David S. Atkinson's Blog, page 210

Ranking Murakami?

Eddy Rathke was talking about Haruki Murakami recently on Facebook, particularly with respect to criticism of Murakami’s writing. Joseph Michael Owens engaged in the discussion and happened to mention that he thought Kyle Muntz and I should post about our Murakami preferences. Eddy agreed, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

Mind you, I still have problems ranking favorites. I like different parts of different things for different reasons, and even that can change with my mood or what I’m looking for at a particular time. This is especially difficult for something like Murakami writing.

Still, for Joe and Eddy, I’ll give it a shot. The below is how I feel right now, for a variety of reasons. I can classify into “most preferred,” “preferred,” and “ones that weren’t my favorites but were still rockin’.”

This is the best I can do.

Most preferred:

The Elephant Vanishes


Murakami, Haruki











South of the Border, West of the Sun


Murakami, Haruki











A Wild Sheep Chase (The Rat, #3)


Murakami, Haruki











After the Quake


Murakami, Haruki











The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle


Murakami, Haruki











Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World


Murakami, Haruki











Norwegian Wood


Murakami, Haruki

 

Preferred:

Dance Dance Dance


Murakami, Haruki











Kafka on the Shore


Murakami, Haruki











Sputnik Sweetheart


Murakami, Haruki











Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman


Murakami, Haruki











Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage


Murakami, Haruki

Ones that weren’t my favorites but were still rockin’

Pinball, 1973


Murakami, Haruki











Hear the Wind Sing


Murakami, Haruki











1Q84 (1Q84, #1-3)


Murakami, Haruki











After Dark


Murakami, Haruki











What I Talk About When I Talk About Running


Murakami, Haruki











Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche


Murakami, Haruki

Whether anyone agrees or not, or even respects my opinion, there we have it.

In Response To The Posting Of Facebook Copyright/Privacy Notices

I thought this was likely a hoax, but why not share just in case?

Due to the fact that God has chosen to implement creation including death, I state: at this date of January 8, 2015, in response to the acts of God, pursuant to articles L.111, 112 and 113 of the code of living existence, I declare that my rights to continued living existence are attached to all my person, body, mind, etc. In order to end any of these things in any way that may be considered ‘death’ or any significant impairment thereof, my written consent is required at all times.

Those who read this text can do a copy/paste on their Facebook wall or other publication medium. This will allow them to make themselves immortal. By this statement, I tell God that it is strictly forbidden to cause or allow me to die or take any other action against me on any basis whatsoever. The actions mentioned above also apply to employees, students, agents and or other personnel under the direction of God.

My living existence is protected. The violation of my living existence is punishable by law (UCC 1-308 1-308 1-103 and the Bible).

Facebook is now an open capital entity that may be able to be used to communicate the demand to remain living with God. All members are invited to publish a notice of this kind, or if they prefer, you can copy and paste this version.

If you have not published this statement at least once via some medium, you tacitly allow God to end (or allow to end) your living existence at any time he/she/they/it sees fit.

New Opportunity In 2015!!!!!

I just realized there is an absolutely new opportunity for all of you in 2015…you can buy my books!

The Garden of Good and Evil Pancakes

Bones Buried in the Dirt

Yeah, I realize that you could buy��The Garden of Good and Evil Pancakes in 2014 and��Bones Buried in the Dirt in both 2014 and 2013, however…2015 is the first time that you can buy either or both in 2015!

Isn’t that a great new opportunity? Just wanted to let you all know about that.

2014 Writing Review

Well, since 2014 is over I suppose it’s also time to look back at how the year was for me writing-wise. It was actually a really good year. 17 accepted short stories and my novel The Garden of Good and Evil Pancakes was published. That’s more short stories than I’ve ever had accepted in a year before (even more than the 16 I had accepted in 2013 before 1 got bumped and thus unaccepted, resulting in 15 accepted short stories for 2013).

No poem accepted this year like happened in 2013, but I don’t work with poetry very often so that’s no biggie. Also no book acceptance this year unlike 2013 and 2012, but I’ve got two things on various hooks right now so I’ll just keep my fingers crossed for 2015 (In fact, I whined about this on Facebook and immediately had some interest. Too bad for me everything was already under consideration somewhere, but extra cool on the interest and I’ve got somewhere to keep my eye on when I have something available). Further, my 2013 published book Bones Buried in the Dirt��was named a finalist in the First Novel (Under 80,000 words) category of the 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

All in all, a hell of a year. Not everything matches up to achievements in previous years, but there was more than enough achievement to count it an advancement. A record number of short story acceptances in a year is surely a cause for celebration.

Anyway, time to get back to writing. Here is a list of those stories I mentioned so you can take a peek. Some are online so you can click on over, but some are print only. I’ll make sure to include some links for that as well in case you want to get yourself some copies:

“The Declaration of Insufficiency: Getting Quality Work Out of ‘The Jeff’” published in issue of Hobo Pancakes.

“Remembering the Grunch at Christmas” published November 26, 2014 accompanying photography by Donigan Artworks in issue 7 of Vintage Boudoir Magazine.

“Working the Phones” published December 2, 2014��accompanying photography by Donigan Artworks in the Winter 2014 issue of Ms. Bombshell Magazine.

“The Semi-Secret Night World of Randy Rubinowski” published in the Fall 2014 (Vol. 5) “While the Moon Shines” issue of Midnight Circus.

“Shell Game Hustle” published in the fall 2014 issue (# 29) of Bachelor Pad Magazine.

“Not Wearing the Pants in the Family” published August 20, 2014 accompanying photography by Donigan Artworks in the Behind the Boudoir Doors Special Issue of Vintage Boudoir Magazine.

“Somebody Misplaced Montana” published in issue 17��(September 2014) ��of Used Gravitrons.

“The Las Vegas Strip Disappeared This Morning” published September 9, 2014 Smashed Cat Magazine.

“And Now a Word From Our Sponsor” published August 15, 2014 in Paragraph Line.

“Overfull: Bile and Cider” published August 1, 2014 in the Too Much anthology from Unknown Press.

“Glancing Blow” published October 27, 2014 in the special upcoming “Phantom” issue of The Lincoln Underground.

“In Pursuit of Art: Drinking NyQuil at Pharmacies” published May 23, 2014 at��Paragraph Line.

“Our Job was Just to Give Them a Show” published in the Summer 2014 issue #6 of Ms. Bombshell Magazine accompanying photography by Donigan Artworks.

“Home Invasion: Single Guy Problems” published in the summer 2014 Invasion and Occupation Vol 4 issue of��Midnight Circus.

“I contemplate the humble potato” published April 14, 2014 at��Cease, Cows.

“Rewriting James Reed,” to be published in the��Revenge of the Scammed Anthology��to��support Eddy Rathke.

“Benjamin Franklin was pissing on my apartment building door” published in Thumbnail 5.

Books That Surprised Me In 2014

Everybody seems to like doing year end lists of things like their favorite books in 2014, but I have trouble picking ‘favorites,’ or even ranking things completely against each other. I know if I like something, or if I really like something, but weighing two books against each other doesn’t always make a lot of sense to me…certainly not in a ranked list. It’s not clear cut enough, and my opinions change with my moods. It also isn’t something that is necessarily directly comparable.

We’ll overlook the fact that most people do these before the year is up, thus potentially omitting something groundbreaking they read in the last couple days. I definitely would wait until 2014 is over before making a 2014 list, but maybe others are more organized than me.

What I did decide to do though, was to mention a few books that took me by surprise in 2014 (not necessarily published in 2014, just read in it by me). Just a few, and this shouldn’t be taken as a slight against the other books I read and don’t mention here. These ones are from authors who I was already familiar with, but the authors did something so interestingly different from their other work I’ve read that I wanted to make special note. Range is an impressive thing.

Anyway, let’s get on with the list. You can take it for what you will, though the order is entirely random and nothing should be read into that either.

The Fat Man In History


Carey, Peter











Black Swan Green


Mitchell, David











Murphy


Beckett, Samuel











Hagridden


Snoek-Brown, Samuel *











Lost in Space: A Father���s Journey There and Back Again


Tanzer, Ben *











Twilight of the Wolves


Rathke, Edward J. *











Marabou Stork Nightmares


Welsh, Irvine











The Thursday Appointments of Bill Sloan


Gager, Timothy *











The Memory Hunter


Konrath, Jon *











Marjorie Morningstar


Wouk, Herman











Love and Death in the Moose League


Bradley, Ryan W. *














Shoemaker, Karen Gettert











Metronome


Seidlinger, Michael J. *











Bald New World


Tieryas, Peter *











Breakup: The End of a Love Story


Texier, Catherine *











Don���t Start Me Talkin���


Williams, Tom *

Previous Owner Of “War Trash” By Ha Jin: What The Hell?

I sometimes get books at the Goodwill because I read a lot and I can get trade paperbacks there for fifty cents. I often use this as an excuse to read outside my normal tastes, figuring I can spend fifty cents on almost anything. I was actually pleased to find a decent condition copy of War Trash by Ha Jin in this way, so I grabbed it. To the previous owner though, I have to say: What the hell?

I didn’t notice that there was writing in the book when I got it. I can accept that though, especially for fifty cents. Used copies are going to have some notes in them sometimes, and some underlining.

However, the previous owner of this copy of War Trash felt the need to scribble out every curse word in the book.

Seriously, what the hell? Was this person so much of of a swear nazi that he or she really had to scribble out all the curse words? Literally, every one. Even ‘damn’ and ‘Jesus’ (used as an expletive and not to refer to the religious personage). Do curse words offend this person that much? He or she felt called to censor Ha Jin?

Why were they even reading in the first place if he or she objected so much? Maybe he or she had to read the book as an assignment, I don’t know. Even if he or she felt the need to deface literature in this way (and keep in mind that he or she had already seen the word before scribbling it out), why then donate it? The book is insulted at that point; it’s merely going to make a less unreasonable reader angry.

Believe me, War Trash is a novel about Korean war POW camps. The few swear words that are there BELONG there.

Besides, I could still tell what the scribbled out word was. The context revealed, as well as various things like holding the page up to light, scribbled word length, or an occasional piece of a letter that the scribbling idiot missed. This person managed to do nothing other than make me angry that he or she wants to foist his or her views off onto someone else.

I mean, want to deface your own book to censor a writer who most likely knows better than you? Fine. Your copy, do what you like. But why then pass the book into the unknowing hands of someone else? Once I started already I went ahead and kept reading, but I wouldn’t have wanted that copy if I’d known beforehand.

Not even for fifty cents.

I didn’t want even that much connection to the sort of person who would do that. I would have gone out and bought a different copy instead. Even a new one at full price.

I still can’t believe someone would do something like this.

I Don’t Think It’s Really A New Year

Well, it’s been 2015 by now for a couple of days. However, I think someone is putting one over on us.

I don’t know about you, but 2015 looks a lot like 2014 so far. It’s almost as if they decided not to have a new year this time and are just rerunning 2014 with some new stuff thrown in to confuse us.

I think we’ve been scammed.

Sick Of The Snow And Thinking Of Doonesbury

Despite reputation, it doesn’t get that cold in Denver and snow doesn’t usually stick around in the city for long. However, we’re in a cold snap right now and that has coincided with some snow. As such, it isn’t going anywhere. Now, I spent much of my life in Nebraska…so this isn’t a big thing. However, you get used to the snow not staying around long.

I’m already pretty sick of this.

I just keep thinking of a Doonesbury strip from back in the mid 70s where Uncle Duke is Governor of American Samoa. One disastaster after another occurs until the following panel happens:

I kind of feel like this right now. I’m a reasonable man. I know that snow should be gone soon.

Now That It’s Available I Can Go Back To Not Seeing “The Interview” Because I Don’t Want To

Well, The Interview is finally available. You can rent it online and it’s already made fifteen million dollars (about a third so far of its forty four million dollar budget). That’s great. Now I can go back to not seeing it because I don’t want to as opposed to someone telling me that I can’t.

I’m sure you’ve already heard the story about the hack and all the brouhaha over pulling the film. If you were in a situation where you wouldn’t have heard, you probably also wouldn’t be able to see this post. We’ll just assume you know���because most everybody already does.

I do have to be honest, I kind of wanted to see the movie just to thumb my nose at whoever didn’t want me to. I’m not completely convinced it was North Korea. Some people seem to be really certain it was, but other people aren’t so sure. Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t, maybe it was Sony screwing around all the time. I just don’t know.

I do admit that it was kind of weird to make a movie about assassinating a sitting world leader. I wouldn’t try to stop someone from doing it, but I did think it was a little rude, regardless of any bad/good about that particular leader. I just thought people always had some fake leader who was completely obviously the mocked actual leader if there was going to be something like an assassination. I don’t know. Just seemed odd.

In any event, we can all see the movie now. That leads us back to the fact that I didn’t really want to see another Seth Rogen/James Franco movie anyway. I’ve seen one or two before, and even liked some of Rogen’s movies, but I just never felt like watching this one. Even with all the hubbub, I still don���t. Not for $5 online, not at all.

At least I’m free not to watch it of my own volition now.

2014 in review

WordPress generated an annual report for my blog. Thought I’d share that:

 

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

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Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 27,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.