January 26, 2009
Review
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Why I chose it
This book is on my favourite list - 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (amazon link)
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The Buzz
1001 books:
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a charmingly naughty fable, capturing in crystal a glorious moment of New York during the last gasp of American innocence. … Paving the way for the revolution to come, Holly is a gamine - sexually free, hedonistic, a prostitute. She lives for the moment, damns the consequences and makes up her morality as she goes along. … Daring in its day.. it may have lost its ability to shock, but its charm does not diminish.
What I reckon
I remember watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I was a teenager and not getting the fuss. Then some years later, on a re-watch, I realised I wanted to be Audrey Hepburn. Not the disaster, but the confidence, style and unflappability. Later I heard that she was a prostitute, sanitized for the big screen. That was disappointing.
Now, ten years later, I finally finished reading Truman Capote’s version of the story. Simply captivating.
If it is possible, the paper Holly Golightly is even more Audrey Hepburn than the celluloid version. And not, in my opinion, a prostitute (despite what everyone keeps telling me). More like a serially kept woman. I don’t want to be her, but I would like to be inspired by her. Grace, charm and confidence when life, finances and love are in tatters - definitely a skill for the modern woman.
The short novella is well written, with clarity of prose that is inspiring. The story is simply a woman of poise and style clambouring from one personal disaster to the next, meanwhile inspiring those in her wake to desire her. It sounds awful, but she is written in a way that makes desire understandable.
As an added bonus, my copy of the book included some more short stories, on entirely different themes. One written on the sacrifices of love still bounces around in my head.
I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to any seeking inspiration. My copy was registered with Bookcrossing. I released it into the wild at Noosaville, Queensland.
What else to read?
The Librarything Suggester top 10 recommendations are:
Truman Capote:
Esther Freud:
Tama Janowitz:
Charles Webb:
Françoise Sagan:
L. P. Hartley:
Robert Anton Wilson:
- Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything: Or Old Bob Exposes His Ignorance (LibraryThing, Amazon
)
January 19, 2009
Bookclubs, Finding books
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I have talked in passing about Bookcrossing. I have been asked more about it, so I thought I should share my obsession.
What is Bookcrossing?
Bookcrossing started as a simple venture to track books, much in the same way that people track currency with services such as “Where’s George?”
Participants sign up for free and register their books. This involves identifying a book, and writing a short review, summary or note in an online journal. Each book is given a unique identifying bookcrossing ID (or BCID) which is written inside the book. Then, instead of returning the book to their shelf, the book is “released” to find a new owner.
How do books get released?
- Wild Release
Books are left in a public place for anyone to pick up. A note inside the front cover encourages the finder to add to the online journal (they can do so anonymously). About 10% of books that are released into the wild “check in” when someone writes in the journal (even years later).
- Bookrings and bookrays
One book is sent to a series of bookcrossers in turn who read the book and send it to the next participant. This is like an online bookclub, as each leaves their comments in the journal. At the end, books can be set free (book rays), or returned to the initiator.
- RABCKs (Random Acts of Bookcrossing Kindness)
Most Bookcrossers publish a wishlist. Sometimes, wishes are granted secretly.
- Release to a Bookcrossing Zone
Some cafes, hairdressers, even libraries have bookswap shelves. These can sometimes become bookcrossing Zones, where someone takes responsibility for getting a BCID for all the books left behind. This is a form of wild release.
- Bookboxes/bags, virtual and otherwise
Bookboxes are a disastrous thing to be involved in. Avoid them at all costs! Basically, a box or bag full of books turns up on your doorstep. You take whatever you like and fill it up with more of your own. Then you pay postage to post it to the next participant. Incredibly tempting, and bookshelf destroying.
Why is bookcrossing so cool?
I had hundreds of books sitting on my bookshelf, serving no purpose other than clutter. Although I might have enjoyed reading the book, I was probably never going to read it again. Or if I would read it again, it would be very easy to get another copy.
Bookcrossing got me to purge all my shelves of all the books I had no real attachment to. I even had to buy books from charity shops to release as well. (It’s a tad addictive to send messages randomly out into the world.)
Beyond that, there is the community of crossers. Like any book community, they are willing to share recommendations, and chatter. I have many more books than I started with due to recommendations and bookswaps, but most are unread. I’m not sure that is a huge improvement.
For me, Bookcrossing has been a great support. I am the only avid reader of adult books in my house, and recommending countless books to my husband was no longer helping my urge to discuss. Now I can share my books with others, and set them free to see the world!
Visit me (DrCris) at Bookcrossing.com to sign up, or find out more.
January 16, 2009
Finding books, What to Read
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I have never been a collector of fine or rare books, but I have been coveting this collection of books with unusual bindings, featured on AbeBooks recently.
They have bindings featuring brass, semi-precious stones, steel, skin of every sort of animal imaginable (pythons, eels, sharks, salmon, snake) even rubber.
My favourite would have to be the New Testament gospels covered in shark skin (above). Amazing.
