Bookish Butch – Page 94

Fall, Butch Season?

It’s nippy but, blue skied.

Ah, Autumn.

I love it .

The air, the light.

The autumn afternoon sky,

is the prettiest.

The air is crisp without being too cold.

The sky is blue,

without the gray smog of Summer,

or the white coldness of Winter.

Spring is the time of rebirth and awakening but,

in the city,

it smells of melting dog poop,

also of Lilacs,

but,

still.

The decay of leaves smells nice,

better.

Fall is quiet.

The wind carries loud voices away.

None of the spinning tires or agonising fan belts of Winter.

It could also be,

that Butch style is more appropriate to the Fall.

Boots, suede jackets and yes,

flannel shirts.

Cute scarves and baseball caps.

Butches look rad in the fall 🙂

Walking down the street keeping their girls warm.

Fall is definitely,

Butch season.

To all the Femmes out there,

if you don’t have one,

get yourselves a Butch.

‘Tis the season.

Tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Later girls

Life and blogging. Works in progress

It’s a beautiful sunny, crisp day.

I have to go to the laundromat today and wash the blankets for winter,

they don’t fit in the regular washer.

I used to love Mondays,

they were ride around town,

go for Chinese food,

kind of days.

Unfortunately, that is now a thing of the past.

Oh well ’tis life.

The summer of hell has rescinded,

and now I’m getting ready for winter.

I’m not a big fan of cold but,

I love the silence that winter brings.

I have all kinds of reading and writing projects.

My other blog bookishinmtl has been sorely neglected,

I don’t think I have written anything since July.

Anyway, I have an idea for it.

I’m going to attempt to read my way through parts of,

The Library Of America.

I will also be taking on classics I have been putting off for years,

Memoirs Of Casanova, which I have in French,

Les Liaisons Dangereuses and stuff like that.

I will also be doing some reviewing for kissedbyvenus.

I’m still not over my ego stomping summer disaster but,

I’m trying.

I thank the Goddess for this blog and,

how it allows me to “talk” about my thoughts and feelings.

Also, my friends and readers have been very supportive.

I started Cadillac Jack last night and,

I have also been reading My Year Of Meats for my book club.

Cadillac Jack seems like it’s going to be fun.

My Year Of Meats is strange,

good strange,

I think.

I’m glad I picked it for the October installment of Book Club,

it’s a challenge and,

I can’t give up on it because of my commitment.

So, come hell or highwater,

a review will appear November 1st.

Over the weekend,

many of the bloggers I follow Cass at Bonjour, Cass and Buried in Print etc

participated in a read-a-thon.

I believe I wil give it a go next year.

I love this blogging thing,

but,

I still have a lot to learn,

like life,

it is a work in progress.

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canucks,

and a good Monday to the rest of you.

Later girls

Library Visit

Today was one of my regular library visits.

I had a whole bunch of books to bring back,

very heavy.

Some of those books I reviewed and really enjoyed.

The Collected Stories Of Raymond Carver and James Agee’s Death In The Family.

Both wonderful and well worth reading.

I had also taken out a Scandinavian mystery for mom, Joe Nesbo.

She didn’t like it but, she did love the Peter Robinson from the same visit.

I also enjoy Robinson,

his Inspector Banks is as interesting as Rankin’ s Rebus.

Today I got Philip Kerr’ s Berlin Noir,

which is a mystery trilogy set in Berlin in the thirties.

There has been major enthusiasm about this series.

That one is for mom but, I hope to have time to read it as well.

In my continued quest to read all things James Agee.

I have checked out Agee: Film Writing and Selected Journalism.

Cinema is one of my great loves.

I have often heard James Agee referred to as a master of film criticism.

I guess I’ll find out if I agree.

Several months ago,

I read a book by Larry McMurtry,

Books: A Memoir.

I enjoyed it immensely and told myself I should read more McMurtry.

Lonesome Dove is supposed to be masterful and his best work.

Honestly, it’ s too big,

I don’t want to read a book that is over 700 pages right now.

Too many in my to read pile.

So, I took out Cadillac Jack, about a rodeo cowboy,

who becomes a antique scout,

a picker,

sounds like a hoot.

I enjoy the world of antiques.

I will as usual keep you all updated.

Take Care

Later girls

Coffee Will Make You Black

But the only important thing in a book is the meaning it has for you; it may have other and much more profound meanings for the critic, but at second-hand they can be of small service to you.”

— W. Somerset Maugham

I finished Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair.

It is fabulous.

As usual my friend,

who recommended this book and many others,

was right,

she said I would like it,

and I did.

Coffee is a coming of age story.

I have, over the years read many of these types of books.

It is a genre I enjoy.

For a while when I was in High School,

when dinosaurs walked the earth,

were talking eighties,

I read many books by and about inner city black youth.

One sticks in my mind,

Manchild In the Promised Land by Claude Brown.

This book left quite an impression.

It was about growing up in Harlem in the forties and fifties.

This was the first generation born in the northern ghettos,

their parents were part of the massive migration from the south.

Manchild and later the works of James Baldwin,

one of my favourite writers,

gave me a glimpse of what being black, meant.

Victims of ingrained, institutionalised racism.

Manchild was also about a boy of great intelligence and sensitivity,

who makes it out of the ghetto.

A winner, a survivor.

It was a bleak story that did however,

contain hope.

Coffee Will Make You Black is not like that,

Jean (Stevie) is a smart kid,

and she comes from a loving family.

You never doubt that Stevie will make it.

Her family has lived through the wars.

Her grandmother, in the south,

her parents on the south side of Chicago.

We are now in the 60’s,

the freedom rides, the march on Washington, the war on poverty,

have all come and gone.

Things are easier for Stevie,

not easy,

easier.

She has a real chance,

if she can resist the peer pressure about sex and drugs.

Stevie is also struggling with her emergent sexuality,

is she “funny” ( Lesbian)

and if she is,

will she loose her friends and family.

Stevie’s family have their prolems, her father drinks a little and her mother rides her.

But, they love her and each other.

I just loved it,

it was inspiring in a quiet way.

It was also funny.

No, hand wrigging teenage angst.

You know,

this girl.

has what it takes to surpass racism and homophobia.

The back cover says Sinclair is working on a sequel,

I’d love to see what happens to Stevie and Nurse Horn.

Fingers crossed.

A good read.

Not as dramatic as Manchild but, I suspect,

it will be just as memorable.

Later girls

More Elements Of Butch Style

OK, I’m feeling a little bit off today.

It’s cloudy and cold.

The Canadiens lost their season opener,

to Toronto!

I’m still reading Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair.

It’s a real gem.

A coming of age story.

I’ve always been a sucker for those.

I should finish this evening and give a full appreciation tomorrow.

So, to bring me out of my mini funk,

I thought I would have an installment of,

The Elements Of Butch Style.

I don’t quite know why but,

this always makes me feel better.

The last post on style was about shirts, Blundstones and Swatches.

Something I heard this weekend,

in TO.

Set me to thinking.

“Well at least I don’t wear girl jeans!”

I have to confess something to you,

I wear girl jeans.

They are not exactly girlie but,

they are definitely girl jeans.

Let me explain,

I’m sort of short,

and the fact of middle age spread,

has made man jeans practically impossible.

They are just too long,

I would have to chop too much off the bottom.

A few years ago I resigned myself to nice stretch jeans

I mourned the studly 501’s of my twenties and,

the sharp classic American sportswear Gap’s of my thirties.

It’s sad,

but,

that’s life and aging,

at least I’m not wearing track suits!

These jeans,

in spite of being girl jeans,

are fine if accessorized properly

(Did I just say accessorize? How very Femme of me)

I was saying,

with boots, boxers and a good hoodie,

they will pass.

Next installment Boxers or Briefs?

Well, I better go before I loose all Butch credibility and,

they revoke my man wallet

Later girls

Have fun

Thanksgiving, thanks Mom

It’s kind of gray and nippy this morning.

In Canada, this is Thanksgiving weekend ,

so most people get three days off.

It doesn’t apply to me,

I always work Saturdays and have Mondays free.

In my family, Thanksgiving was never a big deal,

mom would roast a bird and,

we would eat too much and sleep in on Monday.

Things haven’t changed much,

except for the size and the kind of bird,

these days we do chicken rather than turkey.

Turkeys are too big for two people.

As all of us get older,

I find myself being more and more grateful for what we have.

I don’t know if I ever mentioned but,

I’m an only child.

Although, I have an extended family to whom I am close,

and friends who are like family,

my tribe consists of my mom and I.

A couple of years ago,

circumstances were such,

that my mom and I moved in together.

I sort of saw it as a failure on my part,

a middle aged woman living with her mother,

kind of lame,

I have since reconsidered.

Mom and I,

take care of each other,

and keep each other company,

we ward off loneliness and,

share chores and responsibilities.

I worry about her health,

she worries about my happiness.

I guess we are each other’s port in a storm.

When I look around and see,

how many people are estranged from their families,

or just plain lonely and unloved,

I know that I am loved and always have been,

I have much to be thankfull for,

thanks mom.

Later girls

Toronto is nice and so are the people

I had a terrific time in Toronto.

Check me out at the Hockey Hall Of Fame.

I am standing in a replica of The Habs dressing room,

in front of my all time favorite player’s jersey.

Guy Lafleur, “the flower”

Toronto was great.

My friends were nice enough to take me all over the place.

On Saturday, we went downtown and to Kensington market.

I got a vintage silk scarf for my mom, at a funky little shop.

Downtown we went book shopping and I picked up a book my friend suggested,

Coffee Will Make You Black.

This was at Glad Day, the gay bookstore.

A very enjoyable afternoon.

In the evening we went to,

wait for it,

ROLLERDERBY.

It was fun,

I never did quite figure out the rules but,

so what,

and I met more nice people.

Sunday we had a lovely breakfast at a place called Edward Levesque’s .

followed by an exploration of the Beaches and a walk on the boardwalk.

The boardwalk runs along Lake Ontario.

Wow, no wonder they call them the Great Lakes.

Monday was The Hall and back home on the train.

Toronto made a fabulous impression,

it’s a big city with lots to see.

Nice neighborhood’s, nice people.

I’ll have to go back.

It took my mind off everything,

and was a genuine escape,

in the best possible way.

I hope my friends aren’t too exhausted.

Their hospitality was fabulous. Thank you girls.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t read on the train,

the motion made me a little nauseous when reading.

So, I’ll tell you about Wilde another time.

Later girls

Toronto Bound

Still raining.

Going to Toronto for the weekend.

The weather will hopefully be better there.

I’m looking forward to spending some time with friends,

and meeting new people.

I won’t be taking my laptop,

so, no posts for a few days.

I will be reading Wilde,

on the train so,

will blog about him upon return.

I will also be letting you all know my impressions of Toronto.

I don’t suppose you really get to know a city in two and a half days.

So, it will be strictly impressions.

I have never been to Toronto.

I’m not one of those people who has a bias against Toronto,

I’m ready to learn and explore.

One thing a have a pre-judgement about,

The Maple Leafs,

they suck 🙂

In their defense,

they have nice jerseys.

Later girls

Have a nice weekend

Reading, or whatever.

Burning Ground and, a new Captain

Heavy rain is a comin’,

or so the weather types tell us.

The Canadiens, my team, have named a new Captain.

The had been captain less for more than a season.

The new captain is, Brian Gionta,

an experienced and plucky player.

Good choice.

Best of luck to him, it’s a tough gig.

I just finished a book I liked a great deal.

It’s been a quiet week at the bookstore,

lots of time to read.

Anyway, the book is,

Burning Ground by Pearl Luke.

It is her first novel and quite an achievement.

It won the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book.

Sounds like a big deal to me,

and well deserved.

A complex and well written novel.

Percy, the protagonist spends each summer in the woods in a tower,

watching for fires.

An important job, forest fires are serious business.

Percy, is a smart and likable character.

She comes from a slightly dysfunctional family,

and for many years has had a slightly dysfunctional friendship/ romance,

with her best friend, Marlea.

Marlea can’t seem to commit or,

is Percy the one that has commitment issues?

The summer will bring a flirtation with Gilmore a fellow fire watcher.

I hate to give too much away.

The novel has many flashback scenes and a few surprises.

I learned a few things.

About underground fires and the whole process of searching for and putting out fires.

I have a new found respect for,

rangers and the people who watch over our precious lands.

I loved the way the novel dealt with the nature of sexual identity,

and the fear of love and commitment.

Those who restrain desire ,do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained-William Blake The Marriage of Heaven and Hell.

Those who restrain desire. The way she has. Hasn’t she?

For even while seeming to give, hasn’t she held back,

wanting more, settling for less , because she is afraid to face her own fear

that perhaps no one will love her the way she wants to be loved.

An interesting, thoughtful and complex novel.

Well worth the read.

Pearl Luke is a western Canadian writer,

whose work deserves consideration.

Well girls,

Later

A Death In The Family

First order of business,

girls, check this out.

Next, rain, rain and more rain.

The Canadiens WON yeh.

I finished A Death In The Family.

I have rarely read a novel of such emotion.

The emotion never lets up.

This book shows the impact of a senseless death, on a family.

Not sentimental, no bullshit whatsoever.

It is a work of powerful social messages,

without ever being preachy.

The work is also very political, in a subtle kind of way.

Agee was a man of Faith but, there is criticism of the Catholic church.

The characters are the types,

I suspect,

that will stay with me for a long time.

This novel shows grief as it is,

a numbing, infuriating,

leave you clueless,

experience.

I understand why this novel was picked as one of the 100 best American novels.

I have never read anything like it before,

and I doubt I ever will again.

Disturbing and great.

People much smarter than I can analyse.

I just wanted to give you my impressions.

Later girls

P.S

Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
John Donne