The first poem. From the very first poem. Lump-in-throat & tear-inducing magic. I am literally vibrating in the aftermath of this volume.
This book of poThe first poem. From the very first poem. Lump-in-throat & tear-inducing magic. I am literally vibrating in the aftermath of this volume.
This book of poetry by Andrea Gibson was so much lightning for me that I should be in an ambulance on the way to the hospital right now. I am a mess. Every poem is incredible. Every. Fucking. One.
A dear friend (and beautiful poet herself) read me a couple of these poems over the phone, and I knew I had to read more. Then she bought me the book for my birthday and I devoured it upon opening it.
Genuine, heartfelt, funny, intelligent & brave writing (in a time when four lines pasted over a sunset on Instagram counts as "poetry"), this is a stunning collection of powerful honesty and observations that had me goosebumping and stopping after each poem to just mutter, "Holy fuck..." and try to gather myself again for the next one.
You Better Be Lightning is an absolute marvel, a truly inspiring write, and I look so forward to reading anything and everything Gibson has to share going forward.
It kills me that this short story collection is independently published. That something this damn good has so few eyeballs on it -- just because it maIt kills me that this short story collection is independently published. That something this damn good has so few eyeballs on it -- just because it may be lost in the ocean of self-published works that gets cranked out every year. But I'm also very grateful I found Peter Derk via Goodreads, and that he's taken a chance to share his writing with us. Continuously and consistently.
The First Of Me is magnificent. High praise, I know, but warranted. After having read and enjoyed the EPIC genre-trolling that is Ghost Dick: Private Eye and The Heist-iest Heist Ever Heisted, these offerings were the polar opposite in beautifully crafted pieces, filled with unique vision and voice; poignant, real, impactful, and entertaining. There is not a dud amongst them, though I will center out This is a Hand Grenade as one of the top 5 stories I've ever read.
Ever.
This book reminded me what great writing is about, what it does, what it can inspire, and why reading is so very important when it finds all those elements in balance. This is a keeper, and one I will no doubt share as often as possible, with as many eyeballs as I can get on the pages. I can't recommend this book enough.
Did you read the first paragraph and laugh so hard that your son stopped gaming (which he wouClick on the preview for this book.
Go ahead, I'll wait...
Did you read the first paragraph and laugh so hard that your son stopped gaming (which he wouldn't even do if there was a tornado riding an earthquake through your apt) and then came to see if you were alright because he thought you were crying and he was right because you were but it was crying from laughter?
If the answer is yes, then you NEED to read this book.
Mike is an inept paranormal investigator, operating out of a Burger King restaurant, half-assing his way through ghost encounters, and making some of the the most inane and ludicrous life-observations humanly possible. He is not very smart but he doesn't let that get in the way of doing his job -- and thankfully, stupid mayhem ensues.
I have never read anything as funny as the ramshackle shenanigans of Ghost Dick: Private Eye in my life. Consistently funny. Like laugh out loud, tears streaming down my face hilarious. Author Peter Derk has truly created one of the most bonkers, off-the-wall, ridiculous reads with this offering. Like if Nicholson Baker and Sam Pink got drunk and made a love-child together. And not only does it read fun, but you can tell the author had a blast writing this tale of utter lunacy. A dumb-funny masterpiece.
I so wanna sequel. Or a short film adaptation. Or a comic book series. Or a pair of unisex briefs with a glow-in-the-dark Ghost Dick logo on the crotch. Three pairs.
The No Hellos Diet, by Sam Pink, is easily one of the best books I've ever read. Definitely in my top 3 of this past year, and my top 10 of the pThe No Hellos Diet, by Sam Pink, is easily one of the best books I've ever read. Definitely in my top 3 of this past year, and my top 10 of the past decade. And although I've only just been introduced to, and read, several of his books of prose and poetry this past year, this book, in particular, has cemented him in my upper echelon of favourite writers (seated comfortably between Charles Bukowski and Douglas Coupland, I imagine). Gilded crown and throne now on order from Ikea.
First off; The No Hellos Diet is GD hilarious. I laughed out loud and I laughed a lot, often at inappropriate parts of the story -- which I relished. Secondly, I love the way Pink thinks, and, how he lets those thoughts loose across the pages like so much jazz; the flow and beats and mad styling -- seemingly improvisational, yet deftly aware of every note. He's an odd duck, with strange thoughts, delicious observational skills, and a quirky but engaging delivery.
Also, whenever you read about someone telling you that you should never write in "second person", slap them across the face with this book, and tell them to shut-up. Then slap them across the ass with it as they try to get away. Because they didn't write this masterpiece and they haven't discovered the sublimely unique, and unknowingly necessary voice that is Sam Pink.
5 big-dick hustlin' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐s!
*P.S. Quick word of warning: don't buy the Thumbs Down Press edition (cartoon guy with horns), it's been formatted like shit....more
Oddly, this was my first reading of a John Steinbeck book. As it was, I devouredThe Pearl greedily, and with no indigestion.
I won't go into the Oddly, this was my first reading of a John Steinbeck book. As it was, I devouredThe Pearl greedily, and with no indigestion.
I won't go into the story/plot (it's stated above) but I will say it is played out just right; with nothing extraneous or an opposite feeling of vacancy. I loved the "voice" Steinbeck used; simple, and reflective of the characters' station, and relation, to their world and environment. The rising tension built proportionally to the dilemmas faced by the protagonists -- I was on the edge of my seat right where it was written to be. And his powers of description were so rich and engaging I was both amazed and fulfilled throughout the reading. This was a story and a talent in the scribing that truly inspires, in my opinion. Definitely on my read-again list. Perfection.
A mysterious community. Inner mysteries. Family mysteries.
A mysterious woman that appears out of nowhere to affect and haunt Mysterious and haunting.
A mysterious community. Inner mysteries. Family mysteries.
A mysterious woman that appears out of nowhere to affect and haunt the imaginations of a small, insulated town in the too-far North, locked in the semi-distant past of 1985.
Locked inside secrets. Creating more secrets. Haunted by secrets. Mysterious and haunting stories.
A mysterious and haunting book.
I grew to love Claudia Dey's Heart Breaker the further I read, the further I was sucked into the unique world she had created. In the most remote and removed Northern community -- The Territory -- founded by a long-lost, cult-type leader, a sheltered group of people live outside of the rest of the world. Pony Darlene. Billie Jean. The Heavy. Traps. Fur Thumb. Hot Dollar. Neon Dean. Sexeteria. One Hundred. The Silentest Man. Death Man. Delivery Man. Future. Supernatural. Nothing and no one ever leaves; only their children's blood. Life blood and income for the former mining town, ever on the brink of being swallowed up by the hollowed earth. Yet all that is happening above is so much more confusing and dangerous.
Dey has woven an absolutely beautifully paced and interwoven tale of ominous mystery through memorable characters and imagery, and subtle glimpses of things told in snippets, always pulling you deeper in. The story unfolds in three sections, with three different narrators: Girl, Dog, Boy. With each section you are given more pieces of the puzzle(s), different observations, of the same set of events, but also so much more about the characters and environment of this atmospheric, quirky gem of a tale.
The writing is both succinct (almost staccato, much the way we truly think) but not revealing enough to be typical, ham-fisted or surface. And although I didn't feel that the three character voices were necessarily very different, there is a very definite voice to the writing that I very much came to enjoy.
I'm not sure that I can compare Heart Breaker to anything I've read before, which is a compliment, really. But it is definitely something I'd recommend, and I look forward to reading more by Claudia Dey in the future. Even if that future isn't 1985.
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
*Afterthought: This book has a very cinematic feel to it and I think the CBC ought to jump on the chance to turn this into a film or mini-series. You good?...more
I'm not a fan of erotic literature but Nicholson Baker's short novel VOX was everything I could wish for in the genre -- or real life. Warm, quirI'm not a fan of erotic literature but Nicholson Baker's short novel VOX was everything I could wish for in the genre -- or real life. Warm, quirky, intelligent conversation between two strangers on the telephone (many 'archaic' devices from only a couple decades ago play a part in this story: non-cellular telephones, tube-televisions, VCRs, videotapes, Bionic-Mmmm-Detectors...) as they genuinely connect and lead each other through stories, real and imagined, from their private sexual lives.
The difference here is that Baker delivers something truthful in the two main character's voices; run-on sentences, and repetition, and circling back to ideas, or jumping subjects, and the minutiae of everyday observation; all part of the excitement of new, nervous exchange and heightened arousal. This isn't clinical or flowery romance language or straight smut-talk, there is a fun and sexy and natural build-up as the story progresses. And it's funny. Very funny.
I found that, not only was I excited to continue reading the story each evening after work -- anticipating it throughout the day -- but I really loved the characters, loved who they were and what they were sharing. I believed in the characters and their inventiveness because Nicholson's written imagination was so clear and well played throughout. This is probably one of the nearest perfect books I've read (again) this year, and in a long time.
My completion of this book was followed by a body-wide shiver of excitement and satisfaction I've not experienced in years; instantly one of my faves!My completion of this book was followed by a body-wide shiver of excitement and satisfaction I've not experienced in years; instantly one of my faves! The Dutch Wife is a wonderful story of a man telling the story of a man telling the stories of his family and the stories they've told him about stories they've been told and/or experienced. That may sound convoluted but it is truly a beautifully woven mosaic of exotic times and locals, mysteries, oddities, tragedies and even mild horror. Eric McCormack creates instantly likable and interesting family and characters and effortlessly utilizes them to propel the narrative and plot forward throughout, never making them feel shoe-horned in or non-essential to the fuller picture unfolding. I became so engrossed the further I read that I felt like I just wanted this story, this world, to be real, and also was aware that I both couldn't put The Dutch Wife down but also didn't want it to end. Infinitely interesting and so rewarding a read.
I dropped HELLBOY after all the terrible movies (they're ALL bad), and Mignola letting everyone else draw his stories, but picked this up on the cheapI dropped HELLBOY after all the terrible movies (they're ALL bad), and Mignola letting everyone else draw his stories, but picked this up on the cheap and was immediately sucked back into that incredible world of rich, dark nuance and mystery.
Duncan Fegredo is easily the best artist aside from Mike Mignola to be handling HELLBOY as his work is so similar and he understands both the subtleties and power of the character.
This story arc is great in that it harkens back to so many storylines and ties them in while also creating a compelling full story on its own. It's chock-full of the rich myth/folklore and gritty noir mystery that drives the HELLBOY universe. Mignola once again gives us the perfect, tough-as-nails, no-nonsense HELLBOY launched into a complicated, supernatural world he doesn't want to submit to. The dialogue and pacing of the plot are superb, and dark, muted colours add a weight to the pages that create such a feeling of ominous foreboding.
THE WILD HUNT feels like the best of the early stories that launched the HELLBOY mythos and left you wanting more. Well done....more
Mockingbird Wish Me Luck is a solid offering full of great observations that are full of humour, sadness, sex, love, drinking, horses and human reMockingbird Wish Me Luck is a solid offering full of great observations that are full of humour, sadness, sex, love, drinking, horses and human relations -- or trying to avoid them. This was the second book by Charles Bukowski I ever read, after The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills, and it stands up almost just as wonderfully, in my opinion (maybe slightly less imaginative would be my only minor criticism). I can't tell you how many times I read a particular line or finished a poem and was taken aback by something that resonated with me, usually the sheer novelty of his insight or phrasing. Definitely one of his best!
Gross, by Dave Proctor, is easily one of the best debut novels I've ever read. Written with a mature and fully-formed voice, emotionally rich, wiGross, by Dave Proctor, is easily one of the best debut novels I've ever read. Written with a mature and fully-formed voice, emotionally rich, with interesting characters, and an very interesting premise.
And Lego.
Frank is a 59 year old baker and father, struggling with a run-down bakery, a run-down relationship with his only daughter, and a rare illness -- Pica -- a compulsion to eat inedible objects. His barista/artist daughter, Jackie, is frayed at the edges from responsibilities with work, her art, her unmet goals, and her faltering father. There is much dysfunction but also love in what they make of what they share. There is also great humour and poignancy woven throughout.
I absolutely loved the way Gross was written -- Proctor's writing style, or voice -- which was so full of unique turns of phrase, and fresh ways of seeing or saying things; there is a true poetry and imagination to the language that doesn't insist upon itself but rather very much created an excitement for me to continue reading. (This is what truly nourishes a reader, in my opinion, and yet seems to be a dying art, in favour of sparse, simple sentences and ideas.) As a Canadian, it was also nice to see it set in the familiarity of Toronto, and it's neighbourhoods and environs.
I will recommend this book to friends and most definitely look forward to reading more by this author in the future.
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
Extra note: my copy of the book also included a folded insert, listing the 144 items Frank ingested during the course of the story; funny, scary, preposterous, endearing, and of course, gross....more
This is my favourite book of all time; I read it at least annually since I first encountered it in 1989, 20 years after it was initially published.
AnyThis is my favourite book of all time; I read it at least annually since I first encountered it in 1989, 20 years after it was initially published.
Anyone that has read Charles Bukowski before is familiar with his subject matter; love and loss and poverty and despair and alcoholism and mental anguish and truth and beauty, all filtered through the prism of his eyes and the life he lived on a daily basis. This book is no different. But it is a collection of the very best words and observations on all of these aspects of the world he knew and committed to paper. There is also more humour and intelligence in the poetry, more absurdity and imagination in The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills, and that speaks to a greater depth as both a writer and a human than simply being a "dirty old man" as he is so mythically assumed.
The last attribute I have to mention, and rarely see written or spoken of, is the "music" of the poetry; Bukowski poetry doesn't rhyme (thank God!) but there is a flow to the language, the arrangement on the page(s) that is subtle but perceptible and compelling. With much credit to the editor(s) as they also created a sort of flow with the choices of pieces selected and arranged throughout the book, like listening to a full and complete album, satisfyingly from beginning to end.
In my mind this is a seminal and essential work in his catalogue. The poetry will break your heart, shock, inspire, make you laugh, and reflect on both his life and your own, and that's what the very best poetry does.
Aku Aku, by Thor Heyerdahl, is a story of profound mysteries. It is a detective story. A ghost story. A diary. The stories of myth and legend meetingAku Aku, by Thor Heyerdahl, is a story of profound mysteries. It is a detective story. A ghost story. A diary. The stories of myth and legend meeting science; of tradition and ancestry encountering modernity at a crossroads. It is grand exploration and adventure, and the search for answers with, and for, a people that thrived in the most remote place in the world: Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
I love this book. Having first read it over 30 years ago -- 40 years after it was written -- it captured and inflamed my imagination, enlightened my understanding, and engrossed me in it's telling. And re-reading it all these decades later it has not diminished my adulation for it in the least (regardless of advanced scientific studies and ever-debatable "conclusions" since).
In 1955/56, the famous author and adventurer hypothesized that the island, most famous for its hundreds of giant, hand-carved, stone Moai, was originally discovered and inhabited by sea-farers from Peru, not Asia, by way of the Melanesian/Micronesian islands. He gathered together a team of European and American anthropologists and archeologists and endeavoured to launch the first in-depth onsite research of the island over the course of 10 months to prove his theories. At the time, he did his best with the methodology available, and put forth a credible synopsis.
The reason this book is important goes beyond theories proven, or subsequently disproven (DNA would play a major role in some of this many decades later), but in that it captures a genuine attempt by a devoted team of learned men to unravel the unknown through science, AND document the process and interaction with the native people -- including their language, ancestral stories, practices, and superstitions, right at a time when the modern and technological world had arrived on their doorstep.
Heyerdahl weaves a wonderful tale of his team's discoveries, anecdotal observations, colourful real-life characters, enthralling ancient legends, hair-raising adventure, and deep reverence for a misunderstood culture and its legacy. The writing is superb, with rich, almost poetic description that made me feel as if I were experiencing what he saw first-hand throughout. At times I couldn't read fast enough and, in nearing the end, I absolutely did not want it to conclude.
I highly suggest ignoring the Goodreads synopsis above (the book should be read for what it is/was, not what was denounced by subsequent studies) and treating the book like a time-capsule that is just as important in the history of Easter Island as any statue, carving, artifacts or ancient writings brought to light to engage our curiosity and awareness today. If nothing else, it made me yearn to know, read and study more about Rapa Nui culture, and that is a beautiful tribute to a deserving people and their history.
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