One day in my high school library I picked up a book by Ken Follett, The Key to Rebecca. The cover jumped out at me-- a key in the shape of the Nazi swastika (excellent marketing on the part of the publisher). After reading and thoroughly enjoying The Key to Rebecca, I didn't merely read, I downright devoured just about every book Ken Follett wrote (even his first few that had initially been published under the pseudonym "Zachary Stone" and had only recently been republished with Follett's real name). To this day I consider him to be one of the best, if not the best of what one might classify as "the airport authors"-- you know the ones whose books you find at airport newsstands. They're thoroughly entertaining, but not exactly thought provoking reads with somewhat formulaic plots that after awhile start to feel a bit interchangeable.
I've read some Daniel Silva, some John Grisham, some David Baldacci, some Dan Brown and a few others whose names elude me. Their books were mildly entertaining but other than some of Grisham's earlier works-- none of them really left any impression with me. Their was a generic-ness to them that made them imminently forgettable-- the fast food of the publishing industry if you will.
So I do feel kind of bad lumping Ken Follett into such dubious company as his books are at least a step above most of the other writers I've just mentioned. There are a couple of his books I've read more than once and one I've actually read THREE times (A Dangerous Fortune). I can't say that for any of the other authors whose names I've mentioned. So that speaks to Follett's writing at a somewhat higher level than the authors who sit next to him in those airport newsstands.
In 1994 I embarked on a bit of a literary journey with Mr. Follett-- I started reading The Pillars of the Earth. It was (and I believe, still is) the longest book he's ever written. Recently Starz started airing an 8 part miniseries adaptation of Pillars of the Earth that has (at least thus far) been very entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. The casting is exceptional-- Ian McShane as Waleran Bigod; Matthew McFadyen as Prior Phillip, Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder, and in a short cameo in the first two episodes Donald Sutherland as the Earl of Shiring.
The miniseries has been so good that I'm tempted to go back and re-read the book. It has been over 16 years since my last crack at it. From what I can tell the miniseries has been quite faithful to the book, but my memory of the book is hazy after all this time. I am curious to see if the miniseries really IS that faithful to the book or if my memory of the book-- as hazy as it is-- is being overly generous.
A few years ago Follett even penned a sequel, World Without End, set a couple hundred years after The Pillars of the Earth with a completely new cast of characters but the same setting as The Pillars of the Earth. The sequel while not quite as good as the original is still a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I do wonder if, based on the success of the Pillars of the Earth miniseries, a second miniseries will be done for World Without End. Time will tell, I guess.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Monday, August 09, 2010
I'm a bookworm... I have been since I first learned to read. For about six years in the middle of the 'aughts I worked for a college bookstore chain and thus had access to several advance reader galleys. The nice thing about these galleys was that I was exposed to authors and books I had not previously been aware of, not to mention some of which I was aware of but hadn't taken the time to read beforehand.
So I read, and read, and read some more. I also befriended some of the book buyers. We'd share book and author recommendations which even further expanded the breadth of books I'd read.
Below is a "best of" of sorts of the best books and/or authors I read and enjoyed during my six years with my prior employer:
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts: A semi-autobiographical door-stop debut novel. An escaped Aussie convict on a forged New Zealand passport sneaks into Mumbai, India. The books starts when he lands in India and follows his life, his adventures, and misadventures living on the lam in Mumbai. This is currently being made into a movie with Johnny Depp cast in the lead. At over 900 pages I have no idea how they can condense this book into three hours, let alone an hour and a half. The book could have benefitted from some editing as at times it feels like Roberts is trying too hard to be flowery with his prose. But the story is thoroughly enjoyable and the book is a bona-fide page-turner despite its sizable girth.
Adam Davies: I read three of Davies' novels that were published between 2002 and 2008. The Frog King which is being made into a movie was mediocre at best. The main character was eminently unlikable which made it difficult to continue reading about someone I really didn't like or care for. It was Davies debut though and I did like his style of writing. Goodbye Lemon was a substantial improvement over The Frog King the main character was still somewhat unlikable, however his motivations were a bit more understandable and thus I was able to generate a bit of empathy for him despite his obvious flaws. In the end I found it enjoyable because I felt it succeeded where The Frog King had failed. It got me to care about someone I really wouldn't normally have cared about in a real life setting. Mine All Mine was the most unusual of Davies books. The main character was a security guard who had developed a tolerance for various poisons and developing tolerances for new poisons was his hobby. The plot hinges on being duped by a master thief whom he knows little about and the downfall his life suffers after being duped by said thief. It's a crime-caper novel of sorts but not in the traditional sense. I enjoyed it for it's uniqueness. I can honestly say I've never read any other books quite like it and doubt I ever will (unless Davies writes a follow-up).
Dave Eggers: I read both his brilliant memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and his debut novel You Shall Know Our Velocity. His talent was/is undeniable. Both books were enjoyable to read but I repeatedly had the feeling that Eggers was trying to mess with my head a bit. He included a section in the paperback version if You Shall Know Our Velocity that wasn't in the hardcover version which caused me to call into question the rest of the book... It's kind of like when you see a director's cut of the movie and think to yourself, the original version was actually better than the director's cut. I appreciate what he was trying to do, but I'm not sure he quite pulled it off.
Theodore Dreiser: We received a galley of a new printing of Sister Carrie which I read and enjoyed so I went out and bought a copy of An American Tragedy which I absolutely loved! I'd argue that Sister Carrie was one of the first "feminist" novels written by a male author. I'd also argue the book was well ahead of its time. While Carrie would have been seen as a bit of a hero and a champion of women striking out on their own and earning their own living during the peak of the women's lib movement at the time the book was written she was viewed more as an amoral anti-hero who uses her feminine wiles on men to advance her station in life. I've read that Carrie was based on a school teacher in Chicago that he'd dated at the turn of the century. An American Tragedy was set in the fictional city of Lycurgus, NY (loosely based on Utica, NY) and was based on an actual murder in the Adirondack Mountains in 1906. The main character, Clyde Griffiths, was based on Chester Gillette who killed his pregnant girlfriend by drowning on Blue Mountain Lake. The book was made made into 2 movies. The original movie released in the early 30s followed the book somewhat closely. In the early 50s a new version, A Place In the Sun, was released following the same plot but set in the then present day instead of the twenties starring Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters, & Elizabeth Taylor. Woody Allenborrowed plagiarized somewhat heavily from A Place In the Sun for his film, Match Point. The book is better than any of the films that were based on it. But of those films, A Place In the Sun is easily the best. It really captures the feel of the book and it gets Dreiser's point across far better than Woody Allen's Match Point.
The Sun Also Rises: In high school I had to read Hemmingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. I didn't care for it at all. After a discussion with some of my then co-workers I decided to give Hemmingway another try at my leisure as opposed to having it shoved down my throat. The experience was much much more enjoyable. After reading The Sun Also Rises I came to the conclusion that there's a certain level of emotional or life experience one should have to fully enjoy Hemmingway's writing. As a high school student in an all too small town I didn't yet have the level of emotional experience needed to really appreciate Hemmingway. However in my late twenties when I had another crack at him, I'd apparently lived enough to have a bit more understanding and appreciation for what his characters were going through. I was considerably more sympathetic to Jake Barnes than I had been to Robert Jordan.
This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald: In my junior year of high school I read The Great Gatsby and actually quite enjoyed it. I've always had an affection for the Roaring Twenties (perhaps I experienced them in a previous life) and honestly if time travel were possible and I could go back to any era. The Roaring Twenties would be at the top of my list. We received a couple of galleys of Fitzgerald's work towards the end of my stint with my prior employer that I in turn read after I'd moved on. As much as I enjoyed The Great Gatsby I preferred Fitzgerald's debut, This Side of Paradise. Where The Great Gatsby is a classic novel, I'd argue it's largely because of how well and accurately it captured the Roaring Twenties. This Side of Paradise on the other hand has a timelessnes to it. While the setting has changed there are still Amory Blaines in the world and I'd argue that there was something universally human about Blaine that made him a bit easier to relate to than Nick Carraway or Jay Gatsby. The Beautiful and the Damned is also rather timeless in nature. The sense of entitlement that Fitzgerald portrays for the upper class of the twenties has in years since flooded down to the middle class creating not merely a sense of, but a general culture of entitlement that makes The Beautiful and the Damned arguably even more universally pertinent than when it was written.
So I read, and read, and read some more. I also befriended some of the book buyers. We'd share book and author recommendations which even further expanded the breadth of books I'd read.
Below is a "best of" of sorts of the best books and/or authors I read and enjoyed during my six years with my prior employer:
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts: A semi-autobiographical door-stop debut novel. An escaped Aussie convict on a forged New Zealand passport sneaks into Mumbai, India. The books starts when he lands in India and follows his life, his adventures, and misadventures living on the lam in Mumbai. This is currently being made into a movie with Johnny Depp cast in the lead. At over 900 pages I have no idea how they can condense this book into three hours, let alone an hour and a half. The book could have benefitted from some editing as at times it feels like Roberts is trying too hard to be flowery with his prose. But the story is thoroughly enjoyable and the book is a bona-fide page-turner despite its sizable girth.
Adam Davies: I read three of Davies' novels that were published between 2002 and 2008. The Frog King which is being made into a movie was mediocre at best. The main character was eminently unlikable which made it difficult to continue reading about someone I really didn't like or care for. It was Davies debut though and I did like his style of writing. Goodbye Lemon was a substantial improvement over The Frog King the main character was still somewhat unlikable, however his motivations were a bit more understandable and thus I was able to generate a bit of empathy for him despite his obvious flaws. In the end I found it enjoyable because I felt it succeeded where The Frog King had failed. It got me to care about someone I really wouldn't normally have cared about in a real life setting. Mine All Mine was the most unusual of Davies books. The main character was a security guard who had developed a tolerance for various poisons and developing tolerances for new poisons was his hobby. The plot hinges on being duped by a master thief whom he knows little about and the downfall his life suffers after being duped by said thief. It's a crime-caper novel of sorts but not in the traditional sense. I enjoyed it for it's uniqueness. I can honestly say I've never read any other books quite like it and doubt I ever will (unless Davies writes a follow-up).
Dave Eggers: I read both his brilliant memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and his debut novel You Shall Know Our Velocity. His talent was/is undeniable. Both books were enjoyable to read but I repeatedly had the feeling that Eggers was trying to mess with my head a bit. He included a section in the paperback version if You Shall Know Our Velocity that wasn't in the hardcover version which caused me to call into question the rest of the book... It's kind of like when you see a director's cut of the movie and think to yourself, the original version was actually better than the director's cut. I appreciate what he was trying to do, but I'm not sure he quite pulled it off.
Theodore Dreiser: We received a galley of a new printing of Sister Carrie which I read and enjoyed so I went out and bought a copy of An American Tragedy which I absolutely loved! I'd argue that Sister Carrie was one of the first "feminist" novels written by a male author. I'd also argue the book was well ahead of its time. While Carrie would have been seen as a bit of a hero and a champion of women striking out on their own and earning their own living during the peak of the women's lib movement at the time the book was written she was viewed more as an amoral anti-hero who uses her feminine wiles on men to advance her station in life. I've read that Carrie was based on a school teacher in Chicago that he'd dated at the turn of the century. An American Tragedy was set in the fictional city of Lycurgus, NY (loosely based on Utica, NY) and was based on an actual murder in the Adirondack Mountains in 1906. The main character, Clyde Griffiths, was based on Chester Gillette who killed his pregnant girlfriend by drowning on Blue Mountain Lake. The book was made made into 2 movies. The original movie released in the early 30s followed the book somewhat closely. In the early 50s a new version, A Place In the Sun, was released following the same plot but set in the then present day instead of the twenties starring Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters, & Elizabeth Taylor. Woody Allen
The Sun Also Rises: In high school I had to read Hemmingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. I didn't care for it at all. After a discussion with some of my then co-workers I decided to give Hemmingway another try at my leisure as opposed to having it shoved down my throat. The experience was much much more enjoyable. After reading The Sun Also Rises I came to the conclusion that there's a certain level of emotional or life experience one should have to fully enjoy Hemmingway's writing. As a high school student in an all too small town I didn't yet have the level of emotional experience needed to really appreciate Hemmingway. However in my late twenties when I had another crack at him, I'd apparently lived enough to have a bit more understanding and appreciation for what his characters were going through. I was considerably more sympathetic to Jake Barnes than I had been to Robert Jordan.
This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald: In my junior year of high school I read The Great Gatsby and actually quite enjoyed it. I've always had an affection for the Roaring Twenties (perhaps I experienced them in a previous life) and honestly if time travel were possible and I could go back to any era. The Roaring Twenties would be at the top of my list. We received a couple of galleys of Fitzgerald's work towards the end of my stint with my prior employer that I in turn read after I'd moved on. As much as I enjoyed The Great Gatsby I preferred Fitzgerald's debut, This Side of Paradise. Where The Great Gatsby is a classic novel, I'd argue it's largely because of how well and accurately it captured the Roaring Twenties. This Side of Paradise on the other hand has a timelessnes to it. While the setting has changed there are still Amory Blaines in the world and I'd argue that there was something universally human about Blaine that made him a bit easier to relate to than Nick Carraway or Jay Gatsby. The Beautiful and the Damned is also rather timeless in nature. The sense of entitlement that Fitzgerald portrays for the upper class of the twenties has in years since flooded down to the middle class creating not merely a sense of, but a general culture of entitlement that makes The Beautiful and the Damned arguably even more universally pertinent than when it was written.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Reading Meme
Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
No, I generally consider eating and reading to be mutually exclusive activities. I like to fully enjoy both eating and reading and trying to do them simultaneously diminishes the enjoyment of both activities.... Unless of course I'm reading a cookbook.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
It depends on the book/author. Generally I keep a highlighter handy when reading books by Douglas Coupland and highlight my favorite passages. I do this with a few other authors as well but chances are this isn't a practice I'd do with books by John Grisham or Ken Follett.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Usually an improvised bookmark-- sometimes a sheet of 2-ply, sometimes a receipt, and sometimes the library is nice enough to include them in books (or previous readers have left them behind.
Laying the book flat open?
No, usually held in my hands.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
both. Although with non-fiction I tend to stick with travel (Bill Bryson in particular), history and survival books (Into the Wild and books like that).
Hard copy or audiobooks?
Generally hard copy. Although there are a couple authors I wouldn't mind getting audiobooks of (Bill Bryson & David Sedaris) because they read their own books and the audiobooks come recommended even higher than the hard copies.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
It depends on the author. Some authors, if I want to stop reading I have to stop mid-chapter. The authors leave each chapter with a cliff-hanger that keeps me reading the next one (usually suspense novelists like John Grisham, Ken Follett, and Daniel Silva).
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No I try to figure it out from the context in which it's used.
What are you currently reading?
Thirtynothing by Lisa Jewell
A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell
What is the last book you bought?
Flow My Tears the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I can read more than one at a time although I prefer not to. I feel like I'm cheating on whichever book I started reading first.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Right before bed. It clears my head of the day's stresses and relaxes me so I fall asleep considerably faster and easier when the lights do go out.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
With Sci-Fi books I prefer series. For any/every other genre I prefer stand alone books.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Books -
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts; Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; Life After God by Douglas Coupland; An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser; Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser; The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway; This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Authors -
Christopher Moore, Ken Follett, Douglas Coupland, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
By author, although beyond that my wife shelves the books by size by how they look best on the shelf. She's got an eye for that. I only ever ask her to keep books by the same author together and just let her do her thing.
No, I generally consider eating and reading to be mutually exclusive activities. I like to fully enjoy both eating and reading and trying to do them simultaneously diminishes the enjoyment of both activities.... Unless of course I'm reading a cookbook.
Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
It depends on the book/author. Generally I keep a highlighter handy when reading books by Douglas Coupland and highlight my favorite passages. I do this with a few other authors as well but chances are this isn't a practice I'd do with books by John Grisham or Ken Follett.
How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Usually an improvised bookmark-- sometimes a sheet of 2-ply, sometimes a receipt, and sometimes the library is nice enough to include them in books (or previous readers have left them behind.
Laying the book flat open?
No, usually held in my hands.
Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
both. Although with non-fiction I tend to stick with travel (Bill Bryson in particular), history and survival books (Into the Wild and books like that).
Hard copy or audiobooks?
Generally hard copy. Although there are a couple authors I wouldn't mind getting audiobooks of (Bill Bryson & David Sedaris) because they read their own books and the audiobooks come recommended even higher than the hard copies.
Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
It depends on the author. Some authors, if I want to stop reading I have to stop mid-chapter. The authors leave each chapter with a cliff-hanger that keeps me reading the next one (usually suspense novelists like John Grisham, Ken Follett, and Daniel Silva).
If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No I try to figure it out from the context in which it's used.
What are you currently reading?
Thirtynothing by Lisa Jewell
A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell
What is the last book you bought?
Flow My Tears the Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I can read more than one at a time although I prefer not to. I feel like I'm cheating on whichever book I started reading first.
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Right before bed. It clears my head of the day's stresses and relaxes me so I fall asleep considerably faster and easier when the lights do go out.
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
With Sci-Fi books I prefer series. For any/every other genre I prefer stand alone books.
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Books -
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts; Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; Life After God by Douglas Coupland; An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser; Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser; The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway; This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Authors -
Christopher Moore, Ken Follett, Douglas Coupland, Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
By author, although beyond that my wife shelves the books by size by how they look best on the shelf. She's got an eye for that. I only ever ask her to keep books by the same author together and just let her do her thing.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Words & Music
So, I'm in Denver on business. Keeping busy and what not. Last night after dinner and watching the end of the Detroit/Calgary playoff game, (around 10:30 or 11 pm) I picked up the book I'd brought with me for my reading pleasure, The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue. And I just couldn't put it down. When I finished and checked the clock, my ever so exhausted eyes noticed it was 1:08 am.
Next to listening to music, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I've been on a regular tear lately, I believe I've read about three or four books (in addition to The Stolen Child, I've also read The Prestige by Christopher Priest and Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy) over the course of the past month or so. Next on my queue is Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn (which has got to be one of the coolest book titles since Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) or possibly Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union.
What I'm hinting at, skirting the fringe of-- I'm a Bibliophile... or possibly a Biblio-addict. I just can't bloody well quit. Case in point, about halfway through Crazy '08, I picked up The Prestige, read it cover to cover within about a week, and then resumed and inevitably finished about two days later. As soon as I finished... I mean within seconds, I'd picked up The Stolen Child.
I don't know that there are any support groups for such an addiction-- the only thing I don't like about reading is that it takes me away from one of my other vices-- music... I'm an audiophiliac. I can't divide my attentions between reading and listening to music and do both activities the justice they deserve... Inevitably one or the other will win over my attentions. I've tried instrumental pieces (Steve Hackett's Metamorpheus and A Midsummer Night's Dream and the film scores of John Barry and Ennio Morricone), but even they are able to steal my attention from whatever literary journeys I happen to have embarked on.
Then again, I don't know that I'd want there to be a support group for these wonderful addictions. There are far worse things to be hooked on (I personally am still doing the 12 steps for my Phonics Addiction), I relish (and mustard and giardinera) these addictions. I nurture and grow with them.
Incidentally, when I write I NEED music, I need that musical cadence to keep me writing... even now I'm listening to Alan Parsons Project's Eye in the Sky album. Despite sounding delightfully dated (sounding dated is not always or necessarily a bad thing), I still find this album an absolute joy to listen to (then again much of Parsons musical repertoire, with and without "the Project" is quite delicious ear candy). There's just something magical and mystical about the power of music. I think, whether or not we realize it-- we as human creatures need an aural canvas or soundscape to get lost in from time to time. It's another form of escape from our day to day drudgery, the workaday 9 to 5 and all that silly monotony.
And so I leave you with a question? What are your favorite aural and literary escapes? What are your latest escapes?
Next to listening to music, reading is one of my favorite pastimes. I've been on a regular tear lately, I believe I've read about three or four books (in addition to The Stolen Child, I've also read The Prestige by Christopher Priest and Crazy '08 by Cait Murphy) over the course of the past month or so. Next on my queue is Another Bullshit Night in Suck City by Nick Flynn (which has got to be one of the coolest book titles since Dave Eggers' A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) or possibly Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union.
What I'm hinting at, skirting the fringe of-- I'm a Bibliophile... or possibly a Biblio-addict. I just can't bloody well quit. Case in point, about halfway through Crazy '08, I picked up The Prestige, read it cover to cover within about a week, and then resumed and inevitably finished about two days later. As soon as I finished... I mean within seconds, I'd picked up The Stolen Child.
I don't know that there are any support groups for such an addiction-- the only thing I don't like about reading is that it takes me away from one of my other vices-- music... I'm an audiophiliac. I can't divide my attentions between reading and listening to music and do both activities the justice they deserve... Inevitably one or the other will win over my attentions. I've tried instrumental pieces (Steve Hackett's Metamorpheus and A Midsummer Night's Dream and the film scores of John Barry and Ennio Morricone), but even they are able to steal my attention from whatever literary journeys I happen to have embarked on.
Then again, I don't know that I'd want there to be a support group for these wonderful addictions. There are far worse things to be hooked on (I personally am still doing the 12 steps for my Phonics Addiction), I relish (and mustard and giardinera) these addictions. I nurture and grow with them.
Incidentally, when I write I NEED music, I need that musical cadence to keep me writing... even now I'm listening to Alan Parsons Project's Eye in the Sky album. Despite sounding delightfully dated (sounding dated is not always or necessarily a bad thing), I still find this album an absolute joy to listen to (then again much of Parsons musical repertoire, with and without "the Project" is quite delicious ear candy). There's just something magical and mystical about the power of music. I think, whether or not we realize it-- we as human creatures need an aural canvas or soundscape to get lost in from time to time. It's another form of escape from our day to day drudgery, the workaday 9 to 5 and all that silly monotony.
And so I leave you with a question? What are your favorite aural and literary escapes? What are your latest escapes?
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Adverbs excerpt
I've been reading Adverbs by Daniel Handler (aka "Lemony Snicket") and thoroughly enjoying his prose. On page 83, I stumbled upon the following passage and thought I'd share:
Love is hourly, too. There are stories about people who have loved someone forever after laying eyes on
them for a few minutes and then nevermore, but these stories have not happened to anyone we know. No, when you love someone you spend hours and hours with them, and then even the mightiest of forces in the netherworld could not say whether the hours you spend increase your love or if you simply spend more hours
with someone as your love increases. And when the love is over, when the diner of love seems closed from the outside, you want all those hours back, along with anything you left at the lover’s house and maybe a couple of things which aren’t technically yours on the grounds that you wasted a portion of your life and those hours have all gone southside. Nobody can make this better, it seems, nothing on the menu. It’s like what the stewardess offers, even in first class. They come with towels, with drinks, mints, but they never say, “Here’s the five hours we took from you when you flew across the country to New York to live with your boyfriend and then one day he got in a taxicab and he never came back, and also you flew back, another five hours, to San Francisco, just in time for a catastrophe.” And so you sit like a spilled drink, those missing hours in you like an ache, and you hear stories that aren’t true and won’t bring anyone back.
Things happen and you never get over them.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
A shout out to my homies in Toronto, eh!
My favorite author is Christopher Moore. Moore has written several humorous books that never fail to make me laugh. His quirkiness, his sense of humor, it all shines through in his writing, making him an absolute delight to read.
In support of his most recent book: You Suck: A Love Story, Moore will be appearing in Toronto on Valentine's Day:
Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 7:00 PM
THE CHELSEA ROOM
923 Dundas Street West (at Grace)
Toronto, Ontario M6J 1W2 CANADA
416-364-0553
An [Anti-] Valentine's Day Event with author Christopher Moore
In conversation with Maggie Cassella
This is a free event - come early for prizes and giveaways!
Contact miranda.snyder@harpercollins.com for more information
So, my Torontan (is that the correct term?) friends, if you are available or are so inclined, I highly recommend attending this event. Having gone to 2 of Moore's previous book signings I've got to say this guy is absolutely hilarious. If he hadn't become a writer, he would have made an excellent stand-up comic.
You Suck: A Love Story, is the sequel to Moore's Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story. So if you're a Christopher Moore virgin, you'll probably want to read Bloodsucking Fiends first.
In support of his most recent book: You Suck: A Love Story, Moore will be appearing in Toronto on Valentine's Day:
Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 7:00 PM
THE CHELSEA ROOM
923 Dundas Street West (at Grace)
Toronto, Ontario M6J 1W2 CANADA
416-364-0553
An [Anti-] Valentine's Day Event with author Christopher Moore
In conversation with Maggie Cassella
This is a free event - come early for prizes and giveaways!
Contact miranda.snyder@harpercollins.com for more information
So, my Torontan (is that the correct term?) friends, if you are available or are so inclined, I highly recommend attending this event. Having gone to 2 of Moore's previous book signings I've got to say this guy is absolutely hilarious. If he hadn't become a writer, he would have made an excellent stand-up comic.
You Suck: A Love Story, is the sequel to Moore's Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story. So if you're a Christopher Moore virgin, you'll probably want to read Bloodsucking Fiends first.
Monday, November 20, 2006
More Deep Thoughts Brought to you in part by Neil Gaiman...
I've been diligently reading Neiul Gaiman's The Anansi Boys and I reached another thoroughly intriguing passage.
The idea was presented that for every person there are only 500 people in the world. That is to say, we're all linked to about 500 people whose lives we pass into and out of, who we recognize. With some of those people this is a blessing, for others-- a curse. But try as we might to avoid them, the circumstances which tie us to those people perpetually bring them into our lives.
What about the other 5 billion people? They're the "extras"-- that's not to say that's all they are, see they have their own groups of 500 people, you're one of their "Extras" after all.
It's an interesting theory, one I'm not entirely sure I buy into. But there have been instances where I've stumbled upon casual acquaintances and friends where I might not otherwise expect to that do leave me thinking... "well... maybe there is something to it."
So, in whose life do you feel you're one of their "500"? For whom do you think you're just an "extra"? Are there people who you believe you're only an extra in their life but you should be more? Are there people in your "500" that you wish weren't? Are there "extras" in your life that you'd like to make part of that 500?
The idea was presented that for every person there are only 500 people in the world. That is to say, we're all linked to about 500 people whose lives we pass into and out of, who we recognize. With some of those people this is a blessing, for others-- a curse. But try as we might to avoid them, the circumstances which tie us to those people perpetually bring them into our lives.
What about the other 5 billion people? They're the "extras"-- that's not to say that's all they are, see they have their own groups of 500 people, you're one of their "Extras" after all.
It's an interesting theory, one I'm not entirely sure I buy into. But there have been instances where I've stumbled upon casual acquaintances and friends where I might not otherwise expect to that do leave me thinking... "well... maybe there is something to it."
So, in whose life do you feel you're one of their "500"? For whom do you think you're just an "extra"? Are there people who you believe you're only an extra in their life but you should be more? Are there people in your "500" that you wish weren't? Are there "extras" in your life that you'd like to make part of that 500?
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll is the "new" Wine, Women and Song
I recently embarked upon the literary journey that is Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. So far it's a delight and far more enjoyable than his previous tome, American Gods.
So these two brothers, Charles and Spider have just met shortly after their father's funeral. And Spider suggests they need to "properly" mourn their father and the best way to mourn is by fulfilling three basic needs-- Wine, Women, and Song.
All Aboard, my train of thought is about to depart...
So, this got me to thinking-- we still clamor for those 3 basic vices; perception altering substances, physical intimacy/companionship, and music (doesn't have quite as catchy a ring to it when I put it that way, does it?) . And when we're in mourning our "need" for those 3 vices does seem to increase substantially.
A wake is essentially just an excuse to drown ones sorrows at the loss of a loved one and/or celebrate that person's life with anecdotes and reminisces of the departed's life with copious amounts of alcohol to lubricate the tongue.-- The Wine/Drugs.
Generally after tragedies or disasters there's a spike in the rate of human conceptions (remember how there seemed to be a spike in the summer of 2002-- about nine months after 9/11/01? When something bad happens, we just want to be close to someone. We don't want to deal with the pain or shock on our own. We clamor for companionship... one thing leads to another... bada bing the clothes are on the floor and your smokin' fags in bed with a contented grin on your faces-- The Women/Sex.
There's generally some form of music at funerals-- usually just the mournful instrumental dirges played on an endless loop in the background at your neighbourhood funeral parlour, but sometimes it's the homely/comely church lady (which lady you get depends on your "church" I s'pose) belting out Wind Beneath My Wings or the drunk uncle that no one can quite figure out how he's related doing a rousing rendition of Sinatra's My Way at the wake-- at any rate there you have it-- The Song/Rock & Roll.
And to think the coal that stoked the fire on this train of thought was just a couple of paragraphs in a Neil Gaiman novel.
So these two brothers, Charles and Spider have just met shortly after their father's funeral. And Spider suggests they need to "properly" mourn their father and the best way to mourn is by fulfilling three basic needs-- Wine, Women, and Song.
All Aboard, my train of thought is about to depart...
So, this got me to thinking-- we still clamor for those 3 basic vices; perception altering substances, physical intimacy/companionship, and music (doesn't have quite as catchy a ring to it when I put it that way, does it?) . And when we're in mourning our "need" for those 3 vices does seem to increase substantially.
A wake is essentially just an excuse to drown ones sorrows at the loss of a loved one and/or celebrate that person's life with anecdotes and reminisces of the departed's life with copious amounts of alcohol to lubricate the tongue.-- The Wine/Drugs.
Generally after tragedies or disasters there's a spike in the rate of human conceptions (remember how there seemed to be a spike in the summer of 2002-- about nine months after 9/11/01? When something bad happens, we just want to be close to someone. We don't want to deal with the pain or shock on our own. We clamor for companionship... one thing leads to another... bada bing the clothes are on the floor and your smokin' fags in bed with a contented grin on your faces-- The Women/Sex.
There's generally some form of music at funerals-- usually just the mournful instrumental dirges played on an endless loop in the background at your neighbourhood funeral parlour, but sometimes it's the homely/comely church lady (which lady you get depends on your "church" I s'pose) belting out Wind Beneath My Wings or the drunk uncle that no one can quite figure out how he's related doing a rousing rendition of Sinatra's My Way at the wake-- at any rate there you have it-- The Song/Rock & Roll.
And to think the coal that stoked the fire on this train of thought was just a couple of paragraphs in a Neil Gaiman novel.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Exile at the Library
It seems AT&T has deemed it necessary to turn off our phone signal a bit prematurely and thus my DSL is also down (at least until Saturday when it gets turned on at the new pad) so I find myself accessing the Internet at the local library.
Enough about that though...
I recently finished reading J. Maarten Troost's Getting Stoned With Savages which made me re-evaluate that gnawing wanderlust to chuck it all and relocate to some remote South Pacific island (come on, haven't we ALL had that fantasy at some point or another, the Chicago winters are excellent fuel for that fantasy!).
It also got me to thinking about the whole wanderlust thing and comparing it to sex appeal and why some people cheat-- it's that whole "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" mentality. Or as John Cusack so ineloquently put it, it's about the fancy underwear... When you're with someone new they're dressed to impress, generally the lasses wear their best panties, that doesn't mean they don't have the god-awful granny panties, those come later after a certain level of comfort is reached. But that whole desire for somewhere else or someone else comes from the fantasy of the newness, of the "fancy panties" if you will. But we get so caught up in that fantasy that we often forget, in that same dark drawer where the fancy panties came from also lie the granny panties and eventually she's going to wear those granny panties when she's with you.
I think for many of us straight lads, that's when the "commitment switch" kicks in... when we realize that for all those pretty girls we aren't with... as pretty as they may be on the surface, they come with a whole set of baggage that we don't know about just from givin' them a fair glance, whereas the lasses at home already know our favorite foods, our pet peeves, all the shit you'd have to teach the new lass were you to get to know her... and who knows, her dirty laundry may be even dirtier than the laundry your current lass has that you already know about and have come to accept. We get to that point and realize that no matter what else is out there, no matter how nice it might look on the surface, it can't compare to the person we already have or the place where we already live.
And to think I got all that from reading a travel memoir of a guy who spent some time in Vanuatu and Fiji... The mind works in mysterious ways.
Enough about that though...
I recently finished reading J. Maarten Troost's Getting Stoned With Savages which made me re-evaluate that gnawing wanderlust to chuck it all and relocate to some remote South Pacific island (come on, haven't we ALL had that fantasy at some point or another, the Chicago winters are excellent fuel for that fantasy!).
It also got me to thinking about the whole wanderlust thing and comparing it to sex appeal and why some people cheat-- it's that whole "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" mentality. Or as John Cusack so ineloquently put it, it's about the fancy underwear... When you're with someone new they're dressed to impress, generally the lasses wear their best panties, that doesn't mean they don't have the god-awful granny panties, those come later after a certain level of comfort is reached. But that whole desire for somewhere else or someone else comes from the fantasy of the newness, of the "fancy panties" if you will. But we get so caught up in that fantasy that we often forget, in that same dark drawer where the fancy panties came from also lie the granny panties and eventually she's going to wear those granny panties when she's with you.
I think for many of us straight lads, that's when the "commitment switch" kicks in... when we realize that for all those pretty girls we aren't with... as pretty as they may be on the surface, they come with a whole set of baggage that we don't know about just from givin' them a fair glance, whereas the lasses at home already know our favorite foods, our pet peeves, all the shit you'd have to teach the new lass were you to get to know her... and who knows, her dirty laundry may be even dirtier than the laundry your current lass has that you already know about and have come to accept. We get to that point and realize that no matter what else is out there, no matter how nice it might look on the surface, it can't compare to the person we already have or the place where we already live.
And to think I got all that from reading a travel memoir of a guy who spent some time in Vanuatu and Fiji... The mind works in mysterious ways.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Book meme snarfed from bearette24
– Post a list of 10 books/movies/TV shows that you’ve had a fannish love of at some time in your life.
– Have your friends guess your favorite character from each one.
– You can cross out the show/movie/book and put the character when someone guesses.
1. Highlander : Connor MacLeod (guessed correctly by St. Dickeybird)
2. High Fidelity (the book and the movie) by Nick Hornby: Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack)(guessed correctly by bearette24)
3. Bright Lights, Big City (the book) by Jay McInerney
4. Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
5. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway : Jake Barnes (guessed correctly by bearette24)
6. A Seperate Peace by John Knowles
7. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
8. Real Genius
9. Family Ties
10. American Psycho (the book and the movie) by Bret Easton Ellis
Current Music: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat (live & acoustic)
– Have your friends guess your favorite character from each one.
– You can cross out the show/movie/book and put the character when someone guesses.
1. Highlander : Connor MacLeod (guessed correctly by St. Dickeybird)
2. High Fidelity (the book and the movie) by Nick Hornby: Rob Gordon (played by John Cusack)(guessed correctly by bearette24)
3. Bright Lights, Big City (the book) by Jay McInerney
4. Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
5. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway : Jake Barnes (guessed correctly by bearette24)
6. A Seperate Peace by John Knowles
7. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
8. Real Genius
9. Family Ties
10. American Psycho (the book and the movie) by Bret Easton Ellis
Current Music: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Mercy Seat (live & acoustic)
Friday, August 04, 2006
Book meme
Snarfed from Snooze:
1. One book that changed your life
How to Be a Man by John Birmingham & Dirk Flinthart (a book that humorously points out that if not for women, men would be showing up at the office wearing "cum-stained tacky dacks and an I'm with stupid t-shirt")
2. One book you've read more than once.
Life After God by Douglas Coupland
3. One book you'd want on a desert island.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (except I'd be using it as a "how to" manual)
4. One book that made you laugh.
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore (actually everything Moore has ever written has made me laugh, but this one remains my favorite)
5. One book that made you cry.
This Is Your Time by Michael W. Smith (at the beginning Smith writes about meeting the parents of kids killed at Columbine
6. One book that you wish had been written.
Grate Expectations by Edmund Wells (hopefully at least one of you blog readers is familiar with Monty Python's Bookshop sketch from The Flying Circus)
7. One book that you wish had never been written.
The Communist Manifesto
8. One book you're currently reading.
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
9. One book you've been meaning to read.
The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco by John Birmingham (the sequel to He Died With a Felafel In His Hand)
Current Music: Yothu Yindi - Mainstream
1. One book that changed your life
How to Be a Man by John Birmingham & Dirk Flinthart (a book that humorously points out that if not for women, men would be showing up at the office wearing "cum-stained tacky dacks and an I'm with stupid t-shirt")
2. One book you've read more than once.
Life After God by Douglas Coupland
3. One book you'd want on a desert island.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (except I'd be using it as a "how to" manual)
4. One book that made you laugh.
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore (actually everything Moore has ever written has made me laugh, but this one remains my favorite)
5. One book that made you cry.
This Is Your Time by Michael W. Smith (at the beginning Smith writes about meeting the parents of kids killed at Columbine
6. One book that you wish had been written.
Grate Expectations by Edmund Wells (hopefully at least one of you blog readers is familiar with Monty Python's Bookshop sketch from The Flying Circus)
7. One book that you wish had never been written.
The Communist Manifesto
8. One book you're currently reading.
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
9. One book you've been meaning to read.
The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco by John Birmingham (the sequel to He Died With a Felafel In His Hand)
Current Music: Yothu Yindi - Mainstream
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