451 Fridays

451 Fridays is based on an idea from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In his novel, a group of people (Bradbury calls them Book People) are trying to keep the ideas found in books alive. Instead of actually saving the books, the Book People each "become" a book - memorizing it, word for word, and passing it down to the next generation.

451 Fridays asks what books you feel passionate about. What book do you think is so important that you would be willing to take on the challenge of "becoming"?

Today, I am so happy to welcome Serena to 451 Fridays! Serena blogs at Savvy Verse and Wit, where there is always something fun going on. One of my favorite features on her blog is the weekly Poetry Circle, where she offers up a poem for participants to read and comment on. She's introduced me to some poets I was completely unaware of - it's a great way to dip your feet into the world of poetry. Also, I LOVE this picture of Serena, her book, and her dog. It just reminds me of how things usually go at my house! Welcome, Serena!


What 5 books do you believe are important enough to be saved, and why?


1. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: Austen's work is a classic assessment of society through the eyes of her strong female protagonists. While highlighting the faults of convention, Austen shows how those conventions can be circumvented through dedications and triumph of individual spirit.

2. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaton Leroux: Leroux's journalistic writing style breathed life into this "ghost" story. It is horror in its purest form, uncovering the dark side of humanity in more ways than one.

3. Long Days Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill: O'Neill's play examines familial secrets, which during the 1940s and 1950s when the play was written was considered the best time in history in which fathers worked and mothers stayed home. Semi-autobiographical in nature, this play touches about familial dysfunction and addiction.

4. Paco's Story by Larry Heinemann: Heinemann, a Vietnam veteran himself, uses fiction as a catalyst for all of the ways in which war is dangerous, both mentally and physically. Paco is the only survivor of his unit that makes it back from Vietnam, but does he really make it back?

5. Blake's Poetry & Designs (Norton Critical Edition): While Blake's poetry defies what we consider "romantic" poetry, his greatest poems, his sketches, and his letters are highly creative and defied convention.

Which of these books would I become?

Tortured souls are my specialty; I just love these kinds of stories, which is why it is a toss up between Paco's Story and The Phantom of the Opera.

Quotes from these books:

From Paco's Story:

"Paco is in constant motion, trying to get settled and comfortable with that nagging, warm tingling in his legs and hips." (Page 35)

"'For a day and a half I thought that the very next breath I drew was going to be my last; and I was going to fucking die. And shit, what's funny is that goddamn Fire Base Harriette was supposed to be a fucking piece of cake, the same as going home and spending the night in the house where you fucking grew up.'" (Page 73)

"She sees herself drawing on his scars as if they were Braille, as if each scar has its own story." (Page 101)

From The Phantom of the Opera:

"The Opera ghost really existed. He was not, as was long believed, a creature of the imagination of the artists, the superstition of the managers, or a product of the absurd and impressionable brains of the young ladies of the ballet, their mothers, the box keepers, the cloak-room attendants or the concierge." (Page 1)

"With one accord, they raised their eyes to the ceiling and uttered a terrible cry. The chandelier, the immense mass of the chandelier was slipping down, coming toward them, at the call of that fiendish voice. Released from its hook, it plunged from the ceiling and came smashing into the middle of the stalls, amid a thousand shouts of terror." (Page 80)

"'When my own father never saw me and when my mother, so as not to see me, made me a present of my first mask!' He had let go of me at last and was dragging himself about on the floor, uttering terrible sobs. And then he crawled away like a snake, went into his room, closed the door and left me alone to my reflections." (Page 129)


Serena, thanks so much for taking the time to share with us YOUR list of books which must be saved.

If you are reading this, I'd love to have you participate! Leave me a comment to let me know you are interested, and I'll get you the details.

Thursday Tunes

Thursday Tunes is a weekly event hosted by S. Krishna, devoted to sharing the music we love.

S. Krishna usually features a new artist each week - just to be different, I'm going to focus on a specific song, because it's the song that hooks me. There are very few artists whose entire body of work is in my MP3 player, but I have thousands of songs I love.




I have a secret - I LOVE cover songs. Many times I like the cover better than the original. What I especially love is when an artist can cover a song, and make it completely new. This is one of my favorite covers, performed by two great musicians, Joy Williams and John Paul White, in their group, The Civil Wars. (If you want to hear more, also check out Poison and Wine)

The Nonfiction Files

The Nonfiction Files is a weekly journal of my adventures reading my toppling piles of nonfiction books. I won't be posting reviews, but rather my thoughts about what I'm reading, while I'm reading it.



I am currently reading The Real Wizard of Oz: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum by Rebecca Loncraine. If you need to catch up, you can read my first post on this book here.

Synopsis from publisher:

In the first major literary biography of L. Frank Baum, Rebecca Loncraine tells the story of Oz as you've never heard it, with a look behind the curtain at the vivid life and eccentric imagination of its creator.

The Real Wizard of Oz is an imaginatively written work that stretches the genre of biography and enriches our understanding of modern fairytales. L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its thirteen sequels, lived during eventful times in American history-- from 1856 to 1919-- that influenced nearly every aspect of his writing, from the Civil War to Hollywood, which was emerging as a modern Emerald City full of broken dreams and humbug wizards, to the gulf between America's prairie heartland, with its wild tornadoes, and its cities teeming with "Tin Man" factory workers. This is a colorful portrait of one man's vivid and eccentric imagination and the world that shaped it. Baum's famous fairytale is filled with the pain of the economic uncertainties of the Gilded Age and with a yearning for real change, ideas which many contemporary Americans will recognize. The Wizard of Oz continues to fascinate and influence us because it explores universal themes of longing for a better world, homesickness and finding inner strength amid the storms.


My thoughts so far:

Boy, I am just loving this book. The number of places I have marked is incredible - I could probably take up several posts just on this section of the book, but since I don't want to ruin YOUR enjoyment, I'll try to keep my thoughts brief. =)

This section talks about Baum's life as he lives for a time on the plains of South Dakota, and then later in Chicago. Once again, it is fascinating to see how the small details of his life have been transformed into unforgettable characters and moments in his Oz stories. Baum had a genius for taking ordinary events that readers could completely relate to, and making them seem magical. This is modern fairy-tale making at its pinnacle. "The best thing about The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is its interpretive opennness, its clarity of vision and psychological depth. Readers could see so many things in the story. It was (and still is) impossible to exhaust its hypnotic simplicity and the many-layered interpretations it offers." (page 173)

I'm also finding myself actually liking Baum as a man. He was determined to support his family, refusing help from others, and though his ideas were often far-fetched and somewhat ill-conceived, he always did what needed to be done to pay the bills. He admitted failure and moved on, rather than continually pursuing nebulous dreams that weren't going to come true. He wasn't afraid to hold opinions that were outside the norm, and was an early champion of the women's suffrage movement in the 1800s. He was an interesting combination of practical and imaginative, and I think I would have enjoyed getting to know him and his wife as people. The book doesn't gloss over his faults - and he certainly had them - but in general, he just seems like he was a good guy.


I could go on and on, with citations and examples - but I really don't want to spoil the book for you. I'm not completely finished yet, but I have a feeling this is a book that I will definitely be recommending. I'm surprised I haven't seen more about it around the internet - maybe the yearly tv viewing of the Judy Garland movie will spark some more interest. In any case, it's a great biography, and I can't wait to finish it.

Also, make sure you stop by and visit Jehara, my Nonfiction Files buddy, as she makes her way through a biography of Anne Sexton. If you'd like to join us, let me know - we're a pretty easygoing group, no rules or requirements, just a love of reading and talking about the nonfiction we've been reading. =)