Bott's Book of the Week: Her: A Memoir

Woah....Ok so the last memoir I read was a graphic novel and I really missed some of the more detailed imagery that a well written "book" provides. Not that graphic novels don't take the writing seriously (See Maus), but the images are provided for you and that leaves a little less to the imagination. I can conjure up some incredible images in my own mind from a really well written novel or, in this case, memoir. Her does not disappoint. 

I stumbled upon this story while listening to the radio on a drive to Pennsylvania and immediately grabbed a copy when I returned. The interview was with the author Christa Parravani, a Guilderland High alum if I'm correct, and it was heart wrenching. The book evokes every emotion imaginable. It tells a tragic story of identical twins who, despite obstacles and borderline poverty growing up, emerge as budding writers and artists until the unthinkable happens. Cara, Christa's twin is raped. As you can understand, there isn't a ton of good things that follow. Cara cannot come back from this traumatic event and ultimately turns to drugs. When Cara dies, Christa is sitting in traffic in NYC and learns from their estranged mother over the phone. Despite the fact that since the rape they've grown apart, Parravani paints the picture that twins, no matter how distant, are never really that far apart. 

Christa becomes increasingly depressed. She starves herself and becomes addicted to pills. She writes that she's nearly schizophrenic, seeing her sister when she looks in the mirror instead of herself. Before pushing herself to the brink (through a divorce as well), Christa re-emerges as a confident writer and pushes herself through words to tell this powerful story. I love memoirs, especially about people...real people and I am a sucker for tragedy. I'm not sure what that says about me as a person, but books like this make me think I'm onto something nonetheless. Read this book.

  

Bott's Book of the Week - Lying by Sam Harris

I'm reviewing a non-fiction book this week...WAIT, don't hit the little red X in the corner yet...It's about a very person topic. Lying. We all do it. Some do it everyday. But is it all that bad? I mean, what if you tell your significant other they look great with that new haircut when they really look hideous/terrifying? Sam Harris argues that even these little white lies have an affect and erode our moral fiber.

Harris is a brilliant writer. The book is only 108 pages which make it a quick and thought provoking read. My favorite part is that  I went into this book feeling like a semi-honest person and came out feeling a little betrayed by my own sense of morality. That alone made it a great book for me. Harris kindly offers "advice" as to how to become a more honest person as well. He helps to define the fuzzy area of what constitutes a lie or just simply avoiding the truth (a type of lie he argues). 

I'm trying really hard to think of a lie I told that wouldn't be too embarrassing, but for some reason my mind is only going to places would compromise what most of you think of me. Anyway, I strongly suggest going to YouTube and watching a Sam Harris debate as he is a phenomenal off-the-cuff speaker and one of my idols when it comes to debates. He makes a great case in this book for never lying again and although I can't say that's going to happen, I'm certainly going to think twice before I say, "You look great in that dress." or "I love your hair, get it cut like that forever!" After all, when you lie, you have to remember that lie which makes a false memory within the framework of your own mind...Who has time for that?

Bott's Book of the Week: Winger by Andrew Smith

I must be asked 30 times a day, "Do you have anything like John Green?" This is the closest I've come in a while. I love realistic fiction and, moreover, I really enjoy Andrew Smith's writing in his novel Winger. I picked up this booked just I saw the cover and thought, "Who punched Neil Patrick Harris in the face?" It's not NPH but it is a great read.

Winger tells the story of Ryan Dean West. He's 14 years old and already a junior at a boarding school for rich kids. Intellectually, he's way ahead of his peers. Physically, he's still trying to catch up. He's good enough to make the rugby team at the wing position and this earns him the nickname Winger. What he endures because of this is a beat down day after day from his teammates and roommate, but I loved his perseverance. He's small but refuses to give up. The book has drawings that tell a more graphic version of what Ryan goes through on a daily basis. 

What I found surprising about this book was its humor. There were parts (like the aftermath of a crazy party) that had me laughing for quite a few pages. Then there is the emotional perspective. Ryan is falling for his bully roommate's girlfriend which, if you've never known that type of torture, provides the vehicle for some serious emotion and hilarious dialog. Despite being twice his age, I almost looked up to Ryan. The kid has moxie, a real sense of fight. He could have backed down a thousand times in this novel, but didn't and I love that about him. 

So if Looking for Alaska or Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian is your jam, check this out for a surprisingly in depth and humorous read. Parties. The girl you want but can't have. Sports. This book has it all.

Book of the Week Podcast: The Program by Suzanne Young

CLICK HERE to hear Mr. Bott's review of The Program by Suzanne Young

Bott Jams Volume 2

**NOTE** My book of the week will now be on a podcast starting this week. I'll throw the link on this blog by Friday.

I've been given some feedback on my music selections from last week's posts. Most of it was shock that I, a librarian, would ever entertain the thought of listening to "that type of music." I laugh most of the time I hear that because, in my opinion, growing up in the early to mid 90's during the height of metalcore and indie rock was the best time for music...Forget the Beatles, I had Botch. You can have Pink Floyd, I had Pavement. It wasn't the most popular music, but if you had a good group of people who knew had access to a decent record shop, you struck gold.

My parents never listened to music around the house. My dad played some Frank Zappa on occasion, but other than that I was on my own. My cousins were older and in high school already by the time I hit 12 years old and were hanging out with guys in bands that were playing a mix of metal (think old thrash metal) and punk rock. They used to practice on the other side of town and I hung out with them once or twice and got to browse through their catalogs of old records and tapes (yes tapes). Before I knew it, I was hooked. One thing I need to clarify, just because people play loud, screamy music doesn't mean they're evil.

From metalcore I graduated to some indie rock bands that played catchy and above all interesting music. Music that I couldn't find on the radio (aside from say, Nirvana). So that's a really brief summary of why I dig the music I do. Work for your music. Go on the Internet and search for good bands. Go to shows (more on that next week). I found good bands in 1993 and there was no Internet.

Now for the music:

Instrumental Music:
Explosions In The Sky- My favorite instrumental band. Beautiful music that at times can be crushing and they always illicit emotion. Probably the loudest live show I've ever been to.
Godspeed You Black Emperor - Weird and always dark, Godspeed makes for a really interesting show and each one of their albums ebbs and flows through a range of dissonance and melody.
Russian Circles - Chicago based band that is heavier than the previous two I mentioned with a much more drive background of rock influenced instrumentals.
Pelican - Heavy, downtuned, and sometimes confusing. Their first EP was disgustingly heavy and blew out a speaker in my old car. Since then, they've been a little more structured in the music and that works to both their advantage and disadvantage at times.
Mogwai - By far the eclectic band on this list. They do have some vocals in certain songs but for the most part they are instrumental; heavy when they want to be and melodic most of the time.

Explosions in the Sky


Noise Rock/Just Noise
Lightning Bolt: I love this band. I saw them once in Manhattan and before the opening act played their last song, LB (who were set up in the middle of the floor amidst the crowd) just started playing...LOUD. Looking up their song Dracula Mountain on YouTube.
The Melt Banana - I honestly don't know what to make of this band. It sounds a little like throwing instruments down a flight of stairs. Some noise, some grindcore, some synth, lots of confusion.
Daughters - They're from Canada. They're done now, but their first album featured all screaming. Their next two, none. So I don't know if they're metal or noise, but they are strange fo sho. Hit up The Locust while you're at it

Lightning Bolt


Rap/Hip Hop
Aesop Rock - NOT ASAP ROCKY - Aesop Rock is a dude who can throw rhymes like crazy and raps stories with feverish fluidity.
Blackalicious - I know, hilarious name. But seriously, they rap the alphabet...How can you beat that? Two dudes who throw rhymes in multisyllabic format. It's a win.

Aesop Rock

For the Indie Crowd:
The Shins: Wonderful musicians with a knack for hooks that will have you singing along ALL THE TIME.
Pavement: First heard this band in the 90's. A little quirky, grooving guitars, and influenced bands from Weezer to Bright Eyes.
Bright Eyes: Speaking of which, Conor Oberst writes a lot of music. That's one of the things that irks me about Bright Eyes; the shear volume of songs he puts out. I can't keep up, but their catalog is wonderfully eclectic. Sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, always interesting.
Balance and Composure: So they're not really "indie" - in fact, I might classify them as a little grunge- but I love this band. It's easily the most interesting, fluid rock band I've heard in years.
The Appleseed Cast: Solid band, sometimes instrumental and always influential. They are a bit harder than Explosions in the Sky and when you throw in the haunting vocals it makes for a phenomenal and since unmatched combination.

The Shins

HONORABLE MENTION:
3 bands here: The Deadly (Philadelphia), Burning Love, The Bronx. All 3 of these guys are punk rock machines. Their stuff will make you tap your feet and want to see them live. The Deadly is since defunked, but their album "The Wolves Are Here Again" is from Pluto Records and you can buy it for like 2$.





Disclaimer: These recommendations are personal views and not associated with any entity other than Mr. Bott himself.

Bott Jams Volume 1

I've had a ton of conversations regarding music with GHS students so I thought I would share some of the music I'm currently listening to and some bands I think you guys/gals should check out.

Metal/Hardcore: I've been jamming to the harder stuff since I heard Minor Threat and Black Flag back in 1993. Since then I've been obsessed and have seen too many shows to count. My top bands in this genre rarely change and they're a bit older. Most of the stuff coming out today I just don't like
Listen to:
- Turmoil - Philadelphia metalcore that just rips
- Terror - Hardcore music with face-melting riffs and an insane live presence.
- Between the Buried and Me - Epic metal songs that mix melody and technical styles
- Every Time I Die - Big riffs, great lyrics, and getting better with age
- Converge - Best...band...ever


Turmoil's "The Process Of"


Post-Hardcore: I cringe when I hear this word. Asking Alexandria is not screamo. They're just terrible. Here are a couple screamo bands I've listened to for years:
- Circle Takes the Square- chaotic, melodic, and wonderfully mysterious
- Braid - Love love love this band. They are still the best in terms of song structure in this genre.
- You & I - If clean vocals are your thing, don't listen. But phenomenal builds and crushing guitars
- City of Caterpillar - Speaking of builds...this band does it best. Look up their live shows on YouTube and you'll see what I mean.


(city of caterpillar)

Indie Bands: For the more rock oriented folks, these bands are not necessarily radio rock. But definitely more accessible than some hardcore bands:
- mewithoutYou - rock meets rhythm and absolutely incredible vocals. They are, I guess, considered "christian" but don't let that deter you.
- Future of the Left - I'm not sure where to put this band because they're so weird and quirky. I dig their style and their street cred in the rock genre can't be topped.
- Q and Not U - Math rock from D.C. Spastic, but their odd timing keeps you guessing without being pretentious.
- Minus the Bear - I think everyone knows this band. Cross referenced with legendary hardcore band Botch and post rockers These Arms Are Snakes, MTB is the most listen-able(?) band on this list.


(mewithoutYou)

Punk Rock: My first love. Since I happened upon Black Flag back in the day, I haven't looked back:
- Black Flag - Just listen...NOW
- Minor Threat - Ian MacKaye (frontman: See Fugazi) made me love punk rock. He coined the term "straight edge" and has influenced almost every band I've listened to since.
- Find Him and Kill Him - Fastest band ever and is just raw punk rock. Listening to them is like hearing a tornado.
- Kid Dynamite - Having grown up in PA, Kid Dynamite was the punk band everyone wanted to emulate in my town. They could be fast, but also throw in a melody or two that even made your girlfriend tap her feet. Great great band


(Minor Threat)

***Honorable Mention*** Balance and Composure - I'm 3 songs in to their newest and it's awesome. I'll issue an update soon.


There are tons more and I'll update occasionally. Feel free to tweet me some suggestions (books or music) @MrBott1 or throw me some bands when you see me. One more thing, being a librarian I can't help but mention a book here, so for my "Books on Music" pick, it's Journals: Kurt Cobain: A great look into one of, in my opinion, the most incredible and troubled minds in music.

Bott's Book of the Week: My Friend Dahmer...yeah...that Dahmer

So Jeffery Dahmer is a real American horror story. From 1978 to 1991, he was responsible for the murder of 17 men and boys in the great Milwaukee area. But it didn't end there, throughout the course of his trial it came to light that he consumed his victims.

Now...having said that...Why would anyone want to read a book about a serial killer/rapist? First of all, it's not necessarily a biography about Dahmer himself. It's more along the lines of how the author, Derf Backderf, shared a relatively normal high school friendship with this would be murderer. Backderf's art is straight up creepy; but it paints Dahmer in an almost sympathetic light. According to Backderf, Dahmer was a goofball. A kid who didn't fit in and someone who by all accounts was looking for guidance during an impressionable time in his life.

I hate that I felt sympathy for anyone who committed such heinous crimes, but that's what this book does. It makes the reader a.) Uncomfortable because we know the outcome b.) A little angry. I say that because, and Backderf says as much, "Where were the damn adults?" Now, Backderf's book is not without its flaws. He admits to being a bit of a bully and then contradicts himself as saying he was a friend. Still, the book is a quick and quirky read. Something that I don't want to visit again.