“ THE BEATLES ARE COMING : THE BIRTH OF BEATLEMANIA IN AMERICA ” BY BRUCE SPIZER
FICTION “ THE THIRD POLICEMAN ” BY FLANN O ’ BRIEN
FICTION “ HOLLY ” BY STEPHEN KING
Lose yourself in a nook with a book
The new year often brings about New Year ’ s resolutions . Consider making a resolution to read every day . Besides , what else do you have to do once the big game is over and football season is done ?
Here then are several must read suggestions from the Times-Review staff to help you get started .
MUSIC
“ THE BEATLES ARE COMING : THE BIRTH OF BEATLEMANIA IN AMERICA ” BY BRUCE SPIZER
Topical given that Feb . 7 marked the 60th anniversary of the band ’ s arrival in America followed by their first Ed Sullivan appearance , which 73 million people watched , two days later .
Although Beatlemania exploded across England and much of Europe in 1963 , similar success in America was hardly a given as few English acts had made much of a splash in the U . S . previously . Capitol Records , despite urging from Britian ’ s EMI Record label , which owned Capitol , declined to issue the band ’ s first album or early singles farming them out instead to Swan , Vee-Jay and other labels that lacked the funds or promotional ability to get the band ’ s name out there .
Spizer does a great job of detailing how , starting with “ I Want To Hold Your Hand ” Capitol had a change of heart and got behind what remains to this day the biggest selling musical act of all time and arguably most popular . Along the way , Spizer perfectly captures those heady days of late ‘ 63 / early ‘ 64 and the excitement of early Beatlemania still going strong 60 years on .
FICTION “ THE THIRD POLICEMAN ” BY FLANN O ’ BRIEN
A rewarding if also at times maddening and hardly easy read in which O ’ Brien both follows and obliterates the concepts of conventional plot if not reality .
Things start off straightforward enough with the killing of Phillip Mathers and theft of his money by John Divney and the narrator . Lickety split , however , ghosts , bicycles , a two-dimensional police station and claims that the earth is sausage shaped rather than round send the tale into the realm of the absurd . A tale fans of cohesive narrative will likely chunk a chapter or two in but one fans of “ Alice ’ s Adventures in Wonderland ,” Monty Python and James Joyce may well revel in .
FICTION “ HOLLY ” BY STEPHEN KING
Neurotic detective and title character Holly makes her fourth appearance in a King book having already cheated death and solved grisly crimes in “ Mr . Mercedes ,” “ Finders Keepers ” and “ End of Watch .” Two deranged college professors with interesting to say the least views on nutrition provide chills and danger aplenty this go around .
Holly , King has said , was meant to be a one-off character in “ Mr . Mercedes ” but proved too likable and interesting to abandon . Here ’ s hoping for a fifth Holly adventure , if not more .
The Published Page Bookshop
Historic Downtown Cleburne
The “ Old School ” Bookstore
More Books Than , WOW !
10 E . Chambers St-On the Square • 817-349-6366 • publishedpage . com
6 Community Life