Job: A comedy of justice by Robert Heinlein

Picked this up as reading material for a backpacking trip. I read it years ago, back when it first came out. Heinlein is strong on ideas and creativity - not so strong on other things. This is a retelling of the Job story from the old testament, with the added twist that the Judeo-Christian God is not the only God.

Never Too Late by John Holt

An interesting non-fiction book about the author's efforts to become an amateur musician late in life. I say amateur not as a comment on his ability, but because he did not use music to make money - except by writing this book. The first and last chapters are the best, in which he recounts his personal experiences as a musician. The middle chapters are more of a journey narrative and were not as interesting to me.

But the book is inspiring if you are like me and trying to be more musical late in life.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agathe Christie

I read this years ago, and when I finished it I threw it across the room in disgust. But my book club was looking for a challenging mystery, so I suggested this. Let me just say this - unreliable narrator. Probably best example I have ever read. So I read it again, knowing the ending, just to see what sense I could make of it. The ending still made me mad!

The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis

Senior citizen sex! Have I gotten your attention? Wisely the author did not dscribe the sex in any detail - visualization is left to the reader. But there is plenty of it here. Four or five couples (there are a lot of characters) that have known each other for decades have their lives disrupted when one old couple returns to their hometown. It's like the TV show "Friends" for seniors - they have all slept with each other.

They also do an incredible amount of drinking and smoking, pub crawling all over a fictional Wales. That is part of the theme of the book, searching for the old Wales and the real Welchman. There is a fictional poet that serves as the symbol of that search. Celebrated as a great Welch poet, he didn't even speak Welch.

It's a good read, full of wry British humor.

South Carolina Writers Workshop Complaint

I attended the SCWW in 2007 and had a good time. I received an excellent manuscript critique and met some authors and agents that I liked and respected. So I decided to go back in 2008, and convinced my wife to go with me.

Unfortunately my brother passed away just two days before the conference, at age fifty-nine, from complications related to colon cancer. The three months prior to that were spent traveling back and forth to see him when I could and thinking about him the rest of the time. Not much writing got done. Missing the conference was of little consequence in the big picture at the time. Now that I've had a couple of weeks to recover, it has left a very bad impression.

They give no refunds on such short notice, so the money is gone. The Hilton also required a one night cancellation fee. Since my wife was accompanying me this year, we are out about a thousand dollars. My wife appealed to the SCWW, to no avail.

I had also paid one hundred dollars extra for an extended critique. They said there was no way they would arrange for the critique by phone or email, or even tell me who was doing the critique. Both my wife and I appealed via email. Yesterday I got a five line email that contained my extended critique. I won't name who gave the critique, but my impression is simple carelessness. Even though I paid extra, I am just not worth the time or effort because I was unable to attend in person.

So this is my rant against the South Carolina Writers Workshop. If I had been able to attend, no doubt I would have had a very different impression, but the careless and callous treatment I have received will probably prevent me from ever attending again.

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle

A coming of age novel, but of a ten-year-old boy. Doyle captures the manic immaturity of a child very well. It brought back memories, even though this novel takes place in Ireland. The superstitions in particular struck a chord with me - I remember thinking those same things when I was a kid.

It's a series of short scenes, all in first person in the voice of a boy. He's not a very nice boy either - he terrorizes his younger brother and his friends, engaging in acts of cruelty and viciousness that only kids are capable of. So Paddy Clarke is not very likable.

The novel is essentially plotless. A novel without a plot has to have something else to give it forward motion and to keep the reader interested. Doyle uses the incomplete understanding of Paddy as he watches his parents argue and his father become violent with his mother. Perhaps Paddy will turn out like his father, since he also seems to hurt those that he loves.

I have to compare it to Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood. Atwood actually wraps the story of the young girl coming of age in a frame of the girl as an adult. In my opinion, a much better way to tell the story - it certainly kept my interest more than this novel, which tended to drag - I was tempted to skip ahead. If you have ever spent any time with a child of that age you will now what I mean - a little bit goes a long way.

Good Poems by Garrison Keillor

A collection of poems that Keillor has used on his daily "Writer's Almanac." Poems for every mood.

Flying at Night by Ted Kooser

I love Ted Kooser's poetry. So seemingly simple, yet so complex.

The Perfect Wrong Note - Learning to Trust Your Musical Self by William Westney

This book reinforces the idea that it is OK to make mistakes - a good thing, since I make a lot of them. Surprising how many musicians subscribe to the cult that mistakes in practice are bad. The best example in the book is that of a child learning to feed itself - they make a mess, and yet they learn how to be an expert in no time. To practice so carefully that no mistakes are made doesn't work for me as a practice technique. Better to play with energy and enthusiasm and plenty of wrong notes - then correct them.

The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green

An inspirational book that helps musicians get in touch with their inner, creative selves. A worthwhile read.

The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green

An inspirational book that helps musicians get in touch with their inner, creative selves. A worthwhile read.