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Taking a riff from NPR’s story last week about which deceased composers Miles Hoffman would invite to Thanksgiving dinner, I pondered the same question for authors and asked quite a few friends.  Here are the guidelines:  which dead authors would you invite to Thanksgiving dinner?  Which author would you invite to give a reading Thanksgiving evening?

Some Favorites

In my unofficial survey (meaning you saw me in the last couple of days or responded to my Facebook status update), Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, and Mark Twain were the big winners.  F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and Leo Tolstoy came in a close second.  Just tallying the most popular loses the charm of creating a conversational grouping.  One person had Shel Silverstein, C.S. Lewis, and Roald Dahl at the table, all authors who wrote for children and adults at the same time.  Can you just imagine the potential rant on current media saturated childhoods?  It would be gripping.

Another friend had an all Russian table:  Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, and Anton Chekov.  My son’s first comment was “no Russians” regardless of the fact that his favorite novel is The Brothers Karamazov.  I’m a huge fan of Russian literature (one of my college majors was Soviet Studies, I’ve read and enjoyed them) but I kind of understand, a Russian table would make for a loooong dinner.  I’d throw Virginia Woolf in with them and label the table: Depression Eats.  I’d add Hemingway, but I worry that he could feel needlessly inadequate and start acting out, plus he would require a lot of expensive wine with dinner.

The Reading

Mark Twain is a hands down winner here and what an evening it would be!  Imagine what he would write about the current state of our nation?  He was never a fan of politicians and this year would give him a lot of fodder with which to work.  For me, a very close second, maybe even a tie, would be Charles Dickens.  He was famous for his readings and the magical evenings they created.  Although many put him on their invitation A list, I think he may be too much of an attention hog for a dinner party; I like conversations, not monologues.

One friend suggested inviting Julia Child since it is a meal.  That is way too intimidating for me.  It occurred to me though, rather than a reading, the performance could be watching Julia Child cook Thanksgiving dinner for all of us.  That would be a meal not to miss.

My Table

After talking to so many people and hearing several ideas, it’s hard to come up with one.  Since it’s my post, I won’t, here are my latest thoughts:

Fiction and Spirituality:  Fyodor Dostoevsky, C.S. Lewis, and Flannery O’Connor, all three beautifully interwove an excellent story with spiritual themes accessible to everyone.  It would probably be a good idea to include Henry Nouwen who didn’t write fiction, but seems amazingly gracious.  The table may need his charm.

The US and Europe:  Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Somerset Maugham, all authors who could write a beautiful tale that portrayed their own society and time, but tended to have a broader view of the world.  Austen less so, but if I’m going to raise any authors from the dead, she’s on first gravy train to dinner.

The Power Table:  since it’s my post and I can do what I want to, this table is full of women who carved a path in their fields and, ultimately, for the rest of us–Dorothy Parker, Lee Krasner, Coco Chanel, and Eleanor Roosevelt.  I’d ask Abigail Adams to sit next me, then write a letter to John describing the dinner and share it during our evening reading.

Who would you ask to your Thanksgiving dinner?

 

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I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that Joseph Ellis is my favorite historian.  He’s concise and erudite, for me very high praise.  I love non-fiction, but I dread being on page 500 of a biography and still haven’t reached the event for which the person is famous.  I don’t want to know that much about any event or life, not even my own.  Ellis tells the reader the salient facts with the supporting information that’s necessary to understand the person’s life or event, all in an enjoyable narrative.  (I liked his biography of Jefferson also, 464 pages for Jefferson’s entire life and I feel like a have a solid working understanding of it).  I’ve read many of Ellis’ books, the first and best, in my opinion is Founding Brothers:  The Revolutionary Generation.

The book looks at six decisive moments in the American Revolution including a dinner party during which the location of the capitol was decided (it’s intentional that our financial center and our political center are separate), the Hamilton Burr duel (juicy with an academic nuance), Washington’s Farewell Address (under Ellis’ pen George doesn’t appear quite so dry), and the friendship between Adams and Jefferson.  After reading the book, I’ll never forget that they both died on July 4th, within hours of one another; that’s a relationship deeply entwined with each other and the nation they created.

By providing these six vignettes, Ellis’ book is a lighter read than a slog through a chronological history, but it’s packed with information.   I have a renewed appreciation for Adams (I can’t wait to read Ellis’ latest book about John and  Abigail) and an understanding that there is nothing new about our current contentious political atmosphere, it is inherent in our system.  This is history that comes up all the time in conversation.  The roots of our financial system go back to Jefferson and Madison.  The underlying issues in race relations are foundational in our system from the time of the Constitution, everyone was well aware of the issue and knew that it was being foisted on future generations.  Ellis argues that slavery was the sacrifice to ensure a Constitution and a nation.  Every time I’m in DC I think about the dinner party that decided that our nation would be lead from the middle.

Founding Brothers is a history book that is a joy to read and one that I’ve recalled over and over again.  Read it and let me know what you think.

And if you’re up a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, check out this version with several stars including Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Douglas, Kathy Bates and Mel Gibson, it never sounded so good!

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Independent booksellers all across the nation are a terrific source for solving the last-minute-gift issue.  Describe the person and chances are they’ll have a wonderful book suggestion.  You’ll support the commerce in your city and give the recipient a great reading experience.  If you’re lucky, the bookseller will wrap the gift for you.  Want to do a little research on your own?  Here’s a list of links to holiday recommendation lists from stores across the nation:

With all of those choices, how can you go wrong?

We’re taking several days off to enjoy the holidays.  Looking for a little Christmas cheer?  Click over to our links to Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries.  Want a beautiful Christmas story?  My favorite is still “Brother Robber” by Helen Christaller.

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What to get for the person who has everything? Vroman’s has you covered.  How many bookstores have their own Jedi?

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I’ve been marking book lists from bookstores for a ‘bookstore recommended’ article, but this video deserves a post all it’s own.  I love “silly band kids love them, I don’t know why!” because neither do I.  Also, follow the Pink Martini advice, the album is a Christmas hit in my family.

In an article surveying the thriving literary scene in  San Francisco, the New York Times recently described Green Apple as the “largest used bookstore in the city, Green Apple, [that] maintains a distinctive feel thanks to staff members who know their way around the sprawling shop and around the world of books itself. “It’s not the kind of thing people could create from scratch these days,” said Pete Mulvilhill, one of the owners.

See what you like from their gift giving suggestions.

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