Books Aloud
by Various Writers
Issue 217 / January 2007 More from this Issue
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Nina
Blag Dahlia
Scapegoat Publishing
Street: 08.15
Blag Dahlia is one of those notorious figures in punk rock that many people idolize for the same reasons that others abhor him. As the front man of The Dwarves, Blag has made a career out of shocking audiences for more than twenty years. With his second novel, Nina, Dahlia tries to represent his twisted view of the world through the eyes of a fifteen- year-old girl. Throughout the novel, Nina is presented as an apathetic young girl who hates the world around her, but loves to take advantage of the people that inhabit it. Unfortunately, the book uses the same formulas over and over again to progress the plot to nowhere in particular. Nina gets stuck in numerous hopeless situations only to seduce some sort of authority figure in order to escape. Not only does this get kind of repetitive, it's also kind of creepy. Dahlia's constant portrayal of Nina as a girl entirely consumed by the notion of sex, and engaging in the act with numerous creepy old guys made me question if Nina is really just a manifestation of the author's own desires. Weird. Dahlia also does little to flesh out the character of Nina, choosing instead to introduce a handful of new characters every few chapters, developing them and then casting them to the wayside a few pages later. There are some interesting moments in Nina, but Dahlia gets a little too nihilistic for his own good by getting lazy and killing characters off. Also, for a guy who writes a monthly article called "How to Write Good" Dahlia isn't much of a master writer. He's not horrible, but it's clear that if Dahlia weren't a mildly famous person that this probably wouldn't have ever been published. Nina definitely has its moments, but overall it just seems like a trashy novel about a creepy old punk rocker's insatiable lust for young girls. Ricky Vigil
Phaidon Press
Alfred Steiglitz, Dorthea Lange, Julie Margaret Cameron, Andre Kertesz
Phaidon Press
Street: 09.01
For all of you hipsters who have decided that the camera you wear as an accessory actually can be a wonderful tool to create some amazing artwork, well, that's step one. Step two, learn how to actually operate it and then develop your prints. Step three; invest some time learning about the photographers who basically pioneered the medium into a form of art. To get you started, you can pick up a great introductory collection of the work of Alfred Steiglitz, Dorthea Lange, Julie Margaret Cameron or Andre Kertesz, published by Phaidon. Each introduction is written thoroughly enough for the reader to get a general history of the photographer's personal life, as well as what they contributed to the medium and the art world. These are great starter books. Each image is also accompanied by a small paragraph explaining the image and its relevance to the medium at that time. Small, simply designed and informative, these books will look good on your coffee table or be a great gift for someone just learning about the history of photography. For those of you already well versed, these can serve as little reminders of why you love photography, and maybe even provide a little inspiration. Emily Allen
Darker Than the Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake
Trevor Dann
Da Capo Press
Street: 10.01
It wasn't until nearly thirty years after his death in 1974 that the music of Nick Drake started to get the attention that it deserved. It is no wonder that his voice wasn't heard during the beginnings of the 70s punk movement in collegiate England. The mystery that surrounds his life and death seem somewhat disconnected to his beautiful and simplistic folk induced songs. He was a loner, someone who was prone to deep reflection and meditation. This is a great place to start for anyone interested in trying to get to know more about the mystery of Nick Drake; his depression and his charm. There are many anecdotes from people who knew him and loved him, as well as several pages of pictures depicting him as someone who was full of light and hope. An obvious labor of love, Trevor Dann has compiled the most interesting aspects of Drake's life as a college student and recording artist, while also including previously undiscovered University papers that shed light onto his slow dissent into depression and finally death. The book also explores the resurgence of Drake's music in the last five years, and how it is still remains relevant to our current society. Andrew Glassett
Blag Dahlia
Scapegoat Publishing
Street: 08.15
Blag Dahlia is one of those notorious figures in punk rock that many people idolize for the same reasons that others abhor him. As the front man of The Dwarves, Blag has made a career out of shocking audiences for more than twenty years. With his second novel, Nina, Dahlia tries to represent his twisted view of the world through the eyes of a fifteen- year-old girl. Throughout the novel, Nina is presented as an apathetic young girl who hates the world around her, but loves to take advantage of the people that inhabit it. Unfortunately, the book uses the same formulas over and over again to progress the plot to nowhere in particular. Nina gets stuck in numerous hopeless situations only to seduce some sort of authority figure in order to escape. Not only does this get kind of repetitive, it's also kind of creepy. Dahlia's constant portrayal of Nina as a girl entirely consumed by the notion of sex, and engaging in the act with numerous creepy old guys made me question if Nina is really just a manifestation of the author's own desires. Weird. Dahlia also does little to flesh out the character of Nina, choosing instead to introduce a handful of new characters every few chapters, developing them and then casting them to the wayside a few pages later. There are some interesting moments in Nina, but Dahlia gets a little too nihilistic for his own good by getting lazy and killing characters off. Also, for a guy who writes a monthly article called "How to Write Good" Dahlia isn't much of a master writer. He's not horrible, but it's clear that if Dahlia weren't a mildly famous person that this probably wouldn't have ever been published. Nina definitely has its moments, but overall it just seems like a trashy novel about a creepy old punk rocker's insatiable lust for young girls. Ricky Vigil
Phaidon Press
Alfred Steiglitz, Dorthea Lange, Julie Margaret Cameron, Andre Kertesz
Phaidon Press
Street: 09.01
For all of you hipsters who have decided that the camera you wear as an accessory actually can be a wonderful tool to create some amazing artwork, well, that's step one. Step two, learn how to actually operate it and then develop your prints. Step three; invest some time learning about the photographers who basically pioneered the medium into a form of art. To get you started, you can pick up a great introductory collection of the work of Alfred Steiglitz, Dorthea Lange, Julie Margaret Cameron or Andre Kertesz, published by Phaidon. Each introduction is written thoroughly enough for the reader to get a general history of the photographer's personal life, as well as what they contributed to the medium and the art world. These are great starter books. Each image is also accompanied by a small paragraph explaining the image and its relevance to the medium at that time. Small, simply designed and informative, these books will look good on your coffee table or be a great gift for someone just learning about the history of photography. For those of you already well versed, these can serve as little reminders of why you love photography, and maybe even provide a little inspiration. Emily Allen
Darker Than the Deepest Sea: The Search for Nick Drake
Trevor Dann
Da Capo Press
Street: 10.01
It wasn't until nearly thirty years after his death in 1974 that the music of Nick Drake started to get the attention that it deserved. It is no wonder that his voice wasn't heard during the beginnings of the 70s punk movement in collegiate England. The mystery that surrounds his life and death seem somewhat disconnected to his beautiful and simplistic folk induced songs. He was a loner, someone who was prone to deep reflection and meditation. This is a great place to start for anyone interested in trying to get to know more about the mystery of Nick Drake; his depression and his charm. There are many anecdotes from people who knew him and loved him, as well as several pages of pictures depicting him as someone who was full of light and hope. An obvious labor of love, Trevor Dann has compiled the most interesting aspects of Drake's life as a college student and recording artist, while also including previously undiscovered University papers that shed light onto his slow dissent into depression and finally death. The book also explores the resurgence of Drake's music in the last five years, and how it is still remains relevant to our current society. Andrew Glassett
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