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August, 2013: On the way out the door

By Jesse Kornbluth
Published: Aug 15, 2013
Category: Beyond Classification

I finished my book. I’ve said that so many times I lack credibility. But this time there is a cover and galleys and a publication date in early 2015.

Fool that I am, I’m writing another. A total change. In “Married Sex,” I was an intensely married 46-year-old New York divorce lawyer. This time I’m an an 18-year-old girl from Brooklyn who’s a highly ranked tennis player. It’s early days, so I stumble early and often, but at least I’m no longer thinking about sex ten hours a day.

But now it’s time to flee the jurisdiction. We’re going to yet another island accessible only by ferry. The small person is bringing one of her friends and planning to work on her summer science project, which is beyond adorable even if it’s only a thought. My wife is bringing hiking shoes. I’m bringing books I’ve always meant to read. And, of course, Anthelios.

I’ll pick up again on Tuesday, September 2. I leave you with a list of some favorites. You can find many more in that modern classic, “HeadButler.com: The 100 Essentials.” [To buy the paperback from Amazon, click here. For the Kindle edition, click here.]

BOOKS

James Salter, “Last Night”  Yes, Salter has a new novel, his first in decades, but the short stories may be his glory, and this collection is a stunner. Like this: Philip married Adele on a day in June. It was cloudy and the wind was blowing. Later the sun came out. It had been a while since Adele had married and she wore white: white pumps with low heels, a long white skirt that clung to her hips, a filmy blouse with a white bra underneath, and around her neck a string of freshwater pearls. They were married in her house, the one she’d gotten in the divorce. All her friends were there. She believed strongly in friendship. The room was crowded.

Walter Tevis, "The Queen’s Gambit”  This is probably my favorite book. In part, for the writing — Tevis doesn’t waste a word. But more for the story, which is perhaps also yours: lonely kid, gifted, lost. Success, failure, crisis. A recognition moment. A helping hand. And…. well, you know the rest; as I say, it’s "Rocky." It wasn’t written for teens, but they’ll get it. You, who have been around the block, will get it more. If you’ve never trusted me before, trust me on this: A thrill awaits.

Patricia Highsmith, “The Price of Salt” This is not the Highsmith of the dark, scary thrillers. This is a one-off, a love story. It’s Christmas, and money’s tight, so Therese Belivet does what any unemployed 19-year-old stage designer might — she takes a temp job in the toy department of a Manhattan department store. Her days define dreary. The aging sales clerks seem “stricken with an everlasting exhaustion and terror.” As for her customers, they’re also desperate, but for a doll, any doll. Then Mrs. H.F. Aird walks in…

MOVIES

A Late Quartet  What a movie! And what a performance by Christopher Walken. The Fugue String Quartet has played together for 25 years. Philip Seymour Hoffman, the second violinist, and Catherine Keener, who plays viola, are married. Mark Ivanir, the first violinist, seems like the group’s natural leader. In fact, it is Walken, the cellist, who founded the group. Playing hundreds of concerts a year, incessantly traveling, tamping down ego for the sake of the group — few quartets can stay together for a quarter of a century. But now someone’s leaving. Yes, a quartet in late life. Sadly, very much in Hoffman’s late life.

Diva  The feature debut of Jean-Jacques Beineix, “Diva”— released in this country in 1982 — was unlike anything I’d ever seen. ($7.19 to buy it from Amazon.) First, it was a reach back to the jaunty films of the French “New Wave.” At the same time, it was a rule-breaker, mixing opera with techno, Society with punk, chic with coarse, thriller with spectacle. And was it ever stylish! Every frame was drenched in color and attitude — almost singlehandedly, “Diva” launched a style of French filmmaking called “cinema du look."

MUSIC

Lou Doillon  She deserves every superlative you can think of. Haunting music. Killer lyrics: I’ll never quite understand why we love to carry on wars as we do/ I haven’t yet opened the doors that your bullets are already flying through/ And I wish you’d stop claiming you surrender/ Lay down the gun if you do/ You accuse me of standing guard/ But wouldn’t you/ Honey you are so quick to skip from praise to slender/ Devil or angel I’m not one or the other/ And I’m sorry if I, if I disappoint you…

Josh Ritter, “The Beast in Its Tracks” From his first release, a decade ago, to “The Beast in Its Tracks,” this guy hasn’t made a foolish move. As a writer, he produces lyrics that, if they were prose, you’d underline them. As a singer, he’s like Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Paul Simon; there’s one person he’s trying to reach, and that’s you. And in performance, backed by a crackerjack band, he’s mesmerizing: exuberant, goofy, unfiltered and absolutely delighted to be onstage. No one has ever had more fun at a Josh Ritter concert than Josh Ritter.

PRODUCTS

Sally Hansen Airbrush Leg Spray Pantyhose (in our house, that means Spanx with legs and toes) have been banished for the summer. A new product has entered the house: Sally Hansen Airbrush Leg Spray. And now there’s a leg cream: no fuss, no muss.