Sam, one of the interns in the office, comes up to me this morning bearing a gift! In his hand was his copy of "Good-Bye Chunky Rice" by Craig Thompson.
Let's backtrack a bit...
A few days earlier he peeked his head over the glass of my cube and asked if I was "bookish". I looked up from what I was working on and hesitantly answered in the affirmative. I mean, yes, I read as much as I can but don't read as much as I should. I'm totally downplaying at this point. Then I ask Sam what was up with all the questions.
"Funny story, actually. So I happened to get to the office earlier than expected one morning and found myself walking down the street. Then I see the little Japanese place, Yorokobi. I was interested in trying it out so I looked it up on Yelp and saw your review on there...which coincidentally led me to your blog hence I asked..."
Wow.
Sam also knows I've been wanting to get into graphic novels more. (I still have my Death Note books to get to). We discuss graphic novel-ness whenever we run into each other in the kitchen or around the office. And being a graphic novel aficionado Sam has been kind enough to suggest things here and there. I've told him about my newfound love for the Scott Pilgrim series and he is kind enough to bring up tidbits about the upcoming movie and then some.
Which brings us to this morning. Sam thought I might enjoy "Good-Bye Chunky Rice". It's one of his faves and he really loves the artwork. I IM'd him later in the morning asking when he'd like the book back.
"Oh, don't worry about it. You should take your time with it. It's one of those graphic novels that you want to read over a few times. It's really good but the ending is really sad...just warning you."
I started thumbing through the pages then read the back of the book. Then there it was.
"an alternative-comics answer to Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince..." Ahhhh I LOVE the Little Prince!! Now I'm so stoked. Plus, I haven't been in the mood to pick up any of my current reads. I sometimes get what's like post-partum depression...but with my books...don't ask why. So being able to get through a graphic novel will help me get over that hump.
Before he left for the day Sam peeked his head over the cube glass again. "Enjoy the book."
I told him about the Little Prince reference. He nodded then admitted he had never read it. I gasped galore and promised I would let him borrow my copy.
"Do you by any chance read French?", I asked, "Because it's originally written in French but I have the English version too...and by the look on your face I'm going to be bringing in the English version."
My copy is now tucked into my bag. Now I just have to shake off that little "thing" I have with lending people my books.
It'll be fine, Liza. It'll be fine...Check out Sam's stuff here:
Manga Recon
Damage --> MP
I don't know how I mustered up the energy or was coherent enough to speak to Raphael but I did. My friends and I were recuperating from my annual Friendsgiving potluck the night before and needed some caffeine from, where else, Peet's on Larchmont. Yours truly was running on 3 hours of sleep and when I don't get enough sleep I get somewhat delusional.
I almost stumbled on Raphael as I was exiting Peet's. For a second I thought it was James McAvoy (he had an accent so in my delirious state he might as well have been). I did notice he was reading a copy of Siddhartha. This is his first time reading it - the book was actually a gift from someone. Even though he is less than halfway through the book he's getting into it. He is no stranger to Hermann Hesse. Raphael previously read Hesse's Steppenwolf. (He either read it or wants to read it...sorry, I was a product of insomnia at that moment!)
Raphael admits that he isn't much of a novel reader. "I prefer non-fiction, spiritual books... books that give advice on how to better yourself from within..." He doesn't discount novels though. One of his favourite books happens to be Catcher in the Rye. "Many people favour this book in adolescence but I actually didn't read it until later on in life." Like with many Catch in the Rye fans I ask if he has read Franny and Zooey. I explained that it is one of my personal favourites and I prefer this book over Salinger's other and more well-known classic. I love the brother and sister dymanic in the book and the style is one that sucks you in. Well, it did a number on me, at least. After my mini endorsement Raphael said he would check it out.
When asked what his own book would be about given the opportunity to write one Raphael paused, truly contemplating the question at hand. "I'd probably right about book about finding youself but it won't be a typical non-fiction how-to esque work. I'd actually like to write a novel instead but incorporate my own experiences into the storyline so that I can impart my advice and teachings through that."
Which Hermann Hesse book do you prefer: Siddhartha or Steppenwolf?
Which J.D. Salinger book do you fancy more: Catcher in the Rye or Franny and Zooey?
Doing laundry on Sundays is quite annoying but it's got to be done! I suppose that is what Sundays are all about. You do the "fun" things on Friday and Saturday then you're reeled back in by reality. Meh.
I do, however, love seeing what everyone at my local Lucy's laundromat is reading to pass the time between spin cycles. After loading my clothes into the washer I scoped out my surroundings. Some guy by the "change" machine was reading a religious book en espanol but I didn't get a chance to chat with him. But I did have a lovely chat with J.B. I saw him perched on one of the tables, earbuds in place and legs dangling off the edge. When asked what he was reading he chuckled and said it was sort of like an "auditions for dummies" book.
He moved here a few weeks ago from Makati (in Manila, Philippines) to pursue his dream of acting. Coming from a strict Filipino family he was not allowed to pursue such "extra curriculars". "You must finish your studies...then you can have fun." I sighed and felt his pain. Being the offspring of Filipino immigrants myself, I knew all too well what it was like to "always focus on your studies" and not get to do regular kid things like play on a sports team or take acting or ballet classes because, God forbid, those activities derail you from getting straight A's.
Ever since he was a little boy J.B. participated in plays and productions at school and loved it so much. But his parents steered him away from taking it to the next level. After studying Business Administration in college he took a desk job and saved up his money so that he could move out here. Now here he was, in Hollywood pursuing his lifelong dream! "Yeah I worked all that time to save up and doing that job made me realize even more than I did not want to be at a desk job all my life."
He had visited a few acting studios here and most everyone recommended that he pick up a copy of "Auditions" by Michael Shurtleff. He lucked out because it was on sale on Amazon.
J.B. tells me he likes it in Los Angeles so far. "The weather is so much better." Quite the understatement, I'm sure. He hasn't really done much sightseeing. He did find this boxing studio on Vine and Santa Monica (close to my place!) where he takes boxing classes or simply takes it out on the bags. As he told me this I started to think of Kafka on the Shore. More so because J.B. is kinda sorta like a runaway. "Yeah, my parents don't know I'm here so be sure not to have my face in that picture." Wow. He even found a place before arriving. "Thank God for Craigslist..."
J.B.'s also read and enjoyed Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. His favourite book is The Giver, a book he read in high school. Many of the books he read were in English except for a few textbooks. "It was mandatory to study English so many of our courses weren't really in Tagalog." I asked if he read any Filipino novels. I am not too keen on Filipino history but I know there has to be some amazing works by poets and novelists, right? J.B. told me that he's read a few Filipino novels but thought they were a bit "corny" for his taste. Similar to their television programming :) He asked how my tagalog was and I told him it was horrible. I can understand it alright but I struggle with actually speaking it because the internal translating in my head is mixed up with Spanish and French....so I'm pretty much hopeless. J.B. wishes he remembered his Spanish from school. "It would have come in handy here..." Thankfully he can understand a bit.
Growing up he read a ton of comics. Marvel Comics were his fave especially the X-Men series. The best X-Men character? "It would have to be Cyclops because of his awesome shades!" J.B. could have done without seeing the movies because he felt they bastardized the comics true core. 
J.B. writes a bit. He told me he wrote a but of poetry and songs. "I learned how to play the guitar. Now I kind of wish I stuck with it." I asked him what he would write about if he got the chance. "I don't mean to sound egotistical but I'd write about my life experiences. It wouldn't be an autobiography, though. Most likely a novel with a character based on me."
Can you name a book you read that involved runaways?
Have you ever ran away from home or thought about running away from home? When I was younger I thought about running away with the Michelin Man. I wonder what that says about me...
It's Friday night. My friends and I are filled with Father's Office sweet potato fries, some goat cheese spread, and good beer. It's good to have a friend who lives a few feet from the Father's Office in Santa Monica. After sipping more wine and watching random videos on YouTube we made our way to the Mandrake bar in Culver City for a night cap and to dance the night away.
Michael Charleston, the Mandrake's doorman with a debonair name, happened to lay his book on a bench by the door. I fearlessly pick it up and ask him if it belonged to him. He laughed when I told him about the blog. "Funny. Noone really takes the time to really talk to me while I'm at the door. They just flash me their IDs and go on in. And why couldn't you have come by when I was reading something more interesting?" I scrutinize the book cover and look him in the eye. "It's a book about green investing. C'mon! It's gotta be interesting!"
Michael has been working at the Mandrake for about three years now. (He works as a job recruiter during the day). I later found out that he lives in Studio City and drives all the way out here for work. Quite the commute but he likes living in Studio City. I also found out that he went to Grant High School! A valley boy! We started comparing high schools and chatted about what it was like to live and go to school in "the valley".
Michael likes to read while he's on duty - it helps pass the time. "I'm not really reading this book as I am 'scanning' it." Crazy, I haven't heard anyone "scan" passages and books since I was in high school and college.
This book happens to be about publicly owned green businesses. It talks about stocks and the various ins and outs of the business in general. I asked if he was super environmentally conscious and told him about my two buddies, Jason and Leif, who both went to school for and are now working in the field of green business. Although Michael is more of a businessman than a treehugger he admits that if he wants to get into business and make money he'd rather do it and do something "right" while he's at it. "I'm not going to lie, I'm doing it for personal gain. Look around, green business is the growing and in demand. But everyone doing business, regardless of what type, is in it to make money. It's all a facade." I respect his honesty.
We started to get into a discussion on how there are still downsides and negatives to those trying to help save the planet. We took the electric car, for example, and looked at the pros but then discussed how people argue that the electricity to run those cars needs to come from somewhere and that somewhere can also emit a harmful this-and-that into the atmosphere. "If you think about it, there are negatives or another side to every story so nothing is 100% perfect."
He continued to tell me that he's been immersing himself in other business-type books to learn as much as possible. Eye on the prize, man. Eye on the prize.
I would see Michael every now and then when I came out to get some air after shimmying and shaking to some old french pop songs and some Whitney Houston hits. We'd pretend to have a conversation up against the wall by the bar even though we couldn't really hear each other over the pounding beats. And he was kind enough to make sure I was okay to drive home after last call.
An interview and a dance party all in one night. Even got to make new friends and run into old ones. Life is good.
I saw that Mike K. had added The Stranger by Albert Camus to his virtual bookshelf on Facebeezy. After proceeding to "like" the post I recommended The Camera by Toussaint as transtaled by Matthew B. Smith (I dunno why Matt ever decided on adding the B. Sounds sophisticated though).
Mike K's response:
Thx I will check it out. I just started reading Her Fearful Symmetry and can't put it down. By the woman who wrote Time Traveler's Wife.
This was a nerdy post.
Our four woman department (six if you include our interns) marched down the street to the Grand Lux Cafe at the Beverly Center. We needed a break. We also wanted to treat our interns because they've been beyond awesome in helping restore our sanity (and alleviating my nervous eye twitch).
We had missed the green cross-walk man so we waited for the next round. To my left I see a man sneaking in a few pages before he crosses the street, too. I scoot toward him and find out that he is reading The Scar, a sci-fi fantasy by China Mieville. A friend actually recommended this book to him and let him borrow a copy. Paul isn't sure if this is part of a series. When asked what the book is about he would start but then stop. "It's kind of difficult to describe what the book is about..."
He did tell me that it involved a colony made up of sunken pirate ships! Not underwater but a neat visual nonetheless. I started picturing a Peter Pan world and the sunken pirate ships made some pretty neat treehouses and forts. The book takes place on another planet so Paul isn't sure what era the storyline takes place in. "There is not time, really, that I can make out. They are on a whole different planet in a different universe." People have magical powers and battle it out. Contrary to Liza-belief the people are, indeed, mortal.
We continue to converse as we cross the street. My group walked ahead as my boss called out that I could take my time. She is aware that I sometimes wander off to talk to readers so she handled explaining this to the other members of our clan. She even started to call out the blog name...like a doting family member. I love it.
Hands down, Paul is a big sci-fi and fantasy novel aficionado. He can't, however, name a favourite book. "My favourite book tends to be the book I am currently reading. In this case I guess I will have to say that it The Scar is my favourite book at the moment."
We reached the restaurant's entrance and the foot of the Beverly Center's escalators. Paul works at the hospital (Cedars Sinai) and wanted to see if he could cut through the mall to get back to work. Up the escalators he went.
My apologies for the lack of updates lately. With being super busy at work and being sick it's been a bit tough to get some interviews in. I will be back on track soon enough.
In the meantime we've decided on our next book club read.
Be sure to get your hands on a copy of Steve Hodel's Black Dahlia Avenger
As a special treat we will be holding the meeting in Man Ray's studio! Yes, one of our friends/book club members lives in the infamous Man Ray studio in Villa Elaine (a.k.a the Man Ray Residences), one of the landmarks in the Black Dahlia murder. Quite fitting and should be heaps of fun.
We will be meeting on December 12th @ 5pm. Check out the event details on the Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/nosesinbooks
