Far And Near: On Days Like These Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
Whether navigating the backroads of Louisiana or Thuringia, exploring the snowy Quebec woods, or performing onstage at Rush concerts, Neil Peart has stories to tell. His first volume in this series, Far and Away, combined words and images to form an intimate, insightful narrative that won many readers.Now Far and Near brings together reflections from another three years of an artist’s life as he celebrates seasons, landscapes, and characters, travels roads and trails, receives honors, climbs mountains, composes and performs music. With passionate insight, wry humor, and an adventurous spirit, once again Peart offers a collection of open letters that take readers on the road, behind the scenes, and into the inner workings of an ever-inquisitive mind.These popular stories, originally posted on Peart’s website, are now collected and contextualized with a new introduction and conclusion in this beautifully designed collector’s volume.
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: ECW Press (October 14, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1770412573
ISBN-13: 978-1770412576
Product Dimensions: 1 x 8.5 x 10.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #22,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Automotive > Motorcycles #8 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Instruments > Percussion #27 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Forms & Genres > Popular
If you read and enjoyed 'Far and Away', you'll love this book. It picks right up where that book left off, with the bonus of even more gorgeous pictures this time around. I only wish the Kindle version of the book had high resolution pictures so we could see the majesty of the desert and the beauty of the eastern US in spring. Neil's ability to tell a story is like none other. He has really honed this artist endeavor, as well as his 'day job' with Rush.The book went by so quickly, but I feel that way about all of his books. With such mesmerising story telling, it's easy to be pulled in.
You would think after several of his "road" books, things might become repetitious. But no; each book gets better than the last. As he gets older, his insights into travel and life mature, painting a more scenic picture than the one before . Plus the personal infusions of his life and beliefs into the less traveled roads and places he rides to, holds your attention to where you can't put the book down. Particularly enjoy the interaction and hijinx between him and the other 2 "Stooges (Michael and Brutus)" as they "shunpike" their way through America, Canada and Europe.
I was a fan of Neil Peart already. Love Rush, love him most. Now I admire and respect him even more after reading one of his books. His experiences, hobbies, just the way he lives his life is exciting and full of adventure. I was in awe of all the riding he has done all over the world. Plus some of the side hobbies like climbing mountains, or driving a Viper down Route 66, had me absorbing it all in. What a life!Not only is he a great drummer, a legend, an idol, but he is someone to be inspired by, and in awe of. I tell ya, I can't wait to read some more of his books, he is so fascinating!I loved the many times I saw my hometown mentioned in the book on his travels too. Usually in reference to a tour Rush was on, but still a mention.Lots of people, fans or not, will enjoy reading this book. Yeah he is a rock drummer, but this book shows clearly he is so much more than that too.
Another book by Neil Peart about travelling. I suppose one should play to their strengths, and tales of life on the road can be entertaining and enlightening. But at some point, wouldn't Peart find it more entertaining to write about another subject? I saw a recent interview Peart did for the CBC and he really is an interesting conversationalist. Sure, the interview was peppered with tales of his travels, but it got really interesting when the subject turned to matters other than travel. For example, Peart talked about living in Los Angeles' fish-bowl celebrity culture. That's not to say that Peart is part of that culture, but he is an keen observer of it and its predatory nature. On the subjects of Lindsay Lohan and Donald Sterling, and their respective falls from celebrity Mt. Olympus, Peart took on the role that mental illness may play in their downfall. Peart turned the discussion over to the public's reaction to someone's mental illness and seeing it as entertainment. Thinking about Peart's own experience with a period of mental illness, his comment was laced with disgust and facination over the public reaction. Over the course of the conversation, Peart moved from one topic to another with aplomb and interest. It seems to me that Peart may have exhausted this travel writing gig and needs to try out other subjects. I think he's ready.
Neil is an observer of the world around him and that has to be kept in mind when you read his books. They are how he perceives circumstances and so forth and for the most part, I do agree with him. I enjoy his writing and his sense of humour, but there are a few times he seems...distant or removed either from those around him or from life in general. Perhaps we all do that sometimes, though.Overall, I would give this 4.5 stars. It is a good book/travelogue and worth reading.
I have read every one of Neil's books and enjoy his writing very much. Neil has a wide appeal as a talented writer in the form of motojournalist, in addition to his songwriting ability. In this book, some excerpts of which I had read on his website, he can traverse easily through different subjects and engage the reader. As he brings the reader through the progress of the Clockwork Angels tour, there are some interesting stories as well as not-so-interesting, repeated themes: disliking the touring (which he has for YEARS), disliking fan contact.....and being easily recognized as a faith-basher..... Moments like those, and referring to Christmas as a "pagan Holiday", made me want to skip over those parts or just put the book down. While Neil will always be recognized for his drumming, songwriting and even authoring, the strength of his personal opinions in writing is sometimes insulting.In the case of this book, I enjoyed 90% of it, the other 10% consisted of the aforementioned as above. The stories and pictures are always interesting, even when not talking about Rush, or the travels between shows. Examples might be trekking with his neighbor in Canada on a snowshoeing expedition, his daughter Olivia or his journeys driving his Aston-Martin(s). Of course, if he wasn't Neil Peart, a musician I have followed for 36 years, I probably wouldn't be interested. However, most of the Rush fan world wants a glimpse into the life/world of a person who is considered to be one of the greatest all-around drummers of all time, not to mention (co-)songwriter.Suffice it to say that as Rush sunsets their more extensive touring into retirement, such stories as in "Far and Near" and "Far and Away", will also fade into the distance. It will be interesting to see if Neil publishes any more work outside of his personal website; I know that I would read it, as long it doesn't contain any of his former tirades.
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