Wretched Excess

Click on the title of this post to be transported to the personal library of Priceline.com owner, and all around rich-guy, Jay Walker.

Yes- I said it's his PERSONAL library. I'm serious. Click on the link and see what I'm talking about. Otherwise this post is just a bunch of blather and remarkably indistinct from my other post containing blather.

It makes me wonder what the personal library of other "famous for being famous" celebrities would look like? Can you imagine Paris Hilton's personal library? Nah, she would likely see it as a waste of closet space.

How about your own personal library?

My writing table sits next to a four-shelf bookcase with about 90 or more books crammed into it like subway riders. So what if Mr. Walker's library is "eclectic?" My library is eclectic...also. It features authors from a wide and diverse range of talents. All the way from Douglas Adams (The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) to Christopher Vogler (The Writer's Journey). There are a few Michael Connelly paperbacks, my coveted copy of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff (Signed! -by the guy who gave it to me. Thanks David!) and a near messianic volume which no one is allowed to touch; a hardbound copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. Also signed! ...by my Governor's School Drama coach.

My friend Kevin Sean Raper's first book, Elise Eingebildet is actually signed by the author, and so is my copy of SPLIT. Well, naturally. I wrote that one.
Oh, Okay. Fine. I was a contributing author.

There are also several Bibles and books on writing which, I admit, get more page turning time than my NIV. Some self-help books are taking up valuable space, and when I get time, I'll take a look at the one on procrastination. Stevenson's The Study of Human Nature sits right next to my college Psychology textbook, which I think cancels them both out nicely. And somehow, the last book in the Harry Potter series (The Deathly Hallows) has taken residence between my 1938 edition of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, and my 1929 edition of English Poetry and Prose of the Romantic Movement. Both tomes are beautifully aged and look like they could easily have come from the Hogwarts Library.
How appropriate.

Anyway- the point of this post was to point out that Mr. Walker has a damned fine library. Personal Library -that is.

I only hope that his beautiful treasures do not end up sitting in the long-forgotten darkness after Mr. Walker takes a sudden interest in model railroading.

Like any treasures stored on earth- they can't last forever.

BOOK REVIEW: Into that Good Night by Ron Rozelle

The world changes around us, but our memories are like dynamic imprints- preserved on a mysterious gossamer fabric in the mind. But if that fabric is disturbed by trauma or disease, memory can dissolve into wisps of smoke that filter through the searching grasp of our thoughts, and leave nothing but a residue of disconnected feelings and emotions.

In his memoir, Into That Good Night, Ron Rozelle illustrates that which is so difficult to explain, the tapestry of memory, and how it's gradual unraveling from the affects of Alzheimer's disease impacts the relationships of a father and son. However, the book is not so much about memory lost as much as it is about memory found.

Rozelle's own recollections of his journey through time are as touching and heartbreaking as the scenes depicting the gradual loss of his father's keen mind. Of particular note is Rozelle's account of racial issues in the early 1960's. This facet of the narrative strikes it's first bitter cord in a seemingly causal, but emotionally frustrating instance in the author's early years and interlaces throughout the story. The slow acceptance of integration in the small, East Texas town of Oakwood, where his father was Superintendant of Schools, appears to be a separate theme. But it honestly depicts how a potentially damaging culture shock was cushioned by one stoic, tolerant, principled man and only through memory is this made clear. Lester Rozelle's almost invisible methodic approach to the situation left not even a ripple in a process that could easily have left a wide gulf of ignorance and confusion, and had he been anything less than the man he was, then his son's memory of the events would have been tragically different.

Even as the author describes the slow progression into dementia, the static parts of his father's life- his fastidious manners, his genial, good-natured acceptance of even the most tragic circumstances, remain intact. At the end of the book you are aware, that even a quiet, humble life well lived is worthy of recollection and honor.

This is a powerful, well written memoir and after reading it, I am left with a bittersweet impression: the people and situations described within the pages are now part of my memory, and considering the subject matter, it is a sobering thought.

Highly recommended for anyone who is dealing with the loss of one or both parents, or the slow theft of cognizance by Alzheimer’s disease.

Book Review: The Windows of Heaven

Death by drowning contains it's own special horrors, but the death of an entire city, submerged under a fifteen foot storm surge is beyond description.
Well, almost.
Ron Rozelle manages to take you to Galveston, and place you in the middle of her busy streets, dangerous seaport wharehouses, and elegant Victorian mansions during the late summer of 1900. The many stories you will encounter are interesting enough to hold your attention, but since they are unified by one world changing event- the Great Storm of 1900- each one takes on a special significance, as death reaps it's bitter harvest across the island and life struggles for higher ground.
If you live on the Gulf Coast of Texas, then the storm is part of your history and heritage. Those who live outside the region have become familiar with the tale through such non-fiction books as Issac's Storm. Even though this tale is a fictional account, Mr. Rozelle has included enough real history in his pages to give a sense of depth to his characters and stories, most of which are interwoven from different points of view. This style allows you to deeply identify with each of the main characters, but it did leave me wanting to shout "get on with it!" during some of the middle chapters as stories overlapped.
By the end, I felt that I had my own personal window into the events of that tragic day, and I mourn for the loss of life that Mr. Rozelle clearly illustrates with his prose. The people of the island become so real to you that the next time the skies darken and thunder rattles your windows, you will be haunted by their memory.
This is a well researched story, and if you are going to visit Galveston, I reccomend picking up this book before you make the journey. Better than any travelouge, this novel will give you a sense of the history and geography of the island, and if you find someone crying as they stand on an umarked stretch of sand near the eastern shore - you'll know why.

..And you'll likely join them.