Tag Archive for 'book a week'

A Book A Week: What Week Is It Again?

chris published on July 3, 2010 in art. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Let me explain something that doesn’t necessarily warrant explanation: I am lazy. I have a propensity for being incredibly lazy, which can sometimes get in the way of things that are actually good for me. It’s an issue, really, but I’ve been working on it! That said, I’ve faltered considerably when it came to my “resolution” to read a book a week. There, I said it! I’m not saying I haven’t read at all, but my time has been spent doing things like biking to the beach, going to the Los Angeles Film Festival, and… well… being grossly lazy. Alas, life goes on. I will too.

Understanding Comics – Scott McCloud

I’ve never been a huge reader of comics. Yes, I’m a devotee and endorser of Comic Con, but I’ve always gone for the experience and not necessarily as a fan and lover of comics. I’ve always heard good things about this book, though, and thought it might help me better, well, understand something I never thought of as a form of art. McCloud does an excellent job of dispelling that very same preconception, and in the end makes a statement about the nature of art itself. Understanding comics has always proved difficult for me. Understanding Comics, the comic book that is about comic books, helped me appreciate something that I now see as a form of art.

A Book a Week: Numbers 7 and 8

chris published on March 7, 2010 in superforest journal. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

These last few weeks have been very active weeks, and as such, I didn’t have enough downtime to read an entire book this week, but all is well. It has been a great three weeks, packed with performances both given and received, immense fun with a few good friends, and good food courtesy of Mrs. Salehian, not to mention two awesome books written by two Johns.

(via)

Week 7: John Irving, The Cider House Rules

I bought this novel at a Goodwill-esque thrift store for fifty cents. It had one of those “Now A Major Motion Picture” covers which I promptly ripped off and replaced with one made from the side of a cereal box. I promise this did not detract from the quality of the prose — it was a very poignant novel about the history of an orphan. If that sounds like a Dickens novel that is because it is similar, and some of both Dickens and Brontë’s works are referenced as motifs. As a whole, though, the novel was hypnotizing. As with A Prayer for Owen Meany I thought about the characters weeks after I finished the novel — they felt like familiar friends. Let me put it this way: the protagonist of Cider House Rules has a tendency to say, “Right,”  in response to most any question. Now I do too.

Week 8: John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

This was an assigned book for my Literature class, and I’ll be darned if it didn’t intimidate me. I’m used to reading long novels, longer than this one, at least, but I think the reputation of the novel preceded itself. It is, however, extremely accessible. The first third of the book was hard for me to get into — I felt like I didn’t know enough about the characters to sympathize with them (I’ve been reading too much Irving, if there is such a thing). Once the narrative gets rolling it was hard to put down, though, and I don’t think I will ever forget the ending to this novel. It will have me thinking for a long, long time. I sure won’t give anything away, but I will say that Steinbeck’s publisher wanted him to change the ending scene. He refused.

No week nine this time, but that’s okay. I’ll make up for it somehow because one way or another I’m getting to at least fifty-two this year. Again, it’s been a special few weeks, and check back soon for SuperForest’s coverage of Feed The Soul. We really outdid ourselves, and if you saw a few of us there and said hello, it was a pleasure to meet you. It was amazing to meet so many strangers in the course of a few hours; an enlightening experience.

I’m full,

Chris

A Book a Week: 4-6 (Sorta)

chris published on February 15, 2010 in art and superforest journal. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , .

These past few weeks have been marked by a few great books. I’ll get to the “sorta” part soon. Of course, six weeks ago I made a resolution to read one book every week, and as of late I’ve struggled with the concept, simply because I didn’t want to read a book simply for the sake of saying I read it. That didn’t happen. I found that if I enjoyed a book, it wasn’t a matter of time; I was going to finish it. Yes, there is a certain aspect of discipline that comes with the practice, but the joy is contained with in the words, not within the ability to say I’ve read the words…

Week 4: Time’s Arrow – Martin Amis

A novel in which the narrator exists as a presence in the consciousness of a man whose life is playing in reverse. Huh? Let me put it this way: in Time’s Arrow, doctor’s kill people, pimps give prostitutes money and heal their wounds, you regurgitate your food and systematically place it in containers to be brought back to the supermarket in return for money. Conversations play in reverse. It’s definitely a trip, but it’s one worth taking. Of course, it begins with the narrator witnessing his host’s death and ends with his host’s birth. If it sounds a little like Slaughterhouse Five, that’s because it is: Martin Amis has said the novel was influenced by “a famous paragraph” from Vonnegut. The prose was disorienting to say the least, but well worth the read. Hint: the good stuff happens at the end (or is that the beginning?).

Week Five: A Prayer For Owen Meany – John Irving

My Calculus teacher, when asked what was his favorite novel was, replied “A Prayer for Owen Meany”. That was almost a year ago, and I finally “got around” to reading it. Let’s just say it definitely helps when you choose to stick to a one-book-a-week-diet. Side effect: you get to do things you’ve wanted to do for awhile. Anywho, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. The prose isn’t necessarily lyrical or ornate, but the story telling is beautiful and colorful. It’s a novel about friendship, faith, love, and loss. What else is there to write about, right? But it’s very well done; you fall in love with the characters, even when they’ve passed away. They become your friends. I find that a good book sneaks up on you; the story becomes a part of your existence. Part of the beauty of literature, in my opinion, is the ability to live vicariously through the characters. A Prayer For Owen Meany has become a part of my existence.

Week 4.5: Fences – August Wilson

This play was required reading for my Literature class. It’s one-tenth of Wilson’s The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicles the African-American experience one decade at a time. It was a great read, and as with all plays, seeing it performed live enhanced the experience two-fold. The dialogue most definitely has a rhythm – it’s been said that August Wilson would stamp his foot in time, like a Blues musician, in rehearsal. If something didn’t click it was altered. And it shows; there is a definite honesty and color in each character. One thing that you definitely miss when you see the play live is the stage directions: Wilson wrote beautifully ornate stage directions that stand alone. The last scene was one of the most ambiguous I’ve read/seen in a drama setting.

Week Six: Blargh! I ran out of time!

This week was the first I couldn’t complete an entire novel (although I read about 500 pages in total). You see, I started reading The Cider House Rules, another John Irving novel, but on Tuesday I had to complete chapters 1-10 of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. So here I am now: half way through two books and nothing (at least in terms of my project) to show for it! But fear not, I’ll make a glorious comeback…

In any case, the rewards of sticking to this project are many. I’ve been so enamored by the process; the therapeutic value of reading, the excitement of starting a new novel, and the feeling of resolve gained. Literature pun! Zing! If there’s a book you’ve wanted to read I urge you to read it. If there’s a book you’ve been meaning to buy I urge you to buy it. The book-a-week plan is just another way to realize that time is short. Even if I were to read a book a week, for, let’s say, 80 more years, that’d only be 4,160 books, a mere fraction of the valuable recorded works of man. Literacy is a gift worth using.

Use it,

Chris