Books: Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

"I'm smiling because whenever we touch on the subject of this book which he is going to write some day things assume an incongruous aspect....The book must be absolutely original, absolutely perfect. That is why, among other things, it is impossible for him to get started on it. As soon as he gets an idea he begins to question it."
-Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer (p.132)

Do I dare recommend this book which has been labeled with the most virulent pejoratives ever used to describe a book?
Dare I say I love it?
Yes and yes.

Two recommendations: 1) Read this simultaneously with A Learned Passion: Letters Between Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller for proper contextualization, though not required, it helps with the historical background; 2) Read it like an experienced book reader, checking any and all cultural and moral expectations at the door to fully delve into the gorgeous prose Miller delivers. It isn't sugary, nor lite, nor does it involve vampires nor imagery resembling a pastoral painting. Thank God for that. But it is trashy, vulgar, at times delving on the scatological: all the kinds of crap that I am fully equipped to handle. And yes, it is a classic from the 1930s. Ah, the things I do for a good read....;D

Blogging: The Selvedge Yard

Coolness.....black and white, vintage photography of style icons. The Selvedge Yard.

Enough said.

Visit.

Update: I just saw it again on 5-5-2012 and I am still in awe of the images found therein. Go!

Blogging: At Home with Books

I find that I don't care for most books being read by casual bloggers I encounter or perhaps it is that I have yet to do a proper search for lack of time/ambition/desire/engagement to do so. But today, I found an interesting and unpretentious blog called At Home with Books.
Perhaps, I had not been properly engaged by books for so long that I felt somewhat disenchanted and bored with others' recommendations. The technical writing that I have to do for my academic work had dissolved the engagement, the enthusiasm, the love I had once felt for literature. But that is all in the past now. Especially since I have been simultaneously reading A Literate Passion, Nin's Diary (vol. 1), and Tropic of Cancer, all by Anaïs Nin or Henry Miller or both, I have rediscovered my love for words creatively strung. Of course, the academic remains ever present, but it has now been spiced up with some fine prose.
I will be very honest and say that I have yet to peruse through the entirety of At Home with Books (http://athomewithbooks.net/). But its author, Alyce (rhymes with peace), seems to do a fine job of selecting interesting reads to showcase in her blog. Rather than adopting the latest vampire trends (God spare me) or selecting sentimental grocery-store lightweights, she seems to give more care to what she ingests through words than many a blogger out there. However, be warned that if you are seeking an aesthetically pleasing site, one that soothes you or puts your senses at ease, you're not finding it here. That aside, I like books, all books, and so I will give her the opportunity to point some interesting ones my way while overlooking the fallacies of non-design. It's not like I'm a typographer-ista, I shouldn't care.
Oh, the irony!  Of course, I had to select the day she chose to put Rob Lowe's biography on her front page, but that can be forgiven for some counterweights she throws into the mix in older posts. Of course, it is her blog, and she has children, so you will also enncounter a fair bit of her personal life among the books. I don't mind it at all if she herself doesn't object to sharing it with her audience. I go for the book titles and reviews anyway, but it is nice knowing that some kids out there in the ether world have a pretty cool thinking mom who loves books and doesn't mind sharing it with the world.

Books: A Literate Passion by Anais Nin and Henry Miller

I have been trying to get back into reading books for fun. Given my odd assortment of academic required reading for my on-going dissertation, I have come to a point where I must also read for something other than incumbency, imperative, requirement, etc.

As I was cleaning up my desk at home last month, I noticed A Literate Passion: Letters of Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller, 1932-1953. It had been sitting there for a good six to nine months but covered under piles of other more pressing reading, it had been relegated for 'future reading.' Well, since the future reading stacks never seem to find breathing space in my house I opted to see what was the fuss between the rather controversial and apparently sexy Nin and Miller. Or at least their respective letters to each other.

All I can say now, a month's time into my reading is "wow!" And definitely more to come.... :)

Definitions: Prurient and other scatologies

Let's get on with some dirty ones, shall we?

randy
raunchy
lewd
wanton
libidinous
concupiscent
goatish (really? haha, autocorrection says this should be 'atishoo.'  What the hell is atishoo?)
voyeuristic
carnal (in Caló that's synonymous to 'bro' as in "hey, bro!")
salacious
prurient
licentious
unchaste
ruttish
lecherous
lustful

If you run into anymore of these beauties, by all means, add them to the list!