I’m reading J.H. Prynne’s The White Stones for the first time and while enjoying it, I often find myself feeling lost. I don’t find that a negative response; I have often felt that way with works that have become favorites. There are themes and images that connect across the poems and I’m just barely getting an overall … Continue reading to be warm and tired/without some impossible flame in the heart
Too Loud a Solitude Bohumil Hrabal 1976/1989 This was recommended by a friend who went to Czechoslovakia and had this book recommended to him by a bookstore clerk as representative of the nation’s literature. Solitude is just over 100 pages and reads a little like Kafka, and a little like Beckett. The book deals with … Continue reading Recently Read
The Black Sleep (1956) If you’re a fan of classic horror, then this is a must-see. By the end, you’ve got a dungeon full of various weirdos and and monsters and, of course, they get loose. Can Dr. Gordon Ramsay(!) fight them all off and clear his name or will he join them in their … Continue reading Halloween Horror Binge: Week Three
Two years ago, I watched a cycle of horror films throughout October and I wanted to do that again this year. My first week’s viewing ended up surprisingly good. I enjoyed each film for what it was, and I didn’t feel like there was a clunker in the bunch. Atomic Brain (aka Monstrosity) (1963) This … Continue reading Halloween Horror Binge: Week One
Last night, I was thinking about the blog and how I’ve ignored the blog. I sketched out something like the old monthly updates that Quinn and I used to do. He updated today after a long silence, so I took it as some synchronicity not to ignore. Reading I ordered The Horror Hall of Fame … Continue reading Just like the ones I used to know…
A friend of mine gave me the impossible challenge of picking the five “Greatest Love Songs.” He’s working on a lesson plan for his students and we’ve always had the practice of doing every activity we ask students to do. Of course, I didn’t quite follow directions and I came up with various criteria so … Continue reading Laughable. Unphotographable.
For the last few years, I’ve found myself listening to Thai music around the New Year. I don’t know why and I just noticed it when was searching for something new to hear. I discovered Christopher Adler, who I intended to write about in this post. His music is influenced by American minimalism, which I … Continue reading Happy New Ears
You can read Quinn’s post here. Check out The Laboratory #4! Reading V. After finishing War and Peace, I felt I had enough time to finish another longish novel before school begins. While teaching, I read shorter novels because my reading is interrupted so much by work. So far, V. is what you expect from … Continue reading Catch the Spirit, Catch the Quinn
You can read Quinn’s post here. Reading War and Peace My big summer reading project. This is the third start as I’ve had to set it aside for teaching duties. I’m close to finishing (Book 11 of 15, plus two epilogues). Slowly I’ve been catching up on the great Russian literature I’ve missed. Epic, but … Continue reading Wherein I play catch-up to the Quinn again.
Stephen McClurg 