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?

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!

• St. Louis booksellers pick their favorite books
• Politics and Prose gave their members a discount on the books on their holiday hit list
• McNally Jackson’s current staff picks
• Portrait of a Bookstore has two links for historical novel lovers, link 1 and link 2
• Tattered Cover had an End of the Year Show and Tell four part series of excellent books, here’s the link to part 4 which can then lead you to the others
• Booksmith has a list of autographed books (that’s a wonderful extra touch) that they are happy to wrap and ship
• Powell’s discounts all of the books in its holiday gift guide by 30%
• The bookstore that warms our heart, Village Books, has a terrific holiday gift guide every year

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.

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.

In an effort to kick start the movement, American Express is backing it big time.  Click on the Facebook page and for everyone who “likes” the page, American Express will donate $1 to Girls, Inc., up to $500,000.  I love this charity, so please head over and click.  Who couldn’t use a little extra money during the holiday season?  American Express will credit $25 to cardholders who shop at small businesses on Small Business Saturday.  You must enroll to receive the credit and enrollment is limited.

Drag yourself from the Thanksgiving leftovers and the football games, pop into a local business and find a gift for someone on your list.  Help your community, whittle away at your holiday ‘to dos,’ and take advantage of a little credit from American Express.

Need some ideas?  The Guardian asks Kate Mosse for her top 10 ghostly stories and How Stuff Works recommended their All Hallow’s Read picks.  Have some of your own ideas?  Share them with us.  For those of you who are reading this on October 31st at 5PM and are out of Halloween steam, check out Things That Go Boo, a website of scary stories and poems.  Print one out and slip it under a loved one’s pillow for a last minute Halloween treat.

Parable of the Old Man and the Young

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,
And builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretched forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him.  Behold,
A ram caught in a thicket by its horns;
Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.
But the old man would not so, but slew his son, And half the see of Europe, one by one.

Taking the Biblical story  of Abraham and Issac  and twisting the ending gives the poem a powerful ending on the theme of the horror of war.  Owen’s use of Abram vs. Abraham (God had ‘renamed’ Abram by the time of the sacrifice) is an early indicator of the tragic ending of the poem.  Under the name Abram, he doubted God and his promise and had a son with Hagar, his wife’s slave.  His life as Abram signified the time when he was not a righteous man.  When God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, it signals his righteousness and obedience to God.  Owen’s use of Abram signals that the correct action will be shunned for the sake of pride and instead a great evil is committed.

For those who are like me and would rather hear poetry than read it, few are better than Kenneth Branagh:

Owen Wilfred died a week before the end of World War I.  His mother received the telegram notifying her of his death as the church bells were ringing for the Armistice.

Lending Out Books

by Hal Sirowitz

You’re always giving, my therapist said.

You have to learn how to take.  Whenever

you meet a woman, the first thing you do

is lend her your books.  You think she’ll

have to see you again in order to return them.

But what happens is, she doesn’t have the time

to read them, & she’s afraid if she sees you again

you’ll expect her to talk about them, & will

want to lend her even more.  So she

cancels the date.  You end up losing

a lot of books.  You should borrow hers.

The Santaland Diaries is the first Sedaris essay I heard.  I was getting ready for work one morning and literally dropped to my knees I was laughing so hard.  Another time I was driving to work and had to pull over because I couldn’t drive with my eyes squeezed closed in laughter.  I’ll share the piece of advice I tell everyone the first time they hear Sedaris, “go to the bathroom because you could pee in your pants.”

Take a break from the hustle and bustle, grab some hot chocolate and get ready to laugh (no need to watch the screen, it doesn’t change):

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

In honor of Christmas, we’ll be taking a few days off, but will return for a few final reading challenge posts (nothing like leaving it to the last minute).   For Claire, Christmas is a wonderful holiday to spend with the family, for me, it is a precious day of faith.  However you celebrate the holiday, we hope that it is joyous for you.