Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout by Laura Jane Grace

Usually the rock autobiographies that I read are by really old guys that have been around forever. Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout is the first by someone that's younger than me. That sorta makes me feel a bit old. Anyway, I really enjoyed it and the title is pretty accurate - it does feel like the whole book is one long confession by Laura Jane Grace in an attempt to free herself from the burdens of her past. The first half of the book is the standard rock'n'roll story of a small band hitting the big time and falling apart because of drugs, sex and band member conflicts. It isn't until her gender dysphoria takes a central role in her life that the story swerves into new and interesting territory. She doesn't hold anything back and knowing the pain behind some of her music makes me appreciate it more. B+

The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands by Stephen King

Before I say anything about The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands itself let me just comment on the cover... or actually several of the covers this book has had. There are at least four different book covers for this (including the latest printing) that feature an evil looking dark old fashioned train. Now the book does involve a possessed train as a major plot point but it is described as being a sleek pink monorail. So completely opposite of what is on the cover.... Anyway let me also mention now that somehow this book fits in mentions of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Catch-22, The Lord of the Flies, The Hobbit, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Watership Down.

Okay... so what did I think of the third installment of this series? I LOVED it. Best in the series so far. Actually it is probably one of my favorite Stephen King novels. The story picks up shortly after the previous book with Roland's ka-tet (group drawn together by destiny) finally starting out towards the Dark Tower. Plus there's finally some explanation of what the Tower is and what is going on here. The members have various adventures that include a giant bear with a satellite dish on its head, a house that tries to eat Jake and a monorail train that is controlled by a crazy artificial intelligence. And it ends on a total cliff hanger! I'll have to give it an A.