84, Charing Cross Road
Friendship with Depth and Love
In these days of e-books, and bland books constructed from franchised ideas and formulas, we are presented 84 Charing Cross Road, a story about a relationship begun because of a mutual love of old great books.
Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft share a film highlighting both of their genuine personas.
Like Hopkins in Shadowlands and The Remains of the Day, we see him in full glory, as a quiet man of grace and sophistication.
He owns the English bookstore, and Bancroft’s character mails him a request for a book.
Correspondence and a relationship begins. Contently and confidently married, Hopkins responds as an older brother might, and the two grow to cherish each other despite the distance.
As they…
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Who Is Brockeim?
There are millions of reviewers on Amazon.com. None write like Brockeim.
Brockeim has an amazing worldview. He sees something beautiful in everyday items. Sometimes sad, but more often sweet, he reviews household items with a fond smile. Thousands of customers at online retailer Amazon.com have enjoyed his tales involving coffee pots, corncob holders and butter keepers. Quoted globally from technology writer David Pogue to Forrester Research, to blogs across the Internet, readers are amused at his reviews and book related parodies.
A self-described sensualist and unapologetically sentimental, he approaches most pieces asking the question, “What do I feel?” Like an Impressionist painter, he delivers that feeling indirectly, surrounding each piece in colorful vignettes. In his reviews, he examines the interaction of the five senses, like the sound of a knife scraping across a slice of toast, or the glint of a shiny chocolate wrapper.
Or he focuses on texture, as he does to begin his review of a well-known nutritional drink: “Smoothly poured, and smoothly swallowed, this delicate chocolate drink danced in daylight, a creamy delight, as if to tease me, please me into a heightened awareness of all that is succulent and good. And, mmm, it was and is good, this chocolate Slim Fast.”
His Style
He’s reviewer and positive satirist looking at the art form of reviewing. He asks what else a product can be. Ordinary household goods become agents of romance (rated G & PG), or fix daily troubles.
The precise style may change review-to-review. Occasionally romantic. Other times, nostalgic. Sometimes, whimsy. Whether joyful or melancholic, these are amazing looks at life and products.
Then, there are his ‘Bits of Nonsense’ non sequiturs that sound somewhere between Steven Wright and Jack Handy.
Why This Style
“I had been buying products on Amazon.com for years, and thought so many of the reviews had no style.”
With a background in classic literature and poetry, Brockeim realized his skill was neither in political humor or biting one-liners, but in developing ambiance and mood.
And by the way, spell it B-R-O-C-K-E-I-M, not Brockiem, Brockhiem, or Brockheim. No h is pronounced. Like: BROCK-I’m.
Take a look, and see for yourself. Maybe you will smile while sipping your next cup of coffee.
Brockeim
King of This Hill
Writer
Writing is my art, my dance.
Coffee
I’m in search of the perfect espresso. Brown and beautiful. Drink up.
Happy
If you do anything while here, smile. Or see my reviews. Or fall in love. Or buy Groucho Marx Glasses.
Do This…
Look around. Smell each page. Touch the screen. Taste the world.
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Are we down here? There’s nothing to see. Well, since you are here, “My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains.” John Keats wrote that.