Wow, I haven’t done a three-parter in a while. I hope you enjoy these fine friends, and why not begin with Richard Chiem, one of the first people who made it onto Beach Sloth’s hallowed blog pages.
Richard Chiem chastises those who passed on Chelsea Martin’s “Caca Dolce”. Beach Sloth has enjoyed Chelsea Martin’s general online presence and her keen sense of humor for a while, so this is going to make the list of things to read. “Meet Me in the Bathroom” by Lizzy Goodman serves to hit Beach Sloth right in the heart. Matthew Bookin explains it is about those bands who came to be associated with NYC after 9/11 – that means the party of the Strokes (hence the title) along with the grayscale bleakness of Interpol (a perennial Beach Sloth favorite – though their self-titled effort was pretty weak). Completely and utterly surprising Beach Sloth, Peter BD found a collection of jazz writings by Ralph Ellison called “Living with Music” calling it the best music writing. Beach Sloth has spent most of their life writing about music, and has spent even more time reading about it. Oscar d’Artois ends this incredibly epic list with “Seven Brief Lessons on Physics” by Carlo Rovelli.
Elle Nash discusses her book “Animals Eat Each Other” which will be out this year! Her book explores the nature of teenagers, their meanness, and in general the manipulative quality they possess. The book explores the seriousness that teenagers actually deserve. With the teenage years a person begins to actually analyze their life, where they want it to head, and what it actually means.
Of course the holiday season has passed. That does not mean that purchasing items from fine folks in the DIY indie lit world is a bad idea. Metatron is around 24/7, 365 days a year. It is always good to check out the good works from the people far up north. Besides Metatron there is the grand Bushwick-based institution “The Bushwick Review”. Embroidery courtesy of Emma Ensley or gifts via Adam JK, these are not simply for the holidays they are for all days. Honestly embroidery is making a bit of a come back, guess it has to do with the whole made by hand vibe that people were missing.
Sadly Shabby Doll Reader must come to a close for at least December. Some may think that Beach Sloth spent more time on this issue than usual, and the answer is simple: 2017 was a big year. A lot of darkness occurred throughout the year. To lean into bleak is easy, to celebrate the light is much harder. Being positive is not always easy, and not even always desirable, yet in times of uncertainty it is a must.
http://www.beachsloth.com/shabby-doll-reader-by-various-artists-december-issue-3.html