Amsterdam Red Light District

Not a ho, but a bookshop run by a ho. I was planning to go here at some point, but in reality I never actually got out of bed until done 5pm or thereby. But on the last day I managed to surface ata bout 12 noon and went to the shop and met the woman that runs the shop who I had actually seen on the internet on a You Tube video. She was nice. I talked to her about what I wanted, some bookes etc. I wanted to spend a bit of money. I dont know why, but it was like she was what happens when hos get old and it was like I was paying her for what her younger self had done years ago, but i also wanted the books. It was a sort of quite shop, the sort of place where you could probably sit about for hours without a customer, especially on a cold January morning, and I sort of felt conspicuous sorting books out. I normally stand in book shops for ages and dont buy much at all and all the while you can feel the eyes of the cashier urging you to buy or leave, but in thiscase it was more like I could feel the eyes of the cashier wondering if I would pay for all those books. I didn't take too long. Maybe talked for 15 minutes and found books for 15 minutes. I brought:

When Sex Becomes Work by Mariska Majoor who i think was the owner and the girl that I spoke to. Its actually the best book, its a guide to being a ho and its very practical.It even has stuff about calculating your VAT and how to quit being a ho.

Closed Curtain lives of de wallen by Bruce Harris and Michelle Bird. I havn't read this yet. Its still in mint condition. But it looks like an easy read. In fact I didn't even unpack from this adventure until February, i'm a slob.

At the suggestion of the girl I brought The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This was the book I started to read that day. Its sort of ok, I got to page 75. I sort of gave up after I realised it was written by a bloke, but I think i'd like to read it through now. Only because it brings me closer to the red light district, which has almost escaped me since I went at new years. Anyway, its about a girl that was born in Brazil and goes to Switzerland to dance but becomes a whore. It starts off ok, but my conclusion is that its so introspective that it could not possibly be from a girls perspective. I sort of remember thinking that girls just dont think like that, ever. Girls are more intrinsicly in touch with their emotions and more importantly the people around them. This feels more like a man exploring his feminine side, and when I found out that it was written by a man, the penny dropped and I sort of lost interest. Its a trashy novel really about sloppy emotions and sex. But I think i'll try to read it through soon. I even remeember saying to the girl in the shop that i'm more into reading stuff by people like William Faulkner, Goerge Orwell, Auldus Huxley, Ernest Hemmingway, Jack London and Ken Kesey. So this dime novel was up against it from the start.

Memories of my Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Not read this yet. Looks like easy reading. Hard back.

In Good Company the escorts guide by Kay Good. This is a guide to being an escort. Seems to intonate that all escorts have sex. This is strange because I wont use Escorts in the UK because I dont like the uncertaintly of having to ask if they will have sex. Mybe one day i'll try, but until then i'm happier flying the Amsterdam where everything is above board.

Prostitution, Power and Freedom. This is more of an academic book. Not reall yread it yet

Sun, Sex and Gold, Tourism and sex work in the Caribean edited by Kamala Kempadoo. This is also more of an academic book. Read a few bits of this, but it looks a bit disjointed like the person that wrote it has never seen a whore. It seems based on statistics and theorys that poor poeple are all forced into prostitution, and that they dont do it for greed or self esteme and pleasure etc. But thats just a sweeping comment from a breif 20 minute read of a few pages.

I didn't buy this, but i'll mention it because they had it there and I did buy it from Tescos in the UK. Courtisan by Katie Hickman. I've read the first two chapters. Its a nice book. Very rhetorical and prosaic. Its interesting and i've spend quite a bit of time in pubs reading it, but it goes around in alot of circles. Theres alot of reference to the clothes and riches these 19th century hos had. Back then ho's had contracts with their clients and they recieved wages etc. The successful ones had carriages and would drive doen hyde paek and set fashion trends off. Its a good book but you soon get used to the repetitive prose. Oh, here we go, another page describing the hos linen collection. They count the silks, dresses, shawls, drapes and all sorts, but when your drinking its ok.

So that was the book adventure.I see them more as souvenirs really. None of them are classics, but they are all treasures of my time in the Red Light District, and they are really the only solid thing I have to reflect on, other than these internet memoirs...