under the (dust) covers

Bought some new books over the past few days. First off is one I hadn’t heard about except for vaguely (bad bookseller, no cookie), and that’s Drew Hayden Taylor’s Motorcycles & Sweetgrass. I’m super excited to dive into this – I love everything that he writes. Years ago, as a wee university freshman (hard to fathom, I know), I read his essay “Pretty Like a White Boy”, and it ended up striking quite a chord. Especially because, as I am often heard to say, I’m the whitest Indian you’ll ever meet. I’ve now read other things under his umbrella – Me Funny and Me Sexy, though no fiction until now. I’ve heard that Motorcycles & Sweetgrass follows in the tradition of Thomas King, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.

The second piece added to my collection is actually a replacement for a well-loved book. I first read Walden as a teenager, and totally embraced it. I read it constantly for years following, and a few years ago I settled into a hot bubble bath with my copy of it (as I was wont to do), cracked the cover, and lo, all the pages fell out into my bath. I didn’t end up replacing it, but this weekend I had a really excellent walk and conversation in which Walden came up. Today I found an inexpensive copy with a pretty cover, and decided what the hell, might as well replace an old favourite.

How about you? Are there authors whose books you will buy without question, regardless of content? Do you have any old favourites that you’ve literally worn to pieces? (Do other people have a collection of paperbacks that have warped due to being dropped in the bath?)

The new books that made their way into my house this week (completely without my help, of course):

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates by John Bowen and David Cook (used)
I thought the TV show was adorable so I couldn’t resist this when I saw it at the Sally Anne.
Greenwich: The Place Where Days Begin and End by Charles Jennings (used)
I love this kind of quirky history book, like the one on the Beaufort Scale that I read last year. Plus, I’m planning on going to Greenwich when I go to Britain…
The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs (borrowed)
I’ve been meaning to read this since it came out, but never got around to it. So far, not as fabulous as his other books, but interesting.
Beowulf On The Beach by Jack Murnighan (library)
An amusing little book that suggests what to love and what to skip in great literature. Literally, what parts to skip.
Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by Ethan Gilsdorf (e-book)
I ran across this one while browsing at Chapters and just couldn’t resist getting it for my Kindle since I fit into both of the title groups. Fabulous, fabulous read!
Except the Dying by Maureen Jennings (used)
I just finished watching both seasons of Murdoch Mysteries (aka CSI: Victorian Toronto) and thought it would be interesting to see how it compares to the books it’s based on.

This is not the initial blog entry I was going to write.  My intention was to talk about the books I read while on hols in October, as well as mentioning the UK-specific books I bought at the time.  But.  I’ve just finished The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas, and it is more than worthy of my first entry.

This is not a book on how belief in God(s) is wrong, and how we, as rational thinking adults, should make sure to point that out all the time, especially during the winter holiday season.  This is a collection of personal essays and anecdotes (and in one memorable instance, a short story that recalls Wodehouse to pinpoint accuracy), all of which are written by atheists or humanists, and deal with the Christmas season.  Some chapters are about the beauty of the universe, and how, at Christmas, we can celebrate that – that we, and the amazing natural world around us, were all created by the most intricate of scientific processes.  And isn’t that just the coolest thing ever?

Other chapters are more about personal experiences – “I, myself, as an atheist, have found x is a great way to deal with overly y people at Christmas.”  Or, “this is how my humanist household celebrates Christmas.”  Two chapters in particular I found both useful as well as bitingly funny were Lucy Porter’s chapter on the best comedy for Christmas (Human Remains, anyone?), and Emily Hill’s entry on the best non-fiction to read over the winter season.

As is pretty much immediately obvious when looking at this book, it’s from the same people that brought you the atheist bus campaign.  Remember that one?  “There’s probably no God.  Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”  Fantastic campaign, and I’m so glad it actually made it here to Cowtown.  Anyway.  This book is from the UK, so while those of us that are sort of, um, immersed in British culture will recognise a great many contributor names, others may not (though there are some instantly identifiable contributors, such as Richard Dawkins).  But it’s not necessary to know who’s writing, really.  It is important to remember that this book is meant to be taken as a fun, and often satirical, look at the goings-on of our winter festivus.  It’s okay to be an atheist and still celebrate Christmas, and to even call it Christmas.  So have fun, give great presents, and for pity’s sake, stay out of the rum punch!

Specifically, in chick lit.

I freely admit to enjoying a chick lit book now and again. I think it’s a completely legitimate genre which will have it’s fans and detractors, as all genres do. I will gladly pick one up when I need something light and fluffy that I know will have a happy ending (which is pretty often — it balances the ecclectic non-fiction.) But I’ve really started to get cheesed off by the fact that the main female characters are almost always so goddamn stupid.

In particular, I just finished Talking to Addison and am now reading Amanda’s Wedding, both by Jenny Colgan. In both, the heroine (and I use the term loosely) is completely and utterly shite at her job, relationships, friendships, etc. I can’t actually think of a redeeming quality in either of them, and can’t figure out why they get the guy at the end of the novel.

I will admit to liking some of her male characters, which is why I went on to the second book after finishing the first one. Then again, I almost always identify more with male characters in books more than female characters. I’m sure this says more about me than about the writing style. In fact, in these two books, we have guys who are engineers, physicists, and computer programmers (and a couple of lawyers, but really. Lawyers. I’m sorry, are my prejudices showing again?) which probably explain why I identify with them. I may run a bookstore now, but I’ve contemplated all three careers in my life (and studied for two of them.)

So how about a chick lit book with a heroine who is an engineer? Or even just a smidgeon of common sense, if we can’t have book learning?

It’s Monday! What are You Reading? is a meme run by J. Kaye’s Book Blog which discusses which books will be read this week, and the ones that were read last week.

Books I completed last week are:
Beyond Belfast by Will Ferguson - One of the best Canadian humour writers of this generation decides to learn more about his roots in Northern Ireland by walking the Ulster Way.

Vinyl Cafe Diaries by Stuart McLean – The other best Canadian humour writer of this generation! I read or re-read all of the Vinyl Cafe books in August and September, but had about half of this one still waiting, so I finally finished it off.  I think I’m sad that they’re all read and I’ll now have to wait another year or two for more.

Number 10 by Sue Townsend – One of Townsend’s delightfully funny political novels. The British PM admits on national tv that he doesn’t know the price of a litre of milk, and then decides that the best way to get to know the “man on the street” is to travel the country… in drag!  I now have this hideous mental image of Gordon Brown in drag.

Kimchee & Calamari by Rose Kent – An excellent YR novel about being adopted.  Joseph Calderaro’s life is disrupted by an 8th grade social studies assignment about his heritage — his name and family may be thoroughly Italian, but he was adopted from Korea just after birth and knows next to nothing about his Korean heritage.

Books I am currently reading/listening to:
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor (audiobook) – I have to admit that I totally picked this up because I’ve been hankering for something along the lines of Ballykissangel.  Haven’t gotten far into it, but I’m enjoying it so far.

What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell – Another wonderful book from Gladwell, this time a collection of articles he’s published previously.  I just love how the man thinks.

Books I haven’t started yet, but will are:
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You by Ally Carter – Teenage spies!  Weee!

This Mitchell and Webb Book by David Mitchell and Robert Webb – Coming to me all the way from London, courtesy of the fantabulous fairclough!

A couple things that I’ve been discussing with people lately ended up merging today and giving me a bit of an idea for a self-challenge.  The first was this article about a book blogger who decided to read and review a book every single day for a year.  The other was that the Tell-Tale Clerk has decided to take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, for those of you not in the know.)

I’m hugely impressed by anyone who can commit to either of these challenges, even if I can’t.  For one, I can’t write to save my life.  But I love the idea of spending a month celebrating books so I’m going to declare November to be NaNoReMo — National Novel Reading Month.

I am going to read a book for every day in November. To be specific, I’m going to read 30 books during the month, not necessarily one every day, and I can’t narrow it down to just novels as I’m a bit of a non-fiction whore. But that’s my challenge to myself. What challenge can you make for yourself?

Fever Pitch
by Nick Hornby

Fever Pitch is both an autobiography and a footballing bible rolled into one. Nick Hornby pinpoints 1968 as his formative year–the year he turned 11, the year his parents separated, and the year his father first took him to watch Arsenal play. The author quickly moved “way beyond fandom” into an extreme obsession that has dominated his life, loves, and relationships.

I’ve been meaning to read Fever Pitch for years, ever since I saw the movie based on it (the British one with Colin Firth, not the American remake), but last week fairclough and I went to see The Damned United and I decided that I absolutely needed to read it right away. Strangely enough considering that sentence, I couldn’t care less about football… but I am fascinated by the football fans.  It was really fun to be reading about Hornby’s outlook on fandom and find endless parallels with my kind of fandom (tv shows, movies, books.)

From all the things I’ve heard from other people about Fever Pitch, it seems to be one of those books you either love or hate.  And the line doesn’t seem to be drawn between those who love football and those who’ve never seen a game, or those who love Hornby’s novels and those who’ve never read any of them.  But I am solidly in the “love” category, and have already started reading another of his books (Juliet, Naked.)

Suggested, semi-related reads: How Soccer Explains The World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization

ETA: Completely unrelated to the review, but… I have this distinct image in my head of what Nick Hornby should look like.  I don’t know why, but I’ve always pictured him as a kind of Neil Gaiman type.  Possibly a cross between all the actors who have played his main characters (because, really, they’re all pretty much him), so this weird amalgam of Colin Firth, John Cusack, and Hugh Grant.  But I finally saw a picture of him and was completely surprised to find that he’s balding and looks like my uncle!  *grin*

Extreme Vinyl Cafe
by Stuart McLean
Release Date: Sept 29, 2009

I firmly believe that the Vinyl Cafe stories are part of the collective consciousness here in Canada, but for those of you not from this fair land (and for those of you who are but somehow have avoided hearing Dave Cooks the Turkey on CBC radio every Christmas), let me introduce you to the wonders of the Vinyl Cafe.

Stuart McLean is a fantastic storyteller (and, incidentally, a really nice guy) who has a radio show on CBC radio every Saturday morning.  His shows include some fabulous Canadian music, but the highlight are his stories about a perfectly normal Canadian family: Dave and Morley, their kids Stephanie and Sam, and their neighbors and extended family.  The books, not surprisingly, contain these stories.

I adored the latest book, as I have pretty much all of them.  There were a few stories I’d heard before — Sam Goes Green and A Trip to Quebec — and a lot more that I hadn’t.  I got to read all about Stephanie’s trip to London to visit Aunt Dorothy and her porcelain hedgehog collection, the funeral that sets Dave off on a quest to plan this own, and the summer of the epic waterslide. I laughed (long and hard) and I cried (literally.)  I highly recommend it to pretty much anyone (also, all of his books make excellent Christmas gifts.)

Jill at Breaking the Spine hosts Waiting on Wednesday. Stop by and check out the great books your fellow readers can’t wait to get their hands on. What book are you waiting for?

And Another Thing…
by Eoin Colfer
6th in the Hitchhiker’s Trilogy
Release Date: October 12, 2009 (strict on-sale)

You may not have noticed, but there’s something stirring in the Galaxy…

Despite the efforts of the Vogons, and even those of a more-than-typically troubled teenager, the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker’s Trilogy continues, much to the delight of its fans (and to the annoyance of the Vogons).

Somehow I missed hearing about this until yesterday at work (surprisingly difficult when I’m surrounded by book fanatics day in and day out) but I’m already super excited about it!  We actually have the book sitting in our back room, so I’m trying to decide whether to spend the next few days clearing the deck (aka finishing the 15 millions books I have lying around that are half-read) or drop everything and re-read the first five books.

H2G2 is one of those series that I read in university and instantly fell in love with — the mix of humour and intelligence and warmth is irresistible.  I’ve listened to the radio plays, I’ve watched the tv show, and I went to opening night of the movie.  And yet, I don’t think I’ve re-read the books since that first time — pretty sad for a compulsive re-reader like me. And possibly I’ve just convinced myself to head out and get the first five…

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Duncan didn’t know too much about the vicissitudes of Tucker Crowe’s love life — nobody did, really, although there had been much speculation on the web — but he imagined it to have been tumutuous. How did he stand it?

- pg 149 of Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby