Lockdown Reading 2021

Sounds Good!

Hi, good morning, good afternoon or good evening – welcome New Zealanders to your 2021 level 4 lockdown. We’ve done this before. And here we are now again. Today will probably feel a bit like a novelty, though one tinged with anxiety. There’ll be more news to come – the 1pm update with our Batman (Jacinda) and Robin (Ashley) returning to our lounge-rooms, home-offices or bedrooms as a mid-day feature.

Overnight there are already cases, plural. To follow the one case that introduced the lockdown. We all knew this would happen of course – and the three-day/seven day measures will quite likely extend, or will graduate down through levels three and two at any rate – so we’re inside for a little longer than just the headlines.

But you don’t need me philosophising on lockdown. Last year I coped by listening to a lot of reggae music, by watching a lot of movies – particularly horrors (something I’m still doing) and by playing Dr Mario. I’m no gamer, but something about the zoning out absorption, capturing pills in a bottle to kill off viruses…well, let’s just say, add a reggae-music soundtrack and, um, I felt like I was helping. It was my morning and evening meditation.

I actually struggled a lot with reading.

I’m a big reader, always with several books on the go. My mixture of genres (always a graphic novel on the go, always a volume of poetry, usually one or two non-fiction and a novel or book of short-stories too) and the mix of library books, things to review, things borrowed from friends and new/ish purchases means my book-reading is now very messy-minded; like so many tabs and web-browsers opened. Articles I’m sure I’ll get back to…

And last year during our ‘big’ lockdown I really slowed down on reading. I think because I was glued to news throughout the day. And though reading can be wonderful escapism my brain was hurting. And the balm was silly movies, the escapism was television. The relaxation was reggae. And Dr. Mario…

I was also the main caregiver for our son – so my big focus was keeping upbeat, enjoying time with him, and designing days that were ‘fun’ but weren’t quite Groundhog Day. We watched a lot of great 80s/90s movies but didn’t even watch Groundhog Dog. (Maybe this weekend…)

Anyway, this time I’m up for some reading.

I say that I didn’t read much last year – but there were some wonderful discoveries. The poet Selima Hill for instance.

It was the start of my big-time reconnection with Stephen King too. This is ongoing. I’ve just made a shelf of all the King books I’ve started recollecting. I even bought the brand new one, Billy Summers – which might be good to get on with this week. And I’m currently reading the comic-book adaptations of The Stand. Which, well, seems fitting.

Here are my other things I have lined up for lockdown reading:

What Happened To You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing

Don’t be put off by the Oprah Winfrey co-write. Or do. Your loss. I was recommended this book recently as part of a great conversation with the author Catherine Robertson for my podcast. She did such a terrific sell-job that I went home and started it that evening. I had parked it for a bit – but I’m super into it. I find this stuff fascinating. I’m lucky I guess that I don’t find it in any way triggering. I’m just there as a tourist keen to learn. So your reading of this might feel very different.

I Hate Men

A French book-length essay/manifesto (Pauline Harmange) that has been translated (Natasha Lehrer) and which, the blurb tells me, was very nearly banned. Again, I’ll default to that position of being a keen tourist – I want to learn. I’m reading this – or about to start reading this – to access a different point of view. I’ll report back (in fact I bought this last week because it caught my eye and I figured it would be a good topic for this newsletter, a short book, a good conversation-starter. So we’ll see…)

Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur

I nabbed this from the library just recently. And I’m excited to get into it – having just read the first few pages. I don’t always love the Oral History format, but it makes for easy reading, what I call “between reading”. You can park this up with one or more bookmarks and just work through it at your leisure as a break from another book. I’m on a big 2pac kick of late. Amazing talent. Life cut short. I want to know more than just the headlines. And a bit more than just the music. Although his masterpiece All Eyez On Me has been in my ears a lot lately. And will no doubt continue to be the soundtrack to reading this.

Unstrung: Rants and Stories of a Noise Guitarist

Marc Ribot is a genius – and if you haven’t heard him (25 solo albums) you probably just don’t know that you actually have heard his work, given he is the guitarist of choice for Tom Waits, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, Beth Orton, Joe Henry, Maria McKee, Madeleine Peyroux, Sam Philips, Cassandra Wilson, John Mellencamp, John Zorn, Diana Krall and many, many other. He was even part of Solomon Burke’s live band in the 1980s. His stories must be incredible. His music is certainly amazing. I am so excited to get to this one. I had planned a big music-talk about him for this newsletter. And maybe that’ll happen after reading this book. But check out the playlist below for just some of the sessions he’s worked on. Then there’s all his own incredible music. The latest, with his band, Ceramic Dog, is one of my records of 2021.

The Paris Review # 236

I mentioned always having poetry on the go – and I’m reading a volume by Gerald Murnane, the latest from Tayi Tibble, Mark Pirie’s book of cricket poems (“Slips”) and some old, old Denis Glover – but my big treat is The Paris Review. When I gave up drinking alcohol (prior to last year’s lockdown) I figured the money I was saving had to go towards some sort of treat. So I subscribed to a couple of poetry journals – including The Paris Review. So a couple of times a year this wonderful book arrives and the work in it baffles me and blows my mind. In equal measures. I’m a big fan of The Paris Review podcasttoo. Worth checking out to hear brilliant readings of intriguing stories.

And in a full-circle thing I’m also reading Woody Allen’s memoir, Apropos of Nothing.

I bought this when we went into lockdown last year. It was available only on Kindle to begin with and I bought it because of the story around how publishers were refusing it. I figured I needed to read it to see what was so bad about it. But I just couldn’t start it. I found his style (I’m a fan of both his movies and his books to date) impenetrable. It was just not interesting. The whole thing was reading like a monologue from one of his films. I should like that right? But I didn’t. This was Allen narrating his life – giving one-line mentions to his many movies and offering no depth. I struggled to get to about 20 or 30 pages. And parked it. Just recently I’ve found a way in. I’ve decided to dig deep and get through it. I’m not expecting any “answers” but I have been a fan of his work and I want to read this memoir. It has improved. And I’m not about three quarters of the way through it. And heading right for the “scandal” chapters now. So it’s funny to me that this bookends my lockdown reading.

Anyway, I’m on Goodreads as you can tell by these links. So I have more books on the go there. And many that I’ve finished. If you’re looking for any other Lockdown Reading recommendations.

And what are some of yours?

What will you be reading? What are you currently reading? Anyone else found that reading goes right out the window in times like these?

Stay safe. Best of luck. If you need to share anything privately – or reach out in any way – you can message me.

See you on the other side of this. And happy reading.