A bookstore is a bookstore, some people claim. We don't hesitate to go to the cathedral of Barnes and Noble or the chapel of Books A Million. Bright lights and wide aisles, books of all shapes, sizes and colors. Shelves of videos, compact discs and Blue Rays, bundles of slick magazines. Classical music and cappuccinos. Sit and stay a while, read a novel while sipping at a Starbucks latte. Clean and convenient, you can find any book, anywhere, in minutes.
Efficiency is good thing in our modern world. It's a comfort to be able to find the latest novel waiting for us there, to be picked up. Or the next month's issue of "Cosmopolitan" or "Plane and Pilot". When you enter one of these mazes, you think, "Where do I begin?" There are more choices, more decisions, more options, more money to spend.
I enjoy going to the megastores. I also enjoy going to the smaller, independent bookstores. If the megastores are the cathedrals of bookdom, then these shops are shrines, unique stops for the pilgrim on literary quests. When I lived in Charlottesville, Virginia, I loved the various book places near the University of Virginia and on the Downtown Mall. I met a good friend, Barbara, while she worked at the Book Cellar.
As the name implied, it was located in the basement of the Hardware Store Restaurant. I became a regular, talking with Barbara behind the counter. Barbara lived alone with her 9 cats, but she loved books as much as I did.
Other bookstores included "Oakley's Used Book Store" and "Read it Again, Sam". The majority of those books involved Virginia history and geneology, but I could find Stephen King's books among Amy Tan's, Henry Thoreau's with Anne Rice's, all for bargain prices. I found out-of-print and special items that I could never find at a large retailer. The proprietors of these shops knew me by sight and we'd chat about all things while I paid for my treasures.
My favorite one was Heartwood, located in an alley across the University, right across Jefferson Park Avenue. There were narrow aisles with books stacked like soldiers and squeezed into rows on the floor. This made it hard to navigate, but Heartwood smelled like paper and ink. I found a German version of Don Quixote published in 1820 and a collection of Poe tales from 1900. Who knew what you could find?
When I moved to Charlotte, I lamented the lack of independent bookstores. Living in Thomas Jefferson's Village certainly spoiled me, but I didn't waste time finding one. The Used Book Stores at the corner of Plaza and Central is currently high on the favorites list. A huge attraction is the bargain shelves with $1.00 books,
Each little store has its own quaint charm, each has its atmosphere. Some, like Heartwood, smells like ancient tomes. Others convey a folksy charm that puts you at ease. Stay, read a while, no cappuccino required.
All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010
Showing posts with label writing books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing books. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
What am I Reading This Month?
I never read just one book at a time. There are piles of books at my bedside, on the kitchen table, on the shelves...lots of books. My husband bought me a button that read, "I am a bookaholic. If you have any mercy, you will not sell me another book."
I think he was trying to tell me something. He always reads one book at a time.
If you want to write, you must read, read, read. Read about your interests, read all sorts of fiction, non-fiction, poetry...keep reading. Not only will it open your horizons, but different authors write in different styles. Every person has a unique viewpoint and a way of using words that comes from just that person. Find that style that shows who you are. If you copy another author's style, the result may be a good imitation of that author, but it isn't your voice.
What am I reading? This month, it's mostly professional and non-fiction. Languages and linguistics and writing books, but I'll also devour autobiographies and travel books. I proudly profess that I'm an armchair traveler, since I can't physically go to Provence, to Australia, or to Zimbabwe at the moment.
1) The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker. This book analyzes our minds through the words we use every day. How do we string nouns, verbs, etc. together to form coherent thought? Language is based around certain core themes, like space and family. How do we construct these as kids? This book has a lot of linguistic technical jargon, so it isn't a casual summer novel that you can take to the beach.
2) Codebreaker by Stephen Pincock. A history of codes and ciphers, from the Egyptians to modern times. Luckily, not as complicated as Pinker's book, with plenty of illustrations and examples. There are many side stories about unbreakable(?) and ciphers that people are still working on. Try your hand at them.
3) Page after Page by Heather Sellers. I also have Seller's follow-up to this Chapter by Chapter. Writing can be a huge, overwhelming task, but if you break it up into tiny pieces, page after page, you can follow your writing dream.
4) The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant Yup, the same Roald Dahl who wrote James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In 1942, he was an RAF pilot, assigned to the American Embassy in Washington DC after he was wounded in action. This is the story of how he and other British officers slipped into the social scene in DC, and at the same time, promoted British interests during World War II. An interesting look at British (counter)intelligence after Pearl Harbor.
5) Inside Inside by James Lipton. I love "Inside the Actors Studio" on Bravo channel. Lipton invited actors, directors and screenwriters for an hour of conversation on stage, in front of acting and directorial students of his New School. This is his autobiography, telling of his his own beginnings in the acting business, and how "Inside" came to be.
Plus two very special books I stumbled upon in the used bookstore. My closest friends know that I love collecting books dating before 1950. I have copies of Horatio Hornblower and Master and Commander dating from the early 20th century. These two are stamped as "Wartime Books", with first printings between the years of 1941-1945. They're both published by F.S. Crofts and Co. from New York.
6) Cartilla Militar: Companeros de Armas by Navascues and Sherman.(copyright 1944, first printing 1941) It's a book for students who have already had some Spanish grammar, and it covers vocabulary (and idioms) of the armed forces during World War Two. It goes into naval, air force, and army jargon. There's a whole chapter on aviation, ship operations, and even medical treatment of the time. Talk about learning Spanish through context.
7) An Introductory Portuguese Grammar by Edwin B. Williams (copyright 1944, first printing 1942). A grammar book on Portuguese as spoken in Portugal (with some notes on Brazilian Portuguese). Spanish and Portuguese may look similar, but they aren't alike. What's interesting about this book is that on the inside cover, there's faded writing identifying the original owner (I think). It's in colored pencil, but I can make out some words. "Mr. (Dr?) K---- Stroujel(?) (8442), 4232 2nd PL N. Apt 4, Arlington, VA". I think. Both this book and the Spanish Grammar one have copious notes written in the margins and words underlined in red pen.
Both books a portal to the past. Other books are portals to the present and to the future. READ THEM!
I think he was trying to tell me something. He always reads one book at a time.
If you want to write, you must read, read, read. Read about your interests, read all sorts of fiction, non-fiction, poetry...keep reading. Not only will it open your horizons, but different authors write in different styles. Every person has a unique viewpoint and a way of using words that comes from just that person. Find that style that shows who you are. If you copy another author's style, the result may be a good imitation of that author, but it isn't your voice.
What am I reading? This month, it's mostly professional and non-fiction. Languages and linguistics and writing books, but I'll also devour autobiographies and travel books. I proudly profess that I'm an armchair traveler, since I can't physically go to Provence, to Australia, or to Zimbabwe at the moment.
1) The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker. This book analyzes our minds through the words we use every day. How do we string nouns, verbs, etc. together to form coherent thought? Language is based around certain core themes, like space and family. How do we construct these as kids? This book has a lot of linguistic technical jargon, so it isn't a casual summer novel that you can take to the beach.
2) Codebreaker by Stephen Pincock. A history of codes and ciphers, from the Egyptians to modern times. Luckily, not as complicated as Pinker's book, with plenty of illustrations and examples. There are many side stories about unbreakable(?) and ciphers that people are still working on. Try your hand at them.
3) Page after Page by Heather Sellers. I also have Seller's follow-up to this Chapter by Chapter. Writing can be a huge, overwhelming task, but if you break it up into tiny pieces, page after page, you can follow your writing dream.
4) The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington by Jennet Conant Yup, the same Roald Dahl who wrote James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In 1942, he was an RAF pilot, assigned to the American Embassy in Washington DC after he was wounded in action. This is the story of how he and other British officers slipped into the social scene in DC, and at the same time, promoted British interests during World War II. An interesting look at British (counter)intelligence after Pearl Harbor.
5) Inside Inside by James Lipton. I love "Inside the Actors Studio" on Bravo channel. Lipton invited actors, directors and screenwriters for an hour of conversation on stage, in front of acting and directorial students of his New School. This is his autobiography, telling of his his own beginnings in the acting business, and how "Inside" came to be.
Plus two very special books I stumbled upon in the used bookstore. My closest friends know that I love collecting books dating before 1950. I have copies of Horatio Hornblower and Master and Commander dating from the early 20th century. These two are stamped as "Wartime Books", with first printings between the years of 1941-1945. They're both published by F.S. Crofts and Co. from New York.
6) Cartilla Militar: Companeros de Armas by Navascues and Sherman.(copyright 1944, first printing 1941) It's a book for students who have already had some Spanish grammar, and it covers vocabulary (and idioms) of the armed forces during World War Two. It goes into naval, air force, and army jargon. There's a whole chapter on aviation, ship operations, and even medical treatment of the time. Talk about learning Spanish through context.
7) An Introductory Portuguese Grammar by Edwin B. Williams (copyright 1944, first printing 1942). A grammar book on Portuguese as spoken in Portugal (with some notes on Brazilian Portuguese). Spanish and Portuguese may look similar, but they aren't alike. What's interesting about this book is that on the inside cover, there's faded writing identifying the original owner (I think). It's in colored pencil, but I can make out some words. "Mr. (Dr?) K---- Stroujel(?) (8442), 4232 2nd PL N. Apt 4, Arlington, VA". I think. Both this book and the Spanish Grammar one have copious notes written in the margins and words underlined in red pen.
Both books a portal to the past. Other books are portals to the present and to the future. READ THEM!
All writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010
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