tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204072802024-03-06T20:31:06.228-08:00Booklad“I have never known any distress that an hour’s reading did not relieve.”
-MontesquieuRicky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-64634329057054090362020-05-05T15:09:00.000-07:002020-05-05T15:09:36.715-07:00Men Reading War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9pePVTfTcebBEMxGv8Buh7__oh7NgPqlaQKPQhyphenhyphenNm8w4lUSjuaig4e7KiHFA60pyfL20aD1GDv1xklQQKZdIk1MYrSpC2jmV2IrNv8_Ec2cZleLSx1otrZ-8RPN3YZ_molnw/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1335" data-original-width="1639" height="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9pePVTfTcebBEMxGv8Buh7__oh7NgPqlaQKPQhyphenhyphenNm8w4lUSjuaig4e7KiHFA60pyfL20aD1GDv1xklQQKZdIk1MYrSpC2jmV2IrNv8_Ec2cZleLSx1otrZ-8RPN3YZ_molnw/w640-h522/War_splash.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>At the bookstore where I worked for over 20 years, I rang up hundreds of couples. With the traditional middle-aged male/female couple, I noticed that men often bought books on war and women bought romances. Of course, this is a generalization because many traditional couples bought all kinds of different books. But, in general, older men usually like war-related books. I've been mulling over why this is so and here are some of my ideas. </div><div><br /></div><div>Men born in the late forties and fifties were inundated with war stories for most of their lives. Either their fathers or a friend's father probably fought in WWII and Korea. They heard stories directly from soldiers about war and it's consequences. Also, television took over from the radio and covered every aspect of past wars and current ones. Korea, Vietnam, and more filled the airwaves and minds of adolescents and teens. I remember watching endless war movies and imagined myself as John Wayne fighting for our country. Young girls weren't sold this kind of story. They never developed the need to imagine themselves in war. Probably because they were always depicted as nurses or wives in war films/books.</div><div><br /></div><div>Endless books were written about war in the fifties and sixties, not to mention pulp magazines. I would often play "war" with the local kids on my block until the sun went down and our mothers called to us from the front door of our house. No girls ever participated in these games. It was an unspoken rule. </div><div><br /></div><div>War attracts young men because they want to prove themselves worthy and heroic. The average age of the WWII soldier was 26; the average age for the Vietnam soldier was 19. Young men flock to enlist because they want their families (and their father) to see them as true men. They only way (as accepted wisdom goes) a young man can prove himself is to face death and survive. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXim3A_mwQ5tOX4MXpc5Byrc9AzLqJ4hyphenhyphennlOQfcIICrtKILUa3O8x3yQ1P6J6-HZYoTVt4452dKrgL2X9OAsqH5YoMf5p6JOS51tmfPpYDNz0KQyk6BwzW2F82AGjMWe3roqT/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1000" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrXim3A_mwQ5tOX4MXpc5Byrc9AzLqJ4hyphenhyphennlOQfcIICrtKILUa3O8x3yQ1P6J6-HZYoTVt4452dKrgL2X9OAsqH5YoMf5p6JOS51tmfPpYDNz0KQyk6BwzW2F82AGjMWe3roqT/w640-h380/paperbacks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>By reading war books (both non-fiction and fiction) men in their later years can imagine themselves at war but without the threat of death. They want to vicariously experience war through books in order to have that feeling of being a true man. At least that's the traditional view of manliness. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've had many conversations with older/middle-aged men about war books while ringing them up. We share favorite books and recommend new ones. It's a way older men reinforce our shared interests in war. At least in a war that is righteous (WWII, for example). And knowledge of the war (any war) can replace the lack of someone's never having fought in a war themselves. </div><div><br /></div><div>Younger men have little interest in war perhaps because war coverage has become so anti-war. Certainly, wars in the Middle East were seen by young men as a very bad idea. Modern youth see war in a much different way than older people. </div><div><br /></div><div>The publishing industry cranks out war-related books every year with their primary market being older white men. And these are the books that I sold over the counter every day to men. And I don't see this changing for a long time. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br />
<br /><br />Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-50743153693059393112016-08-10T16:49:00.000-07:002016-08-10T16:49:32.759-07:00On a Western JagI was brought up on Western movies. Growing up in post-war Arizona, I don't think any young kid could avoid them.We were all glued to the TV in the 50's and 60's. All the best stuff happened on TV (and in the comic books). Vietnam war, man on the moon, civil rights, peace demonstrations, late night talk shows (Alan Berg blew me away) and a million westerns played endlessly on that flickering box. And because my family could have cared less about me, I put most of my time learning about the world through the magic box (the Glass Teat, as Harlan Ellison called it).<br />
<br />
My grandfather, Harry Fanter, spent the winter with us. He was from Nebraska, so Arizona winters were like summertime to him. With my fathers help, Harry built a little one-room cabin out of a big parking garage we had on our one and half acre lot. It was nice and cozy with a bed, a propane tank, a table and a nice porch looking over our big backyard. He had Black Jack Pershings picture over his bed and when things got too much for me (as they did practically every day), I'd go and sleep on an army cot next to his bed. And, of course, he had a little black n' white TV which we watched all the time. And Harry was a big western fan.<br />
<br />
Gunsmoke, Palladin, Have Gun Will Travel, The Rebel, Bonanza, Wagon Train; you name it and we watched it, many times. And I loved the simple stories of courage, bravery and betrayal. You always knew where you stood in a TV western. They made them to the simpilist common denominator. Grandpa and I spent many hours enjoying westerns together. In fact, I can watch a western now and memories of him come flooding back. He died many years ago, but is alive in my mind especially when an old fashioned western is on.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbnJCDcyHw3SC-6pZkYlWulgjCXZ0rGwozTT-7-IsHj7nU7FKvKElskNXliU6sJ1dkMWMmZHsbDEm3J_3oW7XiCTm2gLeUBWIlnn7LG3f-CglnudUtOvmKBky-aTwuZGsUrVr/s1600-h/Heuman3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbnJCDcyHw3SC-6pZkYlWulgjCXZ0rGwozTT-7-IsHj7nU7FKvKElskNXliU6sJ1dkMWMmZHsbDEm3J_3oW7XiCTm2gLeUBWIlnn7LG3f-CglnudUtOvmKBky-aTwuZGsUrVr/s400/Heuman3.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Funny thing is, I never enjoyed reading westerns. Even though comics and then the cheap paperbacks obsessed me from the moment I could read English. Probably due to the fact that my Dad (oh, yes, that wonderful role model) always seemed to have a copy of either Louis Lamour or Mickey Spillane in his back pocket. And I wanted no part of anything he was interested in. So, no westerns in paperback for me.<br />
<br />
Imagine my surprise then when I picked up a copy of William Heuman's "Heller From Texas" on a boring weeknight and found myself pulled in to a sharply written, intelligent western that impressed me so much I went out and bought half a dozen more of his books (not to mention all of the ones we had at the Iliad Bookshop where I work).<br />
<br />
I've always admired Gold Medal paperbacks and found the publisher's stable of authors to be very high. But I remember them making their mark mostly with hard-boiled detective and mystery stories. After finishing several of Heuman's books (they take about 2 days to read if you stay in the saddle for long periods), I had the thought that maybe these Gold Medal westerns are written to the same hard-boiled formula as the mysteries were. And after some research, I am convinced that this is the case. Quick action, clearly defined characters in a dramatic environment; liquor, the sheriff (law) and a big, bad heavy surrounded by tough guys that the hero (usually an outsider) has to fight through to get to the secret of the town. Not the perfect hard-boiled format, but close enough. Love to actually research this fully and find out if any of the editors (are they still alive) at Gold Medal shaped the westerns this way intentionally.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl5BiYkxeJ9bZ6c8-9i-lXIOS8Fsg60vLDtegW0v7JXy_rkpDfQ4gi1EafiDP93qnJ-fs4oOqKx1032sgTel-4BjftOO0-E9n8Ey1PnXs7LBT2SzokxpC3R_Q36_PvnjVo5VM/s1600-h/Patten2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpl5BiYkxeJ9bZ6c8-9i-lXIOS8Fsg60vLDtegW0v7JXy_rkpDfQ4gi1EafiDP93qnJ-fs4oOqKx1032sgTel-4BjftOO0-E9n8Ey1PnXs7LBT2SzokxpC3R_Q36_PvnjVo5VM/s400/Patten2.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Then Heuman led to Lewis B. Patten which led to A.B. Guthrie, Jr and then on to Gordon D. Shirreffs, Richard Meade and Elmer Kelton. In the last month, I seem to have made up for missing all of these great western writers in my youth. Kelton, in particular, is an author that stands above the rest. While most of the writers I've mentioned tend to use western tropes and cliches in a variety of ways, Elmer Kelton does not. He is truly and original; thoughtful, unique characters in a plot that is drawn from their weakness and strengths as people. Insightful writing about the historical period and a wonderfully drawn background. Elmer Kelton is the first western writer I've read who also brought politics and ideas into the world of his novels. It's not for nothing that the Western Writer's of America named Kelton the greatest western writer ever.<br />
<br />
The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie, Jr., surprised me, too. Of course, I had seen the movie many times and was expecting something much less violent and dark. The story of Boone Caudill just gets darker and darker until it seems to surface in the world of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" (another genius western). I was continually amazed at how bleak and cynical the book was. And yet, there is a philosophical argument about just that attitude in the book. As if the author is using characters to argue points he is debating himself. Scene after scene pulls you in and grips you. I read the new Houghton Mifflin/Marriner books version in trade paperback and recommend it highly. The intro by Wallace Stegner is a marvel.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7d1_0I41SByZAhmJiZHkLgtah9BlUZqBY0kFZ1KRkTP-_2b-xkEPL7IcGyBsVtayTL2rPh_8ecjanvkOievSdyhOwNObAaXHe93OFBKRV0wqptBTiYv71MJ3qnO9DsTZwqKTI/s1600-h/BigSky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7d1_0I41SByZAhmJiZHkLgtah9BlUZqBY0kFZ1KRkTP-_2b-xkEPL7IcGyBsVtayTL2rPh_8ecjanvkOievSdyhOwNObAaXHe93OFBKRV0wqptBTiYv71MJ3qnO9DsTZwqKTI/s400/BigSky.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
And I've got a pile of books to go through still. Clifton Adams, more Lewis B. Patten, Ernest Haycox, William Hopson, Luke Short, Norman Zollinger. And even though I have zero space on my bookshelf, I've managed to get an separate shelf just for my paperback westerns. The covers are tremendous. I could write about them for pages and pages. Check the covers page and you'll see what I mean.<br />
<br />
And finally, women. Yes, the women are mostly types in these novels. But there seems to be a little bit of stretching going on at least in the books I've read so far. Lewis B. Patten's "Track of the Hunter" has a wonderful but grim plot of a late middle-aged woman and her adopted half Apache sons coping with the murder of their husband/father. They want to find out what happened and will stop at nothing. Only one example of a strong, individually minded female character slipping in to a usually all-male world.<br />
<br />
Oh, and the role of the stranger is an interesting one. Over and over a stranger comes into town and uncovers a secret that changes everything. Dostoevsky's "The Possessed" and Knut Hamsun's "Mysteries" deal with this kind of theme, too. It's fascinating to see it in good popular fiction. Would love to dig into this theme some more.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPxAVhibTUkj7gsw_P8cJA3Dzqz7zeYDDcv_0x_e5mxnS1QlVLxfyQgYD6hO94tMXIhI-5itf9fxwWQ4EBN2UVHF_j_R2H5yXM8yUVo6l0TTE5-VW2Un3Y0ej_dyumbMGjr8j/s1600-h/WesternJag1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLPxAVhibTUkj7gsw_P8cJA3Dzqz7zeYDDcv_0x_e5mxnS1QlVLxfyQgYD6hO94tMXIhI-5itf9fxwWQ4EBN2UVHF_j_R2H5yXM8yUVo6l0TTE5-VW2Un3Y0ej_dyumbMGjr8j/s400/WesternJag1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I've provided scans of the book covers for y'all and as an added bonus, I decide to read aloud short sections of three of the books I enjoyed the most. Hope you find it interesting.<br />
<br />
Too bad my Dad didn't look at some of the other authors sharing the shelves with L'amour and Spillane. Perhaps he could have learned a little empathy and courage from reading Elmer Kelton and Lewis B. Patten. <br />
<br />
PS lot of good info on reading westerns on the net. <a href="http://www.westernwriters.org/about_wwa.htm">Western Writer's of America</a> is an excellent site with bios, award lists and recommendations that are good ones. Believe it or not there is still a publisher (in the UK) putting out western hardbacks. <a href="http://www.blackhorsewesterns.org/">Black Horse Westerns</a> started in 1986 and are published mostly for the British lending library market by Robert Hale, Ltd. They manage to get a new book out just about every month. Mostly modern authors re-interpreting the classic westerns, but they get a reprint in now and then. Their <a href="http://www.blackhorsewesterns.org/">blog</a> is pretty good, too.<br />
<br />
One of their authors is David Whitehead who has done a great service to western readers like myself by creating a superb website devoted not only to his own work, but to the western novel in general. His "<a href="http://www.benbridges.co.uk/overview.html">Brief Overview of Western Fiction</a>" is my bible when I go shopping for westerns.So far, there hasn't been a book he's recommended that hasn't been great. I'm particularly interested in some of the really sleazy westerns from the 70's that he mentions. And I'll certainly be including some of his own books on my reading list.Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-43028897809461710702014-12-28T17:45:00.000-08:002014-12-28T17:45:57.826-08:00A Gallery of Book Covers for the Southern Reach Trilogy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.sfandfantasy.co.uk/images/main/reality-1967.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.sfandfantasy.co.uk/images/main/reality-1967.gif" height="200" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I've always enjoyed good book design. Covers, in particular, have interested me every since I bought a stack of <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/13313279@N04/sets/72157625097539125/" target="_blank">Ace scifi paperbacks</a> because I was thrilled with the cover imagery back when I was working at my first bookstore job in the late 1960's. </span></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">As I grew older and understood more of what went into designing and publishing a book, I began to understand that sometimes the designers were only creating a cover image that they thought would sell the book regardless of whether the image had anything to do with the story.</span></h4>
<div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">The covers for Jeff Vandermeer's </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Reach_Trilogy" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank">Southern Reach trilogy</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> of books (<u>Annihilation</u>, <u>Authority</u> and <u>Acceptance</u>) have caught my attention because they really do reflect the story that the author has written. Published by a literary publisher (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) who rarely venture into genre publishing, the designs for the American covers are vibrant and strange using a single thematic image for each book. Created by noted artist <a href="http://www.ericnyquist.com/" target="_blank">Eric Nyquist</a>, they get several things right: the size of the story/theme, the color palette for all three books is spot on with the mood and the single image represents a telling moment in each individual novel </span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0374104115.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0374104115.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0374104093.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0374104093.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0374104107.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0374104107.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Mr. Vandermeer has put together a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vanderworld/sets/72157644984124898/" target="_blank">Flickr gallery</a> of cover's from different countries (U.S., UK, Spain, etc). I am particularly fond of the UK covers as I think they capture some of the idea of structure in each of the books. Couldn't find the name of the designer, but if anyone who is reading this knows, please email me so I can update this post.</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.4thestate.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/trilogy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.4thestate.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/trilogy.png" height="332" width="640" /></a></div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">The Japanese covers are fabulous with just the right mix of lurid/strange and formal design. They are my favorites of all of the cover designs. </span></h4>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="height: 0; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 81%; position: relative;">
<iframe frameborder="0" id="iframe" scrolling="no" src="https://flickrit.com/slideshowholder.php?height=80&size=big&setId=72157644984124898&thumbnails=0&transition=0&layoutType=responsive&sort=0" style="height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-88730047185317606382014-12-05T20:13:00.000-08:002014-12-05T20:13:50.879-08:00Oh, How They Love to Hate the Craft of Lovecraft<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61uNwd%2Brv1L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61uNwd%2Brv1L.jpg" height="400" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">front cover of the New Annotated HP Lovecraft</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">I've been anxiously awaiting Les Klinger's <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0871404532/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687762&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0440506603&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1XW58FA2DJ4DV3EPZEGN" target="_blank">The New Annotated Lovecraft</a></u>, which I'll dive into as soon as my Vandermeerism wears off. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Happened to catch the modern novelist, Charles Baxter's, screed on Lovecraft disguised as a "<a href="http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/dec/18/hideous-unknown-hp-lovecraft/" target="_blank">review</a>" in the very intellectual New York Review of Books (12/4/2014). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Among other predictable complaints about Lovecraft (terrible writer with no sense of style, appeals only to adolescents, a racist, shut in, et al) Baxter tries to understand why Lovecraft is still so popular and comes up with the partronizing notion that Lovecraft only appeals to like-minded people (morbid, paranoid, suspicious). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Oh, brother...</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: large;">Here are few "gems" from this so-called review (little mention of Les Klinger's annotations; no mention of Alan Moore's introduction). </span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">"His narrators cannot calm down; the fever never breaks. Accordingly, simple human decency, kindness, and generosity have no place anywhere in the stories. Their emotional range is limited to dread on one end of the spectrum and hysteria on the other".</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"In my judgment, Lovecraft’s true staying power as a writer can be attributed to his chilling depictions of death-in-life, the one subject in which he could claim genuine expertise". </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">"After both world wars and the atrocities of recent history, Lovecraft’s horrors seem like quaint, construction-paper toys created by someone who did not get outside much—he never went to Europe—and who built his puppet theaters out of whatever was lying around." </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Thankfully, we have S.T. Joshi's brilliant reply to Charles Baxter's review. Joshi is a Lovecraft authority and has written extensively on the "Weird Tale" tradition that Lovecraft drew on as a writer. He's also written the definitive biography of Lovecraft (I Am Providence). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrImd4MEmCibKQ3WoclW_bCvmasJhUEqC70xtphA3k_ddY0drwnXJgGvyoPpMgjnewsbIQDcq-3y22bcSsKPTeoxmlnAYFHMJpsZJX5PCiChyphenhyphenIjeGogiGy8DI3SMZ3_IUfnAy/s1600/Joshi.PNG" height="190" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">front page of STJoshi.org</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Here are some lovely quotes from this well-written riposte to Baxter's awful review. I chose comments that focused on racism, the adolescent claim and his (Lovecraft's) connection to the Weird Tale tradition in American Literature: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Charles Baxter appears determined to pigeonhole Lovecraft as a writer of interest only to “adolescents.” While it is true that a substantial number of Lovecraft devotees initially read him as adolescents, a fair number of these fans grow up to be reasonably mature writers in their own right who continue to draw upon Lovecraft’s writings for aesthetic inspiration"</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/715d6El%2BzsL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/715d6El%2BzsL.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></span></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Baxter goes on to assume—based on a stray comment made early in his career (“Adulthood is hell”)—that Lovecraft himself remained an arrested adolescent. In fact, he was largely successful in overcoming the severe psychological damage resulting from his early upbringing (he was raised by two parents who were borderline psychotics) and became a surprisingly well-adjusted and outgoing individual, and one who exhibited a keen interest in the world around him." </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">"There is also the question of exactly how much racism enters into Lovecraft’s fiction. Baxter maintains that it is central. Another reviewer of the Klinger book—John Gray, writing in the <cite>New Republic</cite>—offers a different opinion: “Fortunately, the core of his work has nothing to do with his social and racial resentments.”<a href="http://www.stjoshi.org/review_baxter.html#footnote-07" id="ref-01"><span class="footnote-ref" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">[7]</span></a> I am inclined to agree with Gray. Such things as atheism,<a href="http://www.stjoshi.org/review_baxter.html#footnote-08" id="ref-08"><span class="footnote-ref" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;">[1]</span></a> devotion to science, and love of the past are all far more central to both his philosophy and to his fiction than racism." </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">"The upshot of all this is that Lovecraft developed, in the course of a relatively short career spanning less than twenty years, a highly coherent aesthetic of the weird and developed a prose style that he believed was appropriate to its expression. Whatever one may think of Lovecraft’s prose, I would suggest to Mr. Baxter that he be a little less intolerant when assessing work that doesn’t accord with his own presuppositions." </span></span></blockquote>
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-43365629701886386572014-11-30T23:15:00.001-08:002014-11-30T23:33:04.479-08:00The Collected Stories by Nikolai Gogol. Superb Folio Society Edition<span style="font-size: large;">I've just picked up a gorgeous edition of Russian author Nikolai Gogol's <u>The Collected Stories</u>, published by the Folio Society and illustrated by Peter Stuart. I'm always impressed with Folio Society publications, but with this one they seem to have out done themselves. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.goodbooksinthewoods.com/pictures/61040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.goodbooksinthewoods.com/pictures/61040.jpg" height="320" width="253" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">My only complaint is that they use the old Constance Garnet translation. A good article on her various flaws as a translater can be found at the <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/11/07/the-translation-wars" target="_blank">New Yorker</a>. It would have been marvelous if the Folio Society had comissioned a new translation from that genius team: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, who have completed changed our notion of Russian writers like Tolstoy, Dostoevesky and Bulgakov. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In any event, the Garnet translation is certainly readable, so it's not a deal breaker. Where the Folio Society have scored is in choosing <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/28569778861165362/" target="_blank">Peter Stuart</a> to illustrate the volume. Amazing work by a remarkable artist. Here are some examples of his illustrations from Gogol's <u>The Collected Stories</u>: </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IpvLHTbVL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IpvLHTbVL.jpg" height="320" width="185" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KomcAZenL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KomcAZenL.jpg" height="320" width="185" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wjaSYV-7L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wjaSYV-7L.jpg" height="320" width="196" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Peter has also illustrated several other books for the Folio Society, most notably Bulgakov's <a href="http://www.foliosociety.com/book/MMG/master-and-margarita" target="_blank">The Master and Margarita</a>, Swift's<a href="http://www.foliosociety.com/book/GTR/gullivers-travels" target="_blank"> Gulliver's Travels </a>and Robertson Davie's <a href="http://www.petersuart.com/Site/Folio%20Society.html" target="_blank">The Deptford Trilogy</a>. For more of this brilliant animator's work, try is website<a href="http://www.petersuart.com/Site/Folio%20Society.html" target="_blank"> peterstuart.com</a>. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">You can purchase Gogol's Collected Stories via the <a href="http://www.foliosociety.com/shop?gclid=Cj0KEQiAneujBRDcvL6f5uybhdABEiQA_ojMghY-0oEBGVe1-RE4GOL07GfMpi9lizm3dtoC9heyvcoaAl2y8P8HAQ" target="_blank">Folio Society website </a>or any good indie bookseller. I recommend<a href="http://www.tatteredcover.com/" target="_blank"> Tattered Cover</a> in Denver, CO. or <a href="http://www.powells.com/" target="_blank">Powell's Books</a> in Portland, Or. Of course, if you have a great indie store near you, go there!</span></div>
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-16740045492981448352014-11-28T18:43:00.001-08:002014-11-28T18:43:14.931-08:00Ross MacDonald Vintage Paperback CoversI recently acquired four new Ross MacDonald vintage paperbacks and wanted to share them. Ross MacDonald is one of my favorite American mystery writers. He was the first mystery author to receive a front page review in the New York Times Book Review (Underground Man, reviewed by Eudora Welty) and he was instrumental in taking the mystery genre out of the pulps and into literature. I still think he tops Chandler and Hammett in his writing skills. You will be richly rewarded if you venture into your local used bookstore and pick up one of his Lew Archer novels.<br />
<br />You can find more about Ross MacDonald <a href="http://www.januarymagazine.com/crfiction/rossintro.html" target="_blank">here</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4moXaXGh3mEkMZkXDS4sgNXTxIlVTvktpzDt0IgFYKDFg6q8QfWAyjjm6FBEFjZLojcoj9yRRwRZJMzyCQaRVwax3hiwzdS0EpUd-FFxORMxSv67I3G0xhdo57Qv_5fviRMSV/s1600/DrowningPool_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4moXaXGh3mEkMZkXDS4sgNXTxIlVTvktpzDt0IgFYKDFg6q8QfWAyjjm6FBEFjZLojcoj9yRRwRZJMzyCQaRVwax3hiwzdS0EpUd-FFxORMxSv67I3G0xhdo57Qv_5fviRMSV/s1600/DrowningPool_2.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnd5rZWzbMW1x8KPuCxEsAxm5N8aGW_hk1TPRoO5hqCtkxVJfw4UI7_VP_0EUImgvDjbVzzHul-5kWiFa4TE50fFIbF4I2OqirMJulV4oEcO_HXEhJDlj9NuMDXc1Vvxa_cqp/s1600/DrowningPool_Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwnd5rZWzbMW1x8KPuCxEsAxm5N8aGW_hk1TPRoO5hqCtkxVJfw4UI7_VP_0EUImgvDjbVzzHul-5kWiFa4TE50fFIbF4I2OqirMJulV4oEcO_HXEhJDlj9NuMDXc1Vvxa_cqp/s1600/DrowningPool_Small.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXo3ZAfgfc0fUGtuDTtJwyOV2V9cLdd58En3Map7jbFj3OcCQJxdsLQ-YzTVCSAmEA7jt3vG_N47CWLPDX9ipbIG8D7lLU137v3-yLuKvnS2HeXSQX1iiHqr_l-23uoqXusWf/s1600/MeetMeAtMorgue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXo3ZAfgfc0fUGtuDTtJwyOV2V9cLdd58En3Map7jbFj3OcCQJxdsLQ-YzTVCSAmEA7jt3vG_N47CWLPDX9ipbIG8D7lLU137v3-yLuKvnS2HeXSQX1iiHqr_l-23uoqXusWf/s1600/MeetMeAtMorgue.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-qFhnnNzIlIlUzpMxHodKlUhPjusAzeBIR0uIDbPtOcCa6Rp3pe6fgErnJr11-6q8OHxOu5pnrWyRzLnUKfJLxSEjKmf8dy6G4CBdgk_Buv1tyRFDt0H1pFapSiMZama6SFQ/s1600/ThreeRoads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-qFhnnNzIlIlUzpMxHodKlUhPjusAzeBIR0uIDbPtOcCa6Rp3pe6fgErnJr11-6q8OHxOu5pnrWyRzLnUKfJLxSEjKmf8dy6G4CBdgk_Buv1tyRFDt0H1pFapSiMZama6SFQ/s1600/ThreeRoads.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-59908585365967960422014-11-27T21:21:00.001-08:002014-11-27T21:21:08.635-08:00Caught in the Spell of Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach Trilogy<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Annihilation_by_jeff_vandermeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Annihilation_by_jeff_vandermeer.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<h4>
<br />I can't seem to stop reading the remarkable trilogy of novels by Jeff Vandemeer collectively titled <u>The Southern Reach Trilogy</u> (Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance). The one volume hardback edition came out last week and I've dived into it with no lack of enthusiasm considering it's my third reading.<br /> <br />“<i>That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.</i>”<br /> ― Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation</h4>
<h4>
<br />What makes these books so fascinating? They are beautifully written for one thing and a pleasure to read. The depictions of nature (the southern Florida landscape/seashore) are remarkable and crystal clear. Plus, the story is so involving/moving that the characters and situations are becoming part of my own life memory. </h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Authority_(Southern_Reach_Trilogy)_by_Jeff_VanderMeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/23/Authority_(Southern_Reach_Trilogy)_by_Jeff_VanderMeer.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
There are scenes in these three novels that will shock you, creep you out, amuse you, move you and anger you (among only a few reactions to the characters/story). And the characters are like Lovecraft channeling Henry James: they are characters with many levels and a complex inner life. </h4>
<h4>
<br />The books are about death, obsession, how our modern culture is despoiling nature, first encounter with aliens, obsession and abuse by government. And the monsters...ah, well, you have never encountered anything like it.</h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/Acceptance_by_Jeff_VanderMeer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/81/Acceptance_by_Jeff_VanderMeer.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
These are novels whose stories make the hair stand up on your neck. I urge you to pick up the one-volume hardback, or the first volume in the trilogy:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Annihilation-Southern-Reach-Trilogy-VanderMeer-ebook/dp/B00EGJ32A6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417151825&sr=8-1&keywords=annihilation" target="_blank"> Annihilation.</a> You will not regret it. The journey in these novels is unlike anything you have ever read.</h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Wj%2Bra3SqL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Wj%2Bra3SqL.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-42880281472911718052014-01-12T21:33:00.000-08:002014-01-12T22:04:29.063-08:00Some Recent Paperback Book Covers<br />
I enjoy browsing in the <a href="http://www.iliadbooks.com/" target="_blank">Iliad Bookshops</a> paperback section because you find so many interesting covers. Here are four recent covers that caught my eye. The SATYR cover is pretty strange. That smudge at the right of the satyr character part of the actual cover. I like the design of A TOWN OF MASKS and the lurid colors make me want to find out what the story is behind the cover. Be sure to click the thumbnail for the larger image.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrb9pbqiXTR9ll8PON0ugYeiA52pV9r8EuYooXwQYY3IL_7-YsNabc29Ep14hnMTyEOO-ezJzE4K1imQ4h2Hbupr3yV3uKnp4-5ewd6PUByQuJDRb2TUJKu_FtdWpHph-tQM9/s1600/satry_pap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJrb9pbqiXTR9ll8PON0ugYeiA52pV9r8EuYooXwQYY3IL_7-YsNabc29Ep14hnMTyEOO-ezJzE4K1imQ4h2Hbupr3yV3uKnp4-5ewd6PUByQuJDRb2TUJKu_FtdWpHph-tQM9/s320/satry_pap.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0JXkA_wG4SF6b9yRG67bMlPQWRkZ1S2HOwmWjvafkWMS9Og1wD-Da01Eqf8XiYD2I8VcrG89RjgFyEwt2ws-A0GzvFYB0sRfLhDPP_wBUHmdZXnTt2AO3M8dyZk5UGZ5rqDg/s1600/venus_pap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0JXkA_wG4SF6b9yRG67bMlPQWRkZ1S2HOwmWjvafkWMS9Og1wD-Da01Eqf8XiYD2I8VcrG89RjgFyEwt2ws-A0GzvFYB0sRfLhDPP_wBUHmdZXnTt2AO3M8dyZk5UGZ5rqDg/s320/venus_pap.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAx9OWpJ-s3czGyX0hTTSnIvtr3K_l-8B1Xj3TNkgzpdNpYs8Rvfif1oGwyDZ_xsGxlCSqxNAzxNBVivOO3pxtID4w7B3J-zpReC_ahCWijxjb91bMYx0s3pN8JCAQhVPeFdr/s1600/dorothy_pap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAx9OWpJ-s3czGyX0hTTSnIvtr3K_l-8B1Xj3TNkgzpdNpYs8Rvfif1oGwyDZ_xsGxlCSqxNAzxNBVivOO3pxtID4w7B3J-zpReC_ahCWijxjb91bMYx0s3pN8JCAQhVPeFdr/s320/dorothy_pap.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zG8ThRRHc65Hz5ixYoObpeeyMo6IsgKLmsfYrph35ZKLXB1c__AqQsUQPYyi48kd0dkDj28rksLPq0nJdwzMnZV184eDWUC89O9Wu2lE3QwZ-BOTPtynsL6tUdfHKGdY6FsQ/s1600/ball_pap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9zG8ThRRHc65Hz5ixYoObpeeyMo6IsgKLmsfYrph35ZKLXB1c__AqQsUQPYyi48kd0dkDj28rksLPq0nJdwzMnZV184eDWUC89O9Wu2lE3QwZ-BOTPtynsL6tUdfHKGdY6FsQ/s320/ball_pap.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dvnSeXEBaA00e6UQaolO6q_BhUk_G80R4LE8nNu5EnopVPxIQ3hu-LAHRXW61eHXRRN32ofGf5kl_yjAjgo5REIpm7X0TJPLixgDe52M019_tHjHEK7BGgsr_dUeYHKXrJ29/s1600/tigers_pap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1dvnSeXEBaA00e6UQaolO6q_BhUk_G80R4LE8nNu5EnopVPxIQ3hu-LAHRXW61eHXRRN32ofGf5kl_yjAjgo5REIpm7X0TJPLixgDe52M019_tHjHEK7BGgsr_dUeYHKXrJ29/s320/tigers_pap.jpg" /></a></div>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-60674324777342768752014-01-02T23:33:00.000-08:002014-01-10T09:29:30.303-08:00A Century of Books ChallengeAlthough December is not one of my favorite months (too involved a story to tell you why), I do like looking through end-of-the-year lists, especially of books. One of my favorite book blogs is <a href="http://stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.co.uk/">"Stuck in a Book"</a>. I love the fact that not one of the books listed on the blog comes from 2013. Not that there aren't good books published this last year (I'll be listing mine soon), but the list at Stuck in a Book is more personal favorites of the year. That's how I like to look at the "Best of" lists that come out at the end of the year.<br />
<br />
I'd love to read all of the books on the list, but I decided to pick one: <a href="http://stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/phantoms-on-bookshelves-jacques-bonnet.html">Phantoms on the Bookshelve</a>s by Jacques Bonnet. I've always been fascinated with people who have large book collections and this book looks like a delight. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-914-fKfSUvCp5kesMsI6VuENUP_D9K9KPHxajRUSMkOhXlr-6Lbo1rSkamWTd7FIZZycihXWStX9C_O8UYhrvF9JvK6Hqtw8tlbI1UfRu66EF2Yz1FN01mafTvwFBStC7jP/s1600/A+Century+of+Books+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-914-fKfSUvCp5kesMsI6VuENUP_D9K9KPHxajRUSMkOhXlr-6Lbo1rSkamWTd7FIZZycihXWStX9C_O8UYhrvF9JvK6Hqtw8tlbI1UfRu66EF2Yz1FN01mafTvwFBStC7jP/s1600/A+Century+of+Books+logo.jpg" height="377" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/My%20Century%20of%20Books%20list%20%201900The%20Wallet%20of%20Kai%20Lung%20by%20Ernest%20Bramah%201901The%20Psychopathology%20of%20Everyday%20Life%20%20by%20Sigmund%20Freud%20(kindle)%201902The%20Sport%20of%20the%20Gods%20by%20Paul%20Laurence%20Dunbar%201903Ideas%20of%20Good%20and%20Evil%20by%20W.B.%20Yeats%201904Napoleon%20of%20Notting%20Hill%20by%20G.K.%20Chesterton%201905The%20Return%20of%20Sherlock%20Holmes%20by%20Arthur%20Conan%20Doyle%201906Botchan%20by%20Natsume%20Soseki%20(kindle)%201907Dead%20Love%20Has%20Chains%20by%20Mary%20Elizabeth%20Braddon%201908Wind%20in%20the%20Willows%20by%20Kenneth%20Grahame%201909Three%20Lives%20by%20Gertrude%20Stein%201910Anarchism%20and%20Other%20Essays%20by%20Emma%20Goldman%20(kindle)%20%201911My%20First%20Summer%20in%20the%20Sierra%20by%20John%20Muir%20%201912The%20Serious%20Game%20by%20Hjalmar%20Soderberg%20(kindle)%201913O%20Pioneers!%20by%20Willa%20Cather%201914Locus%20Solus%20by%20Raymond%20Roussel%201915The%20Underdogs%20by%20Mariano%20Azuela%201916Virginia%20by%20Ellen%20Glasgow%201917The%20Rise%20of%20David%20Levinsky%20by%20Abraham%20Cahan%201918Hell%20Screen%20and%20Other%20Stories%20by%20Ryunosuke%20Akutagawa%201919The%20American%20Language%20by%20H.L.%20Mencken%201920The%20Mysterious%20Affair%20at%20Styles%20by%20Agatha%20Christie%20%201921Flappers%20and%20Philosophers%20by%20F.%20Scott%20Fitzgerald%201922The%20Worm%20Ouroboros%20by%20E.R.Eddison%201923Cane%20by%20Jean%20Toomer%201924Twenty%20Love%20Poems%20and%20a%20Song%20of%20Despair%20by%20Pablo%20Neruda%201925Tales%20from%20Silver%20Lands%20by%20Charles%20Finger%201926You%20Can%E2%80%99t%20Win%20by%20Jack%20Black%201927Smoky%20the%20Cowhorse%20by%20Will%20James%201928Rosa%20Luxemborg%20by%20Paul%20B.%20%201929Living%20by%20Henry%20Green%201930Poems%20by%20W.H.%20Auden%20%20%20%201931Chaka%20by%20Thomas%20Mofolo%201932Stamboul%20Train%20by%20Graham%20Greene%201933Werewolf%20of%20Paris%20by%20Guy%20Endore%201934I,%20Claudius%20by%20Robert%20Graves%201935Enter%20a%20Murderer%20by%20Ngaio%20Marsh%201936Nightwood%20by%20Djuna%20Barnes%201937Serve%20it%20XX%20by%20MFK%20Fisher%201938Alamut%20by%20Vladimir%20Bartol%201939Good%20Morning,%20Midnight%20by%20Jean%20Rhys%201940Kallocain%20by%20Karin%20Boye%20%201941Blood%20on%20the%20Forge%20by%20William%20Attaway%201942Mythology%20by%20Edith%20Hamilton%201943Near%20to%20the%20Wild%20Heart%20by%20Clarice%20Lispector%201944Makioka%20Sisters%20by%20Tanazaki%20Junichiro%201945By%20Grand%20Central%20Station%20I%20Sat%20Down%20And%20Wept%20by%20Elizabeth%20Smart%201946Adventures%20in%20Time%20and%20Space%20by%20Raymond%20J.%20Healy%20and%20J.%20Francis%20McComas%201947Snow%20Country%20by%20Yasunari%20Kawabata%201948Ashes%20and%20Diamonds%20by%20Jerzy%20Andrjezewski%201949Hero%20With%20a%20Thousand%20Faces%20by%20Joseph%20Campbell%201950Labyrinth%20of%20Solitude%20by%20Pablo%20Neruda%20%201951Uncle%20Isaiah%20by%20Russell%20Kirk%201952Night%20Roads%20by%20Gaito%20Gazdanov%201953Adventures%20of%20Augie%20March%20by%20Saul%20Bellow%201954Eagle%20of%20the%20Ninth%20by%20Rosemary%20Sutclif%201955The%20Less%20Deceived%20by%20Philip%20Larkin%201956Palace%20Walk%20by%20Nguib%20Mafousz%201957Difficulty%20of%20Being%20by%20Jean%20Coceau%201958The%20White%20Bird%20Passes%20by%20Jessie%20Kesson%201959Magic%20Christian%20by%20Terry%20Southern%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%201960To%20Kill%20a%20Mockingbird%20by%20Harper%20Lee%201961Nutshell%20Library%20by%20Maurice%20Sendak%201963Eichmann%20in%20Jerusalem%20by%20Hannah%20Arendt%201964Forever%20Flowing%20by%20Vasily%20Grossman%201965Despair%20by%20Vladimir%20Nabokov%201966Human%20Landscapes%20From%20My%20Country%20by%20Nazim%20Hikmet%201970King:%20A%20Critical%20Biography%20by%20David%20L.%20Lewis%20%201971Death%20of%20the%20Fox%20by%20George%20Garrett%201972Harlem%20Renaissance%20by%20Nathan%20Huggins%201973The%20Dead%20All%20Have%20the%20Same%20Skin%20by%20Boris%20%20Vian%201974Deeper%20Into%20Movies%20by%20Pauline%20Kael%201975Dhalgren%20by%20Samuel%20R.%20Delany%201976Edith%20Wharton:%20A%20Biography%20by%20R.W.B.%20Lewis%201977Simple%20Justice:%20The%20History%20of%20Brown%20vs%20Board%20of%20Education%20by%20Rachel%20??%201978Everything%20in%20its%20Path%20by%20Kai%20T.%20Erickson%201979The%20Bretheren:%20Inside%20the%20Supreme%20Court%20by%20Bob%20Woodward%201980Rites%20of%20Passage%20by%20William%20Golding%20%201981%20With%20the%20Old%20Breed%20E.B.%20Sledge%201982Toy%20City%20by%20Lee%20Dong-ha%201983Entertaining%20Satan%20by%20John%20Paul%20??%201984Night%20by%20Bilge%20Karasu%201985Life%20and%20Times%20of%20Cotton%20Mather%20by%20Rober%20Silverwood%201986Handmaid%E2%80%99s%20Tale%20by%20Margaret%20Atwood%201987Our%20Twisted%20Hero%20by%20Yi%20Munyo%201988Fathers%20and%20Children%20Michael%20Rogin%201989%20Playing%20for%20Thrills%20by%20Wang%20Shuo%201990American%20Food%20by%20Evan%20Jones%20%201991Imajica%20by%20Clive%20Barker%201992Fate%20of%20Liberty%20by%20Mark%20E.%20Neely%201993Viruses%20of%20the%20Mind%20by%20Richard%20Dawkins%201994Directed%20by%20Dorothy%20Arzner%20by%20XX%201995Diane%20Arbus:%20A%20Biography%20by%20Patricia%20Bosworth%201996%20Dream%20of%20a%20Unified%20Field%20by%20Jorie%20Graham%201997Baltimore%20Blues%20by%20Laura%20Lippman%201998Street%20of%20Lost%20Footsteps%20by%20Lyonell%20Trouillot%201999sputnik%20sweetheart%20by%20murikami%202000A%20Squatter%E2%80%99s%20Tale%20Ike%20Oguine" target="_blank">the stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.com challenge</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I also decided to take up the "A Century of Books" challenge that Stuck in a Book issued to readers. The goal is to read a single book from each year of the 20th century. I'm going to try to do it in a year, but with all of the other reading interests I have it may take a little longer. So far here is my list for the years 1900 to 1010. See my complete list on the side panel "My Century of Books" page.<br />
<br />
<b>My Century of Books list</b> (first decade):<br />
<br />
1900 <u> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wallet_of_Kai_Lung" target="_blank">The Wallet of Kai Lung</a></u> by Ernest Bramah<br />
1901 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Psychopathology_of_Everyday_Life" target="_blank">The Psychopathology of Everyday Life</a></u> by Sigmund Freud<br />
1902 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sport_of_the_Gods" target="_blank">The Sport of the Gods</a></u> by Paul Laurence Dunbar<br />
1903 <u><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32884" target="_blank">Ideas of Good and Evil</a></u> by W.B. Yeats<br />
1904 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Napoleon_of_Notting_Hill" target="_blank">Napoleon of Notting Hill</a></u> by G.K. Chesterton<br />
1905 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_Sherlock_Holmes" target="_blank">The Return of Sherlock Holmes</a></u> by Arthur Conan Doyle<br />
1906 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botchan" target="_blank">Botchan</a> by Natsume Soseki <br />
1907 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Elizabeth_Braddon" target="_blank">Dead Love Has Chains</a></u> by Mary Elizabeth Braddon<br />
1908 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_in_the_willows" target="_blank">Wind in the Willows</a></u> by Kenneth Grahame<br />
1909 <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Lives" target="_blank">Three Lives</a></u> by Gertrude Stein<br />
1910 <a href="http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/goldman/GoldmanCW.html" target="_blank"> <u>Anarchism and Other Essays</u></a> by Emma Goldman<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddkPBlh5VvQ9BTyhjdZqSsqvT4Kkide1qc4aGX1PK19Pxn2Fso6t6xMQp8YKAcGIp5GAeIAWZ4DHnLxfQ8uI41MHGvGJPhRmRsxCzvSaJMJgNE7k0yMjsM7TtJdWO-QZByebf/s1600/anarchism-other-essays-emma-goldman-paperback-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddkPBlh5VvQ9BTyhjdZqSsqvT4Kkide1qc4aGX1PK19Pxn2Fso6t6xMQp8YKAcGIp5GAeIAWZ4DHnLxfQ8uI41MHGvGJPhRmRsxCzvSaJMJgNE7k0yMjsM7TtJdWO-QZByebf/s1600/anarchism-other-essays-emma-goldman-paperback-cover-art.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Most of these titles I'll be reading in the e-book format, but a couple I already have in my library. My sources will be <a href="http://gutenberg.org/">Gutenberg.org</a> and <a href="http://openlibrary.org/">OpenLibrary.org</a> for the e-books and primarily the <a href="http://www.iliadbooks.com/" target="_blank">Iliad Bookshop</a> for the p-books.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1900_in_literature" target="_blank">wikipedia</a> has a very nice page on events and book releases for each year of the century. It was fascinating to follow the links and read up on authors and titles. Difficult to decide which book to choose for some years, which is why there are two titles listed for 1905 and 1907.<br />
<br />
Thanks to Stuck in a Book for the idea. Look for my reviews here of each title and we'll see if I'm up to the challenge!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-45616891398153361912013-09-19T21:41:00.000-07:002013-09-19T21:53:43.819-07:00More Cool Vintage Paperback CoversWe just got in several boxes of vintage paperbacks at the Iliad Bookshop today. As I was boxing them up, I photographed the most interesting covers. I'll be adding these to my "Book Covers" page (actually a link to my Flickr set of book covers) as well. I really like the Enderby and City of a Thousand Suns covers (Stoned is pretty amazing, too). Like a dope, I didn't check the cover artists listed in the books, so if anyone knows, please post in the comments section. Click the thumbnail for a larger version to download. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="3"><tbody>
<tr>
<td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48qsZcepFdePVshwub3VMI4YGIz0TplpzCv4aWHwWrCVQW7KAXVdmekoDKeJFWmFih5UkV4gWkKZJmSoTpVu5f-Jko2zpUZvImG39P-OcEh4gm4Zuw8X40tzKgCea_M0cM4lv/s1600/counterclock.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48qsZcepFdePVshwub3VMI4YGIz0TplpzCv4aWHwWrCVQW7KAXVdmekoDKeJFWmFih5UkV4gWkKZJmSoTpVu5f-Jko2zpUZvImG39P-OcEh4gm4Zuw8X40tzKgCea_M0cM4lv/s200/counterclock.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxhwqeCuFto3KK8uM-I-0YLfih6L6z7Fpv0sSkCYriJ8ekWUHFG0HuSdqSKMrYFqGErD81RxP82akZksT6hVuju9McZd2gKT6FjSZxa5BXlaajn8sQ0wLMI5O9LBd7_OZqR5X/s1600/Bablylon.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxhwqeCuFto3KK8uM-I-0YLfih6L6z7Fpv0sSkCYriJ8ekWUHFG0HuSdqSKMrYFqGErD81RxP82akZksT6hVuju9McZd2gKT6FjSZxa5BXlaajn8sQ0wLMI5O9LBd7_OZqR5X/s200/Bablylon.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwKzu7naJNoSTbV9bdGQZETRIMxKstXK-q2CW1HefSP6Rlj9Vn-0JsHGu2xbeI9gs9-8BfpHraVodhT1dm7RirvZIp1wyfst8zXrs22uPhKiWGPM4nQYwzaN6O04H8yHM2bfg/s1600/bloodhoney.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwKzu7naJNoSTbV9bdGQZETRIMxKstXK-q2CW1HefSP6Rlj9Vn-0JsHGu2xbeI9gs9-8BfpHraVodhT1dm7RirvZIp1wyfst8zXrs22uPhKiWGPM4nQYwzaN6O04H8yHM2bfg/s200/bloodhoney.png" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RDuxbin_rM8d4FwSoTX7HtczKeGBdkSujYb96cZcGVmwDAI9H1XQhbWmzFNL0sZS4DG9fQPv_OAG1yrvN-XY0IJeW-1uymsQf49cCz_C9ycZyElayMZsPrU1ZsKxWcOv-Sp9/s1600/enderby.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RDuxbin_rM8d4FwSoTX7HtczKeGBdkSujYb96cZcGVmwDAI9H1XQhbWmzFNL0sZS4DG9fQPv_OAG1yrvN-XY0IJeW-1uymsQf49cCz_C9ycZyElayMZsPrU1ZsKxWcOv-Sp9/s200/enderby.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzAXs2sPBT4121VgQvhH5M0A1-X87xTUqh-VGu3gZ8f5ZwBU5O0MKRIZLpKWV4hSLYw3mMT1XX9n3clBt_QDQFkTma3xIDRmxmODmG49K5fbaxazPm6a7OLe6w0s4wAX_FVjn/s1600/grape.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzAXs2sPBT4121VgQvhH5M0A1-X87xTUqh-VGu3gZ8f5ZwBU5O0MKRIZLpKWV4hSLYw3mMT1XX9n3clBt_QDQFkTma3xIDRmxmODmG49K5fbaxazPm6a7OLe6w0s4wAX_FVjn/s200/grape.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4fpTx6fPS2yoFtPbAWrR6jmJW0hmnRqXxCuJlKw53wwuMOzruXZKd4xeotTCGgRITpbmZ2x1a1POLljQBRWj3w-llUGvwVm7pnoabwG_ULY9EB6XPF9ZhfuywA4TIeBDU1eC/s1600/OneFoot.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4fpTx6fPS2yoFtPbAWrR6jmJW0hmnRqXxCuJlKw53wwuMOzruXZKd4xeotTCGgRITpbmZ2x1a1POLljQBRWj3w-llUGvwVm7pnoabwG_ULY9EB6XPF9ZhfuywA4TIeBDU1eC/s200/OneFoot.png" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdIlS8J1FUcTIsKmjqepgS3E4nCvlUAm8NfcEdQXOELZK9EOonaa12deCwP51micdx7S66fzCV-2RiqO6BzcXY2UA8-i5B9g_udEBtt_3AtY9acePCf-WZP4yQuBaUNFu3Lco/s1600/salesman.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdIlS8J1FUcTIsKmjqepgS3E4nCvlUAm8NfcEdQXOELZK9EOonaa12deCwP51micdx7S66fzCV-2RiqO6BzcXY2UA8-i5B9g_udEBtt_3AtY9acePCf-WZP4yQuBaUNFu3Lco/s200/salesman.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQZKgRBZlHFFc3kWYsGZundP2rS551eWkIjJV-_Jy-0Yo9WXCuDs6ZL9ZJ2KT93rejjj7AgV4-g_Glk0ynje4-2HSgmhjPvvGwj7efQoBgG5netnKWWclwPcZwGlkCaOh6VlP/s1600/Sevenfootprints.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQZKgRBZlHFFc3kWYsGZundP2rS551eWkIjJV-_Jy-0Yo9WXCuDs6ZL9ZJ2KT93rejjj7AgV4-g_Glk0ynje4-2HSgmhjPvvGwj7efQoBgG5netnKWWclwPcZwGlkCaOh6VlP/s200/Sevenfootprints.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87PSBMozI7zXuFINYDCdxdQ2Eok7cwRHuVXAztSrkmt0suajBPoDce7ajAfbiN9ICIk3DVUh7_5svPza8tX-sbSaNmSRNKNV01bHwOgtJSr5n4rfcthQB1Hqzl6Zha4mAHUyu/s1600/spaceplague.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87PSBMozI7zXuFINYDCdxdQ2Eok7cwRHuVXAztSrkmt0suajBPoDce7ajAfbiN9ICIk3DVUh7_5svPza8tX-sbSaNmSRNKNV01bHwOgtJSr5n4rfcthQB1Hqzl6Zha4mAHUyu/s200/spaceplague.png" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-35aRHIwIEKA4IW25hc_8duGJM4EH2RJPtEFa0pHtMlfrw1xz2A5vhq1eZHR7qLNGg6FSnf270JK8MD4EzqwSnI4WR2kLd_IjbAT8fkKDYiepRQAwq1K4LyVyPdP9IHjysVu/s1600/stoned.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga-35aRHIwIEKA4IW25hc_8duGJM4EH2RJPtEFa0pHtMlfrw1xz2A5vhq1eZHR7qLNGg6FSnf270JK8MD4EzqwSnI4WR2kLd_IjbAT8fkKDYiepRQAwq1K4LyVyPdP9IHjysVu/s200/stoned.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCQLu54uGXCaKMoCvLQKfEJJSB06irN_rKNwLN0a6o9u8PnFPa7Qv28Qy9gaqTz9MjyDgPOyj_nVGstO6LpsW6hPXh-t0uaGbyfaP2HXXyP5FY2vqy5pGG4zWUMghpY2-MTFW/s1600/thousandsuns.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCQLu54uGXCaKMoCvLQKfEJJSB06irN_rKNwLN0a6o9u8PnFPa7Qv28Qy9gaqTz9MjyDgPOyj_nVGstO6LpsW6hPXh-t0uaGbyfaP2HXXyP5FY2vqy5pGG4zWUMghpY2-MTFW/s200/thousandsuns.png" /></a></td> <td align="center" width="25%"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOZb61LVnYVE5DGmYARh2LJ4_2io-JGQs3YrQX3VDttq0M5VvrB26A_nuIUN1uBsyIZMN4Ez_I6eU8EZ5u1XucUfafY8rcCbm_dA2TF71HaunLR0WHBQIo9LuxOXGRwdPlIOW/s1600/weirdones.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOZb61LVnYVE5DGmYARh2LJ4_2io-JGQs3YrQX3VDttq0M5VvrB26A_nuIUN1uBsyIZMN4Ez_I6eU8EZ5u1XucUfafY8rcCbm_dA2TF71HaunLR0WHBQIo9LuxOXGRwdPlIOW/s200/weirdones.png" /></a></td> </tr>
</tbody> </table><br />
<br />
<br />
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-91646222615961841372013-09-16T22:21:00.001-07:002013-09-16T22:22:35.130-07:00Poetic and Strange: The CRAPALACHIA Book Trailer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9HWCQE4dDMDADjE38cpYBsVrDBDCF_jiK2s04d7_Ls-P9LVPGKufNqZI5ZDjM0eCm22IJhsr-hq-cEwf9A7R6l3KHYbdLzrjo86iXdBqxeYfmPVAYU1y0ZLhj0Bcjtrfplmq/s1600/crapalachia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9HWCQE4dDMDADjE38cpYBsVrDBDCF_jiK2s04d7_Ls-P9LVPGKufNqZI5ZDjM0eCm22IJhsr-hq-cEwf9A7R6l3KHYbdLzrjo86iXdBqxeYfmPVAYU1y0ZLhj0Bcjtrfplmq/s320/crapalachia.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
<br />
Book trailers are mostly pretty bad, but this one for Scott McClanahan's <a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/books-available.htm" target="_blank">CRAPALACHIA</a> is remarkable in many ways. It's poetic, creepy, gritty and very, very personal. Caught this originally on Twitter which took me to the Vimeo post of the trailer. <a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/" target="_blank">Two Dollar Radio</a> is a favorite publisher of mine (see The Orange Eats Creeps review I did here), so the combination of this weird/wonderful trailer and the publisher pulled money out of my wallet like a magnet.<br />
<br />
I'll be doing a review as soon as I get the book from the publisher and have a chance to read it. In the meantime, here's the amazing trailer:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="337" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/74601417" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/74601417">Scott McClanahan CRAPALACHIA Book Trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/hollerpresents">Holler Presents</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
Scott McClanahan's book, CRAPALACHIA, available from Two Dollar Radio. Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-68262712075220101362013-08-19T21:01:00.000-07:002013-09-16T17:44:13.607-07:00Some Recent Book Purchases: Radiohead to Silent Cinema<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6q3UlTGt38LoPHkdNVdTEOq-QBQPqGkUHEU3dnUnY6Ewhqsr3xNiO9Q8kUYnfIf-pkaKv_PJWdc46aQ9yQ0HarGeL7F6EzMmI10E4xczcZNr4jWOxg4CIObPAbYlOWL2VXuIR/s1600/Recentbookbuys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6q3UlTGt38LoPHkdNVdTEOq-QBQPqGkUHEU3dnUnY6Ewhqsr3xNiO9Q8kUYnfIf-pkaKv_PJWdc46aQ9yQ0HarGeL7F6EzMmI10E4xczcZNr4jWOxg4CIObPAbYlOWL2VXuIR/s640/Recentbookbuys.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I buy both printed books<b> </b>and digital ebooks regularly. Every so often I'll share what books I've recently purchased with Booklad readers. I'll include links to each edition so you can find out more on any specific title and make a few comments on the book. I almost always read the introductions or first chapters of books I purchase. It's like sneaking a little bit of the frosting from a birthday cake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
Most of these books were purchased at the used bookstore where I work during the day: <a href="http://iliadbooks.com/zencart/" target="_blank">the Iliad Bookshop</a>. A couple titles I ordered off of the internet (primarily Amazon.com).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmqXYbAutuv3CLGQn-jfxqURW5BaZN-Z2XJqBmoL7lH-xowjn-zf2knOPVyfPtdyNCL1ozZ8pQuNonwXPnSsGRrlA5abJ52qFzUBPibNVFWjBsPXDSJijT1JGszx-MA3y0X6O/s1600/assistant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u></u></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmqXYbAutuv3CLGQn-jfxqURW5BaZN-Z2XJqBmoL7lH-xowjn-zf2knOPVyfPtdyNCL1ozZ8pQuNonwXPnSsGRrlA5abJ52qFzUBPibNVFWjBsPXDSJijT1JGszx-MA3y0X6O/s1600/assistant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmqXYbAutuv3CLGQn-jfxqURW5BaZN-Z2XJqBmoL7lH-xowjn-zf2knOPVyfPtdyNCL1ozZ8pQuNonwXPnSsGRrlA5abJ52qFzUBPibNVFWjBsPXDSJijT1JGszx-MA3y0X6O/s200/assistant.jpg" width="130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinmqXYbAutuv3CLGQn-jfxqURW5BaZN-Z2XJqBmoL7lH-xowjn-zf2knOPVyfPtdyNCL1ozZ8pQuNonwXPnSsGRrlA5abJ52qFzUBPibNVFWjBsPXDSJijT1JGszx-MA3y0X6O/s1600/assistant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><a href="http://us.macmillan.com/theassistant/BernardMalamud" target="_blank">The Assistant</a></u> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Malamud" target="_blank">Bernard Malamud</a></b>, Farrar, Straus & Giroux,reprint 2003. Introduction by Jonathan Rosen. </span></u></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I've been enchanted with Malamud ever since I read his first collection of stories last year, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Barrel" target="_blank">The Magic Barrel</a>, but have never read one of his novels. I sneaked a read of the first chapter and, God, it's good. I can't wait to read this novel.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNxmX5uL-G6IJ3EFW1Z6WblrGYOIySIvY915NDakBbhe7vka4GywIGJQLURpphmmpDSc8j68wxjeCbwsgBstW-hZzZsB-B6oNJU5cRg2AaL4p8pzc_OY0KZtQ3WbeYZy0XoyM/s1600/MyStruggle_cvrforweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNxmX5uL-G6IJ3EFW1Z6WblrGYOIySIvY915NDakBbhe7vka4GywIGJQLURpphmmpDSc8j68wxjeCbwsgBstW-hZzZsB-B6oNJU5cRg2AaL4p8pzc_OY0KZtQ3WbeYZy0XoyM/s200/MyStruggle_cvrforweb.jpg" width="172" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><a href="http://archipelagobooks.org/book/my-struggle/" target="_blank">My Struggle, Book One</a></u> by Karl Ove Knausgaard. </b>Archipeligo Books, 2012. Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Not sure where I came across this author, but I'm half-way through reading and it's a brilliant autobiography written as fiction (roman a clef?). The writing is so good and the scenes are so poetic and alive. I'll be doing a full review of this book when I'm done.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuWd5Rp7WD_Kf_B-YDYiHKwzvw0x0uV3LPCxhbrjh7O_f3qOg_1tdzCwNz8_lNJuy9M-agPNAPr9BUiil5VkcJrooV6BuM0OJJvZFpWLDt3yhjrgLwbhDwcDMz1E-g-ROzY48/s1600/silent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuWd5Rp7WD_Kf_B-YDYiHKwzvw0x0uV3LPCxhbrjh7O_f3qOg_1tdzCwNz8_lNJuy9M-agPNAPr9BUiil5VkcJrooV6BuM0OJJvZFpWLDt3yhjrgLwbhDwcDMz1E-g-ROzY48/s1600/silent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuWd5Rp7WD_Kf_B-YDYiHKwzvw0x0uV3LPCxhbrjh7O_f3qOg_1tdzCwNz8_lNJuy9M-agPNAPr9BUiil5VkcJrooV6BuM0OJJvZFpWLDt3yhjrgLwbhDwcDMz1E-g-ROzY48/s1600/silent.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.kamerabooks.co.uk/silentcinema/index.php" target="_blank">Silent Cinema</a> by Brian J. Robb</b>. Kamera Books, 2007. DVD included. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Found this little gem in our silent film section. Enjoyed the introduction, so I'm going to add it to my growing library of silent cinema books. DVD has 193 minutes of extracts from classic silent films. <a href="http://www.kamerabooks.com/" target="_blank">Kamera Books</a>, a UK publisher, has got a lot of interesting titles they are publishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKS1l2yMutakt36_wxuJmP7gNIotqKBfDXjk-BBD-gdjTPfKoZnQSlriJeML_3Uytch4BdgA3WP26gRGm39m-uNVzsVSyPMCrkdq-Q3D5qrzjVjejKDIIreW7gF0UXj4OwidO/s1600/radiohead.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKS1l2yMutakt36_wxuJmP7gNIotqKBfDXjk-BBD-gdjTPfKoZnQSlriJeML_3Uytch4BdgA3WP26gRGm39m-uNVzsVSyPMCrkdq-Q3D5qrzjVjejKDIIreW7gF0UXj4OwidO/s200/radiohead.JPG" width="136" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Music-Radiohead-Ashgate-Popular-Series/dp/0754639800" target="_blank">The Music and Art of Radiohead</a>, edited by Joseph Tate. </b>Ashgate Publishing, UK. 2005. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've become addicted to the music of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiohead" target="_blank">Radiohead</a> (again) having listened to OK Computer and Hail to the Thief a dozen times during the last month. I'm half-way through the 12 essays in the book and they range from overly academic to very insightful (Mark B.N. Hansen's "<i>Deforming Rock: Radiohead's Plunge into the Sonic Continuum</i>"). The introduction, by Joseph Tate, is quite good, too.</span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-J-8wn8gmcxvm9oZ4pBiaMyDgHewcoRCtAx0p6p4IJ52kPJNd6bLKYwJbIUgwRxIv07FDszcwi5aYCDCRt_nCmmWrBjPDMb6RBCLaJR7Bo-NMNWg1oCE9icMYEFwSU6P_sF1/s1600/writers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-J-8wn8gmcxvm9oZ4pBiaMyDgHewcoRCtAx0p6p4IJ52kPJNd6bLKYwJbIUgwRxIv07FDszcwi5aYCDCRt_nCmmWrBjPDMb6RBCLaJR7Bo-NMNWg1oCE9icMYEFwSU6P_sF1/s1600/writers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-J-8wn8gmcxvm9oZ4pBiaMyDgHewcoRCtAx0p6p4IJ52kPJNd6bLKYwJbIUgwRxIv07FDszcwi5aYCDCRt_nCmmWrBjPDMb6RBCLaJR7Bo-NMNWg1oCE9icMYEFwSU6P_sF1/s200/writers.jpg" width="131" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://catalogs.mhhe.com/mhhe/viewProductDetails.do?isbn=0073040150" target="_blank">A Writer's Companion, 4th Edition</a>, by Richard Marius</b>. McGraw-Hill College, 1995. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read a few pages of this book every night before I go to sleep. Richard Marius is a very good teacher of effective writing. Not only does he teach the subject well, but he's an incredibly good writer himself. I'm not big on "how-to" books on writing, but this one is inspiring and very practical.</span><br />
<br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeODAZMIKkZOj6YJZWYuD2hkB7HrssxA-secs0ul4wHI1KniNzw4OwVGF5yql7Czf_ySYtgDAyhk3GBoiCdxbj1uJ47G5mh9agvizY2vyKMjjKXfxXampWsnkKG_X96SSk8Qa-/s1600/silent_cinema_intro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeODAZMIKkZOj6YJZWYuD2hkB7HrssxA-secs0ul4wHI1KniNzw4OwVGF5yql7Czf_ySYtgDAyhk3GBoiCdxbj1uJ47G5mh9agvizY2vyKMjjKXfxXampWsnkKG_X96SSk8Qa-/s200/silent_cinema_intro.jpg" width="131" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_2963.html" target="_blank">Silent Cinema: An Introduction</a> by Paolo Cherchi Usai. </b>Palgrave Macmillan, Revised and expanded edition, 2010. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a classic work on Silent Cinema. Originally titled "Burning Passions", it originated in a lecture Mr. Usai gave regarding the importance of preserving and studying silent films. This edition (beautifully designed and produced) has an excellent preface by David Robinson, himself a noted silent film historian. I'll be writing up a full review of this book once I have finished reading it. </span></div>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-52662484396513233942013-08-16T19:59:00.001-07:002022-02-03T11:58:37.745-08:00Broken April by Ismail Kadare<div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2em;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHmgP_CdN_aJBFdnjLiHsoqWys3FfC0hIWVQ9BRrYpW5TjzkYzdz5rgEPUv1f3sgVJbqlAkGvDNG-zykTC2VQQsGIn4mvyOQTp-5He7yAed2EfKLhElLeYHlXFOyVZgY3mv4j9vFV0_Q00nZT5-VD8cF-nPfezH14W3AqDTHnV9FfYP9l6jw=s400" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHmgP_CdN_aJBFdnjLiHsoqWys3FfC0hIWVQ9BRrYpW5TjzkYzdz5rgEPUv1f3sgVJbqlAkGvDNG-zykTC2VQQsGIn4mvyOQTp-5He7yAed2EfKLhElLeYHlXFOyVZgY3mv4j9vFV0_Q00nZT5-VD8cF-nPfezH14W3AqDTHnV9FfYP9l6jw=w250-h400" width="250" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2em;"><span style="background-color: white;">I’m always looking through articles and bibliographies on books; searching for new authors and new reading experiences. So when Caustic Cover Critic <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/20407280/5266248439651323394#" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c93e4;">recommended</a> Broken April in his Best-Books-of-the-Year (2009), I was intrigued.</span></p></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">“<i>It’s very well written, which helps, but the underlying idea is even more fascinating. The setting is Kadare’s native Albania, where the hill-dwelling people have this mad system of honor and code of behaviour called the ‘Kanun</i>’”.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />After reading these lines from CCC, I immediately thought of the sequence in Huckleberry Finn where Huck hides in a tree and watches two families (the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons) murder each other in revenge for even earlier killings and slights of honor. That scene and Twain’s masterfully simple prose, is a lot of what Broken April is about. The difference is that rather than being an outsider looking in at this mad code of family honor, Kadare gives you the perspective of an insider, one of the family members who is questioning the code even as he is driven to honor it.</span></p></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The story is simple. The central character, 26 year old Gjorg Berisha, is returning to his country village in Albania. He is forced, through the 'Kanun" code, to murder someone in another family in revenge for a previous killing in his own family. The results of his actions, which come as a surprise, places him inside of the very code he wishes he could break out of.</span></p></div>
<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 28.4688px;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPI-YXfY8KDzIaJi4JZOjQdXj5bcr7rDMzniY0J1pA-mmSP7ttR9vVcIQt6zrIeBwxa4HFeLK449kquuZG7OqK6q2IgJ3gUEYcDSuIDtoMw-G891XKoYJ2tgpek3xCKLaVvMZ/s1600/kadarepix.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoPI-YXfY8KDzIaJi4JZOjQdXj5bcr7rDMzniY0J1pA-mmSP7ttR9vVcIQt6zrIeBwxa4HFeLK449kquuZG7OqK6q2IgJ3gUEYcDSuIDtoMw-G891XKoYJ2tgpek3xCKLaVvMZ/s400/kadarepix.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">Ismail Kadare </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="line-height: 28.4688px;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2em;"><span style="background-color: white;">Kadare’s theme of how the past influences the present, is so beautifully wound into the story, that you find yourself wondering about your own life; your own family traditions. Blind belief, honor, codes of conduct without compassion, these are the things that make up Broken April. That and compelling characters who the author manages to create empathy for even as they are committing acts of evil.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">“A pale young man sits down to an important meal. His brother has been murdered and he waits for a discussion about blood compensation to be over. If it fails, his life will be forfeit, gathered into the cycle of bloodshed as soon as he avenges (as he must) his brother. The provisions of the meal are complicated: eaten at noon with the murderer, it must conclude with the agreement of a blood price and a tour of the house, the male guests stamping their feet in every room to drive out the fued’s shadow. Then the young man’s father carves a cross on the murderer’s door and exchange a final reconciling drop of blood. The price is settled, and the stamping begins”.</em></span></p></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The clarity and simplicity of Kadare’s writing are what make the above passage so ominous and frightening. The thoughts and feelings of these characters caught in a murderous web of their own making are always just barely suppressed. No wonder the Shakespearean play Macbeth was a favorite of Ismail’s when he was a child. Broken April is suffused with this kind of barely controlled terror which both frightens and enthralls the reader at the same time.</span></p></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a writer with a profound sense of the past/present and a very deep understanding of human psychology. Although the word is over-used, I think Broken April is a masterpiece that belongs alongside Kafka and Tolstoy and other writers who look sadly upon humanity at its worst in order to free us all to become our best.</span></p></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">I urge you to find a copy of <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/20407280/5266248439651323394#" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Broken April</a> by Ismail Kadare, or any other works by this remarkable Albanian author.</span></p></div></span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2em;"><span style="background-color: white;">Notes and links:</span></p></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: white;">Full <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/20407280/5266248439651323394#" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c93e4;">bibliography</a></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: white;">Fine <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/20407280/5266248439651323394#" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c93e4;">forum discussion</a> of Broken April</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/20407280/5266248439651323394#" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c93e4;">Essay</a> on translating Kadare into English</span></li></ul></div><div class="cl-preview-section" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); font-family: Lato, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.2em 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">My thanks to <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/20407280/5266248439651323394#" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c93e4;">Goodreads.com</a> for the cover picture of Broken April.</span></p></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span>
</span> </span> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span> </div>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-81380919332894206112013-06-30T16:50:00.000-07:002013-09-16T18:41:41.327-07:00Favorite Book Links<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
This page lists several BOOK LINKS to websites I visit weekly for information and news on books, bookstores and reading. I'll be updating this list frequently as I discover new sites that interest and inspire me.<br />
<br />
<hr noshade="" size="1" />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX7FBWlfmt4Ku3I57kVOvrWhSAZhiTEx_uSQnCa_F_QY1nQZpcQaWNG8_Mz0GMRUYUA64l-Kd_j-eYrca_G1tcZRjCUFvjBQeX2lbyPSuwpL_tcQwWHJyVQLhTksyMDH4E0hc/s1600/kayo_header.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX7FBWlfmt4Ku3I57kVOvrWhSAZhiTEx_uSQnCa_F_QY1nQZpcQaWNG8_Mz0GMRUYUA64l-Kd_j-eYrca_G1tcZRjCUFvjBQeX2lbyPSuwpL_tcQwWHJyVQLhTksyMDH4E0hc/s320/kayo_header.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<b><a href="http://www.kayobooks.com/">Kayo Books</a></b> is the absolute best bookstore for vintage paperbacks and pulps. Located in San Francisco, the store is a gold mine. Plus the site is full over covers and links to all kinds of vintage paperback goodness. You'll find books here that you won't find anywhere else.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bookslut.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8R3dF0QIW6Y3AqgwCognm7XVPWvPi2TpYoifKKw5loP95r83oMy5TICnf0hZQ8c_qCd4aEDyv0sMOWP2abdggkGQsdlPrfjQVKP63PXuVCNGN-6l2VccGu0AFIO3NqE5PBstog/s200/Blog+of+a+Bookslut.png" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.bookslut.com/">Bookslut</a></b> is a unique and opinionated booksite. The reviewers always come up with interesting books I haven't heard of or provide essays/articles that you won't find elsewhere. Updated pretty much every day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_1641953395"></span><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVzQ66huAEoId0ct3u6srZ-dChgq7F16jlCEul9dg2ns-a_xrmlKAoCXO2AbK-rq5UCDnubMEr58CumJM3LdUnmieTZDzGIH3zWzEpsASGhddG5ege0BojgNea86yBqN6Zy7D6dA/s176/Free+ebooks+++Project+Gutenberg.png" /><span id="goog_1641953396"></span></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/">Project Gutenberg</a></b> is a non-profit organization that digitizes books that are in the public domain. They provide their 42,000 books for free in a variety of formats including pdf, epub and Kindle. It's like a virtual library that you can browse. Love it!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://books.google.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYsUHgzcKS0n06vHFjq4VWftzOhVqXif5-_UKYp-L5Z3aApjo5XOZQVmCLRjbD-d9Ndnp2b1Wu4QYMC_ydhVhvU0rDvjJkvHPOdugdTMJSNrwkmV33UUG6rxcyt6zEnJGzjUcPA/s200/Google+Books.png" /></a></div>
<a href="http://books.google.com/"><b>Google Books</b></a> is heaven to researchers. My partner, Lisa, introduced me to this incredible site/tool and I visit it several times a week. Beautifully designed and very easy to use.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.locusmag.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvV2jPEYw5LFErH5v4ql5OVy9yjYi2BzOioIkxf0vb-oNMD5yp-7x4-Atg0uPYa6wHQU5jGKLXienvLw0NCkHpF8F1xpjv9SJXlRm19YLZoUave78CJ6DOdeK-kZLA5lR1cUKKUg/s200/Locus+Online++The+Website+of+The+Magazine+of+the+Science+Fiction+++Fantasy+Field.png" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.locusmag.com/"><b>Locus Online</b></a> is the web version of the famous scifi magazine of the same name. I know of no other site that covers scifi and fantasy so thoroughly. I love the reviews and the just published sections.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bookriot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="43" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8WnhWrvCzk7dkPv8KaXqeZ1dQNbfvysYJu37HnM5AmxzAq0CrL8nkTMl1WC6Xuo8aEDgX5POOeRwdcKM8Y8D32WmLkzrHAjWol7nNnp7bGBhKI_4UEdCEs9gWG5krJRiuhwuFQ/s200/BOOK+RIOT+-+Always+books.+Never+boring..png" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://bookriot.com/">Book Riot</a></b> a sight I visit daily. The articles and reviews are current and often challenging. You won't find a lot of main stream puffery here. I Highly recommend this book site.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://librivox.org/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhPcLf2PtEEh-GrRyK3lPtrbK4-EFRgWnVafLxVTBkbX1QPT06Occ7owZSHHCemhKqCABEgFizIFPiudbfQAGyX49yvT0JfZ-ba1MXsDrbSj82o7Uy8PzlpxfnOVAvsMPkgcZUQ/s200/LibriVox.png" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://librivox.com/">Librivox</a></b> is the audio version of Project Gutenberg. Thousands of audio books are listed here. I've contributed to several projects myself.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.lisamorton.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LLnj2m6XpTVurCNhRvs35Sorv2GPLbxR5VDG8K1N87vqTHW_Sp2yGCJj4M0QJR-0xj0ue1gf9vMCnYGoiBng_cfmsERSGnSdxycnAzVIMYChUfjiM32xreL-mYki7JNCXURZKg/s200/Lisa+Morton.png" /></a></div>
My partner, <b><a href="http://lisamorton.com/">Lisa Morton</a></b>, is a six-time Stoker award winning horror author. She's edgy, contemporary and unafraid to mix genres and deliver some good solid scares. I love her work.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.npr.org/books/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY24YOgJCK6Nw04TGG_wiCkRHBf9j4AFSxrt5AGuMgebJdfgmt5DWn5hGenbwnhkQ06JpnCw9spD-Sdl46I4c9LUqUX59_fVLvuElfegCNA3dxkdfAr0e1rgvT6zz_Gy1ZZfF5bA/s200/Books++Book+Reviews++Book+News++and+Author+Interviews+++NPR.png" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.npr.org/books/">NPR books</a></b> covers all kinds of books in all kinds of genres. I like their podcasts and their website is very well designed.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.darkdel.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTTr3Y0hVDBoq8ZAnTAyoqmcGB_DW00fcLnyFb6ubTivZuWQaIDFFbObrUOP7czPbiqrQWG80ooEZsiiH8EUPWZc0PRiwuAkuTfas3muQ56wYqwuKMZIE9j8cXAMvsoT_ksN5Pzg/s200/Dark+Delicacies.png" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.darkdel.com/">Dark Delicacies</a></b> is the only bookstore I know of that deals exclusively in horror. Located in Burbank, CA., they have an amazing amount of signings and horror-related books, perfumes (yes!), toys and clothing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnny0khtki9LqjSeuS5b1dMXmAG_aFFf7eMwef3mCizYAOsYDKkb7mfrF_Ux66e0NYflFRw9T-Vi7ZFioIHmK4mJ4Bk7FDOdANTiPKRJz34bPg9JNfYOwCGlo1OuHZZVvWFHvDrA/s200/Two+Dollar+Radio+++Books+too+loud+to+ignore..png" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/">Two Dollar Radio</a></b> is a co-op publisher of some of the most interesting new fiction you'll find anywhere. I've discovered many remarkable authors here. Their books are beautiful,too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYd9zivrOe6J6k0T2-zsib5dSXnybIRxX8_oP7sq2v0Ybc-gbenYn_h_NTNsMcEuZlWrRRrm0871hn8eBDZBw58c6EflpllWJoTMtHjZs16nVnjmaBfBH5-PkXMgq1bplvXK31RA/s200/Book+Reviews++Sites++Romance++Fantasy++Fiction+++Kirkus+Reviews.png" /></a></div>
Although it's gotten some bad raps recently, I still find the reviews at <b><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/">Kirkus Reviews</a></b> very interesting. Found a lot of good books browsing this site. This is a well-designed website with excellent writing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://katesbookblog.blogspot.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUM6l2Aa55D5EsaPTbvAJxoAxrssOsiKYvMn4kz42Jttgjb7cBxmbT5fKMdnP6a8S3fskT0XwLMnCA86gRPi3qlop-8uRtRDOefTRfmf9vP_-wmYBa8LOQpcDIFIg7EDE664SC6Q/s200/Kate+s+Book+Blog.png" /></a></div>
I've been following <b><a href="http://katesbookblog.blogspot.com/">Kate's interesting book blog</a></b> for years. Always well-written articles and reviews. Smart and funny.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lynn-munroe-books.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Y2sLJOcssAJD6E6MKCedI_6FgdFf2UWfoqAkYMIAXID7AgmJenVOCEQu3Ly19QsC9DaNk1nAcp_F8ASL9ErCPt6d7zUQWqHCQ4jA1ohCHivb2ifvxJ4_2Armz8cs17dFnhZ1pg/s200/Lynn+Munroe+Books.png" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<b><a href="http://lynn-munroe-books.com/">Lynn Munroe</a></b> issues regular catalogs of vintage paperbacks + a good dose of history and author/artist profiles. His contributions to the history of the vintage paperback are huge. AND his prices are reasonable. Lynn is an unsung hero in my book. Highly recommend his websiteRicky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-76092553236579203282013-06-28T20:54:00.000-07:002013-09-16T18:18:02.693-07:00Cattch 22 and the Classic American Novel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpPYXgGiaM6ULXigGV96cB1hW1nT4B5T9zmZLA6ejr1Fjtnre_mn4el5cuKnuqmP5yyK-dyno5ShFePEzOsXly0P1rh1KBOv2paps8dL65j0GJyAI69Zka-Xpjv_GTHUfJSO6/s1600/Heller3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpPYXgGiaM6ULXigGV96cB1hW1nT4B5T9zmZLA6ejr1Fjtnre_mn4el5cuKnuqmP5yyK-dyno5ShFePEzOsXly0P1rh1KBOv2paps8dL65j0GJyAI69Zka-Xpjv_GTHUfJSO6/s400/Heller3.jpg" width="270" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>In <u>Catch-22</u>, Joseph Heller invented a motif for the modern world. The book shaped everything that came after it, establishing Heller's reputation as one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> -back of paperback edition of Hellers short stories</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>It became enormously poplular, particularly among younger readers during the Vietnam War era, and it's title became a catch phrase</i>" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> -Oxford Companion to American Literature</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Somewhere between these two quotes lies the real Joseph Heller and the real <u>Catch-22</u>. I've spent the better part of the last month reading this wonderful novel and pondering all of the puffery surrounding it (along with it's author), and I have some ideas and observations that I'd like to share. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been a focused and obsessed reader going on 40 years now. Ever since I walked into <a href="http://local.yahoo.com/info-20063539-humphrey-s-family-paperback-glendale">Humphrey's Family Paperbacks</a> in Glendale, AZ., and picked out a book to read (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B000J5E7M8/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_1?ie=UTF8&index=1">Reality Forbidden</a> by Philip E. High), I've been consumed with books and reading. Now, I read other books at school and enjoyed them, but this was the first book I chose myself because it interested me (rather, the cover interested me). This simple book started a life-style than has me surrounded by books for most of my day working at the Iliad Bookshop. Then I go home to read for several hours usually before I go to sleep. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, I'm not a finicky reader. My reading moto has been honed over the years to a sharp, clean edge: "<i>I'll read any book on any subject as long as it's interesting</i>". And that's true. I'll read the worst kind of sleaze novel from the 50's and turn right around and start on an aesthetic analysis of the Quay Bros. films. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't believe in the accepted notions of highbrow, middlebrow and low brow culture. That's all crap created by obsessive-compulsives and passed on by people who should know better. W.H. Auden taught me in his great book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dyers-Hand-Other-Essays/dp/0679724842/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310068739&sr=1-1">The Dyer's Hand</a>, that everything you read becomes part of your imagination, so take in all kinds of books (paraphrased a bit here). And he's right. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, what the hell does all of this have to do with Heller's <u>Catch-22</u>? Well, I'll tell you: even though I read <u>Catch-22</u> back in my first year of college, I never really READ it, you know what I mean? Being forced to read an "important" novel, a "significant" work of art" by "on of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century" just kills the book for me. I read it, sure, but only to cull information to write up a pretty much bullshit essay on... something. I think I probably got more out of the Cliff Notes to <u>Catch-22</u> than I did anything from the book. Although, I did remember being impressed with the "Dante" sequence near the end of <u>Catch-22</u> where Yossarian is walking through the sleazy streets of wartime Rome and it seems like hell. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After college, I never thought about <u>Catch-22</u> again and certainly avoided the damn movie version of it (rather stick a rail road tie in my.. well, you get the idea). And, of course, there's the bookstore puffery that comes with the "classics". Listening to people tell me that Catch-22 is a great work of art or that Joseph Heller is under-appreciated..blah blah blah. Sure, I respected the book because of it's place in the literary canon, but to me it was just a book I was forced to read and got nothing out of. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until this last month....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcj0e4AojZFH4rnK_QamusjhcO3HPFOR2AHwsUT3iLkgqghPqE9gClfkyuoq0sPSzSBcVcO8PFc4_qDdYWl9-lwf89uPltP9hZy5wbkdx0Z8WnY0qZurx5PWKCp6SMxoC1XUA/s1600/Heller1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfcj0e4AojZFH4rnK_QamusjhcO3HPFOR2AHwsUT3iLkgqghPqE9gClfkyuoq0sPSzSBcVcO8PFc4_qDdYWl9-lwf89uPltP9hZy5wbkdx0Z8WnY0qZurx5PWKCp6SMxoC1XUA/s400/Heller1.jpg" width="256" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it was the cover that forced me to read <u>Catch-22</u> as an adult (see above). Here I am, 56 years old and I'm still doing the same thing I did at 16: buying a book because of it's cover. Well, that's not entirely true as I have a lifetime of reading books and reading about books behind me now. But, I mean, who could resist this cover? Here's the full description of the cover: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>Cover: B-25 Mitchell All-Plastic Twin-Engine Bomber complete with Pilots and<br />
Gunners, Landing Gear, Three-Bladed Props, 75mm Cannon, 14 Machine Guns, 6<br />
Rockets. Easy to assemble. (private collection)</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Could find nothing on the designer or the person whose private collection these toys belonged to (if anyone knows please post), but, damn, it's such a beautiful, evocative image! Especially the one or two toy parts that are pulled off of the stems they are attached to. Later, I was to realize the significance of these subtle touches. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i><u>Catch-22</u> is concerned with physical survival against exterior forces<br />
or institutions that want to destroy life or moral self</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> -Paris Review 60, Heller Interview</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But now it's time to sit down and read this book. This time because I want to and because I'm interested in it. Thinking: "about time I got back to this book...is it really the classic everyone says it is?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNtGF8f3FuL776BnpEXpqljxx7ZJx0Y2vTESq-DMHx1eFa7JTfn-ay-91SwLU9UXm7L8pBWDGz3nHvvYHyC5rQIECx89Nh4XZ3VuJtvrzXnBItuqCpunXcKt1dzNva7kVI0UC/s1600/Heller4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNtGF8f3FuL776BnpEXpqljxx7ZJx0Y2vTESq-DMHx1eFa7JTfn-ay-91SwLU9UXm7L8pBWDGz3nHvvYHyC5rQIECx89Nh4XZ3VuJtvrzXnBItuqCpunXcKt1dzNva7kVI0UC/s400/Heller4.jpg" width="257" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">from "<a href="http://artofmanliness.com/2008/05/14/100-must-read-books-the-essential-mans-library/">art of manliness</a>" blog</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Is <u>Catch-22</u> a classic?</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The term "classic" is a bogus word nowadays. The advertising industry stole it and packaged it up so that anyone could use it as a lazy superlative: "Ah, yes, an instant classic", or, "I'm sorry but we only read the classics in this book club", and further, "It's an underground, pulp classic, dude". What does any of this mean? Basically, nothing. "Classic" is a butter word now. One that you spread all over something to add flavor when there probably isn't any present in the first place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Good old <a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/search?searchType=dictionary&isWritersAndEditors=true&searchUri=All&q=classic&_searchBtn=Search&contentVersion=US">Oxford dictionary</a> defines "classic" very succinctly: "judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind". That pretty much puts the lie to the 1001 uses of "classic" you read and hear every day. What we have instead is a definition that simply states a "classic" of anything has to be "of the highest quality", "over a period of time" and must be "outstanding of its kind". Some wiggle room there with the "judged" and "of its kind", but I think we can apply this definition to <u>Catch-22</u> now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To be considered a classic, <u>Catch-22</u> has to be of the highest quality. Now, re-reading the book, I can safely say it IS of the highest quality. Well, 75% of it is because the book feels sloppy and over-written. I'm not going to go into plot summaries, look it up, but the whole middle section where each chapter is a different character: a colonel, a commanding officer, a major, a captain....much of this became a blur and felt like either too-personal a recollection (Heller served in WWII and wrote much of the novel based on his feelings and experiences during the war) or an author's indulgence. Even Milo Minderbinder's long section feels almost like another short novel buried inside of the much lager <u>Catch-22</u> novel. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And Heller's prose, when he's not dead on, is loquacious and fat. Listen to this section from page 246 (the Vintage-Classics edition):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>Certainly he would be much better off under somebody suave like General Peckem than he was under somebody boorish and insensitive like General Dreedle, because General Peckhem had the discernment, the intelligence and the Ivy League background to appreciate and enjoy him at his full value, although General Peckhem had never given the slightest indication that he appreciated or enjoyed him at all. Colonel Cathcartfelt perceptive enough to realize that visible signals of recognition were never necessary between sophisticated, self-assured people like himself and General <br />
Peckham who could warm to each other from......</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Contrast this with the "Eternal City" chapter late in the book:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>The night was filled with horrors, and he thought he knew how Christ must have felt as he walked through the world, like a psychiatrist through a yard full of nuts, like a victim through a prison full of thieves. What a welcome sight a leper must have been!</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkt-vIi4bMC6lb40OdnZNGzOdH1bCyx9Hx0zRdRbFX0Se7iQgGsLqt1WPs1utiH0cHaFxrSVuYwO8utowKb0syjQ3vo1u_1lT0kQnXMmA-ZbmrLMWfTou4diwOra2ZIpGZjsP/s1600/AAF-IV-p590h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkt-vIi4bMC6lb40OdnZNGzOdH1bCyx9Hx0zRdRbFX0Se7iQgGsLqt1WPs1utiH0cHaFxrSVuYwO8utowKb0syjQ3vo1u_1lT0kQnXMmA-ZbmrLMWfTou4diwOra2ZIpGZjsP/s400/AAF-IV-p590h.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/IV/index.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">ibiblio.org</span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But let me cut to the chase here; <u>Catch-22</u> isn't of the highest quality consistently, but it's really the overall effect of the book and it's characters that make the difference. And what characters! I think the real achievement of <u>Catch-22</u> lies in the characters Heller created. Yossarian, Milo, the Chaplin and Nately's whore make indelible impressions on readers and there's an entire opera's worth in the book. Of course, the use of time shifting in the book is masterful, too, although at first it seems sloppy. By shifting back and forth between the very significant event with Yossarian and his dying fellow soldier on the plane, Heller creates an effect that is very film-like and results in a brilliant climax to the story (no spoilers here, folks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And although readers and critics were slow to pick up on what Heller was doing (writing an anti-war story that combined comedy and tragedy with black, black irony), eventually readers and legions of college teachers (like mine) read and re-read the novel and discovered how "outstanding of it's kind" <u>Catch-22</u> really is. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>I really don't know what I'm doing until people read what I've <br />
written and give me their reactions</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final element of the "classic" is time: "judged over a period of time", the Oxford definition states. It's been 50 years now since <u>Catch-22</u> was published and it's become part of the American canon of novels. Listed in top tens on every list you can think of. A definitive anti-war novel (it's more than that though) taught by countless teachers in college and high-school. That should make it a classic, right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In order for <u>Catch-22</u> to become a true classic like <u>Vanity Fair</u> or Aristotle's <u>Poetics</u>, it need more than a generation to laugh at it's absurd comedy and cringe at it's dark irony. I have a feeling it will last because so much of the story is based on Heller's own experiences in WWII and because he is such a passionate, funny storyteller, but we don't know for sure if <u>Catch-22</u> will last for 100 years or 1000 years. It was written at a time (early 60's) when this kind of story was welcomed, especially by younger readers. As the excellent introduction to the Vintage Classic's edition (written by Howard Jacobson) puts it: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"<i>What I think most of us who love <u>Catch-22</u> love most is precisely what, from the Flaubertian position, is wrong with it. Its loose- ness, its unruliness, its extravagance, its verbal excess, its<br />
emotional waywardness, its impatience with the niceties, whether of expression or of feeling, its repetitiveness, its devil-may-care clumsiness, its hysteria, its tomfoolery, its brutality, <br />
its sexual rough-and-tumble, its unembarrassed preachiness, its vacillations, its formlessness, or rather - because Heller knows full well what laws he's breaking - it's apparent formlessness. <br />
If those are faults, we say, then hang the virtues</i>"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> -<u>Catch-22</u>, Introduction to Vintage Classics, 2004</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I discovered <u>Catch-22</u> late in life. I mean, I really read the book and understood it as an adult. As a young, college kid I had no idea what was going on, nor did I care. Now, from a distance, it's themes and characters make sense to me. I was moved by <u>Catch-22</u>, don't get me wrong, but the book needs time to affect another generation before it can truly be called a classic. And considering the enormous changes in human perspective (not to mention war) that are coming because of advanced technology, I'm not sure the book will survive as "a motif for the modern world".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, we shall see....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4z_jP-lfVuxfm3TBRRw6UAfqlj3AG7Tl_DJeoXYit_G9N7JEKyslM1fdI6gP2BYN9-eBSqBRhq8CcS5ePHdTyaZ0xU5q7yRrAePPREeTIAZo5VJTGuuYwMiwR9puqZrTsDKSH/s1600/Heller2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4z_jP-lfVuxfm3TBRRw6UAfqlj3AG7Tl_DJeoXYit_G9N7JEKyslM1fdI6gP2BYN9-eBSqBRhq8CcS5ePHdTyaZ0xU5q7yRrAePPREeTIAZo5VJTGuuYwMiwR9puqZrTsDKSH/s400/Heller2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
Joseph Heller</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Heller apparently never quite got to the level he achieved in <u>Catch-22</u> with any of his later works. Or so we are told. He wrote slowly using index cards, daydreaming and conversations with friends. Seven novels, a couple plays and screenplays, two autobiographies and some short stories are the extent of his writings. He suffered a paralyzing illness at middle age from which he recovered to make a living primarily through teaching writing at the university level. He died in 1999 just after completing his last novel Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man.</span>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-21280092991438260212013-05-31T11:30:00.000-07:002013-09-16T18:18:51.797-07:00University of Chicago Library: something lost with innovation?I've been a library hound for most of my life, but never more than I was as a graduate student at Yale University from 1979 to 1983. Yale has some of the most incredible libraries on the planet, especially the Beinecke rare book library. Graduate students are entitled to their own study carol at the main library, installed in an old Gothic style church on campus with ceilings so low that there were "sub-floors" (two floors instead of the traditional one floor) of books. Even when I wasn't doing research, I'd roam the floors just looking for interesting book designs or titles I've never heard of before. In fact, every year while I was attending the University, a student would discover a rare book that had been donated, but not cataloged yet. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately all of that is going to change if the University of Chicago's new Mansueto Library becomes the model for future library architecture. The student/researcher's interaction with books will be narrowed and the serendipity of finding books by accident will be a thing of the past. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx6CO0ND_Z2NfRB0BWXANMVq7FZQ0iXW77t7EPfAvm3Su2WwyARVM_jxE_qUgTQtEu3k70jpyhhTdLCzN0CtXMxiuPDQ0BjXaNXjF4aNapjlGINf-3-XNuETwK1WvUL6TXAUP/s1600/mechlibrary2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlx6CO0ND_Z2NfRB0BWXANMVq7FZQ0iXW77t7EPfAvm3Su2WwyARVM_jxE_qUgTQtEu3k70jpyhhTdLCzN0CtXMxiuPDQ0BjXaNXjF4aNapjlGINf-3-XNuETwK1WvUL6TXAUP/s320/mechlibrary2.jpg" width="520" /></a></div>
<br />
From a Chicago Tribune <a href="http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2011/05/beneath-this-bubble-a-book-storing-marvel-jahns-ambitious-design-for-new-mansueto-library-will-prove.html">article</a> on cityscapes by Blair Kamin, the University needed to solve the problem of keeping their entire book collection on-campus while at the same time providing an appealing and practical atmosphere for students to study and research. Architect Helmet Jahn's startling sci-fi design is based on the idea that book storage is separate from the student research area. As you can see in the picture above, the giant "bubble" is where the students study and the large blocky building to the right is where the books are stored and then delivered by a fully automated system to the waiting students next door. <br />
<br />
Here is a description of how it works from the Tribune article:<br />
<br />
<i>"Patrons can request materials at a computer terminal in the library or via the Internet. It works like this: You request the book, then a high-speed robotic crane zooms down a tiny railroad track and stops at the right bin. It pulls out the bin, and delivers it upstairs to the circulation desk, where a real person picks out your book. The process, which has been used for industrial storage, Internet retailers, and smaller academic libraries, is supposed to take 5 minutes — as opposed to at least a day for getting materials from a remote storage facility."</i><br />
<br />
The advantages are obvious: ideal conditions to store books (temperature, handling, power saving, space saving, protection) and a wonderful, open space with lots of natural light for students to work in. And although they've encountered minor problems (students climbing to the top of the big bubble for one), the response by students has been very positive. The bright, open space with pleasing Scandanavian-style furniture looks like a wonderful place to study and to think (the 360 degree view must be wonderful). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0XoFhNngaYKNeb4FpCt1I3AlmGkyUMBBiuXOTT7B5oMRWZUDadhNt9rDnVqFvjFqETB1lNgxgKC129oDHUeGIpks3k_MfevdRE5o_kzgFNR7Uy0SGgM_XG_naDgYltdvBUZb/s1600/mechlibrary1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0XoFhNngaYKNeb4FpCt1I3AlmGkyUMBBiuXOTT7B5oMRWZUDadhNt9rDnVqFvjFqETB1lNgxgKC129oDHUeGIpks3k_MfevdRE5o_kzgFNR7Uy0SGgM_XG_naDgYltdvBUZb/s320/mechlibrary1.jpg" width="520" /></a></div>
<br />
Still, I can't help but wonder if something has been lost by separating the books from the students. Oh, I don't mean that students don't have the actual books to handle and use, it's the serendipity I was talking about earlier: the ability to 'browse' the library is effectively gone with this design. Students order the exact book they want and it's retrieved by a robot: no accidents, no finding a book mis-filed and it turns out to be a great book you would have otherwise never seen. <br />
<br />
I suppose the advantages outweigh the loss of "browsing", as the books are kept in great shape and will last a lot longer (I don't think that rare book libraries will be adopting this method though), but I hope this new design doesn't become the norm. I'd like to think there is still some student wandering the aisles looking for something interesting to read or finding a book they would never have found if robots were looking instead. It's such a remarkable feeling to be amidst thousands of books in the stacks; that feeling of history and the expectation of learning while looking down row upon row of books. That experience won't be a part of the new system and I think it's a loss. <br />
<br />
<br />Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-61886819938132288822011-04-03T16:57:00.000-07:002013-09-13T21:08:28.279-07:00First Paragraphs From Paperback Show PurchasesLooking over my vintage paperback loot from the recent<b> 32nd Annual Paperback Show</b>, I found myself reading the first paragraphs of each book in succession just to get a taste of the writers style. They were surprisingly different. In fact, the one book that I bought on a whim (<u>The Mark of Pak San Ri</u>) with little expectation of the book being any good or not, actually turned out to have the best opening of all six books (see below) <br />
<br />
I did cheat a bit with <u>Nobody Dies in Paris</u> as the picture makes more sense with the first two paragraphs (sue me). All of the books are interesting and I hope to read them in one big jag over some lazy weekend. McGivern is probably the most accomplished of the writers listed (justifiably so) with <u>Odds Against Tomorrow</u> being made into a fine movie with Harry Belafonte and Robert Ryan. I'm also intrigued with the Jack Ehrlich title (Parole) as his name keeps popping up in lists by other writers and booksellers of paperback crime. <br />
<br />
I was also attracted to the covers of the books. All of them are colorful and striking. I love the old graphic/painted design style of fifties and sixties cover design. Something I think publishers like Penguin are getting back to (thank God). Gunman's Harvest front cover is particularly interesting with a great dramatic pose and use of muted greens and golds. Even the back cover is nicely done. The front cover painting is by <a href="http://bit.ly/em3lxi">Mal Thompson</a>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
From <u>The Mark of Pak San Ri</u> by William Stroup<br />
Published in 1965 by Book Company of America, #10<br />
No cover artist listed <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>"The taxi careened out of nowhere. The little man crossing the street with the bundle</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>under his arm never saw it. It caught him dead center and flung him a good twenty feet. </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>The bundle flew from the man's arms and broke open. then the hit and run taxi, a rattling monstrosity which looked like it had been built out of a hundred junkers, sped on, </i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>screeched around a corner and was gone". </i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwwiiCkvjgkpfas72hZjPzl9VABKiFJTbKCjuM1j_OLv_QU_o9rZ5fuBwU3VkuZyReoLSfuOI-X0nRh9fklx3U_9DrwCSElL2cn_SXDrhxEZJO0mBCwqCu2l1DtdJUgTWdv34/s1600/paksanri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwwiiCkvjgkpfas72hZjPzl9VABKiFJTbKCjuM1j_OLv_QU_o9rZ5fuBwU3VkuZyReoLSfuOI-X0nRh9fklx3U_9DrwCSElL2cn_SXDrhxEZJO0mBCwqCu2l1DtdJUgTWdv34/s640/paksanri.jpg" width="392" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
From <u>Nobody Dies in Paris</u> by Jerry Weil<br />
Published by Signet, #1449. 1967<br />
No cover artist listed<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>"The late afternoon June sunlight streamed in through the small, unwashed window of the hotel room. It found its way into the corners of the tiny room. It warmed the room. </i><br />
<i> There was a girl lying on the bed midst a pile of undone sheets and blankets. She was wearing green silk pajamas that were faded by too many washings. She was smoking a cigarette."</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4QvJ-6Rw_jAwIselVeSnIbXUq1YWghbJCBEA4x2jPELrOuD9kiNdpSpxVw54JSuCeKWNP0mXVEL5M4Qc4ALo4-iRKH1TqujO09tzitAUuA_El9Ryd0VXF2z3m8z28nUu5t6y/s1600/nobodydiesinparis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4QvJ-6Rw_jAwIselVeSnIbXUq1YWghbJCBEA4x2jPELrOuD9kiNdpSpxVw54JSuCeKWNP0mXVEL5M4Qc4ALo4-iRKH1TqujO09tzitAUuA_El9Ryd0VXF2z3m8z28nUu5t6y/s640/nobodydiesinparis.jpg" width="374" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From <u>Stop Time</u> by Frank Conroy<br />
Published by Dell, #8211, 1969<br />
Cover art by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bama">James Bama </a><br />
<br />
<i> "When we were in England I worked well. Four or five hundred words every afternoon. We lived in a small house in the countryside about twenty miles south of London. It was quiet, and because we were strangers, there were no visitors. My wife had been in bed for five months with hepatitis but stayed remarkably cheerful and spent most of her time reading. Life was good, conditions were perfect for my work" </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYMGz1fObbpuQmQQVC2SQFn21XZaGanK0nI3cMi0ZTmb0AnonH9D1QZJgeCeB-BlL4SvH3yO6C4cVyNMg08fi4LU8X6kYJVaNtOyaJQ8CzDu-CCntBXmGzEQ1EMyWtOtvyhPg/s1600/stoptime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYMGz1fObbpuQmQQVC2SQFn21XZaGanK0nI3cMi0ZTmb0AnonH9D1QZJgeCeB-BlL4SvH3yO6C4cVyNMg08fi4LU8X6kYJVaNtOyaJQ8CzDu-CCntBXmGzEQ1EMyWtOtvyhPg/s640/stoptime.jpg" width="384" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From <u>Gunman's Harvest</u> by James Keene<br />
Published by Dell, #A205, 1960<br />
Cover artist Mal Thompson <br />
<br />
<i>"As ranchers went in South Texas, Jim Asher's place was small, only four thousand acres, but he liked it because he was the kind of man who held dear the things he had to work hard for. Six of his thirty-two years had gone into the place, and four years of that at a loss or barely breaking even. These last two, there had been some profit, but the scent of trouble was on the wind, a whisper in the warning venters of his mind." </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7C_MxyTIWLJ308np8aT2jmHkddFGKycvZ0Ks-Jf9b2GwmNETdUDfYrfrpDHa8qXcQgdSaVgBMdkfJpOvRowVC0m7eEe-jEfkMmgy8ZfapxX7fXTckpr30SPtq6-irfnD55k9/s1600/gunmansharvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix7C_MxyTIWLJ308np8aT2jmHkddFGKycvZ0Ks-Jf9b2GwmNETdUDfYrfrpDHa8qXcQgdSaVgBMdkfJpOvRowVC0m7eEe-jEfkMmgy8ZfapxX7fXTckpr30SPtq6-irfnD55k9/s640/gunmansharvest.jpg" width="420" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">front cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1IJDY65Xmz-CchxbW5gmvO6cAhhXXDvzrw4Bqxxpg6HGvLZ77PoKRk8VwNrX7HuknczgixMJ59A62EchIMC3ly50AMiHKvikvWwMKxxhFo7AoxIDVPMt0nISGEq_BvMrepdj/s1600/bigman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo1IJDY65Xmz-CchxbW5gmvO6cAhhXXDvzrw4Bqxxpg6HGvLZ77PoKRk8VwNrX7HuknczgixMJ59A62EchIMC3ly50AMiHKvikvWwMKxxhFo7AoxIDVPMt0nISGEq_BvMrepdj/s640/bigman.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
From <u>By-Line for Murder</u> by Andrew Garve<br />
Published by Dell, #765, 1961<br />
Cover artist Robert Stanley <br />
<br />
<i>"At the wetter end of Fleet Street, close by the Crown Inn and not far from the famous Cheshire Cheese, there is a five-story, red-brick building which houses the London Morning Call, a national newspaper with a certified daily net sale of nearly two million copies. Though the paper is popular, no one has ever been known to say a good word for the building in which it is produced - a late-Victorian monstrosity of classic ugliness which an incongruous flesh-pink filling where a hole blown in the structure by a delayed-action bomb in 1941 has been repaired."</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqP2gZsutwuIliA2G3jfvtuR23y285KM0Pd_OHpuzUkiOgTV5kmXRJ7XC7kSFgkxFhUtsypVMfbs68Exrrz3v1Y3jT5Uh3R_WUVHbTBWyTHiv4ye1r0FEp727ZJVERbkqDIw-/s1600/bylineformurder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVqP2gZsutwuIliA2G3jfvtuR23y285KM0Pd_OHpuzUkiOgTV5kmXRJ7XC7kSFgkxFhUtsypVMfbs68Exrrz3v1Y3jT5Uh3R_WUVHbTBWyTHiv4ye1r0FEp727ZJVERbkqDIw-/s640/bylineformurder.jpg" width="432" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
From <u>Odds Against Tomorrow</u> by William P. McGivern<br />
Published by Pocket Books, #C-316, 1959<br />
Cover artist not listed <br />
<br />
<i>"For what seemed like a long time he couldn't make himself cross the street and enter the hotel. he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and frowned at the revolving doors and canopied entrance, indifferent to the nighttime crowd drifting past him, his tall body as immobile as a rock in a stream. People edged around him carefully, for there was a look of tension in the set of his shoulders, and in the appraising frown that shadowed his hard even features"</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5v0wkEyRkVMaueQK9a_Btt5anW8POJTEGZv5wHP9HWikfwHTiFIZmDNXhtYIL5RUqNa8JdpxTR8hJ44U-93d9RyGbx8Zc4wZLAT7OrUKviXoXU7YDH7JEIisjpHek5SSU1U9/s1600/oddsagainsttomorrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5v0wkEyRkVMaueQK9a_Btt5anW8POJTEGZv5wHP9HWikfwHTiFIZmDNXhtYIL5RUqNa8JdpxTR8hJ44U-93d9RyGbx8Zc4wZLAT7OrUKviXoXU7YDH7JEIisjpHek5SSU1U9/s640/oddsagainsttomorrow.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-1084310458061075842011-03-30T21:44:00.000-07:002011-03-31T09:52:48.218-07:0032nd Annual Paperback Collectors Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5XmZKFSCSK4LlmhMvt5BN8irW0aNCH_v1jVPYOrvhWxZjTYEHPMXUQUdUQX1nwbYlKvJ7hs_ck2-R9GjxN9qQCTZtFciY8sbR5wFhqqN5ayOPu1ksQaGNjA47CP7N9VxFJSb/s1600/papposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5XmZKFSCSK4LlmhMvt5BN8irW0aNCH_v1jVPYOrvhWxZjTYEHPMXUQUdUQX1nwbYlKvJ7hs_ck2-R9GjxN9qQCTZtFciY8sbR5wFhqqN5ayOPu1ksQaGNjA47CP7N9VxFJSb/s640/papposter.jpg" width="412" /></a></div><br />
Although Lisa and I were still depressed over the lost of our much-loved store cat, Zola, we decided to stop by the <a href="http://www.la-vintage-paperback-show.com/"><b>32nd</b> <b>Annual Paperback Collectors Show</b></a> in Mission Hills on Sunday, March 27th. Run primarily by Tom Lesser, a great promoter and collector of paperbacks himself, along with Rose Idlet, owner of<a href="http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/map/51011/los_angeles_ca/black_ace_books.html"> Black Ace Books</a> in Los Angeles.<br />
<br />
"<i>The show began as part of my collecting hobby but gradually developed into </i><br />
<i> a large show which is now held for collectors and members of the public who </i><br />
<i> just want to come, walk around, maybe get some books signed and meet the </i><br />
<i> authors</i>"<br />
-Tom Lesser<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBizZkLZ56X_E0T5s3NpKkbLqpzNkNsSmmFOQvSPMe0wtlTq0Ce802V8D7ofLdfKddcT7XjonC1y6EDbAoAkInB040UiXTHgr3j-2GiTSSwEN6waRSgEhvJo3eErR7o9GMLaRd/s1600/papshow11_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBizZkLZ56X_E0T5s3NpKkbLqpzNkNsSmmFOQvSPMe0wtlTq0Ce802V8D7ofLdfKddcT7XjonC1y6EDbAoAkInB040UiXTHgr3j-2GiTSSwEN6waRSgEhvJo3eErR7o9GMLaRd/s640/papshow11_9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
We've been going to the show for over a decade now and have always enjoyed meeting collectors and pouring over the tables and stacks of paperbacks. However, this year we just didn't feel the spirit of the show all that much and only came away with a handful of books. Nothing to do with the show (which was active and actually crowded a bit this year), it was more to do with our somber mood. Still, we got to see a lot of friends including author <a href="http://faustfatale.livejournal.com/">Christa Faust</a>, who was excited about the show and seemed to be spending way too much money.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNzlwqYLqR-smxjZUMjdSeIqEvfaK1xYwKJaoXt_9h14ez63DyY_jEHqUPrjDirm_Zm8DlBddf-wslakKkLxZIGUPuEJP3F50z13LLE2MK0sjJXXT2QwUjFwndXBx5miRVbKt/s1600/papshow11_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxNzlwqYLqR-smxjZUMjdSeIqEvfaK1xYwKJaoXt_9h14ez63DyY_jEHqUPrjDirm_Zm8DlBddf-wslakKkLxZIGUPuEJP3F50z13LLE2MK0sjJXXT2QwUjFwndXBx5miRVbKt/s640/papshow11_11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
The<b> Paperback Show</b> takes up three rooms at the Mission Hills, CA., Valley Inn and Conference Center. The main room is where you enter and pay the 5 bucks to get in. Then there is a smaller room off to the side and another large room where most of the authors appear to promote and sign their books.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTUKvG8Ais8iqvpA5jCfY0LR6rVD7oFQexW5K4ZpzPZ8J5XBLlouC6zcFsB-tMvyCFjXaqC2J298UqHKwsZCF57yyL-VM80fADvW5AT8UGWEdU211aNZeXSMj75YjrGBLxN1w/s1600/papshow11_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijTUKvG8Ais8iqvpA5jCfY0LR6rVD7oFQexW5K4ZpzPZ8J5XBLlouC6zcFsB-tMvyCFjXaqC2J298UqHKwsZCF57yyL-VM80fADvW5AT8UGWEdU211aNZeXSMj75YjrGBLxN1w/s640/papshow11_22.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Most dealers display their books face up or spine up on long tables. Some dealers have additional boxes of books underneath the tables which makes for a lot of people on their knees browsing and going through endless stacks of paperbacks. The more organized sellers list books by publisher or have selections of authors works all together. And, of course, there are related paper ephemera like pulp magazines, posters and magazines.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1JfR6JKMFVmW-z_VqvE00hJDmjAyb2g1rdyJm2oeb6fTAnyRXwFvDDY_P5oAXFpohXiQ32RQOjh2sPy8kzeVTa-INCcQai9pIhWLVovRBBmJw9Hz6B-IXb3Hgr9EWKLO0xLn/s1600/papshow11_21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1JfR6JKMFVmW-z_VqvE00hJDmjAyb2g1rdyJm2oeb6fTAnyRXwFvDDY_P5oAXFpohXiQ32RQOjh2sPy8kzeVTa-INCcQai9pIhWLVovRBBmJw9Hz6B-IXb3Hgr9EWKLO0xLn/s640/papshow11_21.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I got a chance to see three or four of my favorite paperback people. <a href="http://www.pulpcards.com/pbdealrs.htm">James Madison</a> who sells via Ebay and via mail/email, always has the best organized table with lots of good vintage paperback bargains. He's such a great guy and a top-notch paperback dealer, too. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8n_qPUB5rYEhj4aeHs-mSwoNRzR-O1m1KrcUAclLUzM1Z67THZ4fCcCh8ELIGh_xzdujnYHkkxrAFVlENi7kRL52Zpvsze8yFAW3Xife0AfkOgKg3oJFXe6fFpCkqOE8bXZJ/s1600/papshow11_15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8n_qPUB5rYEhj4aeHs-mSwoNRzR-O1m1KrcUAclLUzM1Z67THZ4fCcCh8ELIGh_xzdujnYHkkxrAFVlENi7kRL52Zpvsze8yFAW3Xife0AfkOgKg3oJFXe6fFpCkqOE8bXZJ/s640/papshow11_15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Also got to see Lynn Munroe, who is a primarily a private dealer and historian. He has done so much for vintage paperback history and I've enjoyed every book he's ever recommended.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NVSEK84FrC0jSC8N7XBD9x5sTvLgdfvoqrK2_zOlf7rNZoVcsZkrl-WDYWeq6o-nK45y8hCZunbghjWcUg8zMjps9K30yN12LC8hvsw_QZArx0iTTEdSoCbVrExnHD49Mrhp/s1600/papshow11_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NVSEK84FrC0jSC8N7XBD9x5sTvLgdfvoqrK2_zOlf7rNZoVcsZkrl-WDYWeq6o-nK45y8hCZunbghjWcUg8zMjps9K30yN12LC8hvsw_QZArx0iTTEdSoCbVrExnHD49Mrhp/s640/papshow11_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Ron Blum of <a href="http://www.kayobooks.com/">Kayo Books</a> always has some of the rarest and most interesting paperbacks. He had a sleaze paperback with the original painting used for the cover on display (see pix below). His San Fran store is a must see if you visit that town. The store website is pretty cool, too. Ron's wife, Maria, is always at their large dealer table while Ron's out looking for deals. It was pleasure to see her again and chat a bit. Their store is doing well, glad to say. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCIAqx3IiHy1KiB0dMZ_Sc92673_RJj7oBB5QqPEbbFZ4hRLGNFcnlJvUPni355RCkzTKnlSNdM_d2m4pPYfd5grg_7ZCBNCZG4qIG7Ngkiuxmfnh9YsLQl0WNrKMHI0q1c7A/s1600/papshow11_16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCIAqx3IiHy1KiB0dMZ_Sc92673_RJj7oBB5QqPEbbFZ4hRLGNFcnlJvUPni355RCkzTKnlSNdM_d2m4pPYfd5grg_7ZCBNCZG4qIG7Ngkiuxmfnh9YsLQl0WNrKMHI0q1c7A/s640/papshow11_16.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
There is always a long list of authors signing at the Paperback Show every year. This year there was Ann Bannon, Bill Pronzini, Donald Glut, Bruce Kimmel and William F. Nolan just to name a few. I snapped a pix of<a href="http://www.donaldfglut.com/"> Donald Glut</a>, a very interesting author/screenwriter who in addition to his long and varied writing career is an expert on dinosaurs. I wish I had had the time to chat with him a bit. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiR7a5U1mSaRIVlL1fsUxREleCHGUIiYY_FsYR17o1Q1penSRG7vxl88b85oQcwiqTHWKjMCgNa432NDFbWI6eTrbneBeLLgxWMwcKEsP0UCsEkYHMz798P0qLXBtioMS39n3/s1600/papshow11_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaiR7a5U1mSaRIVlL1fsUxREleCHGUIiYY_FsYR17o1Q1penSRG7vxl88b85oQcwiqTHWKjMCgNa432NDFbWI6eTrbneBeLLgxWMwcKEsP0UCsEkYHMz798P0qLXBtioMS39n3/s640/papshow11_6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I had a enjoyable chat with <a href="http://www.gryphonbooks.com/ABOUTG_1/aboutg_1.htm">Gary Lovisi</a> (stupid me for not taking a pix) who edits the Paperback Parade (a semi-annual mag that covers vint pap authors/history), runs <a href="http://www.gryphonbooks.com/">Gryphon Books</a> and is a noted hard-boiled author himself. He's done so much to bring forgotten authors to light. In the current issue of PP #77 he covers the jazz musician and paperback writer Charles Beckman, Jr. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAo-atK8YQQa_7ABQ94DQUKRNv0Nn23nL9h2mgHtEn063xvz50kdnspS6masmvEl7ToueGFnjkr4xZwma9n0qiDT7n-O3DoideOE6LT3hXoguAmaBhYPXG0zaCY81Kqvm7SqM/s1600/papshow11_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAo-atK8YQQa_7ABQ94DQUKRNv0Nn23nL9h2mgHtEn063xvz50kdnspS6masmvEl7ToueGFnjkr4xZwma9n0qiDT7n-O3DoideOE6LT3hXoguAmaBhYPXG0zaCY81Kqvm7SqM/s640/papshow11_14.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I came away with only 6 books this year and Lisa picked up three nifty James M. Cain paperbacks. I just grabbed books that interested me. Picked up only one book by an author I've been looking for,<a href="http://billcrider.blogspot.com/2008/05/forgotten-books-revenge-jack-ehrlich.html"> Jack Ehrlich</a>. Looks like a good book. I plan on posting the first paragraphs of each of the books just for fun and perhaps doing an reading of them as well for fun.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievAZ9YXOyCiB1iEGliDnBB2oon9SHM4fJeG2DWUvw4-fBmEywjpFlRTJCp-3aoK8YK0KrbOv5yVx7MBdjnMWPDfkiUR7sCiOoVlC3zcKDdANopLgdc0VO3e8dQOkrLtsxm9wI/s1600/papshow11_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievAZ9YXOyCiB1iEGliDnBB2oon9SHM4fJeG2DWUvw4-fBmEywjpFlRTJCp-3aoK8YK0KrbOv5yVx7MBdjnMWPDfkiUR7sCiOoVlC3zcKDdANopLgdc0VO3e8dQOkrLtsxm9wI/s640/papshow11_0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
You can find out more information about the annual Paperback Show<a href="http://www.mister-ed.tv/paperbackshow.html"> here</a>. I took some video of the event and will edit it together in a week or so. Will post here and on Vimeo. Nothing special, just a short simple documentary of my time at the show. Here's a little snippet:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='420' height='366' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzsSqYC_UgTwxG6zsacaIujzRJjnwdTikXR1MUa_nbqi1jB5GkD6p6t3cmo1MBhbkI9yBCyLOyImZI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
If you happen to be in Los Angeles in late March sometime, I highly recommend the annual Paperback show. Bring two 20 dollar bills with you and you'll walk out with a bag full of great vintage paperbacks, plus a lot of new friends.Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-79368383479595975202011-03-29T22:48:00.000-07:002013-09-13T21:18:38.642-07:00Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari (tr. by Kengi Hamada)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj282rSQQ2bsEKyKCLJDce9q6zL3iUKUxIWbIUhGEWhaLHmq0kdQ6a4Fxb4BdbcgGhRAgJicNuPRE3PW0B_5HIYc_c71l1F2fM51JGjoMTx0kdQc-13JD9wyypnMI6unSB-iR5/s1600/ugetsu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj282rSQQ2bsEKyKCLJDce9q6zL3iUKUxIWbIUhGEWhaLHmq0kdQ6a4Fxb4BdbcgGhRAgJicNuPRE3PW0B_5HIYc_c71l1F2fM51JGjoMTx0kdQc-13JD9wyypnMI6unSB-iR5/s320/ugetsu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ugetsu Monogatori 1953 (picnic scene)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I first came across <u>Tales of Moonlight and Rain</u> after viewing Mizoguchi's brilliant film <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugetsu">Ugetsu Monogatori </a></i>(1953) which adapts two stories ( <i>Homecoming</i> and <i>Bewitched</i>) from a collection of 16th century Japanese Gothic tales written by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ueda_Akinari">Ueda Akinari</a>. Since I was deeply impressed with the Mizoguchi film, I wanted to read the two original stories from the collection. So when Criterion released their wonderful 2-disc set of Ugetsu (the name was shortened to one word for American audiences) they also included the two stories in a small booklet and I was finally able to read them. I was entranced and immediately wanted to find a good edition of the full collection. And thanks to working in a great bookstore, I found an excellent collection published by Columbia University Press in 1972. It reprints the University of Tokyo Press edition which came out the year before. I've scanned the front, rear and spine of the book for you and posted it below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpgeRok2ViBt5W6OtPGRNwN-1ugTHKbkVS5-5rK7k5Tcclm5nrW8bR4aWHygpVVwElxWjNXj3zHf4oVmEgJ_gWcr-MfhFjKsV18I7TEjF8pW6O3366B61ZxsIlAb2mYBn7lRU/s1600/Moonlight2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpgeRok2ViBt5W6OtPGRNwN-1ugTHKbkVS5-5rK7k5Tcclm5nrW8bR4aWHygpVVwElxWjNXj3zHf4oVmEgJ_gWcr-MfhFjKsV18I7TEjF8pW6O3366B61ZxsIlAb2mYBn7lRU/s320/Moonlight2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This hardback edition is beautifully designed featuring an inked version of an old woodblock print from, presumably an early edition of the book. Several other b&w versions of the original prints are included as accompanying illustrations for the 9 stories that comprise <u>Tales of Moonlight and Rain</u>. Click on the image above to see a larger version. It's from "Bewitched", one of the stories Mizoguchi adapted for his film.<br />
<br />
And here's another woodblock illustration from "Bewitched". In this scene, you see the two vengeful spirits disappearing in the waves.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YzGBBa_WjcMtlh4YXoj-fXBTO03vavCFy_SdrUpvo0gLEcXP2sqIW5iy0cmb5au1sU7Qw0pjA98hq7qhfmm-UV4uRVpcpS04-nBAxQuJ7EWAem_wWgFRo1rG0y8a9y7AoHFZ/s1600/Moonlight_Illustration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YzGBBa_WjcMtlh4YXoj-fXBTO03vavCFy_SdrUpvo0gLEcXP2sqIW5iy0cmb5au1sU7Qw0pjA98hq7qhfmm-UV4uRVpcpS04-nBAxQuJ7EWAem_wWgFRo1rG0y8a9y7AoHFZ/s320/Moonlight_Illustration.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Ueda Akinari (1734-1809) is a highly regarded writer and scholar whose life ran the gamut of experience. He was born to an Osaka prostitute never knowing who his father was. Adopted by a wealthy merchant at a young age. His father cared for him and gave him a good education which set Ueda with an inquiring mind for the rest of his life. He survived a small-pox infection as a young man and felt that his parents prayers to the god of the Kashima Inari Shrine are what saved him. This, perhaps, is what fixed a live-long fascination with the supernatural and the occult.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZv1P4I-ExTvCsl8-JqUqOqnem-uKR0lBNOXFSesuQOiYhD4vabVATK2FIlMyEZKaTDt5V748KpHsCNTuIzSxXQ2T6e46O3-Uw68brNDT-ublHpgMm_d_8TaEptRMhc9X3Qv4/s1600/Akinari1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtZv1P4I-ExTvCsl8-JqUqOqnem-uKR0lBNOXFSesuQOiYhD4vabVATK2FIlMyEZKaTDt5V748KpHsCNTuIzSxXQ2T6e46O3-Uw68brNDT-ublHpgMm_d_8TaEptRMhc9X3Qv4/s1600/Akinari1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ueda Akinari</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<u>Tales of Moonlight and Rai</u>n (1776) was a departure for Ueda, who was primarily known for light comic sketches of contemporary life. His movement towards these supernatural stories reflected his increasing knowledge and love of Chinese literature which is rich in other-worldly tales. According to the translator, Kengi Hamada, who also wrote the fine "About the author" for this edition, Ueda the source material came from "<i>ancient vintages</i>". He states that Ueda "<i>adapted, reshaped, and retold his stories in his own peculiar settings, representing interactions of history, mores, maxims, superstitious beliefs, and personality conflicts of an altogether different milieu</i>".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The modern reader of <u>Tales of Moonlight and Rain</u> might miss some of the originality of this work since it's central to Japanese literature and has influenced world literature, but is not as well know in America. We so see some of the tropes re-produced in these stories in our own horror/gothic fiction of the present day. Somehow, the social conscience of the original tales is missed in our re-telling of the story-tropes. What struck me in reading <u>Tales of Moonlight and Rain</u> (aside from the wonderful poetry and characterizations) is how masterfully the tales are woven into a moral and social construct. It's as if Ueda is saying "people are always going to mis-understand the supernatural; always going to be a victim because of their lack of knowledge of history". I'd also add "because of their lack of humanity". In some of these stories, for the modern reader, the spirits of the dead are often more sympathetic than the victims. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rIElO4uPKFax9WhpU7UWwlvbYBW94_VzeDLmWB_PrjDFYCKCSAkNRzOzb-Illvzjl9Ilf1wsDKWLdhnXb4VmwXzHOFC6-95ZXo01QO-kpneQ_LWGM3cN7z8kbPefZVgpuoys/s1600/ugets3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rIElO4uPKFax9WhpU7UWwlvbYBW94_VzeDLmWB_PrjDFYCKCSAkNRzOzb-Illvzjl9Ilf1wsDKWLdhnXb4VmwXzHOFC6-95ZXo01QO-kpneQ_LWGM3cN7z8kbPefZVgpuoys/s320/ugets3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The female ghost in Ugetsu (film)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
Ueda is a powerful writer even in this slightly antiquarian translation. Of course, I very much enjoyed the stories adapted into the Mizoguchi film, but two other stories were equally as captivating: "Demon", the story of a priest who takes on the cannibalistic demon who is haunting a local temple, and "Reunion", which is the story of the power of friendship and commitment. I believe "Reunion" also contains a self-portrait of Ueda in the character of Hasebe Samon, the scholar who loves nothing more than to read and be with his books. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the stories ("Exiled") requires a knowledge of Japanese history to fully appreciate, but even here the writing is so striking and the situation so poetic/gothic that it hardly matters. All of the stories are sharply drawn with an eye towards a combination of the mundane and the macabre. I savored each story reading one a day at bedtime. I found that familiar shadows in my room started looking strange and disturbing after I finished a story and put the book on my bedside table. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Tales of Moonlight and Rain</u> is a remarkable collection of stories written by an imaginative and intelligent man whose love and fear of the supernatural are caught in his words like fireflies in the darkness. This collection is highly recommended as is the film adaptation. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2T0cRBtxGb6YZxzL-JbsRAC4zRVkuIrFFwc3fjY0hiWHWgSBjl6dYDiwKUxcGNatXt19Mw-qn2UjnuG2DhX8g-jP668EcsLTJZU9Au6cEcM_YBWDnZSL84sKBXqfK8qo2JdpP/s1600/tales2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2T0cRBtxGb6YZxzL-JbsRAC4zRVkuIrFFwc3fjY0hiWHWgSBjl6dYDiwKUxcGNatXt19Mw-qn2UjnuG2DhX8g-jP668EcsLTJZU9Au6cEcM_YBWDnZSL84sKBXqfK8qo2JdpP/s320/tales2.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Note: Columbia University Press has a new version of Tales of Moonlight and Rain with a new translation and introduction. I haven't read this version, but will be doing so very soon. In the meantime, you can find out more about it<a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-13912-0/tales-of-moonlight-and-rain/tableOfContents"> here</a>. There's also an attractive edition by <a href="http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415618779/">Routledge</a> that looks interesting. Well, there goes my paycheck again. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Editions of Akinari's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=Ueda%20Akinari">other works</a> are hard to find and expensive. Also, books about him are not easy to find in English. I hope that my favorite publisher<a href="http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/"> Reaktion Books</a> will consider doing a new book on Ueda Akinari in their "critical lives" series. It certainly would be welcome by this reader. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-34024197103109479472011-03-28T22:36:00.000-07:002013-09-13T21:17:15.180-07:00Cities of the Red Night by William Burroughs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdDUKes6uB3UjFpSeay46Ws0xO1AjizZX-V07YR0mp1FTUyoZjNV5wuAtx4LpJ8zNzIM7NvacC7cON_3ZN4swYvwA32Goj-18zzqF5O1e4IVBxn9HJeH9_No3tvd2sNGtfhXg/s1600/cities.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdDUKes6uB3UjFpSeay46Ws0xO1AjizZX-V07YR0mp1FTUyoZjNV5wuAtx4LpJ8zNzIM7NvacC7cON_3ZN4swYvwA32Goj-18zzqF5O1e4IVBxn9HJeH9_No3tvd2sNGtfhXg/s320/cities.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover by Thomi Wroblewski<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"<i>The days seem to flash by like a speeded-up chase scene in a 1920s comedy.......</i><br />
<i> patrols always behind them, bullets thudding into flesh, bombs in Middletown bars </i><br />
<i> and theaters and restaurants. A wake of glass, blood and brains and the hot meaty </i><br />
<i> smell of entrails remind Audrey of a rabbit he had once seen dissected in biology </i><br />
<i> class. A girl had fainted. He could see her slump to the floor with a soft plop.</i><br />
<i> Shatter Day always closer..</i>."<br />
page 255<br />
<br />
Before I jumped feet first into the kaleidescope of drugs, piracy, private eyes, homo-erotic sex, hangings and boys adventure pulp parodies that is <u>Cities of the Red Night</u>, I read a terrific short biography of Burroughs written by <a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/author/B/P/au8932832.html">Phil Baker</a> and published by a very cool British publisher <a href="http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/book.html?id=400">Reaktion Press</a>. Part of their "Critical Lives" series (I've read their books on Gertrude Stein and John Luis Borges...excellent books), <u>William S. Burroughs</u> packs as much biographical/critical information as you can in 192 pages. I like how Phil Baker writes and he, for the most part, is pretty even-handed and objective about wild boy Bill. Some parts struck me as new even though I read the huge (and probably definitive) bio of Burroughs by Ted Morgan years ago. Burroughs infatuation with Scientology, his continuous search for alternate reality/possession systems and theories (including attending a weekend seminar on "out of body" travel) and his discovery of the deep joy of living with cats late in life, all added dimensions to his personality that made reading Cities such an interesting, but frustrating experience.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNt5uQYOs-mrJeDhtgIbhDWz3MH74sGAWBMeYS-qSbB2oO8nlhPQdO8OyEUsFrbhYguZU33HZVrQ6L22WV6Gv76hnQWnPghY-CUs-hJ4OfR8ePiq7nfBCCXQn6ZGxaWZBdTFH/s1600/Burroughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNt5uQYOs-mrJeDhtgIbhDWz3MH74sGAWBMeYS-qSbB2oO8nlhPQdO8OyEUsFrbhYguZU33HZVrQ6L22WV6Gv76hnQWnPghY-CUs-hJ4OfR8ePiq7nfBCCXQn6ZGxaWZBdTFH/s320/Burroughs.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>Cities of the Red Night</u> is the first book of a trilogy of novels Burroughs started writing in the early 80s (the other two books are <u>The Place of Dead Roads</u> and <u>The Western Lands</u>) while living in "<a href="http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/galleries/william_burroughss_stuff/02wbs.php">The Bunker</a>" in New York which, years before, had been the locker room of the YMCA building at 222 Bowery. Windowless and without any natural light, Burroughs liked the vast space and entertained a growing coterie of punk followers given celebrity status as a Beat icon. He also became addicted to heroin again, which he found preferable to the curse of alcohol.<br />
<br />
One fellow who showed up at the Bunker was<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Grauerholz"> James Grauerholz</a>, who after a short affair with Burroughs, became his amanuensis and eventual literary executor of the Burroughs estate. One of the dedications in <u>Cities of the Red Nigh</u>t is "<i>to James Graueholz, who edited this book into present time</i>". How much James actually kept and/or cut from this novel is anyone's guess. It's an already fragmented novel, so you can't really tell. Certainly it's not easy to write when you are stoned, although Burroughs had learned to manage his habit over many, many years of his addiction. Still, it's important to remember he wrote it in the Bunker while living the life of a cult figure and coping with renewed heroin addiction. That sex, drugs, youth, addiction and disease figure prominently is no coincidence. Burroughs was writing his life out on the pages.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZchUAzThl4h_v6dRaQ2ebwhuKnqnIgGGmschcn0MfvpsEuFIYrWYKBHuF42nLWJ3ypchPnYlLDthLpa1nMf1xdeytMIOJjt7dgNt4hCk-VGYLnEEGV4UDaPTDg71uygk6o6Bp/s1600/william-burroughs-london-1988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZchUAzThl4h_v6dRaQ2ebwhuKnqnIgGGmschcn0MfvpsEuFIYrWYKBHuF42nLWJ3ypchPnYlLDthLpa1nMf1xdeytMIOJjt7dgNt4hCk-VGYLnEEGV4UDaPTDg71uygk6o6Bp/s320/william-burroughs-london-1988.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There's really no way to capture the "story" of<u> Cities of the Red Night</u>. Ostensibly it winds three strands of story which take place in different time periods: one is a boys-adventure pirate story taking place in the 18th century where the pirates are attempting to live their lives and seek freedom based on the "articles' written by a real-life Captain Mission whose community died out; another is a modern day (80's) story of a private eye (Clem Snide, Private Asshole....Burroughs has great wit with names) who's investigating the ritual sexual murder of several boys. There are also other plot strands including the CIA and Virus B-23 which sounds very much like an AIDS-like plague, although this book was written well before AIDS became widely known. Add to the mix, Burroughs speculation on the origins of various races (red, white, yellow) and his obsessions with hanging as an erotic act, plus the many and varied uses of male semen and you have a very funny, strange, fascinating, repulsive and occasionally boring novel that is beautifully written and, well, perhaps not that well edited. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Reading Cities of the Red Night is an on-again, off-again experience. I actually began another book while I was reading Cities. This was around the middle of the novel where the book is the weakest. It's also very strange that the book starts out somewhat traditionally (after an invocation to a God and the story of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertatia">Captain James Mission</a>; all unneeded in my view) and then proceeds to become more incoherent and scatological as it progresses. Eventually, you feel that Burroughs is just trying to insult you or shock you. Perhaps this worked in the 80s, but it is just boring for contemporary readers. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then the novel starts catching fire again right around the time of the big battle between ancient cities starts (whose names were created by<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brion_Gysin"> Brion Gysin</a>, long time influence on Burroughs). Zipping back and forth between times and various story strands, Burroughs eventually winds everything up in a great ending that had me turning the pages as quickly as I could. Something I think Burroughs would have enjoyed hearing about. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The ending is a ironic and twisted and utterly perfect. I was left with an odd mix of feelings at the end of the novel, but mostly admiration for it's daring and a certain amount of sadness for several of the characters, most specifically Audrey. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_EiqUjvK7u0?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I recommend this novel for anyone who has already read Burroughs and want another fix. New readers may struggle unless you have some reading stamina, an open mind and a good sense of humor. Burroughs likes to fuck with the reader and sometimes it's uncomfortable reading. But maybe that's just me. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On to <u>The Place of Dead Roads</u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
PS be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.reaktionbooks.co.uk/series.html?id=3">Reaktion books site</a> for the Burroughs bio and the rest of their excellent books. Also, the edition I read was published by Picador (UK publisher) in 1982 with a cover design by<a href="http://jameshoodillustration.blogspot.com/2010/01/thomi-wroblewski.html"> Thomi Wroblewski</a>, who has designed other Burroughs covers in a fantastic style that perfectly matches Burroughs own. So if cover design means anything to you, get this edition. Shop at the<a href="http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchEntry"> abebooks.com</a> site and put Picador in the publisher category for copies of the this edition you can purchase. </div>
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-2569190801782464752011-03-25T22:36:00.000-07:002013-09-19T21:48:15.816-07:00Vintage Paperback CoversHere are a few recent additions to my growing vintage paperback collection. These came into the Iliad Bookshop today and caught my eye. (Note: you can click on the image for the original size which is quite large). All of my book covers are available on the Booklad "Book Covers" page.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/time.jpg" width="196" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lancer Books 74627-075 (1970)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/giants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/giants.jpg" width="194" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airmont (1964)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/tomorrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/tomorrow.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid Books R-1170 (1965)<br />
Cover painting by Jack Gaughan <br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/slave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/slave.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lancer Books 75346-095 (1968)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/D99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/D99.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pyramid Books F-794 (1962)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/earth.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daw Books No. 206 (1976) Cover art by Deane Cate</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/infinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/infinity.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch Books 297 (1963) Cover by Ralph Brillhart</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.rgrove.com/Booklad/people.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zenith Books ZB-14 (1959)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-23773459181148997852011-03-23T11:34:00.000-07:002011-03-23T11:34:07.855-07:00Jim Tierney Cover DesignsFrom Mark Frauenfelder at boingboing.net: a very cool post on designer Jim Tierney's designs for Jules Verne book covers. Here's the link (and pix below):<br />
<br />
<a href="http://goo.gl/E2llJ">Jim Tierney Book Covers</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN47WQJ1MUF04q7L3fUEtS31XmKEPJj_1fTBGhyphenhypheny_5eGi0Vkpm3OJvJ0iktfNBNhGCjN1DTq0E6yFPf1mdzNgSbRMXDyKwwmF5MF7fEKwx0uAV76fcty3AcQa7Z5HcoP8Zs2WF/s1600/tierney-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN47WQJ1MUF04q7L3fUEtS31XmKEPJj_1fTBGhyphenhypheny_5eGi0Vkpm3OJvJ0iktfNBNhGCjN1DTq0E6yFPf1mdzNgSbRMXDyKwwmF5MF7fEKwx0uAV76fcty3AcQa7Z5HcoP8Zs2WF/s320/tierney-cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I love the strong contrast in colors matched with the whimsical design. Perfect for Verne's books. Unfortunately, as the blog post states they are design projects and not commercially available. You can see more of his work at his main website here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.jimtierneyart.com/index.html">Jim Tierney Website</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j7G9ZPeUvrzqBC_CLli7EgO2t41H0qioue3611jdZXLPQBOhAP67NSfe8oDf-fnH463CF9bOVRp_y3bVttXYkWJxTBtbLUUhJZ2r9IzrymUPLeUyutekv8pBy9uTwNOsdg9C/s1600/ahe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j7G9ZPeUvrzqBC_CLli7EgO2t41H0qioue3611jdZXLPQBOhAP67NSfe8oDf-fnH463CF9bOVRp_y3bVttXYkWJxTBtbLUUhJZ2r9IzrymUPLeUyutekv8pBy9uTwNOsdg9C/s320/ahe.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I also follow a wonderful book blog on cover design called:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/2011/03/imminent-fancy-classics.html">The Caustic Cover Critic</a><br />
<br />
From this blog comes an interesting Edwardian take on HP Lovecraft designed by<a href="http://www.travislouie.com/"> Travis Louie</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRHzV-P-gbZ5OUKhVWeV2heRO55Ih9Apto5_hEx6Hnb6qmrOffujk2pcSA1ow3tae5bpo7OOqDkzlW_3QdYE_zdtR9h7EEOAPjgbaKD4Nkyuu7smdSLhyphenhyphenqPLM6SfWFa6nnip1/s1600/Peng+Classics+US+Jun+2011_Page_09_Image_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRHzV-P-gbZ5OUKhVWeV2heRO55Ih9Apto5_hEx6Hnb6qmrOffujk2pcSA1ow3tae5bpo7OOqDkzlW_3QdYE_zdtR9h7EEOAPjgbaKD4Nkyuu7smdSLhyphenhyphenqPLM6SfWFa6nnip1/s320/Peng+Classics+US+Jun+2011_Page_09_Image_0001.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-40868238765907946242011-03-10T23:03:00.000-08:002011-03-10T23:30:12.391-08:00Short Spoken Word Selection from "The Orange Eats Creeps" by Grace KrilanovichI recorded a very short piece from Grace Krilanovich's wonderful novel <u>The Orange Eats Creeps</u> reviewed here at Bookland. Published last year by<a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/default.htm"> Two Dollar Radio</a>, I urge you to buy this very unusual and imaginative novel.<br />
<br />
I hope my reading will give you a taste of the novel's style. Definitely check out the<a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/books-oec.htm"> novel's page</a> at the publisher's site.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11796142"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F11796142" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/rgrove-1/sho">Short Reading of "The Orange Eats Creeps" by Grace Krilanovich</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/rgrove-1">rickygrove</a></span>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-71653436633202384162011-03-06T21:34:00.000-08:002011-03-06T21:34:09.636-08:00Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Uw0_UXbYC5IULpd_pcmc6akK9MjiEXulfBZV8pEsnuJkwc8jeIQWRz9becwttGnU4U-vUDN6q-WSwtDMIuq7DFguVXBIbF4DwvpcjwiHRNzKsLfRequJdYEShHqjYgPHrHZr/s1600/ConsiderPhlebas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Uw0_UXbYC5IULpd_pcmc6akK9MjiEXulfBZV8pEsnuJkwc8jeIQWRz9becwttGnU4U-vUDN6q-WSwtDMIuq7DFguVXBIbF4DwvpcjwiHRNzKsLfRequJdYEShHqjYgPHrHZr/s320/ConsiderPhlebas.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender.</i></span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, actually to find it, and with it their own destruction.</i></span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>.............................................................. </i>from <a href="http://iain-banks.net/">Iain-Banks.net</a></span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Iain Banks first novel<u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wasp_Factory"> Wasp Factory</a></u> knocked me out when it first came out in 1984. Dark, poetic and sharp-edged prose made the book so powerful it lingered for years (literally). Read it and you'll see what I mean as it's one of my favorite first novels. Hell, it's one of my favorite novels. </span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">What I can't explain is why I never read any more of his novels. Certainly, I had many of them in my library and even on my bedside table, but just never started them. Even when Mr. Banks began a series of SciFi novels that received thundering reviews, I still waited and waited. "What for", I ask myself. Just too many other books that demanded my attention. </span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Well, all of that's changed with <u><a href="http://www.iain-banks.net/uk/consider-phlebas/">Consider Phlebas</a></u>, the first of Mr. Banks "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture">Culture</a>" novels. Determined to get back to reading Mr. Banks, I spent last week enthralled by his imagination and ideas. Described as "space opera" in the blurbs on the back of the book (it's not), this intelligent novel follow an unusual man, Horza, who comes from a race of "changers" and can adjust their bodies to look like other races. He is a perfect spy and the bulk of the novel follows his efforts to retrieve a "Mind" (sentient AI) who has isolated itself on a "Planet of the Dead" (world where all life has been destroyed due to war). </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iRZILXVwsv2N7M0Z2LkgXJ5WORUBgVXlUaBHCULqOnX6US5JitswKw_lwcnzb9yZXCEbBkCOhfwozgQobDR48_xc9sSKFtHU_YwfJeP1nt-6edmA9aNkeOi0qjEsECd96Ry6/s1600/IainBanks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1iRZILXVwsv2N7M0Z2LkgXJ5WORUBgVXlUaBHCULqOnX6US5JitswKw_lwcnzb9yZXCEbBkCOhfwozgQobDR48_xc9sSKFtHU_YwfJeP1nt-6edmA9aNkeOi0qjEsECd96Ry6/s320/IainBanks.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Horza is in competition with Balveda, an agent from the Culture, a race dominated by technology and artificial life. There is a strange respect and attraction between these two diametrically opposed characters. The story that Mr. Banks weaves with them is the real heart of the book. The climax of the story is the last line of the book (sans the brilliant Appendices). </span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The book is filled with striking visual imagery and fascinating (and at times horrifying) situations that keep you glued to page. It's one of those books where everything goes silent around you and your mind is filled with the world of the book. Mr. Banks take on traditional SciFi themes like war, race and nationalism is fresh and, at times, moving. </span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is first of the <a href="http://www.vavatch.co.uk/books/banks/">Culture novels</a>. I've got all of the others coming in the mail. I'll be writing more as I progress in the series. </span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Be sure to check out Iain-Banks.net for lots of interesting info. Here is the first part of a recent interview with Iain Banks (it's a radio interview)</span></div><div style="color: #111111; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; line-height: normal;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uJVGpZJT_eM?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe></span></div>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20407280.post-29383200995860804672011-02-21T23:24:00.000-08:002011-03-18T17:18:04.745-07:00The Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_t9_ysix8vdFGC0vVl_u2rf4p2ktnfp5xNJdTdabTdqBRQ-DKQ9zFneUpqHHyD7AALXatAGxYldX44gW4v9WVQZQTwoDUJL_jAYd3xD7EPuFaqMScoFOorciBLJIjrToZC0c/s1600/graceTDRshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_t9_ysix8vdFGC0vVl_u2rf4p2ktnfp5xNJdTdabTdqBRQ-DKQ9zFneUpqHHyD7AALXatAGxYldX44gW4v9WVQZQTwoDUJL_jAYd3xD7EPuFaqMScoFOorciBLJIjrToZC0c/s320/graceTDRshirt.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<b>The title</b>: working title was "Slutty Teenage Hobo Vampire Junkies", but as the <a href="http://twodollarradio.blogspot.com/2010/06/orange-eats-creeps-title-explained.html">autho</a>r began to see the book was "<i>transcending it's Roger Corman-esque origins</i>" a song from a forgotten lo-fi band named <a href="http://www.myspace.com/cloudeyesmusic">Unicornface</a> popped up called "Woof Eats Creeps" then a friend suggest "Sun Eats Creeps" which the author thought too obvious and riffed to "The Orange Eats Creeps".<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> "<i>When a sleeping cats paws twitch it's dreaming of running away from you</i></span><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> You know, these are weird times, marked by a non-specific dread that rests</span></i><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> in nights of brown fog at the center of my bones. Everything in life is determined</span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> a machine fueled by the tones emitted by digging a fresh grave. Horrific events</span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> are set in motion in this occupied territory, activated by movement, but I can't</span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i> stop moving</i>."</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> -page 105</div><br />
<b>The author</b>: according to the wikipedia entry on Grace Krilanovich she<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif;"> "</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">moved to the </span></i></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Los Angeles</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> area from </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial;">Santa Cruz</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial;">California</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> in 2003. She attended </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">San Francisco State University</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> for her undergraduate studies, where she received a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Bachelor of Arts</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> degree in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">American Studies</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">. She then went on to receive a </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Master of Fine Arts</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Writing</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> at the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">California Institute of the Arts</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">, where she graduated in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">2005</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">. She currently works at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial;">The Los Angeles Times</span>"</span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span></i><br />
<div style="display: inline !important; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> "<i>These were antique thoughts, marked by a non-specific dread...</i></span></span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;">My first impulse </span></i></span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> is to go to sleep. My second impulse is to have sex with </span></i></span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;">it and </span></i></span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i>my third </i><i>impulse </i></span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i> is to eat it. That's how my mind works. But the three are not </i></span></span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i>quite as fixed as </i></span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i></i><i> you might think; they've been boiled down, chiseled out, and </i></span></span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i>refined, </i></span></span></span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i> painstakingly </i><i>handcrafted over three centuries resting at the bottom </i></span></span></span></i></div><div style="font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i> of my brain. The three are like </i><i>the finest three-line poem chiseled in gold at the </i></span></span></span></i></div><div style="font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i> foot of a roaring majestic waterfall </i><i>and I'm sure as hell not giving them up, not </i></span></span></span></i></div><div style="font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"><i> for the world. I need them</i>."</span></span></span></i></div><div style="font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span></span></i></span></span></i></div><div style="display: inline !important; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> -page 131</span></span></i></span></span></i></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><b>The publisher</b>: <a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/bio.htm">Two Dollar Radio</a> is an indie publishing house established in 2005 by Brian Obenauf, Eliza Jane Wood, Eric Obenauf and Emil Pullen to "</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">publish books that if I stumbled upon as a reader I would push onto others, saying 'you've</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">gotta</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">read this.' Each and every book we publish we endorse without limitation. (No jokebooks or bathroom readers found 'round these parts.) Above all, we value ambition, and believe that none of our books crimp to convention when it comes to storytelling or voice. Ideally, that contributes to a liberating reading experience"</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></i><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #783f04;"> "<i>Our kind doesn't die from anything, all we do is die all the time.</i>"</span></span></i><br />
<div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"></span></i></span></i></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; display: inline !important; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"> -page 8</span></i></span></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><b>The book</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">: Grace started writing OEC as a Corman-esque horror story using the folklore and crime stories she grew up around in Santa Cruz, California. It quickly became something else entirely. Worlds like "story" and "plot" don't seem to apply to OEC as it's a wild, flowing mass of words loosely grouped around a young woman who might or might not be a vampire in and around the northwest of the US in some future time (perhaps). Her efforts to find her sister/friend Kim while searching and exploring urban and suburban scenes, attending lowend rock clubs, having sex and being raped, doing drugs, walking in the woods, hanging out with a gang, living on the road, et al. Living and dying day by day, moment by moment. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">The book follows her journey from outside and inside as well. In fact, many times it's hard to tell where the young women's mind starts and the outside world begins. Waves of rhythmic poetic prose wash over the reader moving from macro to micro within the same sentence. Or a paragraph will start in a realistic setting and then morph out into the surreal and grotesque. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisg8dJRnCkKd4ICONLUa-o7eKXNEwOdIb5a9_qC5TpBv_bEF4Z4ypTvbGT581_wZitvOuDBt1C4J8m5VyysIZDmcXDSiJ968jYc6atj8AEY3kC2I7cUGNhA67v0JMi0oz6X1qm/s1600/Orange_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisg8dJRnCkKd4ICONLUa-o7eKXNEwOdIb5a9_qC5TpBv_bEF4Z4ypTvbGT581_wZitvOuDBt1C4J8m5VyysIZDmcXDSiJ968jYc6atj8AEY3kC2I7cUGNhA67v0JMi0oz6X1qm/s1600/Orange_cover.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;">Grace worked on OEC (her first novel) for several years incorporating a wild variety of techniques for finding inspiration, direction and content for the book. Music was a major source of inspiration: "</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The writing of this book wouldn't have been possible without the antics, abandon and illegal proclivities of bands I hold near and dear spurring me along in my artistic endeavors, safe in the knowledge that somebody out there was pushing the limits, truly alive in their mind, even though they may have been out of step with the rest of world."</span></i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">She also tried the Burroughs "cut-up" method and used her own set of "cards" which she threw to create unusual combinations of setting, character and afflictions. Here's a nifty vid of here discussing some of here writing methods in OEC:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object bgcolor="#000000" data="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/archive_embed_player.swf" height="300" id="clip_embed_player_flash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.justin.tv/widgets/archive_embed_player.swf" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="flashvars" value="auto_play=false&start_volume=25&title=Grace Krilanovich / The Orange Eats Creeps &channel=twodollarradio&archive_id=271714765" /></object></div><a class="trk" href="http://www.justin.tv/twodollarradio#r=-rid-&s=em" style="display: block; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; padding: 2px 0px 4px; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; width: 320px;">Watch live video from Two Dollar Radio on Justin.tv</a> <br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My thoughts: </b>a quote from Mortimer Adler came back to me as I was reading deeply in this truly strange and wonderful novel; "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you</i>". How many readers will allow Orange Eats Creeps to get through to them? Most of us read every book the same way: for entertainment and escape. You can't read OEC this way as you'll end up like this Amazon reader: "</span><i>What do I wish I had known before I purchased this? This novel is all junkie and no vampire (really I couldn't tell you exactly what the main character was because the entire story is incoherent)</i>". </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Serious readers will recognize that Grace is channeling a tradition of writing that goes all the way back to Baudelaire, Celine, Ginsburg and Burroughs. It's a literature whose goal is to "connect" (as Forester puts it). So what is Grace connecting with? It's the idea that language creates it's own reality and that words can be combined in ways that are unique and strange; that consciousness can be imitated with words and that we do this every day in our own lives.<br />
<br />
In a sense, OEC approaches the quality of music, an art form which can be completely abstract and still move the listener with sound/tone combinations. Grace did what creative artists do; she combined everything she could remember, think and feel into a form and then shape the form to her conceits. In this case it's words combined in familiar/unfamiliar wasy to create a mind/world. It's also to kick the readers ass a bit like every good punk rock band does. You just have to let go to get it.<br />
<br />
Perhaps this song "With Teeth" by the Melvins (part of her own "set list" for OEC) shows better than words what Grace Krilanovich is up to:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fYQ_YVxgdMM?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="550"></iframe><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />
</span><br />
So let's cut to the chase: most people aren't going to get this book and that's fine because there are sevenbazzilion writers out there crankin out the copies of copies of popular sentimental melodrama that will keep their readers happy. And, hell, I read some of that shit, too. But Orange Eats Creeps is the real deal. It's unapologetic, uncommercial and like it's main character, it doesn't give a fuck about you except to suck your blood. Men don't come off well in this world because there are pretty much all bastards who think only with their cocks. A lot of women don't come off well in this book as the House Mom character is smothering and distant, Kim is lost and our young female hobo vampire carries the bones of some dead animal in her apron to jiggle for guidance. Ok, maybe the women at least have a shred of conscience. The whole world is filled with...well...creeps.<br />
<br />
Perfect? No. The book bogs down in the middle and you have to tough it through a bit. Perhaps it could have been shorter, but who the hell knows. Borrows too much from Burrough? Probably not. Let me read it 5 more times after reading Naked Lunch and I'll tell you then. Posterity will love this book like a lost kissing cousin. I sure as hell loved it and will read it again and again.<br />
<br />
You should too.<br />
<br />
<b>Notes: </b><a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/default.htm">Two Dollar Radio</a> has a great deal on buying their books. If you buy 5 of them (your choice) it will cost you $30 which is a big savings over the normal price of $12 a piece. And there's some great, great stuff in their catalog. Definitely head over to the site and have a look.<br />
<br />
As you can imagine, OEC has created quite a stir and there are lots of reviews and discussions all over the net on the book. Most of them better than my poor efforts here. Here is a short list:<br />
<br />
-excellent interview with Grace at the <a href="http://twodollarradio.blogspot.com/2010/08/grace-krilanovich-qa-with-editor.html">Twodollarradio blog</a><br />
<a href="http://twodollarradio.blogspot.com/2010/08/grace-krilanovich-qa-with-editor.html"></a>-Grace's <a href="http://twodollarradio.blogspot.com/2010/06/preview-orange-eats-creeps-playlist.html">music playlist </a><br />
-best review is by Tobias Carroll at <a href="http://vol1brooklyn.com/2010/08/26/review-the-orange-eats-creeps-by-grace-krilanovich/">Vol 1 Brooklyn</a><br />
-wonderful conversation between <a href="http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/rthomas/2011/01/theorangeeatscreeps/">Richard Thomas and Blake Butler</a> that covers just about every angle you can think of about the book/author.<br />
-Orange Eats Creeps<a href="http://www.twodollarradio.com/books-oec.htm"> page</a> at Two Dollar Radio where you can read some of the book.<br />
-Steve Erickson's introduction is a bit over the top, but right on in several points. Give it a read here:<br />
<br />
<div><div style="text-align: center;"><object style="height: 600px; width: 420px;"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=100405153353-76b616e789dd4403a45e54c084aa995e&docName=oecintroduction&username=TwoDollarRadio&loadingInfoText=The%20Orange%20Eats%20Creeps%20-%20an%20Introduction%20by%20Steve%20Erickson&et=1298357322576&er=59" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:420px;height:600px" flashvars="mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=100405153353-76b616e789dd4403a45e54c084aa995e&docName=oecintroduction&username=TwoDollarRadio&loadingInfoText=The%20Orange%20Eats%20Creeps%20-%20an%20Introduction%20by%20Steve%20Erickson&et=1298357322576&er=59" /></object></div><div style="text-align: left; width: 420px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://issuu.com/TwoDollarRadio/docs/oecintroduction?mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=steve%20erickson" target="_blank">More steve erickson</a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br />
</span></span>Ricky Lee Grovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03588565441793716202noreply@blogger.com0