Bookavore

You may have noticed a certain bookavore lurking in this week’s Bookselling This Week in this article, “10 Easy Steps to IndieBound.”  Thanks to Paige at ABA for helping to make my incoherent rambling IndieBound to-do list into something that has the potential to be of use to other people!  In other BTW news, I found this article about maybe doing a reading marathon VERY intriguing.  I am fond of saying that if reading were an Olympic sport, I would represent my country with pride.  This is not the same thing, really, but still interesting.

And one more media link: an article in PW this week about Book Buddies, a program that I love being a part of!  Really, I get paid (by my store) to occasionally go hang out in another bookstore with other booksellers who I love.  How does one woman get so lucky, I ask you.

you have a dream about explaining IndieBound to a customer.  You wake up, wonder about it, fall back asleep, and then have a dream about two booksellers (not from your store) you know getting married in a fabulously garish theme park wedding.  You wake up again, get weirded out, and spend the rest of the morning reading and eating mochi ice cream.

I mean, I dream about the store constantly, but these two dreams were definitely out there.  I know at my store dreams about bookselling are common; how about the rest of you?

BEA: Thursday, part A Declaration of Independents

This is the Declaration created to mark the starting of IndieBound, read by ABA board members. You can sign this declaration yourself, bookseller or not, on IndieBound’s website!

I have been told that it is often confusing what sort of a book each book is when I review it, so I’m going to start noting that at the beginning of each review.  Also, watch this space for a super-awesome Bookavore book-rating system that will be based on my other true love: food.

53. Potential, written and illustrated by Ariel Schrag (Touchstone, 2008).  Graphic novel.  I really liked this, even more than Awkward and Definition.  Schrag’s art gets incredible, especially the dream sequences, and her manner of storytelling is straightforward but somehow never felt like an overshare (despite the very sensitive nature of most of the stories).  Would probably resonate a lot with lesbian/bi/queer teens even more than the first book.  I also loved her depiction of her family as it fell apart, especially that her first relationship with a girl completely overshadows that collapse.  The one thing I would love to have seen in this re-print or in the first one is to hear how she looks at the books now, 10 years later.  But other than that, loved it.

54. Jerk, California, by Jonathan Friesen (Speak/Penguin, 9/08). YA fiction.  I was a bit wary of this book because I thought it might be a very-special-story-about-a-teen-with-Tourette’s, but it really wasn’t at all.  The main character has Tourette’s (as does the author), and of course that’s an important part of the story, but it’s almost secondary to the book.  To me, more than anything, it was a story about the weird period between high school graduation and the rest of your life.  Sam/Jack (the narrator; you’ll have to read it to see why he has two names) has a slightly weirder period there than most, since he’s charged by a friend of his father’s (who died when he was very young) to drive across the country on a specific route, but he’s still dealing with the same issues: who he is, where he comes from, and what he wants to do next.  And a girl.  I really liked this a lot; not surprisingly, given the author’s background, the discussion and use of Tourette’s is informative and interesting without being exploitative.  Sam/Jack’s alternating strength and weakness is real and endearing, and though it wraps up neatly, it doesn’t feel too clean.

Also, this link to a great literary mix CD.  I am inspired to try one of my own, although I think it’s going to take awhile!  (Adding LitMinds to my reader right now!)

I see many many many fans of my marvelous mom, Laurie Halse Anderson, are wandering over!  She gave me the birthday present of pageviews.  Thanks, momma!

Hope y’all like what you read and come back!  Suggestions always welcome (as long as they’re kindly worded; after all, it is my birthday).

Alrighty, I have not been very disciplined about blogging what I’ve been reading at home, which is a shame because it’s all been good.  Quick round-up.

43. Incognegro written by Mat Johnson, art by Warren Pleece (Vertigo/DC, 2008).  I had been wanting to read this for awhile, since I saw ads for it in the weekly books, and then when I was visiting New Paltz, I saw it at their awesome comic shop and snagged it.  It was just as good as I had hoped, maybe better.  Well-drawn characters (both literally and figuratively), very well-paced, and neither Johnson’s writing nor Pleece’s art shies away from the nasty, lethal racism of the 1930s Deep South.  When I finished it, I closed it, and then opened it right back up to read it again.  This book has amazing potential for a long life, because aside from just being a great read, it would be great for classes (race studies, American history, or graphic novel writing).

44. Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley (Mirrorstone, September 2008).  Picked this up at work, read a few pages, had to take it home–this is one of those books that just jumps right into the story.  The premise sounds a little fluffy; it’s about a girl whose parents are vampires, which she’s not supposed to know, and when the Vampire Council finds out she does, they basically give her a month (including vampire classes) to decide if she wants to be one too.  Mina is a great protagonist, so good that I wish Pauley hadn’t bothered with the journal/list/IM convo format and just told the story straight.  Some hilarious scenes–teen vampires are about the same as normal teens, it seems.  But Mina’s dilemma is actually a pretty difficult one, and she struggles with it for most of the book, as did I, once I started thinking about what she was being forced to choose.  I really wasn’t sure how the book would end until I got there, and found it very satisfying when I got there.

45. All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown (Spiegel & Grau/RH, late May 2008).  Three main characters, none of whom I particularly liked because I was frustrated with them, but on the other hand I was up until 2am finishing the book because I was hoping that things would end better for them.  First: Mom Janice, having a great day on the day her husband’s company’s IPO is making them multi-millionaires–until he divorces her via bike messenger.  Second: Margaret, Janice’s older daughter, who finds herself in incredible debt because her feminist/anti-consumerist magazine has fallen apart and her boyfriend has left her (just as he’s becoming famous).  Third: Lizzie, Janice’s younger daughter, who loses a lot of weight, finds herself wanted by boys, and gives each of them what they want without thinking about what she wants, not realizing the consequences of that until later.  As everything falls down around their ears, I couldn’t stop reading because I just wanted to stop cringing already.  And sure enough, the end was satisfying without being cloying.  This might make a good book club book for a younger book group (under 50).

46. Little Things: A Memoir in Slices written and illustrated by Jeffrey Brown (Touchstone/S&S, 2008).  Brown’s Cat Getting Out of a Bag: And Other Observations is one of my favorite comics (and also would make the perfect gift for any cat person you know).  So I was pleased when this came out.  It truly is in slices; several seemingly disconnected stories that take place over a couple years.  I wasn’t completely blown away by it, but I did like it.

47. Awkward and Definition: The High School Comic Chronicles of Ariel Schrag written and illustrated by Ariel Schrag (Touchstone/S&S, 2008).  Another autobiographical comic–why are these more interesting as comics?  Anyway, the back describes it thusly: “an unflinching look at what it’s like being a teenage girl in America.”  This was definitely true in the mid-90s, when the book was written; things have changed since then (no cell phones in this book, or dealing with awkward IM conversations with someone you have a crush on, or so on).  But in many of the ways that matter, they haven’t changed at all, so I think this book would still appeal to HS students.  And it will definitely appeal to anybody who was a mid-90s teen.  It’s great in the larger context of autobiographical comics, and even more impressive when you consider that Schrag was still in high school when she created it.

48. The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante (Bloomsbury, just came out).  This has gotten a lot of buzz from YA fans, and I can see why–it’s quite good.  Eerily relevant in light of the whole Yearning for Zion scariness, as it’s about two girls living at a religious commune and then running away.  The book alternates between their viewpoints, which is useful because while Honey is rebellious, Agnes longs to become a saint and loves the commune.  When Agnes’ grandmother steals them and Agnes’ brother away after he is badly hurt (and after hearing about the abuse that happens at the commune) they are thrown into a world they don’t understand.  Galante does a great job of writing what our world must look like to people who haven’t experienced it (similar to how well Walter Kirn does this in Mission to America), as well as exploring the complexities of what Agnes and Honey want in their lives, and what they fear.

49. The Bush Tragedy by Jacob Weisberg (RH, 2008).  As you can see from the title, Weisberg obviously doesn’t think much of Bush’s tenure in office.  But then, according to polling, neither does most of the country.  However, rather than approaching it from policy decisions, Weisberg comes at the analysis with two frames.  Firstly, he uses Shakespeare (primarily Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V).  Secondly, he looks at 5 relationships of Bush’s, and this is where his genius comes out.  As he says in the introduction, “This book isn’t intended as an indictment.  It is an attempt at explanation,” and that is exactly what his approach provides (xix).  In addition to his complex relationship with both sides of his family, Weisberg examines Bush’s relationship with Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, and Rice.  The George W. who exists on the page at the end of the book is, truly, a figure out of Shakespearean tragedy, manipulated by several people who used his blind spots against him, but ultimately, not blameless for his actions, either.  It will freak you out, since we’re talking about the leader of the free world, but it’s compelling reading because it’s so well-crafted.

50. These Things Ain’t Gonna Smoke Themselves: A Love Hate Love Hate Love Letter to a Very Bad Habit written and illustrated by Emily Flake (Bloomsbury, 2008).  Hahahahahaha, this book is hilarious!  Not sure how funny it is to people who have never smoked, but smokers and former smokers, rest assured–this book is for you.  And, in fact, it did help a few non-smokers I know to understand why people smoke in the first place, and then keep smoking.  Funny as the day is long and unflinching, and 100% awesome.  A short little book that I have probably read 10 times since I bought it.  Love it!  Hard to sell, I guess, because many people hide their love of smoking, but if you find one, thrust this book in their hands and guarantee them that they’ll love it.

Whew, that was a lot of books to catch up on!

From today’s Shelf Awareness, a hilarious interview with Jon Scieszka:

“Can you weigh the pros and cons of the title “Laureate” versus “Ambassador?”

That’s a hot-button issue. That was decided at the highest level, at the Library of Congress.

I was a fan of “Laureate” because it’s easier to remember. No one can remember “National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.” It doesn’t even have a good acronym: naypul? I call myself “the Ambassador” because it works better. I’ve been claiming all Ambassador privileges, ranging from parking wherever I want to full diplomatic immunity. I’m still hoping for the attack helicopter with my seal on the side.

Last week, at Viking’s 75th Anniversary party, you were hooting and whistling when Regina Hayes was being introduced at the microphone. Do you think that is appropriate behavior for an Ambassador?

I think that was someone else, actually, my Aide-de-Camp. You probably confused that noise coming from me. It was probably my Aide-de-Camp and my Sergeant at Arms, both of whom go with me wherever I go. One takes the fall; the other takes any bullets that come my way. That third person hooting and hollering was my pastor, from whom I’ve since distanced myself.”

Jon was at our store a few months ago, and he was just as delightful as you’d think!  I have a lovely signed Octopus (of Cowboy & Octopus fame) on top of my monitor that makes me smile pretty much every day.  One of these days I’ll find the cord that links my computer to my camera, so you can see it!

I’ve got a bunch of tabs here with articles that might be interesting to bookish folk:

Jessa Crispin’s trip to the London Book Fair had me laughing hysterically.  It’s hard to pick the funniest bits out, but here is one, from the section on a panel about how to make publishing sexy: “None of the panelists are younger than 50, and none of them has anything to say about making publishing sexy. Instead they talk about books’ “transformative powers,” followed by a discussion lasting a solid seven minutes on peer-reviewed science journals that seems to have come from Mars. Everyone but the talking physicist is looking around, confused. The panelists avoid eye contact with one another and have taken a sudden interest in the ceiling tiles. Finally, after uttering the sentence, “1642 is my favorite year of our nation’s history,” University of Bristol’s Emeritus Professor of Physics Sir John Enderby stops talking, and the rest of the panel goes back to this question of how to get more people to read. Talking about books in the same language one would describe the benefits of a daily multivitamin is maybe not the best way to sex up the industry.”

Bookdwarf wrote about a great essay by Rebecca Solnit, and relates it back to books.  Make sure you read the essay she links to; it’s profound and funny.  It’s a strange thing, talking about gender in fiction, because it is true that women often seem to dominate the industry in many ways, except for in the accolades dept.  It often reminds me of how the majority of teachers in an elementary school are almost always women, but there’s a better than average chance that the principal will be a man.

And speaking of diversity in fiction, here’s an older post from The Angry Black Woman that I found recently about how to promote it.  If the publishing industry cares at all about actual diversity in fiction, reading this would be a good place to start.

In closing, here’s something for you to do for the next 15 minutes, and a guarantee it’ll make you think (in my case, about books, of course, and how they fit into this general idea of a “cognitive surplus”).  It’s a video of Clay Shirky, recent author of Here Comes Everybody, found (obviously) on Warren Ellis’ website (you may have also seen it on Boingboing).  Very cool, as long as you cover your ears and hum when he tells people to buy his book on Amazon.

Look for an update later today of the beginning-to-teeter stack of recently read books!