It isn't often that I get to be a part of something big but I had the distinct privilege to be a Book Giver again this year for World Book Night 2013. Now in its second year in the US, World Book Night is aimed not at book devourers like me but at people who don't read or don't read much. The advisory board at WBN manages to come up with a list of thirty marvelous books (fiction and non-, classic and contemporary) and then, volunteers, some 25,000 of them this year, give those copies away to light readers. Somehow, the folks at WBN have been able to get everyone--publishers, authors, printers, binders, shippers--to do it for free. The aim is to give away half a million books in the US and UK in one day. That's big, especially at a time when reading books is low on the list of priorities for most people.
I've said it before but the thing I miss most about bookselling was when I used to finish a book, close the back cover and think to myself "Who is going to love this book? Who needs to read this? I can't wait to get to work to put this book in someone's hands". WBN allows me to do that again, to recapture that feeling after all these years away from the bookstore floor.
My choice was City of Thieves by David Benioff which I raved about in 2009 (http://goo.gl/OIWIr). Whereas last year, I focused on giving books to co-workers and neighbors, this year I thought I'd go with the flow a bit more even though the first four copies I gave away were at my job.
To start, I gave a copy to the woman who runs the day care where I take my dog and a woman my wife teaches with who was dropping off her dog at the same time. Both were delighted.
Then it was on to the barber shop where two of the barbers were interested. Oddly, a fellow getting his hair cut had just read the book and raved about it with me.
From there I went shopping and as I got out of my car, I noticed an older gent reading the newspaper in his car, presumably waiting for his wife while she shopped. I asked him if he'd like a copy of a "really terrific book" and once I told him I had no agenda, wasn't asking for money, and the book espoused no religious beliefs, political convictions or conspiracy theories, he agreed. When I told him it was set during World War II, he thanked me and explained to me how important it was to read stories like these "even if it's fiction".
Home for lunch, I gave away two copies to neighbors of mine, neither of whom read at all. Both were out doing yard work and I got to revisit my handselling skills. After telling them about the story, they were hooked. As Ralph Malph used to say, "I still got it".
Next was my mechanic who swears he's so tired at days ends, he hasn't read in years but after my summary of the story and the fact that 25,000 people like me were giving away so many books in one day, he said he'd be honored to accept a copy.
A nearby firehouse was my next stop. Knowing these folks have a lot of downtime between runs, it was a no-brainer. The two firemen I spoke with couldn't have been more grateful and asked for an extra copy. My pleasure.
Mrs. Next had plans with friends that evening so I was a swingin' bachelor and went to a favorite neighborhood dump for wings and a burger. Sitting at the bar, I chatted with one of the regulars with whom I have a nodding relationship (we don't actually know each other but I've frequented the place long enough that the regulars nod at me when I come in). He, too, left with a book that evening.
The only person who turned me down was Peter who runs the gas station nearby. He said his English wasn't good enough and if he took a copy but didn't read it, he wouldn't be "respecting the book". I thanked him.
I'm saving my last copy. Not for me, of course. It's for a young man whom I watched grow up. His family lives a block away, we've known them a long time and I've always been fond of him. Bright, energetic, and with a sly smile, in his twenties he was diagnosed as schizophrenic. Now he walks all over the area in shirt and tie, usually doing good deeds like raking lawns or shoveling snow. He refuses to take money though I'm sure he could use it. He has good days mostly and I always stop him to ask how he's doing and how he's spending his time. He was always a reader but now he turns almost exclusively to his Bible. It is my hope he might add this to his reading list.
So, thank you, friends, colleagues and strangers for indulging an old bookseller. What a great pleasure for me to put a book in your hands.
Thank you to everyone who made this a success.
Thank you, World Book Night HQ for allowing me to be part of something big.
Let's do this again next year.
To learn more, visit http://www.us.worldbooknight.org/
I had never heard of David Benioff, I hadn't read any reviews of this book, no hype, nothing but this one had me at the cover. Something about it's Adrian Tomine-esque artwork and it's Charlie Brown pine tree just grabbed me and told me the story inside was worth reading. Then I read the 5 page intro. Three times because I couldn't believe how pitch perfect it was.
It's 1942, the siege of Leningrad. Bleak, cold, desolate. Lev, a 15 year old boy and Kolya, a Russian soldier, end up in a jail cell together, pleading innocence of their individual charges. A colonel makes them an impossible deal: in exchange for their freedom, the boy and the solider must find one dozen eggs for the wedding cake of his daughter who is about to marry. During the Siege of freakin' Leningrad!
Part buddy picture, part coming-of-age tale and certainly part "horrors of war" story, Benioff has created a masterful novel that is wildly funny, deeply moving and profoundly meaningful. The characters are rich, history is respected and Benioff has the ability to make you feel a part of the story; like you're there in this freezing, Russian winter, hungry as hell, scared, with your very freedom just within reach despite the absurdity and impossibility of what has been asked of you.
This will be the book against which the rest of his upcoming books will be measured and it will be no small task to best this one. I wish him luck and look forward to more.
Alas, dear reader (you know who you are--both of you), I can only apologize for my time away from blogging. While I've been reading and making my judgments on several books, I can but plead to a distinct lack of creativity coupled with a subsequent lack of desire to share my thoughts. It's not you. It's me. Really.
With that in mind, I pledge to do better and keep you current on what Reed reads. I've also changed the color scheme some though I'm undecided if I like it or not. Perhaps it's time for Reed Next to get a face lift. Any thoughts?
Now that I've begged your forgiveness, duly chastised myself and taken a quick shower, here are my choices for my favorite books for 2008:
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
- Cerealizing America: The Unsweetened Story of American Breakfast Cereal by Scott Bruce and Bill Crawford
- Just Say Nu by Michael Wex
- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
- The Deportees by Roddy Doyle
- The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
- St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell
- So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger
- Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles
- City of Thieves by David Benioff
As you can see, I've included both fiction and non-fiction in my picks and for all but two of these titles, you can find a post on this site. (I owe you reviews of the books by Tinti and Benioff and they will be added shortly.) These are in no particular order but if I had to choose my Book of the Year, and I must say, I had the good fortune to read some wonderful books, I'd have to choose City of Thieves. It is a remarkable story, beautifully told.
Oddly, there seem to be two common threads in these titles, one canine, as evidenced by my choices of books by Russell, Stein and Wroblewski; the other being thievery as evidenced by Tinti, Benioff and, if you will indulge me, Miles (you may decide for yourselves about the airlines but I live in Cinn city where our airport is the most expensive in the country for no good reason).
In the spirit of encouraging you to follow my example of the 50 Page Rule (To wit: if a book doesn't grab you in about 50 pages, close the book and start another. Life is too short to plod through a book you don't like), I have picked up and put down a few to which I offer a heads-up and thumbs down:
The Book Of Lies by Brad Meltzer. Despite having my favorite author inscription (he called me "the best human ever!"--how insightful), this book showed initial promise. However, I think this briskly paced potboiler is trying to be too many things at once.
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy. I'll be taken to task for dissing a book held in such high esteem by so many but I would ask, who among you is reading it for the first time in the 21st century as opposed to having read it years ago? If you were to read it now, you're likely to find it quite different without your your rose-colored bi-focals. It's dated style and feel left me cold and the characters are the very phonies Holden Caulfield railed against, except they're Southern and moneyed. Bah, says I.
I do think I may try an experiment this year. My old cellmate, Janet, the grande dame of bookselling, used to always alternate a new title and then an old one (she also bought CDs this way). I think I may add a wrinkle to this and revisit books I've read before to see if they still hold my attention and my ardor. Thus far, the year began with Breakfast at Tiffanys, followed up with What I Was by Meg Rosoff and currently has me reading the luxurious prose of McCracken's The Giant's House. Stay tuned. Reviews will post soon.
