1961-1962 (collected 1963) / Ecomics / 62 pages / Belgium
***
A well-earned staycation from the relentless globetrotting and occasional space travel, Tintin's Lwaxana Troi episode is more domestic sitcom than fiendish mystery, but non-Francophone foreigners will be a couple of pages behind.
1998 / Ebook / 87 pages / UK
***
The juxtaposition of Swinging London and gangster slags didn't do it for me, but the story of its scandalous semi-improvised pisstake production is more interesting than most.
2005 / Audiobook / 169 pages / USA
**
Makes an emotional case for this being the best rock album, up to that point anyway. Since it's not exactly an obscure position, he doesn't get defensive about it like some writers, but nor does he contribute much that hasn't been told already in the more substantial works he quotes from.
2006 / Ebook / 140 pages / UK
***
What I mainly like about these books is being able to listen and read along in real time (preferably neither lingering for too long after), so I appreciated the meaty (stony?) song-by-song guide to the cocky Mancs' ecstasy choons, even if it didn't convert me.
2012 / Ebook / 368 pages / UK
***
The Crow Road with low-key gangsters. I think he's writing my generation this time, but it's so far removed from my own experiences that it didn't register. I'm glad we got the more grimly-positive The Quarry to bow out on.
