Spirituality Yea or Nay … or Whatever

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Author: Volk; Publisher: HarperOne

When I see a book trailer that intrigues me, and especially if it’s on a topic I may have reservations about, I Google the title to see who published it and what may have been written about the book already. Today I was intrigued by the trailer (link provided below) on Fringe-ology by Steve Volk. The book was published by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers that specializes in influential books on personal growth, religion, spirituality, and wellness. Fringe-ology has been released for sale today, on what would have been my dad’s 93rd birthday.

Authors: Arntz, Chasse, Vicente; Publisher: HCI

Author: Bauer; Publisher: VanderWyk & Burnham

Only one review appears on the Amazon site, written by the respected review source Booklist: “A sharply written, intelligently argued book that should appeal equally to believers and skeptics.” I’m a skeptic, as was my dad, but I have more curiosity about the whole thing. So, where he would learn about this book and say, “Bullshit,” I step back and wonder whether author Volk has brought a middle ground into view that perhaps reflects the best of What the Bleep Do We Know!? and The Truth About You, two books I have respected personally. WTBDWK highlights the science of the metaphysical realm; TTAY is a spirituality primer written to help people wean off “myths” that may be holding them back in life. Both books zero in on the power each individual has to constantly re-create his or her life.

I gather Fringe-ology (and is that a catchy title or what) focuses more on the UFO sort of unknown and therefore may become a third point in my collection of main ideas on topics surrounding spirituality. On this topic, however, I am “my father’s daughter,” and I suspect that my interest in all this is nothing but good old-fashioned wishful thinking. Still, it’s a fun way to wile away a few hours and get some people riled up. At least we’ll be talking about something that people agree is unanswerable with current systems of measure and analysis. It keeps the conversation friendly.

Share
Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What’s Your Life-Changing Book?

Posted on June 5, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Salvadore Dali

It was Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams that set Salvadore Dali on his life-changing path when he read it in 1925 while attending art school. I learned this from one of the instructional plaques in the Salvadore Dali Museum in Clearwater, Florida.

Atomicus photo of Dali in studio by Philippe Halsman

Dali described Freud’s book as “one of the capital discoveries of my life, and I was seized with the real vice of self-interpretation: not only of my dreams but of everything that happened to me …” Four years later, Miro introduced him to the art form of surrealism.

Over the years I’ve thought about what book I might name as having been life-changing for me. It’s a question that readers love to ask each other. When I started drafting this particular blog posting, I decided to name The Peter Principle (Peter and Hull, first published in 1969).

It provided an all-important cautionary note about how, in a bureaucracy, people can rise to their level of incompetence and then stay there because no one wants to fire them (thus being incompetent and ruining things for other people the rest of their working life). Ouch! I do think I have spent my working life trying very hard not to reach my personal level of incompetence. (It may help to switch careers as I have…)

Yesterday I finished a book that I’ll tell you about in a posting later this week that I know I’ll call life-changing as well. In the meantime, dear blog-reader… care to name your life-changing book(s)?

Share
Posted in Book Readers, Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Hashtag #1book140

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

I was tweeting (on Twitter) today and clicked on the hashtag #1book140 to see what it was about. Have you heard of it? I hadn’t. It’s a tweet that gives a book review in 140 characters or less. Of course, if you want to include the hashtag, subtract at least 9 characters—what’s available to you becomes 131 characters if you leave no space before the number sign#. I tweeted: King’s Under the Dome gives new meaning to ‘hot time in the old town tonight.’

If you’d like, leave a comment here with a review of your own. (And tweet it too if you’re on Twitter. Don’t forget to hash it.) It’s fun!

Share
Posted in Book Readers | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Hashtag #1book140

Good Feelings from Groups

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Funny the stories that stick with you over the years. Have any of you read West of Eden by Harry Harrison? That’s WEST of Eden. Published by Bantam in 1984, it’s a marvelous piece of science fiction set in the prehistoric past. The book seems never to have made it into paperback. One of the key ideas in the book was the “early childhood” of the main characters, which took place in the ocean, where the characters were raised in “pods” of children, such that as an adult the protagonist creatures felt very close to those who had been in the same pod with them.

I’m reminded of this when I consider how comfortable I have felt with a particular group of women I knew in high school, as we gather again for another Girl Scout reunion. When we, in our sixties now, get together, there is nothing but good feeling. We had our own pod.

There was a lot more to West of Eden than that, but that part did stay with me. Just like the good feelings have stayed. I like knowing this particular truth, that when a group of people work/play together with a common goal, what lives on are good memories and forever connections. The more groups we can honestly and even partially participate in, the better. Too bad I didn’t recognize that, growing up. I left the Girl Scouts in ninth grade, and ever after, until recently, tended toward avoiding groups. I’ve started seeing the error of my ways. And, happily, the group I left so early still welcomes me back. I’ll be seeing them later this month.

Share
Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Good Feelings from Groups

Successful Trip to Paris

Posted on May 30, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

In heaven over quiche lorraine at Le Solferino cafe

Today I washed the fairy dust from Paris out of my hair. It was a bittersweet moment (the bad part being I was shedding some of Paris off me; the good part being I was shedding some of Paris off me). Yesterday, when I should have been blogging, I was creating a slideshow, culling favorites from the 363 pictures I’d taken. At husband Gary’s recommendation, I downloaded one of French singer Edith Piaf’s songs to act as a sound track for the slideshow (“La goualante du pauvre Jean”). But when it came time to add the audio, I was told I was missing a something-or-other to make it work. Will tackle that “later.”

Carousel at Montmatre

Back to books. The Rick Steves’ Paris 2011 book I mentioned in my prior post did serve us well. The best parts were the how-to-avoid-long-lines and the don’t-miss-this notations, plus Steves’ or his co-authors’ breezy way of dissing or giving the thumbs-up to various aspects—an enjoyable read when we took the time to dig in. Generally, though, who had time? I would turn to it and frantically scan a particular entry before we ran off to grab the Metro. The only time the book failed us was when we relied on its “first-come, first-serve” statement for getting next-to-the-window seating on a particular dinner cruise. We arrived an hour early. No boat yet, and locked entry to the gangway, but we took the opportunity to lean on the gate and read the books we’d brought with us. No one else arrived until about ten minutes before boarding time. This was a clue that we may be operating under a false notion.

Eiffel tower at night

We were first on board, but we were told to wait, because we needed reservations. Though we quoted Rick Steves’ (and the cruise’s own website’s) “first-come, first serve” policy, it made no difference to the maître d´. I made a mental note to write to Steves’ publisher to let them know a change that would be needed in their 2012 edition. In the end only one table was available to us, for which we were eternally grateful, and didn’t care in the least (well, maybe just a little) that it was in the very center of the boat’s floorplan. But we had a wonderful trip on the Seine, no complaints. We did pass the lit-up Eiffel Tower while I was in the toilette, but my stall had a window to the scene. It was magical.

Share
Posted in Book Readers, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Paris Bound

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

Hubby and I head for Paris tomorrow! It has been the only “place” on my bucket list for years. I’m not promising I won’t feel free to add another “place” upon our return. But for years, it’s been Paris, a pedicure, the Magic Teacup Ride, and one more ride on a ferris wheel. A manicure used to be on the list, too, but I’ve now taken care of that one, several times over.

Anyway, people have gleefully lent or given us their favorite books and maps to take-with. One of the books, Rick Steves’ Paris 2011, comes to us from dear friends who insisted we borrow their second copy of it. They “traveled on the first for years.” The current copy has slightly “rain-warped pages from the thunderstorm [these friends] waited out in mausoleums at Pere Lachaise cemetery.” I’ve been impressed by the near poetry that comes out of people when they recall being in Paris.

A bit of serendipity brought out a backstory connecting Steves’ book to my family memoir, The Cleveland Rutters. As I was researching information for the memoir, I got in touch with a cousin of my father’s, who, when he learned about our upcoming trip, said Rick Steves was a local success story in their own town of Edmonds, Washington. This cousin was effusive about what a great job Steves has done with his line of books. (To see more of Steves’ empire, visit his website at Ricksteves[dot]com.)

This cousin also waxed poetic about several sights he’s hoping we’ll take in while in Paris. I’ll never cease to be amazed at the small world we live in these days. And, of course, how books continue to bring us together. I’m looking forward to future opportunities to be part of a conversation I’ve waited years to join. (P.S. I probably won’t be posting to my blog until after our return. Please don’t forget me in the meantime!)

Share
Posted in Books and Authors, Ruminations | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paris Bound

In the Headlines: Schwarzenegger and Shriver

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

I should be ashamed of myself. How could I not have thought about books when I heard the latest about Arnold and Maria? Well, thankfully, the L. A. Times did. For a summary, and maybe a book for you, read all about it at this link: 10 Books per L. A. Times.

Share
Posted in Books and Authors, In the Headlines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In the Headlines: Schwarzenegger and Shriver

Which Literature Grabbed You and Set You on Your Way?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

My husband, Gary, said if he hadn’t read Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck) and The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway) when he was young, he might never, as an adult, have read his other two favorite books so far: The Shipping News (Proulx) and Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God (Coomer).

Why? Those books don’t really, on the surface, have anything to do with each other. Because, he said, the first two showed him what literature could do; they made him a convert for life. 

Using Gary’s criterion–book(s) that first showed him what literature could do–I’ll name mine, discovered at an earlier age: Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, both by E. B. White. I got a booster shot in fifth grade from The Secret Garden (F. H. Burnett). So, still following Gary’s logic, I can say if it hadn’t been for those books, I’d never have read/enjoyed, for instance, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Foer) or Life of Pi (Martel).

I’m almost physically restraining myself here from naming additional favorite works of literature over my life. You have, I’m sure, gotten the drift. Feel free to be restrained or unrestrained if you want to name your lit-starter book(s) and/or recent fave(s).

Share
Posted in Book Readers, Books and Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Which Literature Grabbed You and Set You on Your Way?

Book Marketing, Part 1

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter
[Apologies for the drought in postings this past week. I was on the road, and I’m not accomplished enough yet to compose and upload from my smartphone. This will happen one more time in May, but then the summer looms wordy.]

 

Book marketing is an area of unlimited angles. I’ve decided to start a thread devoted to it. Thus the title Book Marketing, Part 1.

Book marketing is practically as multifaceted as the books being marketed. I just read this headline in the e-newsletter Publishers Lunch Deluxe: “Progress: Sarah Dessen will dispense three flavors of Whoopie Pies from truck at BEA.” BEA stands for Book Expo America, and it’s a yearly event that tries to bring everyone on earth together who has anything to do with books. We’re talking—and I’m sure this list is not exhaustive—authors, readers, publishers, printers, booksellers, book distributors, publicists, agents, IP (intellectual property) lawyers, and rights negotiators—who may also be authors or publicists or agents or lawyers or publishers.

Back to Sarah Dessen, our Whoopie Pie dispenser of the day. She is a YA (young adult) book author, with her most recent What Happened to Goodbye, published this month by Penguin Young Readers Group. I don’t know, but I suspect Whoopie Pies are not a topic in What Happened to Goodbye. Since that is her eleventh novel, Sarah Dessen is a brand in herself and that makes her a perfect fit for dispensing sweets associated with teenagers to grownups who never completely overcame the addiction. It’s the grownups who will consign or buy Dessen’s books to make sure they’re available to the teens, or to their parents for gifting to them. Even if I’m wrong, and Whoopie Pies are somehow associated with a particular character in the book, that just makes the marketing even more persuasive than I already thought it was.

Anyway, my point is, this gig at BEA is brilliant marketing, and I make it my good example number one. I will comment on other good examples as time goes on, when I’m struck by them in the book news I read. By the way, the three flavors Dessen will be dispensing are red velvet, chocolate, and a customized “Sarah’s Strawberry Surprise.” I wonder what the surprise is …?

Share
Posted in Book Publishing or Selling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Book Marketing, Part 1

Time Travel for the Imagination

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Meredith Ann Rutter

The other day I walked over to the Post Office to mail a copy of my family biography/memoir The Cleveland Rutters to a widowed friend of my deceased parents. I haven’t seen this man for well over forty or even fifty years, since I was a teenager at most. At that time I would only have called him Mr. K__, certainly not by his first name, as I had just now done in the cover note to him. I never would have thought to send him a copy of the book, except that another friend of my parents from that same street told me he’d love to read it.

Walking back from the PO, I had an out-of-body sort of experience, trying to fit my childhood memory of Mr. K__ and a what-if: What if my parents had known in the 1950’s that I would be writing this book and sending it to Mr. K__ in May 2011? Or in March 2011, to Mrs. B__. How would everyone have acted differently?

Then I laughed to myself, because it reminded me of the bumper sticker that cautions you to be nice to your kids because they’re the ones who will pick your nursing home. Over fifty years ago, family “secrets” were guarded ever so carefully. The very thought that a kid might grow up and write about the parents as openly and honestly as occurs these days—well, it would have caused quite a to-do. Just trying to imagine it made me dizzy. Time travel will do that to a person.

Share
Posted in Ruminations, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments