Two for the shelf

In contrast to the recent “books I’ve been unable to get into” post, here are two recent releases that I’ve breezed through. Sharing similar themes (pop culture awareness, a geeky undercurrent, flip attitude, semi-autobiographical), these two books seemed worth grouping together.

book-cover-rock-roll-savesRock and Roll Will Save Your Life
Steve Almond

I’ve been a big fan of most stuff Steve Almond‘s written over the years, especially 2004’s Candyfreak. He’s very aware of his geeky nature, and that’s what makes his books so readable. If you’re the sort of person who forces mix tapes on friends and co-workers, telling them “no, really, you have to hear the second track!” you are the sort of person Almond describes as a “drooling fanatic.” Fear not, however — this is not an appellation Almond throws about without taking it first as his own. The stories Almond tells in Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life cover the gamut of drooling fanaticism, be they DJ’ing a college radio station, writing for a paper, or simply championing little-known bands to the point where he finds himself managing one of them.

Granted, this book spoke to me on such a personal level, it might as well have been titled Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, Nick. There is a certain person to whom this book makes perfect sense (a list of identifying characteristics from the book can be found on Almond’s website), while most readers will see this as humorously exagerated. It is not — I’ve done many of the activities described in Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, and can attest to many more above and beyond.

book-cover-suck-itSuck It, Wonder Woman!
Olivia Munn

Since I don’t have cable, much of what I know of Olivia Munn comes from YouTube clips and stuff from Topless Robot and other geeky reporting sites. Her writing and comedic style is fairly scatter-shot, jumping from sex jokes to personal reflections to lists to…and so on and so forth. It’s a lot like most books written by comedians in that it reads like a transcription of a stand-up routine interspersed with vaguely relevant anecdotes.

Munn’s a little different in that as you read Suck It, Wonder Woman!, there’s an undercurrent of personal perseverance. She really took it on the chin as a military brat and geeky girl, two things that are difficult enough in and of themselves, but combine to make for an adolescence which would make weaker folks cave and collapse. Munn seems to have channeled this into a ferocious, take-no-shit attitude. The book’s shaky and isn’t as cohesive as it could be. The topic jumping also results in some tonal changes (from confessional to list to picture gallery to industry gossip) that give the book an uneven pace. However, Munn’s humor and brassy, ballsy sense of “I can do this!” make the book a fast, engaging read.