I adore Dickens, his stories are timeless and timely...things haven't really changed a whole heck of a lot over the last 200 years, people are people,...moreI adore Dickens, his stories are timeless and timely...things haven't really changed a whole heck of a lot over the last 200 years, people are people, and I love the humanity of his books, his use of language is exquisite, the dialects are a delight at the same time they are a challenge to read...it is what adds color to the life of the story. The variations of the good people, none of them perfect...and of course, the variations of the bad, who are not so bad, but bad enough to get what they deserve in the end...all deftly handled. It's odd, I almost dreaded reading this one because my elder sister declared it "not her favorite Dickens", but I cannot say for sure which is my favorite, as I still have so many left to read...I will say, as a whole, Dickens is one of my favorite authors and he is an inspiration.(less)
My sister had this book when it first came out, I was young, and loved looking the spots off it...I found my copy at a used book store, and adore it j...moreMy sister had this book when it first came out, I was young, and loved looking the spots off it...I found my copy at a used book store, and adore it just the same as it inspires me to document my acre of the world, if not through drawings and writing, but also digital images...(less)
This book has been a favorite since I was about 14 or so when I checked out the copy from the Lyons Public Library one summer and devoured the book mo...moreThis book has been a favorite since I was about 14 or so when I checked out the copy from the Lyons Public Library one summer and devoured the book more than once...I always remembered it fondly more for its literary references rather than the story of Miss Catty itself, and how it inspired me to go digging into the old legends, Welsh poetry, and Lady Charlotte Guest’s Mabinogion, and the beauty of the mountains of Wales has haunted me ever since, leading me to appreciate other books about the subject, the Mabinogion, the books of Bulfinch’s Mythology, Osgood’s The Voice of England. Although I had not forgotten it, I forgot it, and came upon the author and title in an old diary that I had kept at the time, and was grateful for the reminder. Since then, I have looked for a copy of “The Lark” at various used book shops over the years, and have not found it, and it took a while to find a copy on Amazon, so when I did a random inquiry about the book recently, a 1964 library copy came up at a good price so I snagged it. Since it’s been so many years since I read it, I felt it was a guilty pleasure buying it, unsure if the magic would still be there as sometimes things from the past are not as wonderful as they were at the time, but once I opened up and got into it...yes, it is just as I remembered, the beautiful and at times brutal fairy tales glimmered their inspiration once again and the mysterious Welsh language remained just as precious. The delightful characters, Catty, Archibald, Morgan, Emma were alive and well, the theme of longing rising through a broken library window, the beauty of the landscape in tune with the harp played by Myfanwy Jones, and the cozy hold of tradition draped like the Paisley that Emma wore on Guy Fawkes night, and how the same traditions can turn violent as they did in the scene of the casting out of the arrogant "Foreigner" who got a young village girl pregnant. The triangulating relationship of Catty with Jane and Morgan has its typical moments of conflict and resolution, (at times Jane was a bit over the top.) The ending came with a "joyful quiet", and life goes on. It is a lovely book that is of a time, yet timeless, and I’m so happy to reunite with an old friend again!(less)
I loved it. I knew I would...I've held back from reading it because it's the last Virginia Woolf novel that I had left to read...this made me feel ter...moreI loved it. I knew I would...I've held back from reading it because it's the last Virginia Woolf novel that I had left to read...this made me feel terribly sad...even though I can re-read all of them again, it's the loss of "not knowing" and knowing that this is the last one she wrote that made me not read it for so long. The gorgeous, spare images, yet written with a depth that is by no means simplistic caught my imagination, and the beauty of her rhythm...she always gets me thinking. I was very amused by the ending of the play, how the players turned the mirrors onto the audience and how the audience became uncomfortable within their own skins, puzzled by the meaning of it, nigh offended by seeing themselves reflected (oh I loved it!) Picking up my copy of A Writer's Diary to read the entries having to do with "Poyntz Hall" (a.k.a P.H.) or the "Pageant"...November 23rd 1940 she mentioned finishing work on it "I've enjoyed writing almost every page." As a writer, I felt this while reading along, she was enjoying herself on this (thankfully) smaller canvas (The Years, which she declared was "a misery" was her last "big" novel.) I believe she might've been chuckling a bit to herself about the mirrors and the unsettled fussing, wondering, guessing, questioning...my goodness, it was such a treat, I giggled to myself.(less)
Magical...beautiful...vivid...lush...it felt very autobiographical, this was part of the magic of its reality. It really had such a sweet rhythm to it...moreMagical...beautiful...vivid...lush...it felt very autobiographical, this was part of the magic of its reality. It really had such a sweet rhythm to it as the story unwound with every sitting and then wound its way into my daily thoughts...I looked forward to picking it up again. I finished reading it several days ago, and still think about it...in that "missing you" sort of way that I feel when I've made myself at home in a story. Loved it!(less)
Kio Stark’s Follow Me Down, is one of those, “little-big” books that I love finding, and another one that I've read recently published by Red Lemona...moreKio Stark’s Follow Me Down, is one of those, “little-big” books that I love finding, and another one that I've read recently published by Red Lemonade. This book contains exquisite storytelling, beautiful writing, snapshots of images that are bits of a larger picture, very precise, an honest-to-goodness book—a human document that is unique. I love this book for what it is and I have dog-eared many favorite pages, underlining passages that resonate with Stark’s crisp vision, as if through a camera — she tells it like it is — the camera never lies. I’m so glad a book like this has found its way into the hands of readers — there is a purity of vision that has the elements of a classic, timelessness is part of the art of this book. It’s gorgeous.(less)
I love this book, and have found it difficult to put it down even now that I've finished it, I’ve dog-eared many pages and the cover already has that ...moreI love this book, and have found it difficult to put it down even now that I've finished it, I’ve dog-eared many pages and the cover already has that “loved” appearance. Zazen is a little-big book, a book of its time, yet it is made from the ancient bones of brave writing — the exquisite storytelling has that special, timeless magic to make this book a classic. Vanessa Veselka’s Della possesses a wry sense of humor that hits its mark with hilarious honesty that can make you laugh and break your heart at the same time in a way that I truly appreciate. Della’s matter-of-fact voice carried me on a journey through a landscape that was both unfamiliar and yet I knew it as home, and accepted it, bombs, Wal-Mart n’ all. At the same time that I feared for Della’s safety and sanity, I knew she was made of sterner stuff, and I knew that I, as the reader, was in good hands. This book will make the faint of heart reader squirm, and the bold reader will adore it for its unique qualities. I will not only recommend the book to anyone who I know will appreciate it, it’s a book that I will give to another reader as a present only because I feel they must read it. Kudos to Vanessa Veselka for writing this beautiful little-big book, and big thank you to Richard Nash & Red Lemonade for publishing such a precious gem!(less)
I'm so glad I found my way to this book, and Paula Fox...it's a book of its time, yet timeless, the writing is elegant and brave, the mood feels claus...moreI'm so glad I found my way to this book, and Paula Fox...it's a book of its time, yet timeless, the writing is elegant and brave, the mood feels claustrophobic, but at times hilarious in spite of the tension, the desperation. Otto and Sophie are in that middle-age landscape, the low valley between young and old, feeling a loss as it seems the world moves on in spite of them, their efforts, their frustration with others around them and a chain reaction of events threatening to undo the relative peace they thought they had, suffering quietly in their discontent, but they snap with occasional outbursts that momentarily stuns them... silent forgiveness and denial moves them onward. It is a mysterious little book, but it's all there...a thin slice of life, pared down to simplicity. It's beautiful, I loved it, and will go back to it many times. (less)
I bought this book on a whim, I didn't know much about Robert Ryman...as a painter, I'm always interested in reading about other painters and their pr...moreI bought this book on a whim, I didn't know much about Robert Ryman...as a painter, I'm always interested in reading about other painters and their practices...and anyone who consistently (and successfully) paints in white interested me a great deal as my work tends toward the monochromatic and all white paintings would be ideal (above and beyond a "polar bear in a snowstorm" jokes.) I loved the book design too (being a bookish person and author, I love books as objects as well, so this one has found a special place in my heart because of the attention paid to the design, inside and out, well done, I say! As with any art book, I waded through the theory like I always do with a touch of frustration and an occasional eye-roll, I've never been a fan of theory...of course, it has its place, but good grief some of it is just a little too pretentious to be approachable for most readers, but I was grateful that the book is well written and remained on track without becoming too blurred by fuzzy logic and wordy gobbledy-gook. I did like the bits of Ryman's quips about theory and how he feels about the things others write about his work, it seemed especially thick near the end of the book, his personality was coming through, and there were more and more quotes by him gathered together, which I really loved reading. Things like: "I have learned to accept doubt as part of the process." and "I knew that I could do it. I mean, I could paint the figure if I wanted to, or I could paint a landscape. I knew I could do that, because it was just a matter of learning the technique. But I knew that, if I could do it, anyone could do it...If I was going to do something with the paint and make something happen with it from in me, then that would be much more important and much more of a challenge. And so it was always abstract." I wished to read more of his own words, simply put, "I make paintings; I'm a painter." Well, shoot, I couldn't have said it better myself. He's a painter who clearly loves what he does. (less)
I was so sad to finish this lovely little book...I have adored its quiet nature, its steady pace, its humor, its classic themes steeped in a deep blue...moreI was so sad to finish this lovely little book...I have adored its quiet nature, its steady pace, its humor, its classic themes steeped in a deep blue twilight that twinkle with stars of modern elegance. I'm so glad to have discovered Margaret Drabble at this point in my life, and wish I had come to her sooner, but perhaps, now was the right time, in my youth yearning to be a writer, I may not have been ready for her wisdom.(less)
This is our latest effort as Field Stone Press, my Fred and I put this little art book together for art lovers to enjoy, this is our "body of wor...moreThis is our latest effort as Field Stone Press, my Fred and I put this little art book together for art lovers to enjoy, this is our "body of work" as artists from 2006-2011. Some people can't afford to buy the art, but love to have a book to take home and pour over pictures that they love; art books are special that way. This book is the result of many years of doing something we love, and in the immortal words of Joseph Campbell, "Follow your bliss..." and so we have. With deliberate intention we arranged the art on the pages without regard for chronological order. We thought it best to match compatible images and to offer the viewer a sense of wandering rather than marching through a garden. Random browsing is encouraged! Our personal commentary about each painting adds an intimate dimension to the book, and hopefully will not only explain what we do while painting, but will inspire a reader to want to make art...goodness knows, we could've laid aside our creativity because being stuck on survive in the day-to-day grind can certainly crush out anyone's spark.
Wow, it was a wild read...very intense at times, I could not put it down, I stayed up way too many nights late reading it! It was over the top creepy ...moreWow, it was a wild read...very intense at times, I could not put it down, I stayed up way too many nights late reading it! It was over the top creepy and beautifully written too...if you can imagine, an odd combo, beauty and creepy, not quite a 'you got chocolate in my peanut butter'...it's one of those combined flavors you've never had before and not sure if you're gonna like...which is a typical JCO novel. There are books that are an acquired taste and some books require a reader to have the flexibility to read them with an open mind and welcome the writing as it is and not go into it with preconceived notions set in concrete...and take an unexpected journey into a story unlike anything you've read before...that is the beauty of books.(less)
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