Why don't I have limitless time to read everything that captures my interest?
I can never understand how people can become bored. I always want to read another book, see another movie, hear another piece of music, and experience new sensations. Even when I'm stuck in traffic or waiting in a line, my mind is constantly turning over ideas, my imagination is ceaselessly taking flights of fancy.
There are so many things to do. If I were to write up a "Bucket List," it would scroll down without end.
Even when my life comes upon difficulty, there's something there to inspire me. Like a flame that keeps the darkness away, my love for learning and experience keeps me safe from the doldrums of depression. There is always something or somebody out there that will bring me joy.
I hope that the playful meanderings of this blog inspires you to seek out those things that capture your interest. Whether it is music or literature or art, there are countless treasures to be found, if only you set your mind to it. ;-)
I went to take a stroll at the Del Amo Mall. The location was once the world's largest mall, a shopping center of unequaled magnificence. The decades have taken their toll, but it's still a nice place to shop. Way better than some heartless big box discount store like Walmart or Target.
When I was a teen, back in the mid-80s, this was a major hang out. Chilling at the Orange Julius by the theater or hanging out at the food court, I spent countless hours. Seeing how it's changed over the years, I feel very nostalgic.
Oh well, I'm happy to have an internet and online shopping, but I can't help but feel like a distinct experience of consumerist culture has been lost over the years.
I have many fond memories of the old B. Dalton and Walden bookstores. I miss them. . . And, you kids, get off of my lawn!!! ;-)
Colored fountain at the Del Amo Mall, near the AMC Theaters
Of course, I had to head over to support a local indie bookstore. It's been years since Los Angeles has had a quality Science Fiction/Fantasy retailer, ever since Dangerous Visions in Sherman Oaks closed down in 2002. Likewise, westside Mystery fans have been left without a good indie option since the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood shut its doors in January of this year. So, this opening is a fantastic event!
Mysterious Galaxy is an expansion from San Diego, where the store has been a vital part of the SF/Fantasy and Mystery community for years. Author signings, book groups, and miscellaneous book events are frequently sponsored by them. It's a huge boon to the fan communities to have an organized and professional independent store in the region.
And they had cake! How can you beat that? ;-)
Yum!!! Cinnamon cake!!!
Considering that the event occurred at 10 am on a weekday, there was a decent crowd that turned out. Hopefully, this is indicative of a strong community that will support the store. As you all may recall, I am not a fan of physical books. Nevertheless, I made sure to make a purchase. It is imperative that those who love reading sustain those special places wherein such habits are developed and cultivated.
The ceremonial ribbon cutting
As regards this store in particular, I like it's location. It's only a few blocks west of the 405. So it should be fairly accessible to anyone on the westside of LA. There is a good selection of SF/Fantasy, Mystery, and Horror. And the facilities are generous for hosting book signings or other social events.
I'd better schedule a trip to the library. (Redondo Beach Main Library)
Every year over the last decade, I've made a point of reading nonfiction books on scientific topics. My academic background is in the liberal arts and fine arts. Science was not a subject in which I excelled. I grew tired of being totally ignorant about a vitally important aspect of modern life. So, I began a long, informal process of self-education in the sciences.
I was driving past the Torrance Borders yesterday and decided to visit it one last time before it closes down. As I've mentioned in the past, although I'm an avid reader, I actually dislike books. So, I'm not a frequent book buyer. I usually grab my reads from one of the local libraries, especially since I read odd topics that need to be specially ordered at a standard brick-and-mortar store. However, any place that facilitates the practice of reading is a good thing in my estimation. And I've bought the occasional paperback fantasy, sci fi, romance, or horror novel here over the years.
Therefore, I felt a compulsion to stop by the store one last time to pay my respects. It's always sad to see a store going under, with the stock dwindled down to the unwanted remnants. The employees seem shell shocked and adrift. I've seen many stores close over the decades. It started with the small independent stores during the '80s, replaced by the chain stores and "mall" model of retail with stores such as Waldens or B. Dalton. Then these chain stores got gobbled up by the superstores like Borders or Barnes & Noble. It now looks as if online stores like Amazon and the wonderful emergence of the e-book will be putting the superstores under.
Only the Science and Math shelves have a decent selection left.
That's the way business goes. It's understandable that economies of scale, market presence, and reduced overhead determine the viability of any retail project, but it still makes me feel sad.
Every thing must go, even the security mirror ($100)!!!
So, here's to Borders and all those bookstores that have been crushed under the wheels of industry and progress. Thanks for the memories and the many good reads.
I'm an avid reader, but I'm not big on books. I'm talking about the physical chunk of papers with ink patterns printed upon them. For most of my life, I've had to endure the presence of these dead tree constructions to get at that which I totally adore, the information conveyed on their printed pages. If you ask me to list some interesting novels, or histories, or philosophical texts, I could go on and on with recommendations. If you ask me to list my favorite book, I can answer that immediately. It's the one that most recently left my shelves.
Yeah, that's heresy for most of you book people, but I have a thing against clutter. Book in use are great, but books laying around are fire hazards and vermin hideaways. I haytz 'em!!!
Yet, I can see how people can fall in love with the physical object. Andrew Uchin's exhibit "The Reader Series" at dnj Gallery captures the romance of the bibliophile. These photos convey the human interaction with the book, through markings, deterioration, or the design of the text upon the page. There is a rich history to these books. Perhaps they were beloved sources of tales for the children. Perhaps they were veterans of the library shelves. Or perhaps, like a courier's steed, they carried the reader across the survey of Elizabethan literature.
Modern Library (2011) by Andrew Uchin
These weird inanimate objects that have a special ability to talk to those who can understand, they have poignant tales to tell. And it is not merely that which is printed upon their pages.
I got to attend the second performance of the Hammer Museum's "Sing Your Favorite Book" series. This time the performer was Tany Ling, singing Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union. I am so glad that I made it to the performance, back pain or no. Tany Ling has an angelic voice, absolutely breath-taking in its purity of tone and beauty.
I'm not familiar with the novel. It's an alternate history detective story set in a Jewish "reservation" in Alaska. That's sounds like it's made of fail to me, but I'm now fairly certain that I'm wrong in this shallow assessment. I had no narrative context by which to judge the passages chosen for the performance, but they were rich and evocative statements. This novel has popped up onto my "must read" list.
Because I was unfamiliar with the book, I focused more upon the singing and articulation of the words. When I heard Jessica Basta perform Lolita, my concentration was given to how she interpreted and arranged the narrative into a coherent performance piece. This made for a radically different listening experience. With Tany Ling, I was listening to the singer singing. With Jessica Basta, I listened to the song being sung. Both were excellent performances, but I was compelled to personally gush with enthusiasm to Tany Ling and take a photo so as to remember to write a blog post.
Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union
I'm certainly looking forward to attending another performance.
It's been a week since my accident. I'm feeling much better, but still have a few pains and kinks that I have hopes will heal up soon. It seems like the subgenre of "Surviving a Deadly Misadventure" requires that one reassess their existence, perhaps with a life-changing insight. Sadly, I'm too much of a creature of habit and compulsive patterns to give into such expectations.
So what did I do to recover from the collision? I spent a few days just vegging, listening to music. Music has always been my comfort activity. As indicated in the photo above, I took a trip to the beach. Weird, but I haven't actually walk on the beach since last September. Just as last time, it was a gloomy day, perfect for a sulky stroll upon the sand.
"Retail Therapy" doesn't usually work for me, but browsing the books is always a good time. Vroman's is an independent bookstore, with one of the finest selections that I've ever seen. They have great history, science fiction, horror, science, and gardening sections. I could spend all day planning my selections. ;-)
The Hammer Museum is doing a series of performances called "Sing Your Favorite Book" which is being held in conjunction with the current "Ed Ruscha: On the Road" exhibit. A few weeks back, I was able to attend Jessica Basta's reading of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita. I really didn't know what to expect. The concept seemed primed for failure; librettists work hard to shape literary pieces into musical works. How likely is a performer to improvise a quality result?
On the other hand, Jessica Basta has a beautiful voice and a solid improvisational sensibility. Moreover, Lolita has many passages that lend themselves to quotation and dramatic presentation. The goal wasn't to recite the entire novel, but to sing select passages from it. That's got potential.
The performance was held in the Ruscha galleries. It was a bit surreal, listening to the singing while looking at quotes from Kerouac' On the Road, contextualized over Ruscha's images. As expected Basta's voice and improvisation skills delivered on the rich potential of the text. It was a satisfying performance.
"Golden Afternoon" scene from Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Today we're celebrating Alice in Wonderland. I would have done so on the publication date earlier this month, July 4, but I was on vacation. So the 1951 Disney movie release date is the next best thing. ;-)
To be honest, my first exposure to Alice in Wonderland was through the Disney movie. It caught my imagination and I read the book shortly thereafter. As a child, I was never big on fairy tales like Snow White or Cinderella. But Alice isn't a fairy tale. It's literary nonsense, a weird fantasy adventure. I was enthralled by this bizarre world of insane characters and illogical happenings.
Even after all these years, I still have to list Alice's Adventures in Wonderland as one of my favorite books. It had a lasting influence in my love for the fantastic and personal aesthetic of the strange. Alice has shaped my own approach to fantasy writing to an even greater degree than such classics of the genre as the Lord of the Rings or the various adventures of Conan the Barbarian.
Alice's Adventure in Wonderland (1866), illustrated by John Tenniel
My enthusiasm for Alice extends to the various remakes, sequels, and parodies that have been made. Alice is even my favorite Disney theme park ride!
On this date in 1897, Dracula by Bram Stoker was published. It wasn't the first treatment of the vampire in Gothic literature and it may not be the best of the lot, but it certainly was the most influential. Tales of vampires had existed for countless centuries. Yet, it was this book that drew together the salient elements of the folklore and wove it into a coherent and memorable tale.
I am a hardcore enthusiast of horror fiction, but vampires have never been my thing. I prefer the forlorn haunting of classic ghost stories or the cosmic weirdness of Lovecraftian horror. There has always been a geeky power fantasy underlying the vampire narrative. This has become more prominent in recent years, such as in the writings of Anne Rice or Stephenie Meyer, to choose two from among many.
Dracula (1931), Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Frances Dade as Lucy
I know many horror enthusiasts HATE the angsty vamps and sparkly vamps. But I'd argue that these types are but realizations of the unstated attraction that vampires have always had, even back in the earliest Gothic examples.
But should vampires be the "good guys" of the narrative?
I am an avid reader. Although I prefer nonfiction, I do pick up a few fictional reads. Usually, they are escapist genre pieces, fun but of little aesthetic heft. In particular, I am a fan of Science Fiction novels. The main reason is that these novels can be read for mere thrills, but the better works provide something worthy of thought in addition to the engaging plot.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro is technically a SF novel, but I'd classify it a mainstream fiction. Here's my review:
"What's the rhubarb patch got to do with any of this?"
This is a story about sacrifice and acceptance told through the narrative of Kathy and developed through her interactions with her peers, Ruth and Tommy. The novel is divided into three parts: school days, coming of age, and destiny. The novel's premise is a standard of Science Fiction, but I will not explicitly discuss it because that would be a bit of a spoiler. Suffice it to say that the main characters are revealed as being "special" early on in the novel, although extremely sheltered from external society. As the novel progresses, the reason for their "specialness" and the predetermined sacrifice that it entails becomes clear.
We begin the story in the mid-1990s in England, Kathy is a "carer" for "special" patients. She comes from a privileged educational background, an elite institution called Hailsham. Some of her patients enjoy hearing tales about Hailsham and this leads her into reflections about her childhood school days. In these reflections we meet Ruth, her best friend, and Tommy, an emotional boy with whom Kathy shares a special rapport.
From this introductory point, we are presented with two stands of conflict/resolution. First, there is the personal challenge; the three main characters are engaged in a triangular relationship in which Kathy is the "odd man out". How is that to be resolved? Second, from their sheltered existence at Hailsham, the main characters slowly become aware of their purpose in life and the value that society places upon them as sentient beings. Having been presented with such a destiny, what actions can the main characters take to affirm their value and/or control their fate?
Structurally, the first section lays out the basic premise and evidence, both pro and con, for the resolutions of these conflicts. The second part tackles the person challenge of the triangular relationship. The third part deals with destiny and the existential challenge. There is certainly interplay between the three sections, especially in the ongoing dialectic of "value".
What is "rubbish" and what is "quality"? These are central themes underlying the conflicts. The answers to these questions determines the resolution. For instance, as school kids, they have "collections" of art and poetry that their peers at Hailsham created. However, upon leaving Hailsham, the external society may not hold high opinion of such "collections". So, in light of this new vantage point, does one see the "collection" as "rubbish" or "quality"?
"Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading."
The prose is exquisite. The characters are accessible and feel authentic. The settings are rich and evocative, especially Hailsham. The plot is well structured and compelling, which is only apparent upon contemplation afterwards. On a cursory read this novel seems to fall into the "Literature without Plot" category, but that's mistaking "action" for "conflict and resolution". Kathy makes many significant choices throughout the novel, which have lasting ramifications on her destiny.
In conclusion, I recommend this book. The quality of the writing makes for an easy read, but the quality of the concept makes for a great deal of thought. If you're looking for a light read, then this isn't for you. If you're interested in thought-stimulating fiction, you've found a winner
Born on May 3rd, 1896, Dodie Smith is best known for her novel, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, written in 1956. This novel has been adapted into a movie twice, an animated feature in 1961 and a live-action movie in 1996. In both cases, the movies were box office successes and spawned sequels. And a Broadway musical!!!
It's a children's story, so the plot isn't complex or overly coherent. However, the somewhat remedial story is saved by a truly memorable antagonist, Cruella de Vil. Asides from the fact that she wants to skin the puppies to make a fur coat, she's just a loathsome and aggressive character. She's so extreme in her villainy that she becomes iconic. Cruella defines the archetypal vain rich lady who needs to get whatever catches her fancy, ethical or not.
Another element to the Hundred and One Dalmatians is that it presages the whole anti-fur trend that came into prominence in the early '90s, most notably in the social campaigns of PETA and the Humane Society. In the history of animal welfare, this novel is published right at the beginning of the modern trend toward animal rights. It is therefore an interesting expression of this zeitgeist.
"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!"
- Dr. Seuss (Oh, the Places You'll Go!)
Which writer has had the greatest influence on the way you live your life? That's a tough question for me to answer. However, in my Top Ten list, I'd definitely have to list Dr. Seuss. As a child, I was an avid reader and Dr. Seuss' books were among my favorites. I loved the illustrations. I was delighted by the sound of the word read aloud. And the stories had purposes.
Horton defends those who are "beneath notice." The Grinch discovers that joy isn't limited to material goods. The Lorax warns against reckless consumption. These tales and others had ethical dimensions written in a manner so that even a young child might understand. They left an indelible mark upon my spirit by teaching me about empathy and compassion in my earliest years.
Even today, when I read or hear a Seussian tale, it feels as if my "heart grows three sizes" upon the conclusion.
