The Centireading Project

I recently came across an article about the benefits of reading a book more than 100 times. Some of these include gaining insights and nuances beyond the story’s superficial understanding. You go beyond the characters and plot to subtexts, themes, and deeper symbolism.

This said, I started searching for books I’d want to read this many times and study in depth. Several great works came to mind (Don Quixote, The Count of Monte Cristo, Dracula), but I landed on two that have influenced me both as a reader and writer the most: Treasure Island and The Hobbit.

Thus far, I’ve read both books thirteen times, and am in the midst of the fourteenth. I’ll share my insights and analyses as I go, and encourage you to read along and share your views.

Treasure Island:

I see two different threads running with this classic. One is the fictional work itself, and the other is the story’s allusions to real world places and people.

The work — A few things in this work have popped out at me so far. The author’s use of the word chine. The narrator suggests that he viewed these pirates as nothing more than animals. The writer also made a subtle use of the dialogue tags throughout the tale.

He/she said: for those not going on the voyage.

Said he: for those going on the voyage.

An interesting duality exists between Trelawney and Livesay. The squire wants desperately to be taken seriously and seen as a professional equal, while the doctor is a professional, but keeps his ego in check.

The hunt — Some might say that this island is or was a real place. So far, there are plenty of allusions that could support this hypothesis. Captain Flint may have been modeled after Edward Teach, a pirate that plundered the Atlantic for decades before settling down along the Carolina coast. The story drops several clues to Skelton Island’s possible whereabouts. Savanah and peaches are mentioned early on in the same sentence. One of Flint’s men was allegedly left near Trinidad. Hispaniola is a Caribbean city. The island is described at length in the book. It has tall pines intermingled with the foliage, bullrushes, and rattlesnakes.

These are just my observations to date. We’ll see where this project leads me as I progress.

The Bus

Here’s a rare glimpse into some of my earlier poetry. The way that the current readership market is trending, why not toss it out for free, too. That’s the new norm, right?

 

Two roads diverged in Times Square

One with some cars,

The other — nothing there.

 

The streets are dark trodden

With muggers and muck.

I hear my friend scream, “hey! What the f—?”

 

Two roads diverged in Times Square

And it became unanimous

Among the rest of us

To pay three bucks and ride the bus.

 

If you have enjoyed this little artwork, then seriously consider giving other artists their reasonable share. A saturated market doesn’t imply that everyone’s work isn’t worth a dime.

Last One Standing (the shortest story ever)

Flash Point Theater

It’s either them or me.

(Call to action: All right YouTubers: Let’s see your best flash film interpretation of this story done in ten seconds or less. My only copyright requirement for its use is that you list the story on your video: “Last One Standing” by Joshua Dyer. Post your links in the comments below.)

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Jugaret

Being the Imperial Executioner is not a vocation that you fall into by accident. It is a fate handed to you by your ancestors. As L’Andriel’s bloodthirsty empire crumbles, I pen my final thoughts. I’ve found refuge long enough to journal this piece of our history as I saw it unfold. What type of individual is capable of delivering the death sentence to his friends, neighbors, and countrymen on a day to day basis? My name is Jugaret, and I am that sort of man.

 

 

http://www.wattpad.com/69328769-jugaret

Finding November

Being sixteen can be hell, and life at Liberty High isn’t doing Sarah Daniels any favors. Bullies, boys, an abusive mother, and now this: an old journal left to Sarah in her aunt’s will. With each passing entry, she grows closer to transforming the skeletons in her mom’s closet into proven facts. Everyone has a story. For Sarah, one boy’s journey across Great Depression America will set her free.

Now on sale in eBook and paperback!

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Finding-November-J-E-Dyer-ebook/dp/B00IMPK9GK

The Furlough Song

So, maybe I got a little bored at work today:

Fur… I say Fu-u-uur-lough!

Take Congress’ pay, don’t let em go home.

 

Come Mr. Congressman, repeal the Obama.

Furlough come, and we all stay home.

 

It’s six days, seven days, eight days OFF!

You won’t get paid, and you can’t go home.

 

A difficult bunch of bright persona who can’t work togeTHA!

Furlough come, and we all stay home.

 

It’s six days, seven days, eight days OFF!

Furlough come, and they all stay home.

 

Harry Reid push it back, push it back to Boehnner.

Furlough come, and we all stay home.

 

I get to pee in any stall I wanNAH!

Furlough come, and they all stay home.

 

The Shutdown Sandwich

Okay. So, it has happened. The world hasn’t come to an end by any means, but for millions of Americans life will get more difficult. It is with you in mind that the following recipe is offered up for a few bites (and laughs):

•Start with two slices of your favorite bread. You’ll want them toasted, so really hold them over the coals and grill them.

(to view the full article, go to http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1042375.)

Fantasy/Western

My new book is free  from Sept. 18 – 22. Shootouts, love, gambling, zombies and mayhem… Enjoy.

Rhone McLean can only watch his entire world burn as his wife’s lifeless body
disappears into the raging inferno. A mysterious cowboy in black emerges from
the ashes of Rhone’s home with a message of hope. His words push McLean into a
quest to free Clara, but how much of himself is he ready to sacrifice?

As the nation heals from the deep wounds of a bloody Civil War, McLean ventures
into the underbelly of the Western frontier. Here Rhone must confront his worst
fear if he is to lower the veil and cross the fog in to the macabre world where
Clara is imprisoned.

The Forces of Creation and Destruction position their
pieces as their eternal conflict nears its boiling point. With the help of the
Pegasus, Bellerophon, Rhone attempts to liberate the seven Towers of Light from
the Baron and his legions of the damned and restore balance to Everdark. He will
soon learn that the path to Clara passes through the Stones of Power and the
collapse of the Dark Territories. Rhone must endure more than Hell if he ever
wants to see his wife again.

 

Friends, Countrymen Lend Me Your Ears

After several long months of painstaking work and editing, the audiobook of “Hunter Cell” is finished! It is currently up on Amazon and audible.com and will be made available on all platforms in the next few days. Click the link below, and head on over. Check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Hunter-Cell/dp/B00EDHDJK4

The Great (American) License Plate Game

The road can be a long and boring place for the kids in your family. No matter how hard you may try to explain to them that getting there is half of the fun, they will still get restless. The following is a game that has been around for a good while and has several variations. This particular version entertained my three for the seven hour trip we recently made into the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee:

1. Make a list on a sheet of paper of all 50 states.  Leave two blank spaces next to each one: one labeled ‘vehicle’ and the other labeled ‘rig’.
2. The point values for finding a regular personal vehicle is two points. The point value for a rig is one point. The reason being that rigs are more likely to travel cross-country than a personal vehicle would be.
3. When you get on the road, have one of the kids or the person riding shotgun hold the score sheet and keep track of all of the plates that you see drive by. Each state can only be marked off in either category only once. Thus, there are a total of 153 points for all 50 states plus one of each category from D.C. Bonus points are given for plates from Canada, Mexico, or any other international plate: 3 points for a rig, and 5 points for a personal vehicle( once per province: Ontario and Quebec are separate for example). The vehicles must be in motion on a road of some type. Parked vehicles at rest stops and parking lots don’t count.
4. Once you have returned from your trip, tally up all points, your distance traveled, and the time that it took your family to obtain your results. Post them here in the comments section to see how your family fared against all other players.

Results for my family:

Trip length: 900 miles round trip

Trip time: 13 hours

Total points: 77 points.

Not too shabby. So, you think your family can beat it on your next road trip? Have at it!