W3: Hanging out in the past

 

It's week three in my 52 Books reading quest and I'm hanging out in the past with my dusty books. 

I finished my C book - Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which was an amazingly complex character study of two young Jewish men from the 1930’s to 1950’s dealing with war, life, love, family, loss, plus the comic book industry and bosses who took advantage of them. A more in depth review is posted below. 

I'm at the 75% mark with Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel:  Henry has married Anne and she’s been crowned queen, given him a baby girl, and still Katherine refuses to accept the dissolution of the marriage. Enjoying all the machinations of Cromwell and the court.

Already dove into my fourth dusty book, a historical fiction novel The Devlin Diary, which is set in two time frames – London in 1672 and Cambridge in 2008. It is the 2nd book in the Claire Donovan duo by Christi Phillips, author of Rossetti Letter which was excellent. Devlin Diary is almost as good.  

So far, I've avoided reading any ebooks, preferring to stick with physical books for the time being. 

 We watched The Eternals which was good, but not great. The acting seemed a bit off, emotions were wooden and I expected better.  It also opened the door to more Marvel movies. 

The only writing I've done is morning pages or blog posts. Time to get back to revising Red Thief.   

Book Review: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

 

I finished Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay which left me with a book hangover and the feeling of having read and excuse the pun, an amazing, yet exhausting adventure. 

"Joe Kavalier, a young Jewish artist who has also been trained in the art of Houdini-esque escape, has just smuggled himself out of Nazi-invaded Prague and landed in New York City. His Brooklyn cousin Sammy Clay is looking for a partner to create heroes, stories, and art for the latest novelty to hit America - the comic book. Drawing on their own fears and dreams, Kavalier and Clay create the Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth, inspired by the beautiful Rosa Saks, who will become linked by powerful ties to both men."

Years ago I would probably have disliked this book because of Chabon's writing style. Today I appreciate and understand it, and especially like how he emulated Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried with the vivid writing and lists of thoughts, things, people, ideas. The details drew me into the story and planted me right there with each one of the characters.  Each character, affected by their heritage, their families, the people around them, the war with Germany.   

The timeline, from the 1930's through 1950's, told a story of survival, revenge, acceptance, humor, obsession, grief, and love, and hard work. Now that I think about it, all the stages of grief. Since  my son is into comic books, enjoyed the artistry and thought that went into making them.  I cheered for their victories and booed their losses, and the people who took advantage of them.  And I'll be pondering the mysticism and symbolism of the Golem from beginning to end for a while.  Would you believe that through out the whole dang second half of the book, I held on to hope Kavilier's brother was still alive out there someplace and would make an appearance at some point.  

I thoroughly enjoyed the story and look forward to reading Chabon's Yiddish Policemen's Union.

Alphabet, Dusty, Jewish historical fiction, Prague, Antarctic, New York, 684

Bookish Notes and Links

Did you know this week is National Letter Writing week which means it's time to grab some paper and a pen or pencil, not the keyboard, and write a letter to a  significant other, family member, friend, long lost relative or even an author to thank them. 

I was eating my dinner at work yesterday, browsing the internet and fell into this article on Dame - Have We Forgotten How to Read Critically. I was reminded of a conversation I had with my son recently about authors, video games writers, comic book writers and how once something is published, that isn't the time to argue with them about how it's written and how you think it should be changed.  Lot of conversations online these days from Authors I follow who have people emailing them, questioning their choices, their writing. Then you have the ones who don't understand or want to cancel all the dead authors because the language may be discomforting.  Okay, getting off my soap box. All this to say it is an interesting, thoughtful article. 

Another one I enjoyed:  A Year in Reading the Backlist. 

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans are Reading Ebooks.  As one of those who has discovered I've been reading more ebooks (because they are so easy to get) over the wonderful chunky and dusty physical books on my shelves,  I have yet to start an ebook this year.  I know we're only a week in, but I find myself wanting that tactical experience, relaxing with a real book and absorbing the story. I'm enjoying not having the urge to flip over to the news or email or anything else.  Even though our 52 Books Books about Books Bookology author of the month is Shion Miura and the highlighted read is The Great Passage, which have on my virtual nightstand, along with many other books, I think I'll stick with my dusty books for a while. 

I started another dusty book Sunday night --- Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.  At this point, I've read enough history as well as historical fiction novels, that I'm familiar with the subject matter and enjoying all the more because of it.  Timing, I guess, is everything. 

James and I finished listening to the audible book Ghostbusters one and two they were quite entertaining. 

I'm still enjoying my sip read of Wolf Hall.  

We watched Gemini Man with Will Smith which was very exciting. 

This week is all about finishing quarterly taxes for the shop and annual income taxes so we can refinance our SBA Loan on the business property. So many numbers, so much fun..... 

 

A Bookish Quest

Good Morning! 

Since I seem to be more in a sipping mood lately rather than feasting on one book, I came up with a bookish quest. Find the oldest or an older book, meaning purchased more than a couple years or so ago, whether it be physical or e form and read it or at least start reading it this week. For Kindle, the oldest books in my virtual stacks are Tent Life in Siberia, a nonfiction book of essays about Siberian travel adventures and survival and David Baldacci’s The Innocent. On my nook, is K.M. Weiland’s A Man Called Outlaw. 

I already started sipping Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay last week which has been lounging on my physical shelves for quite a while.  Think I’ll look through my bookshelves and pull another oldie but goodie out as a secondary.   I checked Audible and discovered a few started but unfinished books, so going with the oldest which is James Rollin’s Devil Colony to listen to while meandering about this week.

I finished Amanda Lee's  Witchin USA in which the lead character just seemed so very young and immature and I couldn't figure out what the romantic lead saw in her but it was a fluffy, lighthearted read nonetheless.   I also finished the latest book in J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, The Sinner.  I think I may have to read it again because the climax, the end of the war between the vampires and the lessors was very anticlimactic and maybe I missed something, but Goodreads reviews seem to agree with me.   

Besides sipping from the books above, I'm sipping from Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird which is both amusing and giving me inspiration to write. 

When she gets all angsty about writing, "I finally notice the one-inch picture frame that I put on my to remind me of short assignments.  It reminds me that all I have to do is write down as much as I can see through a one-inch picture frame....   

E.L. Doctorow once said the 'writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.' You don't have to see where you're going, you don't have to see your destination or everything you will pass along the way. You just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.  This is right up there with the best advice about writing, or life, I have ever heard."

Yes it does sound like good advice. I've been a bit angsty about rewriting WIP-RT so going to imagine parts in a one inch picture frame and take it scene by scene.  The universe hit me over the head the other day when I was mulling over the story and suggested I write the story in third person omniscient.  Hmm!