Category Archives: books

9-15-18. Long Beach Zine Fest.

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What’s a zine? A zine is a self-produced booklet that contains photocopied images and text. It’s likely to be inexpensive to make and produced in limited printed editions. Good ones are real gems and are sought by collectors. It’s gaining in popularity especially in creative fields because they can serve as practical self-promotion items due to its inexpensive up-front costs to make. This year, there were new faces to the zine world and they included a few of my advanced illustration students from Pasadena City College and they had a great booth with their works. Eric Nakamura from the classic Giant Robot store and gallery in West Los Angeles was there too. Good job all around!

8-24-18. Convenience Store Woman.

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This is a new novel by Sayaka Murata. I took it on my recent trip to Japan but finished it in the States. It’s about what is acceptable and not. It’s unique, precise, and thoughtful. I was intrigued and satisfied and it made me think. It reinforced my love of Tokyo convenience stores in the first place. A nice book and I squeezed in my cute Shiba for emphasis!

5-28-18. Fujio Kito.

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I picked this up at Mount Zine’s booth at the LA Zine Fest. This is volume 5 from the series called Playground Equipment by photographer Fujio Kito. He captures cement-molded structures that are apparently commonplace in Japananese playgrounds but through his lens at night have a dramatic appeal.

7-15-16. Haruki Murakami.

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9:57 AM. I’m not a runner but the book is good. Surprisingly, it was in a sale bin so maybe it wasn’t a popular seller but I think that anything Murakami chooses to write about will be interesting. He’s known for his fiction so this memoir-like piece is a departure from his usual. It really explains the impact of running on his writing. So, if you like Murakami, then check out this fast read for insight into his psyche.

9:57 AM. I’m not a runner but the book is good. Surprisingly, it was in a sale bin so maybe it wasn’t a popular seller but I think that anything Murakami chooses to write about will be interesting. He’s known for his fiction so this memoir-like piece is a departure from his usual. It really explains the impact of running on his writing. So, if you like Murakami, then check out this fast read for insight into his psyche.

7-8-16. On Kawara.

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9:26 AM. Two of my favorites, On Kawara, the conceptual artist and my Shiba Inu dog. “On Kawara-Silence” by Jeffrey Weiss and Anne Wheeler is a great catalog that helps to explain the extent and mystery of this elusive artist. Study Kawara and be inspired. Many have. Also, Shiba loosely translated means “brushwood” and make great pets if you like your canines to be active, independent, and alert. Mine is a great watchdog too.

9:26 AM. Two of my favorites, On Kawara, the conceptual artist and my Shiba Inu dog. “On Kawara-Silence” by Jeffrey Weiss and Anne Wheeler is a great catalog that helps to explain the extent and mystery of this elusive artist. Study Kawara and be inspired. Many have. Also, Shiba loosely translated means “brushwood” and make great pets if you like your canines to be active, independent, and alert. Mine is a great watchdog too.