It's magic

I used to be ashamed of reading mostly romance novels. Even when I worked in a bookstore, I'd sneak my stack up to the counter like a druggie with a secret stash. I'd cover the covers with the inserts from magazines. I'd avoid questions about what I was reading, mostly because my male friends would snatch the books and read the sex scenes aloud (ask D. about his horrifying experience with 'thickets').

It wasn't until I read One Hundred Years of Solitude that I really understood what I'd been missing and/or ignoring. The end was stunning, when the Buendias' journey ends and the whole fantastic scope of the novel is revealed. First published in 1967, it is still considered the preeminent example of Magical Realism, which, to steal some quotes from Wikipedia is "an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even 'normal' setting." For instance, one character, Remedios the Beauty, floats away to the heavens while folding the laundry. The blood of another, Jose Arcadio, winds its way out the door and around the corner to find his mother and tell her of his death. 

If you want to delve further into Magical Realism, Margin is an online magazine with a huge list of novels, poetry, and non-fiction resources on the subject. Some I've read and loved like Bel Canto by Anne Patchett, and The Onion Girl by Charles De Lint. Others I've read and enjoyed: The Little Prince and Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquival and then there were some surprising choices (neither of which I've read yet) such as Heart Of Darkness,  and As I Lay Dying.

Another exhaustive website, The Modern Word, is an amazing journey into the worlds created by Marquez, Borges, and Joyce, among others, each occupying their own 'corner' much like you might find in your favorite independent bookstore. It is a also a resource to discover new and experimental writers and small publishing houses. 

All this brings me to another book that I want to read, Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie, a modern day retelling of The Prince and the Pauper. It is the fictional autobiography of Saleem Sinai who is born on August 15, 1947, just as India declares its independence from Great Britain. As he grows, and witnesses the birth of modern India, he realizes that he and the other 1000 children born between 12 and 1 on the same night have been invested with supernatural powers. For Saleem, it is a 'wildly sensitive sense of smell' and the presence of inner voices that connect him to the other children. 

Is anyone up for a 450 page selection?

September

We set the next meeting for Saturday September 27th @4:00. Since everyone agreed to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao I will bring baked goods to Steve's house. Anybody need directions, just let me know. 

Totally not book related...

...but I loves me some  Alan Rickman and he plays Snape in the Harry Potter films, so this counts, right? It's the music video for In Demand by Texas. Corny, cheesy, sexy- say what you will, I don't care because Alan does the tango.

Next meeting

The next meeting will be August 24th at True Love @ 5:00, unless someone has a different suggestion for the place. 

And for Nicole and Christine (since we were talking about Harry Potter) click here for the link to Charmed Knits - Projects for Fans of Harry Potter. We'll make a knitter out of Christine yet.

Bribery and baked goods

I've been not so quietly lobbying for us to read, for September, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the Pulitzer Prize Winner of 2007.  It's getting rave reviews for being sweet, funny, and tragic, plus I'm a sucker for family sagas. 

The title character is a sweet but overweight "GhettoNerd" living in New Jersey with his mother and sister who's obsessed with D&D, anime, and comics. He dreams of becoming the next J.R.R. Tolkien and experiencing his first kiss and/or losing his virginity but the 'fuku', a curse that has haunted his Dominican-American family for generations, stands in the way. It is also the story of Oscar's grandfather, who lived under the brutal reign of Trujillo, while shifting back and forth in time and narration. 

 

If you are not convinced, then I'm all set to bribe you with homemade baked goods. 

The paperback will be released on September 2nd but there are plenty of used hardbacks at half.com. 

Helloooo...

I'm going to be needy for a moment. Everybody that I invited and accepted the invite can post here. Please post something book related.  For the peeps that haven't accepted, your email stays hidden from outsiders and I haven't gotten any spam from blogger.com, if that is a worry (Marcus!).

I'm not insecure, am I? Am I?

Has anyone started reading Return of the Native? I cracked it open and it looked...dense, so this may be another one I don't read. I don't guess watching the movie really counts. 

I  finished Breaking Dawn. I won't post any spoilers, since I know Jen is probably deep into her copy right know. What a colossal failure/disappointment that book was, devoid of any romance or coherence. After 3000+  pages there's not even one sex scene. Can I get my $13 back, Mrs. Meyer?

This is the book I'm eyeing now: The Outlander by Gil Adamson. Arrgh. It won't be in paperback until next year, so I guess I might trek over to the library. Here's the blurb:

"In 1903 a mysterious young woman flees alone across the West, one heart-pounding step ahead of the law. At nineteen, Mary Boulton has just become a widow - and her husband's killer. As bloodhounds track her frantic race toward the mountains, she is tormented by mad visions and by the knowledge that her two ruthless brothers-in-law are in pursuit, determined to avenge their younger brother's death. Responding tho little more than the primitive fight for life, the widow retreats ever deeper into the wilderness  - and into the wilds of her own mind- encountering an unforgettable cast of eccentrics along the way."

It is being compared to the works of Cormac McCarthy, whom I love, love, love, even if Oprah-Satan thinks she discovered him. Jen and I went to a used book store last week and I was commenting to the owner/manager about the upcoming movie for the Road. What did I get in return? Total blankness. Hello? Pulitzer Prize winner?  

What is everybody else reading at the moment?

August meeting

For our August meeting we decided on Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. Here's a link from Project Gutenberg to download it free: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/122

 Now we need to decide on a place and time. The old stand-by, True Love Coffee House, is not really an option anymore. When we met last we found a Greek restaurant in its place and True Love moved upstairs, which I suspect will sink the business quickly. The whole charm of the downstairs location was that it was large enough and quiet enough to house all of us when we actually showed up. Really, I'll miss their addictive peanut butter mochas the most. 

Other odds and ends:

I finally joined the pack and read the first two Harry Potter books! They were light and enjoyable and the movies are almost identical, as far as following the events. I'm going to try to read to number four and take a break. Thanks, Marcus. 

Well, not really a break, because what comes out August 2nd? Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final installment in Stephanie Meyers Twilight series, that's what. I won't be staying up until midnight and sneaking over to Borders for the Edward and Bella parties, but darn close.  I can't remember the last time I was so invested in characters or that I had to clear off chunks of time - no food, no tv, don't talk to me- to finish the book. So what if the books are for teenage girls and Edward and Bella's romance is totally unhealthy and obsessive? 

I'm going to be presumptuous because I think having your words published (by other people, of course) is something to be proud of - so here's  a link to one of Christine's X-Files articles on IGN: http://tv.ign.com/articles/893/893502p1.html

Read them all and comment on how awesome Christine is.