Flying Saucer Attack’s new album, simply called „Instrumentals“, is a fine example of an artist who does an old-school job with guitar and tape delay – and succeeds. Nothing much happens here, all has been there before, somehow, somewhere, between bedroom record history, ambient music, and delicate noise. But here it is, nearly undescribable: the magic factor „X“ that captures our attention or lets our thoughts run wild (in slow motian). Not a bad idea to listen to this music in the background while reading the first chapter of „How We Are“, ahem, in parts, a, well, self-help book: don’t run away now. And why should you? Some change might be welcome in the best of lifes. It’s on the bright side of this genre, a richly textured book about breaking routines and patterns, or just about sticking to well-trodden paths. (“Don’t try to change me,” Bertie Wooster says in one of PG Wodehouse’s stories. “It spoils the flavour.”). Vincent Deary is a psychologist and philosopher, and he’s moving far beyond the simple pleasures of „positive thinking“: „We live in rooms haunted by ourselves”. You are the main character of this book, dear reader, one that might make spin your head, in good ways. And you can have a lot of fun when reading the book, cause Dreary never turns on the modus operandi of a guru. Be happy you’re not the protagonist of the brilliant new thriller of Carol O’Connell: of course Mallory is a young, attractive, female and intelligent detective, but, she’s a sociopath, too. Carol O’Connell is quite unknown in Germany, but her „Mallory novels“ belong to the rare examples of thrillers pushing boundaries and successfully mixing elements of surrealism with American nightmares, black humour and highly inventive story-telling. „The Chalk Girl“ („Kreidemädchen“, btb-Taschenbuch) is a pure reading adventure, the translation very good. In some ways you can regard Fred Vargas as a soulmate of Carol O’Connor. Kicking genres is their favourite game. „The Strange World of the Strands“ offers insights into another dream world, but here we are in Liverpool, watching Michael Head (back in the late 90’s) finding buried melodies in the Mersey River, fighting demons of drug addiction, searching for exits, love and a way out of a self-built prison. With songs that go under your skin.