Who is Too Fond of Books? I’m Dawn, welcome to my book blog! This is the place for book reviews, author interviews, giveaways, Spotlight on Bookstores series, bookish musings, and news from the publishing world.
If you’d like to respond to something written here, start a conversation, or want to get in touch about scheduling a review, interview, giveaway, etc., please leave a comment on any post, or send me an e-mail.
I’ve been talking about …
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 Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Harper (September 7, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0061962165
Back-of-the-book blurb: When she decides to auction her remarkable jewelry collection, Nina Revskaya, once a great star of the Bolshoi Ballet, believes she has finally drawn a curtain on her past. Instead, the former ballerina finds herself overwhelmed by memories of her homeland and of the events, both glorious and heartbreaking, that changed the course of her life half a century ago.
It was in Russia that she discovered the magic of the theater; that she fell in love; that she and her dearest companions became victims of Stalinist aggression. And it was in Russia that a terrible discovery incited a deadly act of betrayal—and an ingenious escape that led Nina to the West and eventually to Boston.
Nina has kept her secrets for half a lifetime. But two people will not let the past rest: Drew Brooks, an inquisitive young associate at a Boston auction house, and Grigori Solodin, a professor of Russian. Together these unlikely partners begin to unravel a mystery, setting in motion a series of revelations that will have life-altering consequences for them all.
She Is Too Fond of Books’ review: I was hooked on Russian Winter from its opening pages, when we meet Nina Revskaya peering out the window of her Back Bay home. A prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet in Stalinist-era Russia, Nina is now in her 80s and confined to a wheelchair. She at first seems crotchety when she meets with Drew Brooks to discuss the auction of her jewelry collection, the proceeds of which shall benefit the Boston Ballet Foundation.
Turn the page, and a bit of Nina’s history – perhaps an explanation for that aloofness and lack of warmth - is revealed. We’re in Moscow seventy years earlier as Nina’s and her best friend, Vera, are brought to the Bolshoi to audition for a school for future ballerinas. The scene ends when they return to their apartment building to learn that Vera’s parents are “gone.” Did they leave voluntarily, to escape to a better life? Or were they taken away on suspicion of not conforming with the rules of the General Secretary?
Kalotay takes the reader seamlessly from one storyline to the other, doling out pieces of Nina’s history in a captivating narrative that captures the emotions of the time – fear of doing or saying something that might be misinterpreted, pride in performing and boosting morale, and moments of pure happiness free of political implications. We stand with Nina in bread lines, sit with her as she mends her costumes, and celebrate with her as she is rewarded for her skill and obedience by being promoted to higher and higher positions within the troupe.
This excerpt is from early in the book, before Nina has been promoted. It struck me because of all the information Kalotay packs in this one dense paragraph. The urgency of the staccato sentences create a rhythm similar to what daily life may have been like (p 125):
A new year begins, dirty icicles hanging from eaves, sun waiting until ten to rise. Windows shut tight for the season, wedged with wadded cotton that soon turns black with grime. Mother makes her rounds, to work, to the shops, to the hospital and the prison, to this friend and that relative, while Nina hurries back and forth, in the mornings to company class and the mandatory Marxist lectures, in the afternoons to rehearsal, and in the evenings to perform. Not to mention compulsory “community service,” long bumpy bus rides to distant villages to perform for peasant laborers, or for factory workers in big industrial plants. For extra money, there are private concerts at clubs, and performances at institutes and academies, scurrying from concert hall to concert hall. When she has worked her muscles too hard, her entire body feels as if it is trembling inside. Knots in her legs, hips, feet. Stockings bloody at the toes. Some days everything comes together beautifully, her body obeys and even surprises her with its achievements. Other days it disappoints her. She is forever cleaning her toe shoes and ironing her costumes, stitching elastics and ribbons onto her slippers. Listening to notes after rehearsal, shedding occasional tears. The frustration of unattainable perfection …
Alternating with the story of Nina’s life in Russia is the present-day story of the jewelry auction and all the excitement and intrigue that surround it. A particular suite of amber jewels has raised interest with Drew, the auction house associate who is overseeing Nina’s project; the interest is is heightened when an anonymous donor adds another piece he believes may be part of the same collection.
In an effort to create a personal background story that will “wow” bidders, Drew meets with the donor, a professor of the Russian language. These characters have depth and personality, as do the characters we meet in the historic sections of the novel. Kalotay injects them with backgrounds and anecdotes, making even supposed minor players a cast of fully-developed and interesting characters.
The people, the settings, the history, and – most of all – the clever layered plot make Russian Winter a rare ‘un-put-down-able’ novel. I didn’t want it to end, turning the pages as I learned about daily life under Stalin, the arts in Russia, and an inside look at a contemporary auction house.
About the author: Daphne Kalotay’s debut novel, Russian Winteris newly published; you can find discussion questions, request a book group meeting via Skype, read an exclusive interview, or an excerpt of the novel on the author’s blog. Her collection of short fiction, Calamity and Other Stories, is available in paperback. She lives in the Boston area – check out this homage to her local bookstore!
I reviewed Russian Winter as part of a blog tour; visit these other blogs for more reviews, interviews, guest posts and giveaways:
FTC disclosure: review copy provided by the publisher.
 This week’s Spotlight on Bookstores post is written by Daphne Kalotay, author of the captivating novel Russian Winter, which will be out on September 7 (oh, the day my kids return to school, mark the date for many reasons!). I’ll post my review of Russian Winter tomorrow; here’s a six-word tease: “I didn’t want it to end!”
Kalotay lives in the Boston area, where the present-day storyline of this multi-time-period multi-setting novel is set; in this essay she sings the praises of her neighborhood bookstore, the Brookline Booksmith. If you’re in the neighborhood on September 7, visit the Brookline Booksmith for the launch of Russian Winter.
Since 1993 my neighborhood bookstore has been the Brookline Booksmith. It’s an oasis I’ve watched make its way through various incarnations, and when in 2002 I moved to an apartment just one street away, the Booksmith became something like an extension of my living room—more shelves for me to easily browse almost whenever I feel like it.
Back when I first discovered the store, as a twenty-three-year-old student in a creative writing program, the Booksmith held a definite power over me; it could overwhelm me with evidence of so many writers doing what I too wanted so badly to do. If I was in a good mood, the tables full of new or recommended or remaindered books inspired me, gave me hope, and I would leave with a haul of paperbacks stamped with bright yellow bargain stickers. But on days when I felt weighed down by the writer’s task, unable to fathom how one might satisfactorily conclude a short story, let alone navigate the windy road to publication, the Booksmith was a place I simply could not enter, for the doubts it might set off and the envy that might besiege me.
Back then I was also enough of a snob that, watching as the store expanded by adding another room, I was dismayed to see the new room become a gift shop. Until, that is, I took a look at the offerings. Not only were the greeting cards tasteful, the jewelry and gifts attractive, but the prices were utterly reasonable. I’ve become a regular in this section of the store, and I’m sure this first-rate gift shop must be a large part of what has helped the bookstore stay afloat despite Amazon and e-books. Why, two Christmases ago even the Barnes & Noble on the same street closed its doors. But the Booksmith, with its superb staff and selection (including an array of literary/art journals and a children’s area at the back) has kept going.
It has done so even when certain arrangements didn’t quite work. There was the period, for instance, when the Cinemasmith next door moved its excellent video & dvd rental business into the Booksmith’s basement—the room where the Booksmith’s many literary events are held. Each time an author gave a reading, the moveable stacks of rentals would be pushed aside to make room for folding chairs, and a sign would be placed up at the top of the stairs saying that the video store would be closed for a couple of hours.
That arrangement didn’t last so long. Nowadays the basement is the store’s used book cellar, where I often have the discrete thrill of finding exactly the book I’m searching for. It is also the location where I launched my first book and will soon launch my second.
And what luck that it’s all right around the corner.
–Daphne Kalotay
The upcoming Salem Lit Fest has something for everyone … and I mean everyone!
New Englanders (and those willing to travel for the event), mark your calendars for September 17 – 19!
Just a few of the highlights:
- storytelling for the entire family
- Scrabble tournament
- writing contest judged by Katherine Howe and Brunonia Barry
- Elyssa East, author of Dogtown, talks about “finding the universal in local stories”
- Amy MacKinnon (Tethered) and Lynne Griffin (Sea Escape) discuss etiquette for readers and writers
- Chinese poetry workshop
- guided tours of historic Phillips House
- flash fiction workshops
and more, more, more!
 The event I’m perhaps most excited about is Sunday’s marathon reading of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. All day, from 10 – 6 in Derby Square, volunteers will read this wonderful classic cover-to-cover!
How cool is that!? Fun to bring in a lawn chair or blanket to sit and listen to your favorite passages. Or bring a picnic lunch and stay for hours!
If you’re interested in participating, email Peter at vanimages@comcast.net Let him know an approximate time of day you’d like to read, or which chapter you prefer. Peter will do his best to schedule you according to your requests.
Check out the Salem Literary Festival website for the complete schedule of events and further information.
You can also follow @SalemLitFest on twitter, and “like” them on Facebook.
Even if you can’t make it to Salem, let me know which section of To Kill a Mockingbird you’d choose to read. I’m curious as to which passages most move people.
 The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press; 1 edition (March 30, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-0312611576
Back-of-the-book blurb: On a stifling day in 1975, the North Vietnamese army is poised to roll into Saigon. As the fall of the city begins, two people make their way through the streets to escape to a new life. Helen Adams, an American photojournalist, must take leave of a war she is addicted to and a devastated country she has come to love. Linh, the Vietnamese man with her, must grapple with his own conflicted loyalties of heart and homeland. As they race to leave, they play out a drama of devotion and betrayal that spins them back through twelve war-torn years, beginning in the splendor of Angkor Wat, with their mentor, larger-than-life war correspondent Sam Darrow, once Helen’s infuriating love and fiercest competitor, and Linh’s secret keeper, boss and truest friend.
She Is Too Fond of Books’ review: The central character in Tatjana Soli’s riveting novel set in Saigon during the height of the war in Vietnam is Helen Adams, a young photographer from California. A bit naive at the outset, Helen fears that although she left college to freelance, she may be “too late” for this war – that she may have missed all the action. As the novel, and the character, develop, Helen learns that she has a place in this war – first as the novelty of a female photographer, then, simply, as a talented photojournalist.
Helen’s character grows and changes as she gains confidence and experience, both personally and professionally. Soli lets Vietnam get into Helen’s soul - the people, the landscape, the often oppressive heat, and the customs of the area are soaked up and become part of Helen’s personality; she adapts and learns how to survive, and sometimes thrive, in this environment.
Soli’s excels at describing not only places and situations, but also the intricacies of various relationships. As Helen settles into a long-term residence in Vietnam, she straddles the line between “American press” and “expatriate resident.” Linh, originally an assistant to Sam Darrow, but more and more a friend and confidant to Helen, wisely shares his understanding of his place as a Vietnamese man:
One is like a brick in a wall, interdependent; one has no meaning outside one’s relation to family and others
As Helen’s short stint in Vietnam turns into years, and as she craves more and more the one great shot that will cement her name in the history of war photographers, she learns that she is, perhaps, not as independent and untethered as she imagined herself to be. Helen has developed ties to the people of Vietnam, the locals in Saigon that she interacts with on a daily basis, and the “boys” in the troops she is assigned to accompany in the field.
The most thoroughly developed relationships are those with men - Helen’s closest mentors and friends (Darrow and Linh), her competitors and detractors, and even reminiscences about her father and brother. A friendship between Helen and a transplanted Parisian woman was referred to, but not fully demonstrated. Soli wrote a touching scene about Helen and a local soup vendor, and did show some interaction between Helen and her mother. Although I wish the female relationships had been explored more deeply, perhaps Soli’s point is that Helen was living in “a man’s world.”
It’s always satifying to find that line or scene in a novel which points to the title. In this case, esteemed war photographer Sam Darrow is describing the beauty of Angkor to Helen; he refers to both Henri Mouhot, who “discovered” the area around 1860, and to Homer’s ”lotus eaters” who visited a foreign land and enjoyed the local form of sustenance – a lotus flower so narcotic and addictive that they lost any desire to return to their homes and families (p. 205):
[Darrow]: “Mouhot forgot his homeland, his family, blissful in his exploration. He couldn’t tear himself away.”
“What a selfish man,” [Helen] said.
“No, you’ve got it all wrong. He was like one of Homer’s lotus eaters. He simply forgot all thoughts of return.”
“But you don’t need to go to Angkor. You already have the war.”
That excerpt is a fine way to sum up The Lotus Eaters. Readers, peering into the lives of Americans caught up in the war and the quest for the proverbial brass ring, will be caught up in story told from this unusual perspective. Check out other reviews of this novel at Caribou’s Mom, My Friend Amy, and Word Lily. The War Through the Generations blog links to several other reviews of The Lotus Eaters (and other books, of all genres, that focus on the Vietnam War), as well as a guest post from Tatjana Soli.
The Lotus Eaters is Tatjana Soli’s debut novel; her short fiction has been published in many journals and literary reviews; I’ll look forward to reading other work by this talented author. The Author’s Notes indicate that Soli researched not only general information and memoirs about the conflict in Vietnam, but also that she was inspired by the stories of female journalists and photographers who were there.
Yesterday we drove home after a two-week vacation on the Cape … drat, if only we had flown home, I could have said “and are my arms tired!” (ba da dum! chshshshshsh!).
Anywho …
Despite several rainy days (2 full days, 2 half days, 7 inches … but who’s counting?!?), we had a fantastic time! Still, it’s good to be home, getting closer to that magical day when the big yellow school buses come and take all the darling SITFOB children off to days of wonder, filled with coffee, reading, writing, walking … oh, wait, that’s what happens at this end of the school bus run, I’m pretty sure they don’t serve coffee at school!
So (or, anywho again, if you prefer), in between loads of laundry, mowing the lawn, cleaning the car, and restocking the refrigerator, we’ve had some time to think about our top vacation memories. In no particular order, they are:
 Getting drenched by high tide at Cahoon Hollow. Yes, we knew the tide was coming in; we didn’t realize that the slope of the beach was such that ONE WAVE would travel fifty feet and absolutely drench those of us relaxing in chairs watching the kids tease the waves. Our flip-flops, bags and kites drifted down a little ‘hight tide river’ as we doubled over with laughter. Enjoying ice cream at as many places as possible. We slowed down our research during Week Two, adding only Sundae School (on the suggestion of Michelle at My Books My Life) and Buffy’s to our list, with a second visit to Emack & Bolio’s. To celebrate our homecoming last night we walked around the block with cones and ice cream from our local Bedford Farms. Bonfire at Nauset Light Beach on the National Seashore. The visitor center gives out a very limited number of bonfire passes 3 days in advance. We were told the passes are very popular, so my friend Laura and I drove up to Eastham early on Tuesday morning to get in line. Thunderstorms didn’t deter other bonfire hopefuls; we were sixth in line at 6:45 a.m. (yawn!). The early bird does catch the pass; we walked out at 9:15, scheming our approach to building the bonfire on Friday night. We had 17 people (four families) at our bonfire – paddle ball, cooking over the fire (“dinner” of hot dogs and s’mores), chatting, and laughing. Big laughs when the park ranger came to check our permit and LM5 offered “hey, you want a beer or something” and opened the cooler. Yup, Mr. Hospitality! Futile attempts at a SITFOB pyramid. We need to do this before the younger kids get too big; lots of blooper shots, but nothing to send with a holiday card.
Biking in parade formation. We explored Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge one day, and biked to the local airport for breakfast another day (more about our delicious HangarB experience in an upcoming Weekend Cooking post).
Rainy day fun. Although we were a bit stir-crazy by Tuesday evening, we did make the most of our indoor time – teaching the kids to play Hearts, Euchre, and Gin, and constructing a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. You’d think rainy days would be ideal for reading, but not when there’s a big family in a relatively small house; I read only two books the entire time we were away!
Seeing a drive-in movie. I wrote a little about this last week; it brought back great childhood memories for J and me, and, hopefully, created some for our own kids!
Boating and dune-jumping with friends (thanks, H & T!)
 Fishing! We had a blast casting our lines (Rapala poles from Target; fairly inexpensive and functional) from the fishing bridge. We caught a rock (!), the bridge, a boat (bad aim casting; the boat was moored, so it’s our secret!), a bizarre-looking ‘winged’ fish which we believe was a sea robin, and this “catch of the day.”- Ending the vacation with the Chatham Band Friday night concert — this has been a summer tradition since the 1940s! Neon necklaces, helium balloons, picnics, and the Bunny Hop are all part of the fun. J and I even danced a waltz and a few foxtrots!
We’ll finish unpacking today, slowly getting ready for the routine of work and school; the kids start on September 7 … I hope to get some reading/relaxing in, too!
 Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher by Laurel Snyder; illustrated by David Goldin
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Tricycle Press (August 24, 2010)
ISBN-13: 978-1582463155
Back-of-the-book blurb: While waiting for the bus, a man tells Baxter the pig about the joys of Shabbat dinner. But before Baxter can find out how he, too, can join in the fun, the man has boarded the bus. Soon after, Baxter learns that he certainly cannot be a part of Shabbat dinner because he’s not Kosher. So begins one pig’s misguided quest to become Kosher. Will Baxter succeed or will his dreams of taking part in Shabbat dinner remain unfulfilled? Readers will cheer as a series of misunderstandings leads to a warm message of welcome and community.
She Is Too Fond of Books’ review: Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher is a fun and funny book that follows the adventures of one special pig’s quest to become kosher. The mix-up begins when Baxter is told of a special day:
“Tonight is the beginning of Shabbat, the day of rest, and so we make a special dinner. We light candles, sing our thanks, and raise a glass, surrounded by those we love best.”
Baxter thinks Shabbat sounds wonderful, but is told that he – a pig – cannot be part of Shabbat dinner because he’s not kosher.
He queries people he meets on the street, and tries everything he can think of to become kosher – eating a jar of kosher pickles, gorging himself on kosher challah, even pretending to be a cow, because, after all, cows are kosher!
Finally, a very discouraged Baxter meets a kind rabbi who explains that although Baxter is not kosher to eat (and never will be!), “everyone is welcome at Shabbat dinner!” Baxter is invited to share in the joy of the candles, the singing, and the delicious kosher dinner.
We really enjoyed this delightful picture book! Laurel Snyder uses Baxter’s misunderstanding to teach the reader the wonder of Shabbat dinner - making a new friend, inviting him to supper, talking, listening, and singing together. My kids were familiar with some of the terms used in the story (and fully defined in the glossary), such as challah, mazel tov, rabbi, and shalom. They now have a fuller grasp ofkosher, kugel, and mitzvah, and understand that Shabbat is another word for the Sabbath.
David Goldin’s illustrations are a whimsical combination of photo collage and pen-and-ink drawings. My kids liked this combination of media, and were especially tickled with Baxter’s very exaggerated expressions!
I recommend Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher for the home library, as well as for inclusive school, church, and temple libraries. Although the concepts are related to Jewish traditions, it is not overtly religious; I consider it to be an excellent multicultural picture book.
FTC disclosure: review copy provided by the publisher
Today’s Spotlight on Bookstores post is written by author Sandra Novack, whose debut novel Precious was published by Random House last year, is out in paperback on August 31, and is a Fall ’10 “Reader’s Circle Selection.” She is available via Skype for book club chats, so if your book group has the ‘wait for the paperback edition’ guideline, now’s your time!
I haven’t yet had a chance to read Precious, but a friend says “When I read this book … it completely surprised me: it begins with one storyline–a girl goes missing–but by the second chapter, a totally new book opens up, rooted deep inside the intersected lives of people (not minding their business) in a small Pennsylvania town.”
Read on as Novack shares an ode to bookstores in general, shares some merchandising/display tips  , and cites four examples of independent stores that make (or in one eulogy to a store that has closed, made) her heart beat a little faster each time she visits:
I’ve moved around a lot, five states in thirteen years. In every state it’s bookstores that often tether me to a place and remind me where I am. It’s bookstores that become those places I just have to go to when returning for a visit. 
Most of the time, I’ll admit I have varied sensibilities when it comes to finding books, and buying them. Lots of times my choices are functional. For example, when living in rural GA and only having one bookstore within thirty minutes of me, I totally embraced the cyber store that is Amazon. And when I visit new places, I understand the appeal of Barnes and Noble and Borders because they are spaces I don’t have to negotiate. Whatever city I’m in, I can walk in and know the basic layout, the buzzing lights and coffee counter, the scones in glass jars, the chairs placed in communal areas. I can slink in unnoticed and get a cup of coffee. I can read a page or two of a book. I feel safe in these places, not only because bookstores are generally comforting to me but also because I know that I won’t have to talk to anyone there, not really, not if I don’t want.
I’ll even admit I love to go to bigger chains with the express intention of quietly undermining a hierarchical system, rearranging the co-op space—those coveted, ‘high-profile’ places where books are shelved in the windows or on tables everyone first sees when they enter a store. I might pull a book I’ve loved off the shelf, a book that, because of time and/or popular appeal, is no longer getting noticed. Sometimes I’ll request a book I don’t see and already have, because I know that when I don’t pick it up, that same book will be placed out and another person might buy it. I’ve even been known to hunt down books written by literary friends and place them next to a Stephenie Meyer or a Stieg Larsson book, all in the hope my friends’ books might sell quicker. I do this all the time.
Is it horrible to admit these things, about my big-chain book-whoring tendencies? I don’t really think so. I don’t see what harm it really does. And it’s not like anyone can arrest me for it, anyway. It’s a form of patronage after all.
But then there are the bookstores I both frequent AND love—independents, those places where you can talk to the owner and even influence things—what book they might mention in a newsletter, what novel they might feature and promote. Unlike big chains, when I walk into an independent store for the first time, I never quite know what to expect. Layouts vary. Sometimes an owner might have her cat Jinxy with her, and Jinxy might walk across the glass counter to greet me. Or Jinxy might hiss. (You know cats.) These places are always more intimate. A conversation might occur with the stranger next to me, who, because we’re both browsing through “D” and standing somewhere between Lydia Davis and Annie Dillard, thinks to comment on a work she’s looking for and what she’s heard about it.
Every indy place has its own quirks, its own personality. I couldn’t narrow my favorite down to one, so I offer four from some of my favorite places and cities.
In Pennsylvania my love is The Moravian Bookshop, the oldest bookstore in the country. Everything about this store reminds me of home, Main Street in Bethlehem, and Christmastime in a Christmas City. I always enter on the gallery side, where I’m dazzled by Old World ornaments and Moravian Stars and Vespers candles. I might buy a new ornament for my own tree before I work my way to the chocolate counter and then past the café and clothing store, and down the steps to the bookstore. I love this place because the staff knows books. Extensively. Intimately. They live for the written word, and they can help you find just what you’re looking for, even when you’re not sure yourself. I love this place because when I read from my debut novel PRECIOUS, it felt most like home.
In PA, too, there’s The Doylestown Bookshop, because Doylestown is a great place to kick around in and because after a good lunch with friends the bookstore is a perfect place to unwind. It’s deep and long and big, but it still feels homey. I can get lost in the back for hours before I notice the time. Staffer Jennifer is someone I always remember, too, because she told me she was a fan and said she’d sell the heck out of my book. Even though we haven’t spoken in months, she’s still promoting PRECIOUS as a favorite pick, just in time for the paperback release. This is an author’s store as well as a reader’s. Writers appreciate that personal connection, and our memories tend to run long.
In Durham it was The Book Exchange. The last time I visited, I tried to go there and cried when I found out it had closed. This had to be the oddest bookstore on the planet, but I’m pretty sure it carried just about every book ever written. I probably shaved entire years off my life searching for my favorite authors there, and stumbling upon new ones. First, the store was huge—and I mean HUGE, like multiple rooms on each floor and three floors jam-packed with books, books stacked on the stairs (fire hazard!), books piled on tables, books on shelves so high you had to climb a ladder to reach them, books, books, books as far as the eye could see!!!! And here was the kicker. The books weren’t arranged by the author’s last name (that would make too much sense) but according to the publishing house! Once I asked the clerk why such a funky system. “It made sense when we started,” he basically said. But apparently they just got bigger and bigger and no one ever thought to change the system. Laziness and all. So, if you went here, you’d have to research what press your favorite author was with, and you’d have to account for things like hardcover vs. softback, and various imprints at houses. And let’s not forget all the university presses. And independents. Let me tell you: This store totally messed with my brain. And I still crack a huge grin thinking about it. More places should be this strange. Think of all I learned about the web of publishing houses!
In Chicago, where I live now? It’s The Book Table in my very own Oak Park. The store is small and intimate and the staff has been so welcoming. My husband and I have only recently moved here, but when I walked down Lake Street and first saw this store, with its “fiercely independent” sign and its love of local writers, I knew this would be a great place to live. I knew it in my bones. Congrats to them, too, for recently being named the Best Bookstore of Chicago, 2010. They totally deserve it!
Sandra Novack currently lives in Chicago. Her novel PRECIOUS (Random House) is now available in paperback and is a Fall ’10 “Reader’s Circle Selection.” She is available via Skype for book club chats.
 It’s Bookrageous!
How’s that again?
Bookrageous is a movement of people who love books and will do, well, outrageous things to share that love. Note that I’m using dictionary.com’s fifth definition of outrageous here, highly unusual or unconventional; extravagant; remarkable, nothing offensive. Usually.
Check out the Bookrageous tumblr, follow @bookrageous on twitter (you can also search for the hashtag #bookrageous), and listen to the first bookrageous podcast. The podcasts and maintenance of tumblr and twitter accounts are hosted by Jenn, Josh, and Rebecca, the most bookrageous people you could ever meet!
And, for 18 months of Bookrageous fun, order the Bookrageous calendar. Eighteen booksellers and book bloggers showed what lengths they’ll go to for the love of a good book. The calendar runs January 2011 through June 2012, with some very clever bookrageous styling! Yeah, I may be the oldest bookrageous pinup in the calendar, but I haven’t completely lost my wild streak (though I am fully clothed, fearful of splinters in that tree!).
All proceds will benefit First Book, an organization which provides books to children in need. Access to books is one of the greatest factors affecting early literacy, and First Book addresses this need by working with community program to get books directly into the hands of those who will most benefit.
What’s the most bookrageous thing you’ve done lately?!
 Homer & Langley: A Novel written by E. L. Doctorow; read by Arthur Morey
Publisher: Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (September 1, 2009); 6 CDs
ISBN-13: 978-0739334164
Back-of-the-box blurb: Homer and Langley Collyer are brothers – the one blind and deeply intuitive, the other damaged into madness, or perhaps greatness, by mustard gas in the Great War. They live as recluses in their once grand Fifth Avenue mansion, scavenging the city streets for things they think they can use, hoarding the daily newspapers as research for Langley’s proposed dateless newspaper whose reportage will be as prophecy. Yet the epic events of the century play out in the lives of the two brothers – wars, political movements, technological advances – and even though they want nothing more than to shut out the world, history seems to pass through their cluttered house in the persons of immigrants, prostitutes, society women, government agents, gangsters, jazz musicians . . . and their housebound lives are fraught with Odyssean peril as they struggle to survive and create meaning for themselves.
She Is Too Fond of Books’ thoughts: I truly enjoyed this audiobook! It’s fairly short (6 disks, probably about 6 hours? Sorry I don’t have the exact run time; the print edition is about 225 pages), and kept me company when I was alone in the car during the long drives to and from my daughter’s ‘sleep-away’ camp this summer.
Doctorow starts with the true mystery of the Collyer brothers, adds a bit of artistic license and a great dose of imagination, and produces a creative rendering of what might have been. These men, once well-to-do Manhattanites who have lived as recluses in their Fifth Avenue mansion for decades, amassed 130 tons of STUFF, including 14 pianos, a model T, and 25,000 books. Seriously, the next time J complains about books all over our house, I’ll point him to this Wikipedia article about the Collyer brothers!
The author creates a framework on which to hang this path from mere eccentricity to full-blown agoraphobia at the least, what some would deem madness at its most extreme. As the supporting cast of characters slowly fade away for a variety of reasons, a combination of mental and physical illness has each brother offering both assistance and protection to the other; co-dependence at its creative best in Doctorow’s skillful prose.
The novel is told in the first person of Homer Langley, the brother who loses his sight at an early age. He claims that his other senses, especially hearing and touch, are more sensitive due to his lack of sight. He is also very insightful, yet keeps a bit of emotional distance from the events as he recalls them toward the end of his life.
Do be aware that this is historical fiction based on the barest of known facts; even those facts have been skewed at times. This is an entertaining and compelling work of fiction, not reference material.
The reading by Arthur Morey is well-paced and clearly articulated; I’ll look for other audiobooks read by this narrator.
FTC disclosure: I borrowed this audio CD set from my local public library. Funny thing, when I returned it, I had left one of the disks in my car … not to worry, my friendly neighborhood librarian called to let me know it was missing, and I dropped it off and avoided late fees. Librarians are unsung heroes.
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