Weekending, 06.29.13

I can't really explain it, but I'm just not ready to give up on this comic book thing. I'm determined to find something that resonates with me. So, when I found out the Annapolis Comic-Con was going to be this past weekend (and that it was only $10 to get in), I jumped at the chance to go, immediately texting Ravena to see if she wanted to come with.



I went expecting lines and costumes, but the thing I managed to forget was that people actually want to talk to you at these conventions (and they expect you to already know the ins and outs of their world). This had the potential to be a huge hurdle for this shy introvert, but luckily, I had two things going for me.

(1) I've learned to fake it and work through my shyness over the years. I think I do a pretty good job of appearing outgoing and chatting with strangers when, inside, I'm actually dying.
(2) I brought a translator (aka friend with comic cred).

Once I got a handle on my nerves and figured out which aggressive tables to avoid, I had a good time. I really enjoyed looking at artist portfolios and snagged the coolest (funniest) poster for my office door that I'll be sure to share once I snap a photo.



I was also on a mission to procure the first few issues of the new Wonder Woman reboot. I remember watching the TV series with Linda Carter as a little girl and liking this kick-ass heroine. I also have this theory that I may have an easier time getting into a series if I start from the beginning (or the new beginning in this case).

Do you know what was insanely frustrating? A seemingly unending sea of white boxes (see above) filled with random comics in no particular order. Who has time for that? Not this girl. I just don't have patience for that kind of hunt. I did snag the first few issues of Wonder Woman but ended up doing so from vendors who labeled their boxes and had the comics in alphabetical order. Score for the organized peeps of the world!

We ended the convention with a hop inside the tardis and took photos with The Walking Dead backdrop. Part of me wanted to stay for the zombie apocalypse training, but the crowds were beginning to press in. As we stepped into the bright sunlight, sidestepping yet another character I didn't know, Ravena pointed out that I might not be quite ready for the 30,000+ people that flock to Otakon in Baltimore. ;-)

Hustler seeking friends for wacky ideas

This may be the look Steven sometimes gives me when I say I have an idea.

 My mind is almost always* whirring at 100 mph, spinning from idea to idea. [In fact, I just stopped writing this post in order to add things to my grocery list that I thought of in the shower.] I'm pretty okay with this--minus the sometimes ADD-like hopping around from task to task at work. I like being the kind of person who is interested in a lot of things and is constantly thinking of things to do, try and see.

It's my friends you should feel sorry for. I'm a hustler who is always recruiting for these ideas. Just this week alone I've emailed, texted or talked to my friend Scarlet about (1) the social media plan we're writing for our favorite bar, (2) what we should name the orchestra we're going to start, (3) mixing music for Ravena's and my book podcast, (4) doing a short film with my friend Jim for a Corcoran contest and (5) a new place we should check out in Fairfax. Just. This. Week. She's not even my only victim. I'm constantly pushing my latest podcast finds (Let's Make Mistakes and Snap Judgement) on Ravena and pulling her into things like our own podcast and photoshoots and coffee hunts. It's to the point where my friend Steven gives me the Serena-and-her-ideas look (usually Scarlet gets it to because we've usually banded together). 

I think I may need to recruit more friends, so that I don't wear these guys out. Any takers? :-)

*Except when it isn't. There are certainly days when the flashing red meltdown lights begin to flash, and my brain begins dumping information like the crew of a sinking ship trying to bail water.

The Passage and The Twelve (of The Passage Trilogy)

As I shoved the sleeves of my abandoned cardigan flush against the bottom of my sealed bedroom door, I realized I may have a problem. What kind of apocalypto-survivor-zombie-vamp-battling heroine barricades herself in the bedroom, ceding control of the living room and kitchen to a flying insect*? We probably shouldn't leave the fate of the world in my hands.

I certainly question how well I would do if forced to survive in the dystopian world Justin Cronin creates in both The Passage and The Twelve. It's a world in which the government of the United States has spun even further out of control, somehow justifying the use of a virus or other biological to turn death row inmates into killing machines. As you would expect, this experiment spins out of control, and these twelve vampire-like creatures slaughter almost everyone and go off reservation. The combination of their super strength, blood lust, and the rapid spread of contagion leaves only small clusters of survivors spread throughout the U.S. Hope seems to lie with a zealous group brought together by a young girl who doesn't seem to age. We follow this group as they travel cross country, fighting to survive and looking for answers along the way. The Twelve picks up where the first book leaves off and puts several of the main characters on the offensive as they try to take back the world from these monsters.

When friends ask me what I think of the books, my default response has been 'epic', due largely to how much I struggle to describe this world in any kind of a simple, neat package. Rather than focusing on one town or family or even discrete period of time, Cronin knits together multiple family trees over generations, weaving government reports, email and other memos and journal entries along with first person narrative to tell the story of the collapse of the world and its struggling survivors. It's...well, epic, grand, sweeping.

I fell hard for The Passage and found myself getting lost for hours in the web of Cronin's prose. Tears slid down my face with each character he killed, and I wanted to cheer with each of their victories. Cronin creates rich relationships and drops them into a world with the highest of stakes. It's this that drives the story. If you're into savoring a book like I am, this book really allows you to do that. It's long and dense, but not in a way that's off-putting.

I loved The Twelve almost as much for all of the same reasons I fell for The Passage. In the second book, Cronin seems to explore even more of the Biblical-type themes he kicked off in book one.We have the twelve tribes, the prophet and even the young savior who just may have to sacrifice herself to save everyone else. I bought all of this. The parts where my interest began to waver were these mystical interludes where Amy (the savior) seems to hallucinate/speak with dead people on a different plane. I rarely skim or read ahead but couldn't help myself toward the end.

Despite my sometimes lukewarm feelings toward the end of The Twelve, I very much recommend these two books and am looking forward to seeing how Cronin wraps the series up!

*Large enough to make an audible thwapping sound as it hit my ceiling and walls.

Thoughts on fanfic, part II (or, more appropriately, attempting to decipher the world of comics)

This post originally started as a second foray into the world of fanfic with grand proclamations about comics as a form of fan fiction. Instead, it turned out more of a neophyte's cherry popping experience with comics. Bear with me.



The problem with having friends who read fanfic, one of whom I podcast with, is that it's never terribly far off my radar screen. It's a topic that is frequently debated and has become one of those things I find myself trying to unpack. A few months ago one such debate led to the realization that comics themselves are really nothing more than legitimized fanfic*, what with the reboots, spinoffs and the way the stories have changed hands over time. Combine this with my interest in circumnavigating the comics world and suddenly I had a project. I would pick a series and follow it from the original issues through more modern reboots to spinoffs in the fanfic world. Given the recent popularity of the movies, I chose the Avengers.

Caveat: Before I tell you about my trip down this rabbit hole, let me just say holy cow! If I thought there was a barrier to entry before embarking on this journey, I'm more convinced than ever that jumping into an established comic book series is HARD. The series first debuted in September 1963 and contained at least 567 issues by 2010 (via Comichron). From what I can tell, these don't even include spinoffs like Dark Avengers, Avengers vs. X-Men or any or the story lines for the individual heroes. Basically, I could have easily spent the better part of a year reading the complete Marvel catalogue. I'm not yet to the point of wanting to be that much of a completist, so gird yourself for potentially half-formed opinions. ;-)

I chose to focus my reading on Essential Avengers, Volume 4, which includes issues #69-97 from the late '60s through early '70s, an issue each of Dark Avengers and Avengers vs. X-Men (September 2012), and Some Things Shouldn't Be a Chore, Avengers fanfic by scifigrl47. My goals were to (1) become a little less precious about original works and evolving story lines and (2) to try to gain a greater appreciation for comics. While I'm feeling more comfortable with the former goal (at least where it relates to legally formalized story evolutions** like comics and screenplays), I feel like I'm filled with even more questions when it comes to comics.

Here is what came out of it...

• Avengers/Dark Avengers/Avengers vs. X-Men have had 21 different authors among them. I was overwhelmed but also much more willing to accept when the story went in crazy directions or jumped into a multiverse. 
• This automatically made me more open to the idea of the fanfic community taking it on, though I wasn't really a fan of the particular piece that I read. 
• Reading the comics written in the '60 and '70s was a challenge. The writing was really juvenile (perhaps because of the audience it was originally written for?), and I found myself frustrated again and again by the writers feeling the need to iterate what was clearly depicted in the drawings. Don't even get me started about the isms (sex and race***).
• The language doesn't really improve in the newer issues. The attempt to use current, of-the-times phrases just seemed forced and was more distracting than anything else.
• It was still confusing to start near the beginning of the series. I forget that this series is a continuation of stories in each individual hero series. Sprinkled through the issues in Essential Avengers were "footnotes" to earlier comics that told the particular story being referenced.
• Which comes first, the writing or the art?
• The art, itself, was okay. I surprised myself by finding the black and white ink drawings of the original comics more appealing (and seemingly more alive) than the new titles.

As you can see, I didn't really come away with a lot in the way of overriding theories. Instead, I've got a jumble of random thoughts and questions and an increasing interest in the evolution of characters that span decades and authors. It did sort of make me want to read Glen Weldon's Superman: The Unauthorized Biography even more than I already do and to perhaps pick a newer series to follow for a while.


*Yeah, yeah. I'm sure hundreds before me have already had this realization, but let me have my moment.
**Maybe even Amazon's new entre into the arena.
***Though they are actually better than I would have expected. The appearance of Black Panther sent me off on another tangent as I started to explore Marvel's handling of the civil rights movement at that time.

a peek inside my head (don't be alarmed)

This time of year is always a challenge at work. Our fiscal year closes, grants end and we're finalizing new budgets and work plans. I guess I include all of that to say that last week was a bit tiring and weird. 

And, by weird, I mean challenging. I found myself struggling with self censorship once again (the first being here on the ol' blog). It's a topic that makes me uncomfortable and almost never sits well with me. A trait that I've always prided myself on is my general forthright, I'll tell you like it is nature in both my professional and personal life. Sure, I've been known to couch things a certain way or bite my tongue in settings like a public meeting, but generally, what you see is what you get. Unfortunately, now I've gone and written an essay that speaks to issues like career and being a woman in the workplace, and I feel forced to assess the risk of fallout if I attempt to publish it under my real name. If I don't, am I not being true to me?

Decisions, decisions.

Behind the Bookshelf: Interview with a bookseller, Pamela Delegge

 

Meet Pamela Delegge, mother to Allie and bookseller extraordinaire. This lady is serious about her books and is more tuned in to what books and authors to keep your eye on than almost anyone I know. She spent years handselling books to her regular customers at Barnes & Noble in Reston, Virginia until she and the husband jumped the pond (once again) for Germany.

What are you currently reading? Thoughts on it?

I am in the middle of several books. And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini is the main one I am reading. It is a tearjerker, as I suspected. He is an author that you can depend to give you a good book. I am also reading a completely different book because I can only take tragedy so much and that is The Humans by Matt Haig. I just started this one and am hoping it is as good as his previous book, The Radleys. Finally, I am listening to the audio Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, who is one of my favorite authors and the audio is wonderful.

What books are you most looking forward to this year?

There are a lot, so sit down!

Alex by Pierre Lemaitre. Actually, I was able to buy this book from my favorite British book seller and am waiting for it in the mail.

We Are Water by Wally Lamb. This is one I am waiting impatiently for he is my favorite.

The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan. Another big favorite.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. This is a debut author that I am hearing a lot about.

The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer. I had to include this teen novel because I do like teen and her series was awesome.

The Returned by Jason Mott. Interesting fact is that Brad Pitt's production company bought the rights to this book.

Night Film by Marish Pessl. She wrote Special Topics in Calamity Physics, which I loved.

There are always more!

Did you set any reading goals for 2013? If so, what are they?

Let’s be honest, a reader doesn’t need to stress about how many books to read nor how many are classics. I have loved reading many classics, and there are some books, classic or not, that I will read again. But I have no desire to go back and read all the books I should have read in High School or College. So- No- to goals.

What three characters would you invite to the bar for a drink?

Rose and Ruby from the book The Girls by Lori Lansens. They are conjoined twins and this is one of my top five books. They are characters I can still picture in my head today. I loved this book.

If you could convince any two authors to write a book together, who would it be? Why?

I would pick Andrea Camilleri and Donna Leon. The only reason is they are my husband Tony’s favorite authors, and they both write about Italy. I have never been a big fan of authors writing together except for Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

What's the most annoying book you see flying off the shelves?

This has been a hard one for me. I was irritated when The Road won a Pulitzer because I really didn’t like that book at all. I was confused as to the popularity of Fifty Shades of Harlequin (Ha-Ha), but I do like that people still love to read no matter what, so annoyed as I might have been, I still think everyone has the right to read what they want. This is still America!

If you could give people one piece of advice to prep them for entering a bookstore, what would it be?

I think you should look at the staff recommendations first, and find a staff member that likes the same kind of books you do and talk to them (hopefully they are booksellers that read). There are so many websites and magazines out there, if you do not have a good bookstore near you. Publishers Weekly, Good Reads, Amazon and Barnes and Nobles also have a lot of good information.

Weekending, 06.15.13

Ah, weekends, so often the sweet spot of the week. Forty-eight hours spent racing the clock. Really, it's far too little time to reboot my brain, write all of the things, read all of the books and spend time with all of my people. That doesn't mean I don't give it my best shot though :-)

I managed to climb out of bed at a reasonable hour on Saturday morning to meet up with Ravena for a trip into Maryland to check out Hobby Lobby. Somehow I got it in my mind that they would have a sign with the word 'library' on it. They didn't. I can't help the fact that it was less than two miles away from the Dutch Country Farmer's Market (and things like candy apples, which I did not buy). When I got home, I spent some time trying to read a few Avengers comics in preparation for a post I'm trying to write comparing fanfic to comic books. It was nice to kick my feet up before getting ready to meet Scarlet at McMahon's in Warrenton, VA. If Stars Hollow were a business, it just might be McMahon's. I like it (and their vodka tonics) just that much.

I treated myself to This Is The End and Now You See Me on Sunday morning (thank you, $5 matinees) before grocery shopping and all of those other necessary weekend activities. Honestly, I expected to be disappointed by This Is The End. Sometimes I feel like I'm broken on the inside because I don't always find comedies funny like most people seem to. This, however, was freaking hilarious. Don't get me wrong. It was also stupid, but I found that I couldn't stop giggling.

The first two photos are actually from the Robinson Nature Center in Columbia, Maryland. I was there on Thursday afternoon, but the center was just too pretty not to include.

Art binge, living my art life on Pinterest

I haven't written about art* since Oliver Jeffers at the end of January. Yikes! My love for the topic has definitely not waned. In fact, I sort of ended up giving myself a rather large art-related research project and have been dabbling in that here and there, trying to figure out how to really get started. I've also found myself slowly and sporadically cataloging some of my current art interests over on Pinterest.

To keep up with some of what is currently holding my interest, head over and follow my Art Binge board.

*Let's set aside the fact that film and books are works of art.

Thrifty DC: Alamo Drafthouse

I'm going to get over myself and tell you why you should make your way to the Alamo Drafthouse out in the wilds of Ashburn, Virginia (really pushing the bounds of metro DC). I'm going to swallow that tiny, tiny shred of Texas pride I manage to hold onto (you realize I've pretty much shed any remaining dignity by admitting that, right?) and my zealous belief that special things should remain in special places* to tell you about it. Really, I am.

The thing that makes the Alamo Drafthouse truly special isn't their robust menu and in-seat food service. It's all about the special events and screenings they show. For years, I've been jealous of my brother's ability to attend the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sing-Along and have tried to arrange my Christmas travel schedule so that I can finally attend an Elf Quote-Along. They excel at turning a movie into an interactive event and bonding experience.

How would I spend $20 and while away a Saturday?

Get your rear to the Alamo Drafthouse out in Ashburn (fill up your tank first...it's far) over the next few days and check it out. On Saturday, you can channel the Summer of '83 and watch Jaws 3D on the big screen or roll with your homies next Thursday for the Clueless Quote-Along. It's not really a thrifty outing, especially if you order food, but I can't imagine you having a bad time.


*Can we stop franchising everything please??

My story as told by water, part V

photo by Kate Gardiner

Have you ever been water skiing?

In high school, my best friend's family owned one of those motorboats meant to be driven at alarming speeds over great expanses of water, and I was lucky enough to get to join them for a couple of summer trips on one of the local lakes. The Texas sun was always relentless in its intensity, constantly reminding us how uninhabitable the west should have been. Taking to the water was your only real alternative to sealing yourself inside an air conditioned home. The wind and spray coming off the waves as the boat skipped across the water was the kind of refreshing that I think only a dog riding with its head out the window can understand.

The boat ramps are now closed at Twin Buttes Reservoir because of the drought, but back in the '90s there would be a line of folks waiting to put in. We were never there to fish but, instead, had a need for speed and a desire to be pulled recklessly behind a boat with nothing but a rope. It really is amazing what the oblivion and fearlessness of youth will lead you to do. But I digress.

I was never good at water skiing. In fact, I'm not sure what I did actually counted as skiing. Really, I never excelled at anything that involved a level of mastery over my own body, and water skiing was no different. A girl can only withstand so many false starts and attempts to get her feet under her. Even with wobbly legs finally underneath me, there was no grace in my form. In fact, if you were on Twin Buttes 20 years ago and remember the incredible girl who sailed around the lake bent at the waist, we may have very well been ships passing in the night.

That's What She Read, episode 3

I'm excited to announce that a new episode of That's What She Read is up! Our goal is to post a new episode every month to allow for life and all of the books in between. Once we get a few episodes in the hopper, we'll migrate to iTunes. In the meantime, do us a solid and listen! We think we're pretty entertaining ;-)

There are a few ways you can listen: stream it; download it; or listen to it on the Soundcloud app.

In this month's episode, I talk about The Secret History by Donna Tartt, What Changes Everything by Masha Hamilton, and the Positron series by Margaret Atwood. Ravena talks about barreling through Alliance of Blood by Ariel Tachna, Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman, and Whoever Fights the Monsters (fanfic) by circ_bamboo and feelslikefire. As more of these make their way up, I think you'll see the breadth of styles we cover and how different our reading proclivities are.

Episode 2 is also online, if you'd like to catch up!

Behind the Bookshelf: Interview with a bookseller, Malnurtured Snay

 Meet Malnurtured Snay! Let's call him MS for grins. He's a voracious reader living and working in the District, and another one of us who always wanted to work in a bookstore. As he plotted his escape from Timonium to DC, MS started applying at all your standard stores: Barnes & Noble, Kramer's (one of my favorite discoveries when I first moved to this area), and the Borders in Golden Triangle (ever notice how it's not an actual triangle?). He wound up at Borders and worked there until February/March 2011, when the store closed in the first phase of what was Border's death knell (his words, not mine).  He bought a lot of books during his time there.

MS can be found exploring this beautiful city by foot and by bus and is known to tweet incessantly about Star Trek: TNG (among other things) at @MalnurteredSnay. He can be found proffering book reviews and other opinions over at, you guessed it, Malnurtured Snay.

What are you currently reading? Thoughts on it?

I've been reading "Arthur the King" by Allan Massie which places the Arthur legend at the end of the Roman occupation of Britain and Merlin the son of a centurion. I'm enjoying it, but it's really making me want to watch John Borrman's Excalibur.

What books are you most looking forward to this year?

None - ever since I stopped working in a bookstore, I just haven't kept up with news about what books are being published. I've also become a huge fan of used bookstores and book sales. There are lots of both in the DC area, and there's a great weekly "Folio Sale" at the DC-Chevy Chase library on Connecticut Avenue. There's also an annual "pop up" bookstore at Farragut Square for a month each spring. Somehow this was off my radar until this year, but I definitely stopped through a few times and picked up a lot of stuff. 

Actually, I take that back because Nathaniel Philbrick has a new book coming out (it's not nautical themed, which is strange) on the battle of Bunker Hill. But due to my aversion to buying books new (they're expensive!) I'm going to hope I get it as a birthday or Christmas gift this year. 

Did you set any reading goals for 2013? If so, what are they?

I actually set myself a goal of not buying any more books. I live in a studio apartment. There are bookshelves stacked on bookshelves in my apartment, and each shelf is packed full of books. I even have a book handtruck from Borders in one corner, and it's piled high. I just buy books in vastly more quantities than I will ever be able to read them, but that goal only lasted a few months. I've been finding books that I have multiple copies of and taking them to work and trying to give them to coworkers. I don't work in a bookstore anymore, so this is a little harder than it used to be. I'll just be happy to have a few great days with good books on the roof deck of my building.

What three characters would you invite to the bar for a drink?

Jack Reacher, King Arthur, and Harry Potter. I guess it would have to be a British bar - drinking age is 18 there, right? Gotta make sure Harry can get a drink. 

If you could convince any two authors to write a book together, who would it be? Why?

I think if you could get Alastair Reynolds, who writes some amazingly scientific space opera, to collaborate with Ken Follett, who writes these tremendously thick and engaging historical novels (I want another sequel to Pillars of the Earth!) that would just blow my mind. 

What's the most annoying book you see flying off the shelves?

Well, it's been a few years since I worked in a bookstore, but can I do three way tie? Anything in the Twilight Series, anything by Dan Brown, and anything by Nicholas Sparks. Speaking of Sparks, I don't for the life of me understand why he isn't shelved in Romance.

If you could give people one piece of advice to prep them for entering a bookstore, what would it be?

Like ... as a customer, or as an employee? 

As a customer: feel free to browse, but when you're done with a book, please actually put it back onto the shelf where you found it. Don't just stack the thing. We had one night when some college professor (or professor-type, anyway) came in with some of his students and walked around the store, from section to section, pulling a bunch of titles out from each section, then just leaving them stacked on the floor when they moved along. Seriously, fuck that guy; don't be that guy. And if you ask a bookseller for help and all you know about the book is that it has a red cover and used to be on that corner of that table six months ago and they find it for you? They deserve a cash tip.

As an employee: there are customers who come in, browse, and leave. Most of these people are boring, and unless they come in a bunch, you won't remember them. The ones you will remember are those who are great, and those who are awful. Wherever you work, there will be code names for the awful ones. Every now and then I run into some of these awful people in DC, and the first instinct is to just turn and fucking run. Oh! The stories.

Garlic and Sapphires

When a friend pressed Garlic and Sapphires into my hand while browsing Reston Used Books, I was skeptical. I was sure it would be a fine, entertaining read and agreed, thinking it would be a break after the intensity of The Twelve. What I wasn't expecting was the maelstrom of thoughts and emotions this book spurred. More than a simple memoir filled with entertaining stories (and they were entertaining), Reichl unwittingly schooled me in criticism and dipped her toe into the world of social critique.

To be honest, I've never given much thought to what goes into being a restaurant critic. Yes, I assumed there was the eating of the food, and I can't forget the scene from Gilmore Girls when Sookie was trying to track down a critic who had recently reviewed the Inn. This book felt a little like a master class in criticism. As I read of Reichl's four and five visits to the restaurants she reviewed and of all the different dishes and courses she sampled, I felt like such a schmo. Of course she does this. She's a professional with uncompromising standards and would feel the need to account for natural variability and off days. Suddenly, I was ashamed by the meager opinions I've thought to offer after one visit to a restaurant.

Even more fascinating than the peek into the world of a professional critic was the social experiment of embodying different characters as she dined out. Cloaking herself in thrift store costumes ranging from the clunky to the fabulous, she explored different versions of herself and engaging in a bit of self therapy along the way. However, for me, the more telling part of each transformation was the subtle indictment of society and its reactions to the various versions of her. Reichl's discomfort became my own as stark class lines were drawn in the sand.

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention what readers of her Times reviews have known for years. The woman has an adventurous palate and can paint an evocative picture of food. My relationship with Asian food has always been one of fear and skepticism (I eat sushi at a restaurant who names their pieces Hot Hippy and G.I. Jane), but Reichl's loving treatment of Korean food and other fare has me wanting to open my mind and give it another go.

Definitely an older title worth picking up.

Weekending, Hagerstown

I found myself with a friend back in Hagerstown on Saturday. The air was thick, and the window units pumping in the antique malls were on their last leg. Still, there were plenty of odds and ends--treasures for someone--within Beaver Creek Antiques to make it worth the drive. The Turkish lamp above was dreamy.

And do you see that dog from Hempen Hill?  That baby was lunch and dinner (and worth every bite).