In case you were wondering who I was voting for...

Bob Gonyea gets credit for the photo. Thanks Bob!

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

I took a break from reading memoirs this past week to read a lovely work of historical fiction that was highly recommended to me by Sweetcakes.

I had to refrain from looking up Frank Lloyd Wright on the internet or learning anything about his real life as the story unfolded as I was tempted to do. Several readers warned me that it would spoil the end of the book for me.

This heartbreaking story was meticulously researched by Nancy Horan. She read newspaper accounts of the time, biographies of Frank Wright and Mamah Borthwick and also histories of early feminism. As I writer, I know that capturing this kind of story on paper is one of the most interesting and challenging to write. Ms. Horan has taken a true story of love, rebellion, feminism, tradgedy and social mores and imagined all the scenes that may have happened between the two lovers and the children and the spouses that were involved. It was a fascinating story and if you have not read it, I highly recommend it. Thanks Sweetcakes!

If you do not know the story of what happened to Frank and Mamah at Taliesen--read the book first and then go to Wikipedia for the story.

More New Technology

With a nod toward my better half who has been waving his reading device under my nose and calling me a luddite. I present this very funny You Tube Video:

Trail of Books

The funny thing about reading Travels with Lizbeth by Lars Eighner is that I remember seeing it on all the bookstore shelves when it first came out in the early 90s. I looked at it often. I read the front and back cover and ultimately decided not to buy it or read it.

In my last book of the week, Empire of Scrounge, the author cites Lars Eighner and Travels with Lizbeth several times and a fellow reader mentioned she had the book. So 15 years later, I was once again presented with the opportunity to read a memoir about a man who lives for three years on the street with his dog Lizbeth.

It is a stunning memoir about homelessness and hope. Lars tells his story with frankness and honesty and not much self pity. The most compelling part of all this is that he does have the opportunity to get out of his predicament once in a while but he refuses because he cannot part with his dog--his companion. Lizbeth, if not the centerpiece of this fascinating story, is almost its reason for being. The shadow of this simple and loyal animal streches large over the memoir.

Mr. Ehrman reflects often on the necessity of staying clear of the law--if only because it would mean that if he were arrested, his dog would be taken to the pound and probably destroyed. He could not let that happen to her.

His forays into the dumpster and his ability to create homes for himself in parks and public spaces are the most interesting part of this story. Also, I wept at the hair raising account of how Lizbeth was almost put to sleep because the narrator did not have the money to get her out of "animal prison".

Well worth a trip to the library to find this older gem. It was a lesson in how some books come back to greet us--even after 15 years.

Reading Device? I don't think so...

The latest reading craze is a portable reading device. They are manufactured under several names--if you are an Amazon user you have probably heard of the Kindle.

My husband just bought one of these, and I must say that every thing that appalled me about a hand held internet reading device before one arrived in my home still appalls me now. This reading device is so repulsive--I could not even look at it. I won't bother to describe it or its features--mostly because just looking at it sends cold chills up and down my spine. Suffice to say, my husband is thrilled that at the push of a button you can download any book from among 160,000 titles and begin reading. No more driving to the bookstore or waiting in the library queue or waiting for your special order to arrive by mail. You just push a button a voila--the words are there on your screen.

I have begun to panic that this portable reading device is the beginning of the end for books and bookstores and libraries. My husband challenges me.

"Why do you care? Books are wasteful. They take up resources. With my reading device, no trees are cut down and no gas is wasted driving to the library."

Okay, I feel bad about that, but look what is at stake!

I love books. I love how they feel--smooth and cool. I love to turn pages and I love the way you can set them side by side on your shelves and reminisc about fond memories with favorite characters, or what you learned from some intrepid heroine. I love the different sizes and covers. I love the picture of the author on the back and I love how they smell. I have always worshipped at the altar of books, and I know that any answer can be found in a bookstore or a library--the shelves and aisles are filled with possibilities.

I cannot imagine having no books in my house. In the case of the portable reading device--I think you don't even get diskettes or computer chips. I think you simply get a little link to click on your hand held device.

I cannot imagine a sadder world than one where all my books are condensed to a few clicks on a computer screen. Can you?

Empire of Scrounge

Interested in Dumpster Diving? Love to pick through trash? Are your greatest treasures found free on the side of the road? Empire of Scrounge is a fascinating account of one man's 8 month odyssey through the trash bins and dumpsters of his town in Texas.

For those 8 months he made his living and took notes of the myraid of things he found--discarded. His stories of rescuing and living off of the abandoned detritus of America became a commentary on the wasteful consumer culture of which we are all a part.

This book asks us to take a serious look at what we consume and how we consume it. It also weaves an interesting tale about the intersection of what is legal and what is illegal as it crosses thresholds with trash dumpsters and found objects.

This book is available from NYU press.

Tagged!

I just got tagged by an old friend from my res hall days. SSS worked for KT at the same time I did. I've been catching up with him lately at his blog All I'm Saying. I feel honored because SSS's blog is very very funny and thoughtful, and he has someone from every state and even a few other countries reading his blog. I have about 5 people who read my blog.

So here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these six rules on your blog.
3. Write 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog. 6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.



6 Random Things about myself:

1. KT from lucky girl is one of my top role models in life. She was one of my first bosses ever and she really taught me a lot about how to do work stuff. Unfortunately, I am only half the boss she ever was. I am lucky to have worked with her.

2. I have frequent insomnia. I don't use any medication or sleep aids. I just don't beleive in them. Maybe a cup of chammomile tea.

3. Best show ever: Battlestar Galactica (Modern version--not the cheesy one from the 70s.) Nothing like watching Starbuck kick a little cylon bootie.

4. It is almost November again. While I am excited for November to be over so we can get this election behind us, I am equally excited for: NANOWRIMO. I have actually won this contest three of the four years I have entered. For those of you squeamish about 50,000 words in 30 days. Try what my friend Steph did: Nanoblopomo!

5. I really don't understand conservative Christianity. Wasn't Jesus a radical?

6. I have two overdue library books.

I will tag:

Steph at Steph's Cup of Tea.
Sweetcakes at Two Boys and a Beagle
Hootie
Anna Pieka Valentine
Zenabu at What was I thinking?
Bloomington Girl

Thanks all!