Spent three days over Christmas engulfed in NIK COHN’s brilliant TRIKSTA. Basically, a white guy in his 50s who loves and loathes New Orleans and hip hop in equal measures tells the tales of the rappers he meets, works with or hears about while spending time in the Big Easy. Totally honest, this manages to be witty, depressing, encouraging and a real page-turner all at the same time. Also loved KRIS EX’s 50 bio FROM PIECES TO WEIGHT, it made me almost like the guy again. Weird that it’s been 50’s projects outside music that I’ve been feeling this year. Adam Mansbach’s ANGRY BLACK WHITE BOY took me a minute to get through but was well worth it. A weighty tome but one that challenged the reader to re-evaluate their own beliefs about prejudice and identity. Killer ending too. Similarly thought-provoking was EKOW ESHUN’s excellent BLACK GOLD OF THE SUN, which saw the ICA director return to what he considers home only to discover that it’s hard to sometimes find your place in life – figuratively and literally. Still haven’t managed to break JEFF CHANG’s much-written about book but have started on TUPAC: A THUG LIFE which chronicles his interviews, reviews and thoughts from those who met him – great so far. Outside of music-related reading I loved the new Harry Potter (I cried more rivers than JT) and booed even harder at Jodi Picard’s MY SISTERS KEEPER- the type of book that makes you miss your stop on the tube, it’s that good. It’s my New Years Resolution to read more this year. It’s just after a day of looking at, and thinking about words, reading and crowding your head with more letters isn’t that appealing. Thanks to the above though, I’m ready to read much more this year than I did last.
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