Wicked River

I forget now what first steered me towards this non-fiction tribute to the Mississippi. Maybe it was because Huckleberry Finn has been in the news so much recently. Or maybe it was because I grew up near the levees of the lower Mississippi River.  Either way, I  didn’t expect to be wowed by Wicked River: The Mississippi When It Last Ran Wild by Lee Sandlin.  I wrongly assumed that since I had read John Barry’s Rising Tide and I was born within site of the river, I must know a thing or two about the river and its history.  Wrong.

The first revelation comes early in the book when Sandlin reports that Mark Twain’s great Mississippi River novels were essentially nostalgia pieces by the time they were written.  The Mississippi river had largely been tamed by the time Twain, a former riverboat pilot, got around to writing it all down, much to his dismay.  Twain noted that the wild river was crowded with river traffic, but the newly tamed river, in stiff competition with the emerging railroads, was virtually empty by comparison.

Sandlin paints a picture of lawlessness and civic mayhem as the general rule of the river prior to the Civil War.  There are bands of pirates patrolling the river.  Duels.  Land grabs/land disputes.  Civic law was minimal as the country began expanding westward.   Courts were few and there were no police departments, even in the biggest cities.  When official court proceedings produced unsatisfactory results, the citizen’s along the river reverted to “Lynch’s Law.”  I found it interesting that “lynching” wasn’t usually racial and didn’t necessarily result in hanging until much later.  Certainly, lynch law was no less harrowing for its defendants.

While its inhabitants were certainly wild, it is the river itself that was most wild and unpredictable.  The river was full of snags and would frequently change course, to the detriment of river traffic.  The river could change course so suddenly that one could go to sleep in a “slave state” and wake up in a “free state”.   Of course, the river also routinely swelled well beyond its banks, wiping out all who built or farmed too near its course.  The river could also travel downstream with so much force that it could wipe islands of solid rock in days.  It took a certain amount of bravery to venture on to the river and a blend of luck and expertise to survive a trip down its length.

The river was ultimately tamed by the U.S. Corps of engineers who set out to make it safely navigable, to control flooding, and to otherwise make it  less dangerous to life and property.  The Corps set to work after the Civil War on what was at the time the largest Federal program ever attempted.  The “taming” of the Mississippi and its consequences are covered in great detail in Barry’s Rising Tide, which is highly recommended.

I also highly recommend Wicked River for all with an interest in the Mississippi and/or the strange goings-on of our young country. Sandlin is a fantastic story teller, and the historical nuggets he’s mined are nothing short of fascinating.   So far I’ve given two copies of the book as gifts and my copy is out on loan.

Friday Links

It was supposed to be the Obama-era Primary Colors.  The anonymously written O, a fictional account of the next presidential election, was written not by some hack, but by someone who has “been in the room with” the President.  The publisher “hoped that his book may ‘offer some resonant truths about what President Obama is really thinking.’” Given the dreadful reviews of the book, anonymous was likely to remain that way.  However, the author appears to have been outed as Mark Salter, a primary speech-writer for John McCain.  Incredibly lame.

Patti Smith’s next book? A detective novel.

J.D. Salinger loved the Burger King.

Do you remember this book club disparaging Bud Light Super Bowl “Big Game commercial“?   Me neither.

Atlanta author Jamie Iredell’s second book,  The Book of Freaks, has the strangest (in a good way) book trailer that you’ll see all day.

Stupid future.

The Fountainhead:  the digested comic version

(Update: More Ayn Rand news. Oh, the irony. It hurts. How much longer can the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights’ web site feature this idiotic screed?)

Huckleberry Wordle

I had so much fun with the SOTU word clouds yesterday that I decided to make my own at Wordle.  Given the recent controversy over Huckleberry Finn, I decided it would be a worthy candidate for the word cloud treatment.  I cut and pasted the text of the entire novel into Wordle and voilà:

The news stories about the new “controversy free” edition of the book frequently noted that “the word” was used 219 times in the novel.  I was surprised to see that I had to look carefully to find “the word” in the word cloud.  It is there, but appears to be used about as frequently as the “King” and “duke”.  I also would have thought that “river” would be featured more prominently.

State of our Union in Word Clouds

Last night was the President’s State of the Union Address. I wanted to see how the speech went and naturally I turned to Wordle, the web site that creates word clouds from text, giving prominence to words based on their frequency.  It’s a wonderful tool for quickly visualizing major themes in any text.  I was surprised to see that numerous word clouds of the President’s speech had already been created. This one is my favorite (see full size here):

Update: Also creating a Wordle of the speech - The White House!

I was even more surprised that prominent news organizations had also created Wordle word clouds. Check out this one for the GOP response to the speech created by The St Petersburg Times/Tampabay.com:

And this one by NPR of the “preliminary response:

The New York Times has its own word thing going on.

Revolution (The French One)

I don’t normally pick up YA books, because frankly, I don’t want to read about depressed teenagers. But when Jen told me about Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (one of her favs of 2010) I couldn’t wait to read it.

The story begins with plenty of teenage angst – which Jen assured me that I could get through. The main character, Andi, is trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy in her life and may not graduate from her prestigious high school.

The tragic event didn’t just result in Andi battling internal guilt, it affected the entire family.  Her mother has become withdrawn and secluded and her re-married father uncommunicative.  Dad decides to take Andi to Paris with him in order for her to focus on her Senior Thesis - a graduation requirement.  He happens to be in Paris working as a world renowned DNA scientist to determine if a jarred heart does indeed belong to Louis-Charles, the son of guillotined King Louis XVI during the French Revolution.

Within the first few days in Paris, Andi discovers in a hidden compartment of an old violin case, a diary belonging to a girl who was a companion to the young dauphin while he lived at Versailles and during his captivity in Paris. The girl, Alexandrine Paradis, recorded her adventures as the French Revolution exploded and gained momentum in 1795.

Revolution takes us on a wonderful journey into present day Paris including hip clubs and parties in the Catacombs.   Through Alexandrine’s diary, Ms. Donnelly masterfully transports us back in time to the Paris of 1795, during the last days of the monarchy and through the Reign of Terror.

At one point Andi time travels back to 1795 and I thought “oh no, this isn’t going to be good” but I was pleasantly surprised. The time travel was done exceptionally well and describes a vivid picture of life during 1795.   If you think rotting teeth, stench and lice are glamorous then the Court of Versailles was for you.  During this exciting adventure she is immediately connected to someone who is very important to her current research. (I can’t give away the details.)  When she introduces this person to her ipod and the music of Led Zepplin and RadioHead, I laughed because that would be so cool! I would love to go back to different places in history, but only knowing that I could return to the present.

Unfortunately, time travel is not realistic, but who cares?  I felt like I was transported – I couldn’t put this book down.  Revolution is a fun novel.  Not only does Ms. Donnelly treat us to an important part of French history, she adds plenty of teenage drama and musical variety for everyone to enjoy.

We’re No. 4

Each year, Central Connecticut State University issues a list of America’s Most Literate Cities.  The 2010 listing has been published, and Atlanta comes in at number 4.  That’s up 1 spot from our 2009 ranking.  Check out our performance between 2005 and 2009 here.  The study methodology is posted here.

Friday Links

I was taken to task yesterday for misspelling the word “privileges” (two different ways!) within sight of a picture of a book with that title. Awesome!  I will also confess that I am slowly recovering from publicly questioning the spelling of the word “dilemma” in a movie commercial over Christmas break.  Luckily, my ten-year-old niece and her pocket dictionary were there to affirm the movie’s choice of spelling.  Which is a roundabout way of saying – you may want to place your bets on someone else for the upcoming Atlanta Open Orthographic Meet (spelling bee).  This year’s date has been set for Feb 19, 2011 and will be at Manuel’s Tavern once again.  It is big fun, and I highly recommend you check it out.

In other news:

The Morning News has announced the field for their annual Tournament of Books.  I’ve only read four of the selected titles, but I am pulling for a Skippy Dies vs. Super Sad True Love Story championship round.

Algonquin Books is reading Just Kids and loving it.

Edgar Allen Poe’s 202nd birthday was this week.  To celebrate, please check out Edgar Allen Pooh and wonder whether it is nevermore for the Poe Toaster.

Bookshelf porn

If you own a Kindle, check out Kindle Lending Club.

The Privileges

The Privileges by Jonathan Dee first hit my radar screen when Jonathan Franzen recommended it at the Keynote Address of the Decatur Book Festival.  It took a little while, but the book finally made it on to my reading pile.  Interestingly, the first word that popped in my head to describe the novel was “Franzen-esque”.

It has become something of a given that novels about the wealthy will feature people who are deeply unhappy,  morally bankrupt, and socially barren. The third act of these novels of American wealth usually involve some sort of tragic consequences.   Jonathan Dee explodes these expectations at almost every turn of The Privileges.   The cracking of the patrician facade seems certain but never materializes.  In fact, the facade is actually very real.

The story begins at Cynthia and Adam Morey’s wedding.  They are the first in their circle of friends to get married – by years.  They are happily married and determined to be successful.  Success means leaving their humble past in their wake – friends and family included. Success also means constructing a white collar crime syndicate even though you are already fabulously wealthy with an incredible job in order to show that you are smarter than everyone else and not beholden to a “boss”.  Success means lovingly raising kids who have a tenuous grasp, at best, of the real world.  This is all Franzen-esque territory.  What’s missing are the consequences.

Around each narrative corner, the reader waits for the other shoe to drop.  And waits some more.  The comeuppance, the too public arrest on the school house steps,  the “big life-changing moment” that promises to shake this family into self-awareness of the grim reality of their lives never comes.  Or, more correctly, it almost never comes.

The couple’s son Jonas seems determined to experience the real world by choosing to slum his way through through the University of Chicago.  He chooses to buy a modest condo rather than live in the elite penthouse that is his birthright.  He also dates an older student from an average background rather than starlets or heiresses.  He chooses art history as a major rather than business.  An art project offers the promise of something authentic.  Instead it provides the “big life-changing moment” that forces to Jonas to come to grips with his family’s status and wealth – and completely not in the way that you would anticipate.

Besides “Franzen-esque” the word that comes to mind to describe this novel is subversive.  Jonathan Dee is not going to tell you what you want or expect to hear.  He’s going to tell you the truth.  The rich are different.  The rules that apply to you do not apply to the wealthy. If the rich are unhappy, they are no unhappier than anyone else.  If you are waiting for cosmic justice to fell the mighty and take them to account for their crimes, you are probably going to be deeply disappointed.  That’s a lot of social truth to pack into just under 250 pages. Come to think of it, maybe “Franzen-esque” doesn’t really apply here after all.

My Ideal Bookshelf

Some time ago, I wrote about one of the coolest things EVER.   I was pretty sure that artist Jane Mount’s Ideal Bookshelf project was one of the greatest things I’d ever seen.  Ms. Mount paints incredible custom portraits of your favorite books.   Each painting is one of a kind and necessarily meaningful to the owner.

As it turns out, my mom reads the blog and thought a Jane Mount ideal bookshelf painting would make a great present.  She went back through the archives and highlighted books that I that I’ve gone on and on about over the years here at BGB.   Along the way, my wife was surreptitiously photographing book spines and e-mailing the pictures out to make sure everything looked just right.  Working with Ms. Mount they came up with an Ideal BGB Bookshelf.  Check it out:

This is just a scan resized to fit here.  The original is on 8 1/2 x 11″ on fancy art paper and is pretty fantastic. The books on the shelf are (from left to right):

• All Other Nights by Dara Horn
• The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
• Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky
• The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
• Consumption by Kevin Patterson
• The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall
• What is the What by Dave Eggers
• Special Topics in Calamity Phsyics by Marissa Pessl
• Just Kids by Patti Smith
• The Wild Things by Dave Eggers
• The Brief and Wondrous Life  of  Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
• A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• A Heartwarming Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
• Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
• Nine Lives: Mystery, Magic, Death, and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
• The Longshot by Katie Kitamura
• King Dork by Frank Portman

That’s an excellent cross section of my recent enthusiasms and a stellar gift.  InStyle Magazine is recommending an Ideal Bookshelf for your Valentine’s Day needs.

But wait, there’s more.  I also received a stand alone painting of the children’s book Frederick by Leo Lionni, which is pretty fantastic, too. I think Frederick the mouse would like that it’s on its own.

Friday Links

For your MLK Holiday reading:  Howard Bryant, author of amazing The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron, writes about the important role that Hank Aaron and Atlanta sports teams played in the Civil Rights movement.  Check out my review of Last Hero.

Fun with books: use this search tool to find out what books topped the New York Times Bestsellers List on the day you were born.  Important tip:  to get accurate results, you need to input the info in day/month/year format.

Book hilarity with SNL’s Fred Arminsen and Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney:   Did you read…?

Girl With Dragon Tattooo (Hollywood) watch:  Mara Rooney unveils her look as Lisbeth Salander

Girl With Dragon Tattooo (Hollywood) watch 2: “Liberties” will be taken with the script

Girl With Dragon Tattooo (Hollywood) watch 3: Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails will score the film.  Of course he will.

You may have read something about Sarah Palin’s unfortunate use of the term “blood libel” in a recent speech.  One of the more interesting reports on the speech uncovered a reference to blood libel in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. The author’s grasp of old English is better than yours.

The mommy manifesto that will launch a million rants

Michael Chabon (Shay-Bone!) the bowdlerizer.

Libraries of the rich and famous.

Gatsby coming in 3D?!

Calvin and Hobbes meet Fight Club. It totally makes sense.

Children’s Book Awards

While we here in Atlanta have shut down all non-sledding and snow/ice related activities, the American Library Association was busy handing out their prestigious annual children’s book awards.   You can check out all of the winners and nominated honorees there, but the winners of the big prizes went to:

The Caldecott Medal for best illustrated book for young children went to  A Sick Day for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin Stead and written by Philip Christian Stead

The Newberry Medal for best contribution to children’s literature was awarded to  Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

The Michael J. Printz Award for best contribution to literature for young adults went to the only winner that I actually read Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.   Ship Breaker was on Jen’s year-end list of favorite YA novels and was a finalist for a National Book Award.  Bacigalupi is also the author of The Windup Girl, an adult novel that I loved.  The Windup Girl was honored with a truckload of awards last year (like the Hugo and Nebula Awards).  The moral of this story is that if you haven’t read Bacigalupi yet, you might want to check him out.

New Rules

Let’s face it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is full of naughty words and questionable authorial decisions. Mark Twain’s overuse of he H-word is only the start. (I have to use “H-word” as code for “N-word,” which is upsetting enough.) I’ve been authorized by Professor Alan Gribben of Auburn University to pick up the baton he so ably carried into the national limelight and run the novel through another round of edits. Here’s my back-of-the-publisher’s-press-release list of necessary changes:

Send the manuscript through Spellcheck™. I mean, “sivilized”?! Come on. To be honest, I can’t even understand why people think this is such a great book, when Twain couldn’t even spell.

References to events in U.S. History tending toward anything other than a reverence for American Exceptionalism that Glenn Beck would approve: Deleted.

The sarcastic parts: Out.

Suggestions that Christians and businessmen have on occasion behaved in anything less than a fully Christ-like fashion: Cut.

“Harelip” is an insensitive term for people born with cleft lips. Henceforth, change every mention of “the Harelip” to “the pre-operative plastic surgery patient.”

This is America. No one around here knows what a “Dauphin” is and can’t be troubled to look it up on dictionary.com, and the name “The Dolphin” serves only to confuse. Replace “Dauphin” and “The Dolphin” with “The Pretender—Not Royalty at All, and Certainly Not a Marine Mammal.”

“Pap” is a disrespectful way to refer to Huck’s father. Replace “Pap” with “the esteemed Chairman of the local Tea Party.” (Seriously. Check out Pap’s soliloquy from Chapter VI, which Tim flagged for me way back last year.

Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free nigger SLAVE there from Ohio–a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain’t a man in that town that’s got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane–the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the State. And what do you think? They said he was a p’fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could VOTE when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was ‘lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn’t too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that nigger SLAVE vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote agin.

Sound familiar? But I digress.)

Say what you want about these edits, but Professor Gribben had it right: it will surely be easier to assign our version to 21^st-century students. Because our version will be eight pages long, and we’ll post all the answers to the test on the Internet.

(Please also see this new edition of the novel, ed.)

Friday Links

We’re experimenting with a new way for readers to provide the BGB team with feedback.  If you like something that you read here, scroll down and hit the thumbs up at the bottom of the post.  Don’t worry.  It doesn’t connect to Facebook.  It doesn’t tell us who you are.  It just let’s us know that you liked what you read.  It may encourage us to do more of that.  Whatever that is.  On to the Friday links…

Laura Miller tells you how to be a better reader in 2011 at Salon.

Frank Kovarik has a spreadsheet with a decades worth of data about fiction that has appeared in The New Yorker.  And he’s not afraid to use it.

Uh oh.  Now you’ve done it Huck Finn bowdlerizing guy.  Michiko Kakutani weighs in on the Finn flap.

Please check out the most anticipated books of 2011 of at The Millions.  (Spoiler alert:  More Pessl in 2011!)

Flavorwire presents a top 10 anticipated book of  2011 slideshow

Michael Kinsley is not a fan of W.  His review of Decision Points in the NYT is a treat for like-minded readers.

This review of Decision Points in the London Review of Books is a good read, too.

Paste has some ideas for books that you could read that weren’t written by Snooki

Chuck Klosterman offers some pithy dating advice

Kindle announced that Kindle owners can now share books with friends (if the publisher plays along), so Galley Cat set up a discussion board for Kindle owners to meet “friends” to share books with.

I was at the aquarium this weekend and saw a bunch of octopodes in the cephalopod tank.  What?  That’s completely legit.  Check it out:

It’s Bowdlerizing Time, Part II

Ripped from today’s headlines!

I knew that people would have fun with the classics along the lines that Tim suggested below. I just didn’t think those people would have control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

It’s Bowdlerizing Time

There’s been an awful lot of hand-wringing about the “revised” version of Huckleberry Finn that purportedly seeks to address the outrage of concerned parents and return the book to the class room in the process.  The Huffington Post notes the historical precedent:

In 1818 American Thomas Bowdler published a series of Shakespeare translations, which he edited heavily for content that he considered offensive. The resulting texts were tamed versions of the originals. Since then, the act of editing or removing offensive content has been deemed “bowdlerizing” and it has taken place many times.

Taking a walk down that particular slippery slope, I got to wondering what other classics might benefit from being bowdlerized. The Catcher in the Rye has been challenged for years by various school districts for a variety of reasons including “obscenity” and being “centered around negative activity.”  As a self-proclaimed J.D. Salinger scholar, I call for making a few changes to the text that should get this important work off the sidelines and onto the desks of today’s youth, ready to impart its themes that have resonated with generations of teenagers.

The language of the novel may have worked at the time in which it was written, but it needs  to be updated to consider the tender psyches of this generation that has come of age with limited exposure to obscenity and adult themes.  Think of the children!  Correcting the obscenity is easy.  I recommend that the following words should be used on a rotating basis to replace Holden’s off-color language:  dagnabit, daggum, fudge,  gosh darn,  shucks, and motherscratcher.  The “negative activity” is a little more difficult to address, but I have a suggestion for this, too.  I propose to do a simple word search for “phony/phonies” and replace with “swell guy” or “valued members of the community,” as needed.  This should make the book significantly more upbeat and positive.

Of course, I’m happy to appear on your  news talk television and radio shows to discuss my proposals.

Update: The best reponse that I’ve come across to the Finn flap is this piece by Tayari Jones.

Songs about books

A list of 10 songs about “books, authors, and all things literary” showed up on The Huffington Post. (Thanks for the link, Kathleen!) Since we love when books and music collide, I had to come up with BGB’s own list, which I’m going to claim is better than theirs.  Let us know what we missed.

1. Hey, Jack Kerouac by 10,000 Maniacs.  How do you leave that one off your list?
2. Just Like Hemingway by Blue Clocks Green.  The happiest song about suicide that you’ll hear all day. Ridiculously catchy song.  You will be singing this all day.


3. Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush.  With interpretive dance.


4. Sexcrime (1984) by Eurythmics


5. The Jean Genie by David Bowie. Michael Stipe assures me that the song is about the French poet Jean Genet. Who am I to argue?


6. Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police. I heard Sting defend the rhyming of “shake and cough” with “that book by Nabokov” as a “feminine rhyme” which is apparently fancy for “doesn’t rhyme.”


7. The Ghost of Tom Joad by Bruce Springsteen


8. Tom Sawyer by Rush. Best video disables embedding. Dang.
9.Ulysses by Franz Ferinand


10. Killing an Arab (based on Albert Camus’ The Stranger) by The Cure

The Blood of Flowers

I mentioned The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani a few months ago in a general review about audio books.  This is the first book that I have listened to that I’ve wanted to read as well.  I had to find out if the printed word did the story equal justice as the spoken word.  Happily, I was not disappointed.

The story takes place around 1620 in Iran and is told by a young, un-named, girl in her teens.  She lives happily as an only child in a small village with her parents. She dreams of the day she’ll be married with her own family.  Right away, we learn that this girl loves weaving carpets and has been creating her own designs and colors since a very young age.

Unfortunately, tragedy strikes.  The girl and her mother are suddenly left without the male of their happy household.  Without any relatives in their village, mother and daughter are forced to make the journey to her father’s half-brother’s home in the capital city of Isfahan.  Upon entering the city, they can not believe their eyes:

As we walked into the square, I noticed that most of the buildings were tiled in the purest colors of sun and sky.  The dome of the Friday mosque looked all turquoise from afar, but up closer I could see it was enlivened with swirling vines in yellow and white.  Garlands of white and turquoise blossomed on the dome of the Shah’s lemon-colored mosque.  The arched gateways to the mosques sprouted a profusion of tiled white flowers that looked like stars sparkling in the blue of twighlight.  Every surface of every building glittered with ornament. It was as if a master goldsmith had selected yellow topaz, and the purest of diamonds, and arranged them into an infinity of shimmering patterns that radiated color and light.

They believe their luck has changed when they find their uncle who is a famous carpet maker for the Shah.  The uncle’s wife however, isn’t so thrilled to have two extra mouths to feed and puts them to work immediately as new servants in her home.  Mother and daughter are thankful to have at least shelter and food.

The uncle finds himself torn as the girl wishes to learn all she can about carpet making.  She reminds him of himself when he was young, but she is a girl and therefore forbidden from this sort of work.  Little by little, he gives in and allows her to help him with the designs and construction.  Again, she feels her luck has changed twice when one wealthy man commissions a carpet where her design is chosen and one of the shah’s women commissions her work.

Unfortunately, life in 17th century Iran was not easy for a young strong-willed girl and her luck changes again for the worst.  After a few unfortunate incidences she is encouraged by the uncle’s wife to enter into a temporary “sigeh” with a wealthy man. This is a renewable marriage contract for three months at a time during which she will visit her ‘husband’ at night when he calls for her.  She and her mother are given a reasonable sum of money for this sigeh but it ruins her chances of finding a proper husband.

I can’t divulge the turn of events which ultimately force daughter and mother to leave the uncle’s home.   They find themselves begging and almost dying in the streets, until the girl is able to begin carpet making again.  She proves to everyone that although she prayed and always gave thanks to Allah for her good fortunes, she ultimately was in charge of her own fate.

The Blood of Flowers is one book that I will keep on my shelf forever and re-read many times.  Ms. Amirrezvani brings to us the most colorful and beautiful book I have ever listened to or read.  The entire story is filled with descriptions like this:

Although my pattern was based on leaves, the long, tapered shapes that crisscrossed the rug also looked like feathers. They made me think of the lightness of birds and the coolness of wind.

In many cases, flowery words like this would seem almost corny, but in The Blood of Flowers, Ms. Amirrezvani’s detailed analogies work extremely well.  In addition to her colorful descriptions, we are exposed to many Persian words.  I have studied several languages and Persian is one of the most lyrical and beautiful languages I have ever heard, which adds even more beauty to this story.

The love between the mother and daughter also touches my heart. The mother refers to her daughter throughout the story as “joy of my joys” “light of my heart” and “daughter whose face I love” among many others. This emotion from mother to daughter is expressed so clearly throughout the story that I have begun using these loving phrases with my daughter.

At the heart of the beautiful writing and colorful images we read an inspiring story of an amazingly strong girl.  She is sassy, independent and opinionated, definitely not the type of a girl that her culture would embrace. While she is excited and worried about finding a husband throughout the story, survival becomes her main goal and she thinks independently and without fear to make the best possible life for her mother, herself and the other women she encounters.

After being thrown out of the house from her “real”  blood related kin, and during her struggle to survive in the slums, she befriends another woman and her family.  One night she surveys the scene and concludes:

Even though we weren’t family, Alekeh and Davood behaved if we were. Although we crowded them terribly, they had never told us we were not welcome. They shared everything they had and praised us for everything we gave. This, was truly my family, for they loved us and helped us through difficulties without complaint.

I emailed Ms. Amirrezvani to find out if another book would be coming out soon.  She replied that she is halfway through her next novel and that, “Life is short and art is long!” Since The Blood of Flowers took nine years, I may have a few years to wait. That’s ok, when it is released I will be first in line to grab this one.

Happy New Year

We’re still easing into the New Year at BGB headquarters, which is violating the spirit, if not the letter, of several resolutions.  My wife stumbled noticed a passage in Patti Smith’s Just Kids that I missed at the time:  Patti’s mom told her, “how you spend New Year’s day is how you will spend your year.”  I guess I’ll be hanging around the house in my jammies all year with nary a book in site.  Still, I took time out to read through Jacket Copy’s 31 Literary Resolutions for 2011 collected from various contributors.

I liked quite a few of the resolutions and decided to come up with my own and/or adopt a few of those presented in the article.  I plan to continue to “follow my instincts” in choosing my reading, but I also want to be open to more books by female authors, more non-fiction, more books by foreign authors and/or translated works, more graphic novels, more classics, more books from small presses and “indie” authors, and more books that challenge and broaden my comfort zone.  I want to post reviews of books in a more timely fashion this year and incorporate more author interviews into the site.  I will take more notes on my reading this year.  Some of these notes will be in the books themselves.  I will find good homes for the books that I do not intend to keep ( agrowing mountain of books).

What are your literary resolutions for 2011?