To the Editors: Jed Perl’s article “The Chilliest Mystique” [NYR, May 11] states, “A. Michael Noll’s and Frieder Nake’s computer-generated variations on works by Mondrian and Klee are just copycat stuff.” The pioneering investigations in the 1960s of the potential for digital computers in the visual arts and experimental aesthetics were far from what Perl […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/06/22/art-or-research/
Tolstoy’s contemporaries called him the poet of death, and no one has ever described dying so well. “If a man has learned to think,” Maxim Gorky reports him saying, “no matter what he may think about, he is always thinking of his own death…. And what truths can there be, if there is death?” People […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/06/22/death-and-the-hedgehog-tolstoy-as-philosopher/
The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly or for a monthly wrap up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.
A new month and time for a challenge check in. For May I read/listened to 21 books. For the year I’ve listened to 67 audiobooks and have utilized the library 9 times. For my Goodreads goal I am at 104/200. I had a freak viral thing this week, that wiped me out. We went to several parks and the pool this week. I finished Mrs. Maisel and Manifest. By Friday night I was bone tired. This weekend I have 6 reviews to write and a tour package to get together. I also need to visit blogs & reply to comments. Stay Caffeinated.
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A special thanks to authors Byrne & St. Aubin, Tantor Audio
The YA Urban Fantasy audiobook tour is up….Would really love some support for this one. I also have a delightful historical fiction romance.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/06/sunday-post-578-hello-june.html
The Palms follows a man recently out of prison who settles in a rundown trailer park where he meets a woman and her 7-year-old daughter and becomes their protector. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration for the story was my grandfather. He was a bit of a scoundrel as a younger man. He spent time in prison and was an alcoholic. Yet, by the time I was born, he’d cleaned up his act and was an amazingly caring and helpful man. Growing up, I heard conflicting stories that I didn’t really understand. My mother and her siblings would often talk about all the bad things he did while they were children, but I never was witness to those things. This was partially my attempt at understanding how someone can do something horrible yet be redeemed.
Ronnie did time for committing murder and had planned to live out his life quietly, that is, until Mary is kidnapped and put in danger. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
I thought, “What’s the worst thing a human can do?” My answer was committing murder. So, I considered what someone can do to be redeemed for taking a life. I decided that the answer was saving a life. So, overall this is a redemptive story for both Ronnie and Clara.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The themes are addiction, sobriety, and redemption.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book is called – Leaders to Eden Temple, and I’m not exactly sure when it will be out. I’m still working on the first draft.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/06/04/a-bit-of-a-scoundrel/
What was the idea, or spark, that first set off the need to write Bundy: A Clinical Discussion of The Perfect Storm?
I read several books and viewed movies devoted to Bundy’s life and actions and felt none of those sources explained sufficiently why he turned out to be a serial killer. All the experiences he had – being illegitimate being rejected by a woman, having a volatile grandfather have occurred with many people yet most did not commit murder let alone kill over thirty women and young girls. I wanted to take a step back, review child development per se in the first few chapters and discuss how children turn out normally = then back track to look at Bundy’s life as a child. Simply saying he had a need for control. or lacked a conscience were not enough of an explanation. I tried to look a bit deeper into the human psyche in presenting a theory.
How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
I did a good deal of research, including, articles, books, and even cases not attributed to Bundy (one of which here in New Hampshire back in the late 70s. Most of the conclusions derived from my experience as a clinical practitioner, particularly in working with antisocial personalities
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The most central idea conveyed in the book is that simple cause and effect explanations of psychopathy – for example detachment experiences, trauma, neglect or abuse cannot explain the motives of a serial killer. Another variable is needed as a catalyst of such actions. My conclusion was (basically) that all actions, motives and emotional dispositions emanate from self-perceptions. In the final analysis what we do, feel and think pivots off of how we see ourselves. When the self is ill-defined in the extreme, or so in conflict with how others react to us it alows for any number of imprinted experiences and reactions and throughout life the central tasks will consist of attempts to define, fortify and enhance self perceptions. Ultimately Bundy had no identity he was a blank slate requiring constant self definition. That in turn required such a self focus as to block put outside influence. And his self confusion was so extreme that whenever it was threatened (by females with status and an ostensible happy existence -therefore not “eligible” for domination by Bundy he had to erase them from the blackboard. As long as they lived he could not achieve self-resolution.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
I believe many readers out there are fascinated with true crime stories, particularly people who cannot fathom how a man so apparently normal could (or needed to) murder females for purposes of self definition. I hope some of them plug into this book and find it interesting. If they take away the fact that true anchor point of both normalcy and pathology is the self I would have sucessfully made my point.
Ted Bundy was perhaps the most notorious serial killer in American history, whose savagery extended to young women in their prime and children not even out of middle school. While he was interviewed and evaluated after being captured there are still questions about how a man seemingly blessed with looks, intelligence and social access could descend to the depths of depravity, and do so while living an apparently normal life. Those closest to him did not recognize his brutal capabilities. Yet whIle he was described as a good son, loving brother and dutiful student by family and friends. it was becoming clear, beginning in his toddler years, that a hatred for females was being cultivated and that it would fester into a life long obsession with sex and death. This book delves into the external life and internal mind of Bundy in an attempt to provide psychological and predictive closure.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/06/04/look-a-bit-deeper/
Random Musings of the Left Hemisphere is a collection of your thoughts and observations about the direction that the United States is headed in and what can be done to correct the course. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It is a furtherance of thinking out loud, wrestling with the constant battle of ideologies, the unprincipled and I dare say the ugly megalomania that far too many exhibit in the wanton control over others. As I refine my thoughts and put them in writing it is important that I express my voice, right, wrong, or indifferent. Sometimes I get it wrong as I may have missed something tangible and important, or take some glee and am overjoyed in being right and I find that less noble. It is my reaction to the upside-down wokeism and lack of civility that I find myself pushing back on. There is little gained in being that way with the back and forth, and in the end, a course correction back to our founding principles is the goal.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Much of my moral center comes from an upbringing of two upright and loving parents. Personal responsibility, taking ownership of the workload and the solutions. KIndess and care of others through actions, charity, and lending a hand, instead of handouts without oversight and accountability in the use of resources. Equal application of the law without regard to a party would be a most welcomed change.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
I have no expectation that my readers will adopt my worldview word for word, as my worldview comes from my unique collection of life experiences as each of us does. I would hope that it would cause my readers to search and research well beyond the talking heads, and the overflowing sea of propaganda. Dig deep as both sides of the ideological spectrum engage in flooding websites full of self serving support not necessarily based on facts, or based on gleamed half-truths. What is not disclosed is as much revealing, sometimes more than what is presented.
Are you planning a follow-up to this book to cover more topics that you were not able to include in this publication and new ones that are currently emerging?
I may down the road, I do have one coming out called “One Percent,” and it expands on a mindset of daily improvement that can be applied to any goal one might have. Another titled “Forever Roost Hunt-Honor-Respect” deals with the moral and spiritual experiences of a hunter, or outdoorsman. I have many other turkey hunting-related titles in various stages of completion and some that have been in the cure for a very long time to complete.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
The latest offering from the author is a unique departure from his well-known outdoor book titles. A random glimpse into the thoughts, and observations of a left hemisphere dominant thinker. As an engineer, awarded worldwide patents, a passionate outdoorsman, and conservative by nature, these attributes are a natural fit for the project. The reader will find a frank and honest rendering of ideas and observations to ponder and consider.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/06/04/thinking-out-loud/
Jabberwocky: Scary Stories For Kids takes the classic poem by Lewis Carroll and illustrates it in a way that new readers will be drawn into the adventure the young boy goes on. What led you to retell this classic for children?
I have always very much enjoyed this poem. The fact that it contains so many nonsense words inspired me to create a retelling of it that attempts to make sense of each of these made up words to add to the base story. I thought a monster hunt story was perfect for my Scary Stories for Kids series of books. This is the second book in the series. The first book in this series is called Alien Farm, a wordless story about an alien invasion that happens one night on a farm.
Both books use a limited color approach, in this case a black and white book with blue-green accents and for Alien Farm also a black and white book with yellow accents.
I loved the idea of taking this 19th century poem and updating it for kids today.
What was your process for illustrating this poem to give it a scary feeling but not too scary so it still appeals to younger children?
My art has always appealed to kids. Most of my illustration work has been in the children’s market (kids magazines, websites, text books, and other products). I was worried about this story because the main character parades back with the head of the Jabberwocky, which is pretty dark. However it’s all so unreal and it’s certainly less violent than children are seeing in their video games every day.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing and illustrating?
Having my own kids has definitely impacted my writing and illustrating. Once I had a baby I read children’s books 5 or 6 times a day every day-sometimes more. Since I had three daughters that meant a decade of reading children’s books aloud all the time. It becomes a study of the genre whether you intended to or not. I was already interested in children’s books and studied children’s book illustration for years at The School of Visual Arts in New York City, so having kids narrowed my focus and made children’s books a central part of what I was doing with my art.
In 2001 my first children’s book was published from Pentland Press and I haven’t really slowed down since. I’ve written and illustrated 17 books and had my art and writing published in Highlights for Children Magazine and Hopscotch magazine and for years did a matching game feature in Whimsy Magazine. I’ve also illustrated numerous books with other authors and have created four comic book series for children.
Do you plan to write similar books using other poetry from Lewis Carroll?
I had a great time creating this book, but not as great a time publishing it. Amazon and other online bookstores have numerous restrictions in place that make listing a book with public domain content more difficult. I doubt I will want to go through the process of creating a book based on Lewis Carroll’s work again only to have a limited reach once it’s published. However, it was fun to do and I don’t regret it.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Winner of the 2023 Gold Literary Titan Book Award!!
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/06/04/a-monster-hunt-story/
The Airline Transition Manual is an insightful look at the airline industry and helps readers understand and navigate the industry if they are pursuing a career in aviation. Why was this an important book for you to write?
We felt this book was a vital piece of mentoring the next generation of airline pilots who are experiencing never before seen career opportunities at a very early stage. In this accelerated time frame to go from student to professional pilot, every last resource needs to be provided so these pilots can hit the ground running on day one at their airline. While a lot of focus in the industry has been on the physical aspect of flying, there is a complete other side to the industry that deals with how pilots become effective employees, and steer clear of trouble. Mentorship is often about teaching those who come after you the lessons you had to learn the hard way, or from your own mentor who wanted to see you succeed. While this book won’t replace the invaluable experience of having a real-life mentor in the field, it will help propel a new pilot’s perspective on their chosen craft and see them counted as a professional in far shorter time than they would if they had to learn some lessons the “hard way.”
How much research did you undertake for this book and how much time did it take to put it all together?
Much of this book was outlined, written, and edited from the author’s decades of experience in the aviation industry. That said, the writing process, fact checking, data collection, source citation, and accuracy checking consumed a majority of the eight months it took us to turn around a first draft that was field tested with aviation and airline experts. That process saw a complete rewrite of the book to broaden the audience and add in additional content. From start to finish, our book took a year and four months to complete.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about working for the airline industry?
Bias and misconceptions are rampant in any industry. When you add in the mystery of aviation and airline operations, there is a ten-fold increase. That leads to some generalizations and misconceptions about pilots and airline staff that at times is unfair and other times, borderline rude. The misconception that airline crews have a “significant other” in every city is completely false and has caused strain in many relationships. Divorce rates are higher in aviation because of the amount of travel and general lack of understanding of what the job is and why it seems as though we may not do anything for hours at a time while other times we are too busy to answer the phone. This leads to breakdowns in communication which fracture the relationship over time. That is one reason we felt it incredibly important to add in the spouse chapter. We also encourage everyone with an interest in the airline world to read the book.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
No matter if the reader is a prospective pilot, a parent of a pilot, a spouse of a pilot, someone within the airline industry, or is a member of the traveling public, we hope that this book can help reveal some of the mystery of what has generally been known as a career field shrouded in secrecy and a degree of mysticism. While we certainly hope our target audience, the upcoming pilot, will find value in this manual for years to come, anyone with an interest or curiosity in airlines and aviation will probably find this book an incredibly interesting revelation about an industry that has long been misunderstood and often looked at in wonder.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/06/04/the-next-generation-of-airline-pilots/
Pride & Joy: celebrate Pride with these joyful LGBTQIA+ romances
Original source: https://www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview/editorspicks.html%3Ftheme=light?ref_=abr_widget_nav&theme=light
James Comey on old friends, evil politicians, and Courtroom 318
Original source: https://www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview/interviews.html%3Ftheme=light?ref_=abr_widget_nav&theme=light