Posted on April 14, 2011

One of my favorite authors, Eudora Welty, was born 102 years ago today. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 10 years since I attended her funeral, which I wrote about for the Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook.

I was privileged to meet Miss Welty at a writing conference in the late 1980s. In this photo, I’m handing her my first edition of her novel Delta Wedding to sign.

If you’ve never read Welty, start with her delightful autobiographical volume, One Writer’s Beginnings. It’s one of my favorite books.

The Mississippi Writers Page is a great place to start finding out more about Eudora Welty. Enjoy!

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Posted on March 29, 2011

Back when sports fans were filling out their college basketball brackets, I wrote on Facebook that these were the only brackets that interested me:

[ ] ( ) { } < >

I was wrong.

Even better than punctuation brackets is a book bracket. Now this is a competition I can really get into!

Voting on contenders from the British Library and Library of Congress ends at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Tuesday, March 29.

Pride & Prejudice is currently losing to 1984. We simply cannot allow this travesty to occur! Stop reading, go vote for P&P (and help out Jane Eyre against Catch-22 while you’re there), then come back to read the rest of this blog.

Do we really want to live in Orwell’s world over Austen’s? (Yes, I realize we already do. But this is about fantasy, not reality, right?)

If I understand my son’s explanation, in a basketball bracket you’re supposed to choose the team you think will win, which may not be the same as the team you want to win. I can’t settle for that with books, so I’ll present both versions of my bracket.

First—how I would have voted in the already-decided contests if I had known about this in time, just for the record:

New York Public Library: I would have gone for The Sound & the Fury over Invisible Man and Frankenstein.

Royal Library: I would have gone for Little Women over Cuckoo’s Nest and Lolita (almost anything over Lolita) and The Scarlet Letter over Slaughterhouse Five. I also would have voted for The Hobbit over Great Expectations and even over Huck Finn, though both of those would have been tough calls.

British Library: I would probably have gone for Wuthering Heights over Dorian Gray, though Heathcliff is a creepy psycho, not a great romantic hero. Ulysses vs. Heart of Darkness—who cares? Yes, Conrad and Joyce were both influences on Fitzgerald, but I have never enjoyed reading either one of them. Haven’t tried in a couple of decades though, so maybe I should give them another try.

Library of Congress. I would have gone for Anna Karenina over Catch-22 and The Count of Monte Cristo over Grapes of Wrath. And although my literature students would be shocked to find me preferring Hemingway to anything, I’d rather have The Sun Also Rises than A Clockwork Orange.

However, all of those questions are already decided. Here are my votes today:

British Library: Moby-Dick over Ulysses and Pride and Prejudice over 1984.

Library of Congress: Jane Eyre over Catch-22 and Catcher in the Rye (which I don’t especially like and barely remember) over A Clockwork Orange (which I especially dislike).

Right now it’s not looking good for Austen and Brontë.

I don’t know when the next vote will be, but here are my picks for the next round:

NY Public Library: The Great Gatsby over Frankenstein and Fahrenheit 451 over Dr. Zhivago

Royal Library: Huckleberry Finn over Lolita and To Kill a Mockingbird over Slaughterhouse Five

Other than the possibility of the wildly popular movie helping Zhivago beat Fahrenheit, I think that is probably how these will go.

MY FINAL FOUR:

The Great Gatsby
Pride and Prejudice
To Kill a Mockingbird
Jane Eyre

Mockingbird vs. Jane Eyre: I think I’d have to choose Mockingbird. I’ve loved Jane Eyre longer, but Mockingbird had such a powerful effect on me when I first read it only last year that I read it twice and listened to the unabridged audio twice within about 6 months.

Gatsby vs. P&P: Not sure I can do this…deep breath…

I’m sorry, Scott, but although you’re an absolute genius and I adore your words, sentences, and rhythm, I have to go with Jane—I love her characters and her world more. (I hope this public confession doesn’t get my book about Fitzgerald pulled from library shelves. )

So…I’m sure some of my readers will disagree with some of my choices. As I tell my literature students, I don’t care so much whether you agree or disagree with me. I just want to know that you have read the book and have a thoughtful opinion about it. (Even if . . . gulp . . . you vote for 1984 over P&P. But tell me why.

Here’s the Out of Print website where you can vote.

http://www.outofprintclothing.com/bookmadness_a/302.htm

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Posted on March 23, 2011

The three-year wait for the final volume of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle is nearly over.

Random House announced that the fourth book, Inheritance, will be published on November 8, 2011.

Books already published in the cycle include Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr.

Paolini was a 15-year-old homeschooler when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He spent a year revising the book, and his family spent a year preparing it for self-publishing in 2001. Alfred A. Knopf, which is part of Random House, then published it in 2003, making it one of the great success stories of the transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing.

My two youngest sons have been eagerly awaiting this book for a long time. Our congratulations to Christopher Paolini for his tremendous success!

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Posted on March 22, 2011

Michael Flaherty, co-founder and president of Walden Media, says they are considering filming The Magician’s Nephew next.

Read the story here.

If they continued following publication order, The Silver Chair would have been next. However, their argument that the popularity of each Narnia movie corresponds to the popularity of the related book makes sense.

I’ve always loved The Magician’s Nephew (a close second to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and much more than The Silver Chair, which has a creepy snake), so this is good news to me.

There’s always the possibility that they might not get around to filming all 7 Narnia books for financial reasons, and I’d hate for them not to get to The Magician’s Nephew.

What are your favorite Narnia books?

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Posted on March 22, 2011

David Kern of the Circe Institute proposed a baseball team of America’s greatest authors.

I especially like his choices of F. Scott Fitzgerald as shortstop and William Faulkner in left field.

Clever!

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Posted on March 15, 2011

John Evans of Lemuria Bookstore, a fabulous independent bookstore in Jackson, Mississippi, writes about the experience of holding and reading a physical book:

“Finishing a book is special. It becomes part of your life as it rests on your bookshelf. It watches you as you live around it. It’s always waiting to be held and remembered. Just like a fine painting or photograph in your house. It’s there to reflect upon. Its memories are part of your life and reflection is active and motivating.”

Read his full blog post here:
http://blog.lemuriabooks.com/2011/03/bookstore-keys-the-experience-of-holding-a-book/

I understand the value of digital books, but I still love the physical, sensual, aesthetic experience of print books. I love seeing them on my shelves and reviewing what I’ve underlined and annotated. I even love the smell of books.

Thanks, John, for expressing so beautifully “the romance of a physical reading experience”!

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Posted on March 15, 2011

I’ll be speaking at the online Schoolhouse Expo on March 15 at 7:00 p.m. Central. My topic is “How Do You Do It All? Balancing Family Life and Home Business.” Here’s the workshop description:

Home business blends well with homeschooling, but it can also create frustration, exhaustion, and chaos. You may be paralyzed by an overwhelming to-do list and become trapped in a crisis-management approach to life. You may even wonder what good it does to be working at home if you’re too busy to spend time with your children. As a single homeschooling mom with four sons and a home business, Mary Jo Tate knows just how hard the challenges can be! She’ll share powerful strategies to help you move past the juggling act and find balance so you, your family, and your business can flourish.

I hope you’ll join us!

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Posted on March 10, 2011

“My little hobby. Book collecting. And yet, old friend, books do not age as you and I do. They will speak still when we are gone, to generations we will never see. Yes, the books must survive.”

The rabbi of Haarlem, who brought his books to Corrie ten Boom’s father for safekeeping, in The Hiding Place.

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Posted on February 7, 2011

Anyone besides me consider the Super Bowl a major yawn? I sent my four sons to watch the football game with my dad (I’m sure he needed some male bonding time) to free up our TV for the umpteenth viewing of Pride and Prejudice. (The 1996 A&E version, naturally. Colin Firth IS Mr. Darcy.)

Since so many folks were tweeting and Facebooking about the Super Bowl, I decided to offer a literary alternative: play-by-play commentary on the Austen Bowl (#austenbowl on Twitter). Judging by the number of FB likes and comments, it struck a nerve with my fellow bibliophiles.

If you missed the real-time updates, don’t despair. I’ve collected the entire stream here. Tell your friends about it, and maybe next year we can schedule an official Austen Bowl event worldwide!

#austenbowl:

What are you making for the Super Bowl? I’m making my boys watch the game at PopPop’s house so I can watch a Jane Austen movie.

I take Pride in my Prejudice against the Super Bowl.

My prediction: After a few fumbles, Team Darcy will win!

Kickoff! Darcy Steels himself with pride; Elizabeth Packs a lot of prejudice.

Mrs. Bennet passes the news: Netherfield Park is let at last.

Darcy watches from the sidelines as Miss Bingley & Elizabeth move across the field. Look out for your blind side, Lizzy!

I’ll take Melvyn Tan’s fortepiano & Carl Davis’s P&P music over the Black Eyed Peas any day.

Netherfield has the ball!

Mr. Collins fumbles; Charlotte Lucas intercepts.

Team Netherfield has left for London. Team Bennet mourns.

Sir William Lucas cheers: “Capital! Capital!”

The clash resumes at Rosings & Hunsford. Darcy fumbles & leaves the field in disgrace.

The Super Bowl is over, but Pride & Prejudice is only at halftime.

The enduring power of classic literature far outweighs the ephemeral entertainment of a ballgame.

Darcy plays defense; Elizabeth still cries foul.

The game shifts to Pemberley. Quarterbacks Darcy & Elizabeth seem to have shifted their competition to a new level.

Lydia defects to Team Wickham, bringing disgrace and despair to Team Bennet.

Darcy tackles Wickham on behalf of Team Bennet.

Bingley returns to the field, proposes to Jane. Touchdown, Bingley!

Interference, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Touchdown, Darcy!

Thanks for joining us for #austenbowl 2011. Tune in next time for an epic match-up between Sense & Sensibility.

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Posted on January 26, 2011

Steve Leveen of Levenger is a serious bibliophile who makes his living selling gorgeous products to booklovers.  After 8 months of reading on his iPad, he identified “7 Ways Electronic Books Could Make Us Better Readers.”

I’m a die-hard fan of the print book, but I’m gradually acknowledging more and more worthy uses of e-books. I’ve often thought that if I traveled a lot (someday!), I’d want an e-reader for sure, just to reduce the weight of my carry-on.

Two of Leveen’s points particularly appeal to me:

Reason #2: Having Better (for You) Books to Choose From – When you’re on the run or on the road, it’s not always easy to find just the right book to read, no matter how carefully you plan and pack. Leveen advises filling your e-reader with a “Library of Candidates” to have on hand as needed. Makes sense to me.

Reason #6: Having Your Library at Hand – Instant access to old favorites is appealing.

I’m a little dubious about Reason #3: Writing in Books. I’m a fervent advocate of writing in books, yet, as Leveen points out, many people (whom he calls Preservationists) are reluctant to write in print books. He thinks they’ll feel more comfortable highlighting and annotating a digital copy–and of course that would be a good thing. Yet he acknowledges that the uncertainty of the lifespan of our digital notes is the “dark lining” in this silver cloud of progress.

There’s certainly good cause for concern about that. Just consider the ironic Orwellian debacle of Amazon deleting 1984 and Animal Farm from the Kindles of customers who had paid for them. A student’s notes and annotations went down the same “memory hole” as his copy of 1984.

Leveen advises “duplication and dispersal,” such as printing out a review he wrote on his iPad and putting it inside his hardcover copy of the book. Not bad as back-up–but I’d still rather mark up a print book with my Papermate Sharpwriter#2 pencil.

Whether you’re already an e-reader devotee, a determined holdout, or somewhere in the middle, Leveen’s article offers good food for thought.

I’ve just added his book The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life to my wish list…but I’ll buy a print version (out of print but available on Amazon) instead of waiting for the e-book version.

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