I just finished reading, almost in one breath, The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Interesting to the book, after the formidable writing of course!, are photos (found at the beginning of each chapter) taken by Walker Evans (mostly known for his photos of the Great Depression). Between 1938 and 1941 Evans rode the New …
Month: March 2022
Linked
They walked home from the party, arms linked. The next morning, the tiny flat they shared would reek of that funky "the day after smell" of cigarette smoke. Both were slightly drunk and terribly happy, as neither one needed to go in to work the next day. Jules' evening shift at the restaurant had been …
Fog in a Jar
Photo by Ruvim There is a bar in Italy called the Kyrie Eleison ("Lord, Have Mercy"). Unique to it, as anticipated by the name, is an interior decoration consisting of pulpits, velvet throne chairs, confessionals and the like, collected from rectories, churches and monasteries that are no more. On a more modern, commercial note, one …
Merciful Mary
Winds of change Please do carry the voice of truth far and wide Across battlefields And burning skies Over charred remains Mothers' empty sighs Over homes laid bare Hey sir, can you spare Some Love and some Mercy? So much hatred Blacker than the sea Rife with fear Let everyone hear Our shouts our screams …
Time
Time is a peculiar thing. It exists as a specific amount (24 hours, 10 minutes, 2 seconds) and yet, our perception of time rarely corresponds to this fixed data. Sitting bored, staring at the wall feels like hours. Waiting for results on a biopsy; an agonizing eternity. Time spent with a new love; a blurry …
A Sun Kissed Death
They buried him under a blazing midday sun. Earlier that morning, with birds twittering and summer breezes blowing, it was downright mean to be made to enter the dimly lit funeral parlor, with its slight chill and nauseating blend of flowers and disinfectant. In fact, the contrast was so extreme so as to produce anxiousness …
The courtyard
Back then, during the cold winter evenings, the five women would gather in Ida's barn to keep warm. They looked forward to this time of day when they could meet and talk; seated on wooden chairs huddled close together in a circle amidst the familiar scent of manure, feed and dust. The body heat off …
Fences – “You gotta take the crooked with the straight”
Denzel Washington and Viola Davis are beyond belief in this powerfully touching movie (based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play by August Wilson) that explores the messy, multifaceted, shameful and proudful relationships of a family. There are times when, in the presence of something bigger than yourself, you become lost both in your admiration and …
Continue reading Fences – “You gotta take the crooked with the straight”
Sharing books
My sister first introduced me to Anne Perry and her historical (Victorian era) detective fiction. Her two most popular series are The Monk Mysteries set in the 1850s/60s and the Thomas Pitt Mysteries set in the 1880s/90s. She also has a WWI series and a Christmas series along with loads of other works. Her evocation …
Manu writes 