19th Meeting: The Illustrated Man

I like to think that organizing a book club and writing a blog about the books I read means that I am a well-read person. But it's mostly a lie. I read every night, yes, but I don't read the books that I "should" read. You know, the books that everyone else has read? I guess you could also call them "classics". Ha! Anyway, I am mostly in denial about this because of all of the other signs that point to me being a prolific consumer of literature, but every so often, I can't escape the fact that I'm a fraud. For example, when one of the book club members selects a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury.

everyone else in the world: "Oh, this book will be great! Fahrenheit 451 was so amazing, I bet this will  be wonderful too."
me: ... *crickets chirping*... "yeah, totally."

I mean, obviously, I've heard of Fahrenheit 451, I just haven't, you know... read it. But that doesn't mean I couldn't enjoy this month's book selection The Illustrated Man. Collections of short stories are almost always a hit at book club, because there's always enough variety that people find at least one story they connect with. This book was no exception- in fact, we unanimously liked the book!

The short stories in this book are all futuristic (though many take place in the 1980's or now-- they were all written in the 1950's) takes on technology and human nature. The stories either were about the end of the world through atomic warfare (something constantly present in the collective thoughts of the 1950's), or they were about a different life for people once space travel and "rocket men" were everywhere. While these specific events are not true of the future (at least yet) something Bradbury got right was the state of human nature. Bradbury captured the complexity of human character so perfectly-- while the potential for things like love and happiness exist in all of us, so do things like hate, fear, anger, and entitlement. Bradbury showed how consumerism and technology would be enough to corrupt us; while he was talking about rockets and not ipods, I'm not sure we are too far off his predictions of the world!

The short stories in this book were all tied together by the story of the illustrated man. This man was covered in magical tattoos that all moved and told stories, supposedly of the future. Each of the stories in the book was then supposedly one of the tattoos. I really liked this as a tool to tie the stories together. And in fact, the prologue and epilogue were some of my favorite parts of the whole collection! All in all, I thought this was a great book. After a fantastic discussion of this and Bradbury's other works, I may actually try to read Fahrenheit 451 one of these days!

*A final note. There are many editions of this book, and between the six people at our meeting, we had four different versions that didn't always include the same stories. Only one or two stories were different between the versions, but until we discovered that, our discussions were pretty bizarre (e.g., "You don't remember that story? But it was one of the best!)

15th Meeting: Wise Blood

The 15th meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary took place on a sunny and mild Sunday afternoon in February. One our newest members, Rachel, hosted the discussion of Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor. I was extremely excited to read this book for many reasons- mostly, I have embarrassingly never read anything by Flannery O'Connor, and I feel as though I should considering she is a literary icon. Also, she is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and happened to write at least a portion of the novel while here! It is incredible to be living in the same city and walking the same streets as so many literary geniuses, and reading the works they wrote while living and studying here is just too cool.

Unfortunately, I didn't love the book-- and barring one exception, neither did most Literary Eaters & Drinkers. We had an amazing discussion though. The novel is about a maladjusted WWII veteran, Hazel Motes, who returns to the south from the war having a crisis of faith. He starts preaching and starts the "church of Christ without Christ". The cast of characters are all misguided mis-fits and the symbolism, religious themes, and dark comedy of the book are inescapable. 

I appreciate the book much more after our discussion, but while reading it, I kept feeling like I just wasn't smart enough. I didn't see the masterpiece, I didn't get the comedy, I wasn't shocked (in a good way or bad) by the religious themes. Overall? I just didn't get it. The chapters didn't seem to flow, and I was just not that engaged. At first I chalked it up to the fact that I was incredibly preoccupied with prospectus writing and applying for fellowships, but after finishing the novel, I looked it up on Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge, right?) and found out that the book was basically a compilation of multiple originally separate short stories (one of which was O'Connor's thesis at Iowa!) After I realized that the chapters were originally distinct stories, I felt much better about the whole book. And in fact, I could see merit in individual chapters and I think I would have enjoyed them much more if they were just a short story. 

Kelsey, the loan true fan of the book, is also a huge fan of O'Connor in general. She said that once you "get" the dark comedy of her work, that the rest falls into place.  So, with that endorsement, I have decided not to give up on O'Connor's work! And maybe in time, I will come back to Wise Blood and see if I can get a clue! 

Thirteenth Meeting: Cloud Atlas

In December, Aaron hosted the thirteenth meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary. For me, it seemed like "unlucky 13" because I did not particularly enjoy his pick Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell. The book consisted of six short stories that wove through time and space. The book itself was like a palindrome-- the first story ended abruptly (I'm talking mid-sentence) about half way through and didn't continue until the very end of the book. In other words, it was both the first and last story, and the second was also the second-to-last.

Each story was told from the point of view of a wildly different character. First up was Adam Ewing, a sailor exploring New Zealand in the 19th century, next was Robert Frobisher, a pompous young composer in the early 20th century living in Belgium; third was Louisa Rey, a young woman living in the 1970's in California, fourth was Timothy Cavendish, a book publisher in what seemed to be present day England, fifth was Son-Mi, a clone turned revolutionary in a futuristic Korea, and finally was Zachry living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii. Each character seemed to be reincarnations of the previous character, and also read or watched the same short stories as we read.

If nothing else, I was incredibly impressed by Mitchell's abilities to write from the point of view of these wildly different people. However, it was mostly lost on me. I especially couldn't read the sections told in dialects (Zachry's in particular). I found myself turning pages without knowing at all what I was reading. The book club meeting definitely helped me appreciate the book more, and I left feeling like I should re-read the book. (I'm not going to, mind you, but I think I should).

As usual, the book had a mixed review among the group. Of eight or so people that came, I think half liked it, and half didn't... though most of us were probably hovering towards the neutral feeling. I will not be recommending this book to anyone anytime soon, unless they are a philosopher or really into thinking hard and not understanding anything... but again, I have to hand it to David Mitchell for writing such an incredible book. I feel bad that most of it was lost on me.

* This novel is being adapted into a film sometime soon, and has an incredible cast. I'm definitely going to check it out, and maybe (hopefully!) I will get more out of it.

Sixth Meeting: The Imperfectionists

Yesterday was the sixth meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary-- and we really lived up to the name of our book club, let me tell you! Halley hosted our biggest group yet (14!) for brunch and discussion of Tom Rachman's Imperfectionists.

The book is actually quite similar in format to our fifth book club book (Let the Great World Spin);  it is a series of short stories that all intertwine to become a novel. This novel is set in Rome (a bonus for me) and each chapter is told from the point of view of a member of the staff at an American newspaper there. The characters are desperate and flawed, and the chapters are told much like a newspaper article would be-- they are abrupt and lack closure. 

The overwhelming opinion of the group was "eh"; however, which side of "eh" people fell on was quite varied. Some thought it was boring, some thought it was sad. I am apparently twisted because I thought the book was hilarious. I guess I thought the desperation and tragic nature of each story was supposed to be part of a dark comedy.

One thing everyone agreed on was that the book was well written, and that each of the characters had a distinct voice. We heard from work-a-holic editors, disgruntled copy writers, dried up correspondents so desperate for a headline that they fabricated an entire story, an uninspired obituary writer, and one of my favorites-- a dedicated reader who was a decade behind in the news, but read every word of every issue. Each character was more pathetic than the next (the newspaper included) and I found it to be funny, charming, and engaging. Finding out I was mostly alone in this opinion is making me re-think whether I would recommend this book to others.

Despite the apathy and negative feelings towards the book, we had an incredibly lively discussion, much of which was due to Halley's fantastic list of discussion questions. I think it was also due to the large numbers present. Several people came for the first time (including Lisa which I was incredibly nervous about since she is my "book club guru" but she had a great time) and nobody was shy about expressing opinions or asking questions. Every meeting I am just overwhelmed with gratitude for being surrounded by such brilliant people!

These brilliant people also happen to be fantastic chefs so I am doubly grateful. Our spread was pretty incredible. I contributed some measy "bake'n" (baked bacon), but others took the brunch challenge more seriously. We had mimosas, crepes, an egg casserole, cappuccino muffins, cranberry muffins, banana bread with chocolate chips, and the most amazing lemon curd filled pastry things I have ever had. I don't even know what they are called, but man they were something.

Overall a GREAT meeting. I'm still on my book club high a day later!

Fifth Meeting: Let the Great World Spin

I am such a bad blogger! We had a book club meeting a month ago and I still haven't said a word about the book or the meeting! Shame on me. Hopefully I can redeem myself.

The January meeting of Eat, Drink, and Literary was hosted by my lovely friend Mandy, and we discussed Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin. The novel is written like a series of short stories, but all (or most, anyway) of the chapters are intertwined to a degree. The novel begins with a description of Philippe Petit who tight-rope walked between the two world trade center towers on August 7th, 1974. The rest of the chapters were told from the point of view of people living in the city during that time. Some of them saw the tight rope walker, some didn't-- but all had a remarkable day on August 7th. The cast of characters ranged from wealthy Park Avenue ladies to Irish immigrants to prostitutes in the Bronx. I enjoyed the book for the most part, and when I read the afterward by the author, I think I figured out why. After 9/11, he saw how one event could connect an entire city of individuals. So, he wrote about another event that could offer a similar kind of connection. I am a sucker for the idea that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves. Even something like a "man on wire" can shed light on the fact that we are all connected.

My favorite two chapters were from the points of view of two very different women. First, was Tillie, the prostitute who reflected on her life in a matter-of-fact, hilarious, and inspiring way while she was serving time for her offenses. Second was Gloria, the college educated Midwestern black woman who lost her sons in the Vietnam War and ended up adopting Tillie's grand children. Though these women were incredible opposites in most parts of their lives, I could feel a similar conviction coming through both of their distinct voices.

The discussion of the book was interesting. Mandy asked some really interesting questions and was able to approach the book both as a novel and as short stories (one chapter or character at a time). Overall, the impression of the book was that it was good.... but not as good as we were all expecting.The two characters that seemed to be most central to the book, and the most connected to all of the chapters, were the two characters that we never actually heard from. In fact, they died almost immediately in the book. The fact that we could never get inside the head of the Irish monk Corrigan, and teenage prostitute from the Bronx, Jazzlyn was a puzzle to everyone. We couldn't decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing-- in some ways, we liked it. The main characters became more subjective and not knowing anything about them just made us want to know more. In other ways, we found it frustrating that we couldn't really see what was so important about these characters or why we were supposed to care about them so much.

Similarly, we had mixed feelings about the intertwining of the characters/stories. The chapters were not overly intertwined, which was nice, but in some cases we were left without closure.

The thing we all agreed on is that the last chapter was unnecessary. It was the only chapter told in a different time period (present day), and it just took a different tone entirely. The book would have been far better if it left us in the gloomier era of 1970's Manhattan.

Despite the sub-par ending and the minor grudges here and there, as a group we mostly liked the book. However, the book was NOTHING compared to the incredible spread. Mandy decided to host an afternoon tea so we had a selection of 50 plus teas, honey, sugar, and milk plus every goodie you can imagine with it. Two types of scones (I have yet to decide which was better-- the currant or the pumpkin. I am still dreaming about both), Devonshire cream, lemon curd, cheese straws, fresh fruit, a delicious tart, tea party cupcakes, and my contribution of cucumber sandwiches. Whether or not this was the best book we've read it was by far the best meal.

Second Meeting- Willful Creatures

Last Thursday was the second meeting of Eat, Drink, and Be Literary. This time, my friend Beth was the host. I was really excited for Beth's discussion because she was a literature major in college, and subsequently she knows how to book-club like it's her job! Beth picked Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender to discuss. The book is a collection of short stories that all were emotional and raw, but half were realistic, and half were like fairy tales for adults. The magical realism throughout the book was very powerful and emphasized the raw human experience throughout. I loved the book as a whole, though some stories hit me more than others.

The book club meeting proved that others had similar thoughts as I did. Beth did a fabulous job of asking questions that made us all think, and get us all discussing. I just love the group of people that came. Though most of us are psychologists, and therefore I have witnessed their brilliance at work, I usually don't get to hear how people interpret literature other than peer-reviewed articles so it is a treat.

Beth asked a few questions about the collection as a whole, but also focused in on several of the stories. A few of the stories we spent time discussing were stories that had a great impact on all of us emotionally, but that very few of us actually liked. One particular story was called "End of the Line" which was about a little man that got adopted as a pet by a big man (this would be one of the magical realism/ fantasy stories, obviously). The story got more dark and twisted as the little man was tortured in creative and horrible ways. A line that stuck out in the text was a thought that the big man had, "His little body was so small it was hard to imagine it hurt that much. How much pain could really be felt in a space that tiny?" Some of us viewed this line as a pro-vegetarian stance, others as a pro-life stance-- I took it as a metaphor for how we dehumanize people that are different from us. The story was disturbing, and evoked a response of discomfort and distress among all of us, yet I still think it was one of the best.

One of my favorite stories stories of the book had no mystical or magical elements like a family of pumpkin heads or a boy with keys for fingers (both present in other stories!) but rather just a simple, non-offensive use of profanity. The story, "The Motherf*cker" used the profanity in its most literal way, describing a man who.... well, f*cks mothers. The particular mother in the snippet of his life described by Bender was a famous actress. The use of typically obscene language in a technical and literal way threw me off at first, but then made me realize what meaning and beauty there was in the story.

The discussion of the fifteen stories was accompanied by some delicious treats (in true Eat, Drink, and Be Literary fashion). My favorites were a delicious Japanese Curry made by Beth, some homemade guacamole courtesy of Jamie. This meeting, I opted to bring a beverage. I made a non-alcoholic Pineapple Basiltini. I loosely followed a recipe from www.thatsthespirit.com and it was a hit! I combined pineapple, fresh basil leaves from my garden (bruised and muddled with just a tiny bit of granulated sugar) and club soda to top it off. It was completely refreshing and not a drop was left at the end of the meeting.... so I drove home and made a second batch, and this time included vodka. Yum.


For all Eat, Drink, and Be Literary members present, I think this book and the discussion of it (and the treats accompanying it) was a home run. I am fairly certain we could have spent an entire meeting focused on each of the stories but it is time to move on to the next book. Until then, happy reading!

Quitting is for schmucks.

Well, I'm a schmuck. Just this once I suppose. Typically, I have this very weird habit of never admitting that I could not finish a book or that I just quit reading it and moved on with my life. Instead, I maintain-- for weeks, months, even years-- that I am just "still reading" a book. I have several of these never-enders on my night stand at any given time, and every once in awhile I will actually convince myself that after a 3 year hiatus that I will magically be able to stay awake reading Atonement or Love in the Time of Cholera (neither case has ever been true, but both books have proven to be capable cuddling partners). But, something inside me snapped this week, and I decided to take one off the shelf and just say no... er... just say "I QUIT!"

Hello, my name is Katy, and I have stopped reading The Best American Non-Required Reading 2008 edited by Dave Eggers, Intruduction by Judy Blume.

Now don't get me wrong-- the book wasn't entirely bad. I usually love collections of essays, short stories, chapters, comics, poems, etc. I find that collections like these are sometimes the only thing that can capture my grad-student sized attention span (meaning very small because I'm supposed to be focusing on the three dozen unread journal articles sitting only a few feet away on my desk) and therefore as a "genre", I love collections. And I also adore Dave Eggers. I have read all of his books at least twice and my borderline inappropriate love of his work (and what I imagine he is like in real life) is what drew me to get this book in the first place. And Judy Blume? Hello, what adolescent girl (past, present, or future) has not been able to find her voice after reading just a blurb of Judy Blume's brilliance?

So why am I actually committing to QUITTING this book if all I can say are good things? Well... for one thing, it's freaking 2010. In fact, it's the second half of 2010. Why should I be focusing on the best literature of 2008 if there's just more (and better?) stuff piling up on my nightstand for me to look at? But still, I have clearly known that 2008 is long gone for about 18 months now, and still didn't quite give up. I put the book back on my nightstand and it continued staring me down. "Finish me! Don't give up!" it whispered every night as I would reach past it for something -- dare I say it-- better. So what happened? I answered the call of the book one night. I chose it above all others. I started a new short story and... well.. I just got bored. There. I said it. It just couldn't quite grab my attention and I kept re-reading the same two or three paragraphs night after night, trying to move forward.... somehow, this turned into literally flipping through the rest of the book and skimming random pages of random essays. When I realized that nothing more between the two pretty covers caused me to make a second glance, and that when I tossed the book off of my "to read" pile that I felt NO REMORSE I just knew. It is time to move on.

Whew! I feel liberated.

Upcoming Book Club Picks

The next three book club books have been chosen!

Beth picked a collection of short stories called Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender for August. I just finished the book and am looking forward to the discussion. The stories included dark, twisted and sad, beautiful modern fairy tales. I found them all very polarizing. It varied by story, but I either loved them or hated them.

Next up, Jamie selected Little Bee by Chris Cleave and for October, Emily has picked Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. Both of these novels are en route to my house now, thanks to Amazon Prime. I can't wait for the package to arrive! I move this week, so some new literary friends to join me at my new digs are exactly what I need to feel right at home.