Category Archives: Meme

Booking Through Thursday: Unread

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On Thursday, July 2nd, Booking through Thursday asked:

“So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’ “

Right now on my nightstand I have too many books by Vonnegut, Murakami and Chris Moore. Too many because while I enjoy all of those writers, I don’t really like immersing myself in them, the way I immerse myself in Maeve Binchy or Anne Rivers Siddons, or Laurie R. King. Those women, I could read forever. Without a break. As long as they kept giving me new stuff.

Vonnegut, on the other hand, is weird. A writing coach I’ve worked with called him quirky, and encouraged me to embrace my own quirkyness. The problem is that Vonnegut’s quirkiness involves breaking the fourth wall of his novels. He’d have no compunctions, for example, about moving from a chapter about two guys going fishing, to explaining how insurance plans work.

(Disclaimer: As far as I know, Vonnegut has never written about fishing. Of course, I could be wrong.)

In any case my Unread books include:
The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, by Christopher Moore
Timequake, by Kurt Vonnegut
Jitterbug Perfume, by Tom Robbins
The Electric Michelangelo, by Sarah Hall
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming, by Joshilyn Jackson

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Wait, that’s only one each from Vonnegut and Moore, and no Murakami.” That’s because this list only represents the books I can reach without waking the dogs. It’s 4:41 AM – what DO you expect?

Booking through Thursday: Kiss and Tell?

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On Thursday, July 2nd, Booking through Thursday asked:

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

I don’t really read that many celebrity memoirs, unless the celebrities are politicians. For example, I read Living History by Hilary Clinton, and Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, by Queen Noor, but when it comes to kiss-and-tell memoirs from actors and such, I’m not all that interested. Frankly, chasing down leads for insurance articles is more interesting than most hot celebrity tell-alls.

I did quite enjoy My Life in France, by Julia Child and Alex Prud’Homme, and I had a blast reading Anthony Rapp’s offering Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, but the first was more a true autobiography than a celeb memoir, in the sense that there was no name dropping, and the second was so simple and sincere, that it was hard to count it among the carefully calculated, polished, publications that the folks on People‘s “most beautiful” list are giving us.

Sunday Salon: Shark Infested Waters?

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The Sunday Salon.com

I have a “thing” for sharks, so when the weather stayed in the triple-digits for yet another week, I was already thinking about rereading The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America’s Great White Sharks by Susan Casey.

On Saturday, I came inside from swimming feeling too hot, strangely exhausted, and dehydrated to the point that my skin felt like chalk. I drank a bottle of water, and went to bed, sleeping away the late afternoon and early evening. When I got up, I grabbed Devil’s Teeth from my studio shelves, and took it with me into a warm bath laced with pleasantly fragrant moisturizers, and sipped more water while I soaked and read.

After my bath, I took the book with me to bed, losing myself in this story of a woman who, like me, is obsessed with the elegance and power of great white sharks – to the point where she was willing to spend several days on an island, and later on a sailboat, where not only was the water not flowing from a Grohe faucet, but on some days, not flowing at all – and certainly never hot!

The first time I read this book, two years ago, it was in March, and the weather was much cooler. Reading it in the heat of summer, I felt myself imagining waves rocking me to sleep, about spending a day surrounded by fog and water, and about being close enough to see white sharks swimming in the wild.

I’ve always loved the sea – it’s in my blood, and my heart – and I’ve liked sharks for years, but rereading this not only kept me sane all weekend, but also cemented my desire to cage dive with great whites…someday.

Booking through Thursday: Hot

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On Thursday, June 25th, Booking through Thursday asked:

Now that summer is here (in the northern hemisphere, anyway), what is the most “Summery” book you can think of? The one that captures the essence of summer for you?

(I’m not asking for you to list your ideal “beach reading,” you understand, but the book that you can read at any time of year but that evokes “summer.”)

For me, it’s not just one book, but the works of one author, Anne Rivers Siddons, that give me that summery feeling. I consider her a “guilty pleasure” author at times, but I love her books because she’s an excellent storyteller who writes great women characters, and blends enough detail about things like clothing, jewelry, and room decor, with plot, setting, and subtext.

While I’ve enjoyed all of Siddon’s work, my favorites are the novels that take place at the coast – either in the Carolinas (Low Country, Up Island), or New England (Colony, Off Season) that draw me most, at least in part because I miss the shore so much.

Teaser Tuesday: How the Other Half Hamptons

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On Teaser Tuesdays readers are asked to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between 7 and 12 lines.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given.

My teaser this week is from an ARC of last summer’s How the Other Half Hamptons, by Jasmin Rosemberg, page 158:

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, touching her face like if he pressed too hard, it might break.

This was a compliment Jamie was accustomed to hearing, almost to the point that she wondered if it was something guys learned to say in Hooking Up 101. Though hearing it at that moment, from this guy, was pretty much the icing on the cake.

Bookish Meme

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Whether you’re in the waiting room for your Manhattan Psychologist, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon or Plano Cosmetic Dentist, chances are at least some of your wait time will be spent completing forms. Paperwork in the “real world” is annoying, but in a blog paperwork becomes a meme – a form we fill in for fun.

I found this meme at Boston Bibliophile‘s blog, and it seemed like a good way to kill some time between book reviews:

  1. Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback? I like them all. Hard cover books from favorite authors, mass market for books I plan to pass on or leave behind (on airplanes, for example), and trade paperbacks for reading almost anywhere.
  2. Barnes & Noble or Borders? Barnes & Noble, always, since my town doesn’t have an independent bookseller that isn’t a Christian bookstore. I’ve been to Borders, and I don’t like their pricing, their sales staff, or their cafe as well as B&N’s, though they sometimes have great events.
  3. Bookmark or dog-ear? With my own books? I am terrible out dog-earing pages, or using the flyleaf to mark a spot. I use bookmarks with books that don’t belong to me, though.
  4. Amazon or brick and mortar? Brick and mortar can’t be beat, even by Amazon’s convenience.
  5. Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? By author, unless there are multi-authors in a series. Certain books are filed in special places…writing how-tos and reference books, for example.
  6. Keep, throw away, or sell? Keep, give away, lend.
  7. Keep dust jacket or toss it? Keep.
  8. Read with dust jacket or remove it? Oh, on, definitely. See my bookmark entry.
  9. Short story or novel? Both, but I prefer novels.
  10. Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter.
  11. Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? Wherever, but I usually read books in one sitting whenever possible.
  12. “It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? It was a dark and stormy night – my favorite kind!
  13. Buy or borrow? Buy, mainly. Or get them for free from publishers, but I don’t borrow that often.
  14. New or used? New is preferred, but not always possible.
  15. Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? All of the above, with an emphasis on browsing. I know what I like.
  16. Tidy ending or cliffhanger? Tidy ending, but it doesn’t have to be happy.
  17. Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? I have to choose? I read all the time.
  18. Stand-alone or series? I like both, equally, really.
  19. Favorite series? Holmes and Russell mysteries by Laurie R. King, but I’m a sucker for Nero Wolfe, too.
  20. Favorite children’s book? Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day, by Judith Viorst
  21. Favorite YA book? The President’s Daughter, by Ellen Emerson White
  22. Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Maiden Voyage, by Tania Aebi
  23. Favorite books read last year? The Zookeeper’s Wife, by Diane Ackerman, Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen, and The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler, and The Fire, by Katherine Neville
  24. Favorite books of all time? Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott, Certain Women, by Madeleine L’Engle, A Natural History of the Senses, by Diane Ackerman, The Eight, by Katherine Neville, and so many more.
  25. What are you reading right now? Lulu in Marrakech
  26. What are you reading next? By Bread Alone
  27. Favorite book to recommend to an eleven-year-old? Harriet the Spy
  28. Favorite book to reread?The Eight
  29. Do you ever smell books? Not intentionally.
  30. Do you ever read Primary source documents? Rarely.

Sunday Salon: Escapism

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The Sunday Salon.com

For my first Sunday Salon, it seems appropriate that I talk about the escapist reading I’ve done in the past few days, for what is Sunday but an escape from the endless errands of Saturday and the tedium of the work-week? Forgive me if my account is a bit vague. Money doesn’t grow on trees or buy memory capacity for the human brain, but it can buy lovely, lovely muscle relaxants.

I’m currently about half-way through a novel set in Marrakech, called Lulu in Marrakech, it’s a bit lighter and a lot less organized than I’d hoped, but I’m finding the exotic setting rather engaging.

I’ve also just begun reading By Bread Alone, which takes place in a house built inside a water tower in a funky little English town. I’m only a few pages in, but so far it’s quirky and charming.

Booking Through Thursday: Niche

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On Thursday, June 11th, Booking through Thursday asked:

There are certain types of books that I more or less assume all readers read. (Novels, for example.)

But then there are books that only YOU read. Instructional manuals for fly-fishing. How-to books for spinning yarn. How to cook the perfect souffle. Rebuilding car engines in three easy steps. Dog training for dummies. Rewiring your house without electrocuting yourself. Tips on how to build a NASCAR course in your backyard. Stuff like that.

What niche books do YOU read?

I don’t think I read any niches that no one else reads. One niche I do have, however, is that I love boat stories.

I’m not referring to Horatio Hornblower adventures, or pirate-themed bodice rippers, but books like Tania Aebi’s Maiden Voyage which I first encountered soon after its release in 1989, and which tells the story of the then-eighteen-year-old author’s solo circumnavigation of the world via sailboat.

Linda Greenlaw’s books are not all boat stories, but even those that take place entirely on dry land have the same sort of feeling as those which recount her oceanic adventures.

I’m not sure why I like these tales – maybe it’s because the ocean pulses in my blood even when I’m as far inland as possible – but I love having a free block of time to spend on the high seas, even if it is only vicariously.

Booking through Thursday: Unreading

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Booking through Thursday asks:

Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it?

While I’m generally a fan of Neil Gaiman, his book American Gods, which many think is his seminal work, really disturbed me, and I’d happily erase certain scenes from my memory if I could.

Was the book bad? No. I just didn’t enjoy it.

I also hated Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West, because it is, quite possibly, the most unrelentingly dark and depressing novella ever published, and reading it made me feel slimy and grimy, and I had to take a bubble bath AND a shower in order to feel better.

Teaser Tuesday: Justice Hall, by Laurie R. King

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On Teaser Tuesdays readers are asked to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between 7 and 12 lines.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given.

As I’m still on my Holmes/Russell kick, it should come as no surprise that this week’s teaser comes from Justice Hall. Speaking of “kicks” – I’m kicking myself for not picking up the Sherlock Holmes box set of DVDs when it was on sale at Circuit City before they went out of business.

In any case, here are my teasers:

“And over the week-end, particularly when the house guests arrive, listen and watch closely. Map out currents, as it were. And before you protest that you do not know what we are looking for, I am aware of that minor problem, and can only trust that you have sufficient mental flexibility to work a case that is not yet a case.” He swung the rucksack over his shoulder, and then, with his hand on the door-knob, paused. “But, Russell? Watch yourself. I believe that as the investigation develops, we will find that these placid waters have been concealing any number of powerful tides.”
— from Justice Hall, p. 74, by Laurie R. King