March Reading List

We had to go to Windsor this morning, our first trip there in quite some time.  Our modem died on Sunday, and with no internet life was less fun.  We also needed some fresh fruit and vegetables.  The MNSi office is closed, but the tech dude left a new modem for us outside the employee door.  So we are back in business.  The old one was years and years old, and certainly served us well.  As for shopping, Deb had planned to remain inside the car while I went to get the food.  But the store was nearly empty, so we both went in.  The place was jammed with food, so we stocked up.  They even had toilet paper, though we are still good for a few more weeks.  Next trip out will be for birdseed, possibly tomorrow.  That place is very close by, and never busy.

Flightrader24 now shows less than 5,000 planes in the air at any one time.  Most are still in the USA, which doesn't really seem to be getting the full message.  The flight count is down worldwide by 2/3rds so far, with more to come.  It is beginning to sink in how strange and unreal all of this is becoming, and reading daily about how many businesses are closing permanently makes one wonder what will become of main street.  And oil is selling at just above $20 per barrel.  As I said, it is unreal.  Even so, it is amazing at how little our own lives have changed.  We are happy to stay home, with an unlimited amount of things to do here.  Practicing is going well, and so is the reading and writing.  I am lamenting the 9-day streak of cloudy days and nights, however, especially as new moon has now come and gone.  Sigh.

I can safely relate my completed March reading list, as I am in the early stages of another epic novel by Spinrad, called Mexica.  That one will take 7-8 days to read.  For the month I read 10 books related to my Avon/Equinox authors, as well as 2 books that aren't related.  I also read the first part of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island.  It runs nearly 800 pages, but is divided into 3 parts, so next month I will read part 2.  It is quite amazing how much my PC game follows the story, with a more recently shipwrecked young woman landing and finding the remains of the previous inhabitants, including you-know-who.  I have also started on Richard Burton's first volume of Tales of the Arabian Nights, and am enjoying that, too.  That could learn into a life long project.

March began with Kenneth Bulmer's The Wizards of Senchuria, another good entry in his Keys to the Dimensions series.  Each book is set in a different world (or three), and introduces new main characters.  but some of the old places are also visited, and previous characters do reappear.  It is a unique series, and I am happy to be reading it in sequence.  This one is a solid entry in the series, though very short.  On the flip side was Cradle Of The Sun, Brian Stableford's (a new name for me) first novel.  Here is a quote from my recent review, which I hope will pique your curiosity:

"Imagine if Lord of the Rings had been 140 pages long, and at the end the Ring had been thrown into Mt. Doom.  However, all the Fellowship died along the way, or at the very end.  And Sauron lived, and Saruman.  And Rivendell was destroyed and everyone there killed. It would still be a very good book, but it would be a bit devastating to read.  Welcome to Cradle of the Sun."

March continued with The Primitive, by E. C. Tubb.  It is a tale of revenge, as a man from an outer colony is saved and taken home by rich human tourists, only to turn against him as he is not true family.  I am always amazed at how epic some of these short novels are; writing few pages, the best of them can make the novel seem as if it were 3x longer, with all that happens.  I really liked this story, and where it leads the reader.  Next came Undersea Quest, a collaboration between Jack Williamson (Avon/Equinox author I have been reading) and Frederik Pohl.  It is the first of a trilogy from the authors, and seems aimed at high school boys.  A good read, but literally filled to the brim with cliches.

Sweet Sister Seduced was my final book to read by S. B. Hough, alias Rex Gordon.  One of his excellent mystery stories featuring chief inspector Brentford, the whole book takes place in the 24 hours that the detective is called in to investigate a possible murder.  Every book by Hough/Gordon is worth seeking out and reading, and his mysteries are so different from any other such books I have read.  Nary a word is wasted, and the ending is not only a surprise, but one of a kind.  I will certainly miss this fabulous author.

Hal Clement's later novels can be confusing if you are new to his work.  He tends to introduce many characters right at the start, and most of them are alien!  It usually takes a few chapters before the reader becomes oriented.  But his earlier works, even the very earliest, are quite approachable and very much enjoyed by this reader.  This past month I read The Green World, a no nonsense novella that is a classic of Clement's best style, namely that of scientists exploring an alien world.  Part of a double novel, the flip side was a very mediocre tale by John W. Campbell, Jr (the noted pulp publisher), called The Moon Is Hell.  A group of stranded astronauts have to survive on the Moon.  It reads like a Jules Verne novel, and can also be considered kin to Gordon's First on Mars, as well as Andy Weir's The Martian.  Survival at all costs.  That part is quite good, but the whole reason they are stranded in the first place is totally ridiculous.  That was the 2nd of two books read this month not directly affiliated with my main reading project (not counting the unfinished Verne and Burton).  But I always read both sides of double novels, regardless.

I had the pleasure of reading two fine works by Robert Silverberg.  He didn't write much SF during the later 60s, at least compared to his earlier output.  I read a juvenile called The Mask of Akhnaten, about a young boy who visits Egypt one summer with his uncle, around the time the Aswan Dam was just beginning to floor the upper reaches of the Nile.  Much of the book is fact based, and I actually learned a lot about Egypt during this time, and had fun visiting the temples and pyramids.  Not a great read, but it would still hold up today someone in their mid-teens.  The book becomes a bit Hardy Boys-ish by the end.  The second novel by Silverberg (he is represented twice in the 27-volume Avon/Equinox Rediscovery Series, so I read two of his works per cycle) was called Gate of Worlds.  It is an alternate history novel (of which Jubilee, by Ward Moore, is the finest I have ever read), and much alter John Christopher more or less copied much of it for one of his Fireball Trilogy novels for young readers.  Silverberg's story mostly takes place in the New World, which is considerably different, as the medieval plague in Europe ended up taking 80% of the population with it.  Thus we are left with a vastly different Europe, which came under the rule of the Turks (Shakespeare wrote his plays in Turkish!).  This is a really, really good novel, and quite suitable for young adult readers, too.

Next up was Moorcock's 2nd Hawkmoon novel, called The Mad God's Amulet.  This Sword and Sorcery epic (4 novels) is also set in an alternate history, or at least one far into the future, where Britain has degraded into less than human conquerors of Europe and Asia.  Great adventure telling, though very little that is really outstanding or different from many other sword and sorcery tales (for me, the best of that bunch are the Fafhrd and Mouser tales by Fritz Leiber, which have never been equalled).

J. G. Ballard's Day Of Creation is another must-read novel by this very unusual writer.  making a little more sense than some of his earlier novels, but following a similar theme, we head to Africa, somewhere near the border of civilization and the Sahara, and journey along with a doctor who lets loose a flow of water.  As his madness develops, he journeys upriver to find the source, and to attempt to destroy it.  The journey is remarkable in many ways, and he is aided by a young African girl, and a film maker.  Not to be missed.  I would love to see a mini series based on this one (along with most of his other works).

Beyond Apollo by Barry Malzberg certainly makes one take a deep breath and try to carry on.  The story is about a failed Venus mission undertaken by two astronauts.  One was slightly mad before lift-off, then goes completely bonkers.  The other goes stark raving mad several weeks into the journey.  Definitely a keeper!  Malzberg is one of the best authors out there, and severely overlooked and misunderstood.  To me, reading him is almost as good as going home.

I finished up with Warriors of Day, an early novel by James Blish (his earliest?).  Though fully in the pulp tradition, it demonstrates how high an art form this can become when handled by such a master writer.  One of the best, and much copied by later writers, such as Farmer.

As I said earlier, I am at the beginning of Norman Spinrad's epic take on the conquering of Mexico by a small band of Spaniards.  I wasn't too thrilled initially by this project, but I am getting into it now.  The author is making the Spanish victory seem much more believable than anything I have ever read about it before.  80% of this very long novel still awaits me.  Come back next month to see whether or not it was worth the effort to read.

Mapman Mike

Criterion Channel

We get weekly newsletter updates from the Criterion Channel, and the last one had a letter they had received from Wes Anderson.  He proclaimed his love for the offerings, and said that Criterion  was like the Louvre for cinema lovers.  That is an apt description,as we discover major and minor treasures each time we browse the website.  In a typical month we watch about 11 movies on Criterion.  This weekend is Deb's film festival, where she gets to choose three.  With one to go, here is what we have seen so far.

Now showing on Criterion. 

Crumb is a very disturbing film, mostly about mental illness and how it has affected three boys from the same family.  The Crumb brothers each have their own problems, mostly stemming from childhood and high school years.  The two Crumb sisters refused to be interviewed for the film, so things might just beyond just the boys.  We do get to meet and hear about Mum, and Dad, who passed away well before the film was made, also looms large in the narrative.

The crew follow Robert Crumb around downtown Hollywood for several days, and inside his own home.  we talk with former girlfriends, a former wife, and a present wife.  We meet his two brothers, Charles and Max, and the sequences are disturbing.  We see many examples of Crumb's underground comic art, and that is probably the most disturbing thing of all.  Still, it is a must-see film.  I was never a fan of Crumb's work, but still found the movie very addictive.  I have just located all of his work on ReadComicOnline (along with great Michael Moorcock story comics), so I will get around to some of it at a slightly later date.  The film is from the director of Ghost World and Art School Confidential.  All three movies are brilliant.

Now showing on Criterion. 

We watched Orlando tonight, blown away by the costumes and sets.  The recreation of a carnival on the frozen River Thames (filmed in Russia) is enough reason to watch the movie.  But there are many others, including Tilda Swinton's portrayal of a character seen through time, at the same age, but not always the same sex.  Taken from a novel by Virginia Woolf (which neither of us has yet read), the director has made a virtually unfilmable book into quite a ravishing film!   I was constantly reminded throughout of Black Adder, and wonder if that writer was at all influenced by the Woolf book, or whether this movie was influenced by Black Adder.  A highly recommended film, and it should be seen more than once, just to get all the visuals.

Now showing on Criterion.  

Earlier in the week I chose this indie film from 1987.  Four years in the making, it just managed to get completed and find a distributor.  Not a great film by any means, but the excellent documentary that comes with it gives a pretty good indication of what it takes to sometimes get a movie done.  The film can be better appreciated along with the documentary.  Three LA film students were (barely) up to the challenge, which was largely financial.  Allison Anders is one of the directors, and I will be screening more of her work in the future, this being her first film.

Mapman Mike

Ghost World

Though unrelated to the current, actual ghost world outside my window right now, the movie that Deb picked for this week follows on the heels of the same director's Art School Confidential.  We have seen Ghost World many years ago, but remembered very little of it.  It's the story of two misfit girls who have just graduated high school, and their attempt to enter into a different, more mature lifestyle.  But one of the girls needs to pick up an art credit at summer school.  The plot doesn't even matter; watching these girls go through their life is entertainment enough, especially when the artistic one comes under the spell of the record collecting character played perfectly by Steve Buscemi.  The picture is priceless from start to finish.  His earlier film, Crumb, is also in the queue.

 Now showing on Criterion.

And speaking of the real ghost world, it's a brave new world out there, folks.  There has never been a better time for people with indoor hobbies!  I still have too many for the time allotted me in a single day.  But I have made a vow to finish my second Valeria novel before all this is said and done, namely before my next trip to Detroit (which I anxiously await).  So I will be trying to write several hundred words per day from now on, until the novel is completed.  It's a race against the cure!

We are continuing our near-daily walks, and are encountering many families (and their dogs) out walking or riding their bikes.  It's a new time for bonding.  The weather here is still not that great, but once it warms up I'm sure the streets and sidewalks will be too busy.  For now it is manageable.  Gasoline prices have dropped to 76 cents per litre, down from around $1.25 normally.

It had been 8 days since our last grocery run, so I headed out alone today to get some fresh veg and fruit.  No problems were encountered, and everything was well stocked, except meat, dairy, bread, and of course, toilet paper.  We are doing fine, with at least a 14-day supply of food, but the fresh stuff will need replenishing again in a week or so.

So no real hardships for us so far.  Next week Deb is concerned about having to go into a crowded medical clinic and have her bi-monthly blood work done.  She has a mask she's been saving, but big deal.  The nurse administering the test has come into contact with so many people.  Deb's RA nurse is checking with her doctor to see if she can skip the test this time around.

Time now for a lovely and very calm landscape, guaranteed to ease frayed nerves and lower blood pressure (a little).

 River Landscape, 1643, Salomon van Ruysdael.  Dutch, ca. 1600-1670.

Oil on canvas, 39" x 54".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.  

Uncle to the more famous painter with Ruisdael, he was interested in capturing what he saw in a naturalistic and very unemotional way.  We are looking at an everyday scene, with absolutely nothing special going on.  People in the 17th C. also led hectic and busy lives, and were likely to have been just as keen to pause for a moment to catch their breath as we are today.  These fairly large paintings serve as window panes into another time, and into another world, and standing before one in a museum is to take a journey back.  It is as if we entered a time machine, in a very real sense.  We are witnessing drama, of the quieter sort.

Detail of left side, above.  A major painting in itself.

 Detail of center, above,

 Detail of right side.  

Stay calm.  Stay busy.  Stay home.

Mapman Mike

Entrance To The Forest

I've watched current air traffic on flightradar24 go from between 14,000-16,000 planes in the air at any given time, down to below 10,000 currently.  The heaviest concentration of planes is still over the USA.  I wonder how many flights are actually earning money for the companies.  I also wonder how low the flight count in the air might go.  Detroit is still showing 3700 flights for this week, a little above average.

Locally, there is still lots of traffic on the roads, though not as much as usual.  People still are not staying home, and likely are finding it almost impossible due to bad cases of the squirmies.  People in general can't sit still for long, and can't even remain on their own property for long.  It got me to thinking about long voyages for humans in space.  Ask someone who is healthy and sane if they could remain in their house and yard for one year.  No leaving.  Food, medicine, etc can be delivered, but they cannot step outside their property.  How many could really do that, even with all the comforts of home?  Next, skip the yard--they must remain in the house for a year.  Windows can be opened at will.  Now limit this even further.  How many could live in just one large room for a year.  Windows cannot be opened.  Now make the room smaller, and add perhaps five more people in there.  We are finally getting close to what space travel will be like if we wish to go to Mars.  Except if anything breaks, fix it yourself, or possibly die.  If you can't love they neighbour for that long, then what?  If humans cannot even stay home during a virus epidemic, can we really expect to conquer space?

My film choice this week was called Edge of Heaven, directed by Fatih Akin.  From 2007, it tells two or three linked stories about characters who live and work in either Turkey or Germany, and how they meet and why.  It is a very human drama, and well acted and the story well plotted.  An old man, Turkish but living in Germany, goes to a Turkish prostitute and more or less wants to buy her permanently to live with him.  Needless to say it doesn't work out.  He strikes her and she dies.  He goes to prison.  His son had become interested in the woman because she was searching for her daughter, living in Turkey, who had dropped off the radar.  He takes up the search for the girl.  The girl is in Turkey fighting for freedom, and has to escape the country.  She goes to Germany, is taken in by a young female student, and the story goes on and the plot thickens.  

The ending at first seems a bit up in the air, but we soon realize that finally all of the characters still living (another one dies) might actually be brought together finally.  But that isn't really the point of the film.  There are some brilliant cinematic touches, such as the loading and unloading of cargo onto a plane, and the way the director uses flashbacks and flashes into the future are used.

  Now showing on Criterion, and highly recommended. 

And now, to the forest, as promised by today's blog title.  Entrance to the Forest Near Kelhiem seems to me to be an interesting comparison to where we are headed.  Deep into the unknown.  It promises to be a fascinating, if unsettling, journey.  It might also be a bit bumpy.

 Entrance to the Forest Near Kelhiem, 1871, by Carel Nicolaas Storm van s'Gravensande.  Dutch, 1841-1924.  Black chalk on blue wove paper, 13" x 20".  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.

Detail of above

Detail of above.

Mapman Mike

End Of Winter

Two more days until Equinox, and all will be well.  Somewhere.  No confirmed cases of you-know-what in our county.  We had a successful outing Monday, shopping for pet food (3-week supply) and groceries (2-week supply).  Both stores were well stocked, and though busier than usual, we were in and out rather quickly.  Today the US/Canada land border was closed to all but essential travel, such as shipping.  Also, about 8,000 of our nurses work in Detroit area hospitals, so they must cross every day.  But no more going over for gas or booze, which are about the only establishments still open anyway.

Today was Mogollon's trip to the vet.  All is well with our little guy, except for some arthritis meds he will now take 2x daily (on top of his eye drops 2x daily in both eyes).  

Last night was my third clear night so far this astronomy session.  Friday, Sunday, and Tuesday nights were all clear, though last night I had to shut down at 11 pm due to increasing sky haze.  My Winter constellation of Orion is still up high and bright this time of year, at least until around 10 pm.  But the Spring ones are crowding out the Winter ones, and later at night I am knee deep in galaxies.  Next chance of a clear night will be Saturday.  Ironically, on the second full day of Spring, it will seem like Winter yet again, with another cold front coming through.  Sunday night was freezing, and I had to shut down due to an ill wind blowing no good.  Still, it has been amazingly clear and I am happy and very thankful.  More notes to work on today.

Deb's movie choice last time was called Art School Confidential.  I'm not sure how this film ever got made, but it is a very funny poke at art art schools in particular, something one rarely (never?) sees on film.  Based on an off-beat comic, the film is both hilarious and touching.  We watch a young, talented young man enter art school and learn how to become a famous artist.  Hint: being accused of being a mass murder will really help your career.  Well worth wathcing, I am now in search of the comic.  John Malkovich is perfect as the art instructor.  Deb could identify with much of what she saw on the screen.

 Now showing on Criterion Channel. 

And speaking of art, there is time for one more winter scene from (closed down) DIA.

 Winter Landscape, between 1600-1650, Gysbrecht Leytens, Flemish 1586-1656.

Oil on oak panel.  Unframed 18" x 31".

Collection Detroit Institute of Arts  

 Detail of left side of one of my most favourite 17 C. Flemish paintings.

 Detail of the detail.

 I can't help thinking that Tolkien would have liked this painting, too.

 Detail of right side, showing the frozen water mill.

 The water mill in winter, detail of above.  

This is likely my last post for the Winter of 2019-2020, the 9th mildest in our records for this area.  Friday will be an all day party here (indoors, as ours usually are), with lots of gaming and good eats, an doubt some great music of offer, as we celebrate the arrival of Spring, and prepare to hunker down in our homes for at least two months, if not longer.  So long Winter; hello Spring!

Mapman Mike

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

As if I needed any further proof of humankind's stupidity, greed, and overall poor excuse to live in the universe. LOL.  Acting in an insane manner has suddenly become not only fashionable, but necessary, according to some.  You must have on hand at least a 150-day supply of toilet paper, and several months worth of food.  People are actually happy and excited because gasoline is suddenly so cheap.  Too bad there's nowhere to go.  No concerts, theatre, museums, cinema, sporting events, etc.  We are being asked to not even cross the border into Detroit.  Yeesh.  Fortunately, we have been practicing for this moment all our lives.  Stay home and do things.  We are all stocked up on board games, card games, music to learn, music to listen to, books to read (a great time to have Kindle), and even toilet paper till the end of March, at least.  Woo hoo!

Deb has been enjoying Britbox, and is currently watching a 1990s version of Pride and Prejudice.  I had an exceptionally good night at my remote windmill site observing Orion and Sextans in my 12" scope.  I worked on my notes today, and prepared for another clear night tomorrow (and possibly Tuesday)!  I stayed out longer than intended, though, and my body clock is no longer working.  I am sipping at an exceptionally fine Tripel ale, and not sure it's doing my clock any benefit.  But it's delicious!!

My movie pick this week was called "The Player."  It stars Tim Robbins, and virtually everyone else.  There are more stars in this movie, most in cameos, that in any other film I have ever seen.  It's a sometimes brilliant noir/drama about a producer who (justifiably) murders a writer who he thinks has been harassing him.  He then proceeds to fall in love with the girlfriend of the man he murdered.  It's a compilation of several classic noir films, with posters on display throughout.  It's also a tongue-in-cheek look at what makes a Hollywood film.  Great acting, and a very fun and watchable movie.  People within Hollywood must have loved it.  The pitch to have this movie made must have been a great one.  Highly recommended.  Love the ending!

Yup.  The DIA is closed.  So glad we made it over last Tuesday.  They have a major Van Gogh exhibit scheduled for this summer, with over 70 paintings!  It will be the biggest blockbuster they have had in a goodly while.  Hopefully that will proceed as planned, as I am really looking forward to it (not the horrendous crowds, mind you).

Here is a (possibly) final image from the on-going Dutch and Flemish Prints and Drawings exhibit, before I get back to their regular landscape collection.  One of my favourite Dutch landscape painters is Jan Van Goyen, and they have a few of his drawings on exhibit right now. 

 Dune Landscape with Figures, Jan Van Goyen, Dutch.  Black chalk, 1653.

11 cm x 19 cm.  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.  I love love love this artist.    

 And lastly, beware the Ides of March.

Mapman Mike

A Bit More Rembrandt

Tuesday seems to be Detroit day lately, and it's working out well.  Crossing the border both ways is quick and easy, and the cafes and pubs are never busy.  Until baseball season begins.  This was Deb's first trip over in a long time, following my solo trip last Tuesday.  She had some certificates awaiting her at the mailbox, from a film festival in California.  We brought the car to Fairlane Carwash in Dearborn, and it got the works.  A detailed cleaning, which takes about half an hour, for $25, plus a $5 tip.  The car looks brand new--they do all the glass, inside and out, vacuum, clean the floor mats, the upholstery, the tires, the rims, and of course the main body and underbody, which gets rid of all the salt from over the winter.  Thursday morning it goes in to see our local mechanic, to have the brakes inspected.  The joys of car ownership are there, but they cost money.  However, having only one vehicle now has helped out a lot.  Must take good care of it.

For lunch we finally made it to Chili Mustard Onions, a fast food-like vegan place.  We have tried before, but there was nowhere to park.  Today we actually got into the parking lot!  And when we did park one time previously, down the street, we couldn't even get in the door.  Today it was busy, but we got a table right away.  I had a seitan gyros, while Deb had a quorn something or other that she really liked.  They also have vegan desserts, but we had no room.

Then it was off to 8 Degrees Plato, one of my favourite places to sip ales.  I had four samples, totalling about 12 oz, and they were excellent.  There was a cider, a Belgian, and two stouts, one with "spices" and one with cinnamon.  I also bought a 6-pack of Bells Light Hearted Ale, a 3.7% IPA that I have been wanting to try at home.  Soon I will.

Next stop was the DIA, where I had more time to see the Flemish and Dutch print and drawing show, and Deb was also able to make its acquaintance.  I am still amazed by the Rembrandt etchings, all done by his hand, including the printing.  Most are very small, but loom large in the mind.  His landscapes are among the finest ever created, so simple and yet so engaging.  And his tiny self-portrait, one of three the museum owns, is a marvel in itself, and would be enough on its own to tell us that this is a major artistic soul.  He dresses himself in the style of Raphael, connecting himself with the great artists of the Italian Renaissance, 100 years earlier.

 Self Portrait In A Velvet Cap With Plume, 1638, Rembrandt.  Etching, black ink, paper.

6" x 4".  Detroit Institute of Arts.

  Detail of above.

 Further detail of above. 

 The Goldweigher's Field, 1651, Rembrandt.  Etching and drypoint, black ink, paper.  5" x 12".

Detroit Institute of Arts.

  Detail of above, left side.

 Detail of above, central area.

 Detail, right side. 

A few more things from that exhibit will be shown in future blogs, including at least one more by Rembrandt.  After we left the museum, we went to (another) new cafe.  Last week I went to a new one called Ochre Bakery.  Today's was called Bicycle Cafe, which is a bike repair shop and a very cool little cafe, in an up and coming neighbourhood of Detroit not far from Wayne State University.  The pour overs were fantastic.  Deb had an Ethiopian one, and mine was Colombian, both roasted locally.  There was also vegan parfait, and vegan snack bars.  Another wonderful day, brought to us by the folks who are making Detroit happen, all over. 

In television news, we got a new digital TV antennae, and subscribed to our 3rd paid channel.  We now get and pay for Prime, Criterion, and Britbox.  The latter is the newest one to enter our viewing room, filled with BBC and ITV series.  They have all the classic Dr. Who episodes, and we also began to watch the 2nd season of Blandings, and we saw the first two episodes of Upstart Crow, which seems to be pretty decent, in the tradition of Black Adder.  As far as the new antennae goes, it picks up over 30 local channels (Detroit/Toledo, and our lone Canadian channel from Windsor), and gives a very high quality picture.

Mapman Mike

In Praise of Kindle

I admit to starting out cautiously, and only with books that I would normally order that had shipping that was too expensive, and would take too long to arrive.  And I had to use Deb's I-Pad, which was used by her for stop motion animation photography, and many other things.  So it was perhaps a book per month, if that, at the beginning.  Obviously I liked the fact that one could order a book and receive it instantly.  What's not to like about that?  But I found that I had to keep a notebook handy, and going back and finding a quote or page previously read was not that easy.  But this turned into a good habit, and I use that notebook for all books now, Kindle and otherwise.

The cost of most Kindle books is usually less than a regular book.  And once the shipping is excluded from that cost, then the savings are significant.  But then come the real bargains, and the fact that an entire library can accompany you wherever you go.  In addition to about a hundred books related to my Avon/Equinox project that are on my Kindle (I have since bought a Fire tablet, and no longer have to bother Deb for her I-pad), and many that are not, some recent acquisitions have made me very excited.  For $2.99 I now have all ten volumes of Burton's Arabian Nights translations.  I began reading this series over one summer in university, around 1980.  Now I plan to try again.  More of this in one moment.

For $0.99 each, I purchased the complete novels of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.  Many of those I wish to read as well, beginning with Mysterious Island by Verne.  And for the same price, I now have the complete Poe.  Not downstairs on my shelf, but with me when I travel.  Hard to find novels, such as early works by E. C. Tubb, are readily available on Kindle.  Someday it is likely that all books will be available this way.  I am now used to using Kindle, and can find my way around a novel easily now, using bookmarks if I wish.  But when I turn on the Kindle to read, it automatically takes me to where I left off with my last book.  That is a feature that works well for me.  So I am now a confirmed Kindle lover, even though at present I still read mostly real books.  But even after a major purge a few years ago, I am once again running out of shelf space.  Kindle is saving me room on those shelves, and money.  Who could ask for more?

Recently, Pasolini's Arabian Nights became available on the Criterion Channel.  I chose it as my next movie.  Back around 1981 or 1982 it actually played at a suburban movie theatre in Detroit, and Deb and I went to see it.  It was a work night, and we had to be up early next morning.  The movie ran over 150 minutes back then, and we ended up having to leave before it was finished.  I have never seen that movie in circulation since.  Of course I remembered nothing at all of it, except that there were stories within stories within stories, an idea that fascinated me at the time.  The movie has since been re-edited and cut down to just over 120 minutes.  One of the extras that come with it (well over an hour of extras this time) are the deleted scenes, so we did get to see the entire film once again.  This movie was the third and final one of the director's ancient tales trilogy.  We will soon be watching Canterbury Tales and The Decameron, too.  Good times for culture vultures.

Filmed mostly in Yemen, the settings are totally incredible!  Scenes were also shot in Iran, Ethiopia, and even Nepal.  There is an awful lot of nudity, men and women, boys and girls, and the film is rated X as a result.  The violence is sparse but heavy when it comes, and includes a young girl having her arms, legs, and then her head chopped off by a vengeful jinn.  There is also a castration.  Ouch.  And so, once again, I will soon be dipping in and out of Burton's translation of the Arabian Nights.  I had never forgotten about my stalled reading project, but until I found it on Kindle for $2.99, I was going nowhere with it.

Mapman Mike

Solo Detroit Day

Deb got sick on Saturday, and is still feeling somewhat tired and worn out.  Tonight, as I write this, we should be boarding our flight to San Diego, CA.  We cancelled, not knowing how she would feel by tonight, and whether or not I would come down with whatever she had.  No fever, just extreme tiredness.  I had some books waiting at the Dearborn mailbox, and Deb still didn't feel well enough to come with me, so I set off alone.

A book by Silverberg and another by Spinrad were waiting for me, as well as a slew of junk mail which we hadn't collected in some time.  After collecting my books I headed to Midtown for lunch and some ale.  Lunch was a bowl of borscht.  Next, I headed to Hopcat and tried three 5 oz glasses of beer, two from Belgium, and one more local.  They were very different from one another, and very delicious. The day was very mild, and it was a pleasure to be walking around a city again.  Our home walks are very boring and suburban.  And another note on the mild temps--we officially just had our 9th warmest winter on record.  It was a pleasure, to be sure.  Let's just hope that it isn't followed by the 9th warmest summer on record, or worse.

Next up was a quick visit to the DIA, to view a print and drawing exhibit on Dutch and Flemish art, all drawn from the permanent collection.  It is a show worthy of something one might see at the Albertina in Vienna.  I only spent a half hour here, and will return soon to spend more time.  I concentrated on some of the landscape art, and was very happy with what was being shown.  Here is one of the fine pieces I looked at today.

 Landscape With A Square Tower, 1650, Rembrandt.  Etching and drypoint, printed in black ink.  it is tiny!  3 1/2" x 6 1/8th".  Detroit Institute of Arts.  This was one of the smallest pieces in the show.  Imagine growing up as a child in that house, and having that tower in which to play.

 Detail of left side.

 Detail of central tower.

 Detail of right side. 

For some reason, this very tiny image totally captivated me.  I wish I could have borrowed it for a while.  Rembrandt kept total control of his prints, doing all the drawing, etching, and printing himself.  Getting up close and seeing the squiggles that make up the composition was a revelation to this viewer.

After leaving the museum I headed to a new coffee shop, open with several other businesses in an area of Detroit that had been desolate and unloved for many decades.  Ochre Bakery and Cafe is a true oasis.  Though not that far from Wayne State University in distance, its actual situation could only be described as inner city rough.  Some beautiful landscaping has also been done, and by summer it will be a true oasis.  The coffee is roasted there, and they had vegan lemon pound cake.

In movie news, there is a lot of news.  We watched three Zatoichi films over the weekend.  Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold shows the misery and grief that peasant farmers had to contend with, at least when Ichi wasn't around.  The body count in this one is very high.  Everywhere he goes, Zatoichi decimates the local male population.  There are some beautiful scenes involving lanterns at night, as well as more cruelty per minute than any other movie.  In Zatoichi's Flashing Sword, he is shot in the back with a gun, and is nursed back to health by a family that controls a major river crossing.  A rival gang, ruled by a greedy and evil boss, wants to take over the crossing and raise the fees considerably.  As usual, there is humour in this film, as a bearer has to carry the solidly built blinds swordsman not once, but twice, across the river.  The next was, #8 in the series, is called Fight, Zatoichi, Fight.  This time he has to carry a baby to its father, after the mother is murdered while walking home with him.  Another evil nest of vipers is uncovered, and some of the lowest breeds of humanity are on display.  Fortunately for all concerned, they are sliced to ribbons by Zatoichi.  He also has to take on two sumo wrestler bullies, after the baby pees on their heads from a balcony.

A still from Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold.

 From Zatoichi's Flashing Sword.  He encounters a pinwheel and candy seller on the road, and buys a sucker.  Hearing children nearby, he offers to buy them candy thinking there are two or three of them.  But there are 15 kids.  They thank him and tell him to watch out for a hole in the road, on the right side.  He thinks they are tricking him, so he keeps left.  And falls into the hole.  They watch him in silence as he crawls out.

 Zatoichi's baby delivery service comes into play in

Fight Zatoichi, Fight! 

And another Karel Zeman film has come on-line, his totally restored 1958 Invention For Destruction.  Based on a story or two by Jules Verne, his unique mix of live action and fantasy is unparalleled in the world of cinema.  Earlier we saw his Baron Munchausen, which was in colour.  This one is in b & w, and couldn't be improved in any way.  Spellbinding story telling from a master movie maker.  These are his two major works; one other feature may appear someday.  The two movies would make an incredible double bill.

Time to sign off.  It is listening hour, and the cats are gathered on the couch.  Tonight, it's a mass by Palestrina.  Tomorrow, it's Op. 93 of Britten.  Good night.

Mapman Mike

February Books Read

I read 9 books related to the Avon/Equinox series, as well as 1 book by a different author.  I began a new series (4 books) by Michael Moorcock.  The Jewel In The Skull is from 1967, and is the first book in his Hawkmoor, or Runestaff series.  Set in the far future, the evil fold from Great Britain are attempting to take over all the lands of Europe, subjecting the people who surrender right away, and exterminating any one who resists.  Sounds plausible.  Anyway, we are off to a rip-roaring start.  A small kingdom ruled by Count Brass, in the south of France, is resisting.  My edition has many beautiful illustrations (see my Moorcock page), and this mixture of fantasy and science fiction appeals to me.  I am looking forward to book 2.

Next up was Ballard's Empire of the Sun, a largely fictional account of Japan's conquest of China in WW 2, but based on the author's own experiences as a boy in an internment camp at the time.  The book is a welcome reminder of the dehumanization that war brings.  If there is a hell, then it is on Earth during wartime.  Any war, any time.  Watching Trump pardon American soldier war criminals is more than a little bit painful.  Of course the Japanese were evil at this time (and many other times).  But they hardly stand alone in that category.  Anyway, this is a must read novel about suffering and deprivation, and the effect it might have on children.

Barry Malzberg continues to score bulls eyes for me, and his 1971 The Spread is, like most of his novels, one of a kind.  It is far more than just entertaining, too.  It's about the publisher of a dirty newspaper that publishes photos (of men and women) and articles related to sex.  Some of the darkest humour I have ever encountered is in these pages.  reading this kept me laughing and wide-eyed most of the time.  An off-beat book that I can highly recommend.

A less than stellar book by James Blish was next, called The Duplicated Man.  One of Blish's earliest novels, it was co-written with Robert Lowndes.  They are credited for the first use of clones, anywhere (much as Blish was the first to use virtual reality, in the first of his Cities In Flight novels).  There is very little action, and plenty of talking.  And there are so many characters in such a short book, that it makes identifying with any of them difficult.  Clever, but hardly up to Blish's usual standards.  The way the chapters are laid out, I have a feeling that the two writers took turns, with one man writing the first half of a chapter, and the other man the second.

Then it was time to start over again (it now takes me 5-6 weeks to cycle through a book by each remaining author).  Conquerors From The Stars, by Robert Silverberg, is an expansion of a novelette he wrote, and quite a good one at that.  The original short verson is from 1957, and the expanded one from 1965.  Having read the original one first, I found that the full novel did not really add anything to the experience.  I enjoyed both versions, but either one would work.  Aliens have landed (and departed), leaving the world with a planet-wide ocean.  Inhabited islands have trade, and they are protected from piracy by futurist Vikings and their ships.  Enjoyable, and well written.  Beware,though.  No females need apply for roles in this story.

Norman Spinrad's Osama The Gun was written in 2007, but could not find a publisher until 2016.  I'm not surprised.  It's a harrowing and violent first person (epic) novel about a young Islamic jihadist.  The book has large segments in Paris (very well done), Mecca (brilliantly done), Nigeria (yawn), and back to Mecca for the grand finale (silly).  It's the near future, and the Great Satan (American, of course--never China or Russia) will stop to any and all tactics to keep the oil flowing towards itself.  We already know what motivates terrorists and how they think (they don't), and how Islam has been twisted to fit their own definition, but reading the book adds more dimensions to the problems.  Not indispensable, but overall makes for riveting reading.

I finished Piers Anthony's trilogy Tarot, with Faith of Tarot.  We get answers, and a fitting conclusion, to a series that must rank among the best I've ever read (same with his Of Man and Manta trilogy).  It is a must read book, even if you are that into Tarot.  Even so, it is best to have a deck beside you when you read.  The books are more about who God is, and why he is never around when you need him, but Satan always seems to be there for us.  It is filled with fascinating imagery, intelligent conversations (with people such as Jesus), and unique perspectives on age old questions.  Very well done!

And I finished up another trilogy, John Christopher's earliest series for young readers, The Tripods.  The Pool of Fire tells how the Tripods were eventually defeated by humans.  It's a pretty solid series, sticks to its theme, but it's one of those "boys only" books, which I find tiresome (I did as a young reader, too.  I happen to like girls in stories). 

20 short stories by Harry Harrison were next, in The Best of Harry Harrison.  He is one of favourite writers, and the stories are top knotch, from very funny to very deadly.  Harrison has a very wide range of styles and story types, and excels at all of them.

I continue to enjoy Kenneth Bulmer's Key to Irunium series, 7 books in all, I think.  The Wizards of Senchuria is a solid entry in the series, and there are women with active roles (lots of them!).  This 4th book is very short, though, and ends rather abruptly (word quota reached for Ace Double publication).

My lone novel expanding my horizons beyond the Avon/Equinox series (as if needed) was a masterpiece of humour by P. D. Wodehouse called Pigs Can Fly.  Incredible writing skill, funny as anything, and part of a loose series he wrote based on the imaginary Blandings Castle.  Rich and totally delightful.

Mapman Mike