Summer reads, part 1

I doubt that I'll actually get to a beach this summer, so my "beach reads" are books I read on my front porch, sitting in an orange vinyl/plastic lounge chair, aimed to catch some sun. What I've been reading in the sun so far:

"Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution that Shaped a Generation" by Marc Fisher contains some information on the early history of American radio, but as per its title, it focuses more on how, beginning in the mid-50's, rock music changed the face of radio, wiping away the news and entertainment programming which was largely becoming the stuff of television, a medium in its infancy. The first part of the book is very interesting, but when he reaches the rock era, he shifts from a chronological narrative to jumping around by DJs and their specialties, and it loses some steam. By building his story around radio personalities, he wind up slighting, to some degree, the music, the playlists, the contests, and in general, how the audience experienced radio. Still, a generally fun read; the chapter on Jean Shepherd, author of the story which was turned into the classic movie "A Christmas Story," is fascinating.

"The Carpenters: The Untold Story" by Ray Coleman: I'm a little sorry I picked this one up as it really tarnishes the whitebread image I had of Karen and Richard Carpenter. We all know about Karen's struggle with eating disorders, but Richard also battled an addiction to Quaaludes, and during the most successful time in their career, they were still living with their mother (who is painted vaguely as a controlling monster). The two were also very controlling about each other, with Karen being particularly sabotaging of Richard's relationships with girlfriends. The book, written in 1995, is "authorized," and the author had the cooperation of Richard, but I suspect there are more undercurrents to the bizarre family dynamics that we'll never know. Not a terribly well written book, but filled with gossipy details about the people and the songs. Sadly, I'll never quite listen to "Goodbye to Love" or "Solitaire" the same way again.

"Stardust Lost: The Triumph, Tragedy, and Mishugas of the Yiddish Theater in America" by Stefan Kanter: I'm having a hard time getting into this one. The subject, the thriving but now long-gone Yiddish theater scene in New York in the first decades of the 20th century, is one I'm interested in knowing more about, but Kanfer's style is not always easy going, and so far in the first half of the book, he is focusing more on the personalities than the plays or the audiences. I hope to report back on some fiction in the coming weeks; at the very least, I should finish Stephen King's "Cell" which has been sitting by my bed with a bookmark in it for about a month.