Word After Word After Word

I am a bit of a sucker for books about writing.  I love Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Stephen King's On Writing.  I like to know what writers think and the process they follow as they create these creatures that fill so many shelves of my life.

Roger Rosenblatt is an Author with a capital "A".  He writes essays, fiction, memoirs, and plays. He is also a teacher, currently with the Stony Brook University Writers Program. Who better to write a book about writing?

I was not disappointed.  Rosenblatt tells us about good writing  as he describes a semester with a MFA class called "Writing Everything." The students in the class, their work, their comments are all springboards for nuggets of wisdom.  At one point he tells his class, "I believe in spare writing. Precise and restrained writing. I like short sentences. Fragmented sentences sometimes,  I enjoy dropping in exotic words from time to time.  Either they put off readers or drive them to the dictionary."

Not every writer would agree with Roger Rosenblatt. But his lessons are straightforward and clear.  He is always kind in his criticism and often a little sarcastic with his praise.  He can laugh at himself and allows his students to do the same.  He may feel great affection for his students, but he is no cream puff. He leaves room for them to find the flaws in their own work and to learn to become better writers.

Finally, what I liked most about this book is that in describing his class and his teaching, Rosenblatt writes with ease and elegance and beauty.  That may be a few too many adjectives, but I needed them.  Rosenblatt ends the book with this, "Both you and the human heart are full of sorrow.  But only one of you can speak for the sorrow and ease its burdens and make it sing - word after word after word".   This one sings for me.......

Re-reading

I am getting to that age......not only do I forget names, dates and other important information, but I can re-read a book that I read in my 20's and it seems like the a brand new book.  I remember the title and the fact that I once read it and liked it, but the plot is barely a fuzzy memory.  This is a bit frustrating, as there are so many books that I want to read for the first time and now I have a growing list of books that I want to revisit.  On the bright side, my TBR (to be read) list is endless and will never be finished so I expect to live forever!

This week, in preparation for the mystery book club that I lead at the library, I re-read The Alienist by Caleb Carr.  I read this book back in 1995 and loved it.  I remembered that it was about a serial killer in New York city but the rest of the details were a little hazy. 

What a nice surprise.  This is not your standard thriller.  The novel is well researched, complex and peopled with real historical figures including police commissioner, Teddy Roosevelt and reformer, Jacob Riis.  The sights, sounds and smells of New York in the late 1890's pop out from the page.  You feel full after reading the description of an endless meal at Delmonico's; you want to wash up after taking in the description of the filth of the tenements. 

If all my re-reads are as good as The Alienist,  I look forward to visiting many more old book friends.

Here we go.....

It is the start of a new reading year and I have been challenged by my library colleague, Beth to read 100 books this year.  She is already way ahead of me but I cannot resist a challenge.  So, here we go with the list for 2011.

1. The Radleys by Matt Haig (a different kind of vampire tale....starting my year of with a fang!)
2. Rule of Nine by Steve Martini (not my favorite, Paul Madriani is getting a little stale)
3. The Alienist by Caleb Carr (good historical mystery, just a little gruesome)
4. Sherlock Holmes and the Shakespeare Letter by Barry Grant (I can't wait for the next one...some threads were left hanging)
5. Peak by Roland Smith (Go YA adventure with lots of meaty issues for young adults)
6. The Mozart Code by Scott Mariani (Good, DaVinci code-ish, thriller)
7. Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward (Very funny quirky mystery)
8. Unless it Moves The Human Heart by Roger Rosenblatt (beautifully written book on writing)
9. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin (southern, almost gothic, lots of twist....read this one!)
10. A Common Life by Jan Karon (Sweet, a little scattered, Father Tim and Cynthia in Ireland)
11. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (witches, vampires, science, magic, history....what could be better?)
12. Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen ( An old fashioned cozy mystery for a cold day)
13. The Sherlockian by Graham Brown (two mysteries 100 years apart, with Sherlock!)
14. Love, Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout (Sweet and suprising YA girl lit)
15. The Secret Soldier by Alex Berenson (Action, suspense, bodies everywhere....)
16. Unpublished Memoir by a favorite customer (I hope that someone publishes this fascinating story)
17. Sixkills by Robert Parker (I can't believe that this is the last Spenser novel.....)
18. Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister ( pleasant, fun.....liked but didn't love)
19. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran (Loved it.....historical fiction at it's best)
20. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (classic mystery and suspense)
21. AfterImage by Carla Malden (Affecting, heartwrenching memoir)
22. Withering Tights by Louise Rennison (Georgia has a cousin!  Hooray.....)
23. Family Honor by Robert Parker (The first Sunny Randall book....my heart still belongs to Spenser)
24. Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym (Cozy re-read)
25. One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (weird, but so enjoyable)
26. Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon (Venice, food, mystery......good stuff)
27. Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy (white house chef, kidnapping, mystery)
28 My One and Only by Kristan Higgins (light, fun, just ok)
29. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (I can't believe that I finished it so fast....I want more....)
30. You Better Knot Die by Betty Hechtman (Crochet, murder and recipes....the cozy trifecta)
31. The Happiness Project by Gretchn Rubin  (interesting concept with some good ideas)
32. Original Sin by Beth McMullan (wry, funny, suspenseful....good)
33. Secret Sanction by Brian Haig (great thriller.....thanks to Viv for the recommendation)
34. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen (lovely, a little magical and romantic...perfect for spring)
35. Bossypants by Tina Fey (Funny and smart)
36. My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe (also funny and smart....)
37. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney (dark and brooding....leaves some questions open)
38. The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly (sweet, fun, light read)
39. The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn (good cozy, fun characters)
40. Theater Geek by Mickey Rapkin (Interesting look at theater camp)
41. Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon (the wonderful Inspector Brunetti is back)
42. Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (lively YA, I had hoped for a different ending)
43. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (beautifully written literary and historical fiction)
44. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris (ehhh... I suggest her Sookie Stackhouse series instead)
45. A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd (excellent historical mystery.....Bess Crawford is a winner!)
46. The English Assassin by Daniel Silva (intense thriller with art restorer/spy Gabriel Allon)
47. Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock (just ok....)
48. The Sisters by Nancy Jenkins (good women's fiction)
49. Walking the Perfect Square by Reed Farrel Coleman (Excellent noir mystery)
50.  David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (What took me so long?  So great)
51. Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun by Lois Winston (cute cozy)
52. Strategic Moves by Stuart Woods (wretched)
53. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (dark and wonderful.....Three Pines continues to be a wonderful place for a murder)
54. Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos (lovely story of friendship and love)
55. The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted  by Bridget Asher ("grief is a love story told backwards")
56. The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card (good fantasy novel)
57. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (dark, beautiful, disturbing)
58. Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith (light look at an entertaining cast of characters)
59. Gods of Greenwich by Norb Vonnegut (so-so financial thriller, learned lots of new slang)
60. Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem (interesting, well written, hardboiled, literary)
61. The Borrower by Rebeccas Makkai (Amazing!)
62. Whose Body by Dorothy Sayers (old-fashioned, politically incorrect but enjoyable mystery)
63. The Leftovers by Tom Perotta (ehhhh.....)
64. The Dog Who Came in From the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith (charming, enjoyable)
65. Redemption Street by Reed Farrel Coleman (well written, intriguing characters, good mystery)
66. Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott (excellent thriller)
67. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner (edgy little YA novel)
68. Kingmaker by Brian Haig (exciting spy novel)
69. The Orange Blossom Special by Betsy Carter (picture of Gainesville in the 50x)
70. The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini (mushy and good)
71. The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (unusual, well-written mystery)
72. Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi (subtle and powerful)
73. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva (always a good read)
74.  Zeke Bartholomew Superspy by Jason Pinter (Really fun middle grade adventure)
75. A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George (complicated and interesting mystery)
76. Jenna and Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin ( things are bad when I start reading pink YA books.....)
77. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer (good saga)
78. Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola Dunn (historical cozy mystery....good storm reading)
79. Shug by  Jenny Han (Good YA)
80.  Rip Tide by Stella Rimington (so-so spy novel)
81. It Looked Different on the Model by Laurie Notaro (really, really funny)
82. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (wonderful, romantic, fact filled historical fiction)
83. The Call by Yannick Murphy (unusual and very good)
84. The Christmas Thief by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark (ok....not the right season)
85. Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet (definitely the right season, very Agatha Christie)
86. The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman (good, if wordy, mystery)
87. The Affair by Lee Child (not my favorite.....or I am still upset that Tom Cruise is playing Reacher?)
88. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd (good English mystery)
89. Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen (fun cozy)
90. Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt (enjoyable legal thriller)
91. The Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (loved this....hope it is not the last)
92. One Day by David Nicholls ( a modern love story)
93. The Confession by Charles Todd (confusing but good)
94. Girls in White Dresses byJennifer Close (connected short stories about girls in the city)
95. Knit One Pearl One by Gile McNeil (sweet, but how do you knit a seahorse?)
96. Death is a Cabaret by Deborah Morgan (audio book with a terrible narrator distracted from the mystery.
97. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny (back to Three Pines.....love these books)
98. Change of A Dress by Maya Gold (cute YA)
99. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz (Sherlock and Dr. Watson are back!)
100. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott (wonderful story of her sons first year with his son)
101. L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais (well written, hardboiled mystery)
102. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (like coming home but with crazy relatives)
103. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (funny memoir)
104. You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs (funny, sad Christmas stories)
105. A Killer's Christmas in Wales by Elizabeth Duncan (cozy mystery in Wales)
106. The Matzo Ball Heiress by Laurie Gwen Shapiro (pure fluff!)
107. Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton (another cozy....love this series)

Looking Back/Looking Forward

So here it is, New Year's Eve 2010.  In just a few hours we will be turning the page on a new year and starting fresh with all the hopes and dreams and resolutions that accompany every January 1st.

This has been quite a year in Bookmama's world.  Last January 1st, I did not know where The Open Book would be located or if it would even be in existence.  I found a great new space and made plans to move.  By the beginning of February, we were packing up.  By the end of February we were on the move to Glovers Lane.  By the end of February, we were also aware that Books and Books was moving to town and that our already challenging business would enter into a fight for its bookstore life.  Thanks to the support of many friends and neighbors, we got moved, settled and have enjoyed a new life in our beautiful (if a little funky) new space.

Personally, I saw one daughter graduate from high school and head off to college.  My youngest started high school and I can see a time on the horizon when my book filled nest will be empty. I tried to read 100 books and only reached 86.....but tomorrow is the start of another reading year! I have learned so much from my customers at the bookstore and my patrons at the library.  I live a life filled with amazing people and lots and lots and lots of books.

So...looking forward to 2011, I am ready for the adventures, challenges, joys and the very rare moments of contemplation that life hands me. I try to remember that each day is precious, even those that make me feel like I am running like crazy to stay in the same place.  

I wish you a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.........

Thankful

As I contemplate the peeling of potatos and chopping of onions in preparation for another Thanksgiving feast, I want to take a moment to think about all the things I have to be grateful for. I may not live in the nicest house, or drive a fancy car but I have so many wonderful things in my life, that it is nice to take a moment to acknowledge them.

The thing I am most grateful for is my family.  I have two beautiful, smart, funny daughters who are fun to spend time with and help me so much with the bookstore.  I have sisters and parents and nieces and nephews, all of whom are flying through life at their own pace, dealing with some issues and experiencing some joys.  I get to check in with their lives and occasionally spend time with them and learn from them all the time.

I have a roof over my head that is comfortable and warm.  I have a car that takes me to work and pretty much everywhere else I want to go.  I have more books than any human being should have. I have good food to eat. I have two crazy cats that amuse me and curl up purring next to me while I read. My life, though hectic, is filled with basic creature comforts.

Things are not perfect.  Perfection is not something I even seek these days.  I think I have grown to have the wisdom to know that "enough" is a blessing and that even those that seem to have it all, have their own problems.

So, yes, I am grateful for all that I have.  I hope that this Thanksgiving you all have much to give thanks for as well.

The Magic of Harry Potter

I stayed up way too late last night re-reading Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows.  I am going to see the movie, of course, but I had been meaning to re-read it for a few years.  When it first came out, I devoured it so fast that I missed the details. J.K. Rowling tells a story like no one else.  She is also a skilled writer, describing the sites of Harry's triumphs and tragedys and the interactions between Harry, Hermoine and Ron in a way that you can almost see and hear them.

There have been some interviews with J.K. Rowling in which she says that she might someday consider writing another Harry Potter book.  As a bookseller, I should be jumping up and down and praying for an early release of whatever she chooses to write.  But I am not hoping for more.  Harry Potter was a phenomenon, special to the place and time in which it was released.  As we await the last movie, reflecting the final chapter of the story, there is a bittersweet feeling that you get at the end of a long and wonderful journey. You might go back and retrace your steps, but the journey will never be the same.  The wonder of discovery comes only the first time around.

And there was a sort of innocence that allowed children and adults alike to love the Harry Potter stories.  Somewhere along the way, the innocence has dimmed a bit.  It is not that we are jaded, exactly, but time and technology have changed so much from the time of the release of the first Harry Potter book.  We live in a different world than the one that existed in 1997.

So, as much as I would love to dress up as Professor McGonagall again and fill my big black cauldron with jelly beans, I think that Harry Potter should remain frozen in time.  I look forward to introducing new generations of readers to the books, and hanging out on rainy weekends watching all the movies in a row. I will enjoy the photos and memories of many happy book release parties.  And I will keep my fingers crossed that lightning will strike again and that in a pub in Ireland or a coffee shop in Minneapolis a writer is writing a story that will grab a generation and take them on an amazing ride.

Falling Leaves

I always think that the new year should start in September.  Here in Westhampton, the summer ends with a bang on Labor Day and everything changes.  Suddenly there are places to park at Waldbaums, school lunches to pack, fewer customers to serve and a completely different feel to the world.  Even when the warm weather lingers on, a sea change has come and you can feel it.

So I have been thinking of some autumn resolutions to take into this new season.  I have great plans for innovations and promotions at The Open Book, but I am making resolutions of a more personal nature.  I am making resolutions about books.

You see, I am up to my ears in books.  I have books everywhere in my life.  Of course, the store is filled with books.  But my car is also filled with books, as is my house. So this year I am going to do what librarians do and "weed" my library.  Here are the questions that I am going to ask myself when deciding whether to keep a book.

1. Do you love it? (This is the easy one.....if you really truly love it, it must stay)
2. Is it autographed and do you like the author enough to care?
3. Has time, dust or the bunny rabbit caused damage to this book?
4. Are you really going to get around to reading it someday or are you fooling yourself?
5. Does it belong to someone else? (If so....it is going to its rightful home.  I will no longer be a book thief)
6. Did it make you laugh or cry?  (If it can evoke emotion, it is probably a keeper)
7. Would someone else be really happy to read it? (Give it away....sharing books is a joy)

I am sure there are more questions I should ask.  But if I spend anymore time making lists of questions, the books will never be culled and you will someday find me lying beneath piles of books, looking  like the Wicked Witch of the East under Dorothy's house, without the cute shoes.....