Impressions: "Vineland" by Thomas Pynchon What can one say about Thomas Pynchon? “Vineland” (1990) is the follow up to his 1973 novel “Gravity’s Rainbow”, giving his rabid fan base a good 17 years between novels. In all that time, he certainly had a lot he could write about and he returned to the scene with this biting satire of America in the 1960s and the Reagan years of the 1980s. It has all the things one expects from Pynchon: the intricate, puzzle-like plot, the obscure references, the humor, the zaniness, the multi-layered text, and not to mention his amazing writing. In “Vineland” he seems to pull out all the stops, coming up with something that is truly hard to define but the overall effect is nothing short of amazing. The plot of “Vineland” is too complicated to sum up in this short amount of space but essentially the story is about an aging hippie named Zoyd Wheeler and his daughter Prairie, living in the hinterlands of northern California, 1984, where many ex-hippies still live, all struggling with the consequences of their radical past. News reaches him that his old nemesis, Federal Agent Brock Vond has come to Vineland county, along with his Justice Department strike force and Zoyd immediately goes underground. What Vond is looking for is Zoyd’s ex-wife, who had been in a witness protection program and has now disappeared. Zoyd’s daughter Prairie begins to learn of her mother’s past and consequently, her own. What follows is nothing short of amazing and this genre defying novel has everything thrown into the mix: spy thrillers, ninja potboilers, soap operas, sci-fi fantasies, and numerous pop cultural references (both known and obscure), all coming together in one crazed and manic stew. The interesting thing to me about this novel is its symbolism and it seeming commentary on American culture from the 1960s to the 1980s and how much things had changed during that time. For instance, Prairie’s mother, Frenesi, seems to symbolize American culture (or the Baby Boom generation in particular, if you ask me) and how it went from being “hippies” to eventually supporting Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. The characters of The Thanatoids, who are described as “like death, only different” recalls zombie-like beings, which to me seems to either symbolize “Reaganites” or American culture as a whole, obsessed with television and sort of walking through life oblivious to what is going on around them. But there is much more, like in all Pynchon stories but the over all effect of this novel is its devastating critique of an American era and how it went from radical idealism to complacency. You will have to read this to get all of it and I’m not even sure if one reading alone will reveal all that is lying beneath the surface. It’s a complicated read but a fun and humorous one as well and like the other Pynchon novels I have read thus far, this one comes highly recommended as well. Rating: * * * * *  New Short Story eBook: "Blue Eyes" My new short story eBook, "Blue Eyes" is now available in ePub and Kindle Editions. Just follow the links for more information.  Impressions: "God's Mountain" by Erri De Luca More of a novella than a novel. A quick read and a very good one at that. A coming of age story, set in 1960, about a boy in the Neapolitan neighborhood of Montedidio (“God’s Mountain” - the Italian title for this book) who leaves school to work in a shop with a local cabinet maker in order to help earn money to help his poverty stricken family. In the shop, he befriends a shoemaker - a Jewish refugee and Holocaust survivor named Rafaniello, who does not know how old he is said to “sprout wings” for a blessed few. He has also befriended Maria, his thirteen year old neighbor who is much more wise than he, and together they begin to explore the first steps into adolescence. This is best symbolized by the boy’s wooden boomerang which he receives from his father as a birthday gift, something he is constantly practicing to throw, building his strength, but never actually throwing it, “letting go” of it, that is until New Year’s Eve when things begin to happen - or seem to, anyway. A story such as this is usually in danger of becoming saccharine and perhaps just a little too sweet, but De Luca manages to tell this tale without falling into that trap. It’s a heartfelt story, one that is very easy to relate to, regardless of where one may have been raised. Recommended. Rating: * * * *  "November Rust" Interview/Update A 2009 interview/review of my debut novel "November Rust", written and conducted by Garry Crystal, has been posted at Expats Post. It is the original interview along with a current update, taking a look back on the novel 5 years later as well as the subsequent novels and short story releases. I want to take the time to again thank Garry Crystal for his time, efforts and of course belief and support of my work. Thank you, Garry.  Impressions: "Everybody's Right" by Paolo Sorrentino A raucous, wild ride, and often times laugh out loud funny. It is the story of world renowned crooner Tony Pagoda as he reflects on his life, relationships and his take on the world at large. A sort of “poor man’s Frank Sinatra” or “Tony Bennett”, he regales the reader with stories of his sexual conquests, his nights cooked out his mind on cocaine, his experience with prostitutes. Tony is not a “likable” character at all and he has no qualms about it, and despite it all, you can’t help but like the guy. He takes you from the streets of Naples, to New York, to Brazil, and eventually back to Italy, twenty years later, where his homeland is hardly recognizable after a 20 year stint in a backwater of Brazil. He returns to an Italy of Ikea furniture, foreigners and figo - “cool”. An obvious commentary on Berlusconi’s Italy. The interesting thing here is that Sorrentino is not known as a novelist but a filmmaker. His previous films include “One Man Up”, “Il Divo” and “This Must Be the Place.” “Everybody’s Right” is his debut novel and what a debut it is. Most definitely a new voice in contemporary literature, European or otherwise. If you’re looking for a wild, frantic, crazy, laugh out loud experience, then you must read this. I loved it and can’t recommend it highly enough. Rating: * * * * *  Bohemia After Dark Yeah, I know. “Bohemia.” Not exactly a thing I relate to in any serious way. For one, I’m 45 years old as of this writing and I’m too old to care anymore. Secondly, I never bought into the whole “Bohemian” thing anyway, and lastly, I thought it would make a good title for a series of posts, that is if you don’t take the title too seriously. Some will, I’m sure (that’s just the nature of things these days) but for the record, it’s not all that serious. The title actually comes from an LP by Cannonball Adderley, if it must be known. For a long while now, I’ve been thinking about expanding the parameters of this blog to cover more than just literary matters. After all, there are other things that interest me and influence me and it all works its way into the writing anyway, so I figure why not shake things up a little. I came to writing later in life. Before I began to write I was (and still am) primarily a musician. Music was always my first love, and still is. I didn’t grow up drowning in literary matters, although I was always a voracious reader. I came to writing as a way to express myself, much like I had all those years while playing music. The older I got, I realized that music alone wasn’t doing it, so I began to write. Simple as that. I always wrote, even when I was a little kid, but it wasn’t something on the front burner like it was for those writers who’ve been pursuing it since they were as young as I was when I first started listening to music. But for me, it all goes into the same pot. Writing, for me at least, is just as much influenced by music, film, art, history, photography, philosophy and many other things than it is by other books and authors. I like to draw from the deep well of everything that interests me and for the most part, nothing is off the table. So what’s to come is basically a celebration of everything that interests me artistically, everything that had ever influenced me or currently influences me or things I find interesting that I’d like to share with those who do actually read this thing. It’s a new year and I think it’s time for a change, to liven things up a little and make things more interesting, or at least I hope. Something tells me I’m going to have a lot of fun doing this and hopefully it will be as interesting to you as it is to me.  New Short Story eBook: "Shutter" My new short story eBook, "Shutter", is now available as ePub and Kindle Editions. Just follow the links for more information.  Seeking Sicily in Brooklyn This past Wednesday night I, along with my cousin, New York artist Steven Palermo, went to Scopello in Brooklyn to catch author John Keahey read from his most recent book “Seeking Sicily.” Steve and I, being family, both come from a Sicilian background, and while this topic may be more of interest to me than it is to him, he had shown some interest in the book while I was reading it and I thought it would be great for him to come down and check things out. I have written about Keahey’s book on this blog a couple of weeks ago and for those who are interested in Italian - and particularly Sicilian history - this is a book that should not be ignored. For my money, it was one of the best books about Sicily and Sicilian culture to come along in a very long time and it captivated me over the three days I devoured it. The reading was wonderful and it was a real treat to meet and hear the author read from such a wonderful book. I can’t praise this book enough and for those who are interested in the topic, just follow this link in order to secure yourself a copy.  But there was an additional treat on the agenda that night and that was musician/singer Michela Musolino who provided the audience with some wonderful traditional Sicilian songs and poetry. It was a pleasure to finally hear Michela sing live and to finally be able to meet her as well. She has a wonderful and powerful voice and her music is also something to seek out and enjoy. I first became familiar with Michela’s work through my attempts to seek out traditional Sicilian music, which isn’t easy to come by. I happened upon her CD “Songs of Trinacria” some years ago and I’ve been dying to see her perform live ever since and last Wednesday night, I finally got the chance. You can find more information about her and her music at her website and I highly recommend everyone stop by and check it out. You won’t be disappointed. Over the past couple of years I’ve been getting more and more in touch with my roots and being able to experience a night such as this was truly amazing. It was a beautiful combination and I’m glad I was able to attend.  Impressions: "Italian Tales" by Various Authors, edited by Massimo Riva This is a highly literary anthology of contemporary Italian authors, published by the Yale University Press. It brings together an excellent sampling of Italian fiction that is very much little or unknown to the English speaking reader. The style of these stories and novel excerpts vary as much as their author’s do but what you have here is nothing short of amazing work, a perfect sampling for those who are interested in contemporary Italian literature. Featured are Luigi Malerba, Gesualdo Bufalino, Sebastiano Vassalli, Giorgio Manganelli, Gianni Celati, Lalla Romano, Anna Maria Ortese, Frabrizia Ramondino, Ginerva Bompiani, Antonio Tabucchi, Daniele Del Giudice, Erri de Luca, Pier Vittorio Tondelli, Vincenzo Consolo, Pier Maria Pasinetti, Paola Capriolo, Paolo Valesio and Franco Ferrucci. For me, personally, the standouts are Gesualdo Bufalino, Erri De Luca, and Pier Vittorio Tondelli and I immediately sought out their novels once I finished reading this collection. For those interested in the wide range of Italian literary fiction, this is a great place to start. Unfortunately, most of these authors are not available in English so if you can speak and read Italian, my suggestion would be to seek these works out. Rating: * * * * 1/2  New Short Story eBook: "Café Noir" My new short story eBook, “Café Noir” is now available in ePub and Kindle Editions. Just follow the links for more information.  The Eureka Moment One year and three days ago, I began the first words of a new novel. I’m still nowhere near finishing it. This is the first draft that I am speaking of. Once that’s complete (and God knows when that will be) the real work begins on it: the rewrites, the editing, the reshaping, etc. I’m not one of those writers who has the whole story figured out in his mind before I sit down to write. I usually start with an idea, often vague, a couple of characters and a situation and begin from there. As the writing progresses, that’s when the story itself usually begins to take shape. It’s a slow, often grinding process, mainly because I often have no idea at all what’s going to happen. I may think I do, but then something happens over the course of the story that will take it in a direction that I hadn’t originally intended. I try to keep an open mind and allow it to unfold naturally. But sometimes that doesn’t work. Case in point: My most recent novel, “Be Still and Know That I Am” was originally conceived a little differently than what actually came to be. There was a scene where I allowed something to happen, then all the events followed logically from it. Eventually, it got to a place that I didn’t like at all and everything just came to a grinding halt. I knew something was wrong but couldn’t quite place my finger on what it was. When I realized that it was that particular scene where everything went awry, I went back and re-imagined it, allowed the story to flow from the change in circumstance and everything fell into place. Fiction writers are creating a unique world - and even creators of fictional worlds can make a huge blunder, which will effect the storytelling in some way. So on a cold, blustery, snowy day in January 2011, I sat down and began the first pages of my next novel. Things went along swimmingly at first. Then suddenly new characters emerged - initially conceived as minor players - who suddenly developed more and more; and they had to have people they interacted with, a back story, and so on and so on. Now this “world” has suddenly become more complex - and so had the story. It got to where I reached a point where I knew it was the “turning point” in the story and what I decided to make happen would determine the rest of the story. In the past I would have just gone on, kept writing and let the chips fall where they may. If it worked, fantastic. If it didn’t, that meant going back to that point and trashing everything that came after it. I’ve done it a million times. With “November Rust”, there were numerous times where I literally trashed an easy 100-150 pages because it just didn’t work. One has to be willing to do that, even if they thought what they wrote was good. It has to serve the story, regardless of what was written. (If one felt it was good enough to really keep, set it aside and perhaps use it for something else). “Nadería” began as completely different story from what eventually emerged. I had written about 200 pages, saw it wasn’t working and trashed all but about 20 and began again. Sometimes you don’t know what’s wrong exactly - but you know something is - and you have to be willing to “kill your darlings” as the cliché goes. I think this is true for all artists: painters, musicians, etc. Over the past two days, after thinking about the new novel for weeks on end (I would say it was more obsessing on it) that I finally had that “eureka” moment that will allow me to finish it. The trouble is, though, that it means that I may have to take the story to where I had not originally intended it to go, which is fine. I am open-minded enough to keep the alternatives open. But after much thinking, I came to the realization that sometimes the story must go the way it is dictating. As writers, we often come to relate to and often “like” the people we make up out of thin air and sometimes things have to happen to them that you don’t want to see happen but often must, for the good of the story. It doesn’t always have to be this way, of course. One could hammer away, chip away, buff and remodel it to make it go the way you want it to go but for me, personally, it opens new creative avenues, new possibilities and new doors to walk through - to try things that I normally wouldn’t have thought of doing. So I am happy to say that everything is finally falling into place. One year of work doesn’t have to be abandoned after all, which I was very close in doing because the damn thing just wasn’t working. Sometimes you just have to let it go and let it breathe a little, recharge your batteries and come back to it with fresher eyes and a different perspective. And I am now happy that I did that. Creating anything is often hard work. It’s never as easy as it seems or as easy as you think it will be. Sometimes an artist will come up with something seemingly so simple (i.e. Cormac McCarthy’s last novel, “The Road”) and you will somehow sense that what seemed so simple often had a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved. But if an artist can make something seem simple, when in fact it isn’t, then that’s quite an accomplishment - but completing any work of art is an achievement in and of itself. Once it’s “out there” there’s no telling how people will respond to it, and Lord knows, the responses to it are usually all over the map anyway. So you just have to remain true to yourself and your vision. Be open to differing possibilities, of course, open to change but remain true nevertheless. Often, even when you least expect it, that “eureka” moment will hit you like a speeding train and allow you to move forward.  Impressions: "Our GG in Havana" by Pedro Juan Gutiérrez This is the fourth novel of Pedro Juan Gutiérrez that has been translated into English (as far as I know) and it has all the hallmarks that Gutiérrez is known for: Havana, sex and a rollicking good time. Set in Havana in the mid 1950s during the Battista regime, when the Mafia controlled the casinos and when the city itself was known as - at least according to Fidel Castro - as ‘the whore of America’ - a man who may or may not be British novelist Graham Greene arrives in Havana looking for a good time. He heads to the Shanghai Theater and after becoming completely enthralled by the wild sex acts there, decides to visit the dressing room of Charity, a transvestite who performed at the show, also looking for a good time. Much to his horror, he and Charity discover a dead body in the dressing room and the next day, the newspapers finger Greene as the culprit. But there is a twist here. The man everyone thinks is the novelist Graham Greene is not Greene but a man named George Greene. A case of mistaken identity - and a willing case at that. The real Graham Greene has just finished the manuscript of his novel “The Quiet American” and is living on the Mediterranean island of Capri. Word reaches him that he has been accused of murder in Havana and is told to remain quiet and disappear, since according to his agent, it “could be good for sales” of his books. Greene decides to head to Havana instead and what unfolds is nothing short of hilarious. Essentially a reworking of Graham Greene’s novel “Our Man in Havana”, the story takes on the characteristics of a mid-1950s espionage novel, complete with KGB and FBI agents and a rogue organization dedicated to eradicating escaped Nazi war criminals throughout Latin America. It is a satire, obviously, written as a fictional account on what inspired Greene to write his novel “Our Man in Havana.” Over all, though, it is a portrait of a city before the Revolution, complete with its wild night life, sex acts, prostitutes, and Mafia control - a time when the city was essentially a playground for world travelers, especially Americans. Those who have read Gutiérrez’s previous novels (“The Dirty Havana Trilogy”, “Tropical Animal” and “The Insatiable Spiderman”) are going to love this. His style is straightforward and candid (he is known as “the Bukowski of Havana”) and it is quite humorous at times. Highly recommended. Rating: * * * * 1/2  Impressions: "Horns" by Joe Hill Horror fiction is usually not my cup of tea and this is one of those novels where after I finished reading it, I didn’t quite know what to make of it. Did I like it or not? I suppose I can say that I lean towards liking it and the reason for it being that it’s premise is bizarre to say the least. A man wakes up one morning after spending a night “doing horrible things” to discover that he had grown horns - essentially becoming something of a devil. He is accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and he is out to prove that he didn’t do it, despite the fact that everyone in town believes that he did. His horns bring out the worst in people, often confessing to him their most darkest thoughts and quite casually at that, which in a sense makes the “devil” in the story something of a hero, being that the people in the New England town in which the story is set, are often far more evil than one would ever expect. It seems to be a sort of commentary on contemporary society - particularly in America - where something quite sinister lurks under the surface of normality. One part horror novel, one part murder mystery, what you have here is something a little broader than your usual horror fiction fare. Influenced by music, film, comic books, horror novels, horror films, pop culture (two of the characters are named “Merrin” and “Reagan”, which recalls two characters in Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist”), and just a hint of the transgressive weirdness of Chuck Palahniuk, and what you have here is a very interesting mix. The “devil” in this story is portrayed how a bluesman might envision him, rather than the ‘classical’ view of the Devil that you would find in literature across the ages. A “Pop Culture” devil - but he is human, not a spawn from Hell, so in this sense it gives the character all the flaws and conflicts a human being would have. There are also some narrative experimentations here, which keep things interesting and set it apart from what one would expect in a “horror novel.” All in all, an interesting and entertaining read and Hill is definitely bringing something new to the genre, and it will definitely keep you turning the pages. Rating: * * * 1/2  Happy New Year! Well, 2012 is upon us and those who strongly believe in the Mayan Prophecies will think we only have about a year left before the whole world goes to Hell in a hand cart. I don’t believe for a moment this is going to happen, of course, but world events certainly do point to some kind of dramatic change. Whether or not that change is positive or negative is up to all of us, of course. It’s in our hands, people. Let’s do things right. The new year also tends to bring about the idea of change and/or the concept of “taking stock” which is what I tend to do more than make any New Year’s resolutions, though I suppose I do in my own mind but half the time, like most people, I never stick to them. There is also a tendency to forget the really good things that happened over the course of the past year. We get so wrapped up in the immediate moment that if we sit back for even just a moment and reflect, we often discover what seemed like a blip on the screen actually contained some really great moments. That happens to me all the time. For me, I got to travel a bit: St. Lucia, Baltimore, El Paso, which totals nearly a month away from the can of bees called New York City. I was also very productive on the writing front and naturally since this blog serves as a promotional tool for me and my work (among other things, of course), please forgive the blatant self-promotion that you are about to receive. Two novels came out in 2011 (although they were both written the year before), and a slew of short story eBooks, an idea that occurred to me one afternoon while browsing Amazon and seeing that with the advent of the eBook, there was a potential to breathe life into a slowly disappearing art form. What better way for an author to get his work out there by issuing single story eBooks for very cheap, allowing a curious reader to sample him or her at very low risk to the pocket book. This idea turned out to be better than I ever imagined it would be, having sold a bunch of these stories, and naturally, I am eternally grateful and thankful to those who did buy them. It means more than you know. So without any further ado - and of course for those who may have missed the posts over the past year - here is what I currently have available in the event that you decide you might be interested in checking them out for your own (hopefully) reading pleasure:  Nadería (Novel) What happens when an American poet, a Uruguayan painter, a Peruvian chef, a Syrian belly dancer, an Algerian musician and an Italian religious fundamentalist are all searching for meaning and their lives intersect on the streets of Paris? "Nadería" is a story about failed hopes, unrealized dreams, the nature of identity; and when their respective journeys do intersect, the very notion of "meaning" suddenly gets called into question and can potentially have dire consequences. Available in Paperback, PDF, and Kindle Edition. A review/interview was written and conducted by writer Garry Crystal can be found here.  Be Still and Know That I Am (Novel) Being yourself in a sea of mindless cretins is the hardest battle any kid could face. September 1982. In a working class neighborhood in Queens, New York, sixteen year old Nico Razza is a perpetual outcast, often victim to the taunts of his classmates, peers and neighborhood bullies. Steeped in Punk Rock culture, he is not only rebelling against society, authority and his peers, but also his recently widowed father, who struggles to keep his family together at the dawn of the Reagan era. Angst ridden Punk Rockers, Van Halen T-shirt wearing Camaro driving bullies and their brain dead foot soldiers, Lower East Side squatters, Alphabet City junkies, Hardcore bands and the infamous A7 club, Reagan’s promise of “Morning in America” and those left behind who still wanted to believe it, working class angst, High School confidential - when these worlds collide over the course of the next ten days, the lives of everyone involved will be changed forever. Available in Paperback, PDF, and Kindle Edition. A review/interview was conducted by writer Garry Crystal can be found here.  The Algerian in Room No. 4 (Short Story eBook) He always told everyone he was a lowlife - including his wife Margot - but she married him anyway, hoping they would one day have a normal, stable marriage. But one evening, while on his way to meet a friend, a prostitute on the Rue St. Denis with a unique tattoo catches his eye; and what was at first a simple curiosity soon becomes an unhealthy obsession. Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition  Sahara (Short Story eBook) He had gone to Morocco only six years earlier as a tourist. He had met a friendly and unassuming man named Bilial and they had become good friends. Six years later, he is returning to Morocco only this time he isn’t coming as a tourist. He has something else in mind - something that will put their friendship to the ultimate test. Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition.  Soon After the Fall (Short Story eBook) Early 1990. A young American student is studying in Budapest to learn more about her family history, her roots and her culture. Living with an eccentric yoga loving roommate and dating a shy would-be poet, she will navigate the general post-Cold War malaise, getting more of an education than she ever imagined. Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition  Rage Against the Dying of the Light (Short Story eBook) Mario, a Lower East Side coffee shop owner befriends a youth named Jared, a shy, introverted poet who spends his days sitting outside the shop begging for change. There is more to Jared than meets the eye and it takes the help of Mario’s assistant Kaitlin to help coax Jared out of his shell. Slowly Jared begins to ingratiate himself with the local literary community due to the weekly poetry readings Kaitlin had begun to stage at the coffee shop. But some strange customers begin appearing, those who don’t like the idea of this kid hanging around the shop and Mario begins to navigate the line between compassion and the changing character of the neighborhood. Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition  Sangre (Short Story eBook) Two American G.I.s - Richard Harris and Paul Lamb - survive the bloody allied invasion of Sicily during World War II. Hunkered down in a small Sicilian town, the daughter of a bar owner catches Paul’s wandering eye. The horrors of war soon collides with a local vendetta that follows no rules of war nor does it care about who’s side one is on. Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition  Black Roses (Short Story eBook) Jerome is an aspiring actor, loner and a dwarf who often spends his time attending small off-Broadway plays. After seeing a play in a small Greenwich Village theater, he becomes obsessed with the lead actress, Barbara Connor. He begins hanging around her Perry Street apartment, leaving one black rose in front of her door every Sunday morning. But someone is out to steal his thunder, a smooth talking, self-absorbed acting companion of Barbara who intends to take credit for Jerome’s handiwork in order to get closer to Barbara. Will Barbara ever learn the truth? Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition  1957: A middle aged New Jersey man watches his young son in the comfort of their middle class home and begins to reminisce about his days riding the rails during The Depression. It is the eve of a world changing event and while he contrasts his own upbringing with that of his son, he can’t help but wonder what this unexpected event will mean for his young boy. Available in Kindle Edition and ePub Edition There was also another interview written and conducted by Garry Crystal which grew out of the interview for my most recent novel, “Be Still and Know That I Am.” It concerns itself with the pros and cons of indie publishing and the slow rise of the independent author. It is called “Self-Publish or Perish” and it can be found here. I just want to take the time to thank everyone for their support over the past year. You all made 2011 a great and inspiring year. There is more good news in the coming days. Stay tuned. Thanks again everyone! You don’t know how much I appreciate your support! Onward...  Impressions: "Zeina" by Nawal El Saadawi Nawal El Saadawi is known for her activism in Egypt and has many times been threatened by the Islamist forces there due to her championing of women’s rights. Her novels tend to reflect this struggle, as in the previous novel I had read of hers called “The Novel.” In “Zeina” she takes these themes forward and what you have is a very disturbing read. A young Egyptian woman - Bodour - abandons an illegitimate child on the streets of Cairo, a child she had during an affair with a Marxist revolutionary who is eventually beaten and jailed. As the years move on, she marries an ambitious journalist and they have a daughter. Coincidently, their daughter, Mageeda, winds up befriending a “child of the streets” named Zeina, who, as you may have already guessed, is the abandoned child of Bodour. Bodour is in a loveless marriage and is consumed with guilt for abandoning her first child and her mind is slowly coming apart. Frequent visits to the psychiatrist and the writing of a novel called “The Stolen Novel” (which is repeatedly stolen by her husband) seems to be the only way for her to confront herself and deal with her immense guilt. But little by little, she is spiraling into psychosis, represented by a repetitive narrative which returns to the same obsessions and the same themes throughout the novel. Zeina, meanwhile, becomes a famous pop star and eventually becomes a symbol of freedom for the people and a symbol of freedom for the life that Bodour wants to live. The novel is rife with symbolism, mainly about Egyptian culture and women’s place within it. It is filled with religious hypocrisy, corrupt politicians and patriarchal oppression and this makes for a very dark read. The repetitive nature of the narrative may be something of a turn-off for some (and I too, frankly, found it a little annoying at times) but it doesn’t take away from the power of the story being told here and the insights into a society that many Westerners truly don’t understand - particularly in light of the recent revolution there. Written a couple of year before the recent uprisings, it definitely gives a little insight into the lives of the average Egyptian citizen and the social dynamic taking place there. Recommended. Rating: * * * 1/2  Merry Christmas! Wishing one and all a very Merry Christmas! Thank you for your kind support over the past year. May you all have a joyous holiday season. Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden Arabic: Milad Majid Argentine: Feliz Navidad Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On! Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina Brazilian: Feliz Natal Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou! Chile: Feliz Navidad Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun Chinese: (Mandarin) Sheng Dan Kuai Le Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth Corsian: Pace e salute Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi Croatian: Sretan Bozic Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok Danish: Glædelig Jul Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast English: Merry Christmas Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo! Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar! Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad Finnish: Hyvaa joulua Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar French: Joyeux Noel Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier! Galician: Bo Nada Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr! German: Fröhliche Weihnachten Greek: Kala Christouyenna! Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara! Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas) Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket Icelandic: Gledileg Jol Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay. Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha Lao: souksan van Christmas Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum! Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu! Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar Luxembourgish: Schèine Chreschtdaag an e gudde Rutsch Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa Maori: Meri Kirihimete Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas) Navajo: Merry Keshmish Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado Papiamento: Bon Pasco Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr! Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo Philippines: Maligayang Pasko! Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie Portuguese:Feliz Natal Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn! Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom Sami: Buorrit Juovllat Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh Serbian: Hristos se rodi. Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto Spanish: Feliz Navidad Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon Tamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas) Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech! Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas) Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh Welsh: Nadolig Llawen Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!  Impressions: "Never Any End to Paris" by Enrique Vila-Matas Written in the form of a lecture given over the course of three days, Spanish author Enrique Vila-Matas’s “Never Any End to Paris” is a joy to read, especially if one is a lover of books and literature and particularly Paris as a city and a cultural icon. It is the story of a writer looking back on his younger years (in this case the mid-1970s), obsessed with Hemingway, who decides to leave the confines of his native Barcelona in order to follow in the footsteps of his hero. What follows is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time. The main theme here is irony, and this story is loaded with it. It follows the typical “expatriate” story - the writer going to Paris on order to write - and hunkers down in an upstairs room in the house of Marguerite Duras, who sort of becomes, in his mind at least, his “Gertrude Stein”. The story follows his trials and travails, his struggles to write, meeting all kinds of colorful characters - both real and fictional - along the way. The book is definitely for the lover of literature, with heavy literary references peppered throughout the story, but mainly Hemingway (in which the title of the book is derived). It helps to have read at least some of the authors the character encounters along the way but it isn’t necessary and may even make the reader want to investigate them further. But it is most definitely a love letter to Paris and its literary and artistic culture but definitely not without a wink and a nod. There is a sense that some of this may have actually been based on his own experiences. It is a tale about the exploration of ideas, creativity and identity as well as the struggle with the fake and the pretentious. A great read. Highly recommended. Rating: * * * * *  New Short Story eBook: "Stars, Cigars and Boxcars" My new short story eBook, "Stars, Cigars and Boxcars" is now available in Kindle Edition as well as ePub Edition. Just follow the links for more information.  Impressions: "The Wine Dark Sea" by Leonardo Sciascia An amazing collection of short stories by one of Sicily’s best known writers. I absolutely loved this book, and found it hard to put it down, which is probably why I read this in two days. Stories of Sicilian life, subjects ranging from village idiots, mafia dons, marital spats, to dreams of one day going to America. My absolute favorite stories here are “The Long Crossing”, in which a group of Sicilian peasants give up everything they own in order to pay a boat captain to take them to America - and eventually discovering the shock of their lives; the title story, “The Wine Dark Sea”, in which a man travels by train to his new job in Sicily, sharing his train compartment with a Sicilian family and learning more than he expected; “The Demotion”, in which a venerated saint was recently deemed non-existent by the Church and a perplexed husband who cannot understand why his wife and other women in the town occupy the church in protest - that is until he learns something about a “saint” of his own; and “Giufà”, an almost folkloric tale about a village idiot (based on an old Arabic folktake during Sicily’s Muslim period) who decides to go out hunting for a particular red headed bird only to make a deadly mistake. What follows is nothing short of hilarious. For those who never read anything from Sciascia, this is the perfect introduction to his work. Highly, highly recommended. Rating: * * * * *  Impressions: "Letter to Lorenzo" by Amanda Prantera A sort of mystery/thriller novel but not in the traditional sense, first due to the subject matter and secondly, not written like formulaic genre fiction either. This novel lies somewhere in between. A story about a woman who is awoken one night to discover her husband has been killed in a bombing. Due to his left wing views, it is immediately assumed that he had been transporting explosives for the Red Brigades, the Italian terrorist organization most active in the 1970s. She is pursued by a sinister magistrate, who is convinced not only over her husband’s involvement but feels she is involved as well. She is convinced that the bombing was done by a Neo-Fascist group in order to place the blame on the left-wing sympathizers. She fights for not only her husband’s innocence, but her own as well. There in lies the mystery/thriller element to this story. I can’t say I enjoyed this all that much. Sometimes it reads as if one is watching Lifetime movie. Although the subject matter and this period of Italian history interests me very much, one is much better off reading a non-fiction book about the same era. The writing isn’t bad but it just didn’t grab me in the way I had hoped. A quick read, those who enjoy a fast paced thriller may find some enjoyment here. It just didn’t do it for me.  Impressions: "Americana" by Don DeLillo Don DeLillo has influenced just about every contemporary novelist that I know of but this is the first time that I am getting around to reading him for myself. “Americana”, published in 1971, was DeLillo’s debut and it’s clear from reading this how he influenced a lot of novelists who would come after. A “Post-Modern” novel - a little experimental, non-linear in structure. If anything, this was one of the novels that would inspire the MFA crowd and “serious” novelists that would come later. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy it. I did. DeLillo is a damn good writer and I can only imagine his later work only improves on what is here. An impressive debut. The story is essentially about an advertising executive who leaves behind his corporate life in late 1960s New York City in order to travel the country to make a film. The story is divided into four parts: New York City advertising world, with all its gossiping, woman chasing, and jockeying for favor and position; the narrators youth and college years; the film he is making while traveling across the country; and a Texas road trip. The novel almost reads like a film, where the reader is allowed in to an ongoing conversation which then “jump cuts” on to something else. The overall effect, though, is interesting, and my only real criticism of it is that it tends to meander a little now and again. The novel is a critique of American culture, with all its fears, issues and dilemmas, but it also seems to show how film has a tendency to distort reality - much like advertising does in our culture. It is definitely a book of its time, although anyone reading it today would find many things in it very relevant. Recommended. Rating: * * * *  Impressions: "Between Parentheses" by Roberto Bolaño I really enjoyed this book of essays, articles and speeches by one of Latin America’s premiere authors, Roberto Bolaño. All of these writings were written over the course of six years (1998-2003) and most are very literary in nature. He writes of many Latin American authors - many of whom I am a huge admirer of - in sometimes glowing terms and other times not so much. The one thing you can say about Bolaño is that he doesn’t pull his punches. He says what he thinks and more often than not his opinions are brutally honest. While I did not agree with his assessment of some Latin American (and other) authors, it was nevertheless a very interesting and informative read. I’ve even got turned on to a few authors that I am now eager to explore for myself. Other writings pertain to other topics other than literature - many of them about Chile, Blanes (the Spanish town in which the author lived), Vienna and other places but the over all topic here is literature, books, writing, the business of writing and commentary on writers of his generation who he most often praises and helps spread the word to those who may not have ever heard of them before. For the English speaking audience, it’s a good primer for introducing little known - and even famous - Latin American authors and literature. His prose is engaging and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. If you have an interest in Latin American literature, or even want to know more about Latin American literature, this is a good place to start, despite it being seen through Bolaño’s eyes and his sometimes harsh and very critical assessment of some of the writers he speaks of. But those are few. What you have here, from what I saw, is basically a love letter to literature and this man has certainly bathed himself in it. Recommended. Rating: * * * * *  "Be Still and Know That I Am" at Amazon My most recent novel “Be Still and Know That I Am” is now available via Amazon.com. It is also available in a Kindle edition for those who have and/or prefer the eBook version. For more information, just follow the links or you can read the review/interview that was written and conducted by Garry Crystal at his blog “Life and Payback’s a Bitch.”  From the Vault: "Legitimacy and the Arts" (Originally Published November 23rd 2008) [This one generated a boat load of comments when it originally appeared and a healthy debate ensued. To me, personally, it was astonishing to see how many people agreed with the comments from the "man on the street" that is quoted near the beginning of this piece. It was simply my commentary on what makes an artist an artist. Apparently many people disagreed with me on this at the time which only served to prove my point, as far as I saw it, anyway.] Along Las Ramblas in Barcelona one could catch a myriad of different performers, artists and musicians doing what they love to do; most of them looking for a little extra money from both tourists and locals alike. You will see mimes, flamenco guitar players, painters, sketch artists, dancers and maybe an occasional poet who would be reciting his/her verse for anyone willing to listen. These artists compete with flower salesman and newspaper kiosks and just about anything else that’s for sale, really, especially during the festival known as San Jordi, which is something akin to our Valentine’s Day, where there are literally hundreds of book stalls and tables lined up from one end to the other; some selling books by other authors, some selling their own books. What was interesting to me about all of this was the fact that no matter who it was out on the street, each and every one of them were taken seriously. Almost everyone walking by saw them for what they were: artists. It didn’t seem to matter to anyone that they weren’t “famous” nor did it matter that they were all virtually unknown to the world at large. They were all appreciated for what they were doing, famous or not. In Paris, particularly in Montmartre, you have the same sort of thing going on. Near the Sacre Couer, there is a small square surrounded by cafés, restaurants and shops - some local, some geared towards the tourist crowd - all capitalizing on Montmartre’s history and cultural significance. In the middle of the square you see much of the same thing you see on Las Ramblas: musicians, painters, mimes and other performers, all talented individuals, each one doing what they love and hoping to also make some extra money doing what they love to do. You will see a small group of people surrounding a painter, watching him paint the local scenery and also see groups of people surrounding the musicians, listening intently to what they do and appreciating it for what it is. There is no care as to whether or not they are “famous” or if they are a “celebrity.” They are giving people something special to add to the atmosphere and people enjoy it and seem to be respectful towards what they are doing. Here in New York City, you have very much the same thing going on, pretty much all the time. In Washington Square Park and especially on the streets of SoHo, artists set up shop to sell their wares to either locals or tourists, many of them very talented but none of them “famous” as we’ve all come to understand it. It is mainly geared towards tourists, sure, but also to other native New Yorkers who may be appreciative of their talents. But recently there has been a drive to remove these people from the streets. The newer residents of the area are becoming increasingly agitated by the amount of people clogging the sidewalks and many of them are beginning to view these artists and their work as nothing more than an “eyesore” as some have recently stated. In one local newspaper, one man was quoted as saying that these artists should “stop interfering with pedestrians and get a “real” job. If they were really “artists” they would be in a gallery or a museum, not blocking everyone’s way on the sidewalk.” An interesting point of view and by far not uncommon as of late. What struck me as interesting about this man’s comment was not so much his annoyance of him having to navigate down West Broadway or Prince Street but the fact that he viewed these artists as illegitimate because they weren’t showcased in a gallery or a museum; or at least that’s what his comment implies. I’ve heard this sort of thing from other people as well over the years. There seems to be a sentiment among many people that unless one is making all kinds of money or is somehow “famous” for what they do, then what they are doing is not “legitimate.” In other words, they are not “real artists”, as the man in the article had stated. Although you will probably find people who think this way the world over, I find it particularly prevalent in American culture. It seems that American culture does not recognize an artist unless they are either making a living from their art or if they are famous for their art. If one is not then they are not artists, it seems. One is looked upon as either an “aspiring artist” or at worst, a “pretender”, that is, until there is a handsome paycheck or some notoriety involved. I always wondered why this this is. Why is it harder to be accepted as an artist in this culture if you are not making money from it? Is the paycheck and the notoriety the determining factor that defines what an artist is? Over the years I have met plenty of talented artists who are far from making a living from what they do. Are they not “really artists” because of this? If not, then what are they exactly? And why is there this reluctance to recognize one as such? All across the board, whatever the medium is, there are thousands upon thousands of very talented people out there who you will most likely never hear about. Are all these thousands not “legitimate artists” in their own rite? Do those in the business end of the arts really determine who is legitimate and who isn’t? Is their word truly final? If you want to look at it from that point of view, consider this: Franz Kafka is now respected as one of the giants of literature but he did not publish a single word until after he was dead. Walt Whitman’s now extremely famous and influential “Leaves of Grass” was self-published - the original and each revised edition - and he only became part of the literary canon long after he passed on. Vincent Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime (and that was, reportedly, to his brother Theo). Spanish poets Federico Garcia Lorca and Miguel Hernández’s first books were released as “private editions” (i.e. self-published). Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer” was published only by being paid for by Anaïs Nin. The initial publisher of that book - Obelisk Press in Paris - did not spend one thin dime on that publication because they didn’t think it would sell at the time. James Joyce’s “Ulysses” was published only through the patronage of the owner of Shakespeare and Company in Paris, essentially a self-published work. Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” was published by his friend’s start up publishing venture City Lights and would have most likely remained obscure had it not been for the outrage over its alleged “indecency.” In music, the Velvet Underground, who went on to influence a whole generation of rock bands hardly sold a single record when they were originally released and many bands that are now very well known, their records were self-released and had never been signed to any record company. These are just a few examples. If we go by today’s standards on what makes an artist “legitimate”, are these artists then not? None of these artists went through the standard channels of their day. Of course over time these artists made their mark one way or another but in their time they were all virtually unknown to all but a handful of people who had an interest in what was going on culturally; and today there are plenty of others just like them and maybe one day those “unknowns” will be recognized for what they do. But are they less legitimate now because no one knows them or because they are not making any real money? I think not but obviously many out there will disagree. Somewhere in this country - somewhere in this world, in fact - someone most likely has the next masterpiece sitting in their desk drawer or hidden in the back of their closet somewhere or had to put their work out on their own but it will most likely never be recognized because it wasn’t done through “legitimate” channels. Remember, Paris Hilton as a book deal and according to the logic of some, she’s a more “legitimate” writer because of that - more real than Franz Kafka would have been considered had he lived today. There is a world filled with talented people that you will most likely never hear about and this is truly a shame. It’s a shame because some self-appointed guardian of culture gets to select and anoint those who will be considered “legitimate.” But I guess it’s the nature of the beast but as far as I’m concerned there are many people out there worthy of attention, whether they are known or not. They are always legitimate in my eyes. An artist does what he does regardless of the accolades and the approval of others. As to whether or not any of these artists are any good at it is of course open to debate and personal preferences and taste. The question you have to ask yourself is this: If a painter paints but never shows his work, is he not a painter? If a writer writes but never seeks publication, is he still not a writer? If a musician plays his instrument only for his own enjoyment, is he still not a musician? In the end, a painter paints, a writer writes, a musician plays, an actor acts, a dancer dances. Period. Why is this such a hard thing to understand in our culture?  Sanctuaries I was very young, perhaps twelve years old. At that time I had already been an avid reader, mostly biographies on sports figures, Hardy Boys books, tons of comic books, some historical things, among other things I’ve forgotten about I’m sure. Books were and have always been something I’ve lost myself in and I’ve always written stories since the time I was a little kid - although a lot of the time it took a backseat to music until I turned thirty. I can remember on days whenever my friends weren’t around, I’d make a trip over to the local bookstore we had in the neighborhood at the time. It was called the Paperbound Bookshop, and it was just over on the other side of the Long Island Expressway, right across the street from the exit of the ramp which took pedestrians over to the other side. It was one of those old school bookstores, jam packed with books, floor to ceiling and I’ve spent many hours in there just browsing, looking for something new to read. It was that bookstore that I discovered J.R.R. Tolkein’s “Lord of the Rings” saga, and other Sci-Fi and Mystery books I read a lot of when I was that age. I remember the owner was this professorial looking guy, sort of a cross between Carl Sagan and Jean-Paul Sartre, with his corduroy blazer (complete with elbow patches), horn rimmed glasses and ever present pipe. He was always nice to me, always looking to help and recommend new things to this inquisitive little kid who was always walking into his shop. Sadly, by the very early 1980s, the store closed down and turned into a health food store - one of the very first in the area, run by this group of hippies who often lived in the loft up above the store. I was sad to see it go. Little bookstores such as those weren’t all that common where I grew up. With Paperbound gone, that left Discount Books - a small, used bookstore that sold not only books but comic books - and it was here that my friends and I began going, becoming friendly with the owner, a semi-hippie, who often tried to pawn off the more rare and expensive comics on us, as if we had that kind of money to spend. Mainly we ravaged the used bins, grabbing up comic books at 5, 10, or 25 cents a pop. But eventually, by 1980 or so, that store went under as well. So that pretty much left the chain stores like Barnes & Noble (which wasn’t yet the Superstore that most people are familiar with), B-Dalton or Waldenbooks. These stores were good, of course, but it was never the same as those little shops, where service was more personal and where you often engaged with the owners, getting recommendations (and every now and then a “break” on the price.) When I reached my teenage years, I began heading down to Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side exploring all the wonderful bookstores they had there - St. Mark’s Books, being one of them, back when it was actually on St.Mark’s Place. I pretty much spent a hell of a lot of my time in bookstores and record stores, and these places became my sanctuary, a place to “feed the head” so to speak. I didn’t go to libraries much, mainly because they never had anything I wanted - or hardly ever, anyway. So these little out of the way booksellers - some of which were cramped, dusty, dilapidated basements in close to condemned buildings on the Lower East Side - became my refuge; a place where I can just explore, get inspired and discover new things. Another of these very old school bookstores was Ann Street Books, which I found during the mid-1980s, in a second floor walk-up on (naturally) Ann Street in lower Manhattan (just around the corner from J&R Music World.) This store was literally teetering on the edge of collapse, the building slanting way over to the right. It amazed me that all those books didn’t collapse the floor beneath them. You could tell that this store had one been an old tenement apartment and it wasn’t hard to imagine some old immigrant family living there. The owner was a nice guy - an emaciated man with a patchy beard and a cataract over one eye and he was often very helpful and he too would recommend a lot of interesting things to me. But this store is gone too - as well as the entire building, which was torn down to make way for a “luxury condo.” Little by little these stores began to disappear and not because of people’s lack of interest in books or reading but because of real estate interests. By the 1990s, they were dropping like flies. Some of the old school stores are still around but you could pretty much count them on one hand; and to this day, whenever the mood strikes me, I make what I call “the rounds”, an all day excursion where I plan on coming home with a bag full of books to add to the ever increasing pile. These existing little stores still serve as sanctuaries but the atmosphere is quite different. With a few exceptions, many of these stores are usually staffed with pretentious, arrogant, smug, self-important assholes who can’t help but either just be rude, or refrain from commenting on your purchases - and not in a way that is engaging and conversational, but usually judgmental. There are some stores that I stopped frequenting because of this and if there is one other reason why some of these stores go under, this is it. No one likes to feel they’re getting a character judgment over whatever they decide to read; and in a time where small booksellers are trying hard to remain afloat (especially in the “luxury” obsessed New York City), it would be of great service to themselves to reign in the assholes that they employ or curb the attitude of the owners. More than once I’ve seen customers walk out due to the outright rudeness of the proprietors. But for those that remain, they will remain those sanctuaries that they always were for me - places that exist because of the love of the book, the love of reading and not solely motivated by commerce and the bottom line that you see in the larger chain stores. Since the advent of Amazon and the eBook, it’s hard to say what’s going to happen to these places (and even the larger chains - look at what just happened to Borders) but so long as there are lovers of the book as an object, not only as something simply to read and pass the time, they should still be around. And so long as they are, they will continue to be my sanctuary from the can of bees that is New York City.  |
