J.B. Sommerset

Every once in a while I like to put a title in here that I have not read and know nothing about. It keeps it fresh and I will most likely post more books that I haven't read before. This audiobook is a little outside of the bi-weekly range, but I have been busy and also "I caught a wee sniffle". I don't know anything about it and I am not really sure if it's going to be any good. But I am down to give someone a few extra likes, clicks, or subs. So here we go, this week is " A Hunt in Winter " by Conor Brady , apparently, its a thriller. We'll see about that. Enjoy! Cheers!

Since the invention of the digital format there has been an ongoing argument as to which is better, digital or analogue. Hardcore audiophiles will always argue that old vinyl will always be better than digital formats. Old school artists will always scoff at the digital facsimiles or photoshop drawings. And some writers look down on those who "first draft" on a computer, even though in this modern world most of us will have to type drafts for submission.  I am an old schooler and I see the value of first drafting with pen and paper, but thank god people don't have to read that drivel- I would be embarrassed. That being said, in a world of lazy A.I. driven art, music and writing, there is something very important to be said for original analogue.  The best contrast in this argument is Vinyl versus Digital. My wife and I recently bought some vinyl and a fairly descent record player. I instantly noticed how much better the sound was. I used to be a radio D.J. and I had forgo

(Photo by J.B. Sommerset- Sunset on the Mountain, December 2023) Here's one for the upcoming months, this on is for those of you seeking some empowerment along the way to 2025. Let's face it, we could all use a little bit of empowerment, especially those of us who have bullies in our lives.  "Empowerment is the awareness and recognition that personal choice is the only thing we really have control over, it is as valuable as our time in this world, we should use that power to make our time worth the while..." J.B. Sommerset. Cheers!

I was looking up at the stars last week and I was thinking about how far away they are. Millions, billions, trillions of miles away. So far that we look into the past  when we see them. And not just a few years, but all the way back to the birth of the universe. This weeks quote goes like this... "Even two things on the opposite sides of the universe are connected by distance." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

I pulled this one from the old notebook as well. I was watching the news last week, something I rarely do and usually regret immediately, and I was reminded of this little saying. This one has most likely been said before by someone else, but this is how I say it.  "The caveat to free speech is that every idiot has an opinion and a tongue." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Here's one for all the love birds out there. This one is one from way back, and it's probably been said before. I wrote this one down years ago after having a deep conversation with the statue of a cowboy after drinking some 151. Anyway, this is the advice he gave me.  "There's only one thing to remember about relationships, its really very simple, this is what you need to remember; they're complicated." J. B. Sommerset Cheers!

Here's this week's quote of the week, it comes from my observation of the people that I know, specifically two people I know, this is how they lived, thankfully they didn't die this way, instead they separated. It was a train wreck for all those around them, and thankfully half of it is over. "In a house with two narcissists and one mirror, there will be murder..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

This one is also an oldie but goodie. It's from one of my oldest, and ongoing works: " The Last of Those Who Walk. " Understand that it has been rewritten, but this was its original form.  "Do not practice a thing you revile, or that does not interest you. Do not practice something that doesn't bring joy to your heart. Do not practice works of monotony or boredom. Don't practice those things, because the things you practice, you will often get good at." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Okay, this one is from way back in my writing, almost a decade ago. This one also might have been said by someone else in a similar way. If it has, I not sure who first said it, but it's a good one. Hope you enjoy it! "The crosses we carry, are usually the ones we get hung up on." J.B. Sommerset (and others). Cheers!

  It's Friday again, so here is the quote of the week! "We are all pickpockets, who have stolen our own watches with the intent to sell them back to ourselves at a profit, but time doesn't work that way, it can not be bought back..." J.B. Sommerset Cheers!

Well, It's been a while and it's been hard to keep the posts coming. I have been spending more time on my new lair in the mountains, more on that to come, suffice to say my time is significantly fractured right now. If I want to post I get up super early in the morning. So here I am, just before dawn typing trying to get more content to the fans of literature, whom ever you are out there.  This week I decided to go with some of the old classics. I decided to follow up and post " Charlie and The Glass Elevator ". For those of you who didn't know, " Charlie and Chocolate Factory " Was only the first book by  Roald Dahl   in the Charlie Saga. Hope you enjoy it.  Cheers!

One of my more recent posts was a picture I ran through an A.I. filter to modify its color and style. I liked the result so much that I decided to keep it and post it here on the site. I mentioned I would post more on how A.I. affects the world of creators and how I feel about transitioning into a world where A.I. will be everywhere. Today is that day, or one of them, because I am sure the future will bring so much more to the debate. Although we really haven't created real  A.I. yet, we are closer every day, and that brings me a little bit of concern. I find myself arguing about where the world is going. As far as A.I. is concerned, all of us seem to embrace it no matter how many warnings there are. No matter how many times we see The Terminator  or IRobot.   This is a difficult subject to tackle. On one side of the coin, there is a better life for all of us. A.I. means better health, self-driving cars, more security, etc- a world of more possibilities. On the other side of that s

I am glad there are such things as audiobooks, this is one I spite read from time to time, and now I will listen to it instead. You know how you are told when you are a kid that sometimes it's good to do things you don't like? Well, this week's audiobook is one of those things for me. For years I tried liking this book. I had to read this as required read material for 3 out of my 4 high school years- from 9th to senior year. My teachers always told me that one day I would understand and love it. I have tried again and again to like this book, although I must admit it's been about 10 years for me now. I am about to find out how much I don't really care for this book, again, maybe not, but maybe I will like it more this time.  This week's book is " The Great Gatsby " by F. Scott Fitzgerald . So I am going to go ahead a try this thing again. For the rest of you, who already like this one, good on ya! Enjoy! Cheers!

I don't usually run my art through filters, it makes it less authentic. It's hard for me to view things like A.I. as tools because they do all the heavy lifting for a person, making the creation of art nearly thoughtless. This is not what art is about, art is about the product of something new and unique to a person's tastes. It can tell a story or make a point. I can have a deeper meaning, or just be shallow and enjoyable.  As much as I would like the world to stay the same, it isn't going to. So I have been trying to dip into it and see how I can combine it with my work. I have used this filter before but never on my works from Umbria. Here is the result, I like it and I hope you do too. This one is called " The Bridges of Taebora- Redone ".  Also, that A.I. conversation isn't over yet, I will revisit it. Cheers, and keep on creating!

I am not sure if I have posted this one before, but I am going to post it nonetheless. When I was a child this was one of my favorites, by one of my favorite authors, Jules Verne.    I used to read his books on the reg, everything from " Journey to the Center of the Earth "  to " Around the World in 80 days . " When it boils down to it, he is all about adventure, and let's face it, we could all use a little of that. So without further delay, here's "20000 leagues under the sea!" Cheers!

It's been a long time since I posted an excerpt from my work. Last week I talked about a novel I wrote when I was a teenager. It got me thinking. I couldn't really remember much about it other than that I was highly inexperienced when I wrote it. Some parts of it were drafted when I was fifteen. It was finished, roughly, when I was seventeen, just before I graduated. When I graduated I re-read it. I remember how rough I thought it was. I put it down with plans to revisit it in a couple of months, maybe a year or two- tops.  I was really naive back then. Real life happened, and I never returned to it, so it sat there. Recently I have been thinking more and more about it. After my last post, I decided to fish it out of the literary locker where it has been chained in the dark. Maybe I've aged, or maybe I am as ugly as it is, but for some reason, I saw some beauty there, so I decided to post an excerpt here and see what happens.  I hope you all enjoy it; I decided not to leave

Like many of you out there, you might have been interested in writing early in life but just never had the time to commit or get started on that novel. Well my friends, wine isn't good until it's aged. Some of the best stories are the ones that have matured, and only time ages a things in the right direction.  My writing career parallels this. I wrote my first novel when I was a teenager. I never did anything with that book, I just let it sit. Thank god! In retrospect, it was crap. The premise was great, the story was and still is original as far as I know, and the character development was also good. However, I didn't know how to write back then. I could loosely call it a "daytime television fan fiction" and that's giving the shite it's credit.  Any value was, to say the least, theoretical. It's still hiding in my desk in shame like a hunchback in the attic, hidden away, an abomination. I am so glad I made the decision to hold on to it. I think that k

This week's book is some reading for sure. I read this when I was a kid, but never came back and read it again. Because of it's size, I am not sure I will be able to finish this one inside the week, but I am going to try. This week, it's part fact, part fiction- "The Man In The Iron Mask" by Alexandre Dumas. This tale was based on real events during the french revolution. But the real question is: Can you make it through the whole 20 plus hours of story telling. I think it's size is one of the reasons I didn't tackle it again, but now, I think I am ready. Below I have posted all three parts.  Cheers, and keep on reading. 

This week, its another from H.G. Wells , a man who predicted the future because he understood science and was able to combine it with his understanding of the future. I read this one years ago, but then I watched the movie and blocked both of them from my memory. If it's been a while, I thought I'd give it another go. H.G. Wells can't be blamed for the literary mishap that was the  1996 movie starring Val Kimer . That masterpiece of shit was enough to turn me off the book for a couple of decades, however, I feel it's time to give it another try. This week I will be listening to it again.  Thats right... It's " The Island of Doctor Moreau ", lets hope that turd of a movie didn't permanently damage the integrity of the story. Cheers!

I was saving this one for a special occasion. The raining day read, not that there is one now, I just know that sometimes it's best to play a card when it feels right, even if there is no rain. Many of you most likely know the movie Fightclub, but the book is just as good. I, like most authors, like to read the book before I see the movie. This, however, is an exception to the "read it before you see it" mantra. I saw the movie long before I knew who Chuck Palahniuk was. I still feel the movie is as good as the book.  Needless to say, when I did read the book I was opened up to a whole new style of writing. That style is what I currently refer to as the "know the rules and break them anyway" style. From a literary stand point, nothing about this books should work- but it works wonderfully. Chuck was well aware of what he should do, he knew the rules to writing. He looked at them, and completely disreguarded them. I was so fascinated with the way that this novel