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Archive for the Books Category
Guntersville Lake Idyll
Posted in Books, Travel on February 4, 2021 by David McInerny
See Rock City. Visit Ruby Falls. Coming up on Chattanooga, seeing these billboards along the highway reminded me of the drives with my parents on our way to Christmases in Sarasota, Florida – eight people in a station wagon on a 24 hour drive straight through. This was a solo drive, fifty years later, and I wasn’t going to Florida. I turned off the interstate south, onto state roads, then county roads, then a thirty mile winding track into the Alabama woods to a log cabin situated along a lake. I was searching for a few days of mask-less solitude to fish, read John Baxter’s humorous Paris memoir, The Most Beautiful Walk in the World, and think about my next book to write. I wanted remote, and I got it.
As dusk approached, I unpacked my fly and spinning gear, and dropped an oversized sleeping bag on the bed. Looking out the window, I noticed I had company. Stepping onto the porch, I watched what would be a daily event – dozens of deer quietly emerging from the woods to feed along the lake shore before dark. My neighbors. The yearlings stayed close to their mothers, and the bucks kept a wary eye on the unexpected intruder.
Although the weather was warmer than in Indiana, the temps from a northern snow storm made it into Alabama, so the abrupt change in weather drove the fish into the depths of the middle of the lake. Meaning, the fishing was a bust, thought I gave it my best shot. Artificial lures, live bait, surface fishing, depth fishing. Nothing worked, but I was consoled by the peace and beauty, and the fact that I had SPAM in the larder to slice and fry instead of fresh fish. At least I wouldn’t starve.
On my last day, I was fishing off a pier when a state trooper came up in a speed boat to check my fishing license – the first time in all my years of angling that I was asked to produce one. It was the first time I’d had to talk since I arrived, and I had to clear my throat. The trooper offered, since I was leaving the next day and wouldn’t be able to reveal anything, his favorite spot for crappy, or croppy, as he called them. Three miles later I was under a bridge, and casting into shallow water. On one cast, an American bald eagle soared in from my left, wings majestically open. He dipped toward the water, talons forward and poised, and touched the water just where my lure fell. Immediately he rose with a crappy and flew off to enjoy his dinner. Did he take my fish? I think so, but the Chamber of Commerce moment was worth it.
#lakeguntersville #johnbaxter #solitude #fishing
I’m Bored. I’ll Write a Book
Posted in Books on January 18, 2021 by David McInerny
So, anyway, I wrote this book. I’ve been traveling internationally 2-4 times per year for decades. My last trip was a London – Paris Chunnel trip with the Missus in October, 2019. Then COVID hit. I was crawling the walls!
So I decided to write and publish my travel memoirs. A dozen or so of my 30 countries. Humorous. Because I go without itineraries. Anything happens.
The local magazine is doing a feature on the book. The interviewer said, “I hope you’re not uncomfortable. I’m going to ask a lot of questions about you.” I laughed. “What! That’s my favorite subject!”
So… Available on Kindle and in print on Amazon. For the virus locked down travel lover. Now I need to get vaccinated and fly. Enough of me! Let’s get out there!
#travel #memoir #writing #international
Writing for Fun
Posted in Books on January 12, 2021 by David McInernyFor years I’ve traveled. For love. For work. 30 countries later, I decided to doodle, edit, add, and suddenly I was writing a travel memoir. It’s now published, Being-Worldish, and I’m still astonished it’s finally out there. Istanbul, Majorca, and Hong Kong – they were places I needed to go, but now I’m so appreciative of the lovely feedback and kind reviews. Who knew! I can’t wait to get vaccinated and move on! Stay tuned.
“Wanderlust” is on sale
Posted in Books, Fiction with tags amazon books, david mcinerny, trastevere, travel fiction, wanderlust on September 20, 2015 by David McInernyGet your copy of my most recent book on Amazon.com. Wanderlust is a collection of short stories revealing men and women out of their element, reacting to life as it happens.
1598 – Shakespeare’s Risk
Posted in Books, Travel with tags original globe theatre, richard II, Shakespeare, the globe london, the rose on August 26, 2015 by David McInerny
After becoming weary of languishing negotiations to renew the lease on the theatre his troupe was using on the north side of the Thames, Shakespeare made the fateful decision to disassemble his theatre in the night (so legend has it) and rebuild it on the other side of the river.
The Southwark district at the end of the sixteenth century was a dubious area teeming with brothels and bear-baiting houses, but acting was then itself a less-than-respectable profession so, The Globe was an instant success. It was such a hit, due to Shakespeare’s growing reputation as a playwright, that it forced London’s original play house, The Rose, to move to another part of London to survive.
The Globe we enjoy today is not the original, though it was built in 1989 to what is believed to be the approximate dimensions and materials of it’s progenitor that was located down the street and around the corner. It’s only through great fortune that we know what the Globe looked like. A visitor to London in the early 1600’s with an ability to sketch made a panorama of London from the southeast side, in which the Globe, with its polytagonal shape, wood sides, thatched roof and brick staircase, features prominently in the foreground.
The original space of the Globe is now marked, but easy to miss, as I almost did last night while I wandered the neighborhood around the new Globe waiting for the start of the Bard’s Richard II. A bronze plaque barely draws the eye to a vacant car park. A decade ago, researchers dug and found the foundation for the original Globe’s brick staircase. They took measurements and photos and then flooded the structure to preserve it, and replaced the parking lot. In the photo below, the dark cobblestones mark the spot of the Globe’s foundation.
Why didn’t the researches excavate the rest of the site? Well, it happens that a modern, swanky apartment complex sits lucratively on top of it. Imagine living in a home directly above the stage where William Shakespeare performed in his own plays: Hamlet, Macbeth, Midsummer Night’s Dream! I’d be constantly on the lookout for the ghost of Yorick.
Bedtime Reading in Rome
Posted in Books, Family, Travel with tags classic literature, expatriates in rome, family reading, huckleberry finn, mark twain, Ralph McInerny, robert louis stevenson, san remo 1970, the priest, treasure island on July 9, 2015 by David McInerny
The school year was 1969-1970, and I was in the third grade. My dad, having taken a sabbatical year from Notre Dame to do research in Rome, moved the entire family of eight for a year into a large apartment which we quickly made small with our numerous presence. The address has stayed with me for reasons I don’t know: Via Ugo Balzani 6. My little brother and sister slept with me in a bigger bedroom, with my sister on a single bed under the window. My three older sisters were scattered throughout the apartment. I have no idea where my parents slept… It was a magical year of learning another language, schooling with students from around the world, and traveling to places that I had never heard of. We had a tan VW microbus, manual shift, and my older sisters regaled us in that hippie van with the new Tom Jones cassette as well as a collection of top Italian pop hits, San Remo ’70, which was Italy’s answer to Woodstock that year.
My dad was writing what would become his first New York Times bestseller, The Priest, though at the time I only understood that he was holed up in a small closet with a typewriter day after day, and seemed very pleased with his progress. After dinner, we would go out on the street and play with the neighborhood kids with real names like Massimo, or made-up names like Blondie Boy because we couldn’t pronounce his real one, and dad would write until it was time for the “three little kids” to go to bed. While my mom checked the homework of the “three big kids,” dad watched us brush our teeth, tucked us in and pulled out one of several paperbacks he’s found at an English bookstore in Rome. Each night he would read us one chapter, first from Treasure Island, and later that year from Huckleberry Finn. We would beg for more than a chapter, even though dad often had to stop and explain the story lines to us, but it was one chapter only each evening. When those books were complete, he started writing his own series of children’s stories featuring Granny One-Tooth, her grandson Roy Boy and their friend Sheriff Omar. He wrote a chapter in the evening while we were playing and would read it as our bedtime story.
Dad continued the Granny One-Tooth series after we returned to Indiana, and in later years we would recall them and ask why he wouldn’t publish them. He always refused with a smile, and when he passed away those pages were never found among his voluminous writing. Today, when I think about two things I have adored my entire life – traveling and reading – there is no doubt how those passions were deliberately fostered by my parents. Living in Rome, traveling the European continent, nightly tales of running away and heading south down the Mississippi or across the ocean with pirates, all before the age of ten. I didn’t have a chance.
2015 Summer Reading
Posted in Books with tags anthony trollope, death of a dude, elizabeth bard, john baxter, king john, lunch in paris, mitch rapp, nancy bilyeau, nero wolfe, picnic in provence, rex stout, stephen church, the golden lion of granpere, the perfect meal, the tapestry, the third option, vince flynn on June 2, 2015 by David McInerny
Here it is, June upon us. A month for planting the annuals, mourn the ending of school for the tots, shop for vacation apparel and, most importantly, gather the summer reading list. I’ve just completed mine, and while I always reserve the right to modify my choices based on my mood and evolving interest, it’s good to have a plan, however tentative. Here are my picks in no particular order (and please send me your favorite suggestions).
Picnic in Provence (2015), Elizabeth Bard: On the heels of her bestselling debut, Lunch in Paris, Elizabeth Bard describes a trip to the Provencal town of Cereste. Tales of expatriates falling in love with France just never seem to get old, and Bard again includes detailed recipes of the local dishes she encounters.
The Golden Lion of Granpere (1867), Anthony Trollope: Before television soap operas, there was Trollope. His books were often released chapter by chapter each week in the London newspapers, and Brits couldn’t wait for the weekend to read the latest in unrequited love, Victorian norms betrayed, and feuding families. This novel is set at a British inn and describes the lengths men will go to gain the love of the beautiful Marie.
The Third Option (2000), Vince Flynn: The fourth installment of Flynn’s pissed-off CIA operative, Mitch Rapp. Mitch is bone tired of terrorists, and he always decides to do something about it, official orders or not. This will be a quick two-day, 500 page read.
King John (2015), Stephen Church: Ever wonder what Shakespeare, Robin Hood, the Crusades, the Magna Carta and Richard the Lion-hearted all have in common? In what promises to be a readable history of 12th century England, Stephen Church centers his research on the much-maligned King John and his reign’s impact on historical characters of yore we all know so well, or think we do.
Death of a Dude (1969), Rex Stout: Nero Wolfe, Stout’s corpulent New York detective who solves mysteries without ever leaving his Manhattan brownstone, is forced to do just that, and finds himself in Montana without his gourmet cook and oversized recliner. Wolfe is roughing it, and it’s murder with humor.
The Perfect Meal (2013), John Baxter: Yes, more expatriates in love with France! Baxter survives an expensive but lackluster meal one evening in Paris, and decides to travel the country in search of the ingredients for a perfect French meal. Then he cooks it for his friends!
The Tapestry (2015), Nancy Bilyeau: Set in Henry VIII’s post-Catholic London, the historical novel finds Joanna, a former monastic novice, attempting to live out a quiet life weaving tapestries. When she finds that her best friend has the attention of Henry, who intends to make her the next in a long line of wives, Joanna enters the dangerous world of royal intrigue to try and save her friend.
Heart of America Shakespeare Festival – King Lear
Posted in Books, Travel with tags gary neal johnson, heart of america shakespeare, john rensenhouse, king lear kc 2015, marilyn strauss, merchant of venice kc, shakespeare kansas city on April 9, 2015 by David McInerny
The author at the Globe Theatre, London.
During a discussion over coffee with my good friend Bryan this week, we discovered a mutual love of not only Shakespeare, but of his play King Lear specifically. I had just seen a local production of The Merchant of Venice presented by the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, featuring the talent of Gary Neal Johnson as Shylock. It was very well done, and extremely well attended. Though Bryan and I shared remorse at not seeing the play together, we immediately made plans to see the Festival’s next production this summer, King Lear.
It’s truly fortunate that a smaller metropolitan area such as Kansas City has a world class symphony, major sports franchises, the best BBQ in America, and a thriving festival that presents quality renditions of Shakespeare’s plays on a regular basis. Thanks to the Shakespeare Festival’s founder, Marilyn Strauss for her passion and efforts.
King Lear with be presented from June 16th through July 5th at Southmoreland Park in Kansas City, with John Rensenhouse playing Lear. For details on the play and the Festival in general, see http://www.kcshakes.org. Personally I look forward to seeing Lear and The Rolling Stones at Arrowhead stadium the same weekend!
I suggest you purchase tickets, read the play, and plan on a lovely evening outdoors this summer watching William Shakespeare’s magnum opus. Also, please check out my previous blog posts regarding The Bard:
Richard III – DNA Match, December 3, 2014
William Shakespeare – Richard III – December 17, 2012
Making Amends to The Bard – September 21, 2012
Genesis – “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” – June 2, 2012
Trastevere – David McInerny
Posted in Books, Travel with tags david mcinerny, Rome stories, trastevere, travel writing on January 3, 2015 by David McInernyMy book is now available on amazon.com. It feels great to incorporate my years in Rome within a fictional context. If you didn’t get enough to read for Christmas, consider adding Trastevere to your reading list. Thanks as always to all my readers.
berowne.com 