Amber Tamblyn's Dark Sparkler is My New Favorite Kind of Poetry

Moment of honesty.

Outside of Frank O'Hara, I'm not quite the biggest fan of poetry. It's not that I dislike all poetry ever, I just never got super into it. 

But when I received a galley copy of Amber Tamblyn's Dark Sparkler, I was immediately totally, absolutely in love.

Dark Sparkler is a collection of more than thirty poems as portraits of famous actresses who may have initially been stars on the red carpet but later fell far from the good kind of spotlight. Tamblyn's words pull you in to feel like you are deep in the minds of these women, however dark they may be.

Although the words are the skeleton of Dark Sparkler, Tamblyn's talent really shines in her curation of the collection as a whole. The book reminds me so much of the journals I've kept in the past; full of portions of a text, sketches, collage, print outs, etc. The pieces commissioned for Dark Sparkler vary from paintings to sketches to collages to comics, but there are no photographs. Just like Tamblyn's poetry, the artwork that accompanies her words isn't what we would expect to be paired with a series of profiles. Instead of portraits we would recognize, the original artwork woven into the pages of Dark Sparkler, reflects the inner thoughts and feelings of these starlets.

I wanted to share this from the foreword by Diane di Prima, which I found to be 100% true:

At some point you will begin to get curious. Something will start to tug at the edge of your mind/heart. At that point, go to the library or search the Internet for information about any girl/woman you find yourself thinking about... Read their (often sadly short) stories. Let your imagination fill in what book and computer don't say.

The collection is practically addicting. You really get lost in these pages and in the world of these women, researching them after reading Tamblyn's portraits.

Plus, Frank is in this book.

Learn more about Amber Tamblyn at Amtam.com, which is pretty good lookin' as far as actor sites go, and her poetry non-profit at WriteNowPoets.org.

+

hey there, stranger!

I love my city.

the bus from Into the Wild, because I saw my friend Kristi this weekend!

The Book of Unknown Americans by Christina Henriquez

I'd like to formally thank The Baby-Sitters Club series for making me the kind of reader that immediately loves a book where the narrator switches every chapter, no matter the content of the book. I'm pretty sure it's the only reason I enjoyed As I Lay Dying when everyone else in my class hated it.

Anyway. I was already excited to start reading Christina Henriquez's The Book of Unknown Americans based solely on three sentences in an email from Knopf. When I opened it and realized it changed narrators, I basically felt a wave of nostalgia.

This book is amazing. Not only is it a beautiful told story, it's an important story to be sharing.

There are so many ways families live across our country. In all directions, ways of life I will never experience or understand, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be more educated about my fellow Americans (probably the most patriotic sentiment I've ever had).

And speaking of sharing stories, my favorite part about this book is probably the project that has been paired with it. Henriquez has created a Tumblr blog urging readers to share their own stories:

One of my hopes for The Book of Unknown Americans was that it might tell stories people don't usually hear. And now, another hope: that we will all tell our #UnknownAmerican stories. Where did you or your family come from? What is your life like now? We'll create a chorus and make our voices known. 

If you're looking for another book to read this summer, I definitely recommend The Book of Unknown Americans. It is a wonderfully written, truly beautiful story.

And the cover is really nice, too. Of course. It so simply illustrates the central character, Maribel, while also standing for each young woman the character represents. And of course, not being able to see her face speaks volumes to the way Americans can tend to treat "outsiders". Really nicely, simply done.

(photos in collage via Tumblr)

Where'd You Go Bernadette, or, I Love Maria Semple

I have this thing about Bestsellers lists. For some reason I just feel like I am NEVER going to like a book that sits there for weeks and weeks and weeks. Probably my hipster soul.

Anyway. Maria Semple may have just changed my whole world view.

About three months ago I saw Semple at Town Hall for her conversation with Dave Eggers. I was volunteering with 826 and figured I'd sit in for some of the talk as well. And then I became 100% convinced I absolutely had to read Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

Then all my holds at the library became available at once and it was slightly overwhelming.

And then I couldn't renew Bernadette because other people had holds. So I spent all day in bed on Tuesday reading the book. It was amazing. More please.

A few things: 

1. As a recent Seattle transplant, I loved this book. So many witty notes on Seattle culture, and Microsoft culture in particular. 
2. I'd like to start wearing a scarf in my hair and large sunglasses 24/7 now. Is it Halloween yet? Because this is going to be my costume.
3. The end of this book was so perfect. The whole resolution of the story brought such a great balance to the book and kept a comedic tone that prevented anything negative about Seattle from being actually malicious. 
4. I think the criticisms of Seattle in this book were just funny to me because they were remarks on such specific pieces of the culture here. Thanks to growing-up in Metro Detroit, I've developed quite the backbone when it comes to criticism of your hometown. (Speaking of Detroit I just read an AMAZING book about the city and can't wait to share more about that.)
5. I love the format of the writing. I love Bee. I love that the story is told through her point of view (ish). 

I absolutely recommend this. I literally read almost the whole thing in one sitting and was laughing out loud during parts. I really can't remember the last time I like a fiction book this much. I'm giddy just thinking about it, to be honest. 

+

it's been almost a year since I moved to the Emerald City

two weeks until Alaska! (Still no idea what books to take with me. Suggestions?)

speaking of judging books...

Adam Begley's Updike Biography

I think there are very few times I would willingly carry around a 500 page book in my purse for a full month. I'd rather keep a novella or small paperback with me at all times. But, for the past month or so, Adam Begley's Updike has gone almost everywhere with me.

We've enjoyed breakfast and a few Happy Hours together.

And I can't wait to snag a hardbound copy of this to add to my collection of John Updike books. It is that good that even though I have this lovely review copy, I will purchase one for myself.

This is truly one of my favorite biographies. Of course it helps to be interested in the subject, but I loved the way Begley intertwined Updike's personal life story with the characters in his work. Some of these connections, I knew before reading the book, but the ones I was just discovering were so exciting I found myself remarking out loud. Of course, they were exciting for me, but if you aren't a fan of Updike's work, you probably would have been able to contain yourself like a normal human.

Begley's writing in this was great. And although the writing itself never felt slow or dragging, it was the perfect biography to work through at a slower pace myself.

And I'm so happy they stuck with the proof cover, designed by Leah Carlson-Stanisic on this one. Such a great black image of Updike.

Also, this book is cat approved.

+

an Etsy treasury based on Updike's Rabbit, Run

one of my favorite passages by Updike

another nice cover by Leah Carlson-Stanisic

p.s. I'll be doing an interview with Risa Rodil, so study up! 

Book Review: Drunk by Ann Dowsett Johnston

There's something cliche, but something that is just kind of perfect, about the cover for Ann Dowsett Johnston's new book, Drink. The rings left from the wine glass on the napkin or the bedside table or the kitchen island. Because it's about what women are left with after the glass is empty.

If you are a girl/woman/female person and

a. a casual drinker or

b. a binge drinker or

c. a regular drinker or

d. an excessive drinker or

e. a non-drinker

... you need to read Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol.

Beyond being a story of Ann's personal struggle with alcoholism, Drink takes a close look at how the alcohol industry is targeting women with their products and advertising. While I was reading it, I definitely started to notice all of the "girl" drinks I hadn't really separated in my mind before. I also took a step back and realized just how prominent the presence of alcohol is in our daily lives. Drink discusses how to increase in alcohol abuse among women affects our private and public lives, and the overall impact of increase on society as a whole.

I could spend days telling you about what I learned in Drink, but I'd really rather you read it yourself, and then we can talk about it. There's definitely a discussion that needs to be happening.

But I will share a few things that really stood out to me:

• When discussing minimum pricing on alcohol in other countries, Ann says the United States isn't expected to follow suit. Throughout most of the country, "beer is often the cheapest liquid available—cheaper than water, orange juice or milk." Sad but true!
• The alcohol industry seems to be following the same patterns as the tobacco industry, which means that right now, alcohol is being marketed to younger crowds than before. And especially young women. After reading Bitter Brew, and thinking about the ads I see, I can definitely agree with this. 
• Drunk driving is really, really moronic. I know this should be common sense. It's something we all say we'd never do, but it happens far too often. 

I really could go on forever, but like I said, this is a must-read. It didn't make me quit drinking, in fact, I'm having that totally relatable glass of wine after work that Ann talks about so much in the book as I type this. But, it has definitely made me examine my own habits and the habits of my peers, as well as the role all of this has in greater society. 

And wonderful work by Leah Carlson-Stanisic on the design. Thank you for not putting some terrible stock photo depicting some sort of Sex and the City-esque scene on this cover. 

+ my review of Bitter Brew
+ another alcohol-related book I'd really like to read

Pain, Parties, Work

I get pretty lucky with books I'm supposed to review. Not only do most of them show up in my mailbox with nice covers, but I usually enjoy what I read. Like 4 or 5 star ratings.

But I just don't know if I can be best friends with Sylvia Plath.

Yesterday I finished reading Elizabeth Winter's "Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953" and I am so happy to be moving on.

I've never read very many poems by Plath, and I've never read the Bell Jar (which her 1953 summer was based on), so I guess I didn't have much of an interest in her when I started the book. There were also a few times where I felt like I was reading a book written by Sylvia's best friend and I had somehow insulted Sylvia and Winter was writing me to defend her.

I'm planning to hand this off to one of my friends who does adore Sylvia and see what they think.

I do have to say Winter's detailed account of Sylvia's summer in New York was incredible. Sylvia spent only a month as an intern at Mademoiselle, but the book is full of rich details of almost every day of her time there and you can truly picture what an interesting place the Barbizon would have been. 

And of course, I did like the cover when it arrived. I loved the tones on the photograph and it was very "pretty" but now that I've read the story I'm not sure it was the best option. Something a little more New York probably would have been more fitting.

The book is available from Harper Collins on April 16.

Have you read much Sylvia Plath? Do you think you'll read this?

Pieces of Light review, or how I became interested in the amazing science of memory

I have been brought here by imagination,
and now I am stuck with the memories.

Like many books I write about on here that I've come to love, I picked-up "Pieces of Light" because I loved the cover illustration and design by Pete Dyer. (thanks for the tip Dan!)

Over time, I've become increasingly drawn to non-fiction over fiction. I have a feeling it's because I miss being in an academic setting, which is where I would have loved to read "Pieces of Light: How the New Science of Memory Illuminates the Stories We Tell About Our Pasts" because I'd love to discuss and debate what I've read.

Charles Fernyhough uses a great balance of personal anecdote with scientific findings so I rarely found a chapter too dense. "Pieces of Light" worked as a great commute read but I also knocked out 100 pages during a flight without feeling overwhelmed by stats and facts.

Reading "Pieces of Light" on an airplane actually made me realize that every time I fly, which is about once a month, I find myself recalling memories of past flights. Almost every departure, I think of how one of my childhood friends played with a mini-skateboard when our flight took off for a mission trip to Mexico because he was afraid of take-offs. During daytime flights, when I stare out the window at the clouds, I remember one flight I had down to New Orleans when the clouds reminded me of the Grand Canyon. And whenever food is served I seem to find myself reminiscing about numerous flights when I used to travel with my mom for business and they served McDonalds' kids meals. I loved analyzing my own memories, and considering which were recalled versus which were summoned involuntarily by a trigger.

Memory is an artist as much as it is a scientist.

Something else I really loved about "Pieces of Light" was the way it makes us think about autobiographical memory, and therefore, written autobiographies. Fernyhough writes:

When I read a memoir, I am always being told: This is how it was. Here is the vivid picture. Feel the weight of that vividness, its guarantee the authenticity. How could I be creating this wonderfully colorful picture if I was making it all up? But the memoirist is of course making it up. he or she is a storyteller, as we are all storytellers. I know that memory doesn't allow for that kind of faithful representation of past events.

... These fictions also have power because they matter. Stories and memoirs have political dimensions, and so do memories.

... We are natural-born storytellers; we engage in acts of fiction-making every time we recount an event from our pasts. We are constantly editing and remaking our memory stories as our knowledge and emotions change. they might be fictions, but they are our fictions, and we should treasure them. Stories are special. Sometimes they can even be true.  

I really like this point because it bothers me when people feel betrayed by an author who may not have gotten all of the facts right. The pieces of their memory, 100% factual or not, are important because they are a reflection of how that situation felt to that person and what it meant. Which is also why I really love reading memoirs, especially the one I am reading now about Miss Sylvia Plath.

You can read more about "Pieces of Light" on Fernyhough's blog, or pre-order a copy on Amazon (release date March 19).

And if you do order it, read it and want to talk about it, let me know.

Edit: Huffington Post interviewed the Dyer about the cover art and design. Read it here. Thanks to Harper for the link!

Plus, more book reviews
& one of my favorite memoirs

The Little Book of Heartbreak

I'm quite the cynic. Based on my circle of friends and coworkers I'd say it's what led me to journalism way back when and what has kept me in newsroom since. My cynicism also carries over to my bookshelf. I've always leaned toward non-fiction, and when I've chosen to read fiction leaned toward more realistic stories.

Which means no, I didn't read Twilight. Or Pride and Prejudice. Or anything that could be considered romantic literature.

But I was excited to read The Little Book of Heartbreak by Meghan Laslocky. When I read the back of the book, my immediate reaction was "Perfect! It's like SparkNotes for all those sappy stories I hate but should know about!" And it was way better than that.

The Little Book of Heartbreak: Love Gone Wrong Through the Ages is divided into five sections:

• History
• Culture
• Music and Art
• Film and Literature
• Conclusion and Practical Advice

My absolute favorite was definitely Culture. I loved learning about how heartbreak really does mess with our minds and about detachement theory.

As far as design goes, I like the simplicity of the cover with the basic line icons. Especially the dead bird, which also appears on the side. I find it pretty funny.

Obviously another highlight was this Harry Potter reference on page 11. After reading this, I knew I'd love the rest of the book:

I do have to say my one complaint about the book is the little breakout boxes that are scattered between chapters. They kind of reminded me of reading a book in middle school about boys or becoming a woman. I think I would have rather had a movie list at the back or at the end of each chapter. But this is just person preference. 

I can't say this book inspired me to read Pride and Prejudice or to see Twilight or suddenly believe these stories that I still find ridiculous. But I can say that I loved the historic side to The Little Book of Heartbreak and I'll be reading a lot more of Meghan's work. 

You can learn more about The Little Book of Heartbreak on Meghan's website. 

And because it is almost Valentine's Day, and almost February:
Field Notes Love 
& one of my favorite pieces from an Augusten Burroughs book

Silhouettes from Popular Culture by Olly Moss

I've been a fan of Olly Moss for quite some time, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a review copy (back in October, I'm a bit behind guys) of "Silhouettes from Popular Culture". Since it came in the mail, it has made a home on my coffee table. Everyone who visits picks it up and loves it, most likely for the perfect combination of simple art and nostalgia.

In the book's introduction, Olly writes that he's always been drawn to silhouettes.

"There is, in all of art history, no simpler way of capturing a likeness—and I'd always thought that making pop culture-infused silhouettes would be a devious way of sneaking girlfriend-safe nerd art onto the walls of my own home."

When offered his first solo exhibit Olly tested the idea. I remember seeing these silhouettes, titled "Paper Cuts", popping up everywhere on the internet, design nerds everywhere wishing they could attend the exhibit and order prints of their own.

To create each piece, Olly drew characters from the side and used powerful industrial lasers to cut them out of black paper, which just sounds awesome. 300 characters later a book was basically necessary, and now we have "Silhouettes from Popular Culture" (most of those 300 are included in the book).

More about Olly Moss / Order the book for your own coffee table

+

One of Olly's book covers
More Batman, because why not?

Bitter Brew

I like beer. I like books. I like reading about really ridiculous family histories that make my family seem super boring.

So when William Knoedelseder's (I'm so glad I can just type that and don't have to try to pronounce it) Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer came up on a list of options to review, I requested it immediately. And after a sort-of slow start, I loved it.

I mostly read Bitter Brew on the train during my 40-minute work commute and I loved seeing people take second glances at the cover, which pays tribute to the iconic Budweiser bottle label. And even after an intense 40-minute read, I couldn't put it down. I do not recommend doing so and potentially injuring yourself, but I continued to read as I departed the train and walked the block to my office in the morning.

I loved reading the history of the Clydesdales and the Budweiser brand, seeing prohibition from a brewer's perspective and learning more about the competition between American breweries. I also really enjoyed the chapter titles, which I would get so excited about I'd text photos of them to my friends... which isn't a normal habit I have while reading.

I think one of my favorite parts of Bitter Brew is how Knoedelseder takes you all the way up to present day. I'm not sure why that was an unexpected end to the book for me, but it was. I feel like maybe Budweiser is such a big part of America's history, at least brewing history, that it doesn't seem like it should be a living history. Kind of like how when my dad took me to see Bob Dylan and it felt weird because Bob Dylan is such a legend it seems like he should be dead by now (please don't die Bob).

I'm trying to decide which of my friends to pass this book on to now that I've finished it. I think if you like drinking alcohol, learning about family dynasties and watching HGTV shows about ridiculous homes, you'd enjoy Bitter Brew as much as I did.

Buy it here

Also, welcome to 2013. I'll have another post up shortly with my normal blogging resolutions about posting more regularly (aka not abandoning my blog like I have for the past two months). But this time I really mean it, especially because I just started Meghan Laslocky's The Little Book of Heartbreak and I'm already excited to post about it.

Review: Kidnapped

I bought "Kidnapped" for the same reason I've bought most of my books the past few months: it was on sale at a closing Borders location. And just like all of the other books from similar situations, I am happy with my scavenging purchase.

To top it off, the copy I grabbed is part of the Penguin Classics (RED) series, so 50% of sales go to The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa (you can learn more about the special editions by CLICKING HERE). I love the design of this series: each book has the red banner at the bottom and is only black, red and white, yet each cover has it's own unique illustration. The "Kidnapped" cover was designed by Julian House.

If I were a coming-of-age boy, I would have loved "Kidnapped". It is about adventure and it is awesome. To be honest, even as a 22 year-old girl, I still loved it. And that's why Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Kidnapped" is in fact a classic.

The story pretty obviously involves a kidnapping, and one of my favorite parts of reading this book was waiting for the kidnapping to actually happen. The suspense was pretty great and totally brought me into the story. Not only does the main character David get involved with kidnapping, he also has  experiences shipwreck, murder and sword fighting. Seriously, boys these days need more stories like "Kidnapped" and less "Animorphs" (are people still reading those? I hope not).

Sure, "Kidnapped" isn't on my list of favorite books of all time, but it definitely surprised me and I'm glad I read it. And if I ever have kids, I guarantee this will be on their bookshelf.