A Horde Of Books

Today’s the day. I have two huge bags filled with books and they are going to the half-priced book store. I’m hoping to have some purchased from me. Of course there is always the danger of buying more to take home. Fingers crossed.

Paperbacks Plus Bookstore

Both photos posted by Bibliotech.

This poster has a comment to savor. And that may be part of the many reasons there are to gather books. Those that time graduates into a problem.

As I will be getting new tile and wood floors, I really do need, quite must, make things easier. And I do, really, want to simplify, downsize. Make clean and simple. And it will sparkle with white (off white, streaked) floors. Not only must some furniture depart, but the hoard of books must be trimmed.

This means to stop returning to those books scheduled for departure. I put the stacks together, then go through them again and pull many out. This goes on for days. I wonder how I could have possibly decided to put certain ones into a pile for removal. What indeed was I thinking?

Lord. I was thinking about Clean and Simple. Fresh and Open. Light and Easy. The saints of modern living. There ought to be a prayer for the strength to at least keep books in the departure stacks.

And today’s the day 100 or so are going away. They are in the car. I am driving to the book store. Dear Saint [*insert appropriate saint name*] please let me get them into the store and sold. Please. I’ll be good for the rest of my life if only I am granted this one petition. I promise.

Lessons of History

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From History Books

Mrs. Lintott: “Now. How do you define history, Mr. Rudge?”
Rudge: “Can I speak freely, Miss? Without being hit?”
Mrs. Lintott: “I will protect you.”
Rudge: “How do I define history? It’s just one fucking thing after another.”

~Alan Bennett, The History Boys (2006)

What a wonderful room to get lost in. Right now though, I’m lost in the writing of words for the novel I’m working on.  BTW, I don’t think we learn anything from history. It seems to me that the human race just keeps making the same mistakes and the same wars over and over again. We never learn our lessons.

And that’s the waaaaaay things are.

From Notes While Reading & Talking & Eating

He left over and over. Kept leaving, trying on I think, the best tirade, the most emphatic, searching the core, the very essence of leaving. He did that. Yes. Over and over.
I finally left.

I know that I could completely transform my life if only I could live by water.

Trope and meme should be nominated “words for the 21st century.”

Isn’t it annoying when the star of a series is continuously discounted when in all of the previous episodes she’d been right? Just saying.

The One true story of the Myth of The Fall:
It was a grapefruit tree, not an apple tree, nor a pomegranate one. The reason is thus: having eaten of the grapefruit Adam said, Yuck! This is the worst fruit I’ve ever eaten. It is sour. What is this doing in Eden? Eve thus inspired went in search of sugar cane which she was soon to find, being picked in the horror of slaves and migrant workers who could not speak the language of Eden. To therefor sweeten his life and bring Joy to him, she return to Adam and gave it to him thusly: Use this for your Grapefruit and thereafter call it the Gratefruit as it will be sweet and forever palatable by disguising the sourness of life and the fact that a Heaven forever does become a Hell. And so, being easily led and owning a tendency to blame, Adam ate of the sugar from the sugarcane that was to sweeten his Grapefruit. It was thus that he and all of humankind were cast out of Eden (Story sound familiar? Do we know of anyone else being kicked out?) and forever were to be cursed with the black mark of Original Sin, having eaten thereof the Tree of Knowledge of Sugar and being the burden of all things Evil to man. Eve was cursed with the letter T (another myth dispelled—note the play on “spelled”) as a symbol of Temptress, forwhich she—as woman—would forever be branded and mocked for all Eternity. When all she was doing was attempting (tempt?) to please her man by bringing sweetness into his life. (For which she was created, remember?)

This underscores the Heart of the Matter for the whole issue of Responsibility and Free Will and Sin and All Such Things: Having been made by God to be Curious and Psychologically unsound and Rebellious, can mankind then be held responsible? Given 1.) a fair and just God, 2.) a test of obedience, and, 3.) a God-given test, and 4.) the so-named Adam and Eve, knowing everything at the point before Sugar, are fully aware of the consequences and that God will see everything, and 5.) an act of Free Will is undertaken. (By both Eve and Adam, thus eradicating the need for Temptor (Eve) and Victom (Adam) ) And, And, nonetheless allowing that the Evil Deed cannot be transmitted by Eve alone, but can only be Ancestored Sin from Adam. Thus in turn setting free patriarchally descendent patrimony.

Side Question: Is there a single book in the bible written by a woman?

On Friday
at the Three Musketeers where Shirley & I stopped to wait & eat while the dog was being groomed, a man in a Robin Hood hat with a very long feather walked by. He stopped at our booth. He greeted us as goddesses and mother-goddesses. He said to me, I love your glasses. I can see the light shining through them. And I like your hat, I quickly replied. He doffed his hat, gave a deep flourishing bow, and moved on. I thought it was beautiful, magical, and a blessing. Shirley made a face of disgust. This is why I love her. It was a very wonderful day, that day on Friday when we took the dog for her grooming. I lost my glasses and Shirley found them. We contemplated the Dogwood Tree for Mumzie.  Shirley was clever and funny. She was very tired and thinks that her Sister will now love her forever. It is sad to know that that will not happen. Right now the sister’s whole family has filled Shirley’s home.

S also said that the reason my book isn’t selling is because of the title. She maintains that no one likes Fat. Who wants to buy something about Fat? That and I don’t do the marketing which should be done.  She’s right, I don’t market. Not much anyway. My bad. She made me leave a business card in the booth. She also said that the story was dark. Oh dear. I didn’t think it was dark at all so now that will be a question for friends of the book.

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Business Card front & back

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Book Cover

Books…Books…Books…

Starting at the beginning—the novels, fiction beginning with A, according to author. In the living room. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

And the sorting, and placing, and replacing…the culling of the library, one room at a time. And it is time, I suppose, to be sensible about this. Going from carpet to wood floors is a project of itself. Having to move the many books in order to do such a thing creates a bit of a hurdle. And to be reasonable about it, there are many books that are not necessary to my life. Books I’ll never read, ones I’ve read and have no fondness for, books of lost authors—the ones I’ve outgrown or left behind. This is why there are used-book stores.

You see how I talk myself into this? I coach myself along, with each book I pick up. It’s time, I tell myself. It’s time to let go.

And that’s the way things are. Right now, tonight. I’m letting go.

The Familiar

It is with a heavy heart that I must report THE FAMILIAR has been paused. There’s no denying the intense readership that showed up for this endeavor: bright, ambitious, inspiring, inquisitive, compassionate, rare, energetic, involved, brave, funny too, and most of all beautifully aware. Unfortunately, I must agree with Pantheon that for now the number of readers is not sufficient to justify the cost of continuing.

If there is solace, find it with her: Xanther remains our new storm, VEM’s as real as any sky, and Redwood depends on no book by me to harrow this world. Read well and live well, then you will love well. The rest is in the wind.

#thefamiliar#seasonone#beahymnforgood#markzdanielewski#houseofleaves#onlyrevolutions#thefiftyyearsword

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This is so sad. I wish he would go ahead and continue the writing anyway. But then writers need to pay the bills too. Maybe someday…