So, I totally spaced on doing this last week, but the reason I haven't updated and won't in the next week or two is because I'm currently in the Bangkok airport and finding wifi has been like finding unicorns. Ahem. Okay, just wanted to put that out there so nobody thinks I suddenly died or anything. 

King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher

"Do You Know:

• A good reason to be phobic about oysters and olives?
• That you can step inside a roaring coal furnace and feet cool?
• That Jesus had an older brother?
• How shutting your mouth can help you avoid brain surgery?
• How to avoid cow-pies during your baptism?
• How to survive in the winter wilderness with only a fishing pole and a sausage?
• 
  
• Chris Crutcher knows the answers to these things and more.

And once you have read about Chris Crutcher's life as a dateless, broken-toothed, scabbed-over, God-fearing dweeb, and once you have contemplated his ascension to the buckskin-upholstered throne of the King of the Mild Frontier, you will close this book, close your eyes and hold it to your chest, and say, 'I, too, can be an author.'

Hell, anyone can."

Ugh. I know, I didn't post last week. My brain, and everything else for that matter, was completely fried by Sunday and I had no energy or time to read, due to nonstop rehearsals and performances of the Nutcracker. I calculated that I spent 28 hours at the performing arts center last week, so I think I deserved a break. Anyway, here's this week's book: an autobiography. Normally, those aren't the type I go for, but since the author of this one was Chris Crutcher (see Whale Talk from a couple weeks back), I wanted to give it a try. I would say no disappointment was had overall--Chris never failed to keep me entertained with his signature sense of humor. Even though he basically led a normal life, he recounted it all in the exact way that the events felt at the time of their happening--i.e, as heroic and genius endeavors. And even though he ended up failing at basically everything, often spectacularly, the way he tells it makes it deeply entertaining. A side warning, though: secondhand embarrassment is very likely. Very. The way the book was written was very episodic, less of a chronological timeline. While this made for more entertainment while reading, it could also prompt a second reading to fully get the big picture. The end, as well, was amazing. It lost some lightness, tackling those deep topics that Chris tends to deviate toward. There were some amazing concepts and quotes involved, and I'd definitely recommend reading this for those at the very least. There are copies at Kettleson and Sitka High, in the nonfiction section.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"Moral allegory and spiritual autobiography, The Little Prince is the most translated book in the French language. With a timeless charm it tells the story of a little boy who leaves the safety of his own tiny planet to travel the universe, learning the vagaries of adult behaviour through a series of extraordinary encounters. His personal odyssey culminates in a voyage to Earth and further adventures."

This book has been on my to-read list for a ridiculously long amount of time. Given that, once procured, it took me roughly an hour to get through it, I figure I could have gotten to this one a while ago (in my defense, I've been on a small brink of insanity for the last month or so). Anyway, I'm aware this is a children's book, but seeing as it made a heck of a lot more excellent points, and sense, than most adult books, I don't care a bit. This was only 90 pages or so, very short and very concise, and presented a brilliantly simple look at humanity and philosophy and value. I could probably find a quote of deep and deceptively simple meaning on every page. The book was enjoyable to read, easy to read again, and interesting to think about; I have no complaints whatsoever. Everyone should take the time to read this; it's ridiculously short and extremely powerful. It's at Kettleson, Sitka High, Blatchley, and Keet.