Book Review: Thoughts Induced by Chewing Ice

I have a good friend who just happens to be 40% gay. That basically means that he shamelessly flirts with me and with my partner but without ever putting out. And his adorable and brilliant wife Adi totally encourages his deviant and distracting behavior.

One day he is going to flirt with me, and I am going to punch him right in the head.

In addition to being 40% gay, he is a gifted short-order satirist, that has an amazing way of seeing a moment in life and summarizing it brilliantly in just a couple of lines of prose. Beware the Ice Chewer!

Yuval Sheer aka The Ice Chewer is a beautiful blogger that publishes his photos and life vignettes on his blog, Thoughts Induced By Chewing Ice.

His words are often incisive, usually funny, and always amazing in the messages they convey in their simplicity.

Here is an example of a recent entry at his blog:

THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2010

ROCK JEALOUSY
Store owner at diamond district
asks me if I want to take a look inside his shop.

I tell him that my love does not like diamonds and jewelery.
He says:"Every woman loves diamonds".
I repeat that my love doesn't and he tells me"
"Really? I wish I had married her........."

Sometime in the last year Yuval teamed up with brilliant visual artist Mettookonet, who started illustrating some of Yuval's blogs in her ink drawing style that is very reminiscent of cartoons from the Jazz Age. When I see her art work, I am taken back to the height of Art Deco, flapper dresses, and decadent wealth of the 1920s. For her, I believe Jazz Age art is most apropos. Her drawings seem to be on the verge of tapping their feet and bursting into a scale.

Sometime along the way, Mettookonet and Yuval decided to self-publish a graphic novel style book that featured his quips and her art.

The result was the book called Thoughts Induced by Chewing Ice.

This graphic novel is witty, smart, sly, hilarious, and pure pure pure eye candy. The graphics tell as much of a story as the text and together they are a breathtaking experience.

The stories in the collection will make you think, laugh, and tap your feet with their poetic prose.

I heartily recommend this book for you and for anyone you know that enjoys finding the poignant lessons and hilarity in every day life.

For cost and to order a book please email theicechewer@gmail.com.

PS Once upon a time, I was having dinner with my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. My Aunt started chewing ice from her pop glass. I remarked to her that chewing ice was a sign of sexual frustration, without skipping a beat she retorted that perhaps if me and my cousins left the table, she and my Uncle could do something about that. My Aunt would love this book too.