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  Vincent van Gogh - Sunflowers...

  Victoria Charles

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  Vincent van Gogh's life and work are so intertwined that it is hardly possible to observe one without thinking of the other. Van Gogh has indeed become the incarnation of the suffering, misunderstood martyr of modern art, the emblem of the artist as an outsider. An article, published in 1890, gave details about van Gogh's illness. The author of the article saw the painter as "a terrible and demented genius, often sublime, sometimes grotesque, always at the brink of the pathological." Very little is known about Vincent's childhood. At the age of eleven he had to leave "the human nest", as he called it himself, for various boarding schools. The first portrait shows us van Gogh as an earnest nineteen year old. At that time he had already been at work for three years in The Hague and, later, in London in the gallery Goupil & Co. In 1874 his love for Ursula Loyer ended in disaster and a year later he was transferred to Paris, against his will. After a particularly heated argument during Christmas holidays in 1881, his father, a pastor, ordered Vincent to leave. With this final break, he abandoned his family name and signed his canvases simply "Vincent". He left for Paris and never returned to Holland. In Paris he came to know Paul Gauguin, whose paintings he greatly admired. The self-portrait was the main subject of Vincent's work from 1886c88. In February 1888 Vincent left Paris for Arles and tried to persuade Gauguin to join him. The months of waiting for Gauguin were the most productive time in van Gogh's life. He wanted to show his friend as many pictures as possible and decorate the Yellow House. But Gauguin did not share his views on art and finally returned to Paris. On 7 January, 1889, fourteen days after his famous self-mutilation, Vincent left the hospital where he was convalescing. Although he hoped to recover from and to forget his madness, but he actually came back twice more in the same year. During his last stay in hospital, Vincent painted landscapes in which he recreated the world of his childhood. It is said that Vincent van Gogh shot himself in the side in a field but decided to return to the inn and went to bed. The landlord informed Dr Gachet and his brother Theo, who described the last moments of his life which ended on 29 July, 1890: "I wanted to die. While I was sitting next to him promising that we would try to heal him. [...], he answered, 'La tristesse durera toujours (The sadness will last forever).'"

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  Neverland

  Vanessa Kisuule

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  Vanessa Kisuule is a big Michael Jackson fan. This fixation once gave her great joy, but now it keeps her up at night. In her bracingly honest, energetic and lively book she explores the fall-out from that fandom and how, or if, we can hold people to account whilst loving them at the same time. 
   
  Why do famous musicians mean so much to us? How does the pop culture machine both mirror and magnify the worst aspects of human nature? Why is it so hard to accept that the people we love, famous or not, are capable of doing terrible things? 
   
  As debates rage on about abusive public figures, Kisuule asks not just if we should separate the art from the artist, but how this moral conundrum informs the way we shape our relationships, families and notions of social justice. Witty, poetic and with references to R. Kelly, Britney Spears and a host of other famous faces, Neverland is both an ardent love letter to the music we love and an unflinching look at the costs of hero worship.

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  Scotland in 100 Buildings

  Roger Emmerson

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  Scotland in 100 Buildings by architect Roger Emmerson is a captivating journey through the architectural marvels of Scotland, seen uniquely through Emmerson's personal experiences.
  This isn't a dry history or textbook – it's a lively, intimate account where each building tells its own story. Emmerson has visited every site featured, offering first-hand insights that bring these places to life, from iconic landmarks to hidden gems. His reflections aim to inspire readers to explore for themselves, rather than simply inform, making this book easy to pick up at any page. 
  Ideal for architecture enthusiasts, travellers and locals alike, Scotland in 100 Buildings will appeal to anyone curious about Scotland's diverse buildings and the personal tales they inspire. It's perfect for those seeking an approachable and authentic look at Scotland's architectural legacy.

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  How We Fish: The Love Life and...

  Paul Whitehouse, John Bailey,...

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  Paul Whitehouse and fishing expert John Bailey celebrate the timeless joy of fishing. 
  Paul Whitehouse and John Bailey have been devout fishermen for longer than they care to remember. A hobby, past time or sport – call it what you want – they have felt the pull of the water ever since they were kids and have never missed the chance to set up on the bank and try their luck. 
  In this wonderful book, the two fishermen collaborate to celebrate the rich tapestry that is fishing – from mentors to memories; from philosophy to modern jargon; from watercraft to becoming self-styled ‘Fishing Detectives’. Punctuated by brilliant stories, beautiful illustrations by Carys Reilly-Whitehouse, and recollections from fishing day trips past, How We Fish is the perfect tome for the veteran fisherman or the budding angler – warm, funny and rich in the wonders of the riverbank. 
  Paul Whitehouse's How We Fish is a top-rated non-fiction book that combines elements of autobiography, travel, and comedy. The authors love for nature and their experiences as environmentalists make this book a must-read for anyone interested in fishing or the great outdoors. 
  For fans of John Gierach (All Fishermen Are Liars), Richard Blackburn (Float Fishing), Howell Raines (Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis), Bob Mortimer (Mortimer & Whitehouse), and John Moorwood (The Magic of Fishing). 
  HarperCollins 2023

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  Sir Arthur Bliss - Standing out...

  Paul Spicker

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  Arthur Bliss (1891–1975) was one of the most important British musicians of his age. Born into a family where music played a highly significant role, his talent emerged early. He served with distinction in the Great War, in which he was both injured and gassed. After the War he set the musical world alight with ultra-modern works, earning himself the soubriquet enfant terrible and leading to his first major work, the Colour Symphony. His dual American/British birthright led to a close connection with the USA and marriage to an American girl, Trudy Hoffman, who would be a mainstay of his life. Before long he became the most performed British composer abroad and his portfolio of works included ballet, film (H.G. Wells's Things to Come remains one of the finest film scores), opera, orchestral, chamber, choral works and song. He was a diplomat, a skill that was recognized in many appointments from the Government to travel using music as soft power, notably to Russia in 1956. He served as Director of Music at the BBC from 1942–4, was knighted and soon after appointed Master of the Queen's Music. Bliss was a private figure who stated that the only way to get to know him was through his music. Paul Spicer takes this as his starting point for this pioneering biography, which underlines the timely importance of a complete reappraisal of this important composer's music.

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  The Dad Rock That Made Me A Woman

  Niko Stratis

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  A memoir-in-essays on transness, dad rock, and the music that saves us. 
   
   
   
  When Wilco's 2007 album Sky Blue Sky was infamously criticized as "dad rock," Niko Stratis was a twenty-five-year-old closeted trans woman working in her dad's glass shop in the Yukon Territory. As she sought escape from her hypermasculine environment, Stratis found an unlikely lifeline amid dad rock's emotionally open and honest music. Listening to dad rock, Stratis could access worlds beyond her own and imagine a path forward. 
   
   
   
  In taut, searing essays rendered in propulsive and unguarded prose, Stratis delves into the emotional core of bands like Wilco and The National, telling her story through the dad rock that accompanied her along the way. She found footing in Michael Stipe's allusions to queer longing, Radiohead's embrace of unknowability, and Bruce Springsteen's very trans desire to "change my clothes my hair my face"—and she found in artists like Neko Case and Sharon Van Etten that the label transcends gender. A love letter to the music that saves us and a tribute to dads like Stratis's own who embody the tenderness at the genre's heart, The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman rejoices in music unafraid to bare its soul.

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