Tom Engelhardt surveys recent events

Tom Engelhardt, author (including the novel The Last Days of Publishing), editor, Fellow at The Nation Institute and founder of TomDispatch.com, wrote a post summarizing specifically how the publishing industry is slashing and cutting its staff and book lists, bookstores are sending an increasing percentage of book orders as “returns,” and the reading population is changing.  He offers interesting insights into why publishers have been shielded from the Internet onslaught until recently.  Primarily, books don’t promote advertising, so they were ignored and escaped the problems of competing with online alternatives to newspapers and magazines.  That could be changing with the advent of e-readers.  He does suggest that reading electronically will probably include an advertising angle sometime in the future.  The Internet has changed book reading though by offering a cheap alternative, Mr. Engelhardt notes that a month of Internet service with all it offers is about the same price as a paperback or hardback.  Reading isn’t the cheapest entertainment any longer. 

Pat Holt had pointed suggestions for the publishing industry

Pat Holt is our new found hero.  Book editor and critic for many years at the San Francisco Chronicle, author and board member of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress, she has a long list of impressive accomplishments; however, here’s what we love:

Increasingly concerned about the plight of independent bookstores in their struggle to survive wave after predatory wave of chain bookstores, price clubs, discounters and Internet retailers, Pat resigned from The Chronicle in 1998 to create “Holt Uncensored,” an email book column launched by the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association. Now published from the Holt Uncensored website, the column became a full-fledged blog in 2008.

If that’s not the action of a modern day hero, what is?   Ms. Holt wrote a series on her website about the publishing industry called Three Things I’d Like to See.  The first recommends that publishers have online royalty accounts for authors (this didn’t resonate well with the publishers).  I asked Claire recently how her book was selling, she said she didn’t have any idea, she only hears if it will be reprinted.  I was stunned, my lawyer side kicked in and asked how she would know if she was getting the correct royalties, she just said that’s not how it’s done.  Clearly, authors need a union.

The second post suggested that publishers leave New York, cross not only the Hudson River but the Mississippi River as well.  As a native Californian, I couldn’t agree more.  I don’t think my kids have to go to college on the east coast any more than they should go to college in the mid-west.  In fact, I think only Californians should teach California history (yes, I know there are legal issues) because I’m so sick of non-natives teaching it with disdain.  I love visiting New York, but it isn’t the center of the world and the population needs to get over itself.  Okay, that’s a personal rant.  Ms. Holt’s very professional post discusses why it’s crippling the industry to be so insular.  She argues that its exclusive nature encourages reporting that is more about the author’s life than the author’s product.  She also discusses the National Book Award presentation night fiasco and how the National Book Foundation could better spend its funds to promote authors.

The last post highlights the problems with the decreasing power of editors in the publishing industry.  Ms. Holt finds the root of the problem with the marketing department having too much of a say in which books are chosen for publication.  Rather than allowing an editor to independently chose books, the race is for the next big author in whatever niche is selling at the time: romance novels in the 1980s, then Tom Clancy’s technical military books, and currently, but hopefully subsiding, quest books a la Dan Brown.  What she didn’t mention in this post, but which I have said so many times this year when I’ve finished a book, is “this would be a great book if it was 100 pages shorter, where was the editor?” I can think of at least five books I’ve read in the last year that didn’t have a story line or a purpose that supported its physical heft.

So we end the year with foreboding for the industry.  One of the aspects I like about Tom’s piece is that it compares what is going on in this industry with the automobile debacle and that helps give the situation a little perspective.

Family Resolution Tradition

On New Year’s morning my family gathers to write our resolutions for the next year.  Each year we put our resolutions in our respective Christmas stockings, so we have pieces of paper from years past stashed in each one.  My scraps usually list a particular weight I want to achieve by the next year, a weight I haven’t seen since the last century.  This year I’ve given up dieting to get there and gone straight to begging the scale to lie.  Annually, my husband writes that he wants to touch his toes, but his calf muscles have yet to comply.  Nevertheless, we have fun looking at our successes and failures while contemplating what we’re going to work on for the coming year. 

This year I’m going to include a literary resolution.  I was reading the Saturday WSJ article about 2009 resolutions of the famous–nine people said they were going to write books, but only five of them were authors.  So much talk about the end of the book while everyone is writing one.  My 2009 literary resolution isn’t to write a book, that’s Claire’s job around here, my resolution resulted from a talk I heard about the future of book culture.  One of the panelists, Andrew Tonkovich editor of the Santa Monica Review and host of a weekly literary arts program on KPFK in Los Angeles, declared that we all have to be emissaries to build a literary culture.  To do so, he aggressively changes conversations to what people are reading and the ideas in those books.  He is trying to elevate the level of conversation to ideas that come from both fiction and non-fiction.  My resolution is to join his band of emissaries.

Literary Resolution for 2009

I committing to trying to move conversations from the petty and mundane to what people are thinking about from the books they are reading.  I frequently ask people what book they are reading if I know they’re a reader, but now I’m going to ask indiscriminately.  If someone isn’t reading a book, I’ll ask why and follow up with a recommendation (I firmly believe that there is a book that will entrance the most obstinate non-reader).  When someone tells me what book they are reading, I usually only ask, “do you like it?”  Now, I’m going to ask more pointed questions (I have a teenager, so I’ve had practice at this).  Instead of general yes or no question, I’ll shoot for “who’s the main character,” “how is she changing,” “what would you change about the book,” “what is the most interesting thing you’re learning about the subject,” or ”do you trust/agree/disagree with the author’s point of view.”  I find books much richer if I talk about them.  When I ust read them and move on to the next one, they fade away in my memory.  Discussions, either in a book group or with a friend, help me formulate what I think about the book.  I experience their ideas at a new level.  Plus, books are a much better launching pad into other conversations than “how was your day?”

So, starting now, I’ll ask about your day and I still care about what is going on in your life, but I also want to know what you’re thinking about what you’re spending hours reading, more than if you just like the book.

Claire and I would love to see a program promoted by an independent bookstore win the prize.

UPDATE:  The deadline for the award has been extended to February 15th.

On a lark, Claire and I decided to predict the winner of the Oscar for Writing, Adapted Screenplay, I’m hoping others will play along and give us their choices before the “big night.”  A little history for those of you who get snacks when this award is announced; there are two writing awards, one for writing a screenplay adapted from another work such as a novel or play (think Emma Thompson winning in 1995 for “Sense and Sensibility”) and the second for writing an original screenplay not based on any previously published work (think Tom Schulman in 1989 for “Dead Poets Society”).

I’m starting by looking at “Revolutionary Road,” screenplay by Justin Haythe, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Yates.  Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are together again, but now on dry land.  They’ve had fake sex on film so many times I wonder if they even have to rehearse.  A brief synopsis that doesn’t give away the book:  Frank and April Wheeler are just turning thirty, living in the suburbs with two young children, April stays home with the kids while Frank commutes to a job he hates in the city.  The Wheelers were something special during their single/college years, but are now looking at their life and feeling trapped.  (Sidebar:  The book was published in 1961 and deals with the 1950s era, I find it interesting that the Wheelers have a home, two kids and a mid-life crisis by age 30 while currently we’re hoping our kids are out of the house by then.)

April decides to stop settling and convinces Frank to chuck their mundane middle-class life before it is too late, sell everything, and move to Paris.  How this plan proceeds is the plot of the book, but not its meaning.  For, me it explores how we transition from what we thought we were going to be when we were young and promising, to what we are, for better or for worse.  As a woman, I noticed how many more options I feel I have in 2008 than April Wheeler had in the late 1950s.

Both the book and the movie relayed the feeling of how bored the Wheelers feel with their lives.  The repeated slow moving camera sweeps of the neighborhood, the commute, and the house portray a very stagnant existence.  The first thing I said to my husband when the movie ended, “And that is why we don’t live in the suburbs.”

Leonardo DiCapro is an excellent Frank, living out his showmanship with his constant talking  and his emotions with the swings from frustration to caring.  I think the portrayal of the relationship with the office girl was weakest part of the screenplay.  I don’t think that relationship can be eliminated from the story, yet it didn’t carry it’s weight of significance in the few scenes where it occurred. 

What I found most intriguing was Kate Winslet’s portrayal of April.  The author writes the book largely from Frank’s perspective, a little from Shep’s and Mrs. Givings, and only a very small part from April’s point of view at the end of the book.  I realized Frank was an unreliable narrator particularly with regard to April. I wondered what she really thought at times.  That question isn’t answered because the screenwriter only has what the book tells us, which is largely what Frank tells us.  Nevertheless, I felt as if I finally met April when I saw the movie.  Ms. Winslet’s portrayal matched what I envisioned, but by feeling as if I was seeing her point of view, my opinion of Frank worsened.  He looked much more like an insecure blowhard in the movie.  In this regard, I think the movie filled out the book by giving April a stronger presence.

My hands down favorite parts occurred with the fool, John Givings, a man on afternoon furloughs from the state insane asylum, visits to point out the elephants in the Wheelers and their relationship.  In my opinion, the fool, both in the book, but especially in the movie, is beautifully written by the author and the screenwriter.  Michael Shannon, the actor who played John Givings, deserves a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  The movie is excellent, but these scenes stand out above the rest.

Overall, I was impressed by the movie’s presentation of the book.  I’m looking forward to seeing more flms in the next week to see how they compare.

UPDATE:  Kate Winslet won the award for Best Actress in a Drama Film for her role as April Wheeler at the Golden Globe Awards.  In a very tearful acceptance speech, she thanked Richard Yates for writing such a wonderful book and character.

UPDATE:  I’m shocked, no nomination for Writing Adapted Screenplay, in fact the only significant nomination is for Best Supporting Actor for Michael Shannon, deservedly so.

The story occurs in a small hut in the Apeninne mountains.  A young monk, Brother Angelo, is cleaning the cold and wretched place for the Christmas celebrations.  He makes some simple soup for the returning monks and decorates the cross with ivy to add a festive air.  

An elder monk, Brother Francis, returns and Brother Angelo welcomes him with love and respect.  During their conversation, Brother Angelo tells of three robbers visiting the hut requesting food.

I sent them away, and scolded them well for their bad ways. I told them God would send them to hell for their crimes.

 ”You said that and sent them away?” the older monk asked.

 ”Their hands were red with blood,” Angelo answered.

 ”They stretched them out for help and you left them unfilled?”

 ”They were robbers, Brother Francis.”

 ”They were brothers, Brother Angelo.”

 ”Brothers? The robbers?”

 Francis looked at him severely. “Yes, the robbers. They wander in cold and hunger, and you make yourself comfortable in the warm house. Oh, Brother Angelo, your heart is not so well prepared for Christmas as this hut is.

 Brother Angelo recognizes his failing, picks up a sack of bread and a pitcher of wine and searches the mountains until he finds the robbers to ask their forgiveness.

Suddenly a black, disheveled head appeared from behind a rock, glaring sinisterly at Brother Angelo.  Angelo turned pale. “Ho there,” the robber cried, and instantly two other heads appeared. “What do you want, monk?” the first one bellowed, making Brother Angelo tremble. “To give us a penitential sermon as you did this morning? It’s hard preaching to empty stomachs.” 

“No,” replied Angelo. He laid down his sack of bread and pitcher of wine, and knelt in the snow. “Dear robbers, forgive me for sending you away with such harsh words. I have come now to bring you some bread and wine and to beg your forgiveness for my sin.” He knelt there with head bowed. One of the robbers turned pale, bit his lip and turned away. The second robber’s face turned bright red; he covered his eyes like an ashamed child. The third, the youngest, laughed a little. “We’ll gladly forgive you,” he said. “But we felt very hungry today. Stay and eat with us.” 

Brother Angelo stood up and shook the snow from his habit. “I cannot stay with you,” he said. “Brother Francis expects me for Midnight Mass at the monastery. I must hurry. But perhaps you can visit us at the monastery sometime if you are in need of anything.” 

“And Brother Francis,” asked the first robber, “Will he not scold us, as you did?” The face of young Angelo lit up: “He calls you brothers!” “Brothers!” said all three with one voice, and then there was an uneasy silence.

“Farewell, brother robbers,” said Angelo. “God be with you.”

It’s the monks and the robbers that remind me of the shepherds in Luke 2, rough men who experience the news of Christ’s birth directly from a host of angels.  The angels didn’t show up at the Roman Emperor’s banquet or any rich court, but to a bunch of cold, stinky men who were considered the lowest of the low; on them, God showered His glory and called them brothers.

I think of this story all year when I catch myself judging other people.  With a little grace I can see them as my brothers and sisters, and with a little grace, I hope they can see me that way also.  Merry Christmas and God bless you.

NPR talked to three bookstores who each gave five book recommendations.  I listed them below, but check out the story (you can read it or listen to it while wrapping presents) because the booksellers give a summary of each of the books.

The Bookmark in Atlantic Beach, FL

1. Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
2. Esther’s Inheritance by Sandor Marai
3. Gone Tomorrow by P.F. Kluge
4. The Man Who Invented Christmas by Les Standiford
5. Serena by Ron Rash

The Bookshelf in Winona, Minn

1. So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger
2. A Splintered History of Wood:  Belt Sander Races, Blind Woodworkers and Baseball Bats by Spike Carlsen (if you really read the title, you’re laughing)
3. Downtown Owl:  A Novel by Chuck Klosterman
4. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
5. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (on my desk to read next month)

Portrait of a Bookstore in Studio City, CA

1. The Oxford Project with photographs by Peter Feldstein and text by Stephens G. Bloom
2. The Economist Book of Obituaries by Keith Colquhoun and Ann Wroe
3. Pinocchio by Geoffrey Brock
4. All Art is Propaganda:  Critical Essays by George Orwell (I just added this one to my Christmas list)
5. The Ecco Anthology of Contemporary American Short Stories by Joyce Carol Oats

Now is the time for all good gift givers to visit their local independent bookstores and buy those holiday gifts.

Claire and I asked our two favorite science experts to give us suggestions for engaging books that even the likes of me would enjoy reading.  I think I’m set for a decade. 

Bob Kahn spends his summers reading books about science, in fact, his coffee table is heaped with them (I know because I’ve had a hard time finding room for my coffee cup sometimes).  In the fall though, he is our true hero as he opens the exciting world of science for our teenagers as an 8th grade science teacher.  Bob was instrumental in developing a curriculum that asked the kids to think their way through the school year rather than passively absorb stacks of information,and for that, we’re very grateful.

The Double Helix:  A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson – A science memoir by the co-discoverer (with Francis Crick) of the structure of DNA (they both won the Nobel Prize) that gives the reader a peek into real life science with all of it’s squabbles, melodrama and humanity.  It’s not a pristine world of spotless lab coats and gleaming beakers. 

The Sacred Depths of Nature by Ursula Goodenough – One scientist’s perspective on the dialogue between science and religion.  Through a series of meditations, the author explains various aspects of biology with a sense of the awe for the mysteries of nature.

The Demon Haunted World:  Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan – Mr. Sagan’s last book is a call to use scientific thinking, wisdom and common sense to debunk pseudoscience including alien abduction, the Loch Ness monster, Roswell and area 51.  This approachable book popularizes science by encouraging critical thinking, science literacy, and curiosity about our world.

Madame Curie by Eve Curie (her daughter), translated by Vincent Sheean – Bob has raved about this book for years, he believes everyone should read it because Mme. Curie’s life was so full and enlightening.

The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner – A great introduction to evolutionary biology that shows how evolution is occurring now.  This Pulitzer prize winning book follows Rosemary and Peter Grant as they study the continuing evolution of the beaks of Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos Islands.

Cry of the Kalahari by Mark James Owens and Cordelia Dykes Owens – Two graduate students spend seven years in the Kalahari Desert studying wildlife.  This book will make you laugh and cry as you learn about drought, fire, lions and hyenas.

The Wild Trees by Richard Preston – This page turner gives the reader a view into a primordial world 350 feet up in the crowns of the world’s tallest trees.  The book explains the ecology of the floor and the canopy while interweaving personal stories of recreational tree climbers (including a wedding in the canopy) and the specialized equipment they use to sky walk.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston – A non-fiction thriller about the Ebola virus spreading through laboratory monkeys in Virgina.  Mr. Preston gives the history of the Ebola virus and a description of how these filoviruses work.

Claire’s brother Ted is, as she likes to say, the east coast version of Bob Kahn: he, too, teaches 8th grade biology (as well as AP Bio) at the Friends Seminary in New York City.  His heart is in the cloud forest of Costa Rica, though, and he goes back to visit or spend a year whenever he can.  He’s a passionate environmentalist whose carbon footprint is about as small as a modern man’s can be and tends to be about five years ahead of the curve in figuring out what we should be doing to make the world a better place to live. 

Flight of the Iguana by David Quammen – Essays (originally magazine columns) on far-ranging topics.  (Claire’s note: I loved the one on black widow spider babies, which hatch in Quammen’s office.  He gets down to really look at them and says we should never kill anything without studying it and making an effort to connect to it first.)

Anything by Richard Dawkins – Best known in recent years for the splash he made with The God Dilemma, back in the 70′s he published a book that changed the way people looked at and discussed evolution, The Selfish Gene.

Biophilia by EO Wilson – A collection of essays by one of science’s most beautiful and engaging writers.  (Claire adds: a study of ants Ted did with Bert Holldobler back in college ended up referenced as a footnote in Holldobler and Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning book The Ants.  Cool, right?)

Beak of the Finchby Jonathan Weiner-  See discussion above, both Ted and Bob loved this book.

Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Gary Marcus – Kluge is an engineering term for a clumsily designed solution to a problem and Mr. Marcus argues that our brain is a patchwork design evolved from the experiences of the human past. 

 Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character) by Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton – a series of humorous stories about Richard Feynman, Nobel prize winner, physicist, and member of the Manhattan Project.  The underlying message is to continue to think critically, learn by understanding rather than rote and never give up on unsolvable problems.  (Kim decides:  This will be my 2009 science book.)

The Inaugural poem holds a special place in my heart.  Keith and I attended Clinton’s first Inauguration.  Listening to Maya Angelou with her voice so rich and full of love in that cold January morning with the Capitol behind her is one of the most moving moments of my life.  I remember turning around and looking at the thousands of people spread out across the Mall with tears in my eyes.  A poet has the chance to capture our hearts and our minds with such precision; Ms. Angelou was able to encapsulate the beginning of a new era for an entire nation. 

I’m looking forward to the Inauguration for many reasons, President-elect Obama’s speech is sure to stirring, again we’re at the beginning of a new era for our country, but it is the poet who with so short a span of time can capture our yearnings and our desires and hold them up for the world to see.  Ms. Alexander said she has been keeping notes and scraps of ideas throughout the campaign about the momentum of hope as the election progressed and that she’ll be looking at those as she composes her poem.  I can’t wait!

UPDATE:  Ms. Alexander completed the poem, except for maybe a tweak or two.  Listen to her interview on 1/17/09 about the writing process.

For a taste of what we have to look forward to, her is Ms. Alexander reading “Ars Poetica #100:  I Believe” which defines poetry:

To put it succinctly, G’DEE taught me everything I know about the Jewish holidays.  Really.  Everything. 

It’s a children’s book, with colorful illustrations, and it tells the story of twins, a brother and a sister, who get sent a goat by their relatives in Israel.  (I think “g’dee” means goat in Hebrew.)  The book then follows a year in the twins’ life, as marked out by the Jewish holidays.  Because G’dee is a very young goat, the siblings make a point of teaching him the meaning of the holidays and explaining the ways in which they observe and celebrate them, from a Purim puppet show to fasting on Yom Kippur.

G’dee is your typical goat (I assume), good-natured, eager to please, and extremely hungry at all times.  Fortunately for him, Jewish holidays–as described in this book–center largely on the special foods that are eaten for symbolic or joyous reasons.   So G’dee basically eats his way through the Jewish holidays.  The book always made my mouth water.  

Sadly, G’dee the book does not appear to be in print anymore.  In fact, as far as I could tell, the last printing was in 1966 which would date me if . . .  um . . .  er . . . it hadn’t been such an old hand-me-down when I read it.  (Nice save, Claire!)  You can probably still get a used copy or two, or you’re welcome to borrow my copy (which is really my older sister’s, so if you notice her name written on the title page, don’t go running to her to tell on me), or you can at least capture the spirit of the book by indulging in some hearty holiday cooking for Chanuakah.  (Say that ten times fast.)

For the past ten years or so, my holiday cooking companion has been Joan Nathan’s The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen.   Organized by the holidays, this book is a cross between a cookbook and a celebration guide.    Nathan discusses each holiday at the beginning of the chapter, giving a historical overview and describing her family’s traditions.  She often includes games and gift ideas in the book, but the majority of it is devoted to recipes.

The book is aimed at people with fairly small children and does a good job of simplifying traditional recipes so the children can help make them.  Nathan even separates out the directions into what the kids can do alone, what they can do with adult assistance, and what adults need to do to be safe. 

Nathan also has a purely adult version of this book, called The Jewish Holiday Kitchen.  (Or, more accurately, this book is a simplified, child-friendly version of THAT book, which I believe preceded it.)  She’s best known for her incredibly well-regarded book called Jewish Cooking in America.   She has her niche nicely carvedout.  (My husband  and I always says the key to success in life is specializing.)

So here’s my recommendation for Chanukah: buy Nathan’s book, then gather your family around to light the candles and then fry up a big batch of potato latkes (Nathan has an unusual recipe for those–you might want to go more traditional, but it’s your choice).  Drain the latkes, smother them in applesauce and sour cream, and eat until you feel sick.  Which, with latkes, won’t take all that long, leaving you plenty of time to curl up with a good novel before bedtime.  (I recommend The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham about a young ultra-orthodox Jewish girl whose secret reading of romantic novels makes her wonder about the world beyond her very repressive community.)

Happy Chanukah.

You may or may not know that my husband is a co-executive producer on the  long-running prime time animated show “The Simpsons.”   It’s a pretty well-regarded show (to judge by the Emmys he’s accrued since working on it), so when Kim and I were brainstorming about possible “best of” lists, I thought it was worth asking Rob if he were willing to survey the Simpsons writers on their favorite humorous books.

The answer was, “Probably not.”

I’m not that easily dissuaded, except when it comes to something important, so I pressed a little harder, telling him that ALL he had to do was say, “Hey, what’s everyone’s favorite funny book?”  He reluctantly agreed to do that much, but warned me that if the other writers regarded it as “more work,” he was dropping the whole thing.

Rob came home that night with dozens of handwritten titles nominated by the writers in the room–and a confession that the discussion had been kind of fun for everyone.

So here’s a list of the funniest books some of the funniest TV writers in America have come up with, somewhat winnowed down and edited by ME, because I’m the one writing the post and a little bit by Rob, too, because he came and looked over my shoulder.  (The ones I don’t have much to say about were the ones Rob said I had to include even though I hadn’t read them, so the less I have to say, the more you can assume the book is terrifically funny.)

1.  Flashman (the whole series) by George MacDonald Fraser.  An unrepentant cheat, liar, braggart and womanizer, Flashman was a minor character in Tom Brown’s Schooldays until Fraser decided the school bully should have his own series. 

2.  How I Conquered Your Planet by John Swartzwelder.  Written by a truly legendary former Simpsons writer (I believe he wrote 53 episodes), this book is just, well, funny.

3.  Our Dumb Century or any other Onion collection.  If your giftee likes humor, he probably knows The Onion, the brilliant fake newspaper.  The collections are staggeringly funny and superb bathroom reading.

4.  Pastoralia by George Saunders.  I haven’t read this one and they didn’t give me any blurbs, but apparently there was a lot of enthusiasm for this one, so I say get it.

5.  Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.  I handpicked this one from the list I was given because it’s one of my all-time favorite books.  It’s a bit like a placebo: if you can trick yourself into reading it as a serious book, then it’s that much more incredible when you start realizing what’s going on.  A brilliant, brilliant book and the best example of an unreliable narrator you’re ever going to find.

6.  Anything by PG Wodehouse.  Actually, it was specifically the novel P. Smith, Journalist, but since that one may be out of print (and I’ve never read it), I expanded this one to all things Wodehouse.  Yes, I know, he wrote a long time ago, but he’s really really genuinely funny.

7.  Without Feathers, by Woody Allen.  There are books that made me want to be a writer, but this is the book that made me want to be funny.   And even when Allen makes movies like The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, I forgive him because he wrote Without Feathers.

8.  The Magic Christian and/or Candy by Terry Southern.  You know when you first start dating and you’re madly in love and you want your new crush to love everything you love so you give him/her your favorite book to read?  Rob gave me Magic Christian way back when.  And we’ve been together for over 20 years so . . . you know.  It’s good.   I also love Candy, which is Southern’s crazy raunchy take on Candide but it’s definitely not for the kiddies.

9.  Quin’s Shanghai Circus, by Edward Whittemore.  Now I wish I had asked more questions because I know nothing about this book.  Maybe someone will write in with more info about it?  It’s got to be good to make it on the list, right?

10. The Ginger Man by JP Donleavy.  Donleavy is incredible.  My favorite  of his books is The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman, but my comedy credentials aren’t as impressive as those who picked this one, so I defer to them.  Any Donleavy you read or gift is money in the humor bank.

A Merry Christmas (or Chanukah) to all, and to all a good laugh.