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Under a Glass Dome - Anais Nin
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 270
A collection of short stories by Anais Nin, some more intriguing than others.
I have some prejudices against her rather hedonistic lifestyle (as if I'm in a position to throw stones, but I do nonetheless...), but she can write and evoke some curious ideas. I might revisit her diaries some day, as I've now read enough Miller to know her better, and the internet might provide me some context as to their relationship. I recall watching "Henry and June" once upon a time, but was only then familiar with Henry Miller, and slightly.
Perhaps time for a little digging, adventure in the literary world, but not today.
Micro Men
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 299
An amusing comedy-based-on-real-life events about the rivalry between Chris Curry (Martin Freeman - Acorn) & Sinclair Computers. A former protege breaks with his mentor to found his own micro-computing company in circa 1980 Britain.
Amusing, especially in that I remember all of the computers and the enthusiasm that first greeted them. File this under Nostalgia.
Available to watch for free on YouTube (with ads) - Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXBxV6-zamM
Manchester by the Sea
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 302
I don't know how this ended up on my list. A reddit recommendation most likely, something probably in the lines of "What Movie Broke You...", and this was a suggestion and as I'd never heard of it I gave it a try.
Completely off my radar, and, while well written and executed not a movie I would normally, in my right mind, choose to give time to. I finished the entirety of it solely with the intent of trying to figure out why I was watching it in the first place...I never did.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 261
After Blood Meridian I was curious as to his other writings, and so found this.
I should have been warned off by the "Oprah's Book Club" label.
So, set in an indefinite future after a (presumably Nuclear Holocaust) has completely quieted all life on earth a father and son travel along a road heading westward through a landscape bereft of all life - plant or otherwise.
Only people, and the people are the same as in "Blood Meridian", pederasts, sodomites, cannibals, people at wits end trying to survive the end of days, and the freezing landscape of ash and rain and the invariably violent encounters with raiders and it's "touching" ending...
It got a lot of praise. Heaps of it. Only he paints in one colour, that of his sado-masochistic view of humanity, of the hopelessness of the human condition, of violence and death and worst of all even life.
I was on to him, the second book I've read of his, having read the first I was impressed with the narrative flow and voice, but - the second book, the same tricks repeated ad-nauseum and if he's still alive I'm pretty sure he's out somewhere at a Trump Rally and really, given the state of the world, I've had enough.
"Blood Meridian" was excellent, or I at least enjoyed the prose, characters, situations, but here he was largely exploiting my ignorance of the history of the "Old West"; in this I had little ignorance left to be exploited and so saw through the tricks, despite the consistent praise it's a vile book that offers no hope for the human condition and seemingly in the authors mind he rejoices in the despair he brings to paper.
A little too obvious and monochromatic for my taste, and I hastened to return it to the bookstore today. Not my cup of tea.
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