Books I Read in August: Favorite and Least Favorite

This year, I decided to read only books with pictures. In August, I read four books. (You can find all my short book reviews here.) My favorite was Susan Meiselas’ Mediations: “a wonderful overview of her career, development as a photographer, and efforts to rebalance the power dynamics between photographer and subject.” My least favorite was Johnny Ryan’s Porn Basket: “the artistic equivalent of watching a child play with its own feces.”

Books I Read

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Books I Read: Mediations

I really loved Susan Meiselas’ Mediations. It provides a wonderful overview of her career, development as a photographer, and efforts to rebalance the power dynamics between photographer and subject. I particularly enjoyed the essay by Eduardo Cadava, which manages to be both personal and theoretical. Recommend.

Books I Read

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Books I Read in July: Favorite and Least Favorite

This year, I decided to read only books with pictures. In July, I read four books. (You can find all my short book reviews here.) My favorite was Barbara Nitke’s American Ecstasy; from my review: “I read and pored over this book at a glacial pace because I didn’t want it to end.” My least favorite was E. M. Carroll’s A Guest in the House; from my review: “I had to search the internet to try and understand [the ending].”

Books I Read

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Books I Read: American Ecstasy

I can’t remember the first time I encountered Barbara Nitke’s American Ecstasy series, but it was a very long time ago. And more recently when I realized I’d never owned the book version, I wasn’t sure why. Then I remembered that I was sick when it was published. So, finally, I ordered it. And this book just dazzles. During my career, I have spent quite a bit of time on adult movie sets as a journalist, and I have never encountered a woman who had a similar experience, which is captured in this magnificent volume. In her own words, the words of the performers and crew, and her dazzling photos, she brings to life the often hidden adult business, what it’s like to insert yourself into its making, and what we can learn when we take the time to look at and listen to a part of capitalist production that due to its preoccupation with erotic fantasy is often misunderstood and frequently vilified. I read and pored over this book at a glacial pace because I didn’t want it to end. This is better than Larry Sultan’s The Valley. This is the real thing.

Books I Read

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Photo City

Photo City, in Studio City, California, is a great place to get passport photos (if you’re me) and film developed.

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Books I Read: Moord in Rotterdam

Moord in Rotterdam is not for the faint of heart. It compiles crime scene photos taken by the Rotterdam police between 1905 and 1967. The cover features a woman who un-alived herself. She appears to be napping. Her lookalike doll is at her side. Is it creepy, beautiful, tragic? The scene is in the eye of the beholder. Flipping through the pages of homicides, suicides, and crimes of passion, one is struck by the grand artistry of it all. I don’t know whether to credit the Rotterdam police for their photography skills or chalk it up to fantastic editing of a gruesome body of work. A great pick for fans of Joel-Peter Witkin and Wisconsin Death Trip.

Books I Read

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Books I Read: Frank Sinatra Has a Cold

I’ve read Gay Talese’s “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” several times, so when I saw Taschen had produced this oversized version with photos by Phil Stern, I had to have it. I really enjoyed re-reading Talese’s work this way, Stern’s photos, and the ephemera that includes Talese’s hand-drawn outline for the work. A good buy.

Books I Read

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Human Furniture

In this week’s edition of The Reverse Cowgirl, my Substack newsletter: human furniture is fun, an intimacy coordinator reveals all, the wife of the Gilgo Beach killer speaks, the founder of OnlyFans pivots, the CDC issues body hair guidelines for women, and more. Read it and subscribe to get it delivered to your inbox.

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It's Fantastic

In this week’s edition of The Reverse Cowgirl roundup: Barbie eats Ken, an OnlyFans model gets savage, Sydney Sweeney wants to share her bathwater, a photographer shoots Japanese love hotels, Michael Fassbender talks fisting gloves, and more. Subscribe to get my newsletter in your inbox weekly.

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Watch out!

In this week’s edition of The Reverse Cowgirl Roundup: a dominatrix slips on her boxing gloves, a new board game posits players as strippers, a famous actress shares a secret about her private parts, and more.

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Life in L.A. (Smoke)

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Blue Skies

The billboard at David Zwirner’s terrific William Eggleston show. For more photos, follow me on Instagram.

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Pirelli Calendar 2025

The Pirelli Calendar 2025 is out and bringing back the sexy. Check out a video sneak peak on YouTube here.

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Books I Read in 2024: The Valley

The Valley by Larry Sultan is one of my favorite photography books. A gorgeous, evocative, moving chronicle of life in the San Fernando Valley's adult movie industry by the late great Larry Sultan. Includes a front of the book essay by Sultan that interweaves his youth in the Valley and being on the sets of adult movies.

Books I Read in 2024: Victory Parade, I Hate Men, My Friend Dahmer, The Crying of Lot 49, Machines in the Head, Big Magic, The Valley, End of Active Service, An Honest Woman, The Money Shot, Atomic Habits, Finding Your Own North Star, Crazy Cock, Sigrid Rides, Your Money Or Your Life, The Big Sleep, Eventually Everything Connects, Smutcutter, Shine Shine Shine, A Serial Killer’s Daughter, Confessions of a Serial Killer

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ZOË BY PURIENNE

From YouTube: “Saint Laurent Rive Droite, through SL Editions, is pleased to present a new book, featuring Zoë Kravitz photographed by Henrik Purienne.” You can buy a copy of the book for $135 on YSL.com.

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The Hotline

I’ve really been enjoying photographer Noah Kalina’s YouTube videos, where he talks about his work, his life, and the world. In particular, I like his hotline show, where people call in and ask questions. I’ve called in twice, including for the most recent hotline episode, “The Hotline Show XII.” One reason I like Noah’s rhetoric around art is that he doesn’t try to tie everything up into a neat bow. Art is messy and chaotic and unpredictable. In any case, I usually learn something about my own practice from his thoughts, so check out his work.

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What We See

“The images feature hardcore sex, fetishists, erect penises, the unhoused, the seemingly dead, freaks, the mentally ill, exhibitionists, masochists, sex workers, psychos, criminals, mobsters, a hooded figure removing a string of anal beads from his anus, and other types.” Read the rest of my latest Reverse Cowgirl newsletter HERE and then subscribe by hitting the button at the bottom of the newsletter.

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The Theatre

“I took this photo of the Tiki Theatre on Friday while standing in the street on Santa Monica Boulevard as traffic approached.” Read the rest of my Substack newsletter. Subscribe to get it in your inbox weekly.

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She May Destroy You

I love this cover portrait of Michaela Coel by Tim Walker for W Magazine. If you haven’t seen HBO’s “I May Destroy You,” which is terrific, you should.

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Naked in NYC

Last weekend, my NYC-based photographer friend Nikola Tamindzic was part of an art show supporting NYC artists and featuring work they’d created during the pandemic. One of the prints he was selling was a photo he took of me, remotely, during the early days of the pandemic. What a delight to be included. 

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