A very funny take on the "future" of books:
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Two books I love
I've just finished two books, both of which earn a spot on my favorite's list. After thinking back on it, I've realized they are both coming-of-age stories about young girls struggling to make sense of a rapidly changing world. But that's about where their similarities end.
The first is The Probable Future (13.95, ISBN 0345455916) by Alice Hoffman. Hoffman, whose book Practical Magic was made into a film of the same name, is a master of contemporary "magical realism," and has long been one of my favorite authors. This is the story of a girl who, just like all of the women of the Sparrow family, wakes up on her 13th birthday with an unusual "gift." How she comes to terms with this gift, and the unforeseen consequences of sharing it quickly form the story. Along the way we get to know the other powerful women of Stella's family, from the mysterious Rebecca Sparrow who was put to death in the 17th century; to her mother Jenny, who can see other people's dreams. This book is an uplifting look at relationships between mothers and daughters, and the magic that fills our lives.
I don't think I can use the word "uplifting" to talk about this next book. The God of Animals ($25.00, ISBN 1416533249 ) tells a story about the indelible grip of the past and the way it's patterns unfold moment to moment. Written in the voice of an 11-year old girl growing up on a horse ranch in Colorado, this debut novel is deeply moving from page one. The author, Colorado-born Aryn Kyle, has grounded her book in the harsh and sometimes cruel realities of life and nature, where death, madness, and love wrench your heart and take your breath away. I love this book, and that's how I feel after reading it -- breathless, kinda achey, and little bit raw. Alice Winston is an intelligent, courageous girl on the brink of becoming a young woman. She's forced, a bit early, to navigate the rocky terrain of adult relationships and broken dreams. This is a powerful and stunning book about love in all of its' manifestations.
The first is The Probable Future (13.95, ISBN 0345455916) by Alice Hoffman. Hoffman, whose book Practical Magic was made into a film of the same name, is a master of contemporary "magical realism," and has long been one of my favorite authors. This is the story of a girl who, just like all of the women of the Sparrow family, wakes up on her 13th birthday with an unusual "gift." How she comes to terms with this gift, and the unforeseen consequences of sharing it quickly form the story. Along the way we get to know the other powerful women of Stella's family, from the mysterious Rebecca Sparrow who was put to death in the 17th century; to her mother Jenny, who can see other people's dreams. This book is an uplifting look at relationships between mothers and daughters, and the magic that fills our lives.
I don't think I can use the word "uplifting" to talk about this next book. The God of Animals ($25.00, ISBN 1416533249 ) tells a story about the indelible grip of the past and the way it's patterns unfold moment to moment. Written in the voice of an 11-year old girl growing up on a horse ranch in Colorado, this debut novel is deeply moving from page one. The author, Colorado-born Aryn Kyle, has grounded her book in the harsh and sometimes cruel realities of life and nature, where death, madness, and love wrench your heart and take your breath away. I love this book, and that's how I feel after reading it -- breathless, kinda achey, and little bit raw. Alice Winston is an intelligent, courageous girl on the brink of becoming a young woman. She's forced, a bit early, to navigate the rocky terrain of adult relationships and broken dreams. This is a powerful and stunning book about love in all of its' manifestations.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Tax Man Cometh
I must admit that this year, tax day is a first for me. Before this, my dad filed for me, kept my data, filled everything out, and all I had to do was sign on the dotted line. This year, though, I'm off of their files, officially independent, a salary earner instead of a wage-slave. I kind of liked it the old way, to be honest. With the day of reckoning fast approaching, I'm looking at a rather pathetic state of finances. The wool has been stripped from my eyes, and I don't like the colors I'm seeing. So thank goodness I work at a bookstore! If I can't find a book to help me out, I'm not looking hard enough. Sure enough, I found several, each one addressing a different aspect of my financial straits.
To get me on the straight and narrow with no illusions about my net worth, I read Steven Smith's Money for Life ($14.95, ISBN 9780793187935, available at my.mvelopes.com). It poses as a novella, introducing the story of "Ryan and Christine", an average American couple with good jobs, nice incomes, and lots of consumer debt. The book uses their story as a vehicle to introduce the concept of envelope budgeting (I think my grandparents did that) and the elimination of a credit dependent life style. It offers great advice on establishing a budget, but wasn't quite what I needed. I don't have any debt, fortunately, but neither do I have the kind of disposable income they talk about. I turned my sights elsewhere.
Enter America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money ($12.95 ISBN 9780307339454) by Steve and Annette Economides (yes, that really is their last name). Here were tips on how to live on less, avoid debt, and plan for all those expenses I'd never had to think about before (medical bills, insurance, utilities...). Their proud acceptance of the label "America's Cheapest Family" says it all: they aren't gonna spend money if they don't have to! It's a good guide to some of the shortcuts and common pitfalls of the costs of everyday living. Some of their advice seemed a little extreme to me (buying food by the month, using loads of coupons, and shopping at five or six different stores to get the lowest price on each individual item). I definitely don't have that kind of time to devote to just my grocery shopping, but it's a notion to file away for later use. However, I realized as I read that my main problem isn't my expensive tastes, but not knowing where my 'disposable' income goes! Alright, my insurance deductible is absurdly high, and the legal fees for bringing my foreign fiance into the country mean no dinner out for several years, but after those big required expenses, I should have had some income to play with.
I grabbed two more books to find out where it all goes: Affluenza ($18.95 ISBN 9781576751992) by De Graaf, Wann and Naylor, and Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping ($14.00 ISBN 9780743269360) by Judith Levine. The books really only told me what I already knew deep down: Americans buy a lot of useless, meaningless, stupid stuff. We waste our money, and our lives, chasing the next must-have item, and the marketers know just how to make their item a must-have. I could see that I don't hemorrhage money, I just slowly bleed it away with the little things. Affluenza, based around the TV show of the same name from the late 1990s, discusses the 'disease' of hyper-consumerism, and the potential cures for it. Not Buying It actually lives out the reality of trying to cure that materialism. The author and her partner agree not to buy any non-essential items for one year (they defined books as essential items - my kind of people). After reading both of these books, I was inspired and excited to practice my own non-shopping year, my own pursuit of the simpler life. Until I came to work the next day and found another book I just had to read...oh well, at least I'm a little more aware now.
So did I solve my financial difficulties? Nope. Am I closer to solving them in time for next year's tax day? I really think I am. Just in case, though, I picked up a copy of T. Harv Eker's Secrets of the Millionaire Mind ($19.95 ISBN 9780060763282) to learn how to become rich by thinking rich. Now that's quite a promise!
To get me on the straight and narrow with no illusions about my net worth, I read Steven Smith's Money for Life ($14.95, ISBN 9780793187935, available at my.mvelopes.com). It poses as a novella, introducing the story of "Ryan and Christine", an average American couple with good jobs, nice incomes, and lots of consumer debt. The book uses their story as a vehicle to introduce the concept of envelope budgeting (I think my grandparents did that) and the elimination of a credit dependent life style. It offers great advice on establishing a budget, but wasn't quite what I needed. I don't have any debt, fortunately, but neither do I have the kind of disposable income they talk about. I turned my sights elsewhere.
Enter America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money ($12.95 ISBN 9780307339454) by Steve and Annette Economides (yes, that really is their last name). Here were tips on how to live on less, avoid debt, and plan for all those expenses I'd never had to think about before (medical bills, insurance, utilities...). Their proud acceptance of the label "America's Cheapest Family" says it all: they aren't gonna spend money if they don't have to! It's a good guide to some of the shortcuts and common pitfalls of the costs of everyday living. Some of their advice seemed a little extreme to me (buying food by the month, using loads of coupons, and shopping at five or six different stores to get the lowest price on each individual item). I definitely don't have that kind of time to devote to just my grocery shopping, but it's a notion to file away for later use. However, I realized as I read that my main problem isn't my expensive tastes, but not knowing where my 'disposable' income goes! Alright, my insurance deductible is absurdly high, and the legal fees for bringing my foreign fiance into the country mean no dinner out for several years, but after those big required expenses, I should have had some income to play with.
I grabbed two more books to find out where it all goes: Affluenza ($18.95 ISBN 9781576751992) by De Graaf, Wann and Naylor, and Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping ($14.00 ISBN 9780743269360) by Judith Levine. The books really only told me what I already knew deep down: Americans buy a lot of useless, meaningless, stupid stuff. We waste our money, and our lives, chasing the next must-have item, and the marketers know just how to make their item a must-have. I could see that I don't hemorrhage money, I just slowly bleed it away with the little things. Affluenza, based around the TV show of the same name from the late 1990s, discusses the 'disease' of hyper-consumerism, and the potential cures for it. Not Buying It actually lives out the reality of trying to cure that materialism. The author and her partner agree not to buy any non-essential items for one year (they defined books as essential items - my kind of people). After reading both of these books, I was inspired and excited to practice my own non-shopping year, my own pursuit of the simpler life. Until I came to work the next day and found another book I just had to read...oh well, at least I'm a little more aware now.
So did I solve my financial difficulties? Nope. Am I closer to solving them in time for next year's tax day? I really think I am. Just in case, though, I picked up a copy of T. Harv Eker's Secrets of the Millionaire Mind ($19.95 ISBN 9780060763282) to learn how to become rich by thinking rich. Now that's quite a promise!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Jazz and Monsters
What a great event last night! Thank you to everyone who came out on a blustery April night to hear local author Bhanu Kapil read from her book, Incubation: A Space for Monsters. The evening began with live jazz music performed by the Ron Holleman Trio -- quite a treat to hear such talented musicians from the comfort of our very own bookstore! Bhanu's reading was intense and lyrical, her brilliant voice drew me in to our warm and cozy place only to have my breath taken away by her narrative. She was lovely and gracious as usual, her presence helped to center us all in the moment -- a warm and crowded push of bodies squeezed into the cafe, seeking refuge from the cold, a strong voice rising above our collective hush ...
For those of you who couldn't make it, please enjoy the photos. Both of Bhanu's books(Vertical Interrogation of Strangers, and Incubation: A Space for Monsters) are available now at Anthology.
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