To Hold Her Hands

To hold her hands, the way you did the day you met her, and the way you do since you promised that you'll be together forever, soul for soul, body for body.

To hold her hands, so that you can together traverse the pathways of life, to smile together and together to taste some of the bitter fruits of being, to try new flavors, to meet different people, to travel.

To hold her hands, when she's ill and when she's sad, when she's happy and full of optimism, when she needs you and does not, and thus, together continue to venture through the shadow lands of space and time, through sunny valleys, rivers wild and emotional peaks and bottoms. To hold her hands…

The photo was taken in Pai, Thailand

My (Previous) Year in Reading: 111 to 120

…in chronological order.

2015 has been a great year when it comes to reading books for me. During it, according to Goodreads, I have gulped down 212 volumes that were not only novels for adults but also volumes that belonged in many other genres: YA, graphic novels, poetry, children's stories, short stories and books in translation. This has also been a year that I stopped writing reviews since I had much else occupying my mind and time, so below I'll give you no more than a few words about the books I have read. I hope some of my choices echo yours and I look forward to an exciting new year of reading.

So here it goes:

111) The Art of Flying by Antonio Altarriba and Kim. This is one of those great graphic novels that make you feel blessed for having read them. It's a story about poverty and despair, revolution and war. The setting is Spain in turbulent times, in the era of Franco and the story is as human as they come as it recounts the adventures of a humble man whom history has not treated quite well. Excellent script, based on true facts, and great art.

112) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I came late to this novel and I guess one of the reasons for that is that I always tend to read books when there's not much buzz about them. Of course it's been ages since Plath died but more or less she's as popular as ever, so I thought that perhaps if I was to read this novel I'd be disappointed in the end. Thank Buddha that wasn't the case. I really enjoyed reading this story of a young woman whose life, though filled with joy, then takes a turn for the worse and leads her almost to the point of no return. I think the story hasn't aged at all. It's still relevant today in many ways.

113) Blue Horses by Mary Oliver. I am new to the work of this poet and as the first book of hers I've read this volume has left a bittersweet taste on my lips. Some of the poems I've loved, some not so much. Here and there I caught glimpses of great things yet to come. I'll read more of her work for sure, though, to be honest, when it comes to poetry I'm a harsher judge than when I'm reading fiction.

114) Four Eyes Volume 1: Forged in Flames by Joe Kelly and Max Fiumara. This story takes place in an alternate past, and it has to do with fighting dragons. The setting is convincing and the concept is quite good but the truth is that when I've read the synopsis I've expected something more. Well, perhaps the best is yet to come.

115) Ashes by Mario Candelaria. I liked this graphic novel more than most other reviewers and I guess that's simply because I tend to pay more attention to the story than the art. And this story of a firefighter who lost a leg and is now trying to build his life anew is a very good one. Perhaps it is a bit melodramatic but that doesn't take away any of the reading pleasure.

116) Pawn Shop by Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman. Things didn't seem quite to work for me in this one, though others found it quite good. I found it good alright, but just that. I thought it could be better both script-wise and art-wise. The concept though is very promising.

117) The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow by Howard Chaykin. Here we follow the life of The Shadow, a hero who feels warn out and gets ready to retire at the dawn of the 1950's. However the world seems to be in imminent danger yet again, so perhaps this is not the best time to do that. A look back in comic book time that sometimes works great and sometimes not so well.

118) All That You've Seen Here Is God: New Versions of Four GreekTragedies by Sophocles, Aeschylus and Bryan Doerries. Well, the ancient Greek civilization and especially its literary branch, doesn't ever seem to go out of fashion. Here the title says it all. Though it's been ages since I've read any of the tragedies included in this volume I feel that the translator did a very good job in adapting them for a modern audience.

119) Supreme: Blue Rose by Warren Ellis and Tula Lotay. Sometimes you can't tell what's an illusion and what's real in this story, but that is a bonus. This is a very good graphic novel with great art and an unforgettable heroine. I am certain that if you are a fan of Warren Ellis' work you're going to love this volume.

120) The Autumnlands Volume 1: Tooth and Claw by Kurt Busiek andBenjamin Dewy. This is an epic adventure with quite a few twists and turns and lovely art that will leave the lovers of fantasy fiction well-pleased. Hard times call for desperate measures, thus some wizards try to recall a hero from the past to help their fight, but the one who shows up is not the one they expected. Good work.

 

To be continued.

Real also: 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, 31 to 40, 41 to 50, 51 to 60, 61 to 70, 71 to 80, 81 to 90, 91 to 100, 101 to 110

 

Reflections in the Mirror of a Distorted Mind II

I didn't want to come here… Oh I've already told you that. How much money have I already spent by repeating myself. That's not much. Yes, I have money. Enough to pay you anyway. I think you are developing a tick. Or a tack. Your eye is trembling. The right one. No. Wait. Don't get angry. Not yet. Okay now, okay, I surrender. Let me tell you a true story.

*

There was once a girl that was called Helena. Yes, that Helena. Helena was a beautiful girl and had always been popular with boys. And with girls as well, mind you. Helena was blessed, or at least so everyone thought, because she had everything a girl would ever want. The looks, the wits, the wealth. But deep down she was as miserable as miserable people come. She wanted something else in life. What exactly, she couldn't tell. So while the lips were smiling, the eyes were sad. And while her body was blossoming her soul was fading. For hers, you know, was an ancient soul. She could see things that others could not. She could feel things. Really feel. When I met her she was at a crossroad in her life I guess. She was falling apart and trying desperately to find something to hold onto. I was in the exact opposite state. At a good place. Which thanks to her turned bad. Her sorrow swallowed me whole, but somehow my presence in her life was enough to keep her floating over the murky waters of her graceless existence. And here comes out the poet in me. But I digress. No, I don't. To make a long story short I fell for her, and, here I am…

*

Do I blame her for my depression? Did you really have to ask that? Of course I do. Before I met her I was… I was… Truth is I never was happy. Nor unhappy. But I was content. She took that away from me. Now I'm mostly unhappy. And I mask my misery behind wide smiles. I smile the questions away. Not yours obviously, since you don't ask many. Why don't you? No I am not upset. I'm not. Did you see what I did there? No? Well, once I've used an apostrophe, just like now, and once I did not. If my sister is bipolar I guess I am bi-parallel or something. Does that make any sense?

*

You think perhaps we should take a break here. You think? You don't know? Are my fifty minutes over already? Well, time flies by in this office. Sorry, practice. But how can a space be a practice? I know you didn't say that. I'm just wondering. Couldn't it simply be a practice space? I mean they are both words. I see a spark in your eyes. Am I an interesting patient after all? A nut job? I guess I am. I find me interesting. What? You want to talk about my mother? Are you crazy? I mean did you know my mother? My mother was… My mother was a figment of my father's imagination. As I am of hers. We are all fictions. Mostly bad ones. Oh, you wanted to know how she was as person. Let me see…

Part I

To be continued.

The image was taken from here.

 

My (Previous) Year in Reading: 101 to 110

…in chronological order.

2015 has been a great year when it comes to reading books for me. During it, according to Goodreads, I have gulped down 212 volumes that were not only novels for adults but also volumes that belonged in many other genres: YA, graphic novels, poetry, children's stories, short stories and books in translation. This has also been a year that I stopped writing reviews since I had much else occupying my mind and time, so below I'll give you no more than a few words about the books I have read. I hope some of my choices echo yours and I look forward to an exciting new year of reading.

So here it goes:

101) Criminal Volume 6: The Last of the Innocent by Ed Brubaker and SeanPhillips. This is getting a bit too much, right? I would like to ask the creators of Criminal to take a little break. Come on people, how much of this good stuff you think we can take? And what if we overdose? Jokes aside, another great volume from a great creative team. I won't even bore you with the details of this story.

102) East of West Volume 4: Who Wants War? by Jonathan Hickman and NickDragotta. Apparently everyone, or almost everyone, wants war. Here we are yet again in the throes of a major catastrophe. Maybe I had a bit too much of this stuff during last year since I haven't enjoyed this volume as much as the previews ones, though both the art and the story are good.

103) Ways of Going Home by Alejandro Zambra. Zambra is a Chilean writer whose star seems to be rising higher year after year. This here is a short beautifully written novel that plays with the notions of time and space, character and author. It is experimental, but not experimental enough to give one pause. Besides the language is so rich and the game so good that most friends of literary fiction will surely enjoy it.

104) Millennium by Joe Harris and Colin Lorimer. The great disaster to come never realized at the dawn of the millennium largely thanks to the efforts of three people. However evil has not lost all its power and as it seems it is about to strike again. Will it succeed this time? An interesting story with a good plot, but which could use a little more of work.

105) Vampirella Feary Tales by Nancy A. Collins. To tell you the truth I like reading the adventures of Vampirella though I am never quite satisfied with the stories or the art. They always remind me of rush jobs but at least they are fun to read, so as long as they can keep my interest alive I guess I will keep reading them. This volume collects five stories full of action and mayhem.

106) Twisted Dark Volume 3 by Neil Gibson and others. This is my favorite of the Twisted Dark series. The writing is as good as ever and the art is absolutely great. And I do love its heroine, a young girl who simply wants to be left alone but, alas, that's not meant to be. One of the comic book highlights of the year in my opinion.

107) Mercy Thompson: Hopcross Jilly by Patricia Briggs, Rik Hoskin andTom Garcia. This volume brings together a lot of talent and that can be seen on the page, as the reader rushes through a story full of action and echoes of love, and mythical creatures and their endeavors. The script is great and the art serves it well.

108) Where There's Love, There's Hate by Adolfo Bioy Casares and SilvinaOcampo. I hate to admit that this is the first piece of work that I've read by either author, or at least I think it is since my memory is not that great. Anyway, this is a crime novel of sorts. I say of sorts since it spends most of the time mocking the genre, or simply having fun with its clichés. It all begins with a murder. And then… Silvina Ocampo is already in my to-read list, so I guess I will see what happens next.

109) Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck. This is a short novel that mostly takes place in a house, but whose main subject is history. History as it happened and as it now unravels in the lives of a small community of people who, like it or not, are haunted by their country's, Germany's, past. The author does a great job when diving into the souls of her heroes.

110) Lovers on All-Saints' Day by Juan Gabriel Vásquez. This collection hosts seven stories that most often than not are preoccupied with the many ghosts that haunt the lives of people. Things like memory and loss. Things like regret and redemption. Fear and hope. Vásquez, an exile to Europe, sets his stories on this continent, as if trying to escape his past, but then the stories themselves seem to echo it, thus proving that wherever you go you carry your ghosts with you. A job well done.

 

To be continued.

Read also: 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, 31 to 40, 41 to 50, 51 to 60, 61 to 70, 71 to 80, 81 to 90, 91 to 100