Csquared Thoughts

getting started with books

Tahoe Mom asked recently, "What book first inspired you to read?" For her it was Mary Poppins. For me, I don't remember. What I do remember is this:

We had moved away from my home town and out to the desert, where we spent three years on account of my dad's job. It was summer, so no school. I had just gotten my first library card. I was tearing through the "thin" books - the Dr. Seuss-length ones. My mother was getting tired of taking me to the library all the time, so she pointed me to the older kid's part of the children's section, with the novel-length books.

That was the turning point. I never looked back.

I remember The Wind in the Willows (the Kenneth Grahame original, not the Disney version) though I'm sure that was not was the first. Then there were the Eleanor Cameron "Mushroom Planet" books, which were among the first, I think.

When we moved back to our home town when I was in the fourth grade, I very quickly got my library card there, and the library became one of my favorite places, especially in the summer. I remember discovering Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, which I checked out and read multiple times. I discovered her other children's books and enjoyed those as well.

I got off to a great start with books, and have been reading ever since.

say what?

Wow!

Somewhere along the line I missed this. The former competitors, Random House and Doubleday, are now part of the same Bertelsmann empire, along with Pantheon, Schocken, and Crown, not to mention a whole slew of others.

A totally different world from when I was in the book biz.

buying out-of-print books

Something the other day made me think about the process of buying out-of-print books.

When you wanted an out-of-print book in the 1980s, unless you had a good used book dealer nearby, you would send a letter (U.S. mail) to a used book company telling them what you wanted. They would check their network, and if a copy was available they would send you a letter with the condition and price. If you said you wanted it, they would try to get it, if another dealer hadn't gotten it first.

Today, with Amazon and Alibris and all, it's a whole lot more simple and straightforward.

One place where the internet and the Web has really made things easier.

current reading

I worked in the retail book biz in the mid-to-late 1970's and early 1980's. So I paid attention when I saw this book reviewed: The Time of Their Lives: The Golden Age of Great American Book Publishers, Their Editors and Authors.

I'm in the middle of the book now, and it's a real treat. If you have an interest in the world of book publishing, particularly in the mid-20th century, it's well worth grabbing.

Books & Culture

My mention of Books & Culture last week perked Fran's attention, so I thought I should write my promised entry on the topic.

Books & Culture is published by the folks at Christianity Today. Now Christianity Today (CT), you may be aware, is the flagship publication for the intelligent conservative side of Christian thought, just as The Christian Century is for the liberal. CT has some rather surprising stances in some areas. They see combating poverty worldwide as a vital task for Christians, and they support wise stewardship of the environment. On issues such as homosexuality and abortion their stances are more predictable.

Books & Culture, on the other hand, takes a balanced and even nearly academic approach. It is not by any means a bastion of liberalism, but the essays are intelligent, balanced, and well thought out. The magazine publishes both individual reviews of books and thoughtful essays that touch on multiple recently published titles on a given topic.

I've purchased at least two books based on their reviews: Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors and The Lost History of Christianity.

It's a great magazine if you're interested in the serious treatment of topics such as religion, literature, culture, history, and related areas.

New York Times Book Review

When I was cutting back on expenses recently, I discontinued the Saturday and Sunday New York Times. However, at the same time, I subscribed by mail to the New York Times Book Review.

As one who reads old-fashioned physical books, reads books on his Kindle, and listens to audio books, I was suddenly struck the other day by the obvious. When the NYT Book Review reviews a book, they only list the print edition. Now I can easily go to Amazon and find the other editions available, but it occurred to me that in 2009 the NYT should go beyond just the print edition and advise readers of all available formats.

more on fiction

I wrote recently about reading fiction again after a long stretch of only reading non-fiction.

I've read two novels back-to-back. First, The Rose Variations, followed by Commencement: A Novel.

The books had a few things in common. Both were published this year. Both involved college campuses. Both had great character and plot development. Both were page-turners (or in my case, Kindle-clickers).

And at the end, both left me with the reaction, "That's it? You're leaving me there? You're kicking me off the bus with no more resolution than this?"

Maybe that's a characteristic of the 21st century novel.I haven't read enough of them to know. And maybe it's a reaction to older novels that tied up everything in nice little bows, whether it made sense or not.

Nonetheless, I feel that I've been kicked off the train (to slightly change metaphors) before arriving at the station.

I do have a few non-fiction books to get caught up on.

not of this world?

The other day I pulled into a parking space at my local Mexican restaurant for lunch. Next to me was a big, new SUV with a window decal that said "Not of this world." I did question why if the owner was not of this world they would spend so much money on a big, new SUV. Perhaps if they're not of this world, it doesn't bother them that the planet has a limited supply of oil. But that's not my point here.

The story continues: After lunch I pulled into a parking space at the grocery store. I got out of my car and noticed the very same decal on the car next to mine (this one a small, modest, foreign car).

Bizarre, seeing the same decal twice in succession on cars parked next to mine. Especially since at the same time I had been listening to the audio book version of Brian McLaren's book A Generous Orthodoxy, which focuses on living the teachings of Jesus in this world.

which book where?

I was having coffee with my friend Lynn on Saturday. I had my Kindle with me and I started it up to show her a book I was planning on reading soon. It wasn't there. I remembered it was on my iPod.

Oh, yeah. That's right.

on reading fiction

Finishing the first novel I'd read in a while, I was struck by a down side to reading fiction. You become engrossed in a world you enjoy, but when you come to the end of the novel you have to leave that world whether you want to or not.

Still, it was fun while you were there.