Saturday, December 31, 2016

Author Interview: Diana Kirk


Author Diana Kirk describes herself as queen in "the world of not enoughs," a "corn muffin surrounded by chocolate caramel cupcakes." Her new book, Licking Flames: Tales of a Half-Assed Hussy, is a collection of brash, funny, and unapologetic essays that you may tear through in a sitting but you won't soon forget.


Diana recently answered questions for Rose City Reader:


The essays in your book are hilarious. They are also all over the place, from brash to tender, family, to raunchy. Where do you get your inspiration?

Well, that's probably my publisher Jennifer Fulford at Black Bomb Books. She chose this collection of essays out of about fifty I’d written over the past few years. Then I wrote "After" and "No Thang" specifically for Licking Flames to give some definition to where I started and where I’m at now. But my editor, author Ariel Gore, wanted another essay called "Trolls" out of the book when we were almost done. Seriously, she wrote DO NOT PUBLISH THIS on the front of that essay and so when Ariel Gore says, DON’T DO THIS…I listen. It was a really serious article about sex trafficking and AIDS in Africa in the 1990’s. A very important piece I’ve never been able to place but she thought it belonged in a travel anthology. The rest of the essays are just my observations in life and experiences I have day to day. I think everything is kind of funny because I’m pretty immature. So maybe that’s the answer. I’m just immature, Gilion. That’s why the tone is all over the place. Maybe I’m in puberty again. It could be.

What is your work background? How did it lead you to writing your book?

My work background is all over the place from law to guiding in Alaska, teaching environmental education, opening businesses. Right now I’m a real estate investor in Oregon but soon I might be a bar owner or a tour guide. I like to try a lot of new things because I’m quite curious about the world. But I’m convinced I wasn’t meant to do one type of work for forty years. I was meant to jump on a ship and go try to figure out an unchartered island. I love bringing order to chaos, and if I can make money in the process, I’m usually really excited about it. By the way, that’s writing. Bringing order to the chaos in my brain. It’s probably why I’m attracted to it.

How did you come up with the title? And what’s the story behind the subtitle, Tales of a Half-Assed Hussy?

My publisher came up with the title. At first she wanted Happy Hussy, but I didn’t like it because I think happiness is a moment and not a lifestyle. Being happy is kind of like being nice…an expectation burdened on the female gender by society and one I have no desire to perpetuate. So the actual words Licking and Flames then came from my very brash sexual nature, my opinionated lifestyle and a line from the essay "Nancy" that’s featured on the back cover, "I’m a moth, flittering around the edges of whatever might possible kinda maybe hurt me." And Tales of a Half-Assed Hussy. Well, a hussy historically comes from haus, meaning wife but then became an outspoken wife. I like to think of myself as a sex positive deeply married wife that’s also sometimes really lazy. Like right now I’m in sweats eating pancakes for dinner in my bed.

I have a fangirl crush. Will you join my book club? Because you write like we talk. Like we talk after the wine.

Yes, as long as I can bring my vodka and you can handle convos involving body fluids and Matthias Schoenaerts…because immature. [Ed. note: Yes to all.]

What did you learn from writing your book – either about the subject of the book or the writing process – that most surprised you?

I’m surprised at how funny people think it is. Like when I read "Pink Wrestle Mania" to a crowd, they’re dying. The laughing gets so loud in the room, I have to pause so people can hear me. That surprised me because my whole life I’ve been told I’m "overly sexualized" which means "not embarrassed to talk about sex." In fact, about a year before I got my book deal, I was kicked out of a writing group in Portland. The woman running it would get really flustered with my aggressive style and would try on repeat, during our sessions, to shame me for the very thing people now are laughing at. So my surprise is really just that. That I’m funny.

You warn in the Foreword that the book is “memoir. Ish” and “totally true. Kinda.” Just how big of a grain of salt do we need to take this book with?

That warning is for one story in the book. I don’t trust the details, but I won’t tell you what story and I won’t tell you why. You can write me and take guesses. We’ll play twenty questions. I’ll give you vague metaphorical answers. You’ll go crazy, tweet about it, podcast about it, reporters will catch on, it’ll go viral until finally I’ll end up on the cover of the National Enquirer on a beach in Hawaii with my cellulite circled in red and the headline, “is the answer to the Licking Flames controversy written in Diana Kirk’s left hip cellulite?”

Did any of your family members read your book before it was published? Did they ask you to stop?

No. My husband’s heard every story because I drink at parties and get loud. And if I wrote about someone, I sent them the essay beforehand. The book is really about me and my experiences so there’s no need for people to be nervous. I’m not judging anyone. Just interpreting the experiences. Except my Mother. I could write, “my mother is the greatest woman on the planet” and my mother would get offended. She’s had the book for three weeks. I haven’t heard from her.

Who are you three (of four or five) favorite authors? Is your own writing influenced by the authors you read? 

My favorite author on the planet is Louise Erdrich. I started reading her 25 years ago but I have nothing in common. Same with Toni Morrison or Banana Yoshimoto. I’m a little obsessed with culture so anything really different than my California swimming pool childhood I find interesting. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was from my best friend in college. She gave me ten books from ten women who lived in different countries. LOVED IT. I read, almost exclusively…women but I also include David Sedaris on that list.

What kind of books do you like to read? What are you reading now?

I’m obsessed with anything I can find on historical prostitutes. I had a piece published last year in Black Orchid called "Strained Performances"  about a prostitute in Astoria, Oregon during the 1860s. It’s peeked my interest and I’ve been reading journals from the historical society in Astoria about the whores of Bond Street. In so many towns around the west, the working women quite often had more money than the men. They would become loan sharks, shareholders in banks, bar owners. I’m attracted to their perseverance. I can relate to their cleverness. People always picture prostitutes as victims and they were, quite often. But a lot of them were business women and their body was their asset. I find that an interesting twist to women’s history.

You have a terrific website, and are on facebook and twitter. From an author’s perspective, how important are social networking sites and other internet resources to promote your book?

Well, I’m not sure how you get published without a web presence now. Can you? I don’t know. You’ve got to have at least an author website so you can become a human being to your readers. That was important for me because I look up authors all the time. I write emails, tweet them. But my website isn’t anything fancy. It’s just a landing pad for people googling my name. I do write a lot on Facebook but not on Twitter. I was on Twitter for five years before I ever opened a Facebook account. It’s difficult to do both. So I’m currently into Facebook but that could change. I do try to do both and Goodreads. That’s yet another platform to game. It’s all a damn game though. It can be exhausting and I take breaks. No one person can do everything. I still have to keep the lights on.

Do you have any events coming up to promote your book?

I have some radio show appearances coming up in January on the coast, and I’ll be doing multiple articles for the Women’s March on Washington January 21st. But right now, I’m hanging out for the holidays with my three sons after a crazy year.

What’s next? Are you working on your next book?

I’m always writing. Every single damn day. Either posts on social media, rants, dialogues I overhear or have with strangers. But I do have a manuscript done about a couple that road trip across the country as well as a backlog of essays on female friendships. We shall see in 2017 if anything comes to fruition. Right now I’m enjoying press for Licking Flames and submitting some essays to New York Times and Rumpus. I’m kind of an opportunist so maybe I’m waiting for the right opportunity to arrive. I’m excited to find out myself.

THANKS, DIANA! AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LICKING FLAMES IS AVAILABLE ON LINE OR ASK YOU LOCAL BOOK SELLER TO ORDER IT!


Thursday, December 29, 2016

Book Beginning: Steve Jobs



THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING



When Paul Jobs was mustered out of the Coast Guard after World War II, he made a wager with his crewmates. They had arrived in San Francisco, where their ship was decommissioned, and Paul bet that he would find himself a wife within two weeks.

-- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. I like to start the new year with an inspirational book and I think this will do the trick.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Book Beginning: The Pursuit of Love



THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING



There is a photograph in existence of Aunt Sadie and her six children sitting around the tea-table at Alconleigh. The table is situated, as it was, is now, and ever shall be, in the hall, in front of a huge open fire of logs.

-- The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. I read this post-WWII classic in high school and am reveling in the reread. Perfect for Christmas weekend!

The cover makes it look sappy, but it's not. It's crisp, witty, sophisticated, and through-and-through charming.

3 Days to Christmas!




Monday, December 19, 2016

Mailbox Monday: Licking Flames

What books came into your house last week? One fun new book came into mine:



Licking Flames: Tales of a Half-Assed Hussy by Diana Kirk. This collection of brash, funny, and unapologetic essays takes a new look at being an adult woman in a man's world.



Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

6 Days to Christmas!




Thursday, December 15, 2016

Book Beginning: The Weird Sisters



THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING



We came home because we were failures.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown. That's a great first sentence to kick off this story about three adult sisters moving back to their family home in Ohio.







10 Days to Christmas!




Wednesday, December 14, 2016

2017 CHALLENGE: The European Reading Challenge


COMPLETED

This is my own sign up post. To sign up yourself (please do!), go to the main challenge page here, or click the button above.

I am signing up for the FIVE STAR (DELUXE ENTOURAGE) level to read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

BOOKS READ

Bech at Bay by John Updike (Czech Republic; Czechoslovakia at the time)

When You Lunch With the Emperor by Ludwig Bemelmans (Austria)

The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen (UK)

The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson (Sweden)

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally (Poland)

On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis (France)

The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan (Italy)

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Spain)

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo (Norway)

Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö (Sweden)

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking (Denmark)

The Manticore by Robertson Davies (Switzerland)

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Germany)

The Glorious Heresies by Lisa McInerney (Ireland)



NOTE: Updated December 30, 2017

I read books set in 14 different European countries, which is the most I have ever achieved doing this challenge. And I read several books written by European authors and translated to English, which I am usually not so good about doing.











11 Days to Christmas!




Sunday, December 11, 2016

2017 CHALLENGE: 2X17 & Mt. TBR



2X17: READ 34 BOOKS IN 2017

COMPLETED

I'm combining the Mt. TBR Challenge with a TBR challenge I came up with to read two books for each year of the century. This is the fourth year I've done it, so it gets a little more challenging each year. If anyone wants to join me, grab the button and play along! Leave a comment and I'll start a list here.

I am going to read 34 books for the 2X17 part of the challenge, one from each of 17 separate shelves on my TBR bookcases.

I have 27 fiction books and seven non-fiction books picked out. All seven of the non-fiction books are food-related, to overlap with the Foodies Read 2017 Challenge. For the fiction books, I picked books that I've most been meaning to read for a long time and aimed for a mix of long and short, heavy and light.

These are the books in alphabetical order by author, but I am going to read them as the mood strikes.

MY 2X17 BOOKS


One of the books I picked is a trilogy and the other is an omnibus edition of three Ian Rankin mysteries, so although there are 34 volumes on this list, I'll end up reading 38 books.

The Biographer's Moustache by Kingsley Amis FINISHED

When You Lunch With the Emperor by Ludwig Bemelmans FINISHED

The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen FINISHED

No Way to Treat a First Lady by Christopher Buckley FINISHED

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters FINISHED

Poetic Justice by Amanda Cross FINISHED

The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business; The Manticore; World of Wonders by Robertson Davies FINISHED

Jam Today Too: The Revolution Will Not Be Catered by Tod Davies FINISHED

Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis FINISHED

The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson FINISHED

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks FINISHED

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick FINISHED

Spotted Dick, S'Il Vous Plait: An English Restaurant in France by Tom Higgins FINISHED

About a Boy by Nick Hornby FINISHED

Ultimate Prizes by Susan Howatch FINISHED

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman FINISHED

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally FINISHED

The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese by Kathe Lison FINISHED

Paradise News by David Lodge FINISHED

On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis FINISHED

An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman FINISHED

The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan FINISHED

The Unicorn by Iris Murdoch FINISHED

Blue Angel by Francine Prose FINISHED

Rebus: The Lost Years: Let It Bleed; Black & Blue; The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin FINISHED

Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet, edited by Ruth Reichl FINISHED

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo FINISHED

Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö FINISHED

The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark FINISHED

Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler FINISHED

Beck at Bay by John Updike FINISHED

The Road to Burgundy: The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France by Ray Walker FINISHED

The Life and Loves of a She Devil by Fay Weldon FINISHED

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón FINISHED





MT. TBR CHALLENGE:
READ A TOTAL OF 48 TBR BOOKS

COMPLETED

Bev at My Reader's Block hosts the Mt. TBR Challenge and I am signing up for the Mt. Ararat Level to read a total of 48 books off my TBR shelves. So in addition to those listed above, I need to knock off another 14. I don't know which ones they will be, but I will list them here as I read them.

THE MT. TBR BOOKS

The Panther by Nelson DeMille

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

How to Hepburn: Lessons on Living from Kate the Great by Karen Karbo

Amarcord: Marcella Remembers by Marcella Hazan

Original Sin by P. D. James

Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry

The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

The Architecture Pack : A Unique, Three-Dimensional Tour of Architecture by Ron Van der Meer

Slay Ride by Dick Francis

Free to Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman

Bandits by Elmore Leonard

Any Human Heart by William Boyd

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flannigan (Booker Prize winner)

Through the Children's Gate: A Home in New York by Adam Gopnik

Any Woman's Blues by Erica Jong

The Heirs by Susan Rieger

The Question of Max by Amanda Cross

Reptile by David Ball

The Group by Mary McCarthy

The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm

A Certain Justice by P. D. James


MT. TBR CHALLENGE CHECKPOINT

Bev added a Words to the Wise According to Mt. TBR checkpoint for those interested. I'll give it a go. The idea is to use titles of the books above to finish the aphorisms listed below:

A stitch in time...[saves] Girls of Slender Means
Don't count your chickens...[before] The Panther
A penny saved is.... No Way to Treat a First Lady
All good things must come... Through the Children's Gate
When in Rome... [be] Free to Choose
All that glitters is not... Original Sin
A picture is worth [the] ... Shadow of the WInd
When the going gets tough, the tough get... A Reliable Wife
Two wrongs don't make... Any Human Heart
The pen is mightier than.... The Whole Fromage
The squeaky wheel gets... Ultimate Prizes
Hope for the best, but prepare for... A Certain Justice
Birds of a feather flock... [to] Birdsong



NOTE: Updated January 1, 2018

In addition to the 34 books I read for my 2X17 Challenge, I read 22 other books for the Mt. TBR challenge, for a total of 56 books off my TBR shelves in 2017.




14 Days to Christmas!




Saturday, December 10, 2016

2016 CHALLENGE: Back to the Classics, Wrap Up Post


COMPLETED

I signed up to read six books out of the possible 12 categories, with a stretch goal of reading nine, which I reached. As I suspected, I read more than nine books that would qualify as "classics" under the definition, but they overlapped the same nine categories.

The Back to the Classics Challenge is hosted by Karen at Books and Chocolate. Thank for hosting, Karen!


MY BOOKS AND THEIR CATEGORIES

Out of Africa by Isak Dineson (FINISHED; woman author)

Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley (FINISHED; science fiction)

Merry Hall by Beverley Nichols (FINISHED; place name)

Orlando by Virginia Woolf (FINISHED; adventure - well, egghead adventure)

Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters (FINISHED; detective)

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (FINISHED; translation)

The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope (FINISHED; 19th Century)

Loitering with Intent by Muriel Spark (FINISHED; 20th Century)

The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy (FINISHED; short stories)



15 Days to Christmas!




Thursday, December 8, 2016

Book Beginning: A Christmas Carol



THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING



MY BOOK BEGINNING



Marley was dead: to begin with.

-- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I've never read this; I just assumed I had because I've seen so many movies and plays and cartoons. I decided to finally read the book, or at least the audiobook.

And it's terrific! I always forget how funny Dickens is. There are droll asides, witty bits, and sarcasm that is lost in the syrupy movie adaptations.

17 Days to Christmas!




Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Author Interview: Gary Hayden



Gary Hayden's thousand-mile walk from John o’Groats, at the northern tip of Scotland, to Land’s End, at the southernmost tip of England, inspired his recent book, Walking with Plato. Gary recently answered questions for Rose City Reader.




How did you come to write Walking with Plato?

I set off on the 1,150-mile trek from John o’Groats to Land’s End with no intention of writing a book about it. I figured that I’d have nothing to say that hadn’t already been said perfectly well by someone else. But the trip turned out to be such an unexpectedly wonderful experience that when it was over I felt I had something worth sharing.

Can you explain this end to end trek you took, from John O’Groats to Land’s End? Is it a regular hiking trail? How did you map your route?

John o’Groats is in the far northeast of Scotland, and Land’s End is in the far southwest of England. They’re the two furthest apart points on the British mainland. Hence, quite a lot of people cycle or walk between them.

There’s no set route. Some people take the most direct route they can, along roads. Others opt for more scenic routes, which is what my wife Wendy and I did. We basically linked together as many National Trails as we could.

Have you walked other famous long treks before, like the Pacific Crest Trail in the western United States or similar long routes?

No, this was my first proper long distance walk. I once walked a section of Britain’s Pennine Way for a week or so. But nothing on the scale of JoGLE (John o’Groats to Land’s End).

To be honest, I’ve never really been interested in walking. I agreed to do JoGLE mostly to please Wendy. It was a huge surprise to me that it turned out to be the best and most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.

What did you and your wife Wendy do to prepare for your journey?

Wendy’s the outdoor enthusiast. She loves choosing and buying gear. So she took charge of purchasing all of our walking and camping gear, and made sure that it was all as light as possible. We were living in Vietnam immediately prior to the trip. So we didn’t get to do any physical training beforehand.

How long did it take? And please describe a little of how you went about it – did you backpack and camp or how did you manage?

It took three months, start to finish. We were backpacking. Mostly we slept in our backpacking tent, but we treated ourselves to a night in a hostel or B&B at least once a week.

During the early part of the trip, carrying the tent and all of our gear was really tough on our bodies. We suffered some excruciating pain. But as the trip progressed we got stronger and stronger, and tougher and tougher. By the end, we were freakishly fit.

What is the meaning of the title and how was your hike “philosophical”?

I’m very interested in philosophy, and have read, thought and written widely on the subject. Like many people, I found that long-distance walking acted as a catalyst or stimulus for my thoughts. I found myself pondering with increased clarity about life, love, music, pleasure, pain, nature, literature… everything really. And I found that many ideas I was already familiar with, from various philosophers, took on a new and deeper meaning.

So, for me, the journey was as much a journey of the mind as it was a physical journey. The title, Walking with Plato, reflects this. And it’s also a reference to a period of my life (which I discuss in the book) when I did, in a literal sense, ‘Walk with Plato.’

Can you recommend any other books about finding mental and philosophical clarity through long wanderings?

My big recommendations would be Reveries of a Solitary Walker by the seventeenth-century Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I was heavily influenced by both books.

What were the most surprising experiences of your hike?

The really surprising thing was that an experience I didn’t particularly expect to enjoy turned out to be the best thing I’ve ever done.

Really, Walking With Plato is my attempt to share how and why that came about, and maybe encourage people to buy some boots and do something similar themselves.

Did you bring books to read on your trip? Which ones?

I took my Kindle with me. So I had my whole library available. But my main read, which took the entire trip, was Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

Who are your three (or four or five) favorite authors? Is your own writing influenced by the authors you read?

For me, the Holy Trinity are Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, and Anthony Trollope. Maybe it should be a Holy Quartet and include Tolstoy.

I also love J. D. Salinger, Bertrand Russell, David Hume, C. S. Lewis, Somerset Maugham, … Oh, too many to mention.

I think they’ve all influenced me. But stylistically I think I’m most influenced by Russell and Hume who write with admirable clarity and brevity, even when discussing the most difficult and abstruse subjects.

What’s next? Are you working on your next book?

I’ve written four books, to date, all non-fiction, and all related to philosophy. But next there’s a novel I’m burning to write. I’m keeping schtum about it for the time-being though.


THANKS, GARY!

WALKING WITH PLATO IS AVAILABLE ON LINE OR ASK YOUR LOCAL BOOKSELLER TO ORDER IT!


18 Days to Christmas!




Tuesday, December 6, 2016

19 Days to Christmas!




Teaser Tuesday: The Jewish Oregon Story, 1950-2010 by Ellen Eisenberg



Goldie Stampfer remembered the process of change at Neveh Shalom as a gradual one; first girls had Friday night bat mitzvahs, later, they were called to the Torah. "It was so gradual, it was like ice melting," she recalled.

-- The Jewish Oregon Story, 1950-2010 by Ellen Eisenberg, published by OSU Press.

The role of women in the Jewish community in Oregon is one of the main issues Eisenberg examines in her new book. By drawing on over 500 oral histories as well as other archival documents, the history is very fresh and personal.

The Jewish Oregon Story, 1950-2010 is the companion volume to Eisenberg's earlier book, Embracing a Western Identity: Jewish Oregonians, 1849-1950.





Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB at Books and a Beat, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.


Saturday, December 3, 2016

22 Days to Christmas!




2016 CHALLENGE: Vintage Mystery Challenge, Wrap Up Post


COMPLETED

I finished nine books for this challenge. This is my wrap up post. My nine books are listed below and the nine items I found for the scavenger hunt are checked off on this card:


One of my all-time favorite challenges is the Vintage Mystery Challenge hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block. I did the Silver Version again this year, which involves reading mystery books published between 1960 - 1989.

The Scavenger Hunt involves finding as many items on the list above in the covers of the books read.

MY BOOKS FINISHED



A New Lease of Death by Ruth Rendell (1967; Inspector Wexford #2; Just One Person)



Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George (1989; Inspector Lynley #2; Bloodstains)



Death and the Joyful Woman by Ellis Peters (1961; Inspector Felse #2; Edgar Award Winner; A Blonde)



Billingsgate Shoal by Rick Boyer ((1982; Doc Adams #1; Edgar Award Winner; a boat, although it's hard to see)



Don't Point That Thing At Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli (1972; Mortdecai Trilogy #1; a bottle for drinking)



After You with the Pistol by Kyril Bonfiglioli (1979; Mortdecai Trilogy #2; a hand holding a weapon)



Something Nasty in the Woodshed by Kyril Bonfiglioli (1976; Mortdecai Trilogy #3; the moon)



Missing Person by Patrick Modiano (1978; Nobel Laureate; shadowy figure)



Devices & Desires by P. D. James (1989; Adam Dalgliesh #8; a knife)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...