Did I “read” that book?
19 Apr 2012 32 Comments
Dear listener,
For years, when people asked if I had read The Shipping News by Annie Proulx, I would stumble around on my words. In fact, it was one of my favorite books ever, but somehow I felt like I hadn’t earned the right to say that. Because (this is where I lean in closer to you and lower my voice to a whisper) I listened to an audio version of it.
BUT it was unabridged, and I listened to every word, and if I sound defensive it’s because I am.
For some reason I’ve always felt like a cheater when I listen to a book rather than read it. In fact, I eventually read the print version of The Shipping News, partly because I loved it so much, but also because I didn’t want any more of those awkward social moments. Now I can state loudly and perhaps too emphatically, “Yes, I have read that.”
Yet I suspect it’s a silly, slightly snobby way of looking at books. Of course listening counts. And I know there are books I’ve finished and ultimately really enjoyed because it was an audio book. The Shipping News is one of them. Several people recommended it to me, but every time I started the first few pages, I found it so depressing I couldn’t go on.
One winter I was running a trapline north of our home. I had an hour drive to get to the trail. To pass the time, I decided to listen to The Shipping News. At first it was sad and slow, but before long I was reluctant to leave the warm truck and incredible story when I arrived at the trail head. I would sit there for a few minutes, listening, before finally turning off the truck and putting on my backpack.
I’m not running a trapline this year, but for other reasons I’ve been making frequent trips to Anchorage. It’s about an hour-and-a-half drive, one way, from our house. So when I was at the Sutton Public Library the other day, I picked up Bill Bryson’s At Home on CD. He is an author I’ve always wanted to read, but I rarely make time for nonfiction.
The book was fascinating to listen to as I drove. I learned about how silverware first came into use, and how people’s fancy wigs used to get infested with vermin, and why concrete houses never became popular. Bryson’s voice is wry and clever, and he seems to let his curiosity carry him, and the listener, from one odd fact to another.
I was disappointed when it was over. But the next time I was at the library, I picked up the unabridged audio of In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson. Again this is a narrative nonfiction, this one set in Germany during the rise of Hitler. It follows the fate of the unusual American ambassador to Germany at the time. Again, this is not typically my kind of book — I mostly read novels. But it is an incredible story, and with just two CDs left, I find myself bringing it in from the car each afternoon so I can listen to more of it while I wash the dishes.
Even as I’ve listened to these audio history books, I’ve read a half-dozen print novels. And I wonder if I’m experiencing them differently, the audio versus the print.
Do you ever listen to audio books? And do you feel the same about them as print books you’ve read?
Cheers!
Eowyn
Recipe for starting your own book club
04 Apr 2012 8 Comments
Dear companionable reader,
A woman recently sent me a kind message on Twitter — she enjoyed The Snow Child and wanted to discuss it with other readers. Did I have any suggestions for starting up a book club?
Her question got me thinking about my own book club. About nine years ago, my mom read the novel Unless by Carol Shields and couldn’t decide what she thought of it, or what it meant. She asked me to read it, and we spent the next several jogs together discussing it. But we still felt unsatisfied, so we decided to start a book club.
I have mentioned The Betties in earlier letters to you. We are a group of women of varied ages, political backgrounds, and careers. But one of our commonalities — we all love to read.
I’ve also attended several other book clubs recently as an author to discuss The Snow Child. One was organized through a local church, and the women met at 11 a.m. on a weekday with a potluck brunch. Another was a neighborhood club that gathered on a weekend evening at a house at the end of a long, snowy road. There were men and women, wine, moose meatballs, salads, and guacamole. Another group was coordinated through a local library, met on a Saturday morning, and featured hot coffee, sweet breads, and fresh strawberries.
They all were fun, engaging groups. So what’s the recipe for a good book club?
You begin with the people. And I don’t necessarily think they all have to be people you know really well. Acquaintances can make great club members, because the one thing you’ll have in common is the book.
There might already be a group organized through a local library or bookstore, but if you want to start your own, reach out to friends, coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances from the local coffee shop or bookstore. A diversity of age and background is helpful because it can provide more depth to the discussion.
A lot of clubs, it seems, are all women. I know of one local group that is restricted to men. Originally we had wanted to include both men and women but at the time couldn’t find any men who were willing to sign on, and hence we became The Betties.
While you might begin by being open to whoever stops by, I’ve found that in the long run book clubs do best with a stable membership. Over time, you will hopefully establish a rapport and comfort level, and even develop your own inside jokes having to do with the books you’ve read. To protect that feeling of safety and familiarity, you might want to close to new members at some point.
From what I’ve seen, 6 to 12 members is rather ideal.
So besides the people, the only absolutely necessity? No, not food and wine, although those are nice, too. Books. Some clubs choose books for the entire year and make up a schedule. In our group, we just pick the next read the night of book club. It allows for some spontaneity. If someone has just heard of a new book or has a recommendation, we can jump in.
We try to read everything — fiction, nonfiction, new release bestsellers, classics, translations. We read poems during National Poetry Month (which is April, by the way.) And at least once a year we choose a young reader book so our children can join in.
Perhaps surprisingly, books we all enjoy are sometimes duds for a discussion. “I liked it” “Yep, me, too” “So … how is Jenny liking fifth grade?”
Instead, complex, layered, controversial books often lead to the most intense conversations.
Another smaller, but also important, detail: where to meet? Library meeting rooms, coffee shops, and bookstores are all great options. Our own group rotates among the members’ homes. There are a couple of advantages — visiting someone’s house can make you feel more connected. It also allows us to do a potluck meal. We each bring a salad, dessert, or main dish, as well as a bottle or two of wine.
But if you’re just starting out, you don’t know the club members well, or you don’t want to have to frantically clean your house, then a public place is a great way to go.
As for the discussion, you can opt for formally organized or more relaxed. To keep things on task, some groups I know assign a discussion leader for each meeting. They bring talking points, questions, background information, etc. While I suspect this works well for guiding the discussion, we Betties have opted for a more casual approach. We just start talking. Someone will often read aloud a passage they enjoyed or questioned. Another person will sometimes bring historical background or further reading.
For about an hour or so, we concentrate on the book, asking each other questions, trying to probe more deeply into the text. Then the discussion is usually drawn to other matters — our children, our jobs, our pets, our trials and tribulations.
But that can also be the joy of a book club: you begin with books, and end in friendship.
I’d love to hear from you — are you in a book club? How is it organized? Or are you thinking of starting one?
Cheers!
Eowyn
Get out your four-leaf clovers
09 Mar 2012 136 Comments
in The Reading Life, The Writing Life
Dear lucky-charm reader,
I’ve had some exciting news these past few weeks. Here in the United States, The Snow Child has stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for four weeks running — it’s currently #24. And in the UK, it is consistently making the top 10 on the Sunday Times bestseller list.
Some other exciting news: my personal copies of the US and UK editions recently arrived. To celebrate and thank all of you for coming along on the adventure with me, I’ve decided to have a contest.
Next Saturday, on lucky St. Patrick’s Day, I will give away one copy each of the US and UK editions. To enter the random drawing, leave a comment on this blog post (not any other post) between now and Friday, March 16, and tell me: which edition are you hoping to win? Also tell me if you would like me to sign it, and if you want it inscribed, to whom. These will be first edition, first printings.
On St. Patrick’s Day, I’ll randomly select the two winners.
Cheers!
Eowyn
The Snow Child as published in the US by Reagan Arthur Books/ Little, Brown and Company.
The Snow Child as published in the UK by Headline Review.
Looking for something to read?
05 Mar 2012 9 Comments
Dear book-seeking reader,
I have discovered an unexpected joy in being a published author — I get to meet other authors and find out about their books! During these past few months, this has led me to some wonderful novels I want to share with you.
The Detour is the newest novel by Alaskan novelist Andromeda Romano-Lax. I first saw Andromeda at a public reading years ago in Anchorage where she was sharing a passage from her debut novel, The Spanish Bow. I was mesmerized by her description of the cello and music in general. Interestingly, Andromeda’s first two novels are not set in her home state of Alaska, but instead in historical Europe. During an on-stage talk between the two of us a few weeks ago, she says she might still have an Alaskan novel up her sleeve. In the meantime, read The Detour. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between Hitler and art, individuals and the social forces that shape history. But it is told through the intimate, sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, perspective of one man — Ernst Vogler.
When two authors have novels released around the same time, they begin to bump into each other on the book trail. Fortunate for me, this has happened to me with Julianna Baggott. Her most recent novel Pure was released in February around the same time as The Snow Child. I first met her in Oregon at a bookselling conference, and then again in New Orleans for a similar event where we signed books next to each other. Between the two events, I devoured her novel. Pure is the first in a post-apocolyptic trilogy. It tells the story of Pressia, a young girl who is surviving in a strange, twisted, destroyed future Earth. The story is page-turning and surprising; the images haunting.
I don’t know if I would have picked up J. Courtney Sullivan’s newest novel Maine on my own. The cover looks like a beach read, which isn’t my usual choice. But then at Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, we were a part of the same author event. When Courtney stood at the microphone and read a few pages from the book, I was stirred to laughter, shock, and recognition. I decided right then to read the novel, and I’m glad I did. Maine tells of three generations of Kellehers women tied to a cottage in Maine. It is about the love and strife that comes between mothers and daughters, and the urge to shape ourselves even as we cannot deny the influence of our families.
Happy reading!
Eowyn
Glasgow to London, then home
29 Feb 2012 5 Comments
in The Reading Life, The Traveling Life
Near a Waterstones bookstore in Glasgow, Scotland, with UK publicist Samantha Eades, right.
Dear steadfast reader,
In my last letter, I left us in Glasgow, Scotland, with snow flurries out the window and a suitcase full of books.
Sam and I rose early Sunday morning and headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. We were met by the publicist Samantha and Thomas Quinn of The Big Issue and his wife. As we sipped on our coffee and tea, Thomas interviewed me and Sam about The Snow Child and our lives in Alaska. The Big Issue is a fascinating, quality publication with a special aim — to help the homeless.
Taking in the view of Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow, Scotland.
After the breakfast interview, Samantha, Sam and I set out on the streets of Glasgow to visit Waterstones bookstores on Sauchiehall Street and Argyll Street so I could sign copies of my book.
Glasgow is a city of contrasts — ornate stone buildings beside modern squares of concrete, an icy wind through the streets and the warm welcome of the locals. For the first time on the trip, Sam and I had an hour to explore and visit shops. I found a locally woven cashmere scarf for myself, as well as some gifts for the neighbors who were taking care of things for us back home.
But our lunch would give us a true picture of this city. Gillian, who works for my UK publisher in Glasgow, invited Sam, Samantha and me to her flat for lunch. We were greeted by her two cats and the fragrance of homemade leek soup. Gillian’s partner, Graham, and several friends soon came through the door after a morning tennis match.
We spent the next hour enjoying warm soup, delicious cheeses, homemade scones, clotted cream, bramble jam, and easy conversation. We talked about Scotland and Alaska — they found our town on Google Maps and even got a street view of the bookstore where I work. I discovered from the 12- and 9-year-old girls that they must wear uniforms to school, and they made no attempt to hide their envy that my own daughters don’t, and can even wear “trainers” to school.
My husband Sam, whiskey shopping in the UK.
After lunch, we went for a stroll around the neighborhood. We hiked up a wooded hill, along a creek, and took in the views of Kelvingrove Park.
On the return trip, we stopped by Gillian and Graham’s favorite neighborhood pub for a “wee dram” of whiskey. Since they all taste the same to me — a bit like paint thinner — I opted for a glass of sparkling water. But Sam and everyone else enjoyed the warming effect of their drinks.
And then we had to say goodbye to these welcoming people, and to Scotland. But not before Sam could buy two bottles of fine Scotch whiskey to bring home to Alaska.
We caught our flight back to London with just enough time for me and Sam to dash to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner. We had to be back to our hotel room by 9 p.m. for a telephone interview that proved well worth the rush.
Gavin Pugh and Simon Savidge co-host a delightful podcast about books called The Readers. They interviewed me in tandem, asking insightful questions about my book, my relationship to fairy tales, and my characters. It was one of the most enjoyable interviews of my journey.
That night, Sam and I spent our last sleep in the UK. But the adventure wasn’t over just yet.
We rose early the next morning, packed our suitcases full of whiskey and books (this had been a good trip for both of us!) Then, arms loaded with luggage, we caught a taxi to the BBC Western House where we met once more with Samantha. At 10 a.m., I enjoyed a last, fond memory of Scotland, as I was interviewed by the wonderful BBC Scotland The Book Cafe.
Then we darted around the corner to the studio for BBC’s Radio 4 Woman’s Hour.
It was my last interview of my whirlwind UK adventure. And perhaps my most prestigious. Women such as Diane Keaton, Kirsten Dunst, and Joan Collins have been on the show. And I would later learn that the other guest being interviewed for today’s show beside me was the folk singer Joan Baez.
But somehow I didn’t feel nervous — Jane Garvey is clearly a skilled interviewer. She had read my book, and has some great questions about the story and my life in Alaska.
My last interview wrapped up, we met outside the BBC building with Samantha. I was sad to say goodbye to her. We hugged, and I told her she should come with me back to Alaska. We could hang out, and I would never be late for an appointment.
The taxi to the airport was waiting, however, so we waved to Samantha out the window and said goodbye to the UK.
After Sam and I found our seats on the British Airways flight, I cracked open The Great Escape by UK novelist Fiona Gibson. Within the first page, I was chuckling out loud. This would certainly make the long trip home go faster.
Cheers!
Eowyn
Click here to read more
06 Jan 2012 7 Comments
in The Reading Life, The Writing Life
Dear online reader,
Some people argue the web will be the death of fiction and literature, the demise of thought-provoking writing and in-depth analysis. But this past week has persuaded me otherwise.
While the digitized era certainly seems to favor short attention spans, the web also offers wonderful surprises.
- LONG READS – A website devoted to the best long articles and essays being published. David Cheezem at Fireside Books told me about LongReads.com, and it is now one of my favorite websites. They post articles from magazines like Esquire, the Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and lesser-known publications. You can receive notices by email, and you can nominate articles you think should be included. Already I’ve read some of the most interesting, and well-written, pieces I have ever come across.
- ANNOTATION NATION — My mom, Julie LeMay, is pursuing her MFA in poetry at Antioch University. Through her colleagues, she learned about the site Annotation Nation. The postings aren’t reviews — “Loved it. Five stars” or “Stupid and pointless.” These are thoughtful essays looking at how a piece of writing actually works, including fiction, nonfiction and poetry. It’s a fabulous resource for writers, but I also think serious readers will enjoy it.
- FIVE CHAPTERS — This website recently enabled me to get one of my short stories out into the world. FiveChapters.com serializes short fiction, publishing it daily over the course of a week. My story Remnants appeared on the site this week. It’s exciting to think they are creating more opportunities for fiction to thrive.
The biggest challenge of the web is learning about sites like these. That’s one reason I want to spread the word. And ask you — what treasures have you found online? Any websites that support arts and literature that you recommend?
Cheers!
Eowyn
P.S. If you click on the title heading for each website, it should take you there.
You’ve got to read this!
16 Dec 2011 8 Comments
Dear book-seeking reader,
I don’t know why it sometimes takes me so long to listen to smart people. For months, some of the most critical readers I know have recommended The Raven’s Gift by fellow Alaskan author Don Rearden. I’ve been busy with a lot of reading and writing of my own, but that isn’t all the kept me from it.
In all honesty, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. Don seems like a really nice guy, with a young family and a desire to do good in the world. He’s always supporting great causes. It seemed easier to just not read his book, than to read it and not like it.
I needn’t have worried. The book is fantastic, one of the best books about Alaska I have ever read. It calls to mind Cormac McCarthy and Stephen King, but at the same time it is all its own.
The Raven’s Gift is the story of a couple teaching in a remote Alaskan village when a epidemic sweeps through. People are dying in isolation, and others descending into savage violence. It is a survival story and an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
But what makes it unique is its depth. I frantically read from one page to the next, driven by that delicious desire to know what is going to happen next. Even through all the action and drama, I was moved and educated by the description of Alaska Native culture and life in a Bush village. It’s here that Don makes some brave, compassionate, and important observations.
It is clear, too, that not only is Don a good writer, but he has the knowledge and experience to write this book. Few other people would.
There are only a handful of Alaska books I recommend to everyone, locals and outsiders. This is one of them.
One small caveat — The Raven’s Gift is published by Penguin Canada, and so can be a little difficult to track down here in the U.S. But talk to your local bookseller to see if they can special order it for you, or order it through Fireside Books and they’ll ship it to you. And campaign U.S. publishers to pick up this fabulous book.
I recently saw another blogger pairing books, like one would with wines and foods. I loved the idea. So I would like to pair The Raven’s Gift with two of my other favorite Alaska titles — Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner and Two Old Women by Velma Wallis. These three books combined are devastating, amazing, and important.
Cheers!
Eowyn
Book Betties
07 Dec 2011 8 Comments
The Betties
Dear friendly reader,
This past weekend my book club did its annual vacation. There are seven of us women — a fishery biologist, a retired accountant turned full-time poet, an attorney, a bookseller/novelist, a preacher’s wife who also runs a motorcycle leather shop, and two journalists. We are moms and wives, grandmothers and professionals. We are readers and writers, quilters and runners. We are the Betties.
(It’s a long, funny story that earned us that name. But some things that happen in book club, stay in book club.)
We first met about eight years ago to read and discuss Unless by Carol Shields. And we have met nearly every month since. During those years, we have discussed Candide and To Kill a Mockingbird, As I Lay Dying and If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things. During National Poetry Month, we read poems. Once a year, we read a children’s book and invite our daughters and sons.
Over the years, we have celebrated weddings and births, supported each other through hard times, and mourned deaths, including the passing of one of our own dear members. And, as we have shared our lives and our books, we have become more than just a book club. We have become what Anne of Green Gables describes as “kindred spirits.”
In past years on our annual retreat, we stayed in rustic, lake-side cabins and at deluxe ski resorts with spas. But this year we went to the home of one of our own, in what we call a “staycation.” A Betty husband chivalrously volunteered to go on an away trip so we could have the house, and outdoor sauna, all to ourselves.
We began with dinner at The Grape Tap, a lovely restaurant specializing in fine wine. We ate bacon-wrapped figs and sipped rich, multi-layered Cabarnets. Then, over the next two days, we hiked up a snowy butte, warmed up in the woodstove-heated sauna, laughed and made paper snowflakes, cooked crepes and scrambled eggs in the dark during a power outage, laughed some more, and debated the finer points of the graphic novel Feynman. We also began plotting our next Betty retreat — we are dreaming of a trip to California’s wine country.
Books, it seems, do bring people together.
Cheers!
Eowyn
P.S. Are any of you members of a book club?
Happy birthday to Fireside Books!
02 Dec 2011 3 Comments
Fireside Books
Dear festive reader,
Ten years ago, our small town of Palmer, Alaska, welcomed a new arrival. It started when a sign appeared in the window of a shop on main street. Over the years the building had housed women’s clothing, adventure games, and flower arrangements, among other business ventures. But this sign said something to the effect of “Book store coming soon.”
Having lived in this town my entire life, I can honestly say this was the most extraordinary thing I had ever seen. More exciting, even, than the time the moose trampled the police car at the main intersection.
When the sign went up promising a bookstore, my mom and I and all of our reader friends began keeping close watch. We would phone each other: “I walked by today and they were putting up shelves.” “Do they have an open sign yet?” “When are they going to open?!?”
Fireside Books co-owner David Cheezem.
On the first week of December 2001, David Cheezem and Melissa Behnke officially opened Fireside Books. And during the past 10 years they have created a hub of arts and literature in our community. It is a place where readers come for books, writers come for inspiration, and thinkers come to talk about politics, philosophy, poetry and the weather. It is also a place for starving artists to find gainful employment.
Two years after they opened, I realized I was ready to leave the newspaper business. I thought long and hard — if I were to work anywhere else in our community, where would it be? Only one place came to mind. I walked into Fireside Books as a regular customer and asked if they were expecting to hire anyone soon. I am perpetually grateful for that day David and Melissa welcomed me onto the staff as the only full-time employee at the time.
Eight years later, I have come to consider Fireside Books a kind of second home and “bookseller” an important part of my identity. We no longer have a spare inch on the shelves — we have had to convert the basement into a storage warehouse for the back stock, and we fight for room to display our favorite titles face out. We are often swimming in used books to process and customer orders to receive. It is a busy, wonderful place to be.
So happy birthday to Fireside Books, and a heartfelt thank you to David and Melissa! You have helped make our small town a better place.
Cheers!
Eowyn
More gratitude, more books …
31 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in The Reading Life, The Writing Life
Dear returning reader,
Last week I wrote about how I received endorsements from fellow authors — by choosing books I admired and writing to the authors to ask if they would read The Snow Child.
In gratitude to the authors, and to give you some ideas for your next read, I am sharing their books. I want to point out, too, that these authors have many other wonderful books they wrote before and since these titles. But I want to share the books that first caught my attention and inspired me.
So here are the rest.
Cheers!
Eowyn
The Woman Who Married a Bear, by John Straley. Like all of Straley's Alaska mysteries, it's in the tradition of hardboiled detective novels, but has a dark heart of poetry. Beautiful writing!
The Girl with Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw. This strange, beautiful, haunting novel tells the story of Midas Cook and his love for Ida, a woman with a terrible affliction.
The Spanish Bow, by Andromeda Romano-Lax. With some of the most exquisite descriptions of music I have read, the novel follows cellist Feliu Delargo through the turmoil of 20th century Europe and his own passions.
Alice I Have Been, by Melanie Benjamin. This captivating historical novel tells the story of Alice and how her long life was affected by "wonderland." A fabulous read!
The Stolen Child, by Keith Donohue. A modern retelling of the changeling folktale, it blends fantasy with reality. Moving, utterly believable, and lyrical.
