World Cup Reading--Uruguay

I miss soccer.  Especially World Cup soccer.  So here's something to help relieve those withdrawal symptoms.  The four countries in the semi-finals of the World Cup were Uruguay, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands. 
I thought it would be cool to highlight some of the great authors from each of these winning countries.  This week I am going to start with the 4th place winning Uruguay.  Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America and has a population of about 3.5 million people.  It is one of only five nations to win the FIFA World Cup on 2 or more occasions.  So, this small country has produced some big winners--and not only in soccer.
 

Eduardo Galeano--Uruguay's most well-known contemporary author and huge soccer fan.  During his lifetime he has been imprisoned, forced to flee his homeland, and condemned by death squads. His book Open Veins of Latin America was given to U.S. President Obama in 2009.  President Chavez of Venezuela gave the gift during President Obama's first diplomatic visit to the region.  Writing is an obsession of Galeano's--"I'm a writer obsessed with remembering, with remembering the past of America above all and above all that of Latin America, intimate land condemned to amnesia."
Mario Benedetti--Not well known in the English-speaking world, but in the Spanish-speaking world he is considered one of Latin America's most important 20th-century writers.  He won numerous international awards but sadly he died last year at the age of 88.
Carmen Posadas--born in Montevideo, this award-winning author now lives in Madrid.  Try her book The Last Resort which is a high society murder mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.
Carolina De Robertis--she is the daughter of Uruguayan parents who immigrated to England, Switzerland, and California.  Try her book The Invisible Mountain which centers on three generations of women, their families, and the political trials in Uruguay and Argentina.

Mirrors: Stories of Almost Everyone by Eduardo Galeano and The Rest is Jungle and Other Stories by Mario Benedetti are on order and will be here soon.  Try other books by these great authors by using our Interlibrary Loan service at either of the Adult Services desks.

A literary brouhaha

So, things are getting a little heated in the fiction world right now.  In fact, as I think about explaining the situation, it's a bit like trying to explain what led to a fight in the cafeteria.  The only difference is it's about far weightier matters than who's going to Homecoming with whom (at least, weightier if you're into books and/or perceptions of gender equality more than the Homecoming dance.  If Homecoming is your prime concern, my apologies for trivializing.  Please don't start a blog war with me.  I can't even keep up with the one I'm trying to explain). 

As you might have heard, Johnathan Franzen's new novel, Freedom, will be released on Tuesday (Aug. 31).  If you're hip to the book world, you probably know that this book is being treated as THE book to read, garnering praise from the NY Times book review, putting Franzen on the cover of Time Magazine,   and even being called the "book of the century" (which makes the next 90 years seem pointless).  And then, well...then people got a little worked up about the frenzy surrounding the press.

Author Jodi Picoult commented via Twitter that she'd love to see the NY Times rave about someone who wasn't a "white male literary darling."   Jennifer Weiner tweeted, "Carl Hiaasan doesn't have to choose between getting a Times review and being a bestseller. Why should I?  Oh right.  #girlparts."  Their comments have put them in the center of the controversy over whether there is an unreasonable bias toward literary fiction written by elite males and away from commercial/popular fiction, especially that written by women.

There are interesting summaries of the debate all over the internet right now.  Lest you think I'm exaggerating my claim that this has generated a frenzy of activity try googling either Weiner's or Picoult's name in conjunction with Jonathan Franzen.  (Fair warning: once you start clicking on links, you might get caught up into the web of discussion for hours.)  For some good summaries and insights, check out this NPR blog, or Huffington Post interview with Weiner and Picoult, or this more critical blog from the Florida Center for the Literary Arts.

As for me, I'm not sure what I think about all this.  There are two issues wrapped up in it: the merit of commercial fiction, particularly by and for women; and, on what basis organizations such as the NY Times choose to review books.  There is certainly an overgeneralization and oversimplification of women's fiction.  I read a lot of literary fiction, but I also read a lot of "women's fiction," both chick lit and otherwise.  Are these books any less worthy of my attention than the latest "must-read" from the esteemed NY Times?  Every time a friend is about to become a mother for the first time, I recommend the Jennifer Weiner book Little Earthquakes, which says far more about the realities of motherhood and being part of a family than any literary-with-a-capitol-L book I've ever read.  Don't books that speak to our lives and the challenges we face deserve public attention, too?  But, should we expect book reviewers and their organizations to base their selections on the democratic principles of majority vote?  Isn't there some merit to promoting books that otherwise might not make it to the shelves of the masses because, unlike Dan Brown or Nora Roberts they don't already have a name brand? Is there something wrong with encouraging literary fiction and trying to focus on a niche that doesn't get a lot of press in other outlets? 

The only thing I'm sure of in this mess is that it's nice to finally hear that there are other people besides me who think that Jonathan Franzen is overrated.

The E-volution of the Book? Um, Well...

Okay, this was really meant to be a simple comment to my colleague's post ("Can you convince me to join the 21st century?") but after blathering on it became evident to me that my thoughts needed a post of their own. Here goes: The purist in me loves print books. The geek in me loves gadgets. Angel on one shoulder, devil on the other? Perhaps. Depends on who you ask.  I've had this debate before--mainly with myself, beginning years ago with my attempt to reconcile the satisfaction of handwriting my short stories versus the convenience of using a word processor. I think it's safe to say I eventually sided with technology in that regard, but the argument continued. Music CDs or MP3s? Again, for me, technology won the day. Up until a few years ago, I still bought music CDs, but the convenience (there's that word again!) of buying music online--DRM-free music, I might add--and having a good portion of my music library readily available in my pocket via my MP3 player turned the tide against collecting CDs. Of course, there are always those who'll argue that it's simply not the same, who favor the sound quality of CDs over MP3s, and more still who favor that of LPs over CDs, but I suppose it all comes down to preference. As for books, I have so many that when I moved last year I vowed out of sheer frustration (and an aching back) to never again buy another physical copy of a book as long as I lived, so help me God. But I've since reneged on that vow because I've been in love with the printed page for as long as I've been able to hold a book in my hands and read it on my own. No doubt, I too love the feel and smell of a book, and yet I'm itching to get my hands on an e-reader. The allure of having a library at my fingertips in a nice, easy-to-carry unit is a strong one, and I suspect I'll act on it soon than later. Does that mean I'll never buy another print book again? Not likely. I think it may depend on the book in question. First edtion hardcovers from beloved authors may still find their way on my shelves, while paperbacks may be relegated to downloads. Art books may be much better in print than digitized. (Then again, who can argue with pinch-to-zoom for getting a close-up view of the photographs or illustrations included with the text?) Heck, I may not even like e-books at all! I don't know, but I intend to find out, and when I do, I'll let you know what I really think of it all.  

(Much thanks to ACS for sparking this e-conversation!)

Can you convince me to join the 21st century?

For years, I've seen articles and heard commentary bemoaning the death of reading.  A study done in 2007 reported that one in four adults had not read a single book in the past year.  The New York Times has written several articles on the decline of reading, including a piece in 2007 on Twilight of the Books (no, it has nothing to do with the Stephenie Meyer series that has flown off the shelf for the past five years -- presumably, I think I can reasonably infer, to be read). 

The reality is that you can find statistics on just about any aspect of reading that you like (including, I just found out, the impact on toilet reading (AKA "TR") on...well, other things).  It seems that there's always going to be some debate about whether people are reading enough.  However, what there is no question about is that the way people are reading is changing.  In July of this year, Amazon reported that e-books outsold hardcover titles almost 2 to 1.  Dorchester Publishing, which is the self-described, "oldest independent mass market publisher in American" made the business decision to end its mass printing in favor of printing on demand and e-publishing in response to the surge in e-book sales and decline in regular book sales.  Clearly, e-books are gaining popularity.  (Incidentally, I've talked to many people lately who want to know if the library's digital collection can be read on Amazon's Kindle.  As Amazon's propriety reader, only Amazon titles can be read on the Kindle.  However, titles for e-book readers such as the Sony Reader, Barnes and Noble's Nook, Borders' Kobo, or the iPad can all be used with the library's e-book titles.)  

I will be the first to admit that I'm a bit old-fashioned.  I still like the texture and smell of holding the book in my hand.  So, here's what I'm asking of all you who not only still read, but also read e-books: What are the advantages of e-books?  I'm not asking this facetiously; I truly want to know.  Perhaps my love of the smell of the books is a bit old-fashioned, but it's still part of the reading experience to me.  So, bring me into the 21st century -- what cool features of the e-books can replace the smell of books?

The Water Giver

If you are a parent you need to read this book.  Many of the details in Joan Ryan's Book, The Water Giver: A story of a mother, son and their second chance will apply to any parent and child. 

Joan's son is learning disabled. He is prone to outbursts, temper tantrums and has difficulty in school.  Joan struggles to cope with the school system and her son's behavior daily. When her 16 year old son has a skateboarding accident, that causes a brain injury, the hardships she faces fade into the background.

This is more than a story of a mother and son getting through a terrible tragedy. It is a story of Joan's transformation and of her finally understanding what her relationship with her son is all about it.  This is a tale of tenacity, courage and Ryan's endless optimism despite multiple setbacks.  You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll think about how your life would be different if something terrible happened to your child.  How would you cope?  The one thing you will not do is put this book down.  Joan's story is a heart-warming one that will keep you turning the pages.

Joan learned that sometimes, the best you can do for someone you love is to be the water giver and soothe their thirst.

Guilty pleasures to end the summer

"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it" -- P.J. O'Rourke 

As someone whose car radio rarely veers off the same station, I'm not quite sure how I missed this until now: NPR has been doing a special series on authors' guilty pleasure books and authors.  From Joshua Braff's recent  admission that he loves John Irving to Laura Daves's penchant for Peyton Place, it's fun to peek into the virtual bookshelves and see what they're not embarrassed to admit they're reading, even if they're not always necessarily boastful of their choices.  It's the virtual equivalent of peeking on someone's bookshelves the first time you're invited to their home...not that I would ever do that (compulsively). 

Photo credit

Recently, when talking with my mom, I asked her what she'd been reading, since we often swap titles.  She was rather embarrassed when she told me that she's been reading a lot of Johanna Lindsey.  She tried to go on and explain that she just wasn't in the mood for anything heavy and it was a good escape.  I told her to relax, I wasn't judging.  Reading should be something you enjoy, so take it where you are.  If you need some Johanna Lindsay, by all means, read her books.  Since I just outed my mom on what she felt was her guilty pleasure, I feel obliged to report that I'm thinking about checking out Nora Roberts Bride Quartet.  That's right -- I typed that out loud (okay, I actually looked furtively around the room to make sure nobody saw me type it, but c'mon...it's a guilty pleasure, not a "proud pleasure").  I am in the mood for some stupid escapism, and it just sounds fun.  Sometimes, you just can't listen to P.J. O'Rourke.

So, I just outed my mom's guilty pleasure, my possible guilty pleasure (I'll let you know if I do check it out), and a few famous authors' to boot, why don't you join the sharing circle and let the rest of us in on your dirty little secret: what book or author do you secretly like?  After all, if Brad Meltzer can admit that he loves (yes, loves) the Twilight books, can't you share your guilty pleasure?

Last Dog On the Hill

I loved this book! It's a story about a very special dog but also about love, friendship, loyalty and redemption. It is a very touching tribute to Steve's dog, Lou. 

Lou's life is extradordinary, not just because of the unbelievable work that this heroic canine accomplished throughout his long and  well-loved life, but because of the amazing bond that he and Steve forged.
Steve's sense of humor comes through loud and clear in an easy, engaging read after which you wish you could have met Lou the wonder-dog yourself.

Do not get me wrong this is not your typical 'Hero Dog' story. On the contrary, throughout the book I cringed, laughed, whooped and cried. Lou starts off as an angelic flea-bag foundling. He’s super dog and mischevious mutt all rolled into one. His master's limitless patience and determination transforms him into a well-trained, thinking, master-redeemer of death-row dogs.

This book has it all, emotion, suspense, a good cast of characters, wit and precision writing. And each of these elements is vividly present in Last Dog on the Hill. Steve Duno had a special relationship with his dog and we are fortunate that Steve took the time to honor his beloved dog.

It is a must read for anyone because it transcends the "dog person" story and touches on the bonds between people as well as the bonds between humans and their pets and is filled with remarkable insight.

One of the big questions I found myself asking was whether Steve Duno rescued Lou or whether it was Lou that rescued Steve Duno.

I hope you are as enchanted by this story as I was.  It's a story that will make you smile, laugh out-loud, make you think and yes, shed a few tears. Who could ask for more in a book?