Authors Rock Out

In 2006, I was a participant in the Texas Library Association's TALL Texans (Texas Accelerated Library Leaders) leadership retreat. During the week-long program, we were emersed in a variety of leadership sessions (advocacy, career planning, coaching, strategic planning, etc.). It was during this time I met Steve Brown. He was the incoming president of the Texas Library Association.

In the weeks that followed, Steve put together the Dallas area local arrangements committee for the 2007 annual conference. I was asked to chair the Entertainment portion of the conference (average attendance 6000). I knew I could not pull this off alone, so I asked my dear friend Terry (and she remains my friend to this day), to help me plan for the following events:

• Opening General Session Entertainment
• group or band to play while attendees arrive
• Conference Welcome Party
• locate a venue, schedule musicians to play, order food, etc.
• Book Cart Drill Team Competition
• recruit, register, organize teams for competition, enlist judges (3) and an emcee, etc.
• President's All-Conference Party
• locate a venue, hire a band or group for entertainment, plan food, decorations, etc.

Think of the planning for these events like you are planning four (yes FOUR) weddings which will all happen within a matter of three days. Do you see why I am SO happy Terry is still my friend?

Well it was during this time I was trying to book a band I discovered the Rock Bottom Remainders. I knew as soon as I heard them and saw the members it would be an amazing fit for our conference. Well, when I contacted them, it was a no. They were still active at that time, but we were not a good fit for them. I guess in hindsight it would have been difficult to pull all of these amazing authors together to come to Dallas for a one night gig. I do have to say, I was crushed.

When my husband served as the president of TLA in 2016-17, I would have loved to have them perform during his annual conference, but by then the band had active since 2015 when they reunited for a special performance in Tucson.

I still love to watch their videos and see some of my favorite authors in interesting costumes perform their hearts out. 

Last night, I discovered this supergroup, also know as the Remainders, came back together - COVID-19 style - to perform a variation of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" to support the Book Industry Charitable Foundation (BINC). This is such a great way for these authors to help those who sell their books during this very difficult time in our country.

Please, watch the video and donate to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. These funds "will assist booksellers affected by COVID-19 with serious medical expenses, eviction prevention, funeral expenses" and more. 

Here are the links again. Enjoy and please Donate.

Rock Bottom Remainders Video

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Choices

Death Doula Dawn Edelstein finds herself in line with her clients when she hears a flight attendant announce a "planned emergency".

Once again, I am amazed by Jodi Picoult's talent. In The Book of Two Ways, she not only teaches the reader about Egyptology but also quantum mechanics. Now, don't let these two subjects force you to put the book back on the shelf. They are only a small portion of this dual timeline novel. Picoult makes the reader contemplate how one tiny decision can change a life dramatically.

Dawn Edelstein is a Death Doula (a person who supports another during the end stages of life, similar to a midwife (or doula) who supports and guides during birth). She was also once a graduate student at Yale pursuing her doctorate in Egyptology. 

Not only is The Book of Two Ways referencing the most detailed graphical compilation of coffin text found in ancient Egypt, but it also eludes to the premise of a multiverse and parallel realities. For example, one life where you are pursuing a career in a job for which you are extremely passionate, another where you are working in a mindless 9 to 5 - thus two ways of life through a variety of paths (choices) taken (made) along your journey.

I never close a Picoult book without keeping the narrative in my head. She is constantly making me think, analyze, and contemplate how the characters have changed my life and encouraged me to start a conversation. Each time I see she has a new book, it goes straight to the top of my To Be Read list.

This book does not disappoint and I highly recommend the education and the expedition in The Book of Two Ways.

The Book of Two Ways is expected to be on sale on September 22, 2020, and is published by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House Publishing Group.

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When reading The Book of Two Ways, I was reminded of another book about choices. One I read in late spring. Since it was before I started sharing my reviews on my blog again, I've decided to share my thoughts on The Midnight Library. 

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Being a librarian, I am always drawn to books about libraries. When I was introduced to the Midnight Library, I was intrigued. This is not a library I would have ever envisioned - a library between life and death. A library where the books go on and on forever. The books are filled with the choices (whether satisfying or regretful) made throughout life - parallel realities. An added bonus, the books are guarded by a favorite librarian from your past.

Choices can drastically change the trajectory of one's life. How many decisions do we make every day? How does each of these options completely change the course of our life? Nora Seed discovers the answer to these questions and others in Matt Haig's The Midnight Library.

The options you are given while in The Library (albeit for a very limited time) allow you to see what could have been, if only for a slight variance. Stepping into the book of your life as it follows a different path can be daunting. Seeing how the grass is not always greener, allows you to appreciate the life you have and the people who share the journey with you.

Although this book is dark, it makes you step back and look at your own life. It made me truly appreciate the choices I have made, even if they were not always the easiest or the most likely. Would I go back and change anything? Maybe, if allowed to visit The Library, but I think I'm good where I am right now.

The Midnight Library is expected to be on sale on September 29, 2020, and is published by Viking Press an imprint of Penguin Group.

*To comply with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, the publishers have provided a complimentary electronic copy of The Book of Two Ways (Ballatine Books) and The Midnight Library (Viking Press) for review purposes. These reviews are my opinion and are in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

Collection Obsession

If you have a passion for something tangible it is understandable to want to acquire items to fill a need or desire. For one who loves books, as I do, you are considered a bibliophile. A numismatist is a collector of coins. If you collect stamps, you are called a philatelist. But if you are an art collector, you are referred to as a buyer.

 

The Talented Miss Farwell by Emily Gray Tedrowe is about a woman whose obsession with art occurs by happenstance when she walks into a building to use the restroom not knowing it was the art building on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. She wanders around the museum- gallery and is immediately in awe of one of the pieces. The piece which will later be the first in her collection.

Rebecca (Becky / Reba) Farwell was a mathematician at an early age. She was completing the homework of schoolmates for money, even pre-calculus as a freshman. Her math teacher, Ms. Marner, challenged and encouraged her abilities. Through her math skills and manipulation of the books in her unincorporated community of Pierson, Illinois, Becky can build a wealth of funds to feed Reba's art addiction. Miss Farwell builds a double life: one as the young woman who has moved up from a bookkeeper to the comptroller of her hometown, and the other as a successful buyer/collector of art in Chicago and New York. 

Throughout the book, Miss Farwell's character is developed with contradictory traits. She is a thief. She is a philanthropist. She is a buyer of art. She is a collector of art. She is a seller of art. She is caring. She is cold. At times you don't know whether to love her or hate her for what she does to the people in her community who see her as a local hero. 

I was fortunate enough to listen (and read) this story of a diabolic woman who pulled off a multi-decade facade. I was so intrigued by this book I could not stop until the last page. 

Thank you to Harper Collins for allowing me the opportunity to review the audiobook and the e-book copy of The Talented Miss Farwell. I read the text while listening to the wonderful narration of Allyson Ryan. Whether listening, reading, or both, you will be drawn into the world of Becky / Reba, not knowing which, if either, you will cheer for in the end.

I recommend this title for public libraries. 

The Talented Miss Farwell is expected to be on sale on September 29, 2020, and is published by HarperCollins.

*To comply with guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commission, HarperCollins has provided a complimentary electronic copy and a digital audio download of The Talented Miss Farwell for review purposes. This review is my opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.