A Bloggers' Book Club

My dear blogger friends, I invite you to join me for a bloggers' book club.  My idea is a bit different from the standard offline affair.  Rather than everyone reading the same book, I will host a monthly blog hop for which all participants will post about the best (or, as is likely in my own case, only) book they've read over the past month.  In this way, everyone gets to read the books they like and also regularly exchange thoughts with other enthusiastic readers.

I propose the last Friday of each month as blog hop/meeting day, beginning in May. For this first month, I'd like to keep things simple - any book is fine.  Perhaps it need never be more complicated than that, but I am open to suggestions for future months: common themes, common questions to answer, etc.

If you'd like to add an extra twist to this venture, you might give my 12 Books in 12 Months challenge a try in conjunction.  The basic idea is explained here.  The books I read for my own challenge are listed here.

First "meeting" shall be Friday, May 31st.  If you're interested, please add your link to the list below.  I hope you will join me!

Second Basemen, A to Z: Bobby Doerr

Player: Bobby Doerr
Born: 4/7/1918 in Los Angeles, California
Major League Career: 1937-51
Games Played at Second Base: 1,852
Most Games Played For: Boston Red Sox


Photo via Power Play Sportscards

Bobby Doerr was an All-Star nine times in his career. He is one of eight players to have his jersey number (#1) retired by the Boston Red Sox, for whom he played his entire career. He was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1986.

******************

For last year's A-Z Challenge, I featured players of the Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Browns organization, my favorite baseball team. I managed to cover every position on the field except for one: second baseman. As such, I decided to devote this year's challenge entirely to the second base position, honoring the individuals who earned their keep playing one of the game's most demanding defensive positions.

Head on over to Blogging from A to Z April Challenge to find others joining the adventure.


Be sure to visit Kathleen at Living 2012. In addition to her A-Z adventures, Kathleen is taking on my 12 Books in 12 Months Challenge! Care to join her? Details on the challenge are here. The books I read are listed and linked here. The books other people have read are here.

Please also visit another new friend at InspiringAlways.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Tear-Jerker

Book: The Time Traveler's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger


Image via Heroes and Villains

No, the book didn't make me cry. I wondered briefly if that meant I had really fulfilled the requirement. Then I decided that a quest to find a book that would, in fact, bring tears to my eyes would most certainly be unhealthy. There is no doubt that the intention of this story is to make the reader cry so I'd say that's close enough.

I'm still working out how I feel about this book. As previously written, I am skeptical of time travel narratives in general. I do appreciate the fact that this one sets up the rules early: despite his temporal escapades, Henry can change nothing. At the end of the day, he is just another of life's wanders, even if his path meanders in unusual directions.

Here's the question I'm chewing on: how much does time travel actually add to the story? Imagine the same tale told without it. The Henry & Clare romance is a compelling narrative - yet somehow, it's not quite enough to stand on its own. Their everyday dealings with loss are easy to relate to: deaths of loved ones, confrontations with one's own mortality, miscarriages, etc. The time travel permits an extra-dimensional perspective but the science fiction fan in me is less impressed. Apart from the narrative convenience which time travel provides, there seems little point to it. Does Henry's abnormality serve a higher purpose in the end? Not really. It's a quirk, a novelty, a frequent inconvenience with occasionally tragic consequences. Is there any meaningful resolution as to the science behind it? No.

That said, there were moments in the book I really enjoyed. I thought the description of Clare drawing Alba while the latter slept was lovely. In fact, I would have liked knowing more about Clare's art. I doubt many readers know much about the paper making process so clearer explanations would have been handy. In truth, I found Clare a more interesting character when she was apart from Henry - less so the other way around.

As a romance novel, I would say the book hits its mark cleanly, even if I didn't cry. As a science fiction tale, it falls well short.

**********

And so, I have completed the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. I managed it in just under five months. I'm glad to have knocked out the first several during the summer as the going has definitely been slower once school started.

I would certainly like to do this again but I'm going to wait a while so I can read other things, too. Please send category ideas my way if you should have any.

**********

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here. My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar. Other blogs currently participating:

My Wife - Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail
Mrs. Mock - Exclamation Point (!)

Two friends of My Wife are also participating: TonTon via Facebook and The Hermitess via Goodreads.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book You Really Don't Want to Read but Everyone Keeps Raving About It

Title: Memoirs of a Geisha
Author: Arthur Golden


Image via live through books...

The two years I spent teaching English in Japan encompass the life-defining experience of my young adulthood. Elements of that experience are so vital to my sense of self that I have difficulty discussing them with people, even with those I trust completely. Thinking back to my life before Japan is to recall a time before I was fully awake to my surroundings. As such, I am very protective of what I selfishly consider my Japan.

Memoirs of a Geisha was published in 1997, a year which I spent almost entirely in Japan. While I poured through many novels about the Land of the Rising Sun, I've avoided this one for a long time. It's a book that comes up frequently when I mention my time in Japan - not too surprising considering that it's the most widely-read book about the country since Shogun. But I can't help bristling as I know that for too many Westerners, their concept of Japan - and perhaps of Asia in general - is limited to samurai, ninja and geisha. My own Japan, the ultra-modern Yokohama and Tokyo of the late '90s, is so far removed from that romanticized past that I can't imagine anyone appreciating why it's so important to me. The film Lost in Translation is much closer to my own memories.

It's silly of me, really. Why should my Japan be like Arthur Golden's any more than my concept of New York could be like J.D. Salinger's or my concept of New Jersey could be like Bruce Springsteen's? But while I've lived in those places as well, I don't feel the same way about them - not even close. Thus, I don't feel as threatened by the differences.

I have to admit that I got swept up in the story anyway, which is not to say that the book is without troubling elements. I don't know Mr. Golden personally so I won't make any assumptions about his sexual attitudes. But I met a lot of men with the Japanese woman fetish. (It didn't happen for me. I dated while I was there but almost exclusively Western women.) Apart from the physical attributes, I know that the appeal for a lot of men is the prevailing ideal of demure, subservient Asian women. Geisha are the ultimate embodiment of that ideal. To his credit, Golden does not overly glamorize the geisha world. Sayuri had a rough life and her lot was probably better than most. But very little of her story is self-determined. While that may, indeed, be an accurate reflection of the life of not just geisha but of most Japanese women, she makes for an uninspiring protagonist.

Despite all of that, I enjoyed the book. Only one more to go!


*******************************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here. My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar. Other blogs currently participating:

My Wife - Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail
Mrs. Mock - Exclamation Point (!)

Two friends of My Wife are also participating: TonTon via Facebook and The Hermitess via Goodreads.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: Your Mom/Dad/Sister/Brother's Favorite Book

Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: L. M. Montgomery


Image via Suite101.com

Anne Shirley is my kind of people. To be sure, her wit, eloquence, creativity and joie de vivre are enough to charm nearly any reader of L. M. Montgomery's classic. But when Anne told off Mrs Lynde for calling her homely, I was sold! I was entirely prepared for the girl to internalize her pain when she let the town busy body have it. Then again, how could one not love a chapter entitled "Mrs Rachel Lynde Is Properly Horrified"?

Anne of Green Gables is my sister's favorite book. I had never read it before. Now I look back, thinking of all the women I've known for whom this story was important and seeing something of Anne in each of them. Indeed, it would seem the precocious red head has been a part of my life all along. I love her as I love the many disciples who have shaped my life from birth.

I already know one book of Anne will not be enough for me. I know something of the broader story. We watched the Anne of Avonlea TV mini-series as a family once upon a time, on my sister's initiative, of course. I know, for instance, that the Gilbert Blythe saga is just getting started.

My sister wisely married her own Gilbert Blythe and they're busy raising a lovely family of their own, their son just a month younger than Our Girl. Sadly, they live far away in California so we don't get to see them very often. We do have plans for a vacation together next summer, though: a pilgrimage to Prince Edward Island. In preparation, My Wife is reading Anne to Our Girl - the first time for both of them.

*******************************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here. My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar. Other blogs currently participating:

My Wife - Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail
Mrs. Mock - Exclamation Point (!)

Two friends of My Wife are also participating: TonTon via Facebook and The Hermitess via Goodreads.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Classic Work of Children's Literature

Title: A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Author: Madeleine L'Engle


Image via The Warden's Walk

Just how long does it take for something to become a classic? By the early '90s, classic rock stations were already claiming U2 as one of their own. ESPN has its Instant Classics, an excuse to replay a game from Sunday again on Monday. As such, I think a book written in 1978 can stake claim to classic status. That's 33 years, a generation-plus, after all.

I have long been a skeptic of time travel narratives. For one thing, they are rarely done well. For another, I often get the sense that TV shows turn to time travel when they've run out of other ideas. With Lost, there's no question that was the case. Even with a sci-fi classic like Star Trek, I can't help feeling that their time travel stories are a bit awkward. I'd prefer a showdown with the Borg anytime. In short, a time travel story must have well-established rules and must abide by them. In fact, the same can be said for fantasy and sci-fi literature in general. Even an imaginary world must have limitations in order to be plausible.

Settling in to read A Swiftly Tilting Planet, I quickly realized that a big part of why I'm so particular about time travel stories is this very book. I think I must have read it for the first time in my early teens and it has always been my favorite of L'Engle's Time series. She clearly put a lot of thought into time travel and as such, she did it right. Her explanations of the five dimensions and tesseracts in A Wrinkle in Time have stayed with me my whole life.

I'm not sure what it was about this, the third book in the series, that was so meaningful to me. Perhaps as a boy, I was better able to relate to Charles Wallace than to Meg. Perhaps as a young adolescent, the socio-political issues addressed in the book fueled my own developing social consciousness.

But then, there is so much to like about this book. I love how the chapter titles follow the lines of the rune. I love the fact that science and spirituality are not treated as mutually exclusive concepts. I love Gaudior, the unicorn who serves as Charles Wallace's guide. He is not an Aslan/Gandalf equivalent. He reminds me more of Clarence, George Bailey's guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life: vulnerable, uncertain, yet unfailingly devoted.

Thanks to Wikipedia, I have learned that there are two further sequels in the Time series that I didn't even know about before: Many Waters and An Acceptable Time. I may need to check those out at some point.

*******************************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here. My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar. Other blogs currently participating:

My Wife - Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail
Mrs. Mock - Exclamation Point (!)

Two friends of My Wife are also participating: TonTon via Facebook and The Hermitess via Goodreads.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book by Someone with Your Same Initials

Title: In the Labyrinth

Author: Alain Robbe-Grillet


Image via Oneworld Classics

Scanning our shelves for AR options, I came up with a choice between Ayn Rand and Alain Robbe-Grillet. In the Labyrinth is significantly shorter than Atlas Shrugged so I went with the Frenchman. Those of you well versed in French literature will understand that even at 207 pages, I was in for a tough slog. For the rest of you, I offer the book in board game form...

Draw a card: "It is snowing. Lose your turn."

Draw a card: "Contemplate the film of dust on the game table. Go forward two spaces. It is still snowing."

Draw a card: "Move forward four spaces. Consider whether this is truly the right space rather than any of the other seemingly identical spaces on the board. Go back one. It has been snowing for a long time."

Draw a card: "Does this card rightfully belong to the player to your left? Hide it under the table, stagger around the room, then see if you can find it again. Ask everyone at the table if they've seen your card. Lose your turn. It will continue to snow for the foreseeable future."

Worst board game ever!

Seriously, for the first three quarters of the novel, virtually nothing happens. Then there's a rush of action at the end when all is revealed. Which is to say, nothing much at all is revealed. I didn't even realize until the end that the "end of fighting" didn't mean French liberation in 1944. It meant French surrender in 1940. No wonder it's so depressing!

Very strange book. I don't think Hasbro will go for the licensing deal.


*******************************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here. My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar. Other blogs currently participating:

My Wife - Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail
Mrs. Mock - Exclamation Point (!)

Two friends of My Wife are also participating: TonTon via Facebook and The Hermitess via Goodreads.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

State of the Blog 2011

It has been a year of evolution for The Armchair Squid. No longer merely a sports blog, the Squid has moved into the realms of literature and music. However, I believe that both sports and the arts are expressions of culture, reflecting different aspects of the human experience. A balanced life - that of an individual, a family, a community - should contain elements of both. In the coming year, the third in the life of the Squid, I shall continue to explore sports, literature and music. Further evolution in new directions is always likely. The Olympics are coming up next summer and that is certain to influence my posts.


Blogging Projects


Mock deserves full credit for getting me involved in blogging projects this past year. First, he tackled the 30 Comics in 30 Days challenge for his own blog, Stay on target... Then he discovered both the A to Z challenge and the 30 Songs in 30 Days challenge and encouraged me to try. Both were very positive experiences.

I definitely plan on doing A to Z again. I already have my theme ready to go. I have also designed my own challenge: 12 Books in 12 Months. I encourage you to join us for it. The details are here.


Books


Image via The Guardian

Books have become the life blood of the Squid and I have a number of projects lined up for the coming year. One is the 12 Books challenge mentioned above. I also have set a goal of reading The Hobbit to my daughter before the Peter Jackson film comes out next December. Then there's DC Comics' New 52. Mock, a true aficionado, has been feeding me comics for about a year now. I didn't read them much at all as a kid, devoting myself to Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons instead. As such, it's like a whole new world for me. I'm also a sucker for a good marketing campaign and thus cannot help being intrigued by DC's upcoming relaunch of 52 titles, including their most popular series. Justice League #1 is set for release on August 31st, the rest to follow in September.

Oh, I'm also trying to write a book. I've sort of hit a wall for the moment and could use some encouragement. It's a book based on my Orange Crush experience and youth soccer in general. I still think it's worth doing but I need to rethink the project a bit to make it work.


Family Adventures


Photo via Bruce Fong's Blog

I've already told My Wife that I'm taking responsibility for winter enjoyment this year. The Vermont winter, while frequently beautiful, is long and arduous. It's all too easy to feel snowbound and not leave the house for weeks at a time except when you absolutely must. I think we need to be more deliberate in combating that feeling this year. In truth, winter isn't even the toughest part of the year. The transitional seasons in November and March are brutal, too. So, perhaps my project is better described as Weekend Enjoyment.

My vision is to get all of us out of the house once a weekend for a non-errand outing, even if just for a leisurely walk in the neighborhood. The ideal activity is one that appeals to all three of us, gets us outdoors and doesn't cost much. The first condition is essential, the other two negotiable. There will be weekends when the idea of being outside is not remotely appealing but getting out of the house will be necessary anyway. Also, there may be weekends when the one thing we all really want to do will cost a bit. There will, indeed, be weekends when dragging everyone out of our cozy hibernation den - self included - will be enough challenge in itself. But it is for those weekends in particular that I feel this is important.

As mentioned in my Squiddies post, I'd like to take and post more photos this year. We do truly live in a beautiful place. I think photography will help me to appreciate that more often.


Baseball


Image via http://baltimoreorioles.devhub.com/

It's been a fun year with baseball, only moderate tinkering required for Year 3. The Baltimore Orioles will continue to be my primary focus and I have a new look planned for their 2012 campaign. The Chicago Cubs will still serve as my glimpse into the National League. I certainly hope to go to more Vermont Lake Monsters games next season. My bold proposal experiment shall continue as long as it remains viable. The Milwaukee Brewers, though, are the most likely team to upset my apple cart and they're looking pretty strong indeed right now. As much as possible, I will explore baseball's connections to other elements of culture: music, books, film, poetry, etc. I now understand why baseball has long held such appeal for professional writers.


Music


Photo via ullman211

This is a tricky one. Music is my job and I originally started the blog as something that would be completely separate from my daily work. But there's no denying the success of the 30 Songs in 30 Days experience for me so I'd like to find ways of incorporating music in future posts. To that end, I plan to explore the connections between the worlds of music and sport. Luckily, there are plenty.


Fantasy Sports


Image via Ghosts of Wayne Fontes

I shall continue posting my fantasies: baseball, football and tennis certainly. I also will be expanding my college football exploits (That sound you hear is My Wife groaning in despair. Don't worry, dear. This won't mean actually watching more games.) I intend to make a better showing in our college bowls group this year and as such, I will follow the regular season more closely. Care to join my pick 'em group? All are welcome...

Yahoo! Group #1978
Password: mockmock

Also, there is no stronger link in America between sports and music than that which exists in college football. Stay tuned.


Curling


Photo via Aww Dip

I will once again follow the World Championships but what I really want to do this year is get out on the ice myself. Mock has also convinced me to try broomball. Maybe mine could become the broom sports blog!


Tennis

Photo via Free-Extras
I will continue to post my Curtain Calls for Slams and to follow my Golden Squid. Interestingly, tennis is the only sport I've mentioned so far which is still a Summer Olympic sport. However, the real fun of following the Olympics is the chance to see the sports that don't get much or any exposure otherwise. As such, I'm likely to focus more of my Olympic attention on those than on tennis.


Photo via Executive Chairs

As I said last year, if anyone enjoys reading The Armchair Squid half as much as I enjoy writing it, we're all doing pretty well. I'm looking forward to Year 3. I hope you'll join me.

For comparison, here's last year's State of the Blog.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book for Which You Have Not Already Seen the Movie

Title: A Clockwork Orange
Author: Anthony Burgess


Image via The Book Mark

I've seen other Kubrick films - Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Eyes Wide Shut - but have managed to avoid A Clockwork Orange. I've always assumed that I wouldn't have the stomach for the violence and the book did little to ease my misgivings. I've long had a plan to read Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange and 1984 together but now that I'm two thirds of the way through the dystopian trilogy, I don't think I'm up for a re-read of the Orwell novel. While I wrote in my review of the Huxley work that Brave New World is not as dark as 1984, A Clockwork Orange is thoroughly grotesque.

A Clockwork Orange reminds me of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting in many ways: a frequently violent book about disenfranchised youth written in vernacular. Of course, in Burgess's case, it's an invented vernacular but the reader's task of figuring out what half the words mean is comparable. Burgess very helpfully supplied a glossary for his book. I think Welsh's approach was more clever - using the same word in context several times in proximity so the non-Scot can derive its meaning. There are other important differences, of course. Welsh's heroin-addicted protagonist, Mark Renton, is surprisingly likable while Burgess's Alex is a thoroughly psychopathic monster.

A Clockwork Orange is certainly well-written and pulls no punches in making its sociopolitical points. I'm glad to have read it for my own cultural enrichment but it would be a stretch to say I enjoyed reading it. For me, it was the reading equivalent of rubber-necking on the highway. The story is heinous but I just...can't...look...away...

*******************************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here. My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar. Other blogs currently participating:

My Wife - Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail
Mrs. Mock - Exclamation Point (!)

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

Mrs. Mock Joins the Fun

I call her Mrs. Mock because that is what she (jokingly, I think) told me to call her when we first met. If she'd prefer another pseudonym, I hope she'll tell me. In the meantime, she has posted her first 12 Books in 12 Months book!

The link:

12 Books in 12 Months: A book you have re-read more than once...and just read again

My own list and books read by others shall be maintained on the pages list on my sidebar.

Wife Links

My Wife has posted her first 12 Books in 12 Months book! The link:

12-Books-in-12-Months Challenge: A Book from a Genre You Don't Normally Read


In addition to my own list, I'm going to maintain a list of the books other people read on my side bar. After all, part of the idea here is to share book ideas with one another.

She also had a nice post about our Massachusetts trip:

Vacation, The Seaside


Images via Wikes! Hikes on the Long Trail

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book That Has Been Banned

Book: Brave New World
Author: Aldous Huxley


Image via Huxley.net

Is it not the saddest of jokes when a book about the suppression of independent thought is itself suppressed? Not that it's particularly surprising with this book. There's plenty there to make the timid blush: drugs, sex, violence, atheism, the works. Ultimately, though, the narrative is a defense of the democratic, free market establishment as communism and fascism were breathing down western European necks in 1932 - not exactly subversive.

Somehow, I got through nearly two decades of formal education without ever being assigned to read this book. I've been meaning to read it for years and even started a few times but couldn't get into it. Once I got going, though, it was a surprisingly quick read.

Brave New World is an amazing book, prophesying the sociopolitical conflicts which have plagued the world ever since. Shakespeare figures prominently in the narrative, an interesting motif for my list thus far. I'd say it's not as dark as 1984, partly because the more recent explorations in genetic engineering make the book's basic premise less shocking. The social engineering portrayed in the book is also pretty tame compared with the all-too-real nightmares that were just about to unfold.

A quick note about the calendar used in the book. 2011 AD would be the same as 103 A.F. (After Ford) in the book. 1908 was the year Henry Ford introduced the Model-T, thus qualifying as year zero in Brave New World. 1908 is significant to me personally for a couple of other reasons. Most importantly, it was the year my maternal grandmother was born. It was also the last year the Cubs won the World Series.

****************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book You Have Re-Read More Than Once...and Just Read Again

Book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Author: Roald Dahl


Image via wikia

If this is not my favorite book, it's definitely in my top 5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the one book I actually made a ritual of re-reading. It was, for many years, a part of Christmas break for me. It is the perfect modernistic fairy tale: vivid characters, playful language, a compelling narrative and everyone gets what they deserve.

***SPOILER ALERT***

On the off chance you haven't read this book, please skip this part. I'm not really spoiling much but I'd hate to undermine the magic for you. My two favorite parts of the book:

1. The two chapter stretch in which Charlie finds the dollar in the street, then the golden ticket in candy bar #2. Dahl built up a very clear sense of Bucket family squalor to the point where even we the readers are more concerned about Charlie starving to death than finding a Wonka ticket. I also love the way the shopkeeper looks out for him once he wins the ticket.

2. While riding down the chocolate river, Wonka scoops up two mugs for Charlie and Grandpa Joe. In a story filled with fantastic wonders, this simple gesture of human compassion really stands out for me.

***END OF SPOILER***

Charlie is the sort of book which inevitably inspires films, candy brands, merchandise, etc. I had already read the book many times before I finally saw the 1971 Gene Wilder movie. I really didn't like the film as it didn't follow the book very well. Dahl disowned the film, thus the change in title. I've grown to appreciate the movie for its own sake but I do feel the 2005 Johnny Depp version was more faithful to the book.

Charlie is also a book that begs to be read allowed. After I finished reading it for myself this past week, my daughter requested I read it to her. It's a re-read for her as well.

Okay, the easier books on my list are finished. Now, the heavy lifting begins...

****************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book You Read Because You Wanted to Laugh

Book: The Polysyllabic Spree: A Hilarious and True Account of One Man's Struggle with the Monthly Tide of the Books He's Bought and the Books He's Been Meaning to Read
Author: Nick Hornby


Image via Amazon.co.uk

This was a great book for this challenge as it is, in fact, about books. Hornby wrote a series of columns for Believer magazine regarding his own adventures in reading. The book includes all of the essays plus a few excerpts from the books he read.

Hornby, author of High Fidelity and About a Boy, is pretty dependable for laughs. To me, a truly funny book is one you're embarrassed to read in public because you can't stop laughing. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is the perfect example. The Polysyllabic Spree wasn't nearly on that level but there were a few out-loud guffaws I struggled to stifle. I particularly enjoyed his stories about his brother-in-law, fellow author Robert Harris. Hornby described some of Harris behavior as unfraternal whereas I thought it closely resembled my relationship with my own brother-in-law, not to mention the relationship I would have with a biological brother if I had one.

Hornby writes a lot about how he chooses which books to read. Naturally, I gave some thought to my own tendencies. I like exploring a genre: sports books or classic science fiction, for instance. I don't have much need to buy books as My Wife has accumulated an impressive private library over the years. Furthermore, unlike most people who buy books and never read them, she's actually made her way through the thick tomes which line our shelves. If I should live another 100 years, I'm quite certain I'll never catch up.

****************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book for Which You Have Already Seen the Movie

Book: Shopgirl
Author: Steve Martin


Image via Sasha & The Silverfish

We watched the 2005 film a while back and, to be honest, I didn't remember the story that well. The book brought it all back. However, in my mind's eye, I recast a few of the roles. Mirabelle (Clair Danes in the film) was played by Karen Gillian in my version (Amy Pond in Doctor Who). Lisa (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras in the film) was played by Christina Hendricks (Joan Harris in Mad Men). On the other hand, it is impossible to imagine Ray Porter as anyone but Steve Martin.

I enjoyed the book. Martin offers an interesting view into the world of romantic relationships and the various roles men and women can play within them. I was a bit surprised by the lack of dialogue. If memory serves, the film was rather sparse in that regard as well. I know that writing dialogue is not easy but with all of Martin's experience in comedy, I think it's fair to expect something snappier. Martin deserves credit for creating vivid characters. He'd have done well to make them chattier.

Steve Martin is, of course, a mega-talented performer in multiple media. We watched PBS's "A Capitol Fourth" this year and I thought that Steep Canyon Rangers, Martin's bluegrass band, stole the show. Enjoy:

Watch the full episode. See more A Capitol Fourth.

****************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book about or Set in Your Favorite Place

Book: The Soul of Vermont
Author: Richard W. Brown
Image via Amazon.com

There's no place like home. I have been privileged to visit truly magical places in my life: Kamakura, Japan; Picton, New Zealand and Boracay, Philippines among others. I suppose I could have been more exotic in my imagination and found books set in those locales. Yet, ten years ago, we figured we could live anywhere in the world and we chose Vermont. We lived in Burlington for three years before we bought our house in the woods. On one return trip after two weeks away, my eyes actually watered at the first sight of Mt. Mansfied, a sign we were close to home. I've never felt that way about any other place I've lived. I never want to move again.

The DC area was a fun place to grow up, having access to such a beautiful and extraordinary city. Even so, I envy my daughter for the childhood she has here. On a winter's night, she can look out her bedroom window and see a family of deer passing through the virgin snow, bathed only in moonlight. We buy our maple syrup from the family of one of her school friends. The frogs at our ponds can get pretty noisy in the spring but I'll take them over the traffic noises of suburban rush hour anytime.

The Soul of Vermont elegantly captures the place I love. We live in the northwestern corner of the state and most of Brown's photos are of the northeast. But there are a few from our area as well. Each chapter is devoted to a season and Brown wrote lovely accompanying essays on the experience of each time of year. In general, I am skeptical of coffee table books as I feel they are overpriced and I can't help wondering how many people actually read them except to admire the pictures. I do realize that photographers need to make a living, too, and I have developed a renewed interest in their art over the past few months. Brown has certainly created a beautiful book.

I guess if anyone's going to write a book about our living room couch, I'll have to do it myself.

****************

My Wife was a little surprised that I was inclined to post again so soon. I guess the title of the challenge does seem to imply that one only posts once a month. But I didn't really see it that way. My plan, at least for myself, was to post the books as I finish them. I've done my best to allow for personal interpretation of the rules. After all, I'm not the blog police - just trying to plant an idea. If others are inclined to post just once a month, have at it.

For my own reading, I feel I need to take care of as many of these as I can before the school year begins. I'm also trying to read the shorter ones first so I don't feel crunched for time when I tackle the longer ones.

****************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: A Book from a Genre You Don't Normally Read

Book: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: William Shakespeare


Image via Simply Books

Alas, My Wife doth not swoon to my recitatals. Into the other room do they send her. Away, away, to read elsewhere she goes. Forsooth. Just because.

I haven't read a play since high school. In fact, I don't think I've ever read a play except for those that were assigned to me. I have no excuse. I like plays. I believe in plays. I love the Bard, in particular. I have seen more of his plays than I have read.

I have seen this particular comedy performed at DC's Arena Stage. I was probably in high school at the time. It was a somewhat modernized version. Demetrius and Lysander threatened one another with switchblades rather than swords. My strongest association with the play, though, is the film Dead Poets Society, one of my all-time favorites. That movie implies that the part of Puck is a more prominent role than it is, though, as My Wife points out, Shakespeare frequently wrote more interesting supporting parts than leads. Witness Mercutio vs. Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. I can understand the appeal of Puck to an actor but I think I'd prefer to play Bottom so I could wear the ass-head.

Shakespeare's awfully bawdy - double-entendres all over the place. I've got some good pick-up lines to try on My Wife sometime:

my heart unto yours is knit,
So that but one heart we can make of it (Act II, Scene ii, 47-8)

run through fire I will for thy sweet sake (Act II, Scene ii, 103)

Of course, Shakespeare's great for insults, too. I may use a few of them for fantasy football smack talk:

With the help of a surgeon he might yet
recover, and yet prove an ass. (Act V, Scene i, 303-4)

****************

I hope that you, too, will join the 12 Books in 12 Months challenge. Details are here.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.

12 Books in 12 Months: Announcing a New Challenge

Photo via Lindsey Pollak

With the help of my friends Mock, Marc, Hello Kitty Fan, Mrs. Mock and My Wife, I have designed a new blogging challenge/online book club: 12 Books in 12 Months. The challenge is a reader's scavenger hunt, a quest to read a book from each of a dozen predetermined categories in a year's time.

The categories:

• A classic work of children's literature
• A book you have re-read more than once...and just read again
• A book for which you have already seen the movie
• A book for which you have not already seen the movie
• A book you read because you wanted to laugh
• A tear-jerker
• A book you really don’t want to read but everyone keeps raving about it
• A book from a genre you don’t normally read
• A book about or set in your favorite place
• A book by someone with your same initials
• Your mom/dad/sister/brother’s favorite book
• A book that has been banned

The books can be completed in any order as long as all 12 categories are eventually fulfilled. The year begins once the first book is finished. One can participate via blog, facebook, goodreads, private notebook, whatever.

If you'd care to join the challenge, please let me know by commenting below or e-mailing me at armchairsquid@gmail.com. Also, please tell me how and where I can follow your posts. Don't be shy about suggesting other categories, either. It is my intention to compile a new list of 12 once this one is completed. My only parameter is that no one should have to buy anything in order to complete the challenge - nothing beyond a library card required.