Tag: missed her

The Summer of Ivan

It’s been a hot week,

and a little bit slow,

at the bookstore,

and in my life.

When, it’s really hot,

I don’t sleep well,

and,

when,

I don’t sleep well,

I get cranky,

and,

slow.

Last night was cool,

and I slept,

like the proverbial baby:-)

Funny when I’m cranky,

or a little bit down,

I do a lot of reading,

which stimulates,

my thoughts,

and,

helps me emerge from,

my doldrums,

provided,

it’s the right kind,

of reading,

for my mood.

The Gladwell,

helped me think,

and,

perhaps,

consider a new path,

for the future.

A fabulous book,

can’t recommend it,

strongly enough,

it’s ten years old,

and,

yet,

so fresh.

But, this Summer,

has been,

the Summer of Ivan.

In the last week,

I have read,

three of her books,

add,

to the two,

I had read,

previously,

it is almost,

the entirety,

of her oeuvre.

I think Ivan,

has arrived,

in my life,

at the right time,

she speaks to me.

Her openess about,

being a butch queer,

and,

what it really means,

the good,

the bad,

the ugly,

rings so true.

I don’t mean her,

life and her path,

ressemble my own,

she hails from The Yukon,

and I’m from Montreal,

she now lives in Vancouver,

I’m still in Montreal,

she’s famous,

I’m not:-)

She’s  a writer,

I want to be,

but,

her search for,

understanding,

who she is,

and getting,

the message out,

to youth,

and everyone,

that yeah,

we may be different,

but,

there are many of us,

and we love,

our family,

Grandmas,

extended family,

dogs/cats,

girlfriends/partners,

and,

have learned,

from our parents.

So,

just how different are we?

We don’t question your rights,

and,

reason for being,

why question ours?

But,

mostly Ivan,

makes me smile,

and think,

about my butchness,

and how sometimes,

I question it,

she helps give,

myself permission,

to embrace,

my label,

and my stereotype,

as well as,

trancend it.

I’ll have to catch,

one of her performances,

or maybe,

write her,

a fan letter,

wait,

maybe,

I just did:-)

I love Ivan,

like a brother,

or a sister:-)

Just wanted to tell you all that.

Later girls,

BB

 

 

Library visit, Coyote and Schoemperlen, women to read

Today was a scorcher,

or as the Fonz would,

have said,

scorcherino:-)

Forgive the seventies flashback, please:-)

I took the metro,

to the library,

not too busy,

a pretty sunny day,

and the last of,

the long weekend.

The metro felt like, I would imagine a Turkish bath to be like, never been to Turkey or a Turkish bath, but, my body thinks, sweltering, hot and sticky.

The library was cool,

the magic of,

air conditioning,

Hallelujah!!

I took out,

a few Donna Leon books,

for mom,

she loves those,

 set in,

Venice,

mysteries,

and I got myself some,

Ivan Coyote,

I’m crushing on her,

stuff,

bad.

I read her,

as a strong butch voice,

since we are,

of similar age,

it really speaks to me.

I was lucky to find,

two of her story collections,

I haven’t read,

Missing Her,

and,

The Slow Fix.

Coyote has this,

strange effect on me,

she makes me want to be,

a better writer,

or give up,

writing,

this effect is,

sometimes,

simultaneous,

Hmmm,

food for thought:-)

As I was heading out,

of the library,

I spotted these,

used book seller,

stalls,

and I can’t help,

myself,

when I see such things,

I gotta look,

it’s a disease.

I’m glad I stopped,

I picked up,

three books for two bucks.

Tom Brown’s School Days,

a sort of ratty copy,

of this children’s classic,

it’s a title that has,

intrigued me for years.

This copy,

has a name,

on the first page,

James C McGill,

July 3rd 1919,

I just had to rescue it,

from oblivion,

for James’ sake.

Another book,

was one of those,

college course type books,

Nine Modern Classics: An Anthology of Short Novels.

It includes,

Tolstoy,

Dostoevsky,

Conrad,

Kafka,

and,

Faulkner,

a good book to have.

To hold or sell,

should I choose to sell,

it’s a no brainer,

I’ll get my two bucks back,

just for that book,

but,

I didn’t buy it,

with that intention,

I’ve never read,

Kafka or Conrad,

and I figured,

this way,

I can try both.

The book that really excited,

my imagination,

was a pristine,

hardcover,

first edition,

of,

 Our Lady Of The Lost And Found,

by Diane Schoemperlen.

Ms Schoemperlen,

is a fine,

Canadian Writer.

This novel,

won the Governor General’s Award for Fiction.

The GG’s as they are now,

often called,

are probably and arguably,

Canada’s most prestigious,

Literary Prizes.

I read this book,

a few years ago,

it was published,

in 2001.

It is a book,

of maturity,

originality,

and tongue in cheek humour.

A must read,

in my opinion.

Since, reading it,

I have bought all,

of the lady’s books,

new,

and in hardcover,

I don’t do that with,

 many authors,

pretty much,

John Irving,

and,

Diane Schoemperlen.

She deserves to be read.

I’m going to re-read it soon,

and tell you,

what I think,

it left quite an impresion,

let’s hope,

it sticks:-)

Well it’s late,

I better get some sleep,

while it’s cooler,

Later girls,

BB