Favorite Book and Book welcomes author J. Arlene Culiner

 My Favorite Book

A favorite book of all time? One favorite book? Impossible. There are so many books I love. But today I’ll choose one that I have often re-read: Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley.

Set in an English country house just after the First World War, this wonderfully satirical novel is not a romance. It’s more the story of romantic failure, and there isn’t much of a plot — Denis Stone a young poet comes to Crome hoping he will be the center of attention and win the heart of the lovely Anne Wimbush. Soon enough, however, he realizes that the witty anecdotes he has prepared beforehand interest no one, and that Anne is far more attracted to the passionate artist Gombauld. Depressed and miserable, Denis invents a reason for returning to London, and when it is too late to do anything about it, he realizes that Anne’s isn’t as indifferent as he thought.

Crome Yellow transports me to another time, to a dreamy, leafy summer in a countryside that has vanished, to a way of life that no longer exists. I appreciate the absurdity of the different characters, people quite as silly as many we meet today—the pompous Mr. Barbecue-Smith, who writes 1,500 words an hour after getting in touch with his subconscious; Priscilla Wimbush with her obsessive interest in spirituality and astrology; the profligate Ivor Lombard who seduces rather silly Mary Bracegirdle. And it is Henry Wimbush, owner of Crome who, in his flight from the present, comes up with one of my favorite lines in literature: “Adventures and romance only take on their adventurous and romantic qualities at second-hand. Live them, and they are just a slice of life like the rest.”

Yes, there are long passages of tedious philosophical dialogue between Messrs. Barbecue-Smith and Scogan, and I do tend to skip over them. But Huxley’s gentle humor and exquisite writing style—people don’t write like that anymore—make this a book I will continue to come back to.

My Own Book

Romance with characters who have a sense of humor, and a whole supporting cast of perfectly absurd characters.

The instant Sherry and Carston meet, there's desire and fascination in the air...but they're complete opposites. Smart-talking Sherry Valentine has fought her way up from poverty to stardom as a country music singer. Now, ever in the limelight, ever surrounded by clamoring fans, male admirers, and paparazzi, her spangled cowboy boots carry her from one brightly lit stage to the next. But Sherry’s been on the star circuit for far too long now, and she wants a change: is it too late for her to begin an acting career?

A renowned, but reclusive playwright, Carston Hewlett cherishes his freedom, the silence of the deep woods surrounding his home, and his solitary country walks. Long-term commitments have been out of the question for many years, so why is he so fascinated by a flashy country music singer? Perhaps a very short, but passionate, fling will resolve the problem.

When their names are linked in the scandal press, and Sherry's plans to become an actress are revealed, Carston is furious. Is their budding relationship doomed?

Author Bio: 

Writer, photographer, social critical artist, musician, and occasional actress, J. Arlene

Culiner, was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a Hungarian mud house, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave-dwelling, on a Dutch canal, and in a haunted house on the English moors. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest and, much to local dismay, protects all creatures, especially spiders and snakes. She particularly enjoys incorporating into short stories, mysteries, narrative non-fiction, and romances, her experiences in out-of-the-way communities, and her conversations with strange characters.

An attempt to answer Vicki’s Questions

Red, White or Blue? Um…it all depends…

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter? They all work for me.

Cake or Pie? Neither—no sweet tooth. But give me fresh fruit or something spicy or sour or covered in herbs and I’m yours.

Coffee, Tea, or Champagne? I’d say champagne, except who wants to drink champagne at six in the morning (unless the situation is very unusual)? How about if I say I like all of them, coffee, tea and champagne?

Country music or Michael Buble? Oops. Neither. I’m a classical music lover (and musician).

Pencil or Pen? Depends on what I’m doing: writing a check or making notes on an orchestral partition.

Find A Swan's Sweet Song at:  Amazon

Find J. Arlene Culiner at: Website