Would You Rather...

One of my favorite books growing up was Would You Rather... by John Burningham. The book is filled with ridiculous dilemmas like, "Would you rather... get crushed by a snake, swallowed by a fish, eaten by a crocodile, and sat on by a rhinoceros?" or "Would you rather... your dad did a dance at school or your mom made a fuss in a cafe?" I found the absurdity of the book hilarious (and still do).

If given a "would you rather" situation today I would be least likely to accept a karaoke challenge. I would much rather be swallowed by a fish. I wish I could sing; I love the idea of being able to hold a tune or have rhythm, but I simply have none. Last night, however, I was listening to an old music mix and I found a song that I think I could do in karaoke. It helps that I listened to this song endlessly in middle school. So without further ado, The Lemonheads. Make sure to note the awesome dancing in this video too.

On the Shelf

I don't like to read past the first few sentences of book jackets. I find the summaries frustrating, usually giving away far too much of plot of a book. In a slow book, one hundred pages into a story I wonder why I have bothered reading something that was eloquently summed up in a short paragraph on the back of a book. I like to see characters outlined in the way the author set out to do it, which in most cases is slowly.

I like the idea of a character to be exposed in pieces, like peeling back layers of an onion. Chapter one you meet Joe, chapter three you find out he lives alone, chapter five you find he is widower, chapter seven you discover his addiction, etc. Rather than the dust jacket which is likely to say; "Recently widowed, Joe lives alone, struggling with alcoholism." This is why when I picked up Love is a Four-Letter Word, I didn't really pick up on the theme of the short stories. I didn't read beyond the first few sentences in the jacket synopsis.

I knew the idea of the book was supposed to be love told from the other side. However, I didn't realize that all the first person narratives were going to take one of two veins. Either they would focus on a significant other who turns out to be a complete asshole and hurts the author or the narrator would be the one inflicting the hurt on their lover. I had picked Love is a Four-Letter Word thinking that some stories would be ultimately be redeeming, but this was not the case. In the end the reason I had picked up the book, focusing on the word love is what I walked away not wanting. I would only recommend picking up this book if you want to feel that nothing will ever quite work out.

It could have been a great beginning.

Yesterday I was excited to learn that Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett is being made into a movie. I told my boss how cute the trailer was and she paused and said, "Great title, but I have no idea what you are talking about." I was sad because she has a little one and I decided that it's a book he needs to grow up with. So last night I went to remedy it.

I went to Half Price Books on Capitol Hill and poked around the kids book section for a while until I realized I had no idea who the author or any hope of finding it. I went to the front desk and asked the very cute guy working at the desk for the author. I said the title and he gave me a surprised look. I said, "It's a kid's book." He said, "No, I know! I was just thinking I should know the author, I totally remember that book!" I explained to him why I looking for the book at 10:00pm on a Wednesday, which I'm sure made me look even weirder. After I got the author I wandered back to the section and found one copy. I sat on the floor and read the book cover to cover, reveling in the story of the people of Chewandswallow. I then walked by the front desk as I was going to the lower level to look in the adult books.

As I walked by the desk, the previously mentioned cute guy said, "Oh, did you not find it?" I said, "No, I found it. I was just reading it. It was still good." He smiled. I asked him if he wanted to read it while I looked downstairs. He looked a little hesitant, I said, "You know you want to*." He said, "Yes, I do." When I got back upstairs he was changing shifts at the front desk, but telling the guy taking over for him to make sure to give the book back to me. He thanked me for sharing the book. Sadly, this ends my tale, but as Carrie Bradshaw would say, "I couldn't help but wonder..."

* Author's note: Clearly reading a book from the 1980's transported me back to my elementary school manners. I should have just pinched him and ran away.

Calm

I am a major escapist reader. My nightstand has a whole shelf of books that I pick up when I want to forget about what is happening in my life for a little while. Most of these books I would never really recommend to anyone else, but they all offer a bit of comfort for this sentimental girl. Perhaps sometime I''ll publish the list.

Today, I would like to share a book that I do feel comfortable recommending to anyone. I laughed and cried and in the end I ended up going back and rereading some of the book. Listening is an Act of Love is a series of interviews done for the StoryCorp where people sign up to go into a booth an interview each other about some portion of their life. It can be a momentous event or just a story about their everyday life. What comes out is remarkable, touching and beautiful.

Check it out from your local library today!