Season of the Witch: The Book of Goth - Cathi Unsworth
SPOOKY RECOMMENDATION
This new book traces the history of goth (primarily in the UK, with some detours into Australia and the US) against the backdrop of the social history of the Thatcher years, intertwining the history of Marc Almond and Soft Cell with that of the HIV epidemic and Section 28, recalling the roots of the Sisters of Mercy in the more politically-committed scene that gave the world Gang of Four and the Mekons, or the story of the miners' union running through the whole narrative
One of the things I liked about this book was also that it incorporates a lot of bands that aren't really considered goth per se, from The Mob to the Cardiacs. I don't really see it with the Cardiacs, but I love the idea of thinking of The Mob as a goth band - I had always seen them as "depressive anarchopunk" - they're one of my favorite bands, and there is definitely a certain something there that's kind of gothy
One weakness I'd say is that, in its zeal to present goth as a sort of resistance to Thatcherism, it avoids exploring neofolk, because that would trouble the narrative. And while not all neofolk is fascist (Legendary Pink Dots are lefties), a lot of the founding bands either are (Di6, Sol Invictus) or flirted with certain fascist ideas at one point, even if they later abandoned them (C93). A lot of bands that are very very close to this scene but just outside of it, such as the Lemon Kittens, Nurse With Wound, or Theatre of Hate, are profiled here, so the avoidance feels intentional. And sure, I can understand why someone would not want to profile Death in June out of personal distate or to not give them oxygen, but it is still part of the story of goth, the subculture has its dark side and it's worth acknowledging
At the end of the day, a music book is worth reading if it gets you to revisit records you haven't listened to in a while and hear them with new ears, or turn you on to new music. And I had never really gotten into New Model Army before, and now I love them
I really enjoyed the book. An android with human-like features is nothing new in sci-fi, but I really liked this version. The main character android is very likeable.
@timgatewood@bookstodon@peachfront@EvaLie@Omom4075
Oh, I love this series. Book 2 may be my favorite (ART is the best). Or maybe the more recent full length novel. Or the murder mystery Sam Spade-esque stand alone novella (set just before the longer novel). So hard to pick!
@DarkMatterZine@kimlockhartga@bookstodon I rarely get print ARCs unless to pass along for library book club consideration, because I have no idea what I would do with them all! I just get dARCs on my Kindle.
@jillrhudy@kimlockhartga@bookstodon I get both. I never even try with Edelweiss because in my experience it doesn’t work. I hate Netgalley because it’s too much effort then they remove the books at arbitrary deadlines while demanding reviews before I’ve finished. For ebooks, I want them emailed to me. I can read paper but not how you think. So it’s complicated.
Book folks, what’s your most anticipated fall read?
There’s so much that’s either freshly out or coming soon that I’m excited for, I don’t know how I’m gonna keep up! I already hit the Lauren Groff and Zadie Smith, and now I’m starting on Penance by Eliza Clark, which is intense right out of the gate…
I've just finished "all the light we cannot see". It follows two kids, german orphan, and a blind french girl, in parallel, while their lives get derrailed by the war. Somehow they manage to be true to themselves among the mayhem. Starts slow, but picks up speed. I loved It.
@DarkMatterZine@gabriel@bookstodon
This is the most interesting opinion I've heard on this book. It's sitting on my coffee table and I've bypassed it for other books multiple times because before even opening it I feel like I'm supposed to love it because former president Obama read it and put it on a list and so everyone around me (US) considers it beyond reproach. Thank you for sharing that.
@jiujensu@gabriel@bookstodon You’re welcome. I loathe that book SO MUCH. Speaking as a person with albinism that was not as “severe” as the nazi had, but which fked my life due to the vision impairment that is part of it. And O.M.G. that poor blind girl, how her father abused her, and no one taught her how to cook or fend for herself. Somehow she magically knew - saw it while being blind? - how to cook etc when she was abandoned. So much hatred for a bigoted ableist story reenforcing bigotry.
A decade after graduating highschool and I'm finally giving Wuthering Heights another chance. So far not regretting my decision as I'm able to catch a lot more of the social nuances in the story and appreciate Heathcliff's decent into the man we meet at the start of the story.
That's wonderful! Do you have any specific accounts that you would recommend? Or perhaps where I could find them online? I'd love to expand my knowledge of that time period
When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; #culture-death is a clear possibility.
@kcrouth@bookstodon I miss stuff all the time :) I agree with you, it's a prophetic work & speaks to our time. Since you seem a good reader, I trespass on your kindness and share my latest book, also, meditations on how we live, now: https://www.fomitepress.com/quarantine-notes.html
@diazona@Lullaby@thestorygraph@bookstodon Maybe in the future bookwyrm could be a thing, but for now I can't seem to find my book people (who share my taste) on mastodon/bookwyrm and I really greatly depend on a solution with a phone app. Hardcover is still 'in development' regarding the social aspect. So for now goodreads is the only solution to what I'm actually looking for (as far as I know). I can be patient 😅
@Jackthelad93@gothsong@bookstodon I always loved the comment that everything in that book was pretty accurate except for the storm which got him abandoned in the first place.
I have a fantastic opportunity to read Hyperion by Dan Simmons. What wonderful treats lurk in your future? What classics are you looking forward to catching up on?
@adamvolle@meshell@bookstodon the print on the final page of the main body of text is a perfectly chosen one for Schama’s point. I laughed. I might even buy the hardcover just to get a clean image of it to get printed larger. I hope you enjoy it. For me it was transformative and opened up huge worlds.
@rebelrebel62@fsnk@bookstodon I agree. Children of Time is very good, as is its sequel Children of Ruin; Children of Memory is a little weaker IMHO. If you prefer fantasy to SciFi then start with Empire of Black and Gold. With both genres it can take a little time to “buy in” to the world he builds but after that it’s great.
@toxy@rebelrebel62@fsnk@bookstodon Funny, I thought Children of Ruin was the weakest. Of course, I read Children of Memory first, because my library didn't label the series correctly. Now I check the order of series elsewhere before starting them...