One Book At A Time - Musings From The Bookface

I often play Jenga in my spare time, not so much because I enjoy the game as for the practice it gives me. The delicate touch required to gently extract one rectangular object from beneath another perched precariously in a perilously tall tower is I think a necessary skill for any real lover of books, as without it we would be unable to navigate the vast piles of books that form our dreaded (and beloved) 'To-Read’ list.

My pile is actually relatively small at the moment, a fiction novel given to me last Christmas, a study on Ceasar’s campaign in Gaul, several volumes of crime fiction, 2 folio prize nominees, the last book in a series I got into a few years ago, a couple of biographies, and a handful of books on Indian mythology. Actually ignore my initial statement, my pile is massive, how on earth am I going to read all these books before Christmas and the inevitable deluge of new releases?

Reading the answers that Joanna Trollope gave this month I think I have a solution- the answer is to read them all at the same time! Joanna lists a pile of books more than equal to my own, and adds that she is halfway through most of them. Now this is an utterly alien concept to me- how can you start one book before you finish another? How would I keep the characters, plots, and places straight in my head?  How does Detective Inspector Frost not end up solving Ceasar’s murder, or Elizabeth Bennett avoid coming face to face with the fearsome Ghatotkacha? There was a good discussion on this over at the Guardian a while back, which shows a definite split between those who can, and can’t, read more than one book at once.

When I was much younger I read in this way, scattering myself across countless titles and yet somehow not getting them muddled, perhaps my shortened attention span was able to retain who and what was happening better than my older self can.  My current method, one book at a time, slowly working my way through the pile in no particular order, bears little relation to how I read as a child, so perhaps it’s time I spread myself out a bit and got a few on the go at once, Book Riot even released this helpful ‘How to’ video on book polygamy. You never know, maybe I’ll get that pile down faster than I thought.

What sort of reader are you, do you spread your attention across many delights at once? Or are you focused on one until you have devoured it completely, ready for the next literary meal? 

- The Muser

Two Sides of a Bloody Coin - Musings From The Bookface

Murder, there are few words in the English language that can sum up more feelings of dread and horror. To murder another is one of the worst crimes imaginable and it is no wonder that fiction writers have long been fascinated with the dastardly deed. Murder is dark, gruesome and gritty, unless of course you put the word ‘mystery’ after it; in which case it becomes small English villages, stately homes and solved before it interrupts tea. A ‘Murder Mystery’ has become shorthand for the old-fashioned, chintzy side of the crime spectrum, crime à la Agatha Christie's, M C Beaton, Arthur Conan Doyle or, Janet Evanovich for example. Where light-heartedness, romance and even the odd bit of genuine comedy (I’m looking at you Blotto) threads the drama.

But is this expectation of a less ‘realistic’ affair undermining the credibility of these author’s creations?  The exploits of Poirot and Sherlock Holmes are some of the most enduring private detectives to grace the page and  Stephanie Plum and Agatha Raisin are more than equal to their modern day roles as amateur sleuths in increasingly sticky situations. Often the lighter stories seem to focus more on these amateurs, whereas the grittier realism tends toward law enforcement officials (Hamish Macbeth, PC Peter Grant and Constable Mike Bradley being obvious exceptions that spring to mind.) Sometimes I feel authors are in danger of substituting gore for great story telling, pain for puzzles and science for cerebral aptitude. The Hollywood style sensationalism draws readers in but can the action scenes with their lust for blood distract from the satisfaction of a genuine whodunit?

Which do you prefer, realism or humour? Happy endings or dark alleys? Perhaps I’m old fashioned in that I want my mystery with a little more searching for clues and a little less gratuitous gore.  We are very lucky we can have both, such as Phillip Kerr's fantastic Berlin Noir series or the unstoppable Jack Reacher , even so they fail to leave me with that uplifting feeling I get when Stephanie Plum survives another adventure with her life and dignity (mostly) intact.

- The Muser

The Labyrinth of the Great Genre Monster - Musings From The Bookface

"I only like a good detective story," says an avid reader, as they head (rather inevitably) into the Crime section. They pass by a hundreds of books that they may very well enjoy on their way there but this does not deter them, for them the Crime sign above the shelves is like the north star guiding them home. They are, unfortunately, lost in the Labyrinth of the Genre Monster.

This week I had the chance to talk to David Swattridge I asked him which genre his book fitted into, (you can hear what he had to say on the matter in the interview we recorded for the blog) and that got me thinking- what have genre fiction classifications ever done for us?

Crime, Thriller, Horror, Romance, Chick-lit, War, Sci-fi, Fantasy, Historical. Does giving a book a genre, or not giving it one, change the way it is viewed before a reader has even picked it up?  For example J D Robbs 'In Death' series, set in the near future features a range of technology and situations that would fit into any Sci-Fi book, but detective Eve Dallas and her exploits have managed to build a huge following amongst standard crime and thriller fans.   Is she a hero of the future, a Sci-Fi warrior, or simply a great detective. Cadfael manages to fit in with the likes of Poirot and Agatha Raisin (comedy or crime?) despite being set hundreds of years in the past, why should being set hundreds of years in the future be a bar to the genre of 'detective story'? Game of Thrones has become a genre-smashing best-seller since the TV series brought it into the mainstream, featuring aspects of politics, war, intrigue, crime, romance and fantasy, where should it sit on a bookshelf?

When we categorise books by genre we often do it a disservice, we scare away some readers who "would never touch a chick-lit book" despite the fact that some of what is categorised as 'chick-lit' can be as well written as any novel on the Booker prize list ('Writers on Reading' featured author Freya North for example).  Perhaps we should just accept that most books are neither one nor the other, but instead a cocktail of topics and themes.

I say set the shelves free! drive the hideous Genre Monster from our shores and lay waste to it's labyrinth, pile the books on the shelves together and let people choose freely,  leave Iain Banks next to  David Baldacci and  Edward Marston next to  George R R Martin's.  In alphabetical order obviously, let's not go crazy here!

Are you lost in the genre labyrinth, do you prefer the simplicity of choice it offers?

- The Muser

Me, Myself and My Official Biographer - Musings From The Bookface

December seems to be the month of the year when we see a whole slew of biographies and autobiographies working their way onto the shelves, and what a mixed bag they are.  Fresh-faced pop stars like Harry Styles sit alongside politicians and statesmen.   As comedy has become ‘the new rock and roll’ and comedians perform in large arenas it seems stand-up comedians publishing an autobiography is a must to satisfy the interest and curiosity of their huge fan base.  Sportsmen regale us with their past glories and even Internet celebrities like Zooella are sharing their life story.

Such a diverse range of authors and subjects makes me wonder about the appeal of the autobiography/biography.  What makes an author want to dedicate so much time researching and writing about someone (even themselves?) is everyone’s story worth sharing?  I can understand why the lives of the truly heroic people like Nelson Mandela, or incredibly gifted individuals like Charles Dickens would be worth chronicling, but the publishers of today seem to consider anyone in the public eye a fair topic.  One book that caught my eye was ‘Outlaw’ by Ray Bishop- a career criminal who has tried to turn his life around, now a prison reform campaigner, what made him write this book?  Is it ego? A desire to inspire?

What drives someone to recall their life in words, and how can they be sure they remember it correctly?  How does a biographer choose their subject, achievement or infamy? Is it simply about money for these chroniclers or do they actually care about their subjects?  It is sometimes said that we all have a book inside us waiting to be written, is yours an autobiography?

- The Muser

A Festival of Festivals - Musings From The Bookface

With the Cheltenham Literature Festival 2014 upon us again, my thoughts have been turning to the phenomenon of the Literature Festival. As well as being the longest running literature festival in the world, The Times and the Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival was one of the first, being formed in 1949, and from this rather humble beginning Literature festivals in its style have spread throughout the world.

I’m interested in what the authors get out of attending these events.  Ideas and characters that have already been painstakingly translated from their imagination to the page must now be re-incarnated when answering the questions of their interviewers and the crowds- and fans can ask some strange questions, (as well as some repetitive questions- ‘when is your next book released’ might  get you a fairly harsh response from George RR Martin) keeping even the most experienced authors on their toes. This is a chance for them to promote their work, meet their fans and engage with their readers , perhaps even engage in a little behind the scenes hero-worship of their own with the other authors present?

But do they still need to attend a festival for these reasons in our modern, digitally propelled socially mediated era? When authors such as Anne Rice can communicate with her fans on a daily (possibly hourly) basis using Facebook, when authors can promote their work on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Youtube without the need to travel hundreds of miles, are festivals still relevant? For publishers these events require co-ordination and funds and I imagine they must feel they need to get a satisfactory return on this investment.  Do authors feel compelled to take part ? wouldn’t they rather be writing? Perhaps this is why literature festivals are increasingly becoming cultural festivals with talks from actors, singers, and performances by stand-up comedians taking the headlines, rather than the literary novelists and poets that once garnered the most attention. Should these festivals try and stick to their roots or should we sit back and enjoy the fruits of them branching out, even If this means seeing less of the authors we love visiting our tiny part of the world?

- The Muser

Reading Lists - Musings From The Bookface

I never remember my shopping lists. I write them, diligently noting down the needs, wants and desperately missing items from the pantry, but upon completion my flowery handwriting sits totally unused on the kitchen side whilst I frantically search my pockets in the freezer aisle.

Now strangely I don’t seem to have the same problem with reading lists, usually because they are stored online somewhere, on my eBook bookshelf, my library catalogue and even on Social Media, I can see these lists anywhere I have wifi access so remembering books I’m hunting for is easy, technology providing. In fact as pointed out in this article where the internet is concerned there is perhaps even a surfeit of reading lists at this time of year, with various celebrities, pop-stars, television shows, websites and newspapers offering their own inventory of this years’ must-read summer sensations.

Bill Gates, Richard and Judy, Goodreads, TED, Mashable, Dolly Parton, Cosmopolitan, VH1, even politicians (like Keith Simpson MP) feel the urge to share with us their recommendations for how to while away the summer hours, although I would only recommend a politico’s list if you fancy something highbrow and usually historical or biographical, although David Cameron has said he will be reading the comic novel ‘Skippy Dies’ alongside the more worthy  ‘Jerusalem: The Biography’ on this year break.

Which all begs the question, are we really that affected by the reading tastes of people we have never met? I myself am often oblivious to these lists, preferring the word of mouth of friends and colleagues to distant strangers, but perhaps I’m missing out on a literary treat? Does knowing that you hold in your hand the same book Bill Gates discussed with his wife over breakfast make the reading experience greater? Or does knowing that a particularly disliked public figure endorsed a book put you off it?

- The Muser

How Big is Too Big? - Musings From The Bookface

I was surfing through the online news this week, when this article caught my attention, “Internet spells end of long, complex literary novels, say author Tim parks”.

The author Tim Parks (amongst others) suggested people’s short attention spans, as a result of the onslaught of information and messages they are constantly subjected to, is killing the larger ‘literary’ works, we used to see. I think this is arguable when you consider that the Booker prize went to the largest book in its history last year, and many children’s books are published at 200/300 pages. This intrigued me; do I feel my attention span has been prematurely shortened by being one of the internet generation?

I read books, lots of books, as well as eBooks, magazines, short stories and newspapers. If I define what I read by size (something I have never consciously done before) I would say I choose based on when and where I’m reading. Going on holiday? Hand me my eReader, complicated journey with lots of waiting around? Short story compilation it is then, bedtime reading each night? Bring out the mighty tome in the corner…

I do, it seems, discriminate on size, but not in the black and white way the article suggests, rather in a shades of grey where time=size for me, although if a books size puts me off at all it is usually because I don’t want to carry the thing around (sorry Martina Cole and George R R Martin, but if it doesn’t fit in my bag it’s not happening for me)

So how big does a book have to be before you decide not to pick it up? Or alternatively, are short stories too short for you to bother with?

- The Muser

Illuminating - Musings From The Bookface

Last year I decided to discard my regular pulp reading habit for some “upper-class literature” and tried to read at least one book by an award winning or shortlisted author each month. This plan of action led me on quite a journey from the potato farmers in Ruth Ozeki’s “All Over Creation”, across NW London with Zadie Smith, and chasing Gillian Flynn’s Girl that has apparently ‘Gone’. I have recently finished ‘The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton, one of the many books that won or were nominated for awards this year. Not only did it claim this year’s Man Booker prize but records for the youngest author and the longest book to win the prize.

Despite being far from my usual reading pastures (New Zealand Gold panning?), written in an unfamiliar style (Back-to-front-to-middle-to front again) and let’s face it, massive, I absolutely enjoyed this book, and can see why the judges were blown away by the book, but would I have even been aware of this book if it hadn’t won a prize?

For some the awards’ shortlists are a much anticipated must read list of the best literature the world has to offer, for others they represent nothing more than publishing houses and authors giving each other a hearty pat on the back or looking for an increase in sales. In the library we see readers that want books simply because of their shortlist pedigree alongside readers who just want the next title by their ‘favourite’ authors because they know exactly what they’ll be getting. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but for those of you who only read the authors you know, the genres you like I issue a challenge, take a look at the nominees for the big prizes this year (Booker, Costa, Pulitzer), and take a punt, you may be as surprised as I was to discover an alternative route to a good read.

- The Muser