My Biggest Loss and Best Books of 2016

I'm breaking my blog silence because something rocked my world this year. My dear, dear friend, Nancy Olson, died. She was the friend we all want: she loved me unconditionally, but she didn't let me get away with a darned thing. She could talk about anything from books to music to low-down gossip. We laughed a whole lot. Our husbands love each other too. She took me to see a little piece of this vast world we live in. 

In honor of her, I'm writing this post to do something she did every day: promote reading. Here's my list of the best books I read in 2016. I've listed them in the order that I read them because this year especially I can't name my favorites. I've included short descriptions.

Imagine Me Gone, Adam Haslett: Nancy and I loved Adam Haslett's story collection, We Are Not Strangers Here. His new book, a novel entitled Imagine Me Gone, incorporates the same exquisite writing and intriguing characterization. He has created a beautiful story of a family haunted by mental illness. There is a Christmas scene that makes me think Haslett was eavesdropping in my living room this year! The characters are so vibrant and their situations so moving that I continue to think of them now that I've read the book to its compelling ending. 

Everyone Brave is Forgiven, Chris Cleave: Readers who loved All the Light We Cannot See and other well-written novels of World War II will fall in love with Chris Cleave’s new book, Everyone Brave is Forgiven. Cleave, the author of Little Bee, has brought his remarkable storytelling skills to this novel of four people touched by the war: Mary North, her fiancé Tom, her best friend Hilda, and Tom’s friend Alistair. Although there is romance in the book, there is no sentimentality. We see the psychological and physical scars of war first-hand. 

The Lover, Margeurite Duras: Too often the term “summer reading” brings to mind books that are without much substance. It doesn’t have to be that way! I have just finished a classic story of love that is literary and sexy, perfect for vacation. The Lover tells the story of a love affair Duras had when she was a preparatory school student in Saigon. The language is exquisite, and although Duras waited until she was seventy to publish the story of her affair with Leo, a Chinese businessman much older than she, it is clear that the details are etched in her memory. And now they are etched in mine. 

Miss Jane, Brad Watson: Brad Watson was one of Nancy’s favorite writers, and after reading his newest novel, Miss Jane, I can see why. The main character, Jane Chisolm, doesn’t succumb to self-pity when faced with a genital birth defect. She faces the accompanying limitations and moves on. Through the support and friendship of her family doctor, Jane lives a full and satisfactory life. Watson uses his beautiful writing to tell us the complex story of this wonderful character. 

Hystopia, David Means: David Means’ short story collection, Various Fire Events, was full of dark and dystopian stories. These two adjectives would also apply to his new novel, Hystopia. It is 1970. John F. Kennedy has lived through several assassination attempts and is still President. Veterans of the Viet Nam war are dealing with their PTSD by taking the drug Tripizoid and undergoing a process called Enfolding. Some vets, like Rake, are so incorrigible that they can’t be enfolded, and therein lies the tale. It is a novel within a novel, complete with Editor’s Notes and Author’s Notes that provide a sense of truth and realism to the fictional story. This and other novels pertaining to Viet Nam remind us that the psychological damage from war is heartbreaking, and often unmanageable.

What We Don't Know About Each Other (poems), Lawrence Raab:  I recommended this beautiful collection of poems at our Book Club Bash. (I suggest book clubs begin their meetings with a poem as a sort of devotional.)

Another Brooklyn, Jacqueline Woodson: A few years ago I finally got around to reading Sandra Cisneros’ book, House on Mango Street. What that book was to the coming-of-age Latino community in Chicago, Jacqueline Woodson’s new book is to the African-Americans in Brooklyn. Flashing back to an August in the seventies, Another Brooklyn follows four friends as they leave their childhoods behind. I was particularly struck by the dangers and challenges that young girls and women face from men—on the streets from strangers and in their homes from father figures who are absent entirely or present in unhealthy ways. 

Cry, Heart, But Never Break, Glen Ringtved: The cover of Glenn Ringtved’s book, Cry, Heart, But Never Break, shows a young child looking into the eyes of the black-cloaked figure of Death. Death has come to visit the house of the child and her siblings to take their grandmother. The children plot to keep Death awake, “since everyone knows Death’s only friend is night.” Through the beautiful illustrations of Charlotte Pardi, Death takes the children through the stages of grief, preparing them in the end for saying good-bye to their beloved grandmother. This book is a wonderful vehicle for helping children through the loss of loved ones while honoring the emotions that they will feel after the death.

Commonwealth, Ann Patchett: (From the QuailMail) Dear Customers, I know you’re sick of me talking about how beautifully written Ann Patchett’s new book Commonwealth is, how the story of the blended families will take you into their heads, their hearts, their homes, their backyards, the woods beyond their backyards. Especially since all the time I’ve been talking about it, you couldn’t have a copy. Well guess what? Now you can have one! Please come to the store, call on the phone, order online, but get this magnificent book in your hands. You’ve waited long enough.

Hold Still, Sally Mann: Before I read this book, I knew that Mann had taken controversial photographs of her children and dead people. After reading this book, I understand her and her unconventional artist’s perspective. Photographs of and by Mann give the book even more impact.

Life After Life, Kate Atkinson: Working in a bookstore, customers recommend books to me all the time. One book that came up often was Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life. Wow! What an inventive mind Atkinson has. The novel begins, and begins again, ends, and ends in another way entirely. Shuffle and repeat. I’ve never read a novel like this. I loved every character. I can’t wait to read A God In Ruins, to continue the story of one of the most endearing of the characters, Teddy.

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid (due out in March 2017): In Exit West, Mohsin Hamid places us in an unnamed country (as he did in How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia), and in doing so makes what happens there a universal metaphor for war-torn countries in the Middle East. Saieed and Nadia are refugees from one such country, navigating not only the landscape but their developing love affair. They have had to leave much behind in their homeland, including Saieed’s beloved father. Reality and the fantastical blend together as they migrate from one place to another. Hamid once again sheds light on the life of the refugees who inhabit our world.

The links (with one exception--a book that is out of print) are to the Quail Ridge Books website because I care deeply about the store Nancy grew from an infant to a giant. But I don't care which independent bookstore you buy them from. :)

Happy holidays to all of you, and I hope you give and receive lots of books.

My Best Ones...2013 Books

One time my husband, looking at the wall of books in this photo, said, "I can't believe you've read all those books."

"Sweetie, those are the ones I haven't read," I replied. 

So my list is long.  And with a friend like Nancy Olson, former owner of Quail Ridge Books, calling me weekly with a new list of must-reads, I don't see that I'll be clearing those shelves any time soon!

That being said, although I usually read 40-50 books a year, I've only read around thirty this year. But I have read some incredible books and herewith is my list of recommendations for the year:

First of all let me say that I'm still pushing Mark Helprin's book In Sunlight and In Shadow.  It is out in paperback now. You can read about it in my October 2012 post on books here.

10.  The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert.  The Wall Street Journal says it best:  "Ms. Gilbert has turned out the most ambitious and purely imagined work of her twenty-year career: a deeply researched and vividly rendered historical novel about a 19th century female botanist."

9. The Round House by Louise Erdrich.  I've gone a few years without reading Erdrich although I'm a huge fan of her writing.  This book, which follows her themes of Native American culture, won the 2012 National Book Award.

8., 7. Two books of fairy tales were on my list of great reads this year: Phillip Pullman's re-telling of the classics, Fairy Tales From the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version, and Angela Carter's collection which combines re-telling of old stories and her own original fairy tales, The Bloody Chamber.  We lost a great writer when Carter died in 1992, but she left an impressive body of work.

6. The author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid, wrote How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia in my favorite second person POV.  Andrew Anthony says of the book,"If Hamid set out to write a satire on the globalised dream of consumer-driven economic development, he ends up being undermined by the strength of his characters. You can't help but root for them in their perilous climb out of the mire of penury, while all the time being relieved that you are not really 'you.'"

5. Stephen Kiernan's book The Curiosity, isn't the most literary book I read this year, but it certainly had me thinking about the ethics of cryogenics. Scientists bring a man who has been frozen in an iceberg back to life.

4.  Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer was one of the most unusual books I've ever read.  The main character, Sunny is the bald-headed wife of an astronaut who builds space robots, the mother of an autistic son, and the daughter of a woman who is dying of cancer.  I read this book in two days; it's quirky and compelling.

3.  In Someone Alice McDermott follows the life of Marie, a young Irish-American living in Brooklyn. In typical McDermott style, the settings are as rich as the characters. The book was long-listed for the National Book Award.

2.  Runner-up is an oldie but one I had never read, The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  I loved every chapter of this book that tells the coming of age story of Esperanza Cordero, a Latina girl growing up in Chicago.  As soon as I turned the last page, I wanted to start again.

1.  My number one pick of the year and the best short story collection I've read in a long time is Rebecca Lee's Bobcat and Other Stories. Like the Cisneros novel, I wanted to start these beautiful, haunting stories over immediately after finishing.  Lee is one of our own, a professor at UNC-W, and someone to keep an eye on.

I didn't mention any non-fiction because I don't read that much of it, but I have given George Packer's award-winning book, The Unwinding, for gifts and everyone has loved it.  I'm also hearing great things about Doris Kerns Goodwins new book on Theodore Roosevelt.

Many of our local writers, including Allan Gurganus, Nancy Peacock, Lee Smith, Elaine Orr, Peggy Payne, Jill McCorkle, and Wilton Barnhardt have books that came out this year. You can't go wrong with the local folks.

What's on my list for the coming months?

The Color Master by Aimee Bender (stories)
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
We Are Water by Wally Lamb
Dirty Love by Andre Dubus
Curing Time by Tim Swink (a Greensboro writer)
The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
and anything else Nancy Olson tells me to read!

Now go to your independent bookstore and buy some gifts!

My Best Ones (Books that is!)

It's getting to be that time.  You know, that time when we start thinking about Christmas, when the ornaments and tree lights sit right next to the costumes and fall leaf wreaths in the stores.

I'm all about giving books for presents.  And I'm all about trying to foist my choices for best books of the year on others!  So here are my recommendations for the best book presents of the year:

1. 2012 Pen/O'Henry Prize Stories:  I read this collection every year and I have to say that this is one of the finest of them all.  One of the stories, "The Hare's Mask," by Mark Slouka, will haunt me for years.

2.  Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on love and life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed:  More than a collection of advice columns, Strayed's book is essays on life.  Every person on your list will see themselves in these columns.

3.  The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson:  Adam Johnson went to North Korea to research this novel about an anti-hero named Pak Jun Do.  This is a look into this country that will chill you, but Johnson also brings humor to the story.

4.  The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker:  In this dystopian novel, the earth begins spinning more slowly on its axis.  Days and nights lengthen and life changes in ways that no one could imagine.  

5.  The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka:  A fictionalized account of the journey of "picture brides" - women who were brought from Japan to San Francisco early in the last century.

6.  Birds of a Lesser Paradise by Meghan Mayhew Bergman:  Humans and nature are woven together to create these beautiful short stories. Bergman is a writer to watch.

7.  The Long Goodbye by Meghan O'Roarke:  As compassionate a book on terminal illness and death and grief as you'll find these days.  I've given this book to more people than I can count, and they all are grateful.

8.  Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon:  One of my favorite writers, (his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is still high on my list too) Chabon has done it again!  Using a used record store called Brokeland Records and a quirky cast of characters, Chabon brings us into the world of Archy and Nat and their midwife wives.

9.  Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes:  Based on a true story, this novel reads like non-fiction.  One veteran of the war told me it was the most chilling and realistic novel he had read about Vietnam.

10.  And my #1 best book read this year is...TA DA...In Sunlight and In Shadow by Mark Helprin. Helprin wrote another of my all-time favorite books and war novels, A Soldier of the Great War.  This new one is set in New York City after World War II.  I fell in love with every one of the characters and the setting of old New York was a fabulous backdrop for the story.

So, shop on and shop local, my reading friends, and if you decide to buy a book or two for yourself, just say yes when the salesperson asks if you want it gift-wrapped.  You can always use the paper for something else.

PS Mark Helprin, Karl Marlantes, Michael Chabon, Meghan Mayhew Bergman, Adam Johnson, Cheryl Strayed and some of the Pen/O'Henry editors have all read at my most wonderful local bookstore, Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh.  I am so fortunate to have them in my city!

Listening

I am reading a chapter a night from a wonderful little book called Just One Thing by Rick Hanson. The chapters are short - two or three pages - and the author gives practical ways of making small changes with big consequences.

I constantly work on being a good listener, keeping my attention from wandering, restraining myself from interrupting, looking at the person instead of around the room. I'm not great at it, I know. Several times lately I've gotten the message to try to be a better listener. Today Hanson's email contained this chapter from the book. I'm passing it on to others who might need some guidance as I do. I love what he had to say.

The Practice
Ask questions.

Why?

My dad grew up on a ranch in North Dakota. He has a saying from his childhood - you may have heard it elsewhere - that's: "You learn more by listening than by talking."

Sure, we often gain by thinking out loud, including discovering our truth by speaking it. But on the whole, listening brings lots more valuable information than talking does.

Nonetheless, many people are not the greatest listeners. (You've probably noticed this already: at work, at home, when you're trying to work something out with your partner . . .) What's it feel like when they don't listen to you? Or maybe listen, but don't inquire further? It's not good. Besides missing out on important information - including, often most importantly, your underlying feelings and wants - they're sending the implicit message that they're not that interested (even though, deep down, they might be).

Then turn it around: what do you think they feel like if you don't listen that well to them? Not very good either.

Being a good listener brings many benefits: gathering useful information, making others feel like they matter to you, sustaining a sense of connection with people, and stepping out of your own familiar frame of reference.

One of the best ways to listen well is to ask questions. It makes you an active listener, it shows that you've been paying attention, it can get things out in the open (Mommy, is that emperor parading in his boxers?!), and it slows down emotional conversations so they don't get out of hand.


How?

As a therapist, I ask questions for a living. Plus I've been married a long time through thick and thin, and raised two kids. As they say in medicine: good judgment comes from experience . . . and experience comes from bad judgment. So I offer some fruits of my bad judgments!
· Questions can be nonverbal. A raised eyebrow, a nod to say more, or simply letting there be a bit of silence are all signals to the other person to keep going.

· Have good intentions. Don't ask questions like a prosecutor. It's fine to try to get to the bottom of things - whether it's what bothered your mate the most about her conversation with her friend, or what your son is actually doing this Saturday night, or what your role is supposed to be in an upcoming business meeting. But don't use questions to make others look bad.

· Keep the tone gentle. Remember that being asked a question - particularly, a series of questions - can feel invasive, critical, or controlling to the person on the receiving end; think of all the times that kids get asked questions as a prelude to a scolding or other punishment. You could check in with the other person to make sure your questions are welcome. Slow questions down so they don't come rat-tat-tat. And intersperse them with self-disclosure that matches, more or less, the emotional depth of what the other person is saying; this way they're not putting all their cards on the table while you keep yours close to the chest.

· As appropriate, persist in getting a clear answer. If you sense there's still some problematic fuzziness or wiggle room in the other person's answers, or simply more to learn, you could ask the question again, maybe in a different way. Or explain - without accusation - why you're still unclear about what the other person is saying. Or ask additional questions that could help surface the deeper layers of the other person's thoughts, feelings, and intentions.

· Different kinds of questions are appropriate for different situations. For example, trying to get clearer about a project your boss wants you to do is definitely not like a delicate inquiry into what might help things go better in a physically intimate relationship. Questions about facts or plans are usually pretty straightforward. For the murkier, more emotionally charged territory of friends and family, here are some possibilities:

How was _______ for you?
What do you appreciate about _______ ? What bothers (or worries) you about _______ ? Are there other things you're feeling (or wanting) besides ______?
What did this remind you of?
What did you wish had happened, instead?
What's the most important thing here, for you?
What would it look like if you got what you wanted here? (Or: ". . . what you wanted from me?")
How would you like it to be from now on?
Could you say more about _______ ?

* * *

If your intentions are good, it's really OK to ask questions. Usually, people welcome them. Take confidence in your good intentions and good heart.

Gray day, moving day

Today, after being at Southport Marina for a year (I can't believe it has been that long), we moved the boat to the old Bald Head Island ferry landing. After a restful morning, we headed out.



It has been a very cloudy, windy day, and I was glad it was a short ride to the new marina.



The view from the back of the boat is great - trees and sky. We've never been in such a natural setting in a marina.



Our friend Mike came over and helped us get settled. He also gave my husband a lift back to the car. We are now about a mile from town. This'll be a great bike ride when the spring comes, but today would have been chilly.



The best part of the new marina is that the old welcome center for the ferry riders is part of the usable space. The bathrooms and shower are there, and also a lounge area and a small bar counter. Lots of dock space too. Until the Mitchell brothers (who own Bald Head Island) catch wind of it, we'll be able to have some nice gatherings in the space.



I've calmed down completely since my savage rant of yesterday. I finished reading Amy Bloom's new book of stories, Where the God of Love Hangs Out, and it is as fine a collection as her others. She writes about love as well and as freshly as anyone I know. I am almost through with Yann Martel's new book, Beatrice and Virgil. As he did in Life of Pi, he uses animals in a very creative and thoughtful way. It's excellent!

I needed this restful weekend, and am very thankful for the peace I feel.

Bathroom Books

Yes, maybe the winter weather is freezing my brain, and maybe all I have to talk about today is...bathroom books.

There are books in every room of my house. Except two hallways and the laundry room. And my bathroom books, I like to think, are interesting. No "Bathroom Jokebook" will ever be found in my powder room! Here is what you'll find:

Leisure Time: for assurance of a fuller life: This book is copyrighted in 1957 and is a publication of The Equitable Life Insurance Company. I found it at Father and Son, an antique and junque shop in downtown Raleigh. It is full of tips about how to live healthfully. Hobby suggestions are on this page, hobbies being a way of living a full, satisfying life.

Don'ts for Dancers: This is a very small, purple book that was first published in 1925. I saw it sitting on my friend Nancy Olson's desk and asked if I could have it. Oh the tips you will find in this book. "Don't be unhappy because you are wearing an old frock. Remember that it is not so old to other people as it is to you. You may think it shabby, but you are invariably more critical than they. And it isn't your frock, but the way you dance, that matters to your partner."



Facts of Life and Love for Teenagers: Published in 1950 by the National Board of YMCA's and costing 25 cents, it contains the warning, "This is a good book for adolescents and for their parents. It may shock some but it is likely to help teenagers." This quote is from Bible Teacher, and I'm not sure if that is a magazine or a person. It includes a whole chapter called, "Love Out of Bounds" with subtitles like, "Loving a Married Woman." This, folks, is shocking material for a teenager in the fifties!



Myth and Romance: The Art of J W Waterhouse: Soft porn, anyone? Waterhouse is an artist from the late 1800's, early 1900's. The introduction to the book, interestingly enough, uses words like "fertile" to describe his imagination, and "wistful female beauties" with regard to his subjects. Both appropriate descriptions.


14,000 Things to Be Happy About: This is the book that has been in my bathroom the longest. The figure on top was made in school by my middle daughter. I can always tell when someone has been reading the book because the smiling figure has been taken off and put to the side.



I will end this post with a few of the 14,000 things to be happy about that I find to be most puzzling:

tiny satin pouches
long Edwardian jackets
pH
nubby cotton
stereopticons
"It's key"
swell sounds
skinny rings
sliding shorts
blond silk string with blond beads
the nickname "Boo Boo"
making up dreams in bed
pens with clocks in them
touching someone's rings
Turk's head nautical knot

Get the picture? Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Nicholas Sparks

Back when he was just becoming an author whose name people knew, Nicholas Sparks was scheduled to come to Barnes and Noble. Because his novels are light-hearted stories for the big-hearted, Nancy didn't take him seriously and it was fine with her that he wasn't coming to her store.

Something happened at the B&N, though, and the publicist called Nancy at the last minute and asked if Sparks could read at her store. She agreed, and asked me if I would introduce him.

I was very excited! I had it all planned how I would tell the story of knowing him from the Book Nook, finding out he'd written a book set in NC, etc. I also wanted to meet him.

About thirty minutes before the reading, the door to the bookstore started swinging open and (mostly) women of all ages started arriving. Soon the seats that had been put out were full and the staff was bringing out more. Then those seats were full and it was standing room only.

Nicholas Sparks arrived, and started charming the pants off those women. He mingled and signed books, and chatted and smiled that charming smile, and I was just itching to get to the podium.

Nancy came out of the back of the store and saw what was going on. And with no more thought of me she marched to the front of the store, welcomed Nicholas like he was the author she'd been waiting for all her life, and proceeded to introduce him!

I've forgiven her because I love her so much. And she did let me introduce Joyce Carol Oates who said it was one of the most enjoyable introductions she'd ever heard. But I'll never let her forget that she swept me aside like a piece of dirt on the bookstore carpet, and stole the stage from me that night!

Every time I hear of another book or movie hit by author Nicholas Sparks, I remember when he was a nobody, and I knew him. Sort of.

I've looked in my blog archives trying to find an old post about why I keep my AOL account, the nostalgia associated with my first connection to the Internet, but I can't locate it. In the beginning, one of the things I loved about AOL was its chat rooms. Nancy Olson (owner of Quail Ridge Books) and I used to go into this room called "The Book Nook" where we talked about books (of course) and came to know (in the cyber-way) quite a few people. Some of them came to Raleigh eventually, and we got to meet them.

A frequent visitor to the chat room told me one night that he was getting ready to publish a book set in North Carolina. I jumped all over this, insisting that he contact Nancy when it came out, because she is such a great supporter of local writers.

It was Nicholas Sparks. I'd say he's come a long way from "The Book Nook".

Next: "The Time Nicholas Sparks Came to Quail Ridge Books"

Gems

For my birthday, a friend gave me this beautiful book. I keep it by my computer and every day, once or twice, I randomly open it. I am always amazed at the wisdom on each page.

I have tried to order it from my local bookstore with no luck. At the used book sites online, copies are going for over $50. My friend bought it, I believe, off the table of one of the big box book stores, and even they are sold out of it. I'd love to find more copies of it to give as gifts.

Today I opened to this page:

to be curious

Knowledge won't find us, we must find it.
Every day is a chance to learn something new.
Cast your net wide,
Open your mind to the excitement of learning.
Curiosity keeps us young at heart and mind.
When we stop learning, we stop living.

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." - Albert Einstein

As always the page speaks to me. I have been so pleased with my work in the darkroom, a new knowledge that I'm acquiring. And a heads up: my friend and I will be showing our work for the project "Picturing Moore Square" in the Longview Center Gallery on April 2.

This project has taken me outside of my comfort zone in many ways. I'm taking film photographs again, black and white to boot. I've approached strangers, entered unfamiliar and even sinister spaces, learned to make a video on the computer. I've made a good friend of the girl I'm working with. I'm s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g. It feels good.

On Fire

I apologize for taking so long to get back to you - I've thought about writing every day. Really.

Before I post anything else, I have to go back to my last post about writing. Specifically the part where I said, "We are on fire!" Because what I mean here is not that I get up every morning on fire to go to my desk and write fabulous short stories. This is absolutely not true. In fact, I would say, after being with all those writers at the workshop, that sitting down at the place where we write takes a great deal of willpower. Because, you see, we want to write, we are on fire with ideas, but we find all kinds of excuses to keep us from putting the ideas on paper.

One of the books that writer Peggy Payne mentioned in her blog and in the workshop is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. On our way to the beach and home again this weekend, I read this little gem out loud so my husband could enjoy it too. I want to urge every artist, writer, dreamer, idea person, every person who wants to do a thing in the worst way, to buy this book and read it.

What I like about the book is the way it pegs the resistance that we throw in the face of achieving our potential, and the way it defines those who will succeed in overcoming resistance ("professionals") versus those who won't ("amateurs"). This part is great. But my favorite idea in the book is that I am a vessel of my talent, that there is a muse or angel or Someone who has my back as I pursue my talent, and that I have been put on this earth to fully realize my artistic best.

After participating in the workshop and reading the Pressfield book, I feel reassured that I am doing some things right. And I am on fire with stories and characters and plots. I just need to look Resistance in the face, spit in his eye, and put my hands on the keyboard. I've got what it takes.

Vacation

I'm sincerely hoping that at least a few of you noticed that I haven't been posting for the past two weeks. I've been on vacation.

It was a celebration of my thirtieth wedding anniversary and it was an extravagance at a time when it doesn't really feel okay to be extravagant. But we wanted to honor our steadfastness, so off we went.

The trip was to France, and we availed ourselves of almost every form of transportation available: plane, boat, bus, train, bicycle, subway, and of course our own feet. All of this moving around gave me ample opportunity to read. Here's what I read:

Girl Trouble by Holly Goddard Jones. I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories. Jones has a way with characters, and two of the stories were especially strong. One, early in the book, was told from the viewpoint of a mother whose son has committed a rape and murder. The last story was told from the viewpoint of the son.

Chemistry and Other Stories by Ron Rash. Short stories set in Appalachia. The most memorable of them is the award-winning story, "Speckled Trout".

The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker. Full of humor, this novel is about a poet trying to write an introduction for an anthology he has put together. I learned a lot about poetry and linquistics. I also learned that "Carpe diem" does not mean, "Seize the day" but "Pluck the day".

White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Set in India, this was an easy read, a funny and quirky story of a taxi driver. I am surprised that it won the Man Booker Award though.

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. This is four hundred plus pages of addictive reading. Told in the form of letters written to a woman's husband, it is the fictional story of the life of a boy who was troubled from the day he was born, and committed mass murder at his high school when he was months shy of his fifteenth birthday. A magnificant book club pick.

Tomorrow I will give a few highlights of the trip, but I won't bore you with a blow-by-blow travelogue. The photograph is from the second leg of the trip.

Masha Hamilton and Time to Go

I mentioned yesterday that I read Masha Hamilton's new book, 31 Hours. Tonight she came to speak at the bookstore. She was classy, brilliant, and had chosen passages from the book that were spot-on for us, the Religion and Ethics group.

The event was poorly attended. There were maybe ten people there. Discouraging to put together a program and have few people there to enjoy it.

This discussion group has been meeting for many years - more than ten. Attendance can range from three people to forty people. As the discussion leader, I choose the materials or speaker, read up and prepare the discussion questions, send out a reminder email, and show up to lead. And try not to take poor attendance personally.

The first time I led a book group at my church, I had visions of seventy-five people showing up. From the neighborhood, bookstore customers, church members. The group ended up being around ten people. After a few great discussions, I decided to let go of expectations of large numbers of people being important. But I want actively interested people who have read the material to come. Tonight, two people had read the book and I was the only one who asked a question. How disappointing that must have been for Masha. I know I felt embarrassed at the lack of involvement by the audience.

When do we decide that something has run its course? It is the longest-running discussion group at the store. But to tell you the truth, I'm tired of doing it. And that's how I know it's time for me to take a break.

Later this week, I'll be talking about a couple of things that Masha has set in place that could use some support. Stay tuned.

Nice Weekend

I am a real reader - usually read between forty and fifty books a year. But I've been through a two-month slump. I didn't read one book. Instead, I watched TV in bed until I fell asleep.

Now, granted, getting your news from Jon Stewart is important, but it had gotten to be a bad habit. So just as a year or so ago I banned talk radio from my car, I banned watching television from my nightly routine. Lo and behold, I've read three books in the past two weeks, two this weekend.

One of the books is 31 Hours by Masha Hamilton. She is the author of The Camel Bookmobile, which I haven't read. Her new book is the story of a young American, Jonas, who is in his last hours leading up to being a suicide bomber in the New York subway. I read it in a day and half - it is very engrossing - and the ending is thought-provoking. Hamilton will read from the book at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh tomorrow night at 7.

The second book I read is Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong. Huong is Vietnamese, and this is on the cover: "Banned in its own country, the first novel from Vietnam ever published in the United States." It is the story of three Vietnamese women through the viewpoint of a young girl, Hang, living under the Communist government of Vietnam. Not only is the language beautiful (it is a translation) but there is a great deal of current history of the Vietnamese people woven into the story.

Last night we anchored out. We chose a place that was very sheltered. Unfortunately, this also meant (last night at least) that the air was very still and the no-see-ums were out. Here is the view from the back of the boat:



The sunset, usually very vivid in this particular body of water, was rather subdued.



Because of the restless night, I saw the sun rise. It was a perfect start to the day.


I'm eager to start reading tonight and cozy up in my own bed. Next on my list is the new book by one of my favorite authors, Dave Eggers. My daughter, who works at Malaprops Book Store in Asheville, recommended it.

Correction on Simon Van Booy's book

I had the name of the short story collection by Van Booy wrong. The new book is called Love Begins in Winter. (The other is a previous collection. I haven't read it...yet.)

New Short Story Collections

Sorry to be slack in posting this week, but I'm devouring a beautiful book of short stories by Simon Van Booy entitled, The Secret Lives of People In Love. This book has made me wonder how quotes become quotable: it's full of what I believe will soon be widely quoted sentences and paragraphs. Exquisite.

Next on my list is this book of short stories. Can't wait.

And remember my touting the book, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout? Pulitzer Prize. If you didnt' read it then, read it now.

We short story lovers are rich with inspiration.

Book Recommendation

It took a while, but I finished reading Abraham Verghese's new book Cutting for Stone on Friday night, and it was well worth the time it took. Some of you may have read his first book, My Own Country, about his early days as a doctor in the Tri-Cities area during the rise of the AIDS epidemic. Verghese obviously has the writing gene, because the new book is fiction, and beautifully written.

It is the story of twins born in Ethiopia to a foreign doctor and a nun. Rich characterization with a suspenseful plot and lots of medical details (but nothing too gory or academic) make this a book you don't want to end. And the ending is simply perfect.

Run, don't walk, to our local independent bookstore (if you're in the Raleigh area) or to one close to you, and buy one or both of Verghese's books. Find a cozy place to sit and read, read, read. Enjoy!

Asta in the Wings

I may have just read my favorite book of 2009: Asta in the Wings, by Jan Elizabeth Watson. Nancy Olson of Quail Ridge Books has never let me down with a recommendation, and she was spot on with this one. I read all 300 pages in twenty-four hours, and that includes creeping through the last ten pages or so because I couldn't bear to say good-bye to Asta.

If you love to read and love good reading, and live in the Raleigh area, I highly recommend that you head down to Quail Ridge Books tomorrow night (Monday) and attend their book club bash. You'll hear about the best in (mostly) paperback reading and drink some really good wine. If you can't make the Monday night event, you can drink coffee and hear about the recommendations on Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Get that book, people. It's one of the finest debut novels I've ever read. And thanks to Tin House, a small publisher, for bringing such great reading to those of us who still care to learn about unknown but very talented writers. I can't wait for Watson to write something else.

Famous

Today I went to a luncheon for the Orange County (NC) Literacy Council. We were at Table 7, just to the side of the podium. The speakers were Lisa Alther, Dan Ariely, Robert Olen Butler, John Grisham, and Jonathon Miles.

We sat with Lisa (pronounced "Liza") Alther and got to talk with her personally. The rest of the authors we heard from the podium. Daniel Wallace, a fine author and very funny guy, was the emcee.

Dan Ariely spoke about cheating (an odd topic for the literacy council event) but I found his ten minutes about when and how people cheat very intriguing. Jonathan Miles had each of the other authors write a first line for a novel he had picked up at his host's house (he read the back jacket blurb) and then we had to guess which was the real first line. Those writers came up with some hilarious first lines! Robert Olen Butler talked about the new flash fiction phenom and read two of his from his new collection. The book imagines the thoughts of couples engaged in sexual encounters. John Grisham told the story of how he became fascinated with the story of a man who died after wrongly serving in prison for many years. He read about the man in the NY Times obits. His point was that often prison is where people learn to read, and that books make their life bearable while serving their time.

We sat at a table with three young women who work for Algonquin and I was able to do some investigation about my theory that publishing is being altered by the fact that young people are the first contact many writers have in a publishing house. I was told that they have some influence in what makes it through slush pile submissions but that they are given manuscripts to read and summarize to determine if they have an eye for what the publisher is looking for before they are hired.

A fascinating day at the Carolina Inn.

Anne Morrison Welsh

Tonight I am going to Quail Ridge Books to hear author Anne Morrison Welsh talk about her book, Held In the Light, the story of her husband's death and how she and her family dealt with the aftermath.

Norman Morrison set himself on fire on the steps of the Pentagon in protest of the Vietnam War. To some of us this may seem a futile gesture, but to the Vietnamese, who are accustomed to this type of protest statement, Morrison became a hero.

The book is full of beautiful poetry written by Vietnamese poets and Anne's own family. Her writing is lyrical and the book, though small, is a beautiful testament to Norman and to his family.

My favorite poem in the book is written by a North Vietnamese poet laureate, To Huu. It is entitled, "Emily, My Child" and is dedicated to Norman Morrison. Morrison took his daughter, then a toddler, with him to Washington the day of his death. No one knows what his intentions were with regard to her or how he actually saved her. I read the poem to my husband on the way back from the beach yesterday and was moved to tears.

I hope you will go to Quail Ridge Books and order a copy of Anne's book.

Books

I am about halfway through Wally Lamb's new book, The Hour I First Believed, and it is a winner. Full review coming in a few days (the book is 700 pages long).

I see that Oprah has chosen David Wroblewski's book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle for her book club. With all the influence she has, with all the fame and fortune that comes with being an Oprah Book Club choice, why has she chosen a book that is already a bestseller? Why can't she choose books from the smaller publishers, lesser known (or unknown) authors?

It is a great book, but she could have chosen so much more wisely. She has the power to effect change in the publishing industry, and I wish she would think about what that means to us as readers and writers.

Oh well, order your copy from Quail Ridge Books or an independent bookstore in your town. At least make a difference when you buy her picks.