by William J. Higginson (1958)

2023 reads, 8/12:

“This is the main lesson of haiku. When we compose a haiku we are saying, ‘It is hard to tell you how I am feeling. Perhaps if I share with you the event that made me aware of these feelings, you will have similar feelings of your own.’”

A great introduction to the art of haiku. Higginson covers famous poets throughout history, and discusses their inspirations by breaking down how each of them approached haiku differently. I now definitely have a better understanding of how to both compose haiku (and why it’s best not to limit yourself to the 5-7-5 syllable 'rule') and appreciate it. Recommended for anyone interested in haiku, and even poetry in general.

#readingyear2023 #poetry

by Don DeLillo (1985)

2023 reads, 7/12:

Death, consumerism, and academic elitism, all set against the backdrop of a hyperreal 1980s America, comprise this satirical novel revolving around Jack Gladney and his stepfamily. Much like We Have Always Lived in the Castle|89724, I actually watched the White Noise movie first on Netflix, without knowing anything prior; this made me want to read the source material to further understand the main themes and anything else the movie might have missed (although I feel the need to say that Greta Gerwig absolutely nailed the role of Babette).

Part I of the book, “Waves and Radiation,” sets in place the many themes throughout. We meet Murray, a new professor at the college where Jack teaches. Through the process of trying to solidify his own “Elvis Studies” program, we quickly descend into a satire of academia. The multitude of superficial pop-culture departments at this college (Hitler studies, Elvis studies, cinematic car crash seminars, to name a few), and the way the professors talk to one another is extremely exaggerated and elitist, albeit entertaining. These scenes were done very well in the movie as well.

"‘We're all brilliant. Isn't that the understanding around here? You call me brilliant, I call you brilliant. It's a form of communal ego.’"

Reading “Part II: The Airborne Toxic Event,” it’s hard to not be reminded of the 2023 Ohio train derailment or any other man-made disasters we learn about in school. The book portrays the negatives of this growth of technology and mass media in the 1980s, leading to a hysteria and borderline obsession over these types of disasters.

The events in Part II lead right into Part III, 'Dylarama,' and it's here that leads to many interpretations as to what the titular “white noise” is. Of course, it could refer to the constant background noise (both visual and audible) of advertisements, mass media, and the metaphorical rubbernecking of man-made disasters. Or even “Mr. Grey,” one who Jack sees in “extraneous flashes,” one whose body “flares with random distortion.” But I think that Jack’s (and Babette’s) fear of death is the white noise – it’s always around them, further exacerbated by everything previously mentioned; Hitler, Elvis, the airborne toxic event, Mr. Gray, and even the advertisements trying to sell you a better life.

"‘How do you plan to spend your resurrection?’ he said, as though asking about a long weekend coming up. ‘We all get one?’"

Also, how awesome are these movie posters?

#readingyear2023 #physicallyowned #american #book2screen

by Hunter S. Thompson (1973)

2023 reads, 6/12:

“Jesus! Where will it end? How low do you have to stoop in this country to be President?”

On the surface, this reads like a tamer version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, although with just as much gonzo, as this novel chronicles Thompson’s coverage of the 1972 democratic primaries and the resulting race between incumbent Nixon and nominee George McGovern. Within the text, Thompson throws in his own haphazard accounts of his time as Rolling Stones’ journalist for the Democratic party.

“...back on the Campaign Trail… running late, as usual: left hand on the wheel and the other on the radio dial, seeking music, and a glass of iced Wild Turkey spilling into my crotch on every turn.”

It starts off a little slow, because like any primary race, you spend the time meeting and learning about an entire cast of politicians. But things pick up as that cast dwindles and as Thompson gets closer to the Democratic and Republican primaries, then to the race between Nixon and McGovern, and finally the resulting aftermath. It was enlightening to see how, over the course of the novel, the campaign took a toll on Thompson (which he never hid from us, remarking “…the last thing I wanted to think about was the grim, inescapable spectre of two more frenzied months on the campaign trail”). To me, that perfectly reflected the fatigue we’ve all been having these past few elections.

“Yes… and… uh, where were we? I have a bad tendency to rush off on mad tangents and pursue them for fifty or sixty pages that get so out of control that I end up burning them, for my own good.”

Thompson gives us an up-close and personal look at the election, with some comprehensive political analysis and interviews, while also remarking on the danger of running for president and bashing the American political system. This work was described as “eerily prophetic,” and while there is no one-to-one analog between present and past politicians, I certainly agreed that entire concepts and commentaries in the campaign heavily reflected that of 2016 and 2020. Of course, that could just be the fact that some things never change.

#readingyear2023 #american #govpol #humor #physicallyowned

by Aaron Fisher (2022)

2023 reads, 5/12:

“By being quiet and present to the tea, on the inside, we are sharing ourselves with the moment. The tea, once a plant – rain, earth, and sky – is now becoming human, a part of the stream of human consciousness.”

This book was a great introduction to the history of tea as a meditation. Right from the beginning, Fisher tells us that the subject of tea, meditation, and Taoism could fill volumes, and that this book doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Instead, he goes above and beyond to give his own insights as someone living a life of meditation and clarity (and tea!), with some information about tea history and traditional ceremonies. It was a great book, and I enjoyed reading it during my tea sessions.

#readingyear2023 #foodanddrink #philosophy

by Bora Chung (2017)

2023 reads, 4/12:

“So she kept watching TV, trying to empty her heart and mind as she gazed upon the meaningless progression of scenes on the screen. But the well of thought taps a deep spring, and no matter how much she tried to bail them out, her thoughts kept overflowing the brim…”

This horror-ish short story collection was a wild trip. I say “horror-ish” because there’s a little bit of everything in here – fantasy, science fiction, body horror, even drama, but these stories all share the common thread of surrealism. For example, characters might not respond how we would expect them to in certain situations, which admittedly can be a little disorienting at first. But once you accept that and embrace the absurdity, it becomes less disorienting – and I ended up really liking this aspect of the book (and Chung’s writing in general).

My favorites were probably the title story, 'Cursed Bunny,' and 'The Frozen Finger.' The former is a dark spin on the classic fairy-tale genre (but I guess considering that Grimms’ Fairy Tales was originally dark, this is more of a return to form), while the latter is a surreal trip where our we are as blind as the main character, trying to figure out the circumstances surrounding a mysterious car crash. 'Ruler of the Winds and Sands' is also a highlight, exploring the mythical desert world of kings, gods, and greed.

If any of these stories sound intriguing to you, I highly recommend this short story collection!

#readingyear2023 #fantasy #scifi #shortstories #spooky

by Durian Sukegawa (2013)

2023 reads, 3/12:

“‘All experience adds up to a life lived as only you could. I feel sure the day will come when you can say: this is my life.’”

A really wonderful slice-of-life read. I originally saw this book in an article titled 10 Books That Feel Like Wes Anderson Movies and honestly it hit the mark pretty well. For a novel like this, it was the perfect mix of both dialogue and internal musings from the main character, and general descriptive passages of the world surrounding him. Most of the novel takes place at the small dorayaki shop where the main character works.

Without spoiling, this book also handled really well how a certain group of people were treated unfairly in Japan, and the aftermath of the resulting government intervention. This was something I had never known about before, and even prompted me to do future research on the topic. Follow this link to learn more and possibly be spoiled.

Despite the hardships of all three of the characters, however, this was a bittersweet-yet heartwarming story. While this book will certainly give you mixed emotions, the writing and story are very well done – an absolute pleasure to read.

#readingyear2023 #feelgood #physicallyowned

by Jean-Paul Sartre (1946)

2023 reads, 2/12:

“My purpose here is to offer a defence of existentialism against several reproaches that have been laid against it.”

This book was really a lecture that Sartre gave on October 28, 1945, in Paris, in order to defend the philosophy of existentialism, and describe it to a general audience (this book was published a year later). He emphasizes the underlying creed – that existence precedes essence – and spends the rest of the lecture giving examples and further clarifying his thoughts.

This was more so a utility read for me, to further understand Sartre’s thoughts on what existentialism was. It wasn’t as dry as I was expecting, but the short length helped with that. Regardless, it was great seeing how Sartre had expanded on and refined his ideas since [book:Nausea|298275], a book seemingly overwhelmed with despair. Not sure if there’s any historical accuracy to this, but I could see that book being one of the reasons he felt the need to defend existentialism. I overall enjoyed this, and would classify it as an essential to anyone who wants to further understand existentialism (and how it differs from absurdism), and the general French philosophy at the time.

“This relation of transcendence as constitutive of man (not in the sense that God is transcendent, but in the sense of self-surpassing) with subjectivity (in such a sense that man is not shut up in himself but forever present in a human universe) – it is this that we call existential humanism”

#readingyear2023 #philosophy

by Italo Calvino (1972)

2023 reads, 1/12:

“I shall begin by asking you about a city of stairs, exposed to the sirocco, on a half-moon bay. Now I shall list some of the wonders it contains: a glass tank high as a cathedral so people can follow the swimming and flying of the swallow fish and draw auguries from them; a palm tree which plays the harp with its fronds in the wind; a square with a horseshoe marble table around it, a marble tablecloth, set with foods and beverages also of marble.”

Magical realism abounds in this 1972 novel (collection?) from Italo Calvino, an author that has been on my radar for a long time. These are not short stories, but rather a collection of descriptions of imaginary cities that explorer Marco Polo is describing to the emperor Kublai Khan. Although they do not speak the same language, this is a nonissue, because Marco Polo uses dances, objects, and visualizations to describe the cities to Khan. Their relationship (which we learn more about during the interludes) is one based off of understanding one another with unspoken words.

But to us readers, however, Calvino utilizes the perfect mix of vivid imagery (to describe the physical features of cities) and storytelling of the people, spirits, and culture that make up these cities. To me, this is a master craft on visualization, and I cannot recommend it enough – 2023 is starting off strong.

“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”

BONUS: some of my favorite cities include (and this list does not give any justice to the descriptions in the book):

• Zaira (Cities and Memory 3), a city that does not measure physical space, but “relationships between the measurements of its space and the events of its past”
• Despina (Cities and Desire 3), a city which can be reached by either ocean or desert, and depending on where you enter, you always desire the other side (a perfect metaphor for ‘the grass is always greener’)
• Euphemia (Trading Cities 1), a city which sets up a trading bazaar to not only trade wares, but memories of each other’s lives
• Adelma (Cities and The Dead 2), a city where everyone you meet resembles someone that you knew before they died

#readingyear2023 #fantasy #favorites #italian