A FUNNY new book of ESSAYS by a cute dude B.J. Novak

I watch Ellen DeGeneres faithfully every day.  It is truly the brightest moment of each day.

She had a guest on recently, B.J. Novak.  He is awfully handsome.  He was charming, intelligent and funny.

According to Wikipedia his bio is:
"Benjamin Joseph Manaly "B. J." Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, author, and director."

Most of you may know him from television show, The Office. He both acted in and wrote for the funny show.  Currently, he serves as producer on Mindy Kaling's (fellow The Office alumni) series titled The Mindy Project.

Novak's appearance on Ellen DeGeneres was to plug his recently released book, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories.  The book jacket self-describes it as "an endlessly entertaining, surprisingly sensitive, and startlingly original debut that signals the arrival of a brilliant new voice in American fiction."

I just finished the book and enjoyed it immensely.  It is a bit reminiscent of Augusten Burroughs or David Sedaris…..even DeGeneres in print.   There are so many gems in this book.   But two of my favorites included:  "Sophia" (a short story about the world's first sex robot with the capacity to fall in love), "Walking on Egshells" (or:  When I Loved Tony Robbins), and "The Rematch" (the story about two races between a tortoise and a hare).

Some of the stories are funny.  Others are cleverly funny.  A few are poignantly funny.   Some provide great social commentary in the unique way only comedy can.   Read this book.  After all……..if he can be that cute, plus be as smart, funny and articulate as the book reveals, then he deserves success.

To order the book on amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/One-More-Thing-Stories-Other/dp/0385351836.    For more information about sexy Mr. Novak:  click here

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I hate to admit that it is the first book that I've read in months (because of school).  I struggled through the Steve Jobs biography.   As much as I was a curious, I think I won't be able to finish it.    As fascinating and admirable as he was he seems to have been a monster too.  I have this weird rule that I will not start a new book until I've finished the book I'm reading.  I've broken that sacred rule now.  The Jobs book may not be finished.   But I'm so glad that I moved on to Novak's erudite and funny book.

Andrew McCarthy's WONDERFUL book The Longest Way Home

Just finished Andrew McCarthy's, the former Brat Packer's, memoirs which was just published. It is titled The Longest Way Home. This is a self-styled as a memoir. Quite frankly much more than that.

It reminded me in many ways of Bruce Chatwin's travel books (and not just because of the Patagonia connection). This publication is a book about travel. And, similarly, as in Chatwin's works, it also a book about how the travel experience impacted writer's emotional life. I want to clarify that I wish not to diminish in any way (or praise) of McCarthy's book with this reference to Chatwin. But they have achieved an similar achievement (McCarthy's book and Chatwin's ouevre). Perhaps McCarthy has never read Chatwin? But he still channels equal intelligence.

I was especially impressed with McCarthy's spare writing style regarding the travel aspects. McCarthy's ability to analyze his emotional life as influenced by his travels around the world makes this book excellent. The travel aspects would have had me mesmerized but it is the relationship to the travels to his own life that makes this book truly genius.

While it was self-titled a memoir, it is probably more a travelogue. I say that for those fanaticists who'd like to argue (and that is the way of life a blog writer).

Although it is not a comprehensive biography of McCarthy's life it does intersperse important aspects of his life including his first marriage and his time as a BRAT PACK movie star, among others.

The essence of the book is about the transformation of a young boy. He was transformed by travel. The travel first came through the theater. And after that the travel was afforded by his career as a "brat pack" movie star. He then overcomes his addiction ot alchohol and drugs. And the marries his first wife and has a son

Throughout tall of these changes McCarthey changes.

I discovered this book by watching Piers Morgan on CNN (whom I detest). He was interviewing Andrew. I was so compelled with the actor/director/writer, so I ordered the book. I think that I was hooked by the author me during the interview, particularly his observation that American's fear of travel is a downfall. I've always found every moment I travel always make me more alive and aware. Smarter. Z better human.

Most Americans just want to stay in the comfort zone. I connected with McCarthey's claim that traveling was a noble experience.

This book is a peon to travel and the author's spiritual and emotional growth as a result. McCarthy somehow came to find himself in a deeper and more meaningful way only because of his global travels. He is also a man of many talents. In addition to being a successful actor and television and play director, he has spent much of his adult life traveling as a professional travel writer for National Geographic and other periodicals.

This book chronicles a series of trips to Patagonia, the Amazon, Costa Rica, Vienna, Baltimore and Mt. Kilimanjaro, among other. These all lead up to his marriage to his second wife in Ireland.

Andrew's ability to overcome his hesitence to a his second marriage was achieved only by these arduous, lonely journeys that he tells about us in his spare riveting way in this book. Through his solitude travels he finds a way to embrace a future of being a husband, father, son-in-law, and friend in ways he couldn't before his lifelong journey.

I think what I took away from his story: by facing his basest /fearsissues he found much more profound issues that he couldn't have understand had he not traveled the world.

Let me say......I agree with McCarthy's belief about travel: that it transforms you. But I wouldn't want to face an anaconda or boa constrictor. I wouldn't mind seeing Patagonia. I would love to go to Africa. I've been to Costa Rica. I've done Baltimore. I don't think I'll suffer the final "day of hell" that he experiences on Mount Kilmanjaro.

But I'm so blessed to have had experienced these moments thanks to Andrew McCarthy's talents.

Isn't he simply gorgeous. He has aged, beautifully! Good for you Mr. McCarthy.

I literally enjoyed every single moment of this book. While he was always appealing to me as an actor, he seems much more sensuous, appealing, intelligent and distinguished in this artistic work. His accomplishments are really impressive as an (artist) actor, director and writer. Don't miss this book.

Great new book HOTEL Bemelmans

I love to read and quite frankly the only reason I really started this blog was to talk about reading and books. But for the last six months, while I'm reading as prolifically as always, I just haven't read anything that I thought worthy of public discussion here.

I don't know if books, like films, etc. are not being published in as many numbers and therefore the quality is down or what (I do know that I don't often find a DVD to rent because there doesn't seem to be as many movies that interest me these days).

Until I read HOTEL BEMELMANS by Ludwig Bemelmans. He was a New York busboy, waiter, and restaurateur in New York in the 20's and 30's. The book is a series of short essays or sketches about the life and times of the Hotel Splendide where Bemelmans worked. The Splendide was in reality the Ritz Carlton.

With an introduction by Anthony Bourdain (Kitchen Confidential), the book tells the secrets and scandals of the hotel's staff and rich patrons and guests. As Bemelman's modern day counterpart, Bourdain says: "Ludwig Bemelmans was the original bad boy of the New York hotel/restaurant subculture."

Bemelmans has several claims to fame besides his bad boy restaurateur image. He was an artist and humorist and perhaps most famous for being the author and illustrator of the Madeline books. Like the Madeline series, HOTEL BEMELMANS includes the author's illustrations of the various characters and episodes that are in the book.

Originally from Austria, Bemelmans arrived here as the book says: "at the age of sixteen after he shot a head-waiter at his uncle's hotel." He has a very wry and wickedly funny sense of humor and I literally guffawed throughout the book.

This is a zany cast of characters of con men, gypsies, a wizard, and a number of other eccentric bosses and co-workers. There's Vladimir Slezack, or "Mr. Sigsag" as he's commonly referred to by the staff, who is the catering banquet manager who Bemelmans works for. But my favorite is the hotel manager, Otto Brauhaus:

"Otto Brauhaus (illustration by Bemelmans at right) was an immense stout man; he had to bend down to pass under the tall doorways of his hotel. Big as his feet, which gave him much trouble, telegraphing their sorrows to his ever-worried face, was his heart. For despite his conception of himself as a stern executive, and strict disciplinarian, he could not conceal his kindness. He liked to laugh with guests and employees alike, and the result was that his countenance was the scene of an unending emotional conflict."

What I loved most about Brauhaus is his German accent which "he had somehow never been able to improve.......Brauhaus spoke with a thick dialect that sometimes sounded like a vaudeville comedian trying for effect. He was, in any case, inarticulate, and hated to talk. Two expressions recurred in his speech like commas; without them he seemed hardly able to speak: 'Cheeses Greisd!' and 'Gotdemm it!'

I roared and guffawed my way through this book especially when Brauhuas popped up with his "Cheeses Greisd! Gotdemm it," usually in the same sentence. Here's an example: "But things had not been going too well with Brauhaus's friends, these elderly men who ate and drank too well. In one week Mr. Brauhaus went to two funerals. He came back very gloomy from the second, saying 'Gotdemm it, Cheeses Greisd, every time I see a friend of mine he's dead.'

When he discovers the staff having fun when they thought he was away "Brauhaus stormed back there and exploded: 'What is diss? Gotdemm it! Cheeses Greisd! You have a birdtay zelepration here?'"

There are certain phrases in books that somehow make their way into my daily lexicon. "Fecking eejit" is one (from Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes, one of my favorite books of all time). But "Gotdemm it Cheeses Greisd" is the newest.

His drawings are as unique as his writing voice as well. Each person illustrated in the drawing reflects a certain self-assuredness/self-possession with themselves. While this is funny when you encounter a pompous, it's even funnier depicting the eccentricities of some of the characters.

This book is really just delightful. You'll relish every moment. I swear, Gotdemm it Cheeses Greisd!

Photo of Ludwig Bemelmans by

Life Magazine, April 1945, Photographer Walter Sanders

Painting by Bemelmans "Terrasse"

Just finished Michael Thomas Ford's great new novel WHAT WE REMEMBER

I've been on a major reading binge of late. I just finished Michael Thomas Ford's newest novel, What We Remember, yesterday and enjoyed it thoroughly.

I've read all of this author's books, so I am a fan. But this particular book was unique in that it really was also a mystery novel. While it explored the same intense human relationships and emotional themes that Ford's other books typically cover, I have a feeling the author wanted to try a different approach. The novel, which explores a murder in a family, is essentially a mystery or thriller experience which I found rather refreshing change but it I still wasn't short-changed the pleasure of reading a very well written drama.

This book is about a New York family, the McClouds. This family is about as dysfunctional as a family can get. The present time in the book is the early 90's. Sheriff Dan McCloud, the father, nine-years before, committed suicide leaving his widow and three children, oldest daughter, Celeste, James, the eldest son and Billy, the baby of the family. The family life of the McClouds is complexly entwined with the family of Dan's best friend, A.J. Derry. Almost incestuously!

I quote from the Booklist review:

'“No secret stays buried forever,” says one character, wielding a knife and summing up the action ignited when the nine-year belief that Sheriff Dan McCloud committed suicide is exploded. His uniformed body is accidentally found, shot twice and shoved into a trunk, which also contains his eldest son James’ class ring. Skeletons tumble from family closets in a small town where everyone seems to knows everyone else’s business as James, the family’s pride, returns home, and the legal investigation ensues. None of this is easy on James’ mom, junkie kid-brother Billy, or sister Celeste, now married to Cold Falls’ current sheriff, Nate, stepson of A. J., Sheriff Dan’s friend and partner. Twists, surprises, and cover-ups abound, as Ford reveals the truth about A. J. and Dan and the complex secrets linking their families, including substance abuse, forgery, rape, illegitimate birth—and yes, murder. The reappearance of A. J.’s daughter, Nancy, James’ high-school flame, brings new shock waves of revelation in Ford’s fast-moving yet thoughtful exploration of family love and the things we do in its name.'

I'm telling you this book has more plot twists and more murder suspects than you can keep up with. Which is really why the book reads like a thriller. I just couldn't put the book down.

Alternating between the book's present (the early 90s) and a retrospective look at the time of the suicide, the author slowly unfolds the complex plot and the "truth" of what happened with these two families. And in trademark Ford fashion he presents an indepth multi-dimensional cast of characters who all have flaws. There are a couple of villains, who are actually portrayed with some objectivity by Ford.

I highly recommend this book....and any of Michael Thomas Ford's books.

If you'd like to purchase the book, just click here. You can see some of the other titles by Mr. Ford as well.

DECCA: The letters of Jessica Mitford. My favorite read this year (so far)

I just finished this most amazing and EPIC book titled Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford. It is astonishing the scope of this woman's life.

Actually, if you're familiar, the scope of the entire Mitford family is remarkable. For those who haven't heard: the Mitford family, perhaps one of the most famous and infamous of last century, were the British aristocratic family of Baron Redesdale. He was the second Lord Redesdale. They had six daughters, Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica (Decca), Deborah (Debo) and one son, Tom. These children were all extraordinary individuals, the product of very eccentric, aristocratic parents, which they called "Farve" and "Muv".

Perhaps what makes the Mitford story so EPIC is that they truly represented the entire specturum of political beliefs of the 20th century. Muv, Unity and Diana were all very pro fascist, pro Hitler, pro Nazi. On the other hand, Decca was devoutly Communist. The children all came of age between the two world wars which perhaps explains their devotion to political ideologies. The first world war had left most of England with an imprint of the horrors of war and many of the upper class were pro-Fascist, primarily because of this fear of war and also their fear of the rise of communism. Fascism, before Hitler, was a political ideology that was fashionable.

If you look at the Mitford sisters, the family for that matter, you see a family that was ground zero, sort of one degree of separation to the most powerful individuals and events in the 20th century. This scope is unbelievable and Decca illustrates just one vast aspect that I was fairly unfamiliar with (still am although now I'd like to read a little more): Communism in the US.

I'll finish my little overview of the Mitfords and then talk about the book. Unity, was extremely pro-Hitler. She moved to Germany and was photographed in the world press often saluting Hitler or making anti-semetic or pro-Nazi remarks. It has been alluded that she was in love with Hitler and he certainly was attracted to Unity, who represented the ultimate Aryan idealyic female.


Unity's sister, Diana, was thought to be the most beautiful woman of her time. She married early into the aristocratic and extremely wealthy Guinness family. Diana and her husband, Brian, started the fashionable group that became known as "Bright Young Things." After a few years of marriage, however, Diana met and fell in love with well-known pro-fascism leader in the UK, Sir Oswald Mosley. Her subsequent divorce from Guinness scandalized society as well as a lengthy affair she had with Mosley, before they finally married. Diana and Unity often times were both photographed with Hitler in German and Muv became quite fond of the Fuhrer, as well. (Unity and Diana at left, Tom and Diana at below left)


On the day that WWII began, Unity shot herself in the head in a park in Germany, however, the wound was not fatal. Hitler eventually had her transported out of Germany back to her family. She was seriously impaired as a result of the gunshot and died several years later from complications.

Diana (at right) and her husband, Sir Oswald Mosley, were imprisoned most of the time during WWII because of their political affiliations with fascists and Hitler.

Decca, on the other hand scandalized society when she eloped, at the age of 19, with the equally young aristocratic, Esmond Romilly (see photo below), who was the nephew of Winston Churchill. Both went to Spain to help fight the civil war and were both passionate about Communism. They eventually moved to the US. At the outbreak of WWII Romilly joined the British military and was stationed in the UK and Decca stayed in the US with their child, Constancia. Esmond was shot down shortly thereafter leaving a very young widow and baby in a distant land.

Two other sisters were also to become equally as notable as Unity, Diana and Decca just not as scandalous. Nancy (at right), the oldest, went on to become a very respected and prolific writer. The youngest daughter, Debo, married Andrew Cavendish, (their wedding photo below) and upon the death of his brother and wife, Kathleen Kennedy (JFK's sister), succeeded as the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, inheriting perhaps one of the most beautiful private homes in the world, Chatsworth. Nancy and Debo were for the most part a-political. Or rather, they didn't represent the polarizing political opposites of their sisters and parents.

Tom died in the war. Pamela lived a long life but was perhaps the least famous of the siblings, although eccentric in her own unique way. Following a lengthy marriage to scientist Derek Jackson, she was rumored to prefer relationships with women for the rest of her life.

Interestingly, all of the sisters except for Pamela, became published and respected writers at varying stages of their later lives, although Nancy and Decca were perhaps the most noted.

I have read several books on the family, including my favorite book from 2008 with The Letters of the Mitford Sisters. I think having that background made reading Decca much easier. This is a large book and very complex. You might expect that description to mean "boring". Not at all. I was riveted to this book the entire time that it took to read. I usually am a very quick reader but this book took me a couple of weeks to complete. I truly would become immersed in it.

All of these sisters are remarkable, strong and unique woman, however, I have to say the Decca was truly the most compelling. To think that she left her family and eloped with her young husband, with the British navy following them and threatening her return. She refused to comply with her families request that she return home (made with cooperation of the British government). She and her new husband were in Spain reporting the civil war. She then moved to the US with her husband and found herself a very young widow in a foreign country. You would have expected that she immediately would have returned to the safety of the family fold.

She so despised her families political affiliations that she loathed the idea of returning home. And she made the very brave decision to forge a new life for herself and her young daughter in the US. She was passionate about one thing though: Communism and the abuse of the downtrodden in the world. This was a universal theme that ran through her long life. All of the girls tended to be attracted to very strong men, or as Muv once said, "Why do all my children fall in love with dictators" (thanks for the quote, Eddie Pattillo).

Each of these women were remarkably strong individuals in their own right but it seems the overwhelming tyranny of Lord Redesdale perhaps instilled in each of them a passionate rebellious streak and an affinity for men who were similar to their father.

Decca, like all of her sisters, received no formal education (they were all very well read however). She immediately determined as a new widow that she would need to acquire a skill. And so she went to typing school. She found work eventually with US government in DC. Eventually she relocated with her daughter, Constancia, to San Francisco, and was followed there by her suitor, the man who would become her second husband, Robert Treuhaft. He was a union attorney and, like Decca, was passionate about communism. They both joined the Communist Party and were subject to the McCarthy red scare hearings in the 50s.

Jessica and Robert also had a son, Benjamin. Nearing age 40, Decca started a period of introspection which was also marked with a return visit to her home of England after almost a twenty year absence. At the same time, Robert and Jessica both started to become disillusioned with the Communist Party, although not with communism itself. They quit the party, which for most of Decca's adult life had provided her with a full-time purpose.

She wrote a memoir which became quite famous. It was titled, Hons and Rebels (originally printed in US as Daughters and Rebels). This began the career which she became most notable for: as a journalist and writer.

Even though she turned to writing she remained a staunch advocate and defender of human rights, primarily black rights. She was heavily involved throughout the segregation battles in the South. Her husband, Bob, fought on behalf of many black people and communists who were jailed unfairly due to racism or the red scare. His role as a union lawyer caused him to be dubbed by McCarthy-ites as one of the most dangerous attorneys in the San Francisco bay area.

One of Treuhafts pet peeves was the funeral industry. This interest led Jessica to write her most famous book, The American Way of Death, which exposed the racket of the US funeral industry. It remains perhaps one of the most influential books of last century in terms of its powerful ability to transform an industry.

She wrote several other books, taught at several universities, wrote magazine and news articles and continued to fight for race issues throughout her life. She died in 1996.

This book, Decca, illustrates just how remarkable an individual Jessica Mitford was. Her most marked characteristics were her sense of humor, her fearlessness and her passionate belief in her principles. She became known as a muckraker and is perhaps the most famous and successful muckraker of all times. She has yet to have been eclipsed by anyone in this role.

I just cannot recommend this book enough. You will not believe the huge network of friends, colleagues and enemies (or as she called them "frenemies") that she developed. She was at times a very hard character and I suspect could be was quite a terrifying force if she were against you. She didn't seem to suffer fools gladly, one might say.

But she was always remained true to her families and friends, despite rather spectacular disagreements and feuds. Particularly between the sisters. Diana and Decca remained diametrically opposed politically and were estranged throughout the rest of their lives. Debo emerges as the familial leader (photo circa 1993, Jessica, Debo and Pamela, the only living sisters).

I read a couple of months ago, Pen Portraits, by Diana Mosley, which is a series of essays or profiles of several of the eccentric English characters she knew during her lifetime. It was a wonderful read as well.

I strongly suggest that you read The Mitfords: Letters between Six Sisters as well as an excellent biography, The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family by Mary S. Lovell.


You can order copies of Sisters at our online website: www.jmvintage.com. Just click here.

Next up in my Mitford reading will be Nancy's book of letters, followed by the collection of letters between Nancy and her good friend, Evelyn Waugh.



The Mitfords are another one of my little obsessions, like courtesans. I think anyone will see why.

Wonderful book-THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS with a gorgeous cover

I just finished one of the best books I've read this year. It is The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. The author is best known for his Charlie Parker-series of crime novels. I haven't read any of them as I must confess I'm not a big fan of that genre.

This is just a remarkably well-realized book. The book is about a young boy, David, who at 12 suffers the death of his mother to cancer. The novel is set in England in World War II. Although it is really a fairy tale or fable it is ultimately a coming of age/adolescent story and is the classic Odyssey in literature history.

David loves books. He loves reading (which of course is why I love this book...and the character). Following his mother's death, his father remarries. David cannot accept his new mother, Rose, and his new half-brother, George. (For fellow WE-philes reading this I am tempted to contact the author to find out if these names were deliberately used as oblique reference to David, King Edward VIII and the younger to whom he abdicated his throne, King George VI in 1936.)

David begins to suffer spells and is sent to a psychiatrist who is rather hopeless. Eventually David begins to hear all of his beloved books speaking to him. (Wouldn't that be fabulous....to hear nothing but your books talking to you). He also begins to have very strange visitations by odd creatures. One night the young boy goes out late at night to chase one of the visitors and finds himself falling through a rabbit hole so to speak. Only in the case of this book, David falls into a tree trunk and is transported to a other-land.

And so begins David's classic odyssey where he must face and defend himself from monsters, dragons, demons, wolves, witches, etc. Initially, he is befriended by "Woodman" and is rescued from the attack of half wolves/half men, who bedevil the lad throughout the novel. Woodman advises David that the only way that he can return home is to visit the King of this "other-land" (it has no name) who supposedly has a book that is very important, filled with "lost things" which perhaps has an answer for lost-David. David's journey to the king is so similar to Dorothy's journey to Oz to visit the wizard to return to Kansas (Woodman sort of reminded me of the Scarecrow or the Tin Man).

What is absolutely fascinating about the book and David's journey, and this fairy tale, is that along the way he encounters along the way other famous fairy tales of yore. Although slightly different, David encounters a witch who lives in a delicious tasting cottage. The witch lures children into the house and then boils and eats them (our hero David hears about a brother and sister). David encounters another strange character, a huntress, who takes children and splices them with animals (for example, one poor victim was a little girl who was spliced with the bottom half of a deer. The huntress by the way was somewhat evocative, for me, of the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk). All along the way though David must destroy these evil characters in order to continue on his journey to the castle where the king lives (there isn't a yellow brick road).

On his odyssey, David encounters other protagonists who help him face battles and occasionally save his life. One character is the a possibly-"gay" knight who arrives on a white horse. The boy is also abetted at one point by seven dwarfs who are Marxist and live in complete terror of a morbidly obese bitch shrew, Snow White.

Along the way David grows from a boy into a young man.

I won't spoil the story for you. You must read this book. Although it is a "fable" and deals with an adolescent, this is a very dark and adult novel which is quite graphically violent (although not gratuitously) and at times borders on "horror". So this isn't just a childrens book.

I wept frequently throughout the book. There are paragraphs of such astonishing beauty and wisdom that I found myself reading them over and over again. Perhaps my most favorite is at the beginning of the book. As David's mother is dying she shares with him as a gift, her love of reading:

"After school each day, he would sit by her bedside, sometimes talking with her if she was feeling strong enough, but at other times merely watching her sleep, counting ever labored, wheezing breath that emerged, willing her to remain with him. Often he would bring a book with him to read, and if his mother was awake and her head did not hurt too much, she would ask him to read aloud to her. She had books of her own--romances and mysteries and thick, black-garbed novels with tiny letters--but she preferred him to read to her as much older stories: myths and legends and fairy tales, stories of castles and quests and dangerous, talking animals......

Before she became ill, David's mother would often tell him that stories were alive. They weren't alive in the way that people were alive, or even dogs or cats. People were alive whether you chose to notice them or not, while dogs tended to make you notice them if they decided that you weren't paying them enough attention. Cats, meanwhile, were very good at pretending people didn't exist at all when it suited them, but that was another matter entirely.

Stories were different, though: they came alive in the telling. Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight beneath a blanket, they had no real existence in our world. They were like seeds in the beak of a bird, waiting to fall to earth, or the notes of a song laid out on a sheet, yearning for an instrument to bring their music into being. They lay dormant, hoping for the chance to emerge. Once someone started to read them, they could begin to change. They could take root in the imagination, and transform the reader. Stories wanted to be read, David's mother would whisper. They needed it. It was the reason they forced themselves from their world into ours. They wanted us to give them life."

Is that not just exquisitely beautiful prose? Enjoy this beautiful (it is a very dark beauty though) novel.

Just finished a GREAT book--I SURVIVED SWISS BOARDING SCHOOLS by Richard Rene Silvin

I just finished this remarkable book last night, weeping right up to the end. What a wonderful book about triumph despite extreme adversity. Richard Rene Silvin's excellent account of matriculation through the prestigious Swiss boarding school Le Rosey is remarkable not just because of issues Silvin faces (homophobia, sexual and physical abuse) but Silvin's ability to treat each of his (for the most part) perpetrators with compassion which they don't really deserve.

This book was a work of catharsis, I suspect. And yet it is a book about redemption and even perhaps forgiveness.

Silvin, the son of a wealthy father, is sent early (his aunt says too early) to La Clairiere, a Swiss boarding school in the early sixties, a holding place for the young lad until he attains the age that he can go to Le Rosey, in Gstaad. This first school is a nightmare, with the head master and his wife truly fiendish villains of Dickinsian proportions. Silvin is eventually removed from the school after suffering both physical and sexual abuse which leaves him scarred (after parents of boys from the school discover the extent of abuse that is going on).

Silvin's heartless father immediately starts the boy in Le Rosey following his departure at La Clairiere. It is a few months later that the father learns that Silvin is about to be expelled from the school because of poor grades. It seems that in addition to be on the receiving end of abuse at his previous school he also had received a limited education. Pere Silvin strikes a deal with the militaristic head master of Le Rosey, Monsieur Johannot, that if after returning from summer break the boy is able to pass all of his tests he will be allowed to stay at the school. Pere Silvin then sends Richard to daily tutorials during the summer and in his typical fashion returns the boy to his fate at Le Rosey with these parting words: "'I need not tell you that you have no options here. You will pass these tests. Think of the embarrassment you have been to me. So just stop causing all this trouble!' he exclaimed as we drove along the lake road from Geneva and approached Rolle." (the author is shown in this 1966 photo at left which is from Silvin's website).

What is remarkable about the young boy Silvin despite the bleakest odds and saddled with sizable emotional baggage, goes on not only to pass the tests but to succeed wildly at Le Rosey.


Le Rosey, located in the fashionable ski resort of Gstaad, is a Swiss boarding school for the children (boys only at the time that Silvin attended) of wealthy and/or famous parents from around the world. Its students and their parents, since 1880, have included royalty, billionaires, movie stars, captains of industry, politicians and diplomats. It is an interesting learning experience which is open to children from all cultures, which Silvin talks about in the book. Le Rosey's website today contains the following description: "A friendly international atmosphere where differences are respected, where daily life is shared between adults and youngsters in a family atmosphere, and where social life aims to build independence and self-reliance against the backdrop of a harmonious community." (Visit the Le Rosey's website: http://www.rosey.ch/en/htmlRosey/esprit.html.) Alas, this isn't the same philosophy that was wielded by Monsier Johannot during Silvin's stay at the school.


Le Rosey is the exact opposite experience from Silvin's previous school, La Clairiere. The boys have maid service, their clothes and shoes are cleaned, they are treated by the staff with the utmost respect. But the school, despite its opulence, has its own failings. And our hero, Silvin, triumphs even when faced with very unsupportive father and initially an unsupportive head master, Johannot. Silvin, who suffers sexual abuse from an older student who eventually outs the boy as a "fairy," finds himself faced again with possible expulsion because of the homophobic Johannot. Tragicially, Silvin is again punished by his father for circumstances far beyond his control (the older boy was the sexual predator, just as Silvin's lack of education when he enters Le Rosey was the result of his father's decision to send him to La Clairiere). Most people could never overcome such psychological and spiritual challenges.

But Richard does that and proves to himself, as well as his readers, that in the end he can win. I won't spoil the wonderful circumstances that occur and the various ways Silvin triumphs, but suffice it to say that the story is reminiscent of the film Chariots of Fire (the book, according to Silvin, has been described as: "Jane Eyre meets Chariots of Fire.")

Along the way you meet some of 20th century's most interesting figures: Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Rockefellers, the Shah of Iran, among just a few as Silvin and his fellow classmates grow into young men, amidst the rarefied world of the rich and powerful.

This is your classic "odyssey" as Silvin's lifelong friend and fellow classmate, Ahmed Yehia, writes on the book's back wrapper notes: "In world mythology, the archetype for greatness is the hero finding a way to extricate himself from the depths of abuse, despair, humiliation, etc. He challenges his monsters and comes out triumphant. This is as true of Ulysses as it is true of you [Silvin]."

In the end, though, I was astonished at Silvin's lack of bitterness or even retaliation to several villainous individuals. His triumphs are truly remarkable but what is most remarkable about the book is its authors ability to find a way to a better future.

Bravo! This book needs to be made into a film.

Read this great, uplifting and beautiful memoir!

For more information about the author, the book, or to order a copy visit: http://www.rrsilvin.com/. Silvin (shown below at his home in NC) is also the author of Walking the Rainbow: An Arc to Triumph, which is about the AIDS crisis in the 80's and 90's. Silvin lives in North Carolina and Palm Beach, Florida. He is currently writing another memoir titled Noblesse Oblige which is about his time as administrator at the American Hospital of Paris and his friendship with the Duchess of Windsor which will be published in 2010.



The photos above of Le Rosey are by Life Magazine © Time Inc., photography by Carlo Bavagnoli.

JULIE & JULIA -- it was one of my favorite books and now is one of my favorite movies

The Bug lady and I went to see JULIE & JULIA a couple of weeks ago. Another perfect example of a perfect book and a perfect movie. The book was one of my top 3 favorite books in 2007. I absolutely relished its humor (Also the fact that the heroine, Julie, says the word "fuck" a lot. I know that some might blanch at this word but it is one of my favorite words).

I was very eager to see the movie particularly of the goddess, la Streep! And the movie was just AS GOOD as the book I think because of the two actresses.

There were slight differences......I don't think that "Julie" in the movie was nearly as funny as in the book. I've even seen a few reviews that called her character "whiny". But I think Amy Adams is brilliant in the film. And the other GREAT thing about the movie are the two "J's" spouses. The actor who plays Julie's husband is a total hottie (Chris Messina). And Julia's husband, played by Stanley Tucci, is equally as appealing.

The film is just a wonderful confection and most notably Streep's version of Julia Child. This actress just never does anything but brilliant and this role illustrates this. She captures the essence of Julia Child without become a caricature, a very difficult mission because Julia Child was really WAS a caricature in real life.

I'm going to go see this movie again this weekend. It is, like Cheri (see my previous post about the movie Cheri starring another godesss Michelle Pfeiffer), just so nuanced and such a work of art that multiple viewings is essential.

But I'd suggest reading the book first. It will make the film a little more interesting, I think. The book has a lot of biographical material about Julie Childs but I think they incorporate much more in the movie.

Go see this film! and READ this book. You can order it at my website: www.jmvintage.com.

Here's the movie's trailer (see how totally cute and adorable Chris Messina is!)

A great book I just read THE HIGHEST TIDE--starfish, and remembrance of vacations past in Gulf Islands of British Columbia

That was a mouthful.

For some reason the last couple of weeks I've had Saltspring on the mind. Prolly (as daninokc says) because I just read this really great novel titled THE HIGHEST TIDE by Jim Lynch. It is a lovely tale of a quirky, unusual and special kid in Olympia WA who has a very special relationship with the small cove and the Puget Sound, where he lives.

The only regret I have is that this book was way too short. At 250 pages I read it almost without stop I was so captivated and caught up in its charm.

It is a coming of age novel which features Miles OMalley, a 13-year old boy who enters a life-changing summer:
Thirteen-year-old Miles O’Malley lives on Puget Sound and knows everything there is to know about the sea and its creatures. When he becomes the first person to sight a live giant squid he is hailed as some sort of prophet. The media descend and everyone wants to hear what Miles has to say. But Miles is just a self-described “increasingly horny, speed-reading thirteen-year-old insomniac” who’s in love with the girl next door and obsessed with the writings of Rachel Carson. While the sea continues to offer up surprises from its mysterious depths, Miles navigates the equally mysterious world of adults. Strange events continue over the summer, culminating in the highest tide in 100 years."

As Miles himself explains it: “People usually take decades to sort out their view of the universe, if they bother to sort at all. I did my sorting during one freakish summer in which I was ambushed by science, fame and suggestions of the divine ...” —Miles O’Malley

This truly beautiful story has the most interesting and multifaceted set of characters, most notably, the book's protagonist, Miles. When we begin the book we learn that Miles looks to most of the world as though he is 9 or 10 years old as his growth has been stunted. Which serves really as a metaphor for the book because by the time we come to the perfect end, Miles has grown figuratively and literally into a young man. What I think you appreciate most is the unique, very mature perspective that Miles has on the world.

I suppose that Miles also appealed to me because he is an insomniac and he reads voraciously. I suffer the same curse and passion, respectively. Mr. Lynch's first novel is truly remarkable and you should run out and get it immediately. You will not be disappointed.

Okay, so starfish. Oftentimes I will buy a book because the cover attracts me. Which was the case with THE HIGHEST TIDE. I loved the starfish on the cover in the tidal pool because it evokes very fond memories of vacations past that we've spent in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. For a guy who came from West Texas, experiencing British Columbia was an awakening indeed. On more than one of our previous vacations, Steve's nieces and nephews joined us when they were very young and we would all frolic and play in the ocean the way only young kids can (or rather were able to watch the young kid's frolicking).

For our vacations in BC we usually would rent a house for 2-3 weeks. Twice we stayed on Saltspring Island which is the most populous of the Canadian Gulf Islands and has the largest town, Ganges. All of the houses that we have rented were situated right on the water and the fun thing I discovered was the concept of a tide and tidal pools when we first visited the island. I also discovered and was charmed by starfish and all of the various colors they come in (I've always been attracted to colors): orange, blue, purple, red. When the tide comes out they are stranded in tidal pools or sometimes completely out of water. I remember being fascinated watching them and their slow movement. You could stare at them forever and it seemed they hadn't moved and then suddenly as if magic had occurred they would be in a different position. Really fascinating. We started collecting little starfish tchotchke's as a result when we traveled and have an assortment hanging on a wall in our kitchen.


Anyway, since we haven't had a vacation in a couple of years (alas, can anyone afford to do anything these days?) and I'm literally sick of the intense desert heat, I've been obsessing over our past Gulf Island vacations and so will "prolly" (as daninokc says....I just love his term for "probably") do a few postings on British Columbia because it truly is one of the most beautiful locations on the planet.

Someday, one of my "MEWANTS" (see my posting on MEWANTS) is to have a house in Gulf Islands. It really is the most idyllic getwaways. We've stayed now on two of the islands: Saltspring and Maine, and we've traveled to all of the others by ferry or boat. The interesting thing about the islands is that they all have varying ecosystems. I love Saltsping because it is a haven for artists, and we've always brought back wonderful treasures of pottery, paintings, and other perfect objet d'art.

The southern Gulf Islands, where we have vacationed, are located off the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. From Wikipedia:

The Gulf Islands are the islands in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The Gulf Islands are usually divided into two groups, the Southern and Northern Gulf Islands. The dividing line is approximately that formed by the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and the mouth of the Fraser River on the mainland. All the major islands are served by B.C. Ferries. The southern Gulf Islands include hundreds of islands and islets, and form part of an archipelago that also includes the San Juan Islands in the United States (separated by the Straits of Juan de Fuqa).

More about the wonderful Gulf Islands in upcoming posts but I'll leave you with some photos to admire of the area.

THE LOST PAINTING--Fantastic book about the quest for a lost CARAVAGGIO masterpiece (remember to click on photos to enlarge)

Just finished reading the most amazing book, The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr which chronicles the quest of several individuals to discover Caravaggio's lost painting "The Taking of Christ."

I could not put this book down. I read it completely in a day. This book was fantastic for so many reasons which I'll get to in just a second. But, first, I have to talk about Caravaggio, who is probably one of the most originally unusual artists. The story of Caravaggio, not just his life, but the history of Caravaggio is one of the greatest stories in art history. I should preface this by saying that I am not an art historian. I've never "studied" art. I read a biography titled, M, 3-4 years ago about Caravaggio and became fascinated, as I often do with things. I guess I'm attracted to beauty and Caravaggio's paintings are some of the most exquisitely beautiful works of art ever. I tend to also be attracted at times to bizarre or unconventional beauty or stories. Oft times Caravaggio's paintings are gruesome or unsettling. And his life story, or what little we know of it, was very unconventional. After all, he was a murderer and was thought to be crazy.

At the time I was reading M, a brilliant book by Peter Robb, I bought a couple of Caravaggio books that profiled his paintings to use as a reference while reading. And so, that launched my own little "study", if you will, of the painters oeuvre. Caravaggio is now considered to be, along with Michaelangelo, one of the greatest influences in the history of art. He is essentially credited for having influenced, or rather inspired modern painting. "Paul Valery's secretary, put it in a nutshell: 'In the aftermath of the Renaissance, what begins in the work of Caravaggio is, quite simply, modern painting.'" Caravaggio attracted numerous younger artists and thus started an influence which can be seen in the works of Delacroix, Gericault (who copied Caravaggio's Entombment before painting the Raft of the Medusa), Courbet and Manet. [Lambert, Gilles. Caravaggio, Taschen, 2004, Germany, p 8]

For me, Caravaggio's paintings are beautiful because of his use of light. His paintings are often almost photographic in quality when it comes to the use of light. And the subject of Harr's book, "The Taking of Christ," (1602) perhaps illustrates Caravaggio's genius about as well as any of his paintings.

National Gallery of Art/Associated Press

See! Caravaggio studied light the way Davinci studied human anatomy (among other things). I'm going to refer to Caravaggio as "M" for the rest of the post for brevity. M's paintings were also shockingly different at the time because he painted scenes with a dedication to reality not an idealized fantasy. He used prostitutes to portray the Virgin Mary. One "model" was a very successful courtesan in Rome (I am fascinated with courtesans in history....see my previous blog here: http://markgsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/06/dangerous-beauty-1998-movie-about.html). He could be gruesome....his paintings of beheadings left nothing at all to the imagination. But all of his paintings were quite realistic which I think was the appeal that he had for other painters. Before M, painters represented their subjects in the most idealized way. He was a brutally and intensely honest painter which I think is what makes his work so exceptionally beautiful.

In The Lost Painting, you'll learn that M was also a maverick and rebel because, unlike his predecessors and contemporaries, he did not do studies of his paintings before. He would create a work of art and edit it as he went along, rather than creating several "models" before. Another curious thing I learned in the book was that artists of the time didn't sign their works. So these "edits" if you will are the only signatures really to determine if a painting was actually done by M.

Here's one of my favorite of his works, the CardSharps (1594), which I think again illustrates M's mastery of lighting:

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX

Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica, Rome

And at left you see "Judith Beheading Holofernes" (c1598-1599). Pretty realistic, no? I wonder how many heads M had to cut off to perfect this technique.

His life was very short and not a very happy life, indeed. Most of what is known comes from public records of the time which is maybe the reason that the focus has always been on how crazy he was. After all, if one's biography was predicated simply on ones court and jail records you would know an awful lot about that aspect of a person's life but it wouldn't necessarily be very balanced. I won't go into much of a biographical sketch here, just some highlights so you can see why his story is compelling.....or at least why this one aspect of his history is as equally compelling as all the rest. (He was kind of cute, too). You'll get a great introduction to the personality of M, as we know it, in The Lost Painting. M lived from 1571-1610, 39 years. (Chalk portrait at right of Caravaggio by Ottatvio Leoni, c. 1621)

He lived in Rome from about 1600-1606 but after murdering a man with whom he'd played tennis (I don't know who won or lost the match but I believe the feud was about a bet), he fled and lived on the run in a number of Italian cities for the remainder of his life. In Rome, he became very successful and was "the most famous painter in Rome." He started out dirt poor but eventually won the patronage of very rich and powerful Vatican cardinals and wealthy Roman families. Recent books have theorized that M was "gay". He was frequently involved in altercations and street fights (one altercation had M throwing plates at a waiter in a restaurant). The exact circumstances of his death are sketchy but it has been suggested that he was murdered by any number of the people he had managed to piss off during his short lifetime.

Which brings me to the second, and perhaps more fascinating, aspect of M's history. Because of the controversial nature of his life and work he was literally erased from the history pages shortly after his death and for another 3 centuries he was completely, utterly unknown to the world. Isn't that amazing! It only goes to show that history is a very limited and subjective thing and usually only reflects the prejudices of those who are in power or have the upper hand in a vendetta (as was the case here as you'll learn if you read the book). So, this artist, ultimately was expunged from the record until the 1920's. His works of art were for the most part reassigned to other "acceptable" artists. This is such a powerful story because it illustrates just how nebulous and propaganda-ish and false that much of what we perceive as "history" really is. [Sort of like religion......how much of the Bible at this point is really anything more than just the prejudices and political motivations of every pope and religious (and MALE) leader for 2000 or so years...sorry for stepping on my soap box]

In the 1920's M was "discovered" and since that time his image and presence on the planet has been restored and has created an even more fascinating story. Which brings us, finally, to The Lost Painting. This book is written in a "reportage" style, but feels sometimes like a "thriller" novel. It is very spare but you just get so caught up in the subjects and their stories and their independent Quests, that it is riveting. It was reminiscent of Capote's (who is another one of my reading obsessions), In Cold Blood, albeit with a less chilling subject matter, but the same journalistic style of narration that also feels like a novel.

The book was written by Jonathan Harr who years ago had written a magazine article about the discovery of "The Taking of Christ." In his afterword, Harr explains that he had always had the intention of developing the article into a book. It took quite a while primarily because the author (and this was fascinating to me) decided that the only way he could effectively write such a book would be to learn Italian so that he could successfully interview the stories' major characters. Now that is commitment to excellence, in my opinion.

I don't want to spoil too much of the story because everyone who reads this blog MUST go read the book immediately. It is just too much fun, too great of a read to miss. "The Taking of Christ" "disappeared" and several Caravaggio art historians/scholars, some whom you'll meet in the book (principally Sir Denis Mahon, the greatest living expert on Caravaggio), had always had a passion to discover it. But there are three main sections of the book with three different "protaganists", if you will. The first, and perhaps most interesting, are two University of Rome graduate students, Francesca Cappelletti and Laura Testa, who inadvertently end up discovering all sorts of landmark facts regarding the missing painting. Their "quest" made me regret that I am not an historian by profession myself. Their detective work is some of the best aspects of the book.

The second "protaganist" is an art restorer named Sergio Benedetti, an Italian who works for the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. This story is equally compelling but perhaps adds another ingredient in this books potent mix of diverse themes. This is a darker story which illuminates the machinations of the art world even more acutely.

The denouemont assembles all of our various characters together in 1999 (who have been questing throughout the '90s), only to be followed by an interesting "twist", a continuation of the story in the 21st century and a third protaganist who only intensifies the Caravaggio legend and mystery, as far as I'm concerned.

This book is just a brilliant and wonderful mixture of intrigue, eccentric characters of the art world, travelogue, dastardly egos, ruthless ambition, detective/mystery work, devotion and dedication to passions, a once-powerful/wealthy noble Italian family, to name just a few. It also is a wonderful introduction not only to Caravaggio but the art world and art history, in general. It also features one of my favorite places in the world, Rome!

I mean it....I could not put it down until I finished it (262 pages). Go read the book and then go read more about Caravaggio and see all of his amazing genius.

I'll close with this quote from the NY Times book review of The Lost Painting which I think more eloquently sums it up (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/books/review/13handy.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1):

"It is this empathy for the passions of these scholars and artisans, Harr's respect for their dedication and his keen understanding of their workaday worlds - he clearly spent a lot of time with his subjects - that elevates The Lost Painting into something more provocative than just your average missing-Caravaggio narrative. A good thing, too, since the timing and circumstances of the discovery of "The Taking of Christ" deflate much of the book's suspense; halfway through, it's all over but the backfilling. Fortunately, the hunt for the canvas is a bit of a MacGuffin; the deeper mystery is the nature of capital-A art itself."

A couple of other thoughts.....the painting "The Taking of Christ" includes a self portrait of Caravaggio. He can be seen in the painting holding the lantern. The painting portrays Judas' kiss of Christ (I don't have a clue what this means) and the Roman soldiers who are coming to take Christ I assume to his crucification.

I used the following two books over the last few years of my intermittent fascination with Caravaggio and I recommend one or both, although I recognize there may be far more eminent papers for a true budding scholar of M.

Caravaggio by Gilles Lambert. Published by Taschen (originally 2000 and reprinted in 2004).



Caravaggio by Timothy Wilson-Smith. Published by Phaidon (reprint 2005).

Finally, I offer a couple of more examples of Caravaggio's genius and the beauty of his art which demonstrates that this man brought art, as we know it, into the light out of darkness. Which reflects the artist's own history throughout the centuries. (The last picture looks so contemporary....it looks like what could be a Johnny Depp movie poster, no?)

The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599-1600). Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome

Madonna di Loreto (c 1603-1605), Sant’Agostino, Rome

Medusa (1597)