Goodnight Steve McQueen

“If you liked High Fidelity, you’ll love Goodnight Steve McQueen.” – Sunday Times magazine (London)

This quote pasted on the book cover caught my attention not to mention Steve McQueen’s name on the title that might serve as a guarantee of an off-beat, cool story. I first saw this book two years back but was priced unreasonably high that I let it go. But now, I got it for a song.

"Goodnight Steve McQueen" by Louise Wener, a singer of a band and not just a pretty face, is not actually a story of THE Steve McQueen but a certain Danny McQueen borne out of his mother’s obsession with everything Steve that she even married a McQueen. Danny is a 29 year old band member who works in a video rental shop to make ends meet while waiting for that rock stardom.

The story transpired when his corporate girlfriend Alison gave him an ultimatum to shape up or ship out of the band if nothing substantial happens in the next six months. It was during these times when his rollercoaster journey of fate, luck (good and bad), and hard work to achieve his realization came into being. With his band mates and a cohort of interesting characters, Danny McQueen dove into that quest of finding his true self. The challenges and situations that affected his decisions are quirky bringing the story into its crazy end.

A book about music, band, and the pursuit of true love never fail to interest me. At the end of the day, it is all about love and pursuing what is really important to oneself. Goodnight Steve McQueen is a good book with lots of good odds and ends that will make the reader smile and feel good in the end.

All you need is love, so the Beatles says, and that I have to agree.

Flavor of the Week

Lovely. Flavor of the Week is just lovely. It brought back memories of first crush, first love, childish jealousy, and love’s redemption. I hit the jackpot when I got hold of this book by Tucker Shaw about a nice guy named Cyril who was described as chubby, if not downright fat. Girls in school loves him, as a friend, and that is bad news for would be playas. Not that nice guy Cyril dreams of being a playa but his greatest love, Rosie, feels that way towards him, a great pal.

There is however one thing that separates Cyril from the rest of the field. He is a very good cook who dreams of entering a prestigious culinary academy. But by some dumb predisposition, his character wants to keep his talent a secret. His bestfriend Nick used Cyril’s cooking prowess to the hilt to get Rosie with Cyril’s consent just because he feels he does not stand a chance with good pal Rosie, who I imagine looks like Lisa Loeb as described by the writer. And while Cyril knew that Rosie is crazy over boys who can cook, his shyness prevailed.

So Nick claimed the cooking shit that impressed Rosie and as a coup de grace, asked Cyril to prepare something really special for Rosie’s birthday, which Nick prayed to God, would be the time he gets to score with Rosie big time. But at the end of the day, God had plans for good old Cyril and Rosie. Not that Cyril went on and got a chance to score with Rosie or French kissed her or caressed her boobs like preparing bread dough. He won her heart then passed the entrance test of a famous culinary arts school. The story is so sweet like leche plan with plenty of syrupy sugar under the aluminum gallinera.

I am so hi-hi-hi (kilig) with the book because it is very easy to read and it is a love story. The inclusion of recipes and putting food and cooking as an integral part to the whole story added flavor to the romance. In the end, it is still the simple comfort food that defined what the girl is looking for. Like love, you must be comfortable with your partner, isn’t it? Hi-hi-hi.

I believe it is a YA book. YA is Young Adult, I think. A jargon used by book addicts. It is not Yarian Agad (YA) normally seen in triple x films. Hi hi hi.

Neverwhere

Browsing and organizing my pile of books, I came across a scratch paper with scribble of notes that I think was intended for my blog. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman - Read it late 2008 after immersing in Graveyard Notebook. - A parallel world of people in the same place at different times. - Reflective of people living in the margins or out of the margins of society. “Silang mga etsa-pwera” (term culled from a Jun Cruz Reyes book) - Street children, beggars, street vendors, prostitutes Then some words were written beneath the scribbles Autodidact – self taught. Vacuous – lack content. Fatuous - silly; dementia; imbecule; foolish

My Claim to Fame

Im with the Jun Cruz Reyes, one of my favorite writers in the whole world! His books molded my way of looking and appreciating things and events and concepts and shits. Shot taken during the launching of the book Oxymorons: Kung Paano Magsalita ang mga walang sinasabi on February 24, 2011 at the PUP campus. A wasak book and event by wasak peeps.

Romance in the new Year

Its the new year and what better way to start by reading a book. I somehow hibernated from reading during the yuletide season and focused on being with the family bonding and doing shit with the boys. So, to jump start my reading again, I got hold of a book from my mother's book pile and just started reading and reading and reading and saw the title after intense reading about a man who wants to hire an assistant to take care of his shit and stuff while he works hard for the money. hold your breath....the title, motherfuckers, is "The Bachelor's Stand-in Wife" by Susan Crosby, a writer who is sure to please, according to the cover of her book. It gloriously proclaim that it is a special edition book and is included in the Wife-for-hire series of Silhouette.

I checked out the blurb and found this:

Tycoon David Falcon needed a wife.

Not someone to actually marry, but a superefficient, multitasking woman who'd keep his household humming along smoothly. Single mother Valerie Sinclair seemed the ideal candidate. Until an evening out led to an unexpected kiss.

Organizing the businessman's hectic life was one thing. Wanting to share his life wasn't part of the deal. But once Valerie got a taste of being David's girlfriend - even for just one night - how could she go back to being his stand-in spouse?

Valerie Sinclair got the job and did her best to give her daughter a sense of stability in their otherwise free-flowing not so stable life (I get it that if you are not financially capable of maintaining some caprice in life, then life is indeed shit). David Falcon is sleek and sensible and responsible and good. A clean, rich man whose penis was even described briefly when he went skinny dipping in his pool while Valerie was peeping from her bathroom. But for the record, Valerie's boobs was also described as normal, not big nor small and can perfectly fit David's hand (from David's own measure when checking out Valerie from afar, before they screwed each other).

She worked perfect and even her daughter Hannah loved to stay in the place. Valerie's strong stance to deal with her problems by herself sent conflicting message to David who she loved but was afraid to show because of her past experience having screwed her mother's boss' son and was treated shabbily when she got pregnant. David was also afraid of committing because of his past experience when his parents divorced.

But a good fuck can make the world go round. The sexual tension between them was consummated when the man inserted his penis to the woman's vagina and they kissed. They did it (clap your hand motherfuckers! clap! clap! clap! But what is the sound of one hand clapping?) but initially relegated it as an act of two perfectly healthy individuals who wants to let go off some steam. But David the man did not sleep well one night and was enlightened by the fact that he really loved Valerie, his personal assistant (whom he already screwed a couple of times) and said that he wants to marry the woman. So he had some landscaping done in the garden as a sign of his love and they told Valerie's daughter that they will get married. That is all I remember. It is a love story from Silhouette. It is like Sweet Valley High, only the lead woman is not a virgin anymore because she already gave birth and they describe the sexual organs and shit in the book.

It is romantic. You can read it if you want.

this is not a book by norman

Mondo manila is one motherfucker film peeps in their wtf minds should not miss.

The characters were memorable and funny and nakasusulasok. Pato fucker, Tony Baby Jesus, the pole bean pregnant fucker Pablong Shoeshine (Palito), the pimp midget who does a mean breakdancing shit, and Baby Jesus' young brother who reminded me of my sons who are prone to abuses of the world. Preggy Maria was kalibog-libog in her sex scene with Palito while Whitney Tyson really brought crassness to new heights. It is very colorfully dark with the violence and grime mixed with the 'Looban' peeps. The film is just like the community where I live. I could be any of the freaks in the film trying to make life more livable.

The film finally gave me that push to read the mondomanila book of Norman Wilwayco. According to press releases, the film is a post modern version of 'Maynila sa mga kuko ng Liwanag' by Edgardo Reyes but is an adaptation of wilwayco's palanca winning book of the same title but is not a faithful adaptation of the book.


One thing that struck me though that is not even connected with the mondo film while watching the MFMF was that repetitive tag of 'this is not a film by khavn', 'this is not a film by khavn', 'this is not a film by khavn.' Big bold letters spelling out that tag that can somehow drive you sane after watching a film that was supposed to make you crazy. 'Death of the film' (pareho kaya ito sa ibig sabihin nung Barthes na Death of the author?) was mentioned during the opening of the MFMF but the hypnotic repetitive nametag made me sad. Why not fucking write mondomanila as 'this is not a book by iwa', 'this is not a book by iwa', 'this is not a book by iwa?'

This is not a blog by louis, this is not a blog by louis, this is not a blog by louis.

+ film, music

I know that there is a proliferation of movie review blogs and shit and there are real damn good reviewers like Rotten Tomatoes. But after watching two films in a row over four bottles of beer, it is apparent that I also like to start watching films and write something about it. So, I am adding in this supposed to be book blog anything about film, music, and things in between because I also like listening to music, and things in between that is why it will be so.

King Dork

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The Book I Read

Welcome.

It is all about books, I suppose, and some shite on the side.

I use to post blogs at

www.bookmongers.wordpress.com

but rather I put everything in one place, or site, or blog provider, or whatever term this space in time is called, for reasons I have not thought as of this writing.

I like to read books. It is very very happy. If not, then it is sad, maybe. I also sell books. If you like to buy, just write me your pleasure. I might have what you are looking for, books that is.



Here is the seminal band Talking Heads with their song, which I do not actually totally appreciate compared to their more famous songs, but is related to reading and books and shit, "The Book I Read."