The end of last week I read The Silver Chair and The Horse and His Boy. Both were solid, good reads. Both were completely escapist for me. As such, I can't recall that much from five days ago. Hmmm. The books fulfilled their role.
Yesterday I completed Elmore Leonard's Tishimingo Blues. Top notch Leonard: odd schemes, incredible dialogue, and a facility with prose that is rarely matched. A1 escape material. Only thing better than that was I picked up a remaindered first edition for less than a buck at the Arcata recycling center! Sweet! Actually, I picked up a lot of cool books there. Sshhhh. Don't tell anyone.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Thomas Tryon vs. Nick Carter
For years D has been trying to get me to read Thomas Tryon. I have Harvest Home and The Other on my shelf--reading copies in paperback. However, I have not made much progress since I have owned them the past four years.
What can be more pathetic than this? I attempted to read about thirty pages of one of the books--and I cannot, for the life of me, remember which book it was. Now I feel guilty about that.
Making matters more shameful, in one way at least, is that I have a copy of Nick Carter's Tarantuala Strike on the same shelf. I will probably read Nick Carter before I read Tryon.
Since you have seen the cover art above, you get an idea of the genre. Yeah--pure masculinist and pugilistic escape fiction. Perfect for escape and throttling through the brain. I am convinced that these kinds of novels/ fiction are far less violent to my culture, mind, and sense of self than, say, watching narratives about child rape or prostitute serial killers or familial incest on Law & Order: SVU or CSI: New York or Any Major Network: Overworked Stereotypical Cop/Lawyer Playbook. Heck yes, I enjoyed some of those shows for a while. However, I think I've maxed out my tolerance for child killing scenarios, scripts which portray deceit/ lying/ abuse by cops/ lawyers as ethical behavior because it is necessary to catch bad guys, and the generally turgid replication of Western Civilization's psychoses as we spiral down the Kali Yuga's septic pipe.
Me quiet now. Me go read about Narnia. That makes for a happy me.
More Narnia
Several days ago I completed Prince Caspian. Tonight I have read about 60 pages of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I am finding my rereading of these books to be very emotionally fulfilling.
Rereading the books reopens doors of memory to when I first read these, the total fantasy escape, and one of the first conscious expansions of imagination that I can recall. Amazing and incredible stuff. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys did the same thing for me. For some reason, I want to say I read these in third grade when we were back East visiting family. However, I can't be sure about that.
Rereading the books reopens doors of memory to when I first read these, the total fantasy escape, and one of the first conscious expansions of imagination that I can recall. Amazing and incredible stuff. Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys did the same thing for me. For some reason, I want to say I read these in third grade when we were back East visiting family. However, I can't be sure about that.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Snow Goose & Melancholy Whores
I have been reading novellas lately. I like reading a book or two in a day; it makes me feel good. Also, I want to write a novella. I love the length of the novella. I like short chapters. I enjoy thin texts that have a deep, broad, and powerful impact. And both of the books I read yesterday do those very well.
Paul Gallico: The Snow Goose
Crippled social outcast artist rediscovers/ lives in nature, bonds with the critters, and then sacrifices self to save others. Lots of symbolism. Great read. Quick. How he dances on the edge of sentimentality and emotion, yet does not go into Hallmark putridness, is beyond me. Awe. I am in awe. Seriously, Gallico is like a master water colorist whose brush lets the colors flow up to exactly where they should be--and stop--without a single erroneous bleed into another color.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Memories of My Melancholy Whores
Ninety year old bachelor falls in love with a teenage girl prostitute. This book could have gone wrong, salacious, or Burroughs/Ginsberg in so many ways and at so many times; it did not. I am stunned at Marquez's control; the sensuality was potent and intense, and there was nothing pornographic or even what I would call erotic. Instead, the text and sex felt and read very fleshy, very meaty, very real--without a lot of judgment or morality going on.
I have never read Marquez before for two reasons: when I scanned the prose, it looked intimidating and artsy fartsy (earlier impressions); and all his books I could find were thick. So, I feel filed my prejudice in the dustbin, checked the book out, and have no question of why Marquez was awarded a Nobel. This stuff is amazing. Again, what a great read to cap off yesterday!
Paul Gallico: The Snow Goose
Crippled social outcast artist rediscovers/ lives in nature, bonds with the critters, and then sacrifices self to save others. Lots of symbolism. Great read. Quick. How he dances on the edge of sentimentality and emotion, yet does not go into Hallmark putridness, is beyond me. Awe. I am in awe. Seriously, Gallico is like a master water colorist whose brush lets the colors flow up to exactly where they should be--and stop--without a single erroneous bleed into another color.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Memories of My Melancholy Whores
Ninety year old bachelor falls in love with a teenage girl prostitute. This book could have gone wrong, salacious, or Burroughs/Ginsberg in so many ways and at so many times; it did not. I am stunned at Marquez's control; the sensuality was potent and intense, and there was nothing pornographic or even what I would call erotic. Instead, the text and sex felt and read very fleshy, very meaty, very real--without a lot of judgment or morality going on.
I have never read Marquez before for two reasons: when I scanned the prose, it looked intimidating and artsy fartsy (earlier impressions); and all his books I could find were thick. So, I feel filed my prejudice in the dustbin, checked the book out, and have no question of why Marquez was awarded a Nobel. This stuff is amazing. Again, what a great read to cap off yesterday!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Way & Power and Capoeira Conditioning
Fredrick J. Lovret's book The Way and the Power is pretty useful. I have not been able to read it consistently, but when I sit down with the text, it is quite useful and insightful. I definitely want my own copy of this book.
Gerard Tayor's Capoeira Conditioning appears to be a useful book. I don't do Capoeira, but the exercises look intense, are centered on flexibility and body weight, and they look like they are good for increasing variety in workout and training. If I can get a used or cheap copy of this book, I am there.
Gerard Tayor's Capoeira Conditioning appears to be a useful book. I don't do Capoeira, but the exercises look intense, are centered on flexibility and body weight, and they look like they are good for increasing variety in workout and training. If I can get a used or cheap copy of this book, I am there.
Matt Furey
I have just borrowed two books by Matt Furey:
Combat Conditioning and Combat Abs.
I worked through the Holy Trinity (Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups, and Backbridge) and the Magnificent Seven earlier today. I have tried working some more of the individual exercises throughout the day. Thus far, I am pretty impressed.
I am always interested in body weight workouts and workouts that use breath. These are very promising.
Combat Conditioning and Combat Abs.
I worked through the Holy Trinity (Hindu Squats, Hindu Push-ups, and Backbridge) and the Magnificent Seven earlier today. I have tried working some more of the individual exercises throughout the day. Thus far, I am pretty impressed.
I am always interested in body weight workouts and workouts that use breath. These are very promising.
Phillifent & Dick
I've tried reading two different S/F novels today. Neither kept my attention. Oh sure, they have some interesting ideas, and they would be worth reading while on the airplane. However, as I am not a captive audience, and I refuse to waste my time, I shut them both.
John T. Phillifent's Genius Unlimited
Philip K. Dick's We Can Build You
Neither one grabbed me or rocked my world. Dick's book started out really fascinating--a strong hook and draw in that lasted. I read to page 60 even though it started to die out about 15 or 20 pages earlier. You know, wanted to give that book more of a shot.
Oh well.
No go.
John T. Phillifent's Genius Unlimited
Philip K. Dick's We Can Build You
Neither one grabbed me or rocked my world. Dick's book started out really fascinating--a strong hook and draw in that lasted. I read to page 60 even though it started to die out about 15 or 20 pages earlier. You know, wanted to give that book more of a shot.
Oh well.
No go.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Leiber & Hilton
Yesterday I read James Hilton's Goodbye, Mr. Chips and Friz Leiber's The Big Time. Mr. Chips was a fast, pleasurable, and incredible read. No bumps, lots of sentimentality, and yet it was not tear-jerking or otherwise pathetic. Excellent model for great writing. Yes.
Leiber's The Big Time was first published in magazine/ story form in 1958, and then it was published as a novel in 1961. I read the 1961 version. It's about battles over time, through time, and outside of time by various forces. In some ways it reminded me of Dr. Who. Overall, a great story, a pretty quick read, and it was quite a pleasurable read as well. The plot was interesting, the characters were somewhat interesting, but the ideas were grand.
Good stuff!
Leiber's The Big Time was first published in magazine/ story form in 1958, and then it was published as a novel in 1961. I read the 1961 version. It's about battles over time, through time, and outside of time by various forces. In some ways it reminded me of Dr. Who. Overall, a great story, a pretty quick read, and it was quite a pleasurable read as well. The plot was interesting, the characters were somewhat interesting, but the ideas were grand.
Good stuff!
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