A notebook cracked open and the pages made soft.

The Help

2011-09-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

"I put the iron down real slow, feel that bitter seed grow in my chest, the one planted after Treelore died. My face goes hot, my tongue twitchy. I don't know what to say to her. All I know is, I ain't saying it. And I know she ain't saying what she want a say either and it's a strange thing happening here cause nobody saying nothing and we still managing to have us a conversation" (The Help by Kathryn Stockett)

To the point.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett appeared by all apparent sources to be a great pick (not mine but my interest was definitely peaked). A HUGE best seller at the moment and was so popular at the time I was trying to purchase it that I had to wait 3 back orders for it to come in).

I usually reserve my blogs for books that I have liked or have been challenged by in some way. No need to be a hater. Kathryn Stockett, however, isn't hurting for book sales (especially now that the movie has come out).

To the point - A great concept but poorly executed across the board. Not unlike some of the other pop fiction, teen novels currently flying off the shelves, the writing style was self explanatory and annoyingly evident. The problem with this was that unlike its national best-seller teen lit cousins, it wasn't placed in that category. The multiple voices narrating the book, of which varied in age and race, appeared overlapped and at times forced. Accents wavered and truth be told at times I found myself picturing a white girl awkwardly mimicking an african american maid - no Kathryn's "Too Little Too Late" section didn't make up for this in the back of the book. A section where she stumbles over her words to apologize for any misgivings in the novel.

Yes - it is a strong and important topic - one that deserves an opportunity to garner far more attention in pop culture venues than it has previously but it can be strongly argued (as is now) that while this book may have been planned as a literary breakthrough - even forecasted as the next To Kill a Mockingbird - it ended up being a big hot mess.

Okay okay, a hot mess that made a ton of money. To each their own.

Boy's Life (quote)

2011-08-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Because I couldn't just leave it on one post......and because I have never had a writer indirectly describe my personality so well. I can only hope that my son feels the same way about the balance between she that worries and he that doesn't.

"Worrying was my mother's way. She fretted about the weather, the cost of groceries, the washing machine breaking down, the Tecumseh River being dirtied by the paper mill in Adams Valley, the price of new clothes, and everything under the sun. To my mother, the world was a vast quilt whose stitches were always coming undone. Her worrying somehow worked like a needle, tightening those dangerous seams. If she could imagine events through to their worst tragedy, then she seemed to have some kind of control over them. As I said, it was her way. My father could throw up a fistful of dice to make a decision, but my mother had an agony for every hour. I guess they balanced, as two people who love each other should" (Boy's Life, Robert R. McCammon)

SK on HP

2011-07-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

A good friend passed this quote along to me and I couldn't help but keep it going....

Boy's Life

2011-07-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

"We had a dark queen who was one hundred and six years old. We had a gunfighter who saved the life of Wyatt Earp at the O.K. Corral. We had a monster in the river, and a secret in the lake. We had a ghost that haunted the road behind the wheel of a black dragster with flames on the hood. We had a Gabriel and a Lucifer, and a rebel that rose from the dead. We had an alien invader, a boy with a perfect arm, and we had a dinosaur loose on Merchants Street.

It was a magic place.

In me are the memories of a boy's life, spent in that realm of enchantments.

I remember.

These are the things I want to tell you" (Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon)

To say I was in the right frame of mind to read this book is a large understatement. While I have been reading quite a bit lately my choices have more often than not been fictional stories based loosely on harsh modern day reality - histories of war, famine, and human suffering. I am constantly moved by the strength and beauty found by those in the darkest depths of existence and find inspiration and humility in their tales of survival. While I come away from many of these reads feeling thankful for the opportunity to hear their tale, it is not hard to imagine that my typical 'pep' on life is slowly drained with each turning page.

Sometimes one needs to feel enamored by life again. Not only that happiness comes from those basic needs and necessities being met but also by the fact that every once in a while, just for a moment, we can experience a true and beautiful moment of magic.

Magic.

Ok - some claimed this book to fit unceremoniously into the typical coming-of-age, cliched magical realism realm of the 90s. I on the other hand found it to be everything I hoped and needed it to be and loved it.

McCammon for Boy's Life branched away from his typical Horror genre but kept the bouncy and at times punchy writing style that keeps readers continuously on their toes peeking around the corner. While the protagonist Cory experiences all the wonder and magic a young boy ought to it is not without a dualistic vision of the world in it's darkest moments.

On another note - if you have been looking for a great coming of age novel with a male protagonist then this is the book for you! Dynamic, curious and respectfully independent, not unlike Scout Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird), the young Cory Mackenson is a character you miss deeply when his tale comes to an end.

A Complicated Kindness

2011-06-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

"Imagine the least well-adjusted kid in your school starting a breakaway clique of people whose manifesto includes a ban on the media, dancing, smoking, temperate climates, movies, drinking, rock'n'roll, having sex for fun, swimming, make-up, jewellery, playing pool, going to cities, or staying up past nine o'clock. That was Menno all over. Thanks a lot, Menno" (A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews).

Miriam Toews has skillfully recreated a diary of sorts for the voice of a 16 year old girl. I actually remembered - vividly - what it was like to be that age for 246 pages. That is NOT to say that my experiences were similar to those of the protagonist Nomi. Nomi truly comes to life, she is a character carefully developed with unending depth.

The plot, skillfully mimicking "Menno" life, moves like still water - evaporating slowly over time without creating any form of dramatic ripple. Nomi speaks at one point about spending life in two gears; neutral and fourth - going nowhere fast. She is internally held hostage by the love and personality traits she shares of both her mother - a rebel 'excommunicated' and her father - a passive follower of what is familiar and safe taking solice in his inability to stand out.

Nomi carries gracefully (albeit her constant 16 year old struggle with rebellion and acceptance) an incredible dry sarcasm. Toews created a voice that is fresh and unique and keeps the reader interested when the lack of plot or pace may have otherwise suggested they ditch and run for something more exciting.

Furthermore - I am always a fan of prose that appears the author's pen was flowing smoothly without any blots - seemless lines that leave the reader paused so that due justice is given; "On hot nights when the wind is right, the smell of blood and feathers tucks us in like an evil parent. There are no bars or visible exits".

This book turned out to be something I wasn't expecting and although it struggled to win me over I am more than pleased it fell into my lap.

Still Life with Woodpecker

2011-06-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Once again I had a good friend recommend a great read.

It's hard to know where to even start when attempting to discuss Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins. He is a writer unlike any other and I mean that whole-heartedly. Having said that - do not expect a typical page turner of pop fiction leaving you with a life lesson, a tear shed, and a refreshed moral integrity. This writer does not follow any scripts and answers to no one (likely not even his editor). He is a true 'outlaw' in the literary world.

Robbins writes in the way a social anarchist with very strong weed and endless summer nights talks to the moon (and anyone else who cares to listen in). Still - it is, not unlike a night described above, packed with interesting discussion topics and unique (if not weird for lack of a better word) characters.

Definitely worth a read - especially if you are looking for something that doesn't fit into any of Chapters pre-destined stacks.

Because nothing will peak your interest more I will leave you with the back cover description:

"Still Life with Woodpecker is sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty and pregnant cheerleaders. It also deals with the problem of redheads."

Beatrice & Virgil

2011-05-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

"Fiction and nonfiction are not so easily divided. Fiction may not be real, but it's true; it goes beyond the garland of facts to get to emotional and psychological truths. As for nonfiction, for history, it may be real, but its truth is slippery, hard to access, with no fixed meaning bolted to it. If history doesn't become story, it dies to everyone except the historian"

(Beatrice & Virgil by Yann Martel).

Maybe you read Life of Pi maybe you didn't.

If you did read it please do not, unlike general tendency, make preconceived opinions about Beatrice & Virgil.

This work of fiction (non-fiction - hmmm?) is nothing short of a heartbreaking work of art. An original and engrossing view of the holocaust told through the eyes of two characters in a play - a donkey and a howler monkey, clinging to "empty happiness" and friendship in a time of sheer horror. The play, written by a taxidermist while he is coached by a professional writer, is a work of historical ingenuity written within the larger context of a modern setting.

Beatrice & Virgil tears at your heart and keeps a piece for its own. A tax paid by the reader for a rare and original glimpse into a world we should never forget rests in our past. Do not assume you can read this book, coming in at less than 200 pages, without forever being changed by what lies within.

If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This

2011-04-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

"Leaning in, he kisses her on the cheek. Like an old acquaintance, she thinks. As though there had never been any passion, nor love, nor rage, nor anything much, just some traces of innocuous familiarity between them. Live long enough, it seems, and every fire can burn itself out"

(If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This by Robin Black).

It has been far too long since I have been inspired to write about a book. It isn't the case that no book has peaked my interest in the past few months but more so that none sparked the desire to sit down and take my few precious moments of silence each day to write.

Thank you Robin Black for removing me from that funk. I will say, however, that I didn't approach this book without reservation. To begin - it is a book of short stories. To each their own. For me, typically I want to dive in. I want to be swept away so far that I become a character (or at least a regular spectator) to the intricate details of some other adventure, or story, or simply, conversation. I want to feel the characters as if they are beside me. Understand, relish and sympathize in their love, pain, regret, joy, sorrow, grief, guilt......

The short story is just that - a short story.

I realize that it is a great injustice for me to say that the short story doesn't 'do' it for me. Maybe I haven't had enough short story authors such as Robin Black enter my book shelf. Maybe I have always avoided a genre that promises much more than I expected it to deliver.

Robin Black's first work is not just the best book of short stories I have read to date but quite possibly one of the best books I have read overall. The characters within each story tell a unique tale of love and loss through the never-ending intricacies of those bound by five words: 'till death do us part. It's a work about love so deep that it cannot exist without thoroughly consuming parts of each individual involved. Yes - the cliche of two individuals becoming one while falling in love plays a role but a much darker side of that spinning coin falls to rest: Two become one because so much is lost, or taken, or simply forgotten that all that remains are two halves. Love, whether joyous and removed through death or painful and replaced with hurt, anger, jealousy, and despair, proves to be the most dangerous of emotions. The only emotion capable of taking something, a piece of the soul, that can never be replaced.

Each story is a vast tale within itself. The reader is drawn in immediately, falling in love with the raw details of a seemingly too intimate glimpse into the lives of incredibly layered characters only to then be ripped away when the story finishes. Loss and a feeling of loneliness is felt only before the page is turned and the next story begins.

If you are a library book reader, or a borrower of books from friends, I applaud you. I envy your ability to put environmental efforts over consumption - I for one love running my fingers down the spines of my books. In this case, however, I would make the exception and put it on your shelf permanently. It is a book you could read every ten years and find it in a different light, discovering something new, about yourself, about the characters.... for knowledge and experience are the only ways to truly understand all of the aspects of this book.

Life of Pi

2011-02-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

"I have nothing to say of my working life, only that a tie is a noose and inverted though it may be, it will hang a man nonetheless if he is not careful" (Yann Martel Life of Pi)

What They Neglect(ed) to Tell You

2011-02-12T11:05:00.001-08:00

The pain is immeasurable and indescribable. A right of passage so to speak.

The pain is also, unfortunately, the only thing people labour to find words to describe.

Momentarily the journey feels unending. Torturous.

The moment passes.

The relief both physically and emotionally is but a cool breeze on a warm day when compared to the surge of euphoric emotion injected within each pore of the body.

Life, new life, begins. Joyous tears replace words as the throat clenches.

The moment is at once terrifying and electrifying.

Intense love emerges keeping one up with dark, heavy circles to hear soft breaths, light hums and slow movements of tiny fingers.

A need to protect tenses the muscles, anxiety clenches the throat, and love flashes a smile.

Life, new life, begins as sleep eventually, ever so slowly, takes hold.

Winter Song

2010-12-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Yes - Christmas and holiday goodness is right around the corner. But for some, many actually, life's situations don't lead them to a holly jolly, coloured tights wearing, egg nogg drinking, night of festivities. For all of those needing a pick-me-up over the holidays (and that dreaded in between period after the holidays are over and before the first specks of green start making their appearance) here is something to calm the soul and warm the heart.

Nothing Stale About It.

2010-10-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Why not add a little spice to your much loved collection. Some of these options are pricey and hard to come by and others the opposite. Either way they provide some fantastic ideas to starting a funky holding place for those other smaller 'things' that inspire so much imagination to begin with.

Banned Books

2010-10-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

Banned books week 2010 recently concluded and was held between September 25th to October 2nd. Banned books week 2011 will be held September 24th to October 1st.

According to the American Library Association "Observed since 1982, the annual event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can only exist where these two essential conditions are met".

Far from just another week or just another event. The ability to read and educate is what drives humanity forward creating positive change and awareness on a global scale. Entertainment factor aside it is our ability to learn and grow that creates sustainability and freedom for the generations to come.

Get into it.

(Plus you would be amazed to see what favourites of YOURS have been banned at some point by governments, libraries, and school boards alike).

Places to have and to hold.

2010-10-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games

2010-09-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

"May the odds ever be in your favor." (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

I have always held a special place in my heart for the young adult novel. The imaginative landscapes held within are often hard to find in the adult world of fiction. Authors such as Haruki Murakami and specifically his novel "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World" are surprisingly and disappointingly sparse despite their wondrously unique world of creation.

That is why I am especially thankful when a book such as "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins slides its way neatly into my bookshelf. I am even more thankful when I find out after two nail-biting days of consumption that this book is actually the first of three.

"The Hunger Games" is a novel set in the far future when natural disasters have reclaimed much of the land forcing those not taken by starvation and disease to rely on and submit to a harsh and controlling Capitol. This Capitol in the land of Panem, formerly North America, rules twelve remaining districts. In an effort to impose fear and ultimately submission on the people the Capitol organizes an annual event wherein one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district meet in an arena in a fight to the death broadcast in a horrific sporting tirade on live television. Only one victor remains each year as parents are forced to not only watch but cheer as their loved ones hunt and are hunted by the other "tributes". Katniss, the protagonist of this novel, appalled by what the games hold, volunteers in an unprecedented show of love and affection to take her little sisters place when her name is called. From this point on, the games begin.

In a "Lord of the Flies" meets "Gladiator" sort of way this novel depicts a landscape where those wishing to fight are kept silent and weak through starvation and constant fear. A little girl becomes what could be a glimmer of hope in a world where humanity is cast aside for brutality and furthermore depicted as sparkly entertainment.

I absolutely loved this book. Now if you will excuse me I'm off to start the second in the series.....

Little Bee

2010-09-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

"From my country you have taken its future, and to my country you have sent the objects from your past. We do not have the seed, we have the husk. We do not have the spirit, we have the skull." ("Little Bee" formerly titled "The Other Hand" by Chris Cleave)

I had this novel passed on to me well over a year ago by a friend of a friend who had recently finished it herself. There is something so unique about taking a book previously loved right from someone's hand. There is no crack of the spine when it is opened for the first time and the pages have become soft and comfortable to the touch. Almost like an aged glass of wine ready to be consumed.

This book was definitely unforgettable. The novel begins one fateful day on a Nigerian beach when two European tourists attempting to enjoy the sunshine and a beverage are thrust into an unknown world where they are forced to make a life altering decision that will ultimately unravel and challenge their relationship, family, and inner belief in humanity. The little girl that is the centre of that decision becomes a mirror of who they thought they were, who they are, and who they will ultimately become. Through the horror and injustice that ensues that girl (Little Bee) becomes a beacon of light providing strength, laughter and love to a broken family.

While many aspects of this book were memorable I would argue that the hype surrounding the second wave release is slightly over the top. This is a beautiful book but is it the new classic that everyone should be talking about? In my opinion other works such as "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver, "July's People" by Nadine Gordimer, and "Disgrace" by J.M. Coetzee provide a much higher level of prose while entwined with a beautiful African narrative.

Then again not all readers are looking for the same thing and if you have never read a novel about Africa and the equally powerful horror and beauty contained within then this is a great place to start.

Water for Elephants

2010-08-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Engrossing, astounding and at times disturbingly startling. This novel takes its reader into the captivating world of circus life in the 1930's. When the protagonist Jacob encounters a tragic loss, he leaves his ivy league vet training early to hop a train into a life filled with misfits and beauties. When he falls in love with Marlena, the show's star performer and wife of the horrifically abusive and psychotic animal trainer, he finds himself silently suffocating in a world where compassion is cast aside.

This was an incredible read and an even more impressive literary feat. The research performed by Sara Gruen in order to be able to demonstrate the world and timeframe in which Jacob finds himself is so vivid that you smell the cotton candy, hear the horses stomping and see every little wrinkle and hair on Rosie's (the elephant) skin.

Not for the faint of heart as some of the animal encounters are difficult to read but should you be searching for a historical read with a glimpse into a different time and way of life while intertwined with a unique and beautiful story-line this is the book for you.

The Road

2010-08-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Road by Cormac McCarthy tells of a post-apocalyptic world where father and son fight not only for survival but for a glimmer of hope. Set amidst a landscape seemingly devoid of all compassion, structure, sustenance, and humanity the two struggle along while leaning on, and at times held up by, the bond that they share.

While McCarthy's work is a quick and simple read, the setting descriptions and continual pull at the heart-strings keep the reader interested and hopeful. In a world where all is lost, the indistinguishable love between father and son casts a flickering ray of light across a barren and horrific backdrop.

For the Love

2010-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

"A loveless world is a dead world, and always there comes an hour when one is weary of prisons, of one's work, and of devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved face, the warmth and wonder of a loving heart." Albert Camus

A Great Wake-Up Call

2010-02-12T16:05:00.001-08:00

Get into it.

I woke up lazily today at around 7:25am to my phone ringing off the hook.... "Get your ass out of bed and walk down the street" was the message when I finally answered. I am so glad I got that call. I'm also glad that I was randomly working from home (and not 5 minutes from my office cubicle which I would have been normally).

When I got my ass in gear (randomly in a pair of white track pants and a bright red hoodie) and got to the end of my street I was greeted by thousands of people dressed in white and red waving Canadian flags and cheering as loudly as they could. May I remind you that this was well before 8:00am.

I grabbed a coffee and stood at the side of the road like everyone else and watched as the madness ensued. First there were the sponsors giving away free canadian flags and 'swag' followed by the RCMP and then lastly the torch. Well not quite last. The torch came and then 200 or so people running behind the torch to keep up. It honestly brought a tear to my eye and tightened my throat.

I am one of those easily caught up in the ever increasing debates: 'are the Olympics good for a province or are they not so good', 'is the debt worth the re-structuring of the city or would the money be better spent on the most poor postal code in North America (East Side Vancouver)'.

Whatever side one ends up taking, its undeniable the power and excitement that comes with national pride and a symbol of hope. The news has been littered over the last few years with natural disasters and economic turmoil. The Olympics may have been created originally (way back when in Greece) as a deterrent to political strife but what if for a moment it is actually worthwhile for people to forget. For people to come together as one nation, as one world and celebrate humanity as a whole.

This morning was a breath of fresh air and I truly hope all of you get a glimpse of what these games mean to this country, just as I did.

Into the Wild

2010-02-02T14:28:00.000-08:00

"There was another irony he failed to appreciate: His struggle to mold me in his image had been successful after all. The old walrus in fact managed to instill in me a great and burning ambition; it had simply found expression in an unintended pursuit."

Jon Krakauer - Into the Wild

Beautifully put and ringing true. A line I paused on for quite some time.

No I haven't seen the movie. Typically I don't. I read more than I watch - it's not a new age yuppie statement it just 'is what it is'. I have almost finished the book and Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer truly is an inspirational and fascinating read.

I am more of a fiction lover myself. I find nothing to be more enjoyable than the experience of running away with a character and a story written by a talented author. Quite often I find non-fiction to be missing one of these key components. In my opinion non-fiction works are quite often a beautiful or heart-wrenching story lacking the artful pen that brings them to life so to speak.

Jon Krakauer proves to be a wonderful exception to this personal belief. He is a powerful author who has not only done justice to the individual and subsequent story he has captured in print, but has become the potential voice for an entire generation. The true story of Chris McCandless (pictured above), the 24 year old American who died on an Alaskan wilderness break from civilization, is the story of a disturbed yet idealistically charged individual set upon a course that no friend, family member, or foe could break.

Some believe (most actually) that Chris McCandless was a desolate and stubborn individual set on his own demise. Others think McCandless was a tragic young man simply lost in his own thoughts. While both of these beliefs may have an aspect of reality to them, it was McCandless' undeniable passion that created an air of infatuation around his tale. He was highly educated and very well read (the book is littered with quotes from famous literary texts found scrawled into the sides of the bus where his remains were found).

Chris McCandless was, while young and naiive, an inspiration. He was a passionate young man representative of a generation unafraid to believe in something. No longer numbed by the sparkly promise of material consumption, power, and wealth. I believe there will be more like McCandless to come. Maybe not those who march into the middle of Alaska ill-equipped for the harsh realities of mother nature - but those equally ready to reject all that has become our modern day and age - or more appropriately dubbed - 'normal' living.

East of Eden

2009-11-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Once again I am swept in and tossed by the surging power of a classic. Timeless and powerful in an ever-changing landscape of politics, religion, media and cultural drift.

"There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but because their tendency is to eliminate other things we hold good. It is true that two men can lift a bigger stone than one man, and bread from a huge factory is cheaper and more uniform. When our food and clothing and housing all are born in the complication of mass production, mass method is bound to get into our thinking and to eliminate all other thinking. In our time mass or collective production has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religions...

Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of man.

And now the forces marshaled around the concept of the group have declared a war of extermination on that preciousness, the mind of man. By disparagement, by starvation, by repressions, forced direction, and the stunning hammer-blows of conditioning, the free, roving mind is being pursued, roped, blunted and drugged. It is a sad suicidal course our species seems to have taken.

.... I can understand why a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for that is one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system....If the glory can be killed, we are lost."

John Steinbeck - East of Eden

The Living Dead

2009-08-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

"Balance in life is the key to happiness." (my brother)

How true is that. Now if you could kindly forward to my attention the formula to this simple mantra I would greatly appreciate it.

Decent salary (nothing to brag about but large enough to live off of AND pay off my traveling and 'living' debts), phenomenal benefits, a good staff (great actually - the kind you hope for), work that makes your day go by at a reasonable pace and a generous amount of vacation time to top it all off.

So what's my problem again?

Right....inspiration and imagination have once again become frivolous and unexplored. Put back on the proverbial shelf. No dust has settled but its a beautiful sunny day and I can see the tiny particles glistening in my apartment almost mocking me. Slowly floating and dancing in the air eventually coming to rest lightly - as if only momentarily - on those things that took me years to clean off and once again admire.

So do something about it, right? Maybe I'm just a lazy shit but there is something so uninspiring and draining about the day-to-day. Even my level of reading has taken an embarrassing step in the wrong direction. Ok ok - so I have no problem exploring ALL avenues when it comes to literature but my choices recently and 'next on the list' choices have started worrying me a bit. I even find myself when renting movies continually reaching for the light romantic comedies, or even just light comedies.

I need to snap out of it. Time for a change. A new outlook? A new book? A new indy movie? A new newspaper? I need a kick start and I need it fast. Not that I believe that I would ever truly 'lose myself' and become one of millions of 'successful' walking dead in this western world. A post I wrote just this summer mentioned how not having a job strips you of a level of dignity that you require to feel like a substantial citizen. I now have a job and I have replaced that wondrously fresh feeling that was my writing, my reading and my inspiration to do what I truly loved with societal dignity. Hmph.

I guess I still need to keep searching for that key. I know where the door is, now I just have to open it.

The Book Thief

2009-08-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

"It was a year for the ages, like '79, like 1346, to name just a few" Mark Zusak (The Book Thief)

It's 1939 and you are following little Liesel, a German girl who survives the holocaust and the horrific atrocities surrounding her by stealing books.

Zusak thrusts you into a dark and dangerous time while being led by the soft, warm hand of a beautiful little girl. Poor, starving, and often terrified, Liesel represents the overpowering strength and love of the human spirit. Zusak's play on words make this book not only interesting to read but inspiring to digest. Zusak's use of metaphors is unmatched by any other author I have read to date. His words seamlessly dance on the page. A children's book (young adult) with momentous power to leave a reader of any age touched, heart-broken, horrified and bewildered.

The worst thing about this book is the back cover - no justice was done and had a good friend not recommended it I may not have ever found out what a beautiful piece of literature this really is.

Ponder

2009-08-04T18:32:00.001-07:00

"I sometime think that the size of our happiness is inversely proportional to the size of our house."

Gregory David Roberts (Shantaram)

Terminal 38

2009-07-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the Vancouver airport. Its 8:48am.

I was supposed to be in the sky 3 minutes ago. At least that's how the agitated and shuffling people directly across and beside me are feeling. An attendant (poor guy) comes over the loud speaker, "Well folks, looks like according to the flight schedule flight 4286 to Edmonton will be leaving the tarmac at approximately 10:00am. Unfortunately we have been unable to locate our pilot. Should any of you feel up to flying the plane please report to the front desk so that we may leave earlier".

I chuckle. He's trying but it's a tough crowd.

The snorts begin. Shuffling and angry phone calls. Swearing.

The woman beside me picks up her phone and dials, "Hi, yeah I'm going to be late.... I know, I know - unbelievable. I will see you at around 1:30 then." She presses the end key on her phone and turns towards me with a look of disdain coupled with eager anticipation of a similar and therefore comforting reaction. I simply smile.

Everyone in the area re-opens their newspaper, flicks on their laptop, opens their phone. Back to life. Back to work. Back to the grind. God forbid one hour is wasted.

I look around. Seriously? It's one hour. A snipit of unimportant time in a day/week/month/year. One hour to ensure we have a sober/healthy/present pilot for our 'privileged' method of travel.

It's my first day of work. Frankly, an extra hour or two is fine by me. I'm reading a great book and getting paid to do so - reading instead of what I anticipate to be two days of awkward and exhausting introductions. I wish I could get paid to read all the time. I smile again. I am content enough for everyone in the room. Who knows - maybe, with exception to the overtly chipper flight attendant, I am content enough for everyone in the airport.

I'm tired too. Reading is nice. I didn't sleep last night. I was thinking about garbage. Thousands and thousands (millions?) of acres globally of garbage. Slowly rotting and poisoning our planet. Increasing populations and incomprehensible amounts of garbage. This beautiful planet covered in filthy diapers, plastic bags, no longer pristine Starbucks cups. Forever sinking, seeping, soiling.

Sitting on the plane. Still a delay. Locked and loaded and still no pilot. I am roused by a loud snicker to my right after the overhead speaker says "Thank you for choosing Air Canada". Billions in debt. How are they still going? Poor working conditions lead to unionization which inevitably leads to bankruptcy. What a twisted circle. Everyone wants their piece.

I feel guilty flying - carbon fumes from aircrafts are the worst pollutants. Each time we take that trip to the Caribbean we are taking a little piece of the blue with us. They say ignorance is bliss - I'm sure it is. I am fighting the yearning for ignorance every single day.

Today was just another day - another hour.

I wish that when I had looked over at that women I had seen a smile and cheeky little shoulder shrug after that first announcement. That smile displayed only momentarily before opening a book of her own - savouring the moment as if it was a gift - just for her, just for me.

The Schoolhouse

2009-07-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm standing in what appears to be an old schoolhouse. One room with a little bell on top to let the kids (now with great grandkids of their own) know that school is in. I'm standing in the middle of the main room. The whole room seems to be swaying and moaning with the wind. There are large planked wooden floors and a single side table off to one corner. There is a large fat lady sitting at the table.

A tight bun in her hair.

An expectant look on her face.

She holds a pencil in her right hand and a piece of paper in her left.

She is staring at me.

There is an even larger man off to my right. His chin and clothes droop yet he is as tall as he is wide. He is standing facing me. He shifts constantly. Agitated.

Straight ahead one of the schoolhouse walls is missing. A vast lake sweeps under the floorboards and I can now hear the water faintly lapping below my feet. The water is dark and ominous reflecting the sky above. Both are near black with only shivers of light appearing and disappearing. Playing tag. The sky is a heavy dark blanket. A mist begins to seep between the faint line separating water and night.

The mist moves sideways reaching for me. My face and arms become damp. The fat man looks at me and snips "I'm waiting and this is unacceptable".

I furrow my brow and look at my feet before responding "I'm not really ready". What I mean is, I'm not sure what to sing.

It dawns on me. This is a darkly twisted singing audition. A signing audition? The fat man looks even more agitated. He looks towards the door as if summoning strength, or a new performer, whichever comes first.

He looks at me again and takes a deep breath, "Find that one song. That one song that is yours. The one that you have been thinking of every day for as long as you can remember. The one that your mind plays with and moulds over, constantly changing in an attempt to perfect".

I say, more to myself than to the fat man, "That which my mind plays over and over is a plot not a song".

I watch the fat man shuffling his weight. Impatient and annoyed. I turn to see the fat woman put down her pencil. I then attempt a horrific rendition of Sheryl Crow's Home as the mist grows into drops.

Frankenstein

2009-07-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow" Mary Shelly (Frankenstein)

There are so many preconceived, media invoked and fed beliefs and now culture driven ideals about "Frankenstein". Mary Shelly's original creation has been so twisted over the years that one could argue the original message has been long lost. If the original text, that which she wrote at only 18 years of age in 1818 had been lost one would never know the inner beauty that the monster originally held. Beauty that was stripped, re-molded, and ruined beyond repair by human contact.

Victor Frankenstein was a scientist yearning to play god and create new life from inanimate matter (not necessarily dead body parts) - yes Frankenstein was the human. How interesting it is that we have taken the name of the god-like creator - that which created the hell to ensue both for the monster and for the victims of his insatiable pain and changed it to be that which we fear.

After completion of his work, Frankenstein is horrified and disgusted and flees. The monster is left to its own accord, and knowing that his creator has fled he attempts alternate human contact with disastrous results.

After a number of painful scenarios play through the monster goes into hiding.

"Here then I retreated, and lay down, happy to have found shelter, however miserable, from the inclemency of the season, and still more from the barbarity of man".

From his hiding the monster watches a loving family from afar for a long period of time. From behind his cover, he learns love, happiness, compassion and empathy through the unknowing family that become his subjects of knowledge. When the monster becomes akin to the family and decides to present himself - knowing how loving and caring they are to each other - he steps out into the open with hopeful confidence.

"I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanor and conciliating words, I should first win their favour, and afterwards their love."

Horrified by his appearance not unlike his creator, the loving family, that which had become in his imagination his loving family, flee.

"Everywhere I see bliss, from which I am irrevocably excluded... I was a poor helpless miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but, feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept".

The monster, void of love and acceptance, sets out on a rampage to assert the label he has so unwillingly accepted.

"I will revenge my injuries; If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear; and chiefly towards you my arch enemy, because my creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred. Have a care: I will work at your destruction, nor finish until I desolate your heart, so that you curse the hour of your birth".

While death and destruction have become the modern focus behind this work, Frankenstein remains another profound and exemplary work of man's ability to create his own hell through the continual thirst for power. While the monster carries with him a horrific exterior, it is society that creates the rampage and terror that develops within.

Frankenstein truly is a masterpiece. A powerful work written by a ground-breaking writer who arguably changed the course of literature - far more important than the mere hallowe'en or adam's family depiction it has become.

Setting the Mood

2009-07-07T13:46:00.002-07:00

"Every page was once a blank page, just as every word that appears on it now was not always there, but instead reflects the final result of countless large and small deliberations. All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another" Francine Prose

Everything has to be perfect. Just so.

Music at the right volume - not too loud - not overpowering a thought but loud enough to create an unobtrusive constant. There is something so un-progressive about the sound of a distant airplane, lawn mower, car alarm. The remote needs to be close. MP3's lack volume consistency. You get what you don't pay for.

A coffee.. no... a water... no - both.

A book - maybe two. The mood may change.

A note book, pens (different colours).

A piece of fruit.

Book tabs - book tabs are essential.

Comfy clothes, pillows, a blanket.

A large window.

Then. Only then.

Only then can you truly enjoy the sun seeping through the warmed glass.

Ishmael

2009-06-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

"There is nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world. But given a story to enact that puts them at odds with the world, as your does, they will live at odds with the world. Given a story to enact in which they are lords of the world, they will act like lords of the world. And, given a story to enact in which the world is a foe to be conquered, they will conquer it like a foe, and one day, inevitably, their foe will lie bleeding to death at their feet, as the world is now." Daniel Quinn (Ishmael)

Ishmael is a captivating novel about overall social change. It seamlessly challenges popular beliefs and ignites alluring debate. It could be argued that never before has an author brought to life a discussion between man and beast so utterly moving and thought provoking. Regardless of whether or not you personally enjoy this work, you will none-the-less be unable to stop yourself from debating and discussing it with anyone willing to lend an ear.

My Year of Meats

2009-06-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

"Coming at us - in waves, massed and unbreachable - knowledge becomes symbolic of our disempowerment - becomes bad knowledge - so we deny it, riding its crest until it subsides from consciousness.

If we can't act on knowledge, then we can't survive without ignorance.

So we cultivate the ignorance, go to great lengths to celebrate it, even. The faux-dumb aesthetic that dominates TV and Hollywood must be about this. Fed on a media diet of really bad news, we live in a perpetual state of repressed panic. Ignorance becomes empowering because it enables people to live. Stupidity becomes proactive, a political statement. Our collective norm."

Ruth Ozeki - My Year of Meats

Want to (even momentarily) step out of the box?

Encompassing a vast and steaming buffet of cultural perversion and America's attempt to impregnate a universal code of greed, gluttony, and ignorant inhumanity on unsuspecting nations My Year of Meats delivers everything from a life-altering message to characters of unending depth. The reader is seamlessly pulled along for a painfully evocative ride leaving a heavy stomach and an ironic yearning for seconds as soon as the last page has turned. Jane Takagi-Little, a half-Japanese half-American documentarian, delves blindly at first into the meat industry within the United States while filming a television show to be aired in Japan on the 'wholesomeness' of American Beef. With the show sponsored in its entirety by BEEF-EX, Jane is brought to a stranglehold decision - follow capitalist doctrine and support one's sponsor or follow her gut and veer off the assigned path with devastating consequences. This is a story of manifest destiny, the blind leading the blind, and one woman's attempt to take the small audience she has and create something engrossing.

Read it - sometimes you find a jewel that is not on the best-seller shelf. This is that jewel.

Some Summer Reads!

2009-06-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

With beach/cafe/vacation time right around the corner (yay!) a number of people have asked me for my opinion on what to read (which is nice).... I thought I would put a few down here in case anyone else is interested...... feel free to comment if you agree/violently disagree with any of the following.....

Book #1 - "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts

This book is an EPIC - like a 900 pager. I haven't personally read it but have had people (many in fact) get oddly mad at me that I haven't read it yet. It has been sitting on my shelf for a while now calling my name. Its a non-fiction (or loosly based non-fiction) about an Australian (Roberts) who is sentenced to 19 years in prison for a serious of armed robberies. He escapes and spends his fugitive years in Bombay India. There he establishes a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers and spends the rest of his time as a gunrunner and general go-to guy for the Bombay mafia. This book is supposedly life changing and has a little bit of everything in it - but like I said its a 'biggie' - roll up your sleeves and dive in head first.

Book #2 - "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn

This book is a MUCH slower pace and could even be alluded to as a 'lecture' of sorts between Ishmael (an orphaned gorilla educated by a lonely wealthy Jewish merchant tortured by the effects of the holocaust) and a typical over dramatic and assumingly socially aware university student. They discuss/debate/argue man's place/effect on earth. Ok may initially sound preachy and kinda weird right? Well not so - this book (I didn't actually agree with a lot of the points in it) has kinda lingered in the back of my mind ever since I read it - like 2 years ago.

Book #3 - "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Philip K. Dick

A kind of sci-fi, new age, classic (yes - new age AND classic - hmmm). Its about a new age world where androids are so advanced that they function as typical citizens in modern day society - albeit though with problems of being classified as second class citizens. The only way to tell an android vs a human is an 'emotional test' where - you guessed it - emotions are monitored. There are 'rogue' agents out to destroy certain androids and it is one of these androids that the story is told through. Not everyone is a sci-fi lover but if you want to 'dip your toes in' just to see what it's like then this is a great launching pad for a new genre.

Book #4 - "Slaughter House Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Another classic - should be easy to find. If you haven't already read anything by Kurt Vonnegut then you really need to know he is a writer in a league all on his own. Slaughter house five is about an anti-war American fighting in Dresden during the second world war (written surrounding Vonnegut's own personal experiences in the war). An anti-war contemptuous satire about man's inability to learn from his mistakes arguably even more relevant today than when initially published over 40 years ago. Another 'interesting' read regardless of whether you end up liking it or not (although I am fairly certain that with this one you will).

Book #5 - "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

And for the somewhat 'fluff' read. I for some reason continue to gravitate towards zombie books - weird? This book is yet another 'classic' - well kind of.

Seth Grahame-Smith has taken the original Pride and Prejudice and thrown in a zombie twist. Some argue that there is too much Pride and Prejudice and too little zombie action but for someone who has so desperately tried to read Jane Austen in the past with very little success I find the odd "eating of brains" when you have had just about enough old english and female clucking for your liking to be the perfect satisfying combo. I am not finished it just yet but I am secretly hoping that everyone in the book dies by zombie. Plus - its a pretty cool looking cover - if you don't read much the cover alone is a great conversation piece.

Now go enjoy that never-overused cliche of coffee and cafe patio reading!