At the risk of discouraging future such candor for our e-enjoyment, I commend the following to you.

Current Hillary supporter (who’s reluctantly coming around to Obama) and Corrente blog contributor VastLeft is promising a serial book report of The Audacity of Hope. Vastleft’s first entry contains an explanation for Obama being a member but not a koolaid drinker at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years:

A couple of years later, [Obama] decided to go all-in for a U.S. Senate bid, which was “bolstered by several helpful endorsements.” I don’t doubt it.If he wasn’t successful, he was going to pack in his political ambitions, to the likely relief of his wife.

He spent four or five hours a day calling major Democratic donors. Funny, Hillary is routinely vilified for seeking out large contributions. I reckon the difference is that when Obama gets a large donation, it’s still really all about you. I’ll bet the checks are even made out to you.

He lists the various places he gets himself invited to, in order to promote himself, including getting people “to arrange for my visit to their church.” Sometimes, though, the pastors would “forget to recognize me.” That’s gotta suck, doesn’t it, when you miss out on a chance to campaign in a house of worship?

Of course, I think most of what VastLeft says is hogwash, but it is fun to see those Democratic rapiers carving up Democrats for a spell.

(excerpted and edited from ‘tigers and strawberries’)

The Art of Simple Food - by Alice Waters

…is not just a cookbook.

It is also a primer of essential culinary techniques, with basic recipes for the neophyte to memorize and expand upon creatively.

It is also a guide to building up a pantry with basic items which will allow one to cook good, simple food from any fresh, seasonal ingredients available; it also gives a ground-up lesson on the most simple, basic kitchen tools needed to cook well and easily.

It is also Waters’ personal food philosophy and lifestyle manifesto, which boils down to these admonitions emblazoned on the back cover of the book:

Eat locally and sustainably; Eat seasonally; Shop at farmers’ markets; Plant a garden; Conserve, compost and recycle; Cook simply; Cook together; Eat together; and Remember food is precious.

The Art of Simple Food is a literary distillation of the Slow Food Movement, and embodies everything that is beautiful about the worldwide food revolution. Before even opening the book, this aesthetic adherence to the principles of simplicity in food are evident (and not just because the word, “simple” features in the title.) The hardcover book features no shiny dust jacket, nor any flashy food porn photographic illustrations. Instead, the spine is bound in sundried tomato-colored fabric, with the embossed, turmeric-hued boards of the cover finished to a smooth matte embellished only by the title, subtitle and author.

As she leads her reader along this winding path towards treating food as a precious gift instead of a worthless commodity, Waters writes in a clear, distinctive voice which reminded me of none other than Julia Child. She has the same clarity in her explanations of technique and a very similar ability to describe the cooking process in a visceral way which not only teaches the neophyte cook to use every sense while they cook, but also makes serious cooking seem unstuffy, easy and yes, even fun.

Consider this passage, a sidebar to her basic instructions on how to make risotto:

Listen to the sounds the risotto makes as it cooks. The crackling sizzle of the rice tells you it’s time to add the wine, which makes a gratifying whoosh; and the bloop-bloop of the bubbles popping signals it’s time to add more broth.

While her onomatopoeic description is certainly droll, it is also a perfect description of what making a risotto sounds like. This sort of earthy, lightly humorous prose really helps loosen up a new cook in the kitchen, giving them something concrete to grab onto as they sail the uncharted seas of a new recipe. It is almost as good as having a seasoned cook standing close by, whispering advice into your ear…

If there’s one thing which irks me about all the year-end lists (you know–best books, best movies, best restaurants) it’s that they come out AFTER all the gift-giving holidays have elapsed. So know you’ve got all these new book and dvd ideas and no one to buy them for you except your ownself.

The Blogstar lists his top 5 books of 2007. The latest issue of EW also lists Stephen King’s top 10 books for 2007, but I can’t link to it yet because it doesn’t seem to be live on the web.

What about you? What were the best books you read last year? Pony up, I need to spend my Christmas money on something.

Reuters reports that British fantasy author, Terry Pratchett has a rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s disease.   Pratchett made the announcement to fans on via his web-site.

“I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news,” Pratchett said.

Pratchett said he was continuing his work and planned to complete his current commitments. His publisher is HarperCollins.

“Frankly I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there’s time for at least a few more books yet,” he wrote in the statement, dated December 11.

Sad news for Pratchett and his family, as well as his many fans world-wide.  Kind of a reminder how every day is precious and we should never take the good ones for granted.   You never know what’s coming in the next second, minute or hour…

Pratchett is the creator of the popular DiscWorld series (which if you’ve not read any of them, you should).

Remember all the fuss about The Golden Compass? Well, a local rightie and religious guy went to see the controversial film, and has reported back with his findings.

What in heaven’s name is there in this film to object to? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a good boycott when it’s needed. I’m even a multi-task capable boycotter. I stayed away from all things French until they recently elected Sarkozy as their President. All of that while maintaining my years long commitment to not see ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ or ‘Brokeback Mountain’. My family homeschools our 5 children and none of them has ever spent even 30 seconds in a public school as a student. I can do Politics, Religion and even toss in Education and not even break a sweat. … Most atheists, once having come to the conclusion He does not, become just as dogmatic in defense of their untenable conclusion as any Christian is of the premise that He does. I suspect Pullman falls into this group. At its root, atheism is as “religious”, as “Christian”, a position as any other addition of men to the revelation of God. As such, it’s doomed to the same inglorious end at His glorious appearing.

Thinking God’s existence is a bit too settled a matter to be called into question because a writer penned a scene that ends “… this is where I kill God” …

He’s got a lot of detail over at his blog about the movie and the books–which he is now reading. Frankly, I read the books and didn’t like them because they are dark and depressing. The God stuff bothers me not one jot.

Just in time for Holiday Gift Giving, Kathy T. unveils her book!

You Go, Girl!

I’m a bookstore junkie so I spend a lot of time hanging out at your Borders And Nobles A Millions in and around the Nashville area. I keep seeing this book with an intriguing cover called The Secret, but since it’s non-fiction I’m not reading it. I don’t read non-fiction unless it’s history or some type of educational material. I’m a snob about all those self-helpy kinds of books, both Christian (Purpose Driven Life) and Not (He’s Just Not That Into You).

A few days ago I was reading a forum and one of the other forum users talked about how The Secret helped him buy a new car or make a dentist’s appointment or some kind of thing like that. It made me wonder what in the flaming hell the “secret” was, but not so much that I’d actually read the damned thing. Which is where the ever-informative Tim W. of Mother Tongue Annoyances comes in handy.

After all of that research, I conclude that The Secret is an ethically deplorable attempt on the part of Rhonda Byrne and her cast of merry hucksters to capitalize on human greed and selfishness (both their own as well as that of their readers).

He goes into more detail at his place
. At last I know what the “secret” is. It’s basically a book that tells you how to manipulate people into getting your way. Merry Christmas!!!

jmsloop has passed sentence on the growing idea that book clubs are for chicks only.

I was reminded of one of those odd articulations between “gender” and “activity” that frustrates the dickens out of me. There, in the Living section, was a rather lengthy article about book clubs and what amazing communities they help women build. Could someone please explain why “book clubs” have become so closely articulated to women and why it’s so difficult to break this articulation? … Something is amiss when you ask a guy about reading books, and a moment of homosexual panic breaks out. And it’s not just this one guy. Regardless of how I approach the topic, men don’t simply act uninterested; they act as if there is something horribly amiss about the idea. Guys, we need book clubs; we need them now:

Check out his place for the many reasons that men need book clubs.

I personally think the idea of “book clubs” as a gals’ thing originated with Oprah’s popularisation of the concept. That, coupled with the fact that most books marketed as Book Club Material are decidedly geared toward a female audience has sort of killed the idea of a book club as a masculine endeavor.

Of course, women do have more time to read all those books anyway, what with all that extra sick time they’re takin’.

Okay J.K. Rowling fans, this isn’t good news:

LONDON - J.K. Rowling has completed her first book not to feature teen wizard Harry Potter an illustrated collection of magical fairy stories titled “The Tales of Beedle the Bard.”

Only seven copies of the book are being printed, Rowling said Thursday. One will be auctioned next month to raise money for a children’s charity, while the others have been given away as gifts.

Rowling drew the illustrations herself and provided the handwriting for the five stories that make up the collection of fairytales.

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is mentioned in the final Potter book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” as a gift left by headmaster Albus Dumbledore to Harry’s friend Hermione, and provides clues that help destroy evil Lord Voldemort.

Only seven copies were made. Rowling does things her own way. No one ever said any different. Starting bid for the one book going to charity is a mere $62,000 dollars.

Does she take checks?

ED. Update: Copyright attorney Ron Coleman weighs in with a surprising (to me) opinion.

[Ed. Note: She’s done this before. I imagine there will be a decent interval after the charity auction and then there will be a longer print run also for charity.–KC]

This is your last call to join National Novel Writing Month, which begins at midnight tonight. If you have never done NaNoWriMo, it’s like no other experience. You will discover creative talents you did not know existed.

Do you have time to devote to this project? No! So much the better. I think it almost works better when you’re under pressure. Anything that will let you ignore your internal editor and obsess over word count is a good thing in the NaNoWriMo universe.

I boasted early on that I was jumping back into the NaNoWriMo fray this year. I completed my 50,000-word novel in 2004, the first year I tried NaNoWriMo, but I failed in 2005 and had conflicts which kept me from participating in 2006.

Since committing, loudly and publicly, to the project — I havent checked yet, but think I’m probably included in today’s edition of the podcast — my work assignments have changed and I’m now doing considerably more at work. On paper, this looks like the absolute worst time to try to devote time every day to writing. But I’m excited about it anyway. (UPDATE: I am in the podcast, at about the 22-minute mark. You can listen to the podcast from the home page.) Read the rest of this entry »

Jay Voorheis has his thoughts on The Golden Compass

There is no doubt that Phillip Pullman, the writer of the His Dark Materials trilogy from which The Golden Compass is taken, maintains a negativity toward religion, especially insitutionalized forms of religion. Some have suggested that Pullman’s work was intended to be a counter in opposition to the themes in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (whom Pullman describes as racist and disparaging of women), however Pullman denies that as his intention. Pullman is disparaging of institutional religion, seeing the harm inflicted upon humanity in the name of God as invalidating all claims of those religions. … The movie industry was not unaware of the controversy this series has generated when they began to create the movie adaptation of the first book in the series, The Golden Compass. As a result, there have been changes made in the story to remove some of the more offensive themes present in the books.

There’s much more info over at his place. He’s written a very good piece.

As a Harry Potter nutcase (all apologies to Tim W.), I’ve been very familiar with the His Dark Materials trilogy. They’re often recommended to Harry Potter readers because of the genre similarity. I read The Golden Compass years ago, and was struck not only by the very anti-religious tone of the book but by it’s utter bleakness.

I have no issue with anyone wanting to be athiest OR anti-religion. (Really, RoR!, I don’t.) I think that it’s probably a good idea for children of certain ages to read things which challenge their preconceptions. But man, these books were some of the most depressing things I’ve read outside of Russian fiction.

Thanks ‘coma…that made me laugh, too!

A gay character in Harry Potter?

Interesting.

Any thoughts from you HP fans out there?

Reba’s reading several things lately.

The last book I picked up is a book on French History. The book is by Pierre Goubert and is called “The Course of French History”. It has been a couple of years since I have looked into French history and I have been wanting to learn more about the country.

I used to be very good about picking a topic and studying it, but I have drifted from that habit and I want to rebirth it. I miss learning and I miss challenging myself. I figured French history it a good place to start because I enjoy French art, food, movies, etc.

I get where Reba’s coming from. I don’t feel like I’ve really challenged myself with my reading in awhile. Sure, I enjoy kicking back with the latest thriller (In fact, I’m eyeing that Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child book on my husband’s nightstand pretty hard.) I’m thinking that as soon as I come out of the opiate haze I’m in right now I’d like to pick up something more challenging. Any suggestions?

Kathy T. has a book!

This is more than groovy and west Tennessee’s own Badger did the book design! What are you guys waiting for, go pat her on the back.

First, we have BeckEye from Brooklyn, with her cleverly named ‘The Pop Eye‘.

I finally got around to reading The Catcher in the Rye recently, and I must say it was quite enjoyable. However, I’m having a hard time understanding what exactly qualifies it as this flaming “classic” that usually makes people foam at the mouth when they talk about it. Perhaps all the build-up it’s gotten has ruined its excellence for me? Perhaps I can’t fully appreciate it because I never read it as a teenager? Or perhaps it’s not quite as great as everyone claims?

I’m a firm believer that there are certain books that changed your life back in the teenage/early college days that really shouldn’t be re-read. You should savor the memory and smile that you had a life that could be changed by something written in a novel.

For me, ‘Catcher in the Rye’ had THE voice. You may have wanted to swat the whiny H. Caulfield, but that was the first book I ever read where people actually talked on page the way they talked in walking-around life. Maybe it IS a book you need to read as a teenager, because some of those words explicate teen-age angst better than any words writ after. I dunno, but I’m scared to pick that book up again. I don’t wanna be disappointed.

You got any of those books (Hardy Boys don’t count, lol)?

It’s been a little over two weeks since McKay’s Used Books opened their new store here in Nashville on Charlotte Pike. (Evil) Amy paid a visit this weekend and has some advice:

I shall put it this way: The building that houses McKay’s used to be a Mattress Warehouse. It’s THAT big. The book section alone is bigger than the entire Charlotte Ave branch of the library. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a snack, kids.

I know BOM is excited that it’s now open. Anyone else been yet?

The news broke yesterday that fantasy author Robert Jordan passed away Sunday. Jordan, who is best known for his popular “Wheel of Time” series, was 58.

“The Wheel of Time” currently sits at 11 novels and Jordan was working on the 12th at the time of his death. There are reports who told someone in his family how the 12th book would end, but there is uncertainty is he told anyone how he’d wrap up the epic fantasy series.

Jonathan Hickman is saddened by an increasingly large number of people.

When some people redesign their websites it is scary and troubling to me.

Madeline L’Engle has passed away.

L’Engle died at a nursing home in Litchfield of natural causes, according to Jennifer Doerr, publicity manager for publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The Newbery Medal winner wrote more than 60 books, including fantasies, poetry and memoirs, often highlighting spiritual themes and her Christian faith.

Although L’Engle was often labeled a children’s author, she disliked that classification. In a 1993 Associated Press interview, she said she did not write down to children.

“In my dreams, I never have an age,” she said. “I never write for any age group in mind. When people do, they tend to be tolerant and condescending and they don’t write as well as they can write.

“When you underestimate your audience, you’re cutting yourself off from your best work.”

The winners of this year’s Hugo Awards have been announced.

For those of you who don’t know, the Hugos are given annually by the members of the World Science Fiction Convention.   They’re kind of like the Emmys or Oscars for the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genre.

I’m happy to see Doctor Who took home it’s second Hugo in as many years in “Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form” category for last year’s “The Girl in the Fireplace.”  (And it beat out Battlestar Galactica, which is quite an achievement).  Awards were also given for the best movie, the best book, the best novel and best novella, among others.  You can view the entire list of winners here.   

Newscoma was without Internet access for a couple of days and picked up a new book, The Ruins.

Although the novels are completely different, it reminded me a bit of “The Body Snatchers” by Jack Finney. Claustrophobic with a wry, gallows sense of humor, the book was unusual in the fact that they main characters, except for The German, were all extremely shallow and unlikeable.

But, you knew them. You understood the prissy girl, the slut, the control freak and the teacher/jock, they are people in our day to day lives. And it’s written in a style that hinges itself on psychological tension stretched so taut that you find yourself with a fine, almost drowning sense of the wiggums.

And that’s why “The Ruins” works so well. We don’t like the main characters, but, by God, we know them.

I picked the book up last weekend and it’s on my pile of books I’m going to read. But after reading Coma’s endorsement, it may have moved up a few notches.

Big Stupid Tommy has been around awhile. He’s funny, has a lot to say and is not always safe for work.

Who cares! He’s fun. Is it wrong to be smitten over here at Music City Bloggers? I can do that on my own blog. It’s confusing.

Anyway.

Recently, he wrote about his love of reading, and the unlove part of it.

I had a Pop Culture class in college, and we had to read a romance novel. I don’t remember the title, though Janet Dailey wrote it. (Looking through Amazon, it’s either Rivals or Heiress…) I remember finding my copy at a used book store for a quarter. I’ve never thrown a book across a room as many times as I did that one.

It was one of those moments where I said “this woman is putting crap out and selling tens upon thousands of copies, and I can write circles around her….”

Tommy, so many of us feel the same way although these books are obviously adored. I can’t read romance pulp novels myself. I tried once. It went poorly.

It ended in tears.

Give me a zombie book or Bruce Campbell’s latest and I’m in a state of bliss. Free time is what you make of it.

Heh.