Mar 19 : "Noche Roja" - Simon Oliver and Jason LaTour

Saturday morning I went to the Chestnut Hill Library because they had an available copy of the next book the book club is reading. By the way, this branch is quite beautiful, with a nice solarium with easy chairs in the back of the building.

While I was there I checked the "New Fiction" shelves to find some good new titles. And, by initially "judging a book by its cover" (or, to be more precise, by the graphics on its spine), I picked up the book "Noche Roja" by Simon Oliver. The blurb on the cover said, "Gripping and stylish. Oliver's killer noir yarn is matched only by the striking cartooning LaTour uses to tell it. What a great read!" … Huh? …. Cartoons? … I opened up the book and saw that the entire book was a story in cartoon form. Jason LaTour is the artist.

This was a first for me. I had never seen a cartoon story in book form, not to mention one that was a "full-length" 181 pages long. I opened it up, read a few pages, and saw that, visually, it lived up to its description of being a "noir" thriller. But in addition to being a murder mystery, it appeared that the story had a social conscience as well. The blurb on the back said, "With the gritty, stylized artwork of Jason LaTour, "Noche Roja" is an enthralling noir tale of how the insatiable craving for cheap consumer goods leads to the ultimate cheapening of life itself." … I liked this whole package and decided to read it..

I finished reading the book yesterday evening. The story is about Jack Cohen, an ex-cop turned private investigator who is pulled into looking into the disappearances and murders of young women who all happened to be working for one company south of the border. …. I had suspicions. I didn't think a cartoon format could deliver real suspense, nor did I think it could present realistic multi-dimensional characters with good qualities and bad, nor did I ever imagine that the climactic ending of a cartoon story would ever move me, but I was wrong on all counts. This is a true noir thriller with characters living on the edge. (And the story has a heart).

This is a must read. GET IT. The Free Library has several copies available at branches all around town. Free Library (CLICK HERE)

The book was published just about a year ago. Here is an interview with the author that took place about that time. Interview with Simon Oliver (CLICK HERE)

4/5/14 (afterthought) --- I've since learned that graphic novels constitute a whole genre, but this was my first venture into that area. :)

Mar 18 : "I Want You Alive" - Left Of Logic

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (February 2012!)

Last night I went to Milkboy to hear three bands that I had never heard before. All three bands were good, but, in my opinion, the band that stole the night was West Chester band "Left Of Logic". Don't openers have a way of doing that! :)

I never knew what was happening or what would come next, from song to song, or phrase to phrase, or measure to measure. The band would deftly combine the feel of various styles or genres into one song, switching back and forth in what would at first seem to be a chaotic style, but then somehow wrapping up the work into a unified whole.

There was certainly no predictability here, other than they would be unpredictable. My attention was glued to them every second; I never knew where they would take me next.

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "I Want You Alive" by West Chester band Left Of Logic.

Left Of Logic is a VERY new band, and they don't have all the web pages up and running, so I'll say that if you want to hear more of their music, check out ::: Left Of Logic / music on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE), and if you want to find out show or other information, check out ::: Left Of Logic / Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Mar 18 : "Meditations" - Marcus Aurelius

Earlier this winter, "The Today Show" did an interview with former President Bill Clinton on the topic of notable books from 2011.

Pres. Clinton spoke about a few of his favorite books from the past year and why he would recommend them to viewers. But one comment he made stuck in my mind, and that was that there was one book that he read each year, "Meditations", by Marcus Aurelius.

I had never heard anybody in any capacity say that they read any book every year. I was intrigued. I thought this was something worth checking out.

Marcus Aurelius was Emperor of Rome from the year 161 to 180. He wrote these "meditations" as thoughts for his own self guidance and self-improvement. They were never intended to be read by the larger public.

"Meditations" is divided into twelve "books", and the format is similar to the Bible in that the sentences or verses are numbered.

What struck me in reading the book was the similarity of human nature then and now. I found some of his observations had resonance in today's world. But there are also substantial portions of the writings that are very esoteric, only relevant if you're a world leader planning battles.

The thrust of some of his ideas advocate being one with nature and not trying to fight the way nature is. From Book VII, verse 9 :::

All things are mutually intertwined, and the bond is holy, and there is hardly anything unconnected with any other thing. For things have been coordinated, and they combine to form one universal order. For there is one universe made up of all things, and one God who pervades all things, and one substance, and one law, one common reason in all intelligent animals, and one truth; if indeed there is also one perfection for all animals that are of the same stock and participate in the same reason.

He talks frequently about our creating problems for ourselves by allowing our minds to obsess on issues over which we may or may not have control, thereby not leaving enough room in our thought processes to maximize our capabilities in other areas.

He also talks about self-destructive thought patterns in the way we react to and with others.

It's an intriguing book; I'd recommend you take a look at it. The library has several copies; I'm returning mine in a day or two.

Here's some more information about the book and the author ::: "Meditations" / more information (CLICK HERE)

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Update Sep 02, 2019

James Mattis was interviewed yesterday on "CBS Sunday Morning". I was in awe when he said that his library once held over 7,000 volumes ... and he's read most of them.

And one of the books he values most and always kept by his side in battle was "Meditations". He's marked up his own copy with plenty of notes and observations.

Mar 18 : "Soul Damage" - The Orange Drop

Philly Music!

It's always a pleasure to go to a show to hear one band and then unexpectedly come across another band that I never heard before and wind up liking that one as well. Such was the case when I went to the Troc show to hear 185668232 and found myself also liking Philly psych band "The Orange Drop".

Current song playing right here on my blog page is "Soul Damage", which is from the band's album "Catharsis".

I enjoyed listening to them and have "liked" them on all the appropriate pages so I won't miss their future shows.

To visit The Orange Drop, here is the click ::: The Orange Drop (CLICK HERE)

Mar 18 : "Negative Zero" - 185668232

Philly Music!

THE BIG TIME

I recently made a trip to see 185668232 do a show at the Troc Balcony. The band braved and went forward even though their bass player had to pull out at the last minute due to a family emergency. After doing a lot of shows at private house venues, this was The Big Time! 185668232 was headlining a bunch of five acts at The Troc! In spite of that unforeseen circumstance, the evening went well.

The band played songs from their new cd "21st Century American Entertainment", which was sort of released to the public that night, March 6. I say "sort of" because it's still a work in progress. Some of the songs are still being worked on and will come out in an official official real release projected to be in May.

The band finished up their show at The Troc by playing one of their earlier songs, "Negative Zero", which is playing right here on my blog page :::

To visit 185668232, here is the click ::: 185668232 (CLICK HERE)

Mar 11 : "Fingers to Your Arms" - Voletta

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released (2011)

PHILLY MUSIC!

What a bad week that started out to be, but I think it was the music that finally turned it around. The next night I went to North Star and saw Voletta, which was my second time seeing them.

They played music from their 2010 cd, also named "Voletta", as well as some from their new cd, "Soft Focus", which was just released this past October. I've been listening to the new cd over the past few days and know that Philly shoegaze is alive and well.

Current song playing here on my blog page is "Fingers to Your Arms" by Philly band Voletta. This is the last track on their new cd, "Soft Focus".

To visit Voletta on the internets, here is the click ::: Voletta (CLICK HERE)