Gail Gauthier's Blog: Gail Gauthier Reads, page 13
February 26, 2014
Reading In A Drug Induced Haze
A little over a month ago I woke up from surgery connected to a morphine pump. Having also had surgery years ago, when a patient in pain had to use a button to call a nurse, request medication, wait for the nurse to go back and get it, wait for her to get back to the room, get a shot in the hip, then wait for it to work, I can tell you that a pain pump is an incredible invention. And I wasn't even in agony. I was sore as hell and, according to the nurses, not taking anywhere near as much morphine as I had coming to me. They kept saying things like, "You know what? You've got an order for blah-blah for pain. Let's load up your IV with a little of that."
I wasn't aware of getting much of a kick from the morphine or anything else, but I may have been more under the influence than I was aware. I had brought a copy of Sarah Vowell's Take the Cannolli, a book of essays on what I'd call cultural history. When I came home after my weekend in bed, my bookmark was around the halfway point. During my recovery weeks, I continued with Vowell's terrific essay about following the Trail of Tears with her sister. But I realized that except that the book's title came from the phrase "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli," I remembered nothing about any of the essays that come before it.
Rereading the essays has been a fascinating experience. The first two, which relate to her family, brought back nothing to me. I suspect I skipped them while I was in the hospital. But as I read the others, bits and pieces come back to me. Oh, yeah. The cannoli business was from one of the Godfather movies. The trip to DisneyWorld with her Canadian friend...that was familiar in a lovely way. I remembered the fact of the Frank Sinatra essay once I got to it.
I'm within pages of catching up to the new material I've read since I got home from the hospital. Reading from that point on is going to be an entirely different experience.Take the Cannoli: Stories From the New World
I wasn't aware of getting much of a kick from the morphine or anything else, but I may have been more under the influence than I was aware. I had brought a copy of Sarah Vowell's Take the Cannolli, a book of essays on what I'd call cultural history. When I came home after my weekend in bed, my bookmark was around the halfway point. During my recovery weeks, I continued with Vowell's terrific essay about following the Trail of Tears with her sister. But I realized that except that the book's title came from the phrase "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli," I remembered nothing about any of the essays that come before it.
Rereading the essays has been a fascinating experience. The first two, which relate to her family, brought back nothing to me. I suspect I skipped them while I was in the hospital. But as I read the others, bits and pieces come back to me. Oh, yeah. The cannoli business was from one of the Godfather movies. The trip to DisneyWorld with her Canadian friend...that was familiar in a lovely way. I remembered the fact of the Frank Sinatra essay once I got to it.
I'm within pages of catching up to the new material I've read since I got home from the hospital. Reading from that point on is going to be an entirely different experience.Take the Cannoli: Stories From the New World
February 20, 2014
Lies Of Omission On Goodreads
Recently there's been some talk about bookshaming among some of my blogging friends. At my main blog, Original Content, I did a post on bookshaming myself.
I realized at that time that I also avoid mentioning here at Goodreads some of the books I'm ashamed of reading. I'll often rate a book or two at the beginning of a mystery series, for example, but many of those series tank before long. I keep reading, but I'd rather keep that activity, as relates to those particular books, to myself.
Do all my Goodreads friends admit here to everything they read?
I realized at that time that I also avoid mentioning here at Goodreads some of the books I'm ashamed of reading. I'll often rate a book or two at the beginning of a mystery series, for example, but many of those series tank before long. I keep reading, but I'd rather keep that activity, as relates to those particular books, to myself.
Do all my Goodreads friends admit here to everything they read?
November 18, 2013
The Right Audio Book For A Trip
This weekend I was on the road for around 7 or 8 hours altogether while traveling back and forth to the Falling Leaves Master Class Novel Retreat in Lake George, NY. A day or two before the trip, I picked up Bossypants by Tina Fey for the trip. I was just hoping for a few laughs.
As it turned out, it was the perfect audiobook for this trip, with material on the way up that opened my mind to recognize the importance of retreat content and material on the way home that wrapped up the weekend.
Check out Original Content to see what Tina Fey had to say about my retreat experience.
As it turned out, it was the perfect audiobook for this trip, with material on the way up that opened my mind to recognize the importance of retreat content and material on the way home that wrapped up the weekend.
Check out Original Content to see what Tina Fey had to say about my retreat experience.
November 9, 2013
Picture Book Month
I'm observing Picture Book Month at Original Content and on Twitter, so you should be seeing a larger number of picture book ratings than usual coming from me.
October 7, 2013
My Cybils Plan
First off, you only have until October 15th to get your Cybils' nominations in.
Now that I have that out of the way, let's go over my plans for Cybils Season. The last few years, I've read off the Cybils' nomination lists and posted responses at my blog, giving the nominees a little more Internet attention. I'm not going to be able to keep up with that kind of reading this fall, but this is a festive time of year, and I don't want to ignore the Cybils.
So this year I'm going to be dipping into Original Content's archives and posting material from my Cybils' responses from past years. This gives me an opportunity to both do a little cybilizing and remind a few people about nominees from other years.
Because if a book was good the year it was published, it's still good now.
Now that I have that out of the way, let's go over my plans for Cybils Season. The last few years, I've read off the Cybils' nomination lists and posted responses at my blog, giving the nominees a little more Internet attention. I'm not going to be able to keep up with that kind of reading this fall, but this is a festive time of year, and I don't want to ignore the Cybils.
So this year I'm going to be dipping into Original Content's archives and posting material from my Cybils' responses from past years. This gives me an opportunity to both do a little cybilizing and remind a few people about nominees from other years.
Because if a book was good the year it was published, it's still good now.
August 22, 2013
Looking For Environmental Books For Young Readers?
I recently had a guest post at Dude! Sustainable. Providing Children With Environmental Reading
August 1, 2013
Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
I'm considering taking part in the Bout of Books Read-a-Thon later this month. I did the Kidlitosphere's 48-Hour Book Challenge a couple of times. It was an intense, marathon reading and blogging experience. I enjoyed reading obsessively, but I have little time to myself on weekends nowadays and have had to give it up.
The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon takes place over the work week, and it sounds as if all I'd have to do is read more than I usually do.
This is sounding enticing.
The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon takes place over the work week, and it sounds as if all I'd have to do is read more than I usually do.
This is sounding enticing.
July 26, 2013
New Guest Post And Chance To Win A Copy Of "Saving The Planet & Stuff"
My guest post, Writing About Food--Again And Again, is up at Word Spelunking. It's a flash essay about my use of food in my writing.
Word Spelunking is also running a raffle with a copy of Saving the Planet for Kindle, Nook, or Kobo as the prize. You can enter until July 31st.
Many thanks to Aeicha for hosting me.
Word Spelunking is also running a raffle with a copy of Saving the Planet for Kindle, Nook, or Kobo as the prize. You can enter until July 31st.
Many thanks to Aeicha for hosting me.
July 11, 2013
How About Applying The Bechdel Test To YA Novels?
Especially YA novels directed toward young women?
I only recently learned about the Bechdel Test, created by comic strip artist Alison Bechdel to determine her level of interest in movies. How hard was it to pass the test? A movie had to have:
1. At least two women characters
2. Who talked to each other
3. About something other then men.
Replace "women" and "men" with "girls" and "boys" and apply the test to YA novels. How many books would pass?
I only recently learned about the Bechdel Test, created by comic strip artist Alison Bechdel to determine her level of interest in movies. How hard was it to pass the test? A movie had to have:
1. At least two women characters
2. Who talked to each other
3. About something other then men.
Replace "women" and "men" with "girls" and "boys" and apply the test to YA novels. How many books would pass?
May 14, 2013
Why Did It Take Me So Long To Read "How To Be A Woman?"
How long did it take me to read "How To Be A Woman" by Caitlin Moran? I don't even know. Far, far longer than it should have given how amusing and easy to read it was. What was my problem?
I was reading it as an eBook.
This is not to say that I don't like reading eBooks. Not at all. But it's easy to put eBooks out of my mind. Traditional books are art objects to me, pretty, distracting things. I greedily snatch them up as I'm walking through libraries, bookstores, and used book sales.
My Kindle is a marvelous...ah...marvel. I love loading it up and knowing that there are all kinds of treasures in there waiting for me. But then I figure, Well, yeah, I've got them in there. They're mine now. They'll wait for me.
So I pick up another of those pretty things and read that.
And that's the only reason "How To Be A Woman" kept being put aside.
I was reading it as an eBook.
This is not to say that I don't like reading eBooks. Not at all. But it's easy to put eBooks out of my mind. Traditional books are art objects to me, pretty, distracting things. I greedily snatch them up as I'm walking through libraries, bookstores, and used book sales.
My Kindle is a marvelous...ah...marvel. I love loading it up and knowing that there are all kinds of treasures in there waiting for me. But then I figure, Well, yeah, I've got them in there. They're mine now. They'll wait for me.
So I pick up another of those pretty things and read that.
And that's the only reason "How To Be A Woman" kept being put aside.
Gail Gauthier Reads
I have been maintaining the blog Original Content for twenty years. That one is about any number of things related to writing. I think here I will just post about new publications from me and reading.
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