Book Review: December

There are times in your life where the chance opportunities flourish and grant more to you than you could have imagined. This is a book review and I will review my chosen book after I tell you how I found it. If I was not working in a bookstore, if I did not have a late shift, if I was not the person on the floor, if, if, if...then I would not have met G.S. Denning and perhaps I would have never known the sheer comedic joy of reading Warlock Holmes.

Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone.
Unsigned (For now).

I was returning to the customer service desk when I noticed a man standing there and - WRITING in a book. We had authors come in randomly to sign their books before and I wasn't that worried, but I was curious. The first thing he said to me was, "Don't worry. I'm just signing them. I'm the author." So perhaps I did have a worried expression on my face. I said it was alright, we'd had authors come in before and I asked him about his book.

Thus began an entertaining conversation that traversed the realm of Sherlock Holmes to Cons. peppered with anecdotes and tidbits about the cover and events he'd attended. His book was the perfect two-word pitch. "Warlock Holmes." Now what do you imagine that's about?

I am a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great consulting detective. I've read the original stories many times and I love to learn trivia about it. When I studied abroad in England, the one place I had to visit was the recreation of 221B Baker Street. I've devoted great stores of brain power and space to Sherlock Holmes, but I do not regret a single impulse to devour what I can about him and his writer.

Warlock Holmes can be best described if the world was turned on its head and then hit a few times with a baseball bat. The character of Holmes is not the least bit skilled in investigation. He is like a kicked puppy. I can imagine him pouting with innocent blinking for effect. Despite his inability to logically reason through many things, he is a fountain of mysterious power and a consulter of demons.

Watson, on the other hand, is purely human, but he has the logic and observation skills that Holmes lacks. They make for an interesting pair as Denning rumbles through the plots of the original stories with some rebellious twists and transmutations of demonic proportion.

Each story contains wit and humor and a thread of story that links them together. A Brimstone Thread perhaps? All the familiar characters are there, including appearances by Mrs. Hudson that will make you rethink her oh so minor role in the originals. There is much fun to be had in reading and I will add these books to my shelf to peruse again and again.

As for the signed copies, we only had the second and third in stock. So I put in an order for the first and bought the other two books. One day I shall seek G. S. Denning out and get him to sign the first book, but until now I'm happily reading and laughing maniacally at my good fortune.

You truly cannot know who will come to the bookstore.

Different Types of Love: The Love Triangle

My apologies for such a late post. It has been quite a busy day. I had my last class of the quarter and took an exam that had been consuming my thoughts for the past week. After much cramming and muttering to myself, I managed to pull a passing score and that is enough for this quarter.

I'm not sure if I've stated this directly on my blog, but I'm in a counseling psychology program. I mention it because I often bring in psychological theories in these posts and if you're wondering why I have such a fascination, there's your answer. I have passionately studied psychology since high school when it was first introduced to me and now I want to learn what I can to help others. Along the way, I find out interesting facts and theories that I like to connect to writing.

In the last few hours of this day December 10, (at least on the West Coast), I bring you:

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

Sternberg's Triangle - drawn by me

I'd come across it before, but this time I decided to consider each aspect and connect it to relationships I've observed in books. Feel free to comment and tell me about relationships you've read about and which part of the triangle applies!

First off, each point of the triangle represents a singular concept of love, whether its passion, intimacy, or commitment; these three are necessary components and reoccurring themes in relationships. Intimacy, of course, is the feeling of connectedness and the fuzzy warmth of a relationship where you can share things and feel accepted. Passion is that strong physical attraction that makes people do heroic and stupid things (judgement on which is up for debate). Commitment means stability, in the sense that this person will stay by your side through thick and thin.

Then you have the combinations.

Passion + Intimacy = Romantic Love
Fire and closeness, the possibility of getting burned - romantic love is usually the first stage of relationships and can create that "spark" of connection.

Intimacy + Commitment = Companionate Love
Closeness and loyalty can be a good combination for friendship. The trust from companionate love builds a strong foundation and can stick around for many years.

Passion + Commitment = Fatuous Love
A steady fire is to be appreciated, but you can still be burned. Without intimacy, this relationship may be fraught with intense encounters, but there isn't enough trust and disclosure to allow emotions to peek through.

Lastly, a combination of Passion, Intimacy and Commitments = Consummate Love
All three meshed together create a thriving relationship where one is dedicated to loving and disclosing to their partner. It's a winning combination and the kind of thing great romances are based on, but is it achievable?

Next, I'm going to give some examples of the different loves, starting with Island Whispers!

First and Last

The Truth is Time doesn't last

and things of today are already the past.

One moment we breathe.

The next we die.

One tear shed

but

the cheek is dry.

First comes a wealth of Fire,

heat brings a drought,

until it all seems dire.

Then comes the Rain -

a resounding downpour -

until it all drains,

a drowned world no more.

In summary, our world always ends

and yet,

the end of one world is where another begins.