zombie plague and all the social consequences.

3) The SAS Survival Handbook – John Wiseman

With 2) and other post-apocalyptic and doom scenarios in mind, a great manual and reminder of how bare and basic our existence can become once all the luxury is stripped away

4) Pimp / Mama Black Widow – Iceberg Slim

Great hardboiled styled fiction, both tragic books are not exactly an uplifting experience, but a rather sordid and realistic account of life in the 30s/40s ghettos in America. The prose is full of energy. Mama Black Widow is almost the other side of Pimp in terms of the protagonist, as an old drag queen tells the story rather than a testosterone driven macho pimp.

5) The Tao of Physics – Fritjof Capra

A great study of the overlapping crossroads of ancient Eastern philosophy and the modern branches of science such as Quantum Physics and Relativity Theory. Back in 1975 when this was written it was quite radical, now everybody merely shrugs and takes if for granted that mysticism and science are converging in the 21st century. (this book was a great influence while making The Mindscape of Alan Moore of course)

6) Haunter of the Dark by John Coulthart and Alan Moore.

For H.P.Lovecraft and horror fans in general, an absolute must. Great artwork of course and an interesting exploration of the genre.

7) The Poems (Collected Works of W.B. Yeats).

Haven’t gotten it myself yet, but hardcover with notes by the author. His poem The Second Coming is now recognized as the herald of our time. The chaos and descent into spiritual bankrupcy he describes couldn’t be more accurate.

8) Aphrodite – Isabel Allende

Haven’t read this myself, but back in 1999 (or 2000) I was invited by two lovely ladies who cooked food and read bits from the book. I remember it was after a stressful film shoot, so it was very relaxing and the poetic-erotic view on the culinary art in the book had a nice touch.

9) Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind From the Big Bang to the 21st Century by Howard Bloom.

Recommended to me yesterday by a friend. Sounds fascinating, but haven’t had the time to get it yet. Same author who did The Lucifer Principle and it sounds like another interesting mind writing about the changes of consciousness an increasingly large segment of our population is becoming aware of.

10) Reggae Explosion, The Story of Jamaican Music by Chris Salewicz and Adrian Boot

A big book full of brilliant photography presenting an overview of how a small island produced so much influential music. Fascinating characters and independent entrepeneurs such as Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd alone are worth the read.

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