Saturday, August 16, 2025

The Breaker - series. Books 1 - 3:

 


The Breaker


ISBN: 9781656281517

Description:

How do you know the one you love won’t hurt you?
Or even try to kill you?
In many cases … you don’t.
How do we choose our path and purpose in life?
What makes us who we are?
When Seth Egan starts working as a private detective, he knows he’ll make enemies.
It goes with the territory.
As Seth works on a murder case and hunts down the killers, he becomes the target.
Some people have no conscience, shame, empathy, or remorse.
To get their own way, to get what they want, to take everything, they will do anything.
Even murder.
In the end, they will drag you down to hell with them.
Sometimes, our enemies are those closest to us.

Amazon link:


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Bad Blood

ISBN: 9798682203192

Description:

No one is paying Seth Egan for his latest case.

He keeps this one unofficial.

Pro bono publico.

Off the books.

For him, this one is personal.

A matter of bad blood.

A woman with a grudge of her own leads Seth to a place where people vanish without trace.

Money is the motive.

Greed is the motivator.

Scores that can only be settled in blood.

A dark underworld of illegal gambling, prostitution, drugs, violence and murder.


Amazon link:

 

https://t.co/e0XiS8crAr?amp=1


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Mall Maze

ISBN: 9798729917235


Description:


Friday the 13th.

Unlucky for many.

What should have been a routine adultery case ends with Seth Egan fighting for his life.

Cut off from the world.

With no way to call for help.

Trapped in a place where the walls are coming down around him.

Seth is running out of places to hide.

As chaos reigns and the city burns … the hunters close in.


Amazon link:
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Themes:
Abuse by proxy, Adultery, C-PTSD, crime, detective, domestic abuse, enabler, flying monkey, gaslighting, hardboiled, heist, infidelity, murder, narcissism, narcissist, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, personality disorder, psychopath, sociopath, suspense, thriller, vigilante, violence.

Books available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of my books is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

What’s On?


What’s On?

A Guide to Movies and TV Shows


Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9798342696098

Paperback

ISBN-13: 9798341177307

Kindle

ASIN: B0DJTZ8T58

Back cover description:

What’s On? … is the timeless question we have all asked ourselves almost every day of our lives, as we reach for the remote control and settle in front of the TV screen.

Jack Kost, a life-long movie buff and coffee addict, offers his choice of favorite movie and television masterpieces.

Providing possible answers to the question of What’s On? with over 1,900 titles, from golden oldies and timeless classics, to more recent releases, all meticulously logged and summarized.

An invaluable and collectable go-to source for discovering new favorites and revisiting old ones.

Perfect for film enthusiasts and casual viewers alike, this guide will spark conversations, bring back memories, and help you navigate the ever-evolving world of screen entertainment.

A wealth of recommendations and insights from a passionate movie buff to enrich your viewing experience, complete with personal reminiscences and nostalgic reflections, told with a world-wise critical eye, sardonic dry wit, a healthy dose of cynicism, biting observations, and a well-founded rant here and there.

Just don’t challenge or get him started on his personal favorites, like The Shining, Point Blank, Jaws, The Exorcist, The Duellists, Romeo Is Bleeding, or The Ninth Configuration. His opinions on these and other iconic titles are as intense and unyielding as the movies themselves.

All compiled by an author who not only watched the movies, but also read the books on which they were based, did his research, drank a lot of coffee in the process, and advocates for the importance and value of reading.

A glimpse into the over-caffeinated mind of a writer with a passion for great stories.

What’s On? is a celebration of the intersection between page and screen, and a reminder that great on-screen adaptations often start with a great book and a strong cup of coffee.

Kick back, grab your coffee, and enjoy the show!

As author Jack Kost says:

“Happy viewing … and do yourself a favor … read the books.”

Slipped Masks:


Slipped Masks

ISBN: 9781719330640

Description:

I can’t call you because if he hears me talking on the phone he’ll hit me again. He scares me. I know sooner or later he’s going to kill me. I’ll text you again when I can. I love you, Casey. I’ll spend the rest of our lives proving to you how much I love you. Please come. Please save me …

With only text messages to guide him, Casey Byrne is on the hunt, racing across five states to save his ex-girlfriend, Madison.
Casey loves Madison deeply and wants desperately to save her life and rekindle their relationship.
But the closer he gets to her, the more surreal his journey becomes as the dead bodies pile up in his wake.

Clinical Lycanthropy: the delusion that a human can physically transform into a wolf.


If you were insane, would you know it?


How would you see the world if you were convinced you could transform into a wolf?


The hunter … and the hunted.


Slipped Masks is a dark neo-noir thriller about how the need for love and companionship becomes twisted into obsession, possession, jealousy, violence and murder.

A horrifying portrait of Clinical Lycanthropy.

Amazon link:


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Themes:
Sociopathy, narcissistic abuse, personality disorder, Clinical Lycanthropy, crime, murder.

Book available in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

A percentage from sales of this book is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.

Work in progress:


My next books are Triangulation and Stinger.

Books 4 and 5 in The Breaker series.


Set in the year 2001, the story continues from Mall Maze.



Themes:


Crime, detective, hardboiled, heist, murder, narcissism, narcissistic abuse, neo-noir, psychopath, sociopath, thriller, vigilante.

 

A percentage from book sales is donated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research.


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The Breaker is an on-going series.


I’m outlining other stand-alone thriller novels.

Several coffee table books on my photography and my wife’s artwork.

A humorous book, based on the antics of our crazy pet Ragdoll cat, entitled: It’s That F****** Cat Again!



Here’s a GIF I made of our cat, settling down for another of his daily naps:

On this day in movie history - The Usual Suspects (1995):


The Usual Suspects

directed by Bryan Singer,
written by Christopher McQuarrie,
was released in the United States on August 16, 1995.
Music by John Ottman.


Cast:

Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Suzy Amis, Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Hedaya, Paul Bartel, Carl Bressler, Phillipe Simon, Jack Shearer, Christine Estabrook, Clark Gregg, Morgan Hunter, Ken Daly, Michelle Clunie, Louis Lombardi, Frank Medrano, Ron Gilbert, Vito D'Ambrosio, Gene Lythgow, Bob Elmore, David Powledge, Bob Pennetta, Billy Bates, Smadar Hanson, Castulo Guerra, Peter Rocca, Bert Williams, Jaime H. Campos, John Gillespie, Johnathan Gorman, Peter Greene, Michael McKay, Christopher McQuarrie, Ralph Moratz, Scott B. Morgan, Mike Nyman, Grace Sinden.

On this day in movie history - Uncle Buck (1989):


Uncle Buck

directed and written by John Hughes,
was released in the United States on August 16, 1989.
Music by Ira Newborn.


Cast:

John Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly, Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Garrett M. Brown, Elaine Bromka, Amy Madigan, Jay Underwood, Brian Tarantina, Laurie Metcalf, Suzanne Shepherd, Mike Starr, William Windom.

On this day in movie history - Year of the Dragon (1985):


Year of the Dragon

directed by Michael Cimino,
written by Oliver Stone and Michael Cimino,
based on the novel by Robert Daley,
was released in the United States on August 16, 1985.
Music by David Mansfield.


Cast:

Mickey Rourke, John Lone, Ariane, Leonard Termo, Raymond J. Barry, Caroline Kava, Eddie Jones, Joey Chin, Victor Wong, K. Dock Yip, Hon-Lam Pau, Way Dong Woo, Jimmy Sun, Daniel Davin, Mark Hammer, Dennis Dun, Jack Kehler, Steven Chen, Paul Scaglione, Joseph Bonaventura, Jilly Rizzo, Tony Lip, Fabia Drake, Tisa Chang, Gerald Orange, Mei Sheng Fan, Yukio Yamamoto, Doreen Chan, Ha-Lei Yip, Dermot A. McNamara, Vallo Benjamin, Myra Chen, Feng Chin, Yuk Fan Yiu, Richie Hsiu, Jack Lee, David Lee, Irene Jung, Josie Lee, Jiwon Chang, Kelly Wong, Chi Moy, Johnny Shia, Gardell Tung, Jeff Khowong, Chao-jung Chen, Jerry Chang, Aileen Ho, Lisa Lee, Sammy Lee, Keenan Leung, James Scales, Ming C. Lee, Kader Ma, Paul J.Q. Lee, Manuel Fung, Emily Woo Yamasaki, Roza Ng, Gloria Au, Jadin Wong, Lin Ngan Ng, Janice Wong, Bruno Millotti, Lucille D'Agnillo, Julian Szumilo, Cecelia Pei, Quan Eng, George Kodisch, Bruce Kennedy, James Chin, Matthew Tung, Pat Fuji, Geoff Lee, Kuni Mikami, Billy Asai, Chi On Soo Hoo, John Sparks, Carmine Venezia, Anthony Parrillo, Matthew Castiglione, Steve Hanson, Raymond Gardner, Michael Acampora, Texas Cheney, Justin McNeill, Espérance Pham Thai Lan, La Sha Phatsavong.

Born on this day – Robert Culp:


Robert Culp


Actor

Writer

Director

August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010

Credits:

17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2011); 87th Precinct (1961); A Cold Night's Death (1973); A Cry for Help (1975); A Man Called Sloane (1979); A Name for Evil (1973); A Secret Agent's Dilemma, or A Clear Case of Mind Over Mata Hari (1965); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1957); American Profile (1967); America's Book of Secrets (2012); An Evening at the Improv (1990); Anyone for Tennyson? The Master Poets Collection (1978); Ben Casey (1964); Bicentennial Minutes (1975); Big Bad Mama II (1987); Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997); Biography (2003); Black and White: Uptight (1969); Blind Eye (2003); Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1964); Bonanza (1961); Breakaway (1984); Breaking Point (1976); Brothers-in-Law (1985); Burke's Law (1995); Cain's Hundred (1962); Cain's Hundred (1962); Calendar Girl Murders (1984); Canned Ham: The Dr. Evil Story (1999); Celebrity Bowling (1973–1976); Celebrity Sweepstakes (1974); Changing Scene IV (1971); Chicago Hope (2000); Circus of the Stars #7 (1982); Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (2001); Columbo (1971–1973); Columbo: Columbo Goes to College (1990); Combat High (1986); Combat! (1963); Comedy Central Canned Ham (2002); Conan the Adventurer (1998); Cosby (1999); Could It Be a Miracle? (1996–1997); Cronkite Remembers (1996); Cybermania '94: Ultimate Gamers Awards (1994); Danny Thomas' the Wonderful World of Burlesque: Third Edition (1966); Dateline: Hollywood (1967); Death Valley Days (1961); Della (1969); Diagnosis Murder (1997); Dinah! (1975); Doctor Doctor (1989); Dr. Kildare (1963–1965); Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993); Dream Girl of '67 (1967); Early Bird (2005); Eminem Feat. Dr. Dre: Guilty Conscience (1999); Eminem: E / Segment: Guilty Conscience (2000); Empire (1963); Entertainment Tonight (2010); Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2004); Farewell, My Love (2000); Favorite Deadly Sins (1995); Flood (1976); For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots (2010); From Sea to Shining Sea (1974–1976); Funny You Should Ask (1969); Gargoyles (1995–1996); General Electric Theater (1960); Get Smart (1968); Give Me Liberty (1974); Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Celebration (1994); Goldengirl (1979); Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978); Gunsmoke (1964); Half-Life 2 (2004); Half-Life 2: Episode One (2006); Half-Life: Through the City (2025); Hannie Caulder (1971); Hardcastle and McCormick (1984); Headliners & Legends (1998–2008); Hennesey (1961); Her Life as a Man (1984); Here's Hollywood (1961); Hickey & Boggs (1972); Highway to Heaven (1987); Historias para no dormir (1966); Holding the Baby (1998); Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1 (1999); Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2 (1999); Hollywood Squares (2004); Hollywood, No Sex Please! (2018); Hot Rod (1979); Hotel (1986–1987); Houston, We've Got a Problem (1974); Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2009); Hunger (2001); I Spy (1965–1968); I Spy Returns (1994); I'll Bet (1965); Innocents (2000); Inside Out (1975); Inside TV Land (2002); Insight (1963); ITV Saturday Night Theatre (1970); Jake and the Fatman (1987–1991); Johnny Ringo (1960); Killjoy (1981); Kraft Theatre (1956–1957); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1956–1958); La tele de tu vida (2007); Last of the Good Guys (1978); Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1994); Law & Order (1997); Les Chroniques du Mea (2020); L'Histoire nous le dira (2021); Locos por la tele (1991); Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1995); Lonesome Dove: The Series (1994); Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003); Match Game (1973); Matlock (1987); Mercenary (1996); Most Wanted (1997); Movie Madness (1982); Mr. Novak (1965); Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007); Mrs. Columbo (1979); Murder, She Wrote (1986); Murderous Vision (1991); MythBusters (2003); Naked City (1963); Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (2020); NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986); NBC 75th Anniversary Special (2002); NBC Television Opera Theatre (1955); Newsbreak (2000); Now Is Tomorrow (1958); Operation Breadbasket (1969); Outlaws (1960); Outrage (1973); Panther (1995); Password (1974); Pat Boone in Hollywood (1968); Perry Mason: The Case of the Defiant Daughter (1990); Personality (1967–1968); Philbin's People (1970); Pioneers of Television (2011–2014); Playboy Mid Summer Night's Dream Party 1985 (1985); Playboy: Inside the Playboy Mansion (2002); Playboy's Playmate Party (1977); Playboy's Roller Disco & Pajama Party (1979); Playwrights '56 (1956); Police Story (1975–1979); PT 109 (1963); Pucker Up and Bark Like a Dog (1989); Rawhide (1961); Rhino! (1964); Robert Montgomery Presents (1957); Robot Chicken (2007); Roots: The Next Generations (1979); Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968); Running Mates (2000); Santa's Slay (2005); Saturday Night Live (1982); Saturn Awards (1981); See the Man Run (1971); Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003); Sex, Censorship and the Silver Screen (1996); Shaft (1973); Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life (2011); Shirley Temple's Storybook (1960); Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! (1989); Silver Streak (1976); Sky Riders (1976); Spectre (1977); Spy Game (1997); Spy Hard (1996); Star Tonight (1956); Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool (2005); Strange Homecoming (1974); Studio One (1953–1954); Stump the Stars (1963); Sunday in New York (1963); Tales of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice by Paul Mazursky (2003); Target: The Corruptors (1961); Tate (1960); Tattletales (1974–1977); TCM Remembers 2010 (2010); Television (1985); That's Action (1990); The $10,000 Pyramid (1974); The $25,000 Pyramid (1974–1975); The 13th Annual Genesis Awards (1999); The 24th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1967); The 2nd Annual American Comedy Awards (1988); The 32th Annual Thalians Ball (1987); The 41st Annual Academy Awards (1969); The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards (2010); The 83rd Annual Academy Awards (2011); The Alan Thicke Show (1981); The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963); The Almost Guys (2004); The Americans (1961); The Annual Friars Club Tribute Presents a Salute to Milton Berle (1980); The Assignment (2010); The Barbara Stanwyck Show (1961); The Big Story (1956); The Blue Lightning (1986); The Castaway Cowboy (1974); The Chevy Mystery Show (1960); The Chris Isaak Show (2002); The Cosby Show (1987); The Dead Zone (2003); The Detectives (1961); The Don Harron Show (1983); The Dream Merchants (1980); The DuPont Show with June Allyson (1960); The Ed Sullivan Show (1958); The Famous Teddy Z (1990); The Girls Next Door (2008); The Gladiator (1986); The Golden Girls (1990); The Great Adventure (1964); The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday (1976); The Greatest American Hero (1981–1986); The Hanged Man (1964); The Hollywood Palace (1969); The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1967–1969); The Interviews: An Oral History of Television (2007); The Jack Benny Program (1957); The Jerry Lewis Show (1968); The Joey Bishop Show (1968); The John Davidson Show (1981); The Kaiser Aluminum Hour (1956); The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (1998); The Key to Rebecca (1985); The Lie (1973); The Love Boat (1980); The Magical World of Disney (1962 / 1977); The Making of 'Golden Girl' (1979); The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964); The Match Game (1967); The Merv Griffin Show (1968); The Mike Douglas Show (1964–1972); The Movie Maker (1964); The Name of the Game (1970); The Nanny (1994); The Night the City Screamed (1980); The Orange Box (2007); The Outer Limits (1963–1964); The Pat Boone Show (1967); The Pat Sajak Show (1989); The Pelican Brief (1993); The Poetry Hall of Fame (1993); The Raiders (1963); The Ray Bradbury Theater (1990); The Rifleman (1960–1962); The Rosey Grier Show (1969); The Secret Files of the SpyDogs (1998–1999); The Sixties (2014); The Steve Allen Show (1969); The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1967–1981); The Virginian (1964); The Westerner (1960); Third Annual Tennessee Cerebral Palsy Telethon (1967); Thou Shalt Not Kill (1982); Timebomb (1991); Trackdown (1957–1959); Turk 182 (1985); Turn-on (1969); Unconditional Love (1999); V.I.P.-Schaukel (1975); Viper (1997); Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair (1990); Voyeur (1993); Wagon Train (1962); Walker, Texas Ranger (1995); Wanted (1998); Warren Oates: Across the Border (1993); What Price Victory (1988); Who's the Boss? (1989); Wings (1994); Women in White (1979); Xtro 3: Watch the Skies (1995); You Are There (1953); You Don't Say (1966); Zane Grey Theatre (1957–1960).

Born on this day – Lois Nettleton:


Lois Nettleton


Actress

August 16, 1927 – January 18, 2008

Credits:

12 O'Clock High (1965); 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008); 39th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1982); A Face in the Crowd (1957); Accidental Family (1967–1968); All That Glitters (1977); Any Second Now (1969); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1958); Babylon 5 (1994); Barnaby Jones (1974); Baywatch Nights (1995); Bonanza (1966); Bracken's World (1970); Brass (1985); Brenner (1959); Butterfly (1981); Cagney & Lacey (1987); Camera Three (1955–1958); Cannon (1972); Captain David Grief (1959); Captain Video and His Video Rangers (1954); CBS Repertoire Workshop (1960); Celebrity Bowling (1975–1976); Celebrity Revue (1976); Celebrity Sweepstakes (1974); Centennial (1978–1979); Chain Reaction (1980); Charlie Grace (1996); Coach (1995); Come Fly with Me (1963); Cop Out! (1972); Crossing Jordan (2001); Daniel Boone (1968); Dark of Night (1953); Deadline (1959); Deadly Blessing (1981); Decoy (1957–1958); Dirty Dingus Magee (1970); Dow Hour of Great Mysteries (1960); Dr. Kildare (1964–1965); Dream Girl of '67 (1967); East Side/West Side (1963); Echoes of a Summer (1976); Encounter (1961); Fear on Trial (1975); Finder of Lost Loves (1985); Flash III: Deadly Nightshade (1992); Full House (1991); General Hospital (1996–1998); Glitter (1984); Great Ghost Tales (1961); Gunsmoke (1961–1967); Hawaii Five-O (1975); Herc's Adventures (1997); Hotel (1985); House of Mouse (2003); In the Heat of the Night (1988–1989); Insight (1982); It's Your Bet (1971); Kraft Theatre (1956–1958); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1958–1959); Kung Fu (1975); Look Up and Live (1956); Macbeth (1968); Mail Order Bride (1964); Man Against Crime (1953); Manhunt for Claude Dallas (1986); Marcus Welby, M.D. (1974); Medical Center (1970–1976); Meet Me in St. Louis (1959); Mickey's House of Villains (2002); Mirror Mirror 2: Raven Dance (1994); Movin' On (1974); Mr. Belvedere (1988); Mr. Novak (1965); Murder, She Wrote (1984–1991); Naked City (1960–1962); NET Playhouse (1969); Night Gallery / Segment: I'll Never Leave You – Ever (1972); Password (1972–1973); Pat Boone in Hollywood (1968); Period of Adjustment (1962); Petrocelli (1975); Play of the Week (1960); Rhyme and Reason (1975); Route 66 (1961–1963); Seinfeld (1994); Shoot for the Stars (1977); Sinatra: Dark Star (2005); Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. (1981); Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1997); Star's Table (1986); Startime (1959); Studio One (1949–1956); Stumpers! (1976); Summer of Decision (1959); Terror in the Sky (1971); The $10,000 Pyramid (1977–1991); The $100,000 Pyramid (1987–1991); The $25,000 Pyramid (1977–1988); The $50,000 Pyramid (1981); The 30th Annual Tony Awards (1976); The 41st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1989); The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (2008); The ABC Afternoon Playbreak (1974); The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963); The American Woman: Portraits of Courage (1976); The Bamboo Saucer (1968); The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982); The Big Story (1956); The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969); The Brighter Day (1954); The Bull of the West (1972); The Christmas Card (2006); The Cross-Wits (1976); The Dating Game (1971); The Doctors and the Nurses (1963–1964); The DuPont Show of the Week (1962); The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978); The Eleventh Hour (1963); The F.B.I. (1966–1970); The Facts of Life (1986–1987); The Feminine Touch (1995); The Flash (1990); The Forgotten Man (1971); The Fugitive (1964–1966); The Golden Girls (1986); The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969); The Honkers (1972); The Interns (1971); The Lee Phillip Show (1972); The Love Boat (1980); The Making of a Hollywood Madam (1996); The Man and the City (1971); The Man in the Glass Booth (1975); The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973); The Merv Griffin Show (1973); The Munsters Today (1989); The Name of the Game (1968–1970); The Outsider (1969); The Pat Boone Show (1966); The Pretender (1999); The Real Tom Kennedy Show (1970); The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker (1970); The Stranger (1954); The Streets of San Francisco (1977); The Twilight Zone (1961); The Virginian (1965–1968); The Woody Woodbury Show (1968); Then Came Bronson (1969); Today (1967); Tourist (1980); Trapper John, M.D. (1982); Traveler's Rest (1993); True Story (1959); University Hospital (1995); Valley of Mystery (1967); Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977); Weekend of Terror (1970); What's My Line? (1973); Women in Chains (1972); You Can't Take It with You (1987–1988).

Writing, a poem by Charles Bukowski:


Writing


a poem by Charles Bukowski

1991


Often it is the only thing between you and impossibility.

No drink, no woman's love, no wealth can match it.

Nothing can save you except writing.

It keeps the walls from falling.

The hordes from closing in.

It blasts the darkness.

Writing is the ultimate psychiatrist,

the kindliest god of all the gods.

Writing stalks death.

It knows no quit,

and writing laughs at itself, at pain.

It is the last expectation, the last explanation.

That's what it is.

The Laughing Heart, by Charles Bukowski:


The Laughing Heart


by Charles Bukowski


Your life is your life.

Don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.

Be on the watch.

There are ways out.

There is light somewhere.

It may not be much light but

it beats the darkness.

Be on the watch.

The gods will offer you chances.

Know them.

Take them.

You can’t beat death,

but you can beat death in life, sometimes.

And the more often you learn to do it,

the more light there will be.

Your life is your life.

Know it while you have it.

You are marvelous.

The gods wait to delight

in you.

Born on this day – Charles Bukowski:


Charles Bukowski


Writer

August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994

Credits:

Books:

A Bukowski Sampler (1988); Absence of the Hero (2010); All the Assholes in the World and Mine (1966); At Terror Street And Agony Way (1968); Barfly (1983); Beerspit Night and Cursing (2001); Betting on the Muse (1996); Bone Palace Ballet (1997); Bring Me Your Love (1983); Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974); Cold Dogs In The Courtyard (1965); Come On In! (2006); Crucifix in a Deathhand (1965); Dangling in the Tournefortia (1981); Factotum (1975); Fire Station (1970); First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers (1994); Ham on Rye (1982); Hollywood (1989); Hot Water Music (1983); In the Shadow of the Rose (1991); Living On Luck (1995); Love Is a Dog from Hell (1977); Mockingbird Wish Me Luck (1972); Mondo Barbie (1993); Mondo Elvis (1994); Mondo James Dean (1996); Mondo Marilyn (1995); Mondo Marilyn (1995); More Notes of a Dirty Old Man (2011); New Poems Book Four (2003); New Poems Book One (2003); New Poems Book Three (2003); New Poems Book Two (2003); Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969); On Cats (2015); On Drinking (2019); On Love (2016); On Writing (2015); Open All Night (2000); Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit (1979); Poems written before jumping out of an 8 story window (1974); Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook (2008); Post Office (1971); Pulp (1994); Reach for the Sun (1999); Run With the Hunted (1962); Screams from the Balcony (1993); Selected Letters Volume 1: 1958-1965 (2004); Selected Letters Volume 2: 1965-1970 (2004); Selected Letters Volume 3: 1971-1986 (2004); Selected Letters Volume 4: 1987-1994 (2005); Septuagenarian Stew (1990); Shakespeare Never Did This (1979); Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way: New Poems Book 1 (2002); Sifting Through the Madness for the Word, the Line, the Way: New Poems Book 2 (2002); Slouching Toward Nirvana (2005); South of No North (1973); Storm for the Living and the Dead (2017); Tales of Ordinary Madness (1972); Tales of Ordinary Madness (1983); The Bell Tolls for No One (2015); The Bukowski / Purdy Letters (1984); The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship (1998); The Continual Condition (2009); The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills (1969); The Flash of Lightning Behind the Mountain (2003); The Last Night of the Earth Poems (1992); The Mathematics of the Breath and the Way: On Writers and Writing (2018); The Most Beautiful Woman in Town & Other Stories (1983); The Most Beautiful Woman in Town (2013); The Night Torn Mad With Footsteps (2001); The People Look Like Flowers At Last (2007); The Pleasures of the Damned (2007); The Portable Sixties Reader (2003); The Roominghouse Madrigals (1988); There's No Business (1984); War All the Time (1984); What Matters Most is How Well You Walk Through the Fire (1999); Women (1978); Writing Los Angeles (2002); You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense (1986).

Movies and television:

900 Pounds (1987); A .45 to Pay The Rent (2010); A Man (2005); Alone with Everybody (2016); Amor por menos (1994); An Evil Town (1995); Apostrophes (1978); Apporte-moi ton amour (2002); Artbound (2014); Barfly (1987); Bluebird (2022); Breakfast with Bukowski (2011); Bring Me Your Love (2000); Broken-Mirror Music (2001); Bukowski (1973 / 2023); Bukowski at Bellevue (1995); Bukowski: Born into This (2003); BXLx24 (2011); Charles Bukowski's Nirvana (2013); Cinéma cinémas (1982); Code Name: Arabesque / The Charles Bukowski Tapes (1985); Crazy Love (1987); Death Is Smoking My Cigars (2021); Dr Nazi (2011); Droit de réponse: l'esprit de contradiction (1982); Eddie and Eve (2021); Encore une nuit de merde dans cette ville pourrie (2008); Factotum (2005); Fan des années 80 (2012); Figure (2017); Frozen Food Section (2005); Fuck the Forest (2013); Functioning on Zero: Robert Dean Live from the Lost Well (2020); Girl on the Escalator (2016); Gunnar Goes Comfortable (2003); Guts (1991); Hit Man (2014); Horseshoe (1998); Il falso bugiardo (2008); Ioana Dobroiu: The Night Kept Coming on and There Was Nothing I Could Do About It (2018); Jukebox: From Edison to Ipod (2007); Kasabanin En Güzel Kizi (2018); La pétaudière de Gontran H (2024); Lonely at the Top (1993); Loren Cass (2006); Love for $17.50 (1998); Love Is a Dog from Hell (2014); Love Lasts Three Years (2011); Love Pig (1990); Lune froide (1988 / 1991); Ma langue dans ta poche (2016); Mask (2011); Mermaid of Venice (2011); Metamorphosis (2022); My Old Man (2004); NedgÃ¥ng och Fall (2009); Nice Guy Blues (2007); No Leaders Please (2021); Nothing Else to Do (2016); Opowiesc o ordynarnym szalenstwie (1987); Paradise Now, Apocalypse Later / The Laughing Heart (2017); Personenbeschreibung (1982); Pink & Tender (2007); Piss (2018); Poetry in Motion (1982 / 2020); Resiliencia (2020); Run to the Sea (2014); Sieh an, sieh an (1985); Sitting on a Fire Escape Eating Eggs (2015); SmÃ¥fysen (2022); Somebody to Love (1994); Son of Satan (2003); Supervan (1977); Sve Zene Se Zovu Kiki (1991); Syn Szatana (2008); Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981); The Best Hotel on Skid Row (1990); The Big Pot Game (2013); The Blanket (1994); The Bottle (2019); The Crossing Guard (1995); The Devil Was Hot (2010); The Icecream People (2022); The Killers (1984); The Last Straw (2008); The Laughing Heart (2012); The Living Room Festival (1995–1999); The Man with the Beautiful Eyes (2000); The Midnight Show (2012); The Pleasures of the Damned (2024); The Strangest Thing Just Happened (2015); The Suicide (2006); The Works III (1994); There's Gonna Be a God Damn Riot in Here (2008); Vessel (2015); Warm Face/Cold Place (2015); Welcome to the Basement (2015); You Never Had It: An Evening With Bukowski (2016).