Book and Beer

Having a stab at doing something a bit different on the much ignored Instagram account, and thought I would put this mildly interesting effort on here, also. There are other things I could be doing but this seems like the most important when the day tops 21 degrees.

Having had a walk around the neighbourhood, and avoiding the main roads, it’s been lovely just appreciating the bright blue skies against the surprisingly many cherry blossom trees. Waving at dogs and horses and walking up steep pot-holed streets has also been a pleasure today.

A tasty beer and a great book in this glorious weather is the other perfect pastime. Washing down Irène Némirovsky’s words with a grapefruit infused IPA helps this reader appreciate the peace of the day, contrasting perfectly with those days in France as World War Two started to take its toll as superbly depicted by one of my favourite authors.

Both book and beer are highly recommended in any weather. Plant sold seperately. As per usual for a bank holiday weekend, the weather is expected to turn miserable so shall enjoy all this whilst it lasts.

When a writer bleeds

As mad times abound with night shift at work, copious amounts of short naps and insomnia for the rest of the time, I don’t really have anything post worthy at the moment, which will no doubt be remedied when I return properly sometime near the end of the month, so here’s some showcasing of another blog and a good friend, enjoy!

Asha Seth

her world shrinks
as faces cease to exist
days lack brightness
nights miss the glow

walks become rambles
blank are the thoughts
no place is desirable
just she and herself

behind shut doors
are windows closed
and the solitary corner
beckoning her

not a speck of light
in the gloomy room
except a flickering
lamp at the table
she bleeds on

walls see her drown
in a gush of emotions
secrets they hold
that none will ever know

whimper to words
sorrow to scribbles
and yet another story
is about to be born

~~~~~~~
Asha Seth

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A Love Affair

Image found at http://www.fromoldbooks.org which shows a dictionary of thieving slang from 1736

A Love Affair

Lilting, coruscating, amorphous

The simple serendipity of a thesaurus,
The nebulous wonder of infinite word combinations, linked together like the great constellations.

Sultry, dulcet, ebullient

Words. Sometimes a harbinger, at times a denouement but always a panoply of reverence in one’s own demesne.
Whether the susurrus of turned pages or the sonorous language contained within,
The full flow of expression written and imbibed, is mine to cherish and cultivate.

mellifluous, sumptuous, tranquil

A pure rhapsody of ever-changing felicity,
suffuse with redolent comprehension.
The zenith of my love surrounds me always, infused within, now and for tomorrow.

WordPlay – Dr Glenn A. Bassett

WordPlay lays out the functions of language as the foundation of what is loosely called mind. Studies of language in primitive cultures by anthropological linguists demonstrate the existence of a basic set of words called semantic primes in every cultural setting. Language is extended and elaborated on the foundation of semantic primes to construct a mental map of the perceived phenomenal world. Once in place, a rich culture of language is passed on from each generation to the next by example. Words ultimately become so ubiquitous and necessary that they take on a reality all their own. Mental maps become more real than the reality of direct experience. Establishment of a critical capacity for knowing truth demands a study of psycholinguistics. The fund of social psychological research made available through research over the past century offers a window on the way words are used to captivate, illuminate, intimidate, inform and imbue us with intelligence. WordPlay is a compilation of the most salient research that pertains to language use. It is a layman’s introduction to psycholinguistics. The emphasis is on how words shape behavior and become the substance of the mind. This is knowledge of those habits of mind that can interfere with straight, clear thinking. It is antidote to functional social ignorance of our rich language culture.

The nuances of one’s own language are a fascinating thing but to compare the meaning of certain words to those of other languages and view them through the social and political landscape makes the way we communicate even more compelling.  Language is shared collective experience of history, a record of societal beliefs, take the Aborigines for example, they have no word for freedom because they have no concept of it in the way that plenty of other cultures do, it brings to the fore how understanding a culture properly goes hand in hand with learning the language.

As the bloggers that most of you reading this are, when we write things we perhaps do so from the perspective of our own language, this book is a wake up call for choosing our words with more care for clarity.  To consider others who have English as a second or third language, it makes the choice of words and the way we communicate seem more important, it feels almost like there is an art  for picking the precise words to convey my thoughts.

Mail High Club

There is something exciting about being greeted in the morning by a package, an international package no less.  Naturally I had to go share this with other people but with everybody being at work and having a day off myself I did the next best thing.  Wandering into town, found a public place, sat down, cleared my throat dramatically and a little too loudly and made sure my index finger was pointed at the word priority.

Assured of absolutely nobody paying attention, it was with gusto that I ripped the envelope open like some sort of animal, a book loving wolf possibly.  My prize was an exciting new book (courtesy of the folks at New Shelves Distribution), that I am looking forward to getting my teeth into.

Finally, this year the feeling of focus is coming together and from now on the blog posts will start to become more frequent, as will the visits which have been wholly lacking in your general direction so far.  As it stands there are six books to review on the pile and plenty mo e on the shelves that I should reacquaint myself with from my reading past.  The blogging year definitely starts here…

Wizard’s First Rule – Terry Goodkind

One man, Richard Cypher, holds the key to the fate of three nations of humanity but until he learns the Wizard’s First Rule his chances of succeeding in his task are slim. And his biggest problem is admitting that magic exists at all…A novel of incomparable scope and brimming with atmospheric detail: in a world where heart hounds stalk the boundaries for unwary human prey, blood-sucking flies hunt on behalf of their underworld masters, and where artists can draw more than your likeness, there is no place to hide, nowhere safe. Here magic makes love twice as sweet, betrayal and loss twice as bitter.

This book perplexes me even years after reading and pondering upon it.  The story promises so much and then sort of delivers a little bit but doesn’t at the same time.  Stuff like this bothers me, it should have been a good 800 odd page epic first book in a massive heroic series that would replace my need for a big saga after The wheel of Time and of course all the Middle Earth mythology had been devoured.

Although I am more wary of fantasy these days due to a much more varied diet of words and ideas.  I still like to indulge in epic world quests, that way I can pretend to do the same quests on various planes, just without the sword or having to sleep in an inn to replenish my Hit Points.  When browsing the ‘must read fantasy books’ this is one that inexplicably always seems to be mentioned and if you can’t believe the readers of their own genre, then where is the humanity I ask you?

I like build up, the calm before the storm which demands to be savoured before our heroes are plunged into a new world of discovery and adventure.  I didn’t want to have the whole plot set out for me in the first ten pages like it was here. There was lot plot, an obscene amount of coincidences rendering the whole idea a farce,  as well as a lot of acceptance about life changing events.  Once all this is neatly wrapped up then on we move on and start the story proper..  It was all a bit mental and disappointingly unbelievable especially as there isn’t enough plot for the length of book leading the author to indulge in character building segments which don’t work. Everyone seems to delight in doing things they shouldn’t do according to their own beliefs.  This inconsistency and two-dimensional nature makes caring about the characters a very difficult task.

Ode to a Blank Sheet of Paper

Ode to a Blank Sheet of Paper

~

~

What are you?

~

A blank, a hollow. To be approached, with caution, respect and fear…

or perhaps with excitement.

An expression of me as I pour forth, my soul onto you.

~

Perceptions differ, when you promise so much but with your blank stare.  You can ruin days with that impenetrable facade.

You are the affair that can go wrong – the cruel mistress of empty failure – or so, so right.

~

You are open and closed, in two states fused together; tempting, teasing and merciless.

Ready on my whim, you open yourself to my thoughts, my deepest imaginings,

Impassive in the recording, you stand up to the intensest scrutiny, my eyes taking in everything that you possess.

~

You are what you are.

An enigma. The best of me, sometimes the worst of me, always a mirror to my thoughts.

My mute companion through so many journeys never witnessed by others, my secret life.

~

My finite obsession.

~

All in the Mind

Just a quick one today, here is an awesome composition, that describes perfectly how I am feeling:

So your challenge, if you choose to accept it is, can anyone put it into words for me just what this feeling is? It would be greatly appreciated to have the words at hand….

The Wheel of Time Series

Fantasy is one of the biggest genres for polarising opinions and as most of you know your own minds, I won’t waste my time on the usual small talk but get straight down to a good/bad points review of the series, with no spoilers whatsoever.

The series has all the classic hallmarks, a dark one, light vs evil, young people from a remote village who don’t know anything about the outside world.  There are myths, legends, prophecies etc, you know the drill.  I don’t read much fantasy myself but this is one heck of a journey.

Most interesting from a me point of view is the use of many spiritual and literary references to be spotted….

Good Points