{"id":12377,"date":"2015-10-05T00:08:08","date_gmt":"2015-10-05T07:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/?p=12377"},"modified":"2015-10-05T02:59:58","modified_gmt":"2015-10-05T09:59:58","slug":"3-book-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2015\/10\/05\/3-book-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"three new book reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cover<\/a>
Cover of Cochlea & Eustachia<\/i> by Hans Rickheit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>[Books and other printed matter]<\/p>\n

Actually two graphic book reviews from one artist\/author, a novel from a San Diego writer, and a self-published book of short stories from Australia, but also a high-priced quarterly mainstream periodical and a xeroxed folded handout from Vegas<\/h1>\n

Not Really Just Three Book Reviews<\/h3>\n

by Reviewer Rob
\n<\/strong>
\nCochlea & Eustachia<\/em>, and Folly<\/em>, by Hans Rickhiet Hans<\/strong> is easily one of the most underrated artists working today. \u201cDreamlike\u201d is often used to describe his comics. \u201cNightmarish\u201d might be another one, although I haven\u2019t read that one in any of the reviews yet. Rickhiet has a way of tapping into the pre-conscious underbrain that inhabits the constantly running background data of the psyche. He\u2019s been branching out into graphic novels for some time as with this edition of Cochlea & Eustachia<\/em> and even dabbling in video animation but I really liked his early stuff from 15 years ago, compiled here in Folly<\/em>, that had a short snippit quality to it, where you can really see the layers of fantasy unfold ad-infinitum. RR<\/p>\n

\"Cover<\/a>
Cover of A Shadow Cast In Dust<\/em> by Ben Johnson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>A Shadow Cast In Dust<\/em>, by Ben Johnson, 333 pages, paperback, Grand Mall Press<\/strong> This is the first-published novel from the multi-faceted Ben Johnson. He\u2019s always the nicest guy, even when he wears that fake smiley-face mask at work behind the bar at The Casbah (\u201cSan Diego\u2019s Coolest Bar!\u201d). The guy\u2019s like some kind of savant, you\u2019d be forgiven to think. Just look at a partial list of accomplishments: drummer in several San Diego bands, vocalist, songwriter, rapper, band leader, part owner of one of San Diego\u2019s most sought after music venues The Casbah, white comedy rapper, father and husband to a gorgeous wife, former chief overseer and lead cock on the block of the Rooster House above Scolari\u2019s Office on 30th, and now he\u2019s working on getting his second book out there. Pretty sure I\u2019m at least leaving out half a dozen other things. A Shadow Cast In Dust is \u201can urban fantasy epic\u201d supernatural psycho-drama cast in the canyons lacing Mission Hills. Think Carlos Castaneda-esque set in the urban naturescape of modern San Diego. There\u2019s a young boy and his dog, a female police detective, and a strange world of wonder and deceit. I asked Ben how long it took to write. \u201cThree years. Two after I got a laptop and got serious,\u201d he said. This was published in early 2014 and, along with his first novel, that year brought along a baby to Ben and his wife. Next year in 2015 Ben was elevated to part-owner of The Casbah on Kettner (remember: \u201cSan Diego\u2019s Coolest Bar\u201d) in a secret and ancient underground hipster ritual involving Jack Daniels and chicken\u2019s blood. Not really. Ben\u2019s bartender and owner of The Casbah but he doesn\u2019t drink, hasn\u2019t for over ten years. That ought to tell you something about the guy\u2019s drive. Ben\u2019s around that environment week after week, yet abstaining. Read this novel for a unique perspective and story from San Diego. RR<\/p>\n

\"Surface<\/a>
Surface Children<\/i> by Dean Blake.<\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"July,<\/a>
July, 2015, copy of DTLV that I picked up at the photo studio of Curtis Walker in Las Vegas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>DTLV<\/em><\/strong> Approx. 5×7\u201d, similar to the Urbanist in San Diego, only more low-budget printing. I like it. This free hand-out guide is a colored xeroxed style folded info sheet of local happenings around the very hip and arts Downtown \u201cArts District\u201d which is still affordably cool and not yet to hipstery or upscale to be unattainable to the normal budget. It\u2019s Las Vegas, after all. If you want to be a high roller you can go to the Bellagio or several other places that cater to the whales and oil barons. This is for the cool crowd that like the kitsch and approachability of real art shows and off duty strippers waking up at the corner coffee shop. Wear your sunglasses. The sun will be bright. [dtlv.com] RR<\/p>\n

Surface Children<\/i> by Dean Blake.<\/b>[\/caption]Surface Children<\/em> by Dean Blake, 2013, generationend.com<\/strong> \u201cA book of short stories\u201d from an author based in the sunny climes of Brisbane, Australia. Think Bukowski only with the crowd of characters in the local dive bar being younger and better looking. Read this if you\u2019re going on an Aussie trip after graduation to see how the kids live Down Under. Dean Blake is a good writer of dialogue and conveyor of teenage angst. There\u2019s plenty of that on both sides of the Pacific but in Los Angeles they say \u201cass\u201d not \u201carse\u201d. Haha. RR<\/p>\n

Lapham\u2019s Quarterly<\/em>, Fall, 2015, Vol. VIII, #4<\/strong> Theme-based book-style magazine that comes out four times a year. High priced, it strictly follows the format set out in each issue\u2019s one-word category, this issue being \u201cFashion\u201d. Think of it like VICE<\/em> magazine only way more high-brow. If you like your reading deep, esoteric and profound check out Lapham\u2019s Quarterly<\/em>. Great \u201cConversations\u201d quote from Kanye in back on page 207. RR<\/p>\n

\"Lapham's<\/a>
Lapham’s Quarterly<\/i>, Fall, 2015. “Fashion” issue.<\/b><\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n

\n:::<\/strong>
\n<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Books and other printed matter] Actually two graphic book reviews from one artist\/author, a novel from a San Diego writer, and a self-published book of short stories from Australia, but also a high-priced quarterly mainstream periodical and a xeroxed folded handout from Vegas Not Really Just Three Book Reviews by Reviewer Rob Cochlea & Eustachia, and Folly, by Hans Rickhiet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":453,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[598],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15620,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2018\/11\/10\/15620\/","url_meta":{"origin":12377,"position":0},"title":"Book for sale: SUCKDOG — A RUCKUS, by Lisa Carver, signed","author":"Reviewer Rob","date":"November 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"[Bookcabal] punk rock history \u00a0 Book for sale: Lisa Cerver's SUCKDOG -- A RUCKUS, signed and in like new condition, $15.99 plus postage and handling Brand new, shiny, unread and signed copies of SUCKDOG -- A RUCKUS by Lisa Carber are for sale here. Email me, robertrowsey@gmail.com, or send $15.99\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "book cabal"","block_context":{"text":"book cabal","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/book-cabal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.paypalobjects.com\/en_US\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":252,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/03\/02\/insufficient-mating-material-book-ad\/","url_meta":{"origin":12377,"position":1},"title":"Insufficient Mating Material book ad","author":"admin","date":"March 2, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"What a fantastic read! A book full of possibilities, humor, intrigue and action. I loved it! I always knew survival had many erotic and exciting possibilities. 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Reviewer Rob After Tonight Everything Will Be Different is a new collection of shorts centered on San Diego people interacting with eachother and their food. Right now: I'm reading the back cover notes on this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211111_214456-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211111_214456-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211111_214456-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211111_214456-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/20211111_214456-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3156,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/10\/30\/talent-erotica-and-fetish-fine-art-photographer-george-pitts\/","url_meta":{"origin":12377,"position":3},"title":"Talent: Erotica and Fetish Fine Art Photographer George Pitts","author":"admin","date":"October 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"[Bio]GEORGE PITTSArt Photography - Erotica George Pitts is a fine art photographer, painter, and writer. 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