Mike Doughty has always been one of my favorite musicians. He's also dabbled in non-fiction over the years – poetry, memoirs, and even a long ago blog called "Peach Pit Babylon" analyzing old episodes of Beverly Hills 90210. He has a way with words in a hybrid high-brow / slacker way that's always resonated with me.
His second memoir, I Die Each Time I Hear the Sound, focuses half on him reminiscing about the first time he encountered specific bands or songs that blew his mind and half on his experience as a mid-tier alt rock celebrity in the 90s.
Each time he explains how "the world was absolutely new" when music changed his perspective and lit a creative fire brought back the same relatable feelings I've had over the years – including the first time I heard his band Soul Coughing which brings it full circle.
In I Die Each Time I Hear the Sound, musician Mike Doughty presents stories about life on the road as an indie rock musician, taking readers deep inside the dislocated life of an itinerant performer, the exhilaration and terror involved in getting up in front of strangers night after night, and as far behind the curtain as they've ever dared to venture. Doughty's writing is deeply provocative, eliciting visceral responses from his readers, and this extraordinary book will blow the minds of people who have never considered what life is like for those on the other side of the stage.…
How's this for a premise: A woman discovers she has a magic attic. Each time she sends her husband in to retrieve something, a different husband comes out. She can swap out at will as much as she likes – and/or risk accidentally losing a good one if he happens to venture into the attic on his own.
New twists get added to the core idea as the story progresses, helping the lead character learn about herself as she gets to try out various lives along the way. It's not exactly time travel or alternate dimensions, but along a similar wavelength fans of both genres plus a sprinkling of realistic humor will enjoy.
'One of the funniest debuts for years' SUNDAY TIMES 'The most fun I've had reading in the longest time' MARIAN KEYES 'An absolute riot' THE UNMUMSY MUM
You wait ages for The One . . . then 203 come along at once
One night Lauren finds a strange man in her flat who claims to be her husband. All the evidence - from photos to electricity bills - suggests he's right.
Lauren's attic, she slowly realises, is creating an endless supply of husbands for her.
There's the one who pretends to play music on her toes. The one who's too…
Sometimes a book has you at hello. I like to think I'm immune to marketing, but here was a case something honed in on so many of my favorite things I had to give it a shot.
1. Time Travel
2. "ifs ands or buts" (weird, but I've always dug the phrase)
3. Seven Dwarf style character names (each "unruly" boy is described by his foible – Stealer, Secret, Sassy, Bully, Cheater, etc)
4. The Chapter Titles in the preview / table of contents, all starting with "When the Boys Were..."
There's a neat take on time travel to a mysterious green-tinted past, magic objects, and a satisfying mystery to solve. A young adult book older adults can also enjoy.
Nestled in the foreboding backwoods of Virginia, Madame Eldridge's behavior program promotes only three official rules:
Firstly, what happens here stays here.
Secondly, all eight steps must be completed, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Thirdly, each boy is referred to by his problem, not his name.
There is one unspoken rule: don't enter the forbidden third floor bedroom which belonged to a boy who disappeared from the house eons ago.
The warning didn't stop Vandalize from breaking into the room, or Stealer from taking something. As the unruly boys discover bewitched artifacts with unusual abilities, they discreetly use them to…
Before he was the best songwriter you've never heard of, Benji Hughes was an ordinary lovelorn guy living in a small apartment on an okay side of town with a roommate named C and a girlfriend named L.
Prior to that, he’s contractually prohibited from disclosing any details…but he does it anyway via an epic fairytale straight from the heart.
When mysterious entities aware of Benji’s past arrive seeking assistance or revenge, Benji, C and their neighbor down the hall Frank team up song by song in a mostly faithful re-interpretation of the greatest double debut album you've never heard (but really should...)
