Let’s all pause for the collective groan that is Monday.
Feel better? Maybe some book stuff will help.
First, hop over to Bitter Empire and check out my review of a sweet little book called George’s Grand Tour. The book is about George, eighty-three, and his “young” neighbor Charles, seventy-six, who decide to road trip the route of the Tour de France.
And if that isn’t enough, here are some interesting links I have been collecting.
- What’s the Point of Handwriting? (via LitHub). From the article: “Unlike digital’s precision, writing is blurry individuality under a general system. But in addition to this, we all have our own personalized understanding of arrows, squiggles, double-underlines and so on—little personal codes we develop over time to ‘talk to ourselves.’ To write by hand is to always foreground an inevitable uniqueness, visually marking out an identity in opposition to, say, this font you’re reading right now.” Now that’s an interesting twist! Giving up handwriting for digital text is giving up something that is unique to each of us. Don’t give away your individuality, grab a pen and start writing!
- Gods and Goddesses help us all, The Millions has a list of the Most Anticipated books of the second half of 2015. Readers, get your TBR lists ready, you’ll be adding gobs of books to it.
- Before you put your TBR list away, take a look at Neglected Books Revisited, Part 1 at American Scholar. It being a part one implies there will soon be a part two!
- And while you are adding books, might as well check out a list by novelist Sophie McManus of 7 Great Books Born from “Catastrophes”. Virginia Woolf’s On Being Ill leads the list and I can attest to it being a pretty great book.
- On the futility of writing (and writing in spite of it all) (via LitHub). From the article: “Were I ever to be asked for a writing tip, something born out of this experience would be my choice: walk into any gigantic bookshop and think whether you can face being one more name lost in this desert of words. If that ideal situation proves too much to bear do something else with your time (it is of course highly likely that if you go around asking for writing tips you will never make it on print).” And, might I add, if you are that kind of person, you probably imagine your book will be displayed on a front table as a bestseller.
- In The World’s Descent Steve King notes that Harold Bloom turned 85 on July 11th and compares what Bloom believes reading should be with what a few other scholarly types are saying these days. I am not a fan of Bloom’s dogmatism and his anti-feminist rants, but nonetheless I respect the man. How can I not respect someone who cares so deeply about literature even if I disagree with him on a number of things?
- Nicola Griffith writes The Women You Didn’t See: A Letter to Alice Sheldon. You may know Alice Sheldon better under her pen name, James Tiptree, Jr. It’s a lovely, sad letter.
There you are. I hope at least one of them will go a little way to help Monday be not quite so bad.
Wonderful links that made my Tuesday….(its Tuesday here already!!) God Stefanie I cannot add more to my TBR, but now I just have! had too!!! Gods and Goddesses truly save us!
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cirtnecce, if they couldn’t help your Monday I am glad they made your Tuesday! Sorry about your TBR list, mine is in really bad shape too! 🙂
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Interesting links! Thanks for sharing.
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You bet! 😀
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Harold Bloom, sigh. Why must he make himself purposely inaccessible to most readers when he is a critic? Bring the books to the readers and be a part of helping all of us to get more out of the classics. Otherwise, stop trying to impress us with your vocabulary and syntax and write some fiction yourself. I also have mixed feelings about Mr. Bloom.
Handwriting! You have touched a nerve. I was born in 1970 where we studied the art of handwriting in depth, to include whether it is better to hold the hand stationary or to let the hand flow freely with the writing. Is there anyone else out there who can relate to the fact that I actually crave writing by hand? I find excuses to do it, even if it is just copying passages out of books.
I cannot leave without recommending a book that will further extend the TBR list, Howard’s End is on the Landing. I adore books about books and this is also British book. Enough said. I read it and immensely enjoyed it while realizing how much I am not “well read” at all.
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Hi Lynnette! Bloom is a frustrating man, isn’t he? I’ve read several of his books and as much as he drives me bonkers I still do respect his passion and he does have some interesting things to say now and then 🙂
Are you a pen lover? I have a small collection of fountain pens and what probably amounts to a lifetime supply of bottled ink but still, I buy more. I love writing in journals and l write letters I send through the mail too. It’s a real pleasure to write by hand.
As for Howard’s End is On the Landing, I have read it. I didn’t love it, but I did enjoy it. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Very kind of you Stefanie but I need no balm for my Monday soul. I love Mondays. All you workers go back to work leaving the world to us retirees. Peace! No-one getting in our way at the shops. No one on the roads all hours of the day when we want to go out. It’s not TGIF for me, but ODIFA (Oh dear, it’s Friday again!). Haha, just joking. Loved this post and will check out some of the links on the weekend!!
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whisperinggums, oh you are naughty! It is unfortunate Monday gets a bad rap for being the first day of the work week. I look forward to that someday when Monday becomes a day to enjoy! 🙂
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I respect that you didn’t love Howard’s End is on the Landing. The thing that I have found most odd is that I was an English major at the University of Michigan. We read a whole lot of short stories and very few novels. Even though I left this well-respected university with an English degree, there was so much that I missed. For example, I have never read Austen, Bronte, or even Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby, and I read Huck Finn on my own. It was never assigned in my classes. I will allow you to guess the Twain short story that was assigned multiple times to me in both high school and college and you will be right – The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavares County. If I had allowed this to be my entire opinion of Twain, it would have been superficial. I’m not sure what point I’m trying to make here, I supposed it’s just that I spent a whole lot of money to get a degree and it’s only because of my own desire to educate myself, that I am even reasonably well read at this point. Having recently read The Great Gatsby for the first time, I loved it. I even bought a shirt online from a company called Out of Print clothing with the cover of the novel. I am such a book dork.
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Lynette, that does seem odd. I majored in English at Cal State Northridge and we read loads of novels, novellas, plays, collections of poetry. The early survey classes tended to use anthologies with stories of excerpts in them, but between later seminar classes and electives I was able to take lots of stuff on things like novels by women and fiction by women of color which was pretty much all novels. That’s too bad you didn’t have such variety. But at least you have been motivated to learn on your own!
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That Millions list is so great! Lots of good books to look forward to! I’m psyched to read the Lauren Groff in particular.
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Laila, isn’t it a great list? I’m excited about the Clarice Lispector stories and a new Mieville too and of course Margaret Atwood!
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Woohoo, new Atwood! Always cause for celebration!
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Another good mail day. I received my used copy of Notes from Walnut Tree Farm. A little bird told me that I would enjoy this. Flipping to a random page Deakin writes, “How much better to scythe down one’s grasses after having allowed them to reach their full height and flowering glory.” So true, but I have to laugh when I read this. I’m not sure that my neighbors would agree and I would receive a fine from my township if I allowed my grass to reach flowering glory. Keep recommending these wonderful books.
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Lynette, oh I am so glad you are already finding Deakin to be wonderful! Enjoy! 🙂
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I had spotted that Millions list just recently, too. As if I need more books on my wishlist! 😉 At least Tuesday is almost over (workday Tuesday that is). I think they have stopped teaching handwriting here in schools–I know my niece hasn’t spent much time at it. Must go write a postcard and practice!
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Danielle, I think they have stopped teaching handwriting in a good many public schools which is too bad really. I’m pretty sure though it is still required in California. But it is too bad in general because I have seen reports that the younger generations are starting to “rediscover” they pleasures of the non-digital.
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Okay, you’re responsible for yet another book winging its way to my house. I just ordered George’s Grand Tour. I often find myself thinking that I’m too old to do certain things and that my life has become a bunch of ‘exes’ (ex-equestrian, ex-drag racer, ex-library volunteer, ex-hiker, ex-writer, etc.). Maybe George will inspire me!
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Joan, sorry, I think? 😉 I hope you enjoy it!
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Excellent links, though I am getting to them on a Tuesday instead! Loved the letter to James Tiptree Jr!
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Jenny, glad you liked them. I liked the letter very much too 🙂
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