Strand Encounters: "Maybe that's what life is... a wink of the eye and winking stars." A homage to Ti Jean.

Strand Encounters is a feature detailing all of the wonderful bits of awesomeness I acquire in the legendary Strand Bookstore. Are you a New Yorker, or someone who loves the Strand Bookstore and wants to post about it? You should totally take on this feature on your blog!!!

The thing I love about the Strand Bookstore is that even if you come in with a book in mind, you never come out with what you expected. It's always a surprise, stumbled upon serendipitously. Last week, during one of the nicest days that the City has seen in a long while, I found my way into the Strand. No real money, but hey, you deal. I thought I would check for another novel called, Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quinonez, but this was eclipsed as soon as I found this wonderful book: Atop an Underwood, early writings by the late Jack Kerouac. And then I discovered that today is his birthday, and thought that I should do a little homage to the beautiful Ti Jean! The book contained a personal message from an Uncle to his nephew on his way to college. Only in the Strand (or your equivalent of an indie bookshop) can you find books that have histories. Perhaps, I'll write a message in it, and if I decide to give it away (which probably won't happen) someone else can find it! 

I wanted to see his writing evolve from what it was when he was 13 to what it became when he penned his most famous work On The Road. What lies in the mind of one who embraced his own unique voice from a young age? I want to glean this from him.

I learned to be an exciting, passionate writer because this man wasn't afraid to chronicle his meanderings, thoughts, and visions onto the page. I may not agree with every single thing he got into, as the beatniks lived a quite sex/drug filled reverie. But, his words pulse with life, beauty, and zeal that is infectious. This man makes me want to take my own 'On the Road' journey, just so I can fill a journal with the people I'll meet, the places I'll discover, and the growth that God will no doubt bring me to. 

Every writer who hopes to make any kind of difference in the world, should read him. He'll encourage you not to let the critics get you down, but to throw your entire heart on the page. It's only then that you will change someone's life.

Do you like Kerouac? What's you're favorite work by him? For now, mine is The Subterraneans.

PostScript: Can I thank all of you new followers once again for clicking the GFC button? You all make me smile! I hope you enjoy my posts, and thanks for reading!

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Huddled at the Strand .01

The Strand Bookstore is one of the greatest literary landmarks in New York City. It boasts 18 miles of books, and is a dreamland to anyone seeking safe haven amongst books at affordable prices. It's one of my favorite places in the world and this feature will celebrate hauls collected from the Strand.

The Brief and Wondrous World of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

This is the long-awaited first novel from one of the most original and memorable writers working today.

Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fukú – the curse that has haunted the Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.

Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of the family at large, rendering with genuine warmth and dazzling energy, humor, and insight the Dominican–American experience, and, ultimately, the endless human capacity to persevere in the face of heartbreak and loss. A true literary triumph, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao confirms Junot Diaz as one of the best and most exciting voices of our time.

During my Junior year in college, I was privileged to read Drown, a collection of short stories by Junot Diaz. I was, again, surprised to like this set of phenomenal short stories about the lives of dominican youth striving to stay above ground. His prose contained facets of surreality which really elevated each moment into something beautiful and haunting. So I thought, why not try his first novel on for size. This New York Times Bestselling, Pulitzer Prize winner should be the cherry on top of Diaz' literary ice cream cake. We shall see!

Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

On the eve of his ninetieth birthday a bachelor decides to give himself a wild night of love with a virgin. As is his habit–he has purchased hundreds of women–he asks a madam for her assistance. The fourteen-year-old girl who is procured for him is enchanting, but exhausted as she is from caring for siblings and her job sewing buttons, she can do little but sleep. Yet with this sleeping beauty at his side, it is he who awakens to a romance he has never known.

Tender, knowing, and slyly comic, Memories of My Melancholy Whores is an exquisite addition to the master’s work.

I've wanted to read some of Gabriel Garcia Marquez for a while, and when I spotted this, I thought...ahh, gritty! Really? I just find stories where the protagonist seeks out to get into something disheartening, and in the end discovers something life change, very intriguing. Hope I come away with sparks!