SOUTH OF NO NORTH - Charles Bukowski

Here is a book I finished September 13th 2014 at 11:10am while at work.  The full working title of the book is; South of No North - Stories of the Buried Life. Although only South of No North appears on the cover.

The idea to read this book came from a preexisting love of Bukowski.  I have over 13 of his novels and collected poems, all of which will be reviewed here.  As I was strolling through the bookstore on my birthday last month I came across this one.  Realizing I did not own it yet, it was a must read - but first a must buy.

Without giving too much away, this book was first published in 1973 (4 years before I was born)  It is compiled of 27 short stories that one would expect from Bukowski.  Tales from the race track, tales of the drunk and downtrodden, and unspeakable sexual acts not fit to be said out-loud.  These are just a few of the reasons why fans of Bukowski love him so dearly.  As with the rest of his works they are partially autobiographical and give the reader the all too familiar glance into a day in the life.  The reoccurring Hank Chinaski is a common thread on the adventures depicted throughout, a character Bukowski loyalist are all too familiar with.  There were a few in here that really made my stomach turn, and this is not what I am used to with Bukowski so it was nice to be surprised. (not that it's a nice feeling - fans catch my drift.)  

My top 5 in this collection are:  1.  Politics. (I just really enjoyed the way this ended)  2.  Love For $17.50. (A strange tale about a man who falls in love with a mannequin.  Not too far off from some recent documentaries I've seen about men falling in love with sex dolls - very unusual story)  3.  The Killers. (Black humor at its finest, about a couple of burglars and a comical analysis on lack of remorse. The ending got me.)  4.  Stop Staring at My Tits Mister (A Bukowski-style dark western, again with a shocking end I did not see coming - although should have.  This was one of the stories that left an impression to say the very least.  I am undecided if that impression is good. ) 5.  Pittsburgh Phil & Co. (a tale from the race track, a nice twist of fate with the Bukowski finish I enjoy)

I recommend this book for those trying to complete their Bukowski collection.  This book has a few gems you don't want to be without.  Listed above are 5 that really stood apart from the rest for me.

This book in this picture is 189 pages long and it took me 3 days to read.

On my sliding scale I gave this book an 8/10.  It was typical Bukowski, he doesn't change much as all fans know.  There were parts in this one that made me cringe, not unlike some of his others.  I wouldn't change him for the world. Check this one out of you're a fan.  If not, run far away in the other direction.  

BRAVE NEW WORLD - Aldous Huxley.

Here is a book I read in April of 1998 while on a 2 month trek trough Ireland. It was one of three books I read while there.  The others being 'Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse and Doors of Perception, Heaven and Hell also by Huxley (all reviewed here)

The idea to read this book was most likely due to having enjoyed the brief attempt I had given it in high school.  I am not sure which grade level this book is read at anymore, it was just too long ago.  Needless to say I wasn't quite so eager to finish it then, so made up for it when hitting a rainy stint of weather in Ireland. (surprise)

Without giving too much away, this was Huxley's first Dystopian novel, published in 1932.  The main theme of the story shows us a futuristic society where most of humanity is governed by one supreme power called The World State.  The World State has each member of society predetermined to fill certain roles; a caste system.  When you are born, you are born into a certain job, lifestyle, privilege etc... On the contrary to The World State are geographical areas filled with what Huxley has called "the savages" Picture if you will the reservation land for the Native Americans in North America. (sad but true)  In regards to the World State; Huxley spends a great deal of time and detail behind the science of the very complex birthing process, and he gives much detail to the how and why the world is set up in such a way as to be governed by The World State.  This attention to detail makes the book more enjoyable to read, as Huxley has a way of painting a picture for the reader that leaves nothing unexplained. The world State has set up society so that all are willing to subscribe to it from birth.  Brainwashing and a population cap sets up the society so that no one goes without their wants, as the wants are prescribed and embedded into the population.  If a holiday is required there is a drug called 'Soma' that offers the escape everyone is looking for; the only World State sanctioned vacation desired by most. This eliminates the natural human instinct to search out individualism which the World State fears might threaten the State itself. Again, Huxley spends so much time going over the rules of the State that this review would take pages and pages.  By what has been said so far you can get an idea, I won't spoil the rest of the fun details.

The main plot revolves around a handful of characters living in The World State scenario.  Some find they are faced with thoughts and feelings of individualism that threaten their positions in the State.  I have left many characters out to limit the review here on purpose, however, the main characters are; Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, Lenina Crowne, Linda (mother of John), John (Linda and Thomas' son), Thomas (Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning and Johns father), and  Mustapha Mond (the big boss of the area, controller of one of the ten zones which make up The World State)

Linda and John live in the Savage lands for reasons you'll find out when you reads the book.  Thomas (who is Johns father), denies their existence and still maintains his role of director in The World State.  When Bernard and Lenina vacation to the savage lands they meet Linda and John and put the story together as to why they no longer live in The World State. Bernard arranges for them to return to The World State, which is desirable at first.  While there Bernard, after being threatened by Thomas, exposes the truth about John.  Thomas is shamed and resigns from his position.  For a time, John becomes a celebrity; a savage living amongst the people.  Linda, happy to be home falls into a Soma overdose and John annoyed at the lack of compassion disrupts daily life with the help of Helmholtz. The controller Mustapha, a man who is no stranger to individualism himself, but who sees the theoretical need to abandon it for the "greater good" of The World State (who I found to be one of the most interesting characters in the book), must now make a choice.  As it turns out Bernard and Helmholtz are exiled for helping John. While Helmholtz finds this a desirable punishment, Bernard sadly does not.  John is kept on in The World State and, in a sense, he is studied until he is faced with an ultimate decision in order to come to terms with a series of maddening events which will decide the fate of he and Lenina. ( I won't spoil).

Upon careful examination, it seems to appear that Huxley is writing about a fear of losing ones identity, or the sense of the individual.  Compare this classic tale written in the 1931 with society today; year 2014 - and this is the true power behind the book as far as I am concerned.  Does it not feel like we are being moved into a World State scenario in our everyday lives today?  Take a look at John in the book and his promotion from savage to celebrity.  Now look at celebrity worship as a whole in our society - constant idolization and surveillance that is enough to drive modern day celebrity power completely off the deep end, just as John is forced at the end of this book.  The juxtapositions between this book and modern Western society today are staggeringly similar when you adapt an initiated view, and this is only looking at the aforementioned example which is just a tiny glance into the book.  There is so much room for interpretation, it truly becomes endless.

I read a review on Huxley where it stated he was concerned that a government who would choose to give us all that we wanted would reduce us to a  brainless 'passive culture'.  We would concern ourselves with a fake 'race' to an imagined finish line.  Any quest for truth would be diluted in an abyss of information overload.  Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with a meaningless society based on pleasure seeking as the highest reward for our actions, as the true measure of  life's accomplishment.  In short, he feared a society where we would be controlled by having access to complete opportunity to fulfill our greatest desires. (in other words; constant access to pleasure)  It looks as if his fears summed to one lesson; that our quest for pleasure would destroy us and make us easy to herd and control.  It doesn't take a burning intellect to see that his greatest fears are coming true.  We truly are turning into these things almost exactly - pretty spooky. I'd like to go on further but I have some TV to watch, a video game to play, some internet to surf, and a whole whack of other brainless activities that take priority.  Not to mention I need to go to the mall to get my winter outfits ready for the season change.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in modern day social commentary.  This book has come to be known as the 'lighthouse' book on the topic - or most certainly one that has received a great deal of attention that leads others interested to it.  When you begin to examine the lessons told in this book and compare them to society today, you might begin to experience a very real sense of discomfort. This makes it a good place to start for those interested in social commentary.  As I have been told by some other readers; there is a novel titled 'WE' that has similar themes written before Huxley penned this gem.  George Orwell (apparently) accused Huxley of stealing ideas from 'WE' for this book.  I have yet to acquire a copy of 'WE' but will comment further after I have. Orwells '1984' might be of interest for those dystopian fans, not to mention Huxley's last novel 'ISLAND' (also reviewed here) which takes the themes of this book to another level all together.

This book is 237 pages long and I was able to read it over 2 rainy days from the comforts of my hostel.

On my sliding scale I give this book a solid 10/10.  I enjoy the thought of this book being written so many years ago and still being so relevant today - this is still a book that gets much attention and is up for so much discussion if one chooses.  I found this book to be very difficult to review as there was just too much meat on the bones as far as discussion potential goes.  I was unable to give any one portion of the book enough attention and for this I am regretful.  This is a MUST read, a deep philosophical journey that deserves your own interpretation.  Are certain aspects of this book becoming a reality today?  Give it a read, decide for yourself and drop me a comment.

THE SEA IS MY BROTHER - Jack Kerouac

Here is a book I finished reading on September 2nd 2014 at 9:00pm while at home.

The idea to read this book came in the form of a birthday present.  I had just finished reading a book by Bill Morgan detailing the lives of the Beat Writers, which is probably what sparked the idea for the gift.  It's nice to have friends that pay attention.

Without giving too much away the book tells the story of Wesley Martin and Bill Everhart.  Both characters seem to be based on different halves of the real Jack Kerouac. The free-spirited Wesley is the classic Kerouac nomad, a traveling man living every day for its own worth and seeking high adventure where he can find it.  You see this type of character in most of his later works, and in the living flesh of his real life acquaintances (enter Neal Cassady)  Wesley rolls into town from the docks, having pissed away his earnings on booze and women he finds himself in a diner where he meets Bill.  Bill is the other side of what a 20 year old Kerouac might have truly seen himself to be; a burning intellect, and in the novel a young professor at Columbia University. Bill has lived the life of theory with little hands-on life experience. He is easily seduced by Wesley's stories and experiences and wants to live a portion of them for himself.  The pair embark on a small adventure, which leads Bill to follow Wesley on his next merchant marine voyage to Greenland.  Because the story is so short I won't give anything more away. 

I recommend this book for Kerouac lovers. This one had slipped past my radar growing up, and I wasn't sure why at first.  I found out that this was published in 2011, long after my original run at the 'beat' writers. To my surprise this surfaced and has rekindled my love of Kerouac specifically.  

The book was largely criticized for being too armature, a young Kerouac's attempt to be the writer he dreamed of, but wasn't quite yet.  When I read those reviews I laughed...simply becasue they were right.  But instead of giving the book a poor review becasue of that , I found that I was celebrating the book for those reasons.  This is a young Jack Kerouac writing about his experiences (although short lived) in the merchant marines, and what's there not to love about getting a taste of his style and technique in their earliest recorded stages?  Perhaps you truly need to be a fan of his later works (which I am) to fully appreciate a glance at the roots.  We might all too often see Kerouac as a literary force that simply just came to be, with no visible roots upon which he based his evolution.  The Sea is My Brother shows us that he did indeed have to earn his dues before becoming the author we know him as today through his later and more popular works.      

This book in this picture is 216 pages long and it took me one day to read.
On my sliding scale I give this book a solid 10/10.  Perhaps I am being nostalgic and ranking one of my favorite authors too high, however, truly I feel this book was a perfectly written first novel.  It told me a perfect story, a VERY light read, that gave me exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. I was very happy to have finally read it after all the years it sat in the Kerouac estate unpublished and waiting for me.

SET THIS HOUSE ON FIRE - William Styron

Here is a book I finished reading on July 30th 2014 at 11:41pm while at home.

The idea to read this book came after reading Styron's Darkness Visible (also reviewed here)

Without giving too much away (but there are some major spoilers here), the book is broken up into two parts.  The first part takes a look at the intersecting lives of a group of characters, mainly, southern lawyer Peter Leverett,  artist Cass Kinsolving, and wealthy playboy Mason Flagg. Our narrator Peter recounts the memories of his vacation where he travels to a small town in Italy called Sambuco, where he is reunited with his old friend Mason Flagg.  Not long after his arrival Mason is discovered dead.  Peter who has his suspicions is not to figure out the riddle until the second part of the book.
The second part is primarily a character study based on the background of Cass Kinsolving and his conversations with Peter where we get a closer explanation of what really happened the night Mason was killed. I say 'character study' becasue the second part reads like an unnecessarily deep scaled look into Cass, giving details that are nice to know, but for me not important for the development of the story that just rocks your world in part one. Part two introduces an interesting character named Luigi; a police officer with a deeply rooted philosophical conscience, that I wish more of that part was dedicated to. 
Truly, part one set ME on fire with anticipation to get to part two as quickly as possible.  I had an uncontrollable excitement that so rarely occurs and ONLY does with the right kind of book, which must have the ability to set the right kind of mood.  But, once I arrived at part two and began to slip the pages I literally stalled, I began to struggle to get the pages finished, and often wondered if Styron had made a terrible mistake.  It was like an entirely different read.

I recommend this book for readers looking for a lengthy read that leaves NOTHING to the imagination, and I truly don't say this in a negative light.  This book is exquisitely written, as I have found all the works of Styron so far (at point of this review I am only 3 deep). As such, he never once lets the reader miss something, or to peer too deeply into the hearts of the characters on their own.  It is all written out (in unnecessary length at times) but all parts summing together to give you the full experience. If you're going on a trip, or a lazy vacation; this might just be what the doctor ordered, as you'll require some time to finish it.

This book (as seen in the picture) is a densely written 507 pages long and took me approx one month to read this mammoth. This was remarkably longer than I would have liked, however, I was letting other books get in the way of its completion due to the drawn-out nature of the second part, which I can honestly say took away from the enjoyment overall.  Please note this books first part can stand alone as an example of triumph in literary mastery!!

On my sliding scale I give this book a solid 8/10.  I could have easily given this book a 10/10 if it hadn't have been for the second part interfering with the beautifully composed first part.  Styron, for those familiar, is a MASTER storyteller, and he has been compared to Hemingway with his insanely intelligent 'wordiness' for better lack of terms. (obviously I do not suffer from the same) You can tell while reading this that Styron sincerely is a burning intellect.  This is not a bad thing, and I could appreciate that style for the first 241 pages of part one which took me to a new level.  However, part two became too drawn out for me, and there was far too much examination of Cass's life that I felt was unnecessary, and as already stated; it ended up actually taking away from the full force of the story.  All that being said, this is without question worth reading; a MUST for fans of a long and complicated story that never leaves you requiring the details that other books often do.  Styron has written damn near everything you should hope to discover about the story...and sadly just a little bit more.

THE TYPEWRITER IS HOLY - Bill Morgan

Here is a book I finished on September 1st 2014 at 7:30pm while at home.

The full working title of the book is; The Typewriter is Holy - The Complete Uncensored History of the Beat Generation.

The idea to read this was two-fold.  For one; I have a soft spot for what has been called "The Beat Generation" A great deal of my reviews are of books by, or close to the time, the 'Beat' renaissance writers were writing.  For two; I was in the right place at the right time and found his book in a discount bin for only 2.00 Canadian dollars. That is less than a cheap cup of coffee these days.  So, I literally had no choice.  I had to buy it, and I happily did.

Without giving too much away this is a work on non-fiction, written by Bill Morgan.  Morgan, who has worked as an editor and archival consultant for nearly each of the writers from that time, has painted an interesting picture for us Beat lovers. The author states that this book gives an "uncensored" look at the writers from this era.  For certain, this book offers a ripe history of some of the greatest and most influential writers from that time, and for me at least, it shed light on a lot of topics I was previously unaware of from that time.  If you have read individual biographies of some of the Beat contributors as I have, than there will be some overlap and this DID leave me bored some of the time.  However, over all, this was a necessary read for me, it answered previous questions I had had about the chronology of events in the lives of some of my most celebrated writers, and it sparked an interest for me to revisit some of the old books on my shelf - all of which I plan to review here. At the same time I will be reliving the joys of those writers that made me love reading as much as I do today.  I found at times, (and to be expected due to Morgans close relationship with Ginsberg),that Morgan is quite partial to Ginsberg and seems to say nothing overly controversial in regards to his former friend.  Morgan is constantly reminding the reader, in his references to Ginsberg, that he was all too often the glue that held the Beat renaissance together, almost single-handedly it seems. Whether this is bias or not doesn't take away from the interest of the read.  If you love The Beats, this is a must read! 

I recommend this book for everyone who has had a love, at one time or another, for the key writers in what has come to be known as 'The Beat Generation'.  Although some of the writers (ironically Kerouac) hated being associated with that title, this book gives great detail into the lives of each of the key players from that era.  On one hand this book can act as a springboard into getting your Beat knowledge up to par before embarking on the long journey of familiarizing yourself with the writers from that time.  However, this book can also act as a supplemental, filling in the blanks for someone who is already a seasoned Beat reader, and who has sampled many of the delights from them. 

This book in this picture is 250 pages long (before source notes) and took me 2 days to read.

On my sliding scale I give this book a solid 9/10.  I thoroughly enjoyed the way in which Morgan chronicled the instances of so many lives in a fashion that had readability with little effort.  I have read many books on the individual lives of specific Beat writers, but never had I seen such a complete picture of what they were all doing at given points in history.  Well worth the time to read.