Book Club & W.W. Norton & Co. Present: Nick Flynn in conversation with Paul Lisicky
This Is The Night Our House Will Catch Fire is a breathtaking work of spare lyricism and astonishing insights. Rarely does a memoir speak so openly about marriage alongside childhood trauma. And rarely does a work engage so deeply with how our sorrows affect our children. Flynn’s masterpiece confronts our deepest ethical dilemmas and imparts the hard-won knowledge that “love, like everything, is a daily practice.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nick Flynn is the author of three previous memoirs, including the PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award-winning Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, and four volumes of poetry. A professor on the creative writing faculty at the University of Houston, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Paul Lisicky is an American novelist and memoirist. He is an associate professor in the MFA Program at Rutgers University-Camden, and the author of several books.
I was browsing Crowdcast looking for an event that I knew was supposed to be this week but I hadn’t signed up for and I came across this about 2 minutes before it started. I’m a Nick Flynn fan and didn’t even know he had a new book out last month. It’s definitely going on my TBR list.
When his daughter was seven she earnestly asked him what his life was like at her age. He began telling stories to her about his life then such as trying to get as close to the grumpy old man’s house without getting shot, and the night his house caught on fire. As a child he was told raccoons in the attic caught the house on fire. As an adult, he realized that his mom actually committed arson, and as a father he realized setting the house on fire with children inside was really irresponsible. Through three trips back to his hometown with his daughter in tow, he revisits that time of his life.
Flynn and Lisicky are old friends and the conversation flowed very naturally. I wish you could’ve seen the enthusiasm when they were talkin about the books they’d read in the last 5-6 months.
Celebrate the release of SWASHBUCKLING CATS: NINE LIVES ON THE SEVEN SEAS with the editor and authors!
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter during the event time to participate. There will be readings, Q&A, and a pirate trivia contest! Door prizes will be awarded.
Enter a draw to win a signed print of the cover art by Sarah Dahlinger! Enter by posting a picture of you with your copy of Swashbuckling Cats! You will have a week to enter this draw. Draw will be conducted on June 2nd.
As this is a virtual event, it is strictly Bring Your Own Catnip.
In this time of social distancing, everyone is trying to get by with what’s available to them. Unfortunately, I haven’t found anywhere that’s aggregating all the events that are being held.
I’ve watched quite a few of the Metropolitan Operas, and earlier today I watched a Jill Sobule Facebook Live video from the other week. Did you know Michael Chabon is reading picture books on YouTube? (Apparently his kids are giving him grief about the low view count to his channel.)
You know what today is, right? It’s the official release day for C is for Chimera. I received an electronic ARC for review but haven’t read it yet. I misplaced my kindle cord and the poor thing has been sitting dormant for over a month. To date, I still haven’t found it so I ordered another one which arrived yesterday. Guess what book I’m looking forward to reading this week? 🙂
Below is the official info about it.
This installment of Rhonda Parrish’s alphabet anthology series asks skilled storytellers to write around the theme of chimera. The resulting tales are part fable, part poem, part dream. But like any chimera, the parts make up a greater whole.
Blend reality with fantasy. Mesh science fiction with mystery. Mix history with what should have been. They are all chimera.
A shadow tells a tale of schoolyard bullies. A long-vanished monster returns from the cold dark. Make-up makes up a life. Alchemy, Atlantis, and apocalypse. These 26 tales bring both chaos and closure to dark and elusively fantastic geographies.
Contributing authors include:
~ Alexandra Seidel ~ KV Taylor ~ Marge Simon ~ Pete Aldin ~ Michael M. Jones ~ Simon Kewin ~ BD Wilson ~ Gabrielle Harbowy ~ Sara Cleto ~ Megan Engelhardt ~ Michael Fosburg ~ Megan Arkenberg ~ Lilah Wild ~ Laura VanArendonk Baugh ~ Milo James Fowler ~ Brittany Warman ~ Michael B. Tager ~ L.S. Johnson ~ Beth Cato ~ C.S. MacCath ~ Sammantha Kymmell-Harvey ~ Steve Bornstein ~ Suzanne van Rooyen ~ Michael Kellar ~ Jonathan C. Parrish ~ Amanda C. Davis ~
In another week or so is Jewish Book Month. The Jewish Book Council designates this month as a time to celebrate and promote Jewish books. It seems most of the Jewish books anyone ever talks about are tales about the Holocaust but there is so much more. Immigrant tales, short story collections, biographies and cookbooks. Will you be reading anything this month?
Note: The below post is from 2010 and I found it while reviewing what was in my draft folder. I decided to share it instead of deleting it as much of it is still quite true. I think it was never posted because I was tasked with awarding it to five people and I didn’t know who would want to do it.
The lovely Lisa Damian of Damian Daily has awarded me with a Kreativ Blogger Award. Now I must tell you five things you do not know about me. I can’t guarantee this information will be new to all of you; my husband is one of my regular readers and he knows quite a bit about me.
1 – In college I wrote a senior thesis on nature symbolism in literature on a Brother Word Processor. At that point it was the longest piece of writing I’d ever done. And it was before computers were a must have for every college student. Only the computer science majors had computers in their dorm rooms and no one I knew had a laptop. The word processor was a life send because I could work on homework anywhere that had an electrical outlet. I remember I used examples from Native American tales and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce to uphold my thesis.
2 – I am allergic to animal dander. I grew up with a dog but it wasn’t until middle school that I realized I was allergic to some animals. The first clue was the angora sweater that made me itch every time I wore it. I didn’t get tested for allergies until 10 years later. I had spent several hours in a one bedroom apartment with friends who had a cat and ended up at emergency care at Duke Medical Center several hours later because I was having problems breathing. That experience made me get allergy tested once I was at home.
3 – I am rarely spontaneous. This post has been in the works since 2/7/10 with multiple updates. My husband has been talking about a new refrigerator since mid-2009 and I’ve come around to the idea in the last few months. For over a week now I’ve been looking into manufacturer rebates, government rebates, different models and pricing.
4 – Last month I went for my first facial and it was nothing like I expected. I honestly thought it was a facial massage with multiple applications of cleansers placed on the skin. This was like going to see a massage therapist who uses aromatherapy. It included a foot rub and several massages – arms, hands, neck and shoulders.
5 – I am lost without an electronic to do list. Paper lists always get lost or I still forget an item. I like the sight of the strikethrough font or once my task is completed it disappears.
Guess what time of year it is? It’s time for All Hallows Read! And I’m going to celebrate it in style. This year I belong to a book club where we do bookish things on a monthly basis. Each month has a different hostess and the book choices are varied. I won’t post the picture of the books I picked until after the next book club meeting.
The poster above was created by Introverted Wife who has made some great posters for this holiday of book giving. Are you celebrating All Hallows Read this year?
A big thank you to Marcia for originating Mailbox Monday. In this weekly meme you share books which came into your home during the week. I reserved some books at the library this week and heard of some through BookBub.
Here are the books I picked up this week:
Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson –
Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.
What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect that something powerful and ancient will awaken in her and that strange whispers will urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, suddenly there’s a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring, Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.
Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly epic coming-of-age.
What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte –
Bored administrative assistant, Tessa Golden, is trapped in a life of lousy weather, irritating bosses, and mind-numbing secretarial work. Her dreams of being an artist have rapidly deteriorated into building things out of paperclips while on hold with tech support. To make matters even worse, the love of her life has gone off and married another woman.
So when Tessa is suddenly transferred to the Las Vegas branch of her company – playing wingwoman to her freshly divorced boss, juggling a client-from-hell, and catching the eye of one very eligible coworker – will her life finally be shaken up enough to straighten itself out?
It’s Sunday night and I’m about ready to cross the Bloggiesta Finish Line. Below is the list of goals I created and the progress I made:
Schedule post about my All Hallows Reads plan. Done! Look for that later this week.
Schedule three mini-bite reviews. Done! I wrote them, scheduled them, and even started on a fourth one.
Blogroll Overhaul mini-challenge. Done! I started off with 10 links on my blogroll. Said goodbye to dead link for Coyote Con, removed an author I no longer really follow and added links for Beth Cato, one of my writing friends, and several writer-friendly sites: NaNoLJers, NaNoWriMo and World Weaver Press. I ended up with a total of 12 sites. Additionally I updated my Biography page which hadn’t been updated since 2009.
Update three of my blog templates. While reviewing my templates, it seems I only have two templates. One is for book reviews and the other is for Mailbox Monday. I didn’t update either one.
I had limited time this weekend but managed to participate in two chats and get some things done on my blog. Overall I’m pretty pleased with the time and effort I put into it. I even had a badge created for a new feature on the blog. I hope you’ll like it!
Over the years I’ve seen calls for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge and I finally decided to participate. The logo by Abigail Larson is pretty awesome, isn’t it?
This challenge or event runs from September 1st through October 31st so it’s a short commitment and I plan on a setting a small goal since I’m starting late. It’s not limited to books. You can read short stories or watch movies that fit the theme. This year it’s hosted by The Estella Society and the gist of it is this:
Without further ado, pick your poison, won’t you? September 1st is here, and we’re ready to begin!
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.
That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.
As time has wound on, we’ve discovered that simple rules are best:
1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.
The books I’m contemplating reading include:
On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Apothecary by Maile Malloy
The Scarab Heart by Michael Gallagher
The Church of Dead Girls by Stephen Dobyns
As I mentioned, I’m going to go for a small goal. Peril the Second: Read two books of any length that you believe fit within the R.I.P. categories.
