A fateful encounter with the country music section of a university library some months ago set me on a book-buying mission which never quite turned into a book-reading mission. As a result, I have a shelf half-full with country music books constantly reminding me of my sloth and ignorance. That shelf is the inspiration for the newest addition to the Country California lineup, a series of decidedly unhip book reviews which will hopefully become a valuable resource for those interested in furthering their country music education.
A few preliminary thoughts on the series:
- I’m a student, not an expert, so…
- Reviews will be ungraded. I want the emphasis to be on what a book can and cannot offer you, not whether it is good or bad in my opinion.
- Publication schedule will be sporadic. I’m not a speed reader.
- I’ll shy away from biographies and autobiographies a bit because those are usually the books most likely to be covered by other outlets.
- Current books might be featured, but the focus will be on older works. Starting this series in 2008 with a singleminded focus on what’s hot and new would mean ignoring decades of research that have laid the groundwork for what’s happening now.
- Most reviews will include an Amazon link. If you’d like to pick up the book and support the continuation of the series at the same time, purchasing through that link will kick back a bit of money to help me cover future book purchases for the series. I only mention this now so that I won’t have to beat you over the head with it in every review.
- Recommendations are welcome, but understand that I’m already starting out 10+ books behind, so it will probably be a while before I get around to featuring anything that isn’t already in the queue.
This should be a fun way to spread the word about what’s available in the literature, get some discussions going among those who have already read some of the books, and motivate me to work through my bookshelf. The first review is coming your way soon, so stay tuned.
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