“All of our energy should be in sacrifice and services. Suffering, at least.”
~ Richard Gere, b. 31 August 1949
Archive | August, 2016
Not waiting for Godot any longer…
30 Aug
Samuel Beckett, author of Waiting for Godot, is now tired of waiting, and is coming to get Godot, and boy, is he going to get it!
Cameron Diaz (b. August 30): “Your regrets aren’t what you did….”
30 Aug
“Your regrets aren’t what you did, but what you didn’t do. So I take every opportunity.”
~ Cameron Diaz, b. 30 August 1972
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SOMA COUNTY: book review by ISAR’s “International Astrologer” Journal
28 Aug![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000031_00006]](https://sextile.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/scv3spread-dec18-341pg.jpg?w=480&h=345)
If the title looks like it belongs on a novel, well, that’s because Soma County is a novel. Specifically, it’s a crime novel. If you’re now wondering why a crime novel is being reviewed here [ISAR Journal], well, possibly you’ve never encountered Alan Annand before. Annand is an accomplished writer of suspense novels; he is also an accomplished Vedic astrologer with a solid grasp of Eastern and Western astrology, palmistry, and more.
He has imbued his protagonist, Axel Crowe, with this knowledge and set him loose in what he calls his New Age Noir series. This is the third book in that series, but you don’t need to have read the other two to understand Crowe (though, as with an old friend, his character has deepened and become more clear with each novel). And Crowe for the most part is a likeable guy – as is his former guru who is an invisible but very definite presence in this book.
The plot? A beautiful woman dies at a wine tasting at a California vineyard owned by the woman’s close friend and the friend’s husband. The police assume it was a tainted batch of wine. When Crowe is called in by the friend, he suspects otherwise. Who would want to put the vineyard in jeopardy? Hmm… There are several possibilities – a developer, assorted workers (one of whom turns up missing), and perhaps other vintners hoping to capitalize on this vineyard’s ruined reputation.
But this is no simple whodunit. The action takes you from the Napa Valley to India and back again. And along the way, a black market in body parts adds to the intrigue. Am I going to tell you more? Only that the characters are well developed, the plot is rich and fast-paced, and Crowe is very generous in relaying snippets of astrology, numerology, and Vedic lore. Consider this a painless introduction to some very basic astrological principles as well as a thriller you won’t want to put down.
Non-astrological readers tend to appreciate Annand’s books every bit as much as we [astrologers] do, so if you want to sneakily pique somebody’s interest in astrology, do leave this book lying about. And if you haven’t read the first two in the series, consider getting them as well if you like this one. Scorpio Rising and Felonious Monk are equally good.
– Reviewed by Donna Van Toen, August 2016 issue of ISAR’s International Astrologer Journal. (International Society for Astrological Research)
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Alan Annand is an astrologer and writer. You can find his books on Amazon, Apple, Barnes&Noble, Kobo and Smashwords.
Shania Twain (b. August 28): “Life unravels the way it does…”
28 Aug
“Life unravels the way it does, and it has an effect on you, but you have to take responsibility for dealing with it.”
~ Shania Twain, b. 28 August 1965
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Jeannette Winterson (b. August 27): 10 Rules for Writing
27 Aug
Jeannette Winterson (b. 27 August 1959
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10 Rules for Writing
- Turn up for work. Discipline allows creative freedom. No discipline equals no freedom.
- Never stop when you are stuck. You may not be able to solve the problem, but turn aside and write something else. Do not stop altogether.
- Love what you do.
- Be honest with yourself. If you are no good, accept it. If the work you are doing is no good, accept it.
- Don’t hold onto poor work. If it was bad when it went in the drawer it will be just as bad when it comes out.
- Take no notice of anyone you don’t respect.
- Take no notice of anyone with a gender agenda. A lot of men still think that women lack imagination of the fiery kind.
- Be ambitious for the work and not for the reward.
- Trust your creativity.
- Enjoy this work!
Tim Burton (b. August 25): “Movies are like an expensive form of therapy for me.”
25 Aug
“Movies are like an expensive form of therapy for me.”
~ Tim Burton, b. 25 August 1958
Jorge Luis Borges (b. August 24): “It is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger.”
24 Aug
“Time is the substance from which I am made. Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire.”
~ Jorge Luis Borges, b. 24 August 1899
Keith Moon (b. August 23): “I can’t believe that person is really me.”
23 Aug
“I can’t believe that person on the television is really me.”
~ Keith Moon, b. 23 August 1946
Kristen Wiig (b. August 22): “It’s dangerous to care what people think.”
22 Aug
“If you’re creating anything at all, it’s really dangerous to care about what people think.”
~ Kristen Wiig, b. 22 August 1973
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