Graceling

When I was a girl, I pretty much wanted to be Katsa. I ran around in the woods with pointy sticks, thinking about how awesome it would be to protect the good and defeat the bad. I was going to ride a horse and shoot arrows and wield a sword and bust down doors and thwart evil. I’d travel all over the land, getting into trouble but always finding my way out of it. I would make plots and schemes to help people, and I would be strong and clever and save the day.

So you can imagine the glee with which I immersed myself in Kristen Cashore’s Graceling. Katsa is just my kind of heroine: wild, strong, determined—but full of mistakes and inner conflict. Her transformation provides an excellent lesson in self-knowledge and self-mastery. Graceling ranks among the books young women and young men should read.

What is the book about, you ask? In my excitement, I kind of forgot to explain. The Seven Kingdoms are ruled by monarchs, some wise, some foolish. Magic exists in this world in the form of gracelings, people born with superhuman skill. A graceling might, for example, be an exceptional cook, or an adept swimmer, or the best tree climber you have ever seen. Revered or feared for their gifts, gracelings live difficult lives.

Katsa has a killing grace. Her ability to hurt and maim is feared throughout the kingdoms; her uncle, King Randa, uses her to advance his ambitions. But Katsa does not wish to kill, and her inner impulse to control her grace—to do right—sets in motion a complex, suspenseful, satisfying story.

I love the characters; there are many of them, yet I never felt overwhelmed or forgot who anyone was. I love the settings: wild places vividly described. I love the plot, which paints a full spectrum from horror and sorrow to tenderness and triumph. And, though I understand now that being Katsa is a much greater challenge than I had imagined, part of me still wants to be her.

Mockingjay Has Landed

I cannot write much today. I have been working. But still I am catching distant vibes of elation from my friends in the world of books. Mockingjay is out (at midnight: just this very moment). This is the much-anticipated conclusion to Suzanne Collins’ series about a girl named Katniss Everdeen and her fight for survival in a dystopian world ruled by the Capitol.

Me? I am excited, and I am pleased to see so much enthusiasm over the release of a book. But I am tiptoeing around on the internet, scared of running into any spoilers. You see, I have not finished the first book, The Hunger Games. And the second book, Catching Fire? I do not even own it yet.

Oh well, that is life. If you are interested in the books, you can find The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay at Powell’s Books.

Not When But Will You Reach Me?

I began my blog, in part, to chronicle my adventures reading all the Newbery medal–winning books. You may be wondering where that lofty goal went. It is still here, in my heart! I have simply gone through several ups and downs. For one thing, my friends keep suggesting and lending very good books to me: right now, I’m reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Also, lately I’ve been feeling uninspired when it comes to writing book reviews; this is why it is taking me forever to write about Graceling, which I finished a month ago. But I still have Newbery winners in my sights. Indeed, I am halfway through Caddie Woodlawn, a book I read once before in my girlhood. And I started Tales from Silver Lands but had to return it to the library.

Yes, I know that this is all just talk and that I need to deliver. But I wanted to type out a note to let you know where I’m at.

ps. Bonus points if you know what the title of this blog post alludes to.

Thought for Food and Food for Thought

All the time I was reading Sunshine, I thought of baking. The book’s protagonist (Rae Seddon, aka Sunshine) is a baker; she is always mixing, kneading, putting something in or pulling something from the oven. She knows flour, cinnamon, chocolate and is fluent in the sensory language of food.

I began to wish that I were a baker. Editing is so intellectual, you see. It is all up there, in the head. I long for a career that employs more than just the mind. Do not misunderstand me: bakers wield great intelligence and creativity. But they also can lose themselves in the physical work, the hands-on exercise of preparing food. Sunshine certainly does: she makes the act of working dough sound like the best occupation on earth.

Yet, do you suppose that editing and baking share the same qualities? Certainly bakers know and strive for perfection. They understand context and syntax. Their work requires attention to detail and consistency, mixed with the right amount of improvisation. As for editors, well, I do have the feeling of kneading the text: I need to work through it just enough. If I am too light-handed, the writing will not come together properly. If I am too heavy-handed, the writing will be inflexible, tough. But it always needs kneading. Likewise, often I have to set the work aside and let it rise. Then, when the writing and I are ready, I confirm all my changes and suggestions; I suppose this is a kind of baking. Everything is set for the author and printer to review.

Now, authors might point out that they are the bakers. I would say that we both are, in our way. After all, authors and editors complement each other: both roles are unique and necessary. I suppose the conclusion is that all creative processes possess those steps of mixing, kneading, baking, and—let’s not forget—digesting and savoring.

Sunshine

Sun-self, tree-self, deer self. Don’t they outweigh the dark self?

I have read another book; it is Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. It is exquisite. The author creates a complex and satisfying story.

Sunshine is another vampire book. I don’t typically read such subject matter; indeed, I’m exhausted with vampires. Ah, but Sunshine is so much more than a vampire book. It is about what we can control and what we cannot control. It is about the nature of goodness. It is about doing good, even when one’s capacity to do good seems utterly spent.

Rae Seddon is a baker, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Her life is in the kitchen; her impulse is to feed people. Then she is kidnapped by vampires. They dress her elegantly and chain her to the wall in a deserted mansion. She is not alone. Chained next to her is a vampire. People don’t escape from vampires. But Rae escapes, and the how and why of her escape place her deep in the heart of a legacy she never wanted. Is she adept at something much wilder and more powerful than baking? Does she want to be?

This book soars to sublime beauty and sinks to grotesque depths. The author can, with remarkable simplicity, create penetrating images of a world where demons, weres, vampires, and magic handlers dwell among common folk—with decidedly mixed results. In particular, I appreciate Robin McKinley’s descriptions of magic use: her magic handlers work with their medium and walk through their world in a clear, convincing, beautiful way. Also, the author captures well that sense of otherness. Her vampires are not the sparkly kind you’ll find in your local small-town high school; they are alien, incomprehensible to any but their own kind.

In brief, Sunshine is fantasy at its best. Strong characters inhabit a realistic yet bizarre world. I am convinced that anyone who has read Twilight ought to be sat down and made to read Sunshine. (That said, Sunshine is a book for mature readers. But so is Twilight, in my opinion.) A good dose of Rae Seddon’s baking will set things straight.

Best of the Blog, 2009

Caught up in the general retrospection that comes with the end of each calendar year, I began to think about my blog and all that I have posted upon it. It occurred to me that I could do a sort of “best of” or “author’s choice” for 2009. I have mixed feelings about this, for sure, as I’m not one to place special emphasis on my work or parade it around. “Publish it and let it speak for itself: anything else is hubris”—that’s kind of my philosophy. All the same, I am often interested in learning from other artists (editors, authors, painters, musicians, and so on) what they consider their best work or their favorite work. Thus maybe my favorites will be of interest to some reader out there.

So here you go. These are the 2009 posts that I love most and of which I am most proud. My blog hasn’t even existed for a year, but it has passed the six-month mark, which is a small achievement.

My all-time favorite:
Life Lessons from Bella and Meg
I struggled for a long time to get this one right. It was hard to find the right tone, and I almost gave up trying. I’m glad that I persisted, because the lessons are worthwhile.

My favorite in the publishing category:
Life with Ligatures
For weeks if not months, this was my most popular post. Maybe people liked the examples. I certainly do—typography is a beautiful discipline.

My favorite in the science category:
Is this a stimulating conversation or just a clever simulation of one?
This post has a photograph of lunar soil simulant. What more do I need to say?

My favorite in the Newbery category:
The Dark Frigate, 1924
It is no masterpiece, but I enjoyed this one. “Curb your Arrrs and your mateys” was a fun sentence to write.

My favorite in the “about me” category:
Переводчица в России. A Translator in Russia.
This simply brings good memories.

Runners-up:

A Wrinkle in Time, 1963
I love this post mostly for the quotations from the book!

The Colophon
I like colophons. I like the word colophon. Good times.

Price Wars and the War for Independents
I’m not keen on this one because of my writing. It’s more that I feel the subject matter is important.

So in conclusion, I’d say: have you thought over your creative endeavors this year? What works are you most proud of? Consider sharing them with someone.

Stars

Today I was impressed by this passage from The Once and Future King. True, we are not near summertime (in the northern hemisphere). Yet the night sky has been bright and clear in these parts, and T.H. White writes with an elegance that must be noted.

Soon it would be the summer again, when he could sleep on the battlements and watch these stars hovering as close as moths above his face—and, in the Milky Way at least, with something of the mothy pollen. They would be at the same time so distant that unutterable thoughts of space and eternity would baffle themselves in his sighing breasts, and he would imagine to himself how he was falling upward higher and higher among them, never reaching, never ending, leaving and losing everything in the tranquil speed of space. (page 151)

Here’s to the tranquil speed of space, in every season.

. . .
White, T.H. (1958) The Once and Future King. Book Club Edition, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York.

Life Lessons from Bella and Meg

Today, Bella Swan and Meg Murry are here to offer us some important lessons. Thanks, ladies.

1. Be yourself. Like who you are.

If you feel like a stupid lamb, or if you feel inclined to hate yourself, take some time out and remember that you are unique and worthy. You may not be flesh nor fowl nor good red herring—but, as Calvin O’Keefe will tell you, “you’re Meg, aren’t you?” And that is plenty good!

2. If life doesn’t go your way, accept it and be strong.

Your boyfriend might not want to turn you into a vampire, or your father might not solve all your problems for you. Don’t lose heart. There will be something important that only you can do, and you will do it well. The “weak things of the world confound the things which are mighty,” and the right does prevail.

3. Love others for the right reasons.

He might be unbelievably gorgeous, but remember that “people are more than just the way they look.” As Mrs. Murry might say, it is important to love people for who they are “in essence.”

4. Be careful in your choice of boyfriend.

If your boyfriend tends to chuckle at you, or he has a habit of following you around all the time, or he blames you for nearly getting assaulted, you might consider dumping him. If he does all three, dump him for sure. On the other hand, if your boyfriend likes to spend time with you, loves your family, and says that you are the nicest thing that’s happened to him in a long time, he may very well be a keeper.

5. Think for yourself.

Do you find yourself “mesmerized” by, for example, your boyfriend? Uh-oh. Whether it’s a stunningly handsome young vampire or a giant, pulsating alien brain, you have to say no and stand up for yourself. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal.” Mesmerism is slavery. Think and act for yourself; don’t let anyone take away your independence.

6. When you find yourself in danger or discouragement, remember that you are loved.

And remember your capacity to love others.

Thanks again, Meg and Bella. We sure can learn a lot from you.

. . .
L’Engle, Madeleine. (1962) A Wrinkle in Time, Square Fish, an imprint of Macmillan; originally published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, New York.

Meyer, Stephenie. (2005) Twilight. Little, Brown and Company, New York.

The 2009 Oregon Book Awards

I realized recently that I never followed up on the 2009 Oregon Book Awards. I heard readings from three of the finalists when I attended Wordstock; see my October post Wordstock in Review. The awards have been given, and the list of winners and finalists looks appetizing! You’ll find them at this Literary Arts site.

I am glad that Convictions: A Prosecutor’s Battles Against Mafia Killers, Drug Kingpins, and Enron Thieves went on to win the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction. It was among the books I heard from at Wordstock. The author read well, with earnestness and sensitivity.

A Short Note about a Short List

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association (PNBA) released its book awards short list. And it looks great—time to add to your reading list! Among the many worthy titles, one catches my eye for a particular reason: All in a Day is written by Cynthia Rylant, who won the Newbery medal in 1993 for Missing May.