IQ84 BY HARUKI MURAKAMI

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, BY CARSON MCCULLERS

Southern writers rock. I don’t know why. They have something. Sometimes writers are in groups, like French Existentialists, Beats, Russians, and more. I think Southern American writers are something like that. Think of it, - Faulkner, McCarthy, William Styron, and there are more. This book, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, should get at least one point before it is being opened for having perhaps one of the coolest titles ever. And the book is excellent. It covers the topics of friendship and era and race, or time and loss. It’s not difficult to read, but that is not because the writing is simplistic, but rather because it is written by a pro. This is a book that everyone should read.

RATING 8/10

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NOTEBOOKS OF J. KRISHNAMURTI

I read somewhere once that it was Aldous Huxley that encouraged Krishnamurti to keep a journal. Imagine a tape of those two talking together. A literary genius with a spiritual bent and a spiritual genius with a talent for expression. Wow. In any event, Jiddu Krishnamurti took the advice and did, for over a year or two years I believe. At the outset, one might think it’s a simple nature narrative, and it is in that it is not allegorical or something. Krishnamurti often talks about going for a walk and the wonderful things he sees in nature. But don’t forget, you are reading the journal of Jiddu Krishnamurti, so it’s no different than reading the journal of say, Buddha. And it shows. It has an enlightened quality and it feels a bit different than reading the words of an ordinary man. Why? Perhaps for two reasons, - firstly, it is so ordinary that it is honesty in action on the page, and secondly, there are esoteric things inside of the pages if you have the patience. At one point Krishnamurti, on in age, has a dream that someone is placing a ball of fire inside of his head. And one gets the feeling that it’s not just a dream.

RATING 9/10

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OCTOBER FERRY TO GABRIOLA BY MALCOM LOWRY

In one of the best documentaries every made about a literary figure, called Volcano, it is mentioned that after Lowry wrote his masterpiece Under the Volcano, that he was washed up. Now, I found and read this book myself, this October Ferry to Gabriola and found that I liked it. I am positively biased because I am a Lowry fan and think about he and his work, and moreso his spirit, often. But, that being said, I think it is a good book. Lowry at ‘not his best,’ is still better than many other writers. To listen to him describe anything is like listening to Van Morrison sing. Everything is pretty good, even if it were not. Its hard to explain. I am a fan of this book, and though the book might have been put together afterwards, and not completely done, it is still worth reading, especially for anybody that really likes the likes of a Lowry, a Conrad, even the earlier work of Cormac McCarthy. Long live Malcolm Lowry.

 

RATING 7.5/10

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THE CATCHER IN THE RYE BY J.D. SALINGER

I first read this book in high school, like millions of other people I guess, and once again as an adult. Though the book has a lot of energy and power, I think it is somewhat over-rated. To me, it is an interesting narrative told by an outsider who is struggling with a severe case of isolation and depression. This is important, and Salinger was obviously committed to the task when he did it. But its like a snapshot in time, and not actually a robust or well rounded work. Holden is articulate, upset, angst-ridden, and literate. This is true of many teenagers in all times, but with Caulfield these things are taken to extremes for whatever reason and it seems he suffers not simply dark periods but nervous breakdowns. Its an important story, and should be read. It belongs in the canon, yes, I can see that, but somehow to me it is not a towering achievement or the finest example of what literature can be. There are too many other works out there whose characters are more fleshed out and numerous, whose pages have scenarios that are wider and more textured.

RATING 6/10

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THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG BY NORMAN MAILER

People say that this or that work is ‘towering’ all the time. I have always felt this work was. Mailer, now deceased, was a colorful figure in more ways than one, and he liked to write long novels. I think not all novels or films deserve or merit being long, but some do. The Executioner’s Song is about an American man that is convicted of a capital crime and would like to, against what most people would choose, accept his death, his destiny. Its based on the real life case of Gary Gilmore, and is called A True Life novel, I suppose something like In Cold Blood, which I have never read. I feel that Norman Mailer has a talent and confidence to go far into the story and show the nuance of thought in the systems we live in and also in the characters’ minds. The book is engrossing from beginning to end. I get the feeling that Mailer is interested, genuinely, in his subject matter. Its not always the case. Some books show up and are obviously just trying to be salacious or reap monetary rewards and readership. This book is long, but instead of lagging or clogging, it brings the reader deeper and deeper into the story and there is a sense of urgency about it all. The book does a fine job of relaying cosmic themes through a modern and otherwise secular group of events. I would not hesitate to recommend this book. It can be read by readers interested in crime, in America, in literature, in real life tales told with creativity, and in good writing and stories in general.

RATING 8.5/10

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THE I CHING, BOOK OF CHANGES

This text is meant to be used for divination, or a form of it at least. The reader poses a question to the book and throws coins, usually coins, and then reads a hexagram in accordance with the way the coins fall. There is way to learn how to ask Yes/No questions and also a way to ask other questions. I have had three copies through the years. I found the book to be useful and accurate. The book can also be read right through, and the sayings hold wisdom in themselves. If you are a really out of the box person, and you would have to be to even consider this text in the first place, you can take things a step further. Here is how: You can ask a question at random and open the book. The trick in such things is to have full integrity and not re-ask the same question but to accept the answer and try and work from it. The idea is that you will get the answer you need, not necessarily the one you want. So you can dowse that way without a diving rod or pendulum, and believe it or not, this is what people are doing all the time when they simply know without knowing how they really know, that they like that sweater versus the other one, or to trust this person and not that one. If you like esoteric, interestingly strange books, this is one I would suggest. But remember, it does not read like a narrative and has no orthodox linear fashion, but the hexagrams are accompanied by sayings, and have the flavor of axioms, proverbs, and words of that fashion.

 RATING 8.5/10

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