Day Off in the Sun

Day 1 in Chicago last Thursday. The guys had work so I had to fend for myself. Just leave me the keys and point me in the right direction! After having breakfast at the West Egg (suggested by their doorman and the concierge at the hotel down the street) I started walking towards the Art Institute. By george it was warm that day but gorgeous as can be!


On my way to the museum I found myself at Millennium Park. There I got to see the Jay Pritzker Pavilion and watched as the orchestra was rehearsing. Enjoying her day off in the sun Ann is reading Genetics and Genetic Engineering by Lisa Yount. "Nope, not studying this for school or anything...just reading it for fun." This is a subject that has been of great interest to her lately.


Ann usually reads a variety of books like those by John Erickson, author of "Road to Stalingrad". Other recent books she's read were by the late Tim Russert's (MSNBC broadcaster). Ann had heard so much about his litereary works after Russert's passing.

Growing up Ann enjoyed Phyllis A. Whitney's mystery novels.

Chi-town bound

Last Wednesday afternoon found me on a plane to Chicago for the long weekend! 4 hours in a middle seat on a Southwest airline flight. "Yay!" After getting our complimentary drinks and snacks I noticed a copy of Franny and Zooey peeking up in front of my flight neighbour. A smile came across my face when I saw the Skylight books bookmark between its pages. Justin lives in North Hollywood but is headed to Chicago for a friend's wedding. Justin has just started reading the book for his book club, still on Franny. The book is turning out alright. We started talking about Salinger a bit. I told him that I really enjoyed this book - it happens to be one of my favourites. I may actually say that I enjoy this book more than Catcher in the Rye, a book he hasn't yet read.

Justin's book club has been around for about 9 years. It was started by one of his friends and he's one of the co-founders. It was really neat to hear that his group has many members (40 or 50 if I heard correctly). They even get a special room/section at Skylight books from time to time for their meetings!

Other books they've read are Into the Wild, and Don Quixote. Justin shares that it took him about a year to finish the latter! It took about 4 to 5 book club discussions for this read because it was so dense.


Justin's favourite book would have to be The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, a book he recommends through and through! It is a fictional work about comic book guys, kind of like the Superman creators. Another favourite is Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City about the "murder, magic and madness" behind the Chicago World's fair of 1893. "Hey, a little Chicago history for ya..."

Growing up he enjoyed A Wrinkle in Time (an oldie but goodie). The Narnia books are also up there.

Nowadays Justin prefers historical fiction and historical non-fiction - he just loves learning about historical events.

I couldn't help but poke and prod him more about his book club reads. Any books that stood out for him in an unsuspecting way? "I would have to say the book Eat Pray Love turned out to be a bit of a surprise for me. I had heard about the book and when it was assigned I didn't thikn I would like it. I thought it would be a silly chick book, a typical best seller. I actually ended up liking the book." He actually didn't finish it in time for the book club discussion but ended up doing so eventually. I told him that I had felt the same way when I had to read it for a book club I was in. We both agreed that Italy was our favourite city in the book. What can we say, we're gluttons! I didn't really read much about the last city, Indonesia, so I don't have an opinion on that part of the book but we shared similar sentiments about India. Though we liked those times in Elizabeth's life we felt it was very contained. Granted she was spending her time there in prayer and celibacy - abstaining from the "lavishness" that went on in Italy, for example. Then I told Justin about how my sister was in India visiting for a few weeks. Full circle of sorts, eh?

We spent the rest of the flight talking about our lives in Los Angeles, what we did for a living, and things I should do in Chicago (he grew up there), then went back to our reading - him with Franny, me with my Graveyard book.

Thanks, Justin, for keeping me company when I started to get antsy in my seat :)

Did you enjoy Franny and Zooey or Catcher in the Rye more?

Read an interesting book (fiction or non-fiction) about a city's history?

Live Long and Prosper

I am about to go into the Arclight to purchase my tickets for the 4:15 showing of Star Trek but I was sidetracked. Jesse was sitting outside the entrance right by the Arclight Cafe's patio seating. He is waiting to go in for the 4:30 showing of Angels and Demons and decides to pass the time with his copy of "Francis of Assisi", a book he had heard about. He stumbled upon a copy of it at the bookstore and opted to finally purchase a copy of his own. The book covers the full history of St. Francis and while it is a spiritual book Jesse points out that it is open to all beliefs. Lately he's been reading alot of books on spirituality such as "Many Lives, Many Masters" to the teachings of Buddha.

"Many Lives, Many Masters" really moves Jesse and comes highly recommended! The book is about an atheist professor who heads the Psychology department at Columbia. He hypnotizes one of his female patients and during this hypnotic state she transcends into past lives, speaks in different languages, and experiences a total of 96 different lifetimes. Through this experience of listening to his patient's various spiritual episodes the professor is converted to a spiritual lifestyle. As the patient talks more and more the professor experiences more and more changes. "Here is a man with a PhD, an atheist to boot, and now he's been changed and sees the light just by listening to his patient this whole time", Jesse says. "This act as a whole is so moving and unbeliveable! I mean, to change ones frame of mind like that...to make him budge from science to spiritual...that means alot!" Jesse goes on to tell me that this professor now goes on talks around the country about his experience. He also thinks this book is great for all types of people because it isn't preachy and there is no ego involved.


Another book Jesse recommends is "What Would Buddha Do?" by Franz Metcalf and Franz Aubrey Metcalf. "It's a neat book...very similar to the 'What Would Jesus Do" and helps one towards their journey to enlightenment." Jesse has also enjoyed "The Gnostic Gospels" by Elaine Pagels. Jesse pauses and thinks a bit more on other favourite books then he smiles and looks at me. "Ok this is going to sound like such a cliche but I want to say the Bible. And I know, once people say they love the Bible everyone looks at them a certain way and starts to 'judge' them a bit. Yes, I do enjoy the Bible but I read it differently. Often times people read it with a strict eye but you have to take into consideration the Aramaic translations. You can't always take everything literally and have to read the passages and teachings as metaphors for a grander picture. One has to take into account the philosphy behind it all. There shouldn't be barriers. One must interpret it all for their spiritual enlightenment."

So why the spiritual reading kick? "I grew up thinking one way. I used to party hard, drink and do drugs, smoked alot. I was a wreck! Then about 3 to 5 years ago I felt a tap on my head from a higher being and that was when I knew I had to make a change in my lifestyle. Since that moment I've changed my life around. I don't party anymore. I've stopped drinking, the drugs, and I don't smoke anymore. I don't hang out with the same crowd as much. And when I do I just don't party hard like I used to. I go to church more often, I'm a vegan, and I'm continuously experiencing spiritual growth." Jesse explains that he embraces spirituality as a whole and doesn't conform to one belief, per se. "Just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean it's not true."


Jesse doesn't always have his nose in spiritual books. He also enjoys sci-fi books like the Dune series and the Ender's Game. He is convinced that not very many people know about the Ender's Game series but on the contrary I informed him that I've encountered a number of reader's who enjoy the series! Growing up he also enjoyed all of the Vonnegut books. If he had to choose a favourite from them all it would have to be Slaughterhouse Five. When he isn't carrying a paperback around with him he likes to pass the time with the newspaper, National Geographic, or Rolling Stone magazine. "I make a note to read something everyday."

If he were to write a book of his own it would have to be about finding joy and living in the everyday. One should find joy not through what they are taught but by helping others. "I want my book to be about how being good isn't bad." I like that.

@reading pt. 8

@rickt wonders if there are any surviving audio recordings of WWI trench battles? i recently read a WWI soldier's diary & want to hear the hell.

@ashleykingsley A GREAT summer read- highly recommend: 'The Art of Racing in the Rain.' You wont ever look at a dog the same again. Beautiful. By Garth Stein

@jeffmadsenobv I was reading a book on the plane and got to a chapter about plane crashes. I read it anyway.

@megdia Ok. Someone asked what our fav. current books are: Into the Wild, Atlas Shrugged, Treasure Island, This is your brain on music, Cat's Cradle

@sdupreebemis Sitting in a huge airport by myself, not nice and safe. Reading HP and the half blood prince for the 3rd time, nice and safe

Children's Book Giveaway!

Our friend at 1330V is having a children's book giveaway on her site! There's still time to enter! One winner will be chosen tomorrow, May 14th, so head on over for a chance to get your hands on some books. Click Here for more details

Books up for grabs:
Mama Always Comes Home
Karma Wilson(2005)
Illustrated by Brooke Dyer

Mama Always Comes Home is the story of Mama Cat, Mama Mole, and other mamas who have to briefly leave their little ones to take care of home but promises their children they will always be back soon. I had to pry a copy of this book out of my mother’s hands, she loved it that much. It’s a great book for mothers and mothers-to-be and perfect to help reassure children with separation anxiety that at the end of the day, Mama always come back.

Animal Strike at the Zoo. It’s True! (2006)
Karma Wilson
Illustrated by Margaret Spengler

The animals at the zoo go on strike. They’re tired of working for peanuts and make all sorts of demands to the zookeeper. He tries to keep them happy by meeting them but it’s little Sue on her very first trip to the zoo who show the animals how great their job really is. My children loved this book and we all laughed as we read it aloud.

Down Under

A week or so after the grand opening of the Corner Bakery at the Beverly Connection I finally find myself breaking in the new cozy booths. After enjoying a California Grille panini and the broccoli cheese soup (both of which I highly recommend) I briefly cut in on Ian's lunch time reading. He sits across from me by the window with a sandwich of his own and "The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding" by Robert Hughes. It's a book about Australia's history however it reads like a novel. Ian had heard about this book so he thought he would pick it up and give it a try. No particular reason why he felt he should read about Australia's history (he's not going there on holiday or anything), he just felt like it! He rarely has time to read for pleasure but when he has time to read in between meetings during lunch then he devours a few pages.


Growing up he enjoyed reading the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (which reminds me that I still have yet to tackle the whole series loaned to me by Lisa Bee). As Ian got older he was drawn to Edgar Allan Poe and one of his favourite books is now a biography on the great writer.

What was the last book you've read over a meal? I am currently reading book #2 for our book club, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It's both a quick read and intriguing so I've just been plowing through the pages since I got my copy. I should read "children's books" more often...

Win $1,000 from Flatmancrooked for writing a good story

Our friends at Flatmancrooked have launched the Flatmancrooked Prize for Excellent Writing Done During a Period of Great Fiscal Renewal. The grand prize is $1,000 and publication in their anthology. The top ten stories go in the book, as well.

Aimee Bender, who wrote THE GIRL IN THE FLAMMABLE SKIRT, amongst other books, is judging. Try that on for size, Narrative Magazine. Aimee and the editors will be on the radio this Friday (capradio.org) at 10AM PT.

Enter the contest, here:
www.flatmancrooked.com/contest

Do it for the money! Do it for the fame! Do it for the art, mang!

Books and Burns

Thanks to everyone who came out to the first book club meeting at Barnsdall Art Park today. I thought it was a great success! We all brought yummy things to munch on, brought up some interesting points/themes/concepts/likes/dislikes about Kafka on the Shore, playing with Crystals dog, Murphy, and met some new people! I got a bit of sunburn (my bad for not bringing sunscreen. I think I was more concerned with keeping the new tattoo out of the sun as much as possible but alas. Irresponsible me.)

Our next book was chosen but Erica and will be Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. He also happens to be the same author of Coraline (you may be familiar with the movie that came out). Coincidentally, one of the girls who came to the book club meeting, Shannon, happens to be at a 3D production company (and with one of the head 3D'ers on Coraline) so it was great to hear the basic ins and outs about the medium/technology.


Since the story takes place at a graveyard we thought it would be fun to meet at the Hollywood Forever's Cinespia screenings! For those interested we will most likely meet on June 6th or 13th. I shall let you know the deets.

For more information on Cinespia screenings visit http://www.cinespia.org
We will most likely discuss the book whilst in line to get into the cemetery and before the movie starts. This has been an annual summer tradition for me (tons of readers in line so I am excited for this year's readers and movies). If you have yet to partake in the wonder that is cemetery screenings @ Hollywood Forever then you are in for a treat!

Pleasant Surprises and Happy Accidents

It's always a pleasant surprise when I received books in the mail. I few weeks ago I received Sea Changes by author Gail Graham. I was fortunate to set up an interview with her and she was gracious enough to take the time and answer the questions I sent over even while out and about in Mexico.



1. What book are you currently reading?

I usually read several books at once. At the moment, I’m reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski, which is about a mute boy growing up with his beloved dog Almondine and helping his father and mother run the family kennel; The Language of Miracles by Amelia Kinkade, an animal psychic who runs workshops teaching people how to communicate with their pets; and Return to Dragon Mountain by Jonathan Spence, which is an account of a Chinese scholar and connoisseur who lived during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
 


2. How did you happen to come across this book?

Stephen King’s recommendation of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle persuaded me to try it, and I have an on-going interest in parapsychology and would love to communicate with my dog Bao, so when I saw The Language of Miracles advertised, I had to have it. As for Return to Dragon Mountain, Jonathan Spence is the best writer I know when it comes to Chinese history, and I buy all his books.



3. What was the last book you read?

The Other, by David Guterson. It was about two rather unprepossessing young men. One of them was a “trust fund” baby who ended up killing himself and leaving all his money to the narrator, to whom it didn’t seem to make much difference. 
 


4. Can you name your favourite book? And why is this your favourite?

A Proper Marriage by Doris Lessing. This book literally changed my life. I was wretchedly unhappy in my first marriage, and (this was in the early sixties) filled with awful guilt feelings about having the temerity and sheer ingratitude to dare to be so unhappy. I thought I was a total misfit, and that it was all my fault. I thought I was some kind of monster. I’d probably still be trapped in that bad marriage, if I hadn’t read this book. It spoke to me. It gave me the courage to leave, and to start over. Kids and all.


 
5. What genre of books do you prefer reading? Do you have a favourite author whose works you gravitate towards?

Well-written books, which often means literary fiction, but includes non-fiction as well. I really enjoy books that transcend or blend genres, so I love Stephen King and P.D. James, although I don’t think of them as “genre” writers. Other favourites are Simon Schama, Peter Ackroyd, James Hamilton-Patterson, Barbara Kingsolver, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Tim Winton, Sarah Waters, Joyce Carol Oates and Ian McEwan.



6. What was your favourite book as a child?

Rusty, A Cocker Spaniel. I read it so many times I knew it by heart. There’s this wonderful scene where Rusty is dying and his owner is sobbing and “almost through the gates of death, Rusty lifts his head and licks the tears from her face.” My own eyes still fill with tears, just thinking about that line. Also, all the books by Gladys Tabberer (who raised cocker spaniels) and Albert Payson Terhune. I absolutely loved dogs, although my parents wouldn’t let me have one.



7. What book growing up was THE book that made you fond of reading/literature?

It wasn’t actually a book. It was a short story, “The Lady or the Tiger” by Frank R. Stockton. I read it in the sixth grade, and it totally blew me away. It was my first experience with ambiguity. I didn’t know writers could do things like that. I thought about that story for months. And I guess I was still thinking about it when I wrote Sea Changes. 
 


8. Was there a particular book or writer that inspired you to write? What was it about this book and/or author that made you want to become a writer yourself?

Goodbye, Columbus by Philip Roth. I always wanted to write, but I didn’t think I could. Most of the novels I’d read up to that point (other than kids books) were about adults in adult and/or exotic situations or about boys – David Copperfield, Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist – with whom I couldn’t identify. I found heroines like Nancy Drew totally unreal. I didn’t want to write stuff like Nancy Drew, but I couldn’t quite imagine myself writing A Tale of Two Cities or Rebecca, either. I grew up in South Orange, New Jersey. Nothing much happened in South Orange. Suddenly, here’s this book about real kids in a high school that sounded like my school and bar mitzvahs and all this stuff I could identify with. Mrs. Robinson reminded me of my mother’s best friend. I remember thinking, I could write a book like this. I could be a writer.



9. What books did you read as research for your novel Sea Changes, if any?

None, really. It just leapt out of my subconscious.
 


10. Can you please describe a bit of what your book is about?

Sea Changes is about a widow, Sarah Andrews, who finds herself isolated and alone in an unfamiliar, somewhat dystopic society. Then, something happens. Something that is literally impossible. What do you do when something impossible happens to you? How do you react? Do you trust your instincts? Or do you assume you’re crazy? 
 


11. How did you come up with the concept? What made you choose to write about a "sea world" as the second world in the novel? Symbolism?

I meant Sea Changes to be – on one level -- about the concepts of sanity and reality. The idea that sanity is contingent rather than absolute has always intrigued me. Years ago, people who heard voices were considered sages, or prophets. Now, they’re medicated. Some years ago, I saw a BBC documentary about people who believed they’d been abducted by aliens, and the thing that struck me was they were all so ordinary. They weren’t exhibitionists, they weren’t publicity-seekers – in fact, a couple of them were quite inarticulate – they were simply ordinary people who’d had an extraordinary experience. They knew nobody believed them. But they believed themselves. I wondered what that would be like, to have something impossible happen to you, to live with that dichotomy, simultaneously knowing it was impossible and knowing it was true.

As for the sea – it was one of those happy accidents that sometimes occurs when you’re writing fiction. Bantryd appeared, and took story in an entirely different direction from what I’d originally intended. It wasn’t planned. On the other hand, I do love the beach, and the sea.


12. Do you see yourself in the heroine Sarah Andrews? What other infamous storybook heroines would you compare her to/relate her to?

One writes out of one’s own life experiences. At least, I do. And that’s the first thing they tell you: Write about what you know. I was a young widow, and I lived in Australia. So I know about that, I know about loss. I know what it’s like. But although Sarah is my creation, she isn’t me. She’s stronger than I am. She’s an idealization, she’s what I’d like to be.
I suppose I’d compare Sarah to Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz) Alice (Alice in Wonderland) and Wendy (Peter Pan) Although the boys seem to have all the adventures, it’s often the girls who are more willing to suspend belief, to go with the flow and see what happens. 
 



13. There is the element of fantasy in your novel. Would you say that your book emulates "magical realism" characteristics?

Magical realism has had an enormous effect upon my work. I remember reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and thinking, Oh my gosh! You can do this with a novel? You can get away with it? It was as if a thousand creative doors leading to a million possibilities had been flung open, all at once. That’s actually when I started writing Sea Changes – in 1989, after I’d read One Hundred Years of Solitude.
 


14. Which of all your novels do you (or would you) mostly recommend to some first time readers of your work?

I’ve only written one other novel, Crossfire. It’s completely different from Sea Changes, but it won a number of awards and it’s still knocking around on Amazon.
 


15. What books (other than your own novels) do you often recommend to friends? Why?

Whatever I’m reading at the time, although sometimes I don’t exactly recommend things. If I’m reading something I absolutely love, I say so. And if I’m reading something that I don’t particularly like, I also say so. 



16. Do you carry a book around with you everywhere? If not a physical book, do you listen to audio books often? Thoughts on the Kindle?

I never go anywhere without a book, usually a trade paperback.
I’m afraid I don’t much like Kindle. It doesn’t feel like reading; it feels like work. It feels like being in front of the computer. And it’s not tactile. And if I drop it in the pool (or bathtub) I can’t just dry it off.



17. In the book "Ex Libris" by Ann Fadiman that I am currently reading (on and off) she mentions having an "Odd Shelf". It's a collection of books you own that are of a particular genre...but just a really random collection of books whose subject matter is totally unrelated to the rest of the collection in your library. Fadiman's "Odd Shelf" holds 64 books about polar exploration: naval manuals, journals, narratives, collections of photographs, etc. Do you have an "odd shelf" of your own? And if so, on what subject matter? If you do not currently have an "odd shelf" per se, what would your ideal "odd shelf" contain?

My “odd shelf” holds a collection of books about dogs, and animals in general. But mostly dogs. I’ve got books about dog psychology, books people have written about their dogs, books about communicating with dogs, books about “miracle” dogs, a wonderful book about dogs that belonged to monarchs called Reigning Cats and Dogs, books about dogs in art, and exhibition catalogs from art shows that featured paintings of dogs. 
 


18. If you could only have 3 books with you on that wretched hypothetical desert island which would they be? Why?

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ( three, unabridged volumes) by Edward Gibbon. I’ve been trying to read it all my adult life, and I never manage to get past the first chapter. It’s a work that demands your entire attention. If I was on a desert island, I just might be able to settle down and read the darned thing. 
 


19. If you could adapt any book into a movie which book would it be? Why?

My novel, Crossfire. It’s an incredibly visual book, and as relevant today as when I wrote it. Perhaps, even more so.
 


20. When do you find time to read? Do you have a favourite spot to read at? Can you read in any situation (noisy, crowded, etc.)

I live alone, so I like to read while I eat. I read while I’m having breakfast in bed, and for an hour in the middle of the day, while I’m eating lunch. And I always read in bed at night for an hour or so before I go to sleep. Whenever I have a spare moment I pick up a book – waiting in line at the supermarket, in waiting-rooms, sitting in the restaurant waiting for whoever I’m having lunch with to turn up, in the bathtub, sitting in the car at the border waiting my turn, on airplanes, and in airports. Even in traffic jams.
My favorite places to read are in bed, in my garden or on the beach.
But I can read anywhere. And I do.



21. Can you read in another language? And if not, which language would you like to read/write in?

I read French and Chinese. 



22. Do you have any random reading quirks? (You refuse to write in margins? You hate folder pages or bending the spines? You reflect upon a passage for hours/days?)

I am compulsive about finishing a book once I start it. Even books I don’t like. 



Check out Gail Graham's website

Interested in Sea Changes? Look for a copy at your local library, used book store, general book store, or on Amazon.com

State of Mind

Cramming in laundry time before a busy week with a last minute trip to San Francisco to bid my sister farewell before she heads off to India. I see Yoshi lounging on one of the dark blue plastic chairs that face the dryers. Ear buds in place. Legs cradled in the wheeled basket in front him. Yoshi is reading "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. The book outlines the philosophies of some of the great powers/masterminds such as Machiavelli, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger and other similar famous historical figures. Law 1, for example, is entitled "Never Outshine the Master" while other laws show how to "Conceal Your Intentions", and "Crush Your Enemy Totally". Yoshi finds such books fascinating. He also studied Psychology in school back in Florida hence his intrigue with the mind, thought, etc. Now that he has moved to Los Angeles he looks towards the teachings of these books to help pave his path. He moved here in September to attend the Musicians Institute in Hollywood and books like "The 48 Laws of Power" enable him to familiarize himself with the music/entertainment industry's mentality, he says. "This industry is a different animal. It's not so much what you know but who you know. You've got to put yourself out there all the time, network every chance you get. You've got to have skill, know how to talk to certain people who will one day be able to help you in your career." Yoshi shares how some of his instructors are seasoned pros in the music biz. One of them happens to be the guitarist of Earth, Wind & Fire! He feels very fortunate to be part of the program however he knows how competitive it is to make it out here in Hollywood so he's going to get to what he wants by all means necessary! This book is helping him mentally prepare.



When it comes to picking out his books Yoshi likes to just hit up a bookstore and explore the different shelves. He sticks to psych and philosophy books with similar concepts as Greene's works. "It's all about the concepts, not the author." He is not a big fan of novels and sticks to his non-fiction guns. "I'm not a quick reader. I like to take my time with books which is especially important with philosophy books because you've got to absorb the concepts...fully understand them before one can apply the learnings to their own selves."


What philosphy books have you read and/or would recommend? What were some teachings that you took from the books?