Kevin Booth's Blog, page 3
November 11, 2016
Gift of the Raven – Catriona Troth
Rather than a full book review, in these posts, I simply jot down a few lines on books I’ve enjoyed.
Gift of the Raven by Catriona Troth
“The people of the Haida Gwaii tell the legend of the raven – the trickster who brings the gift of light into the world.”
An emotionally raw tale of an outcast, abused and orphaned boy, whose “hair is black like night, and [whose] skin is the colour of Auntie Jean’s strong tea” and his quest to find his father. “I’ve never seen anyone who looks like me but that’s okay because I belong here anyway”. This story about the budding relationship between a father and son touched a deep emotional chord for its sincerity and the delicacy of its prose. One of those books where the tears are never far from welling up, but a tremendously uplifting read.
Available from Amazon
July 9, 2015
Some Thoughts on Same-Sex Marriage. It’s Not All Rainbows and Unicorns.
Originally posted on Pamela Helberg:
I have some things to say that are not going to be very popular, Dear Reader. Seems to be a trend lately, but I’ve got to be true to myself. Here’s the deal. Yesterday morning when my running buddy texted me asking if I’d seen the SCOTUS ruling yet, my heart sank a little. Not because I don’t believe we need equality. I totally believe we do. I’m just not sure marriage is the best means to that end.
So, while I’m happy that so many people I know are happy, I’ve not rainbowed my Facebook picture. I probably won’t. And here’s why: I’m a failure at gay marriage. As I type this blog, my same-sex marriage is dissolving its way through the Whatcom County Court system. My wife and I (for technically we still are married) were together 15 years. We got legally married in December 2013, and our…
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July 7, 2015
We’ll never tell you what to write about, but…
Originally posted on Oyez Review:
As a poetry editor, the sheer amount of poems you read can be very daunting. When you read hundreds of poems, you begin to notice that there are a few topics everyone seems to want to write about. It only takes a couple of these poems for you to sigh whenever you see certain themes emerging from the words in front of you. Not this again, you think, and push the thought back and give the poem a chance. But by choosing a topic that has been done so much and by so many, and by the greats before us, the poet has created an uphill job for themselves in trying to give a fresh face to these old themes.
I’ve seen too many poems about death. These poems are usually about the death of someone close to the author. Death and love have to be the two most…
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June 18, 2015
The “Why Cheap Art Manifesto” by the Bread and Puppet Theater
A couple of days ago, I discovered this manifesto on cheap art put out by Vermont’s (formerly NY’s) Bread and Puppet Theater in 1984. While I’ve been aware of the B&P Theater’s work ever since my student actor days in Auckland, New Zealand, in the early eighties, this manifesto was a new find. I share it here as I think it chimes nicely with my own project, Barcelona Free Art, a guide to art you can see for free in Barcelona. It inspires me regarding why we produce art.
The Bread and Puppet Theater company, which this year is celebrating “50 years of sublime arse-kicking puppetry”, was established in the early sixties by Peter Schumann, a sculptor, dancer and baker recently emigrated from Germany, and his wife Elka (apologies if I quote liberally from their website, but the hour is late). Its aims were (and are) to highlight issues like “rents, rats, police, and other problems of the neighborhood”, and it has gone from strength to strength, creating bigger and braver productions over the years.
Anyway, without further ado, the manifesto:
You can purchase your copy here.
Further info: http://buff.ly/1G3p23S
The Morality of Language
Originally posted on Cody C. Delistraty:
Does speaking in a second language make you a more moral person?
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June 16, 2015
“i like living, breathing better than working. my art is that of living.” –duchamp
With great shots of early #Cadaques to start, #Duchamp speaks on “avoiding the painting of the retina”, from his Impressionist beginnings to “Nude Descending Stairs”.
Originally posted on titus toledo:
“i like living, breathing better than working. my art is that of living.” –duchamp
#duchamp #art #antiart #zen
June 9, 2015
Get Dirty
Very inspiring! My mind is ticking over concerning my next novel.
Originally posted on Storyshucker:
I’m going to be dirty today.
As a kid, Mama often met me on the back stoop as I came in from playing outside. With a broom in her hand she’d have me slowly turn in a circle while she brushed dirt from my blue jeans. She wasn’t against sweeping my bare legs either if I happened to be wearing shorts.
“Don’t bring that mess in this house.” She’d say. “Did you plan to get dirty?”
Well no. I hadn’t planned to. I was a kid. There was dirt. We met and fell in love. The end.
I remembered that this morning as I thought about where to plant some things in the yard. I still love dirt. Not potting soil in shiny garden-center bags. I don’t care for the sterile smell of plastic and perlite. I love real dirt. Earth.
One of the finest smells of spring is that…
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January 11, 2015
Competition news!
I���ve extended the giveaway I���m running on Goodreads for the first two books in The Jewel Fish Chronicles for one final week. You can sign up here to go in the draw, which will now close on Monday 19 January. Three copies of the first two books, Through the Whirlpool and Twilight Crosser going free to a good home.
Here���s the link, or else hit the button below:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/119291-through-the-whirlpool
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Through the Whirlpool
by K. Eastkott
Giveaway ends January 19, 2015.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
December 11, 2014
A few good books
In the lead-up to Christmas, I thought I���d list a few of the best reads I���ve recently enjoyed. All of these books, by one male and three female authors, are by independent authors, though it wasn���t my specific intention to pick them out as such. They could as easily have come through one of the ���big five��� publishers. Three of these books I purchased at their full price on Amazon. One I received free on signing up to a mailing list. Two of the authors are known to me personally, though neither of the latter asked me to leave a review nor even knows I am writing it. I have not been supplied with advanced reader copies nor done a deal to swap reviews. Neither am I receiving payment, in-kind or otherwise, for these words.
Gift of the Raven by Catriona Troth
Gift of the Raven by Catriona Troth
An emotionally raw tale of an outcast, abused and orphaned boy���s quest for a father whose ���hair is black like night, and [whose] skin is the colour of Auntie Jean���s strong tea. I���ve never seen anyone who looks like me but that���s okay because I belong here anyway���. This story about a budding relationship between a father and son touched a deep emotional chord for its sincerity and the delicacy of its prose. One of those books that affected��me deeply.
House of Silence by Linda Gillard
House of Silence by Linda Gillard
A young woman for whom family signifies betrayal and abandonment, and who has learnt to maintain her emotional isolation, falls for a seductive young actor whose sprawling web of relatives she welcomes as icing on her romantic cake. Yet invited for Christmas at their chilly old mansion presided over by a flighty matriarch, cracks in the family���s happy fa��ade cause her to question the enigmatic past of this apparently idyllic family. Steering skilfully between the genres of romance and mystery, Linda Gillard has written a captivating read that will keep you guessing till the end.
One Night at the Jacaranda by Carol Cooper
One Night at the Jacaranda by Carol Cooper
In search of love, a delightful miscellany of contrasting London types sign up for a night of speed-dating at the Jacaranda pub. Following the trials and tribulations of an undercover journo desperate for a feature, a GP with custody issues, a single mother, a terminally ill cat-lover, an obsessive misogynist and an ex-con, among others, Carol Cooper has written a light, witty and enjoyable book about the perennial quest for one���s better half.
Thoreau in Love by John Schuyler Bishop
Thoreau in Love by John Schuyler Bishop
Pages torn from Thoreau���s personal journal inspired this fictional account, postulating on the idea that the missing pages, covering his youthful sojourn in New York, would reveal a gay dalliance, were they extant today. Suffice to say I adored this book. It is wholeheartedly a romance in the rough, passionate, slightly bawdy and infinitely tender way of two young men in love. Above all it is an intelligent book, one which appears well researched and which seems to pay deep respect to Thoreau���s character.
September 21, 2014
Forty Indies Read at Chorleywood
Forty of the most amazing indie authors on the scene will be reading, signing, greeting, selling, laughing, sighing, crying, shrieking and otherwise emoting for your ultimate reading pleasure!
Forty of the most amazing indie authors on the scene will be reading, signing, greeting, selling, laughing, sighing, crying, shrieking and otherwise emoting for your ultimate reading pleasure!
The Indie Author��Fair, running from 2 ��� 5 pm on 16 November,��is��part of the Chorleywood Literary Festival. Organised by the Chorleywood Bookshop, Triskele Books and the��Alliance of Independent Authors, forty authors will be on hand to talk to you about their books, sign copies, give readings, and I���m sure offer generous discounts. Some of the best writers on the Indie scene, including Carol Cooper, Jane Davis, Helena Halme, Dan Holloway, Rohan Quine and Orna Ross will be at the British Legion Hall in Chorleywood, 2 ��� 5 pm, Sunday 16 November.
During the fair, I will be reading an excerpt from my novel, “Celia’s Room”. It’s��the last slot in the 15:30-15:45 bracket.��Here’s��the full list of readers:
14:30 ��� 14:45
1. Geoff Gudgion (thriller)
2. Jane Davis (literary)
3. Marisha Pink (contemporary ��� Southeast Asia)
4. JW Hicks (dystopia)
15:30-15:45
1. DJ Kelly (docu-fiction)
2. Liza Perrat (history)
3. Jane Turley (comedy)
4. Kevin Booth (contemporary ��� Spain)
16:30-16:45
1. Debbie Young (Flash fiction)
2. Rohan Quine (Literary)
3. JD Smith (history)
4. Ellie Stevenson (supernatural)
Come along, come along and join in the fun at the Indie Author Fair!
Indie Author��Fair, in the British Legion Hall, Chorleywood, 2 ��� 5 pm on 16 November!
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