Category: Writing

Inside The Mind Of A Psychiatrist – A Reading Club, by Art Smukler, MD

by artsmuklermd, posted in MY NOVELS, Psychiatry, Self Examination, Writing

A great piece in The Sunday LA Times, front page, column one, caught my eye. Shhh. The Silver Lake Reading Club. Every Tuesday from 6 pm till 8:30 pm at Lamill Coffee, a few dozen people pay $17 for the pleasure of sitting quietly and reading. Helen Bui, the reading club’s founder, and daughter of Vietnamese refugees, supplies pastries, coffee and tea to the lucky readers. 

You bring your own book and get a chance to enter the author’s world without any distractions other than sometimes hearing a page turn. There’s a 15 minute break to get a chance to share. 

Who would have thought that our world has become so chaotic that people would flock to a place where silence prevails and fantasy reigns?

As a pre-teen I hung out at a nearby library in Philadelphia and obsessively perused the stacks looking for my next reading adventure. My obsession to read continues – untreatable and an integral part of my life. When was the last time I didn’t have a book to read? Never.

I’m rereading Tom Wolfe’s, A Man In Full. It’s still engaging, riveting, and so well written, even after 25 years.

Have a good read, Art

#readingclub, #silverlake, #Tomwolfe, #amaninfull, #insidethemindofapsychiatrist, #psychologicalsuspensenovels,

West Coast Philly-Cheesesteaks? Huh? by Art Smukler, MD, Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist

by artsmuklermd, posted in MY NOVELS, Penn State, Psychiatry, Self Examination, Writing

I hope diehard Geno’s Steak aficionados don’t attack me too much, but I’ve developed a taste for cheesesteaks right here in Los Angeles. For those of you who aren’t from Philly, Geno’s is a South Philly restaurant credited with inventing the cheesesteak in 1933. 

I was so enamored with the greasy cuisine, that I had Joe Belmont, my main character in Little Italy, a psychological suspense novel, enjoy one just the way I like it. Geno’s is also on the cover.

Now, after decades of living in sunny California, I’ve completely turned the page (bad pun) and won’t streak to Gino’s when I visit Philly. 

Also, I have to admit, I’m whispering this, very softly, I care more for the Rams than the Eagles. Okay. Okay. I’m still a good person. Fly Eagles Fly!

On the other hand, Penn State football is still my Saturday obsession. It’s untreatable. Even Lexapro won’t work. Hail to the Lions! Since UCLA and USC are now in the Big Ten they’ll be out here playing and I can sit in the stands, wear my Nittany lions cap, and eat my LA cheesesteak from Jersey Mike’s. 

Who cares, right?

I do. 

Sometimes it’s just the simple things that bring us joy. 

Have a great day. Art

#Pennstatefootball, #Bigten, #Nittanylions, #Littleitaly, #Phillycheesesteaks, #Gino’s, #Collegefootball