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Robert's Reflections
Submitted by Barbara on Wed, 12/02/2009 - 10:03
Everyone has a mentor -- whether it is a family member, teacher, boss, fellow colleague. Robert Segedy, veteran bookseller, was/is mine. His knowledge and experience of the book world has assisting me though my bookseller days and beyond. His dry,and sometimes acerbic, humor saved me through many situations! Every so often, Robert will be adding his thoughts and ideas to this book blog. Thanks so much, Robert!
When I first started bookselling, there was no such thing as computer databases or the Internet; everything was done by hand or memory. When a book was sold, the title was written down. For reorders, an index card marked the spot on the shelf, and was retrieved later, so another copy could be ordered. If someone asked if the store had a book in stock, it was up to the bookseller that managed that section to actually know whether or not the store carried it. Instead of Google, we used the massive and immediately out of date Books in Print; forthcoming titles were researched on microfiche (I know, what was that?). Yes, it all sounds so terribly antiquated and old-fashioned, but it was bookselling, by god.
Today, anyone with a computer has access to an untold wealth of information; authors have Facebook pages, publishers have websites, and millions of people are making their opinions known -- from the mundane to the cerebral.
A quick search of the words "book clubs" bring forth a tidal wave of options -- from Oprah's sacred selections to the humble individual blogster -- one can work this particular vein like a prospector on the trail for gold.
So what does it all mean? Is reading making a much discussed return to the forefronts of coolness? Have reading clubs merely replaced previous generation's bridge clubs and sewing circles? Do you really believe that people are starved for the opportunity to gather and discuss ideas, to engage in enlightened conversation? Are we really that hungry for culture? Are we famished for the nourishment that can only come from a great book?
I believe that we are. I think that we are tired of being bludgeoned with reality television and smug attitudes, bored to death of shallow characters reciting tired lines that pass for comedy or drama or entertainment.
Yes, only a book can engage the brain, warm the heart, touch the soul. When a reader picks up a book and begins that special process, when the words flow off the page and we are swept along in the journey, we are partaking in a wondrous experiment. Books can become very special friends -- they can remind us of certain times in our lives, they can entertain, educate, enthrall us. It is often said that reading is a solitary habit, and it usually is. We do need to bring a certain amount of commitment with us, an ability to sit still and focus, a willingness to surrender to the text.
But in a book club, we have an unique opportunity. We can be among other readers, we can speak of what books have touched our lives, we can feel a certain feeling of pride in being a booklover.
Books can be so much more than a mere distraction, a temporary entertainment. Books can unite us with their words, they can educate us, and most importantly, books can make us feel whole again.
In these times of media overload, of limited attention spans, of
the idiocy of multi-tasking, we all need some quiet time with a good book and a chance to dicuss ideas and issues important to us. That is what book clubs and reading groups are all about!
Teaser Tuesday Two
Submitted by Barbara on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 08:33
Just got Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian in the mail. I loved Midwives and The Double Bind so I'm very excited to start reading this. So, my teaser today:
"In theory, I knew a very great deal about prayer, so praying shouldn't have been all that difficult. I had studied it at seminary, I had read all the right books."
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
What's yours?
Cool Video from New Zealand
Submitted by Barbara on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 10:55
This video is so cool. Maurice Gee's short stories and novels are well known for their real or imaginatively reworked local settings, dysfunctional families and sketches of violence. Gee’s numerous publications, and his wide readership, have contributed to his status as one of New Zealand’s most significant writers.
The New Zealand Book Council says that "Going West (1993) is significant for its exploration of the nature of literary creation ..."
Talk about "literary creation!" Thanks to Reading Matters, New Zealand Book Council and The Fiction Desk!
Enjoy!
Women Unbound Reading Challenge
Submitted by Barbara on Wed, 11/25/2009 - 14:43
The term Women's Studies is "the multidisciplinary study of the social status and societal contributions of women and the relationship between power and gender.". (Webster's dictionary). The Women Unbound reading challenge has participants reading nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ The challenge runs from November 2009-November 2010, but you may join in the fun whenever you wish! The challenge runs from November 2009-November 2010, but you may join in the fun whenever you wish!
For nonfiction, this would include books on feminism, history books focused on women, biographies of women, memoirs (or travelogues) by women, essays by women and cultural books focused on women (body image, motherhood, etc.). The topics listed aren’t mean to be exhaustive; if you come across a nonfiction book whose subject is female-related, it counts! Of course, if you’re not sure you can always ask about it in a comment.
It’s trickier to say what is applicable as fiction. Obviously, any classic fiction written by a feminist is applicable. But where do we go from there? To speak generally, if the book takes a thoughtful look at the place of women in society, it will probably count.
At the end of the day, it’s up to you to explain in your review why you chose this for the challenge and its connection to women’s studies. Once again, if you need some specific ideas, check out the ‘Reading Lists’ page.
One quick note about author gender. There isn’t a rule if a book’s written by a woman it counts and if by a man it doesn’t count. Men can be feminists and that not all women are feminists. As long as the book adheres to the definition of women’s studies
Interested in participating? Great! There are three levels you can choose as a reader:
- Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
- Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
- Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.
I've signed up! What about you? The sky's the limit, have fun and report back to Women Unbound and me. I'll like to see what you reading.
Teaser Tuesdays
Submitted by Barbara on Tue, 11/24/2009 - 10:56
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! - Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My teasers: "She could take the key from where it hangs next to the fridge, pick her way over the wet grass, pushing the baby in his squeaking pram, open up the door and go inside. She could look at what is pinned to the wall, at any canvases she's left leaning against the cupbord, she could try to reconnect with whatever it was she'd been doing before."
--The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell (galley)
What's your teaser?
Think Outside the Box!
Submitted by Barbara on Mon, 11/23/2009 - 12:15
"Literature allows us to access the human condition in all of its complexities." comments Dr. Amy N. Ship, faciliticator of reading groups for medical professionals. She feels that literature can help them think creatively, as well as, clinically. Gathering information in a new way will assist them in connecting with their patients. Hopefully, reading and discussing literature will cause clinicians to pause, process, reflect, and think outside of the box. What a great idea!
Dr. Ship has just won the Compassionate Caregiver Award from the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, a Boston-based foundation that honors clinicians for humanizing medical care.
In this time of uncertainty, reading groups might break down barriers in so many ways.
Congratulations, Dr. Ship!
2009 National Book Awards -- Did You Vote?
Submitted by Barbara on Sat, 11/21/2009 - 11:46
Congrats to Colum McCann for winning the 2009 National Book Award for Fiction with Let the Great World Spin!
Let the Great World Spin is the critically acclaimed author’s most ambitious novel yet: a dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s. A sweeping and radical social novel, Let the Great World Spin captures the spirit of America in a time of transition, extraordinary promise, and, in hindsight, heartbreaking innocence. Hailed as a “fiercely original talent” (San Francisco Chronicle), award-winning novelist McCann has delivered a triumphantly American masterpiece that awakens in us a sense of what the novel can achieve, confront, and even heal. (publisher description)
The other winners were The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles (Non-Fiction), Transcendental Studies by Keith Waldrop (Poetry),and Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose (YA).
Flannery O'Connor's The Complete Stories won the special award for Best of National Books Award Fiction. The collection earned the special prize by 10,000 public votes. As a celebration of NBA's 60th anniversary, book lovers chose O'Connor's work in a public vote from 5 other previous National Book Awards Fiction winners. The finalists were Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Stories of John Cheever, The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty, Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon, and The Collected Stories of William Faulkner.
Do you vote? What book did you pick or would have picked?
You Heard It Here First!
Submitted by Barbara on Fri, 11/13/2009 - 12:45
I'm going to NYC and Boston next week to see our publishing partners. One of my favorite trips!
It's fun and so interesting to talk with editors and marketing folks to get the scoop on their upcoming book club picks.
And then, I hope to include You Heard It Here First posts describing to you the next season's reading group appropriate books. Be in the know and tell your friends! More details later.
Reading Group Holiday Parties
Submitted by Barbara on Tue, 11/10/2009 - 16:19
Bonnie asked for suggestions for her book club holiday party. One idea is to read A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote. A children's book, Capote's largely autobiographical story is a look back at his Depression-era Alabama Christmases and his best friend and older cousin, Miss Sook.
The narrator, Capote (nicknamed Buddy) and Miss Sook, a sixty-ish gentle soul, celebrate Christmas by baking fruitcake and distributing them to people known and unknown to them including President Roosevelt. This short story shows Capote's masterful ability to express and reveal the enduring friendship and love of two slightly awkard people.
No spoilers here! It's a lovely Christmas tale and will pull on your heart strings! A Christmas Memory was made into a movie twice. The original film won an Emmy for Geraldine Page, who starred as Miss Sook. Read the book, see the movie, and have everyone bring their favorite fruitcake to share!
Conversation Starters
How does the setting and time period affect the story?
What brings Buddy and Miss Sook together?
What is memory? Do we remember things as they actually were?
Does the fruitcake imply other ideas beside food?
What about the kites? Any symbolism there?
National Bookstore Day
Submitted by Barbara on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 11:34
Bookstores across the country celebrated National Bookstore Day this weekend. I was a bookseller for 13 years. Covered Treasures in Monument, CO, McIntryes Fine Books and Bookends, Pittsboro, NC (Chapel Hill) and Market Street Books, Chapel Hill, NC. I loved those hours shelving books. I hate housecleaning but enjoyed the dusting of books and shelves to found new gems.
All of my collegues would gather round every morning when the UPS guy delivered the new boxes of books! What a joyous time digging through those boxes finding new and wonderous titles.
Indie bookstores are green -- less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint. By paying local taxes,they help the local government reinvest in your community. Support your neighbors and they will support you! And, along with your local libraries, indies have great reading group programs.
