Bookshelf Obsession

I'm not a nosey one, but invite me over and I'll be all over your bookshelf. I won't touch or steal! I'm a book lover myself, so I understand being protective over such possessions.

I just have a weakness for staring, gloating, gooing and going gaga over collections of books --- love, love, love it. I get excited, a sudden rush of blood to the head. Seeing what books have interested others, taken them on journeys within their covers, introduced them to people, ideas and issues is a fetish I have. A bookshelf is like an open mind spread on a shelf and a showcase of what experiences we may even have in common. And they need not be limited to novels or books published in English. I remember once getting flushed seeing books on works by painters Modigliani and Matisse on the least expected bookshelves. It was like skipping into seventh heaven. Honestly, I wonder about the people who do not have even a few books collected around their home.


A bookshelf full of books I've read, touched and loved is a must-have for my tree-house dream office in my backyard. Can't hardly wait! In the mean time, here are a few bookshelves I've fawned over. The first two are bookshelves inside Victor Hugo's writing nook in the Victor Hugo House I saw on the Channel Island of Guernsey.

I Got Lucky

I'm loving this Remington vintage tyewriter with its gorgeous colour and shape. Doesn't it make you think of those romantic writers, punching away day and night (in between whiskey breaks) typing that bestseller out of their soul? Such are my dreams and guess what, this here beauty is all mine!!!

Renew Repurpose Reclaim

My good friend Sarah shared this awesome find with me. It's actually an old factory building sitting on the bankside of the beautiful Loire river in Nantes, France. Instead of allowing the building to fall derelict, the city endorses an initative to have sites throughout the city renewed and repurposed through the ideas of local artists and innovators. And from this was born the idea of attaching a black pendulum to this old building. While it injects additional interest in the quaint Trentemoult fishing village in the city, it also gives the accomplishment a sense of cultural ownership, reclaim and re-investment into what the city may have felt it had lost with the end of its shipbuilding workshops. Neat idea, isn't it? I think so.

Telling Gates

I'm a little fascinated by gates. Yes, I admit it, I often stop, stare and wonder. I think gates offer quite a story about the occupants of a home and dare I say, even the culture of a community. Here are a few from my collection. Some you will notice offer no practical defence, but are maintained nontheless. Ownership, accessibility, accessory are just a few of the many ideas they bring to mind.

Gripping: Seven Skins and London Triptych

Cover Courtesy of Myriad Editions

I can't fully express how excited I am about Jonathan Kemp after reading his short story Seven Skins appearing in the Spring/Summer issue of BRAND literary magazine.

The story is about a young gay man, Martin, carving his own identity and navigating life and love in the city of London. The opening line to the story warns – “Do not read this.” Yet what follows is the first of several letters which piques our interest, glides us comfortably into the story and into the deceptive excitement of the London urban scene.

Kemp arranges this piece skilfully into several letters which Martin writes to his sister - Hannah also called H. In these letters Martin reveals some critical facts and updates his reader on the activities of his pastimes and state of relationship affairs. These letters are juxtaposed alongside his keen observations and gripping reflections.

The story is infused with a chilling sensibility. You see, smell and breathe the city of London; find yourself stepping over its every junkie; feel the weight of Martin’s every heartbreak; and feel yourself nebulously lost as is Martin in the swallow of Hannah’s eventual demise. It is a real tear-jerker this story, written with incredible skill and control.

Jonathan Kemp is a teacher of creative writing (drama & fiction), literature, and gender studies at Birbeck University of London. Extracts from his first novel, London Triptych published on August 19th 2010 (Myriad Editions) promise an even bigger treat. Be sure to have a read of Seven Skins as well as extracts from London Tritych here and here.

Here are some events where you may be able to catch a glimpse of Jonathan Kemp himself or hear him read from his gripping novel.

Book Reading, Author Q&A & signing
Thursday 16th September 2010
Gay’s The Word Bookshop at 7pm
Gay’s The Word Bookshop66, Marchmont Street, London WC1N 1AB Tel: 0207 278 7654 http://www.gaystheword.co.uksales@gaystheword.co.uksales@gaystheword.co.uk
Reservations not necessary. Complimentary refreshments.
Transportation: Russell Square Tube

Secret Histories:Ed Hillyer and Jonathan Kemp discuss the question of uncovering secret histories in fiction, with literary agent Adrian Weston.
Thursday 23rd September, 2010
Hove Library from 6.30pm for 7pm
182-186 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2EG
Transportation: Bus 6 from Brighton Station

Monday Circus - Sorted!

(Via Amazon.com)

I know it's a bit dated, but Britney Spears' single Circus still gives me a perpetual high. The number gets gets me excited about being a monday morning ringleader calling the shots on the so-called blue day. Watch the video here. Personally, I think it's even hotter than I'm A Slave For You. Matters not what the critics think, this, is a comeback.

There's only two types of people in the world

The ones that entertain and the ones that observe

Well baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl
Don't like the backseat, gotta be first

I'm a like the ringleader, I call the shots
(Call the shots)
I'm like a firecracker I make it hot
When I put on a show

I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins
Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break
I'm like a performer, the dancefloor is my stage
Better be ready, hope that you feel the same

All eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus
When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip just like a circus
Don't stand there watching me, follow me, show me what you can do
Everybody let go, we can make a dancefloor just like a circus

Ode to the Windmill

I'm just loving this old windmill. I think it would make one cool flat or even a holiday/summer getaway base. I see myself on a bright sunny day, bikini-clad running down to a near-by beach; or running in from the rains to a huge mug of hot chocolate. And re-enacting those childhood fairytales-- Rapunzel let down your hair! Oh such fantasies. I'm such a dreamer, I know.

Linton Kwesi Johnson

He said that everytime he wrote a poem, he had a reggae beat in his head. Without a doubt this is what gives the poetry of Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ) such rhythmic flow and a sound that pioneered the literary form known today as dub poetry.

Though the name Mutabaruka may have more recognition these days in the world of popular culture, it is the Jamaican Linton Kwesi Johnson who is actually credited (even by Muta himself) as the founding father of dub poetry. Until fairly recently, I must admit I had never heard anything of the man, but the body of his work is definitely worth close examination. And once you listen, you will feel compelled to include it among your musical and literary collections.

As for his work, I find that LKJ focuses his attention on the difficulties and experiences of the working class caribbean immigrants clinging for survival on the fringes of British society. Theirs is a story of racial oppression and systemic discrimination. His poetry with it's distinct reggae beat is intended for performance and celebrates the range and freedom of the Jamaican language, Patois. Above all, intentionally or not, he clearly dispells the myth of 'foreign as a bed of roses'. Instead he shows the cold and tough realities of the immigrants in the motherland.

LKJ has quite a few prestigious accomplishments under his belt. He is noted as the second living poet and the only black poet to be published in the Penguin Classics series; and is one of only three poets to be published by Penguin Modern Classics while still alive. If you ever get the chance to visit the Saison Poetry Library at the Southbank Centre in London, you will find his works in their magnificent collection among the likes of other 'top-notch poets'.

Of his poems, Dread Beat an Blood and Inglan is a Bitch are my favourite collections. But as an aspiring poet myself, my ultimate favourite is If I was a Tap Notch Poet. Watch LKJ read it here.

Carnac's Menhirs

Forget Stonehenge! The pre-historic stone alignments of Carnac in the region known as Brittany, France has by far, the largest collection of menhirs in the world. Dating back to the pre-Celtic people who lived in the region, the exact purpose of the collections of perfectly aligned rock erections is unknown for sure. Be it known there are many ideas about what the stones were intended for, but the story I like best is the one that encourages you - the visitor - to examine the menhirs and choose the one that gives off the same vibrations as yourself. I did this and it turned out to be quite a telling exercise. Here are some pics.

Amsterdam Rides

When I was putting together a trip to Amsterdam, I asked friends and colleagues about ideas of things to do. Almost all noted that Amsterdam is a cyclist's dream track because of its flat topography and suggested renting a bicycle and travelling about the city. Up to this point I had only mastered starting off and was no good at steering confidence on the two wheels. But I tried nonetheless to get to the bottom of the Amsterdam bicycle must-do affair.

What did I find? Bicycles bundled like sticks, parked everywhere - on sidewalks, parking lots and even over the canals. Practical and hilarious, armed with streamlined paniers, crates and baby carriers and some distinctly pretty. Here are a few.

Family Ties

Busy Workman

Baby on Board

Crate Preferred

Pretty Little Thing

Moving Day

Parking Space