Fracking Essays....

Hi, no time to read a darn thing save horribly written Art History papers...Drat. Also, frag you Arcade Fire and Black Sabbath...the former's hipsterness, the latter's pricey tickets...

A Great Finish

Although I am not a fan of trilogies, this book finishes the series off in fine fashion. It's not as fast-paced as The Hunger Games, but it is a drastic improvement over Catching Fire (bored by the whole time they were not in the arena).

Maus

One of the greatest works of Holocaust literature and the reason why graphic novels are accepted in the classroom. Thank you Art Spiegelman. And Vladek. And Anja. I learn something new everytime I read it.

October Atlantic Monthly

Random Thoughts: Too much about American woes; Africa the next breeding ground for bad guys that blow shit up in the name of Allah; Maybe one should read James Bond novels not written by Ian Fleming; and teachers give too much homework.

Bleak...

The Grade 11's say we never read anything that is not sad or devastating. And then I handed them this.

Drew Hayden Taylor

These are two plays on the new ELA 20 curriculum. The Boy in the Tree House made me weepy. The Girl Who Loved Her Horses did not move me at all. I think we will read both and see what the Grade 11's think. Interestingly, the latter play is Taylor's favourite of everything he's ever written.

Random Comic Book Recommend

OK, I don't put all the comics I read on here because that would be crazy talk. The new 52 alone would take 52 days to explain (not to mention the ridiculous intricacy of MIND MGMT). Anyway, after watching Iron Man III I destroyed my TV with a sledgehammer and chainsaw and then airlifted the Ebola Virus to all those involved. RESULT: no TV. So I started re-reading this series by Matt Fraction. Hollywood take note: This is Iron Man.

Cutting and Other Post-Modern Issues

This bleak, yet great, book is on the new ELA 20 curriculum. It is a "poetry novel". Full disclosure: not my favourite genre, but teens find them interesting (or at least the girls do, as the only books boys seem to enjoy are The Hunger Games and possibly Of Mice and Men). The issues here include manipulation, self-injury (cutting), and the joys (pain) of being in high school. Personally Mrs. Farr needs a punch in the head. Or something less violent. Like bad coffee.

You are reading a series? Really? Yup!

So I watched the first two seasons then found this book for a dollar at the General Hospital book store. Score. I don't really like fantasy series (or so I thought) but this one is awesome. My favourite characters on the show are Arya, Tyrion, and Daenerys. Sadly I can't read as fast as the Pirlot who is already on Book Four. I recommend both the book and the HBO series. Still on Book 1 and its mid November.

It's Been a Busy August I Guess...

So I finished this awhile back, and I watched the movie today. Both are good. The acting is a little shaky at times but they were all just kids at the time. I have nothing awe inspiring to offer but I wanted the few readers I might have know that I will be posting again more regularly. I have yet to finish The Way the Crow Flies but maybe that's one of those books that it's good to think about. 

Harry and the Sorcerer's Stone

So I am at the General Hospital two weeks ago waiting for Mom and I decide to check out the used book store. Score. All 7 Potter books for $7.00. I have read the first two before, but decided I need to read them all. Later, I'll give them to the school library. Therefore, I am currently 1/2 way through the North Americanized re-titled, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. As I finish each novel, I will rewatch each movie. Now it's back to History 10 and the revamping for next year.

Carrie (see two posts ago)

The sick metal 11 by 17 tin plate...There Will be Blood!

Carrie (see previous post)

The 11 by 17 poster already happily framed in my house.



CUZ CARRIE IS MISSING

So, I am on a Carrie obsession...rewatched the original version, looking forward to new version with Chloe Grace Moretz in it, bought a sick poster of the new one, and then bought a sick tin sign of another version of the new movie poster...which brings us to The Dark Half. This is easily one of my favourite SK books and the film does it justice as well. It will be the kind of reading I need at doctor's offices with Mom (hopefully fewer of those soon). Also, I could not track down a free Carrie (or even a cheap used one), until I remembered the library, ahh the library. Free books. Weird.

The Way the Crow Flies

The Way the Crow Flies...Murder of Crows...oh yeah, they are in here. Murder mystery (not so much), the 1960's Canada, Spy stuff, and NAZIs...always NAZIs. Or Commies. Or somebody. I initially abandoned this novel five years ago at page 300 (it was bugging me for some reason), but now that I have had some time to sit and read it I find it much better. However, some may find it a little too detailed and full of arcane information. Abandoned, but fully restarted for the record. Anyway, her book Fall on Your Knees is a finer novel.

A Cool Lesson on Typography

The Atlantic Monthly often provides cool information about random stuff. Here is an example:

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2013/07/the-history-of-typography-in-stop-motion-animation/277376/

Enjoy!

The Way the Crow Flies

Fall on Your Knees is one of my favourite books of all time and I love her play Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning, Juliet)...However, this is my second attempt at this novel about a murder mystery (sort of), living in the 1960's in Canada, and child abuse. I am farther/further along on the second attempt and I think the only problem was it was hard to focus on it the first time due to other distractions. Of course I just had a time-out to look up "farther/further" drat!

After Dachau

 

 

So I may have completely forgotten I had a blog. Or school was busy. Or Entourage distracted me. or I read a ton of magazines and comic books, but few novels or short stories or poems. Or aliens abducted my laptop. Or Cog is to blame. Or all of the above. Anyway, sorry for the absentee landowner issue. But I return with one GREAT book about the Holocaust but NOT really about it. If I told you the plot you would be ruined and tear down my house. Therefore, lets just say this makes my top 100 books of all time and leave it at that.

 

 

 

In case you think I was kidding about the magazines this is the current one. And it has already extended ny potential reading list to a graphic novel by Amy Niffenegger and a novella by...drat, I'll look into this as my brain is not connected to my material. Cheers! More to follow. 

   

Playing Catch Up with Creative Writing 20

So, I assigned a slew of short stories for the CW 20 class I teach. As I was reading over some of their responses I thought..drat, some of these stories are lame. Kate Chopin's "A Story of an Hour" remains excellent. "Penny in the Dust" remains lame.

Peter Panzerfaust

So lets take the Peter Pan story and apply it to World War II. Better yet, don't bother! Lame!

The List is Endless

The opening essay by Michael Chabon is interesting in that it will lead me to read Raymond Chandler's "The King in Yellow" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's " Crazy Sunday" and Walter Benjamin's "The Storyteller" and Lewis Hyde's Trickster Makes this World. Furthermore, it reminds me of that crazy essay on what a novel is and is not that I had to read in my Modern Literature class, quite possibly the hardest class I have ever taken. My copy has been shredded by multiple readings and highlightings and is stored safely at school in case I lose it in a fire. Sadly, it's an excerpt from some book whose title has disappeared from my world. Much like Wurzburg has. This may be obvious, but I don't think I will ever read "every book I own" because I am easily distracted by more. And that may actually be the whole point of this exercise.  

The Novel has No Definition

Was reading Poets and Writers and somebody said this was the best book not about 9/11 but about 9/11 they have ever read. So far, it's just anecdotes that "the author" has been keeping on recipe cards in an attempt to discover/write a novel. Much of the random triva is interesting, some not so much. For example, "A seascape by Henri Matisse was once hung upside down in the MOMA in New York--and left that way for a month and a half" (interesting); "Brahms had blue eyes/As did Abraham Lincoln/And Hitler" (not so much). Turns out this is a great "novel", so I ordered more of his work from the library.    

For the Love of Art

So this book represents a huge retrospective of 20th century photography that I saw in Budapest. While there I saw a photograph called "Blind Girl Playing with Sand" and I wept, literally. Now, as then, it brings tears of joy to my eyes (for no apparant reason other than that is an awesome moment captured forever). However, it is the back story of securing a copy of the book that I want to share here. In the morning I travel from down town Budapest on the Tram for about 12 stops (taking about 20 minutes). I arrive at the Szepmuveszeti Muzeum (Museum of Fine Arts) and wander around amazed at all I see. I then decide to buy this book (which weighs like 10 pounds). I go to pay and my Interac won't work (that's OK it's Eastern Europe and these things happen). So I go outside to the ATM and try again. Nope. Next, I try my credit card back inside the museum...declined? And then again, outside...declined. What the screaming hell? I have lots of money in both accounts. Therefore, I pull out a phone card and phone home. Just as the bank answers, my phone card runs out of money...GRR. And then I try another one (same result). Fracking hell. I then decide that I need this book so badly that I take the tram back to the hotel to get another phone card. I get back and decide that I will phone from the terminal (surrounded by Gypsies tugging at me for whatever it is Gypsies want). I finally contact the bank and they direct my call to the VISA people. Of course, they ask me some questions and while the Gypsies are distracting me I give the wrong answer to my security question...Because on that day Henry Miller was not my favourite author...ARGH. Eventually I answer all their questions and they tell me that it was a random security check on both my accounts that was causing concern. It seems that there were many transactions taken all over Europe (no kidding) and they wanted to make sure they were all by me. Ummm...I phoned you before I left and told you that this would happen. Anyway, back on the tram I go, all the way back to the museum (which, by this point, was ready to close). I got my book and lugged it back to the hotel thinking...all this for a book, all this for a picture....completely worth it.   

Joe Sacco the King; This guy a pretender!

David Axe is no Joe Sacco, the cartoonist who basically invented comic book war journalism. This book is boring, the author is a jerk, and the art is mediocre at best.

It's Bad Luck to Read this Blog

So from the box arrives a variety of stories. If you don't know what the box is you have to go back a few posts and look for a bird. The bird will tell you all you need to know. Unless he doesn't. Then. You are out of luck. The best stories/poems here are "Bad Luck" by Ralph Worsey..for example, "It is bad luck to count the stars" and so on. "In a Little Valley in West Jerusalem" by Joshuah Bearman, a story about the Dead Sea Scrolls and a Physicst and His son. "Idea" by J. Robert Lennon is GREAT. An artist has a great idea for a sculpture, but realizes in a flash that the idea sucks. I have days like those, all the time. The rest is just silly or lame. I won't pick on the authors of those for they will never know anyway.

A Cool Twist on the Vampyre

A great tale from the creator of Hellboy. The Plague Vampires plus WWI. Just plain cool. Thanks Book Fair and Scholastic.

A classic. I hate the message, but I love the discussion. Dear Grade 10: Bring your dictionaries.

Eggs!

A great little story by Rick Moody. Crazy ostriches and their hillbilly owners.

Modern Fables

So more from the box...Modern Fables. Nothing very special at all. Drat! 

Saunder's Satire!



Wow, it has been forever since I posted. This is a part of the McSweeney's box of fun stuff. However, these satirical stories about the insidiousness of corporations are obvious and, therefore, boring. Saunder's Pastorlia is better than this (if I recall). Obviously, I now have to read that to see if I'm even right.

Read Long Ago

Time for a re-read before I watch the movie. For some reason, it was already on my iPad. I must have downloaded it for free for Europe. Two chapters in and the people are mean or shallow. My favourite part: Gatsby has yet to arrive. Still no Gatsby. Clever. There is one paragraph early on describing a party at Gatsby's that I could imagine as the whole entire movie. One paragraph = movie. Not many writers can pull that off.

Nabokov is King (or at least one of them)

A Martin selection and since Lolita is in my top five I thought I had better listen to the Cheetah.

Comic Book War Journalism

Joe Sacco basically invented this genre. His black and white drawings are so crisp and distinctive that his work is instantly recognizable. This was a Christmas present, though I have read his Safe Area Gorazde and Palestine

Canada Reads

I will read February and Indian Horse and the Age of Hope and re-read Away and Two Solitudes to see if this panel has a clue. I loved Away in the day, and thought Two Solitudes was solid during university times. So we will see.

Russians are Better Writers than Everyone Else

This was a loan from Martin. Read it, re-reading because I can't recall which ending I preferred. This just in..the original ending rings true, the other is silly (well silly for a Russian).I like this collection of novellas too...though I won't be buying it for 300 bucks, it's cool nonetheless.

A Mown Lawn

In a word--stupid. Lamest poem ever award goes to...

Nabokov--One of the Greatest Ever.

A great essay on how the art on the cover of a novel is almost never something the writer approved of, chose, or even liked. Nabokov's Lolita, one of the greatest books every written, has always been misunderstood...The covers of young girls on many editions infuriated Nabokov. Rightly so.

Symmes Hole

A great essay on a guy from the 19th century who believed that the earth was open at both ends...umm, really. Anyway, although it's not (I think), you can see where Poe and Verne found some of their inspiration.

Taking Stock and Cool Boxes of Stuff

So this is a reissue of McSweeney's issue #4. It's a box full of pamphlets that are short stories, essays, poems, and other random literature. How genius is that? A box with cool stuff in it? I will post each pamphlet in turn. Also, as it is February 4th I should have 35 short stories, five novels, five books of poetry, and one non-fiction piece read. Let's take stock shall we...Yikes, only nineteen short stories, 2 1/2 books of poetry, 6 novels, and 1/2 of Aesop and two essays...So, fewer novels, more SS, and pick up some poetry. Sadly, almost no writing.

Aesop vs. the Super Bowl

Because sometimes it's a good idea to learn from the past...instead of watching fracking super bowl commercials. "The Eagle and the Fox" and a lesson in tyranny! See, much better than a Doritos ad.

The Wars

Just started with True Grit. The trench scene from St. Eloi mine destruction rings true. The mud scenes and the "pee on your shirt" scenes could be used in a history and/or ELA class. Ok, so the gang rape of a fellow soldier and the subsequent "going off the deep end" moments that follow might be where the controversy comes in. I only remember people at university hating the book and I was unclear then, why. Still and all a good novel about WWI.

True Grit

Just started..along with The Wars. Abandoned. Boring. Great movie though.

Vietnam and Hell

More Tim O'Brien is never a bad idea and it will get me caught up on my short story monthly quota. In theory. "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is one of the greatest war stories ever written.

Loves Life Like Henry!

Possibly my favourite poet (after Brecken of course). "To the Whore who Took My Poems" is a good place to start. It is often about the genius of his poems' endings.

Kill Jesus!

And I will be finishing this tonight. Terrific novel. A little Vietnam, a little mystery, a massacre, a "murder"...Who really knows? And I'm certainly not telling. I think I'll re-read Going After Cacciato and The Things They Carried

Grade 11 Pick

And this!Good storytelling. I would use this in the Middle Years if, God forbid, I had to teach Middle Years...

The Subtext is Killing Me (No Pun Intended)

What a bunch of drivel. I knew it would be, but I thought maybe the super obvious spirtual/Christian undertones would fade a little bit. Yup. nope.

Ferlinghetti is 93!

One of my favourite poets of all time. As such, I decided to re-read this one as it was on the shelf near the last one. Over time I realize that my tastes have changed in many areas, but not my taste for true beat poetry. Like Henry Miller, he will always be an important part of the literature I own and read. Sadly, the lame poems I wrote in the back of it are still there...until I get an eraser and eliminate them. They were written in 1997 while I was teaching in Moosomin. From "Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes"...last line..."And the very red light for an instant/holding all four close together/as if anything at all were possible/between them/across that great gulf/in the high seas/of this democracy"...His endings are often perfect. The poem "The Love Nut" is just straight up awesome. Dear Status Quo please read "The Billboard Painters". And one last passage from the middle of "Home Home Home"..."home to the 98 lb housewife/driving two tons of chrome and steel/three blocks to the supermarket/to buy a package of baby pins"..In other words, 1979 could be 2013. To continue with great endings from "Wild Life Cameo, Early Morn"...without looking back/disappear forever/like certain people/in my life.

Sold

Another pick by a student for her novel analysis. It is not a novel in the strictest sense,in that the narrative is delivered via a collection of "poems". However, it's an interesting read nonetheless. It deals with the Nepalese/Indian child sex trade. Horrific, for the most part; however, there are some moments of pure joy as well (though they are often hidden in the simplest moments).

Home Schooling

I have read "What Saffi Knows" at least five times now. And it still freaks me out. This book is worth buying or stealing for this one story alone. There is something dark hidden in the literature of Canada. Makes me want to finish The Way the Crow Flies a novel I have abandoned at the 1/2 way mark, twice.

Thirst by Ken Kalfus

"Notice" is just the author having a little silly fun. However, the title story is excellent in that it brings up the unanswerable question, "How thirsty would you have to be before you drank poison?" Love it.

Pinecone

Michael Cera's short story "Pinecone" is awesome. Funny take on the life of a washed up, has been, mostly over actor. Cera's got skills. It's also found in the 30th volume of McSweeneys.

Revolution

This was the first novel I finished this year. I read it because a student did an analysis of it, and it seemed like a worthwhile read to me. It was. If you like music, the French Revolution, some teenage angst, keys, and catacombs then this is a book for you. It is a better than average YA novel. It has one minor plot flaw, but I will let you determine what that might be.

No Gems Yet!

This is the magazine/book that "Stowaways" and "Bad Karma" are from. Just finished Carson Mell's "Diamond Aces". A story about strip clubs and fathers...unfortunately not very interesting. Sorry, but the gems are far and few between. Time to switch up my short story picks.