Monthly Archives: October 2022

BOOK REVIEW: The Closet, Vol. 1 by James Tynion IV

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The ClosetThe Closet by James Tynion IV
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

Release Date: October 18, 2022

The protagonist, Thom, is a stay-at-home dad whose four-year-old is having nightmares of a monster that resides in the closet and sits on his chest in the manner Fuseli’s “The Nightmare.” Thom is both someone that you want to shake and / or slap, and – yet, at the same time – he is every single one of us at some point in our lives. (i.e. He is completely overwhelmed and stuck in a fantasy that he can dig out from under the rubble of past mistakes and be born anew, and the fact that he can’t ever be free of the past and always has to deal with momentary reality just adds to his anger and frustration.) The thing is, Thom isn’t a bad guy, but you still want to slap him. That’s what I call excellent character development.

I don’t know where the overarching story is going, and don’t even know whether it’s truly speculative fiction or rather domestic realism, but I know it draws one in and is evocative.

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BOOK REVIEW: Slumber, Vol. 1 by Tyler Burton Smith

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Slumber, Volume 1Slumber, Volume 1 by Tyler Burton Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon.in Page

Release Date: October 18, 2022

Stetson is a “dream eater.” She makes her living by entering the dreaming mind of clients and “killing” their nightmares. When a series of mysterious and highly irregular murders happen in the real world, the police develop a hunch that Stetson might be involved, or – at a minimum – know something they don’t. And it soon becomes clear that it’s not just a job for her; there’s some sort of personal stakes or vendetta driving her.

I got hooked on this book. The art is colorful and fun and plays well with the imaginative and amusing dream world. The story was well-crafted and offered a satisfying and pleasurable read. If you’re into surreal speculative fiction that deals in dreams and nightmares, it’s worth looking into this book.

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The Bright Patch [Haiku]

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sunlight fires up
one patch of fall color
engulfed by shadelands

Monitor [Haiku]

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monitor lizard
trudges peppily for the
 cool morning hours

DAILY PHOTO: Bamboo & Daisies

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Taken in Bangkok in 2014

Jo-Ha-Kyū [Free Verse]

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Eye-to-Eye.

circling
&
jockeying for position,

playing with the distance
through subtle shifts,

then testing the distance,
engaging in exchanges

Thrust - Parry - Retreat - Repeat

moving faster,
the interval of exchanges 
ever shortening

then --
in one instant --

it's done.

Pumpkin Time [Haiku]

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Taken in Helen, GA in October of 2011
shades of orange
when paired with brisk air
put me in autumn mind

Sun Block [Haiku]

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a thick cloud
parks in front of the sun,
and says, “Not today!”

DAILY PHOTO: Gaganachukki Falls

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Taken in August of 2022 in Karnataka