So many books, so little time
I’ve been skipping around the blogosphere and seen a lot of resolution-type posts for the start of 2008. I don’t make resolutions. Resolutions are only made to be broken, and who wants that on his conscience? Makes you feel like a loser. And God knows, being writers, we already feel insecure.
I’ve also seen that the book bloggers are taking up reading challenges for the year. There’s the TBR Challenge, the Short Story Reading Challenge, the Jane Austen and C.S. Lewis Mini Challenges, the Canadian Book Challenge … I could go on and on. Who knew there were so many book lovers who blog and want to challenge themselves with so much reading? This definitely falls under that “make no resolutions” category for me. Yet another disappointment if I couldn’t manage to get through all the books in my TBR pile — again.
There are some books I really am looking forward to this year — and will make sure I read them. Louise Ure’s THE FAULT TREE will definitely get a second reading after having her sign my book at LCC in Denver. I can’t wait for Laura Lippman’s new Tess book in the spring. Alison Gaylin’s HEARTLESS, due out this summer, sounds fantastic, and Lori Armstrong’s new Julie Collins’ book, SNOW BLIND, will be out in October. Patty Smiley’s next Tucker Sinclair book, COOL CACHE, will be a treat, and Jim Born’s new Alex Duarte book will be out in the next couple of months. And most definitely in June I'll be picking up J. Maarten Troost's new travel book LOST ON PLANET CHINA: THE STRANGE AND TRUE STORY OF ONE MAN'S ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD'S MOST MYSTIFYING NATION, OR HOW HE BECAME COMFORTABLE EATING LIVE SQUID.
I’ve just realized that I’ve created a new challenge: New Books I’ll Read This Year.
Want to join? What new books are you looking forward to this year?
Karen
Keywords:
About Karen
I’ve lived in Connecticut all my life, except for four years in the Blue Ridge Mountains at Roanoke College in Virginia, where I was an English major and read a lot of dead white male British writers, and almost two years in...
Causes Karen Olson Supports
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Offensive
J. Maarten Troost's new travel book LOST ON PLANET CHINA: THE STRANGE AND TRUE STORY OF ONE MAN'S ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD'S MOST MYSTIFYING NATION, OR HOW HE BECAME COMFORTABLE EATING LIVE SQUID.
I hate to come across as the thought police, but I find this title incredibly offensive (and I don't take offense that easily). I've not read this book and and never will. The title smacks of what Edward Said termed "Orientalism."
I think the world would be better off if you took extra time to read a good history like W. Scott Morton and Charlton M. Lewis's, "China: It's History and Culture."
You won't be breaking into belly laughs but then you'll have a much more relevant and sensitive knowledge of China and its people who have had to suffered war and hunger on a vast scale in the past 200 years.
Rebuttal
I have read Mr. Troost's other books set in the South Pacific, and he is remarkably sensitive to their cultures while providing a very entertaining read. You can't really blame an author for a title, since they are usually not the ones the author starts out with. I've had two of my three titles changed by my publishers.
Also, my daughter is Chinese, so I am incredibly sensitive to anything that could be perceived as offensive regarding her race, and I have read quite a bit about China and its history and culture. I am looking forward to Mr. Troost's take on China.
Thanks, Karen for your reply
I appreciate your clarification and email.
I fought long and hard with my editor and agent to keep "Baba" when one of them wanted to Americanize it to "Daddy" (which sounds limp and loses all cultural context).
I think Mr. Troost and other authors have every right and power to "fight" with an editor for a title that's attention-grabbing and culturally sensitive.
I flinched when I heard the title because no race wants to be made fun of when it comes to their eating culture. It reminded me of my Caucasian schoolmate who asked me for a bite of my mooncake, exclaimed, EWWW and threw the precious piece on the ground.
P.S.--I've never ever eaten live squid nor do I have heard of Chinese friends who do :)
YOUNG PEOPLE READING
Most leave an empty home
Called latch-key syndrome
Most eat their meals in cafeteria
Most carry electronic panacea
To talk adn play
Most of the day
Very few curiously probe
Grabbing their electronic earlobe
Solving mysteries seldom undertaken
Literacy forsaken
Hello?
I am not sure who is posting my poems but thank you very much. This is quite the compliment for an old man.