JG Ballard R.I.P.

Science fiction writer who notably inspired bands such as Joy Division passes away at 78 after a long battle with cancer.

"JG Ballard's novels, disquieting, visionary and often apocalyptic fables of technological and social anarchy set him at the very pinnacle of contemporary writing. The self-professed "architect of dreams, sometimes nightmares" enjoyed a cult status, and Steven Spielberg's film of his book Empire of the Sun brought him a a popular fanbase, too. Fusing external landscapes of futuristic visions with the internal workings of his characters' minds, Ballard created a series of montages in which the world was, in turns, flooded, desiccated, crystallised and concreted over..." [BBC Obituary]

Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture

Thurston Moore explores the magic of the mix tape in Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture (Universe Publishing, 2005).

"This book can only represent one zillionth of the people out there who have made the coolest tapes for themselves or others. In that respect, it simply exists as a nod to the true love and ego involved in sharing music with friends and lovers. Trying to control sharing through music is like trying to control an affair of the heart - nothing will stop it." -Thurston Moore

The Allure of Chanel

At the end of World War II, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel invited diplomat and writer Paul Morand to St. Moritz and offered him the opportunity to write her memoirs. His notes of their conversations were put away in a drawer and only came to light a year after Chanel's death in 1971. They included candid memories and thoughts on diverse subjects - from her childhood to the men in her life to social issues. Originally published in 1976, The Allure of Chanel has been reprinted by Pushkin Press (2008). A must read.

Beauty of Soul: Oscar Wilde

"Stephen Fry discusses why Oscar Wilde's Fairy Tales continue to exert the same pull over the imagination and emotions as they did when he first read them to his children in the 1880s." [Stephen Fry]

Fashion Plates

British Vogue, November 2008

Loose yourself in the glossiest, most au courant fashion coffee-table books. By Harriet Quick

"So you've got the Rodarte dress and the Shaun Leane diamond vulture-skull brooch, but perhaps you lack the academic credentials to be a true urban goth? If so, start with Gothic: Dark Glamour (Yale University Press, 2008). One half of this dark tome is devoted to fashion, the other to rock music, so slide on that Sisters of Mercy album and a Rick Owens jacket, and let your nerves be tingled."

Love is a Mix Tape

Rob Sheffield, Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time (Random House, 2007)

For anyone who's ever started a conversation by saying, "Let me make you a mixtape." For anyone who's ever received one. Music journalist Rob Sheffield's first book is a touching autobiography that delves deep into two things that really matter in this life: love and music. Through personal tragedy, and in its wake, Sheffield takes us on a journey defined in part by the various soundtracks that made it into his own life...one song at a time.