Being Written

Being Written

by William Conescu
193 pages

On Friday I was feeling a bit frustrated with my current read (among other things) and decided to pick up a new book to read this weekend. Being Written has been calling to me for quite a while now and I decided to take the plunge. What a treat! I read the entire thing over the weekend, and would likely have read it in one sitting if I’d had the time.

*** The Summary ***

The hero of our story is Daniel. As he points out early on, most people have some sort of gift and he is no exception. You may be able to play the piano, or give motivating speeches, or run really fast but Daniel has a unique gift: he can hear the author writing. You see, Daniel realized a long time ago that he was merely an extra body in some author’s book. When the author needs the protagonist to bump into someone on the street, that person is Daniel. Or when the author needs to have a restaurant full of people, Daniel is one of those people. It’s not a pleasant realization, the fact that you are just an “extra”, but Daniel tells us he’s happier knowing than not.

On the off chance that the book he’s in turns out to be a thriller, Daniel decides to get in shape (you know, in case he needs to outrun a killer or something) and to read up on writing (in case he gets a chance to affect the outcome of a book). And in the meantime he goes on with his everyday life.

Then one day Daniel hears the author’s pencil while he’s in a bar and finds himself talking to a beautiful woman – the same woman who is being written about! Wherever she goes, the sound of the pencil follows her. This is it, he’s in another book!

Fearing that he’ll be written out quickly Daniel comes up with a plan that will keep the author’s attention on him and keep him in the book. The rest of Being Written follows Daniel as he puts his plan into action. I don’t want to say more than that or I’ll end up giving something important away!

*** What I Think ***

This book is unlike anything I’ve read before, and in a good way. It was intriguing and kept me guessing – and interested – throughout.

Each brief chapter focuses on a different character in the author’s book. Those chapters are told in the 3^rd person. Then there are the chapters that focus on Daniel, on what he’s thinking and doing (even when the author is not writing about him). Those chapters are told in the 2^nd person. That can be an awkward way to write but it totally made sense in this book.

I found it very interesting how Daniel rationalized his behavior by using the author as an excuse, or by justifying it as merely being part of the book. I’d love to discuss that with someone else who has read this – let me know if you have.

One reviewer is quoted on the cover saying “A white-knuckle thrill ride. You simply can’t put this book down once you’ve picked it up.” To me, that quote implies that this book is a thriller, with action at every turn. It is not, actually, but it IS fast paced and easy to get drawn into. I highly enjoyed it. And like I said, if I’d had the time I would have read it in one sitting.

*** Etc. ***

Some random things you might like to know ...

• I'm not familiar with the term "meta-fiction" but come to find out, that's what this book is. You can read the entire definition on wikipedia.
  

• For those who like to know these things, there is some sex and some language in this book. The sex is not gratuitous but it is an integral part of the plot so it isn’t just glossed over either. It didn’t bother me any, but I know some of you would rather not read it.

• You can learn more about this book at the author's website: www.williamconescu.com.
  

*** Thank You ***

A big thank you to William Conescu for sending me a signed copy of this book. It was a great read and I wish you much success with it!

*** Other Reviews? ***

Have you read/reviewed this book? I’d love to add your link here – just let me know.

Book Notes enjoyed this book but A Novel Menagerie isn't huge fan. Booking Mama and Peace of Brain are though. What about you?

LOST Challenge (for 2009)

Even though I didn’t finish my reading list for the first LOST Challenge of 2008 I’m signing up for the next one anyway. Amy was kind enough to say we could use any unread books from our first list so that’s a good thing – I only have one left and I really wanted to get to it!

(For those who don't have any idea what I'm talking about, the LOST Challenge is based on the tv show LOST and involves books referenced in the show.)

This time the challenge has its own blog and – get this! – it isn’t just for book reviews. It is for all things Lost related!*

Here’s my reading list for the 2009 Lost Challenge:

• Moby Dick, by Herman Melville – this is the one I didn’t get to last time, but the audio book is on order from the library and I should be able to start it soon
• Catch 22, by Joseph Heller - I was never assigned this one in school but I think it is a book that I should have read by now
• The Pearl, by John Steinbeck - I loved East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath depressed me, and Cannery Row surprised me with the beauty of the writing ... I wonder what this novella will do
• The Invention of Morel, by Adolfo Bioy Casares - supposedly this book is key to understanding the plot of LOST
  
• On the Road, by Jack Kerouac - another classic that I've never read
  

If you want more info on this challenge hop on over to the LOST Challenge Blog and read all about it. I’m excited … are you?

* I’m assuming there will be legitimate posts on there (like this link to SciFiWire where they give tons of info about the upcoming season of Lost) but I’m thinking my biggest contribution will be the following: I finally let kiddo watch The Lord of the Rings and he got a real kick out of the fact that Charlie from LOST is also Merry the Hobbit.

The Red Leather Diary

I've been keeping my eye on this book for quite a while and I'm excited to announce that it is being released in paperback today.

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal
by Lily Koppel

This is the true story of journalist Lily Koppel's discovery of an teenage girl's diary from the 1930s and her subsequent meeting with the diary's then 90-year-old author, Florence.



I LOVE this book trailer! How can you not want to read it after watching that?!

But maybe you need more urging. Here's a really quick video of Florence, the writer of the journal, talking about an Italian Count she had a fling with:



Gotta love it!

The website for this book is gorgeous - you have to check it out: http://www.redleatherdiary.com/.

You can also check out the book itself:


If you really want to hear more about the book, check out this 40 minute presentation given by Lily. I listened to it in the background while at work, doing other things. It is quite fascinating despite the length.



Lily will be doing several appearances, mostly in the New York area. Click here for the tour schedule. I so wish I could meet Lily and Florence!

I'm so fascinated by this book - I can't wait to read it. Have you heard of it? Are you interested? What do you think?!

Tess of the D'urbervilles - TV version

I've never read Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles but I've heard that it is quite good (I've also heard that it is horrible, but that's book blogging for you!). I was excited to see the public television's Masterpiece Classic version - I figured that if it was really great, I'd add the book to my TBR list.

So I recorded it earlier this month and finally got around to watching it this week. Here are my random thoughts (relatively spoiler free, although I do hint at a few things):

• The actor who plays Alec D'Urberville is Hans Matheson and I find him incredibly sexy. He always plays the creepy guys though. He was Mordred in The Mists of Avalon (horrible man), he was Cranmer in The Tudors (not so creepy, but still ...), and now Alec (blech). He's been in other things as well, but I only see him in the creepy roles. And yet, I'm still attracted to him. [I guess it's like Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator - if you can still be attracted to a guy who wants to sleep with his sister, you KNOW he's got to be hot. Or maybe it's just me?!]
  
  
• Her mother! Oh, her MOTHER! How I wanted to wring her neck! How you could send your 17 yr old daughter off like that, with no knowledge of the way the world works, and expect her NOT to get in trouble, I just don't know. I was so glad when Tess yelled at her when she came home. I tried to find the clip to show you all but it doesn't seem to be on YouTube. And then, And THEN! When Alec comes back and goes directly to her mother and she agrees to his plan - AAHH! Mother, how COULD you?!
  
  
• In the intro to the film I learned that Thomas Hardy had great difficulty getting this book published due to it's "racy" content. He went through four rejections before finding a publisher willing to work with him. When the book was finally published, it met with massive criticism for the sexual content. The narrator went on to say something to the effect that Hardy "never gave up defending his fallen woman." I wish I could remember the exact quote, because it was quite touching. I also learned that this book caused lots of arguments amongst its readers. The big question - one which affected the seating arrangements at dinner parties! - was whether Tess was a pure woman or not. According to the narrator, people were very passionate about their opinions on this issue.
  
  
• This story is really moving. I admire Hardy for standing up to his critics and writing a story that was much more "true" than other books written at the same time. And by "true" I mean that what happened to Tess likely happened to many girls - but no one was writing about it.
  
  
• It is also really depressing. Although I loved the movie and would definitely watch it again, I don't think I want to read the book.
  
  
• This book is on the 1,001 Books to Read Before You Die list. I've been keeping track of my reads using the great spreadsheet of Arukiyomi's. But I modified it a bit. Now it also tracks the movies I've watched that are based on books on the list. After watching Tess, I'm up to 28 movies!
  

Here's a clip of the movie in case you haven't seen it:

If you've seen this version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles (or any version), what did you think? What do you love about this book? What do you hate about this book? And do you agree that Hans is sexy, or is he another of those strange guys that I always seem to like but no one else seems to?

The Jeeves Collection

The Jeeves Collection
by PG Wodehouse
BBC Adaptation - 8 hours, 45 minutes

If you've been reading along for the past few months, you know that I recently discovered and fell in love with Wodehouse's Jeeves books. I've been listening to everything Jeeves I can get from my library.

Up 'til now I've only heard the traditional audio books narrated by Alexander Spencer. His narration is perfect for these books and I've quite enjoyed listening to them. This collection was different though. I didn't know it until I started to listen, but this collection is actually a BBC adaptation complete with several actors.

The three stories included in this collection are: Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves ... Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit ... and The Inimitable Jeeves. As usual, they are chock full of fun and farce. This time around, the complications include love triangles, darts tournaments, choir boys, and lots of other nonsense.

The first question is - does this count as an audio book since it is actually a BBC adaptation?

Since this is my blog and I get to decide the rules, I say yes. It IS a direct adaptation of several Wodehouse stories, and the changes to the story only come in the way of adding some sound effects and a bit of extra narration to fill in the scene.

The second question is - how does this compare to the traditional audio books?

Surprisingly, I have to say that it was much worse! Spencer does such a fantastic job with his narration of the traditional books that even a full complement of actors can't really compare, in my opinion. If anything, the additional voices were actually distracting to me. For another, there was too much laughing - it was quite irritating.

The characterization was a problem for me too. It's sort of like reading a book then seeing the movie and thinking that the actors are all wrong for the part because they don't match your imagination. Spencer's characterization of Bertie and Jeeves gave me clear opinions on how they should sound, and the actors in this collection portrayed them quite differently. I do have to say though that the voice of Aunt Dahlia (aka Mrs. Travers, aka "aged ancestor", aka my favorite person in the Jeeves books) was spot on - whoever played her did an excellent job of bringing her eccentricities to the forefront and making me love her even more than before.

All in all, I really wasn't a fan of this collection. The stories didn't grab me, but I think that was mostly due to the fact that I didn't like the way the adaptation was done. Too bad ... I think this has put me off Wodehouse for now.

Have you ever had this type of experience with audio books vs. radio adaptations? Are there other BBC programs that are actually worth listening to?

Frustration

Being a list of things that are driving me crazy right now.

1. I'm currently listening to The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. In the middle of cassette 3 (of 13), the audio went all funky. I couldn't get it to play in my car so I took it into the house to try it on another cassette player. Now I've lost it. I am SO into this story and I'm dying to know what happens next. Alas, I'm out of luck until I can get another copy from the library.
   
   
2. I'm reading Aldous Huxley's Island for the Lost Challenge and I hate it. I keep reading, hoping that there will be something that redeems it. I'm loosing hope quickly.
   
   
3. There's no way I'm going to finish the 1% Well Read Challenge by Feb. 28. I've been stressing myself out trying to get it done, but it is just NOT going to happen. So I'm throwing in the towel on this one. I will keep my list of unread books though, as I will be participating in this challenge again this year.
   
   
4. There is also no way that I will complete the Lost Challenge by Jan. 21, considering that I haven't even started Moby Dick yet. I have the audio book on hold at the library and I do plan to listen to it, but it won't be before the challenge is officially over.
   
   
5. My job is driving me crazy at the moment. There's lots of transitioning going on because our General Manager is retiring. In an office with a total of 17 people, a change like that is huge. Plus our holiday party is this weekend and half the office isn't going. I am, and I think I'm on the wrong half.
   
   
6. It is COLD outside. 17 degrees to be exact. Now I know that many of you are in places where the thermometer is in the negative numbers so my 17 may look nice to you, but trust me, it's cold and I don't like cold. I like snow though. So if it is going to be cold it might as well snow - there's no point to cold without snow.
   
   
7. There are other frustrating things at the moment but since they are mostly financial I won't go into all of them. Plus I think I've ranted long enough.
   

Ok, now that all that is off my chest, maybe my day will improve. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I know I will, because I'm going to pick up something that I actually WANT to read and take a break from Island. :)

Friday Finds 01/16/09

Here are the titles I added to my TBR list this week ...

1. Land of Marvels: A Novel, by Barry Unsworth - according to BookBrowse it is "a thriller set in 1914, Barry Unsworth brings to life the schemes and double-dealings of Western nations grappling for a foothold in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. " - there are archeologists, spies, and lots of drama in a political hotspot ... sounds sort of like Indiana Jones, no?
   


2. Affinity, by Sarah Waters - the story of two very different women in 1870s London, both struggling against their own kind of imprisonment - Alessandra's review really got my attention

I haven't added anything to Kiddo's list for a while but I do have one for this month ...

1. Night of the Howling Dogs, by Graham Salisbury - this is based on a real-life earthquake and tsunami that a scout troop survived in 1975 Hawaii - Ali read this with her boys and I enjoyed hearing their thoughts - I think kiddo would really get into this story

Do any of these titles appeal to you? Have you read any of them?

For more Friday Finds, visit MizB.

The Best Friend I Ever Had (a guest review)

Please welcome my guest reviewer for today, Erika Robuck. I met Erika a few months ago at the Maryland Writers Association meeting when I spoke about book blogging.

Erika is a writer and amateur historian. She writes historical fiction, and is publishing her novel, Receive Me Falling, in early 2009. [I'm REALLY looking forward to reading it!] When she's not doing research or writing, she spends her time with her family in Maryland and North Carolina . You can check out her book at www.erikarobuck.com, and her blog at www.erikarobuck.wordpress.com.

She is also a huge fan of Hemingway, so when I received this book for review I KNEW she'd be the perfect person to read it.

The Best Friend I Ever Had: Revelations About

Ernest Hemingway From Those Who Knew Him
by David Nuffer

167 pages

David Nuffer’s book, The Best Friend I Ever Had, is a compilation of the author’s correspondence and interviews with people who knew Ernest Hemingway. It is 167 pages so it is a quick read, and it is full of photos, copies of letters, and various other artifacts supporting the author’s work.

Nuffer is not an academic, and both directly and indirectly expresses his negative opinion of Hemingway academics. It seems he has adopted the wary and skeptical view toward Hemingway scholars that the people who knew Hemingway did. This is not a scholarly work, and it is openly biased in its opinion of Ernest Hemingway. Though some previously unpublished letters from the Mayo Clinic and personal anecdotes from Hemingway’s son, Patrick, and third wife, Mary, might interest the true Hemingway scholar, the target audience for the book would be limited to serious fans of Hemingway.

The book was interesting and readable. Apart from a few formatting errors, it was clear in its presentation. The best parts of it came from the people who knew Hemingway, firsthand. Their amusing anecdotes and loyalty to the author were well portrayed and touching.

What the book lacked, however, was organization. It felt very much like a list David Nuffer typed up of all the Hemingway “stuff” he knew. At the end of each section, he did truly list points he wanted to convey, but didn’t embed within the prose. It felt as if I were reading notes for a speech. Some of the items in his list needed elaboration, but the way they were presented left the reader feeling like she was on the outside of an inside conversation.

I can identify with Nuffer’s love of Hemingway and his passion to “right” the reputation of him. I think that if Nuffer had organized the text chronologically, and had made more of an attempt to turn his findings into fluent prose it would appeal to a wider audience. As it is, only the true Hemingway lover would find it of interest.

Thanks Erika for this review. I can't believe that you only had this book for two days - I think that's the quickest read and review I've ever seen!

Lovely Links #9

Welcome to this 9th edition of Lovely Links where I give some linky love to things I found fascinating recently. Most of it is book related (go figure!) but some is just plain interesting. Enjoy!

• Calling all Twilight fans! In case you haven't heard, Taylor Lautner, the actor who played Jacob in the movie, WILL get to keep that role in New Moon. If you recall from my movie review, I had a hard time with him in the movie because he was Sharkboy, but after reading New Moon I am solidly on Team Jacob!
  
• Book club in-fighting? Read all about it in the New York Times.
  
• A few authors out there are openly courting book clubs - I think it is great!


• In case you missed it, my monthly post is up at ReadingGroupGuides.com. My topic this go round was the unique titles that surfaced at my book club's Christmas Party Book Swap. Click here then scroll down to the post dated Jan. 5, 2009. Comments are always appreciated!


• Ready for a laugh? How 'bout this laptop vs. dragon commercial? This has nothing to do with books ... it is just plain funny.
  
• Such a Pretty Fat is the book pick at Costco. Huh? According to Book Club Girl, it's a funny book about weight loss. So NOT my kind of book. However, the video is HILARIOUS and you simply must go see it.
  
• Scientists are discussing a wish list of extinct animals that could eventually be brought back to life through DNA and surrogate mothers. The list (you'll have to scroll down that page to see the list) is fascinating, and other scientists are doing similar research. However, didn't we learn our lesson with Jurassic Park?
  
  

That's all for now ... see you next time!

Interpreter of Maladies

Interpreter of Maladies

by Jhumpa Lahiri

198 pages

This is not a book I would have chosen to read but it was this month's book club pick so I didn't have a choice. Boy, am I glad that is was!

The book is a collection of 9 short stories about different aspects of Indian and Indian/American life.

Lets begin with the "short story" part of that last sentence. I don't usually like short stories. I haven't read many but usually I find that as soon as I get hooked into the plot, the story is over. This book was very different. The stories did draw me in, but in most cases they were heartbreaking or painful in some way, and I was almost glad that they were over. That sounds like I didn't enjoy the book; in fact I did enjoy it very much, but not in a "fun" way, more in a "meaningful" way.

That brings me to the second part of the sentence above, the "different aspects of Indian and Indian/American life" part. These are not "feel-good" stories - these are "slice-of-life" and "reality" stories. And the reality is that most immigrants, regardless of where they are from, find it difficult to adapt to their new home while not abandoning their homeland. Rather than focusing on the big picture Lahiri gives us snapshots of (usually) immigrants lives, glimpses into the struggles they deal with on a daily basis, the clash of cultures, and so on. Three of the stories are told in first person point of view while the others are told in the third person.

Without spoilers, the nine stories in this book are:

• A Temporary Matter - Indian couple in America loses baby, connects over power outage
• When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine - young Indian girl in America explains visits of Indian man separated from his family during Partition
• Interpreter of Maladies - cab driver in India feels connection with married Indian American woman
• A Real Durwan - in India a former landowner works as doorman in poor area
• Sexy - an American girl has an affair with married Indian man
• Mrs. Sen’s - a young married Indian woman watches an American boy after school
• The Blessed House - newly married Indian American couple finds Christian “stuff” in their house
• The Treatment of Bibi Haldar - in India young woman with seizures is cared for by neighbors
• The Third and Final Continent - a young Indian man rents room from old American woman before bringing his wife to America

Three of the stories really resonated with me, although I can't say for sure why.

• Mrs. Sen's was the first in the book that really struck me. It was told from the point of view of the young American boy, and I think the insight he provided despite being a American and a child was perhaps the most meaningful part for me.
  
• The Blessed House was funny and sad at the same time, and very enjoyable. As for the ending, of course it bugs me - as with most short stories, it is somewhat ambiguous. I can't wait to discuss this particular tale with my book club to see if the other gals think things ended differently than I do.
  
• The Third and Final Continent was the perfect story with which to end this book. It was my very favorite of the tales. In this story and Indian man rents a room from an elderly American woman while waiting to bring his wife to America. Ends up that the woman is over 100 years old and was born in 1866. The dual clash of cultures - between the Indian man and America, and between the old woman and the America of the 1960s - was fascinating for me. And the ending was more neatly tied up than most of the other stories, which I appreciate. It's interesting to note that this story is based on Lahiri's father, a fact I learned while putting together discussion questions for my book club.

I'm very glad that I read this book. It (somewhat) changed my impression of short stories and it very definitely gave me insight into immigrant experiences that I was unfamiliar with.

This is a powerful book. The stories have insinuated themselves into me and the ones I connected with are continuing to pull at me, almost weighing me down, as if I've added something to myself. I'm not meaning to sound all philosophical, but I'm having a hard time explaining how these stories make me feel so I hope you'll forgive me if I don't make much sense.

My plan was to read one story each night before bed, as it seems that they need a bit of time to "soak in" but I didn't stick to that plan. It worked well at first though, and I suggest trying it out if you decide to read this book.

Questions for my readers:

• Is there a special way to discuss short stories in a book club setting? We've never done it before.
• Are there specific questions we should ask that would help us analyze a short story?
• And, as always, have you read this book? I'd be happy to include a link to your review here.

UPDATE: To read my book club's recap of this book click here.