Hello and welcome to the latest issue of Fervent Curiosity. My name is Victor De Anda and this is my newsletter.
The holidays are upon us and there’s no better gift to give than books, am I right? I’d encourage you to purchase them from your local indie bookstore, or Bookshop.org, and not from A**zon. Just saying.
When I was a kid I loved to read, but don’t recall ever asking for books at Christmas. I was too preoccupied with toys and gadgets. But I did get books for birthdays and other events like the Scholastic Book Fair in elementary school. I still have fond memories of perusing the Weekly Reader and smelling the newsprint it was printed on. So many new books to choose from.
I was also a part of various summer reading clubs, an exercise where kids would commit to reading a certain number of books over the summer break. I think the most books I ever read over summer vacation was 15 or 20. The books weren’t that long, to be fair.
My mother also took my sister and I to the library to check out books. There was no city branch near us, so the Book Mobile would make weekly stops at a local shopping center parking lot. About the size of a delivery truck, the Book Mobile always made my heart skip every time I saw it. The shelves were stacked with old and new books to read and it smelled just like a library too.
As I became interested in movies, I began to read novelizations of the latest blockbusters. I read Star Wars, and The Empire Strikes Back, among others. As these became popular, they were often published before the movie even came out. I remember reading the twist in Empire regarding Luke and Darth Vader. I told my eighth grade class about this and none of them believed me. Spoiler alert, indeed.
In high school, I began to tackle bigger books. I read Dune, which I found terminably boring for the first 60 pages. It was just introductions of characters, the setting on Arrakis, the politics. I almost gave up on it. Then I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. I finished reading the book within a week.
In college, I mostly read textbooks. I was a film major, so I did read lots of film history, which I enjoyed. I also took a class in film noir, where one week we’d read the novel, followed by screening the film the week after. The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, This Gun For Hire, and The Big Sleep were the titles we dug into. Such a fun class.
After college, I didn’t read much fiction. I was watching too many movies. I’d read Film Comment and other magazines instead. I enjoyed short stories, but couldn’t commit to reading a novel. I just didn’t have the time. This went on for years, too long, in fact.
Now I’m trying to make up for lost time. I still read lots of short stories, but I’ve made a commitment to reading novels as well. I’m a notoriously slow reader, but I’ve been consistent over the last year or so. I’ve got a lot to catch up on, but it’s been good for me and my writing in so many ways.
What’s your reading journey been like?
What I’m Reading:
I’ve started reading Thirteen Question Method by David L. Ulin. It’s great so far.
What I’m Writing:
The usual bit of news: revising and getting ready to submit. As I announced last issue, my story “Two Day Rental” will appear in the Dark Waters anthology, out on Dec. 11! The TOC (table of contents) is filled with some great writers I already know, and others who I look forward to reading. You can order the Dark Waters anthology now at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
What I’m Watching:
Noirvember is over and we’re into the holiday movie season, but my wife and I just recently watched The Abyss on the big screen with friends. The film is finally coming to Blu-ray and the print looked amazing. I had seen the original theatrical release in 1989 and the film still holds up! One of my favorite James Cameron movies. Watch it if you can.
Other recent movie highlights: Laura, the great Otto Preminger film with Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, and Vincent Price, and Long Shot, co-starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. Both good movies for very different reasons!
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Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.
I have an enormous pile of books to read, chipping at it, little by little,