Gilead: Book Review

Gilead (by Marilynne Robinson) took me by surprise. I'd listened to Rebecca and Jeff discuss it on the Book Riot Podcast, so I was fairly certain there would be tears. I just misjudged completely what would make me emotional.

Let's back up. Gilead is the story of a much older father writing to his young son, attempting to cram a lifetime of learning and relationship into what he thinks are the last few weeks or months of his life. In an almost stream of consciousness, the father (a preacher) weaves family history with spiritual struggle in a way that's entirely unpretentious and, yet, rendered beautifully.

I fully expected to cry at the father's anticipated death. Instead, I found tears pouring down my cheeks at the points where his struggles are my struggles and when he nails ideas I've only begun to circle around. He speaks of each of us being alone, essentially being unknowable to each other and comparable to distinct civilizations. Somehow, it was in these words that I felt known, unalone.

Robinson captures so eloquently my desire to know, really know, my family. Parents lead such interior, seemingly secret lives from their children, and to be able to share in what makes them them seems precious.

"I'm trying to make the best of our situation..."

You need only look at my dog-eared copy to know that there are so many highlight-worthy passages in this book. I can tell it's one I'll keep coming back to.

Do you have books you read on the regular? It's somewhat abnormal for me.

Listen to Ravena and I talk about this and other books we've been reading over the last two weeks!

That's What She Read: The Brief Wondrous Episode

A new episode of That's What She Read (TWSR) went live last Tuesday, and if you like books, I reckon* there's something in there for you. Ravena and I sat down with Amy from Lemon and Raspberry and Megan from The Nerd Nest, discussing everything from superheroes and trickster gods to John Quincy Adams and Sherman Alexie.

I'm really enjoying our periodic "supper club" episodes and the opportunity to talk to other awesome readers. It should come as no surprise that my to-read list grows with each new episode. Megan's discussion of Burgess's invented slang in A Clockwork Orange immediately set me on the hunt for my own copy with the original British ending.

If you're interested in expanding your reading game even more, Amy has started the L&R Book Club, a "non-fiction, leadership/business/self-helpy/personal development" book club. In the latest episode of TWSR, she talks about their current selection, The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp.

"I love the idea that creativity is not mystical, that it's not that the muse is going to come down and anoint you with her powers. It's that creativity is a job, and you just need to get the structure in place to be able to leverage the creativity that you already have." - Amy T. Schubert

I would totally join this book club if I didn't dislike Facebook so much.

Even Ravena has me thinking about reading the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne.

As for me, I'm still feeling gushy about The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (part of the amazing Indonesian cover above) by Junot Diaz. Listen to this mega, book-filled episode of the podcast to hear more about it and all of the other books we discussed!


*Why, yes, I did bust out the Texas vernacular.

Dream Thieves: Book Review and Podcast Update

I finally picked up the second book in the Raven Cycle, The Dream Thieves, and it was awesome!

In the follow up to The Raven Boys, Maggie Stiefvater once again transports us to the fictional town of Henrietta, Virginia (a town I'm convinced is set in the rolling hills somewhere between Charlottesville and Harrisonburg) where Blue and the boys continue their search for Glendower, a real medieval Welsh prince and warrior who led a revolt in September 1400 against English rule of Wales. He disappeared mysteriously in 1412. Though rumors of his death and burial location exist, it has never been confirmed, making him perfect fodder for spooky legends (e.g., being first immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry IV, Part 1). The Raven Cycle series takes the legend of sleeping kings approach wherein the king is not really dead but instead in a tomb waiting to be woken. In The Dream Thieves, whomever finds Glendower and wakes him will be granted a favor.

Can you tell I love the throwback to a real person from history?

The Dream Thieves is filled with legends and ley lines and talk of St. Mark's Eve/the corpse road, but there is plenty of real-life happening and kids just struggling to fit in. Where I feel The Raven Boys focused quite a bit on developing Blue into the fascinating, strongish female character that she is, The Dream Thieves focuses less on her and more on Adam and Ronan. In the sequel, we learn more about the consequences of Adam's sacrifice (vague because no spoilers) and a bit about what lies underneath Ronan's anger management issues. Seriously, these are some emo boys.

One of the things I enjoy about these books is Stiefvater's natural writing. These are teen novels, but I never felt like I had to make allowances for the quality of writing. She has created a vivid world, both real and imagined, and her words give me all the tools I need to visualize each wacky, beautiful thing.

If you want to hear more about what I've been reading the last month or so, check out the latest episode of That's What She Read, my bi-weekly book podcast with my friend Ravena. We release a new episode every other Tuesday, and we'd love for you to listen along. You can also join the book discussion over on the That's What She Read Goodreads group.

The River Why and more bookish rambling

Confession time. I'm a river-slash-book lover who has never read Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It. I've never even watched the movie. Drinking by the Rappahannock with one of the movie's leads (former board member...not Brad Pitt) is the closest I've come. Instead, it was the enchanted, river religiosity of David James Duncan that further exposed me to the transformative, motivational power of words.

My introduction to Duncan came years ago when I got my hands on a collection of his essays, My Story as Told by Water (do yourself a favor and look up the incredibly long subtitle). His essays painted salmon, trout and the spirituality of the fly fisherman in the way that makes the breath catch in your throat. And, while this is a pivotal work in my personal canon, it's his novel, The River Why, that I want to talk about today.

The River Why is a bit of a modern-day Walden, following the young Gus Orviston, a fly fisherman from a fishing obsessed family, as he leaves his family and isolates himself in a remote cabin on one of Oregon's rivers. On a journey of self-discovery, Gus boils much of his days down to eating, sleeping and fishing as he tries to follow nature's biological rhythms. While I found Gus a bit too self-indulgent at times, Duncan's beautiful prose would lure me back in.

“And so I learned what solitude really was. It was raw material - awesome, malleable, older than men or worlds or water. And it was merciless - for it let a man become precisely what he alone made of himself.” 

When Duncan gets it so right (like he does below), the excitable, effusive girl inside of me wants to leap up, pumping my fist in the air and shouting "hell yeah!"

"Fisherman should be the easiest of men to convince to commence the search for the soul, because fishing is nothing but the pursuit of the elusive. Fish invisible to laymen like me are visible to anglers like you by a hundred subtle signs. how can you be so sagacious and patient in seeking fish, and so hasty and thick as to write off your soul because you can’t see it?"

If you've got a low tolerance for impassioned soap-box rhetoric, you may want to approach this novel with a bit of trepidation. Duncan is not particularly subtle and doesn't sugar-coat his views on how we treat the planet. Of course, that's only a tiny part of what I like about him.

West with the Night and Beryl Markham's exploring, sassy awesomeness

I have my friend Sara to thank for introducing me to Beryl Markham. I was skeptical when she first pressed her memoir, West with the Night, into my hands, but for years I've harbored the desire to spend a year or so living and working in Africa, so I decided to start reading and see where it took me. Thankfully, Markham's exhilarating life and way with words was the type of book that I virtually lived in.

Originally published in 1942, the book chronicles her remarkable, early life. She was known as an adventurous pilot who became the first person to fly non-stop from Europe to America and the first woman to fly solo east to west across the Atlantic. While her stories of learning to fly are fascinating and her description of actually crossing the Atlantic wrought with tension, it's her life as a whole that I find so motivating.

Imagine being a woman in the 1920s/1930s and how limited your options supposedly were. I don't know if anyone tried to hold Markham back, but if they did*, she clearly told them to shove off. Not only was she an accomplished aviator, she was amazing with horses, becoming Kenya's first female licensed horse trainer as a young adult. She also seemed to own her sexuality, living passionately and supposedly carrying on several well-known affairs throughout her life.

If you're looking for something awesome to dig into during Women's History Month (or, let's be real, any month), pick up a copy of West with the Night. I made sure to share my copy and spread the love, pressing it into another coworker's hands last week.

*I read the book several years ago, so I've lost some of the finer details.

Sabbatical reading list

I'm feeling bittersweet this morning. It's the last day of my sabbatical. I'm trying desperately to maintain the zen-like feelings I worked hard to discover and quell my rapidly rising heartbeat every time I think about what my inbox must look like. What better way to remain calm than to talk about books, specifically what I read while off!

You would think I'd have finished a huge stack of books, but the combination of reading weightier titles and spending so many hours writing resulted in a shorter finished pile. Here is a brief look at what I curled up with during these snowy weeks.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - After hearing about this book for years, I finally bumped it to the top of the list, and I'm so glad I did! You can read my full write-up here. The quick and dirty summary is that a Jesuit priest leads a mission to another galaxy after discovery of other life. The story shifts back and forth between the mission itself and debriefing of the sole survivor who has returned scarred and silent decades later.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - This is a novel of split-second decisions and the impact they have. The story begins when our main protagonist, Theo Decker, is just a boy. He is orphaned after a tragic bombing at a New York museum. While struggling to get his bearings following the explosion and escape, he makes a few decisions that color the rest of his life. The story follows Theo from a wealthy Park Avenue home to the seedy Las Vegas desert and the monied world of antiques restoration and sales. I found myself rooting for Theo through every bad decision he makes and wanting him to thrive. While it seemed to drag a bit in certain sections, I dug it, and the nuggets of writing on art and antiques were enough to keep me going. If that turns you off, don't worry. This is Donna Tartt we're talking about, so it has drugs, sex, murder and deception, too.

Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler - This is the story of four best friends from a small town in Wisconsin and how their lives and loves still intersect years later despite the different directions their lives have taken. For me, Shotgun Lovesongs really boiled down to a moving look at male friendship with a side of introspection on what success means to different people. Butler's writing is solid and leads you along in a lyrical fashion. Lots of warm feelings upon finishing this book.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - I picked up Cinder when my BookBub (regular email notifying you when there are e-book sales) email mentioned it was on sale. I was drawn to the potential for a dystopian Cinderella set in the future wherein she's a cyborg and a plague threatens the kingdom. After The Sparrow and The Goldfinch (weird bird thing going on there), I also needed a bit of brain junk food. Unfortunately, starting this right after finishing the talented musings of Tartt and Russell was a bit like running into a brick wall. Tartt and Russell are masters of prose, and the first couple of chapters of Cinder read a bit like bad Cinderella fanfic. Luckily, I ended up being stuck somewhere with only this e-book with me and picked it back up. If you end up getting this one and are willing to stick with it past chapter six (page 48 on my Nook app), you just might get hooked. At this point in the story, Meyer diverges from the Cinderella formula and definitely snags my interest. I enjoyed the direction she took the story and don't want to spoil it for those you who may read it. Just know that this is a series (books 1-3 are already out), and it ends on a cliffhanger. I enjoyed the book enough that I'll buy book two (Scarlet)...again, brain candy kind of read. Also, if you're looking for a second opinion, my friend Steven also read Cinder with me and experienced a similar trajectory (disappointment-->interest).

For more of what I'm reading currently, you can add me on Goodreads or listen to That's What She Read!

New That's What She Read is live

A new episode of That's What She Read is available for your listening pleasure! I plan to write about my sabbatical reads later this week or next, but I wanted to pop in and provide a quick preview of the new episode.

If you're not familiar with the podcast, my friend Ravena and I spend 30 minutes to an hour chatting about the latest books we've read and/or are reading. Our taste in books diverge quite a bit, so we cover a variety of titles ranging from fiction/literature to science fiction/fantasy to erotica, graphic novels and fanfic. Every couple of episodes we snag some friends, feed them dinner and get them to chat about their own recent reads. Basically, we love reading and talking about books and book culture.

This month we are instituting an actual posting schedule, so from now on you can count on a new podcast every other Tuesday. We've also got a new Goodreads group where we'd love to continue the conversation--because, let's face it, we say things people probably want to refute ;-)

This episode I offer my thoughts on Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Baker, The Secret History of Las Vegas by Chris Abani and many more. I may rant a bit about people labeling women talking to other women about romance as "chick lit", but when men write about men talking about similar topics, it's literature. I went off the rails and decided that all's fair and that these books should be labeled "dick lit".

What are you reading?! I always need new books to feel guilty about not reading.

Low-risk radicalism: install a tiny public library

I'm prone to love almost any idea based in the sharing of books or what we're reading. If I have to engage in small talk, "what are you reading/OMG you should read" is my comfort zone, and I find the idea of leaving surprise books for people ridiculously appealing. I've been itching to install a tiny "library" in public for more than a year, and when I noticed these trellises in a high-traffic area outside my local Caribou Coffee, I finally decided to make it a priority.

The library itself is actually just an inexpensive mailbox purchased from Home Depot and appropriately decorated. It doesn't hold a ton of books, but it's the perfect size for something that may wind up stolen or taken down by stodgy property management (like my last public installation, which disappeared in less than 24 hours). Maybe this is just a trial run for filling this tiny space with books!

I tucked the following books into this library: Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. This means I can buy more books, right? (P.S. I did.)

If putting up your own tiny library seems like too much effort, consider something like BookCrossing and leave a copy of a book in a random location.

Pain which cannot forget...

Often the books that affect me most deeply are the ones in which I struggle to frame why the book was so impactful and why it should be devoured, posthaste, by everyone. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one such book, which, if you've heard of the book at all, you'll know is both a relevant and ridiculous goal. Relevant in that it is a book written to be impactful and to make you think about life's tougher questions, topics that are tackled over and over again in self-help books and spiritual tomes.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

                                        What is the will of God in a world full of hateful acts and immense suffering? 

Ridiculousness in that the book has hardly gone unnoticed. Since it was published in 1996, it has won several awards and generated plenty of reviews. Of course, when you find yourself thinking about a book with tears streaming down your cheeks as you drive to a meeting in Annapolis, you kind of don't care about all of those other articles and just need to work through it on screen for yourself.

I realize I've probably painted a picture of this dark, preachy novel, but it's not that at all. The story is told through the discovery of life in another galaxy (the planet Rakhat) and the Jesuit priest, Father Emilio Sanchez, who mounts an expedition to meet and learn more about this alien race. He's joined by a diverse cast of characters (agnostic, atheist and Jesuit alike) who have been his family for years. It flashes back and forth between the discovery in 2019 and 2059/2060, when Sanchez has arrived back on Earth. As the only survivor of this expedition, he has returned an incredibly broken man (both physically and spiritually) and is being asked to account for what happened while on Rakhat. Those who rescued him reported back that he was found acting as a prostitute and had killed a child.

Over the course of the novel, we learn of the great beauty and depravity experienced on the expedition. It touches on issues of faith and fate and intent, and provides a glimpse into the anthropological study of cultures. There are even parallels to be drawn to atrocities like slavery we've seen in our own culture.

A couple of days after I finished The Sparrow, I found myself reading a post on Sojourners by Catherine Woodiwiss called A New Normal: Ten Things I've Learned About Trauma and found myself drawing parallels between Woodiwiss's advice and the Jesuit priests who ministered to and, at times, interrogated Father Sanchez upon his return. Because, let's be frank, trauma is probably the kindest way to describe some of what happened on that trip.

The Sparrow is a page-turner that gives you plenty of weighty issues to chew on, but maybe that's just me. I definitely recommend it. Let me know if you read it so that I can put together a Sparrow drinking party discussion club.

2014 Tournament of Books -- Let the Reading Begin!

I had a spectacular bookgasm about fifteen minutes ago when I realized that (1) the new Tournament of Books short-list has been announced and (2) the Nook e-book of Goldfinch is 50% off. Scrape me off the floor-level excited. Trust me, guys, this was the best thing that happened to me all day. Why, yes, my day must have stressful for that to be my peak.

Anyway, back to the Tournament of Books (ToBX). I didn't learn about this fun WAY BETTER take on NCAA March Madness until it was too late last year, so I'm stoked to catch the list in January. You can follow the link to read up on the event, but it's basically exactly what you'd imagine. The Morning News selected 17 books it feels are representative of outstanding fiction in 2013, and come March, they will be pitted against each other in the time-honored tradition known as bracketing.

I don't know about you, but I am all in. I like the idea of trying to read all 17 (gulp) of their picks by the beginning of March so that I can play along in the tourney. I'm a little skeptical of my ability to pull it off because (1) I can be cheap, (2) Oyster and all of the amazing backlist I have to read, and (3) new 2014 books to tempt me! The only book on this year's list that I've read is Eleanor & Park; however, I'm heartened by the fact that I found Goldfinch at a discounted price right after deciding to challenge myself.

So, who's with me in this wackadoo ToBX book club?

Finalists for the 2014 Tournament of Books

• At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón
• The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
• The Tuner of Silences by Mia Couto
• The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
• How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
• The Dinner by Herman Koch
• The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
• Long Division by Kiese Laymon
• The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
• Hill William by Scott McClanahan
• The Son by Philipp Meyer
• A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
• The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara
• [Winner of the Pre-Tournament Playoff Round]

Love letter to local bookstores

There are a few different barometers that I judge cities, towns, and villages by when traveling. However, without fail, I always keep my eye out for local bookstores and coffee shops. These are my third spaces, where I go to connect, to observe, to be. Hidden just beneath the surface is a part of me that believes that, if I find these spaces in a new town, I could be happy there...that I would find my people.

For a town of its size, San Angelo* is virtually replete with bookstores. We never warranted a Borders or Barnes & Noble (remind me to tell you about my first visit to a BN in Austin a bit later), but the local mall did have what would later be their smaller subsidiaries, B. Dalton and Waldenbooks. I spent many hours here perched on step stools reading through the teen paperbacks. Neither of these stores survived my teenage years.

Perhaps the most cherished bookstore (and bookstore memory) of my youth is Hastings. It will always be the cool, independent bookstore where I first discovered Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream) and could spend hours browsing all of the books. I yearned to be cool enough to belong in that store. Even though I've outgrown Hastings' local book selection and the store itself has outgrown the label of small and indie, it remains on my visit list when I head home.

Local book culture seems to be hanging on (perhaps even thriving?) in San Angelo. In 2012, the county spent $12M to refurbish a vacant department store downtown and turn it into the new Stephens Central Library. Rita's Book Exchange and Ye Ole Fantastique Book Shoppe are used bookstores that have been around for years. And, during this trip, I finally made it into Cactus Book Shop.

There is something special about a bookstore that can build a space and community around a niche topic (think Reiter's Books and their focus on scientific, medical, and technical books in DC). The Cactus Book Shop does just that with its focus on Texas and the Southwest. My experience with reading westerns only extends as far as Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (fantastic) and last year's reading of The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt. I am, however, a huge proponent of soaking up the local culture of wherever you happen to travel, and bookstores provide an awesome opportunity to learn about new authors and topics.

Even though I grew up in San Angelo, I got caught up in the heady possibility of immersing myself in the culture almost immediately upon walking in the door. My mom might have thought I was a bit touched (Texan for crazy) when she spotted me picking up title after title, but she's nothing if not supportive and bought me the Rivers of Texas you see pictured above. I also picked up The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton (local western hero) and Crossing Rio Pecos by Patrick Dearen (Modern Farmer came from Hastings). Clearly, I was also letting my river nerd flag fly.

Do you ever visit local bookstores when you travel? Share some of your favorites!



* where I was born and grew up

My reading year, 2013

Choosing my favorite reads of the year is far too difficult! However, if you were trapped on a desert island or holing up in a cabin for a reading vacation, I'd start with the titles highlighted with a larger font below. Each of these floated my boat in a major way and will be stories I remember for years to come.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters

Midnight Rising by Tony Horowitz

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved by Hunter S. Thompson

Lost Code by Kevin Emerson

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Pastoralia by George Saunders

Faithful Place by Tana French

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick Dewitt

Parasite by Mira Grant

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples

The Returned by Jason Mott

Watergate by Thomas Mallon

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Mudbound by Hilary Jordan

Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Inspired by, and borrowed from, Austin Kleon

Best Reads of 2013: Scarlet's List

Only my friends would stage a photo shoot while we wait in the emergency room (photo from way back)


I love lists, and end-of-the-year round ups are no exception! I've asked a few of my friends to play along and join me in sharing lists of the best things they've read this year. All of this, of course, is a lead in to my own best reads of the year. Enjoy Scarlet's list below!
-------------------
As we approach the end of 2013, I am ready to admit that I have had a dreadfully light reading year. I’m not sure what happened since I didn’t have as many obligations as years past, but I read fewer books this year than in 2012 and 2011. Disappointing! The silver lining is that out of the books I did read, there were some spectacular gems! Books that have jumped onto my all time favorites list and books that I have recommended to anyone who will listen.  Not all were written in 2013, but they’re all pretty current. I don’t get to the backlist titles as often as I would like. (Never enough time!)
I can’t do a ranked list because that is just impossible so instead I’ll give my recommendations for several different categories.

Books That Made Me Cry:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern- I read this while on vacation in Jamaica at the beginning of the year and when I finished it, just days after starting, all I could say was “Wow!” This book was like nothing I had ever read and the beauty of the words and the world created within in it was so magical. I can no longer drive past an ordinary circus without feeling sadness that it’s not black and white.

Letters From Skye by Jessica Brockmole- Prior to my dream come true vacation to Scotland back in October, I picked up this book solely because it takes place on the island of Skye. Eight hours later I finished it, with tears in my tired eyes, and a heart warm from the love story so beautifully told. I could not put this book down and the US Open was on so, for anyone who knows me, it was a big deal for me to concentrate more on a book than on tennis. This book is a gem and could easily be a bestseller so read it and spread the word! It’s told entirely in letters and takes place in the early 20th century, telling the story between a young poet in Scotland and the American who writes her a fan letter.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell- Without giving too much of the plot away, I was really worried for the main characters of this book until I had turned the last page. This is the sincere story of two high schoolers who share a bus seat and end up with a beautiful connection.
WTF Books:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn- I loved loved loved this book! It’s evil and has terrible characters, twists and turns, and a mystery that was like nothing I have read before. The only thing I will love more than this book will be the David Fincher adaptation starring Ben Affleck. Hot damn  will that be good!

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight- The perfect book to read after Gone Girl because of the mystery element and style of storytelling. Reconstructing Amelia stands well on its own, too, though. A mom begins to piece together the mystery of her daughter’s sudden death after receiving a tip that it was not a suicide. I loved how the story was told from multiple angles and even included text messages and Facebook posts.

In For The Series:

Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles #1) by Lenore Appelhans- I was at work one day at the bookstore when Lenore came in to sign her book so I bought it because I like to support YA authors! Plus, she was super nice and we connected on twitter later that day. She runs a fantastic YA review blog and clearly knows what she is doing because she wrote a great book! This is a book about a part of the afterlife where the dead spend their days watching their memories to pass the time until one of them goes missing and Felicia, the main character, finds out that there is way more going on in this world between worlds.

Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham- I love Lauren Graham! Have you listened to the podcast Serena and I do? Go ahead, check it out: Friday Night Dinner (link!) Lauren Graham is awesome because she seems like she is such a fun person and that characteristic comes through in all of her work, including her first novel. I really enjoyed this book and found myself giggling several times as I read. I love how the story takes place in the ‘90s because of the added struggles of answering machines, fax machines, and pay phones. Supposedly LG is working on a second book with the same main character. I don’t think it’s a sequel, but a standalone within the same world. I can’t wait!

Tandem (Many-Worlds #1) by Anna Jarzab- All Unquiet Things, the debut book by this author, is an  amazingly gorgeous and intricate book that is one of my favorite YA books out there. Tandem is also a great story with an original plot about parallel worlds and a main character who is kidnapped and forced to impersonate the missing princess who is the alternate version of herself. (Note: for an amazing book about Stockholm Syndrome, you have to read Stolen by Lucy Christopher. INCREDIBLE book!)

Pivot Point (Pivot Point #1) by Kasie West- Another cool book about an interesting world where everyone has super powers within a compound and the main character has to decide to stay there with her mom, or to move with her dad to a town of ‘norms’. What makes the choice completely fascinating is that Addison can see the future when faced with two potential outcomes.

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater- If you haven’t read The Raven Boys, you need to go NOW and catch up. Number two in the cycle (out of four) is told from Ronan’s point of view, which is a little unpredictable, a lot dangerous, and partly told while in a dream state. Crazy, right? This book, like all of Stiefvater’s is exquisitely written and filled to the brim with beautiful lines.

So, that’s it really. Unfortunately, my ‘currently reading’ list is way too long and not getting shorter so I don’t get to talk about how much I love Game of Thrones, even though it’s taking me forever to get through the book (it’s because I keep daydreaming about Jon Snow), how much I’m not sure about The Bone Season (but have been told the end is awesome), and how I still haven’t finished a few series I was fully into (Matched, Cahill Witch Chronicles, Unearthly, Under the Never Sky, just to name a few!)

Here’s to 2014 and more reading! (Hopefully!)

Behind the Bookshelf: Interview with a bookseller, Christina

We're back after a bit of a hiatus with Christina, a bookseller (and lead of the children's department) from Northern Virginia.

What are you currently reading? Thoughts on it?

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
It’s really hard not to like a steampunk book like this. It’s set in Seattle before Washington becomes a state. Everyone there is waiting for the Civil War to be over, as then they can get the help they need to properly deal with the aftermath of the testing of a new drilling device that went too far into the earth and released the Blight, a gas which not only kills you but may very well turn you into a zombie (or rotter, as they call them). The history is tweaked a little bit so that Seattle was a more heavily populated area than it was back when this is set and you’ll get some scenery that didn’t exist quite yet either, but it’s fascinating. It’s less about the zombies and more about the people who still live in the walled-up Seattle despite the large number of walking dead milling about.

When Did You Last See Her? By Lemony Snicket
I’m not sure if I like this series as much as The Series of Unfortunate Events, but it’s cute and continues to have the signature snarky style that I adore.

What books are you most looking forward to this year?
 
Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger, the amazing teen series that is a world-prequel to her Parasol Protectorate series of slightly more adult nature. I will read anything this woman writes as it is almost the same kind of wit as a Jane Austen novel (though a little less dry for the people who don’t like Austen as much).

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh. I discovered Allie’s blog a couple years ago and fell in love with the humor of it. She’s very honest about things that have happened in her life and what she’s going through, but at the same time she knows just how to cut in a little humor. Her art is not necessarily the greatest ever, but she has a knack for depicting things perfectly with what she can do, and you’ll read through some of her entries and just laugh and laugh. 

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

I was planning to read 100 books at least, but I’m getting so far behind on that that I think Goodreads is starting to make fun of me with its count tracker.

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

I don’t drink, but I’d love to hang out with Lord Akeldama from the Parasol Protectorate series, Captain Marvel (of the Carol Danvers variety, for she is nothing but Captain now), and Death from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

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

Clive Barker and Neil Gaiman. I feel like their writing styles would mesh very nicely, without as much of the disconnect that can occur when two writers collaborate on a book and you can tell immediately who does what. That’s not always a bad thing, as in Good Omens it’s easy to tell what Terry Pratchett wrote vs. what Neil Gaiman wrote. They’re also two of my all-time favorite authors, so it would be wonderful to see what they would come up with...and give me an excuse to try and get my first edition copy of The Thief of Always signed.

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

Twilight and the fake BDSM Twilight fanfic series, Fifty Shades of Grey. I could list everything wrong with the books, but I’d probably be writing forever on the topic. I like that people read even because of series like these two, but I cannot stand either of them to a point where I would almost want to destroy a book, which I try never to do. 

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

1. Be aware of your surroundings. When it is busy, please do not A: set yourself up in the middle of an aisle or walking area; B: move one of our chairs to a spot right in front of as much product as you can, ensuring that if someone needs something from the area you’re sitting in front of, you will be annoyed; and C: be so totally unaware of what’s going on around you that you nearly cause people to run smack into you as you stop walking suddenly.

2. Please be courteous to the people who are paid to try and help you to the best of their ability. They are not verbal punching bags for you to take out your frustrations on, nor are they there to be commented on or touched. There are stories out there of people who have worked places like the pornography industry who have taken retail jobs for extra money and found that the latter setting opens you up for more dehumanization than the former. Think on that for a bit.

3. The back room is not a TARDIS. If it were, I might have every obscure book and textbook you are looking for, but you would not see any of them because I would be off running through time and space while reading them.

4. Do your best to be prepared if you are looking for a specific book. The questions you are being asked when you can’t remember the title or author are to help us figure out if there is a way to do a Google search to find what you’re looking for, or to figure out if we know of the book ourselves. Don’t look at us blankly and remind us what the cover looks like (this happens more often than you’d think), or that it’s called “The [something],” because that isn’t going to help.

5. Nonfiction is not a section. Nonfiction is a catch-all for everything that does not belong in fiction, but it is not a single section. The majority of the store’s stock is nonfiction, broken up into multiple categories. I cannot point you to “nonfiction” if I don’t know what type of nonfiction you are looking for, as you will be wandering through the store wondering where your book might be.

What’s your catnip, that familiar plotline or genre you can’t help but pick up and devour?

I’ve fallen in love with steampunk books recently. I can’t seem to explain why exactly, but there is something about steampunk’s take on the Victorian era that can be quite satisfying, especially when it comes to female characters and commenting on society’s views on women’s rights. I also like a really good urban fantasy book. This can include things like American Gods as well, so really just well-done fantasy novels that have a solid foot in our world. I just love the idea that if you look at the world just a little differently than you normally would, you can discover untold wonders hiding there.

Bookish Black Friday

Moby Dick, anyone?

It's a very bookish Black Friday around these parts. Before you go out shopping (OMG, did you go last night?), download the latest episode (aka the books for your boo edition) of That's What She Read to find out what books Ravena and I are recommending for people in our lives.

Here's a sneak peak!

The Randi: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

For the friend who tends to read non-fiction and has a healthy interest in self-help books.

The Steven: House of Holes by Nicholson Baker

For the friend with the darker sense of humor who can handle a dirty limerick.

The Scarlet: The Wives: The Women Behind Russia's Literary Giants by Alexandra Popoff

For the friend who loves books, dreams of the writing life, and adores anything Russian.

The Mom: Split Second by David Baldacci

For the friend who loves the procedural mystery and is looking for a compelling book that's just plain fun.

Also, I'm over on My Life as a Teacup today talking about The Handmaid's Tale and When She Woke. Check out Kristin's blog to see why I think if you like one you'll love the other one. You can also enter to win one of the new That's What She Read totes we created.

Schoolhouse Rock: Let's get magical!

This photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post other than the fact that I think candy in a display window is a bit magical.

You probably think that I'm about to make my pitch to teach at Hogwarts, right? Let's hope you didn't jump to those fantastical conclusions because I'll feel like I'm about to be a disappointment right out of the gate. Instead, I want to share a peek behind the curtain at some research I'm doing.

Do you remember that whole book thing I mentioned last week? In my mind, I want to be Toni Morrison. Go ahead...you can laugh. I did. I know I'm being ridiculous, but a girl has to strive for something, right? Anyway (I bet Toni doesn't even use words like anyway), I've spent the past year thinking about the direction my story is headed and how to deal with this fantastical element that I've introduced. The book I've conceived in my head isn't science fiction, but with this thing that I've introduced, I haven't given myself many options. Inadvertently, I realized I'd latched onto to this idea that the work I am creating is magical realism.

Now, if you're like me, you're asking yourself why you have to call it anything at this point. Just write the damn story. I hear you. However, having a realistic grasp of what I want my story to be has a direct bearing on how I resolve or deal with these fantastical elements. Unfortunately, about the time I started really thinking about magical realism, I came to the sinking conclusion that I probably didn't have the best grasp on what that was. I'm sure you're just as shocked as I am that a college education focused on political science and biology didn't provide me with the requisite knowledge. 

Instead of rushing out to pick up another degree (though tempting), I turned my attention to the Internet to see what information I could ferret from academics studying and teaching magical realism. While I won't have a professor feeding me information and engaging me in critique and debate, I love that I can teach myself and cobble together education.

So what did I find? Consistency. Most of the university syllabi I perused taught many of the same books, stories, and texts. In case you're interested in geeking out with me, I've included links to some of these texts below, as well as links to a couple of the courses.

Enjoy!

• A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• The Enormous Radio by John Cheever
• The Continuity of Parks by Julio Cortazar
• The Night Face-Up by Julio Cortazar
• English 6333 - Magical Realism at University of Texas at Arlington
• The Question of the Other: Cultural Critiques of Magical Realism by Wendy B. Faris
• WAGS 23: Disruptive Geographies: Magical Realism and the World at Amherst College

That's What She Read, Episode 7: Wherein we go from wine to Roth to Rice to Pessl to Harrison and more

My recently re-organized unread shelf

Episode 7 of That's What She Read (TWSR) is live! This marks the second installation of what we're calling the TWSR Supper Club, wherein we invite friends over (or out) for dinner and discuss our latest reads with them. Ravena's friend, Kalen, joined us this month, and we had the best conversation.

If you haven't tried the podcast since the first few episodes, I urge you to give it another listen. We're getting better, and I think these last couple of episodes are our best yet!

You can search iTunes for That's What She Read, listen right from our podcast page, or listen below. You'll also find a full list of the books we discuss and links to where you can find out more about them.

My future tiny library

This is my future tiny library.

It sits deserted along a major thoroughfare in Fairfax, taunting me. I've had my eye on this abandoned ATM building for the last two years and have gone so far as to call the bank and look up tax maps in an effort to track down the owner. His name is scrawled in one of my many notebooks. Getting my hands on his phone number and/or email address has not been as simple. This requires a letter or a visit, all time-consuming things for a busy girl who works when people who own real estate work.

I just want to borrow this space for a few months. Throw up a cute sign. Build shelves out of pallets, and throw open the door for people to borrow, take and trade books. Maybe the books each month will be curated around a particular theme--purple covers or mysteries by women or novels set in D.C.

I'm motivated. It will happen. 

Behind the Bookshelf: Interview with a bookseller, Steven Darling

Halloween 2008 :-)

Meet Steven, one of my favorite people. I first met Steven when we were both working part-time at Barnes & Noble and spent many an evening closing down the store and thinking up crazy activities to maintain our sanity. While Steven no longer sells books, he still offers up some sage advice. You won't find him hanging out on social media, but if you're into the local classical music scene, you might see this Fairfax County music teacher playing in one of the local orchestras.

What are you currently reading? Thoughts on it?

Lately, I’ve been reading the Percy Jackson series. I’ve always liked mythology, and I like how Rick Riordan incorporated the ancient myths into the modern world. When I started reading the series, I didn’t realize there were actually two series within the series. The first set was okay, but felt a little young. This second series I like a lot better. It’s just a little bit more grown up, which is silly considering they are young adult books. That said, if you’re going to read them, I recommend reading all of them. The second series references a lot of stuff from the first series, and I like to know the back story. The one I just finished was The Son of Neptune.

What books are you most looking forward to this year?

I’m not usually very informed about books that are soon to be released. I did pre-order Allegiant (Veronica Roth) since it was on sale for my Kindle for pretty cheap not too long ago. I guess that’s one to look forward to.

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

I never set reading goals. I tend to go through periods of voracious reading and periods of almost no reading at all. Since this past summer, I’ve been reading a lot. I attribute this to figuring out how to borrow library books on my Kindle from the comfort of my couch.

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

Hmm. I’m not really sure. A lot of the books I read are young adult books, and I don’t know that it’s appropriate for those characters to drink. Maybe some of the characters from Christopher Moore’s books?

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

Another tough question. Maybe Christopher Moore and J.K. Rowling? Hogwarts with a sense of humor?

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

Not having worked in a bookstore for a while, I’m not sure what’s flying off the shelves. That said, and even though I haven’t read it, I don’t see the fascination with 50 Shades of Grey.

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

If you’re going in for something specific, know what you’re asking for. I was never good at the questions like, “Well, I want this book… I think it’s about a kid, maybe the cover was red with this weird little clovery thing on the front? Maybe the kid’s name was Charlie? Or Albert?” If you don’t know what you want, at least have a little direction. I remember that people would come in and say, “I like nonfiction. Where is that section?” That’s a really, REALLY broad topic. Finally, to keep the booksellers happy, a friendly attitude goes a long way. Also, remember that they have to put away everything you take out and leave somewhere else.

What’s your catnip, that familiar plotline or genre you can’t help but pick up and devour?

I’m a sucker for end-of-the-world and/or dystopian novels, especially if they’re young adult. They’re easy to read, and usually quick. I love imagining what a changed world looks like. If there’s a map of the new world, even better. I just went to check which series are on my Kindle. Among the more popular things like The Hunger Games and Divergent, I’ve got the Legend series by Marie Lu, Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness, Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne, Maze Runner by James Dashner, Extinction Point by Paul Antony Jones, Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Stung by Bethany Wiggins.

Drunken Botanist Book Club

It's been forever since I've participated in any kind of book club. I'm generally not good with any kind of organized book reading. However, when my friend Sarah emailed to say that she'd won a charity auction that included copies of Drunken Botanist and the opportunity for the author to participate in a book club discussion, I jumped at the chance.

Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Greatest Drinks by Amy Stewart is a charming, intelligent compendium of the plants (herbs, flowers, trees, fruit, etc.) behind the alcohol and liquors enjoyed by many. Its combination of history, botany and chemistry is blended with keen storytelling and will appeal to more than your average garden nerd. It is the kind of book you leave on your nightstand and read a new entry from each evening before bed. It's the book that makes you feel better equipped to handle witty, cocktail party banter.

I found Drunken Botanist to be thoroughly delightful, and it turns out that Amy, the author, is equally awesome. At one point in the evening, she managed to succinctly hit the nail on the head of why I'm not just inherently uncool because I often sit at a bar and struggle with what drink to order. I'm paraphrasing here, but "you wouldn't expect to walk into a restaurant and find all of the ingredients on display before you, the waiter asking you to select what you'd like to eat for dinner."

The evening carried on in much that manner, the ebb and flow of conversation moving from cocktails and drinking stories to the ability to order liquor and wine over the internet to Loki's delight in creating chaos. Sarah made, as she put it, an apple cider ginger booze punch and later whipped up a batch of cucumber martinis, many of the ingredients coming from her own garden. You can nab the recipe for the cucumber martini pictured above on Sarah's blog.

The book itself should come with the warning that you may suddenly find yourself with Evernote open, gleefully adding "Clear Creek Distillery", "cassis" and "thick, rich, French liqueur, made from the fruit of the black currant bush, turns an ordinary glass of dry white wine, sparkling wine, or hard cider into something wonderful" to a list of things to hunt for.