văn chương, rượu chè và breaking news

paul aster - how i came to know the writer is another story but for now if his proses were a drink, they would be coffee. be they latte or mocha or plain old black coffee, doesnt matter as long as they are (1) hot so that you cant drink all in one take and (2) drunk when you are alone so that you have no one to talk to but yourself. your cup of coffee might be too strong or it might be too sweet with too much cream and sugar but either way, watch out, you dont want it on an empty stomach because you might get caffeine-intoxicated before you know it.

breakfast at tiffanys - the drink karma of this novella must be cosmopolitan. full of surprises (that was before every bar and even coffee shop in town starts to offer it), never lacking in taste (you can try pomegranate in place of cranberry), urbane, and chic. seriously, i find both chic từ cái tên chic đi.

east of eden is no doubt as refreshing as a glass of iced lemonade in a hot summer day. you sit back in the shade and savor the coolness as you look out at strangers passing through. freshly squeezed, it might taste slightly bitter at first but you know it is the combination of this coolness and this lingering flavor you can always count on once you are back out there in the sun. (note: if you are a die-hard cocktail lover, a mojito might do just as fine).

in the next life, lolita would probably be reincarnated into tequila. theres nothing like getting drunk with tequila - you feel like you are about to enter a land of the most exotic ectasy. in just the similar sensational, hypnotized and almost poetic manner, an acute reader gets lost since the very first words of the book:

lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. my sin, my soul. lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth...

tequila drunk straight without sangrita, without salt and lime - one cant just leave his caballito glass empty for too long. and lolita with masterful proses and "love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation" - one cant help turning the pages.

but my favorite book of all time - unbearable lightness of being - i still fail you. i will drink more and get back to you later.

the post is inspired by the small stack of my favorite books and an equally small glass of chivas regal 12. and oh yes, some breaking news.