inthelouvre.org

Hello, My Name is Martin. You Took Me from the Wild: Prepare to Die.

Today I’ll be answering Miranda’s question: What is your favorite comfort food?

Ice cream, hands down. Sometimes it doesn’t even matter what kind of ice cream, though I don’t like coffee flavors and I usually try to stay away from anything that has several small chunks of things; for example, vanilla ice cream with peanuts, chocolate chips, strawberry bits, and hardened caramel. I don’t really do well with lots of things in my mouth at once, and thus it’s not very comforting.

Miranda, what is your favorite comforting activity - something you do to wind down, relax, whatever? And where do you do it?

If you have a question you’ve been dying to ask me, you can ask it here.

Today I have some involved news.

First of all, I think I’ve figured out how to effectively mess around with WordPress comments, which is a huge accomplishment for me. For a long time I just nixed comments on my blog all together in favor of not trying to figure things out. On that note, I’ve made a new layout for my book reviews/thoughts journal, retitled Book Avenue.

Secondly, and most importantly, Richard and I have acquired a turtle. We keep telling people that my brother gave it to us, which is certainly not fictional, but we don’t let on that my brother found it right before he may have driven over it. I like to think of it as a “rescued” turtle who now has a constant food source, reliable shelter, and a considerable amount of warmth, though I know I’m probably delusioning myself away from the fact that we took this thing out of the wild and brought it into captivity.

He hates us, but we love him! He’s also not camera shy, and today while he was eating his fish he posed for some pictures. For a while he lived in our bath tub, but I think he’s much happier now in his 40 gallon tank. He has a log, as you can see, but it isn’t very heavy so it sort of floats around. We’re going to buy him a castle, or perhaps some ancient ruins. I also think we should get him a background so he will stop trying to escape, ramming his head hard into the glass completely bewildered at why he can’t get out.

See him in action! What’s this? What’s going on? It’s shiny… Let me out, my humans are boring… Ohhhh, I think I found me some dinner! CHOMP!… Hello log, I love you. Okay, they’re a little dark, but give me a break - I’m a new pet owner.

What was it like bringing home your pet for the first time? Anyone else have a turtle?

Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451

This book is set in a future where the past isn’t real; the inhabitants of this book were taught that firemen always started fires, that entertainment comes from watching television and bullying – even murdering people. There is no speed limit, only a speed minimum, and one gets arrested and spends two days in jail for going only ten miles per hour under that minimum. This is a world in which everything flies by and no one stops to smell the roses, until one little girl introduces life to the main character, Guy Montag. She plays a very small physical role in the book, yet defines the events of the entire rest of the book. Their interactions are short and spread over a small amount of time, but her impact on him and his thoughts ultimately ruin his life and give him hope at the same time.

A central theme of this book is, of course, the burning of books, but it’s not just books they’re burning. They’re getting rid of knowledge, information about past mistakes, and even the course of some men’s lives. It’s a perfect high school reading list sort of book, because it clearly teaches the importance of knowing one’s history and using that history to avoid mistakes that occurred in the past. Like some of Shakespeare’s sonnets, this book suggests that men are immortalized in their writing, as well as whomever they are writing about – once you destroy all copies of that literature, that man and those characters cease to exist. However, a group of men have taken it upon themselves to memorize the literature for future generations. This is the group that Montag eventually finds himself acquainted with.

I think it’s interesting to note that while the aforementioned little girl “woke up” Montag’s appreciation of life, she didn’t introduce him to books. She merely told him there was a time once when firemen put out fires instead of starting them, and asked if he, as a fireman, ever read any of the books he burnt. She never told him that she had books hidden or that he should try it some day. It’s even mentioned that her family was watched and often unsuccessfully searched for possession of books. It was something within him that made him curious about poetry and the great works, something that apparently was not rooted within all humans.

There was one incident when he had a book of poetry that he tried to read to his wife and her friends. No one understood a word of it – which makes sense, of course, having not read any other books in their lives they wouldn’t reasonably be able to understand more complex ones – but it seemed he was the only one who had that innate curiosity about the words. One of the women was crying, and at first in my ignorance I thought she felt the words were so beautiful and touching that she couldn’t help herself, but in reality, she was crying because the words were being spoken at all, because she was being subjected to an illegal procedure and had to endure the words of someone’s poetry.

The attachment to television specifically reminded me of a lot of the fears we’re having today. Having been written originally in 1950, a computer take-over wouldn’t have been a fear while this book was written, but an addiction to television certainly would. Now, I think, the case is of the former – people are afraid of becoming too dependent on computer technology for fun and daily life, rather than the previous fear that television programs would take over our minds; however, I think that’s still a fear with “reality” TV and the simple unwillingness to think intellectually. I see the four television-screened walls and Mildred’s excitement about being enclosed and secluded in this world of television shows – fictional, certainly not the “real world,” yet more acceptable than the worlds created by books – and it makes me think of having several computer systems in one’s house, being addicted to online games and spending more hours playing them than living one’s life. It makes me think of grocery shopping online and having it delivered and renting from services like Netflix instead of going out and physically renting a movie. We’re not there yet, but how many kids would prefer to read a website than they would a book? How many people spend more time on MySpace than they do getting acquainted with their libraries? Few people even know who wrote A Christmas Carol, even though they’ve seen all 75 movie adaptations and right there at the beginning it says “Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.”

I’ll have to come back to the book. There is a lot of thought in it. I am not sure one could even read this as simply “a story with a message;” it rings so true today with our wars and our mishaps that I’d find it hard to believe that one’s brain wouldn’t automatically begin to analyze and compare it. (Perhaps, though, I am just analytical by nature.) I was trying to tell Richard about it without using so many words. The only thing I could say was that it was the most depressing book I’ve ever read that still had a lot of hope in it. One of the last lines of the book is “And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations,” something Montag has memorized and has decided to memorize the entirety of. This is after the city he once lived in is completely flattened by nuclear warfare. They might be starting over, completely, by using oral tradition (passing stories through word of mouth), but the fact that there are a group of men willing to restart the passing of literature from generation to generation is extremely hopeful for the world contained in this book. It’s sort of like that song that goes: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end;” something had to end, and in this case rather sadly, but they’ve created a new beginning and they go on, hoping to heal through words.

John Dunning - The Bookman’s Promise

I’ve officially read these out of order, but I’ve found a beauty in that – it doesn’t seem to matter. Apparently The Bookman’s Wake comes before this one (and after Booked to Die, which I previously read, interest sparked from the Summer Mystery Challenge), but I hadn’t purchased that one until I was about 1/3 of the way through this one. (The first and this title were available at the used bookstore where I work, whereas the second in the series never seemed to come in. While I was spending loads of money on books anyway, I decided to just throw that one in there.)

I am absolutely engulfed in this author. Not only does he make me want to read more of his books, but he makes me want to become a book dealer. I have plans in my future to own a new/used bookstore – not at all to deal in rare books – but having read these books and having found myself engrossed in this world, I seem to find myself wanting to learn everything I possibly can about first editions and rare copies and the value of autographs. Granted, there was a backing interest present, so this might not affect everyone the way it has effected me, but as I believe I remarked on my entry about Booked to Die, he pulls you in and never lets you go. Amazing writing.

In The Bookman’s Promise, our hero Cliff Janeway befriends a dying woman so close to her time that she doesn’t even have the opportunity to tell her the whole story. Instead, he blindly makes a promise, pending her last wish, to find a collection of books by nineteenth-century British explorer Richard Burton which evidently belonged to her grandfather. The woman is dead, but this character is honorable, so he continues the search to solve the mysteries of a photograph, a journal, several books, a friendship, the authenticity of a woman’s life, and oh, let’s throw in a few murders here and there.

As with Booked to Die, you are given every detail every step of the way – from the setting to Janeway’s thoughts, which are really quite ravishing. The author, apparently, has experience in antique bookselling, and it is clear that he doesn’t have trouble explaining the business to a layman. A world has been created that is so satisfactory and fulfilling that reading these mysteries isn’t unlike reading real-life accounts. Janeway is cocky and silly at times, but he reminds me of several people I’ve met in my lifetime; this is not an unbelievable character performing unbelievable deeds. How many people would cross the country to fulfill a promise given to a now deceased woman he’d only known a few hours? Well, probably not very many, but you begin to admire the respect, reverence, and honor that this character has, and you start to like him a lot more.

As the third in the series, I can tell that this book is at least more strongly developed than the first. Unfortunately, I can’t give a progression scale and tell you that it was better than the second which was also better than the first – in any case, I don’t think it was better in the sense that it was a “better story” or a “better read.” It just opened up a lot more about the main character which the first seemed to hide a bit, and where the first may have failed in explanatory terms, this one certainly succeeded. One of the things I am beginning to like about John Dunning’s writing is that neither book has been better than the other. They’re two really great stories with common characters, books which I won’t hesitate to read again in the future or recommend to anyone looking for a well-developed mystery.

Also reviewed by:
· Passion for the Page

You Can Dance If You Want To

So I’ve decided to do this question meme that everyone else is doing… Because, well, everyone likes surveys and you might have a question or two to ask. In the post where I answer all the questions given to me, I’ll reply with a question for you, just to be fair.

We’re a little more settled into the new apartment, which I’ve probably only scarcely mentioned. Today we spent a lot of time unpacking and moving things around; it was really quite productive. Somewhere during that time we went to IKEA for $1 ice cream and to compare prices on furniture. I’m really excited to start decorating. I really enjoy starting fresh at a new place, because I get to add all my special jazz to it.

Similarily, one of my favorite parts of personal websites is “room” or “house tours,” wherein the webmaster gives a photographic tour of their house, whether it be general or extremely detailed. When we’re all settled and everything is in its proper place, I will be sure to add a section such as that, just in case there is a nerd like me out there.

I want to end this post with a question (”As hateful as it is, what is your favorite part of moving?”) but I’ve asked you to ask me questions, and I was always taught that it was rude to answer a question with a question…

Meme: Books

I don’t usually do this here, but it’s been a while since I’ve updated. I’m reading a book that I probably won’t write about and I haven’t finished my TBR book yet so… (And, on the other hand, I probably won’t finish my Non-Fiction Five, which is disappointing since I got so far in it so quickly.)

What book are you currently reading? Actively, The FabJob guide to Becoming A Bookstore Owner by Grace Jasmine. For a while there I was able to trek through about 1/4 of How to Read A Book by Mortimer J. Adler. I’m not exactly reading The Road by Jack Kerouac, but I’m more than halfway through and will be finishing it before the end of the month. I’ve put down Galileo’s Daughter by Dava Sobel for lack of interest, the same with As the Romans Do by Alan Epstein.

How do you decide what book to read next? This year, it’s been based on challenges. I’m pretty happy with it because it’s more or less forced me to read (otherwise I slack off and hate myself for it), but I think next year I will just make personal challenges that require a lot less reading of books I don’t like.

Do you always finish books, or do you give up on them? If you give up on them, how many pages does it usually take? I try not to give up on books. I may put it down for a few months, but I will always try to make it a priority to pick it back up and finish it. There is only one book I ever didn’t finish - Mapping the Edge by Sarah Dunant. It was really bad.

Do you ever re-read books you love? If so, how often? Give examples, if possible. Well, I’ve read the Lord of the Rings books a few times, and as per my 101 Things in 1,001 Days goals, I’ve plans to read them again soon… However, the only other books I can think that I’ll take the time out to reread are various kids storybooks, Matilda by Roald Dahl, and of course any of the epic poetry that may have struck my soul (Iliad by Homer, Aeneid by Virgil), as well as Ovid’s Metamorphoses. I just don’t think there’s enough time in a life to spend time re-reading every book. Most of the time, I want to visit new worlds.

Can you read books in noisy places (e.g. trains, buses, crowded rooms)? Yes, but only if it’s a constant noise. For example, I could read at a concert, but not at a play. If it’s just a general mumbo jumbo of noise and talking, it’s just like having any other kind of background noise (the air conditioner, for example). But as soon as one voice carries above the others, I can get so distracted.

Where do you acquire most of your books? If you are a library user or borrower, how many books do you borrow at once? If a buyer, how many books do you usually buy at once? I work in a used bookstore and my boyfriend works in a corporate bookstore. We are constantly surrounded by books and we want them all, even the ones we know we’ll never read. We’re constantly spending money on books that come in… We probably get at least one book a day, or equivalent to that (I bought Twilight by Stephanie Meyer yesterday; he got _If I Did It by the Goldman Family).

Do you use bookmarks, or dog-ear the pages of your books? Do you make marginal notes? If so, do you use pencil or pen? I use bookmarks, but not real ones. They’re usually little scraps of paper and receipts. The only time I make marginal notes is when I’m really, really into a book, and I always use pencil - but I also highlight sometimes. My first copy of The Iliad is completely marked up, but I still have a second that’s very clean and fresh (though used). I never dog-ear, but Richard does so some of our books are bent in places.

Do you have any unusual tendencies while you read? I can’t really think of any at the moment…

Do you read through pages at top speed, or do you stop to savor the sentences along the way? I don’t necessarily read at “top speed,” but I don’t usually stop to savor anything unless it’s really bad grammar that has distracted me and I can’t go on. Usually in that case, it’s less “savoring,” more that my attention has been diverted to the upper part of the page even while I’m still trying to read the bottom.

We know most of us can read just about anywhere, but specifically where and when do you do your best reading? I have a green chair that reclines. I do my best reading there, but probably not my most reading.

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