Author: oddspecs

I'm interested in all things odd, strange and unusual. I also work over at strangebooks.com and I'm an artist and art tutor.

The Monday Poem: Less Time

Less Time – Poem by Andre Breton

Less time than it takes to say it, less tears than it takes to die; I’ve taken account of everything,
there you have it. I’ve made a census of the stones, they are as numerous as my fingers and some
others; I’ve distributed some pamphlets to the plants, but not all were willing to accept them. I’ve
kept company with music for a second only and now I no longer know what to think of suicide, for
if I ever want to part from myself, the exit is on this side and, I add mischievously, the entrance, the
re-entrance is on the other. You see what you still have to do. Hours, grief, I don’t keep a
reasonable account of them; I’m alone, I look out of the window; there is no passerby, or rather no
one passes (underline passes). You don’t know this man? It’s Mr. Same. May I introduce Madam
Madam? And their children. Then I turn back on my steps, my steps turn back too, but I don’t
know exactly what they turn back on. I consult a schedule; the names of the towns have been
replaced by the names of people who have been quite close to me. Shall I go to A, return to B,
change at X? Yes, of course I’ll change at X. Provided I don’t miss the connection with boredom!
There we are: boredom, beautiful parallels, ah! how beautiful the parallels are under God’s
perpendicular.

 

Andre Breton
I hope you enjoyed this week’s Monday poem. Breton always brings a smile to my face! There’s something about his writing that is so easy and inspirational.
by oddspecs

Review: Reflections by Clifton Kenny

Reflections revolves around three teenagers, Shane, Paige and Jimmer, as they work together to unravel Shane’s mystery abilities. The young protagonist accidentally discovers that he can see into people’s family histories by reflecting on them, discovering their ancestral past and unlocking their secrets.

The plot is never predictable and I was kept interested throughout the story. Reflections is a lovely portrayal of childhood friendship above anything else. It reminded me of 1980’s coming of age films, the likes of which had an innocence that seems to have been lost in that genre today.

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The three kids aren’t the cool guys, or the popular gang, they’re just really normal teens. I would definitely be happy for my future teenager to read this book, but I’d also recommend it to adults.

Anyone who’s into coming of age stories, mediumship or the paranormal should love Reflections.

by oddspecs

Nothing is strange by Mike Russell

Panda's Book Life

Hello, book pandas 🐼2017-07-12 11.53.05 1.jpg

I’m sorry I’m so slow at writing the reviews. I had a lot of obstacles at the beginning of the month, and to confess, I just a little dare to write and read. Last week I barely got to see the new episodes of Game of Thrones. The new ones! That’s from monday to monday. I’m addicted to one drama that I’ll probably tell you more about in the end of the month and on top of that BigHit won’t stop playing with my heart daily. (I know that you have no idea what i’m talking about, don’t worry, it’s better this way) But enough about that. It’s time to talk about books.

Nothing is strange is a book I won from Giveaway at least two months ago and read one. Why I write the review now? Don’t ask.

The book arrived with a small…

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by oddspecs

The Monday Poem: Corridor

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This week’s poem is Pierre Reverdy’s Corridor (Couloir)

Corridor (Couloir)

We are two

On the one line where all’s continuous

In the meanders of night

A word’s in the middle

Two mouths not seeing each other

A sound of steps

One light body gliding towards the other

The door quivers

A hand passes

One would wish to open

The bright ray stands erect

There before me

And it’s the fire that parts us

In the shadow where your profile slips away

A moment without breathing

Your breath has burned me in passing

by oddspecs

Review: The 100-Pound Gangster by Henry Lin

Henry Lin spent most of his precocious youth involved with the international criminal underworld. By the age of fourteen, he was involved with a notorious San Francisco triad with links to Hong Kong and mainland China, and by the age of eighteen, he had seen, and done, more than most will in a lifetime. Unsure of himself and his place in the world, he fought to survive and earn respect from his peers. But when he learned that his grandfather was a high-ranking member of the Chinese Secret Service, and was one of the most powerful and well-connected men in China until his death a few years before, Henry discovered that he was descended from a kind of underworld aristocracy. – Blurb

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The 100-Pound Gangster by Henry Lin

This is a really interesting and gripping memoir. Henry Lin tells us stories from his life, from childhood to his late twenties. The tales are brutal, sad and shocking, as you’d expect from the premise of the book.

The most interesting parts of The 100-Pound Gangster for me, were the stories of incarceration, wether in juvenile detention centres, prisons or “reform” schools. Lin describes these experiences well, speaking truthfully about his fears and emotions.

I do wish the book was a bit more linear. We jump back and forth in time for no apparent reason and I found this a little frustrating at times. But overall, it’s a fascinating read.

I give The 100-Pound Gangster 4/5.

by oddspecs

The Friday Film – Fellini’s Satyricon

Fellini-Satyricon

This is not a historical picture, a Cecil B. DeMille picture. It is not even a Fellini picture, in the sense of La Strada, or Nights of Cabiria, or even La Dolce Vita. – Joanna Paul

Fellini's Satyricon - Soundtrack by Nino Rota
Fellini’s Satyricon – Soundtrack by Nino Rota

Having only discovered Fellini over the past year or so, last night I watched Satyricon for the first time. It’s one of those films that you could pause at any moment and there you have a beautiful painting. If anyone is suffering from artist or writer’s block, I’m pretty sure that a viewing of Satyricon will sort you out!

Viewing this film is certainly more akin to watching a surreal fantasy or science fiction adventure than it is to settling down for a historical tale. The film mostly revolves around a poet, and Ascyltus and Encolpius, sometimes friends, often rivals competing for the affections of a young slave boy.

As viewers, we follow them on their adventures. In a fashion that echoes the even more wonderful director, Jan Svankmajer, Fellini treats us to a sickening feast scene, as we see the sights and are subjected to the sounds of gluttonous eating.

However, Fellini does withhold on showing a scene of cannibalism towards the end of the film, instead leaving us content with watching the faces of the feasters. Satyricon is bathed in an unusual and evocative soundtrack by Nino Rota.

Cruelty runs throughout the film. Encolpius watches a scene from a play in which a man’s hand is actually cut off to gratify the jaded Roman spectators. In another sequence a wealthy man Encolpius has married is decapitated. – Nostalgia Central

I began my Fellini adventures in a foolish way, beginning with Casanova, a film so perfect that every Fellini masterpiece that I’ve seen since just can’t quite touch that height – but there’s hope because I have many more to watch, including 8 1/2.

Encolpius 
Martin Potter
Ascyltus
Hiram Keller
Giton
Max Born

Director
Fredrico Fellini

 

 

by oddspecs