Reading and Writing

I have learned that it is much easier to read 100 books in a year than it is to write 50,000 words in a month. The Diary of an Invisible Woman hit about 4,000 words and then was lost in a storm of things to do and other excuses. Maybe next November I will try again. At the rate I am going, it will take ten years to write this thing.

On the bright side, I just finished reading my 97th book and am heading into the home stretch. I have enjoyed so many of the books I read this year and even loved a few. Since I cannot remember what I had for breakfast, it is especiallly nice to have the list to remind me of my reading.

Wishing everyone the happiest of Thanksgivings, filled with turkey and family and friends and, of course, a few stolen minutes to read a good book!

On Black Friday

don't forget to shop at your local stores!

Happy NaNoWriMo

Yes, November is National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a 175 page novel between November 1st and midnight, November 30th. Check out the fun website to learn more about the crazy people who put this together. The NaNoWriMo people emphasize that it does not have to be a good novel. You just have to write lots of words. The describe it as the Great Frantic Novel.

So, in my spare time, I have decided that it would be fun to participate. I will try to figure out how to link this blog with whatever I write. Just as a teaser, I think that the title will be Diary of an Invisible Woman. I wish it was as easy to write pages as it is to write titles!

So far I have written three pages. Only 172 to go. Check back and see how its going....

Price Wars and Really Good Books

It has been a long time since I have taken the time to write for this blog. The bookstore, the library, the kids, etc. I know... excuses, excuses.

The last few days I have been following the "Price Wars" between Walmart, Amazon and Target with respect to bestselling books. For some reason these behemoths are falling over each other to sell books at a loss. Now Sears has gotten into the act. If you show a receipt showing that you have purchased one of these bestsellers for 75% off, you can get a discount at Sears. Really? Is this really a good business model? Is it designed to drive us little guys out of business so that they can sell books at full price again? Is it just a way to get people to say "I will buy this new book at a discount and, oh by the way, I need to buy a new microwave and some power tools as well?"

I am not enough of a sophisticated business person to have a clue about how this works or why they are doing this. Newsday ran an article about how local booksellers feel about this and there does not seem to be a consensus. What I do know, is that I do not equate books with microwave ovens. Books are not a product to me. I value books and feel that they are worth the money charged for them. Authors struggle to write words that will sing to us, to make us cry, to make us feel young or old, to take us away from our everyday lives. Publishers work hard to bind those words in attractive packages that stand proudly on shelves and to get the word out about these treasures. Booksellers work hard to match those books with their customers. All of this has a value that deserves to be honored.

So enough about prices. Let's talk about some really good books.

I am currently enamored with a series of books by Suzanne Collins. These books have been marketed as young adult novels, but they are great reads for any age.

The first is The Hunger Games, in which we are introduced to Katniss and the people of her district. The time is in the future, when the United States is divided into twelve districts; poverty and hunger affects all but those who live in the Capitol. Once a year, a girl and a boy from each district is chosen to compete in the Hunger Games, in which the children are pitted against each other. They must fight until only one remains alive. This book is fast-paced and the characters are well drawn and appealing. You will be holding your breath until the end.

The next book in this series is Catching Fire. I cannot tell you too much about this book without giving away what happens in the first book. I can tell you that Katniss' actions in the first book result in unrest among the twelve districts and there are repercussions for all of the people of the country, as well as for Katniss and her friends and family. This book ends in such a way that you will want to email the author and tell her to write faster so you can find out what happens next. The New York Times critic, Gabrielle Zevin, says that Collins has written a sequel that improves on the first book.

I have read so many good books so far this year. If you go back to my April 17th post, you will see how I am progressing on completing my 100+ Reading Challenge. I think I just might make it!

I wish you a good Autumn, with time to read some really good books.

Art Critic in Minature

I was just about to leave the bookstore for the day when a nice family came up to the counter with their purchases.  I asked the little boy, who was maybe 4 years old, if he was going to go to school soon.  He got kind of a panicked look on his face and said, "No....I don't want to go to school.  I don't want to learn about Keith Haring!!!"

I looked at his parents and said, "So, he really doesn't like Keith Haring, huh?"  The mom said that he really disliked Keith Haring's work and then encouraged the tiny little boy to tell me his favorite artist.

"Mo -Dig-Li-Ahhh- Ni" was the extremely serious reply.     

Apparently he also is fond of Jackson Pollock's splatter paintings.

Only in the Hamptons?

If J.K. Rowling Got Really Cranky......

The Magicians by Lev Grossman is not a fantasy book for children. The characters, especially the main character, Quentin Coldwater, are journeying through some dark nights of the soul in search of happiness. The students at the college of magic in this book are not the same idealistic, young witches and wizards that matriculate at Hogwarts. The students at Brakebills are, for the most part, brilliant misfits who have to work extremely hard to master their skills. Their down time is spent drinking, smoking, experimenting sexually and agonizing over their futures. There is no fatherlike, Dumbledore figure to watch over them.

So why did I like this book so much? I enjoyed the characters, both human and magical. I appreciated the slightly sarcastic references to both the Harry Potter books and The Chronicles of Narnia. As much as I loved those books as a child (and still enjoy them as an adult), the ease in which the characters enter into the magical worlds seems false. And yes, I know this is all make-believe; but it still shouldn't be that simple.

Quentin is a character that is sometimes annoying in his prolonged adolescence. But ultimately, your heart hurts a little for him. His preoccupation with the magical world of Fillory sets him apart from his friends in Brooklyn. Once at Brakebills, he makes friends and discovers that his joke store magic is all show and no substance. He works hard and learns, he undergoes trials, he suffers pain.

This is not a light book, not a foray into a magical world where nothing truly bad will happen.

The Magicians is a story that will haunt you.

Religious Experience

I was not raised in a religious household. We celebrated Christmas and Easter, but it was really all about the presents and the tree and the chocolate bunnies. God did not play a big role in the family. As an adult, I am a questioning Episcopalian who attends church services very sporadically (ok....almost never).

So it was with some interest that I approached three books that I recently read. Two of the books were memoirs by women of Christian religions that fall a bit outside the mainstream and the third was written by a well known author about a rabbi and a minister. All three deal with faith and its importance in some shape or form.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen is my first foray into the humorous, religious memoir genre. Janzen writes about her return to her Mennonite family after her husband leaves her for a man named Bob who he met on Gay.com and, adding insult to injury, she is injured in a car accident. This book is funny and at time, sweetly sad. Janzen captures the quirkiness of her family and the issues that arise when you return to a family that keeps traditions and follows rules that you left behind.

The second book is The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker. This book chronicles Elna Baker's search for love and God and the truth in New York City. It also chronicles a family that is sometimes bizarre, Elna's enormous weight loss and lots of kissing. The author is a stand up comic and skilled storyteller . Her descriptions of her ill-fated attempts at dating and her post-weight loss family vacation will have you rolling. Her sincere believe in God and her religion are refreshing and somehow, innocent.

Finally, I had a sleepless night last night and I picked up the advance readers copy of the new Mitch Albom book, Have a Little Faith: A True Story. By 3am, I had finished the book and had tears running down my face. Mitch Albom's tender depiction of two "Men of God" and the meaning of faith and religion in both of their lives struck a chord with me. Rabbi Albert Lewis' tuneful and joyful approach to life is a lesson to everyone. And Pastor Henry Covington is an inspiration and a hope for many.

After reading these books I did not have an epiphany, nor did I hear the voice of God booming. But I though a lot about faith and family and what makes for a full happy life. I decided to remember the importance of being satisfied. I was reminded of how essential hope is. If books can inspire that, it is good enough for me.