Book Clutter

I have this week been de-cluttering my bookcases.

Wait - did I just equate clutter with books? *sigh* Yes, even books can become clutter, if they are books I have never read and never will, books I've read but didn't like or liked but not well enough to read again, and books which I hang on to for reasons not entirely clear to me. And, since clutter can sap strength, energy, enthusiasm, and joy as efficiently as Dementors or Misery Eels, I've decided to treat it as I do any other clutter.

Close my eyes tightly and hope that it will disappear on its own.

Earlier this week I read a treatise on clutter in which the author broke clutter down into different types. I could recognize each of those throughout my apartment and my many possessions, but five of these I can see in my bookcases:

Bargain Clutter - Hey, it was a great price - and I might read it. Someday. Maybe. Besides, it's out of print. If I change my mind, I'll never be able to replace it for such a great price.

Freebie Clutter - Well, it's not one I would buy for myself (unless if maybe it was on sale) but it was a gift. You can't give away a gift! What if they come over and see I don't have it? What if they come to the yard sale and see their gift in the 50 cent box? What if they see it in the thrift store I donated it to? (Perhaps this could also be called neurotic clutter.)

Nostalgic / Outgrown Clutter - This book meant a lot to me 25 years ago. I can't get rid of it. It helped define who I am. Okay, so I no longer agree with the ideas. But I did, once.

Aspirational Clutter - I really want to learn about this person/event/topic/philosophy/time/etc. It might help me to become a better person, or give me fascinating new insights. I know it''s possible because it says so on the jacket cover. Okay, the sales receipt stuck in the front tells me it's been sitting on the shelf for the past two decades, but really, I want to learn about it. No, really I do. Kinda. Sorta. Really.

Buyer's Remorse Clutter - Why the heck did I buy this? What was I thinking? To get rid of something here would be to admit I made a poor decision. Far better to hang on to it until I can find a use for it.

Two days ago I had planned to write when I got home, but once home I realized what I really wanted to do was de-clutter. Finding no giant seed pods anywhere in my apartment, I decided it was actually me thinking this extraordinary thought and not a pod person, and I ought to take advantage of this uncommon desire since there was no telling how long the phenomena would last or when it might occur again. I specifically wanted to go through my books, which is even less common, as I'd normally give up most anything else before my books. Previous attempts to weed out my book collection have resulted in mere handfuls much more often than the rare box full.

That night I started on the religion & philosophy bookcase. It is this section which has always seemed almost taboo, almost sacrilegious to clean out, as if by rejecting one interpretation of a topic I am rejecting the entire concept, or even rejecting God. Oh, I realize that is not rational thinking. I think clutter somehow kills brain cells.

For the most part, this round of de-cluttering was easier than most. I was able to make decisions quickly and without remorse or regret. Some books went into the thrift store box, some into the box for PaperBackSwap.com, and some into the eBay box. Some I felt impressed right off were things which would be appreciated by or prove helpful to this friend or that. There were a few I had mixed feelings about keeping or not. I put those aside, although not back on the shelf, because I knew from past experience that fretting about that indecision can stall a project altogether.

When finished, I had a full shelf and a half of empty space - after I had replaced the ones I want to keep. The next night I went on to the next group - psychology, self help, relationships and creativity. This section for the past year has been stored in the spare room, mostly on the floor because I had so many and not a case to put them in where they could all reside together. Here is where I found much fitting into "buyer's remorse", but also much I have simply outgrown - things which I enjoyed at the time but have no interest in now, or topics I was interested in then but see as uninteresting now. Curiously, two of the books in this category held an interesting twist. These were books I had attempted to share with others but which were met with ridicule. The opinions of these individuals were more important to me than my own ideas, and so I quietly put the offending tomes away. Now I look at them and see the same worth I saw those many years ago. One of these I had outgrown; it no longer "fit" my belief or value system. The other I decided still - or perhaps again - had worth to me.

Interestingly, this larger selection was easier to weed out, and those which "made the cut" fit nicely into the cleared space from the night before. From both nights, the books I've chosen to keep are ones I've read but feel I’d like to refer to again and share with others, and ones I haven’t yet read but which I feel will help me to accomplish some changes I’m trying to make in my life right now.

Like previous clutter purges, this has proven to be a bit of a catharsis for me. Getting rid of physical clutter seems to have a direct effect on emotional clutter. I still have much to do. I still have science and history and dictionaries to go through in my non-fiction. And I have twice as much fiction, which might prove more daunting, as I've always loved fiction more than nonfiction. I want to keep my momentum, but I don't want to stress about it, so I hope to approach the remainder of the task with the same relaxed attitude: This is me. This is not. I feel good about what I've already done. I might be the only one who can really see the difference at this point (especially as the boxes are still here!) but that's okay. The main difference is in how it feels. It feels as if as the clutter is pushed out, it is taking a lot of tension with it, and allowing room for more peace and creativity. And I like that.

Ereader update

There was one possibility I considered in comparing reading books electronically and reading paper+ink books, but not thinking I would really encounter the problem, I had not previously included it in my lists of comparison. But now I have, so I can state, from personal experience, that the old fashioned, paper-ink-glue style of books does have a distinct advantage over the metal-plastic-circuitry style of books.

Both will make a "Crack!" sound if you accidentally step upon them. With the more conventional medium of reading, a bit of glue and mailing tape will fix the problem in a matter of hours, and depending upon your inherent talents for book binding, won't leave a scar.

On the other hand, the crack! you hear while using the new and improved electronic format will require a phone call to a sympathetic customer service rep, who will promise to send out a return/replacement kit, which you will wait for two days past the promised arrival date before calling back, whereupon you will call and speak to polite but seemingly not-as-interested-in-your-problem-as-the-other rep, who will tell you that the "order is pending but should be going out shortly" and you will wait two weeks before trying email which will bring the prompt response of "Your order is still pending and is currently under investigation why it is still pending."

In the meantime, I have enjoyed my other reader from another manufacturer. Yes, I have two readers, the second of which was ordered before the first one (the one involved in the accidental steppage) arrived, the reason why it was ordered when I had another coming involves a brain burp and that is all that is necessary to be said on the matter.

Well, I enjoyed it until last night, when it froze on a document -- and none of the buttons - Back, Home, Page Up, Page Down, Magnify, Enter, POWER or even RESET -- work. And the computer no longer recognizes the device when it is plugged in.

Today as I was leaving for work I brought along a REAL book.

Theodosia Throckmorton

I love the books being written for children today. The characters are good, honest, clever, witty, resourceful and resilient, and they have a well developed sense of right and wrong. But they also have all the real insecurities and frustrations of real youth, so even in stories told in fantasy settings the characters are real and easy to identify with. This is good news not just for kids, but also for grownups who like a good read. You can write down to most adults and get away with it, but you cannot write down to kids. Kids are far too smart for that. I like series which balance escapist adventure with real-life emotions and imperfections, which give me a protagonist I can cheer for. Author R.L. LaFevers has created such a character.

It's 1906, and eleven year old Theodosia Throckmorton (I love that name!) has her hands full. Her father is head curator of London's Museum of legends and Antiquities, and her mother is returning from an archaeological dig in Egypt. Theo has a unique talent: she can see the black magic and ancient curses surrounding the museum's artifacts. Her parents love her, but often get so wrapped up in their work that they forget it is time to go home, or even time to eat, so Theo fends for herself, and sometimes her little brother when he's not away at boarding school. She reads ancient texts and learns how to remove those curses, and does a pretty good job of it - until her mother returns with The Heart of Egypt, which carries a curse more vile than anything Theo has encountered, a curse which threatens to crumble the British Empire and start an unimaginably terrible war. Our intrepid heroine won't let that happen. She is both aided and thwarted by secret societies both good and evil, her cat Isis, her younger brother Henry, street urchins Sticky Will and his brothers Snuffles and Ratsy, her stoic Grandmother Throckmorton who believes Theo needs a firmer hand if she is ever to learn how to behave like a proper young lady, and other museum employees whose loyalties are sometimes in question.

Does that sound like too many characters to keep track of? It is not. The author has created a lovable and courageous heroine in her trilogy and her supporting cast is as uniquely voiced as she is. But it is Theodosia who shines: part Nancy Drew, part Indiana Jones, part Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody, with maybe a bit of Percy Jackson thrown in to the mix. Three times Theodosia saves the British Empire: in Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris, and just released this year, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus. She does this while feeling that no one is truly listening to her or believing in her, and uncertain of her parents' love for her, but finding within herself a way to use her talents to do the right thing. As I've stated in previous posts about other characters, because it is the right thing to do, even if no one else believes it to be so. I hope the latest in the trilogy won't be the last we see of Theodosia. It would be a good place to say goodbye, as she becomes a little more self assured and the adults in her life come to appreciate and accept her for who she is (something us adults are reluctant to admit even we hope for) - but I do hope that Theodosia isn't quite done saving the Empire, nor stimulating imaginations of children and adults alike.

Book 1:

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Book 2:

Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris

Book 3:

Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus

Well, I did it. I bought an ereader.

After months of making comparisons, from manufacturer's patting-themselves-on-the-back claims, to computer magazine reports to use comments on various store websites, to actually holding a couple of them (Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook), price, overall design, prettiness, and finally deciding which of those wonderful features I would actually use, I placed an order.

And who won? Newcomer to the ereader world, Borders Bookstore's "Kobo".

The simplest of the readers, and tying with Ectaco's Jetbook Lite in price, it appeared to do what I want it to do: store books in an electronic form and allow me to take my favorites hither and yon. The Jetbook offered more formats, in fact, more formats than any other reader I investigated, but in reality, many of those formats are somewhat obscure, and I could find no books offered exclusively in those lesser known formats. The more-formats-than-anyone-else would be a great option for those who have ebooks bought ten years ago.

Kobo, on the other hand, offers readability to only three formats: PDF, ePUB, and Adobe DRM. Lest anyone think that is a drawback, consider that nearly all ebooks, both public domain and current sellers, are offered in at least one of those top formats. The Kobo doesn't have the wireless capabilities of both Kindles, the Nook, or Sony's top two readers. But neither does Sony's Pocket Reader, their cheapest model, which had been my first choice before the Kobo was announced. When I was considering whether or not this was a selling point, I realized I would be doing the greater part of my browsing and buying on my home computer, anyway, so wireless technology was a $50 option I didn't need.

I cannot "lend" my books to others, as the Nook offers - but none of my friends own a Nook, anyway, and my favorite books I generally buy extra copies of, anyway, to actually give to those I figure will love them as I do. I cannot, at least at the present time, use the Kobo to borrow books from the public library, which was the one point that gave me pause to consider Sony and Nook instead. But looking at what the library is currently offering for lending, that is a service I might not have been using, anyway, no matter how cool it is. And given that the Kobo uses quite similar technologies and interfaces, perhaps the library will offer that option in the near future (as well as offering a wider selection of books I, one of their most loyal patrons, desires!)

Now for the only real drawback: The Kobo, being so newly announced, isn't yet in stores. I pre-ordered mine on the 2nd on June, "for delivery July 2nd". I have nearly a month to wait. Theoretically, I can wait that long; after all, I've been contemplating this purchase for eight or nine months. However, now that my decision has been made... well, I am like a small child eagerly awaiting a birthday. "How much longer? Oh, man!" Pray for me, friends - I need your strength!

A thief is a lot like a wizard...

Sarah Prineas has created a wonderful fantasy world in her Magic Thief series. Begun in 2008, and concluding (?) with this year's third installment, the series tells the story of Connwaer, a young pickpocket who gets more than he bargained for when he picks the pocket of an old man and pulls out a stone. He quickly realizes the man whose pocket he just picked is a wizard, and the stone is a locus magicalicus - the stone a wizard uses to focus his magic. The wizard Nevery quickly discovers the theft and is intrigued by the fact that the boy was not instantly killed when he laid his hand upon the magic stone, as he ought to have been. So the magician, returning to the city of Wellmet after a long exile, reluctantly takes in the gutterboy as his apprentice. Conn turns out to be more than an ordinary thief, and while Nevery soon learns that the boy might have a certain aptitude for magic, he's not ordinary in that regard, either.

Conn is one of the most heroic characters in juvenile literature, perhaps in all literature, I have ever read. One of the reasons I generally prefer juvenile literature over grown-up literature is the motivations of the characters. In so-called adult literature, the protagonists often do the right thing to impress someone, or to advance a career, for money or power, or simply because page one defines them as the hero, and no other reason. In juvenile literature, for the most part, the hero (or heroine) does the right thing because, well, it is the right thing! Sure, they have the same desires to be accepted, admired, followed - but when everything and everyone turns against them, they do the right thing because it is their nature to do so. And Conn is the epitome of this personality.

The Duchess of Wellmet and the city's other wizards, the magisters (who were responsible for banishing Nevery twenty years prior) aren't too happy with Nevery's return, and less happy and less trusting of his new apprentice, especially when Conn tried to take a jewel set in the Duchess's crown. Conn cannot help that - the jewel turns out to be his own locus magicalicus, and a magician cannot resist when his own stone "calls" to him. Even though the other wizards know this is so, they don't believe Conn is anything more than a common thief. Nevertheless, they do know that there is something wrong with the city's magic; it is declining at an alarming rate and they cannot figure out why.

Conn doesn't know, either, but he has some ideas. He believes that the magic is a living entity, and even without a locus to focus his energies with, he can to a certain degree communicate with that magic. Not even Nevery believes him on this point, but here is what makes Conn such an endearing hero: Conn knows what he knows, and he never gives up, not even when his own life is in danger, and his mortality is in peril a number of times in each of the three books. Conn is also honest, almost to a fault, and he is fiercely loyal and self-sacrificing. It is these traits that gradually earn him respect, albeit begrudging respect from some. Rounding out the main cast is Kerrn, captain of the guard; Rowan, the Duchess's daughter who is handy with a sword; and Benet, Nevery's rough looking, gruff sounding bodyguard who enjoys knitting and baking biscuits in his spare time. By the end of book three Conn has completely won over these people and a score of others, including much of the city's criminal element.

Conn will win you over, too.


Book 1:

The Magic Thief

Book 2:

The Magic Thief: Lost

Book 3:

The Magic Thief: Found

Written for....

I love book dedications. It's always interesting to read the list of people who helped an author bring a story to life, but better still, is seeing who that one special person was who merited an especial thank you, the dedication. Parents and spouses are most common, it seems, followed closely by sons and daughters. Some people are mentioned by name only, and we the readers are left to wonder who Alice, Frank, Hector or Jane is. Someone special enough to warrant a whole dedication, for reasons known only to the writer and presumably the person so named. These are good dedications, and meaningful to both the dedicated to and the dedicated from. But some dedications suggest a story behind the story, and these are my favorites.

In some dedications, not only is thanks given, but the reason why is, and that, to me, makes the dedication more personal. Brandon Mull's Fablehaven was written "For Mary, who made writing possible." Anne Fadiman's collection of essays on reading, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, was penned "For Clifton Fadiman and Annalee Jacoby Fadiman, who built my ancestral castles." Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George was written for the author's small child, "my own curious little monkey, who already loves books and whose naps made it possible for this one to be written." Holly Black's The Spiderwick Chronicles apparently was written in spite of itself: "For my grandmother Melvina, who said I should write a book just like this one and to whom I replied that I never would." I'd really like to know the story behind Diane Duane's dedication in the second of her Young Wizards series, Deep Wizardry: "For J.A.C. re: redemption, and fried zucchini".

Others say "thank you" in a uniquely personal way. Jessica Day George took a Norwegian folk tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and wrote Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, telling her parents: "You gave me life, you gave me love, you gave me a ticket to Norway. Thank you." Derek Landy, in writing Skulduggery Pleasant, wanted to express a similar sentiment to his parents, but perhaps he struggled a bit in finding the proper words: "I owe you absolutely everything, and y'know, I suppose it's entirely possible that I feel some, like, degree of affection toward the two of you..." Dean Lorey, author of Nightmare Academy, found that a simple statement works well: "For my wife, Elizabeth, and our sons, Chris and Alex. I love you guys."

R.L. LaFevers wrote her first two books in her Theodosia Throckmorton series to named individuals but also to general groups, who might seem familiar to her readers. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos was written in part "To clever girls everywhere who get tired of feeling like no one's listening"; Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris was written "For odd ducks everywhere. Remember, 'odd duck' is just another name for a swan."

Okay, true confession time. I'm a hopeless romantic. Or is that helpless romantic? Whatever. My two favorite book dedications come from books I read in the past year. Sarah Beth Durst, in taking the same Norwegian folk tale that Jessica Day George had, and giving it a contemporary setting in Ice, wrote "For my husband Adam, with love. I would go east of the sun and west of the moon for you." And Sarah Prineas dedicated her third Magic Thief book Found "To John, pretty much the best husband in the world."

Dedications like that are almost of themselves worth the price of the book.

A Sense of Place

There are three things which draw me to particular books and authors, hold me there, and keep me returning. This author may be particularly adept at writing engaging dialog. That author may create likable, although not always smart and moral (I hate it when the murderer turns out to be someone I like) characters. And then there are books which evoke a strong sense of place, which somehow manage to inspire in me the desire to go places and try things which I might not otherwise in my more grounded and sensible moments consider trying, such as staring down an angry bull elephant or flying solo across the Atlantic.

Beryl Markham's 1942 memoir "West With the Night" is one of these books. It was an excerpt from an audio edition of the book which led me to putting this book on hold at the public library. There are some books which I breeze through well before the three week lending period, and others which I don't quite make it through in time, because I find myself savoring passages, thinking, rethinking, reading them to others and asking for their opinion on. I know the book touched something deep within others as well, for on two separate occasions strangers on public transportation recognized the book and counted it among their favorites.

The book follows the author from her early childhood when she and her father moved to Africa, through her young adulthood when she trained racehorses, to meeting a pilot and hearing a call to fly herself, first flying medical supplies to remote areas, then becoming a scout finding herds of elephants, and then deciding that she wanted to fly solo westward from Europe to New York - a flight that had not yet been successfully accomplished by anyone non-stop, and which no woman had done solo.

Descriptions of the animals, of the land, and the people were vivid enough to pull me into the narrative. Descriptions of the safaris made me want to go on a safari myself, although in interest of my pocketbook, I simply bought a safari jacket and called it good. An uncomfortable talk with a man dying of malaria and reminiscences with a childhood friend were real enough to cause me to feel a part of those conversations and feel like I knew those people. Ms. Markham turns a phrase so well that her descriptions of the loneliness of an airplane cockpit and the silence of an African Serengeti night have forever altered the way I think of silence and loneliness.

Such books aren't quick, single-afternoon reads. This is a book to savor over many days, to take time digesting. This is a book to take you to another place and time. And the trip is very enjoyable.

West with the Night