Good book spree

Penny Says: Sharing is the best way to celebrate a good book spree

--Fiction that has been eating up all my time as of late--

Douglas Coupland - his latest - The Gum Thief - was a great before-Christmas-break book that reminded me of how a complex life is actually simple and that everyone needs to share their creative fantasy with someone. All of his books are great and worth at least 2 full read-throughs (best read 3 years apart). Miss Wyoming is the one I have to yet read (but I was kindly given it this Christmas) I have been saving it like a precious jewel to provide cheer on a rainy day. My favorite to date is Coupland's Life after God - an tale of how semi-regular people get by in our secular society.

For those in your life that are hard-to-buy-for or have everything consider, coffee table books like Coupland's Souvenir from Canada (1 and 2) or The life of a Canadian Terry Fox. Coupland and Fox were children together in North Vancouver and Coupland is currently working on a tribute park in Toronto in Terry's honor. Of course, the tv Series JPod is a must see on my list. The book JPod was stimulating tech-y and leaves you with a slight case of Attention Deficit Disorder, but truly a entertaining experience for all readers. The series JPod is true to its roots in plot and character development and yet I am always wondering what will happen next (again the book is so fast paced that another read-through or watching the series will reveal plot twists you mist the first time). If you want to watch the series on the internet and you are currently in Canada - go to JPod on CBC and wait patiently as the page loads then click watch full episodes start from the beginning or just click on the ones you have missed, sit back and enjoy commercial free viewing.

A while back I stumbled on to a couple of authors that seem to really understand what it is like to be a 20-something in the 2000's. Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus have teamed up to write 3 novels that are a must read for all born in the late seventies or early eighties (ok the rest of you can read them too). These girls take life by the horns but remember to smell the flowers along the way. The Nanny Diaries (2002), Citizen Girl (2004), and Dedication(2007) are all fast paced, life experiences that provide a little insight and perspective to the unkind world of the adult. These writers are truly great examples of how a chance meeting in university can create a successful duo that makes a living doing what they love. I'm kinda jealous that I have not yet found such success - but as these girls would tell you - there is still time!

Here is a clip from Citizen Girl to stimulate the appetite.
on the front cover there is a news-clipping type image reading as follows.
" *Seeking* Qualified applicants looking to build their careers on sand. Requirements: a bachelor's degree worth a fraction of the debt you incurred. One to two years of clerical experience working for a deranged harridan who has sucked your very life force. Fluency in at least two major jargons. Must be resourceful, flexible, action oriented, stress tolerant, enthusiastic, and desperate. Primary responsibilities include: figuring out just what we've hired you to do; working closely with no one for clients we'll never identify, and a practice we'll never commit to. All interested email your integrity to www.mycompany.com"
From Citizen Girl 2004

Perhaps you can now see why this book gave me a giggle.
After a full year of job hunting I have finally found something that might lead to a position that I will enjoy..... Who knew being a grown-up would be so hard!!! It doesn't surprise me that no one talks about when they were getting started - they have blocked out the dreadful parts of their life history.

Spring has sprung its bulbs from the ground here on the west coast and we are all enjoying the splash of color in all the gardens.... A few hours of sunshine does wonders for a bad day, month, or year. A walk on the beach might even be able to prevent a future bad day - especially when coupled with a good book!

Who are your favorite authors - leave a comment and let me know I am always on the look for another great book!

Art Film: Bergman and Herzog

Pacey says:

I haven't seen all of the movies by these two directors, but I've seen a good selection of their reputable classic films. These two artists appear to approach film from two very different angles, and it may in some way reflect each one's ability to dream. Ingmar Bergman, reportedly, gets many of the ideas for filmography from his rich dreaming habits, whereas Werner Herzog self reports that he is incapable of dreaming. An insight can be reached in each directors state of mind while understanding their films.

Bergman movies -- (I've seen include Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Passion of Anna, and Cries and Whispers). In some of these movies, the protagonist often drift into dreams where they sort out internal conflicts, where characters have blurred roles in the film's reality and the scenery becomes oddly structured. Flashbacks are often used in the plots, and some movies even create scenes of seemingly uncorrelated nonsense. One who dreams can somewhat appreciate the episodic impressionism of the dreamlike movies of Bergman.

Herzog movies -- (I've seen Aguirre, The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, Stroszek and have Heart of Glass and Fitzcarraldo signed out from the library). Herzog movies tend to be extraordinarily realistic, where the actors themselves become characters in the movie in a personal way. Consider Aguirre, where the movie was shot in chronological order while the actors actually built and carried boats on location in Peru and sailed the Amazon. And consider Kasper Hauser, where Herzog actually located someone who can (in some ways) be considered a feral child (Bruno S.) to play a feral child Kasper Hauser. In Heart of Glass, in order to have the actors appear disoriented, Herzog had the cast hypnotized before acting each scene. In perhaps the most daring movie ever made, the actors of Fitzarraldo physically carried a 320 ton steamboat over a mountain from one river to another. In these movies, acting and reality are often one in the same.



Perhaps one can consider that Bergman uses his dreamstate as a crutch, although he does use that crutch with impeccable skill. Conversely, the lack of dream perhaps drives Herzog to create an ultra-reality. In both cases, however, these movies are not for your average Hollywood moviegoer, and I think these directors have made these movies as self-conscious personal artistic documents without much regard for profitability (although many of these films have become part of the canon of classic cinema).


Take your Valentine to experience the movie aesthetic, Hollywood or otherwise.

Trust the DJ

Pacey says:

Increasingly, I have become enamored by mix albums over complete albums by a singular artists/groups. To this end, I have been listening more and more to DJ compilation albums, such as Gilles Peterson's releases, Carl Cox, and King Britt, in addition to mix album series such as the Back to Mine, Latenighttales, DJ Kicks, and Fabric series. I think this is a result of my being a dabbler by nature, and since most music is terrible, I enjoy having the cream of the crop compiled into easy to access units by respectable ears.

Being one who is fond of making mixes myself, I fully realize how much time and effort is required to wading through albums and artist catalogs to discover and extract prime cuts for assembly. Also, being somewhat removed from the music taste-making community, I am not aware of the totality of releases from overlooked or otherwise obscure sources. DJs have access to scores of music I've never heard of, and it is their job to sift through them to discover crucial music. So, when I discover a DJ whose taste I trust, I make an effort to track down their compilations because they are vastly rewarding.

Another source of found sound come from the artists whom I respect. With regard to this, a relatively new trend emerging is that artists are now releasing compilation mixes of songs they enjoy or that otherwise inspire them. Such compilations are goldmines of tasteful music. The first such compilation mix series of this kind I came across is the Back to Mine series when I found contributers included such respectable artists like Orbital, Underworld, and New Order. Since then, I've been a devotee of such releases, and taken together with DJ mixes, has expanded my musical pallet considerably.

Also, for entertaining house-guests, these compilation mixes make for splendid casual listening much more than a regular album by one artist/group. Not only is the diversity often better, but the albums are also better regarding track-for-track comparisons. Good compilation albums are what the radio should be, ideally.