Her Book Self

“Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year.” ~ Horace Mann

I haven't shared a good quote in a while and this one sort of goes along with my snail's pace of reading this year.   In past winters, I've consumed books as quickly as I could carry them out of the library, but I've found myself taking things slower this year.  I'm purposely not signing up for any reading challenges as I don't want any pressure to compel myself to reach a certain number of books read.  But, despite numerous other things in life that pull me away from my passion for pages (and my enjoyment of blogging!), I like this quote because it fits my current reading goals of the year.  I'm not going to push myself to compete with past years when I finished 80, 90, or 100+ works in under twelve months, but I do want to focus on reading every day.

And I do think I will feel it at year's end.

Do you set reading goals for yourself each year?  What do you think about the goal of just a little bit of reading each day?

I've been home sick the past few days and I always have a hard time making myself rest when I'm sick versus getting things done around the house. The cold bug I caught this year however really wiped me out. I'll sleep nine or more hours a night and still wake up feeling really tired. So the quote above seemed rather appropriate for me this week as it has been rather nice to kick my feet up and cuddle with a cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and a good book with hopes of feeling better soon!

In lamenting a particularly frustrating portion of my work as a research scientist, I once described a group of my assignments as "The Rumpelstiltskin Effect".  I felt as though in moving my project forward I was being asked to spin straw into gold - a task that was in every way something that nobody could do, but still I was pursuing it.  Needless to say, that project did not pan out as well as some of my others.

Reflecting on that portion of my work, I also realized that I've never reviewed and analyzed the popular Brothers Grimm story Rumpelstiltskin.  As many know the story begins with the Sisyphean task for the miller's daughter all because of something her father says:

"Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he had to go and speak to the king, and in order to make himself appear important he said to him, 'I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold.'" 

Notice that the problems all begin because the man was trying to "appear important".  The adage of pride before the fall comes to mind here as the story is set in motion.  The greedy king locks the girl up with a room full of straw and a spinning wheel and threatens to kill her if she cannot perform the feat by morning.  Partly I wonder if this was the king simply trying to call the man's bluff.  I have to wonder if the king would really go through with executing a subject - and a beautiful one at that - for what seems to be an obvious exaggeration.  So the miller's daughter is more than a little bit stuck.  The story tells us:

"She had no idea how straw could be spun into gold, and she grew more and more frightened, until at last she began to weep.  But all at once the door opened, and in came a little man..."

I'll try not to roll my eyes at why the miller's daughter didn't at least start trying to spin her straw, plead hay fever and demand release, or fess up to her father's lies; but as in many fairy tales, we have a male who comes to her rescue.  The stranger creates the gold in exchange for a necklace and when the king's greed causes a repeat of events the miller's daughter turns over a gold ring.  (Does anyone ever stop to wonder why, if the miller was so poor, does his daughter have a necklace and a ring that become some pretty hefty bargaining chips?  Or why, if Rumpelstiltskin can spin stray into gold, does he have need of the girl's trinkets?  Sorry, moving on.)  On the third night, the girl is once more thrust into a room of straw and told by the king, "You must spin this, too, in the course of this night, but if you succeed, you shall be my wife."

Rumpelstiltskin appears to save her once more but she is left without anything to offer him in trade for his service - and yet he offers her a deal:

"'Then promise me, if you should become queen, to give me your first child.'"
Who knows whether that will ever happen, thought the miller's daughter, and, not knowing how else to help herself in this strait, she promised the manikin what he wanted, and for that he once more spun the straw into gold."

I know fairy tale heroines are not known for their brains but since the king promised to marry her for one more night of spinning and if Rumpelstiltskin had already delivered a straw to gold transmogrification twice, why didn't she think she would be queen?  So the story proceeds with the girl marrying the king, and eventually having a child that Rumpelstiltskin comes to claim.  She pleads with him not to take the baby and he offers her a reprieve if she can guess his name.  (I have to wonder, how did he help her out three nights in a row and she never asked who he was?)  Of course the big "R" is not a name on anyone's lips so the new queen's situation is rather dire.  She sends out messengers to seek new names from all the kingdoms and eventually one returns with the following tale of what he observed:

"Round about the fire quite a ridiculous little man was jumping, he hopped upon one leg, and shouted -
     'To-day I bake, to-morrow brew,

     the next I'll have the young queen's child.
     Ha, glad am I that no one knew
     that Rumpelstiltskin I am styled.'" 

The queen reveals the answer to the guessing game and the peeved little man suffers a rather disastrous fate:

"...in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into the earth that his whole leg went in, and then in rage he pulled at his left leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two."

Typically Grimm, that line is the morbid end to the story.  At first, my reaction to this story is one of disdain.  None of the characters are exceptionally virtuous, but on second look there are some actual morals to be found.  The first may be that honesty is the best policy and that one should not tell lies to make themselves seem more important, but I think the larger lesson revealed is to guard one's words.

There are multiple Biblical proverbs about this topic, and regardless of your thoughts on the divinity of scripture, the advice is exceptionally wise.  One example is Proverbs 13:3 "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." (18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death" and 21:23 states, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.")  Knowing that the Grimms were in the practice of moralizing, I think it can be rather obvious how these verses tie into the tale.

Firstly, the father's boastfulness is what begins the whole fiasco.  The king's harsh threats cause the miller's daughter her panic, which in turn leads to her making an unwise promise to Rumpelstiltskin.  All through the story we see the characters causing their own trouble because of what they say and ultimately, it is the little man's words when he thinks no one can hear him that leads the queen to have his name. 


What are your thoughts on the morals and lessons of Rumpelstiltskin?  Is discretionary speech a good theme to pull out of this tale or do you interpret it differently?  Do you feel bad that things ended so poorly for the titular character or do you think he got what he deserved? 


This post marks another entry in my 2011 Fairy Tale Challenge (10 out of 12) hosted by Tif of Tif Talks Books.  I'd love for you to share your thoughts on this post or any of my previous Fairy Tale Fridays selections and wish me luck in finding two more tales to post about before year's end!

"Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life."

~ Mark Twain

Happy 176th Birthday to Samuel Langhorne Clemens!  I know most of us are used to seeing pictures of a white-haired Twain, but I wanted to choose a younger photo, especially after coming across this quote: "Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen."  Odd that a man who dreamt of a backwards life is immortalized as an octogenarian!  

I was first introduced to Twain's writing when I read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in sixth grade and I really fell in love with his work after reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when I was a junior in high school (okay, I admit, the musical Big River plays a large part in my obsession with that novel).

Do you have a favorite Mark Twain book or quote?

I'm a bit behind on reading and reviewing right now, thus I wanted to share a quote that -as always - I totally love.  Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend filled with reading, dancing, and many other pleasures that will never do any harm to the world. 

Many of you hoped, predicted, expected and wished for this to happen, but as I recently announced my presence on facebook, I suppose my next announcement comes as slightly less of a surprise:

This doesn't quite mean I have any idea what I'm doing yet, but as I navigate the fast paced world of hash tags (#), retweets (RT), mentions (@), and follows I hope to add a new layer to my blogging experience and connect with some of my favorite bloggers on a more regular basis.  I also want to extend a huge thank you to April over at Good Books and Good Wine.  I've long been a fan of April's blog and her post during BBAW was one of the main persuading factors to me joining Twitter.  The big surprise though came within just an hour or so of me signing up for Twitter and finding some favorite blogs to follow, when this note appeared:

booksandwine April C

Hey all Lisa @HerBookSelf is way new to twitter, so why not give her a warm welcome and a high five for joining the land of twitter!!

Plenty of reviews to come later this week but for now I just had to share this quote:

I think it's even more amusing in context, but I don't want to spell out the whole scene since I'm guessing the book may still be on some bloggers' TBR lists.  It was one of my favorite bits of dialog from the work and really sold me on liking Calla.  But I suppose I mentally cheer a bit when any book character turns out to be a bibliophile!

This quote from Michael Chabon made me giggle a little, since I've complained in the past about wanting more standalone novels and less sequels and have also composed a list of sequels I'm eagerly waiting to read.  I know I've felt before that all new novels are sequels but at the same time I can only partially agree with such a pessimistic take on novel writing.  I know there's some truth to the idea that there are no new stories and that every new work is an old one wrapped up in new clothing, but I still stand that creativity and originality are rampant in fiction these days.  I think some of my very favorite books are the ones in which authors really are creating something fresh and unique. What are your thoughts?  Is everything new these days a reinvention of something previous?

Book: Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Series: Anne of Green Gables

Book Order: Anne of Green Gables* (1), Anne of Avonlea* (2), Anne of the Island (3), Anne of Windy Poplars (4), Anne's House of Dreams (5), Anne of Ingleside (6), Rainbow Valley (7), Rilla of Ingleside (8) 
* indicates a book I have read

Anne of Avonlea is the continuation of the story begun in Anne of Green Gables of L.M. Montgomery's indomitable heroine Anne Shirley.  Grown up from the first novel, Anne begins book two as a school teacher in Avonlea on Prince Edward Island.  Many of characters from Anne of Green Gables return in the sequel - Marilla Cuthbert, Diana Barry, Gilbert Blythe, Rachel Lynde - but Anne also makes many new acquaintances and her students and neighbors provide some fresh drama to the story. 

I love this series, but I did feel that this book wasn't quite as enjoyable as the first.  There was something enchanting in book one about discovering Green Gables and Avonlea through Anne's innocent eyes, and this book felt a bit more - for lack of a better word - ordinary.  There were definitely memorable moments and fun points to the story but it's hard to say that any of them were as brilliant as Anne's antics in the series opener.  The first book was the story of a young girl and this one is clearly the story of a young woman.  Anne has matured and so the book lacks some of her youthful humor and fanciful imagination.  Still, it is the characters and the picturesque scenery that make this book a heartwarming read as well as Montgomery's slowly unfolding love story between Gilbert and Anne. 

For any readers who complain about the irksome trend in popular fiction of eye-roll-inducing love at first sight, I give you a quote revealing a different perspective:

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps... perhaps love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."

~ Anne of Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery

Even if I may not have loved this book as much as the first in the series, this quote melted me.  The more I read of the Anne of Green Gables series, the more I realize that the beauty of Montgomery's saga is not just in the individual works, but in the sweeping narrative as a whole.  I still wish I had read these books at a younger age, but even discovering them as an adult, they are charming, lovely works and I look forward to the next six in the series.

Friday is here and so Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming to a close.  Along with all the great participants in Book Blogger Land, I've written posts about Community and Reading, and now it's time for the third key to the triumvirate of book blogging - Blogging itself.  Today's prompt says,

"The world of blogging is continually changing. Share 3 things you are essential tried and true practices for every blogger and 1-3 new trends or tools you’ve adapted recently or would like to in the future."

 And I must say this suggestion makes me giggle a little (and not just for the "you" instead of "that" in the second sentence - I won't be rude and answer proofreading).  I laugh because it's inherently assuming that I know a thing or two about book blogging when in fact, as in most things in my life, I'm more or less making things up as I go along.  You could say I have a "fake it til you make it" attitude in that I threw this blog out there into the netherworld of the internet a year and a half ago and by some freak chance people actually started reading it.  And liking it!  I know!! Even I'm still pretty amazed at that!

But okay.  Let's pretend for a moment that my experiences have taught me something.  (Come on, stop laughing, you really can teach an old blogger new tricks...) I've been dabbling in the blogosphere for almost a decade now, so here's what I guess I would say "works" for Her Book Self:

1. Posting, Posting, Posting.  There's a catch phrase that states the three most important things in real estate are "Location, Location, Location" and I think the most important thing in blogging is posting, posting, posting.  No content, no blog - simple as that. 

2. Reading, Reading, Reading.  I love Top Ten Tuesdays, Wordless Wednesdays, and Sunday Salons as much as the next girl, but I don't think blogs should rely on them too heavily.  Memes are my idea of blog seasoning.  They add some great flavor, but if there's no meat and potatoes (or felafel and pita) underneath pretty soon you realize you're just sitting in front of a plate of salt and pepper.  Quality reviews and commentary are what make blogs substantial and without reading, all the extras can get pretty bland. 

3. Comments, Comments, Comments.  A favorite quote of mine states that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.  I touched on this point in my post about community, but communication is a two way street.  If I wasn't willing to visit other blogs, read content, and interact with other bloggers I never would have made Her Book Self public. For anyone wondering why their blog doesn't get more comments just ask yourself how many you've stopped to leave.

And now my favorite question:  What's next?  I don't want to tip my hand, but Her Book Self will be trying some new things in the coming year.  (If you reeeeally want a sneak peek, check out the welcome sidebar on the right.)  For now, it's more of what - I hope - works at present.  Series in September will be continuing next week after another celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day (of course!).  I have a giveaway planned for the end of the month along with participation in a blog tour and a few more author interviews.  I want to thank everyone who visited here for the first time during Book Blogger Appreciation Week.  I've really enjoyed discovering even more great blogs over the past few days and I look forward to making the rounds today and learning from all of you how to make my blog even better!

"The reader and the book, 

either without the other is naught."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Every once in a while I get an email or a message in which someone compliments my blog "Her Book Shelf".  It's a simple mistake that I really don't mind too much.  I also had one author refer to me in two different emails as "Leslie" despite my consistent signature of "lisa :)"  However, the reason I chose the existent name of this blog is that I think the books a person reads do tell you something about an individual.  My friends that read mostly nonfiction tend to be rather serious (and very smart).  Those that like fantasy tend to be imaginative dreamers.  People I know that read a lot of mysteries have logical or analytical minds.  And those that like love stories, in general, are sentimental romantics.  I know these are generalizations and don't always hold true, just as I know there are plenty of people like me that enjoy multiple genres and may possess multifaceted personalities.  As much as I enjoy trying to use books as a literary form of chiromancy, I came across this quote that sheds a bit more light on my odd hobby of pinpointing personalities:

I really like this quote, because as much as I read, and as much as I enjoy variety in my reading, the books that I reread compose a much shorter list.  Yes, I enjoy mysteries, romance, historical fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, thrillers, young adult, and classics - but of the books that I have read multiple times in my life I think 90% of them fall into fantasy, historical fiction, or mystery.  Perhaps next time I'm getting to know someone rather than ask, "What do you like to read?" the more telling question will be, "What do you like to reread?"

Wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day!

"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy."

~Edward P. Morgan

We all get stressed every once in a while, right?  The "To Do" list begins to resemble a short story (or maybe even a novel) and we start wishing for more hours in the day.  There's household chores, work duties, family commitments and there never seems enough time to do it all... let alone write out a blog post, or two, or five.  So why blog?  Why spend time that could be devoted to other things in life writing out thoughts, feelings, and ideas to spin out into cyberspace never even knowing if anyone in the universe will read them?  And better - or maybe worse - why a book blog?  Now not only do we place upon ourselves the undue burden of writing, but now we must also read.  And write reviews.  And read enough that we have meaningful commentary to provide on a regular basis.

What level of insanity is that?!??

That question brings me to this week's Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things To Love About Book Blogging.  Or as I have posted it, what is it about this craft that keeps me hooked despite the busyness of everyday life?  It's a question I ask myself fairly often when I feel like this blog is just taking up my time.  Why do I blog, and why a book blog?  The lovely folks over at The Broke and The Bookish are celebrating their one year blogiversary - Happy One Year and Here's to Many Many More - and I'm pleased to join in their festivities by sharing with you my top ten reasons for being a book blogger.

1. Books.  Stating the obvious, right?  "I love book blogging because I love books."  It doesn't get more basic than that, but it also doesn't get any more important.  I love to read and it's often hard to find people around me that read as much and as diversely as I do.  However, in the book blogging community bibliophiles abound and I've never had trouble finding people who share my expansive and eclectic tastes!

2. Writing about books.  I love to write.  I've dabbled in composing novels but all my writing has always been for the fun of writing.  it's hard for me to describe the passion I possess for putting words on paper (..err.. computer screen?)  I like reflecting on any number of thoughts but especially when it comes to sharing books, I really enjoy writing about what I read.  I've never had any great talent in music or art, but writing is my outlet of expression.  It's my means to create something new and original every time I approach a pen (...errr... keyboard) and I love it.

3. Comments.  I honestly believe I would keep this blog up and running even if I never had a single hit on it, but there is something euphoric about receiving comments.  I know I write mostly for me, but I do a little (okay, a big) happy dance every time someone leaves a comment!  I keep telling myself that I'm really not in this for validation from others, but at the same time, the whole pursuit is more enjoyable as a conversation rather than a monologue.  I like to be challenged, affirmed, contradicted, congratulated, and second-guessed.


4. Discovering new (or old) works.  Book blogging has expanded my reading horizons.  I would venture that this item is going to appear on many, many lists today so I won't over-expand here, but I do want to say thank you to everyone who has recommended a book to me in the past.  Whether it's an author or publicist seeing that my tastes match their current stock of ARCs or a fellow blogger chiming in with "if you like x, you have to read y", I love recommendations.

5. Discussing bookish topics.  As much as I enjoy writing book reviews, some of my favorite blog-based conversations have developed when a book review turned into a thematic discussion of something literary that transcended the original work that brought it to my mind.  Three such examples were books in the digital age (The Book by M. Clifford); alterations to classic literature (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain); and the stereotyping of genres for genders (A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin).

6. Connecting with other bloggers.  I suppose this goes hand-in-hand with number three, but if writing my own bookish posts is two scoops of ice cream, reading great posts by others is the hot fudge, whipped cream, and cherry on top! 

7. Memes.  Not all of them, mind you, but there are a few that have been so immeasurably fun to post that I can't help but join the pro-meme bandwagon.  Along with Top Ten Tuesdays (from The Broke and The Bookish) and Fairy Tale Fridays (from Tif Talks Books), I've started a few features of my own including A Weekend to ReCOVER, Series in September, and Indie in Summer and it's been really fun to have others comment on and link up to them.

8. Authors.  There would be no book blogs without books and there would be no books without authors.  Another fabulous thing about becoming a book blogger is the platform it has given me to interact with authors.  I've always felt that great books inspire dialog and conversation and I'm immensely grateful for the opportunities I have had to carry out those dialogs with authors and catch a glimpse of the people and personalities behind the pages.  Here's a link to the ever-growing list of authors I've had the pleasure of interacting with on this blog. 

9. Giveaways.  Is it crazy-selfish of me to list this one?  Seriously I like hosting them as much as I like entering them, but I'd be lying if I failed to mention FREE BOOKS as a reason why I really do love being a book blogger!! And for those new to Her Book Self, check back later this week for a giveaway of R.T. Kaelin's Progeny: The Children of the White Lions!  (A few details were announced yesterday...)

10. YOU!  Okay, strip away all the generic stuff about me loving comments and loving to connect with other bloggers - it's all true, but really, from the bottom of my heart, you are a reason I love being a book blogger.  Now even if you're saying to yourself, "Self, I don't even know this lisa person."  That's okay.  You're reading this, and that's awesome!  I do write for myself, but trust me when I say I'm very glad you're reading.

"I speak to these people, and I speak to you because I cannot help it. It gives me strength, almost unbelievable strength, to know that you are there... How blessed are we to have each other? I am alive and you are alive so we must fill the air with our words. I will fill today, tomorrow, every day until I am taken back to God. I will tell stories to people who listen and to people who don't want to listen, to people who seek me out and to those who run."

-Dave Eggers, What is the What

Once again, Happy Blogiversary to The Broke and The Bookish!  I think I speak for many bloggers when I thank you for your wonderful blog and the way you infuse community into the book blogging world.  I have found many a wonderful blog through your site and I am always cheered when I hear of people stumbling onto Her Book Self through you!  Looking forward to reading all the other great entries in this fun edition of Top Ten Tuesday!

What makes a ‘good book’?

Go ahead, take a moment and try to come up with your answer. I will wait for you here.

[whistle…]

Still here? Seriously, think about it. I won’t go anywhere.

[whistle…whistle…]

Done? Good, welcome back.

Now, if you have an answer, that is great. Hold onto it for a little while. If you were unable to come up with an idea, no worries, I promise that at the end of this article, I will reveal the correct answer. You might wonder how – with such a subjective question – could there be a ‘correct’ answer? Maybe not. Nevertheless, I think there is one that is as correct as any other is.

Now, if you asked a thousand different people that exact question, you might get a thousand different answers. As I am not any of those people, I cannot guess as to what their response might be. So, along with some help from a few esteemed authors, let me tell you what my convoluted answer is and why I have done my damnedest to write what I consider a ‘good book.’


Rare is the author who can create a story that is timeless. It is a tall mountain to try to climb.

Even the most enduring tales of all time, at their heart, are nothing more than a deep examination of the human condition on one level or another. Genre, plot, setting, style, theme all take a backseat to the characters and their journey.

Authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, Ken Follett, and others of their ilk all have or had the inspired ability to both grasp and elucidate what stokes the furnace within an individual and examine how that fire either gently toasts or violently chars the people they touch in their life. The characters they create have stories we wish we could continue to follow even when the book stops.

However, we cannot all hope to be as succinct and surgically precise as these great writers who have created uniquely fantastic characters while weaving a grand tale for them to traipse through. Some of us must simply strive for a good read, crafting something that makes the reader excited, hopeful or anxious as they turn that next page.

With every bit of fiction I put out, I want the reader to be looking forward to discovering the next phase of the tale. Regardless of time, place, or reality, I endeavor to guide the reader along a path that, when the story/book ends, the reader’s immediate response is a disappointed and frustrated, “Damn…but I want to know what happens next…”

“You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” 

-Paul Sweeney

Now, I could see how you might read my last words and think to yourself, “That’s sort of a sick, vindictive approach for an author to take.” In a sense, you might be right. But, please, try to understand things from my point of view. When I write something, rarely is it for my sole consumption. The words I write are meant to be read by you. I want to make a connection with you; draw you in and make you feel invested in the story. You should love or hate the characters. You should root for or against them. You should demand to know what happens and be happy or mad as events play out. Ultimately, you should care.

When I write, I strive for stories that leave the reader longing for more when the last word on the last page is consumed. I do this for the purely selfish reason that I want that reader to come back the next time I publish something. Without readers, an author is a madman having a conversation with a brick wall.

When you close a book, I want you to be satisfied, but a little sad the tale is over. I want you to feel like you have just said farewell to a good friend whom you will not see for a long time.

Why?

Imagine how excited you will be when the next work comes out. It will be like a grand reunion.


I like to read and write books that require the reader to invest themselves in the tale. Novels that can be read on a lazy, Sunday afternoon are not my cup of tea.

I like – no, I love – books that demand my attention. I adore stories that draw me in and force me to connect the dots. I worship authors that leave little, hidden nuggets for me to find as I read. I long for novels that make me immediately want to read the book again, only moments after completing the first pass, just so I can catch the little intricacies that I missed.

When I write, I leave those same bread crumbs I savor for my readers. Some are readily apparent, others…well, wait a book or two in the series for the ‘ah-hah!’ moment. I promise, it is coming. Really.

Every author worth his or her salt wants to write a ‘good book.’ I certainly set out on my journey as a writer to do so. Hopefully, I have succeeded.

However, the ultimate judgment as to if I have achieved my goal is not up to me. That is your job.

Now, for that ‘correct’ answer to the opening question: Do you want to know what makes a ‘good book’?

“'Tis the good reader that makes the good book.” 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I think that is as good an answer as any.

Good days ahead.
~~~~

And good memories behind!
(So goes the greeting and response in Terrene.)


For those who want to check out more of R.T. Kaelin's writing (and for those who love epic fantasy) be sure to check out his website!  As I hinted at above, coming this week will be a review of Merchant (the first short story bundle from The Terrene Chronicels) as well as a giveaway of Progeny!  One paperback copy will be up for grabs (US or Canada only) with up to ten entries per person.  I won't reveal all the ways to enter just yet, but two of them do include leaving a meaningful comment on this post (include an email address) and following R.T. Kaelin on Twitter.  Good luck and check back later this week for more details!

"The worst way to read, he said, is with the thought that you do not have enough time. The only way to read is in the knowledge that there is an infinite amount of time stretching ahead, and that if one wishes to taste only a few sentences per day one is free to do so."

~Gabriel Josipovici, Moo Pak

This is a quote from a book I haven't read, but I love, love, love what it says about reading.  For anyone whose ever been burdened by a toppling mountain of books TBR or starts looking at their shelf space as BABLE (books acquired beyond life expectancy) I think this sentiment is a nice one to take to heart.  As I pondered my shelves last night wondering what my next read should be I hesitated before delicately peeling Clash of Kings out of its dust jacket.  As I opened the weighty tome, inhaling the five year dormant book scent, I flipped to the end, paged through the index, and stared at the final page of story (no spoiler fears, it's a reread).  Three little numbers taunted me from the corner of the page - 728.  Seriously?  Seven hundred twenty eight pages???  Seven hundred twenty eight pages that I've already read - and I'm going to read them again?!?  All seven hundred twenty eight of them??!?

Yes.  Even when there are countless other books waiting for me.  Even when my lightweight-hold-in-one-hand Kindle is fully loaded with a plentiful selection of fiction, nonfiction, and short stories in a huge span of genres - I'm rereading Clash of Kings.  And I'm refusing to feel rushed or bogged down or any sense of deadline while I do so.  I'm not going to feel guilty that I should instead embark on something new to me.  I'm not going to look at the other books on my shelf - some of which were lovingly given to me as gifts and one which was even lent to me by a friend - and feel that I should read them first.  I want to read another George R.R. Martin.  I love his world and his characters and even though I know their story, there are nuances and details that have faded from my memory.  It's the book I want to read and it would be frivolous to rob myself of that enjoyment for any reason. 

"Frozen in Time" photo found here

Which brings me to the above quote and leaves me asking, why don't I usually look at books with the feeling of "an infinite amount of time"?  Why don't I feel that I can read as much or as little as I want?  I know I used to.  Back before I actually kept track of the books I read, I could wander the library and either come home with bags filled with choices or just a single novel in hand.  Now I'm much more direct - find the books I want, place a hold when necessary, pick them up, read them, return them, repeat.  And if I wasn't quite in the mood for something I borrowed, I would read whatever I had lying around, even if it was one that I had been through cover-to-cover multiple times.  I suppose things changed when I started to discover how many new books and new authors I wanted to read.  The more I branched out, the more I realized how many good books were out there that I had not read; the more that people began to tell me about great books that I should read; and the more I began to crave reading them all.  Once I started recording titles on an official "To Be Read" list, reading became something to get done rather than something to enjoy.

But no longer.  I read what I want.  I read when I want.  If that means I get through 110 books in a year, great.  If it's only 53 that's perfectly fine too.  There may be titles that linger TBR for years or more, while other titles have a span of only minutes in the queue.  The list itself is there only as a memory assistant, an adviser of sorts but never a tyrant.  Reading is my luxury.  It is my joy.

And for it, I do have "an infinite amount of time". 

One of the joys that book blogging has brought me is the opportunity to reflect and discuss my reading with other people.  I find that as much as I enjoy reading, a book shared is a pleasure multiplied.  The downside to this is finding the balance between reading and discussing books.  I've realized that my book consumption has slightly diminished since I began blogging, but it's a trade-off with which I'm perfectly okay.  But I'd love to have other book bloggers and book lovers chime in - do ever have a hard time balancing time for reading with time to discuss your reading?  Does book blogging ever come between you and a great read?

Seattle couple Sarah and David finally admit that their marriage is on the rocks, and counseling seems to be the option to save their rocky relationship.  However, when their therapist tries to eat them, they realize that keeping each other alive in the midst of a zombie apocalypse might be the common goal they needed to rekindle their love for each other. 

Married with Zombies by Jesse Petersen was a great book that took a humorous spin in blending zombie horror into a story about a young couple trying to make their marriage succeed.  A straight up zombie story or relationship novel would have been easy to pass by, but in combining the two - and poking fun and the stereotypes in each - Petersen weaves a unique and amusing tale.  David and Sarah were well-drawn characters and came across as very real people.  They're an everyday man and wife armed with knowledge from a heap of Hollywood slasher films that happen to do an above average job at battling the undead. 

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the chapter headings.  Each one combined cliche relationship adages with tips for surviving zombie attacks.  A few examples were, "Balance the workload in your relationship.  No one person should be responsible for killing all the zombies," and "Put the small stuff into perspective.  It's better to be wrong and alive than right but eating brains."   This offbeat humor might not appeal to everyone, but for those that are amused, Married with Zombies is definitely a fun book to read!

"To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.”

- A C Grayling

I haven't posted a good quote in a while and this metaphor really made me smile.  I think it's sometimes hard for me to put my love of reading into words, but the next time someone asks me why I spend so much of my time with my nose in a book I may just respond, "To read is to fly".