Literature

Ah… Pride is over for another year. So what now?! How to fill the lull before the mad Christmas rush!? Well… why don’t you do something incredibly crazy and off-the-wall and write a novel… in a month. Yes, one month. It can be done and it will be done – after all, November is National Novel Writing Month. Yes, literature just got a new extreme sport so why not jump online, register and start writing. There are heaps of tips online on how to deal with that ‘writer’s block’ and you can even post progress reports. So if you managed to avoid an aneurism this Pride, why not indulge in National Novel Writing Month. It ain’t as hard as it sounds! www.nanowrimo.org

This year’s Silver Artrage Festival incorporates a diverse array of exciting new work spread over 25 days from October 16th. Amongst the offerings is a piece created by OUTinPerth journalist, Scott-Patrick Mitchell, entitled ‘The Trickster’s Bible’. A street art adventure, the work follows ‘the tattered remains of a love gone horribly wrong’ through a ‘poetic narrative which mixes obsession with intention’ leading the reader into the broken heart of the city. (more…)

First Page
Jessyca Hutchens and Matt Giles (Editors)
Love is My Velocity

****

If you’re one of those people who sits there and whinges that Perth has nothing to offer, is boring, is dull, is a creative vacuum… then stop. Just stop, right now, because here is evidence on the contrary, proof to prove that Perth is indeed an interesting place and offers up interesting opportunities and content. First Page is testimony to the fact that Perth has shucked the Dullsville tag and adopted a funky, more edgy presence. (more…)

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
Peter Cameron
Farrar, Straus & Giroux

**** ½

“It seemed that everyone else could mate, could fit their parts together in pleasant and productive ways, but that some almost indistinguishable difference in my anatomy and psyche set me slightly, yet irrevocably, apart.” (more…)

Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay New Zealand
Chris Brickell
Random House

**** ½

It would be difficult to piece together a history of something that was not spoken about for most of its existence. Chris Brickell, who lectures in Gender Studies at Otago University, has written 400-page book, crammed with illustrations, on gay life in New Zealand. In his analysis of relationships between men in the early days of British colonisation, Brickell points out that he has had to reread old photographs with the knowledge that it was not always possible to distinguish between friendships and romantic liaisons. (more…)

A Wolf at the Table
Augusten Burroughs
St Martin’s Press

***

Author Augusten Burroughs, whose first novel Running with Scissors was made into a Hollywood film starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Annette Bening, returns to family memoir with A Wolf at the Table. In a decidedly darker childhood tale, Burroughs turns his powers of observation on his father, who was a mere bit player in the debut. While Running with Scissors laced a brutal childhood with humour, readers are unlikely to crack even a smile let alone laugh at the boy Augusten living in fear of his alcoholic, potentially homicidal father in A Wolf a the Table. Previous memoirs and short stories (Running with Scissors, Dry, Magical Thinking and Possible Side Effects) solidified Burroughs’ place as one of today’s funniest authors, but only Dry, his tale of alcoholism, rehab, relapse and recovery, hinted that Burroughs was capable of telling a tale without needing a laugh. While humour will undoubtedly resurface as one of the strongest weapons in his writing arsenal in future work, A Wolf at the Table is a welcome departure from the author’s safehaven and proves Burroughs’ writing is more than a humourous façade.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames
David Sedaris
Little Brown & Company

*** ½

David Sedaris is a very funny man. And his latest collection of short stories sticks to his tried and true format. Basically, David makes an observation of some weird quirk of human nature (like human fear of contagious germs in the opening story ‘It’s Catching’) and details his observations and encounters with that quirk. He almost always hits his mark with humour, exaggerating as necessary for comedic effect and never failing to poke fun at himself for a greater laugh. Sedaris’ male partner Hugh weaves in and out of the world Sedaris details, and in quite a few stories his sexuality plays a central role. In ‘This Old House’ he crushes on his cute if crazy housemate and in ‘Road Trips’ he tells the tale (with a Twain-like deftness for dialogue) almost losing his virginity to a trucker who picked him up as a hitcher. For fans of humour writing, Sedaris is a must. A regular guest on American radio shows such as National Public Radio’s ‘This American Life’, Sedaris writes with a sharp ear and his pieces often translate well into spoken pieces. As with his previous books (Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Naked to name a few), When You Are Engulfed in Flames takes you into the mind of a rather unique fellow and allows you to observe the world. As a result you are sure to find your own perception altered, as you walk through the day observing with wit the everyday happenings and idiosyncracies of western living.

You Staying Young
Dr Michael Roizen and Dr Mehmet Oz
Harper Collins

****

As the old saying goes, youth is wasted on the young. We tend to grow older, sicker and sadder as the years advance by such small amounts that we fail to register that we are losing (or abandoning) the things we took for granted in our youth. You Staying Young is an owner’s manual for “adding serious years to your life - and life to your years”. It challenges our perceptions of aging and looks at the defenses we can build in our first five decades against things that may occur in later life. (more…)

40 Days as a City Caveman
Michael Jarosky and Annie Clark
www.citycavemanfitness.com

*** ½

Just before a milestone birthday, Michael Jarosky stood in front of a mirror and decided that the SOFA (shirt over fat arse) move wasn’t working any more and he needed to make serious changes to his lifestyle. With the help of psychologist and personal trainer Annie Clark, he formulated a plan based on a ’simple’ and ‘fresh’ approach to both food and exercise. I love the chapter “How Did I Get This Way” which lists all the excuses to remaining a couch potato. (more…)

Comic Book Tattoo
Edited by Rantz A. Hoseley & Tori Amos
Image Comics

*****

For all those who love singer songwriter and pianist Tori Amos, this book is a testament to the sheer inspiration and tenacity of this truly unique musician. Here 80 plus contributors come together to transform 50 of Amos’ most beloved songs into wonderful pieces of narrative art ala comic book strips. The tome is hefty in size – taking on the dimensions of an old school 12 inch record – and scope, creating a veritable orgy for the eyes and the imagination. (more…)