Sunday Salon: Lisa See & Abraham Lincoln

Lisa See and Abraham Lincoln might be a bizarre combination, but those are two of the people currently lurking in the literature side of my brain.  I need some help sorting it all out and getting suggestions...what do you think? Are you up for helping me out?

My dilemma with Lisa See is simple.  I've refrained from reading her because she seems to be so popular, and the topic didn't pique my curiosity.  However, Dreams of Joy is the next pick for book club.  So now I need to know: should I read Shanghai Girls first?  Dreams of Joy is the sequel, right?? I actually own Shanghai Girls (someone passed it on to me) so the answer should seem obvious, but then enters my moderate lack of interest and my limited time frame...decide for me??



I'm currently in the middle of a personal Junior Lit challenge, and I think I need a break from quick books.  They're making me impatient!  That seems a little backwards to me, but there it is.  I read enough on a topic to get me interested, and then it's over and I'm off to the next book.  I read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and it reminded me of the story about  wolves in My Antonia...next thing you know, My Antonia is on my nightstand begging to be read.

Likewise with Abraham Lincoln.  I read Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman and really enjoyed it.  The information was familiar to me, but I loved how it was written, and the photos were a wonderful bonus.  I'd recommend this for children wanting to learn about Lincoln, as well as adults interested in a peek beyond the legend.  However, it was so good that it left me wanting to know more, more, more!

Do you have a book (fiction or nonfiction) about Lincoln that you would recommend to me?  I've read (a couple times) Love is Eternal by Irving Stone: a biographical novel about Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, and that also left me wanting more.  I recently bought Lincoln: Life Size, which will help stall my urge a bit, but I'd like something meatier.  Suggestions?



I may change the structure of my Junior Lit challenge...instead of plowing through all 15 books in April, perhaps I'll pause to add in some extension reading and then finish in May.  The more I think about that idea, the more I like it.  Rereading My Antonia....mmmm...sounds good to me.

Sunday Salon: Traveling Inside and Outside of Books

I know, it isn't Sunday.  But I happen to be on vacation in the Caribbean, which makes the day of the week irrelevant.  Every day is Sunday, right?  And I'm feeling book-muse-ish and so to the Sunday Salon I go.

We are staying on St. John, with a bunch of family and friends in order to celebrate my husband's brother's wedding, so there is more visiting than sight-seeing.  Good thing, then, that I was able to see so much of that recently @ As the Crowe Flies and Reads!  (Besides, she seemed to have used up all of November's good weather...it's been mostly rainy since we've been here, so her pictures are much better than anything I could supply!)  We are in Francis Bay, and it has been a lovely time of visiting with family and journeying to other places through literature.

Which brings me to what I've been pondering.  When you travel, do you like to read books that take place where you are visiting?  Island books in the Caribbean?  English countryside books whilst visiting the UK?  Gossip and style in Los Angeles?  Or do you, like me, refrain from specializing in one area?  Since I've left home, I've not only arrived in tropical islands, I've also visited Japan through After the Quake, stopped over in the American Southwest in the first 100 pages of No Country for Old Men (couldn't bring myself to finish that one), as well as 1950s England in The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, Edinburgh in The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, a peak into Russia in Anna Karenina, and am now in Ireland/America in On Canaan's Side.  It's been wonderful.

Books are my preferred method of travel, I must confess.  No airports or red-eye flights.  None of the grime or plugged ears that inevitably find me by the end of a long journey.  I can simply open the covers of a new book and immerse myself in a new world.  And I don't like to stay in any one place for too long...going other places in my reading allows me to better appreciate the place I'm at.  I might get on a kick for a specific topic, but interjecting other things helps keep it fresh.

Meanwhile my 11 year-old daughter gets here and reads (& REreads) The Cay...while she's surrounded by islands and cays.  What about you?  Do you prefer to saturate yourself or jump around?

Sunday Salon: Peripheral Bookishness

I've just realized that I consider things to be bookish even if they are decidedly not literary.  Have you ever found yourself doing that?  Many forms of artistic expression give me the same thrill that an amazing book might, and thus I lump them all together in one wonderful bunch of inspiration.

Film.  I love watching indie films because they tend to be unique: there is more emphasis on artistry and themes than on general appeal.  Quite similar to literary fiction, in fact.  In the best circumstances, a film will leave me thinking for days, amazed and awed.  In the worst circumstance, well...at least it was different.  Last night I watched Melancholia with Kirsten Dunst, a new film by Lars Von Trier (who also wrote & directed Dogville with Nicole Kidman, another film I found fascinating).  Melancholia was simply incredible.

To put the plot simply: Two sisters find their already strained relationship challenged as a mysterious new planet threatens to collide into the Earth. (thanks IMDB) (check out a longer synopsis here)  It is saturated with art, from the almost-still shots in the beginning sequence (set to classical music...all of which adds up to something surprisingly non-boring) to the beautifully immense grounds that it was filmed on (which made it feel almost like a period piece...except it wasn't), to the incredible closing shots: the eye never gets bored.  This film has depth: themes, symbolism, stuff-to-think-about.  It kind of made my brain explode, and now I want to read the book.  Except there isn't one.  Watching the movie is reading the book.  (See? Non-literary bookishness.)

It's slated to release in the States on 11/11/11, (we watched it on Apple TV,) although I imagine the release will be limited.  However, if you are intrigued by the preview, you should find a way to watch the film.  It's stunning.

Modern Design.  I'm lucky enough to live in a spectacularly unique example of mid-century modern architecture.  We'll soon be beginning some renovations--a face lift mostly, bringing it up to date--and I find much to be inspired by in my design research.  I get all excited by an amazing design: the art & inspiration in architecture or furnishings being only another way to express an interest in how we live, an appreciation for what is around us.  This real-life inspiration is what links me, the reader, directly to an author.  It is more than comprehension; it is a different level of understanding and communication.

Quilting.  I know:  what??  Like in Little House on the Prairie?  Yes, it is a homespun, domestic sort of art form, but I love it.  I just designed a quilt for my modern bedroom, and the incredible fabrics and fun design just leave me full of happiness.  In my quest for a quilt design that wouldn't look out of place in my house, and with some input from my math-loving-husband, I've come up with a visual representation of the first 50 digits of Pi.  Weird, I know.  But also exciting in a geeky-intellectual sort of way.  My husband is convinced he'll get smarter by osmosis.  I'm getting ready to cut into the fabrics...I'll keep you updated on this one.

I'm seeing a theme here: I equate books with happiness and everything wonderful, therefore anything wonderful or happy must be related to books somehow.  That totally explains why I'm always tempted to blog about non-bookish things as if they were books.  What things in your life are as wonderful as books?

She's Been Hanged

Last night I was telling my husband that I'd just finished reading Newes From the Dead: the YA title based on the true story of a girl who, in 1650, revived after being hung for infanticide.

My husband replied, "Hanged."

I stopped.  Looked at him.  Raised my eyebrows in a well-practiced demand for explanation.

He explained, "When you are speaking of a person who has been killed, they've been hanged, not hung."

"What?"  I was incredulous.  Never heard of that one...but this guy--he's always pulling crazy things like that out of his hat.  He may not plow through books like I do, but he's pretty much brilliant...and honestly has a better brain for remembering grammar terms than I do.

I continued, "I don't think I like that."

He shrugged.

"Anyhow," I said, "she was hung because she gave birth to a stillborn baby when she was 5-6 months pregnant and was accused of murder."

We smiled and went on to discuss the story briefly, as well as scientific theories of the 17th century...both pretty interesting topics.  Then this morning, after spending a little bit of time with my friend Google, I informed him of my findings.

I have no problem admitting that, generally speaking, my husband is right.  He usually is.  I'm resigned to that fact.  When speaking of executions, the word is hanged; everything else gets hung.  We could leave it at that (thank you very much for stopping by, have a nice day,) but I wanted to know if it was a RULE or if it was, like so many things in English, a trend, preference, or even a choice.  My favorite commentaries on the matter were the about.com page, and Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips.

About.com had me from the first two words.  It said, "For centuries," and I knew I was going to find more than the simplified rule.

"For centuries, hanged and hung were used interchangeably as the past participle of hang. Most contemporary usage guides insist that hanged, not hung, should be used when referring to executions."

Mm, interesting already.  I love finding out the etymology behind the words we use.  English is such a mish-mash of adopted and stolen vocabulary that it is rarely plain and simple.  I loved the example this page cited from Merriam-Webster's 1994 Dictionary of English Usage:

     "Our evidence shows that hung for hanged is certainly not an error. Educated speakers and writers use it commonly and have for many years. . . . " Hanged is, however, more common than hung in writing. It is especially prevalent when an official execution is being described, but it is used in referring to other types of hanging as well. . . .
     "The distinction between hanged and hung is not an especially useful one (although a few commentators claim otherwise). It is, however, a simple one and easy to remember. Therein lies its popularity. If you make a point of observing the distinction in your writing you will not thereby become a better writer, but you will spare yourself the annoyance of being corrected for having done something that is not wrong."

Just my style. (Cue evil grin.  Initiate renegade-grammar-usage sequence.)  Grammar Girl supports this, and also mentions where the word "hang" came from, just in case you are interested. (The emphasis above, by the way, was mine.)

So, while I'm still trying to decide whether to continue saying FebRUary, (because saying FebUary makes me feel like I'm saying Libary, but that R makes me feel like I'm mumbling,) I will also continue practicing the difference between lie/lay (don't know why that one still holds me up) and happily continuing to spell GREY with an E, I will add the task of mulling over this question:  whether being a grammar renegade is worth the "annoyance of being corrected for having done something that is not wrong."

What thinkest thou?  Is it worth it? Are you all just laughing in befuddlement that a person who reads as much as I do could have been ignorant of such a basic thing?  Never fear, I've pulled out my illustrated Elements of Style, and hope to become obnoxiously intelligent shortly.  Or maybe I'll shoot for intelligently smug instead.  Although, I have to admit, blissfully ignorant has its attractions as well.

Sunday Salon: Turns out it's OK to be Me

Any shy or introverted people out there?  The two things are very different--I used to be painfully shy (it still pops up now and again) but mostly I'm just introverted.  I need some quiet solitude to recharge my batteries and let all of my observations settle down into organized thoughts (as opposed to my husband and youngest daughter who claim that there is only one circumstance in which they prefer to be alone--I'll leave you to puzzle out when that might be).  My life--with a husband that loves to be social and four children that are...well, children--provides continual opportunities to stretch myself and grow, but there are some innate characteristics that one simply doesn't grow out of.

There was a fascinating opinion piece in the New York Times today that discussed how our society tends to think of shyness as an illness.  Prompted by a Zoloft ad, (that seeks to illuminate the difference between being shy and having social anxiety,) the author discusses how our society tends to disfavor introverted or shy personality traits, and points out why this ought not to be.  Introverted people have played a big role in human history (from Moses to Darwin, Proust to Einstein) and yet the idea still prevails that shy people should become more outgoing.  Why this may be is a whole other discussion; I'm just glad to see the issue brought to light.  I'm generally not surrounded by other people who love to discuss the things they are reading, writing, or creating, so this article gave me a morsel of hope, and a renewed appreciation for the book blogging community.  I'm definitely not the most social book blogger around, but I'm okay with that.

As a side note, my family will be exploring the Great Outdoors this week--camping in the Sequoias (south of Yosemite) so it might be pretty quiet around here until next weekend.  Actually, I should have said "camping" because it's not like I'll be in a tent or anything.  I'll be clean, comfy, and cozy in a hotel bed a few miles away from where my parents and my kiddos will be camping.  But it'll be all "Great Outdoors" during the day.  Turns out, I'm okay with that too.

Sunday Salon: E-Reading Refined

The e-reading forces converged on me this week, and I am pleased with the results.

Setting the stage was the rise and fall of Amazon and Borders (respectively) and the looming issues about big/small business,  print/virtual books, and the change in how the publishing industry is working in general.  I've been a customer of Amazon's since the dark ages (well, 1997) and have been a fan of the discounted prices and prime shipping, but the more they've grown, the more I've grown disenchanted (and the more my children grow, the more brain cells I have to be able to put towards conscious shopping decisions, which--as it turns out--is a good thing).

Second,  I finally signed up for NetGalley--something I'd resisted because I have enough books on my TBR as it is, but decided to do in order to increase my chances for getting ARCs I'd actually enjoy (a problem I seem to somewhat plagued with)--and realized that I might run into some problems with Kindle compatibility.  Reading on my computer screen really isn't an option for me.  My eyeballs get tired enough as it is.

Third, Unbridled Books, one of my favorite small presses, teamed up with independent booksellers this last weekend and offered 25 e-books for 25 cents each.  I couldn't resist, unsurprisingly, but was so excited that I didn't do my research before buying the e-books, and discovered that Google E-books, (when in encrypted, non-PDF form,) are not compatible with the Kindle. Grr.  It really isn't about the $6.25 I spent on 25 books I wouldn't be able to read...it's irritation that a company as huge as Amazon would seemingly have their customers a bit lower on the priority list than the all-important dollar.

And THEN: Barnes & Noble released their Simple Touch Reader--an e-ink, touch-screen, e-reader that has not only addressed all the issues that made Kindle a better product than the previous Nook, but has done so at a very reasonable price.  I've had my Kindle2 for 2 years, and got to experience a friend's 1st Edition Nook in March, and I have to say that Kindle was far better for usability and battery life.  In the Simple Touch Reader, however, the battery life has been improved, the touch-pad response time is much quicker, and the unit is much more compact (while retaining the same screen size).

The straw that broke the camel's back was Belle.  She mentioned on my post about the Unbridled Book Sale that she was thinking about buying a Nook, even though she already owned a Kindle, and the rest--as they say--is history.  I simply couldn't think of a reason why I shouldn't.  My household is very technology minded, and my husband has been known to upgrade computers and game systems fairly regularly, so why can't the e-readers get in on the action as well?

It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to figure out how to get my Google e-books onto my new Nook, but before long, it was loaded, and I was up-and-reading.  I'm supposed to be reading Beloved (for my book club which is hopefully not tomorrow night) but couldn't not read something on my new toy, so I started reading Small Acts of Sex and Electricity by Lise Haines (not brilliant so far, but entertaining nonetheless).

I'm itching to get off the computer and do some more reading, but before I bail I thought I'd make a quick list of the features that have finally caught the Nook up to Kindle in my estimation:
  - the battery life: it looks like it is now actually comparable to the Kindle
  - weight: the Nook is no longer the heavier option
  - full touchscreen/e-ink combo: best of both worlds (& the e-ink is crisper than the Kindle2)
  - page turning is not only quicker, but done with less effort--a simple touch or swipe on the screen
  - highlighting, adding notes, and using the dictionary are now much quicker and simpler
  - more text options: fonts, sizes, margins, line spacing--personalize it!

After one day of reading, I'm fully aware that I may still be in the honeymoon phase, but so far I am very impressed with the new Nook.  I love the smaller size and the simpler, quicker navigation.  Not to mention that I now have options for obtaining books.  I still adore seeing books on my shelf (and nightstand, and end tables, and anywhere else I can stack them up) up the Simple Touch Reader is a great way to read.  It made for a pretty fun weekend, too. :)

Sunday Salon: A Bouquet of Mini-Reviews

All the issues that Blogger had this week took the wind out of my blogging sails.  I have so many books to talk about, but I'm not so interested in pouring my thoughts into to a randomly flushing toilet.  I think I'm over it now, however, and thought it might be a good time to do some mini-reviews.  There are some books that I've read this year and just don't have a lot to say about, for whatever reason, but I still want to mention them.  Sounds like much more fun than cleaning out the garage, which is what I'm onto next!  

Flipped, Wendelin Van Draanen   (...this book has also been made into a movie...)  I heard about Flipped from one of my only book-loving friends.  It sounded like a nice little detour--(life has been so crazy this year that shorter books have been a mainstay in my literary diet)--something out of the ordinary.  And it was: short and sweet.  It is a rather innocent YA title that does the POV switch every chapter (one chapter is from his POV, the next is from hers).  What I liked is how it dealt with crushes, peer pressure, stereotypes and prejudice without being too gritty or age-inappropriate.  This is a title that I'll keep around for my girls to read.

Expiration Date, Sherril Jaffe  (...a LibraryThing Early Reviewer book...)  I was looking forward to reading Expiration Date because of the publisher.  I've become very interested in small press this year, and The Permanent Press is one that I had my eye on.  I'd previously read another of their books, and liked how different it was from mainstream Lit.  Both books however, in addition to sharing a uniqueness, also shared a very rough, unfinished feel.  They felt more like a first or second draft than a copy about to be published.  Expiration Date explores the idea of whether we'd live our lives differently if we knew when we were going to die...although the story ends up focusing less on this idea and more on the life and personality of the main character's mother.  I think it was supposed to be humorous, but it ended up just feeling tedious to me.  A good premise that fell flat.

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins  (...read for one of my Book Clubs...)  I don't have a lot to say about this book because it has all been said already, has it not?  Apart from the disturbing premise, I enjoyed it a lot.  Good character development, plot, etc.  But I just couldn't stop thinking about the horrible idea that everything was based on.  I'm glad I read it because I love knowing what the buzz is all about, but I'm not a series girl so I won't be reading the rest.  My kids haven't really expressed an interest in reading it, which I find strange, but I'll keep it around in case they get the urge.

The Tapestry of Love, Rosy Thornton  (...a review copy was sent to me by the author--thank you, Rosy!)  To be honest, I was initially worried that this book would be too heavy on the romance for my taste, but it turned out to be pretty balanced.  I couldn't help being reminded of Under the Tuscan Sun, (although I've only seen the movie, haven't read the book) which is pretty inevitable considering that it is about a woman in a new phase of life that decides to move out of the country and become part of a small, foreign community.  In this case, a woman moves from England to France, and decides to start a tapestry/furnishing service in a small mountain community.  At times it was a bit too detailed, but I enjoyed experiencing the discovery of a new place and new people.  I can't help but be fascinated by the idea of relocating somewhere far away.  Although I'm not too familiar with the French countryside, reading this book felt like I was there...except without the amazing food and drink.  [pout]

If I Stay, Gayle Forman  (...given to me by my 10 year old daughter for Mother's Day--what a sweetie!)  While I'm not a huge fan of YA fiction, I'm not opposed to reading it either.  Especially since reading Speak, (Laurie Halse Anderson) because I have a hope to hold onto that I'll find another YA book that manages to be everything it should be: gripping, realistic, well written, and not too irreverent in language/content.  If I Stay did pretty good at these things.  It was gripping, it felt fairly realistic, the writing was average, language/content was a tad more than it needed to be in my opinion...only because those are the parts that didn't feel realistic. The storyline was fascinating, and pulled me straight through to the end of the book: If you were in a coma and had to decided whether to stay with the friends/family who remain, or go with those who didn't make it, how would you decide?  The characters, if not fully developed, were at least unique people.  All in all it was a book I didn't want to put down until I'd read the last page.

The Sunday Salon: Too Many Books?

Is there such a thing, ever, as having too many books?  Reason stifles an enthusiastic NO! and I immediately think of many situations where there could indeed be too many books.  These are the things that Reason uses against Enthusiasm in my head:  (a.k.a. join my insanity which I fondly dub Reason)

• if they were all books about tapeworms (gag) any amount would be too many
• if I wasn't allowed to touch/look at/feel/read/talk about/experience any of them, a multitude of books would be unbearable.
• if there were no longer any places in my home available for oxygen, that might be a problem.

(hey, is Reason allowed to use what-ifs?  I may have to talk some logic into Reason.)

And yes...the previous example is very much what it is like to be inside my head.  It's a bit frightening.

All extremes and preposterousness aside, though, I have a very real and constant struggle with acquiring too many books.  For me, if I'm bringing in more books than I'm reading (or have any hope of being able to read in the foreseeable future) that may be too many.  I wish it weren't so.  I wish that I could line the walls of my house with all the books on my wishlist and not feel the slightest qualm about it.  I wish the unread books on my shelves weren't subject to depreciation.

It's like a vehicle.  You buy it for $X and as soon as you drive it off the lot it is worth $halfX.  Two years later is worth $negativeX.  I buy a book with Great Intentions and as soon as I move it onto the shelf it only retains Wishful Thinking.  Two years later it's being considered for the chopping block just so that I don't feel so Guilty.

For this reason, I try very hard to read the books that come into my house in a timely manner.  If there are too many in any particular month, they get taken off the end table/night stand and consigned to the shelf where (like Toy Story 3) these once-prized-possessions begin their melancholy existence.

All this rambling is simply prologue to the important matter at hand, namely: New Books! (see? Enthusiasm has won out after all!)  While it may occasionally be overwhelming, and while my end table is currently boasting a stack of books 2 Feet Tall, I'm still always so excited to get new books.  So, here's what got added to the stack in the last couple 'o weeks:

From PaperbackSwap:  That Night, Chocolat, The Stolen Village

This WAS going to be the next book club book...

...until this one was chosen instead.

Noticed this while in Ireland...sounds fascinating!

From Powell's Books (previously owned): Girl, Interrupted, Nick&Norah's Infinite Playlist, Ordinary Genius

Recommended by Wallace @ Unputdownables

Because I loved The Lover's Dictionary (this one wasn't as good)

"A Guide for the Poet Within" --I seem to like writing poetry more than reading it.  ???

From LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program: Miss Entropia and the Adam Bomb

Unbridled Books! I was planning on buying this anyhow [crossing fingers & hoping it's wonderful]

From the Library (because I wasn't up to buying them): The Tortilla Curtain, The Weird Sisters

For book club: couldn't get past p.100...too dramatic and opinionated for me

Looking forward to this one!

On loan from a Book Club member: The Speckled People, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Paris to the Moon

An Irish Memoir--sold!

Don't know anything about this one--pretty cover though!

Don't know anything about this one either--opinions?

So there you have it.  12 new books in the last week or two, and I read 10 books in the whole month.  I'm upside-down--it's a little overwhelming after all.