Stalking the catalogue: Twitter wit

"Once again it occurs to me that you could kidnap anyone by standing confidently in an airport with a card with their name on it."
 - Neil Gaiman | @neilhimself

Sometimes, what happens on Twitter shouldn't stay on Twitter.

Warning: this title contains much hilarity!  Twitter is not for everyone.  I feel like that should go without saying...and yet I stated it anyway.  Just in case.  The good thing about this book is that you don't have to be a Twitter-user to understand the jokes.  If you like your humour in small doses (i.e. 140 characters or less) or have a goldfish attention span (much like me) then this is ideal.

Title: Twitter wit : brillance in 140 characters or less
Editor: Nick Douglas
Published: itbooks, c2009

Stalking the catalogue: WWE encyclopedia

'...an industry defined by larger-than-life personalities performing acts both heinous and heroic...'

I'm a girl, I have an IQ higher than double digits and I'm an unabashed WWE fan.  I have followed the drama and pomp of WWE since the 1980s, when wrestlers such as Bret the Hitman Hart (my alltime favourite wrestler - boy was I gutted when he was cheated of his title in '97), Hulk Hogan, Jake the Snake Roberts and others dominated the ring.  These days there are more pyrotechnics, weird outfits, strange hair and bared skin (in the case of the Divas) but the battle for belts - and good guys versus the bad guys - never changes.  Each year when WWE comes to NZ I buy tickets and go along dragging my nephews for my cover story.

It's a tall order to expect one book to cover the rather spectacular history of WWE but I think that this encyclopedia does a fairly comprehensive job.  The only thing it doesn't do, which may not be a biggie, is list how past wrestlers died .  Followers will know that some wrestlers died in rather newspaper-making circumstances and none of that is mentioned.  I can think of at least 5 wrestlers off the top of my head who, in the last 2 years alone, were quietly suspended for drug use until they'd cleaned up but there's nary a word of it here.  Perhaps the aim is to concentrate more on highlights of careers rather than lowlights - to keep it in the ring, so to speak.  Either way it still makes for great reading.  I spent a long time oohing and aaahing over names from my childhood and remembering old matches.  Nostalgia never felt so good.  I wish I could say, like DX 'If you're not down with that then I've got two words for you...'  but I won't.  What I will say is: Don't bother to call yourself a diehard fan if you have not read this comprehensive 50 year history of the WWE.

Title: WWE encyclopedia : the definitive guide to World Wrestling Entertainment
Authors: Brian Shields & Kevin Sullivan
Published: DK/Brady Games, 2009

Stalking the catalogue: Cancer vixen

"Here is the tumor.  It looks like a black hole."

Four years ago I lost a friend to cancer. It wasn't until then that I realised it is an equal opportunist killer - men, women, children. It doesn't care about friends, families, lives yet to be lived, hopes, dreams, good people, indifferent people, careers. It doesn't care.  Fullstop. All of this time later and I still can't make sense of it. Sometimes, when I remember how bad things were towards the end, all I can remember is my own anger, and sadness, and helplessness, and how hugely important it was to not let my friend see all of that. Particularly not when she retained so much hope and strength. But Cancer Vixen gave me an insight into so much of what Trace chose not to share with us (that I couldn't, wouldn't, or was too afraid to ask about) and for that alone I love it.

Marchetto's graphic novel account of her experience with cancer is bold, hilarious, funny, strong, sad, truthful, comical, stunningly visual, and painfully human. (Which is exactly how I feel Trace was as a person, particularly towards the end of her life. Do I romanticise her? I'd like to think not). The most amazing things passed through Marchetto's mind at any one time and those, I think, gave the book an extra personal slant, e.g. her relationship with her very funny (s)mother (as she refers to her mum), women who blatantly chased her fiance, medical insurance, the best hamburger she'd ever eaten (and she has a copy of the receipt in the book of said hamburger) and so on. Would this book have meant as much to me had I not known Trace? I'm not sure. I do think I'm a little better off (in coming to terms with her death) for having read Cancer Vixen.

As 'stalking the catalogue' items go, this is a win.

Title: Cancer vixen [graphic novel] : a true story
Author: Marisa Acocella Marchetto
Published: Fourth Estate, 2007

Stalking the catalogue: Inventory

"Why does a book of lists need an introduction?  Isn't this book specifically marketed to people who like lists because they hate reading?  And doesn't everyone hate reading?  Isn't that why Eli Whitney invented the internet?  Absolutely."
 - Chuck Klosterman (introduction)

Read this book on your own. That's about the only advice I can give, really. You will scream chortle, giggle until you choke, guffaw, wheeze until you expire, sigh, spray coke out of your nose, snicker, belly laugh until you cry, gasp, pee your pants, wince, hoot and holler. Not necessarily in that order. And you certainly won't want people around to see your reactions.

The very talented writers of the A.V. Club have compiled pop-culture lists that are so specific in some instances you'll wonder why the heck you never thought of them yourself, or perhaps wonder why some sicko would think of them in the first place. The oddball part of it is, I found myself agreeing with quite a bit of the content, and wow are there some obscure books/films I'd forgotten I'd ever read/seen and am sure I never want to read/see again. How can I resist a list such as 'Keanu Reeves movies somehow not ruined by Keanu Reeves'? He may look hot but whenever I watch his movies I feel like I'm watching a wooden puppet who delivers everything in the same deadpan monotone and I'm always looking for evidence of strings. That's not to take away from his movies, hell no, some of them are pure effing genius (look at The Matrix) but whether that's about the writing or the fact that he looks hawt in leather I can't tell.

In the interests of 'research' (aka timewasting) I spent much time in YouTube, IMDB, local videoshops and in our library catalogue putting together any list I found even remotely noteworthy.  Why?  Simple.  How else can I say I agree/disagree if I don't have the foggiest idea what they're on about?  Certainly caused quite heated discussions between family and friends (everyone had differing opinions that just had to be voiced loudly because obviously, right?).

My most favourite list is 'Play it again, only better: 14 cover songs that outdo the originals.'  I had such a blast looking up most of them on YouTube just to compare them (sometimes for the first time, sometimes for the umpteenth time).  I can't name my next favourite lists as most, if not all, have swearing in them.  In closing, I'm not a fan of movies, books, film or tv series that are considered totally 'high brow.' Seriously, classy is wasted on me. I definitely like to mix it all up and, sometimes, the trashier the better as far as I'm concerned, so I really enjoyed the fact that you'd find the classics (film, music, book etc) rubbing shoulders with the trashy. If you're a fan of pop culture mixed with lashings of tongue-in-cheek humour interspersed with tonnes of curse words - then come right ahead. This is your kinda book.  Which is probably just as well because I don't think we have another book of its kind in our branches.

Title: Inventory : 16 films featuring manic pixie dream girls, 10 great songs nearly ruined by saxophone, and 100 more obsessively specific pop-culture lists
Editor: Josh Modell
Published: Scribner, 2009

Stalking the catalogue: The girl in the song

"Wake up Maggie
I think I've got something to say to you
It's late September and I really should be back in school..."
- Maggie May by Rod Stewart

This book! OH. This book. I'm not sure it adds any great meaning to anybody's life but my own, but it fills one of those feel-good boxes (that I do so enjoy ticking) with its quirk factor and trivia.

If I had to nail it down (by all means, let's), it'd be the fact that it appeals to my not-so-inner-quiz night-attending geek. My three favouritest ever, ever, ever songs inspired by women are, in order, Maggie May by Rod Stewart, Lola by The Kinks and My Sharona by The Knack.

I always knew why Stewart penned the lyrics to Maggie May: he lost his virginity (many, many, many years ago) with an unknown girl at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival in 1961.  As songs of regret go, it's a classic (in my mind).  Lola, by The Kinks, is a song my very open-minded dad liked to sing to me as a kid which, going by the rather oppressive environment he grew up in, is rather surprising.  The song itself is about a sexual experience with a transvestite.  I'm not sure who the song is really about - Rolling Stone had their own idea that it was Candy Darling - whether or it not it was isn't categorically stated in the book, but it makes for interesting reading, anyway.  And My Sharona, gosh as rock tracks go it is awesomeness personified.  As rock tracks inspired by dirty lustful intentions towards young girls not even out of their teens go, oh dear *pulls a face*  Did it put me off the book?  No way!  But I listen to My Sharona with a prejudiced ear, now.

If you're into music trivia this is well worth the read. I'd also recommend The boy in the song: the true stories behind 50 classic pop songs.

Title: The girl in the song : the true stories behind 50 rock classics
Authors: Michael Heatley & Frank Hopkinson
Published: Chicago Review Press, 2011

Stalking the catalogue: Cadillac dreams

"It started with Graceland."
- Phil Gifford

Every great adventure should start with a quote a little something like the one above.  Our catalogue synopsis doesn't even begin to do this book justice - in fact, it does more of a disservice than anything else.

This is going to suck as a 'stalking the catalogue' post because it's going to ramble. (Yeah, like every other post I write).

I loved it. Yeah, I know, I almost always say that about books but this one really struck a chord. Possibly because Phil and wife and friends visited the parts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Tennessee that I'd wanted to see but didn't have the time when I was there. What also comes through is their genuine love of music and people. Four friends decide to take a trip to the US and check out the places that were home to music styles and musicians that meant so much to them growing up. It could have been hokey. In fact some part of me was quite scared it would be. What else am I supposed to expect of someone who WANTED to visit Dollywood ON PURPOSE, for crying out loud? But it wasn't - it was fun, lighthearted, serious, a social commentary, engaging, very informative and, at all times, highly entertaining.

In my mind, the mark of a great book is something that moves you - to laughter, to tears, to anger, to disgust - to anything. I want to take Gifford's trip, now. I want to visit the Alamo, I want to see more bars on Beale St (instead of just poking my head into B. B. King's bar), I want to redo the Rock and Soul Museum, I want to hear bluegrass music played in Mississippi or Tennessee (although preferably Kentucky). Even more, I want to have the same varied range of conversations that they had. Maybe that, too is the mark of a good book. An added bonus was that I learnt so much about Gifford the man. For years I'd always just thought of him as Loosehead Len - thanks to dad I grew up listening to his sports broadcasts/reading his newspaper articles. My dad really respected his opinion. But I never knew that he had been the kinda journalist who interviewed musicians. And not tinpot musos (although maybe those too) but freakin' artists like B. B. King, Jerry Lee Lewis, and so many more my head spins just thinking about it. I was mightily impressed. Not just because he spoke to them but because he KNEW their music, FELT their music, UNDERSTOOD their music. It wasn't just words. He got it, and because he writes so well, I got it, too.

A smidgeon of it, but I got it.

Title: Cadillac dreams : Baby booming across the Southern States
Author: Phil Gifford
Published: Wilson Scott Pub., c2006

Stalking the catalogue: Twitterature

Watchmen by Alan Moore - @Rorschizzle
"A comedian died tonight. He was all about the lulz. No one laughed."
- Twitterature: The world's greatest books in twenty tweets or less by Alexander Aciman

Imagine if you could capture books in 140 characters or less. Imagine Wuthering Heights and all of its angst in 140 characters. Some books, let's face it, may improve if done this way (yes, Twilight, I'm looking at YOU). It'd be almost like a crash course, if you will. Twitterature, in short, provides this in a really funny way.

This is not going to be everybody's cup of tea.  I have a habit lately of stating the obvious, but I feel I need to say that right at the outset.  I, however, enjoyed it. I'd like to point out, though, that if you're not familiar with a lot of the stories then some of the humour is going to fall flat on its face.

There were a couple of stories that I didn't know so I'm going to brush up on them because, hey, I hate feeling like I don't know something.  A warning: it does contain swear words. And I'd like to make it known that I disagree with the part of the blurb that reads "...as great as the classics are, who has the time to read those big, long books anymore?" Umm ME! I do! I heart them! And I can do both - read them in full, and then read them in 140 characters or less. 'Cause I'm awesome like that.

A lighthearted and irreverent look at some well known tales that will cause you to snort with laughter on the bus, and the train (I know this because I did it), and just in general. Really.

Title: Twitterature : the world's greatest books in twenty tweets or less
Author: Alexander Aciman and Emmett Rensin
Published: Penguin Books, 2009

Stalking the catalogue: Ophelia joined the group Maidens Who Don't Float

"Suffice it to say I was compelled to create this group in order to find everyone who is, let's say, borrowing liberally from my INESTIMABLE FOLIO OF CANONICAL MASTERPIECES (sorry, I just do that sometimes), and get you all together. It's the least I could do."
 - William Shakespeare's Admirable, Righteous, Singular, And Incomparable Booke Club Group

As a fangirl, I sometimes wonder what my fave tv show characters would be like in social media. Dean (Supernatural because OF COURSE, RIGHT?) would be all BAMF!Dean because he is the epitome of badassedness. Sam would be all puppy eyes and tortured posts. Castiel would be this curious mix of IRL Misha's hilarity and the naive Cas I adore. But classic lit characters/authors - how would they come across in social media? A little something like this, apparently:

• Rochester suggested a friend for Jane: his secret wife, Bertha. He thinks she may know Bertha too
• Miss Havisham sent Estella a secret request: BREAK HIS HEART
• Alice took the quick What Drink Are You? with the result "Shirley Temple"
• Hemingway became a fan of Using a Neutral, Disinterested Tone to Heighten the Realism of War
• Dr. Frankenstein became a fan of Weird Science

  Yeah. I can get behind that :)

Title: Ophelia joined the group Maidens Who Don't Float : classic lit signs on to Facebook
Author: Sarah Schmelling
Published: Plume, c2009

Stalking the catalogue: Secret identity

"Superman was an authentic American dream - he simply outclasses all rivals and seemed to thrive on having enemies. Indeed - the dark side of the myth - he seemed to almost generate them."
 - Dennis Dooley, Superman at Fifty (1988)

It's amazing the number of discussions I've had with people about this book who deem the art inside as some of Shuster's worst, as if Superman was all he had to give and that it defined him in some way. Yoe's book is more than a salacious recount of serial killers inspired by fetish comic art and makes for quite fascinating reading - after all, who could resist reading about a war against comic books that involved '...psychiatrists, senators, religious leaders and parent groups...'?

Superman was all about heroism and justice, interestingly enough none of which can be found in the Nights of Horror images highlighted in Secret Identity.  The drawings seem to show people at their worst. No, that's not right. Perhaps it's more accurate to say that they depict fetishists as 'bad' or 'kinky' people.  A value judgement that would have been underlined by the fact that these publications were sold 'under the counter' at the time. (These days I don't know if it would be so shocking, or if we would be so quick to make such a judgement of people. Maybe we're at the point where we can own our 'kinks' so as not to be made to feel vulnerable about them? I don't know).

There's an introduction at the front by Stan Lee, who writes, 'Joe Shuster eventually found himself in a position where he had to accept any art job that was offered to him because of his need for funds.'  Money issues aside, the artwork is spectacular - if unusual.  Or at least, not something we talk about in polite company - which is probably why I read this in the first place.

One more thing - don't be surprised when you realise that some of the characters in the fetish images resemble Lois Lane or Clarke Kent.  Whether that was intentional or not I have no idea.

If you're after cheap thrills and pictures of scantily clad men and (mostly) women in compromising positions then this is definitely your kind of book.  However...if you're a longtime fan of graphic novel art and can separate the aesthetics (and the talent) over the subject, then you'll get a kick out of this title.

Title: Secret identity : the fetish art of Superman's co-creator Joe Shuster
Author: Craig Yoe
Published: Abrams ComicArts, 2009

Stalking the catalogue: Off the beaten page

"So...what? You think you can just read about places and then go and visit them?"
- My sister, in 2009

Yes, yes I really do believe that I can just read about places and then go and visit them. I mean...why not? Sure, it seems whimsical, but I'm pretty sure it's a common thing. A lot of the places that I want to travel to and visit are because of books I've read, tv shows/movies I've watched, food I like the idea of, and music I've listened to.

A quick look at only some of my travel/literature/music/film/tv list reads something like this: Durrell Wildlife Park thanks to a childhood full of his stories and novels - he is forever my hero. Wider Jersey Island because of shows like Bergerac and the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Shaffer. Oxford because of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse books (hell, I even wanted to own an MG because of the place, not a Jag like Morse, and I want one of my sisters to have a baby so I can call him Endeavour because why not?). New Orleans thanks to my grandfather's mixed tastes in music and, later, the show Treme - I wouldn't have met Kermit Ruffins, otherwise, or some of the musicians from the Rebirth Brass Band. Memphis for Beale Street bars, music, Graceland, and most especially for the National Civil Rights Museum. 221B Baker Street because Sherlock obviously. Canada because Due South is my favouritest show ever ever ever (I'm not even kidding - I want another sibling to have a child so I can name him/her Diefenbaker). Anchorage for the song "Anchored down in Achorage" by Michelle Shocked. Route 66 for the song and the movies I saw it featured in growing up. The list goes on and on and, well, on.

If you're into blending travel with literature (and travelling in the US), then you need to add Smith's Off the beaten page to your ever-expanding TBR (to be read) list. Just to read for fun, if not to use as ideas for future destinations. I found one great reason: a Mark Twain inspired steamboat tour along the Mississippi. I never did one when I was last over there and I'm reading this book thinking "You didn't do this? Look at your life! Look at your choices!"

PS: I'm back with a weekly post, stalking our catalogue, bringing you all kinds of strange and wonderful findings. Whether you want them or not... You're welcome.

Title: Off the beaten page : the best trips for lit lovers, book clubs, and girls on getaways
Author: Terri Peterson Smith
Published: Chicago Review Press, 2013

Top 5 most requested DVDs

"Drama is life with the dull bits cut out."
- Alfred Hitchcock

Short post from me today. For one reason: it's not about me (who knew?) - what we do is all about connecting YOU with our services and resources. So I shall simply introduce this post and get out of your way :) For your delectation, I offer up our top 5 most requested DVDs. Why? Think about it: Wet weather + Our DVD collection = No Brainer, and I'm not sure about you guys, but I intend to spend this weekend working online while Due South (yes, featuring Constable Benton Fraser the Mountie because, hey, that's how I roll AND because I ADORE HIM times seven) plays in the background. Stay dry, stay safe, and have a great weekend!

On a slightly more sombre note, yesterday morning I learned that Ray Bradbury had died after a long illness. My mum introduced me to science fiction books and authors when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and one of the first sci fi stories I ever read was by Ray Bradbury. My favourite will always be Fahrenheit 451, which I first read when I was 9 years old, and would continue to pull out every few years or so. I still have a very battered and faded copy on my bookshelf. Thanks to mum, I moved from Bradbury to Arthur C. Clarke to Carl Sagan to Greg Bear to Frank Herbert, and so on. I'll never forget that Bradbury was responsible for my initial enjoyment of sci fi. And yes, I did cry, just a little, and turned to the internet (because I'm weird that way) to look for others who could so eloquently express what a loss it is in a way that I never could: Neil Gaiman, NPR, Stephen King being a few who stay in my mind. If you have a few minutes, take the time to check out bookshelves of doom's website because there are more great Bradbury links there, too.