Book Report: July 2020

A good summer reading month! I ventured into some reading that I usually do not pay attention to and was repaid with a couple of outstanding novels. Simply because of my reading preferences I miss out on books coming from the UK, as well as the vast offerings coming from Asian countries. Luckily, I spread my attention and experienced Daisy Johnson’s ‘Everything Under’ and Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian,’ two wonderful stories I highly recommend. I can also add to that list ‘Tropic of Violence’ by Natacha Appanah, an impressive French language read that blew me away.

July STATS in brief: 10 books read (8 in English translation); 3 short story collections; 7 novels; 2422 pages; 8 languages represented, 9 countries; 7 ebooks and 3 real books; authors: 2 male, 7 female; translators: 3 male, 5 female.

Saint George's Bookshop Berlin

One of the first things I do when I visit Berlin, is trade in my finished books for some new ones at a wonderful bookstore: Saint George’s Bookshop. They treat me well there and always have a great selection of used and new books to choose from. This time, my trade yielded five books for my to-read shelf: offerings from Lithuania, Brazil, Argentina, France, and Mexico. Most of my book buying these days consists of ebooks, so it is a bit strange to shop in a store and walk out with physical copies, but I much prefer it and cannot wait to open these books. When you visit Berlin, be sure to stop by and purchase some great reading at this classic and well-stocked bookstore.

Upcycling: Lamps

When I lived in the states, I spent a lot of time shopping for junk I could turn into usable and attractive furniture, what later received the name upcycling and became overwhelmingly popular. I got the furniture building gene from my father who spent hours working in his shop on furniture projects and home remodelling. Though I was never very good at turning my visions into reality and machinery continued to be a mystery no matter how much I tried, my siblings consistently turn out impressively phenomenal products. What went wrong? Still, I have in my home several pieces from my visionary time and my efforts at recycling, staying out of the particle board world, and worthwhile distractions.

I found the Waring blender above, actually a pair of them, at a swap meet. They are nearly identical with slight differences in the pitcher. I paid to have them wired as lamps, and then again with EU fittings. One illuminates my desk and the other a reading nook. Every time I switch one on, I imagine the drinks someone must have made with them some time ago and fight the urge run to the kitchen for a margarita. I prefer these simple lamps over the more modern desk lamp I recently used, being one of a kind, historical, and a rejection of our throw away culture. (I gave away my old lamp, I didn’t throw it away, so someone is getting some use out of it!)

Jude the Obscure

One of the few books I did not sell with the rest of my collection is Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. I read this book sometime within the past ten years and enjoyed its bleakness and the exploration of unhappiness, societal oppression, and other issues enough to believe I would give it a second reading. That time has come, sooner than I imagined, but with the added pleasure of having the book read to me. So, I can enjoy the pleasure of Hardy’s narrative while puzzling away. A fine way to spend an evening. The reader is Michael Ian Black and he presents his reading with commentary through his podcast, Obscure. I found it through Pocket Casts but I am sure it is widely available. It’s kind of like a mini book club, but from the comfort of my home and enhanced with a glass of wine. Thanks Michael Ian Black!

Trail to the Horizon

One of my more time-consuming distractions is building 1000 piece puzzles. The search for matching colors, patterns, or shapes. is extremely meditative and relaxing. I generally build puzzles with art masterpiece reproductions, so this one is a little different. I chose it though because one of the things I love experiencing when I am hiking is a view of the trail disappearing into the horizon. Does it end there, hold surprises, or continue with more of the same just over the rise? Sometimes I never get to the point I can see but am always pleased by the continuing horizon in the distance. Below I have included some of the trails which extend to the horizon that I have stumbled upon throughout my worldwide hiking.

Welcome to My Distractions

The Writing, Reading, and Travel sections on this website represent the things I do to make sense of the world and to avoid debilitating despair. They help me find meaning, develop empathy, understanding, and compassion, and most importantly, find beauty despite all the dirtiness. This new section, Distractions, will explore other activities or random ideas that aid in this ongoing process, that help me rise above all the rottenness.

Distractions, hobbies, pastimes, mindless patter, waste of time, perhaps no different than spending endless hours flipping through inane channels on a television. Many possible labels, probably apropos at various times. Should I be spending my free time working on my website, writing, protesting social injustices, or doing anything to help a fellow human being or fight systemic oppression? Undoubtedly. But I have found that if I do not occasionally allow distractions, I get caught up in the dizzying spell of grinding reality and I accomplish nothing. So, I enthusiastically allow myself these distractions, and in doing so, develop a bit of clarity and healthiness when I participate in more pressing endeavours. Some of my more enjoyable distractions will follow soon!

Fragility

I am now the proud owner of a rare print edition of The Slag Review, Issue 8, Spring 2018 in which my story ‘Fragility’ was first published. I was very pleased to see the story in print and remain very thankful to the editing team for including it. Unfortunately, I learned recently that the Review has closed down and is no longer online, meaning my story is no longer floating around out there looking for readers. Unless you happen to be passing by my Bremen apartment to read the physical copy, you will need to make do with the pdf of the story below. I would say enjoy the read but it is not really an upbeat read. Sorry about that.

Book Report: June 2020

There were no grand discoveries in June, although I did start the Virginie Despentes Vernon Subutex Trilogy, which is enjoyable, and I was inspired by the craft in Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s short story collection, Friday Black. In June I also started alternating between ebooks and real books as I still have over 100 paper books on my to-read shelf, most of which I still plan on getting to. As mentioned in other posts, I have not fully accepted the Kindle experience and still prefer to hold a book in my hands, as well as have them sitting on my shelf for further perusal. But I am committed to this change and will persevere; most of my purchases these days are ebooks.

June STATS in brief: 12 books read (8 in English translation); 3 short story collections; 9 novels; 2871 pages; 5 languages represented; 6 ebooks and 6 real books; authors: 9 male, 4 female; translators: 6 male, 4 female.

Backstory: Thought It Was Enough

Counterclock Journal kindly published my story ‘Thought It Was Enough’ in the June 2020 Issue 9. I finished a different version of this story in March 2018 and began submitting it as ‘It’s All a Test.’ After receiving very helpful critiques from two journal editors and a writing colleague, it went through three more major rewrites before acceptance. The story received a total of 41 rejections. And one acceptance! Thanks, Counterclock!

The story was inspired by families I got to know while teaching kindergarten. Despite the challenges the families faced, they were generally resilient and eager for their children to progress in life through schooling. I was impressed how families, specifically young children, accepted difficulties and worked so hard at exploring and learning. Sadly, their positive attitude was not always enough to overcome the systemic oppression these families faced. Through my story, I tried to portray a young mother’s thoughts as she saw these real-life hardships engulf her child. 

Thought It Was Enough

Counterclock has published my short story “Thought It Was Enough” in their June online issue. The genesis of this story lies in my teaching days back in Salt Lake City. After several major rewrites based on some very helpful editor feedback, it finally sees the light of day. So, thanks to Counterclock for including it in this issue.