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Gluttony: Thy Name is Books
December 2, 2007
Welcome to my favorite month! I adore everything about it—the cold weather (hopefully), the holiday, the slowdown of work, the extra time off, the early darkness which makes me want to curl up with a wool blanket, the cats and a good book. The decorations, the Boats on Parade festivals that are common in southern California, the music and the parties and food are also a big part. And I especially enjoy making and buying gifts.
I think what makes it exceedingly pleasant is that I don’t get caught by the frenetic atmosphere or the hardcore commercial aspects. I enjoy all these things without feeling as if I have to do anything—which I don’t. Because of the cats’ playfulness and passion for anything green, shiny or lighted I have had to forgo the tree and decorations. (Rushing a cat to the emergency room because she thought a miniature glass light looked interesting enough to chew on is not a holiday tradition I wish to initiate.) So I am particularly taken with the many free or low-cost concerts, our main street’s numerous trees bedecked with miniature lights and a gigantic decorated Christmas tree at one end, and the annual trolley car tour of specially decorated houses. I love to walk the streets and absorb the sights, sounds and smells of the season. It satisfies my passion for the holiday without demanding anything of me.
For presents, I enjoy giving (as much as the recipients like receiving) flavored butters and flavored oils. The butter is a particular favorite. I just wrap it in aluminum foil and roll it into a ball or sausage shape and add a red ribbon and card. (The most wonderful thing about these items is that they are easy to make, but would be so expensive to purchase in the store.) If I’m feeling especially fancy, I might make up a pretty white gift box with one or two of these items, then add some genuine Greek olives and a fresh loaf of uniquely-flavored bread. And, for those who share my passion for reading, the ultimate gift: a book in their favorite genre.
Keeping my gifts simple, my recipient gift list short, not bothering with craft projects, cookies or decorating, and avoiding retail stores—other than a good used bookstore—is the secret to my stress-free December.
If there is any excess which I indulge during this month it is reading. I currently have six books going in various stages from beginning to nearly done. That feels about right. Holidays are, after all, a wonderful excuse for gluttony, and reading is a pleasure that can live up to all the joys of overindulgence but without the consequences of a hangover, debt or weight gain. And really, could there be anything better?
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They got to know each other while both were working on their respective MFAs several years ago. This month Dan Jaffe interviews his former classmate, Linda Legters, a short story writer, writing teacher, freelance editor and novelist-in-the-works. “I was an adult before I saw writing as an art form available to me,” she tells Dan. “Obviously I wasn’t going to be able to write like Alice Munro or Ian McEwan, but it never occurred to me that ordinary people wrote fiction at all.” That was then. See what is now for her in this month’s Talking Across the Table.
What do the bible and an astronomy book have in common? For Paul Clark, as a child, they told “the early history of the world . . . in two planes.” His early beliefs altered as he grew up, but in a way his first ones still serve him well. Read how a childhood perception paved the way for an adult’s wide view of the world in this warm reminiscence, this week in A Walk Through My Bookshelves .
Men Who Fascinate could easily be the title of Amanda Joseph’s essay in Rants and Raves From Down Under. Or maybe it should be “Man” considering the fact that she concentrates on English king, Richard III. Was he a ruthless tyrant and murderer or was there more to him? History is divided on these answers, but the questions continue to fascinate.
Mary Sharrett, author of A Light Far-Shining: A Novel of the Pendle Witches, a novel about the Lancashire Witches, and especially Elizabeth Southerns, set in Pendle Forest, near her current home. It is due to be published in Fall 2008, but the research that goes into the making of a historical novel is by necessity demanding and intense, and I asked Mary to write about her research into this horrifying yet compelling time in English history this week in Bibliopinions.
“Every reader has his or her wish list and hopes that friends and family have been attentive and will buy the books and not the sweater this year,” writes Henry Carrigan in Readings. He then goes on to list the books that he dreams of finding in his stocking or under the tree (with a bit of wistfulness). Then, for the consideration of others, he also offers suggestions for the others seeking fine books to bestow upon their loved readers for the winter nights.
As promised, Lisa Guidarini has written about her Thanksgiving weekend writing retreat—or maybe it should be called the writing/eating/pajama weekend. Sure, she wrote and she read. But she also reveled in her freedom do it her own snarky way—this week in Reviews & Reflections.
Magic! It’s the season for it according to Anne Michael in Seasoned Lightly. The magic “that lives in the world,” of imagination and need, of splendor, of a good book,. It’s all there—waiting only to be found.
Scents are in the air, and its not just the pine of Christmas trees. Perfumes, their history, their art, their reason for existence are explored this week in On Marking Books. Whether you love them or hate them, they offer a fascinating look into the social and even political arenas in which they flourished.
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WIN A BEAUTIFUL BOOKMARK!
In a contest running through Wednesday, January 2, BiblioBuffet will be giving away 20 gorgeous bookmarks donated by Mirage Bookmarks. These bookmarks are paper thin but sturdy, of brushed stainless steel with finely cut out and engraved details. Each bookmark is mounted on a black card and encased in a transparent cellophane envelope.
You have the opportunity to win one of the Rough Sea designs by sending in either a written essay/story or a photo “essay” on the subject of bookmarks. The written essay should be between 300-500 words; a photo essay must contain a minimum of four photographs (and a maximum of eight) that sequentially “tell” a story in an interesting way. The specific subject and how you approach it is entirely up to you—how bookmarks are used, favorite or hated bookmarks, making bookmarks, building a collection of bookmarks, funny stories, finding bookmarks on your travels or in old books. It can be anything as long as it revolves in some way around bookmarks.
Photographs should be e-mailed as JPG file attachments. Written submissions must be pasted into the body of the e-mail. Both types of entries should carry the subject line “Bookmark Contest.” Send them to:
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We welcome entries from all over the world. Winners will be announced in the “On Marking Books” column the week beginning Sunday, January 6.
Rules:
(1) Only original material is accepted; entries must not have been published previously.
(2) One entry per person is permitted. Entrants must include their mailing address (which will not be shared with anyone), and be at least 12 years of age.
(3) BiblioBuffet and Mirage Bookmark reserve the right to publish any or all of the entries on a non-exclusive basis with no additional compensation.
So hurry. The prizes are simply stunning—and would make a wonderful way to mark your 2008 reading.
Until next week, read well, read often and read on!
Lauren
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