Spanking new book blog

Robb Lott of the very-worth-your-time Hitch Magazine has just launched his own book blog, Bookgasm. It’s dedicated to “reading material to get excited about,” including “…graphic novels, trashy paperbacks, cheap magazines and other things that much of America pretends to be ashamed of, for no good reason.” Books currently reviewed include titles such as The Loch by Steve Alten, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way! by the Human Chin (um, Bruce Campbell), and Neal Stephenson’s The Confusion. I look forward to his further commentary and reviews.

---

Current Zines of Note: Two favorites publish spanking new issues

Mediageek / #3 / $3 / 36p / Digest-sized
Available from Paul Riismandel, PO Box 2102, Champaign IL 61825-2102 or www.mediageek.org
The latest print installment from the Midwest’s Media Watchdog includes the further adventures in cheap, plastic camera-land that’s inspiring me to go hunting on eBay. There’s also an article that helps to explain the stranglehold that Christian radio stations have on the FM spectrum; also details about a pirate radio broadcast from a parking garage. The issues rounds out with an in-depth review of a new documentary about electronic bulletin boards systems – The BBS Documentary - , which existed long before the Internet as we know it. Use the Mediageek print zine as a companion to the often updated Mediageek site.

The Hungover Gourmet / #9 / $2 / 32p / Digest-sized
Available from The Hungover Gourmet, PO Box 5531, Lutherville MD 21094-5531 and www.hungovergourmet.com
Another mouth-watering issue of the alternative food zine – no expensive ingredients required here! Stories of Trader Vic’s, NYC’s 14th Street of old, a cheesesteak showdown (hey, Dan, you really have to try Tony Luke’s), restaurant reviews (including Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, just like in Tapeheads!), and the Berlin (NJ) Farmer’s Market. As with Mediageek, the print edition of The Hungover Gourmet supplements the frequently updated blog, and comprehensive web site. Order up!

---

Listening up.

I’ve started listening to the occasional audio book on my commute. My local library has a nice selection of books on compact disc, and can get almost any title through county-wide interlibrary load. Recent listens include Morgan Spurlock’s Don’t Eat this Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America. I really enjoyed it, in no small part that it was read by Spurlock, who really threw himself into it. Of course, it only re-enforced my commitment to never eating from a fast food chain ever again. Nauseating facts such as that a burger from a place like McDonalds could be made of meat from a thousand cows. Or that there are more McDonalds in the United States than public libraries. He also recounts his 30-day all McDonalds diet he did for the film Super Size Me in even grosser detail. Gack. But, it’s a great listen. I don’t think I would have enjoyed reading the book nearly as much, since it has some very “listy” sections.

Currently, I’m listening to Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs, which I had actually read earlier this year. It’s also read by the author, and I think I’m enjoying it more than when I read that book. Next up is Tobias Wolf’s Old School.
- posted by Synd-e @ 9:23 PM