Sunday Salon: Phallic Frenzy, Potato Peels, Love&Rockets

My first Sunday Salon ...

Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading.

I'm keen to join in, to explore my reading a bit further. I'll delve into what I'm reading this week and link to what I've blogged on the library blog.

This week I've finished
Phallic Frenzy: the films of Ken Russell by Joseph Lanza. I've long been a fan of Russell's garish movies, especially "Gothic" with its surrealist visions and hysteria. It focuses on that infamous night when Mary Shelley created Frankenstein and Polidori spawned the Vampyre. Surely this was one of the pivotal moments of literature - and Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley were in attendance.

Ken also directed the movie "Salome's last dance" which as an Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley fan I must track down and watch. He seems to have a particular aptitude for literary adaptations, his renderings of D.H. Lawrence into film comes in for particular attention.

This is a well written, thorough book about one of film's most visionary mavericks.

I started on The Guernsey Potato Peel and Literary society by Mary Ann Shaffer. It's a delight and I can see why it's come in for such loving attention. It's a book lovers dream, about the love of books and their transforming power. As such, it's in the vein of 84 Charing Cross Road, a bibliophile's novel in letters.

So far I am learning about the various characters, revolving around main character the author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) who writes to her friend, her publisher and a widening circle of Guernsey residents. It's a beautiful depiction of World War Two and the post war world, and as yet has not fallen into the trap of twee-ness.

My other book this week is Perla la loca: a love and rockets graphic novel by Jamie Hernandez. There is something so immediate and punchy about the Love and Rockets books. I picked one up on a whim and got drawn into a story - the female characters are sexy, strong and filled with power and energy. I want to explore this series more.

On the Christchurch City Libraries blog, I wrote about getting a mighty thrill to find TWO of my favourite authors have new books on the way. Oh happy day!:
Book geekdom - new books from Peter Ackroyd and Michel Faber

Rainbow Nation

In a cold world you need things that twinkle:

I am being good and trying not to be such a rampant kneejerk autosuggestable consumerist ... but this nifty hoody is from La Supre.

Fritz Leiber, master of Shakespearean sci-fi - The Big Time is an enormously silly, but entertaining, tale of space-time travel with copious Elizabethan references

Men like negotiating curves - but of course.

New York socialites ahoy

Beauty bloopers get peeps all afired up

Latest Artkrush looks at Painting in the 21st century

Jeeves and Wooster. Bless.

Stereogum presents Enjoyed: A Tribute to Bjork (thanks to Malcolm for this one)

Homemade version of Tron

Neon Neon's Stainless Style. This one's "I lust you" ...

Then onwards, on to the roller disco ...

Wilkommen 2008

An ingenious use of your vinyl sleeves...

Rome is back on TV1 on Sunday nights ... et tu hot Brutus

Most sought after book - Lost Girls by Alan Moore - reviewed by Michel Faber. Huge, and purple in all senses.

10 fashion rules for 2008

Cate B looks wunderbar as a Russian dominatrix in the upcoming Indiana Jones movie. Kapow!

Happy Kitty Bunny Pony

Yes indeedy I am a sucker for cute stuff, and this is definitely strasopheric cuteness. And may yet win book title of the year. Happy Kitty Bunny Pony

And me do like the chunky cocktail rings. These ones from Kagi are purrfection. Called Hand Kandi.

Ms FlyMo as usual is ace at discovery (as all good librarians are) - this is Comeeko - make comics outta your own pics.

This is my new bike a Huffy Phazer. My first ride nearly killed me, but now my thighs are used to it. I cycled with Shane round Hagley Park and he said it was like being out riding with a kid.



On the reading front, well, it is FEAST time.

How to Look Good Naked by Gok Wan - it is in the Trinny and Susannah vein, about dressing various figure types - hourglass, tummies, big boobs, skinny etc. Of course, some of us inconveniently straddle many types, with the added bonus of being 5 foot tall! his advice is sound though, much as I adore 50s style skirts they ain't doing me any favours.

Touching from a Distance by Deborah Curtis (widow of Joy Division's Ian Curtis). Moving and honest, it is a beautiful book I have wanted to read for a long time. Thanks to cheeky monkey Tim who owns it.

Dan Rhodes Gold - At last it is here. My favourite author. A book about pub quizzes. Hell it is tailor made!

Misadventures by Sylvia Smith. A rapid reread of this old favourite dry autobiog. And on the backburner is the followup "My Holidays". Here is a Guardian digested read:

Throughout my childhood my parents supplied me with a variety of pets. We once kept 24 goldfish outside in an old boiler; I've often wondered whether they minded swimming in the dark. Sadly they died when the water froze. I also had a tortoise; sadly that died, too.

Beth was a very pretty 14-year-old. She took me to see Mandy, her heavily pregnant sister. Unbeknownst to Mandy, Beth was having sex with her boyfriend.

Carol and I worked together. Each Christmas I would buy her some toiletries. She told her mum, "At least you know what Sylvie is going to give you."
My friend Gloria once caught the director sitting on the toilet with his trousers down; we all had a good laugh about that. My father and I once got piles at the same time. That wasn't so funny.

I saw a woman getting soaked by a passing car, but she carried on as if nothing untoward had happened.

My relationship with John lasted three dances. His chat-up line was, "I work for the BBC." It turned out he meant Barking Borough Council.

Hilary and I met at the social club. She told me that her daughter Francesca had shat herself in the swimming pool but she didn't think anyone else had noticed. John S and I also met at the social club; he used to arrange coach journeys to Europe and overcharge everyone so he could go free. Sadly he was going bald.

Malcolm and I met at a large social event. On one date he took me to the cinema and spent 20 minutes in the gentlemen's toilets. He never apologised when he came out. I also went out with Ghalib but was shocked to find he had amorous thoughts in another direction.

When I reached the age of 40, I decided I needed to make some money. I bought some premium bonds. Sadly I would have been better off keeping my money in the Post Office.

A little boy was hit by a car outside the doctor's surgery. Afterwards we all said that there couldn't be a better place to have an accident.

A flower seller once asked me to marry him after I smiled at him. I declined. I also saw a man with brown stains on his white shorts; I decided he must have a touch of diarrhoea.

Charms

Recent web nuggets, literary and otherwise:

• Those nauseating Anchor Family ads are now on YouTube. Thanks for telling us Spare Room. Part of NZ culture.
  
• Dan Rhodes's top 10 short books - Was happy to see a list from my favourite writer appear on The Guardian. He is just so clever and appealing, check this out:
  "The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich" - His name makes him sound like a range of cardigans, but Cornell Woolrich was in fact a writer of highly-wrought suspense fiction, this one being a fine example. In his 1948 book Rendezvous In Black, the main character is called Johnny Marr, and at one point he has a fight with a man called Morrissey. A must-read for Smiths fans."
  Dan IS the man.
  
• Works like a charm- Jonathan Franzen's is a squeaky chair, Jane Smiley's a hot bath, Douglas Coupland's chocolate chips ... writers reveal what gets their creative juices flowing.
  
• Keats biopic should be Romantic, not romanticised - I'm worried that Jane Campion's Keats biopic will play up to the sickly stereotypes of the garret-dwelling poet.
  
• Race to Size Zero - yup they all want to be pins.
  
• Cole retains his British cool - had to search on Lloyd Cole after seeing him live at Al's Bar.
  
• How to make a good comeback - Tim de Lisle
  "The answer, my friend, isn't always blowing in the wind. Sometimes it's on another record. In 1984, the fey Glasgow-based indie guitar band Lloyd Cole and the Commotions released a song called Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken? Twenty-two years later, the fey Glasgow-based indie guitar band Camera Obscura have released a single called Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken. It hasn't made the charts, but it has been played 100,000 times on Camera Obscura's MySpace page. It's a suitable fate for Lloyd Cole, who couldn't write a song in his youth without mentioning one of his heroes ("read Norman Mailer/or get a new tailor"), and it's a fine song in its own right, with a chorus like an ice cream on a hot day."

Newest Petites:
"Dainty Biscuit" and "Care free tee", plus limited edition "Lavender Love"

My favourite author

Dan Rhodes

His books
Anthropology (my favourite book)
Don't Tell Me The Truth About Love
Timoleon Vieta Come Home

From his website (down at the moment):
The Little White Car by Danuta de Rhodes will be out in a new small format this summer. An inevitable summer-smash, this is must-read for all Rhodes fans for some reason or other.

Don't read English? There's no need to panic - Dan Rhodes' work is now available in 25 languages.

Dan's website, www.danrhodes.co.uk, is currently being renovated. Rhodes is reported to have over 15,000 items on his list of things he would rather do than regularly update a web site.

Spamalot

Been a few good Spam names lately:
Chiba A Hooey
Flightless O Jerome
and Tackles P Plumage.

And if you want a good vampire book (of course YOU DO), try THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova. It's a whole different kettle of bloodsuckers from Anne Rice ...

Chairman Mao

Kia ora koutou

Haven't been very "bloggy" lately, too many things and dramas on the boil. But in the interests of my manifesto of keeping it lite, I won't go there.

When I was uni student, I nabbed my Dad's copy of the iconic "little red book". So am now reading Mao by Jung Chang and Jon Halliday. It is certainly not one of those lofty, impartial biographies - they are constantly making digs and petty insults. So far I have found these interesting factoids:

• Mao didn't wash for 25 + years
• He had loads of wives, and chicks, and would cavort with them on a rather unsavoury looking camp stretcher covered in books
• Was obsessed with his digestive system and bowels
• He loved Mum, hated Dad (naturlich)

Spent yesterday on tour with the waiata group, singing our butts off in honour of Te Wiki o Te Maori. Did a tribute to "The Sound of Music" at Spreydon and Sockburn, singing on the stairs.

Sideways rain

Walked my pedo to work even though pissling down, woolly hat etc. The poor little thing has been in the wars. It has been skittering all over the floor at the gym since it is only hanging by a belt clip. Worse, it fell in the oven when I was leaning over to pull out oven tray. A little melty, but my reflexes were quick so it lives to fight another day.

Was reminded of a beautiful song the other day "Song to the Siren" - This Mortal Coil. Liz Fraser from Cocteau Twins sings it.

Playing haiku with Sar. They are surprisingly hard to write.
Mine is:
No more to believe
I was nothing but a thing
No trust so no love

Loving The Bomb: A Life. It is all there - splitting the atom, Manhattan Project, scientists irradiating themselves, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, setting off bombs and frying poor Japanese fishermen who happened to be in wrong place at wrong time. One soldier told how they were near the bomb blast and could see the bones of their hand a la an x ray from the flash. Another story told how some cows had the hair scorched off their back and when it grew back it was colourless.

On that salutary note ...