BookLust

Travels with the Aunt

Postings for the next week will more than likely be few and far between; my 13-year-old niece (that's an old pic of her; sorry, Steph!) is coming today and will be staying with us for a week, to explore the big city, eat lots of good food, and tolerate her Aunt and Uncle's many idiocyncracies.

A few words about my niece. She's my brother's oldest child, and she's one hell of a smart kid. Loves books (thank god) and does well in school. She has a great sense of humour (also thank god), and she draws cartoons which are eerily similar to the kind of stuff I did when I was her age. She has a great singing voice, and a real theatrical flair. She's an award-winning highland dancer and ballet dancer. She has a very curious mind, and asks way too many questions. I adore her.

In fact, she's a lot like I was when I was a kid, except that she is bursting with confidence, something that I sadly lacked when I was her age. It's funny what a difference a generation makes. When I was a kid, we had no aunts or uncles or grandparents that lived near by. Nada. It was just our nuclear family and that was it. When life got stressful (as it often did) there was no relative to turn to for relief. My niece on the other hand, sees her grandparents on a regular basis, and she has oodles of aunts and uncles and cousins to visit and kvetch with. I'm so happy that's she's blessed with the kind of extended family that I never had, but I won't deny that a little part of me is envious. Oh well. But that's how these things turn out, isn't it? We give to the next generation all of the things that we never had. And it really does feel so good to give.

BiblioQueria 10

For me, going to my local bookshop isn't just about buying books. A bookshop is much, much more than just the books and magazines that fill that space; a bookshop is run by people, and it's the people who run the store that will bring me back again and again. In fact, I enjoy the people so much in that store that I even wrote a little piece about one specific bookstore experience, and it got published in the Globe and Mail a couple of years ago. You can read the little write-up here.

Everyone who works there is bright and funny and intelligent and loves books. In fact, having gone there so much, I have found out some fascinating items about some of the people who work there.

One of them has recently been hired as an editor for a large Canadian publishing company.

One of them is doing an apprenticeship in bookbinding.

One of them is a published poet.

So if you can, make an effort to get to know the staff who work at your favourite bookstore. They're more than just book experts, they're wonderful people with a multitude of views and interests. And you may be surprised at some of the interesting tid-bits of information that you find out about them!

So my question to you is...

Can you tell me any interesting facts about the staff at your favourite bookstore?

Go Get Backwards!

For those not yet sick of my infamous Lethem & Chabon strip, it's also being reprinted in the 2nd issue of the Backwards City Review, a beautiful literary journal that is "published twice yearly - once in the fall, and once in the spring. It is a glorious, perfect-bound, 6"x9" beauty of a journal, overripe with Comic-Lit, short stories, essays, art, and poems."

It's really a lovely publication, founded in 2004 by five graduates of the Greensboro Writing Program. Lots of great content, and very well put together. My comic strip is printed in black and white, and I'm just tickled pink with the results.

Oh that Lethem and Chabon strip. The bane of my existence. Will I ever be able to live up to that again? The gods were smiling on me that day, when I created that beast!

Embrace the Failure

I'm fascinated with the subject of failure. Who isn't? It's what drives us to try harder, or it's what crushes us so we're left whimpering under the bed in the fetal position. It's also what teaches us. I mean, what does one really learn from success, other than the fact that it rarely lasts?

I repeat these pearls of wisdom to myself when failure pays a visit; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I like to think of myself as a work in progess in the art of embracing failure.

And speaking of failure, I have yet to find a home for this cartoon. Something about it just makes me smile. The gag about failure, that is itself a failure, of sorts. Rejected by the New Yorker, twice.

I fail, therefore, I am.

Art Imitating Lit 4

For the past few days, brilliant book promo blogger and author M.J. Rose of Buzz, Balls & Hype fame has been discussing the subject of marketing your book, covering all areas of publishing, from getting the right publisher for your book, to how to spend that book advance responsibly, to choosing the perfect book cover design and the fascinating subject of the writer as entrepreneur. Author Barry Eislier has been guest blogging for most of these subjects, and he has been sharing some really savvy perspectives based on his own writing/publishing experiences. It's worth reading all of the posts if you are serious about getting published, or just plain curious about the book business.

And then after you have read all of this worthwhile information, you can sit back, relax, and read my latest comic strip, and learn all about my take on how to get ahead in the competitive world of publishing.

Yeah, I know, I have a lot to learn.

There's One in Every Family

You know. That one person in the family that everyone talks about, because well, that person is always doing something to warrant family chatter and gossip. And no, it ain't me. Well, at least not most of the time.

There's always at least one relation, however distant, who leads a fascinating life, full of travel and riches and hobnobbing and jet-setting. That one person for our family is my mother's cousin, Georgie Ziadie, aka Lady Colin Campbell, socialite, writer and sometimes pundit for the comings and goings of the Royal Family.

I only met her once, years ago while vacationing in Jamaica, and she was a force to behold even back then. Long, lean, sexy and sensual, relaxing by her mother's pool, her deep sultry Jamaican accent enveloping me in her (so I thought at the time) charmed life.

Through the years we would get news of Georgie's many comings an goings: she's moved to England!; she's written a book on etiquette for ladies!; she's written a book on Lady Di! she's written a book on the Royal Family! she's on TV! she's written her autobiography! she's written another book on Lady Di! she's in People Magazine!

I must confess that I love hearing news of her life. It's always fascinating. And now the latest dish. She's now written a new book, a work of fiction, entitled Empress Bianca. You may notice that on Amazon.com it says that 's already out of print. How can that be if it was just published this year? Well, apparently this novel has many similarities to the life of Mrs. Safra (one of the richest widows in the world) and the strange death of her husband.

Well, apparently Mrs. Safra has not taken kindly to Georgie's novel. So much so, that she has threatened to sue, and since she's one hell of a rich lady, Georgie's publishers have pulped her novel. You can read a very thorough write up on the situation on the blog Grumpy Old Bookman.

So a few days ago I get a call from my mother who tells me, "Guess who's been mentioned in Dominick Dunne's column in September's Vanity Fair?" Oh that Georgie. Seems she's not taking this recent state of affairs lying down; in the words of Dominick Dunne on my mother's cousin: she may be suing Mrs. Safra, on the grounds that she is being deprived of her income and foreign sales from the book, which she considers a work of fiction.

Hot damn, nothing like suing the richest widow in the world to get some notoriety! I wonder though (and I don't know enough of matters of law such as this) if Lady Colin does actually have a good case. I think she might. Haven't other authors written works of fiction based on real people's lives? If it's a work of fiction doesn't that automatically protect you somewhat? If I recall correctly even Mr. Dominck Dunne has written works of fiction based on true events, and I don't think he's ever been sued for his works. He's been sued for other writings, but not, I think, his novels.

So once again, cousin Georgie has not failed to entertain. And actually, part of me kind of hopes she does sue Mrs. Safra and wins. Can you imagine how well her book would sell then? That's the kind of publicity I think that authors dream of. As long as it's in their favour, that is.

BiblioQueria 9

Since watching the movie Mrs. Miniver, I've been thinking a lot about movies that have made me cry. The list is long. Everything from It's A Wonderful Life to Saving Private Ryan.

But do books make me cry? Not as often. The writing has to be really good. The story and characters have to be authentic. But yes, there have been a few books that I can recall have brought tears to my eyes.

As a child, I remember crying after reading the ending of Rilla of Ingleside by Lucy Maud Montgomery. I can recall getting weepy reading various passages of Anthony Burgess' Earthly Powers as a teenager. And as an adult, each time I read one of my favourite novels, Geek Love, I get all choked up at the end. God that Katherine Dunn can write. And just recently I read this amazingly funny and at the same time bittersweet novel by a very talented Canadian author named Lisa Gabriele. The book is Tempting Faith Di Napoli, and you must read it. One of the best coming-of-age stories I have read in a long time. Not too many authors can make me laugh and cry so much in one book.

Even my husband has confessed to becoming weepy while reading War and Peace, and Of Mice and Men. That's all he's willing to admit to me, anyway.

I'm sure there are other books that have touched me to the point of tears, but the ones mentioned are the books that really left an emotional impression.

So yes, my question to you is ....

Have you ever read a book that made you cry?

Luminous

Just finished watching the movie Mrs. Miniver for the umpteenth time. Each time I see it, I love it more than the last time. And every time I see it, I cry.

Greer Garson was positively luminous.

Ooooo I've Been a Naughty Reader

More salacious literary delights!

Mr. Edward Champion, proprietor of the witty and wonderful blog Return of the Reluctant, has got a great idea. He has created the first Annual Naughty Reading Photo Contest. Says Mr. Champion:

What we would like our readers to do is send us your visual approximation of what naughty reading is. Naughty readers do not have to be exclusively female ... So have at it, naughty book lovers, academics and librarians alike! Show the world right now that reading is sexy and salacious!

Yeah, baby!! Ed is my kinda guy. 'Cuz if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that reading is sexy! So why not give it a whirl? Deadline is August 31; check out that link for all the contest details, and get naughty!

Oh, and if you wanna see that entire pic above, which yes, is my entry, go here. I'm sure a lot of you can get way naughtier than me!

The Best Way to a Reader's Heart ...is through a Well-Written Sex Scene

If there was an award show for the best literary sex scene published in the English language, would you attend? Would you be nominated? Sadly, I don't do sex very well (the written kind, that is). But I'm sure you've all come across at least a few delicious passages in your readings that have made your cheeks flush and your toes curl. So if you're looking for a compilation of some great literary sex, Nerve.com (warning: if you have a propensity for prudishness, you may be in for a surprise) has created The Henry Miller Award. Why Henry Miller? In Nerve's words:

For Miller, the early-twentieth century writer known for his unprecedented sexual candor, writing explicitly about sex was less about a desire to shock than it was about a need to present complete stories. More than seven decades later, eyebrow-raising depictions of sex in fiction are hardly unusual. However, honest literary sex scenes capable of "resuscitating the body and soul" are surprisingly rare.

Every month Nerve will present you with five nominees for our monthly Henry Miller Award. These scenes will be excerpted from new fiction that we feel should be sought out on the merit of these passages alone. Which of these five passages paints the most complete picture? You decide. Each month's highest-ranked entry will proceed to the year-end competition. Two winners of that contest will be announced: grand prize (as chosen by a panel of a celebrity judges) and readers' choice. Both winners will be awarded a personalized early-twentieth-century iron. The judges' pick will also receive $1,934, commemorating the publication date of Tropic of Cancer.

So enjoy. Heaven knows, we've all had our share of reading some really bad sex scenes in books, it's refreshing to snuggle up to some really good sex for a change.