Nicole I. Nesca answers 13 questions in a Booker's Dozen

TPQ: 
What are you currently reading? 

NN: I am currently reading some of my own books right now. I know that sounds like I am some kind of narcissist but I am rereading my work to try and get some rhythm going for the novella I am writing. It will be my first.

TPQ: Best and worst books you have ever read?

NN: Hands down the best book I ever read was A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway. The book is a masterpiece as far as I am concerned. I actually give it away as gifts for birthdays, etc. I read it at least once a year. As for the worst book, it's not a specific book, but I never found T.S. Eliot’s poetry as impressive as everyone else did, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I dig poetry. Too much of a windbag, too many words just to get to a point, know what I mean?

TPQ: Book most cherished as a child? 

NN: Charlotte's Web comes to mind, but I was very, very young, just after learning how to read. And it was our teacher reading it aloud in class in instalments that first introduced it to me. I read it and re-read it. I used to carry it around the house with me. 

TPQ: Favourite childhood author? 

NN: Don’t laugh. At least not to my face. Please and thank you. Little House On The Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder I mean, I am originally from Ohio. 

TPQ: First book to really own you?

NN: My earliest memory would be visiting the library with my older sister and my mother. We would go on Saturdays every couple of weeks. I remember sitting on the little wooden chairs and flipping through Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak. Classic.


TPQ: Favourite male and female author?

NN: Tricky question. Lol - There are a few. Patti Smith – M Train and Just Kids blew my mind. Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar; Virginia Wolfe – To The Lighthouse; Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird … I guess my answer is more than you asked for. I can’t just pick one. Sorry. Strong females. Some broken. Some not. But, beautiful either way. Male - There are two. Ernest Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, I love the time period of the roaring 20s. Jazz and bath-tub gin joints. Although both are considered hyper-masculine, I think the true beauty in their words are what is found in their unwritten words. The spaces in-between. 

TPQ: A preference for fact or fiction?

NN: Fact. Or, almost fact. I love reading biographies and autobiographies. I am kind of a history nerd. I think I can blame my old man for that one. The most recent biography was Keith Richards - Life. 

TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you? 

NN: Anais Nin's diaries were real eye-openers. Not necessarily her writing style, it's a bit too verbose and poetic (though I love poetic prose) when unwarranted, but it took all sorts of courage to get that stuff out of her and to release it to the public. And I read a biography on Hunter Thompson by Jann Werner that was pretty impressive for its depth and frankness. But the best was the Keith Richards autobiography, Life, a sprawling, endearing, really funny, really serious, book about everything that automatically comes to your mind when you think of Keith Richards. Nothing left untouched, and it was surprising as well. Everything you think of him is true, but there is a whole lot about his personality that is unknown, especially just how serious of a musician he was. 

TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?

NN: Stephen King, Harry Potter, genre shite. I know that sounds horrible and like I am a literate elite total snob … but, hell, you asked. I’m not. Just can’t wrap my brain around some things. You dig? 

TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?

NN: Just Kids and M Train - Patti Smith. Although we had completely different upbringings and were born in different lifetimes, I have to say that her books really resonate with me. I really vibe with her story telling. Auto-biographical. Her lines run down the page with ease. Familiar somehow. Great books.


TPQ: Last book you gave as a present? 

NN: Graphic Novel Love And Rockets – Gilbert And Jaime Hernandez. They released some new books to go with their original series. I bought those for Tony. They ended up being a gift for the both of us. Shhhh. Don’t tell him. 

TPQ: Book you would most like to see turned into a movie? 

NN: A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway. I would only hope and pray that Hollywood wouldn’t fuck it up. Which they probably would. Would be better handled by a Godard type. Black and white with unknowns for actors. Yep, I thought about it.  

TPQ: A must-read before you die?

NN: The Lord Of The Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien. I have always been hesitant. It has a girth. A weight. Almost makes it a bit intimidating. No?  

⏭Nicole I. Nesca co-runs Screamin' Skull Press and has written six books of prose and poetry. Her most recent work is Let It Bleed.

Booker's Dozen @ Nicole I. Nesca

Nicole I. Nesca answers 13 questions in a Booker's Dozen

TPQ: 
What are you currently reading? 

NN: I am currently reading some of my own books right now. I know that sounds like I am some kind of narcissist but I am rereading my work to try and get some rhythm going for the novella I am writing. It will be my first.

TPQ: Best and worst books you have ever read?

NN: Hands down the best book I ever read was A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway. The book is a masterpiece as far as I am concerned. I actually give it away as gifts for birthdays, etc. I read it at least once a year. As for the worst book, it's not a specific book, but I never found T.S. Eliot’s poetry as impressive as everyone else did, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I dig poetry. Too much of a windbag, too many words just to get to a point, know what I mean?

TPQ: Book most cherished as a child? 

NN: Charlotte's Web comes to mind, but I was very, very young, just after learning how to read. And it was our teacher reading it aloud in class in instalments that first introduced it to me. I read it and re-read it. I used to carry it around the house with me. 

TPQ: Favourite childhood author? 

NN: Don’t laugh. At least not to my face. Please and thank you. Little House On The Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder I mean, I am originally from Ohio. 

TPQ: First book to really own you?

NN: My earliest memory would be visiting the library with my older sister and my mother. We would go on Saturdays every couple of weeks. I remember sitting on the little wooden chairs and flipping through Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak. Classic.


TPQ: Favourite male and female author?

NN: Tricky question. Lol - There are a few. Patti Smith – M Train and Just Kids blew my mind. Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar; Virginia Wolfe – To The Lighthouse; Harper Lee – To Kill A Mockingbird … I guess my answer is more than you asked for. I can’t just pick one. Sorry. Strong females. Some broken. Some not. But, beautiful either way. Male - There are two. Ernest Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, I love the time period of the roaring 20s. Jazz and bath-tub gin joints. Although both are considered hyper-masculine, I think the true beauty in their words are what is found in their unwritten words. The spaces in-between. 

TPQ: A preference for fact or fiction?

NN: Fact. Or, almost fact. I love reading biographies and autobiographies. I am kind of a history nerd. I think I can blame my old man for that one. The most recent biography was Keith Richards - Life. 

TPQ: Biography, autobiography or memoir that most impressed you? 

NN: Anais Nin's diaries were real eye-openers. Not necessarily her writing style, it's a bit too verbose and poetic (though I love poetic prose) when unwarranted, but it took all sorts of courage to get that stuff out of her and to release it to the public. And I read a biography on Hunter Thompson by Jann Werner that was pretty impressive for its depth and frankness. But the best was the Keith Richards autobiography, Life, a sprawling, endearing, really funny, really serious, book about everything that automatically comes to your mind when you think of Keith Richards. Nothing left untouched, and it was surprising as well. Everything you think of him is true, but there is a whole lot about his personality that is unknown, especially just how serious of a musician he was. 

TPQ: Any author or book you point blank refuse to read?

NN: Stephen King, Harry Potter, genre shite. I know that sounds horrible and like I am a literate elite total snob … but, hell, you asked. I’m not. Just can’t wrap my brain around some things. You dig? 

TPQ: A book to share with somebody so that they would more fully understand you?

NN: Just Kids and M Train - Patti Smith. Although we had completely different upbringings and were born in different lifetimes, I have to say that her books really resonate with me. I really vibe with her story telling. Auto-biographical. Her lines run down the page with ease. Familiar somehow. Great books.


TPQ: Last book you gave as a present? 

NN: Graphic Novel Love And Rockets – Gilbert And Jaime Hernandez. They released some new books to go with their original series. I bought those for Tony. They ended up being a gift for the both of us. Shhhh. Don’t tell him. 

TPQ: Book you would most like to see turned into a movie? 

NN: A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway. I would only hope and pray that Hollywood wouldn’t fuck it up. Which they probably would. Would be better handled by a Godard type. Black and white with unknowns for actors. Yep, I thought about it.  

TPQ: A must-read before you die?

NN: The Lord Of The Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien. I have always been hesitant. It has a girth. A weight. Almost makes it a bit intimidating. No?  

⏭Nicole I. Nesca co-runs Screamin' Skull Press and has written six books of prose and poetry. Her most recent work is Let It Bleed.

3 comments:

  1. A bit of a contrast with my own tastes. I loved King although haven't read him in years and now my daughter loves him also. Can't imagine being interested in Keith Richards. Watched Lord Of The Rings with the family one Christmas season but would not pick it up unless locked in a cell where the choice was between it and the bible, both equally fictional but one more interesting than the other. This is the range of tastes the literary world allows for. I love the anarchy of it which we should strive to shield against the order that the book burners wish to bring to that world. Long way rivers of ideas extinguish the fires of the censor.
    Thanks for doing this Nicole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wouldn't mind reading Keef's book, but I'm weary of the 'elegantly wasted' anti-hero label that has been bestowed upon him by elderly Rolling Stone readers.

      Delete
  2. It was my pleasure. Thank you for the opportunity. We definitely differ on Richards. Stones are my favorite band. Love what you are doing!

    ReplyDelete