Book 36 - Andy Bracken "Worldly Goods"

Andy Bracken "Worldly Goods" (Independent Publisher)





Well, this was certainly a quick read, at 291 pages, that I devoured in a couple of days. I was quite engrossed and yet I was always harking back to other music-related novels such as Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" and the excellent jazz-related "But Beautiful" by Geoff Dyer. The premise of this novel is basically what happens to your record collection when you die, and whether you pass them on to your extant family or not, and something that all collectors like myself might need to ponder upon.

The novel has moments of right-out laughter and moments of absolute melancholy, and moments that are thought-provoking and close to your own relationship with records and the culture around you. In my own back story, I rarely have records that pinned me to moments of life, as I am more of an abstract lover of music than anything that pins down a familial moment or a loved one. However, each to their own, and I applaud how the author tackles this question. So do I recommend it? Yes, unreservedly. Would I read it again? Probably not, as I am much more into non-fiction than fiction.

If you love music you will love this book. Available via Amazon.

Book 37 - Gil Scott Heron "The Last Holiday: A Memoir"

Gil Scott Heron "The Last Holiday: A Memoir" (Canongate)





Gil's voice definitely leaps off the page in his posthumous memoir. Fans of his music definitely need to read it. I can't exactly suss out why his tour with Stevie Wonder on a campaign for MLK Day is used as the framework for it, but I suppose the reverence in which Gil seems to hold his heroes gives some clue. The Last Holiday does feel a little bit frustratingly incomplete, never delving particularly deeply into his mysterious lost years and rumors of homelessness and addiction, which honestly feels like a bit of a cheat despite the periodically brutal honesty of the man and the rest of the work. But the very last chapter, a few brief pages focusing on the death of his mother, the kind of love the Scott family practiced (or didn't), his children, and how he could've been a better man, is absolutely devastating. A fitting end to his life's work - the moments of brilliance and devastating honesty more than makeup for any shortcomings.