See you on Monday when I get back.

Just in time to announce the Japanese Literature Challenge 2

prize winners, and my review post for The Memorist tour.

Sometimes, I'm So Sad

My love is lost

and so it stays,

I count not cost

nor look for ways,

to love again

for I love still...

Love like light

cannot by caught,

fingers closed tight

hold naught.

~Madeleine L'Engle (The Love Letters)

Sunday Salon: Pulitzer Prize For Fiction

You might notice yet another "challenge" of sorts in my sidebar: The Pulitzer Prize project hosted by 3M. The fortunate part is that there is no time limit; just read through the Pulitzers whenever. I'm taking that to mean the fiction winners. When I get through them, then I may have to attempt another category. The ones I've already read are highlighted in burnt umber:

2008 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Riverhead Books)

2007 The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Alfred A. Knopf)

2006 March by Geraldine Brooks (Viking)

2005 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar)

2004 The Known World by Edward P. Jones (Amistad/ HarperCollins)

2003 Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Farrar)

2002 Empire Falls by Richard Russo (Alfred A. Knopf)

2001 The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (Random House)

2000 Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin)

1999 The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

1998 American Pastoral by Philip Roth (Houghton Mifflin)

1997 Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser (Crown)

1996 Independence Day by Richard Ford (Alfred A. Knopf)

1995 The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields (Viking)

1994 The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx (Charles Scribner's Sons)

1993 A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler (Henry Holt)

1992 A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Alfred A. Knopf)

1991 Rabbit At Rest by John Updike (Alfred A. Knopf)

1990 The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos (Farrar)

1989 Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (Alfred A. Knopf)

1988 Beloved by Toni Morrison (Alfred A. Knopf)

1987 A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor (Alfred A. Knopf)

1986 Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Simon & Schuster)

1985 Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie (Random House)

1984 Ironweed by William Kennedy (Viking)

1983 The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Harcourt Brace)

1982 Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike (Knopf)

1981 A Confederacy of Dunces by the late John Kennedy Toole (a posthumous publication)
(Louisiana State U. Press)

1980 The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer (Little)

1979 The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever (Knopf)

1978 Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson (Atlantic Monthly Press)

1977 (No Award)

1976 Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow (Viking)

1975 The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (McKay)

1974 (No Award)

1973 The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (Random)

1972 Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (Doubleday)

1971 (No Award)

1970 Collected Stories by Jean Stafford (Farrar)

1969 House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday (Harper)

1968 The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron (Random)

1967 The Fixer by Bernard Malamud (Farrar)

1966 Collected Stories by Katherine Anne Porter (Harcourt)

1965 The Keepers Of The House by Shirley Ann Grau (Random)

1964 (No Award)

1963 The Reivers by William Faulkner (Random)

1962 The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor (Little)

1961 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Lippincott)

1960 Advise and Consent by Allen Drury (Doubleday)

1959 The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor (Doubleday)

1958 A Death In The Family by the late James Agee (McDowell, Obolensky)

1957 (No Award)

1956 Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor (World)

1955 A Fable by William Faulkner (Random)

1954 (No Award)

1953 The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Scribner)

1952 The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk (Doubleday)

1951 The Town by Conrad Richter (Knopf)

1950 The Way West by A. B. Guthrie (Sloane)

1949 Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens (Harcourt)

1948 Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener (Macmillan)

1947 All The King's Men by Robert Penn Warren (Harvest)

1946 (No Award)

1945 A Bell For Adano by John Hersey

1944 Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin

1943 Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair

1942 In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow

1941 (No Award)

1940 The Grapes Of Wrath by John Steinbeck

1939 The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

1938 The Late George Apley by John Phillips Marquand

1937 Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

1936 Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis

1935 Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson

1934 Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller

1933 The Store by T. S. Stribling

1932 The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

1931 Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes

1930 Laughing Boy by Oliver Lafarge

1929 Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin

1928 The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

1927 Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield

1926 Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis

1925 So Big by Edna Ferber

1924 The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson

1923 One of Ours by Willa Cather

1922 Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington

1921 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

1920 (No Award)

1919 The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington

1918 His Family by Ernest Poole

1917 (No Award)

The Elegance of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Title: The Elegance of The Hedgehog
Author: Muriel Barbery
Published: 2006 by Editions Gallimard, Paris (2008 by Europa Editions)
Number of pages: 325
Rating: 5 out of 5

When you see a book being praised all over the web do you ever think: "It's either going to be great, or one of the most disappointing books I've read in my life." ? That's how I felt about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which turned out to be great, and this book. Which is also great. If you can read it with a dictionary at hand.

It amazes me that a book with such a high level of vocabulary words has been such a bestseller. When a plethora of readers seem to be picking up the likes of Danielle Steele and Nora Roberts, judging from their book sales, it makes me wonder how many are left who can understand page one of Muriel's. The first page alone had words like this:

• eructation: an act or instance of belching
• deleterious: harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way

But, maybe that makes me sound as snobby about my reading as Muriel's heroine, Renee, appears to be about her own. She calls herself an 'autodidact', a person who is self taught. Incongruous as her position of concierge may be, because she has read Tolstoy and listened to Mozart's Requiem, she secretly scorns the rich who inhabit her building. Much as I do the nouveau riche who have moved into our city, because as anyone knows, money alone does not make you smart. Or kind. Or honorable.

Sharing in her scorn is the younger daughter of a family also living in her building. It's as though we are listening to a version of The Emperor's New Clothes when we read the thoughts of these two characters. They blatantly name the charade that the rich have ensconced themselves in, while reveling in the joy that the pleasure of hazelnut chocolate, or pastries with tea, can afford.

Hidden within their hearts, though, are terrible burdens: of not being strong enough to help those who need it, of being afraid you will die if you don't stay where you belong, of staging your own punishment.

In this complex novel, which examines the heart, I found myself deeply moved when reading the experiences of an outcast. It makes me wonder if we aren't all, to some degree, strangers in this land. Or, hedgehogs of our own.

Madame Michel has the elegance of the hedgehog; on the outside, she's covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary-and terribly elegant. (p. 143)

Thank you, Lesley

Yesterday, ABC news had a story about the Pope (whom my ex-Catholic husband refers to as "The Poop") using YouTube. He felt, apparently, that using current media would help get the word out about God and His work. I'm not Catholic, and I'm not a big fan of YouTube, so it doesn't matter to me one way or another.

But, he cautioned people against relying too much on blogs as friendship: people should not let real life friendships slide, he said.

Hmmm...I've had real life friendships which are no where near as close as I feel to blog friendships. Beverly has asked to meet me when I come to Florida. Bookfool and I have shared ups and downs about our sons. Tanabata has recognized my love for origami and sent me paper from Japan. Chris has encouraged me and comforted me about being a mother. JoAnn and I share a deep affinity for being lakeside. Nan has gifted me with a song for my iPod when I was particularly discouraged. Harry has left enormous insights to books I've read through our discussions. These are just off the top of my head; many more people have extended friendship through comments and commiserations.

And, Les, one of my oldest friends in the whole entire blog-o-sphere, has sent me this pillow for my birthday:

along with a devotional book in which to record prayers and praise.

Now, I ask you, is there a friend who knows me better than that? Even some of my own cousins, dear as they are, do not know me so well.

Just shows you what the Pope knows...

A Stiff Upper Lip May Become A Smile

My dad called me up last night. "I'm comin' home," he grouched. He's been in Naples since New Year's Day, and apparently the inauguration has thrown him over the edge.

"It's 30 degrees here. I haven't caught a fish in five days. The stocks are down again. And, Obama's officially president."

"Dad," I said, "you coming back to Chicago will not change Obama's presidency."

It's a big change for us conservative Republicans. But, I was very impressed with the whole inauguration thing. I like Obama's eloquence. I like his sophistication and pronounciation. I like the hope that American people seem to be feeling. I liked the color of Michele's first dress, and the energy that they bring to the White House reminds me a bit of John and Jackie. I, for one, am hopeful.

Well, I'll be going down to Naples at the end of the month to celebrate my birthday. I've also got to simmer my dad down, remind him that it isn't 1952 any more. I'll turn off the radio when Rush comes on (because one side's poison is as bad as the other's), and we'll try to catch a fish. Or, two.

Japanese Literature Challenge 2: Prizes Are Coming!

Behold the prizes for the Japanese Literature Challenge 2. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) Because they are assembled into a collage, I'll list them separately below:

1. two paperbook books by Miyuke Miyabe: All She Was Worth and Crossfire,
2. two CDs of music: The Very Best of Japanese Music and Ryuko Mizutani's "Vista" which is contemporary koto music,
3. a DHC catalog (which is the number 1 selling skincare in Japan) and 14 samples including a full size bar of their Extra Mild Olive soap,
4. a Japanese cookbook and a little black dish made with a real Japanese Maple leaf,
5. a spiral notebook featuring The Wave, a package of 10 cards and envelopes of Toyokuni's work, and a package of froggie origami bought at the Art Institute of Chicago,
6. an extremely difficult to find work of Haruki Murakami's: Hear The Wind Sing, written when he was in college, along with two buttons.
7. AGH! I forgot to photograph Coin Locker Babies! That's one of the prizes, too.

So, are you ready to throw your name into the pot? If you've read three Japanese works, please leave a comment below. You have until January 30 to finish the Challenge; I can't wait to hear from you!

Having Light We Pass It On To Others

The title of this post comes from my Alma mater: Wittenberg University in Ohio. (I've always suspected that they meant lighting another person's smoking material, but maybe I missed the point.)

Harry has given me the Premio Dardos Award, and in true Harry form it is original, creative and artistic. I love the colors and unusual design, not to mention what it stands for:



The Dardos Award is in appreciation of the merits - culturally, literary and individually- of every blogger who expresses him/herself on his/her blog. The conditions are to:

• Be tickled pink,
• copy and paste the award picture to your blog,
• write down the regulations,
• link the blog who bestowed you the award,
• and finally nominate 15 blogs for the award.

And, so, the 15 bloggers I nominate are:

Lesley

Bookfool

Trish

California Teacher Guy

Tamara

Andi

Terri B.

Robin

Chris (at Book-a-Rama)

Chris (at Stuff As Dreams)

Darla

Nan

Gina

CJ

Beverly

Thank you each one, for enriching my world, and thank you, Harry, for bestowing it upon me. I'm clicking my lighter at you.

Sunday Salon: A Snowy Walk on Sunday, A Snowy Read for Winter

It's been snowing since Friday afternoon.

My husband is wondering where the global warming is because it's not in Illinois.

But, I love this weather. It's perfect for walking...

and laughing...

and photographing...


and playing with Henry in the snow on a Sunday afternoon.

I wouldn't even mind a picnic if I could get someone to sit by me on the bench,

while we looked at the remnants of November...

and December.

I'd sit on this old stone wall and read, but my coffee is inside.

It's the perfect weather for reading Consumption, a book I finished yesterday by Kevin Patterson. The setting is the Arctic, and it's about a whole lot more than the disease. We read, and come to care deeply, about characters who are Inuit but also those who are "southerners" (from Manitoba). We see what it means to live in the extreme temperatures of the north, hunting for tuktu (caribou) and fish. We understand what a diamond mine can do to a rural community, and ultimately, what a family does to self-destruct. It's a fascinating book, a perfect read for January.

Coin Locker Babies

by Ryu Murakami

first English translation published in 1995

Kodansha International Ltd.

393 pages

I first heard of this book when Michael Wong, of Ideagist, visited my Japanese Literature Challenge 2 blog and asked me if I had a copy. I told him I'd buy him one, which I did, but when it arrived from amazon.com I had to see what it was about. After reading a few pages, I ordered him another, and sat down to immerse myself in this story.

Like so much Japanese literature I've read, there's a quality of fantasy that's hard to put one's finger on. Is it the author's imagination run wild? Or, as in a John Irving novel, is the bizarre not so bizarre after all? Somehow, after the first hundred or so pages, the reader doesn't even mind if strange creatures come into the characters' lives, or absurd thoughts present themselves to the characters' stream of consciousness. It all seems perfectly natural, somehow, in a piece of well written literature.

Coin Locker Babies is about two babies who are abandoned by their mothers in train station coin lockers. "Two troubled boys spend their youth in an orphanage and with foster parents on a semi-deserted island before finally setting off for the city to find and destroy the women who first rejected them. Both are drawn to an area of freaks and hustlers called Toxitown. One becomes a bisexual rock singer, star of this exotic demi-monde, while the other, a pole vaulter, seeks his revenge in the company of his girlfriend, Anemone, a model who has converted her condominium into a tropical swamp for her pet crocodile. Together and apart, their journey from a hot metal box to a stunning, savage climax is a brutal funhouse ride through the eerie landscape of late-twentieth-century Japan." (front cover flap)

The theme of abandonment, and the pain that causes, runs throughout this novel. Regardless of culture, or life style choices, the distress which comes from knowing that their mother has left them becomes almost unbearable for these two young men. We see their choices, most of them which are self-destructive, in their pursuit for self-acceptance. Secondary, to me, was the plot line which in itself is enthralling; I chose to dwell on their emotional aspects first rather than the physical ones.

This novel looks at what it means to be a child and an abandoned one at that. It is heartbreaking and insightful, especially to those readers who may have been adopted themselves. Regardless of culture, regardless of age, regardless of reason, being adopted is painful. Yet there is comfort in exploring the issue, in knowing that other adoptees have similar feelings.

I found this an incredibly profound work, as well as a fascinating look into the Japanese world.

Free Online Novel by Alexander McCall Smith: Corduroy Mansions

Alexander McCall Smith, author of The No. 1 Detective Ladies Agency, is writing an online novel called Corduroy Mansions.

He started writing a chapter a day in September, and he will finish this novel in February. You can catch up with it online at www.telegraph.co.uk/onlinenovel. Chapter 71 has just been written following a 2 week break over the holidays, so now is a good time to get into the story if you're just beginning it as I am.

Corduroy Mansions has been running for a few months, and it's easy to catch up. You can read the chapters on the site, as an rss feed or email update, as a downloadable widget, or you can follow the project on Twitter www.twitter.com/corduroymansion.

I went ahead to iTunes and downloaded it onto my iPod as a free podcast. It's read in a lovely British voice and is just the thing to listen to at the end of a long day of teaching. Or, laundry. Or, driving. Or, whatever it is you do that might wear your ass out.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

We went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night. I've been thinking about it ever since.

It is a three hour long mesmerizing tale about life. Death. Relationships. Things you take for granted (like being born, having parents, growing up) are thrown on their sides for us to examine more closely.

When Benjamin is born an old man in his 80's, his father is so horrified he whisks his son away to eventually deposit him on the doorstep of a home. It turns out to be the home of his new mother, who loves him and accepts him and sees something special in him straight away. She also takes care of old people. I think we often land, unwittingly, exactly where we're supposed to be...

As Benjamin grows up mentally, his body becomes younger physically. The transformation is amazing on screen (what would we do without computers?!), but Brad Pitt is remarkable at portraying Benjamin. It was a wonderful surprise to see him in a film that didn't involve shooting and machismo in every scene. Of course, I could also see Johnny Depp cast perfectly in this role; he seems to have more of a contemplative side to me.

The only thing I didn't particularly care for in the film is the way the story is told through reading an old diary. Like with Bridges of Madison County, I found myself annoyed at constantly flashing back from the story of the main character's life to the current setting where the daughter is reading it from her parent's journal.

But, that is a very minor point in a very well done film. I, for one, thought it was wonderful. Now I have to read the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Self-Help Books-Do They Really Help?

I’ve been a voracious reader ever since I realized I could make sense of letters strung together to form words. In fact, my seventh birthday present was a trip to the oculist and a pair of glasses to correct the tears that kept pouring down my face each time I sat engrossed in a book. I loved books then and I love them now - all these intervening years have only made my passion for the written word grow to such an extent that I now feel bereft without a book on my nightstand or in my handbag.

But in all my years of reading, I’ve never come close to signing out a self-help book from a library or picking one up from a shelf in a bookstore. Fiction is my cup of tea, and I’m happy without feeling the need to experiment with the non-fictional options, particularly those that belong to the self-help category. I’ve read one or two of the latter genre that were lying around on a coffee table near me – if I remember correctly, it was Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and Spencer Johnson’s “Who Moved My Cheese” – but for the life of me, cannot recollect what each book was about.

I don’t understand how books can teach you to be better people, to live your life differently, to manage your finances better, to make new friends and keep your old ones, and so on and so forth. To me, experience is the best teacher – you make a mistake once, and the consequences ensure that you don’t make it again. No matter how much a book stresses on the things you need to do to win friends, the fact is that we are all different, and each friend is won over according to what makes them tick. And no matter what a book tells us, we’re going to do as our heart or head dictates, because we are human beings and are known for being creatures of habit or creatures of instinct.

But that’s just my point of view, and a close friend begs to differ – she swears by these books and is forever trying to persuade me into reading books titled “How to Do This” or “How to Achieve That”. But then, to add strength to my argument, she gives me a call each time she’s in the middle of such a book, and bombards me with questions related to what’s said between the pages. “I’m not living my life the way the book says I should, does that mean I’m not successful?” – I’m guessing she was reading some guide to success when she asked me this.

My answer encompassed all the things that I found wrong with self-help books – they make you feel that their way is the only way to live life, and that if you’re doing something different, it means you’re doing something wrong. I know I’m ruffling a whole lot of feathers by discrediting books that have gone to become bestsellers after being endorsed on celebrity talk shows and the like, but there’s something in me that rebels at the idea of a self-help book that leaves you with more questions than answers for the ones you already have.

By-line:
This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of distance degrees. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24 at gmail dot com

Books Read in 2009

All stars are given on a five star rating, five being the best.

#1. Consumption by Kevin Patterson (387 pages, published 2007) ***

#2. World Without End by Ken Follett (1,014 pages, published 2007) ***

#3. The Memorist by M. J. Rose (464 pages, published 2008) **

#4. Mr. Macky is Whacky by Dan Gutman (112 pages, published 2007) *

#5. Mrs. Patty is Batty by Dan Gutman (112 pages, published 2006) *

#6. Precious and The Boo Hag by Patricia C. Mckissak (40 pages, published 2005) *

#7. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner (32 pages, published 2003) ****

#8. George Washington: A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin (48 pages, published 1998) *

#9. The Year The Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (288 pages, published 2009)***

#10. Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems (40 pages, published 2009) **

#11. Today I Will Fly! by Mo Willems (64 pages, published 2007) **

#12. Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude by Kevin O'Malley (32 pages, published 2005) *

#13. The Science Project That Almost Ate The School by Judy Sierra (32 pages, published 2006)*

#14. Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami (400 pages, published 2002) ****

#15. Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin (288 pages, published 2008) *****

#16. The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County byJanice Harrington (40 pages, published 2007) *

#17. There's a Flower At The Tip of My Nose Smelling Me by Alice Walker (32 pages, publishd 2006) *

#18. Surprising Sharks by Nicola Davies (32 pages, published 2003) *

#19. GTO: Great Teacher Ozinga Volume 1 by Tohru Fujisawa (192 pages, published 2002) ****

#20. GTO: Great Teacher Ozinga Volume 2 by Tohru Fujisawa (192 pages, published 2002) ****

#21. GTO: Great Teacher Ozinga Volume 3 by Tohru Fujisawa (184 pages, published 2002) ****

#22. GTO: Great Teacher Ozinga Volume 4 by Tohru Fujisawa (184 pages, published 2002) ****

#23. GTO: Great Teacher Ozinga Volume 5 by Tohru Fujisawa (184 pages, published 2002) ****

#24. GTO: Great Teacher Ozinga Volume 6 by Tohru Fujisawa (184 pages, published 2002) ****

#25. The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers (32 pages, published 2007) *

#26. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch by Eileen Spinelli (32 pages, published 2006) ****

#27. George Did It! by Suzanne Tripp Jermain (40 pages, published 2005) *

#28. Superhero ABCs by Bob McLeod (40 pages, published 2006) *

#29. Nora's Ark by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (32 pages, published 2005) **

#30. The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens (56 pages, published 2005) *

#31. The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller (40 pages, published 2002) **

#33. Miss Daisy is Crazy by Dan Gutman (96 pages, published 2004) *

#34. Abe Lincoln's Hat by Martha Brenner (48 pages, published 1994) **

#35. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (272 pages, published 1955) *****

#36. With No One As Witness by Elizabeth George (784 pages, published 2006) *****

#37. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (192 pages, published 2006) ***

#38. State of Fear by Michael Chricton (688 pages, published 2004) **

#39. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (352 pages, published 2006) ***

#40. The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli (176 pages, published 2006) *****

#41. Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon *

#42. In The Woods by Tana French (429 pages, published 2007) ***

#43. Emporer: The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden (480 pages, published 224) *

#44. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (348 pages, published 1857) *****

#45. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald (60 pages, published 1921) **