Archive for the 'Books' Category

Explanation

Published on May 2, 2009 in Books, Nonsense and Writing. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

“Why do people have to be this lonely? What’s the point of it all? Millions of people in this world, all of them yearning, looking to others to satisfy them, yet isolating themselves. Why? Was the Earth put here just to nourish human loneliness?
I turned face-up on the slab of stone, gazed at the sky, and thought about all of the man-made satellites spinning around the Earth. The horizon was still etched in a faint glow, and stars began to blink on in the deep, wine-coloured sky. I gazed among them for the light of a satellite, but it was still too bright out to spot one with the naked eye. The sprinkling of stars looked nailed to the spot, unmoving. I closed my eyes and listened carefully for the descendants of Sputnik, even now circling the Earth, gravity their only tie to the planet. Lonely metal souls in the unimpeded darkness of space, they meet, pass each other, and part, never to meet again. No words passing between them. No promises to keep.” (Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel)

I live in phases. Up and down I go, from periods of great productivity, joy and vigor to periods of something else altogether. Like Murakami’s strange Sumire who was so cherished by the story’s narrator, I too use writing as a means to think. Just as she did, I go through low phases which find me unable (or more likely unwilling) to think and therefore I avoid the act of writing. I recede from the internet, from books and from anything which may challenge me to think only to come crashing back later, like the returning tide. I don’t know how to prevent these cycles other than to force myself to continue to read, write and engage with my thoughts. I don’t even know if that will work, because my dark days come in force and unexpectedly, gripping me with an unwillingness to engage with the world. I prefer instead to dull my mind and dwell in nothingness until drawn out. Perhaps I need to make a stand or a decision, like in the book. I have love and companionship, but maybe I need a narrator of my own to draw me back from the twin world.

I’m back, for now.

Kafka on the Shore

Published on January 24, 2009 in Books, Reviews and Writing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

“Those are life-and-death-type experiences he goes through in the mines. Eventually, he gets out and goes back to his old life. But nothing in the novel shows that he learned anything from these experiences, that his life changed, that he thought deeply now about the meaning of life or started questioning society or anything else. You don’t get any sense, either, that he’s matured. You have a strange feeling after you finish the book. It’s as if you wonder: what was Soseki trying to say? It’s as if not really knowing what he’s getting at is the part that stays with you. I can’t explain it very well.”

The excerpt above is from Haruki Murakami’s famous bestseller, Kafka on the Shore. In this quote, Kafka is trying to explain his take on a book he’s just read called The Miner by Natsume Soseki. This scene really stuck in my head as I real Kafka on the Shore, because it really described how I felt about Murakami’s novel.

The main character of this book is young, but rather grown up for his age. He leaves home and sets out on a rather strange and confusing journey through love, hidden worlds, and unseen connections to people he’s never met. The thing which really struck me is that Kafka seemed to be apart from the world when he started and remained strangely apart during the whole novel. He had little direction, but maintained strong opinions. He was sort of an intellectual child in the process of gaining manhood yet somehow the core of his being wasn’t changed by his experiences. He may have gained some hidden insight we don’t see as the reader or perhaps he gained some new direction, but we are rather uninformed about this direction other than observing a few small decisions he’s made at the end of the story. It’s as if he’s passive to the events of his life, but perhaps we’re to understand that this is how reality is. Maybe Murakami is trying to tell us that to some extent, all of us are passive in our own lives and that maybe fighting doesn’t really change the outcome.

I found it interesting that cats played an important role in this book, as they did in The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. They must have some importance to Murakami, and I can understand that, having cats of my own. I often wonder if their world is anything like Murakami suggests. I found myself much more drawn to Nakata, the elderly character who tracks lost cats. To me, he lived a simple and quite pleasant life despite his lack of intelligence. It contrasted quite sharply against the backdrop of Kafka’s complicated and strange life, but perhaps this is to remind us of the sort of strange alien life Kafka lives. It certainly felt that way to me. While reading about Nakata I felt reassured and comfortable, despite some of the strange powers he seemed to possess. While reading about Kafka, I felt nervous and uneasy, as if something wasn’t right.

I can honestly say I really enjoyed this book, but it didn’t have the same emotional impact for me that Norwegian Wood did. It was gripping, interesting and otherworldly and it definitely made me think of my own life and how I may have reacted if in Kafka’s place in the story. This isn’t a relaxing mindless book. My mind was crawling through the pages, attempting to puzzle through the various mysteries encountered. Heavy on symbolism and metaphor, with an urgent sinister feel to it, there is a reason why this novel has done so well – it is very good.

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

Published on January 16, 2009 in Books, Reviews and Writing. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I’ve recently started to read books by Haruki Murakami after having a friend recommend one of his books, Kafka on the Shore. I actually started out by reading Norwegian Wood and then moved on to the former, and I’ve recently finished The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. I plan to post reviews on the other two books soon, but The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is what I’m writing about today. I had heard that this was hailed by critics as possibly Murakami’s best work and while I haven’t read all of his books, this one is probably my favorite so far, with Norwegian Wood a close second.

The book starts out in a seemingly normal world but soon enough, things descend into a strange mix of realms, including World War 2 history, dreams, surrealism and symbolism. Unlike many books I’ve read, while the main character is trying to solve a mystery, he eyes aren’t always closed to the symbolic and surreal nature of things. In fact, in Murakami’s work the characters often talk openly about symbolism and its role in their world. I suppose you could say that his characters aren’t always very realistic, but that isn’t always the point. They’re wonderful creations, their characters a mix of normalcy and intellectualism, some of them with very real human faults. I have a feeling that Murakami casts himself in the main roles, but not his complete realistic self. Instead, he conjures up a dream version of himself, stripping away aspects of himself and adding others. His work is about him and the way he sees the world without ever nearing the realm of autobiographical fiction.

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle is essentially the story of a man fighting for his normal life in extremely abnormal ways. It isn’t a short book because it isn’t a short story. His life is transformed from normalcy into insanity. He encounters highs and lows along his journey, and sometimes those lows are masquerading as highs and vice versa. He walks through his world collecting stories from the strange people he meets on his path and using those stories as both weapons against his foes and keys to the mystery he needs to unravel. In some cases, it almost seems that he becomes each character he encounters, making him stronger for his battles. Somehow, he’s fighting for all of their futures.

One thing I’ve noticed about Murakami is that certain things seem to resonate strongly in him. It’s obvious he loves all types of music, especially jazz and classical varieties. Food is always a welcome topic for me, and I can appreciate how he weaves it into his stories. What I found strange was the fact that he mentions springs (not water, but mechanical springs – things you apparently have to wind in some way) in both Norwegian Wood and in The Wind up Bird Chronicle. I can’t recall if he used this in Kafka on the Shore, but I understand the idea. I just wonder if it is a Japanese cultural thing or if it is just a personal thing for the author. I also wonder this about his continual mentioning of the ears of women as a source of sexual attraction. Is this indicative of a wider trend in Japanese culture/society or is this just Murakami? I can get that ears can be cute, but I just don’t seem to have the level of appreciation for them that he does.

In summary, I really enjoyed this book. It isn’t a quick read, but it is a worthwhile one. For me, the reading of this book was even better when I was taking my time. It is something to be savored, as each tiny fragment of information can mean more than it may initially seem. That being said, even if you figure out some key parts of the mystery, you’ll never unravel the whole tapestry and you’ll still be left wondering what could happen next. Whether you’re in for an intellectual challenge, a mystery, pure escapism or simply a good story, this novel really is worth a read.

I wish you a Merry Leap Day and a Happy New March

Published on February 29, 2008 in Books, Comic, Photography, Web/Technology, Wood Carving, Work and Writing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Leap day – it seems to be a symbol to me of the lost. It is a day which comes so little that one feels as if he should take a close look at his life and spend the day doing something crazy in order to remember its very special nature. I don’t really plan on doing that, mainly because I can’t think of anything crazy, but also because something crazy enough might get me kicked out of the country. I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any future attempts at British citizenship, would I? The answer is no, children. Can you say that? No.

Seriously, though. Maybe I’ll make a Youtube video. I’ve never done that. That would be the craziest thing I could do in comparison to my normal nature. I was going to take a photo of a pork pie today, but Steph ate the last one yesterday because she was starving. I was sleeping at the time, so I couldn’t protest. I wanted to take a photo of it because I actually like them. I hadn’t tried one before, but the pies made from humans and gooey bug stuff in the Sweeney Todd movie made me want to try one. I did, and it was delicious – not at all like the movie, of course. Anyway, I was sleeping because my schedule was opposite of what it should been. I basically got up at night and went to sleep at the morning, so I didn’t sleep the night before last, and then stayed up all day until 6pm. Then I went to sleep and woke up at around 7pm with a horrible cramp. I won’t say anything more about the cramp, but you can investigate it here if you want. It seems to happen to me sometimes if my diet isn’t varied enough. I’m probably going to seek out fruits and vegetables today, because it is one of the most horrible things that I experience in life.

In recent personal news:

We have been working on HandRooster, and it seems that not everyone has left us. Our web hits aren’t massive like they used to be, but I’m hoping that will come with time and good comics, so we’ll just keep making them. I haven’t carved wood in ages, mainly because the house is still cold. I usually carve in the living room but I don’t have any wood or coal right now so the living room is cold if we’ve got the fan heater in the computer room. Steph never spends time in the living room, so I don’t want to steal the heater from her. Perhaps I’ll get some wood or coal soon and heat it up in there so I can carve. Otherwise, my hands are too cold and they hurt while I’m carving. I’ve been writing a bit – mostly small journal posts, HandRooster scripts, and little poems. I’ll remind anyone that is interested that most of my poems are in the poetry section of my website. I’ll probably be making individual pages for them or rearranging the page I have because my friend Lewis suggested that it might make them more readable. I agree, so I’ll get on that soon. If you read them and have any comments, email me or leave a comment. There is some contact info here Hmm. What else? I got some books yesterday. I intend to do book reviews on all of these at some point, but here are a couple of links. They are quite good books. This author writes very different fantasy books. They are a refreshing change to the usual:

Golden Fool
UK version
Fool’s Fate
UK version

Anyway, those are the latest two I’ve received and I intent to start reading them right away, although I have many other books to read. After I’m done, maybe I’ll finally get around to doing some book reviews. I guess we’ll see.

I hope you all have a Merry Leap Day and a Happy New March. Do something crazy!

Book Review – Life on Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life

Published on June 20, 2007 in Books, Comic, Religion/Spirituality, Reviews and Writing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .

Several weeks ago, I got an email asking if I would like to review a new book which was being released. After agreeing that the content of the book was something which related to the general content of my blog, I responded that I’d be honored to participate in what is now being called the Book Blog Tour for Brad Swift’s Life on Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life.

Glancing over some of the other blogs participating in the tour, I see that the book has thus far received overwhelmingly positive feedback. I’m pleased that I’m not here to argue with the other reviewers. Dr. Swift’s writing is genuine and warm, and you can definitely feel the coaching roots of his prose. While I don’t think I am in the target audience for this book, I can see how it could help those who find themselves in the bewildering position of what can only be described as an identity crisis.

Life on Purpose: Six Passages to an Inspired Life is a detailed step by step method of discovering purpose in life. When Dr. Swift writes of a life purpose, he rejects the traditional western association of career with identity and presents a more balanced approach. He suggests that through thought, intuition, and contemplation, we can come up with a sort of guiding statement for our lives. This statement is meant to be the cup which holds the liquid of our lives. The book is scattered with helpful and inspirational quotes from famous thinkers and utilizes spiritual insight from multiple schools of spiritual thought. Those familiar with Zen and Taoist philosophies will notice many familiar techniques utilized in this system, which to me is a fantastic thing. Dr. Swift’s methods advocate contemplation and meditation techniques, as well as learning to live in the moment in order to keep our life purposes on track. The book is filled with exercises and techniques for discovering what kind of life purpose you wish to have, and for keeping the things you do within the context of that purpose once you’ve found it. Some of the most helpful parts of this book (in my opinion) were the sections dealing with what Dr. Swift titles the Inherited Purpose, something brought about by our past experiences and which influences the way we behave and the decisions we make in our lives. These sections really bring to light the history of your actions and the things which shape the person you’ve become.

While reading through this book, I sometimes felt that Dr. Swift’s directions were tailored for a child, or a very slow learning adult. I also felt that this book was written mostly for an audience of burnt out baby boomers. Despite these things, I always felt that Dr. Swift had my best interest at heart and if you can overlook these small and unimportant points, I’m sure you’d feel the same way too. If you’re lost in life, looking for meaning, or finding yourself constantly switching jobs, partners, or life circumstances, I would highly recommend this book as a system of self healing. Go into it with an open mind and a warm heart, and only good can come from the endeavor.

Oh, by the way – all the talk of a life purpose brought up an idea for this comic.