this holiday season

This holiday season seems more joyous than any I can remember. Maybe it’s because I’m engaged to a man I love, and settling into a happy domestic-ness. Who knows?

Below are my recommendations for your new favorite holiday things.

Enjoy.

Christopher Moore’s books bring me more joy than any other writer I can think of off the top of my head (though maybe Stephen King would rank high as well?) Moore’s crazy, anything-goes, writing style never fails to make me laugh, and The Stupidest Angel is one of the funniest books of his collection. It’s really a game of “the gang’s all here” from Moore’s other books, as the inhabitants of Pine Cove face a crazy Christmas season.  Theo Crowe, Molly Michon, Mavis the bartender, Tucker Case (and Roberto).. all are present as things get out of control. There’s murder, sex, angels, zombies, earthworm kings, mental breakdowns – all the things Moore holds near and dear. It’s a complete joy of a read, and I daresay it’ll be a holiday tradition of mine for years to come.

I don’t usually go for “holiday” music, as I sometimes find it a bit too… (forgive me) Jesus-y? So I was pleased as punch when I stumbled upon Tori Amos’ “holiday” album, Midwinter Graces. I use “holiday” loosely, as Tori is decidedly NOT going to deliver standard versions of religious holiday favorites. It’s lush and lovely, as she puts her own spin on familiar songs.  The highlights for me are “Star of Wonder,” “A Silent Night with you,” “Jeanette, Isabella,” and “Harps of Gold,” but I really don’t think there’s a disappointing track on the album.

Sam Adams Winter Lager is simply delicious. No joke. It tastes like Christmas, or Solstice, or whatever you celebrate. (I’ve no idea if it tastes like Hannukah, though I hope it does.;))

What are YOU enjoying this holiday season?

New Christopher Moore!

Oh my God. I’m so excited.

April 1, 2010, y’all.

Farewell, Alpena Mall Waldenbooks…

 

Alpena won’t have a bookstore anymore.

I mean, there’s still The Book Exchange, but thats a very small used bookstore.

I understand that in this day and age, it’s not a huge tragedy, and that people in the area can still get their hands on books thanks to the internet, but still…

Growing up in Alpena, Waldenbooks (along with then-neighbor Camelot Music) was my salvation. My parents were smart enough to drop me off at Waldenbooks and go about the rest of their mall errands, knowing they’d find me among the stacks when they returned. As a child who loved to read and who loved books, it was the best place in town.

The Alpena Mall, sans Waldenbooks, will be sad. Sadder than it already is, honestly.

I learned the other day that as part of a series of Waldenbooks store closings Borders is doing, the Waldenbooks in the Alpena Mall in Alpena, Michigan, will be closing after the holidays. Though I understand the business side of the deal (the Alpena Mall has many empty stores and has seemed near-devoid of customers every time I’ve popped in while visiting home over the past few years) this news still makes me sad.

Goddess of the Market, by Jennifer Burns

I’m not an Ayn Rand fan.

I carried “Atlas Shrugged” (all 1000+ pages of it) around in my purse for probably 2 months trying to wade through it, but finally (right about the point John Galt started his big ol’ preachy speech) gave up.

BUT – When I started reading that two new biographies of Ms. Rand had hit the market, and started hearing some of the stories contained within, I knew I was going to have to check one out. 

I selected Jennifer Burns’ “Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right,” and it was a really good choice.

Burns herself acknowledges that in writing about Ayn Rand, she was almost overloaded with information and sources, but she’s managed to lay everything out in a book that is completely engrossing and easy to read.  Instead of exerpting long passages from Rands books, she uses her personal letters and speeches to both tell the story of this fascinating woman, as well as to explore why Rand’s theory of Objectivism appeals so much to conservatives, particularly young conservatives.

BUT – If political theory isn’t your bag, don’t count this book out.

Did you know Rand, though married, had a relationship with Nathan Brandon, a young follower of hers?  It’s complicated, but let me say the story of their.. intermingling.. is worth the read alone. For someone people hold up as an example of high moral value, it’s salacious.  Rand basically had a cult around her (it reminded me of the tales one hears of Scientology, with a compound and rules and leaders..) and her followers were rabid for everything she said and did.

Though the book certainly didn’t make me want to go out and read everything Rand ever wrote, it did shed light on a really interesting woman and the world she created.

I enjoyed it.

Writers are nuts.

 

Bella and Edward’s Favorite Book….?

I get it.

Twilight is a cultural phenomenon.

It’s fine. I’m never going to oppose something that gets millions upon millions of people reading. I’ve read the first two Twilight books, but found them really boring (and found Stephanie Meyer, though a smart woman, to be a completely average writer) and so I didn’t continue into the last two books.

Twilight isn’t my problem.

This repackaging of Wuthering Heights as “Bella and Edward’s FAVORITE BOOK,” though….

Look, I’m little miss Team Bronte. I love Wuthering Heights endless amounts. I get the fact that if people like Twilight – which is a dark and gloomy book about dark and gloomy people/vampires – they might like the original dark and gloomy tale of dark and gloomy people. And I get that America is one of those companies that will market anything to anyone, but….

Really?

I’m not entirely sure why this makes me roll my eyes so hard, but it does.

It’d be like if Miley Cyrus declared she enjoyed Moby Dick and suddenly copies of Moby Dick with glittery cover art were released with “Hannah Montana’s favorite book!” on it.

I guess the fact that some young folks might pick up a Bronte novel should excite me, but.. it feels like we’re dumbing down the world sometimes.  Like without the Twilight tie-in, the book would NEVER get read.

November/December Reading List!

Every time I turn around, a queue of books is forming behind me.

This is going to prove a challenge come January when I’ve got textbooks that need to be read, but for the present time, bring on the books!

Currently Reading:

THE BOXER REBELLION -

The Dramatic Story of China’s War on foreigners that shook the world in the summer of 1900 -

by Diana Preston.

 

Next up:

GODDESS OF THE MARKET – Ayn Rand and the American Right – by Jennifer Burns.

THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD – By Margaret Atwood.

FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS – By Hunter S. Thompson

 

I like books.

Hurry Down Sunshine, by Michael Greenberg

Sometimes, I stumble upon a book I pick up and go “Huh. I should read this.”

Which is what happened yesterday during a lunchtime jaunt to Target, where I came upon Hurry Down Sunshine, by Michael Greenberg.

For a whole bunch of reasons, mental illness is a fascinating topic for me, and Greenberg’s memoir is, frankly, startling.

In telling the tale of the mental meltdown of his fifteen year old daughter, Sally (who winds up with a diagnosis of “bi-polar 1″) Greenberg doesn’t mince words. He gets confused, scared, angry, and feels guilt just like any concerned parent would when their child is taken over by the thoughts in their head. Sally’s story is alternately riveting and terrifying, as she goes back and forth between moments of lucidity and moments of being a stranger to those closest to her.

It’s a fast read – Greenberg isn’t a writer who feels the need to use filler – and an eye-opening one. Much has been made of novels like Girl, Interrupted and The Bell Jar, told from the protagonist’s point of view, but less often is the parental point of view shared, and the results can be just as shattering.

ALSO -

Greenberg’ll be in Chicago tomorrow night (incidentally) to talk about his book. (Details.)

Franken-season!

“I am by birth a Genevese; and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic.”

With these words Mary Shelley begins the Victor Frankenstein narrated portion of her masterwork. 

Frankenstein is a book I know I read as a child, forgot about, then met again as an English Lit major at Michigan State and was swept away by. It’s also one of the books I can’t wait to teach to my students once I complete this whole grad school thing.

To this date, it’s second only to Jane Eyre on my list of all-time favorite books.

I even like the movie version - I like to call it “Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” (Though I do take issue with how much wet, shirtless Branagh the movie features. But who doesn’t?)

I like to revisit Frankenstein in October, when pumpkin season is in full swing and sweaters and winter coats begin appearing on people on the street. It’s a thoroughly gloomy and creepy book for a thoroughly gloomy and creepy season. 

As I’m seeing The Hypocrites production of Frankenstein tomorrow night at the Museum of Contemporary Art, I figured tonight would be a good night to pick up the book yet again.

Go forth, my hideous progeny.

Banned Books Week, or – how I got “The Witches” banned from my elementary school. :(

“The Witches,” by Roald Dahl, is an amazing book. It’s suspenseful and filled with great characters and, at points, flat-out scary. I’ve always been an advanced reader, and this was never more obvious than in elementary school, when my teachers had to find things for me to read that were at a 12th grade level, even in 3rd and 4th grades.

It was my 3rd grade year, and I’d exhausted Beverly Clearly, Little House on the Prairie, and the super-dated 1950’s Barbie novels, when my teacher (Mrs. Hall) assigned us a book report. I was delighted, as this was something I knew I could do well at, even at a young age.

So – I asked my teacher if I could do my report on the book I was currently reading and loving – “The Witches.” And she, being smart and knowing me, said yes. I did my report and got a good grade, and when I told her that the movie version had just come out on video (My Dad owning the one video store in Alpena at the time, I was aware of this.) she decided it would be a fun treat to show the movie in class.

She was thrilled.

I was thrilled.

Unfortunately, the movie upped the scare factor in several scenes, as you can see in the video below. (Go to the 3:20 mark and just watch to see the creepiest part of the movie.)

One student was so terrified he told his mom and his mom threw a fit and as such, “The Witches” was on Alpena’s banned book list for years. It might still be, I’m not sure.

I oppose banned books. There are books that are more suitable for one age or another. For example, I wouldn’t give an 8 year old Judy Blume’s “Forever.” )Trust me. I was 8 when I read it. Going to my Mom and asking what an orgasm was is still a priceless family moment) However, banning any book outright is censorship. Not to mention that the minds behind book banning are usually driven by religious fundamentalism, which is not the opinion of all. (Check the lists of most-banned books and see how often that devil-worshipping Harry Potter is banned.)

Read a banned book. You might be surprised what you find.

Out tomorrow – The Lost Symbol

Yes I did pre-order it.

Because, despite my inherent sometimes lit-snobbiness, I still have to give it up for any writer who can keep me glued to an adventure and breathless with anticipation as to what will happen on the next page, and Dan Brown has done that in all four books of his that I’ve read – The DaVinci Code, Angels & Demons, Digital Fortress, and Deception Point.

The Book comes out tomorrow – and though I’m sure the reviews will all trash it (The New York Times has already given it one of those ‘It could have been better but since you’re going to buy it anyway we don’t really care’ reviews.) and really, that’s fine.

Because Dan Brown’s books are perfect travel reads, and thats exactly where this one will get read. And, most  likely, enjoyed immensely.

(Also along for Texas reading will be Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.)