Mortality by Christopher Hitchens

"Time after time, Christopher has the last word," writes Carol Blue, Christopher Hitchens' widow, in her afterword for his book. 104 pages of powerful words from Hitchens and two people who knew him best, that's my description of Mortality – a book composed of, what I'm assuming is, his final essays, written while enduring treatment for esophageal cancer. 

Maybe it's my fascination with death that kept me turning the pages. I knew the end of the story – sorta. Or most likely, it's the way Hitchens wrote. Like so many people can state, Hitchens wrote in a way that makes you feel "as though he was writing to you and to you alone." His writing stays strong, he never falters. A non-believer until the end, amused by his detractors.

Each essay reads like a lecture. I was never "blessed" to hear the man in person, and now the only way to hear his voice is via the Internet. But these words are powerful. They're beautiful. Intelligent. Even cancer could not snuff him completely. Because even though his life has ended, his influence still grows. And if he hasn't won you over yet, this book will.

Mortality is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. For Kindle and Nook. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Snapshot #6

From The Writers Handbook edited by A.S. Burack

Dustin M. Sekula Memorial Library - my place of employment - has done something terrible to me. And by terrible, I mean f**king wonderful! And by wonderful, I mean a 25-cent book sale. No. That's not some cosmic typo. All books are actually 25 cents a piece. That's four for a dollar. Doesn't matter if it's a hardback, a trade paperback, or a mass market paperback. And all the trashy romance novels were at 10 cents yesterday.

Now you're probably wondering how a guy like me got to be so lucky. Well, it started Saturday when the Friends of the Library had their book sale. It was fairly inexpensive. Because I'm such an awesome fella - mostly because I work there - I got my books for $10, despite the fact that I had more than in books. Because not all books were sold - and we have a huge surplus of donated books we have no use for - it was decided Monday to start dropping the price. Lucky, hu? 

Here's what I have as of today:

1. The Hot Kid
2. 52 Pick Up
3. Mr. Paradise
4. Unknown Man #89 by Elmore Leonard
5. Airframe
6. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
7. The Hobbit
8. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. Dead Until Dark
10. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
11. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
12. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
13. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
14. The Humanoids by Jack Williamson
15. The Inquisition by Edward Burman
16. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology 2nd Edition edited by Samuel Cohen
17. Summerland by Michael Chabon
18. Nobody Move by Denis Johnson
19. Dianetics: The Original Thesis by L. Ron Hubbard
20. 9/11 Report by Thomas H. Kean, Chair and Lee H. Hamilton, Vice Chair w/reporting and anaylsis by The New York Times
21. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverley Cleary
22. Nightingale's Lament by Simon R. Green
23. Animal Farm by George Orwell
24. American Gangster by Max Allan Collins
25. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
26. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
27. Grendel by John Gardner
28. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature 10th edition edited by Sylvan Barnet and William E. Cain
29. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
30. The Giver by Lois Lowry
31. Oxford by Paul Streitz
32. Deathbell by Guy Smith
33. Bone: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith
34. The Professor of Desire by Philip Roth
35. The MacMillan Reader 3rd Edition edited by Judith Nadell, John Langan, and Linda McMeniman
36. Futurelove: Science Fiction Triad edited by Roger Elwood(?)
37. The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal
38. The Writer's Handbook edited by A.S. Burack
39. Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense 5th edition edited by Laurence Perrine

As you can see, I have a lust for books. I'm a book slut, and I take that without shame. While my loved ones might not understand my need for books, I know in my heart there are more like me out there. I have a love for knowledge. There are books excluded from here, of course. Books I purchased for others or books I've loaned to others shortly after I bought them. They'll find their way to this page soon enough.

Well, I'm off to read something from an anthology. Which one? I don't know. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

American Gangbang: A Love Story by Sam Benjamin

Sam Benjamin's memoir, American Gangbang: A Love Story, reads like a tour de force of braggery. It's a laugh in the face that he got to live the life several men can only fantasize about. Not only did he get to work with big-breasted porn stars, he got to sleep with them, too. Sort of. Maybe not always in the ways he imagined, but that's more than most men can say, am I right? Still, this confession - can I even call it that? - depicts the darker moments and corners of the adult industry.

The story starts off from Sam packing up and heading west, finding himself in Santa Cruz with an art degree and not a single idea what to do with his life. So one day he buys porn, and decides that he's out to revolutionize the sex world as we know it. His meager beginnings include recording masturbation videos of himself while he gets off with a banana peel to recording a piss video with a man who cannot get an erection without drinking the urine of some makeshift dominatrix. Later, he's on the receiving end of a dildo in a bisexual porn flick. Then he's working for an interracial website dedicated to gangbangs. And that's where his career sets off.

He introduces us to an array of colorful characters and porn stars - names we may recognize, and others we'll wind up Google searching. There's Willie Timberlake, a bipolar ginger from Oakland whose inability to hold down a job destines him to become Sam's porn sidekick. White Liz, Sam's doomed love interest, who works within the porn industry without ever taking off her clothing. And those are the only people worth talking about, sorta.

There are several things that I find annoying(?) with this memoir. Small things that probably don't mean anything, and shouldn't deter a curious reader from reading it. For instance, there are times in the book when Sam Benjamin is adamant that he's done with pornography, but continues to pick up the camera. It's almost feels as if the reader's supposed to pat him on the back and whisper, "There, there. You deeply troubled pornographer. It's not your fault that porn's so degrading to the women you hire. You're only doing what you're told."

The dialogue also comes into question. Most of it feels scripted. Granted that Sam is working on memory, and I'm sure most things are paraphrased, it still robs from the story. In some instances, he'll drop a random one-liner as if he was working on a sitcom script in the process.

However, the book - despite it's bragging - does give the reader a glimpse of the so-called glamour of the porn industry. From the horrendous Honey back story to the poor broke Czech woman who is, figuratively and possibly literally, ripped in half during a sex scene. The way he handles his story - with the exception of the unnecessary epilogue - acts more a cautionary tale than the clueless Jenna Jameson's memoir.

So if you're looking for a pornographic memoir on the subject, pick up the book. It's worth the time taken to read it. You can pick up a copy at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and it's available for Kindle and Nook, respectively. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

More Porn Memoirs @ Amazon

Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

I suppose it's nostalgia. Or maybe it's the fact that my son will never possess a mix tape the way technology is changing the way we listen to music – as I type this, I'm currently using my Pandora One account. Whatever the reason, however, there's something that tugs on the heartstrings between the lines of Rob Sheffield's writing.

Much like Sheffield, I spent the better part of my youth making mix tapes. Mix tapes for the girls I had crushes on. Mix tapes for my friends. Mix tapes for people I was getting to know. Mix tapes for my friends' sexual activities. Mix tapes to play while I was writing bad poetry and shitty short stories. Christmas jams 1999. Summer of Love '97. Songs to Kill Yourself To. Songs to be Reborn To. Life's soundtrack on tiny spools of magnetic tape. When CDRs came about, I segued in that direction. The latest shared playlists I made were on Second Life, back when I DJ'ed as Blaspheme Baxton. Nothing, however, can amount to the sweat and blood poured into the mix cassette tape.

And every mix tape tells a story, or part of one. It maps the path of good times and bad ones. It shows us that everything has its time, everything will pass. And isn't that what Sheffield is telling us? Each song brings him closer to his wife, while aiding him through the world without her.

One can only wish to possess Sheffield's musical insights, and his ability to write about experiences so beautifully. If not for responsibilities, I would have allowed the book to suck me in and not resurface until it was finished with me. If you haven't read it, I suggest you put down that current bestseller and pick up a copy of this baby.

Extra thanks to Angela, who loaned it to me. She's lucky that I'm willing to give it back to her.

Pick up your copy at Amazon, or for your Kindle. Until next time, happy huntin'.

The X-Rated Book Hunt

Now I've never heard of Oriana Small (aka Ashley Blue), but I do know that I like a rare book. And while Girlvert may not be the rarest of books (in fact, it isn't rare at all), the fact alone that the price of a used copy is way more than a new copy - original cover price - I knew that this fine would be the greatest of the year thus far. I snagged this copy for only $15.97 on eBay. Now before you jump on my case and say it's regular cover price at Amazon, you should check out the "usually ships within" part. See that? Yeah, homie don't play that.

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Most Anticipated Books of 2011 - The Daily Beast

It would seem that the Daily Beast has released it Most Anticipated Books of 2011 list, and I got to say the only book to pique this book hunter's interest is Kenneth Slawenski's biography on the late J.D. Salinger. There are several good ones, no doubt, but I'm not a fan of Ronald Reagan and I don't think I've ever sat through an entire book by Joyce Carol Oates - I know, I know. Some English major I turned out to be. Politically, O: A Presidential Novel has garnered some of my attention, but not enough for me to want to go out and read the book. Besides, I have little respect for anonymous political fiction writers who usually turn out to be some news reporter known for his/her bias. Open City by Teju Cole, on the other hand, just might be the book for me this year. If it's a hunt I want, I'm sure it's a hunt I'll get it. Anyway, check out the list and see what the year holds.

More books arrived

I tell you, nothing makes a book hunter happier than receiving books in the mail. And last week, I received my package from Better World Books - purchased off Amazon - which contained Sex Diaries edited by Maxium Jakubowski and Dying For It: Tales of Sex and Death edited by Mitzi Szereto. 

In the mail today, I received my (hopefully) final order from Amazon for the year. The order was made up of Etgar Keret's The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God, a book I've been lusting after since I saw the trailer for Wristcutters: A Love Story. Stapled to that book was Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands and God Hates Us All by fictional fiction writer Hank Moody from Showtime's Californication. 

I started on Keret's collection of short stories and plan to move on Hank Moody's novel. At the moment, however, my only concern is getting over this cold. Because being sick puts a damper on my reading groove. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Books by Porn Stars

While this post is about the adult film industry, its main focus is on novels, memoirs, guidebooks, etc. written by actors in the industry. The links are all work safe as they link to Wikipedia pages and Amazon. This post, or this blog, does not promote anything adult in nature.

With a blog like Pure Lust Entraps, I stumble throughout the Internet looking for news of the erotic. Many of times, this leads me to the world of the adult industry - namely porn stars. While not all these finds are pornographic in nature - for instances, I did learn about Off the Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners, a book of photographs by Paulie and Pauline - they are still in the zone of the erotic.

There is a subtle line between the two that society seems to blur - by society, I mean the highly conservative mind controllers. Pornography may be erotic, but erotica is never pornographic. Everything within the art is set in gently - even the rough stuff.

Many times, however, my finds aren't books on porn stars or pornography, but by porn stars. From Jenna Jameson's cautionary tale to Ron Jeremy being the hardest working man in the industry, porn stars are writing books on their lives, as well as, creating new worlds to sate our desires. Porn stars writing erotica? Now there's something interesting.

1. How to Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale by Jenna Jameson - Jameson has also taken on the role of co-author with the Jenna Tales series which includes the books Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Lip Service.
2. Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz by Ron Jeremy
3. Traci Lords: Underneath It All by Traci Elizabeth Lords - Better known as the underage porn star that brought the industry to its knees when her age was exposed, Lords released her autobiography years ago. And while I own the hardcover, the story isn't complete. When the softcover was released later, a new chapter, as well as, photos were stapled on. It's a must have, even though Jenna Jameson suggested against it if you ever want to get into her pants (see her book for details). 
4. The Lust Ranch: A Vivid Girls Book by Sunrise Adams - I'm not going to lie, I've never heard of Sunrise Adams before the book. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one on my part. I'm going with the former. The niece of porn star legend Sunset Thomas, Adams opted to pen an erotic novel rather than an autobiography like those listed above. Admittedly, again, I've never bothered with the book. But if the price is ever right, know that I'll make an attempt to read it.
5. Vamp: A Vivid Girls Book by Savanna Samson - Yet another porn star I've never heard of until she released an erotic novel. A Vivid Girls Book series also includes Private Access by Tawny Roberts and Day of the Dead by Mercedez.
6. Neu Sex by Sasha Grey - while the book is yet to be released (2 November 2010, according to Amazon), the book is a collection of photographs by the porn star vixen. Grey has also stepped out of the adult world in last year's film The Girlfriend Experience.
7. Sinner Takes All: A Memoir of Love and Porn by Tera Patrick
8. How to Have a XXX Sex Life: The Ultimate Vivid Guide by The Vivid Girls (Jenna Jameson, Savanna Samson, Tawny Roberts, Kira Kener, Dasha, Sunrise Adams, Briana Banks and Mercedez) with Dan Anderson and Maggie Berman - while the book promises to spice up your sex life, good luck trying to experimenting with half the things that are mention in the book. But hey, it was a cool concept. 
9. The Smart Girl's Guide to Porn by Violet Blue - Violet Blue is also the author of guides and editor to erotic anthologies including Lust: Erotic Fantasies for Women, Best Women's Erotica 2010 and Girls on Top: Explicit Erotica for Women.
10. The Secret Lives of Hypatia Lee by Hypatia Lee

While there are several more books written by members of the adult film industry, these are possibly the most canon. Okay, maybe not so much numbers 4, 5 and 8, but the rest are important to the evolution of that film industry. That's right, I said evolution.

There are also a few books I would love to see written. Books on the lives of Sasha Grey and Stoya are desirable. And while there are several books on Burning Angel and Suicide Girls, I'm more of a prose kind of guy. Something written by the punk/goth/emo porn stars would benefit my rather short sex book shelf.

Yeah, that's right. A sex book shelf. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Find More Stuff at Amazon.com

Yes Man

Yes Man, the film, isn't an adaptation of the memoir by Danny Wallace. It was merely inspired by it. Of course, I mentioned earlier, how I didn't know that when I put off the movie to read the book instead. I didn't learn the truth until after I picked up a copy of the book and read "The Book That Inspired The Movie" on its cover. I asked a friend who watched it whether or not Jim Carry's character was British and was named Danny. My friend said, "No, he's American." Great. 

Still, I put off watching the film until I finished reading Wallace's memoir - who, by the way, has a tiny bit (according to IMDB) part in the movie, playing a guy with no lines at a bar - if you squint carefully, you can just make him out as Danny Masterson is whisked away by an elderly lady. 

So how do I treat the film? This blog is about books and films that were adapted from books. Clearly, Jim Carrey's Carl Allen is nothing like Danny Wallace - well, in the sense that he isn't British or works in television; Carl's a banker who works with a guy named Norm who is possibly the closest thing to a Brit the film has (excluding the guest, wordless cameo of Wallace, of course). And Zooey Deschanel isn't a Lizzie character, either - her name in the film is Allison who is a band called Munchausen by Proxy. 

The film isn't as inspiring as the memoir, but I wasn't expecting it to be. Nor is as realistic - sure there were times in the memoir where I scratched my head and wondered if Wallace was pulling me along for a ride, but at least I could believe the things that happened. Had he written how he saved a man from jumping off a building by singing Third Eye Blind's Jumper, I may not have been so receptive of his tale. 

Nevertheless, Yes Man is still a great film, one that should definitely be watched (even though a review for it is a tad late, so sue me). But do do yourself a favor and read the book, as well. You won't regret it. 

jumper third eye blind mp3 | lyrics

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Believing in the Power of Yes

I don't think would have ever heard of Danny Wallace, let alone his book, if it hadn't been for the movie Yes Man. And I probably wouldn't have even bothered with being intrigued with the film if it weren't for Zooey Deschanel - who am constantly being teased about by Jyg and I know if she should read this blog, the teasing would ensue on a greater leaver. But after learning that the movie was inspired by a nonfiction book, I decided to read it first - later, I learned that the movie wasn't an adaptation, but my decision had already been made and there was no way I was going to put off my book hunt just because of one technicality. On a related note, I happened to find the book at a closing sale at the local Hollywood Video for a couple of bucks so I bought it and it sat on my shelf for about a month, gathering dust and waiting patiently for me to find, buy and read the book. 

What was my point again? Oh yeah, after a long grueling couple of months of book hunting, I decided the cheapest way to obtain the book wasn't also the quickest. So I swallowed my book hunter pride and bought it off Half.com. I received in the mail a couple of weeks later and put on my queue (I don't really have a queue, it's just a pile of books sitting on my desk waiting for me to pick one up) and finished whatever it was I was reading last. 

I'm not a fan of the nonfiction genre because the truth can be stranger than fiction - it's not just a cliche, you know - and I'm always left wondering whether or not the author has taken some poetic liberties with his own life. But after reading some YA horror, a translation and a collection of short stories left me feeling I'd been cheated of great literature (thank you for that, Tumblr, by the way), I decided it might be time that I read a memoir of a Yes Man. And I'm glad I did. 

This book is full of your feel good moments - falling in love, growing up, having adventures, larger than life characters (hypnodog!), letting go - to spiritual aspects and a few moments of depression. It's real. It's a real book - and no, I'm not accusing anyone of saying it doesn't exist - but it's a book that you can read to feel better about the world, feel better about yourself, allow yourself to make mistakes and take risks even when you normally wouldn't. 

That being said, it's probably the only memoir I've ever read. Don't get me wrong, I've read several biographies and autobiographies, but never a book about a certain time the author's life. I've tried in the past - Cherry by Mary Karr comes to mind, Smashed is another one and then there's Prozac Nation - but I never got pasted the first few pages, or chapters. But Yes Man was different. How could I possibly say no to a book about saying yes? 

I couldn't, and there was never a time  I wanted to put it down - even when I should have been working, I was reading Danny Wallace's words, laughing with him and feeling sad when things were going differently than expected. In many ways, the book inspired me to say yes a little bit more. Even to things that I would normally find tedious or annoying - let me give it a try again. While reading, I even took down a couple of notes about references he'd make - I went as far as buying an Ian Rankin book just because he mentioned the author's name. 

Maybe this book can change my life around. Or maybe my cynicism is just too strong to be pushed under the mat. Either way, I've never thought about it until I read the book. And that says something, doesn't it? 

Now it's a matter of watching the film that the book inspired.