I’m not sure about your neck of the woods, but for Northern Ontario, September means dreary. No sun, high humidity – you know what I’m talking about. And so I like to make my soundtrack fit that mold by switching over to some grungy, dark music. Naturally, I’m spinning Nirvana non-stop and have turned to re-read one of my absolute favorites: “Heavier Than Heaven” by Charles Cross, the bio of Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain.

Back when I was about 15, I fell hard for a bad boy named Jack. He was a plaid-sporting, guitar-toting grunge god and, of course, worshiped at the Nirvana altar. Yes, I admit it – the discovery of my favorite band for about 5 years stemmed from a schoolgirl crush. But that doesn’t make it any less legitimate, in my opinion. Just like a I fell for Jack, I fell for Kurt. When you’re 15 and everything that is pumped through the radios and mall speakers is top 4o, discovering alternative music is like someone pulling the wool OFF your eyes. I couldn’t believe that there was all this amazing music out there that I had never even heard of!

Okay, back on track. So I as I hankered to learn everything I could about Nirvana and impress Jack, I stumbled upon a book called “Heavier Than Heaven”. I figured a biography would be a treasure trove of knowledge! And I was right, it was! But it was so much more, too!

Kurt Cobain is revered as a god in most music circles. He knocked Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, off the #1 spot in the Billboard Chart for god’s sake! Even if grunge is not your thing, you still respect him for revolutionizing the music scene. However, “Heavier Than Heaven” brings Kurt Cobain back to earth and knocks him off his pedestal so to speak. And that’s my favorite part. Read More »

I work in a bookstore. I live and breathe books. I’m either ringing them up or, when I’m on my break, reading them, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the field. Most college ladies aren’t reading for pleasure these days. After reading all those books for class who wants to waste time on anything else?

Well, I’ve got a list of books here that are no waste. In fact, these are books that will change the way to think, the way you read and the way you view reading for pleasure. In that it may actually bring you some. I’m not selecting these books for their literary merit or their fantastic use of the English language. These are books that struck something in me, pulled at heartstrings, made me feel something. And I think that evoking such emotion is the only criteria for a great book.

In our desensitized world, when someone can make you feel so much with only paper and ink, I believe that’s an achievement.

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita was published in 1955, and when you read it, you can understand why there is so much hype surrounding it. It tells the story of Humbert Humbert, a man who claims he can never love adult women, only children. He calls them “nymphets” and one day stumbles upon the perfect nymphet, Dolores Haze. The book chronicles his love for Dolores, but what I found to be fascinating was how you eventually sympathize with Humbert, even though nowadays his picture would be plastered all over “Dateline.” Read More »