John Updike, 1932-2009

Not much for me to say here, so I figured I would just repeat myself from a previous post about a writer’s passing... “Your books will always have a place on my shelf” seems appropriate enough, and true.

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And now, a few favorite Updike quotes…

“Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five.”

“I love my government not least for the extent to which it leaves me alone.”

“If men do not keep on speaking terms with children, they cease to be men, and become merely machines for eating and for earning money.”

"We do survive every moment, after all, except the last one."

“Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.”

"The essential support and encouragement comes from within, arising out of the mad notion that your society needs to know what only you can tell it."

"Until the 20th century it was generally assumed that a writer had said what he had to say in his works."

"Writing criticism is to writing fiction and poetry as hugging the shore is to sailing in the open sea."

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Being the Third Post of my Project Reread...

As I mentioned in the first post, The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan was the book that introduced me to the wonderful world of fantasy literature, and so I approached this reread a bit more cautiously than I did with the A Game of Thrones reread. After all, this is THE book which not only set me on a journey through of Robert’s Jordan’s series, but also started a journey of reading Fantasy that will surely last my lifetime… Sure, you can imagine another book would have caught my eye (I was, and am, a geek, of sorts, after all), but no matter, this was the first, and thus has shaped my reading within the genre, for better or worse, consciously and unconsciously, ever since… a fact I was fortunate enough to share with Mr. Jordan in person at a book signing for A Path of Daggers when it was released - I thanked him and asked some questions… if I remember correctly, I got a humorous answer to one, a serious thought provoking answer to another, and the almost famous “read and find out” answer to another. An absolutely great experience, James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (Robert Jordan being his pen name) was a true gentleman and by all accounts as patient with, and appreciative of, his fans as an author can be.

I don’t believe this will really end up as a formal review for The Eye of the World (come on, those are everywhere on the internet - or should be), but I can ramble on and on without much direction about why I loved it so much, and why it still holds such a strong place in my mind. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea…

I believe I was all of 15 at the time I first read The Eye of the World and it played a role in making me the reader I am today (now granted, at the same time I was discovering The Wheel of Time, I was also reading Kerouac and comic books - that is to say pretty much anything I could get my hands on). The Eye of the World was like nothing that I had read before - of course, that isn’t to say it’s not like anything that had previously been written. It was the sense of wonder and discovery that hooked me and has kept me a fan for near on 20 year now. The Wheel of Time opened up the fantasy genre to many readers (me being one of them) and may have just kick started an evolution of sorts within genre which had at the time become quite stagnant. I don’t think there are many fantasy writers from the mid 90’s through today who would not admit at least a wee bit of indebtedness to Robert Jordan and The Wheel of Time for revitalizing the genre, and thus enabling their own success in some way.

Sure, the epic quest fantasy was done before, and there are those who complained The Eye of the World was not much more than another Tolkien wannabe (especially as the series came to prominence during the same time as the internet did, and there always seems to have been haters on the internet)... I have read in more than one interview where Robert Jordan says the beginning of The Eye of the World was written as homage to Tolkien - and that is what I take for. Never, in my mind, does this series veer away from its own originality into the territory of rip-off (and there have been a few rip-off calls, and not just of the typical "Tolkien was first" variety). For later books I may discuss some of the various points against them, but I think the main gripe some people have against The Eye of the World is a so called lack of originality, which I think is plain ridiculous. I personally dislike the fact that this book/series even needs to be defended (the arguments against it tend to range from the valid to the absurd) so I am going to leave it there for now... I make no apologies, I love The Wheel of Time, and rereading The Eye of the World just reaffirms it

The Eye of the World is, amongst other things, an outstanding example of world building. The world is complex and textured with many people and lands to discover. We get shown the world through the eyes of a small group of people from an out of the way village as they head out into the broader world on a quest to save the world (this is an over-simplified version of the way if it). Now this is not some new form of world building, but it is pulled off skillfully... we discover new things right along with the Emond’s Fielders, and is a big part of my enjoyment The Eye of the World, and of the series as a whole - as it develops we continue to learn and see more.

I could go on and on about different aspects and points - and should probably focus my thoughts better - but for now that’ll be it - lots more rereading to go before this project sleeps - oh, almost forgot - the important question...

Was it worth a reread? Yes. Not only did I relive some of the wonder I had upon first reading it, but it helps put the whole story in perspective somehow - I never really noticed before that some of the seeds for plot points which take place books from now were here in the first book all along. From these somewhat humble beginnings, the series grows and grows until we are now patiently waiting for book 12, the final of the series - for those of you waiting for A Memory of Light, I’d recommend rereading The Eye of the World, the whole series, and/or your favorite books in the series before it comes out. This is a book I will probably reread again, and maybe more than once (I do plan on living for many years past my usefulness to society, so I should have enough time for a few rereads of favorite books).
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Collector’s note - the first edition is quite collectible. This series became more popular than anyone involved probably dreamed it would be when it was published. Originally published in trade paperback and hardcover simultaneously, the publisher then rebound remaining trade paperback copies into hardcover copies, making things a bit murky in my mind (I have never been able to confirm whether or not the true first printing has a sown binding making it distinguishable compared to the, I'm assuming, glued binding of the rebound copies). Either way, I do not own one… someday maybe, but the possibility of the price coming down into my buy range ($150 or so) seems unlikely.
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Up next on my Project Reread, Book 2 of The Wheel of Time, The Great Hunt… I was thinking about reading The Fellowship of the Ring so I could have nice first book comparison, but with 11 books (and the 12th possibly out later this year), there is just more of these books to get through - comparisons of these three series will have to wait a while longer.

The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp

A pedophile working as a famous cartoon character ends up dead in the tunnels below a world famous amusement park... are you hooked yet? Well, after a very short time spent with Marshall Karp's hilarious first novel, The Rabbit Factory, you will be. There is some seriously funny stuff here... I totally laughed my ass off more than a few while reading it. The story centers around the detectives who are investigating the murder - Loomax and Brigs - who are two genuine characters with senses of humor. Told mainly in the first person from Mike Loomax's perspective of things, we are treated to an engrossing fast paced mystery. A true page turner whose story is not simply just who killed the rabbit - it becomes quite a large scale thriller... how that enfolds is best left to your reading of the book (trust me, its a fun ride). On many occasions I was laughing out loud while reading The Rabbit Factory, but please don't mistake this book as a one trick bunny (oh boy, a rabbit pun, bet you didn’t see that coming)… beyond being funny, this is a well developed mystery with intelligence and some truly heart touching scenes (one example - the reflection by a character upon the loss of a loved one seems so true to life, you will find it hard not to reflect right along with them). Marshall Karp can write it all - funny, smart, emotions, suspense - check, check, check, and double check. The funny is just the cream on top. Marshall Karp handles it all expertly. The Rabbit Factory never feels like a first novel, just one great read. I highly recommend it.

This book was so good that his second novel was on order before I even finished. Now that I have finished, I plan on reading Bloodthirsty sooner rather than later. Marshall Karp's third novel, Flipping Out, is due out in April. Check out his website for more info and a laugh or two.

“Gently Read Once”

Or 'what good is having a blog if you can’t rant once in awhile'...

So, I buy a book on ebay for $.99 (+3.59 shipping)... a hard cover of a book I’ve been meaning to read - a decent enough deal for a book that costs $15 in tpb at the stores. The description states “Gently Read Once”... from that description I expected an almost new, near fine condition copy - I get a book that has visible spine creases (not an easy thing to do to a HC), bumps along the boards, and a taped dust jacket… WTF!?! Now granted, it was only $4.58 out of my pocket and is a perfectly acceptable reading copy (what I was looking for), but it makes me wonder what the seller thinks of an un-gently read book? A monkey could do less damage reading a book than this person! I can read a hardcover three times over without doing much damage - hell, it is rare that I even crease a spine on a mass market paperback (psst.. wanna know a secret - I once returned a "gently read" book of mine to the store without even a second look by the clerk). Please, all you “gentle” readers out there, take care of your books (especially if you plan to sell them once you’ve read them)… Books Are Not Disposable Entertainment!

And so you know, I did not leave feedback one way or the other for this seller - they seems to sell mostly DVD’s, and anyone who buys a book on ebay for $.99 should not expect as much as I tend to…

Posts from around the book blog world...

Yesterday I spent some time bouncing around various book blogs and thought I’d share a few of the posts I enjoyed... You know, just spreading some book bloggin’ love around.

• The post that made me jealous I live on the wrong side of the pond.
• A couple good recommendations of books on books here.
• Peculiar book news here.
• I first learned about the 2009 Nebula Award nominees here.
• Yep, if ever in Texas, I need to find my way here.
• Weekly Geeks, is something I think I’ll enjoy checking out weekly (and should take part in).
• Anything that gets comic books in the news in a good light is a good thing.
• Finally, I know I saw a few books I will buy this year here.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Being the Second Post of my Project Reread...
When you begin to reread a book you love, it is often with excitement at the prospect of entering a world which holds a strong place in your mind, and with a bit of trepidation, hoping the book is really as good as you remember it to be. As a big re-reader of books, this feeling is one I know and am comfortable with… this is actually my third full reread of A Game of Thrones. The fantasy genre lends itself to rereading… the other worldly nature and depth the genre is capable of is something that leads to missed details upon casual readings. That, and fantasy fans have a tendency to become fanatic in their love for series and authors.

A Game of Thrones begins with just a hint of what lays ahead. The prologue here is either one hell of a hook, or a bit of a turn off - I say the first, but can see where someone might say the second. For a fantasy novel which deals less with magic and dragons than court intrigue and politics (and much much more, including even some magic and dragons), the prologue isn’t quite as indicative of the next few hundred or so pages - although, it does come into play later and can be considered a start of one of the main storylines… it is rather gripping as far I am concerned.

~ Here I need to make a brief interlude and comment on my philosophy on reviews - I hate spoilers! I do my best to give away no more (and often less) of a story than is provided on a dust jacket or back cover - and with most of my reviews, vague details are the best you can expect.

After the prologue we are introduced to the word, and slowly drawn into all its complexities. The limited third person, in the form of point of view characters/chapters, is one that is executed quite well… we become attached to characters, and end up knowing more of what is going on than some characters alone might, yet never gaining the full picture - or more precisely, there is plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep you turning pages, always wanting to know more. Truly epic in scope (although somewhat subversive in terms of "epic fantasy"), A Game of Thrones is a book to get lost in.

The medieval setting is one that, on the surface, will not be foreign to fantasy fans… knights and lords and castles and such are pretty standard fantasy paraphernalia, after all. Although, Martin creates such a realistic world that it seems that this is something new. In many aspects the setting is more reminiscent of well drawn historical fiction rather than fantasy. There is a starkness (for fans, no pun intended, really) to the atmosphere which in no way limits the wonderment, but does add to the believability. The historical aspects are also worth taking note of, as one of the influences of the series mentioned by Martin is The War of the Roses… not something I am well versed in, but I can pick up some things - the similarity of the Stark/York and Lannister/Lancaster names to name the most obvious - and a quick review of Wikipedia on the subject should provide the observant reader with many more connections.

The story is just plain awesome. Yes, I know that isn’t the best description in terms of a book review, but it really is awesome! If you haven’t read A Game of Thrones, you should. GRRM is a gifted storyteller who seems to have progressively gotten better over his long career.

So, bottom line, does A Game of Thrones hold up to a reread? Absolutely. This book has enough layers and depth to gain pleasure upon multiple reads. I am amazed by the little things that are only briefly hinted at that do not get a full revealing until a couple books down the road… I firmly believe GRRM has an intricate and well thought out plan for his saga as a whole, and even though it may have grown in the telling (I have seen various grumblings around the interwebs - I won’t dignify such things by adding a link), but when all is said and done, I believe it will be considered a true classic of fantasy literature.

All right, that’s it for now - there will be much more as I get deeper into my reread of A Song of Ice and Fire (and who knows, maybe even more on A Game of Thrones too).
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Collector’s note - on his website, GRRM sets aside a small spot on his website for those who collect his work in mind. Additionally, his feelings on whether the US or UK edition is the “True First Edition” on his FAQ page is rather interesting.
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Up next on my Project Reread, the first book Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World.

Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon has been a favorite writer of mine ever since I read Wonder Boys in 1995. Man, that is a great book! I like to say I predicted his Pulitzer Prize before The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was even published… of course, that is quite not true, but I have been admiring his work ever since Wonder Boys, and before he received the Pulitzer Prize, I was enamored enough by Michael Chabon to tell everyone I knew that they needed to read him (after he won, it wasn’t quite necessary for me to spread the word any longer - everyone I would tell already heard of him). Maps and Legends, Chabon’s most recent work, and first book of nonfiction, has been out for a little while now, and shamefully I had yet to pick it up…

Well, I was fortunate to get Maps and Legends for Christmas (my wife knows me all too well) and it was a perfect gift for this reader… and not only for this reader, this collection of essays is perfect for anyone who likes Michael Chabon, genre literature, or literary essays - this can be considered something of Chabon’s defense of those lowly art forms such as comic books, science fiction, and mysteries, and on that level it is compelling and spot on (I personally hate that such things even need to be defended and I almost feel bad for the literary elitist types who look down on such wonderful and entertaining diversions). As a mix of previously published and new material, it was a pleasure to revisit the essays I had run across before, and a joy to read the new material. Simply put, this is a fabulous book. Please, check it out, read it - enjoy it.

And on a completely surface level, this is a beautiful book. Published by McSweeney’s, who have a tendency (do you get the pun?) to publish some quality books, Maps and Legends is a book to feel and touch and look at, as well as to read. For the cover price of $24, it’ll really make you wish more publishers could put this type of workmanship into the books they publish.

Remainder Rack Chronicles

This is something I have been meaning to add to this blog from the start, and I am now finally getting around to it… Books found on the remainder rack, or bargain bin, (or whatever your preferred term is for those mostly hardcover books you see for cheap at most large bookstores) are awfully fun - they are cheap, they are books, and they sometimes require some digging to find the gems! Seriously, that is, in my mind, pretty damn fun.

For readers, remainders are often great buys - getting a hardcover for cheaper than a paperback… nothing wrong with that! Did you somehow miss buying the latest James Patterson or Stephen King novel when it was being offered at the bestseller 40% off discount? Not to worry, wait a couple more months, and once the paperback has been released, chances are you can find a copy for 5 or 6 bucks on the remainder rack. Many times bestselling authors are either over printed or go into multiple printings, leaving copies unsold when the time comes to switch over to focusing on paperback sales - the publisher’s loss is your gain.

For collectors, the prospects of purchasing remainders is bit more complicated - remainder books are often marked in some fashion (usually a pen slashed mark to the bottom or top edge on the pages) so as not to allow bookstores to return them as new unsold merchandise - thus decreasing their value considerably. Additionally, many books that are remaindered are either best sellers where the publisher printed 20 or 30 thousand copies more than were purchased (not falling into the rare category there) or are by lesser selling writers whose book just didn’t sell - and these books have an uphill battle to climb from remainder rack to being considered collectible. Also, make sure to check the book to see if it is a first edition, when books go into multiple printings they tend to be the ones getting remaindered. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions, so I am sure most collectors search the remainder racks from time to time - I know I do.

So, to start off this hopefully semi-regular segment here at Madness Abides, and to tie it into my Project Reread, I figured I would share one of my success stories of shopping off of the remainder rack… a first edition of A Game of Thrones for $5.98! Shortly after A Game of Thrones was released in paperback - it was maybe three months after I purchased the paperback, which I had not even read yet - I came across the hardback for sale on a remainder table in a B&N. Now, since I had not yet read the book, it was something of a gamble, but since the book looked promising (it did have that Robert Jordan blurb, after all) I bought the hardcover in hopes that it would become a shelf worthy addition to my library - and, of course, it ultimately did. Luckily, the copy I purchased was completely unmarked. Now if I would have had a chance to read the book before seeing the stack of maybe ten copies at the store, I may well have purchased a few more copies - although, I am still happy I have this one… it saved me between $75 and $100 (the current going rate), which I would gladly spend to have a copy.

Years later I attended a George R. R. Martin book signing (at the National Book Festival just before A Feast for Crows was released)… getting this prized possession signed by one of my favorite authors (increasing the value by a couple of bucks - though that is of less importance to me, I think it is just very nice to own, with a decent story).
Now this may be a pretty atypical example of buying a bargain book, but there are plenty of good deals and reads to found on the remainder rack, and that keeps me looking for books there. Check back for more remainder rack thoughts and acquisitions sometime in the future.

Happy New Year

I was thinking about writing a best of 2008 or a looking forward to 2009 type of post, but decided against it as those seem to be everywhere. So instead, on this holiday that is nothing more than the first day on a calendar, I figured I could write again on calendars. Luckily, Santa brought me the “Book Lover’s Page-A-Day Calendar” for 2009 I was hoping for, but now I am going to look back on the 2008 calendar and what I got out of it.

Well, out of 365 days, I found 57 days of books I want to read, have read, and/or already own (yes, I actually saved these day’s entries in a nice neat pile behind the calendar on my desk). Here are a few just for the fun of it - maybe you’ll find something worthwhile too…

Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell
Ghosting: A Double Life, by Jennie Erdal
Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York, by Luc Sante
Library: An Unquiet History, by Matthew Battles
The Dictionary of Imaginary Places, by Alberto Manguel
The Bookwoman’s Last Fling, by John Dunning (a favorite series of mine)
The Rabbit Factory, by Marshall Karp
Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books, by Paul Collins
The Book of Lost Books, by Stuart Kelly
The Keep, by Jennifer Egan
Edmund Wilson: A Life, by Lewis M. Dabney

Now on to 2009 - here’s hoping everyone’s year is filled with happiness and books!