The American Girl Book of First Date Stories

Sunday night we were over at mum’s for dinner and because I was trying to avoid watching golf and doing the dishes, I started nosing through the bookcase in the basement. Found several novels that belong to me, which I reclaimed, and the most bizarre assortment of books.

Seems that my mum has kept many of the books that I loved as a little girl; including the classic Barbie Goes to a Party, where finding the right outfit takes 50 pages, A Child’s Garden of Verses, and several Shel Silverstein books of poetry.

As an aside, at a friend’s wedding about a month ago the sister of the groom read a Shel Silverstein poem that was wonderful … most adults leave authors like Silverstein and Dennis Lee for lost after the age of 15 and that’s a shame … they really have wonderful stories to share …

Anyway, mum also has The American Girl Book of First Date Stories from about 1962 that made me pause. For a second, I thought she picked it up at a garage sale as she’s starting to channel my grandmother and collect odds and ends that end up in random piles, but the inscription on the inside cover reads: “Grade seven – highest in history, Judy Champ.” That’s my mum.

According to the editor’s note, “a first date is something special – something a girl will never forget. Some of the fist dates described in these pages were perfect as a dream, while others were perfect disasters. But all were something to remember. These stories … will be enjoyed by every girl who has ever had a first date, or is looking forward to one.”  

Oh my. Can you imagine comparing first date stories from today’s Cosmo Girl to “The Nonconformist and the Quarterback,” the first story in the book? Somehow I think the editors of American Girl Magazine would be shocked at what constitutes a first date in 2006.I’m pretty sure my first official date included Bette Midler’s Beaches and that I cried my way through the entire movie. Partly because I tripped my best friend Sarah and made her fall in front of her date (by ACCIDENT) and partly because I was pretty sure someone was going to die from the opening credits. But then again, I cry while watching Hook.

Back to the book … was completely suckered into buying The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Suckered may be strong. I tend to pick up “debut novels” as I’m intrigued by the idea that an author may have some completely new idea, or a new approach to an old idea, or a beautiful or unconventional style of writing … starting to think that may not be the case with this one … though, I’m going to keep reading as I’m hoping for a moment that really drags me into the story. We’ll see.

This has been long and rambling. My apologies. I’m typing away as Jason and two good friends make their way through some Tiger Wood’s x-box game … think I’ll pop in the ear plugs and try to get through the next couple of chapters of my book …

The Closed Circle

 

I finished The Closed Circle shortly after getting back from holidays but the thought of sitting at a computer after 6 p.m. to write about it set off waves of uncontrollable twitching and sneezing.

We had dinner with good friends on Saturday night and one was kind enough to ask when I planned to post again … I took that as a gentle nudge that I shouldn’t pester people to read Spineless and then ignore it for over a week. My soon to be sister-in-law helped alleviate my guilt by shouting from the kitchen something along the lines of: “What blog? You have a blog? What do you write about …?”

Sorry, you couldn’t see it but I was having a moment …

For me, the strength of The Rotters’ Club was the wonderfully written shift from the indistinguishable gang of teenagers we meet in 1973 to strong individual characters shaped by personal and political events. The Closed Circle picks up Benjamin, Claire, Philip, Doug and Sean’s story 20 years later.

I liked The Close Circle because of the way it moves back and froth through time while offering new information and filling in holes from The Rotters’ Club. Much like Saturday, The Closed Circle uses the conflict in the Middle East as a way of exploring personalities and political views. It worked for me here because the characters reflect the varied and strong opinions people have about the war. Saturday just felt passive-aggressive.

There’s much more to the novel, but last night’s celebrations have left me a bit foggy and now that the Emmy’s are over, I really want to crawl into bed.

Will try and stay awake long enough to start one of the stories in my new Virginia Woolf collection. I really shouldn’t try and read her stuff when drowsy … that’s probably why I never finished Mrs Dalloway. It’s just that it’s too big to cart around and I’ll end up picking up something slimmer for the work commute. Speaking of, I had a yellow sticky stuck to the inside of my wallet with all the books I want to read but that’s gone and I’ve been so preoccupied that I’m having a hard time recreating it … think I’ll have to spend some time this week reading book blogs and trying to get back into the loop …

Amy

Book cover bogey

As soon as I walked into Book City yesterday I zeroed in on a collection of Virginia Woolf stories that I had to buy … partly because it was on sale for under $10, and partly because my aunt Sue, who’s starting her Masters in September, plans to study Virginia Woolf and how physics fits into her work. She explained her thesis to me last time she was in town (slowly and more than once, if I remember correctly), but I’m still at a bit of a loss when trying to articulate exactly what she’s studying. 

I figured with the new book, I’ll have at least attempted Mrs. Dalloway when I see her next and will be able to throw out random statements like: “I found that Woolf’s stream of consciousness style really helped explain the law of relatively.” Having never taken physics (BA history, thank you very much), I’m not really sure where to go with that …  

Anyway, also picked up the new Jonathan Coe novel, The Closed Circle, because I enjoyed The Rotter’s Club and thought I’d give it a go. Almost put the book back on the shelf because it drives me crazy when there’s no story outline on the back cover or inside flap. With most novels priced in the $20 range, publishers are asking readers to take huge leaps of faith when they plaster the book with endorsements but no summary. Personally, I couldn’t give two hoots if The Guardian loved the book, I’d like to know what it’s about before leaving the store.  

Flipped through to the author’s note and saw that it’s a continuation of The Rotter’s Club. Okay, thank you. Now, I’ll buy it.

Perfume

Have been completely negligent about posting. Trying to get everything done before I go on holidays next week and just haven’t had a chance to sit down and read.

Hoping to get caught up while we’re in Ottawa for a couple of days … and I have three days on a dock planned for next weekend. If I’m not completely consumed by the pile of trash magazines sure to make an appearance, I’m hoping to really get into The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

I had dinner with a friend this evening who mentioned that’s reading Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, which I’m going to ask to borrow when she’s done.

Lamb finished with more of a whimper than I’d originally hoped for … not enough there for a formal novel and think the author could have pushed the humour by introducing each new character through a series of short stories or “gospels” … I’m all over short stories at the moment … there could still be overlap, but the story needed to be sharper to maintain the momentum generated in the first 100 pages.

Amy

Oh, those funny lambs

Am thoroughly enjoying Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal.   

Since starting the book, I’ve found myself eavesdropping on strangers talking about god in public spaces. The first time it happened I really tried to avoid listening because guys in suits with name tags freak me out, but the conversation had a bizarre guerilla theatre feel to it and I’m still not sure whether it was staged. There’s just something odd about two guys, both in suits … one a Jehovah’s Witness and the other a scientologist, literally rapping back-and-forth about their faith and its strength on a streetcar. What I took away from it was that the scientologist dude doesn’t think L. Ron Hubbard’s “knew god” but apparently he was a really “awesome researcher.” Whatever that means… 

Last night I met friends at a pub for dinner and we couldn’t figure out what was going on at the table next to us. At first, we thought it was some sort of awkward singles event, but attendee ages ranged from 20 to 65 years and no one looked like they’d dressed for a date. About half way through our meal, a gentleman in a rugby shirt stood up and started talking about John the Baptist … and then everyone stood up, said a little prayer, hugged each other, and left.  

The John the Baptist portrayed in Lamb is wholly different from the one buddy talked about in the bar … he seemed less concerned about ridding Jerusalem of “sluts” and more focused on spreading a traditional gospel.  

I am glad that Biff and Joshua (aka Jesus) are finally starting the ministry. Both spend years searching for the three wise men who attended Josh’s birth. It’s interesting as
Moore points out how similar the teachings are to eastern philosophy, but really … it slows the momentum of the book and the humour starts to drag. 

Not sure what’s next on the agenda … been busy and haven’t been reading as much … may spend some time over the long weekend checking out my local bookstore. 

Have a lovely weekend …

Summer reading

Given my poor showing with Ulysses, R.M Vaughan’s column in yesterday’s Globe made me smile. Tried to link to it, but it’s behind the pay wall. I’ve pinched and posted parts of the article to support the much maligned “summer read.”  

I blame Jian Ghomeshi. The floppy-haired CBC Radio One host has been bragging all summer that he is reading James Joyce’s Ulysses, another impossible book. He’s way past page 17, I’m sure — but then, he has production assistants. 

…

Faced with one of my failings, I make like the Conservative Party and take comfort in fake populism. I’m just an ordinary fellow, I tell myself, a common sort. Why should I be held to such impossibly high literary standards? Only eggheads, Brits, sexual deviants (same thing) and desperate-for-ideas movie producers read 19th-century literature. What are the reg’lar folks reading?

Regular folks, according to paperback bestseller lists across this continent (okay, the English-speaking parts) are inhaling Michael Connelly’s latest legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer — the title of which, you’ll be relieved to know, refers not to Abraham Lincoln or any other remotely educational topic, but to a large automobile. See, you’re already over the biggest hurdle.

Once you crack this book open, you’re safely on autopilot for a good 500 pages. What bliss, to glide like a bit of dandelion fluff from one neatly mowed, monochromatic lawn of text to the next. You could literally read this book drunk on a noisy bus and still not miss a plot point. Connelly is a no-frills writer from the Ellery Queen school of mystery fiction: Unveil the dastardly crime no later than page 5, set up the main characters before page 25, proceed with the nifty procedurals.

… 

The publishing industry, a world as rarefied (and, increasingly, about as relevant) as Dead Sea Scroll scholarship, likes to refer to books like The Lincoln Lawyer — fast paced, well-crafted books that engage millions — as summer books, or, more dismissively, beach books, as if people are any smarter in the winter or indoors. … 

I wish Ghomeshi the luck of the Irish in his attempt to skip across the bogs of Ulysses.

But by the time he’s finished, I’ll have read The Lincoln Lawyer, two science-fiction novels, and a grocery checkout book (another misunderstood literary subset) about plastic-surgery disasters — all without consulting a dictionary, flipping back to some enigmatic foreshadowing in the beginning chapters, or reverently placing said books gently on my lap whilst savouring the author’s dulcet flow.

R.M. Vaughan is a Toronto artist, novelist, poet and playwright.

Amy

On to Lamb

I’ve been going back and forth with a friend who stopped reading Saturday after 100 pages and was feeling guilty about not liking the story, which I did finish, until I saw this posting on Kate’s Book Blog: 

Saturday may score points for compassion, an element it displays in the extreme, but it IS a lengthy verbiage of a political-social-economic nature … and that’s fine with me as long as I leave with a new appreciation for a point of view … didn’t get that here.

I think it’s time for some humour

Amy

Longest day of the week?

Ploughing through Mcewan’s Saturday. Feel like I’m waiting for that one moment when the story really grabs me and pulls me in …

Believe part of the delay may be because of the recurring themes around terrorism and the war in Iraq. Hard to curl up with a book that mirrors the continuing debate about who should be there, why and for how long … I don’t think of myself as someone who reads to escape, but the sense of unease in the story is draining.

Amy

Moving on …

I finished The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie while stranded on a powerless streetcar yesterday. This is significant only because I was so intent on the story that I didn’t even realize we’d stopped moving until a woman sitting near me unwrapped the biggest piece of barbequed pork rind imaginable (if one imagines such things) and started to chow down.  

Loved the story. Definitely a book I’ll pick up again and suspect I’ll have different questions after each read … Why such disdain for the girl guides? Is it significant that Teddy Lloyd has only one arm? I have to admit that knowing Sparks worked as a propagandist during WW2 may change how I approach the book next time. 

The National Library of Scotland has a quick overview of Muriel Spark’s life and work available here. 

Picked up Saturday by Iam McEwan yesterday during lunch and am 50 or so pages into the story. Have officially abandoned Ulysses. Will taunt myself with its greatness some other time. Am looking forward to reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, which a colleague is currently enjoying, and joining Kate’s Book Blog short story group.

Amy

Random Readings

Still (still!) reading The Accidental (Ali Smith), which I hope to finish shortly as I have two other books I’d like to start. I’m not sure why it’s taking so long to finish, but I’ve had to fight the urge to add it to my discarded without prejudice pile.

I was hoping to finish it last night but didn’t get home from The Fringe Festival until late. I tend to like the idea of The Fringe more than the actual plays, but Humans Anonymous by Kate Hewlett was wonderful.  To be honest, I haven’t gone to see a play in ages – I’m not counting Wingfield’s Inferno as it was more like a CBC Radio 1 segment coming to life before my eyes than theatrical entertainment – but if you’re planning on seeing something at the Fringe, go to Humans Anonymous.

It’s funny, well-acted and the story weaves together five unique characters in 55 minutes.  Humans Anonymous runs at the Tarragon Theatre Mainspace (30 Bridgman Avenue) on Monday, July 9 (1 p.m.), Wednesday, July 12 (2:15 p.m.), Thursday, July 13 (11:30 p.m.), Friday, July 14 (noon), and Saturday, July 15 (6:15p.m.). 

Anyway, back to the book: It’s actually quite frustrating as I enjoy the cadence of Smith’s writing and she weaves four strong characters together. It’s the pages and pages of free association that throw me … I’m sure there’s deep social meaning to each, but while I find them entertaining, and an interesting way of describing the fifth character, Amber, it feels heavy-handed. I will pick up another Smith book, and may try The Accidental again as I think my appreciation of it would change with a second reading … who knows …

And finally, thank you to Kate S. for her Toronto-area bookstore suggestions. I’ve started the running list and, where possible, linked to the stores’ website.  

Amy

Ulysses Challenge

Jian Ghomeshi, summer host of CBC’s Sounds like Canada, has thrown down the summer reading gauntlet … with nothing less than James Joyce’s Ulysses.  After reading about The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie on Bookworm and Kate’s Book Blog, I was going to tackle it next but think I might give Joyce a go.

There’s a reader review of Ulysses on Chapters.ca that mirrors what CBC listeners said during yesterday’s interview: “…Ulysses is required reading. Of course, you’re not required to enjoy it.”

Now, that doesn’t exactly scream “summer read,” but there’s no shame in having several books on the go at once and I figure I can always put Joyce down and enjoy a less dense read if needed.

If anyone has already accepted Jian’s challenge, I’d love to know how it’s going …

Amy

Under the bed

The pile of books stashed under my bed recently reached critical mass and started to spill out onto the bedroom rug. Feeling somewhat wheezy after blowing layers of dust off the covers, and being completely undecided about what should stay, I carefully moved the pile to the next most logical place (under the bedroom window), where it lived for weeks. Whenever I walked past the pile, I thought about moving it, but I wasn’t really motivated until I realized that space under the bed was rapidly disappearing.

One or two of these will make it back into the rotation, but the rest are destined for GoodWill.

 

When I Was Young & In My Prime (Alayna Munce): I picked this up when I heard the author read. It’s a beautifully written story about a young woman finding her own way while trying to consolidate the lives of her grandparents into boxes, yard sales and memories that she can carry with her.

The Ultimate French Review and Practice: Once a year I decide I have an aptitude for languages  … Should keep this as I’m due for another delusion sometime in January.

A Bend in the River (V.S. Naipaul) & Vintage Nabokov: Think these were prematurely archived … Haven’t read either but both are now on my summer list.

The In-Between World of Vikram Lall (MG Vassanji): Pretty sure this is my mum’s and that I should return it.

See Jane Run (Joy Fielding): Subway reading … GoodWill

The Odyssey: I must have just received a copy of my university alumni magazine. Keeper.

I, Elizabeth (Rosalind Miles) & The Crimson Petal and the White (Michel Faber): Following the French phase, I usually go through a historical drama one. I, Elizabeth might make it another round, but The Crimson’s moving on.

Amy

PR Girlz recommendation

A friend recently recommended The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger on the PR Girlz’s blog. If you haven’t read it and enjoy a story that’s a little quirky, it’s worth picking up.

I haven’t figure out (yet) how to make the comments appear as part of the main page, but I’ll move recommendations manually until I figure out how to automate the process. If you’ve submitted a suggested reading and I don’t properly credit you, feel free to send me a nasty email (spineless.blog@gmail.com). 

Terry Fallis, who’s not one of the “PR Girlz” but does head up Thornley Fallis Communications with partner Joe Thornely, and who produces the weekly podcast Inside PR with David Jones (too much information?), suggests Busted Flush by Brad Smith, a Canadian author from southwestern Ontario. I’ve not read any of his work, but Terry also recommends Smith’s earlier books, One Eyed Jacks, and All Hat. Thanks, Terry.

Working on the razzle dazzle …

As soon as I can figure out how to upload photos and include links in the posts, the jazz factor will be blinding … suggestions are welcome.

Am currently working my way through the accidental by Ali Smith and would love to hear from anyone who’s actually made it past page 73. According to the publisher, it won the Whitbread Novel Award (never heard of it), was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize (feel like I should know that one …) and received praise from every newspaper reviewer in Britain.

Apparently, I’m too easily swayed by a good cover and third-party tributes …

Welcome

I like to read. “I’m just going to finish this chapter …” is often an empty promise and I have been known to camp out in a closet to read in peace. Of course, that was years ago and now, because I’m an adult, I just stare blankly when asked “are you almost ready?” before turning back to my book.

I’m hoping that Spineless will be a spot where we can answer the question: “Have you read anything interesting lately?” It doesn’t matter if the book is brain candy, a new release, an old favourite or just a passionate pitch about why we should force our way through Vanity Fair, if you have a book you think others should read … just let me know.

To get the ball rolling, I’m going to throw out a couple of suggestions. The first is a book I adore and have read several times and the second is a quick summer read.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

 

At first, I thought only my twisted family would think that Ignatius J. Riley was a worthy protagonist (and given the reviews on Chapters.indigo.ca that may still be the case), but the character is wonderfully repulsive and endearing in the same sentence. He plots, he pontificats … he fails miserably … but between bursts of laughter you’ll actually want him to succeed.

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll

I picked this up at the airport and it’s now making the rounds among friends and family. It’s the first book in a trilogy, and if you’re into period pieces it’s worth picking up. I think the back of the book sums it up, really: “From Brittany’s misty shores to the decadent splendor of Paris’s royal court, one woman must fulfill her destiny–while facing the treacherous designs of Catherine de Medici, the dark queen.”

Oh, why not? It’s summer …