1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - review

First things first. The title has nothing to do with IQ. The first character is the number 1 so the title is a play on George Orwell's 1984. Just in case you were wondering if I selected the title because of a possible correlation in title and my intellect!

If you aren't familiar with Japanese author Murakami, his novels are critically acclaimed - he has been awarded the Franz Kafka Prize, the Jerusalem Prize and many others - and are a fantastical mix of surrealism and a rich (sometimes dense) detailing of everyday life. He consistently deals with themes of loneliness and alienation and soul, the self and reality (and especially perception/imagination and reality). 1Q84 tackles all that and adds acute questions of the-ends-justify-the-means murder, religion and cults, destiny, sexual abuse, revenge, and parallel realities. Oh, it takes a while to catch on, but first and foremost, it is a love story.

Was it listening to Janacek's Sinfonietta that sent Aomame ("sweet pea") into another world with two moons? Did Tengo see the same two moons when he rewrote Fuka-eri's crude draft of Air Chrysalis? (And by the way, was that a story from the fevered imagination of a 17-year-old girl or was she describing things that actually happened?) Will either of them survive the revenge of a cult group called Sakigake and the brilliant and relentless pursuit of Ushikawa - a man with a large misshapen head that shouldn't be able to follow anyone without being noticed? And what of the "Little People" - who seem to hold special powers in 1Q84 and that seem to be looking for a bridge to 1984 - are they neutral or as malevolent as we suspect? And the big question: did Aomame and Tengo have to enter 1Q84 to find each other after 20 excruciating years of separation from each other and disconnect from the world around them? I don't think it's a spoiler alert to say that they became soul mates at age 10.

Enough. You're with me or not. If I've scared you off completely, don't run away before reading the last sentence of this paragraph. If you've read other reviews I've written what you might have already discovered is I don't actually review books - I recommend books. Sometimes quite different books.  I know Murakami is not for everyone - though 1Q84 sold a million copies in Japan alone - and I'll have to admit, it's not my usual fare. But I recommend this book for its dense, other-worldly beauty - reading it creates that curious sensation of wanting (even needing and willing) it to be done and to never end.

The original Japanese was publishing in 2010-11 and the English translation was introduced in 2011. I read the lovely boxed set (very reasonably priced on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and others) that was given to me as a gift by my son Merrick.

is micropublishing for you? (should I consider self-publishing?)

Micro Publishing from Mark Gilroy

the simple blessings of Christmas - already?

No - this isn't another article on how early Christmas decorations go up in retail settings.

I would like to give a quick promo to a book of 31 Christmas devotions I wrote a couple years ago. If you want a book of daily readings that focuses on the Advent season, this might be just what you are looking for.

And I would quickly add it has sold out the last two years by the end of November. I'm not confident it will be available to order in December.

It is available directly from Simple Truths, the publisher (a free gift card is included if sending as a gift), as well as Amazon and other online retailers.

Click HERE to enjoy a short inspirational "movie" that is on a DVD included in the book.

stay strong sean!

My son Zach and a group of his Ravenwood High School buddies met on our back porch this week to shave their heads as a sign of love and support for their classmate and great friend, Sean Karl, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

Sean is a star tennis player who has won the last three state AAA championships and is committed to play for University of Tennessee tennis team.

A Facebook page, Pray for Sean Karl, has been created to show support. Sean was recently received a message of encouragement on youtube from the world's top tennis player, Roger Federer.

Stay strong - and I know the guys would have loved if you could been there for the head shaving festivities!

first time to vote

This is my 10th time to vote in a presidential election, going back to Carter v. Ford. This is #1 for Zach. I'm proud he took the time to register and vote!

PEFS - presidential election fatigue syndrome

My first year to vote in a presidential election was 1976 - Carter v. Ford. I was a freshman in college and stayed up most of the night - at least until coverage ended, which was probably two o'clock or so - back when there were three main channels and a couple fuzzy ones that required constant fiddling with the rabbit ears or that UHF loop in the middle.

I really enjoy presidential elections. In fact, Amy and I held watch parties for all three presidential candidate debates and the VP debate that was ... uh ... well ... unusual. (I say that will all respect and a really big smile.)

I'm not a news junkie as a rule - unless its football season - but I scan a couple subscriptions and read a blog or article or two most days of the week. But during a presidential election campaign I have one of the cable news channels on almost every night and read a couple articles every day. I love listening to the pundits parse every phrase and analyze poll updates. In detail.

The problem with this election, the 2012 Romney v. Obama election campaign, is that it has gone so long. The GOP nomination process was closely fought and lasted until June - that contest started in earnest more than a year ago with what seemed like a couple hundred debates. As long as the Republicans stayed in the news cycle, good or bad, the Democrats weren't going to be left out of the conversation and were running political ads as early as late winter and early spring - basically long enough to have a baby.

I love this stuff and I even know who is going to win the election and why. But I'm finally there. I am tired of the campaign and am ready for next Tuesday to get here. I officially have PEFS - presidential election fatigue syndrome.

I'll still watch coverage and stay up  too late tonight. And tomorrow night. The cure doesn't arrive until November 6. Well, actually sometime around three or four a.m. on the seventh!