Hello Gentle Reader
My mother used to say to me when I was younger: in with the new and out with the old. That reminds me of my old clothes – and the ‘handme,’ downs that followed, but also the new clothes as well. There also came new other items of the house: new dishes; new glasses; dog and the addition of cats – all continuously new. Now days most people remind me of the paramount reality: the only aspect of life you can count on is change. For someone like myself who has the delightful trait of being a ‘fixed,’ personality – someone stabilized within the confines of the reality that has been shaped now. No immediate changes or unnecessary adjustments; which is of course why routine in my life is paramount, next to shadow of the realization that change is inevitable; and why in my own personal space/living space, or quarters of my own, do not move or touch my stuff. Everything has its order, its organization and its place. When something is missing because it was moved, nothing becomes more infuriating and frustrating – the invasion and then the blasphemy itself of feeling entitlement to actual move something without, my own consideration, is even more exasperating. Foreign finger prints on a books dust, often is a sin for my books. Tenderly loved, like an old woman who fusses with plants and talks to them; I take great care to make sure that my books are kept in the upmost condition. That being said, when a book has lost its lustre or proves to be a dead weight; if at all possible it is returned to the establishment in which it was purchased from. If the return policy refuses me my refund and no leniency is granted, then an alternative is usually made. A gift for someone who loves books. Though philanthropy is not a cheap hobby or one that one gets any gain from, other than that tingle in their chest; so it is usually more profitable to try and get some money back. Books that have been reviewed here have been given away. Natsuo Kirino’s “Real World,” was given away after the first reading. It came at a discounted price that one could not refuse, and therefore there was no real loss. Other books like Will Self’s short story collection “Grey Area,” and “The Collected Stories,” by Amy Hempel however did bring in some losses. As did the selected stories of Patricia Highsmith. Quick decisions without enough research and though put in them, leads to some poor financial management. – As with the books, so does this blog at times find it has rather unmentionable posts lying about; in need of getting rid of. Some still need to go; and many more books need to be re-read and re-reviewed and updated. The only problem with that is that, right now that is not in proper time management. To be honest and frank Gentle Reader, there would be great pleasure in reading so many works; like “The Black Book,” by Orhan Pamuk and “The Passport,” by Herta Müller; or “Ragnarok: the end of the Gods,” by A.S. Byatt, or “The Strangers Child,” (well in a few more years) by Alan Hollinghurst, even “Palace Walk,” by Naguib Mahfouz, and “The Sound of the Mountain,” by Yasunari Kawabata. Yet there is still excitement over other books that have yet to be read “Ninth,” by the Hungarian author Fernac Bernas, “Aminidab,” by French writer and Philosopher Maurice Blanchot, among so many other writers and books, that are on the “to read pile,” but also incorporating a list of authors and books that are looked into for reading. That is why though Gentle Reader previous posts have been deleted. Posts that have been seen as ‘prototypes,’ at best, but for the most part they were deemed a waste of space on the blog.
A New Year and a clean slate. A chance to continual improve and refine. To a New Year, that is just around the corner.
Some good books are coming out in two-thousand thirteen. The release of Will Self’s first booker nominated novel “Umbrella,” – which I am sure will be full polysyllabic words and may be a sumptuous read, though one does need to make sure that it is not bought on spontaneous impetuous grounds. Careful considerations and reservations in regards to it are to be held. It is written in a High Modernist style reminiscent of James Joyce’s almost unreadable and intimidating novel “Finnegan’s Wake.” One of the pre-eminent French writers Pierre Michon’s novel is set out to in February, by Archipelago Books titled “Elven.” The second book in Karl Ove Knausgaard in his monumental Proustian like memoir “My Struggle,” is also due out by Archipelago Books. These volumes of a family memoir and narrative have made Mr. Knausgaard, beloved and bereaved at home in Norway, and a literary enfant terrible. New Directions Publishing all brings forth one of the greatest modern Arabic works of fiction “That Smell and Notes from Prison,” by Sonallah Ibrahim. One can only wait and see what else is going to come from two-thousand and thirteen.
A wish for all to be safe, in their evening and night of celebration and spirits, as they ring in the New Year; and look forward to seeing you Gentle Readers, in the New Year, for another year of writing and discovery.
Thank-you For Reading Gentle Reader
Take Care
And As Always
Stay Well Read
*And Remember: Downloading Books Illegally is Thievery and Wrong.*
M. Mary
