Ann Patchett's Blog, page 26
March 19, 2020
Notes From Ann: Sheltering in Place (With Books)
Mine is a brain wired for cheerfulness. It’s the way I was born. These days my very nature feels inappropriate. Get gloomy! I tell myself. Yet while I’m able to manifest small intervals of dread, it fails to stick.
I take Sparky for walks and everyone is out, chatting at a distance and even friendlier than usual. We’re all checking in with one another, asking how we’re doing and wondering what the other needs. Nashville moved from the local tragedy of tornadoes to the global tragedy of the pandemic, all the while showing our best selves. If I’m going to be stuck somewhere I’m very grateful to be stuck here. I’m also grateful to our Parnassus customers who seem determined to stand with us for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. We want to return the favor.
If there is a silver lining to these days, it’s that we have more time to read. So even though Parnassus is closed, we’re still in the store, ready to be helpful. We’re answering the phone and taking orders. We’ll mail you all the books you want (free media shipping over $50) or you can call us from outside and we’ll run the books to your car. The system is safe and it works. Restaurants have been doing this for years, so why not us? If you’re not sure what you want to read, call us and we’ll talk it over, the same way we talked when we were all in the store together.
Are you someone who wants to dive headlong into what scares you? This might be the time to read Stephen King’s The Stand. I’m not going to do it, but you might want to. It’s long enough that this whole thing might be over by the time you’ve finished. King himself says it’s probably his best book. The modern classic of pandemic fiction is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and the classic classic is Katherine Anne Porter’s novella Pale Horse, Pale Rider. Again, I’m not recommending you go there, but I understand that some people like to push on their sore teeth.
[image error]If like me you’re inclined in a more cheerful direction, read James McBride’s shaggy and beguiling Deacon King Kong, about a lovable old drunk who simply cannot be killed despite the fact that everyone in the neighborhood is trying. His publisher should consider this as a marketing ploy: Here’s a guy who cannot die! I also loved Lily King’s new novel Lovers & Writers, which reminded me so much of my youth that I asked Lily if she had been reading my mail in the 1990s. It’s all about love and being broke and trying to make art. It’s a very tender and enveloping book. Louise Erdrich’s newest masterpiece The Night Watchman is an epic tale of people who are determined to do the right thing and, against all odds, succeed. This is our March pick for First Editions Club and I’m putting my money on it to be a big winner this year.
I’m reading 100 Poems by Seamus Heaney now. I find it helps. Didn’t we always mean to read more poetry?
And speaking of books we’ve always meant to read, why not take on one of those? There’s nothing more engaging than David Copperfield, or maybe this is when you finally get around to Sense and Sensibility. Sometimes stepping out of this modern age is just the thing.
I could go on (and on and on). In times of uncertainty one thing is certain — there will always be plenty of books, and with your support there will always be Parnassus (at least for a long time). Just give us a call. We’ll get through this together.
March 9, 2020
The Tragedy of Lost Talent: Marie Lu on Mozart’s Sister and The Kingdom of Back
Marie Lu – The Kingdom of Back
We are so excited for The Kingdom of Back to be the ParnassusNext March selection. It is the story of the Mozart siblings, Nannerl and Wolfgang, their music, and a magical kingdom. Many thanks to author Marie Lu for answering my questions about this fascinating book. — Rae Ann Parker (Director of Books and Events for Young Readers, Parnassus Books)
Rae Ann Parker: The idea for The Kingdom of Back came to you many years ago. What was the origin of the idea and how did it evolve over the years?
Marie Lu: I’ve always found Mozart and his music fascinating, but it wasn’t until I read a biography about him that I learned he had an older sister named Nannerl who was supposedly every bit as talented as he was at the piano and music composition. Also in that same biography was a tiny detail that captured my imagination: when the two Mozart children were young and toured Europe together, they invented for themselves a magical kingdom they called Back in order to pass time in the carriage. I knew then that I had to write a story about this kingdom and about this prodigious young girl that history has forgotten. Of course, this story was written over a decade ago, before Legend. It just didn’t sell. Over the years, I changed a few details about the book — the magical kingdom, the relationship between Nannerl and her brother — but the majority of the story stayed intact.
[image error]Marie Lu. Photo by Primo Gallanosa.
RAP: How did you know the time was right to finish the book you started so long ago?
ML: I don’t think I really felt like there was a right time — I just kept tinkering on and off with the story for years. My agent and I joke that we must each have 50 different iterations of this book in our files. At some point, though, my agent felt it was ready enough to send to my editor. I still can’t quite believe it’s finally coming out.
RAP: How did you choose the balance between the story of the Mozart siblings with the fantasy aspects of the novel?
ML: I wanted the kingdom to always be supporting Nannerl’s story, not overtaking it. In the end, it’s a book about a girl frustrated with the limitations of her time, and the restraints put on her creativity. I wanted to include enough of their magical kingdom to reflect her yearning, her mind, and the tragedy of her lost talent.
RAP: What is your favorite part of the magical kingdom you created?
ML: Hyacinth. He is a fae creature in their magical kingdom that evolved with the story as it changed. I found him the most difficult to nail down but one of the most fun things to write.
RAP: In your research for the novel, what was the most surprising thing you uncovered?
ML: In 2015, an Australian researcher claimed to have discovered Nannerl’s handwriting in an early music notebook used by her brother to learn music. It supports a theory that appears in the book — what if some of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s earliest music was partly written by his sister? If this is true, it means that some of Nannerl’s music did indeed survive, invisibly, under her brother’s name.
RAP: If you could travel back in time to spend one day with Nannerl, what would she tell you about herself?
ML: That she could compose, just as well as anyone else — but also that she loves her brother dearly.
RAP: And finally, we ask everyone: what’s your favorite thing about indie bookstores?
ML: Always, the heart. There’s just an air of magic and soul when you walk into any indie bookstore, because they are always run by people who have a passion for sharing stories with others. I feel very safe there, as if someone has invited me in from the cold to sit a spell and get lost in other worlds. It’s a nostalgic feeling that never gets old.
March 5, 2020
Wishes, Road Trips and Songs: 19 New Reads for the Young and Young at Heart
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March is here, and it’s time to turn the page on our kids and YA staff picks! We’ve got another great batch of new reads, hand-picked by our booksellers and, this time around, with some great Nashville connections. Author Jessica Young is a local, and Emily Arrow is our former afternoon storytime sing-along leader. Scroll down for all our latest recommendations!
PICTURE BOOK
Recommended by Rae Ann
A Wish Is a SeedBy Jessica Young & Maria Cristina Pritelli
This gorgeous picture book compares a wish to a seed that grows as it travels through time and space. A delightful read-aloud.
Recommended by Rae Ann
Thank You, GardenBy Liz Garton Scanlon & Simone Shin
Rhyming text and vivid illustrations celebrate the joy of gardening with family and friends in this lovely picture book.
Recommended by Rae Ann
When You Need WingsBy Lita Judge
A beautiful book about soaring on the wings of your imagination. Perfect for reading with someone you love.
Recommended by Becca
Studio: A Place for Art to StartBy Emily Arrow , James Buchanan & Melissa Buchanan
Based on a song by Emily Arrow (of Emily Arrow’s Sing-Along Storytime!), this book is a bold and cheerful exploration of finding the right creative environment for YOU, whether that’s a painter’s studio or your very own yard. The story is almost impossible not to sing, and the pages are so beautifully illustrated that I’m tempted to frame them and hang them on my walls.
Recommended by Jackie
NestingBy Henry Cole
In an illustration style similar to Spot, the Cat and Spot & Dot, Cole uses black and white lines and just a touch of turquoise to tell the story of a robin family throughout the year. I love this book for its detailed drawings, its simple and direct text, and for the way that it includes factual information about robins throughout the story.
Recommended by Chelsea
Cyclops of Central ParkBy Madelyn Rosenberg & Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Cyclops settles down to sleep, but upon counting sheep discovers Eugene is missing. Cyclops, timid and shy, must venture outside the comfort of his cave in order to find Eugene. Perfect for any reader who may be a little timid and shy, just like Cyclops.
Recommended by Chelsea
The Paper KingdomBy Helena Ku Rhee & Pascal Campion
When the babysitter cancels, Daniel is dragged out bed to go to work with his parents. While he’s there, they tell him of the Paper Kingdom and its inhabitants of a king, queen, and dragons. A powerful, sweet read about sacrifice, family, and the magic of hard work.
Recommended by Becca
Everyone’s AwakeBy Colin Meloy & Shawn Harris
This book is beautiful and riotous, with a rhythmic story and detailed illustrations that make me want to read it over and over again. It will especially strike a chord with readers who, like me, tend to find themselves awake far past bedtime. (And if that’s not enough to convince you, it’s written by that guy from The Decemberists!)
Recommended by Jackie
Vote for Our Future!By Margaret McNamara & Micah Player
Many Nashville schools are also polling stations, just like the fictional elementary school in this story. This book does a great job of helping kids who are too young to vote understand that they can still play a part by encouraging the adults in their lives to make voting a priority. Includes a short list of acts of Congress that kids might want to research.
Recommended by Jackie
Rita and Ralph’s Rotten DayBy Carmen Agra Deedy & Pete Oswald
This book will be a fun read-aloud for little ones, as the characters go up and down and up and down hills to meet each other. It acknowledges that sometimes we make mistakes and hurt our friends — and that even apologizing can be hard! It ends on a positive note and includes an illustration with gestures to play a hand game along with the text.
Recommended by Rae Ann
My Best FriendBy Julie Fogliano & Jillian Tamaki
This sweet picture book about the magic of friendship reminds us what’s really important in connecting with others. Beautiful illustrations complement the text.
INDEPENDENT READER
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Lonely Heart of Maybelle LaneMaybelle Lane has never met her father. When she hears his voice on the radio, she’s sure entering a singing contest sponsored by his station is the way to his heart. An RV road trip with her teacher and another kid from school takes Maybelle to Nashville where she hopes for a shot at her dream of music and family.
Recommended by Rae Ann
Clean GetawayBy Nic Stone
Scoob’s G-Ma takes him on a surprise road trip using the Travelers Green Book as their guide. A break from school turns into an unexpected adventure into G-Ma’s past and a few surprises about the present.
Recommended by Chelsea
From the Desk of Zoe WashingtonBy Janae Marks
On Zoe’s 12th birthday, she receives a letter from her father — a father she hasn’t met because he’s in prison. When he swears he’s innocent and even has an alibi, Zoe decides to take his case into her own hands, even though her parents strictly forbid it. This heartfelt story is endearing because of Zoe herself, who sticks to what she believes in, even in the face of opposition.
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Imaginaries: Little Scraps of Larger StoriesSnippets of stories paired with beautiful illustrations make this book perfect for a family discussion or paging through on your own.
Recommended by Kay
Bug BoysYoung readers will love this series of adventures following two beetle besties as they face everything from friendship troubles to warring insect kingdoms with enough humor and heart to spare.
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Light in Hidden PlacesThe Light in Hidden Places is based on the extraordinary true story of Stefania, a Catholic teenager in 1943 Poland who rescued 13 Jews with the help of her 6-year-old sister. This is a story of strength and humanity.
Recommended by Chelsea
Be Not Far from MeAshley knows how to survive in the woods, but that is tested when she tumbles in a rage and wakes to discover that her foot is beyond broken and she is alone. For fans of Hatchet and Into Thin Air, this survival tale is a tightly woven exploration of how far someone will really go to survive.
Recommended by Rae Ann
The Blossom and the FireflyThis unique novel of WWII Japan is told in beautiful prose. Vivid setting and historical details.
ParnassusNext — Our March Selection
[image error]The March ParnassusNext selection is The Kingdom of Back by #1 New York Times best-selling author Marie Lu. The lives of the wildly talented Mozart siblings, Nannerl and her brother, Wolfgang are full of music. Their quest for fame and fortune intertwines with a fantasy kingdom in this thrilling YA historical fantasy where all may not be as it seems. Look for an interview with Marie Lu in Musing next week!
Here is some early buzz for the novel:
“A historical fiction/fantasy mashup with crossover appeal.” —Kirkus
“Lu shows her knack for creating detailed worlds while seamlessly building a complicated sibling relationship with a balance of rivalry and love.” —Publisher’s Weekly
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
March 3, 2020
Time Marches On: 28 Great New Reads
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“Can spring be far behind?” If this (hopefully rhetorical) question from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” has gotten you through a winter or 12, we feel your pain. There’s a glimpse of hope around the corner that maybe these cold blustery days are almost behind us, but just as importantly, there are lots of new books to read! Keep winter at bay with these fresh recommendations, hand-picked by our booksellers.
Recommended by Ann
The Night WatchmanLouise Erdrich is one of the greatest writers of our time and this is her best book so far. The night watchman is trying to save Native lands while a young woman is trying to save her sister. Gorgeous, brilliant, important — everything you could want in a novel.
(Don’t miss Louise Erdrich’s upcoming appearance at Parnassus for a Salon@615 event, in conversation with Ann Patchett, on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 6:15pm.)
Recommended by Karen
Writers & LoversBy Lily King
What would you sacrifice to pursue your dreams? Casey is a writer, but life keeps getting in the way of this calling. She is grieving the loss of her mother, living in a converted garage while waiting tables in Harvard Square, when she meets two men who send her life in a different direction.
(Don’t miss Lily King’s upcoming appearance on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, at 6:30pm.)
Recommended by Cat
Deacon King Kong: A NovelI love my fiction populated with richly imagined, quirky characters with lots of depth and wow, does James McBride deliver that and more in his latest novel.
(Don’t miss James McBride’s upcoming appearance at the Nashville Public Library for a Salon@615 event on Monday, March 16, 2020, at 6:15pm.)
Recommended by Cat
Greenwood: A NovelThis fantastically wrought family saga spans from the Great Depression to 2034 (where the world is in the midst of a major environmental crisis) and is structured like a tree trunk in terms of time — working from 2034 to the past and back out again through five generations of the Greenwood family. Of course, trees and the natural world are constantly major characters.
Recommended by Marcia
PostscriptThe followup to P.S., I Love You, Postscript takes the reader on Holly’s journey that begins with the letters Gerry left behind. It’s a story that is at times heartwarming, at times heart wrenching, but always beautiful.
Recommended by Jordan
Oona Out of OrderTime is a funny thing for all of us, but especially for Oona, who lives each year of her life in a nonconsecutive order. Each year on her birthday, she wakes up a different age in a different year, jumping around through life while everyone else lives their years normally. Of course, this leads to many surprises, as the character sees her life unfold out of order.
Recommended by Heather
The HoldoutBy Graham Moore
Graham Moore creates strong characters among the members of a jury who are coming together again, informally, on the anniversary of an acquittal that few celebrate. The promise of new evidence lures them in but the source dies before the information is revealed. Whodunnit? Every time I thought I had it figured out I was wrong. Once you start you will not want to put it down!
Recommended by Ben
ApeirogonBy Colum McCann
Highly experimental and deeply humanizing, Apeirogon fictionalizes the true stories of two fathers — one Israeli and one Palestinian — who have each lost a daughter to the conflict. The text spans a vast universe of countries, history, science, religion, geopolitics, ornithology, and more, creating artful and subtle connections among the vignettes. Out of the complexity, the power of grief and friendship emerges.
Recommended by Heather
Saint XA captivating whodunnit that holds your attention through twists and turns to the very end. The author captures the minds and voices of the characters and draws you into the experience of a 7-year-old girl losing her sister and working to rediscover who she really was — and what happened to her — years later
Recommended by Becca
The Sun Down MotelI tend to lean on mysteries and thrillers to get through the dark, dreary end of winter, and this book kept me distracted through several cold and rainy days. This is a twist-filled missing person(s) story with lots of flashbacks and a heavy dose of the supernatural. I would recommend reading this one during the day, with all of the lights on.
Recommended by Kevin
WeatherBy Jenny Offill
Like a masterpiece of impressionism, the careful, muted, sometimes initially inscrutable strokes that comprise this novel — among them observation, joke, half-heard conversation, and open question — at a distance assemble into a living portrait.
(Don’t miss Jenny Offill’s upcoming appearance on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 6:30pm.)
Recommended by Sydney
The CompanionsIn this dystopia, society is quarantined due to a new pandemic. To aid in people’s loneliness, a tech company creates “companions” for those who are living. These companions are humans who have passed on. Their consciousnesses have been uploaded to robotic bodies. When first-gen companion Lilac learns she is to be scrapped, she defies commands and goes on a search for the person who murdered her when she was human.
Recommended by Kathy
American DirtI continue to recommend this compelling and important book. A terrific, exciting and very thought-provoking read. Ignore the negative press and don’t miss this one!
Recommended by Rae Ann
BlackwoodVivid characters with compelling backstories are thrown together in this story of a small Mississippi town bordered by a kudzu-covered valley where secrets are hidden. Reading this book feels like tumbling into a mirage.
Recommended by Kay
The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1)The Unspoken Name begins with a young girl, raised from birth to be sacrificed to a dark and unspeakable god, choosing to flee her predestined death and live instead. What follows is an epic journey full of magic artifacts, angry gods, and lost worlds that will test what “loyalty” really means for everyone involved.
Recommended by Jordan
The Authenticity ProjectBy Clare Pooley
A little green notebook floats its way through an unlikely group of people, bringing them together and teaching them to live more authentically. This book is full of twists and turns and lovable character development.
Recommended by Erin
Djinn Patrol on the Purple LineChildren are disappearing from the basti, a sprawling slum in an unnamed Indian city. Jai is nine years old, obsessed with TV police procedurals, and determined to solve the mystery that local police are ignoring. This debut has a warmth and brightness to it that celebrates the spirit of the basti children, the missing but not forgotten. It’s writing you’ll want to savor, and a story you won’t forget.
NONFICTION
Recommended by Sissy
Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in AmericaR. Eric Thomas has carved out a very special place for himself on social media. He is hilarious and relatable, while also being the smartest guy in the room. His memoir of growing up in Baltimore is fascinating. Anyone who has struggled with the question “Who am I?” will relate to his tales of being different, sometimes failing, and moving on.
(Don’t miss R. Eric Thomas’ upcoming appearance on Thursday, May 14, 2020, at 6:30pm.)
Recommended by Steve
Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in AmericaA smart, accessible and highly readable look at the post-Great Recession affordable housing crisis, Golden Gates focuses on San Francisco but delivers insights that are also applicable to other rapidly growing cities (ahem, Nashville). And this is no dry policy tome. Dougherty tells his story through a series of colorful characters, each with their own priorities and motivations.
Recommended by Andy
Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They WroteFascinating look at the books authored by our chief executive. From Jefferson to Reagan, Fehrman examines the impact of presidential writing. In the appendix the author offers his 12 most important works. Perfect read for history and book lovers.
Recommended by Kevin
Why We’re PolarizedBy Ezra Klein
Employing an impressive collection of social science and systems analysis, Klein argues that the American demographic and ideological sorting of the past half-century has left us with political superidentities — a problem accelerated by the feedback loop of our political system. Though short on solutions, it’s an insightful analysis of how we got here and where we might be going.
Recommended by Andy
The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the CrossBy Jon Meacham
Meacham explores the seven last sayings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, combining rich historical and theological insights to reflect on the true heart of the Christian story.
(Don’t miss Jon Meacham’s upcoming appearance at Montgomery Bell Academy for a Salon@615 event on Sunday, April 5, 2020, at 2pm.)
Recommended by Steve
Minor Feelings: An Asian American ReckoningThis is a book I wish I’d had when I was younger. It complicates Asian American identity and examines what it means to be an artist in such an honest and insightful way. Minor Feelings would be worth the cover price just for the chapter on the murder of Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, which flat-out messed me up.
Recommended by Chelsea
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSIFor true crime fans, this fascinating biography does not disappoint. The writing is never dull or boring, with each chapter detailing how Heinrich, the “American Sherlock Holmes,” collected and processed evidence in a certain case. American Sherlock perfectly captures not only Heinrich but his long-lasting influence in our present legal system.
Recommended by Suzanna
The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where to Go from HereBy Hope Jahren
The narrative climate change book you’ve been hoping to find, Jahren’s The Story of More takes a well-researched yet accessible look at the grim reality of excessive energy consumption and its consequences on the modern world. Without shying away from the seriousness of our current situation, Jahren manages to leave her readers with a subtle sense of hope — humans have created a major problem, but every day, we have the chance to take real steps in the right direction.
Recommended by Andy
See You on Sunday: A Cookbook for Family and FriendsBy Sam Sifton
New York Times food critic Sam Sifton offers this wonderful guide to rediscovering Sunday supper with family and friends.
POETRY
Recommended by Ben
The Galleons: PoemsBy Rick Barot
In his latest collection, Barot tackles a dizzying expanse of history, focusing on the lingering effects of colonialism while revealing his family’s story as Filipino immigrants. His hopeful, “grudging faith in the particular” positions the significance of the individual within the globe he crisscrosses. Using uncomplicated language, he mounts a singular internal exploration and a sweeping outward voyage through these layered, lyrical poems.
Recommended by Steve
Good Boys: PoemsEvery now and then a book of poetry comes along that knocks the wind out of you every few pages. Good Boys is one of those books. In “White People Always Want to Tell Me That They Grew Up Poor,” Megan Fernandes writes, “my daddy holds storms / from a world you’ve never seen // He is a doctor / because // it was a way / to unbury // his dead. // I want to say: / It is not me you hate.” You need these poems.
First Editions Club: March SelectionThe Night Watchman
If there is one thing that I find myself re-learning time and time again as I watch and listen to what is going on in the world, it is that we dismiss the stories and lessons in our history to our own detriment. The past is never truly past and we must reckon with decisions made by those in the generations before us. This lesson is especially evident in Louise Erdrich’s masterful new novel The Night Watchman. As she writes in the author’s note, it was inspired by her own grandfather and the legal battles he and so many other Native peoples fought year after year and the against-all-odds victories that came in between their defeats.
The Night Watchman is a story that encompasses so much of what Native Tribes have experienced in the wake of White European settlement and what life looked like on a reservation in mid-century North Dakota. And within that, Erdrich brings to life the character based on her grandfather and the community he lived in. I couldn’t help but root for Thomas Wazhashk, Patrice, Wood Mountain, and all the other characters in the Turtle Mountain Reservation and hoped against hope that all their efforts at better lives came to fruition.
But more importantly, this is a story that is not finished. The battles Erdrich’s grandfather fought and the legislation pitted against Native tribes are not a thing of the past. And here we can learn from those who came before what it means to strive for justice, even if we know it is an uphill battle.
Yours in reading,
Catherine Bock
Inventory Manager
More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.
Parnassus Book Club — Upcoming Meeting Schedule
March — Little Faith by Nicholas Butler
Monday, March 16 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 18 at 6:30pm
*Thursday, March 19 at 10:30am* Nick Butler will join us for this meeting!
*Note change of time for this meeting.*
April — The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
Monday, April 13 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, April 15 at 6:30pm Tara Conklin will join us for this meeting!
Thursday, April 16 at 10am
Classics Club — Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Monday, April 6 at 10am and 6:30pm
Are you a member of our store book club? Would you like to be? Parnassus Book Club and Classics Club meetings are free and open to anyone. Buy the book, read along, and join the discussion!
“It’s all about the book.” More thoughts on reading from Kathy Schultenover, Parnassus Book Clubs Manager:
Book clubs and wine … an inevitable pairing?
In a scene from her upcoming novel Friends and Strangers, J. Courtney Sullivan dramatizes a neighborhood book club meeting where her main character, journalist Elizabeth Ronson, is a first-time attendee. Being a new neighbor and eager to make friends, Elizabeth has spent hours reading Mary McCarthy’s classic The Group, and looks forward to participating in a lively and intelligent discussion. To her chagrin, the club spends a grand total of 6 minutes talking about the book. As one woman in the group says, “Look ladies, it’s only a book. It doesn’t matter. Agree to disagree.” And then they were off on a two-hour jag, hashing over neighborhood gossip, all the while refilling large wine glasses over and over. When they finally adjourn to a nearby bar, Elizabeth has had enough and is able to bow out gracefully.
This whole scene is one played out all to often with many book clubs. Two common complaints reported in the publication The Inner Lives of Book Clubs were the over-serving of wine at meetings which leads to too little time spent in book discussion. I too have heard this voiced repeatedly in talking with members of local clubs over the years — too much wine served and too little discussion about the book. What to do?
First, limit the wine served to one glass per person. This way, meetings can still be relaxed, enjoyable, yet not out of control. Or, perhaps your group can agree to omit wine entirely, or serve it after the discussion ends.
Second, commit to reading the book and to its thoughtful discussion at the meeting. It doesn’t have to be work to make a few notes or underline meaningful thoughts as you read so ideas will flow easily during the discussion beyond just “I didn’t like it”, or I couldn’t identify with the characters.”
These two issues often lead to the demise of a book club. Don’t let your group become like the one in Friends and Strangers, a victim of too much wine and too little book talk.
Need more recommendations? Head to the Staff Picks archive!
February 21, 2020
A Pathway to Greater Empathy and Understanding: Mensah Demary on A Map Is Only One Story
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A great essay collection is more than the sum of its parts, and A Map Is Only One Story is a great essay collection. Pulled together from Catapult magazine’s trove of writing, A Map Is Only One Story coalesces around its central theme — migration and the meaning of home — while also providing an expansive field of view. From Victoria Blanco’s “Why We Cross the Border in El Paso” to Nina Li Coomes “What Miyazaki’s Heroines Taught Me,” from Natalia Sylvester’s “Mourning My Birthplace” to Cinelle Barnes’ “Carefree White Girls, Careful Brown Girls,” these essays surprise, perplex, delight, and challenge. Musing editor Steve Haruch spoke with co-editor Mensah Demary via email. Enjoy!
Steve Haruch: First off, I’d just like to say that Catapult is one of my absolute favorite places for creative nonfiction, and I’m so glad to see this book in the world. For people who might not be familiar with Catapult magazine, can you talk a bit about your editorial vision?
Mensah Demary: Since its launch five years ago, Catapult magazine publishes personal narratives from writers all over the world, in hopes of realizing a central tenet of the magazine’s mission and Catapult’s overall company vision: through writing that seeks to bridge rather than widen the rifts between people, literature can provide a pathway to greater empathy and understanding.
SH: How did the idea come about for grouping these essays together as a collection, and what was your approach in selecting them?
MD: Having established a robust archive over a five-year period, we had plenty of material to choose from; nonetheless, Nicole and I decided rather early in the process to choose one central theme for the anthology, as opposed to a “best of” collection covering a wide range of topics. Eventually, we decided to focus on immigration, and to select work from the “Migrations” section of our magazine. From there, over multiple discussions between us and other members of the magazine editorial staff, we narrowed down our selections to the twenty contributors.
SH: An editor’s not supposed to have favorites, but are there any pieces that you feel a special connection to?
[image error]Mensah Demary
MD: I think each contributor brings their own individual and unique experience to the theme of immigration and the meaning of home. I’d prefer to leave it to the readers to establish for themselves that special connection without any prompting by me.
SH: There’s been considerable debate lately about who gets to write about immigrant experiences. While this is certainly not a new question, how do you see this book contributing to that conversation?
MD: Again, the contributors bring their own experiences to this anthology. Each writer here share a lived experience, brought to life by memory, by conversation, by photos, articulated and honed with craft and care, not to turn a lived experience into meaningful art, but to use art to express for themselves a deeply complicated and personal part of the human experience.
SH: As I understand it, this is the first in a series. What can we expect in the future?
MD: While we don’t envision this as an annual series, at least for now, we do plan to publish future anthologies from the magazine. We publish essays on pop culture, sports, marriage, motherhood, food, as well as regular columns, and even fiction. Any one of these could yield an anthology, so I’m looking forward to having that discussion with Nicole and the rest of the team when it’s time.
SH: We always ask: What’s your favorite thing about bookstores?
MD: The experience of the physical space itself. Whenever I travel to a new city, I try to visit at least one local bookstore, knowing that I’m going to walk into a space that has its own vibe, its own regular customers walking up and down the aisles, and every time I visit a local bookstore, I end up finding a title I didn’t know I was looking for, but know it on sight that it’s something I should read, and to be able to get it there in support of a local business makes the experience a little more meaningful, a little more active than just buying the book online.
February 12, 2020
Notes From Ann: Your Questions About The Dutch House, Answered
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We’ve been getting a lot of questions about The Dutch House, more than I can possibly answer individually, so I’ve put together a list of answers. I hope this covers any questions you might have.
There is no actual Dutch House. It exists in my imagination and in the reader’s imagination. Everyone has a house or houses they think are spectacular. It may have been someplace you lived or someplace you drove past once. It could have been a museum or a historical home. The important thing is that the Dutch House in the book conjures up that feeling. I’ve taken bits and pieces from great houses I’ve been in over my life and run those details together — carved wooden panels, the dining room ceiling, a tiny kitchen in a grand house, the staircase, the ability to see through certain houses. I love that.
Interestingly, the vice president’s house in Bel Canto was based on an actual house — the president’s house at Sarah Lawrence College. I used to babysit the president’s daughter and spent a lot of time in that house. I later moved the whole thing into my novel, china closet and all.
The reason I set the book in Elkins Park is because of my friend Erica Schultz (née Buchsbaum). Her family lived in Wyncote, and I used to go home with her for the weekends and holidays when we were in school. I wanted to set The Dutch House somewhere near New York and so this seemed like the perfect location, plus there was the added benefit of being able to ask Erica and her sisters and her parents questions about where Danny and Maeve went to school, what trains they would take from the city, and where they would live as their fortunes rose and fell. All the Buchsbaums were tremendously helpful. I thought about setting the book in Evanston, Illinois, and Chicago. My friend Melissa Pinney lives in Evanston and I’ve never seen so many gorgeous houses in my life, but a big part of Commonwealth took place in Chicago, and I didn’t want to set another book there.
[image error]Photo by Heidi Ross
It was very important to me not to have any part of a house on the cover of the book. I wanted the portrait of Maeve to be on the cover. This turned out better than I ever could have imagined. I called my friend Noah Saterstrom (who also lives in Nashville) and asked him to paint Maeve’s portrait. I gave him the two pages in which the painting is mentioned in the novel and based on those two pages, he did the painting in three days. It’s not a portrait of a real person. I bought the painting from him. It’s hanging in our den. I never get tired of it. You can see more of Noah’s work at noahsaterstrom.com.
There are so many things I love about the painting, one is that it’s actually part of the plot, so at some point the reader will look back at the cover and think, wait a minute! Also, you almost never see a woman or girl on the cover of a novel who has a direct gaze. Women’s faces are very often turned away, half-covered by hats, or chopped off. It drives me crazy.
The book was always going to be told from Danny’s point of view. Even though I think of it as Maeve’s book, it was important to have his perspective. Maeve isn’t the kind of person to tell her own story, which is really the first thing you have to ask yourself when thinking about writing a first-person novel. I did try to write it in third person but it didn’t work.
I had a lot of help with the research for this book. The Buchsbaums, of course, for Elkins Park. My lawyer, James Gooch (yes, Lawyer Gooch) read an early draft and did the research to figure out how Andrea could wind up with everything. I had several people who had dealt in real estate in New York since the late sixties help me figure out how Danny made money without having money (that was really tricky!) And my dear husband Karl VanDevender practices internal medicine so he gave me all the details about medical school, internships, and residencies. There’s one part that takes place in an emergency room that came to me compliments of my neighbor, Jay Wellons, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Vanderbilt.
People have asked how Tom Hanks came to read the audio book. It turns out I know Tom Hanks and so I asked him. I never thought he’d say yes, but he did. People have also asked if I gave him directions on how to read it, inflections and that sort of thing, to which I say ha-ha-ha. This is Tom Hanks we’re talking about. He knows what he’s doing. He did a spectacular job and made the book so much better than it actually is. Please listen to the audio, and check out Libro.FM if you want to download an audio book and help support your local independent bookstore. Tom makes the book funny. In my mind, much of the book is funny, and he really brought that aspect to life. For that, and for everything else, I am extremely grateful.
I hope this helps!
Ann Patchett
February 6, 2020
Sweet Reads Are Made of These: 16 New Books for the Young and Young at Heart
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It’s been a sloppy week here in Nashville, but the cure-all for the winter-time blahs, the rainy-day blahs, and the rainy-winter-day blahs, as always, is a good book (or pile of books), and we’ve got some good ones for you! Our booksellers are always reading, and for our first young-readers Staff Picks of 2020, we’ve got a sweet stack of 16 new titles to keep the yucky weather at bay. And if you’re in Nashville (or will be soon), scroll to the bottom for information about some great upcoming author events!
PICTURE BOOKS
Recommended by Rae Ann
I Heart YouBy Meg Fleming & Sarah Jane Wright
This beautiful rhyming picture book celebrates love in both animal and human families. Just right for Valentine’s Day or anytime!
Recommended by Karen
In a JarLlewellyn loves to collect things from his wanderings, from leaves to heart-shaped rocks. When Llewellyn meets Evelyn by the shore, together their collecting becomes even more magical. What do you see in the world around you that you would want collect in a jar and place by your bed?
Recommended by Jackie
The Heart of a WhaleThis beautifully illustrated story reminds readers that it’s lovely to have a friend, and music (in this case, whale song) can bring creatures together.
Recommended by Chelsea
Cuddle MonkeyBy Blake Liliane Hellman & Chad Otis
Are you a fan of Scott Campbell’s Hug Machine? You will love Lewis! Lewis just wants to snuggle, but a new baby brother and school gets in the way. Follow Lewis on his adventure to find cuddles from somewhere.
Recommended by Kay
The Girl and the DinosaurBy Hollie Hughes & Sarah Massini
As a kid who spent a lot of time (unsuccessfully) digging for dinosaur bones in my backyard, I was utterly enchanted by this story of a girl who finds not only a dinosaur skeleton, but a magical adventure and a group of like-minded friends too! A fantastic story for bedtime.
Recommended by Chelsea
Almost TimeBy Gary D. Schmidt, Mr. G. Brian Karas & Elizabeth Stickney
This darling father and son story examines a child’s excitement for things that occur on nature’s timeline, namely loose teeth and maple syrup. Ethan (and the reader) grow antsy with anticipation, but both learn to read the passing of time in the change of seasons.
INDEPENDENT READERS
Recommended by Rae Ann
Things Seen from AboveApril volunteers as a recess Bench Buddy to avoid the 6th grade lunchroom. Her friendship with an unusual 4th grader known as the “Picasso of the Playground” transforms the entire school and town.
Recommended by Kay
SnapdragonBy Kat Leyh
When Snap enlists her town’s resident “witch” to help her care for a litter of orphaned opossums, she ends up learning more than she could have ever imagined about herself, her family, and the power of being a strange kid in a sometimes scary world. (She also learns a lot about magic and skeletons, which is pretty cool too.)
Recommended by Madeline
The Mystwick School of MusicraftKhoury beautifully captures the fear of orchestra auditions, the soul of making music, and the heart of finding who you are. When Amelia Jones fumbles her audition to attend the school, she’s surprised to receive an acceptance letter. Upon arrival, she discovers she’s not the right Amelia Jones. It’s up to her to prove herself. There’s many tests and trials, and there’s dangerous magic lurking.
Recommended by Gavin, age 9
Dog Man: Fetch-22By Dav Pilkey
This book is about Dog Man trying to fetch 22 tadpoles that can fly. You’ll see how when you read the book! It’s funny and crazy!
YOUNG ADULT
Recommended by Chelsea
Infinity SonBy Adam Silvera
Mythical creatures abound, and the bad guys steal their powers by taking their blood. The good guys are born with powers, and humans are caught in the middle of their war. Silvera’s action is fast-paced, and the use of multiple narrators really allows the reader to get to know his characters. I devoured this, staying up too late for just one more chapter.
Recommended by Chelsea
Yes No Maybe SoBy Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
This hopeful, inspiring read was exactly what I needed to kick off 2020. The novel uses dual perspectives to tell the stories of Jamie and Maya, reluctant door-to-door canvassers in a local election. As the election grows closer, Jamie and Maya’s connection grows stronger. I loved this endearing book and the warm fuzzies it gave me as we head into our next major election cycle.
Recommended by Chelsea
A Good Girl’s Guide to MurderIt’s an infamous tale in Pip’s hometown — the popular girl murdered by her boyfriend. Five years later, Pip swears there’s more to the story, so she decides to investigate. Things get dark and twisty as Pip grows closer to the truth. Perfect for fans of mysteries and Serial, Jackson’s debut shows its strength in Pip herself and her relentless, endearing search for justice.
Recommended by Kay
19 Love SongsIn this collection of stories and essays, David Levithan manages to capture both the joys and pains of young love in its many forms. Levithan’s language brings every emotion into sharp focus, while the stories themselves range from hopeful to hilarious. Recommended for anyone who enjoys feeling feelings.
Recommended by Jordan
Go With the FlowBy Karen Schneemann & Lily Williams
This is such a great read about activism, friendship, body positivity, and adolescence, with a positive message. Both teens and preteens will enjoy this graphic novel, and hopefully feel inspired by the way the girls in the story stand up for what they believe in and support each other.
Recommended by Kay
Almost American Girl: An Illustrated MemoirBy Robin Ha
This graphic memoir captures the author’s experience moving from Korea to America when she was 14 years old. She highlights her struggles with family, friendship, language, and identity over her years of adjustment, telling each part of her story with an eye for detail that truly brings her journey to life on the page.
ParnassusNext — Our February Selection
[image error]The February ParnassusNext selection is The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord. Paige Hancock’s senior year bucket list includes working at the local movie theater, dating her charming boyfriend, and the college of her choice on the horizon. It will be a fabulous year. Right?!?
Here is some buzz for the novel:
“Engrossing and engaging.” —Kirkus
“Lord hits the agonizing and comforting beats of the end of high school, capturing the nostalgia of old friendships and hard choices.” —Booklist
“What a gift Emery Lord has given us with The Map from Here to There. Gut-bustingly funny and exquisitely tender, full of characters to fall in love with and writing that sings out loud, this is a book about figuring out what the rest of your life is going to look like. It’s a book about learning to be a person in the world.” —Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of 99 Days.
ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.
And don’t miss these great kid-friendly events coming up!
Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020 at 1pm: Tamara Bundy, author of Pixie Pushes On
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020 at 6:30pm: Greg Howard, author of Middle School’s A Drag, You Better Werk!
Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2pm: Kelly Oliver, author of Kassy O’Roarke, Cub Reporter
Saturday, Feb. 29 at 10:30am: Saturday Storytime with Vikki VanSickle, author of Teddy Bear of the Year
Saturday, Feb. 29 at 5pm: Sharon Cameron, author of The Light in Hidden Places
February 4, 2020
21 Great New Reads for February
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And we’re back! After taking off the first month of 2020, Staff Picks are here once more, with no shortage of great new reads to add to your shelves. We’ve got everything from fiction to memoir, sci-fi to true crime, history to artificial intelligence, and if you’ve been waiting to get started on that new-year reading resolution, there’s no time like the present!
FICTION
Recommended by Cat
The ResistersBy Gish Jen
Pick this up if you love Station Eleven. In a not-too-distant dystopia, America has become AutoAmerica, the internet governs society, and half the world is underwater. One “Surplus” (read: have-not) family becomes our protagonists and it is through their eyes and love of baseball that Gish Jen masterfully draws the reader into this propulsive, funny, and uncomfortably recognizable world.
(Don’t miss Gish Jen at Parnassus on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 6:30pm, in conversation with Ann Patchett!)
Recommended by Keltie
Such a Fun AgeBy Kiley Reid
The opening scene is either benign or fraught: a black teenage babysitter in a tight dress, with a white toddler, in an upscale grocery at 11pm. You may guess what happens in the next 20 minutes at Whole Foods, but you have no idea where this is going. I had sympathy and found fault with every character, to varying degrees. Friends have strongly disagreed with my view. This is a book to talk about, because we must.
Recommended by Jordan
Dear EdwardThis book will break your heart in the most wholesome way. Follow the story of Edward, a young boy who was the only survivor of a plane crash that killed almost 200 people, including his family. Yes, it is sad, but it is also an uplifting and unique story.
Recommended by Ben
A Long Petal of the SeaIsabel Allende has given us another stunning novel, spanning decades and continents as she follows Roser and Victor from the Spanish Civil War through Chile’s military dictatorship. I found myself learning so much while simply enjoying the story. Love, struggle, longing, exile, hope — it’s all here, expertly paced and with fully realized characters. Fans of beautifully crafted historical fiction will rejoice.
Recommended by Erin
The Cactus LeagueBy Emily Nemens
This delightful debut from the editor of The Paris Review is a kaleidoscope of a novel, set against the backdrop of spring training in the Arizona desert. Not a baseball fan? I promise that Nemens’ quirky story — by turns hopeful and melancholy — and its eccentric cast of characters will have you seeing America’s pastime in a whole new light.
Recommended by Sydney
When We Were VikingsBorn with fetal alcohol syndrome, Zelda is a high-functioning 21-year-old woman with a Viking obsession. She lives with her brother Gert, who is struggling to keep them afloat financially. When Gert involves himself with a dangerous gang to make some extra cash, Zelda takes it upon herself to bail her brother out of trouble. Pick this up if you enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog.
Recommended by Marcia
Meg and JoIf the movie has you wanting more Little Women, you’ll love this modern re-telling, with a focus on the two oldest March sisters.
Recommended by Chelsea
Riot BabyOnyebuchi’s adult debut hits hard and never flinches, using a dystopian near-future to explore the present-day effects of systemic racism. The prose is both taut and powerful, and this book embodies the reason I read sci-fi: It leaves me looking at my world (and the problems within it) with fresh eyes.
Recommended by Kay
The Vanished BirdsThe lives of several characters from across time and space become unexpectedly intertwined when spaceship captain Nia Imani is hired to transport a mysterious boy with a painful past. For the ship’s misfit crew, their trips back and forth across the galaxy appear to take months, while in reality decades pass on the worlds they leave behind. The result is a beautiful story about the fragility of human connections in a universe where the vastness of time and space constantly threaten to destroy them.
Recommended by Kathy
Daughter of Moloka’iYou don’t have to have read Moloka’i years ago to enjoy its companion book, now out in paperback. This is also a wonderful story of injustice and perseverance, love and family.
NONFICTION
Recommended by Sissy
My Autobiography of Carson McCullers: A MemoirI love a mix of memoir and biography. Anyone can paint a broad outline of a writer’s life, but Shapland reveals Carson McCullers in a fresh way. She gathers never before studied material and mulls it over slowly, while she’s discovering things about herself as well. I was so engrossed in the book I felt like I was a part of the process.
(Don’t miss Jenn Shapland’s upcoming appearance at Parnassus for a book signing on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, at 6:30 p.m.)
Recommended by Keltie
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in AppalachiaTrue crime at its most confounding and messy meets Hillbilly Elegy. Two “hippie chicks” are shot dead on their way to the West Virginia Rainbow Gathering in 1980, and the next decade is a winding road of characters, suspects, false memory, recantation, and confession. A local story mired in the socio-economic ills of Appalachia, then revealed to be a bigger tale of the violence lurking just below the poverty line anywhere.
Recommended by Keltie
The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice — Crossing Antarctica AloneIn this modern adventure story, Colin O’Brady sets out to be the first person to make a solo unsupported crossing of Antarctica, calling it The Impossible First. The science of his harrowing journey is fascinating, from the art of high performance in below-zero to live geo-tracking. This memoir is an ode to the soul of the explorer and what it takes to do what has never been done before.
Recommended by Kim
You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George WashingtonBy Alexis Coe
Did I need a George Washington biography in my life? No. But did I need one written by a woman? Yes. Alexis is a woman American historian, of which there are few. This book is like having your smartest friend tell you about our first president. Whatever you’ve heard or learned about Washington, you’ve undoubtedly heard from a male perspective. Trust me, you want to hear a woman’s recounting.
Recommended by Sissy
Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump — and Democrats from ThemselvesBy Rick Wilson
An apostate Republican strategist with a kind of filthy mouth wants the Dems to know what current Trump strategists have in store. This book is HILARIOUS and terrifying.
Recommended by Andy
Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU CasesBy Michael Chabon & Ayelet Waldman (Editors)
Fight of the Century is a thought-provoking collection of essays about landmark cases of the ACLU. Authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman have assembled an incredible list of prominent writers including Marlon James, George Saunders, Geraldine Brooks, William Finnegan and Ann Patchett, who reflect on the cases the make up our rule of law and shape the world we live in. Famous and obscure cases are reviewed, and in true ACLU fashion, one of the most powerful pieces, by Scott Turow, criticizes the organization for its stance on campaign finance.
Recommended by Suzanna
You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder PlaceA delightful dive into the current state of AI! Shane uses engaging examples, helpful illustrations, and extensive research to unpack a subject area that’s often daunting, if not downright alarming. By the end of this read, you’ll find yourself giggling over the enthusiastically (and drastically!) rule-abiding machines, as well as gaining a greater understanding of the humanity behind it all.
Recommended by Steve
The Magical Language of Others: A MemoirBy E. J. Koh
It’s hard to neatly encapsulate this wonder of a book. Koh translates her mother’s letters from Korean, written during a time when the two were living in the U.S. and South Korea respectively. The rest is memoir drawn from that time but also reaching far back into family history. It’s so much more than a sum of its parts, and its quiet, piercing intelligence has stayed with me.
Recommended by Sissy
You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It MattersBy Kate Murphy
I’m a sucker for a self-help book, and I thought I might be in for the same comforting, uplifting stuff I read year after year. Nope. Murphy goes beyond the well-worn, “Nod your head and don’t interrupt.” We know when we’re being merely tolerated and not heard. Those speaking to us know when we are not interested. How to we reconnect and get interested again? Murphy’s conversations with a former CIA chief interrogator are especially enlightening. Apparently thinking you know what someone is going to say kills your ability to hear and connect. Familiarity and assumption are both the enemy of listening.
Recommended by Becca
![Ultimate Veg: Easy & Delicious Meals for Everyone [American Measurements] Cover Image](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1580823174i/28902359.jpg)
Ultimate Veg: Easy & Delicious Meals for EveryoneBy Jamie Oliver
This is an ideal cookbook for anyone looking to add more vegetables to their weekly routine. Jamie Oliver provides a variety of fairly simple recipes, with a focus on warm, hearty meals like curries and tray bakes that are perfect for cold winter nights. I personally recommend the Comforting Congee Bowl!
Recommended by Karen
[image error] Nashvillians of Note
By Bryce McCloud (editor)
Nashvillians of Note started as a permanent art installation at the beautiful Noelle Hotel downtown. Twelve local artists contributed portraits of over 100 of Nashvillians who have made helped make the city great. Bryce McCloud is the artistic director for this amazing installation. The book featuring the art and bios was printed at his famous Isle of Printing letterpress studio.
First Editions Club: February SelectionThe Resisters
By Gish Jen
Have you ever wished you could save the world, or at least alert people to the dangers surrounding us that seem to be met with either denial or complacency?
I’ve been talking about The Resisters by Gish Jen ever since I read it in manuscript six months ago, and now that it’s finally here I want to put it in the hands of everyone I know. It’s a look into the not-too-distant future in which the collapse of both society and the planet is met with (guess what!) denial and complacency. Our greatest hope for a better outcome rests on the strong shoulders of Gwen, a teenage baseball prodigy who is not allowed to play baseball.
As your heart beats faster and faster with recognition, please take a moment to notice Jen’s choice of a narrator — Gwen’s father, whose calm demeanor borders on meekness, who is the person with the least access to what’s going on. Picking him to lead us through this story is a stroke of genius.
For this book to affect social change it must be read, so when you’re finished, pass The Resisters on to a friend, or buy another copy for that friend. Let’s do what we can to help Gish Jen save us all.
Yours in reading,
Ann Patchett
More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.
Parnassus Book Club — Upcoming Meeting Schedule
February — The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
*Tuesday, February 18 at 6:30pm*
Wednesday, February 19 at 6:30pm
Thursday, February 20 at 10am
*Note change of day for this meeting.*
March — Little Faith by Nicholas Butler
Monday, March 16 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 18 at 6:30pm
*Thursday, March 19 at 10:30am — Nick Butler will be joining us for this meeting!
*Note time change
Classics Club — Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Monday, April 6 at 10am and 6:30pm
Are you a member of our store book club? Would you like to be? Parnassus Book Club and Classics Club meetings are free and open to anyone. Buy the book, read along, and join the discussion!
“It’s all about the book.” More thoughts on reading from Kathy Schultenover, Parnassus Book Clubs Manager:
I’m a big decorator for holidays — heart wreaths, Easter bunnies, pumpkins, Snow Village scenes. Recently, as I was taking down my Christmas thing,s I noted again all the pieces I never put out this year. I had decided early in the season to give my oversize Santas, snowy pine garlands and backyard snowman a rest this year. It felt good, and turned out to be OK. The house and back patio looked festive with what I had used anyway. The whole thing sparked me thinking about the idea of rest and change-up. We all need it in our lives, even our reading lives.
Many book clubs, including mine at Parnassus, take a hiatus over the Christmas holidays, providing a two-month period “to read whatever we want.” I overheard a book club member commenting after our November meeting that she was looking forward to reading her magazines and a romance novel or two. She needed a rest and change from the more literary fiction she usually reads for book club. The break is a great opportunity for refreshment and relaxation. If your club doesn’t take a break from your usual routine at some point, try it in 2020. It can “decorate” and refresh your club in a new way this year.
January 29, 2020
Adventures in the Library: An Interview With Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
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The Story Seeker: A New York Public Library Book is a companion novel to The Story Collector. These middle grade mysteries are inspired by the real life of Viviani Joffre Fedeler, who literally grew up in the New York Public Library, living with her family in an actual apartment in the building. These books are perfect for young readers who like history, mysteries, and adventure. I am thrilled to interview Kristin O’Donnell Tubb about this latest installment, and hope you will join us for the launch of The Story Seeker at Parnassus on Thursday, January 30 at 6:30 p.m. —Rae Ann Parker, Director of Books and Events for Young Readers
Rae Ann Parker: You are the author of many wonderful books for young readers, including A Dog Like Daisy and The 13th Sign. The Story Collector series came about in a unique turn of events. How did these books begin?
Kristin O’Donnell Tubb: First: Thank you, both for hosting me and for those kind words! I originally heard about a number of families who lived in libraries across the American northwest on NPR many years ago, and I recall imagining what a perfectly lovely childhood that would be. (See both this story and this one.) Fast forward a few years, and I saw another story about these library homes on Atlas Obscura. I’d previously written a few historical fiction children’s books for Macmillan, so when they approached me with the idea of writing the story of the family who lived in the New York Public Library, I leapt at the chance! It was like this story had been sitting on a dusty shelf in a far-away corner and was just waiting for the right person to amble along, seeking it. I was honored to be invited by Macmillan to be a part of this series of books published in conjunction with the New York Public Library.
RAP: Viviani Joffre Fedeler (the inspiration for this series) lived in the New York Public Library with her family. What is the most surprising thing you learned about her life in the library during your research?
KOT: I think most surprising was how very fun and adventuresome the Fedelers were while they lived in the library. (I mean, they played baseball alongside a Gutenberg bible — using books for bases! They kept pigeons as pets on the library roof — until the ASPCA found out!) And not only were they thrill-seekers, they seemed to know what a unique childhood they had. They shared many stories of their years growing up inside the library later in their lives, when they became adults. Viviani was literally born in the library in 1917 and lived there until she was 15 years old. Several interviews with her and her brother John Jr. were published in the 1930s and ’40s. So finding facts and stories about them was relatively easy, as historical fiction goes. They shared so many tales of their escapades that most of the scenes in both The Story Collector and The Story Seeker are based on true adventures they later recounted to the press.
RAP: You visited the New York Public Library and saw Viviani’s apartment. How did it feel to stand in the spot where your character lived?
KOT: Surreal! It’s one thing to look at old photographs and read stories about the Fedeler family and their library home. It’s another to stand in the kitchen where the Fedelers ate their meals, in the living room where they shared stories about their days, in the bedrooms (now offices) where they slept and dreamed. The windows of their apartment once looked out on Bryant Park, but now overlook a newer section of the library: a computer lab. Their apartment was large by Manhattan standards — eight rooms! — and the whole world of knowledge and art was literally right outside their front door. It’s an amazing thing, imagining living there. It was a fantastic experience seeing it.
RAP: The Story Seeker has been compared to the beloved From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Both books have characters who set out on adventures and accomplish things on their own in an unusual setting. Did you learn anything from your characters as you wrote the story?
KOT: Yes — and I believe the answer is always yes — I learn from every character I write! Viviani’s aim in both The Story Collector and The Story Seeker is to share her stories with the world — a goal I can really get behind! Writing a story lover like Viviani helped me clarify what it is about stories that I love: There is no better way for us to connect with one another than through a story. We relate to each other best when we’re sharing our story. And each of us has a truly unique story to share.
RAP: What is your favorite part of writing books for young readers?
KOT: I love the thought that I might be the first person to introduce a new idea to a young reader, and it’s a responsibility I take very seriously! Middle grade readers are reading on their own for the first time in their lives. Because of that, they are introduced to new ideas, outside of the thoughts that are shared with them from a parent or a teacher. And young readers are very honest. I love getting emails that say things like, “I liked Viviani but you really should’ve written more about [her brother] Edouard.” Only kids will be that up front about stories, and I love it!
RAP: And finally, we ask everyone: What’s your favorite thing about indie bookstores?
KOT: When I walk into Parnassus, Bill smiles and says, “Hi, Kristin! How are you today?” in his delightful British accent. Sissy jokes with me about social media, and Niki wants to know how Myrtle the pug is doing. Karen asks me about whatever project I might be working on next, and Rae Ann is simply a dear friend who does all of the above and more. They share which books they’ve loved, and they ask which books I’ve loved. Readers have a relationship with their indie bookstores that doesn’t exist anywhere else. I treasure my friendship with Parnassus and its employees.
***
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Join author Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
as we celebrate the publication of The Story Collector
Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020
6:30 p.m. at Parnassus Books
This event is open to the public and free to attend!
January 23, 2020
Shining and Unbroken Down: An Excerpt From Fight of the Century, Edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman
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In the new book Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU Cases, editors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman convene an incredible array of authors to comment on, contextualize, and otherwise bring to life a century of court cases brought by the American Civil Liberties Union. The writers include our own Ann Patchett, who is joined by Salman Rushdie, Jesmyn Ward, Louise Erdrich, Yaa Gyasi, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Lauren Groff, Andrew Sean Greer, Scott Turow, and the editors themselves — to name but a very few of the 40 incredibly accomplished contributors.
Each writer takes a landmark case that involved the ACLU in some way, and illustrates what’s at stake both in the decision and beyond it. In one chapter, Ann Patchett writes about the possible connection between the publication of The Grapes of Wrath and the 1941 case Edwards v. California, which struck down as unconstitutional a law that had made it a misdemeanor to knowingly transport an indigent nonresident into the state of California: “A voice rises up through experience, is made into art, and art then shapes the law.”
In their introduction, Chabon and Waldman describe the contours of their project and the importance of the ACLU’s work.
Every year the moon is struck, and its cratered face forever marred, by tens of thousands of asteroids and meteors. At least that many bodies rain down on Earth over the same period, and yet the Earth has very few craters and endures only a handful of relatively insignificant impact events every year. The difference, of course, is that unlike the moon, the Earth is blessed with and enveloped by an atmosphere that constantly shields it from attack. The Bill of Rights serves a similar protective function for individual Americans and their civil liberties, which, like the Earth, are and have always been under constant, relentless attack. From Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 to Trump v. Hawaii in 2018, our federal and state governments — often abetted by the courts — have sought to curtail, constrain, and infringe on the rights defined and enshrined in James Madison’s remarkable document. The protections of liberty and equality it guarantees have always been menaced by the overweening instruments of state and majoritarian power. But lately, as in some science-fiction thriller where the Earth is threatened by a monstrous, meteor-spewing aberration in space-time, the rate and intensity of those attacks seem to be increasing. Meanwhile, agents of the government are at work doing what they can to dilute and undermine both our protective atmosphere and people’s belief in its integrity.
Things, we feel, have been getting worse. Liberty and equality are everywhere under attack. And that’s why the work of the American Civil Liberties Union feels more precious to us than ever before. The ACLU lawyers and staff are the brave souls who suit up, blast off, and do what they can to divert and repel all those incoming meteors, or blow them right out of the sky. We admire them. We admire them the way you must admire people who devote themselves to doing, to the utmost of their ability, any thankless, impossible, and absolutely essential job.
[image error]Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon. Photo by Andy Freeberg.
Liberty and justice for all. We used to stand up with our classmates every morning and timelessly pledge liberty and justice for all, even and especially for those (as the Supreme Court, agreeing with the ACLU, ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette) whose consciences rebel at being compelled to pledge allegiance to a flag or to a country “under God.” The Bill of Rights protects pledgers and nonpledgers alike, but of course it is only the nonpledgers — the contrarians, the cranks, the nonconformists, the radicals and fanatics, the outsiders and the ostracized, the powerless and unpopular and imprisoned—who ever really need its protections. They also tend to be the ones least likely to receive those protections — not without a fight, anyway. That’s where the ACLU comes in.
The history of the ACLU is one of struggle, combat, of marginalized people and unpopular causes, of troublemakers and conscientious objectors, a history of battle and strife. But it is also the history of the very best our country has to offer to its citizens and, by way of example, to the rest of the world: the strong, golden strand of the Bill of Rights and the ideals it embodies, often frayed, occasionally snarled, stretched at times to the breaking point, but shining and unbroken down all the years since 1789. The ACLU holds the government, the courts, and the nation to their avowed and highest standard, insisting on the recognition of the protections the Constitution affords to every American, no matter how marginalized, no matter how unpopular the cause, even if the people it protects sometimes despise the freedom it represents.
As American Jews in our fifties, we both remember, powerfully, the moment we each first understood the austere and lonely fight of the ACLU, the thankless road to freedom on which it plies its trade. It was 1977, when the ACLU took on the case of the local branch of the American National Socialist Party, whose members wanted to hold a march along the main street of Skokie, a predominantly Jewish suburb outside Chicago. We remember wrestling with the difficult idea that the ACLU could be on the side of good (the First Amendment) and evil (Nazis) at the same time. To understand the vital role that the ACLU plays in American society requires a nuanced understanding of the absolute value of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom from unwarranted search and seizure, of the right to due process and equal justice under the law, even — again, especially — when those rights protect people we find abhorrent or speech that offends us.
Nuance unfortunately seems to be in very short supply nowadays. In these pages, we have collected essays by some of our country’s finest writers — not just because writers are and have long been among the principal beneficiaries and guardians of the First Amendment but also because they traffic, by temperament and trade, in nuance and its elucidation, in ambiguity and shades of gray. We turn to writers, here and in general, to help us understand and, even more, grasp both ends of ambiguities, to expand the scope of our vision to encompass the whole gray spectrum of human existence, in all its messy human detail.
Each of the writers in this book has chosen a seminal case in which the ACLU was involved, either as counsel or as amicus curiae — friend of the court — and made it the subject of an essay. Some have chosen to dig deep into the facts of the case and bring them vividly to life. Others have focused on their own personal experience with the civil liberty — and its abridgment — at issue by the case. Still others have crafted impassioned pleas on behalf of the rights being challenged or upheld in a particular Supreme Court case or have even, in at least one case, taken a reasoned position opposed to the ACLU’s own. Regardless of approach each of the writers has, we hope you will agree, produced something thoughtful, challenging, enlightening, and as worthy of your time as the ACLU is worthy of your support.
Enjoy.
Copyright © 2020 Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman. Excerpted, with permission, from Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU Cases, published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.
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