tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26253525287046903572024-03-13T18:46:09.339-07:00Thoughts with Nowhere Else to GoBy Al RiskeAl Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-14234866993475386602022-01-27T11:56:00.002-08:002022-01-27T11:56:42.286-08:00Tight, Simple, and Elegant Prose<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrUBFsxAtUpME-dV7GdzVXZfdh3ah_TkyPE_JPoMjONE-a2bNW1jImow2piu6p6H3UNxBdrX5ld0dL-3qVklejiQOux_AR9yxtdSEkpFXLELStQ-x_99H4jbfkP9cFxGF286H9TZouMArA2SufF7dqVxCc3CCCWjJMzH75M5L-sKqpZf-6lo7mn7QR=s3024" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhrUBFsxAtUpME-dV7GdzVXZfdh3ah_TkyPE_JPoMjONE-a2bNW1jImow2piu6p6H3UNxBdrX5ld0dL-3qVklejiQOux_AR9yxtdSEkpFXLELStQ-x_99H4jbfkP9cFxGF286H9TZouMArA2SufF7dqVxCc3CCCWjJMzH75M5L-sKqpZf-6lo7mn7QR=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">In</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>Combustible</i>, we get to enjoy everything there is to love about Al Riske’s work. Tight, simple and elegant prose that cuts to the heart of the story (and its deeper essence). Friendships stretched and tested with the development of a new dynamic. Lives on the brink of transformation. Real people trying to make sense of their lives.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pages that fly before you.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An ending you never could expect.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I loved this book.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">— Greg Bardsley, author of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cash-Out-Novel-Greg-Bardsley/dp/0062127713">Cash Out</a></i></span></p><div id="atatags-370373-61da1373bbf87" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div data-adtags-width="507" id="atatags-26942-61da1373bbfcb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div><div class="sharedaddy sd-like-enabled sd-sharing-enabled" id="jp-post-flair" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; padding: 0.5em 0px 0px;"><div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); clear: both; color: #333333; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></div></div>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-66653189776357091962021-05-16T11:34:00.005-07:002024-01-03T11:18:17.554-08:00Coming of age ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><em style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;">"Combustible</em><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: left;"> is a wonderful story ... The author did a great job of bringing each character to life ... I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light read with a satisfying plot and interesting characters." </span></div><p class="p1" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">—</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> Kristi Elizabeth,</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/combustible/" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">San Francisco Book Review</a></i></p><p class="p1" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094T535QM?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-align: center;" target="_blank">ORDER TODAY</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-30391243631226247482021-02-09T10:42:00.003-08:002021-03-07T12:49:35.979-08:00Imagery<p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Barefoot girl in a backless dress</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Streetlights on wet pavement</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">The shadow of a small plane flickers</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">across the contours of the grassy shoreline</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Long-haired boys and short-haired girls</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">A blue Adirondack chair by itself on the lawn</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Wind-blown palms<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>through mosquito netting</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Red flowers on a black background</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">The smell of chlorine and Coppertone</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">A big-breasted blonde in a black bikini</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Passenger jet streaking over black hills in a twilight sky</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">A white blouse with black buttons</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Red sweater in a black-and-white world</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Eyelashes wasted on a boy</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;">Cliche curtains ruffled by a lacy breeze</span></p>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-90272397535118905402019-06-24T11:05:00.001-07:002021-02-09T10:49:08.379-08:00Three in One<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv8I8mrwyt2lR7NQ1zQ58nRt07p7P-Ndm4zBQ6Khqnv-WDR5dLPz5HFz7rQ9wa7-qEsc8aLfZZiqRiwwPCcJOWJwGFt5jTgGO1PH_ucARhOvWo65WLXuQE21AVqS2Z0SGVgScl_qc8Es/s1600/Together.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv8I8mrwyt2lR7NQ1zQ58nRt07p7P-Ndm4zBQ6Khqnv-WDR5dLPz5HFz7rQ9wa7-qEsc8aLfZZiqRiwwPCcJOWJwGFt5jTgGO1PH_ucARhOvWo65WLXuQE21AVqS2Z0SGVgScl_qc8Es/s320/Together.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This three-in-one volume, now available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1096783207?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, contains the following novels by yours truly:</span><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sabrina's
Window </span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On a chilly morning in Taos, New Mexico, a 17-year-old paperboy
breaks the window of a 31-year-old hair stylist — an accident that marks
the beginning of an instant, inexplicable bond between them. In the
course of one high-desert summer, Joshua and Sabrina share confidences,
intercede in each other’s love lives, go on a date that scandalizes the
town, and confront questions of fidelity, desire, and the nature of
love. </span><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Possibility of Snow </span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This story traces a once promising
friendship between college roommates in New England. Steve is eccentric,
slightly paranoid, and too perceptive for his own good. He knows the
difference between what people say and what they do. Neil is reflective,
sincere, and not as together as he seems. There’s not much he’s sure of
anymore. They know each other very well and understand each other not
at all. </span><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then We’d Be Happy </span></i></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In this Silicon Valley tale, lower middle-class
friends try to fashion futures out of whatever opportunities they can
find. Opportunities to make money. Opportunities to be together.
Opportunities that fall apart. Opportunities that must be put back
together, no matter what.</span>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-38593105629303633102018-12-02T13:06:00.000-08:002018-12-05T14:53:17.937-08:00Dylan at Work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrox9HpcQcY9srYnLUc7eRO6lNBdSnL4e3FuLEXcdNGrm5KNi5TKsfXbc5Q62ZMgiwmHzojBVF1P668UJ43GCx1P8pehVgvcXos6J3JWBRh9RxEd3JfEP7DHO327U8R90PbBIDAJg-0s/s1600/dylan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcrox9HpcQcY9srYnLUc7eRO6lNBdSnL4e3FuLEXcdNGrm5KNi5TKsfXbc5Q62ZMgiwmHzojBVF1P668UJ43GCx1P8pehVgvcXos6J3JWBRh9RxEd3JfEP7DHO327U8R90PbBIDAJg-0s/s1600/dylan.jpg" /></a></div>
<i>More Blood, More Tracks</i> is a revelation.<br />
<br />
The limited edition boxed set invites us to follow the evolution of a masterpiece — <i>Blood on the Tracks</i> — from the first tracks Dylan recorded with just his guitar and harmonica in New York to those he laid down with a rollicking band in Minneapolis three months later.<br />
<br />
The six discs in this remarkable collection include, in chronological order, all 87 takes that have survived (82 from New York and five from Minneapolis).<br />
<br />
Along the way we get to witness the many ways in which Dylan experimented with the pacing and phrasing of each song — the results often brilliant but in different ways.<br />
<br />
The New York sessions ended in what everyone thought was a finished album — indeed copies were circulated to reviewers — but Dylan was having second thoughts. Rightly so, as it turned out. The five tracks from Minneapolis, essentially recorded live in the studio at the end of 1974, boost the energy level of the whole enterprise.<br />
<br />
Without them, <i>Blood on the Tracks</i> would still be a great album, but not the masterpiece it became.
<br />
<br />
The delay also gave Dylan time to further refine his lyrics. Consider, for example, "If You See Her, Say Hello."<br />
<br />
In New York, he sings: "I knew it had to be that way. It was written in the cards. But the bitter taste still lingers on. It all came down so hard."<br />
<br />
On the final version, he sings: "Whatever makes her happy, I won't stand in the way, though the bitter taste still lingers on from the night I tried to make her stay."<br />
<br />
Much better, right?
Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-57639272014038303872018-10-06T10:27:00.001-07:002018-10-06T11:38:22.682-07:00Rave on, James Frey<div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img alt="Katerina by [Frey, James]" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31-FMR5aj3L.jpg" width="135" /></div>
I was hoping that <i>Katerina</i> would mark a return to form for James Frey, whose books had, in my estimation, gone steadily downhill since <i>A Million Little Pieces.</i> I started reading and I thought it was, wasn't, was, wasn't, was.<br />
<br />
As I turned the pages, the narrator's bad-boy bravado quickly wore thin. Likewise his distain for ordinary workaday life and his burn-it-down posturing. Through it all, his insecurity and self-loathing came shining through. He couldn't hide it and didn't try.<br />
<br />
Even as he worshiped excess, intensity, and passion, he yearned for peace. His grandiose ambitions belied his longing for domestic bliss.<br />
<br />
Of course <i>Katerina,</i> a novel named for a woman, is at its core a love story. Both Frey and his narrator (who he pointedly intertwines) are romantics. But then so am I, and it's the love story that makes the book, despite its many glaring faults, worth reading.<br />
<br />
I both loved and hated it.Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-7497234247521590132018-09-07T14:54:00.000-07:002019-06-05T15:43:00.190-07:00End of an EraSadly, Luminis Books is no more. The publisher of "Meaningful Books that Entertain" has closed up shop. This was the outfit that brought you <i>Precarious, Sabrina's Window, The Possibility of Snow, </i>and<i> Then We'd Be Happy. </i>It was, I think, a bold and noble venture, and I will always be grateful to Luminis for making my writing available to readers across the country and beyond.Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-25886021634204641162018-07-30T09:14:00.002-07:002021-03-11T15:36:28.000-08:00The we in Tumbleweed<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlvOK1OKGVPOVADOUc71ZIWj7ELgHAp4ScrCK8rLt8sPdY2QprdOSeVF_kwvuPYfQljemjoRv3C4_QxIzsc6X-u25G-RhyphenhyphengEZGt4Du96NfeLX43Onzkfgk52RHpCOsST-rV4cM1qnREo/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSlvOK1OKGVPOVADOUc71ZIWj7ELgHAp4ScrCK8rLt8sPdY2QprdOSeVF_kwvuPYfQljemjoRv3C4_QxIzsc6X-u25G-RhyphenhyphengEZGt4Du96NfeLX43Onzkfgk52RHpCOsST-rV4cM1qnREo/s200/IMG_3040.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Leland Zaitz</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">To the girl born with a pack on her back:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Entwine your pulled-up roots with mine</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll turn ourselves into a tumbleweed</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And ride the wind wherever it takes us</span></div>
Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-58499403276644258852018-07-11T15:36:00.000-07:002018-08-11T12:30:57.700-07:00My (One) Time as a Foreign Correspondent<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Found this dispatch among some old papers in my office at home ... published in my college newspaper back in January of 1976.</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Middle East contrast: faith breads violence </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">BY AL RISKE</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">JERUSALEM - </span>Everyone was silent when Dr. Gordon Frazee’s “New Testament Land Seminar” drove to Portland Airport, Jan. 7. We were like reservoirs waiting to receive the flow. Besides, it was 5 a.m. and no one is talkative at that hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our bird’s-eye view of the continental United States is mostly undercast. Clouds or snow, all we is white. The Minnesota farmland looks like a white quilt; cities look more like maps than the real thing—those black-and-white things on gas station walls.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We fly out of New York without seeing anything outside of Kennedy Airport. Six hours later, the sun poking its Kilroy nose over the Atlantic horizon means we’re nearing London. I’d like to come back when I can see more than the airport lounge.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first I see of the Promised Land is a stand of cypress trees on the plains of Israel’s only airport, Ben Gurion. From there, our tour group boards a bus for the hour and a half drive to Jerusalem. The driver is introduced as “Moses.” Dan Rasmussen pipes up, “Okay, Moses, let’s see you part traffic.” And so it begins.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Night blankets the city and we bed down at the Eyal Hotel without much idea where we are, having been shuffled from airport to airport to bus. In the morning I walk into Zion Square with the feeling I could hop in a VW and drive to McMinnville. The weather is Southern California.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex, the tour guide, leads his disciples through the Old City. Everything looks older than it is, made of desert-colored stone. Rebuilding is underway around every corner of the narrow streets. Alex says the new is being blended with the old. What can be restored, will be. New buildings combine modern touches with the basic style of the past. (“There is some religious symbolism in there somewhere,” says one of the students.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jerusalem looks war torn. All kinds of buildings, from banks to hospitals, are bullet-riddled, fallen bricks clutter the street, here and there green-clad men carry machine guns. At various gates, our bags are checked. Put it all together and the visitor can see why the Jewish idea of heaven is “Shalom” or peace.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the end of the day, tour members have a hard time listing all the places visited. Some stand out. At the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we see the traditional site of Christ’s burial. Dan Rasmussen says it can’t be the real site—not enough headroom. “Imagine Jesus rising from the dead,” he says, “and bumping his head.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex is careful to point out that no one can be sure of exact locations, only approximate ones. Even then, some are based on misinformation. “But religiously it makes little difference,” says the young Jew with the English accent. “It’s a symbol.”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In a land rich with religious history and symbolism, the seminar students can hardly assimilate all the information. Even so, some time is left for “personal exploration and discovery,” as the itinerary puts it. The time is spent wisely … shopping at the Arab markets. Or not so wisely, depending on your skill at bartering.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Packing souvenirs in her backpack, Debbie Watson pulls out a beautiful, patterned brown scarf.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Where did you get that?” asks Dave Massey, thinking of getting one as a gift.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Nordstrom’s in Portland,” she laughs.
</span></span>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-67538070675606296042018-06-12T09:19:00.000-07:002018-07-09T08:50:04.356-07:00All Systems Go<span style="font-family: inherit;">Update from today’s followup with my cardiologist: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">All systems go. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coffee in the morning? OK. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Beer or wine with dinner? OK. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yoga tonight? Yes. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In short, life is returning to normal.</span>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-27850435531871104922018-06-04T09:00:00.000-07:002018-07-07T09:21:04.590-07:00What a Weekend<span style="font-family: inherit;">I woke up at 5 a.m. Friday with what felt to me like maybe heartburn. Never had that, though. Pain got bad enough that I nearly threw up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Went to ER around 7. EKG ... chest X-ray ... blood work ... everything looked normal. But by then the pain was coming in waves. I could feel it coming on, intensifying, then vanishing. All in the absence of any doctor or nurse in the room at the time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Finally a nurse and then a doctor saw what I was going through. But they still could not be sure: was it cardio or gastro? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">My body didn’t respond to morphine or nitro. It should have. But everyone is different. Lucky for me someone decided to try a drug usually prescribed for anxiety. No more pain.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Subsequent blood tests began to show more and more of an enzyme associated with heart attacks. So they admitted me to the hospital for overnight observation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Imaging test the next day showed several severe blockages, and the doctor was ready with stents—four in all—which he immediately inserted, going up through my wrist to my heart. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Took a long time, though, and I was getting claustrophobic toward the end. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So glad it’s over now. Back home, feeling very good. Very blessed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Could use a beer, though that may not go well with all my new medications.
</span>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-35235469766425163112018-04-29T15:12:00.000-07:002018-07-07T10:16:43.821-07:00Ubiquitous<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Great cappuccino at Caffe Nero, the Italian Coffee Co., which, it turns out, has locations all over London <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span> like Starbucks in the States. Served in real cups, with saucers, by the way.<br />
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Then a long stroll along Piccadilly with the wind nipping at our noses. Love all the old brick buildings. It's still early so nothing much is open. But there's lots of traffic <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span> both cars and people.<br />
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The highlight of our walk is the garden outside St. James's Church (where there is another Caffe Nero).<br />
<br />Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-64812757345983402602018-04-28T14:30:00.000-07:002018-07-06T15:08:41.884-07:00Walking in Mayfair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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London. Bitter cold. No rain, though.<br />
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It's been 14 hours since we left our home in Sunnyvale. More, now that we've ordered room service: pizza, beer, a banana-raspberry smoothie, and chocolate peanut cake.<br />
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We're staying at the Sheraton Grand Park Lane Hotel. Tiny room. No view. I've turned up the heat but nothing is happening.<br />
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Finally we go out where it is much colder and walk around snapping pics of double-decker buses and red phone boxes plastered with pictures of half-naked girls advertising their services.<br />
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Once we get off Piccadilly, we notice nifty little places to eat. Lots of them. Places we should have gone for dinner and will tomorrow.<br />
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In fact, we plan to go back to a cute little Italian place, a corner cafe, for <i>due cappuccini</i> in the morning.Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-39980311328655778632017-11-30T08:51:00.001-08:002018-04-26T10:40:28.825-07:00No Matter What<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-10109071388195909942017-10-12T11:17:00.001-07:002018-04-26T10:42:12.083-07:00When Characters Come AliveI had more fun writing <i>Then We'd Be Happy</i> than anything I've done before. The characters came alive for me and now seem like real friends. They are energetic, funny, insightful, and face life's challenges with the same confusion and frustration we all feel. They have their faults, as you will see, but I can't help loving them all.Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-21667562368448531832017-09-23T09:07:00.000-07:002018-02-01T11:42:47.254-08:00Refreshingly Unorthodox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first review of my new novel, <i>Then We'd Be Happy,</i> is outstanding:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">“A refreshingly unorthodox tale of <span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">the challenges facing modern, lower-middle-class 20-somethings.” </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">— </span><i><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/al-riske/then-wed-be-happy/">Kirkus Reviews</a></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Preorder now from </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Then-Wed-Be-Happy-Riske/dp/1495627594" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Amazon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/then-wed-be-happy-al-riske/1126060340?ean=9781495627590" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Barnes & Noble</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, or </span><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781495627590" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">IndieBound</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">.</span><br />
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Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-20091461807025525172016-12-15T07:13:00.000-08:002018-07-09T09:01:39.409-07:00A Voice We Won't Hear Again<div class="graf graf--p graf-after--h3" id="c536" name="c536" style="--baseline-multiplier: 0.17; background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.84); letter-spacing: -0.003em; line-height: 1.58; margin-top: 10px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan, Sandra, Me, and Joanne</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sandra touched people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">If you were talking to her, she might reach over and touch your arm to let you know she got your joke or felt your pain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">You could open up to her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She was warm and tenderhearted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">Also stubborn and fiery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She cared about fairness. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She cared about people who needed a second chance. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">Like she did. Like we all do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She made mistakes but learned from them and did her best not to repeat them. She learned to stand up for herself, though sometimes her courage failed her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She hated being taken advantage of or stolen from. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">There was no need for that. All you had to do was ask.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She let you know she loved you in spite of your faults. Maybe even because of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">She liked to drink and gamble, dance and sing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">I loved her voice. Not just the singing. The way she talked. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">It was a sweet voice that suited her perfectly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">I won’t hear that voice again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.003em;">But I will hold Sandra in my heart forever.</span></div>
Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-20953230702973253322016-11-26T11:15:00.001-08:002016-11-26T11:23:05.503-08:00Fasten Your Seatbelt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">Greg Bardsley's new novel is a madcap race against time and conflicting priorities in California's go-go Silicon Valley</span>—<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: merriweather, georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">a raucous parody of the valley's twisted family and corporate values.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;">I'm telling you, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;">this guy has style. And a wicked imagination. And nobody has more fun with a story than Greg does.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-66478805028137226542015-07-21T09:45:00.003-07:002018-07-09T13:25:12.508-07:00Blog Tour: The Possibility of Snow<i>The Possibility of Snow</i> has been making the rounds. Here's what book bloggers are saying:<br />
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“In the end, you may feel both a sense of loss and peace, but also anger. Whatever your reaction to this work, it will be visceral.” </div>
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— Naomi Leadbeater, <a href="https://naimeless.wordpress.com/2015/07/06/the-possibility-of-snow-in-july/">Naimeless</a></div>
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“I loved the story and the way it was handled ... this was an honest, real, emotional and very well written book.” </div>
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— Bri Wignall, <a href="http://www.naturalbri.com/posssnow/">NaturalBri</a><br />
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<i> “The Possibility of Snow</i> reminds us what it is like to develop a new relationship and all of the emotions involved. [It] keeps you turning the pages as Al Riske pushes the limits with the friendship of these two characters.” </div>
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— Rachel Rennie, <a href="http://rachelrennie.weebly.com/rachels-blog/the-possibility-of-snow-by-al-riske-a-book-review">Rachel's Blog </a><br />
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“The author does a great job of showing the boundaries of new friendships and what happens when those boundaries are crossed.” </div>
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— K.M. Hodge, <a href="http://kmhodgeauthor.blogspot.com/2015/07/in-review-possibility-of-snow-by-al.html">In Review</a></div>
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“The ending blew me away! This book will challenge the way you think.”</div>
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— Avid book reader, <a href="http://snow%20http//grannylovestoread.blogspot.ca/2015/07/review-givewaway-possibility-of-snow-by.html">Granny Loves to Read</a></div>
Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-46283415909562111262015-03-20T08:44:00.000-07:002018-07-09T13:23:27.250-07:00The Limits of Belief and Forgiveness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I look back, I see that I've often written about missteps and misunderstands, crossed signals and bad timing, usually between men and women. In <i>The Possibility of Snow, </i>it's two guys. </div>
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<span class="s1">They become friends and then, well, not.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Big deal, right? Guys tend to become friends almost by accident—some combination of shared circumstances and sensibilities—and drift apart as easily as they came together.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The central characters in <i>The Possibility of Snow, </i>Steve and Neil, meet in college, where, away from home for the first time, guys find themselves in need of new friends as never before (and perhaps never again, not with the same urgency).</span></div>
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<span class="s1">It's also the place and time in which we are all looking to define ourselves, to decide what and who we want to be.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The combination of similarities and differences that bring Steve and Neil together makes it hard for them to either stay friends or simply go their separate ways. Each is unlike anyone the other has ever known. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">To me, that dynamic proved fascinating, mystifying, and ultimately unsettling.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Through their story, I found myself exploring the limits of loyalty, compassion, belief, and forgiveness. </span></div>
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See what you think.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Possibility-Snow-Al-Riske/dp/1941311512/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" style="background-color: white; color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;">AMAZON</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-possibility-of-snow-al-riske/1120616207?ean=9781941311516" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781941311523" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;">INDIEBOUND</a></span></div>
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Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-75533964968540944652015-03-09T16:39:00.000-07:002018-07-06T15:13:25.808-07:00Dust-jacket Preview<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeOAgBg2_WJinYuKPnJ5N94NQvOteFYDjVIe9ulwhOyJINHE8RSpt0m_UJl9h42fLojYQIsX1wYl7wU5pSgxntMQ7MscMZKZhJzdAXAEvfvzGZizPb2AJ6snoNmtC6mXVLUh0UiEf3s0/s1600/dust+jacket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeOAgBg2_WJinYuKPnJ5N94NQvOteFYDjVIe9ulwhOyJINHE8RSpt0m_UJl9h42fLojYQIsX1wYl7wU5pSgxntMQ7MscMZKZhJzdAXAEvfvzGZizPb2AJ6snoNmtC6mXVLUh0UiEf3s0/s1600/dust+jacket.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally thrilled with the design of the dust jacket to my first hardcover novel, coming May 1 from Luminis Books. <b>Click to enlarge.</b></td></tr>
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<br />Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-41242308776091728522014-10-20T08:47:00.000-07:002018-07-09T10:47:33.783-07:00A Moveable Feast<div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been reading the Additional Paris Sketches in the restored edition and the Forward and the Introduction by Hemingway's son and grandson, Patrick and Sean, respectively.</span><br />
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It's easy to see why the additional sketches were not included before. They're not very good. It's also easy to see why they are included now. They're still pretty interesting even if they're not very good. The really interesting part, though, is comparing edited stories with restored versions: what was gained or lost or regained.</span></div>
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Usually both versions are good in different ways and it's hard to say which is better.</span></div>
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The Fragments included at the end are quite sad, showing Hemingway's repeated attempts to write an introduction to the book. (The previously published introduction was apparently fabricated by Mary Hemingway, his wife at the time.) Though each attempt contains some spark, all in the end fail miserably.</span></div>
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Though people persist in referring to <i>A Moveable Feast</i> as a memoir, Hemingway clearly considered it a work of fiction, saying: "All remembrance of things past is fiction."</span></div>
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Perhaps it should go without saying that memoir is simply a genre of fiction.</span></div>
Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-85768348820740021152014-03-19T11:16:00.000-07:002018-07-10T08:51:50.372-07:00Blog Tour: Sabrina's Window<span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's what book bloggers have been saying about <i>Sabrina's Window:</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Each character in this lively novel has personality that jumps off the written page. Most are likable, but a few are irritating, as in the real world...</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">. From beginning to end, each main character takes something away from the other and a sense of calm is restored in each soul. I enjoyed <i>Sabrina's Window</i> immensely."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span> <a href="http://www.allmylivesnow.com/2014/03/sabrinas-window-review-giveaway.html">All My Lives Now</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2d2d2d; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">I knew from the first page that I was going to enjoy Al Riske’s writing style. It’s clean, uncluttered and without unnecessary drama. His characters are real, whole people with the usual assortment of insecurities and vulnerabilities (except for scene-stealing </span><st1:place style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;" w:st="on">Tara</st1:place><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"> with her big boobs and bigger mouth). The dialogue is excellent and sizzles in all the right places."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="http://lakefrontmuse.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-great-read-but-what-happened-to.html?spref=fb">Lakefront Muse</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;">Adolescent love, confusion and the weight of the world are just a few of the ideas explored in this intimate tale.... If I had children struggling with similar issues, I would probably discreetly leave a copy of this lying around and see what happened."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 23.799999237060547px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="http://naimeless.wordpress.com/2014/03/05/open-up-with-sabrinas-window/">Naimeless</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"Every chapter brought new revelations into each character and what drove them. It was a richly woven tapestry of everyday life, as beautiful and striking as the desert backdrop it took place in.... I found myself thinking about the relationships long after I had put the book down."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="http://www.beccab8.blogspot.com/2014/03/novel-publicity-blog-tour-sabrinas.html">My Life with Books and Boys</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"<span style="line-height: 18px;">A sweet and heart-warming coming-of-age story, <i>Sabrina’s Window </i>is one of those books that will make you want to read it over and over again. Al Riske immerses us in the life of young Joshua, a boy who’s unexpected circumstances draw his life in directions he never thought it would take. Sabrina might be older than him, but she lends their friendship a profound warmth and strength that endures through every turn of the page."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: right;">—</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><a href="http://www.simplistik.org/lissetteemanning/review-sabrinas-window-al-riske">Lissette E. Manning</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "trebuchet" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.600000381469727px;"><br /></span>Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-46287322224702414292013-12-31T16:21:00.000-08:002018-07-07T10:26:23.592-07:00Tribute to the Old Man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOTyNowIGWip9tdbJm2fQWbi2_ah5n6qfxAUGFcp6unC7lBnP-jY79kIbxT_VW2t1AaXV7uaX62_bnOI2jMYXxlykemiBzPca7pDDnAd4ljUiJQGgNZOja4i_SjfMX9Ic7b7s4yfTZ8c/s1600/ACJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOTyNowIGWip9tdbJm2fQWbi2_ah5n6qfxAUGFcp6unC7lBnP-jY79kIbxT_VW2t1AaXV7uaX62_bnOI2jMYXxlykemiBzPca7pDDnAd4ljUiJQGgNZOja4i_SjfMX9Ic7b7s4yfTZ8c/s400/ACJ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Albert Johnsen loved books and fishing and books about fishing and the sea and flying.<br />
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His favorite drink? Coffee. Black. Any time of day.<br />
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His signature dish: meatloaf.<br />
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Also waffles, served with strawberries and whipped cream.<br />
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He loved calliope music, pipe organs, big bands, folk, country, rock'n'roll ...<br />
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He played the sousaphone in high school.<br />
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He learned to fly at an early age, and once had to crash land in an orchard outside Hood River, where he was born and raised. He was not a religious man, but often told of the presence he felt in the cockpit with him, letting him know everything was going to be alright.<br />
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He climbed mountains and weathered storms.<br />
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He sat in a wooden tower and watched for forest fires, sold shoes in the family's store, fought fires as a volunteer, was elected port commissioner, drove truck, routed freight, and sold real estate.<br />
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He married his college sweetheart, a bathing beauty from Baker, and they had four daughters. He loved them all. (I married one of them and love her to pieces.)<br />
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Like his father, he was always on time and expected you to be on time, too.<br />
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He always wanted to write but never got far. Instead, he painted, carved, sculpted, and drew faces.<br />
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He liked Buster Keaton and Red Skelton and was a bit of a clown himself.<br />
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If you asked him an obvious question you got a smart-aleck answer and a goofy look.<br />
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His daughters learned not to pull his finger.<br />
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All his life he loved vanilla ice cream, and that was his last meal, fed to him in his hospital bed by his oldest daughter. He was 84, often confused but still funny and charming.<br />
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I think of him whenever a plane flies overhead.<br />
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It's easy to picture him soaring over Mount Hood and Lost Lake—and here, now—along with the mysterious presence that keeps him safe.Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2625352528704690357.post-12592057242996836082013-11-15T09:31:00.000-08:002013-11-15T09:31:37.095-08:00Not a Review"It's a very intriguing and well-crafted novel."<br />
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That's not a review, but a note from my publisher, referring to the manuscript I sent to him some time ago.<br />
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Nice.<br />
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Here's the best part, though: "We look forward to publishing it."<br />
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I'm pleased to report that<i> The Possibility of Snow</i> will be part of Luminis Books' Spring 2015 list.<br />
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While that's still a long way off, advance review copies will need to go out in less than a year.<br />
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Meanwhile, I'll try to remain calm and carry on as if nothing extraordinarily cool is happening.Al Riskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16965486197602331351noreply@blogger.com0