Tag Archives: Jack London

“I look back on my life and draw one great generalization: IT WAS MY REFUSAL TO TAKE CAUTIOUS ADVICE THAT MADE ME.” — Jack London

“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent … Continue reading

Posted in Books, On This Day, writers | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

2019 Books Read

It’s been such a busy year for me as a writer. The busiest. I’ve had to “make time” for reading stuff that has nothing to do with anything writing-wise. I need to read for pleasure. Many of the books I … Continue reading

Posted in Books, James Joyce | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

2017 Books Read

I got into a good rhythm with reading this year. I did a lot of re-reading, going back to books I haven’t read in 20 years or whatever. It was fun, like a reunion with an old friend. Much of … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Books: “The Call of the Wild” (Jack London)

Daily Book Excerpt: Adult fiction: The Call of the Wild by Jack London This is one of those books I was forced to read in 8th grade (not even 10th or 11th grade – when I was a bit older … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Like Peter Pan…”

Like Peter Pan, he never grew up, and he lived his own stories with such intensity that he ended by believing them himself. — Ford Madox Ford on Jack London, 1916

Posted in writers | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Famous epitaphs

John Keats, great poet, who died in 1821 (and I think his birthday was Sunday), wrote his own epitaph, which is now rightly famous: “Here lies one whose name was writ in water.” But actually, the full epitaph reads like … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellania | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

“It was an old song”

More from Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” Here and there, Buck met Southland dogs, but in the main they were the wild wolf husky breed. Every night, regularly, at nine, at twelve, at three, they lifted a nocturnal song, … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on “It was an old song”

“The summit of life”

From Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Re-Reading Books

I’m re-reading Call of the Wild right now. Which got me to thinking about books you read in junior high and high school which made little to no impression on you, and then you went back and re-read them, as … Continue reading

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Man’s Proper Function

“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” — Jack London

Posted in writers | Tagged | 4 Comments