Forging an Art

Thanks to RT Book Reviews, which always has a treat within its pages, I discovered these incredibly creative and yummy ‘books’ – entries in the International Edible Book Festival.  There are so many books represented that I haven’t heard of yet . . . and I really like the “bread’ sea scroll.  Nice.  Be sure to check out the albums – I wish they could be searched by author or book title, but half the fun is looking at them all to see if your favorites are there, and if you can tell what they are before reading the caption.

Yes, it’s that time, when we can look at the books that have been challenged over the past year, and the past in general.  Some people think that because I am a conservative, I believe in ‘banning’ books.  Smaller government, everyone, it’s part of the conservative manifesto.  Greater personal choice and individual rights are what it’s all about.  I do believe that it is the responsibility of a parent to control access to materials for their child, and not the responsibility of a library.  A school acts in loco parentis, which is an entirely different function than a public library, and as I do not work in a school library, I can’t speak to those issues.  I do volunteer in my daughter’s school library and believe that certain materials are not for children and should not be in that library.  If a parent or child wants a book outside the scope of school library focus, they can use the public library.  End of story.  Parents who believe that the public librarian is responsible for their child’s reading choices are wrong.  Come to the library with your child and talk to her about her interests and needs, both educational and recreational, and not only will you discover what the library has to offer, you will discover more about your child as a person.  The books I am highlighting as challenged and banned for the gaming group (grades 6-12) that visits the branch every afternoon includes:

Native Son by Richard Wright
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Kim by Rudyard Kipling
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Grendel by John Gardner
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Franny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

The best thing about displaying these books (and this is the short list, there are more) during a program is that I can talk to the kids about them; I know Courtney and Autumn love fantasy and romance, as well as the Twilight series, so I can introduce them to Tolkien; Sarah would love Picoult and Kaysen; and Matt would love Grendel.  Most of the kids have to read Mockingbird, and some can’t stand it because it is an assigned book.  This is perfect opportunity to talk to them about why I like it, and to ask them why they don’t.  Are all of these books right for all of the teens I see every afternoon?  Of course not, no more than all adult books are right for every adult reader.  I specifically tell teens if there is sex, violence, drug use, or something that they may want to discuss with their parents.  Some teens are excited by the illicit activities in fiction; others aren’t ready and are unsure, and are happy that I have told them, so they can set the book aside for later.  I always tell them that they should show and talk to their parents about what they are reading, and also take a look at what their parents and other family members read.  Ask them why they like that author or genre, and tell them why you like your favorites as well.  Sometimes they are surprised to discover that a parent used to read superhero comics, which are not so far removed from the manga that is so popular with my afterschool crowd, or an older sister likes the true crime paperbacks their mother hides in the bathroom and reads late at night (yes, this is a true situation – all three of them reading the same book without knowing it).

Part 1 ended with Mary Flannery O’Connor’s Hazel Motes of the terrifyingly honest Wise Blood; Part 2 begins with . . .
#37 – Marcel of Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past.  Oh, please. I only mention this because it is one of those titles – like Infinite Jest - that people don’t actually read but carry around so others notice and say, wow, what a big book!  You must be smart/dedicated/insane/without a life.  Okay, so no one wants others thinking that last one, but you know they do, and those are the ones who believe that you are actually reading the brick.  There are some gigantic books that are so worth the time and effort (Gone With the Wind, Kristin Lavransdatter); these two are not of that persuasion.
#38 – Toad from The Wind in the Willows.  Pooh, and now Toad.  Wait for it . . .
#39 – The Cat in the Hat.  I just don’t know what to say.  I like him.  I like Toad. I like Pooh.  Dare I say again that there are no Henry James characters on this list?
#40 – Peter Pan – not too far down, not too far up.  Barrie’s flying perpetual child maintains a huge popular culture influence over 100 years after he first appeared in the Darling children’s window.
#42 – Sam Spade, of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.  Hammett peopled his fiction with complicated yet simple – yes, exactly – characters who brought life to his detective tales.  Nick and Nora Charles check in at #65; fabulous fun with not a little questionable coping behaviors.
#44 – Willie Stark of All The King’s Men.  Robert Penn Warren’s masterpiece wasn’t just about Stark.  Jack Burden sure had a, well, burden to carry, and while his story ends on a happier note than Willie’s, it is at a great cost to him and those he holds close.  This is true American fiction, an exploration of identity, politics, and integrity.  Everyone should read this book, as an adolescent and then again as an adult.  It is a reminder than while the ends are important, we are also responsible for the means.
#46 – Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince.  This poor creature is probably responsible for multiple suicides. 
#51 – Sula Peace of Toni Morrison’s Sula.  If we’re going to talk Morrison, let’s talk Pecola Breedlove of The Bluest Eye.  Let’s talk about responsibility to family; taking care of your own.  Let’s talk about looking at your own behaviors and how they affect those close to you, those you bring into the world and should protect, even at your own emotional and physical expense.  Blaming the rest of the world is easy; looking at your own faults and the damage your inflict on others is hard.  Pecola is what – and not who – happens if you don’t.
#55 – Hurston’s Janie Crawford doesn’t have enough depth to interest me.  The author’s descriptions are vivid, but the emotional draw is flat.  I’m not sure where exactly this went wrong, and although the story is interesting, the characters lack dimension.
#57 – Grendel.  For all his popularity, this monster remains all too human.
#59 – Big Brother.  Orwell is so misused. I’ll leave it at that.
#61 – Salinger’s Seymour Glass probably causes the suicides that are not directly related to the The Little Prince.
#63 – Charlotte the spider.  Do I have to indicate the book as well?  Honestly.
#66 – James Bond in Fleming’s Casino Royale.  With the background to authenticate his fiction, Fleming made Bond, who easily could have become a caricature, into a flawed being worthy of idoltry.  In the film version, Daniel Craig really picked up the latent insecurities missed by previous Bond actors who, while creating an suave icon who was above human flaw, left the third dimension at the door.
#69 – The Sound and the Fury‘s Benjy.  Quentin drops in at #97.  Why is Faulkner so far down the list?  Did these people read Sanctuary?
#75 – Ah, Babbitt arrives.  Sinclair Lewis’ title character of his 1922 novel is a bit more complex than he seems, although the same can’t be said of some of the other characters, which makes him appear as the only folded creation in a pop-up book.
#76 – Tietjens in Parade’s End.  I can’t stand Ford Madox Ford, as a writer or as a person.  I expect artists to be self-absorbed to an extent, but he made it an art form.
#77 – Frankie Addams.  Carson McCullers can drive one to The Little Prince’s end, as some of her characters are inclined, and leaving her towards the bottom quarter of the list is a travesty.  Noting only one of her characters is an even greater one.  Ignoring The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is heresy when discussing American fiction.
#84 – Yuri Zhivago of Dr. Zhivago fame.  Wow, Pasternak is incredibly boring.  I don’t know if it is just the translation or if he is as awful in the original Russian, but I can’t find the people in this book. 
#85 – Harry Potter.  I always get nailed on this one.  I haven’t read any titles of Rowling’s series because I can’t.  I tried, I really did, out of duty as a youth librarian and curiosity as well.  I don’t know that the writing is that much worse than Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, because I was able to muddle through those, but it is wretched.  Love Harry if you will, but I can’t.  The movies are great fun, because one doesn’t have to read Rowling’s dreadful abuse of the English language to access the story.  Call me a literary snob if you must, but good writing is good writing, whether it is literary fiction or romance or young adult.  I admit that I read some pretty trashy historical romances, but they are well written trashy historical romances.
#86 – Ondaatjie’s Hana of The English Patient doesn’t grab me the way David, Katharine, and Geoffrey do.  The author takes love and control to believable heights while drawing parallels with the political situations surrounding the trio.
#90 – Lennie Small in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  Wow, really?  At #90?  As Steinbeck’s only entry?  The Grapes of Wrath, anyone?
#93 – Kipling’s Kim.  Kipling was a genius; while much contested on grounds of his political views, the beauty of his writing, as a craft, should not be.  Whether you agree with him or not, if his characters are honest enough to upset readers, he has done his job well.
#95 – Clyde Griffiths.  I am not a Dreiser fan, and I can’t stand Sister Carrie.  He redeems himself with this absorbing and frightening story of a man without conscience.  His downward spiral – or has he always been this way, without manifesting obvious indicative behaviors? – is disturbing.  I considered An American Tragedy in book and movie format here.
#99 – Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.  I can’t stand the end of this book.  I don’t buy it, and I don’t want to.  Poor Celie deserved better from her creator.

Seven years ago, Book magazine (which I am unable to locate now – no idea when it was discontinued) published a “100 Best Characters in Fiction Since 1900″ list (April 2002).  I discovered it in my file cabinet while cleaning earlier this summer.  It is thought provoking – of course – as well as annoying and frustrating.  Obviously, the creation of such a list is quite an undertaking, and as the article indicates, provokes a great deal of argument.  Some of those included, as well as some not included, call for attention. 

#1 – Jay Gatsby, from Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.  I can’t argue with this one, except to say ‘uneasy lies the head . . .’ because there are a few others on the list that run a close second, if not a tie for first.  Gatsby is a heartbreaker, and more importantly, a real person.  That is not to say that Fitzgerald necessarily based him on a real person – although this was a habit – but rather that James Gatz is as real as my hands typing at the keyboard right now.  I know him; you know him; we all know him.  Sometimes I know him too well, as I recognize myself and others in him.  Fitzgerald was a wizard in the characterization department; Gatsby is one of the many products of his magic.
#2 – Salinger’s Holden Caulfied.  Well, Holden has his time and place, and we’ve all been there and done that.  We all pass through the same developmental stages; how we manage them, and what circumstances surround our experience make us who we are, and Holden is there to hold a torch for those of us who fear that we aren’t “normal” or “right.” 
#3 – Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert.  It’s all about the empathy here, and Nabokov knew the language well enough to create droves of it for this genuinely disturbed character.  I am amazed every time I return to Lolita by the fullness of the characters, as well as the depth of Humbert’s immersion in his own perverse, but terrifyingly understandable world.  Lolita herself appears as #14, but I don’t think she qualifies to the list, period.  It’s all about the Hum.
#4, 8, 9 – James Joyce – doesn’t matter which characters, I don’t remember them, and I couldn’t care less.  His short stories are good enough, but the rest . . . ugh.  Never could understand his appeal. As John Dos Passos said of a Joyce production, “the hero doesn’t seem to me remarkable particularly.” Across the board.  It helps to have one’s opinion validated by the great Dos.
#7, #24, #81 – Atticus, Scout and Boo, To Kill a Mockingbird.  Yes, I am on the bandwagon with these. 
#10 – Wharton’s Lily Bart – wait a minute, I don’t see any Henry James creations on this list.  Sure, he only gave us a handful of novels and stories after the turn of the century, but if Miss Bart is present, surely Maggie Verver, Charlotte Stant, Marie de Vionnet, Kate Croy, Nan Midmore – yes, Nan, thank you very much – deserve a place on this list.  And Newland Archer, #94 – nope.  Move over, buddy.
#12 – Gregor Samsa – Kafka does not do it for me.  He stops in again at #83 with The Trial’s Joseph K.  Still doesn’t do it for me.
#16, #19 – Woolf’s Dalloway and Mrs. Ramsay.  I’m not big on Woolf, but her stream of consciousness narratives do work for me.  Some scholars/readers/people in general claim that she ‘invented’ such a narrative device, but this isn’t true.  William James was the first to note this method and to use this phrase; Faulkner, I believe, is the master of it.
#20 – Richard Wright’s Bigger Thomas.  Wright makes characterization seem effortless; and yes, Bigger is remarkable and memorable, but of the two, I think Fishbelly of The Long Dream made me a believer in Wright’s talent and brilliance.  I was surprised at how well I knew and understood Fishbelly, someone completely different from me in every possible way.  Or maybe he isn’t . . . this is what Wright made me consider, and continue to consider.
#21, #47, #53 – all Hemingway: Nick Adams, Santiago, and Jake Barnes.  Yes, but what about Robert Jordan?
#23 – Scarlett O’Hara.  Yes, definitely, and the book version, please, not Vivien Leigh.
#26 – Kurtz from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.  At least it isn’t Jim of Lord Jim.  I think if we’re going to do Conrad, it should be Marlow, who steps in at #98.  Let’s switch Kurtz with Marlow and the world will make sense again.
 #27 – Stevens, the butler from Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day.  Speaking of Ishiguro, I’d say Kathy, Ruth and Tommy of Never Let Me Go should be here instead.  NLmG gave me nightmares for weeks.  I am still unsure if it has found a place in my head yet, a comfortable one, that is.
#29 – Winnie the Pooh.  I am not sure how to respond to this one.  Who doesn’t like this silly bear, but really, I must reiterate that there are no Henry James characters on this list.  But Pooh is here, at #29.  Shaking my head.
#31 – Oh, yes, Hazel Motes of Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood.  She has a variety of highly memorable and disturbing characters to choose from; Motes is perfect here, but the list should include some of her other frighteningly real and honest attention-grabbers.

 . . .  to be continued

Latest review up at BSCReview.com.

Fun with summer reading suggestions right here.

One of my reviewing compatriots at BSC compiled six interviews with a variety of individuals (including me) on the topic of fantasy/sci fi books – and the results, along with his comments, are here.

*Courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine, June 2009.

Chick Lit:
Dawson, Lucy. His Other Lover
Harmel, Kristin. Italian for Beginners

Contemporary:
Bevarly, Elizabeth. Neck & Neck
Foster, Kennedy. All Roads Lead Me Back to You
Hill, Sandra. So Into You
Holquist, Diana. How to Tame a Modern Rogue
Macomber, Debbie. Almost Home

Erotica:
Davis, Jo. When Alex Was Bad
Hill, Joey W. Beloved Vampire
Holly, Emma. Saving Midnight
James, Sasha. One + Two = Three
Kery, Beth. Sweet Restraint
McIntyre, Amanda. Tortured
McLeod, Anitra Lynn. Wicked Harvest
Quinn, Devyn. Men in Blue
Rice, Lisa Marie. Dangerous Passion
Ryan, Cassie. Trio of Seduction
Stevens, Shelli. Take Me

Fantasy:
Sagara, Michelle. Cast in Silence

Futuristic:
Granger, Jess. Beyond the Rain

Historical:
Allen, Louise. The Notorious Mr. Hurst
Benedict, Alexandra. The Infamous Rogue
Bradley, Celeste. Devil in My Bed
Carroll, Susan. Twilight of a Queen
Cornick, Nicola. The Undoing of a Lady
Dahl, Victoria. One Week as Lovers
Dare, Tessa. Goddess of the Hunt
DeHart, Robyn. Seduce Me
Donner, Kit. The Notorious Bridegroom
Duran, Meredith. Written on Your Skin
Fyffe, Caroline. Where the Wind Blows
Halliday, Dawn. Highland Obesession
Hawkins, Karen. Sleepless in Scotland
James, Eloisa. A Duke of Her Own
Kernan, Jenna. Sierra Bride
Laurens, Stephanie. Mastered by Love
Long, Julie Ann. Since the Surrender
Marvell, Delilah. Lord of Pleasure
Miller, Linda Lael. The Bridegroom
Moore, Margaret. The Viscount’s Kiss
O’Banyon, Constance. Comanche Moon Rising
Rogers, Rosemary. Bound by Love
Simmons, Deborah. Reynold de Burgh: The Dark Knight
Thomas, Melody. Beauty and the Duke
Westin, Jeane. The Virgin’s Daughters

Mainstream Fiction:
Alt, Carol. Model, Incorporated
Atkins, Raymond L. Sorrow Wood
Cash, Dixie. Curing the blues With a New Pair of Shoes
Coburn, Randy Sue. A Better View of Paradise
Coyne, Terri. The Last Bridge
Drake, Abby. Perfect Little Ladies
Gudenkauf, Heather. The Weight of Silence
Jump, Shirley. Around the Bend
Kline, Christina Baker. Bird in Hand
Lamb, Cathy. Henry’s Sisters
Maynard, Joyce. Labor Day
Reaves, Cheryl. The First Boy I Loved
Rosenblatt, Jill Amy. For Better or Worse
Stokes, Penelope J. Heartbreak Cafe
Van Wormer, Laura. Riverside Park
Weiss, Laura. How It Ends

Mystery:
Bentley, Jennie. Spackled and Spooked
Blair, Annette. Larceny and Lace
Casey, Elizabeth Lynn. Sew Deadly
Causey, Toni McGee. When a Man Loves a Weapon
Cavender, Chris. A Slice of Murder
Connor, Beverly. Dust to Dust
Douglas, Carole Nelson. Cat in a Topaz Tango
Jance, J.A. Fire and Ice
Kellerman, Faye. Blindman’s Bluff
Lowe, Sheila. Dead Write
Maron, Margaret. Sand Sharks
Wolfe, Liz. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Paranormal:
Andersen, Jessica. Skykeepers
Child, Maureen. Beguiled
Dodd, Christina. Storm of Visions
Evans, Georgia. Bloody Right
Foster, Lori. Out of the Light, Into the Shadows
Herron, Rita. Dark Hunger
Jackson, Melanie. The Night Side
Joyce, Brenda. Dark Lover
Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Bad Moon Rising
Leigh, Lora. Bengal’s Heart
Liu, Marjorie. The Fire King
MacGillivray, Deborah. A Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing
Morgan, Alexis. Dark Warrior Unbroken
Palmer, Pamela. Obsession Untamed
Quinn, Erin. Haunting Beauty
Quinn, Sherrill. Seducing the Moon
Simmons, Lynda. Getting Rid of Rosie
Strong, Jory. Spider-Touched

Romantic Suspense:
Brockmann, Suzanne. Hot Pursuit
Bruhn, Nina. Shoot to Thrill
Garbera, Katherine. The Mercenary
Janzen, Tara. Breaking Loose
Lamb, Joyce. Cold Midnight
McKenna, Shannon. Tasting Fear
Naughton, Elisabeth. Stolen Heat
Novak, Brenda. The Perfect Couple
Parrish, Leslie. Pitch Black
Rose, Karen. I Can See You

Suspense:
Brennan, Allison. Cutting Edge
Caldwell, Laura. Red, White & Dead
Jackson, Lisa. Chosen to Die
Ladd, Linda. Enter Evil
Roy, Allyson. Babydoll

Urban Fantasy:
Black, Jenna. Speak of the Devil
Briggs, Patricia. Hunting Ground
Caine, Rachel. Cape Storm
Frost, Jeaniene. Destined for an Early Grave
Kane, Stacia. Demon Inside
Mead, Richelle. Thorn Queen
Saintcrow, Lilith. Redemption Alley

Young Adult:
Hall, Megan Kelly. The Lost Sister
Vincent, Rachel. My Soul to Take

Is right here.

The B has developed a fascination with the Babymouse graphic novel series.  It started yesterday when I brought the new Halloween title in the car to pick her up at school.  Within a few minutes, she was cracking up in the backseat, and asked me to bring home all the other Babymouse books I could find today.  I pulled them all from the shelf and have enough to keep her busy the next few days.

*publishers previews courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews, October 2008:

Chick Lit:
Carol, Grace. Eye to Eye

Contemporary:
Bodine, Sherrill. Talk of the Town
Bruce, Gemma. The Man for Me
Craig, Christie. Divorced, Desperate and Dating
Fox, Elaine. Bedtime for Bonsai
Hawkins, Karen. Talk of the Town
Jump, Shirley. Simply the Best
Kery, Beth. Wicked Burn
McKenna, Lindsay. Dangerous Prey
Raye, Kimberly. Slippery When Wet
Woods, Sherryl. Welcome to Serenity

Erotica:
Betts, Lucinda. Running Wild
Burton, Jaci, et. al. Unlaced
Bussel, Rachel Kramer. Bedding Down
Dane, Lauren. Undercover
Janssen, Victoria. The Duchess, Her Maid, the Groom & Their Lover
Jordan, Crystal. Carnal Desires
McCray, Cheyenne. Zack
Quinn, Devyn. Embracing the Night
Scott, Elizabeth. Free Pass
White, Sasha. Primal Male

Futuristic:
Dawn, Autum. No Words Alone
Gray, R. Garland. Darkscape: The Rebel Lord

Historical:
Beattie, Michelle. What a Pirate Desires
Callen, Gayle. Never Dare a Duke
Caskie, Kathryn. To Sin With a Stranger
Clare, Pamela. Untamed
Cosby, Diana J. His Woman
Drewry, Laura. Dancing With the Devil
Howell, Hannah. Highland Sinner
James, Eloisa. When the Duke Returns
Johanse, Iris. The Treasure
Joyce, Lydia. Wicked Intentions
Layton, Edith. A Bride for His Convenience
Lofty, Carrie. What a Scoundrel Wants
Marlowe, Deb. An Improper Aristocrat
Merrill, Christine. The Mistletoe Wager
St. John, Cheryl. Her Montana Man
Styles, Michelle. Viking Warrior, Unwilling Wife
Tabke, Karin. Master of Torment
Worth, Sandra. The King’s Daughter

Inspirational:
Hunt, Angela. Dreamers

Mainstream Fiction:
Davis, Charles. Drifting South
Harding, Robyn. Unravelled
Kendrick, Beth. The Pre-nup
Reynders, Cindy Keen. Paws-itively Guilty

Mystery:
Baker, Deb. Ding Dong Dead
Bliss, Miranda. Dying for Dinner
Childs, Laura. Eggs in Purgatory
D’Almeida, Sarah. Dying by the Sword
Hechtman, Betty. Dead Men Don’t Crochet
Holt, Hazel. Mrs. Malory and a Time to Die
Hyzy, Julie. Hail to the Chef
Roberts, Wendy. Devil May Ride
Stanton, Mary. Defending Angels

Paranormal:
Aiken, G.A. About a Dragon
Black, Jenna. The Devil’s Due
Davidson, MaryJanice. Fish Out of Water
Eden, Cynthia. Midnight Sins
Graham, Heather. Deadly Gift
Hansen, Jamie Leigh. Cursed
Harper, Nina. Succubus Takes Manhattan
Harris, Charlaine. Dana Stabenow
Johnson, Jean. The Flame
Jones, Linda Winstead. 22 Nights
Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Dead After Dark
Leto, Julie. Phantom’s Touch
MacInerney, Karen. On the Prowl
Roberts, Nora. The Pagan Stone
Russe, Savannah. Dark Nights, Dark Dreams
Silver, Eve. Demon’s Hunger
Sinclair, Elizabeth. Angel Unaware
Tolnitch, Amy. A Lost Touch of Magic

Romantic Suspense:
Adair, Cherry. Night Shadow
Ambrose, Starr. Lie to Me
Barton, Beverly. Dying for You
Kent, Alison. Maximum Exposure
Potter, Patricia. Behind the Shadows
Quinn, Tara Taylor. At Close Range
Shaara, Lila. The Fortune Teller’s Daughter

Suspense:
Breton, Laurie. Die Before I Wake

Vampire:
Forrest, V.K. Undying
MacAlister, Katie. Zen and the Art of Vampires
Mulvaney, Catherine. Wicked is the Night