joshuahyslop

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last ten books I've read: 1. Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way - Charles Bukowski At this point, what do you want from me? If you've read any of the last, I don't know, ten lists I've posted? You'll know that I just really love his poetry. I'm on a bit of a mission to read it all. More good stuff here. More to come soon.

2. Angels - Denis Johnson Whenever I'm in Vancouver I stop by Pulp Fiction on Main. I honestly think it's one of the best used bookstores in Canada. On previous trips they'd recommended Don Carpenter's Hard Rain Falling and Leonard Gardner's Fat City. Both are excellent books. I asked them for a bit more of the same and this was one of their recommendations. It fit the bill. I'd read Jesus' Son by Johnson so I was prepared. Solid.

3. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love - bell hooks This book gave me so much to unpack and to think about. I'd been meaning to read some of bell hooks' work for a while but this was my first time picking up one of her books. It's beautiful, it's thought provoking and it's important. I think every young man and young woman should read it. Then, probably, they should read it again. It's got a lot to give.

4. Create Dangerously: The Power and Responsibility of the Artist - Albert Camus This one barely counts as a book. It's a short essay but I really like Camus and I was excited to find something of his I hadn't read yet. Also, I think my daughter was 3 or 4 months old when I read this. I wasn't exactly in the headspace to be picking up any giant "heady" philosophy books. Or maybe that's precisely the time to do so? I guess I'll never know.

5. From Under the Truck - Josh Brolin For a long time now I've thoroughly enjoyed Josh Brolin's captions on his instagram posts. He really has a way with words. I got into him after I saw No Country For Old Men and then heard him on a podcast and was just very impressed with how down to earth and intelligent he seemed. I tend to have more time to listen to someone who's been to the very edge and somehow managed to pull it back. He's been sober for a long time (something I'm seriously considering trying) and just has a cool outlook on things. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as I was expecting to. It jumps around a lot and, as a casual fan, not someone extremely familiar with his life story, I found that hard to follow.

6. On Songwriting: Practical Tips and Insights From a Decade in Music City - Aaron Espe This one was special. The very first time I flew to Nashville for a writing trip I was lucky enough to work with Michael Logen (we wrote "Let It Go" together) and Aaron Espe, with whom I wrote my songs "Falling" and "Gentle Heart" and sown the seeds for several other songs yet to be finished. Aaron is a kind and gentle soul with a lovely family and it was an absolute joy to read his book about songwriting, plus, it's actually VERY good. If you're new at it or an old pro, get this book and give it a read. I underlined a lot.

7. Monkey Beach - Eden Robinson My friend Brie lent me this book while I was heading out on this last tour. I almost never read on the road. Between the shows, the driving, the sound checks, the time changes, there's almost never enough spare time. Somehow it worked out for me on this run and I read this lovely, but incredibly sad book. I don't want to give anything away. I knew nothing about it when I picked it up and I think that's kind of the perfect way to go into this one.

8. On Tyranny - Timothy Snyder I bought this for (unfortunately) obvious reasons. It's a good motivator and a good frame of reference. I'm also buying copies of 1984 when I see cheap second hand copies. Like I always say, "Load up before they're banned!".

9. But What If We're Wrong? - Chuck Klosterman I'd never read any of Klosterman's stuff but I really enjoyed this. It's somewhere between David Foster Wallace and Malcolm Gladwell. If you're an over-thinker like me, you'll probably enjoy this too.

10. Promises of Gold - José Olivarez Four tours ago I stopped by one of my favourite books stores in the world: Powell's in Portland, OR. This book of poetry was new at the time and I picked it up but, for some reason or other, put it back down. Two tours ago, I returned to Powell's and found a used copy on sale so I picked it up and brought it home. It's poetry from and probably for a community I'm not super familiar with. But that's good. Writing opens doors. Getting to glimpse a word I've never seen before made reading this one totally worth it, even if it didn't resonate with my own life story. It's good.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

Somehow I slipped up and forgot to post this one! The last (last) 10 books I've read:

1.The Continual Condition - Charles Bukowski I was at my local bookstore looking for a Christmas present when I spotted this little collection of poems. I always feel a little bad buying Bukowski's poetry that came out after he died. In his journals he specifically said that he suspected his editor of holding back some of his poems so that he could make money off of him after he'd died. It seems as thought that's exactly what's happened. These are great. There's no reason why they should've been held back when they were first written. I love getting to read more of his work, but it feels like I'm dancing on his grave.

2. Fences - August Wilson This is an amazing play. I'd seen the movie adaptation starring Denzel Washington (my favourite actor) and Viola Davis and it was pretty incredible so I was excited to read the play itself. It brought tears to my eyes more than once. When I saw the movie I was not yet a father. Now that I am a dad, some of those scenes hit differently. It's like a cautionary tale to all would-be fathers out there to deal with your issues before you have kids. It's a great reminder that intentions are not enough, that life isn't fair and that, if you're not careful, you can lose yourself along the way.

3. Slouching Toward Nirvana - Charles Bukowski Yet another great book of poems. I just love his stuff. I'm on a bit of a mission now to try and read all of his poetry. There's so much more than I thought. It'll be fun to try to hunt it all down and get through it, but what am I going to do when there's no more unread Bukowski poems? I don't know.. probably read them all again.

4. Hitch-22 - Christopher Hitchens A surprisingly enjoyable and easy read. I've been a big fan of Hitchens for years but sometimes he can be difficult to endure. While there were moments of this book that I didn't love, overall, it was a refreshing reminder of what I loved about his writing. His critical voice is most definitely missed today.

5. Jitney - August Wilson Another great play. "Jitney" was slang in the 1970's for an unlicensed cab. I feel like there should be far more awareness of August Wilson's work. I think, maybe I feel that way toward theatre in general, but specifically about August Wilson. His dialogue actually reads like dialogue. You can hear the characters talking. It doesn't feel stilted or awkward even when the conversations are exactly that. It's very well written stuff. I'm excited to read more of his plays.

6. Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole - Susan Cain My wife gave me this book. For someone who spends a lot of time feeling melancholy, this felt like a big nod of approval. I really identified with the chapters on creativity. The portions about how to deal with a broken heart didn't resonate with me, so much. But still, a good book worth reading, particularly if you're prone to the pessimistic.

7. Lapvona - Ottessa Moshfegh This is an incredibly dark book. It reads like an A24 movie. It's the story of a crippled boy in a small Medieval town. How his life and the lives of the people of Lapvona unfold. It's a very fast and very tense read, incredibly well written but I made several audible sounds of disgust while reading it. Not for the faint of heart.

8. McGlue - Ottessa Moshfegh Well, what a disappointment. After reading Lapvona I was eager to get my hands on more of Moshfegh's work. I'd also enjoyed some of her short stories earlier so I was very much looking forward to this. It's very hard to follow. It's about an alcoholic pirate but it jumps around a lot and it's not always clear what is happening, what has happened or what is a dream. I later discovered it was her debut novel, which is pretty impressive but I'm glad it wasn't the first book of hers I'd read.

9. Tender is the Flesh - Agustina Bazterrica I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. I liked the cover and, foolishly, judged the rest of the book by it. It's not that it's a bad book it's just really not a style of writing I enjoy. For example, I really don't like it when an author uses an adjective as a complete sentence. It's often done to try and convey a sense of weight or importance, or drama. If it's used infrequently it can really add to the tension in a book. Cormac McCarthy comes to mind. But it's a technique used very frequently throughout this book and it just feels over dramatic and empty after a while. Considering this is a book about a not-too-distant cannibalistic apocalyptic world, "over dramatic" is really saying something.

10. The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship - Charles Bukowski Nothing new and I'm not complaining. More dark, twisted, insightful, poignant filth from one of the best.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. Death In Her Hands - Ottessa Moshfegh I really enjoyed this book. Previously I’d only ever read a collection of her short stories and they were incredibly dark and depressing. This one is more of a mystery. It feels a little bit like watching an A24 movie. I kind of wish the ending had gone a different way, but it was enjoyable and very well written.

2. Stoner - John Williams I’d read another book by Williams a while back and hadn’t been particularly blown away but this book was recommended to me by multiple people over the last few weeks and then I saw it as a “staff pick” at my local used bookstore, so I went for it. It’s a lovely book, but I’m not sure the description on the cover, “The best novel you’ve never read” was really accurate. Good book. Not great.

3. The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Rick Rubin I’m having a bit of a tough time with this one. I like Rick Rubins work. I’m not sure how to feel about the man himself. He has a bit of a cult following and he’s really taken on this sort of guru-like persona over the past few years. This book is full of some really helpful and insightful ideas and ways of looking at art and creativity in general. But I can’t help feel it’s a little self-indulgent. Each chapter is, at most, 5 pages long, usually less, and there are blank pages between each chapter. A lot of paper could’ve been saved with this one. Still, you can’t argue with Rubin’s track record and the breadcrumbs he’s scattering here are absolutely worth picking up - I just don’t think there needs to be quite as much space between them.

4. Yellowface - R. F. Kuang My wife read this for her bookclub and recommended I check it out. She read it in a day so I figured I could put my very tall stack of books to read on hold for a minute. I read it in two sittings. It’s a very quick and easy read but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good book. It’s written by a woman of colour from a white woman’s perspective. I won’t give anything away but it was very well done. It’s part thriller, part comedy, part drama, all the while dealing with creative liberty, plagiarism, and racism. I really enjoyed this one.

5. American Buffalo - David Mamet Every once in a while I get really into reading plays. I think there’s always been a part of me that wanted to be an actor but I was always way too insecure. I love going to live theatre and I try to pay attention to the scene as much as I can - even if I’ll never take the stage. This is a great play. The whole thing takes place in one room. It’s gritty and funny and brutal. Although I’ve read a lot about him I’d never actually read a play by David Mamet. He’s not for everyone, but I loved it. If you’re into plays and have any to recommend, send them my way.

6. The Missionary Position - Christopher Hitchens This is a quick read but definitely a worthwhile one. For one thing, I love reading Hitchens for his incredible ability to wonderfully articulate himself. For another, I love reading Hitchens because, to him, there is nothing sacred. Despite having what seems like a rather provocative title, this is a very grim and sober look at the life of Mother Theresa. Hitchens noted several instances of seeming hypocrisy and political opportunism in her religious life and decided to take a closer look, judging her reputation by her actions and words and not the other way around. I grew up admiring Mother Theresa - even when her journals full of doubts were published, I was encouraged by my church to continue believing because, "Even Mother Theresa doubts!". It wasn't until I went to India and volunteered at The Missionaries of Charity that things began to unravel for me. There was little to no medical care being extended to these kids and several passed away in the few days I was there. It was heartbreaking and confusing and it took a long time for me to begin to understand it. This little book helped.

7. The Caretaker - Harold Pinter Another play. I've never read anything by Pinter before but I've heard his name many times. I didn't particularly enjoy reading this play. It's kind of confusing and pretty uneventful. But once I'd finished reading it I looked it up on YouTube and saw a young Colin Firth performing one of the monologues from it and it was amazing. I'll be keeping my eye out to see this one live.

8. The Love Poems - Harold Norse A short while ago I was consumed (and not for the first time) by Bukowski's poetry. I couldn't stop reading it. I bought book after book and would go home and immediately dive in. Somewhere in all my reading I noticed he'd mentioned Harold Norse as one of the best poets to ever live. Being a massive fan of Bukowski's I decided it would be wise to read what inspired someone who’s inspired me. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, and - to be fair, I've only read this one collection (which, I should mention was SO generously gifted to me by a friend after I posted that I was looking for some of Norse's work) and in it's very title it suggests romance, but it wasn't this. It's very sexual and very confusing. Harold Norse was an openly gay man at a time when it was not openly accepted to be so. For that reason I found his writing brave as it deals mainly with issues of homosexuality. But, overall, I wasn't moved in the same way as I've been while reading Bukowski's. I have another book of his (which was also a gift from the same friend) so, we’ll see.

9. Why Grow Up? - Susan Neiman A small book but a lengthy read. It's been a while since I've jumped into the world of Philosophy. It's one I've always felt drawn to but then almost immediately overwhelmed by whenever I've dipped my toe. This was no exception. It's an unflinching look at ageing physically, emotionally and mentally and societies/politics role in either encouraging or discouraging growth and maturity in these areas. I enjoyed it and now I've got lots to think about.

10. Dangling in the Tournefortia - Charles Bukowski What can I say? I wasn't even looking for another book of his poems, a friend gifted it to me and I dove straight in. This particular book was released in 1981. It's not my favourite era of Bukowski's. He's no longer down and out, he's no longer hungry. He's living well and has a bit of a name for himself. Still, there are gems here. He wrestles with those very issues, he still has words in his soul. It's inspiring but in a different way. I'm glad I read it and I'm thankful for the gift from my friend, but I'm also glad that this wasn't my introduction to his work. I don't think this would've hooked me the way his early work did.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

Less is necessary and more is possible, than we are ever led to believe. - Susan Neiman

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. Hallelujah Anyway - Anne Lamott This book should have actually been in the last list of books I’ve read, but I missed it. I’m a bit scatterbrained sometimes, so I keep lists. I have several different lists of “books I’ve read” to try and keep track of where I’m at. Needless to say, I sometimes forget to update one (or more) of the lists and then forget which one is most up-to-date. Anyway. I read this recently, too. I loved her book, “Bird by Bird” but I read it ages ago, when I was at a very different place in my life, spiritually. I forgot that she was so religious and, therefore, found this a little tedious. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t arrive in my life at the right time like, “Bird by Bird” did. Also, there’s a fantastic album by Hiss Golden Messenger called “Hallelujah Anyhow” and that also got me interested in this book. MC Taylor has recommended books to me in the past and, though he didn’t recommend this one, I wondered if there would be some kind of connection between the two. I didn’t find one.

2. Porno - Irvine Welsh There it is. I finished the sequel. I think if I’d read Trainspotting when it first came out I would’ve been far more interested in reuniting with the cast, but as I went directly from book one to book two, I found it a bit boring. The characters are all pretty well put together and the writing is still good. It’s just the storyline itself that didn’t intrigue me. Simon, aka, “Sick Boy” is now the owner of a sketchy club and decides to try to make a porno film in his establishment to try and go as legitimate as possible. All the other characters kind of play into it, but it’s not as engaging or interesting as the first book. Also, Irvine Welsh’s attempt at writing female characters was, in my opinion, pretty lacking. It wasn’t my favourite but I’ll be speaking on and off in a thick Glaswegian accent for the next while.

3. Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Webber and Rolling Stone Magazine - Joe Hagan I’ve always been curious about Rolling Stone magazine. I remember watching Almost Famous for the first time when I was around 17 and falling absolutely in love with the music and that specific time period. I’ve been inspired by that era for a long time and Jann Webber (as a character and the actual person) have small cameos in the film. I remember listening to The Cover of The Rolling Stone by Dr. Hook when I was a teen and dreaming of gracing its cover myself one day. I was always curious why Rolling Stone Magazine existed at the same time as The Rolling Stones and if there was a connection and, it turns out, there really was. I won’t spoil it for you but I was really disappointed. The book itself is well written and engaging but Jann Webber seems to be a very narcissistic power hungry person who had no problem throwing family and friends under the bus if it meant even a smidge more celebrity or power or money for himself. In the same way, it seems he used the magazine as his social club and it was mainly a way for him to become some kind of self-elected gatekeeper of fame. Kind of sad, really.

4. Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer I’ve read a bunch of books by Jon Krakauer and I’ve enjoyed them all. Into The Wild, Into Thin Air, etc. They’re captivating books and they’re always very well researched. I was very interested in this book because it’s a true crime story and one of the reviews on the back compared it to “In Cold Blood” by Capote - another true crime story that I was also captivated by. Without really knowing what it was, I bought it from my local used bookstore and dove in. It’s kind of two books in one. Book one deals with a grisly murder committed by two brothers in the 80′s, and the Mormon fanaticism that they embraced which lead them to commit such a heinous crime. Book two explains the history of the Mormon religion. It’s a fascinating look at human nature, at religion, at fanaticism and at the evils that can be committed in god’s name. Not at all a read for the easily disturbed, but a fascinating book if true crime is your cup of tea.

5. Black Wings Has My Angel - Elliott Chase I have a very long list of books on my “to read” list. In fact, I have several “to read” lists scrawled in many different places: on my computer, in a journal, on the back of a receipt, kind of everywhere. I don’t remember where I heard of this book, but I know it was on more than one of my lists. I took a trip over to Vancouver a week ago to do some recording and while I was there I stopped at one of my favourite bookstores and asked one of the clerks for some recommendations similar to Hard Rain Falling and Fat City - both of which I’d read (and loved) after they’d been recommended by the same clerk previously. He grabbed several books and I saw this one in the pile and called it out with excitement. It’s been out of print for a long time but the good folks at New York Review Books have recently reprinted it. I read it in a day and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

6. A Good Man Is Hard To Find - Flannery O’Connor Flannery O’Connor was a fantastic writer. That said, it can be tremendously hard to read her stuff. It’s not how gritty and bleak things are in her stories; it’s not the seemingly infinite amount of unhappy endings, it’s the racism. It’s interesting because she was a highly religious person but her stories and her characters are often non-believers or hypocrites. It’s like she was able to be one thing in life but then able to write from a separate, if not opposite stance. She points out religion’s and society’s flaws and makes you question their motives. She points to the unbelievability of religion and the narrow-mindedness that so often goes hand in hand with a religious outlook. For that, I love her stuff. However, the same cannot be said of her views and her writing on race. The blatant racism in her work mirrors her own personal outlook and it is very hard to get past. And I don’t think it’s appropriate to try to just, “get past” it. You can’t sweep it under the rug. I think it’s important to acknowledge, even though it’s uncomfortable, the two sides to this particular coin. She was a great writer, of that there is no doubt. She was also an avid racist. There’s no doubt there either. But I do think it’s possible to simultaneously hold these two facts and enjoy the art while condemning the artists viewpoint, morals, humanity, language, etc. It requires reading with a critical eye. It means reading things you know you will disagree with, but I would argue that there is great benefit in doing so. Not only can it help you deepen your own understanding of why you believe what you believe, it can also help strengthen your conviction and your grasp of the world and of humanity and of its flaws. For a much better, far more articulate view on O’Connor’s racism in her writing, check out this article from the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/22/how-racist-was-flannery-oconnor

7. In A Lonely Place - Dorothy B. Hughes This was another book in the pile of recommendations from my favourite bookstore. I also read this in one sitting. I’d never heard of it before but it’s fantastic. It’s a fictional story about a murderer in the LA area and from the beginning to the end it’s an exciting read. It’s one of those books that are hard to put down. It’s under 200 pages but it’s a great cat and mouse story. At times, the main characters relationship reminded me a bit of Raskolnikov and the detective from Crime and Punishment. It’s all a game of words. I really enjoyed this one.

8. Why I Am Not A Christian- Bertrand Russell This is a book of essays and some are far more interesting than others. I thoroughly enjoyed the title essay, but essays such as “The Fate of Thomas Paine” were less enjoyable. I’d never read anything by Russell before this. I wasn’t really even aware of him. But, in reading Jon Krakauer’s book, “Under The Banner of Heaven”, I was moved by some of the quotation’s he’d used as introductions to his chapters. More than one quote from this particular book of essay’s was employed. So I picked it up and dove in. It reminded me of Christopher Hitchens’, “God Is Not Great”. It’s clear that essays and philosophers like Russell, if not Russell himself, had a large impact on people like Hitchens and I, for one, am thankful for that. Regardless of where you fall on the pro/anti-religion argument, this is a good book to read. It’s always good to reflect and deepen your understanding of what you do or do not believe and why. Books like this can certainly help to achieve that.

9. The Great Spring - Natalie Goldberg I’ve read a few books by Natalie Goldberg before. I often find that I really enjoy her writing but she comes across as quite cold and even, at points, rude to others. Not all the time, but often enough that it stands out. Still, writers don’t have to be friendly. They don’t have to be anything at all, besides human, I suppose and not all humans are always friendly. It’s beside the point. I like her style and I like her writing so, that’s that.

10. The Innocent Man - John Grisham I might be on a bit of a true crime kick. Under the Banner of Heaven got me into it, I think. This is an absolutely crazy story. After reading it I discovered there’s actually a Netflix docuseries about it. I haven’t checked it out yet. I think I will, but if it stays close to the book it’ll be hard to watch. Not only because of the heinous crimes committed but also because of the complete lack of justice served. It’s a captivating story and at times it’s hard to believe it’s true.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

Check out the lyric video for my new song, PIECES more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read: 1. A Heart That Works - Rob Delaney This is, by far the most heartbreaking book I’ve ever read. Rob Delaney is a comedian and a writer and he wrote this book after his three year old son died of a rare brain tumor. It’s incredibly sad but also tender and there’s even funny moments. It’s one of the most eloquent and graceful books I’ve ever read. I highly recommend buying a Costco sized box of Kleenex and giving this a read. It’s very powerful.

2. The Mad and the Bad - Jean-Patrick Manchette This was a pretty fun read. It’s kind of random and unexpected. I don’t want to give too much away but it’s about a hitman with some gastro-intestinal maladies who’s hired for a kill and then all the twists and turns that unfold. Fun, quick read but not a book I’d seek out.

3. Altamont: The Rolling Stones, The Hells Angels, and the Inside Story of Rock’s Darkest Day - Joel Selvin I really enjoyed this book. A lot of people my age, too young to have attended Woodstock, have nevertheless heard a lot about it. Whether or not it’s an accurate representation is another issue, but not a lot of us know about Altamont - kind of the opposite of Woodstock, or how it happened or why it happened. If you’ve seen the documentary Gimme Shelter then you probably already know a lot of this, but as someone who is a huge fan of this era of music I found this book riveting.

4. Burning in Water Drowning in Flame - Charles Bukowski I happened to be back in Vancouver over the weekend and so I stopped by one of my favourite bookstores in search of more old books of Bukowski’s poetry and I found not one, but TWO! I bought them both and finished the first one the day after I got home. More classic dark, gritty, ugly, Bukowski. 

5. The People Look Like Flowers At Last - Charles Bukowski Well, immediately after finishing the last book I picked up the other one and read it in a day. This was published posthumously and it has a lot of honesty about death in it that isn’t always there in a lot of his other stuff. It was refreshing but still, it has that classic Bukowski feel. I don’t know what I’ll do when I’ve read all his stuff. Read it again, I guess.

6. Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit - Charles Bukowski In between e-mailing and waiting for responses I picked this one up and re-read it pretty quickly. It’s one of his shortest books of poetry and it’s easy to read. Plus, it has one of my favourite poems of his. A short seven letter poem named Art.

7. The Last Night of the Earth Poems - Charles Bukowski I decided to start re-reading some of Bukowski’s stuff. Maybe this is a phase? I don’t really know. But, reading is meant to be both educational and entertaining. Right now, I’m just really enjoying Bukowski so, I’ll keep on leaning into it for as long as it lasts. I think this is my favourite collection of his poetry. A lot of people say that Love is a Dog From Hell is his best, but I don’t agree. It’s by far the most sexual of his works, as in, a lot of his poems are about sex or sexuality, but I don’t think it’s his best work. To each their own.

8. Charles Bukowski On Writing - Charles Bukowski You know when you can’t stop listening to a certain artist for a while but then it goes away and you don’t really want to listen to them anymore? Then, after a while, you forget about them until you come across them again somehow. And, if the mood is right, you get hooked again and they’re all you’re going to listen to for a while. I think that’s what’s going on for me with Bukowski right now. The stack of other “books to read” is growing by the day, but I just keep going back to his stuff.

9. Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh Finally, a break from Bukowski. I’m sure you’re all thrilled. I went over to a friends house the other day and was admiring his books and he insisted on lending me something I’d never read before. I’ve never read anything by Irvine Welsh, and I haven’t seen the movie Trainspotting, so he eagerly lent me both Trainspotting and its sequel. Having been to Scotland several times and having lived there for a year in my teens, this book felt oddly nostalgic. Granted, I wasn’t running in these same circles, but the language really rang true. It’s largely written almost phonetically in a Scottish accent. If you’re not familiar with the slang or the flow of their speech, I imagine it would be a tough book to read. There is a short glossary at the back, but it’s pretty limited. I really enjoyed this book. It’s well written and it’s pretty dark. But there’s humour there too, and like I said, for me, nostalgia. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.

10. Storm for the Living and the Dead - Charles Bukowski I finished reading Trainspotting and picked this back up. I was about 3/4′s of the way through when I put it down to switch books. This is a collection of poems that were unpublished before Bukowski died. It’s interesting to have read “On Writing” and to know how Bukowski felt towards his publisher, “holding poems back” from being published. And now, after his death, there continues to be book after book of posthumous publications. I’m sure he would’ve been pissed. But, when wasn’t he?

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. Zen in the Art of Writing - Ray Bradbury Before this I’d only ever read Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury. I’m not really into sci-fi books. But the photo of him on the book jacket was too good to pass up. He’s smiling, wearing impossibly huge glasses and holding his cat. It made me laugh and I recognized the name so I bought it. I was surprised to find a lot of very solid advice on writing and the approach to any creative endeavour. It was actually a very good little book.

2. Acres & Pains - S.J. Perelman This was random. I found this little book in a used bookstore here in Vancouver - one that I don’t often visit, and was happy to grab it for its $5 price tag. S.J. Perelman was a “humorist”, which, as far as I can understand it, basically means a comedian who knows big words. I would be surprised if David Sedaris did not grow up reading Perelman’s work. It’s very self-deprecating and quite droll. 

3. Selected Poems - William Carlos Williams I’ve been diving deeper into poetry. I don’t know if it’s because I’m in my mid-thirties or what, but I’m finding it more and more enjoyable. I’m still mainly reading Bukowski’s poems when I can find them, but in between I’m picking up classics like this and thoroughly enjoying doing so.

4. A Poetry Handbook - Mary Oliver Mary Oliver is one of my favourite poets and this book is her instruction manual on how to read and write poetry. She recommends other poets to check out, she talks about rhyme scheme and free verse and its origins. It’s a highly educational read for someone who writes for a living but it’s also enjoyable if you just like poetry. Worth checking out.

5. Selected Poems - Antonio Machado This was one of the books recommended in “A Poetry Handbook”. Along with Li Po (whose poetry I had an immensely hard time tracking down) and Jack Gilbert. I knew nothing of Machado when I bought this book and now I know a little bit. The introduction to this book of poems was super helpful, but it’s 67 pages with footnotes and takes about as long to read as the rest of the entire book. One neat aspect was that the left side of every page was the original poem in Spanish, the right side was its translation. I don’t speak Spanish but it was cool to be able to see his intended rhythm. 

6. Invisible Boy - Harrison Mooney I grew up in Abbotsford, aka “Canada’s Bible Belt”: an almost exclusively white community with well over 100 churches. Harrison did too. We were somewhere between childhood acquaintances and childhood friends. We knew each other, I’d been to his house a couple times, but he was two years older than me so we were never super close. His book is about his experience as a Black boy being adopted by a white Christian fundamentalist family. Looking back I see so much of the racism that was prevalent in that town, in our school and in those churches that I did not experience because I’m white. It was an enjoyable book because it’s very well written. It’s very funny and very sad. But it was difficult as well because I knew those people, those places, those institutions, first hand but I was so largely ignorant of his, and so many others, experiences. And, though I can’t relate to the racism he experienced, I can relate to the confusion he felt trying his best to embrace a religion he was indoctrinated into. I can relate to the guilt of not fully believing, but not wanting to let anyone down. I can’t imagine the added burden of experiencing racism daily (even in his own home) and the questions that being adopted would constantly bring up. This is a book not meant to be missed. Do yourself a favour and check it out.

7. The Roominghouse Madrigals - Charles Bukowski This is a selection of his early poetry between the years 1946 and 1966. It’s a classic example of his work and reminded me, yet again, of why I love reading his stuff. I don’t know what it is. Not every poem connects with me, but enough of them do that I can sit and read his poetry for hours. I have.

8. The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin This has been in my stack of “books to read” for months but after reading Harrison’s book and his description of his encounter with this book I grabbed it and dove in. It’s quite a short read, but it’s incredibly powerful. I kept thinking, “Why was I not aware of his writing when I was in high school?” The answer is fairly obvious and, to put it mildly, disappointing. Still, if I was ever a teacher (not bloody likely) and I taught any kind of History or English class, this would be required reading for all my students. 

9. The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America - Thomas King Previously I’d only ever read, “The Truth About Stories” by Thomas King. It’s a short book but I loved it. I’ve been wanting to get to this book for a long time. Finally, after moving cities and having a week off in Mexico, I was able to dive in. It’s a great book - particularly as a Canadian who was never taught anything other than Christian propaganda regarding the Indigenous peoples of North America and their relationship with white colonizers. It was very informative, very disappointing to read and very sad. But I was also inspired by the Indigenous people and their resiliency and moved by their thoughtful and wise approach to nature. I also enjoyed how funny King is. It’s a fantastic book.

10. The Road - Cormac McCarthy There’s not much to say here. I love McCarthy’s writing but, not surprising, this was incredibly sad. Good if you like his stuff, but maybe not the place to start if you’ve never read anything by him before. 

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

My new LIVE video for, “No Stopping Now” is finally here! Check it out. more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit - Charles Bukowski The kick continues.

2. You Get So Alone Sometimes That It Just Makes Sense - Charles Bukowski And again.

3. Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems - Charles Bukowski Once more, for luck.

4. Hot Water Music - Charles Bukowski This one was all short stories. I was still hoping for poetry but I couldn’t find any at my local bookstores.. It might’ve broken the spell.

5. Love is a Dog From Hell - Charles Bukowski Nope.

6. South of No North - Charles Bukowski More short stories. I don’t care for them as much as his poetry. But, still, I’m just loving his writing these days.

7. The Open Road - Jean Giono I know. It looks like I’ve moved on from Bukowski. But the truth is I ran out of his books and haven’t been able to find any of his stuff that I haven’t already read. Once I do, I’ll probably be hooked again. In the meantime, this has been lying on the top of my “to read” pile for about six months. I checked it out and it reminded me of Kerouac’s “On the Road” a bit, but with slightly more scruples. there are two main characters and it’s hard to tell if they’re actually different people or just different sides of the same person. It’s written in the first person, which I don’t particularly love, but this was a pretty good read. I have to say though, I did not see that ending coming.

8. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe This book recounts the true story of the author Ken Kesey and his followers (aka the Merry Band of Pranksters) taking LSD and driving across America in an old painted school bus in 1964. It’s a fun, scary, crazy read. Kind of like being on acid. In fact, the way it’s written feels like you’re reading an acid trip, which you kind of are. I loved this book, but I don’t know if it’s for everybody. If you like Hunter S. Thompson, there’s a good chance you’d enjoy this.

9. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris Hilarious and sad. Two of my favourites.

10. War All the Time - Charles Bukowski I was lucky enough to find another book of his poems. I dove in with great excitement hoping I hadn’t built up his writing too much in my mind and was delighted to find that memory had served and I was in love again. I don’t know what it is, but it feels like going home.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. The Source of Self-Regard - Toni Morrison This is an incredible book. I highly recommend reading it, but, do so when you have a fair amount of time. Each essay is incredibly thoughtful and, to say, “articulate” would be dumbing it down. I’ve read a lot of books whose authors I felt were beyond my reach of intelligence. I often feel that’s a good way to try and increase, if not my intellect, at least my vocabulary. But Toni Morrison was a genius and wrote like one. Before this I’d read only one of her books; a work of fiction called Beloved. I enjoyed it but I had no idea the level of thoughtfulness she used to craft every single sentence. There are layers upon layers and, unless you are an equal genius, or have read some kind of commentary about it you just might miss a few of them. Though I could not relate to every essay I did not feel like I’d wasted any time in reading each one, slowly. It’s definitely worth your time.

2. Nothing But the Night - John Williams I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up but it’s not to be confused with the 1973 horror film of the same name. It’s from the NYRB (New York Review Books) classic series. The owner of my local used bookstore told me that it’s kind of like the Criterion Classics of the book world. I’d read a few other books from the collection and enjoyed them so I was hopeful about this one too. The thing to know about this book is that it was written by the author while he was at war - the Vietnam war, I believe. His plane had been shot down so he wrote on scraps of paper while they waited to be rescued. Understandably it’s a pretty short and dark book. It’s well written but it’s pretty bleak. It has nothing to do with war, but it does include suicide, domestic violence and alcoholism. I’m not sure I’d recommend this one, but I might check out another one of his books sometime.

3. The Last Night of the Earth Poems - Charles Bukowski The beautiful in the ugly. Bukowski had a way of really hitting the nail on the head; of bringing to light some of the darkness inside of us that we try to hide or deny, of making you feel sane about the insane things you’ve thought and believe that no one else ever has. For those moments in his poetry and prose, I love his writing. That isn’t to say I’m not regularly offended when I read his stuff. I am. There’s a lot of stuff in his writing and in his general attitude towards life, women, working, etc that was and is very problematic. He was not a role model. But despite all of that he was a very good writer. These poems pour out like short stories. Even if you’re offended or disgusted by them they’re usually beautifully written and they often make you think. Admittedly, not everyone will like Bukowski. But I think that’s fine. He didn’t like everybody.

4. Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert A friend of mine messaged me a picture of this book with a note that said, “You have to read this”. Admittedly, I was a little hesitant. Maybe even more than a little. I’d read “Eat, Pray, Love” on the train in India and I’d loathed it. I’m not making any judgments here. It was an international best-seller so, obviously, people liked it. I just wasn’t one of them. I didn’t buy it and, also, I thought her outlook on life was pretty selfish. I was 21 at the time. I have no idea what I’d think about it today but I just recall really not digging it at the time. It seemed a pretty weak argument to not read this book some 14 years later, though. So I picked up a used copy from my local spot and got reading. It’s good. I don’t love her writing, that hasn’t changed, but I did love some of the things she said and her attitude towards creativity. It’s, for lack of a better word, healthier than mine. I’m probably going to read it again someday. It’s given me a lot to think about. If you’re wanting to live a more creative life it’s a good place to start.

5. Jem - Frederik Pohl Oh boy. What do I even say about this? I was out for a walk with my son and we stopped at the neighbourhood book exchange. I saw this and it reminded me of Flash Gordon, and he liked the cover so I let him hold onto it. We came home and I put him to bed and then I picked it up and decided to read the first chapter just to see what it was about. It’s basically very cheesy 70′s sci-fi. Jem is the name of the planet where humans travel and discover life and then ruin everything by being human. It’s a very fast read but also very skippable.

6. In The Miso Soup - Ryu Murakami I’d read a book by Murakami before so it wasn’t how incredibly dark and off putting this book was that bothered me. It definitely was both of those things, but sometimes I enjoy that stuff. This was different. It had those elements, and those elements were enjoyable. But it was also graphic to a degree that just didn’t sit well with me. I know there are a lot of people who absolutely love Murakami’s stuff and think this book is a classic example of Japanese horror but, one scene in particular, was just a bit too much for me. If you’re looking to be creeped out but not grossed out, this probably isn’t the one for you.

7. This Is Your Mind On Plants - Michael Pollan I received this book as a Christmas gift and was thrilled to dive in. My friend Dave tried for years to get me to read another of Pollan’s books, “The Botany of Desire,” but I never did. I just never got around to it. This time, when someone put one of his books directly into my hands, I figured I ought to give it a go. I was amazed at how interested I was. I read the whole book in 3 sittings. It’s split up into three separate studies of three different plants and how they affect our minds, namely: poppies (opium), coffee (caffeine), and peyote (mescaline). Each section is fascinating. He puts our assumptions about these chemicals, our fear and awe of these plants and the whole war on drugs on trial. It’s well worth a read.

8. What Comes From Spirit - Richard Wagamese I’m a bit embarrassed to say I’d never heard of Richard Wagamese before this. My wife gave me this book for Christmas and I had no idea what to expect. Richard was an indigenous author and journalist who passed away in 2017, but this book is comprised of a collection of his posts on social media. I know I would cringe if someone published a collection of my social media posts but his read like an incredibly thoughtful, wise and sensitive journal. His ideas about what it means to be spiritual really spoke to me. I’ll be reading more of his stuff for sure.

9. The Pleasures of the Damned - Charles Bukowski I’m on a Bukowski poetry kick. This is different than a regular poetry kick or a Bukowski prose kick. This is a specific hunger for a specific poet’s work. I don’t know what it is. I don’t like every poem of his. His writing is often dark, rude, dirty, even vile. But every once in a while you come across some golden line that can really hold you, make you feel seen and heard and somehow, less lonely. It means sifting through some dark waters, sure. But the little gems you find, in my opinion, are worth it.

10. Mockingbird Wish Me Luck - Charles Bukowski Like I said. I’m on a kick.

[joshuahyslop]

NO STOPPING NOW

Heart, it takes heart To believe in yourself from the start In time, in good time You’ll learn all that you’ve lost in the fight

And on the days you can’t stand on your own Through the nights when there’s nowhere to go

How long til you open your eyes And see all that you hold inside? How long til you shrug off that doubt? There’ll be no more stopping now

Lies, all your lies Are an excuse to live half of your life And hate, no more hate For all it gives there’s so much more it takes

And on the days you can’t stand on your own Through the nights when there’s nowhere to go

How long til you open your eyes And see all that you hold inside? How long til you shrug off that doubt? There’ll be no more stopping you now more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

FADED COLOURS

There are moments we cannot know there are days I will fall you say give what you’re able though I’ve been giving my all

And I know I’ve been here before faded colours will serve to remind that it was safety I left them for when the blues were impossibly bright how they dim in time

Feel it move in the atmosphere like the air that I hold in my lungs face to face with my deepest fear’s where I find all the words that I’ve sung

But it’s not like it was before I run openly into the night and as the clouds roll away once more I see beauty in front of my eyes how the dim ignites

And I know I’ve been here before faded colours will serve to remind that it was safety I left them for still the blues are impossibly bright how the dim ignites more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy This is a super quick read. It’s a nice simple book with some beautiful imagery to go along with it. It has a bit of a similar feel to, “The Little Prince” and “The Alchemist”. If you like those you might like this.

2. Friday’s at Enrico’s - Don Carpenter I loved Carpenter’s book, “Hard Rain Falling” so I was pretty excited to find this one at my local used bookstore. It’s also incredibly well written but I just didn’t really care about the story. It’s about a group of young wannabe writers on the west coast and their success, failures and many, many affairs. They all drink a lot and then eventually stumble into varying amounts of success in a myriad of ways. Again, it’s well written but not something I’d eagerly recommend.

3. Yearbook - Seth Rogen My wife and I listened to an episode of Conan O’Brien’s podcast with Seth Rogen. She’s a big fan of Seth Rogen and I’m a big fan of Conan so it worked out well. At the start of the show I had no interest in a book by Seth Rogen, but by the end I was eager to read it. I bought it for my wife for her birthday and we brought it camping taking turns reading it when the other person was doing something else. It’s not an amazing book but it does have some very funny stories in it and it’s a very easy read. Seth grew up in Vancouver as well so it was nice to have a bit of an extra connection/understanding to his description of his childhood and his neighbourhood. All in all, a fun little book.

4. The Procession - Khalil Gibran I got this at my favourite local used bookstore after only ever reading The Prophet by Gibran. This is kind of a prelude to that book. It also has about a 20 page intro to the poems all about who Gibran was, his family and how he grew up. It’s a pretty sad tale and his poetry, it seems, was deeper for it.

5. Player Piano - Kurt Vonnegut Another book by Vonnegut! The list seems to be never ending. I thoroughly enjoyed the last few chapters of this book but the first 3/4’s dragged a bit. It’s set in a (very possible) future where machines do all the blue collar jobs - and then some. Society then decides that the engineers and scientists and people with high IQ’s are worthy of an upscale life and the town is then split in two: the intelligent, or, useful and the stupid, or useless. There are some great moments and conversations throughout the book but it feels like it could’ve been shorter overall. Still good. Still Vonnegut.

6. The Last Interview and Other Conversations - David Foster Wallace I believe this is a series, the “Last Interview” with so-and-so, etc. This was my first time reading something from the series. I’d been finding it hard to carve out reading time and noticed that a) this was a very short book and b) nothing I’d read of David Foster Wallace’s books was ever short but I’ve always enjoyed them. So I picked it up and pecked away at it when I could. He was a very articulate guy and, as I’ve said before, I’m a sucker for good articulation. It wasn’t the most amazing book ever but it helped hold me over until I was able to get back into reading more regularly. 

7. Look At The Birdie - Kurt Vonnegut Yes, yes. Two books by the same author on the same list. It’s happened before (I think with Haruki Murakami) but doesn’t happen all that often. I usually try to pick books different from one another. Or I pick up a book from any number of the “to-read” piles scattered around my music cave. This one caught my eye because it’s a book of short stories and I had no idea Vonnegut had any short stories. I excitedly dove in. They’re classic Vonnegut stories: dark, funny, twisted, weird. All in all I enjoyed it and if you’re a fan of his, give it a read. You’ll probably enjoy it too.

8. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Quentin Tarantino I’m a fan of some of Quentin Tarantino’s work. I loved Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1 and 2 and Django Unchained. Other stuff of his can be entertaining but it’s not always something I enjoy. While driving on a recent tour I was listening to a podcast and he was being interviewed. They talked about this book. I’d seen the movie and not loved it. I have no affiliation with Hollywood, let alone Hollywood in the sixties. I wasn’t around for Manson or the family. I didn’t get the references. It just didn’t scratch anyplace I itched. But in the interview they discussed how separate the book is from the movie and how it gives you a bunch of background on the character’s that the movie doesn’t. So I picked it up and read it on the road. It’s not bad but, again, it’s just not something I’m super interested in. If you liked the movie you’ll probably dig the book. If, like me, it was kind of lost on you then the book will most likely fall pretty flat too.

9. Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman This book was written in 1986. It is a fantastic read about the differences between the print based culture of the past and a television (or, technology) based culture of the present/future. But it’s not just about the differences it’s mainly about the dangers of a technology based culture. How dumbed down we’ve become. How, in the future, (again, this was written in ‘86) our vernacular, our attention spans and our willingness and ability to engage in meaningful, insightful debate/dialogue will all but disappear. He argues that Huxley’s vision of the future in, “Brave New World” was disturbingly more accurate than Orwell’s version in, “1984″. The idea being that we won’t need to burn the books because, thanks to our addiction to being distracted, there won’t be anyone around to read the books. There won’t be some Big Brother imposed upon us dictating what we say, how we say it or, even, what we’re allowed to think, we’ll be our own Big Brother. How easy it will be to control the populations opinions with meaningless small simple pleasures. It was pretty crazy how accurate a lot of what he had to say was. My main problem with the book is Postman’s very obvious religious bias and how often he brings it up. In those moments of self-righteous rants he often lost me. But the bulk of this book is well worth the read. 

10. The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion This might’ve been my favourite of the last ten books I’ve read. I’d read a few other books by Joan Didion but even though I enjoyed them, I hadn’t been really blown away. This book changed that. She wrote this book shortly after her husband of forty years died and her daughter was in and out of hospitals also very close to death. It’s an amazing observation of grief and mourning and marriage and parenthood. It just so happens that the day before I started reading it a friend of mine passed away very unexpectedly and I genuinely think this book helped me begin to process that loss in a meaningful way. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who’s ever lost somebody. more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. The One-Straw Revolution - Masanobu Fukuoka What a great little green book. If you like Wendell Berry’s essays on eco-friendly farming or community living you will probably like this book. Berry even wrote the introduction. It’s basically a book about a “new” approach to farming, one where the impact on the land is as minimal as possible, which means not even tilling the soil. If that sounds boring, you’d be right but the book is actually about so much more. Starting with farming, Fukuoka challenges the way we live, the society we’ve structured around ourselves, our willingness to believe just about anything and our ignorance when it comes to the damage our demand for instant gratification causes. As M.C. Taylor (Hiss Golden Messenger) said when he recommended this book to me, “It’s a book on farming that’s secretly about Zen.” 

2. Trick Mirror - Jia Tolentino I fully judged a book by its cover on this one. I liked the design so I thought I’d give it a read. I didn’t know anything about it other than what my wife told me which was, “Not all the essays are equally interesting”. She was right. The ones that I enjoyed I enjoyed quite a bit. But it felt like the author must have added a few essays to the book to try and fill it out. Most notably the essays about her time as a reality TV star and one about her attitude and hesitancy towards marriage were skippable. Other than that it was enjoyable.

3. Fat City - Leonard Gardner Once again, at my favourite local bookstore, I asked for help finding a book. I listed a few books I really liked and they suggested this one. I’m so glad they did. It’s not for everyone. It’s about two boxers in the 1950′s. One who’s all washed up and one who is young and promising and the two paths their lives take. It’s bleak and sad but so very beautifully written. If you’ve read and enjoyed “A Fan’s Notes”, “The Day of the Locust” or “Ask the Dust”, this might be one to check out.

4. A Mother’s Kisses - Bruce Jay Friedman When I was on tour a few years ago I started watching Marc Maron’s show, “Maron” in my hotel rooms after the shows. I’d been listening to his podcast “WTF” for a while. I don’t particularly love his stuff, but he’s a great interviewer and is also quite well read. In his show he ends up trying to get a job at a used bookstore and the owner quizzes him about books. He mentions Bruce Jay Friedman with a handful of other authors that I’ve known and enjoyed. I’d never heard of Friedman and I asked around the local used bookstores. Neither had they. This is an enjoyable and very funny book, but it’s not amazing and the borderline incestuous relationship the son has with his mother is more than enough to make you uncomfortable throughout the book. I read it in a day or two and it’s not one that I’d go out of my way to read again.

5. How We Became Human - Joy Harjo Another book recommended to me by MC Taylor. I’d named a few of my favourite poets and asked him if he had any poetry suggestions and he came back with Joy Harjo. The poems that struck me struck deep. The ones that didn’t, didn’t. But that’s poetry. Re-reading is recommended. What may seem insignificant the first time might be exactly what you need in another chapter of your life. You never know. Our outlooks change regularly. I really enjoyed a lot of this book of poems and I’m thankful for the recommendation.

6. Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck There’s nothing like a good ole Steinbeck book. I’ve said this before, but I often feel hesitant to read his stuff until I’ve finished reading one of his books. Then there’s a palpable feeling of, “My god... what an amazing book! I should read more of his stuff”. I’m not sure why there’s the hesitancy. I guess it’s often pretty slow moving stuff and can feel pretty dry, but the characters are so well developed and the scenery is so well crafted it feels like you know these people and these places. He’s a tremendous writer and it can be intimidating at times. The only issue I had with this book is that the characters speak in archaic english (thee, thou, etc) and that can throw you off. I think it’s a couple of pages before the first character speaks and the book is set in a little town near Monterey, CA so there’s very little to indicate this type of language. Other than that it’s another solid Steinbeck.

7. The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut I picked this book up from my favourite local bookstore. Ever since discovering that I’d read more Vonnegut than I’d thought I had I’ve been keeping an eye out for his books. There are way more than I’d thought! I’d never even heard of this one. It’s highly underrated. I really enjoyed it. It reminded me a bit of the Greek story of Oedipus. It’s great but it’s super sad. Another classic Vonnegut. If you’ve never read it but you like his stuff - check it out.

8. Hard Rain Falling - Don Carpenter Yet another recommendation from my local bookstore. This one was actually suggested to me at the same time as Fat City but I didn’t get it until I’d finished that one and was hungry for more. This book blew me away. It is very dark and very gritty and definitely not for everyone, but it’s so incredibly well written. The characters aren’t as hopeless as they’d like you to think they are or as life would have them believe but things certainly feel hopeless in some parts of the book. The other reason I was so impressed was the description of the homosexual relationship between two of the characters. This book came out in the mid 1960′s. I can’t imagine the ignorance and hatred gay people put up with today, never mind 60 years ago. When two heterosexual characters are reunited in jail and become roommates they begin to fall in love. What transpires is beautiful and tragic and holds a mirror up to society’s understanding of sexuality then and now. Again, it’s not a happy book but it’s worth the sadness.

9. Old Monarch - Courtney Marie Andrews A wonderful (first?) book of poems by a fantastic musician. Not much else to say other than, if you like poetry, go buy this book.

10. Jesus’ Son - Denis Johnson And, again, another recommendation from my pals at the local bookstore. This one is a collection of short stories that are all vaguely linked. You can read it chronologically as though it’s one cohesive story or you can read them out of order and it still works. They made a movie out of it in the late 90′s starring Billy Crudup but after watching the trailer it looks skippable to me. The book was an enjoyable and quick read but it’s not one I’d say you can’t miss.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

BOOKS

The last 10 books I’ve read:

1. Wolf - Jim Harrison  I found this book in one of the little neighbourhood book exchanges that are all around Vancouver. They look like little log cabins and it’s a loose “take a book, leave a book” policy. I’ve liked some of Harrison’s other books as well as some of his poetry so I picked it up. It’s fairly well written but it’s one of the most depraved and depressed characters I’ve read in a long time. It’s like a darker more depraved version of “On The Road”. More misogynistic, more obsessed with sex and completely lacking of anything philosophic. One of the reviewers on the back cover said it was (paraphrasing) a poetic depiction of a joyful life. I guess I must have read a different book.

2. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon The first book of Pynchon’s I’d picked up. This was such an enjoyable read. I’ve steered clear of his books for fear of not being able to understand them. Every time I’ve talked about wanting to read his book “Gravity’s Rainbow”, I’ve been asked if I’ve read anything else by him. As if that’s a requirement. When I bought this book the teller asked me the same question. When I said no, he said “This is a good place to start.” I don’t know why that is, but now I’ve read one of his books and enjoyed it. I’ve eased into the Pynchon. I think I’m allowed to read another one now.

3. Joyland - Stephen King This was incredibly disappointing. I’ve read a lot of King’s books. They’re often hit or miss but they’re almost always enjoyable as brain candy. Books like, “The Shining”, “Carrie” or “Misery” are well written and suspenseful. It makes sense why he’s heralded as the King of Horror. But this one does not measure up. In fact, it falls very short of the rest of his work that I’ve read. I felt myself cringing at some of his dialogue. It was just so cheesy. Even though it was set in the 70′s, no one’s ever spoken like that. There’s very little suspense and the story itself isn’t very engaging. When you finally get to the action it’s only a couple of pages and then it’s done. It’s a very quick read, but definitely skippable.

4. The Truth About Stories - Thomas King A friend of mine who loves to read gave me a bag full of books to check out. This was one of them. It’s one of the CBC Massey Lectures and I love that series. I have a bunch of them already so I was excited to check this out. I also have King’s book, “The Inconvenient Indian” on my bookshelf in my “to read” pile. A pile that does nothing but seem to grow. But it’s still a ways down in the pile. So I thought I’d check out this little book because it’s only 5 essays and it would give me a sample of his writing. I’m very glad that I did. It’s so well written. It’s funny, it’s sad, it makes you think. If you care about stories, politics, religion, and the treatment of First Nations people by the US and Canadian governments, you should give this a read. I can’t wait to get to his book.

5. Deadeye Dick - Kurt Vonnegut In my last post I mentioned liking Vonnegut a lot and being surprised at how few of his books I’d read. It turns out I’m just very bad at using technology. I keep a Word document of all the books I’ve read to avoid reading the same book twice, accidentally. I’d tried using the “find” function and somehow did it wrong, so only a few Vonnegut titles showed up. As it turns out, this was the ninth book by Vonnegut that I’d read. That makes way more sense to me. I enjoyed this one a lot. It’s pretty funny and pretty sad. A good combination, if you ask me.

6. 69 - Ryu Murakami One of my favourite local used bookstores offers store credit if you bring in some books and they decide to buy them from you. You can either take cash or store credit. If you choose credit, you have to spend it all before you go. It’s fun. On this particular visit I had about $60 worth of credit. I’d picked the books I wanted and still had $14 left. They recommended this book. i’d never read anything by this Murakami (no relation to Haruki) so I had no idea what to expect but I was excited to check it out. I loved it. It takes place in 1969 and follows the path of some high school students looking to join or start some kind of counter-cultural movement. The two main characters actually reminded me a lot of my own experience in high school. I’ll be checking out more of his writing for sure.

7. Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace Good lord. This was a mountain I’d tried to climb once before and failed. To have finally finished this book is no small feat. Standing at the top, looking back down I’m actually amazed I made it all the way through. It’s not that it’s an unenjoyable read. On the contrary. It’s very well written and quite enjoyable. It’s just that it’s over 1100 pages and contains 388 footnotes, many of which are several pages long and some even have footnotes of their own. At times it can feel like you’re reading two or three books at once. Another challenge is that there are at least 3 plots taking place all at once. Each story can jump ahead or backwards in time which can be tricky to track, PLUS there are character’s plot-lines that are introduced in great detail (one that comes to mind takes 11 pages to describe a young man addicted to marijuana anxiously waiting for his dealer to arrive) that are never again revisited. The three main story lines are loosely connected but the book takes its sweet time revealing that fact. All of that, mind you, and we still haven’t even mentioned the deep themes of addiction, suicide and capitalism that run throughout the book. I’m very glad I’ve read it. I usually enjoyed doing so. But if you’re not committed, if you don’t have some serious time to lean in, or if you don’t like his style of writing then perhaps you should steer clear. It’s an uphill climb, for sure.

8. Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things - Lafcadio Hearn This book caught my eye while I was taking my son for a walk. It was in the window of another one of our local bookstores, so I stopped in and checked it out. It’s a book of Japanese ghost stories and myths from hundreds if not thousands of years ago. The stories themselves are sometimes scary, sometimes funny, sometimes very confusing, but always enjoyable. Although the last three chapters completely disregard all things Japanese and consist of the authors philosophical rumination regarding Butterflies and the afterlife, Mosquitoes and the taking of innocent life (even when it seems to serve no purpose), and Ants and their altruistic existence vs our individualistic societies. There are other books in this series and I plan to check out at lease one more. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan so I’ve got a definite bias here, but if you like myths or ghost stories there’s a good chance you’d enjoy this book.

9. Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer I know I’m late to the party on this one, but this is a fantastic book. It’s one that I’ll be recommending for years to come. Its subtitle is: “Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants”. It is all of that and so much more. I truly loved reading this book. I took notes. I underlined. I had to stop to think and reflect. I’d definitely encourage you to do the same.

10. Masters of Atlantis - Charles Portis This book is hilarious. Very dry, very droll. It’s a tongue-in-cheek look at the people who organize and who believe in secret societies, cults and religion in general. I didn’t know what to expect when I started it. The only other book by Portis that I’ve read was True Grit. This book is absolutely nothing like that. It’s completely it’s own. The only thing it has in common is Portis’ sense of humour. I don’t know that I’ve ever read anything quite so dry as this before. Maybe something by S.J. Perelman or something like that. This book was recommended to me by M.C. Taylor from Hiss Golden Messenger so I was pretty confident it would be good. It’s safe to say I would never have picked it up without the recommendation but also, I’m glad that I did.

more soon, -joshua

[joshuahyslop]

In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition.

Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer