Lovely evening at a Billy Collins reading at Strand.

On whether or not he’ll ever write prose:

“No.”

…

“No one asks prose writers if they’ll ever write poetry.”

…

“Poetry is a bird, prose is a potato.”

PS – My blog is back up, after a several month struggle/confusion with hosting.

Hover over the photo or click through to Flickr to see the very short or unhelpful titles they might have.

Yoga for People Who Can’t Be Bothered to Do It by Geoff Dyer: I brought this travel/memoir at Brooklyn Flea, because I’m currently reading & am obsessed with Dyer’s collection of essays, Working the Room. I want to read everything Geoff Dyer’s ever written. Also, the title is pretty amazing.

You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik: This was an impulse purchase at Strand, I had never heard of it before I saw it in their basement bins of new paperbacks. Three factors: a 50% off price tag, intriguing jacket copy, and the fact that I’ve never been steered wrong by a Europe Edition combined forces and this one had to come home with me.

Wendy and the Lost Boys by Julie Salamon: This is a pretty fantastic book cover, yes? But of course we would never buy a book just because it has a pretty cover, would we? We’d also flip through it and think that the subject matter looks fascinating and that we’d enjoy reading it. This was one of those times where instead of putting it back down and pondering it for a few more days/weeks/months/until paperback release, I just went for it and purchased it.

Paris: The Collected Traveler, An Inspired Companion Guide, edited by Barrie Kerper: This is one in a newish series of books (all under “The Collected Traveler” title) that looks fantastic. It’s a non-traditional guidebook that combines in-depth articles and history with essays and interviews with many writers & experts of the city. There’s a little seed recently planted in my head that’s telling me to go to Paris next year for my vacation, and I’m indulging it with books while I ponder the potential trip.

Walk the Blue Fields by Claire Keegan: I read this article on NPR, and then I absolutely needed this book. I miss Ireland very much, and reading literature about the beautiful countryside, quaint towns, and rich culture helps make up for the fact that I’m not still driving through the green hills in the little red rental car with Emma, stopping frequently to stare at the view in amazement.

-From Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner, pages 144-145

_____

Teaser Tuesdays is a fun weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. I change the rules a little bit to suit my own purposes: I hand pick the teaser, rather than choose one randomly. I also very frequently post more than two sentences. :)

(The word “suddenly” reminds me of one of my favorite poems “Tension” by Billy Collins. You can read it online here.)

My life has changed quite a bit this year, and with it many of my habits changed too. For example: I now make my bed. Every morning. I never used to be a bed maker, except when I had to put on clean sheets. Now I’m a bed maker, and I can’t really explain why. That’s one example of the hundreds of little things that have changed, and those things accumulated into quite a lot of change in my daily routines.

My goal is to find a way to make this blog fit with my life a bit better – I don’t want to feel stressed because I am behind on reviews or posts. That means I need to change the way I write posts and use this blog. I’m not sure if it will be a good change or not, but I’ll figure that out later.

I’ve still been reading a lot, and buying towers of books. I’ll find a way to continue to post about those activities, but in a new way. Right now, I’m a little more than halfway through Vaclav and Lena by Haley Tanner.

Last thought for this post and the most important, how excited are we all for this?:

Mrs. Next came back into the room. “You never told me you’d bought a gold-plated toilet.”
Landon frowned. “We don’t have a gold-plated toilet.”
“Oh, dear,” said Mrs. Next. “I think I’ve just peed in your tuba.”

-From One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde, page 205

I had lived in my old apartment for 5 years, so it was quite a task to go through all the stuff and figure out which stuff to donate, which stuff to throw away, and which stuff to keep and pack up. Especially when there’s well over 1000 books to factor in.

I edited my book collection quite a bit before the move. I donated a lot of books that I’m less interested in now, or don’t think I’ll ever read. I didn’t count, but I’d guess that I gave away about 200 to 300 books. Most of them went to Symposia Books in Hoboken, a non-profit, community used bookstore. The others went to the book exchange at my work.

I now live in an adorable 1 bedroom apartment in Brookyn. I’m still getting settled, but I’m loving it so far. I have two new Billy bookcases from IKEA in my bedroom, and my living room has built in bookcases along one wall. I now have more than enough room for all my books! Yesterday I unpacked all my books, and before I put each book on a shelf, I scanned it with with Delicious Library so that I have a completely accurate catalog of all my books. This makes the librarian in my soul incredibly giddy.

Here’s a photo of some of the books in my Billy bookcases:

Once I’m more settled I’ll take photos of the entire apartment and post them here. I’m finally buying grown up furniture (as opposed to the cheapest available stuff at IKEA, which is how I had to furnish my first apartment out of college), and I’m really excited about how it’s coming together. My new Crate & Barrel couch arrived yesterday, and it is also a queen size pull out bed – so visitors are welcome! My brass bed arrives on Wednesday, and I’m super excited because it reminds me of Samantha’s bed from the American Girl doll books. :)

Additionally – I’ll be catching up on all book related posts soon too – so keep an eye out for Polysyllabic Spree posts. I need to decide where in my new apartment my stacks of books bought and read each month will be photographed!

~

These observations, and indeed the greater part of the observations made that evening, were interrupted by Mrs. Micawber’s discovering that Master Micawber was sitting on his boots, or holding his head on with both arms as if he felt it loose, or accidentally kicking Traddles under the table, or shuffling his feet over one another, or producing them at distances from himself apparently outrageous to nature, or lying sideways with his hair among the wine-glasses, or developing his restlessness of limb in some other form incompatible with the general interests of society; and by Master Micawber’s receiving those discoveries in a resentful spirit.

-David Copperfield, page 527, by Charles Dickens

Who is this girl? The back of the photo says that her name is Martha. Where is she? It looks like she might be at a camp. Where was she heading before she half-turned back to smile for the photographer?

Where is this house? Who lived here? Was it a big family? Did they like to sit on that beautiful porch in the summer? Where do they keep their car(s)? Is this house still standing? Who lives there now?

Who is this man and this woman? How do they know each other? Are they a couple? She has a lovely hat on. Who took the photo? Were they dressed up for an occasion, or did they always dress nicely to go out?

I think Elena Mauli Shapiro and I are kindred spirits, because this type of curiosity is how she wrote the novel 13, rue Thérèse. From the book jacket:

Elena Mauli Shapiro was born and raised in Paris, France, in an apartment below the real-life Louise Brunet’s. Shapiro found herself in possession of a box of Louise’s keepsakes after her neighbor died and no relatives arrived to claim them. These postcards, gloves, photographs, coins, letters, and other mementoes utterly captured her imagination.

So, this novel was right up my alley. Shapiro took the objects left behind and imagined the life of Louise Brunet that surrounded them. Very little is known of the real Louise, but her keepsakes inspired this work of fiction. Printed throughout the novel are color photographs of the actual objects. You can go to http://www.13ruetherese.com to see the objects and learn more about the book.

This novel has:
1. Time Travel
2. Romance
3. Paris
4. Color photographs of real letters and photos

…what’s not to love?

This novel was a lovely and unusual read. I think those who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will enjoy 13, rue Thérèse. It has the same combination winning combo of historical fiction and wartime letters, but with more passion and mystery. I didn’t want to put it down.

Here are my two favorite lines from the book:

“She leans in and kisses him, kisses his lax and comforting lips. She does love him. Yet she is riddled with flaming foolishness – and she knows such things don’t last, but she cannot accept that such things are false just because they are fleeting.” page 131

“He is driven by something he cannot understand – some unknown thing inside him pushes him on and he yields. It must be that whatever is to follow is already written.” page 191

Role Models by John Waters
It’s a Good Life if You Don’t Weaken by Seth
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (Christmas present)
The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore (Christmas present)
Tales of Belkin by Alexander Pushkin (Christmas present)
More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
Travels With Alice by Calvin Trillin
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
Lynchpin by Seth Godin
Tribes by Seth Godin
Sway by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Fordlandia by Greg Grandin
Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise by Sam Irvin (Christmas present)
Claudine at School by Colette
Dragonwyck by Anya Seton
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Boy Book by E. Lockhart
The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart

Books Read:

The 10 p.m. Question by Katie de Goldi
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (re-read, audio)
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
The Heroine’s Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (re-read)
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

The 10 p.m. Question is a YA novel about a boy named Frankie Parsons. I loved it, but it’s been a while since I finished it, so rather than bumbling through a description of it that doesn’t do it justice, here’s a description from Booklist:

Twelve-year-old Frankie dreams of having his best friend Gigs’ worry-free disposition. But in his family, Frankie feels like he is the only one who “bothers doing the thinking” about everything from grocery lists to smoke-alarm batteries, and nothing seems to quiet his internal “rodent voice . . . the perpetual bearer of unpalatable facts,” once it gets rolling. Then irrepressible tomboy Sydney arrives at school and befriends Frankie almost against his will. Prompted by her brash charm, Frankie begins to follow Sydney’s “book of wacko etiquette and, for once, talk straight and tough” about family mysteries, beginning with the most obvious and avoided question: Why does Ma never leave the house? An award-winning best-seller in New Zealand, where it was published in 2008, De Goldi’s novel is an achingly poignant, wryly comic story of early adolescence that invites comparisons to works by authors as varied as Lynne Rae Perkins, Nick Hornby, and J. D. Salinger. Nearly every character, from Frankie’s cheerfully sardonic teacher to the trio of pillowy, cigar-smoking aunties who give him sanctuary, is a loving, talented, unforgettable eccentric whose dialogue, much like De Goldi’s richly phrased narration, combines heart-stopping tenderness with perfectly timed, deliciously zany humor. Readers from early teens through adults will be drawn to this beautifully nuanced, unsentimental view of family life, friendship, the heroic requirements of growing up, and the rewards of speaking the unspeakable out loud.

I listened to The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid this month, and this was the third time I’ve read it. I love Bill Bryson’s stories of growing up in the midwest in the 1950s; he brings the decade alive and reminds us of how magnificent things were back then. I’ve read this three times (and will re-read it more) because it transports me back to the joys of childhood and reminds me of the pleasures of simple things that we stop noticing or admiring once we grow up. And also because it makes me laugh a lot. Bill Bryson narrates the audio version himself, and he does it very well – the humor really shines. If you’ve never read this one, I highly recommend it. And if you’re so inclined – try the audiobook, it’s lovely.

I must have picked up and put down Brooklyn by Colm Toibin in bookstores about 6 times before I finally gave in and bought it. Everything about the appearance of the book called to me, and I finally gave in because I kept seeing great reviews of it as well. I enjoyed it very much, mostly because Colm Toibin’s writing is beautiful. It reminds me of being inside on a snowy day – it’s warm and intimate, and I was immediately pulled into the story and wanted to settle in for a while and wrap the words around me.

I’m not sure how I’d never read A Christmas Carol before, but I’m please to report that I remedied that in December. I read my snowflake covered Penguin Classics clothbound edition right before Christmas, and it was lovely. Now I need to decide what Dickens novel to read this year. (2008 – David Copperfield, 2009 – Great Expectations, 2010 – A Christmas Carol.) I think Oliver Twist might be in the lead, but I have a while to decide because I usually wait until the end of fall/beginning of winter to start it.

After reading The Heroine’s Bookshelf (review posted here), I wanted to immediately read (or re-read) all the books she discussed. I bought the copies of Claudine at School and Their Eyes Were Watching God that appear above in my Books Purchased stack. And since I was at home for Christmas, I grabbed my mom’s copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and promptly re-read it. I remember loving it back when I first read it in 2004 (which, coincidently, was also during a Christmas break at home, and using my Mom’s same copy), and I loved it even more the second time through. It’s heartwarming, cozy, and perfect. Reading it again has cemented it into my list of top 10 favorite books of all time.

In December I started reading the Ruby Oliver series, by E. Lockhart. I loved her book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and had been wanting to read more of her YA fiction. I read the first book in the series, The Boyfriend List, which I liked a lot. Ruby is a funny, down to earth girl struggling with life at an expensive private school, where she goes on scholarship. She struggles with all the normal teenage problems: friendships, parents, and boys. Her emotions feel very real, and her humor makes the series very fun to read. I’m making my way through the other books now (the series is four books, so far).