Classical Clairvoyance

At the end of each month we ask our Tators which book is going to win the next book poll a la Sunday morning football pre game show.  Last month the Tators guessed July's book . We were split between The Scarlet Letter and The Phantom of the Opera, which turned out to be pretty close as (at the time we're publishing this) Phantom is in the lead with The Scarlet Letter in a close second.

Now we're asking which of August's book choices are going to win,. The category is 1911-1959 and the choices are: Orlando, Lady Chatterley's Lover, John Brown's Body, Fahrenheit 451, and Things Fall Apart.

Angie

Fahrenheit 451. 

Heather

Fahrenheit 451. I'm thinking folks will want to revisit the title as adults or catch up on it if they didn't read it in high school. Plus, it's pretty great!

Jared

Fahrenheit 451.

Jeane

Fahrenheit 451.

Karena

Fahrenheit 451. Pretty much the same reasons as Heather said. 

Laura

Fahrenheit 451.  I would normally have guessed "Lady Chatterley's Lover" but after reading "Anna Karenina" in May, I predict we will go in a different direction.

Well, it looks like it's unanimous. Let's see if CWAtCers follow suit. Which book do you think is going to be August's book selection?

Bookshelf, Library Bag or Donation Box

In Bookshelf, Library Bag or Donation Box, our Tators give their verdict on the books they read, whether they're keepers for the shelves, one you borrow from your local library, or just give to your local used bookstore. 

James Ross’ They Don’t Dance Much takes place in rural North Carolina in the 1930’s. The main character, Jack McDonald, loses his farm due to back taxes and has nothing else to do, but accept a job offer from Smut Milligan, a local troublemaker, who wants to open a roadhouse. Even though the northern states had already overturned prohibition, NC continued to be a dry state. Therefore, in addition to having dancing and pay-by-the-hour hotels, Jack and Smut serve illegal liquor made by a black employee of the roadhouse. Although the roadhouse seems to do well, Smut’s aspirations to win back his high school sweetheart, who happens to be married to one of the richest guys in town, leads him to investigate the rumor that a regular patron has money hidden on his land. In order to find that money, Smut commits a violent murder that Jack is forced to witness and participate in. From that point to the inevitable end, Jack must live in fear that he may be next.

When I picked up They Don’t Dance Much, I didn’t initially realize that this was a reissue. However, this novel was originally published in 1940 and was Ross’ only novel he ever wrote.  Because it was written in the 1930’s, Ross uses colloquial language of the time period, which includes the consistent use of the “n” word. In fact, it is used so often that I’m sure it could give Mark Twain a run for his money. Having not prepared myself for this fact, I felt shocked and uneasy with the regular use of the word. Even so, it was apparent that Ross was writing a story exactly as life was, being completely and brutally honest. Had he chosen to use any other word, it would not feel as authentic as the novel does.

Verdict

Bookshelf: This book is often considered one of the best southern noir novels ever written. Not only do critics consider this novel under-appreciated, but also an accurate depiction of rural southern life in the US at the time. The story is moving, sad, and horrifying. In fact, at one point I had to set the book down and walk away because it started making me feel sick. However, I have never read anything quite like it and highly recommend it.

Nevertheless, if you are someone who does not like noir, which often uses slow- character storylines, or if you are extremely sensitive about novels that use derogatory language toward African Americans, I would probably avoid this novel. Ross is not trying to paint a pretty picture of living in the South during the depression.

Friday @ the Forums

For our last Friday of April, here are the most popular threads on the forums.

Source: Jared Fagan

Brave New World Threads - We are almost done with BNW, now's your chance to get on the forums and tell us what you think.

CWAtC Catch Up and Mustard Challenge - New to the group and missed out on our previous reads? Gametator Laura has just the challenge for you. Sign up here for the buddy reads that are going on.

Formative Reading - Frederick, one of our CWAtCers, wants to know what books of your youth has helped shaped your life. 

July's book pick - We're running out of time to pick July's book. The Phantom of the Opera is in the lead, but The Scarlet Letter isn't that far behind. 

Graphic By Nature

Welcome to the first installment of Graphic By Nature! This is the place for graphic novel reviews, but you won't find any traditional superheroes here. If you're like me, you enjoy your comics funny, strange, and sometimes a little dark. But you also value an interesting story and captivating illustration. Sounds like you? Check out the review below.

Image from Goodreads.com

I discovered Vera Brosgol's graphic novel, Anya's Ghost almost by accident. I was at the library perusing the "Teen Section" where they have conveniently placed all of the comics and graphic novels, making me look terribly out of place in the process. I was scanning the shelves and title after title read "Marvel" and "DC." While superhero comics are fun and popular, that's not what I was interested in. I wanted something I hadn't seen before, something a little different, and Brosgol's novel stuck out like a sore thumb. So I picked it up. While the old adage, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" can be useful, it wasn't here. A judgement was rendered -- it looked interesting -- and it came home with me.

Anya's Ghost is a young adult graphic novel centered around a high school girl named Anya, her struggle for normalcy as a Russian immigrant living in America, and her friendship with a ghost named Emily. But the moral of this story is about perception. Things aren't always what they seem, but Anya just doesn't know it yet. 

At the beginning of the story, Anya is like many other teenagers -- self-absorbed, insecure, and a bit mean to her family. She sees only what is happening on the surface. It's at a typical high-school party that she has the experience of peering into another reality to realize that all is not what it seems. Anya begins to change through a series of events involving her ghost friend Emily, a classmate named Dima, and her family. Anya becomes stronger, more self-confident, and selfless through these experiences and over the course of the story.

The graphic part of the novel is beautifully drawn and shaded in three main colors: black, white, and purple. The lines Brosgol uses are heavy and dark while the artwork is a bit cartoonish -- it's reminiscent of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. The cartoon-like quality of the drawings makes the novel accessible to readers of almost any age. 

While I especially enjoyed the beginning of Anya's Ghost, things were muddled in the middle with the fight involving Anya's best friend, not to mention her inaction while watching Dima get bullied, or her attempts to garner the attention of her popular crush. Ultimately, Anya learns her lesson that things aren't always what they seem.

The Verdict:

Library bag. While I enjoyed Anya's Ghost, it's heavy midsection kept me from running down to my local comic shop to pick up my own copy. However, I think it would be a great read for most adolescents and teens. It's beautifully illustrated with a lesson that all of us could take care to remember.

You can find the author on Twitter @verabee.

Book Association: Brave New World & Hypocritical Characters

This week, I decided to focus our Book Association on characters in books that are too fearful to act on their beliefs, and are, therefore, hypocrites. 

While reading Brave New World, it eventually becomes apparent that Bernard Marx is not the great character he first seems to be. Although he initially seems like an honorable character that believes in a better society, it later becomes clear that he merely has an inferiority complex and is unable to act on the system of beliefs about women and society that he earlier claims he believes in. Instead, he rides his wave to popularity and fame, and falls right into place with the behaviors and societal norms he so harshly criticizes earlier in the novel. Not only that, but Bernard's lust for Lenina and the limelight indirectly lead to the death of an innocent man, John.

As I was reading, I suddenly became reminiscent of a character from a novel we had read a few months back: Newland Archer from The Age of Innocence. Like Bernard, Newland claims to believe that women get a bad wrap. He says he believes women should have every option men should have and should be respected in every way a man should. However, when he realizes he truly loves Ellen Olenska, and not May, he is unable to act on his feelings. He wants to have both Ellen and May. He expects May to act like a traditional, respectable wife, but wants Ellen to be willing to wait for him on the side. Instead of owning up to his beliefs and trying to further the advances of women by supporting an abused woman that he loves, he is paralyzed by fear and decides to continue to support the patriarchal system he seemed so against in the beginning.






Another character I came across recently that reminds me immensely of Bernard is John Proctor from The Crucible. Even though Proctor redeems his actions to his wife at the end of this play, it is Proctor's inaction throughout the Salem witch trials that allows the accusations to go as far as they did. Had Proctor admitted to his affair with Abigail to the town minister in the beginning, Abigail would never have gained as much power, which would have saved the lives of many Salemites, including his own. Proctor expects everyone in town to admit to their own sins, but does not expect the same of himself. Unfortunately, by the time he realizes he must come clean, it is too late. Sadly, his inaction and hypocritical nature is indirectly responsible for the accusations, and deaths, of innocent men and women. 



What characters have you encountered recently that carry the stench of hypocrisy?

Tator Tuesdays

Every week we interview our Tators and ask them bookish questions. This week's question:

Have you ever read an entire book in one sitting? If so, which one? 

Angie

Twilight (LOL)

Heather

This is a little bit of a running joke in our house as I do this more often than I’d like to admit! Yesterday when I told my husband that I purchased Tina Fey’s Bossy Pants for my Kindle, the first thing he asked was if I had finished it yet. I tend to do this a lot with books featured in the Kindle’s Top 100 Free list on Amazon. But this week I read through Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret in one sitting. I don’t recall reading it as a kid but have always been curious to read it so I borrowed it from the library.

Jared

No, I'm a very slow reader.

Source: Jared Fagan

Jeane

Most recent was a Stephanie Plum book, but I don’t remember which one.

1. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Karena
   
   I’ve done it a few times, but the most recent one was The Color Purple.
   
   
   
   
   
   Laura
   
   I think it was The Bridges of Madison County and Any Last Words? - the latter was a fun, quick and indeed morbid read. 
   
   
   
   
   
   

   
   

SF Bookmobile

I missed Bookmobile Day, but better late than never!

Buried in my phone's photo album are some pictures from when my family and I went to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for one of their quarterly free days. (Hint: if you want to do that, go either really early or wait til the line dies down in the afternoon.) The SF library's bookmobile was parked outside, and I thought I'd go in and take a look. I was pretty impressed with it, but a little sad that I don't live in the area. The librarian who was staffing the bookmobile said they show up whenever CAS does these free days, so check the CAS website for future dates. Right across the courtyard is the de Young Museum as well; so get your literature, art and science all in the same place.

You can find more information on SF's bookmobiles here.

source: Karena Fagan

Source: Karena Fagan

Source: Karena Fagan

Source: Karena Fagan

Do you have an awesome bookmobile in your area?

CWAtC on the Go: Ep #1 SF Book Tour

Source: Jared Fagan

Introducing CWAtC on the Go, our special podcasts where we go on location to famous bookstores, book events, places of literary importance and the like. The first episode follows Jeane, Jared, and Karena along with their families and even a special guest, our newest Tator, Heather, on a tour of some of San Francisco's best bookstores. We start off at Green Apple Books, then to City Lights Books, followed by Borderlands and to finish a very long day with Books Inc. 

To listen, click here!

Do you have any bookish places you think we should cover? Right now our locations are Northern California, Northwest of Washington State and the Long Island area. Let us know!

Book It: Events for Bibliophiles

Welcome to the first installment of Book It: Events for Bibliophiles. This will be a weekly post dedicated to book-related events such as author talks and book signings in an effort to make the beautiful world of books more accessible.

To get us started, I have only included events happening in San Francisco for the upcoming week. The scope of book event locations will expand as the weeks progress. If you would like to see your city or event listed in future posts, please contact me via e-mail at: heather[dot]varanini[at]gmail[dot]com.

Without further ado, here are your book events for the week of April 22nd through the 28th:

Monday, April 22nd

"Someday" Never Comes: Conquer Life's Challenges with the Spirit of Adventure

Event: Rick Deutsch "Mr. Half Dome" and author of One Best Hike: Yosemite's Half Dome will be speaking about his experiences hiking Half Dome -- he's done it a whopping 35 times! He will also be talking about how hiking one of Yosemite's most famous landmarks is a metaphor for life.

Click this link to purchase tickets and learn more information about the program. 

Time: 4:45pm networking reception; 5:15pm program

Place: Commonwealth Club of California

595 Market Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $20 nonmember/$7 students 

GRANTA Presents: The Best of Young British Novelists 4

Event: Nadifa Mohamed and Ross Raisin, two newly announced Best British Novelists will be reading from their works.

Click this link to learn more about the program. 

Time: 6pm hospitality; 7pm readings

Place: The Book Club of California

312 Stutter Street, Suite 500

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

David Kirp at Books Inc. in the Marina

Event: Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and author of Improbable Scholars: The Rebirth of a Great American School System and a Strategy for American Schools comes to discuss how he thinks America can change the face of our educational system in order to better serve students. 

Click this link to learn more about the program.

Time: 7pm 

Place: Books Inc.

2251 Chestnut Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Alan Brennert at Books Inc. in Laurel Village

Event: Alan Brennert shares tales from his latest novel, Palisades Park.

Click here for additional details.

Time: 7pm

Place: Books Inc.

3515 California Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Hendrick Smith -- Who Stole the American Dream?

Event: Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and Emmy award-winning producer, Hendrick Smith, comes to discuss his new novel: Who Stole the American Dream?

Click here for tickets and event details.

Time: 7pm

Place: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco

3200 California Street

Fisher Hall

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $15 nonmembers/$12 members/$10 students

Laura Antoniou at Books Inc. in the Castro

Event: Laura Antoniou, National Leather Association award-winning author, discusses her most recent book, The Killer Wore Leather.

Click here for additional details.

Time: 7:30pm

Place: Books Inc.

2275 Market Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Tuesday, April 23rd

World Book Night US: 2013

Event: In an effort to spread the love of reading, books are given (for free) to people who don't regularly read or have access to printed books at a local, participating bookstore.

Learn more about World Book Night by clicking here. 

Location: Click here to find an event near you!

Cost: Free  

Maria Semple -- Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Event: Author Maria Semple discusses her second novel, Where'd You Go Bernadette.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Time: 6:00pm

Place: Book Passage

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Gillian Flynn: Gone Girl

Event: Author Gillian Flynn talks about her latest book Gone Girl.

Click this link to purchase tickets and learn more about the event. 

Time: 7pm

Place: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco

3200 California Street

Kanbar Hall

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $25 nonmembers/$20 members/$15 students

Joyce Carol Oates

Event: Joyce Carol Oates reads from her novel The Accursed.

To learn more about the event click here. 

Time: 7pm

Place: City Lights Bookstore

261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Parents Group SPEAK Presents Po Bronson

Event: Po Bronson is author of Top Dog: The Science of Winning and Losing

Learn more about this event by clicking here.

Time: 7pm

Place: Chinese American School

151 Oak Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Weighing the Economic Equation: Regulation vs. Growth

Event: Adat Admanti visits the World Affairs Council to discuss lessons learned from the 2007 financial crisis and share insights from her new book, The Bankers' New Clothes: What's Wrong With Banking and What to Do About It.

Purchase tickets and learn more about the program by clicking here. 

Time: 7pm - 8pm

Location: World Affairs Council of Northern California

312 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $15 nonmembers/$5 students 

Wednesday, April 24th

NY Times Reporter Mark Mazzetti: Inside the CIA and America's Covert Operations

Event: Mazzetti, author of The Way of the Knife, will be discussing America's covert operations in relation to the dark side of our country's foreign policy.

To buy tickets and learn more about this event, click here. 

Time: 5:30pm check in/6pm program

Place: Commonwealth Club of California

595 Market Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $20 nonmembers/$12 members/$7 students

Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead 

Event: Shannon O'Neil, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses her new book, Two Nations Indivisible and the future of US-Mexico relations.

Click here to purchase tickets and learn more about the event. 

Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Place: World Affairs Council of Northern California

312 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $15 nonmembers/$5 students

Mary Williams -- The Lost Daughter: A Memoir

Event: Mary Williams is a daughter of the Black Panther movement and tells her life story in her latest book. It details her time growing up amongst poverty and violence as well as the time she was adopted by Jane Fonda. It's also a story of Williams finding her way back home.

Click here to learn more about the author, her book, and the event.

Time: 6pm 

Place: Book Passage 

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA 

Cost: Free

Tosh Berman on his love affair with SPARKS

Event: Author Tosh Berman shares tales from his new book Sparks-Tastic: 21 Albums in 21 Nights in London with Sparks. 

Click here for more information.

Time: 7pm

Place: City Lights Bookstore

261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Moses Gates, Author of Hidden Cities

Event: Author Moses Gates is also an urban planner. He will be sharing stories and signing copies of his new book, Hidden Cities: Travels to the Secret Corners of the World's Greatest Metropolises.

To learn more about the event, please click here.

Time: 7pm

Place: Green Apple Books

506 Clement Street

Granny Smith Room

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Thursday, April 25th

Peggy Riley -- Amity & Sorrow

Event: Author Peggy Riley comes to discuss her debut novel, Amity & Sorrow. Described as "fierce and disturbing" by Publisher's Weekly, Riley's novel has been garnering attention.

Click here for more information.

Time: 6pm 

Place: Book Passage 

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

David Talbot, Author of Season of the Witch

Event: To celebrate the paperback release of Season of the Witch, author David Talbot will be sharing from his book over cocktails at San Francisco's historic Elk Lodge.

Learn more about the event by clicking here.

Time: 7pm - 8:30pm

Location: San Francisco Elks Lodge #3

450 Post Street, 3rd Floor

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Regreturature 2013 

Event: Authors read works they regret -- when good writers write not-so-good stuff. Join the San Francisco Writers' Grotto to hear their stories.

Purchase tickets and find additional details about the event by clicking here. 

Time: 8pm

Place: Swedish American Hall (15th/Sanchez)

2174 Market Street

San Francisco, CA

Cost: $12 advance/$15 at the door

Friday, April 26th

What We Need to Build A Better Future, Orion Magazine and Thirty Writers

Event: Orion Magazine asked thirty of America's best writers to discuss what the country needs to do in order to create a better future. And Thirty-Year Plan: Thirty Writers On What We Need to Build A Better Future was born. Editor-in-Chief H. Emerson Blake of Orion Magazine will be present, along with authors Craig Childs of Apocalyptic Planet and Riane Eisler of The Blade, The Chalice, and the Real Worth of Nations, as well as Professor Rubén Martínez of Loyola Marymount University where he teaches Literature and Writing, he is also the author of Desert America.

Purchase tickets and learn more about the event by clicking here.

Time: 11:30am check in/noon program/1pm book signing

Place: Commonwealth Club of California

595 Market Street, 2nd Floor

San Francisco, CA

$20 nonmembers/$7 students 

Mary Roach -- Gulp

Event: America's funniest science writer, Mary Roach, takes us on a trip from tip to tail on what happens when we eat in her new book, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal.

Click here to learn more about the event. 

Time: 6pm 

Place: Book Passage 

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Saturday, April 27th

Charles Dubow -- Indiscretion

Event: Come and hear stories from author Charles Dubow, founding editor at Forbes.com and former editor at Businessweek.com, discuss his most recent novel Indiscretion.

To learn more about this event click here.

Time: 6pm 

Place: Book Passage 

1 Ferry Building

San Francisco, CA

Cost: Free

Sunday, April 28th

No events listed.

Literary Loot

Source: Angie Downs

Recently, I went on a book store excursion, hunting down Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald. One of our book-tators, Karena, recently gave Z an amazing review, so I have felt the need to pick it up. I call my experience an "excursion" because it turned out difficult to come by, here in Olympia. In addition, because I'm incapable of saying no to books (I know you bibliophiles understand...), I picked up a few other gems along the way.

I started at my favorite local book store, Orca Books. I love Orca Books because it has a huge selection, both new and used. Because I love purchasing used books, this is a huge plus for me. In addition, they have a fairly large kids book section. My son loves to wander through there while I meander through the aisles looking for my selection. And, usually, if he behaves while I'm there, I allow him to pick something out for himself. Unfortunately, Orca Books, didn't have Z, but instead, I picked up a used copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, probably the best book I've ever read on gardening, a new copy of Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, since Karena and I will be reading some Fitzgerald together shortly, and my son picked out I Funny, the newest book by James Patterson. It will be a great book that him and I can read together.

Continuing my search for Z, I went to my second favorite local bookstore, Browser's Book Shop. Like Orca Books, Browser's has a huge selection of new and used books. It is a much smaller store, cram-packed with an amazing selection. Once again, Z was unavailable, but in the spirit of buying Fitzgerald novels, I picked up a new copy of The Beautiful and the Damned.

Because we were close by, my son and I walked down the street to Danger Room Comics, Olympia's best comic book store. He had been very patient on our hunt, so I told him he could pick out a comic. I love Danger Room because they have a great selection and the staff is awesome, making sure they mention to my son that FREE Comic Book Day is coming up! They are so helpful, and will make sure you find something you are looking for. Helping me make sure we got something appropriate for my son's age range, we ended up purchasing Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown. This book is freaking hilarious! For anyone who is a Star Wars fan, you have to read this. And, I can't wait until Vader's Little Princess comes out on April 23! It has got to be amazing. 

Realizing I may not find Z at the local shops, I gave up and drove to Barnes & Noble. While my preference is to purchase local and used, there are times that is not possible. In addition, the truth is that I love Barnes & Noble. They ALWAYS have what I'm looking for, and their customer service is consistently remarkable, which, I'm sorry to say, isn't always the case at the local shops. Thankfully, Barnes & Noble had Z and my search was over, but for the hell of it, I picked up a copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, because I've never read it. I can never pick up a single book.

Although my search for a single book turned out to be scavenger hunt all over town, I can't complain. I love books, shopping for books, talking about books with new, interesting people, and ending up with books I never would have thought I'd enjoy or own. The greatest part about my hunt for Z is that I got to do every single one of those things.