Reading Addict

I like themes.  I rise to the occasion and have been known to don a costume, decorate in the spirit and embrace the frivolity. Vacations are no different. Oh, not where I go or what I do but what I bring along to read.  The theme may or may not relate to the destination i.e. young adult Science Fiction to London, American civil war fiction to Hawaii or vampire romances to Denver.  I was in desperate need of a respite after a family wedding.  This year I went to a tropical island so I decided on an obvious theme for this trip- all beach books or books set on an island. 

These are not busman holidays.  My ideal trip is uninterrupted reading time with a view.  I sat on my island on a chaise lounge under an umbrella.  I applied SPF 400 sunscreen and donned a large straw hat.  I ordered some frozen concoctions and plowed through four books.  Bliss. 

Christie, Agatha.  “And Then There Were None” also called “Ten Little Indians” – Set on the fictional Soldier Island, off the coast of DevonThis is one heck of a yarn!  In this book, everyone is a detective, as well as a suspect. I read this book first as a teenager revisiting it every few years and it’s still an enjoyable way to wind away the hours. Christie is the master. 

King, Stephen.  “Duma Key.”Set on Duma Key, on the Florida coastKing blends a ripping good supernatural story with what must have been his own experience in recovering from a horrific accident. It felt very personal without being self-indulgent.  This reads like some sprawling, wrenching Greek tragedy. Just when you think nothing can get worse for the narrator…it does. 

Palahniuk, Chuck.  “Diary.”Set on the fictional Waytansea Island, off the coast of MassachusettsWhere do you get your inspiration?  Palahniuk delivers a nihilistic tale of an artist finding inspiration after the attempted suicide of her husband.  Like all of Palahniuk’s other work, Diary is vivid, disturbing, grotesque, and a bit supernatural.  He is nothing if not creative.  “Diary” is written as a diary from the point of view of the protagonist, Misty; in the fashion of a long letter written to her comatose husband Peter.  

Proulx, Annie.  “The Shipping News”Set on NewfoundlandThis book had sat on my “To Read” list for years.Proulx creates an amazing world- a cold, rocky place that nevertheless is populated by a fascinating variety of big-hearted, unlikely heroes who are revealed to have all manner of special talents. Quoyle and company, who have never belonged anywhere, gradually fit right in. The staccato, often subject-less or verb-less sentences create a unique and compelling style.   

McSweeney’s just might be the most polarizing publishing house currently in existence.  Their novels are either universally loved or loathed, depending on whom you ask.  It’s either seen as a collective for young, fresh writers doing something wholly different in the publishing industry or a backslapping boys (and girls) club, where the water cooler talk is most likely of the self-congratulatory variety.  From their quirky lists, to downright smart-allecky monthly columns, rest assured you won’t find many publishing houses like it. And it all started with Dave Eggers.

Not too many authors can get away with titling their debut novel A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.  That painfully reflexive, egotistical, smug title nevertheless seemed to have worked for Dave Eggers.  It was either loved or hated, but more importantly it moved units. We do live in The Age of Irony, where hipsters are seen wearing blindingly loud fluorescents and t-shirt homage’s to Youtube-sensations-of-the-week, so perhaps that tongue in cheek title isn’t so much to scoff at.   Despite a couple of well known and well written detractors (cough Lydia Millet cough), Eggers has made a fine career for himself.  His next novel, a tale not quite as self-indulgent as his debut, You Shall Know Our Velocity, was a bestseller and critically acclaimed. 

Regardless of how you feel about Eggers, McSweeney’s as a publisher has much to offer.  Their monthly arts and pop culture magazine Believer is something different from what you’ll find sitting next to it on newsstands and some (not all mind you) of the books are really darn good.  I would put Chris Adrian’s The Children’s Hospital first and foremost on that list.  But, like any reputable house of publishing, it is impossible to bat 1.000%.  I personally didn’t fall head-over-heels in love with Arkansas by John Brandon, though some people whom I value both for their taste in literature and ability to spot a bad apple, zealously recommended it.  And despite the amazing cover art, I didn’t fall in love with Jessica Anthony’s The Convalescent yet I would be the first one to tell you that it is probably a very good book that I just didn’t happen to agree with.  And then there are the anthology collections. I really enjoyed Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans: The Best of McSweeney’s, Humor Category and a selection from one of my favorite books of 2008, Zeroville by Steve Erickson, appeared in McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories. 

The point of all this?  The onus is really on you, the reader.  Whether you think McSweeney’s represents a new paradigm in literary smug hipness, or merely a publishing house that is offering something young and fresh, do yourself a favor, take one of the above for a spin and form your own opinion.

It’s me again, the Non-Fiction Lady (N.F.L). As mentioned in a previous post, I usually find myself drawn less to novels and more to practical stuff, texts that inspire me and teach me how to do something special. And hopefully, they are well-written and entertaining as well.  

One of my interests is making stuff by hand. “Crafting” is a term I studiously avoid, because it brings to mind the elementary school art projects involving lopsided ceramics, potholders woven with scratchy synthetic yarns, and other horrible crafts your parent dutifully displayed until you went back to school and they were mysteriously “misplaced.” But who decided that homemade had to mean ugly and, well, crappy? 

Learning how to make things from scratch is not difficult, and allows one to be a more responsible and thrifty consumer; to reduce waste and packaging through repurposing materials; and to have fun. There is a certain pride in producing something by hand, whether it’s a jar of strawberry jam, a luxurious winter scarf, or a cute tote bag for your library books. The time and care you invest make these things seem more valuable than just throwing a $20 bill at some retailer. And… did I mention it’s fun? 

So, here’s my sweet lil’ list for wannabe crafters. Pick your poison: 

Bend the Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew by Amy Karol Portlander Amy Karol is the creator of the popular blog Angry Chicken. In her cheeky, chatty style, she shows you the ropes of sewing, and provides easy instructions for artsy little projects, such as handbags or throw pillows, that would sell in Urban Outfitters for, like, $40. Great gifts for your hipster friends (or kids)!  

The Stitch n Bitch series by Debbie Stoller Don’t be put off by the title – Stoller, editor of Bust Magazine, believes in the empowering nature of knitting and crocheting, and makes it easy for you to learn with this friendly series of beginners’ projects. Make yourself a laptop cozy, or some headgear the teenager in your life will actually wear. 

Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It, and Other Cooking Projects by Karen Solomin This is less about actual everyday cooking and more about making special artisan foods – cheese, peanut butter cups, and other gift-ables. There’s even a recipe for marshmallows, for crying out loud. 

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination & Nurture Family Connections by Amanda Blake Soule Soule is another blogger – she’s the force behind the exquisite Soulemama blog. She’s been described as a hippie Martha Stewart, able to sleuth out pretty thrift shop finds and reconfigure them into clothes, toys, and household items for her free-range clan. In The Creative Family, you will find such projects, but even better, some valuable guidelines for simple, peaceful ways to appreciate the here and now with your young ones – for letting go of materialistic expectations and creating family togetherness of the homemade variety. Ok, I lied.

One more suggestion. Martha. Yes, she’s annoying in her starchy perfection, but there’s a fundamental reason behind her popularity. She has some great ideas! Take what you want and make it work for you, homemade imperfection and all.  

Henry Rollins said it best in his Black Flag tour diary: Get in the van!(Or was it William Blake with “I must create a system or be enslaved by another man’s”.) 

Surely, Rollins could not foresee the weight that exclamatory title would carry.  Aside from the fact that Black Flag inspired thousands of pimply faced, downy mustached, hopelessly picked-on youths to pick up instruments and make their own noise, and to find a sense of adventure by getting in a beat up van and playing sweaty basement shows across the country.  But also unwittingly started the punk and indie D.I.Y. (do it yourself) culture.

Before there was HGTV and the DIY Network, bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, and Sonic Youth were doing everything themselves, without any help from major labels.  The aesthetic was simple:  there’s nothing anyone can do for you that you can’t do for yourself.  That means booking shows, setting up a tour, even recording.  Greg Ginn, guitarist of Black Flag, created perhaps the first indie music label with SST Records.

Michael Azerrad’s brilliant book, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991, gives a brief history and inspiration of 11 special bands that encapsulate the new aesthetic. How Minor Threat’s Ian McKaye remembers gluing record art and inserts while guitarist Jeff Nelson xeroxed hundreds of flyers and CD art at Kinkos.  Or J. Mascis graduating from playing drums in seminary Boston punk act Deep Wound to a grungier yet more melody inflected guitar in Dinosaur Jr.  Mascis remembers not even trying to send a major label a demo for the grunge thing wouldn’t catch on for another ten years with the breakout of a little known rock outfit called Nirvana.

While Azerrad clearly focuses on the inception of the bands, life on the road, the trials of being broke and touring; the reader can’t help but contextualize the content.  These groups were breaking the established norm and initiating a new model for all art.  A whole culture of literary artists began making ‘zines in their bedrooms, pasting and stapling what they wanted to write, what they would want to read.  Soon a new breed of visual artist emerged, branded the VCR filmmakers, directors like Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, and Wes Anderson started shooting on cheap, affordable equipment. 

And lest we forget the labels.  As much as the new DIY acts could do on their own, it didn’t hurt having other like minded individuals assisting in the effort.  Jonathan Poneman, enjoying the lo-fi and immediate sound of these budding acts, thought he could distribute music with the best of them. And then he started Sub Pop records.  When you think of an indie rock band in the 90’s, chances are they have a low degree of separation from Sub Pop. Eventually they became a business model for other indies.           

Go ahead and give the Azerrad’s book a flip-through.  It may prove to save your mundane, boring life.

Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon is the moving tale of Shivana Montgomery. Fifteen years old, pregnant by a much older married man, and struggling to make her way in a world she isn’t mature enough to fully comprehend, Shivana makes her way through life’s many challenges.  Her mother Annette loves her, but is verbally and physically abusive.  The brightest light in this story is her powerful and supportive aunt Jewel. But Shivana’s unborn child wants desperately to be born. Told from the perspectives of both Jewel and her unborn girl child, the reader is taken on a journey back through time to the baby’s previous mothers, all of whom met tragic deaths. Will the never born girl child be given a chance at life, or will the swirling waters of generational fate once again claim her?Full of descriptive and lyrical writing, this story brings the reader face to face with what it means to be an inner- city girl with problems that come as a direct result of her own life choices. For good or bad, Shivana’s story will affect the reader long after the final page is turned.