I'm getting ready for my second day of teaching summer school. It's a nice program for our students to either recover credits they failed during the previous academic year, or also to advance credits, freeing up time in their schedules for the coming year. Students can complete a one-semester course in just three weeks, 4 1/2 hours a day during that span. I teach economics, which is almost always taken by students for credit advancement. I generally have a very positive experience, and have done this for at least a dozen years. The money allows our family to do things that might normally come out of our regular budget.
That's my question today: what are things you've done along the way in your life to pick up extra money? It may have been a necessity for you, or it may have just been a nice opportunity that came along and you were able to take advantage. I also assist in our athletic department, running the PA for baseball games and keeping the scorebook for boys basketball games. And, I am also compensated for my contract work with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
As a second question, should you so desire, what books are you working on this summer? I am currently near the beginning of the Daredevil Epic Collection that reprints DD 1-21. Last night I finished Come Together: Lennon and McCartney in the Seventies, and soon I will get back into KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps, which I've only read the introduction. You can see my tastes are varied...
1) I sell comics on eBay to support my purchases! I enjoy the local comic cons. I often pic up under valued gems and sell them on eBay. I use the funds to buy more books. Its a self funding hobby now. Back in the day, shoveled horse stalls, mowed lawns, returned bottles.. anything really, to get enough to grab some $.20 gold!
2) I am finishing "The friends of Eddie Coyle" classic crime novel set in Boston. I have 7 Valiant TPBs waiting for me. I've enjoyed the rebirth of the company thus far.
1) I've tried to make some extra coin, since my work hours are very predictable, the past years but have not had luck finding something that is a "win - win" so to speak.
2) Thanks to the BitBA gang, I am working on Byrne's FF and just now finishing the Avengers - Defenders War from the time of around Avengers 115 - 118.
In terms of "real" books, I recently started "In the Arena: Stories of Political Life" written by America's most successful unknown author Booth Tarkington in 1905. Though the book is 115 years old, one party is positioning itself as the "law and order" party that is going to protect America against minorities... in 1905?
Also, when I get a chance I plan to read "Here, There, and Everywhere" by Beatle's engineer Geoff Emerick. Anyone have thoughts on this book.
And, given a never-ending stream of visitors from France (French wife) this summer, I am breaking out my college text book.
For the longest time during my first marriage, I made it a rule to 1) only use 1-2% of my monthly income for my 'whimsical indulgences' and 2) I'd sell something I'm not 'currently collecting' to purchase something I **really** wanted (again, vintage comics, vintage toys, DVDs, etc..) Well, near the end, even the 1-2% was being balked at. Enough of THAT, he says (being the only bread-winner, army reserves, deployments to Iraq..).
I've spent a bit more in recent years, and I've been able to purchase just a couple of milestones (Avengers 4, some vintage 'Captain Action' sets, etc..), but by-in-large, I'm throwing nearly 80% of my income to retirement funds these days.
Charlie, the Emerick book is FANTASTIC. I just watched the PBS Pepper special last night, and (yes) purchased the 'super deluxe' Pepper set a few weeks back, funny enough, I haven't had the time to actually OPEN it yet, been so busy.. :)
As for reading..? I've been collecting the first dozen of Luke Cage, some early Thor and Iron Man (circa 1972-74), not much else in reading. Between another month of military duty this summer (paying for some yard landscaping...), I'm heading down to Jersey to catch some stars from Space:1999 in July, then the Beatlefest in Chicago with four (4) former Wings members in August..., and Rutles frontman Neil Innes again (met him before in Chicago...).
That's another Beatles book I've had my eye on. The production aspect of the band seems fascinating.
A word about the Come Together book -- it's pretty amateurish in terms of the writing. It was not a roadblock to enjoyment, but I did feel from time to time like getting out my red pen and striking entire paragraphs that were redundant. By the time I was done, I was fully aware that the bandmates truly loved each other as brothers. But it was repeated at least a dozen times. I'd add that the author slants his history more toward Lennon's 70s output than McCartney's.
Having lived in West Germany from 85 – 89, while in the military, I lived with a German family and took in a lot of the WWII history. It helped I spoke some German. Have you read Goldhagen’s “Hitler’s Willing Executioneers” (1996) or Milton’s “They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45” (1955) by chance? Thoughts?
Goldhagen’s book was rather unnerving b/c I recall my German landlady reciting what her father had told her, which was the intro to Goldhagen’s book, which was a Nazi slogan about how Hitler had made the cities “clean.” That was the extent of her knowledge of Nazis it seemed, a Nazi slogan passed on by her father who had been a soldier.
Goldhagen paints with a broad brush and over-simplifies the plight of the Germans living under Hitler's totalitarian regime. A better, and certainly more challenging, book about human behavior during that period is Christopher Browning's Ordinary Men.
Hmmm, good questions. Regarding extra income, a few years ago I did some consultancy work setting up a volunteer-led home meal delivery service.
I am currently working on a freelance writing project for a life coach in New Zealand, co-designing and writing her coaching resources.
Regarding book books I am currently reading 'The Heart Goes Last' by Margaret Atwood and have 'Austerity Britain 1945-1951' on the backburner.
Comics-wise I took a break while deciding what to do with the collection. But in due course I will embark on 12-18 month journey reading through my Daredevil issues.
An aside, I am attending a lecture from Hilary Mantel at the local University tonight, very excited about that.
1. I sell stuff on eBay to make extra money for my hobby. Most notably I sell off older Marvel Legends action figures when new versions come out to replace them with. In the last year or two I've sold off all of my old ToyBiz Spider-Man and Daredevil Marvel Legend figures because Hasbro came out with pretty much the definitive versions of both those characters recently. So, I didn't need the old versions anymore, and some of them go for some pretty good money online. I use most of that money to buy more action figures and comics.
2. I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago and I received all 3 omnibus volumes of "Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung Fu". So I figure that will keep me busy for quite some time.
Well, along the way, I worked at the library help desk when I was in graduate school even though I had a full fellowship, which was actually kinda fun and a great way to meet people. There was much of a social scene so everyone pretty much just hung out at the library.
As for reading, I have way to much. I bought a copy of Marvel Classics (I think that's the title) which reprints the first Marvel comic and some other early things. I'm finishing up the Infinity Gauntlet, but then I have Crisis on Infinite Earths, a near complete run of the Infinity Watch, the two recent Journey into Mystery trades with Sif, half a long box with back issues I've just picked up including Strange Tales #126 (first appearance Clea and Dormammu) which I got quite the deal on recently.
As far as outside reading, I'm heading to Martinique in a couple of weeks and I plan to take Ford Maddox Ford's "The Good Soldier" for a re-read and an as yet to be determined history of the Honourable East India Company. Something I know far too little about, but which has piqued my interest.
I've worked at various extra jobs, from pruning trees to construction to night watchman. As a student I worked one summer in Jasper-- great being out in nature. I walked out the back door of the lodge one morning, and a moose was staring me in the face!
I just read two baseball books, very different: Jose Canseco's Juiced, and R.A. Dickey's Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball. One guy takes the easy route to fame by cheating with steroids, and the other guy struggles due to a physical problem but adapts and persists for years before eventually making it. Both books were well written and enjoyable, but totally different perspectives.
On the Beatles front, I picked up Brian Epstein's A Cellar Full of Noise from 1964, his autobiography and writing about the early days of the Beatles. I also have Joe Barbara's My Life in Toons to read-- should be a good one by the creator of so many great cartoons. Hmm I just opened it up and found he signed it too!
Right now I'm reading As You Wish by Cary Elwes. He tells about the making of the Princess Bride. Many good stories and details, and many quotes from his castmates about the show. Interesting to hear how Wallace "Inconceivable" Shawn was nervous throughout filming that he would be replaced with Danny DeVito, and to hear stories about Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin and the rest. Also interesting to read about Robin Wright as the princess, then see her in Wonder Woman on the weekend as an Amazon warrior.
David, was the PBS Sgt Pepper special the Howard Goodall one? I remember him doing a genuinely brilliant documentary, a decade ago, about how the Beatles revolutionised Pop music and saved Classical music. It's one of my favourite pieces of critical analysis ever.
Colin_B - welcome back! Hey - as a librarian maybe you can recommend a book on how Churchill didn't get reelected as PM in 1945? Over here, generally speaking, we (I?) tend to see him as the most charismatic leader of WW2 and I never understood how he didn't get reelected given the war was basically over.
Question 1- I too sell on ebay. I look for deals at yard sales and flea markets, and put it up on the auction site. Aside from that: I'm trying to sell some artwork, but haven't had any luck with that yet.
Question 2- Am finishing the Tao Te Ching, am starting the Essential Defenders Vol.2, and in the middle of Best of the Spirit. My book time is spread pretty thin...
As a kid I used to pick bottles and return them for a little extra cash. I sometimes helped my dad paint fences and stuff like that, but that was more like real work than a side thing.
I've been reading Sue Grafton's Alphabet books lately (I'm up to "M is for Malice"); I'm currently reading a book on World War II, and I just picked up a slipcover edition of the first five Game of Thrones books (I've only read the first one), so I'll try to get to those sometime this summer.
The only comics I'm reading are the DCs I review for my blog; I've finished 1977 and I'm getting into 1978 now.
1) Like everyone else I sell comics (and whatever else seems sellable, like toys and Magic cards) on eBay, half.com or at half-price books. In the past, I have been a part-time research assistant, and done temp work as a receptionist for a George Soros non-profit - but mostly, I find my time is worth more than any money. I need lots of seemingly "downtime" to have the energy and thoughts to put into my "real" work.
2) I am on a WW2/politics kick right now, and reading The Man in the High Castle. I watched the Amazon show, but remembered the book being very different (it'd been 20+ years since I read it) and so far I am right. I am supplementing this with watching Oliver Stone's "The Untold History of the United States" on Netflix. While I maintain a hearty skepticism of Oliver Stone's version of history, I also find counter-narratives a necessary corrective for the nostalgia and mythology of U.S. history. I am working on a chapter for a scholarly anthology on Captain America, so I am also going to read some classic and contemporary Cap tales.
In non-WW2/Cap reading, next up I have I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas (which is a Lovecraftian fandom murder mystery) and Alison Bechdel's The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
Steve, yes it was indeed the Goodall one. It was very entertaining. My wife's not a music person, so it's to Goodall's credit he skims over excellent classical points (chord/melody structures...), then quickly applies them to the Pepper tunes masterfully on the piano.
A very enlightening approach, clear and concise, and typically I don't get too excited over Beatle specials, having seen 3/4 of the vintage material already, this was an extremely fresh and intellectual take on many of the songs.., very worth watching. I'm hoping it's released on DVD someday.
Charlie, I believe we mentioned this before, but I was in Giessen from '89 through '92, with the US Army Artillery, Fulda Gap mission. I certainly miss those days as a 2nd Lieutenant on my first tour of duty. I had this great little BMW 525i, drove everywhere I could. :)
Anniversary of D-Day today, everyone. Still remarkable.
Hey Charlie, I have often pondered the question of Churchill's exit from power too. However I can't recommend any any books explicitly about it. My general understanding is twofold. First, that the collective effort generated by the war both in battle and at home led to a collective effort to build the peace aka democratic socialism. And second, men returning wearily from war to start families (and those families themselves) wanted a secure future aka the welfare state more than they wanted a war leader untested during more peaceful times.
Bear in mind, the United States had the pre-war New Deal but this development passed the UK by at the time. It could be argued that by 1945 the UK was ready to play a progressive catch-up and Churchill was seen as a reminder of a war the country was ready to leave behind.
But I'm sure Doug and the other experts here could give a more definitive answer...
My understanding is that Churchill had two problems. The first was that he was representing the Conservative Party and most people associated them with the poverty and class division of the 1930s, as well as appeasement. Also, the Conservative campaign was all about, "Vote for Churchill, the war hero," rather than policies, whereas Labour campaigned on a policy of social reform and full employment, which, as Colin says, was in tune with public sentiment. Also, Churchill was seen as being too keen on finding more wars to fight, when people had spent the previous six years dreaming of peace.
Winston Churchill was a Conservative and the Conservatives were resented by many for their time in power during the 1930s depression. Churchill didn't become Prime-Minister till 1940 but he was still a Tory (Conservative) and in 1945 people wanted a new beginning with a Socialist government promising a welfare state and free healthcare (which we still have today but the current Tory mob are running it into the ground). Churchill became Prime-Minister again from 1951-55 but in the 1951 election the Conservatives got less votes even though they won the election (like Trump) so Churchill never won the popular vote.
By the way, Colin B - I read Margaret Atwood's 'The Heart Goes Last" when it came out in 2015.
1) Out of necessity for the past 15 or so years, I've basically worked two jobs, although he second one (for the national broadcaster) is technically part-time. I occasionally sell comics as well as books on local auction sites here in Croatia that are similar to eBay, but that's mainly just to make room on my bookshelves - I've never made any serious money from sales. In the case of 'normal' books (i.e., the ones without pictures) I often just donate them to a local library that has a big English-language section.
2)Man, I have so much stuff to read, I'm not even going to make any bold predictions about what I'll manage to read this summer (there's some stuff I mentioned in similar posts at the BAB going back a few years that I still haven't got around to reading). By the way, Osvaldo, Man in the High Castle is quite good - but then again, I'm a big fan of PKD (I've read pretty much all of his novels, except for about 3 of the non-SF ones).
By the way, have people on here seen, "The World at War," the mammoth 1973 Thames Television documentary series about the conflict? It's a genuinely awesome piece of TV and the episodes about the Battle of Stalingrad and the Nazi death camps in particular are simply chilling.
Usually during the summer, at least the last few, we do a lot of night work, so it's sort of hard to plan much side work. We are sort of on call on weekends too. In the past, I've done a few things like inspect trailer sites for people, but that's pretty rare.
As for reading this summer, I'm reading bits of Gregg Allman's autobiography (just finished his chapter about Cher), and Ray Charles' autobiography written with David Ritz. After that one, I have a few birthday gifts waiting, an Allman Brothers bio (bought before Gregg passed away), a Sam Phillips bio, and a pair of mysteries from Walter Mosley, one of my favorite authors.
Steve D.C. - Has anyone seen the World at War series???
It was a Sunday night ritual in our house for a few years. (WGN, Channel 9, Chicago) The opening / ending theme music was excellent for such a series. The narrator (Laurence Olivier?) was excellent. The interviews - excellent. My brothers still recall my dad and I being glued to the TV to watch that!
Then there was a simultaneous series of weekly magazine that came out of the UK called the History of the Second World War with writers like John Keegan, Liddel Hart. QUite good! I still have all 6 volumes (like 130 issues?) Have you seen those? They are cheaper on ebay now than when they were released 45 years ago!
UK Guys -
Thanks for the stuff on Churchill! It's just odd (from over here, or just me?) that Churchill could have had like a 80 - 90% rating, just won the world war, and then not be voted back in as PM. But I see your point! It was just the opposite in the US in that the Democrats continued as President, essentially until 1968. The ony break being Eisenhower from 52 - 60 as a Republican and then only b/c the Republican party begged him b/c they seriously felt their party was finished if he ran as a Democrat (so I've read/ been told).
David_B - You were guarding the Fulda Gap! Quite the mission! I was a 2nd LT flying Chinooks (CH-47) around southern Germany from 85 - 89. It was a grand time. I had a Mercedes 280 that I eventually traded in for a VW Golf Polo Diesel??? (No Bayerische Mist Wagon for me! Just kidding! Loved the Beemers too!)
Question 2. Just finished reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Thoroughly enjoyed the tragic tale of two sisters. Not my first Atwood read so I am biased.
Earlier this year I read Savage Continent by Keith Lowe. The book described the ethnic tensions that still existed after the end of World War Two and the subsequent shifting of populations and violent clashes. Heavy on statistics, but enlightening to me.
Charlie - in the eyes of the public Churchill was discretited before the war as an eccentric elitist warmonger. He was right about Hitler but it was only really war and the talk of war that got his juices flowing, and people remembered that.
Subsequently, he was one of the first to call The Cold War so he was right about that too. But still, I think people saw him as a 'time and place' guy and mission accomplished, his time had passed. It may seem ungrateful but pressing social concerns were more important at the time.
Yep, Graham, I like Walter Mosley, too. Have an omnibus containing three of his Easy Rollins novels that's waiting to be read. With many, many other things...
I don't know that I wear that "expert" hat very well. My work with Holocaust history is mainly pedagogical. I have a pretty decent working knowledge of people, places, and things, but I'd never consider myself an expert in any aspect of the period.
And some might think it strange that my knowledge of the details of World War II is pretty slim. Of course I know the basics, and some of the major events and people, but I really don't know much in terms of minutiae.
I guess if you constantly predict a war you will eventually be correct. (Like if a squirrel digs enough holes, he will eventually find a nut?)
Doug - I am with you... enjoy the conversation. My observation over the decades is that WWII has been distilled to the Holocaust, Hiroshima, and Saving Private Ryan, 75 years on. The rest is "history" that sits in books at this point.
I am glad to have lived in West Germany, though, before the reunification and cold war ended. My kids don't know about it nor have any context but it was meaningful to me. And, I can sit back and read books by Le Carre like "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" with real enjoyment!
31 comments:
I'll start things off today.
I'm getting ready for my second day of teaching summer school. It's a nice program for our students to either recover credits they failed during the previous academic year, or also to advance credits, freeing up time in their schedules for the coming year. Students can complete a one-semester course in just three weeks, 4 1/2 hours a day during that span. I teach economics, which is almost always taken by students for credit advancement. I generally have a very positive experience, and have done this for at least a dozen years. The money allows our family to do things that might normally come out of our regular budget.
That's my question today: what are things you've done along the way in your life to pick up extra money? It may have been a necessity for you, or it may have just been a nice opportunity that came along and you were able to take advantage. I also assist in our athletic department, running the PA for baseball games and keeping the scorebook for boys basketball games. And, I am also compensated for my contract work with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
As a second question, should you so desire, what books are you working on this summer? I am currently near the beginning of the Daredevil Epic Collection that reprints DD 1-21. Last night I finished Come Together: Lennon and McCartney in the Seventies, and soon I will get back into KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps, which I've only read the introduction. You can see my tastes are varied...
Thanks for playing!
Doug
1) I sell comics on eBay to support my purchases! I enjoy the local comic cons. I often pic up under valued gems and sell them on eBay. I use the funds to buy more books. Its a self funding hobby now. Back in the day, shoveled horse stalls, mowed lawns, returned bottles.. anything really, to get enough to grab some $.20 gold!
2) I am finishing "The friends of Eddie Coyle" classic crime novel set in Boston. I have 7 Valiant TPBs waiting for me. I've enjoyed the rebirth of the company thus far.
Wonderful questions...
1) I've tried to make some extra coin, since my work hours are very predictable, the past years but have not had luck finding something that is a "win - win" so to speak.
2) Thanks to the BitBA gang, I am working on Byrne's FF and just now finishing the Avengers - Defenders War from the time of around Avengers 115 - 118.
In terms of "real" books, I recently started "In the Arena: Stories of Political Life" written by America's most successful unknown author Booth Tarkington in 1905. Though the book is 115 years old, one party is positioning itself as the "law and order" party that is going to protect America against minorities... in 1905?
Also, when I get a chance I plan to read "Here, There, and Everywhere" by Beatle's engineer Geoff Emerick. Anyone have thoughts on this book.
And, given a never-ending stream of visitors from France (French wife) this summer, I am breaking out my college text book.
For the longest time during my first marriage, I made it a rule to 1) only use 1-2% of my monthly income for my 'whimsical indulgences' and 2) I'd sell something I'm not 'currently collecting' to purchase something I **really** wanted (again, vintage comics, vintage toys, DVDs, etc..) Well, near the end, even the 1-2% was being balked at. Enough of THAT, he says (being the only bread-winner, army reserves, deployments to Iraq..).
I've spent a bit more in recent years, and I've been able to purchase just a couple of milestones (Avengers 4, some vintage 'Captain Action' sets, etc..), but by-in-large, I'm throwing nearly 80% of my income to retirement funds these days.
Charlie, the Emerick book is FANTASTIC. I just watched the PBS Pepper special last night, and (yes) purchased the 'super deluxe' Pepper set a few weeks back, funny enough, I haven't had the time to actually OPEN it yet, been so busy.. :)
As for reading..? I've been collecting the first dozen of Luke Cage, some early Thor and Iron Man (circa 1972-74), not much else in reading. Between another month of military duty this summer (paying for some yard landscaping...), I'm heading down to Jersey to catch some stars from Space:1999 in July, then the Beatlefest in Chicago with four (4) former Wings members in August..., and Rutles frontman Neil Innes again (met him before in Chicago...).
Lots of autographs, folks. :)
Charlie --
That's another Beatles book I've had my eye on. The production aspect of the band seems fascinating.
A word about the Come Together book -- it's pretty amateurish in terms of the writing. It was not a roadblock to enjoyment, but I did feel from time to time like getting out my red pen and striking entire paragraphs that were redundant. By the time I was done, I was fully aware that the bandmates truly loved each other as brothers. But it was repeated at least a dozen times. I'd add that the author slants his history more toward Lennon's 70s output than McCartney's.
Doug
Doug - regarding your the Holocaust reading...
Having lived in West Germany from 85 – 89, while in the military, I lived with a German family and took in a lot of the WWII history. It helped I spoke some German. Have you read Goldhagen’s “Hitler’s Willing Executioneers” (1996) or Milton’s “They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45” (1955) by chance? Thoughts?
Goldhagen’s book was rather unnerving b/c I recall my German landlady reciting what her father had told her, which was the intro to Goldhagen’s book, which was a Nazi slogan about how Hitler had made the cities “clean.” That was the extent of her knowledge of Nazis it seemed, a Nazi slogan passed on by her father who had been a soldier.
Charlie --
Goldhagen paints with a broad brush and over-simplifies the plight of the Germans living under Hitler's totalitarian regime. A better, and certainly more challenging, book about human behavior during that period is Christopher Browning's Ordinary Men.
Doug
Hmmm, good questions. Regarding extra income, a few years ago I did some consultancy work setting up a volunteer-led home meal delivery service.
I am currently working on a freelance writing project for a life coach in New Zealand, co-designing and writing her coaching resources.
Regarding book books I am currently reading 'The Heart Goes Last' by Margaret Atwood and have 'Austerity Britain 1945-1951' on the backburner.
Comics-wise I took a break while deciding what to do with the collection. But in due course I will embark on 12-18 month journey reading through my Daredevil issues.
An aside, I am attending a lecture from Hilary Mantel at the local University tonight, very excited about that.
1. I sell stuff on eBay to make extra money for my hobby. Most notably I sell off older Marvel Legends action figures when new versions come out to replace them with. In the last year or two I've sold off all of my old ToyBiz Spider-Man and Daredevil Marvel Legend figures because Hasbro came out with pretty much the definitive versions of both those characters recently. So, I didn't need the old versions anymore, and some of them go for some pretty good money online. I use most of that money to buy more action figures and comics.
2. I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago and I received all 3 omnibus volumes of "Shang-Chi: Master Of Kung Fu". So I figure that will keep me busy for quite some time.
Well, along the way, I worked at the library help desk when I was in graduate school even though I had a full fellowship, which was actually kinda fun and a great way to meet people. There was much of a social scene so everyone pretty much just hung out at the library.
As for reading, I have way to much. I bought a copy of Marvel Classics (I think that's the title) which reprints the first Marvel comic and some other early things. I'm finishing up the Infinity Gauntlet, but then I have Crisis on Infinite Earths, a near complete run of the Infinity Watch, the two recent Journey into Mystery trades with Sif, half a long box with back issues I've just picked up including Strange Tales #126 (first appearance Clea and Dormammu) which I got quite the deal on recently.
As far as outside reading, I'm heading to Martinique in a couple of weeks and I plan to take Ford Maddox Ford's "The Good Soldier" for a re-read and an as yet to be determined history of the Honourable East India Company. Something I know far too little about, but which has piqued my interest.
I've worked at various extra jobs, from pruning trees to construction to night watchman. As a student I worked one summer in Jasper-- great being out in nature. I walked out the back door of the lodge one morning, and a moose was staring me in the face!
I just read two baseball books, very different: Jose Canseco's Juiced, and R.A. Dickey's Wherever I Wind Up: My Quest for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball. One guy takes the easy route to fame by cheating with steroids, and the other guy struggles due to a physical problem but adapts and persists for years before eventually making it. Both books were well written and enjoyable, but totally different perspectives.
On the Beatles front, I picked up Brian Epstein's A Cellar Full of Noise from 1964, his autobiography and writing about the early days of the Beatles. I also have Joe Barbara's My Life in Toons to read-- should be a good one by the creator of so many great cartoons. Hmm I just opened it up and found he signed it too!
Right now I'm reading As You Wish by Cary Elwes. He tells about the making of the Princess Bride. Many good stories and details, and many quotes from his castmates about the show. Interesting to hear how Wallace "Inconceivable" Shawn was nervous throughout filming that he would be replaced with Danny DeVito, and to hear stories about Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin and the rest. Also interesting to read about Robin Wright as the princess, then see her in Wonder Woman on the weekend as an Amazon warrior.
David, was the PBS Sgt Pepper special the Howard Goodall one? I remember him doing a genuinely brilliant documentary, a decade ago, about how the Beatles revolutionised Pop music and saved Classical music. It's one of my favourite pieces of critical analysis ever.
Colin_B - welcome back! Hey - as a librarian maybe you can recommend a book on how Churchill didn't get reelected as PM in 1945? Over here, generally speaking, we (I?) tend to see him as the most charismatic leader of WW2 and I never understood how he didn't get reelected given the war was basically over.
Question 1- I too sell on ebay. I look for deals at yard sales and flea markets, and put it up on the auction site. Aside from that: I'm trying to sell some artwork, but haven't had any luck with that yet.
Question 2- Am finishing the Tao Te Ching, am starting the Essential Defenders Vol.2, and in the middle of Best of the Spirit. My book time is spread pretty thin...
As a kid I used to pick bottles and return them for a little extra cash. I sometimes helped my dad paint fences and stuff like that, but that was more like real work than a side thing.
I've been reading Sue Grafton's Alphabet books lately (I'm up to "M is for Malice"); I'm currently reading a book on World War II, and I just picked up a slipcover edition of the first five Game of Thrones books (I've only read the first one), so I'll try to get to those sometime this summer.
The only comics I'm reading are the DCs I review for my blog; I've finished 1977 and I'm getting into 1978 now.
1) Like everyone else I sell comics (and whatever else seems sellable, like toys and Magic cards) on eBay, half.com or at half-price books. In the past, I have been a part-time research assistant, and done temp work as a receptionist for a George Soros non-profit - but mostly, I find my time is worth more than any money. I need lots of seemingly "downtime" to have the energy and thoughts to put into my "real" work.
2) I am on a WW2/politics kick right now, and reading The Man in the High Castle. I watched the Amazon show, but remembered the book being very different (it'd been 20+ years since I read it) and so far I am right. I am supplementing this with watching Oliver Stone's "The Untold History of the United States" on Netflix. While I maintain a hearty skepticism of Oliver Stone's version of history, I also find counter-narratives a necessary corrective for the nostalgia and mythology of U.S. history. I am working on a chapter for a scholarly anthology on Captain America, so I am also going to read some classic and contemporary Cap tales.
In non-WW2/Cap reading, next up I have I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas (which is a Lovecraftian fandom murder mystery) and Alison Bechdel's The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
Steve, yes it was indeed the Goodall one. It was very entertaining. My wife's not a music person, so it's to Goodall's credit he skims over excellent classical points (chord/melody structures...), then quickly applies them to the Pepper tunes masterfully on the piano.
A very enlightening approach, clear and concise, and typically I don't get too excited over Beatle specials, having seen 3/4 of the vintage material already, this was an extremely fresh and intellectual take on many of the songs.., very worth watching. I'm hoping it's released on DVD someday.
Charlie, I believe we mentioned this before, but I was in Giessen from '89 through '92, with the US Army Artillery, Fulda Gap mission. I certainly miss those days as a 2nd Lieutenant on my first tour of duty. I had this great little BMW 525i, drove everywhere I could. :)
Anniversary of D-Day today, everyone. Still remarkable.
Hey Charlie, I have often pondered the question of Churchill's exit from power too. However I can't recommend any any books explicitly about it. My general understanding is twofold. First, that the collective effort generated by the war both in battle and at home led to a collective effort to build the peace aka democratic socialism. And second, men returning wearily from war to start families (and those families themselves) wanted a secure future aka the welfare state more than they wanted a war leader untested during more peaceful times.
Bear in mind, the United States had the pre-war New Deal but this development passed the UK by at the time. It could be argued that by 1945 the UK was ready to play a progressive catch-up and Churchill was seen as a reminder of a war the country was ready to leave behind.
But I'm sure Doug and the other experts here could give a more definitive answer...
My understanding is that Churchill had two problems. The first was that he was representing the Conservative Party and most people associated them with the poverty and class division of the 1930s, as well as appeasement. Also, the Conservative campaign was all about, "Vote for Churchill, the war hero," rather than policies, whereas Labour campaigned on a policy of social reform and full employment, which, as Colin says, was in tune with public sentiment. Also, Churchill was seen as being too keen on finding more wars to fight, when people had spent the previous six years dreaming of peace.
Winston Churchill was a Conservative and the Conservatives were resented by many for their time in power during the 1930s depression. Churchill didn't become Prime-Minister till 1940 but he was still a Tory (Conservative) and in 1945 people wanted a new beginning with a Socialist government promising a welfare state and free healthcare (which we still have today but the current Tory mob are running it into the ground). Churchill became Prime-Minister again from 1951-55 but in the 1951 election the Conservatives got less votes even though they won the election (like Trump) so Churchill never won the popular vote.
By the way, Colin B - I read Margaret Atwood's 'The Heart Goes Last" when it came out in 2015.
Steve got in just before me but we said the same thing more or less :)
1) Out of necessity for the past 15 or so years, I've basically worked two jobs, although he second one (for the national broadcaster) is technically part-time.
I occasionally sell comics as well as books on local auction sites here in Croatia that are similar to eBay, but that's mainly just to make room on my bookshelves - I've never made any serious money from sales. In the case of 'normal' books (i.e., the ones without pictures) I often just donate them to a local library that has a big English-language section.
2)Man, I have so much stuff to read, I'm not even going to make any bold predictions about what I'll manage to read this summer (there's some stuff I mentioned in similar posts at the BAB going back a few years that I still haven't got around to reading). By the way, Osvaldo, Man in the High Castle is quite good - but then again, I'm a big fan of PKD (I've read pretty much all of his novels, except for about 3 of the non-SF ones).
By the way, have people on here seen, "The World at War," the mammoth 1973 Thames Television documentary series about the conflict? It's a genuinely awesome piece of TV and the episodes about the Battle of Stalingrad and the Nazi death camps in particular are simply chilling.
Yes, I remember 'The World At War' very well. An epic series.
Usually during the summer, at least the last few, we do a lot of night work, so it's sort of hard to plan much side work. We are sort of on call on weekends too. In the past, I've done a few things like inspect trailer sites for people, but that's pretty rare.
As for reading this summer, I'm reading bits of Gregg Allman's autobiography (just finished his chapter about Cher), and Ray Charles' autobiography written with David Ritz. After that one, I have a few birthday gifts waiting, an Allman Brothers bio (bought before Gregg passed away), a Sam Phillips bio, and a pair of mysteries from Walter Mosley, one of my favorite authors.
Steve D.C. - Has anyone seen the World at War series???
It was a Sunday night ritual in our house for a few years. (WGN, Channel 9, Chicago) The opening / ending theme music was excellent for such a series. The narrator (Laurence Olivier?) was excellent. The interviews - excellent. My brothers still recall my dad and I being glued to the TV to watch that!
Then there was a simultaneous series of weekly magazine that came out of the UK called the History of the Second World War with writers like John Keegan, Liddel Hart. QUite good! I still have all 6 volumes (like 130 issues?) Have you seen those? They are cheaper on ebay now than when they were released 45 years ago!
UK Guys -
Thanks for the stuff on Churchill! It's just odd (from over here, or just me?) that Churchill could have had like a 80 - 90% rating, just won the world war, and then not be voted back in as PM. But I see your point! It was just the opposite in the US in that the Democrats continued as President, essentially until 1968. The ony break being Eisenhower from 52 - 60 as a Republican and then only b/c the Republican party begged him b/c they seriously felt their party was finished if he ran as a Democrat (so I've read/ been told).
David_B - You were guarding the Fulda Gap! Quite the mission! I was a 2nd LT flying Chinooks (CH-47) around southern Germany from 85 - 89. It was a grand time. I had a Mercedes 280 that I eventually traded in for a VW Golf Polo Diesel??? (No Bayerische Mist Wagon for me! Just kidding! Loved the Beemers too!)
Question 2. Just finished reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Thoroughly enjoyed the tragic tale of two sisters. Not my first Atwood read so I am biased.
Earlier this year I read Savage Continent by Keith Lowe. The book described the ethnic tensions that still existed after the end of World War Two and the subsequent shifting of populations and violent clashes. Heavy on statistics, but enlightening to me.
Charlie - in the eyes of the public Churchill was discretited before the war as an eccentric elitist warmonger. He was right about Hitler but it was only really war and the talk of war that got his juices flowing, and people remembered that.
Subsequently, he was one of the first to call The Cold War so he was right about that too. But still, I think people saw him as a 'time and place' guy and mission accomplished, his time had passed. It may seem ungrateful but pressing social concerns were more important at the time.
Yep, Graham, I like Walter Mosley, too. Have an omnibus containing three of his Easy Rollins novels that's waiting to be read. With many, many other things...
Colin B -
I don't know that I wear that "expert" hat very well. My work with Holocaust history is mainly pedagogical. I have a pretty decent working knowledge of people, places, and things, but I'd never consider myself an expert in any aspect of the period.
And some might think it strange that my knowledge of the details of World War II is pretty slim. Of course I know the basics, and some of the major events and people, but I really don't know much in terms of minutiae.
Loved this conversation, by the way.
Doug
Good points Colin B.
I guess if you constantly predict a war you will eventually be correct. (Like if a squirrel digs enough holes, he will eventually find a nut?)
Doug - I am with you... enjoy the conversation. My observation over the decades is that WWII has been distilled to the Holocaust, Hiroshima, and Saving Private Ryan, 75 years on. The rest is "history" that sits in books at this point.
I am glad to have lived in West Germany, though, before the reunification and cold war ended. My kids don't know about it nor have any context but it was meaningful to me. And, I can sit back and read books by Le Carre like "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" with real enjoyment!
Post a Comment