Hey, y’all. I’m guest hosting for the Duck this month.
So what are y’all reading these days? Hmmm?
I’ve been working through a stack of science fiction, architectural history books, and lots of monographs of photographers whose work I enjoy. I’ll give y’all a relative sample of the science fiction and architectural history and then we’ll move on to the photography books. Sometimes I have found that when you can’t buy the art piece you really really want, having the book sort of helps.
I’ve included images of the books themselves so you can see what they look like. I often may forget the title but will remember the cover art.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
(Goodreads Avg. Rating 4.05 / Amazon
Recommended if you like WWII history, science fiction, dystopian futures, past life regression, murder.
Thoughts: This book asks the reader to wonder if there are some people who live their lives over and over again, and what would you do if you could change the world. The narrator, the titular Harry August, actually has to deal with this when others of his kind begin to disappear or are never born. I enjoyed the hell out of this book and would recommend it only if you can suspend belief and not quibble too much about the science or the premise. It’s dense, so I had to really rush the last half to get it back to the library in time.
The Architecture of R.M. Schindler edited by Elizabeth Smith and Michael Darling
(Goodreads Avg. Rating 3.67 / Amazon
Recommended if you like architecture, architectural history, and plan drawings.
Thoughts: This is honestly not for everyone. It’s rather dry reading, but it is beautifully laid out and has some beautiful photographs of some of my favorite homes and buildings in Los Angeles. The text itself gives some very important context to the buildings themselves and where Schindler’s thought process comes from. It’s also out of print so I managed to snag my copy from Amazon and it turns out this copy came from a university library in England. It showed up in a woven plastic bag. Who knew?
Fire Island Pines: Polaroids 1975-1983 by Tom Bianchi
(Goodreads Avg. Rating 4.78 / Amazon
Recommended if you like naked mens with 70s pornstache.
Thoughts: Tom Bianchi must have known that Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart was being made into a TV two years ago so he could capitalize on the resurgence of interest in this time period. It’s a beautifully laid out book, designed by his partner. The images are faded and un-retouched. There’s no color correction to fix the ravages of what time and sunlight do to photos. The font choice, the font color, and the spare layout all lend to the visual impact this book has. Here’s a quick story for y’all: about nine years ago, during my first sojourn in Palm Springs, I actually used to eat breakfast across from this man and his friends at a local coffee shop. I had no idea who he was. If I had known then what I know now, I would have been all up in his grill annoying the hell out of him asking questions about his work. Also one of my exes has a giant print of his Tea Dance at the Slip and I would kill for something similar.
Halston and Walhol: Silver and Suede Edited by Abigail Franzen-Sheehan
(Goodreads Avg. Rating NA / Amazon
Recommended if you like fashion, pop art, the 70s, and Studio 54. And at the end of the day, who doesn’t like those things, hmmm?
Thoughts: Again, this is a beautifully laid out book. The essays in the book and the pull quotes really capture the time period, the lifestyle, and the look of the decade. It’s a very personal book. The authors of the essays all knew and worked closely with both Halston and Warhol. Published by the Warhol foundation in conjunction with Abrams Publishing, the book is part of their 20th anniversary exhibition currently being shown at the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.
From Galilee to Negev by Stephen Shore
(Goodreads Avg. Rating NA / Amazon
Recommended if you like photographic studies of Israel.
Thoughts: Phaidon doesn’t do anything half assed and this book is living proof to what they put into when they back a photographer’s work. Between the odd size of the book itself, the exquisite maps produced within the covers, the essays chosen to be included, to the full color image on each page with spare text this book is a true wonder. Shore manages to capture both the beauty of Israel in a time of conflict while at the same time capturing the day to day. I got the chance to meet him and have my book signed by him at a photography fair recently. He was unbelievably charming and so nice to someone completely fanboying out at what’s generally a staid event. I also missed GOOP herself by mere minutes, she was there talking to him before I walked up. She has perfect skin and was truly wearing no make up.
Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement By Danny Lyon
(Goodreads Avg. Rating 4.6 / Amazon
Recommended if This isn’t an IF situation. You should peruse this book. Period.
Thoughts: This is a powerful, powerful book. The harrowing photos of the US’s not so distant past mixed with essays written by Lyon as well as historical documents and copies of actual transcripts of meetings with civil rights movement leaders all work so very well together. I have been a huge fan of Lyon for a long time and have his other monographs, but nothing begins to compare to this work. The exhibit itself is currently traveling the US and was a huge hit at the AIPAD show in NYC as well as at Paris Photo LA where this happened. I missed this interaction between the gallery owner’s wife and the man in the photo by mere seconds. He did buy several pieces. Signed copies can be bought here.
I find it hysterical that there are good reads recommendations for books of photographs.
Up next for me is Zahra the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor Mbachu and Brasil Design Visual
All images were taken by the author.
So tell me what you all are reading these days. Please?