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How to Read "The Russians" Even if You Have a Short Attention Span

2010-07-17T18:45:38Z

As with most 22-year-old American males, my childhood was spent weaning from the electric mother of television and video games. (You wouldn't know it, because I deleted it, but I just absent-mindedly capitalized both "Television" and "Video Games" as though they were deified.) According to some people that I read somewhere once, I can blame the electronic sedentary behavior of my younger days for the attention deficit that I blame for my most of my shortcomings (including not being able to write a succinct sentence ).

ANYWAY! To make a short story long, I've replaced (for the most part) the sweet, light-giving life of the television for the cold pages of a book. Unfortunately, it's difficult to allow your brain to meander endlessly and still get anything out of a novel. So, like so many people I know, I have half-read Tolstoys and Dostoevskies adorning my nightstand and desk like some dilapidated tent-city.

My inability to finish anything by "The Russians" (close your eyes and give your voice the snootiest possible tone whenever you say "The Russians"; it's a lot of fun) has automatically restricted me from the category of "well-read" by the literati. So, without even realizing it, I read two books in a row by Russians! I'm not sure if either of them counts as part of "The Russians", but I have still gotten away with pretentiously referencing both of them.

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

This one's just long enough and has just enough characters with unpronounceable names to warrant pretention. Although the setting is of course dated (19^th century Russia) and the targets (Russian landowners, or Barins) no longer exist, the satire is easily applicable to modern-day life. After all, it's a small step from the frivolity and greed of the Russian nobleman to the attitude of the Wall Street culture. The "hero", Chichikov, is essentially a Serpent in the Garden character, a careful manipulator of the narcissism that plagues the wealthy and impoverished alike. His mission: collect the "dead souls", those peasants who have died under the watch of their feudal lords, but still remain on the census. The main interplay is between swindler and oppressor, begging the question of who the real licentious character is. Gogol spares nobody, showing that the lazy and the workaholics alike suffer from the same disease of personal hubris.

The history and structure of the manuscript is sort of strange one, and leads to some continuity that takes getting used to. He originally intended it to be a sort of Divine Comedy. Part one of the book is a beautiful, haunting, and hilarious panorama of Russian life during serfdom; just as in Inferno, there are several levels to our social hell, all reserved with different punishments and trials for the different classes. Part II isn't exactly different, and I don't see many analogues to purgatory. Apparently, Gogol had a tumultuous time with the manuscript, destroying much of the final version. The entire novel ends in mid-sentence, but that actually makes sense.

Some have commented that the "dead souls" as a plot device makes the novel too ridiculous to have any merit. Personally, I think the metaphor translates beautifully to all the useless stuff we put value into, and makes the scenes of the flabbergasted landowners all the more entertaining. Not to mention, while all the characters in the novel are living, all save a couple seem to be dead in soul.

Apparently, Gogol, who by the end of his life had become highly entrenched in spiritualism, meant to write an uplifting part III about the redemption of the human soul. Well, that's not exactly how it turns out; but that's all I'll say for now.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

The next time I hear a politician reference 1984 in comparison to our social situation (especially one who supported the USA PATRIOT Act), I'm going to take her or him hostage and make them read We. It is the prototype for all dystopian literature to follow, and unlike 1984, it is constantly poetic and beautiful. After all, Zamyatin's whole bent is that our imaginations are the thing that a dystopian government would find the most dangerous. Instead of a technical rundown of the way the omniscient state (One State) works, we get sketchy details about day to day life. Buildings are entirely glass, everyone's name is a number, and the Benefactor (essentially Big Brother, except you meet him in this book) has the use of a giant machine that zaps away his enemies.

The whole book is a series of journal entries by the guy who's working on the INTEGRAL, the government spaceship designed to bring the idea of this "perfect" society to other planets. He starts breaking down into a neurosis whose symptoms are moral conflict, emotional love, and dreams. He sees the state doctor- and the diagnosis? He has a soul, a totally incurable and degenerative disease! As you can see, the dystopian context makes the everyday decisions we all make into a sadly hilarious drama.

Zamyatin's prose-poetry is constantly biting and poignant, and the progression of the narrator's "disease" is absolutely brilliant. The way the events and settings are fantastical and imaginative lends it a higher calling than other dystopian novels. It doesn't present a socialist or reformist agenda; although Zamyatin himself was a socialist, he was much more interested in the importance of preserving creativity and the human "soul", which got him exiled by both the Tsar and Lenin.

It's so easy for any of us to look at any of the classic dystopian novels and say, "If I were there, I would realize it in a heartbeat! This is ridiculous, why would anyone act like this?" Zamyatin, I think, realizes this, and constantly lambasts "the ancients" (us) for their ways, satirically criticizing things like free elections, etc., but also pointing out that the society of streamlined logic and mechanization, metaphorically as well as literally, is very alive, well, and growing.

I could go into "America as dystopia", but that would be a subject for an entirely different blog.

New Kids Non-Fiction!

2010-07-15T00:13:31Z

Several fun and creative nonfiction books have come in recently, and I'm very excited.

The Big Book of Dummies, Rebels, and Other Geniuses is a large hardcover volume that recounts the unlikely stories of 26 influential people. The individuals included range from artists to scientists to political activists to authors to entrepreneurs. The presentation is loads of fun: a mix of photographs and quirky sketches accompanying paragraphs of lively narrative and quotes.

From the introduction:

"Here is a portrait gallery of men and women who left their mark on literature, the arts, the sciences, and history, despite their chaotic beginnings. At school, many were declared mediocre, incompetent, slow - in a word, dummies! Over time, history has bestowed genius and fame upon them... Encyclopedias describe them in hushed and serious tones, their pockets stuffed with virtues. But these pockets are more unevenly stitched than might be guessed."

Maybe this book is so striking to me simply because I know too many unappreciated geniuses - especially kids. Whatever the reason, I'm purchasing a copy for myself today.

Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance fills a gaping hole in our kids American History section.

The works of art, literature, and music from this era are among the best ever produced, but too often they are overlooked. This book is wide-ranging in scope and very informative, and the colors, pictures, and fonts do well to capture the energy and spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. Every middle or high school English teacher should have a copy!

Also noteworthy is a new Kingfisher book, The Middle East, a region that is written about very little, and almost never presented to kids. Its vibrant pictures and well-articulated descriptions of culture and history capture the beauty and complexity of this part of the world.

]]> Several fun and creative nonfiction books have come in recently, and I'm very excited.

From the introduction:

"Here is a portrait gallery of men and women who left their mark on literature, the arts, the sciences, and history, despite their chaotic beginnings. At school, many were declared mediocre, incompetent, slow - in a word, dummies! Over time, history has bestowed genius and fame upon them... Encyclopedias describe them in hushed and serious tones, their pockets stuffed with virtues. But these pockets are more unevenly stitched than might be guessed."

Maybe this book is so striking to me simply because I know too many unappreciated geniuses - especially kids. Whatever the reason, I'm purchasing a copy for myself today.

Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance fills a gaping hole in our kids American History section.

Aja's 2009 Reading List: VI or 6 If You're Not Into Epic Things.

2010-07-02T15:31:09Z

Welcome back, book fans! It is my fervernt hope to get caught up with reviewing last year's books so that I can also discuss this year's books...you know, before the year is out. With that in mind, I'm hoping to either have longer reviews or more frequent. We'll see how it all plays out. Until then, here is the next batch of awesome and/or approaching terrible books. 52. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible! by Jonathan Goldenstein. (Humor)(B-) The catch with this book is that you have to have a sense of humor and you have to have a pretty good working knowledge of the bible. That makes this book somewhat exclusive to non-religious people who have a sense of humor.

53. Skin Trade by Laurell K Hamilton. (Fantasy) (C) I've invested a lot of time in this series. Enough that I figured spending four hours on her latest book made more sense than not. And there were definitely some parts that I really liked. I'm pretty sure. But I'm a college educated woman who, not to toot my own horn, is pretty intelligent. And I couldn't remember who was who and what they looked like and where they came from and why I was supposed to care. For, like, three-fourths of the characters in this book. Okay, so, Haven used to be called Cookie Monster and he has blue hair? And he worked for the mob. So he can't get involved with the cops. But he is her tiger to call? Wait, no, that's Crispin. Who is Crispin? Did I meet him. When? I liked Auggie. He worked for the mob. Is he in the same area? Why didn't I see him? Where am I? How am I not myself? Why is this so complicated? I need to make a diagram.

54.The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. (Young Adult/Historic Fiction) (A) This book is amazing! I read it for Young Adult book club and we all agreed it was so well written. My rule of thumb, though, held true: no happy endings in Nazi Germany. I cried through the last three chapters of this book. (Sidenote, not the only time I cried.) And yet, I think it brings up a pretty good point. At what point do we hold people responsible for going along with the crowd? When they do it without question? When they question but do not act? When they act but not hard enough? I do not have any answers. I recognize that there is always shades of gray but also that we like to soften history. We like to make our actions more palatable. This is a well written story that depicts almost every side a person could be on during that time. Tragic but ringing truth.

55. The Sisters 8: Annie's Adventures by Lauren Baratz-Logstead with Greg Logsted and Jackie Logsted. (Children) (B+) (Sorry to 180 on subject matter.) This was light, cute, and meant for a younger reading set than I normally gravitate towards but I've always loved books/stories about large, unconventional families. A set of octuplets find that their parents have gone missing (Are abducted? Been killed? Who knows?) They DO know that a mysterious person has communicated with them that they must each develop a special skill that will come in to play to save their family!

56. The Sisters Grimm: 1 by Michael Buckley. (Children) (B+) Now this, while still younger, is only a bit younger. It deals with more adult fare that is written superbly. If you are a fan of fairy tales you might give this a try. Tough as nails "orphans" (who find out what happened to their parents if not where they are being kept for rescue) aren't going to be fooled by anyone. Of course, the giant didn't exactly trick them. He just picked up the car with Granny in it and walked away. They can't turn their back on the only family they have left but they also know NOTHING about the family line of work: fairy tale detective sleuthing. YES!

57. Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. (Graphic Novel) (Unable to rate due to personal bias). This really captures exactly the feel it was going for - I just didn't appreciate it. I have trouble witnessing people be humiliated and I will forever be haunted by the guy they set-up thinking he was going to meet someone who he might connect with. We all want that in life. To connect, to be loved, to love in return. And he'd done all the right things. He looked normal (actually, nearly precisely like my dad which might be why it was hard on me) he was thoughtful to bring a flower, and he waited in case she was just running late. I still tear up thinking about it. WHY. WHY. Sorry. Like I said, haunted. I'm not sure I would recommend reading this unless you like depression and/or your awkward teenage years.

58. Guide to the Ghosts of Lincoln: 3rd Edition by Alan Boye. (Sci-fi, Fantasy and Horror) (D) OH, man. You'd think this would be awesome, right? Ghost stories. TRUE ghost stories. True ghost stories set right here in Lincoln! And yet...I had some serious issues with the editing. There was a lot of devolving into how the author was intricately involved in some aspect of the story.

59. Finger Lickin' 15 by Janet Evanovich. (Mystery/Awesomeness) (B+) Oh, man. See, the classic debate is Ranger vs Morelli. And I have to ask myself, why just one? Why can't she love both? This is pretty much everything you would expect from a Stephanie Plum story. Which, since I love them, was what I had hoped for and received. Going on, favorite quote of all the books happens in this installment. Lula: Fire! Fire! We're all going to die! We gonna burn like we was in h*ll! (Needless to say, they did not die in a fire.)

Note: Next in the series, Sizzling Sixteen , was just released!

Featured One Book - One Lincoln Finalist: The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle

2010-06-14T05:01:52Z

I was shocked and delighted to find that The Tortilla Curtain had been selected as one of this year's 5 finalists for the One Book - One Lincoln read. I remember also being shocked 3 years ago, when I read the book for the first time, to note that it in fact had been published in 1995. I found in 2007 that it seemed surprisingly topical, and think it may be even more so now in 2010. And though the political and social issues that drive the narrative of Boyle's novel are relevant and well thought-out, the characters take on a giddy realism that springs almost painfully from the page. I found myself positively aching with Cándido's absolute and oh-so-familiar obsession with the care of his family. Woven together with Dickensian coincidence, T.C. Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain is a brave and brilliantly crafted choice for this year's top 5.

Rock the vote and go to the One Book - One Lincoln official site to choose Lincoln's 2010 One Book!

The Girl Who Stayed up for 72 Hours Straight Finishing the Millenium Trilogy

2010-06-12T23:53:39Z

Hi. I'm Kirsten, and I'm a bookoholic. Or bibliophile, if you want to be fancy about it. I don't care, as it comes down to the same thing: I have a problem, and I cannot deal with it alone. I cannot stop reading. Seriously. Sit me down at the breakfast table in front the cereal and try to talk to me, and I'll emerge from my trance halfway through your statement to tell you that I had stopped listening in order to read the nutritional information on the side of the box. I stop walking to look at graffiti. I've been known to make myself carsick reading billboards...while driving...

So, now you know, and that's over with. Here's the other thing: I compulsively avoid "trending" books. I wouldn't read The Time Traveler's Wife for years, because everybody's book club was talking about it. And you know what? It's now in my Top 50 Books Ever of All Time. No kidding. Same thing with The Sparrow, all the Harry Potter books, and The Worst Hard Time. I'm such a snob that I actually deny myself great literature simply because it happens to be popular.

Ha! I scoff at my foolishness, and vow to be more reasonable in the future. Let's just see how that goes...

My latest stunning surprise took the form of Steig Larsson's totally unbelievable series of mysteries which began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, continued with The Girl who Played with Fire, and has just concluded with The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I had an extra reason to avoid this hot read: people just wouldn't stop giving me copies of the first one. "Have you read this, Kirsten?"; "This is so sweet, and look - it's about you!"; "Dude, did you know that this Swedish dude wrote a book about you?" And so on. Yes, yes, I happen to have a dragon tattoo. His name is Smaug, by the way, and he predates Lisbeth Salander's now-famous ink by at least 10 years. Take that, peanut gallery.

Lisbeth Salander is the glue that holds this giant work of fiction together. She's exactly the type of heroine you'd expect to find in a William Gibson novel, or even Neal Stephenson, or running around in The Matrix. But she comes as a welcome shock tossed into the format of the contemporary thriller. Salander is unrepentantly antisocial, incredibly skilled with digital systems of all forms, a phenomenal hacker, and unfailingly guided by an internal moral compass that leads her sometimes astray but always on the path of justice.

And as the series progresses, Lisbeth Salander becomes more and more an archetypal blueprint for the modern, intelligent, capable, abused woman. Larsson's exploration of and empathy for her character are perfectly sublime. Even if you haven't a care for the murder mystery to be solved or the take-down of the industrial Goliath of the hour, you'll want to keep reading just to see what Salander does, and where her choices take her.

These definitely top my must-have summer reading list. I grudgingly encourage you to join me in seeing what all the buzz is about. We've got all three books in the Millenium trilogy in stock, and we just can't wait to grab one for you!

Introducing the 2010 One Book - One Lincoln Finalists!

2010-06-12T00:30:44Z

And this year it's extra-special: we get to choose the winner ourselves! Visit the official One Book - One Lincoln website for details on how you can get involved, host a discussion group, and - most importantly - vote for the 2010 One Book - One Lincoln selection! This is so very cool that, beginning next Monday, we'll be selecting one of the 5 finalists as our featured book each week. Just vist www.indigobridgebooks.com (yeah, we know you do this anyway...), and click on the "Featured" link under the photo on our homepage to indulge yourself in a One Book recommendation made especially for you by Indigo. We're Lincoln's bookstore, and we want to help you pick Lincoln's book!

PS: Perhaps this goes without saying, but all of the One Book - One Lincoln selections are available here at Indigo Bridge Books & Cafe...

Aja's 2009 Reading List: Part the Fifth, in Which is Detailed the 2009 48 Hour Reading Challenge

2010-06-11T23:46:15Z

Editor's note: Okay, Aja-ers, here ya go! As promised, the much-aniticpated play-by-play of Aja's 48 Hour Reading Challenge. Just tuning in? Not sure where we're coming from? Not to worry: Aja's 2009 Reading List now has its own category in our blog...because some people just can't stop talking about books...and one of them is me! Love you, Aja! ~ Kirsten

FIRST DAY (1/2 Day)

Well, I finished The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. I think, in terms of darkness, that I found it pretty on par with The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Now, I loved The Hunger Games. Both of these books have a handful of things I really like: gritty realism while in a fantastical setting, strong heroine's who take care of themselves, and a love story intertwined in a breakneck rush of run,run,DANGER,action,adventure,run,aaaaaaaah. I was pretty pleased with this read even though it's a bit darker. If you like zombies, moral and religious questioning about what is right in this world, or pseudo-historical settings: this book will rock your socks off. I give it an A+. (NOTE: sequels are now available!)

Next up is Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine. It's the first in the Morganville Vampires series. I read a short story from this universe in Many Bloody Returns, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelnor. I was intrigued enough then that I went and bought this book. I should probably save it until later but I'm going to go ahead and start it now...

So, I just finished Glass Houses. Man, do I love vampire stories. I am totally aware that I went from zombies to vampires.

I don't want to give away any plot, but the Morganville Vampires series has quite a few clever moves. The town is run by vampires. You play by their rules or you don't play at all. Sometimes this means getting to leave (the further from town you go the hazier your memories become) and often it means you're dead. Michael, Shane, and Eve have been going it alone for a few months when 16-year-old Claire shows up. She's attending the college - planning to transfer to a bigger school when she's old enough that her parents will stop worrying - when pretty much everything goes wonky. She didn't grow up in Morganville. She doesn't know the rules, she doesn't know the players, and she can spare about $100 a month for rent. Glass House is the safest place for her. Which, you know, doesn't really amount to much in a town of vampires.

Also, I really enjoyed how the book set up different kinds of people. Does that make sense? Being human didn't make you good, being a vampire didn't make you necessarily evil, and there is a whole host of things in between. So far, though, this book hasn't fallen to the fantasy curse. This is a strictly vampire universe (yet?). Often, a series will start off with a specific creature for a few books and then suddenly there are also x,y, and z. Which can be done well, of course. Sookie Stackhouse comes to mind. If I get to read any more of this series I will have to let you know how that goes...

SECOND DAY (Full Day)

This is my first full day of reading and I am ambitious. I've got my snacks already chosen, have some people set to help me out with driving/lunch/etc. I am ready to do this!

I just finished The Safe-Keeper's Secret and it was simply marvelous. It wasn't very long, only 222 pages, but it was paced beautifully. There were idyllic moments that spoke of the tranquility of the village. There were people who were good, people who were bad, and people who were just so normal. A barkeep who didn't want to hear people's confessions. A girl who would marry to please her father even though he would be gone long before her marriage would end. Little touches here and there that made this world just so complete.

Fiona is the daughter of the village's Secret-Keeper. Her brother, Reed, was delivered to the family home as a newborn on the day of her birth. He was delivered by the King's Secret-Keeper but no one knows for sure if he is really the King's heir. Fiona and Reed grew up together in a world that was partly obscured by the secrets that their mother must keep. That is what she is tasked with doing - hearing secrets and keeping them safe until it is their time to become Truth. (Side note, there are also Truth-Tellers who cannot lie except by omission. They can choose not to tell a truth that has become known to them but they cannot keep from the sudden knowing.) Intrigue definitely shadows every corner.

What I loved most about this book, though, was its portrayal of love. Damiana, Reed and Fiona's mother, loved both of her children equally. They knew it, every day, that she was dedicated to them. I come from a blended family and so I find it especially important when books acknowledge the power of love to unite. Blood is not the only thing that matters nor is it the most important. Shinn really captured that with this story.

She also tells a tale that doesn't require easy answers. Some things get wrapped up with a tidy bow while opening doors for new mysteries. That is far more reflective of life than a Happily Ever After. Actually, this reminds me of a phrase introduced to me by the book Happily After All, by Laura C. Stevenson. I prefer this ending for two reasons. As the book's protagonist argues, the characters go through so much. It is important to separate all they went through for the 'after all' while still realizing that there isn't a single instance of time after which all heartbreak ceases. It is just enough to know that, with love in your life, you can weather even the most brutal events to still find hope after...

Sexy by Joyce Carol Oates was not anything like I expected. It managed, by its own unique writing format, to capture the confusion I like to call High School. You infinitely understood how Darren is pulled in conflicting directions. He wants to be a good kid, do the right thing, but what that entails seems to be constantly shifting. You don't rat out your friends. On the other hand, how can you let a teacher get unfairly accused of crimes he didn't commit?

I was really worried, for about half of this book, that the overall message was going to be negative. It ended up being so much more complex than that, though. Darren thinks having his teacher, Mr.Tracy, "proposition" him is creepy, which it completely is, but at the same time he seems to recognize that the exaggerated labeling and response his community takes is just as bad. There are no easy answers here. Oates explores how subjective the truth is and where the line of morality lies. It was an intriguing read, all things considered, but I would place this at the higher end of reading levels. The read was easy but the comprehension required to understand the different levels of the book and the complexity of the issues? Definitely for older YA readers.

I just finished Bones of Faerie, by Janni Lee Simner. I enjoyed it but probably would have liked it better if it wasn't on the tail end of another supernatural story set in the future but with the world living like it was 1830. It's a pretty specific genre and while I enjoy it in general it is the sort of thing that can feel repetitious. On the other hand, modern stories of the same type manage to almost always feel new and clever to me. This is probably a personal quirk.

Something fresh that Simner used in her writing was a love story that was not. Liza and Michael never declare love, they never make eyes at each other, and there is no happy-happy wedding at the end. Yet they are there for each other in the way that true friends can face any situation together. So, while they were partners in a very true sense the story never went into any detail on a relationship. Nor did it take a cop-out and try to rush in at the last second with a declaration of some sort. I'm still rooting for them, though!

Well, I've got to catch a few hours of rest. I think I slept for about 5 hours last night? I will probably do the same again though sleeping feels like such a waste of precious time! Still, 5 books down and 1,387 pages so far. I'm hoping to get another thousand done tomorrow. That's optimism for you!

THIRD DAY (1/2 Day)

Just finished All We Know of Heaven. And I definitely cried through a good portion of the first half. Maureen and Bridget were just fully developed characters. Mitchard didn't try and make either of them too perfect or ignore that humans have faults. Even though humans often try to idolize the dead, her characters had differing degrees of recognition. To what extent do we hold people responsible for tragedies? If they are responsible for one part does that make them equally responsible for the whole? This book does not give an answer but it does suggest a way to cope with the aftermath.

I knew that the premise for this was based in actual events but not what those events were. The acknowledgments discuss that there have been several cases like the one presented but that this is still a work of fiction. It gives, slightly, that mysterious shine of thiscouldhappen without making it a study of macabre events. I appreciate that in my sadness. It allows me just enough separation that I don't move from tears into heartbreak. If you're a sensitive reader you know what I mean.

I'm going to have to check out more of her work.

I just finished 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson. Now, I have had people rave about Maureen Johnson. I have had people link to her blog...you know who you are. I have to say that I understand now. You know how there are movies referred to as "chick flicks"? Right. This book takes the appealing properties from these story-lines - meet a handsome Italian man and go for coffee!- and puts a real world spin on them. Not quite as extravagant as Bridget Jones's Diary in the wacky scenarios department though. Virginia is witty, and vulnerable, and she loves her aunt despite the fact that she's a little bit flaky. I think my favorite quote, out of many that I actually texted people because they were that funny, was the touching note to her deceased aunt:

"You got me over here, made me do all of these things that I'd never have done otherwise. And I guess even though you were telling me what to do, I still had to do them on my own. I always thought that I could only do things with you, that you made me more interesting. But I guess I was wrong."

This book was made for every girl who watched the movies or read the books where it turns out your estranged dad was actually a prince, or a pirate, or your mom was secretly a superhero (is this last one a movie or book? Seriously, get on that). Even more so, because it turns out that your aunt was a little bit crazy but even more brilliant and you can be shy but an adventurer on an exotic island, and for a little bit, while reading this, you are the special someone being sent throughout the world to learn just. how. magnificent. you. are. truly.

(Sorry for the structuring. I find it hard to communicate my emotions without hand gestures.)

IN CONCLUSION

13 Little Blue Envelopes was the perfect book to end on because it felt, with the whirlwind tour, that I was revisiting important themes I found in my other readings. Here Virginia learns about self-reliance just as Mary did in The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Now Virginia can truly face the weight of loss like Maureen and Bridget in All We Know of Heaven. She meets a reflection of Joyce Carol Oates' Mr. Tracy in Olivia's repression.

Virginia meet's the social outcast musician punks who are fast, true friends (with romantic interest) that remind me of the family by choice created in Glass Houses. She leaves on a journey, even though it is exhilarating and frightening and exhausting and so enormous you cannot wrap your head around it. While it is not as physically dangerous and for vastly different reasons, this is the central story-line (a journey fraught with peril and a chance at love) from Bones of Faerie. And lastly, but certainly not least, 13 Little Blue Envelopes reminds me of the book that touched me most. The Safe-Keeper's Secret, with its discovery of family you never knew was there to be looked for, is the most important thing Virginia learns. It can help you find where you belong, knowing who you belong to, and with those two things guiding you? You can do anything.

Just to ratchet the sappy-meter just a bit more, I have to say a few things about what this weekend has meant to me. The whole point was to not feel guilty about indulging in something you love. To have the chance, when so often we do not, to say that something you truly love is the most important thing to concentrate on. I love reading. I love the stories. I love crying when it is heartbreaking and laughing when it is absurd. I love texting a truly amazing quote to a friend and calling up someone to say, "You have to read this!" I love getting the chance to pass on a book to one of my younger siblings. (I'm the dork that writes a message in the front first, so you'll always remember.) So I took the weekend off and let me tell you...

Friday afternoon I went to the grocery store with my mom. One half of the cart was for her and one half was for me. I bought crackers and cheese, an expensive pomegranate/mango juice concoction that was delicious, fresh fruit and vegetables, a cube of soda. I helped her pick out a cantaloupe that was going to be carved into a tiki-head for a luau themed surprise party. I love my mom, she often drives me crazy, and I spent time with her in the daylight! And then I read. For hours in a row. A whole book. It was beautiful.

I got up and got to do it again. (Inset hand gestures.) It was like my life was blessed. I love where I work. I love the work that I get to do. I also loved vegging out in my pajama bottoms, drinking cherry limeade and talking about books I loved. How cool was this on a Saturday? I'll tell you how cool. Followed by more reading, a bit of sleeping, and a morning where I sat next to my dad. I read a book, he read a newspaper, and the sun filled the room with a practically magic sparkle.

I had another break, received an awesome book of quotes by the by, and was eating lunch at a buffet while reading. How? My sister got me stuff. She knew I was getting down to the wire and wanted to finish at least one more book before all was said and done. For the past five hours I've been reading in bed while eating chocolate stars. Chocolate stars were the treat of choice from my grandmother and I figured while I was indulging myself I might as well go all out. Nostalgia and calories cancel each other out. (True story.)

So, yes, I read about long ago times and times that might come to pass, and how the tube passes work in London and journeys and people who reveled in life. It was glorious, distracting, hard work and important. It was so important to me. Thank you.

Featured: Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier

2010-06-11T23:10:51Z

Tracy Chevalier's newest novel is delightfully evocative of John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman: the brimming limestone cliffs of Lyme Regis, the stuffy countryside & countrymen about & within it, & - perhaps best of all - women behaving badly. As in, behaving in a manner in which a lady is not to behave; namely engaging in such activities know not to behoove the fairer sex. Dear me, how could they? In the same vein as Chevalier's previous novels, Remarkable Creatures weaves fiction & reality in an engaging & feministic narrative that carries through to a nice, tidy end.

2010 Summer Reading Programs Are Here!

2010-06-02T18:16:23Z

It's our goal here at Indigo Bridge to find a little something for everyone - and that includes finding something for every little one! Our guided summer-long reading programs offer inspiration for young scientists & environmentalists, puzzles for your budding detective, fairy tales both fractured & traditional, & so much more! All Indigo guided Summer Reading Programs are free of charge, open to the public, and designed for children ages 5-10. Plus, Indigo's Growing through Reading passport allows older children - or those with busy summer schedules! - to earn prizes & explore the environment through literature while reading at their own pace throughout the summer.

Check our Events page for updates, weekly reading selections, and recommendations! For more information, or to reserve a place for your child, contact marj@indigobridgebooks.com!

Summer Safari

June 9th - July 7th

~ ages 8 - 9 ~

*Registration is required for Summer Safari

~ Runs Wednesday afternoons from 2:30 - 3:30 pm at McPhee Elementary School

~ Curious kids will love to learn to cultivate an understanding of the world around them through experiments and activities followed by science- based reading!

Treasure Chest

June 14th - August 9th

~ ages 5 - 8 ~

~ Runs Monday mornings from 10:00 - 10:45 am (we will not meet on Monday, July 5th) at Indigo Bridge Books

~ Early to middle readers will celebrate the richness of their world through the treasure of the written word. Stories have been specially selected to trigger creative thinking and become the foundation for a lifelong love of reading!

Summer Sleuthing

July 14th - August 11th

~ ages 6 - 10 ~

~ Runs Wednesday afternoons from 2:30 - 3:30 pm at Indigo Bridge Books

~ Our Summer Sleuths will document their development as "private eyes" in this exploration of current children's literature. With clear direction, children will learn to read with a purpose and increase their retention.

Growing through Reading

~all ages~

~ Pick up your reading passport at Indigo Bridge Books any time after June 6th...

~ Earn a stamp for your passport each time you finish a book!

~ Receive a coupon for a free ice cream from Ivanna Cone with your 6th passport stamp!

~ Complete your passport by finishing 10 books and receive a special prize!

~ Join us for an end of summer party on August 13th!

Featured: Haunted, by Chuck Palahniuk

2010-05-28T19:32:13Z

Editor's Note: Tell-All, Chuck Palahniuk's newest novel, is just out in hardcover! Quite delicious - Palahniuk fans will be greatly pleased. As the jacket flap says, it's "the hyperactive love child of Page Six and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, caught in a love triangle with The Fan. Even Kitty Kelly will Blush." ~ Kirsten

Haunted is a novel made up of twenty-three stories. They are told by people who have answered an ad headlined "Writers' Retreat: Abandon Your Life for Three Months". Instead of a utopic resort they find themselves in an abandoned theatre, with few supplies and absolutely no contact with the outside world. Haunted is not for the faint of heart; the stories that Palahniuk has crafted test the will of the reader to go on. The book is part satire of reality television, part journey down through the darkest areas of the human psyche.

If you can make it through "Guts", you can make it through anything.

~Indigo Recommends~You may also like:

Welcome to the Monkey House, by Kurt Vonnegut

The Double Bind, by Chris Bohjalian

Killing Yourself to Live, by Chuck Klosterman

Leah's Pick 3: May

2010-05-25T14:25:27Z

Our Bodies, Ourselves : A New Edition for a New Era

by The Boston Women's Health Book Collective

Originally published in 1973, Our Bodies, Ourselves was the first women's health manual written for women by women. The manual, throughout its thirty plus years of publication and twelve editions, has sought to provide a clear, informative guide for women to empower themselves through self education on a variety of topics including: Nutrition and wellness, sexuality, reproductive choices and pregnancy, aging and menopause, and navigating through healthcare. Our Bodies, Ourselves has become a center point for the women's health movement and feminism. Since its incarnation, it has been translated into twenty languages and used as a guide to educate communities towards better health.

The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf

By Mohja Kahf

The novel's protagonist, Khadra Shamy, grows up within a nurturing Muslim community in the Midwest. In the coming-of-age fashion, she rebels against the norms of her community and struggles to reckon her faith to her ideals of being an independent woman. She turns away from her marriage and moves to Syria. Through twists and turns of her career and family, she is forced confront her past. It has received conflicted reviews based on Kahf's approach towards portraying this young woman rejecting aspects of conservative Islam for a more western lifestyle.

Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share

By Ken Denmead

The title tells it all. This is one of our newest books selected in the Family section of our store. Geek Dad is a supremely fun handbook for do-it-yourself projects of all types: science, nature, practical jokes, arts and crafts, you name it!

A Symphony of Moments

2010-05-07T18:37:56Z

Here I sit, one week after Mary Pipher shared her life's experiences with us at a reading of Seeking Peace--and our atmosphere still resonates with her presence.

In that week I've seen children unable to walk away from a newly discovered book, adults cuddling little ones on their laps, and young people engaged in earnest conversations, cups of coffee sitting forgotten at arm's length next to a sprig of lilac.

I've watched people serve soup and bread to a growing community. I've witnessed successful events, and others that disappointed their organizers in turnout.

Quiet rain has left its spattered mark on dusty outdoor tables and chairs, as Mary's gentle words have left their mark on me.

Some 80 of us sat and stood, drinking in Mary's wisdom, her special blend of emotional human spirit and trained analyst feeding our understanding of the world we make our home.

"We are such yearning organisms." Toward the book's end, she writes these words. In them I relive an experience from 1984, when I accompanied an oboist in performing a composition entitled "Sehnsucht" (German for yearning). I remember practicing the composition, the intensity of my own yearning overwhelming me. Is this, in part, what our quiet oracle is reminding us to embrace?

In the previous chapter, Dr. Pipher talked about hiking to Harney Peak, a sacred place famously documented by John Neihardt as the summit where Black Elk sought the Great Father's evaluation of his life.

As I reread her words a week later, the hike seems to be a metaphor for Mary's life of yearning, her journey toward self-acceptance. Throughout the book I'm struck by unexpected parallels and by the awareness of just how hard it has become to remain aware of the world around us. Irony, something Mary frequently notes.

Books act as guides, influence our thoughts, become our friends. So much living takes place at Indigo Bridge Books, from the children who gather for story times to professionals huddled to discuss burning ideas for projects.

I am grateful for the language which expresses human experience in both written form and oral exchange, seasoned by coffee's aroma. The printed version remains with me, continuing to pique new thoughts as I age. Cheese, wine, our thoughts--they all acquire new character as chronological time passes, and we are left with special moments, special readings etched into our memories.

So, like Mary's words that linger in the air, let books continue to resonate in you. And thank you, Mary Pipher, for treating us to "a symphony of moments" last week.

Aja's 2009 Reading List: Part the Fourth

2010-05-05T15:54:31Z

Editor's Note: We're back on track with regular doses of Aja! Still catching up? Check out Part the First, Part the Second & Part the Third in our archives. And click away for more info on MotherReader's 48 Hour Book Challenge! - Kirsten

41. Many Bloody Returns, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelnor. (Fantasy/Anthology) (A+) I got this because there was a Sookie Stackhouse story in it. BEST DECISION EVER. I now have a ridiculous amount of authors to look into. As you'll see below, Jim Butcher was one. I also have the Vampires of Morganville series on my nightstand. Too many good things to read. I liked the diversity of subject matter.

42. Storm Front, by Jim Butcher. (Fantasy) (B+) So, uh, the previous book had a story by Jim Butcher in it. And everyone's been telling me to read Harry Dresden. So, I read the short story, fell in love, and here I go.

43. Dogs and Goddesses, by Jennifer Cruise, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich. (Romance/Fantasy) (C+) Cute book but not a lot of substance. Since there was so much going on I didn't really get a feel for any of the guys with which they fell "in love".

44. Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr. (Fantasy/Young Adult) (A) Faeries. Girl forced to pretend they don't exist/she can't see them. Plus all the "do as I say, wait, no I didn't mean literally" aspects of a fey court. I want to read the rest of the series, of course, but I somehow ended up with two copies of the first book rather than a copy of the first and second. I know. Totally me.

I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about how 'Young Adult' is something of a misnomer. There are lots of books that fall into the young adult category that people would hardly realize because these books are amazing, compelling reads. I think a lot of people think of young adult reading as the novel equivalent of Disney's The Parent Trap (either version but most likely the remake). This is far from the case. It is a genre as mixed as any other. Some things are better for younger reading levels, some address more childlike problems, and others address the biggest issues possible. Remember The Book Thief? It was a One Book One Lincoln choice that most bookstores and libraries put in the fiction section. Guess what? Young adult book. This is why most of my genre markings have young adult second to its primary focus. Wicked Lovely, for example, is fantasy first and foremost and then a young adult selection.

Next up I'll be sharing my 48-Hour Book Challenge selections/thoughts/experiences from last year. You'll note I introduced the subject of it last year while doing it. Now you'll get the results of it too. Spoiler: 48 hours of reading was FANTASTIC.

Leah's Pick 3: April

2010-04-27T14:39:46Z

Renoir's Colors, by Marie Sellier

This children's board book uses the beautifully impressionistic paintings of Renoir to teach kids about colors. A page with the name of a color opens up a flap that shows a glimpse of a painting, and on the following page the entire painting appears with questions about the scene. It's a great way to help children to interpret and enjoy art from a young age.

Going Away Shoes, by Jill McCorkle

Hailed on NPR as one of the best books of 2009, Going Away Shoes successfully fulfills everyone's desire to glimpse into lives of others--at least for a little while. These glimpses take place over eleven short stories that tell the stories of women with wit and vulnerability. It is a work that really allows readers to engage and empathize with characters--and that's the whole joy of reading, is it not?

Food Lover's Companion, by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst

I have to rave a bit about my adoration for the Food Lover's Companion. It is the quintessential reference guide for cooks and food enthusiasts. Both thorough and unassuming, this guide will answer all your questions without making you feel amateur. In the process, you might even find yourself becoming even more adventurous in your culinary pursuits.

Aja's 2009 Reading List: Part the Third

2010-04-21T18:55:50Z

Editor's Note: Aja's back, and as funny as ever! For those of you who have been waiting with bated breath for this next installment, please inhale while accepting my apologies for the delay. Now, exhale. Good? Great. For those of you who missed the beginning of the list, check out Part the First and Part the Second to get up to speed! - Kirsten

Dearest Indigo Bridge Bookers,

These books have a little bit more information attached to the highly recommended section. As always, I've graded them based on an entirely arbitrary scale that should hopefully still convey which I thought were AWESOME. Bolded titles are the best of the best. (I restrained myself from making a Men in Black joke there.)

31. Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel. (Graphic novel and autobiography) (A+) I love Bechdel's work. The world that she can convey in a handful of panels is so dead-on, so intense, so achingly similar to my own that I do not exaggerate when I say her work haunts me. Her art is well done, her narrative, the setting and pace delivered in this graphic novel is pitch perfect. I cannot more highly recommend it. Amazing.

32.The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. (Fiction) (B+) The characters were complex, you cared deeply for them in sorrow and happiness, with an ending that wasn't wrapped up in a neat, little, perfect bow.

33. Moresukine: Uploaded Weekly From Toyko, by Dirk Schwieger. (Graphic novel and autobiographical journal) (C+) A German man, who writes his webcomic in English, was living in Japan for a few months working and asked his readership to send him on missions to then illustrate.

Note: This was a pick for graphic novel book club.

34. The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale. (Young adult and fairy tale) (A) I hope I'm not ruining anything by telling you that, yes, the prince is exactly who you think it is. Surprise, everything turns out all right! Yet there are definitely darker aspects to this story - something that was traditionally being withheld from YA of yore but is making a comeback. Authors are realizing that teenagers deal with crazy, heavy stuff all the time and are now writing to reflect this. At the same time, Hale avoids being edgy for the sake of being edgy. She's conscious of how social class structures would have worked at the time while also recognizing that very similar goings-on happen in today's society. Sorry, I'll stop writing my own book on this. (I have now read the entire series.)

35. Veronica, by Nicholas Christopher. (Science fiction) (B+) A few phrases that describe this book: keys that open doors that only exist long enough for the key to unlock, stairs that transcend space and time, time that transcends space and time.

36. Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris. (Fantasy) (B-) While a worthy addition to this series, Dead and Gone wasn't the best or worst of the bunch, rather a safe middle ground.

37. Shakespeare's Landlord, by Charlaine Harris. (Mystery) (B-) I'll need to read a second book in this series to make a firm decision on it, but as is: This is a real world with no vampires, etc and the main character is one part house cleaner, one part martial arts expert, one part amateur detective. What could go wrong?

38. The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm, by Nancy Farmer. (Young adult) (A) This is a different style than I normally read. I loved it. I'm used to more structured books, while this had a feel of folklore. I would be interested to see if any of her other books are similar in nature, and if not, find other books that have the same feel. The Giver was like that, for me. It was a book steeped in the setting and told from the people experiencing the awe of directly relating to their culture. Does that make any kind of sense? Plus, mutant super power detectives. YES.

39. 1,001 Cranes, by Naomi Hirahara. (Kids/Young Adult) (C) There are boys, bad decisions, and a whole lot of questions that no one in her family will answer.

40. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Every part of this book was awesome (if a little stretched ie arsonist plotline) except for the last two chapters. Those two chapters do not exist for me.

Note: I've been told that the much hated ending of the book was changed for the movie. Still, I boycotted the movie just the same. Many others quite enjoyed it.