I’m experiencing both, I guess, with the recent purchase of books written by Japanese authors, and with cats on the covers….
To read more on these “conditions”, follow this link: https://www.insider.com/what-is-tsundoku-2018-7
I finally finished reading this book written by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, originally in Dutch (De avond is ongemak) and winner of the 2020 International Booker Prize. What can I say except it is indeed a wonderfully dark, plot-twisted piece of work.
Recommended for those who are into this genre.
*Spoiler alert: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/books/review-discomfort-of-evening-marieke-lucas-rijneveld.html
Over the weekend I finished reading “Before the Coffee Gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. The four intertwined stories represents the idea of those who were brave enough to take the chance to visit their past (and future) in order to find closure in their lives.
I don’t think I have the heart to meet my beloved, even if I were given the chance to return to the past to meet them. The pain of losing them are unbearable until now.
“I can feel it in a second
Just let the words trickle down
What I had was nothing less than
I don’t know why I feel so down
And I know, its hard
What’s all this falling out…”
Let’s Go Outside – Far Caspian (2018)
https://www.clashmusic.com/news/far-caspian-explore-dislocation-on-lets-go-outside
Everyone of us responds differently to the uncertainties caused by the pandemic. If you are feeling down and blue, try talking through the things that have been bugging you to someone you can trust with. In UTM, help is around, and you can just reach out to the ones who care.
Those who knew me knows that I’m passionate about qualitative research. A self-proclaimed narrative inquirer, I’m drawn towards anything that has some kind of storytelling element in it.
And it so happened that I have this strange “Travis moment” going on in me lately after I came across the band’s latest single “Nina’s Song” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbum2xr3K40.
One song led to the other, and all reminded me of the songs that were the true companions during my doctoral years. Numbers like “Writing to Reach You”, “Driftwood”, “Side”, “Sing”, “Why Does It Always Rain on Me”, “Flowers in the Window”, etc., surely bring back some memories. My personal fav is “Closer”, always and forever (with that Dougie’s smashing bass, and yupp… it was Ben Stiller in the video…).
The fact that Fran Healy and I share the same year of birth (he’s 3 days older than me, matter of factly…), I now realised while I was embracing my own creative flow circa 2007-2009, he was also being experimental about the direction of his own creativity.
So it was a pure joy to stumble upon a recording of him entitled “A Chronological Acoustical Journey Through The Travis Back Catalogue” on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ynLL1U34os&t=2386s
Fran was indeed a great storyteller; sharing the story of each song that he had written over the years, all in chronological order.
Now I wish I had all their the CDs back in those years….
At this age of mine, to be a fan of a boy-band is kind of weird.
But this is Harry Styles post One Direction era, and I simply love the narratives of the extended version of his video, “Adore You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezDEWako8U
Quintessentially creative, and uniquely brilliant!
To know more about the Isle of Eroda, read: https://www.nme.com/blogs/harry-styles-adore-you-video-weird-fish-fine-line-2019-2584655
It’s the 1st of January today, and I promise myself to read more throughout this year. Starting with this one by Thomas Erikson.
“Is there so much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don’t we?…”
Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush (1985)
Hounds of Love
Spoiler Alert: Another sad ending….(sigh)…but a happy one for the hoomans (for being insightful throughout their memories with Chika)….
“The clouds never expect it
When it rains
But the sea changes colours
But the sea
Does not change
So with the slow graceful flow
Of age
I went forth with an age old
Desire to please
On the edge of seventeen…”
Edge of Seventeen – Stevie Nicks (1982)
Bella Donna