Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: October '14 Comes to a Close

It's hard to know how to address the close of yet another fantastic Read-a-thon. This is, in part, due to the fact that I last awoke 24 hours and 15 minutes ago and am, quite understandably, more than a little tired. There's also some blame to levy against the fact that, in the previous two events, I at some point slipped into several hours' napping, and felt I'd somehow cheated on my way to the end. Every time, the experience has been unique, despite the persistent themes of revelry with fellow readers and a reverence for the written word. This is, perhaps, the first major takeaway; no matter how many Read-a-thons I enjoy, I imagine each will produce its own special flavor, bring with it its own unique rewards. First, the official survey, and then some final thoughts before resting my eyes a spell.

End of Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? I'd have to say somewhere around hours 22 or 23. I'd really thrown myself into reading, and between the book's tone and my exhaustion, things took a rather dark turn.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I'd recommend the book I read this time around, but at over 1k pages I don't think it's necessarily the best idea, not unless finishing is low on your list of priorities. For science fiction fans and, to a lesser extent mystery fans, Asimov's Robot novels (The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn, and short story collections like I, Robot) would be excellent choices. 

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve Read-a-thon for next year? I did wonder, at one point, whether or not anyone had tried enlisting celebrity participants. Advocacy for literacy is a popular enough cause, and there are plenty of writers out there who enjoy engaging with their fans in ways that put their own fanhood on prominent display. Could you imagine a Read-a-thon in which Neil Gaiman shares updates on his favorite reads?

4. What do you think worked really well in this year's Read-a-thon? Everything. Honestly, this is no exaggeration. I've only participated in three Read-a-thons now, but this was by far the smoothest. If I absolutely had to single something out, I think the "home page" was tidy and efficient, from sign-ups to the lists of prize winners. But seriously, job well done by all involved.

5. How many books did you read? Part of one.

6. What were the names of the books you read? Stephen King's IT

7. Which book did you enjoy the most? I love IT so far.

8. Which did you enjoy least? N/A

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year's Cheerleaders? I wasn't a Cheerleader, and the only advice I'd have is for them to make sure they check back to see if Readers have responded to their wonderful blog comments. Not to follow-up with more, really, just so they can see some sign of appreciation for the good they've done by cheering us on.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 100% without a doubt participating, barring major life crises and acts of nature beyond my control.

Final Thoughts

Although I have a great deal more reading yet to do before I reach the end of IT, I have two observations that have crystallized over the course of my reading thus far:

1. Stephen King is a far, far better writer than I can ever hope to become.

2. This by no means implies that I can't become a writer of that caliber. Exceeding my own hopes isn't all that different from exceeding my own expectations, and I do that every day, no sweat.

As I do following any fit of serious reading, I'm reminded of just how amazing it can be. But in this instance, more so than similar cases past, I find myself genuinely yearning for the reading of every book I've ever set aside for some indeterminate point in my future. I think of taking a year off from writing, or at least a year off from worrying about writing, and just spending day in and day out reading with an appetite as voracious as the awaiting book pile is tall. After this year's National Novel Writing Month, I might do just that; I should have enough to focus on compiling, revising, editing, etc. and can at least focus on that instead of the actual writing itself. Or maybe I'll just make reading my main priority, and let writing happen as it may, without pressure. Of the few books I've managed to finish this year, quite a few had been on my list for years. I think I should like to knock a few dozen more such titles off that long-standing list, instead of waiting for Read-a-thon to come back around and remind me, like some long-suffering amnesiac, that reading is so much more than fun. For me, and so many of us, it's essential to a well-lived life.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Deliriously Entering the Homestretch

Despite the numerous and wondrous distractions which kept me from my goal of reading obsessively throughout the entirety of the Read-a-thon, this will be the first (out of three events) for which I will have remained awake for all 24 hours. I'm no stranger to insomnia, we're long-time friends, but it's usually the case that aiming for sleeplessness is the surest way to bring about a surprise 12 hour "nap". 

While the day hasn't succeeded in wearing me down, IT definitely has. I'm not surprised in the least that it's as dark and foreboding as I had ever indication to expect. What surprises me is how easily it's crept under my skin, along the length of my bones, up into my mind and down into my soul. As the grown members of the "Losers Club" find their memories returning, I too find myself recalling events past that I'd just as soon not remembered. To be fair, this is a welcome development, in that my writing is largely informed by my own experiences, bordering on memoir, and so to remember so much more of my childhood is a boon to the writing I hope to do during this year's National Novel Writing month. On the other hand...it's just a darn good thing I've got such a capable therapist to handle the aftermath of this book's reading. 

I'm not suggesting that anyone should avoid reading IT, but be prepared. Be more prepared than I was. Be as prepared as you can be, and then prepare some more. You must steel yourself if you're going to put yourself through the paces alongside these terrified children hiding behind the guises of capable and successful adults. King has a talent for exploring human nature that I had failed to recognize up to this point. I'm not sure what I could have done, had I known beforehand. I hope I'll know what to do after the fact.

Seriously, this book is messing with me. I need that, to some extent. I just hope there are a few doses of mercy along the way...maybe even just one?

Please?

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: The Point of No Return

No matter how hard you try, there's just no accounting for every possible variable you might encounter in the course of any given day. Read-a-thon is surely no exception. As Jurassic Park's Dr. Ian Malcom, played by Jeff Goldblum, put it "Life, uh, uh...uh...finds, uh...a way." And I now understand it to be an unavoidable fact of life that there will always be something that puts a crimp in my attempts at an unabbreviated Read-a-thon. 

Now that it's passed, it's time to get down to business. 

Having won both a door prize and a mini-challenge prize, and with no more distractions in sight, there's nothing stopping me from tackling my chosen read in earnest. I know I won't finish, but that doesn't mean I can't take a sizable bite out of the remaining pages. I may find my mind wandering, I may grow tired, but I'm determined to fight my way to the finish. I'll keep checking in on Twitter periodically, to cheer people along and continue sharing in what has now surely devolved into a kind of madness, but reading's the thing until the Read-a-thon draws to its close.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Hafltime Edition

Okay, technically halftime isn't until the top of the hour. Plus, I didn't really get going until about an hour into the event, so I am in effect posting this more than an hour before the actual mid-point of the Read-a-thon (for me). If we take an even closer list, I've easily spent more time blogging, tweeting, and reviewing the blogs and tweets of others than I have actually reading, which throws our entire metric way off. Thankfully the Read-a-thon is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike soccer, so no one is tallying up these extra minutes so as to apply them later after regulation reading time has expired. 

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? I'm still working on IT, completely entranced by it but moving therefore at a rather trance-like pace. 

2. How many books have you read so far? Can I get away with saying I've read from one so far? Zero just sounds ever so much more awful...

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? More of IT. I'll finish it without picking up another book, but by 8am tomorrow? Not likely.

4. Have you had many interruptions? How have you dealt with those? See preceding paragraph. Between challenges, posts, tweets, texts, food delivers, food ingestions, and the surprising receipt of an unbirthday present package with lovely Read-a-thon quality snackstuffs and a pair of even lovelier knit handwarmers, I've had a very full day of not reading IT. I dealt with them by leaping at the chance to engage in more Read-a-thon related hijinks and shenanigans!

5. What surprises you about the Read-a-thon most, so far? There was an hour or two there where I thought I was the only person still tweeting about it. Things have picked up in the last few hours, in part because I went ahead and followed a dozen more participants, and I expect to see #readathon among my tailored trends any time now. But for a moment there, I was worried.

Another hour to the real mid-point, but there's the gist. I don't expect it to change, except for having joined in slightly less hijinks. The book's really picking up steam now, and I'm falling further and further down that rabbit hole. Pretty sure there's no Wonderland at the bottom of this one, though.

Okay by me!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Mini-Challenge Edition

One of the most fun—and most delightfully distracting!—parts of the Read-a-thon is the hourly Mini-Challenge. These games-for-prizes put on by participating blogs add a regular dose of whimsy to break up the monotony of reading page after page after page. This isn't to say our chosen reads aren't absolutely enthralling, but it's a blast rushing between chapters to assemble whatever a given challenge calls for and share it with the rest of the Read-a-thon world. 

So far, I've entered two Mini-Challenges. The first, Book Staging, hosted by Kimberly at her blog, On the Wings of Books, asked that we arrange a photograph of the book alongside something from the cover, or to do with the story itself. I decided to take the newspaper boat from the cover and first chapter of Stephen King's IT a step further, and posted a proud picture of the result.

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: Book Staging, @StephenKing's IT pic.twitter.com/O2Ub7wKRXW
— James La Salandra (@ScholarsFane) October 18, 2014

For the second, Show it Off!, over on Dead Book Darling, Kay asked for a picture of one of our favorite, most beautiful or precious volumes. I chose my leatherbound edition of Robinson Crusoe, which is not only one of the oldest volumes in my library, it's easily one of the most beautiful.

#Readathon Mini-Challenge: Show it Off! Robinson Crusoe, printed in 1872 pic.twitter.com/FVFLlghOHk
— James La Salandra (@ScholarsFane) October 18, 2014

Whether or not either of these entries leads to a prize remains to be seen, but winning's not entirely the point. As with the Read-a-thon itself, it's the sharing and revelry that matter most. Plus, as luck would have it, I managed to snag a door prize earlier in the day! Given my choice of a number of excellent prizes, I went for The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made, by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell.

"From the actor who somehow lived through it all, a “sharply detailed…funny book about a cinematic comedy of errors” (The New York Times): the making of the cult film phenomenon The Room.

In 2003, an independent film called The Room—starring and written, produced, and directed by a mysteriously wealthy social misfit named Tommy Wiseau—made its disastrous debut in Los Angeles. Described by one reviewer as “like getting stabbed in the head,” the $6 million film earned a grand total of $1,800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. Ten years later, it’s an international cult phenomenon, whose legions of fans attend screenings featuring costumes, audience rituals, merchandising, and thousands of plastic spoons. 

Hailed by The Huffington Post as “possibly the most important piece of literature ever printed,” The Disaster Artist is the hilarious, behind-the-scenes story of a deliciously awful cinematic phenomenon as well as the story of an odd and inspiring Hollywood friendship. Greg Sestero, Tommy’s costar, recounts the film’s bizarre journey to infamy, explaining how the movie’s many nonsensical scenes and bits of dialogue came to be and unraveling the mystery of Tommy Wiseau himself. But more than just a riotously funny story about cinematic hubris, “The Disaster Artist is one of the most honest books about friendship I’ve read in years” (Los Angeles Times)." —from the Amazon Book Description

I'd recently read an article about the debacle this film turned out to be, and with a reviewer claiming it to have been "like getting stabbed in the head", I couldn't pass up the chance to read the inside scoop. I can't wait to read it, although I just might do well to hold on to it until next spring's Read-a-thon comes along. 

Back to the day's fun, and more reading. Further updates to follow!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: The Long Hard Road into Hell

Initially, when considering my Read-a-thon options, I'd wanted something uplifiting, positively life-changing, to brighten the end of an otherwise difficult week/month/etc. I'd also wanted something substantial, however, and not many cheerful reads at my disposal were of the sort to be anything more than simply entertaining. There's nothing wrong with that, of course—it's preferable in most cases, I should think—but what I wanted most of all was some gravity. Boy-oh-boy, did I get it.

I slept hard last night, dreamt of zombie apocalypses (which isn't even remotely my style), and shortly after setting things up for the day's event discovered I had the sort of sinus headache that throws "Up" and "Down" out the window, leaving me disoriented, and painfully far from the sort of zeal I'd like to have when tackling the day. Add the cold and the gray outside to the dismal run-up, and honestly I can't think of a better personal setting for one of King's darkest tales.

It's been slow goings, but I'm enjoying it so far. I haven't read much of King's fiction, though I own at least a dozen works all told. Carrie and Christine each left me feeling sickly inside, somewhat sullied, as if I'd besmirched my soul by allowing their scenes to play out in my mind. I expect no less from IT, but hope that I'm more prepared to cope.

I see a lot of progress amongst my Read-a-thon compatriots, books falling by the hundreds; I won't be matching their speed today. But I don't mind. It's enough for me to spend the day reading, at whatever pace I can manage, and sharing once again in the celebrating of a love for literature. After a quick lunch, I'll get back to it, and with any luck at least take down a few more chapters before another update feels due. Until then, happy reading to everyone participating, and anyone else who just feels like curling up with a book this weekend.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: October 2014 Edition

Life has been a ceaseless jumble for the past few months, and that trend hasn't let up just to accommodate my autumnal habits. Read-a-thon, like so many other interests, will take some shoe-horning to fit in, but it will not be denied! I began my first Read-a-thon nearly an hour into the event, so by that measure I'm not doing too badly by drafting this post only 15 minutes late. Let's get going!

Reading Choices

The trouble I have in choosing a book for Read-a-thon plagues me throughout the year, and will likely continue doing so for much of my life. Having put together a sizeable personal library, I suffer from an abundance of options, such that it's rarely easy to select a fresh read. I decided soon after waking that my decision needs to satisfy three criteria:

1. It should be something I haven't read yet.

2. It should be something that, by all accounts, I should have read by now.

3. It should be something suitable to the season, i.e. mysterious, scary, or otherwise creepy.

...and the answer was staring me right in the face, before the first bookshelf came under consideration.

I should read Stephen King's It. 

I'd recently come across someone who reminded me that there are people deathly afraid of clowns, and the word "creepy" instantly led to an imagining of Pennywise's shark-toothed visage. I won't include it here, out of respect for the fact that coulrophobia—the irrational fear of clowns—is a real condition, and Read-a-thon should be an inclusive event. Also, the look of the man himself is sufficiently imposing, I believe.

Also, a bit handsome in this pic, don't you think?

I could go on about Stephen King's influence on my writing, the number of his books I have or haven't read, but it's already half an hour into the Read-a-thon and I'm still busy formatting the first post. Moving on!

Opening Meme

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I'm participating in this year's Read-a-thon, as always, from the comfort of my lovely book-nook of an apartment in Youngstown, OH. However, thanks to recent developments, I can further specify that I'll be doing so from the added comfort of a cushy new (to me) recliner, my favorite of all reading locations.

2. What book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Given its size, I expect my first reading choice will comprise the stack entirely.

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to? Is coffee a snack? More of that. Lots more.

4. Tell us something about yourself! A little over six weeks in, and this year's beard is looking lush and magnificent.

5. If you participated in the last Read-a-thon, what's one thing you'll do differently today? Each of the previous two Read-a-thons lost me to sleep for a larger chunk of the day than I had planned. This is the first attempt for which I have actually slept an appropriate amount beforehand, and so it's hoped that the difference this time around will be my continued participation!

So there it is! My opening post, and hopefully the first of many updates on a tremendous amount of reading progress and the usual amount of fun engaging with so many others sharing Dewey's love for reading. A good Read-a-thon to one and all—let the reading commence!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Mission Accomplished

It should come as no surprise, how difficult it is writing anything of merit after so many hours spent cramming the words of others into my head. Between the cerebral and physical exhaustion, and the elation of having successfully completed the reading of two books (where last year I failed to finish even one), I'm properly knackered. But it's a good feeling. I eschewed much of the interaction I enjoyed last time around, which was a sacrifice, but this decision was, ultimately, the key to my success. And though I may not have had as much fun with the many fine people sharing in the celebration of Read-a-thon, I did experience a tremendous degree of joy in proving to myself, once again, just how much I love to read. 

My second choice, following on the fanciful heels of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, was the inimitable classic, The Princess Bride. Not much, I trust, needs be said about a story so deeply ingrained in the pop cultural zeitgeist, owing so much to the brilliant cinematic adaptation with which so many are familiar. I'll likely cover the title and its on-screen progeny in a page-to-screen review in the near future, but for now I think it sufficient to say it was every bit the "Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure" promised by its title page. I'm glad to have finally given myself the excuse to read it, years after having acquired it and set it aside for a special occasion. 

Read-a-thon is, and always will be, a special occasion all its own, and while I hope to avoid setting too high a standard for myself in the future, much as I did in this instance, I do expect myself to sleep before the event begins, so I can do even more reading in the allotted 24-hour span. For now, I think I'll be content with what I accomplished, applaud all that was accomplished by my fellow Read-a-thoners, and rest my eyes a little while. There's no denying the fact that I'm taken by my love for literature, and I'll no doubt find myself looking for yet another book to read sometime shortly after waking. 

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

 
From the very outset, it was clear that Brian Selznick's award-winning novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is a particularly fascinating volume. While always aware of the caveat against judging books by their covers, this novel's colorful and ornate dust jacket was like a beacon the first time I saw it, gleaming with promises of a worthwhile story. The volume itself is no less wondrous, filled with fantastically rendered pictures and oddly lain text, printed on surprisingly thick pages, bound in a simple yet distinguished cover...it truly is a singularly impressive book, and all this without mention of the story itself.

Hugo Cabret is a story about hope and dreams, set in a world that seems sorely at a loss for both. The titular character, Hugo Cabret, has in his 12 short years suffered no small amount of hardship. An orphan, he lives hidden in the secret recesses of a train station, keeping watch over the station's three dozen clocks. He resorts to thievery in order to stay fed, and to continue work on his main focus in life: the repair of an automaton, the completion of which was once the goal of his late father. Hugo's pursuit of this end eventually gets him into trouble on several occasions, but also introduces him to Isabelle, the ward of the toymaker from whom Hugo has been stealing parts for his mechanical man. This new friendship opens the door to a number of other introductions, troubles, and triumphs. In the end, Selznick's novel is every bit as heartwarming as it is gloomy, and the promises of its resplendent cover are all fulfilled.

I'm tremendously glad I chose to read this book as my first today. Lately I've felt the need for something lighter than the usual non-fiction on my reading list, and though Hugo Cabret was far from fluff, it still left me feeling uplifted, for which I'm thankful. Between its well-crafted story and the quality of its equally well-crafted binding, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, regardless of age. I have yet to meet an adult who has completely lost contact with their inner child, and this story will not only appeal to that aspect, but bring it out. We all still dream, after all...

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: The Best Laid Plans...

Given last year's lapse in Read-a-thon activity, I should have expected a similar hiccup the second time around. After struggling to sleep, due to my excitement over the coming event, I managed a small nap just as the sun was beginning to rise. I fully intended to waken a few hours later and tackle whichever book happened to be my first choice; instead, I awoke roughly 8 hours later, feeling thoroughly groggy, and more than a little guilty. It's now over 10 hours into the Read-a-thon, but I'm finally on task. First up: The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Admittedly, this borders on the verge of cheating, as the book is comprised largely of illustrations, rather than text. But there's a quality to the illustrations and their purpose which requires the reader to pause and consider each scene. Much of the story is told through these expert drawings, the depth and detail of which is matched perfectly to the imaginative text they accompany. While it's true that I chose this book first for the likelihood it would be a quick read, it's also one I've long wanted to read and, as it's turning out, one which I've long needed to read. I'll need to finish before I can offer a proper analysis or final judgment, but for the time being it's a captivating and thoroughly delightful story. 

Reading and stumblings aside, I must say that, despite my middling progress, the day has still been remarkably its own. There's a celebratory tinge to the air, as if even the mundane tasks of the day are made better by the fact of this being a holiday of sorts. Much as many voice a wish that the holiday spirit could last year round, so too do I find myself wishing this enthusiasm for books—and the gleeful sharing of that enthusiasm—could be a regular theme of life. And perhaps it is, to a degree, but never more so than during a Read-a-thon. It really is a shame to have missed so much of it, but that's in the past now. The day's a-wastin', best get back to it!!!

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon: Redux

Let's get this out of the way--it's been ages since my last post. The time away's been rather well spent, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to hearing the blog beckon in the quieter moments of the last few weeks. Much as I felt myself gradually gravitating toward a return to regular activities here at the Fane, it's taken an occasion such as this to light the necessary fires under the appropriate keister: It's time once again for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon. 

The Read-a-thon, which has taken place biannually since October of 2007, is a fascinating social media spectacle to behold. Last October's Read-a-thon was my first, and it was an experience which forever altered my opinion of social media. Participants pledge to spend an entire 24 hour period reading as many books as possible (or in my case that first outing, embarrassingly, only some of one book I'd already started), blog about said books, engage in witty banter with fellow participants on Twitter and Facebook, and throw themselves headlong into the periodic onslaught of hourly book-related mini-challenges. I'd been part of of book-loving communities before, but never anything so delightfully frenzied as this. I came away from the experience ridiculously more familiar with--and appreciative of--Twitter, felt I'd finally come of age as a member of the blogosphere, and whet my appetite for literature in ways that surely contributed to the rousing success of the following month's NaNoWriMo effort. With so many wonderful attributes to its credit, I'd be remiss were I to ever allow myself to miss a single Read-a-thon again.

And yet, for all the festivities surrounding our shared love for the written word, I couldn't help having come away from the experience disappointed in myself. I didn't manage my sleep schedule properly, and napped more than a few hours of the day; I'd given myself what seemed such a short reading list, and yet failed to complete even a single volume. I could have blogged more frequently, between chapters perhaps, and what's more I should have parlayed that frequency into a long-standing habit (which is clearly not the case, as evidenced by my recent lapse). And so, in the spirit of my new approach to the concept of resolution, I have decided to tackle this year's Read-a-thon not with set goals but with an eye on doing my best to simply do more. I haven't even decided on the first (if not only) book I'll be reading--that can wait until morning--but I do know, with absolute certainty, that I will have an unbelievably good time of it. And I know the other fantastic people joining in on the fun will have blasts of their own. The time's almost upon us and, no matter what, buried in books is definitely the place to be.

From Page to Screen - The Time Traveler's Wife

“Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship. Now I wait for Henry. He vanishes unwillingly, without warning. I wait for him. Each moment that I wait feels like a year, an eternity. Each moment is as slow and transparent as glass. Through each moment I can see infinite moments lined up, waiting. Why has he gone where I cannot follow?”

“I hate to be where she is not, when she is not. And yet, I am always going...”

There's an inherently magical quality to debut novels, an urgency that permeates their earnest prose in ways not often felt in an author's later works. While the novels that follow may well prove superior in any number of ways, a writer's first work bears the full weight of their aspirations and as yet untapped potential. This isn't to say that every debut stands out as such—many a career has been born of an inauspicious beginning—but for some, so much of the burgeoning writer is poured into that initial foray into the literary world that it truly dazzles, unexpectedly, surprisingly, life-alteringly. Few have so forcefully seized the opportunity that the debut novel presents as Audrey Niffenegger did in 2003, with The Time Traveler's Wife.

Though the plot is driven by the life circumstances of "chrono-impaired" librarian Henry DeTamble, the novel's story largely follows the path of its titular character, Henry's eventual wife Clare. The novel begins with a brief introduction to the characters, as they describe in turn the experience of being subjected to Henry's traveling. We are shown how it is that Henry first meets Clare, and then how Clare first meets Henry—the former taking place in 1991, when Henry is 28 and Clare is 20; the latter taking place in 1977, when Henry is 36 and Clare is 6. 

In alternating perspectives presented in an almost epistolary tone, one character often taking up the story's telling where the other leaves off, the novel details young Clare's encounters with Henries of varying ages, sowing the seeds of the relationship to come. Once Clare meets the Henry who shares her present—albeit inconsistently—the reader follows as their relationship manifests fully and unfolds under duress of the unique challenges presented by Henry's temporal excursions. 

It's difficult to summarize The Time Traveler's Wife further, beyond the above description and all that it implies. So much of what makes the novel truly captivating is its depth, the richness of the lives depicted. Young Clare doesn't offer the temporally displaced Henry a donut—it's a bismarck, specifically. When the couple attends a Violent Femmes concert, they don't merely dance to "the music", we're treated to a sampling of the set list, with lyrical excerpts. Musical, artistic, and literary references abound, and all of these details add texture and nuance, shaping a multi-faceted world that is believable, plausible, real. Niffenegger's grasp of language is such that vocabularies grow as the characters' ages do, and in general creating tones that are at once truly human, and at times profoundly poetic. As Henry and Clare lament and celebrate and opine, each of these moods and moments is imbued with an import inescapable to the reader. Here, it seems as real people suffering, loving, struggling, striving, rejoicing, and with them so too does the reader.

As with any adaptation of a complex work, the cinematic iteration of the novel suffers somewhat from an excess of simplicity. The screenplay, penned by Ghost and My Life screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, capably captures the essence of the basic plot, but much of the novel's depth falls sadly to the wayside. Henry's complicated relationship with his father is reduced to a single, intense scene; Clare's childhood, the experiences with Henry of which form the foundation of the relationship to come, is treated only marginally, used most often to punctuate the progression of events in the "present"; most of the novel's cultural references are abandoned, taking it from its particular setting in time and making for a more timeless piece, though somehow to its detriment; characters integral to the story—particularly that of Clare's friend Gomez—are minimalized, if not abandoned entirely.

Yet for all this, the film does still satisfy on many levels, for more than those already fond of its literary basis. The depiction of Henry's traveling is impressively handled, and the story's pacing is consistent while ensuring that no major points are overlooked, nor minor points belabored. The cast is generally quite endearing, despite stumbling over some of the less conversational lines. The "feel" of the film—its fantastical plot, cinematography, framing, and score—lends a dreamlike quality, calling to mind other works, such as What Dreams May Come and Bicentennial Man. This contrasts with the novel's frequently visceral tone, much of which would have been far too graphic for the targeted PG-13 rating. However, this "softer side" of the overall plot avoids the trap of becoming too saccharine for fans of the original work. All in all, for anyone keen on subtly scifi/fantasy films and romantic dramas, the movie is a fairly safe bet.

At its heart, in either iteration, The Time Traveler's Wife is an exploration of ever so much more than the love between a man and a woman. Questions of free will and fate plague the couple, and the reader or viewer as well. The origins of said love are ontologically paradoxical, as are a number of events that transpire as Henry and Clare's relationship progresses. As the philosophical quandaries mount, in addition to the more typical issues that challenge any relationship, the story becomes one that is at the same time utterly unique and all too familiar. It's this blending of strange and common grounds that so compels the reader to continue exploring through the heartwarming and heartbreaking episodes in Henry and Clare's lives. 

Ultimately, though star-crossed in their own way, the DeTambles' love for each other is deep, abiding, and most of all inspiring. To observe their struggles, their triumphs, their tragedies, is a journey all its own. Absent the benefit (and curse) of genuine time travel, one must settle for traveling back to the beginning of the story and embarking upon that journey anew—something many will find themselves compelled to do time and time again.

Click here to read the Post Script to this review

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Aftermath, Pt. 1

There's so much to be said for the experience of last weekend's Read-a-Thon. So much, in fact, that I doubt it can be contained in a single post. Considering that I have yet to finish the first book on my Read-a-Thon list (though I think I'm finally in the homestretch), most of what I'd like to cover will have to wait.

For now, I'd just like to touch upon an observation that struck me rather early in the course of that day: With so many new contacts in the blogging community comes a desire to follow the work and progress of said contacts. This led me to wonder, exactly how does one follow so many blogs all at once? It seemed impractical to bookmark and check each of them on a daily basis, and similarly inefficient to put my name on dozens of mailing lists. The answer came from one such contact, in the form of Bloglovin, a free site which functions as a tailored aggregator, compiling a custom feed of any and all blogs one chooses to follow.

Signing up was easy enough; I had the option of using my Facebook account, but opted to go the standard route of setting up a profile attached to my email address. From there, I was prompted to start with at least 5 blogs I'd like to follow. After selecting those 5, I was offered the opportunity to include the posts of Facebook friends. This seems like a nice feature, though unnecessary to the cause, so I declined. Lastly, I decided to add to the details of my Bloglovin profile, and "claiming" The Scholar's Fane as mine.

Over the next few days, I'll add the blogs of those with whom I became acquainted over the course of the Read-a-Thon, and with any luck some of them might do the same. I felt that my interactions over the course of the event introduced me to a larger world, initiating me into the general book-blogging community at large. I'm tremendously excited about nurturing this feeling, and as my blog grows, hopefully so too will my relationships with the many other fantastic bloggers out there.

So, in addition to the Fane's Facebook and Twitter pages, I give you a new means of keeping up to date on the latest news, reviews, and musings from the Fane: Click here to follow my blog with Bloglovin

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Fit the Second

We've reached the end of the first quarter of Read-a-Thon, and things seem to have settled quite a bit after an extremely boisterous first few hours. Already I've made new friends, viewed new blogs, entered a few of the challenges, and of course accomplished a small amount of reading in the few spare moments I've had left. Much as the name of the event implies a devotion to actual reading, it's apparent that there's so much more to Dewey's Read-a-Thon than that. It's about camaraderie, the celebrating of a shared passion, and the making of memories as the day unfolds in a way that one couldn't easily confuse with any old Saturday.

As I read through The Time Traveler's Wife, I'm struck by so many aspects that cause the book to stand out profoundly from the rest of those I've read. To be sure, I've read a fair number of truly excellent works, but there's something about this particular title that touches me deeply and personally. One is hard pressed to draw parallels between oneself and a character so fanciful as the temporally-impaired Henry DeTamble, yet the life he attempts to lead, and the struggles he and Clare endure, despite his unique handicap are at once unique to the deepest of loving relationships and common to all of humanity. This two-fold exploration is part of what makes the story so compelling, to say nothing of the many other noteworthy nuances that contribute to the fully-formed world in which these characters dwell. I look forward to sharing my thoughts on the novel in greater detail sometime soon, as well as expounding on its cinematic adaptation. For the time being, I'm happy to find it difficult to remain at the computer. There are few things as wonderful as being caught up in a favorite book, and I aim to enjoy that experience today as much as possible.

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: 4th Hour Mini-Challenge

The morning's gone by so quickly, and with all the hullabaloo I honestly haven't gotten nearly so much reading done as I should have done. I have a feeling things will pick up soon. However, before I can get on with the business at hand, there's a mini-challenge to consider! The folks over at Capricious Reader have come up with an extremely fun little mission: compose a work of poetry using book titles. I probably spent more time on this than necessary, but I'm pleased with the results:

The Art of Being

The Art of Loving

The Inner Reaches of Outer Space

The Enlightened Heart

The Enlightened Mind

Einstein's Dreams

A Wrinkle in Time

Time for another quick dose of social media antics, then back to The Time Traveler's Wife!

Dewey's Read-a-Thon: Fit the First

I'm up I'm UP!! Barely squeezed in a nap but all is well, breakfast is being ingested hastily and coffee has already begun kicking in. Thankfully, the fine folks at Dewey's have provided a launching pad of sorts for today's mix of frantic blogging and fervent reading. WIthout further ado:

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
The heart of the Rust Belt, Youngstown, OH

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
Probably About a Mountain, as it's the only book with which I've zero familiarity.

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Total candor here—a tin of sardines to top off my protein and omega-3 levels.

4. Tell us a little about yourself!
This week is actually the 6th anniversary of my decision to dedicate my life to writing.

5. If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what's the one thing you'll do different today? If this is your first readathon, what are you most excited about?

Touching base with other writers is something I've explored before, but it bears repeating: there are few things so important to the craft as an ongoing and meaningful exchange with a variety of fellow aspirants. I've very much enjoyed perusing the blogs of others so far, have picked up more than a few pointers through observation alone, and I'm fairly certain that the frivolity of the event will prove contagious enough to make for a truly memorable day!

Breakfast officially over, first round of coffee's down—commencing book one, The Time Traveler's Wife!

You're Doing What? For How Long?? - Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

For all my plans for upcoming reviews and reflections, it's been a slow month for reading. Some of that has to do with the way I've tackled the challenge of my reading list, which has been much less "one book at a time" and far more "read ALL the books!". I always realize, after the fact, that amassing a sizable workload all in one place only serves to daunt me into submission, but for once the approach might actually work. Maybe it hasn't just been the construction of a literary mountain too tall to scale, maybe it's been the lack of compatriots, cheerleaders, mini-challenges with prizes...enter Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.

I was only recently introduced to the Read-a-Thon, thanks to my friends over at A Reader's Respite. According to the Read-a-Thon's History page, Dewey was inspired by her family's participation in the annual 24 Hour Comics Day. The idea was simple: Get some people together and celebrate literature and the love of it, by dedicating an entire day to reading. That first year, 2007, there were 37 participants in the Read-a-Thon; the latest tally for 2013 includes 426 bloggers who will spend the day alternating between the books they've chosen and sharing their experiences on their blogs, Dewey's Facebook page, the Read-a-Thon's Twitter feed (#Readathon, #Dewey, #MiniChallenge, #RahRahReadathon), and even Instagram.


As it's my first Read-a-Thon, I'm not sure how well I'll be able to juggle tasks; I have enough trouble focusing on Twitter when it's the only thing I'm doing. But I've got some simple meals lined up for the day, plenty of tea and coffee to keep me going, and three solid choices to hold my attention as the day progresses. First on the list is The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.

My first encounter with this title was the movie, which caught me completely off-guard and left me in tears (more on this in a future Page-to-Screen review). It's a bittersweet exploration of causality, determinism, and free-will, set against the backdrop of a relationship that unfolds in a different order for each of its participants.

By the end of my second read-through, it had become my favorite book. I found myself yearning to follow the last page with the first and begin reading it anew. Since then, I've made a habit of re-reading it once a year, but this time around I've faltered quite a bit—I've been stuck on page 110 since mid-September. So I've decided to make it the priority when Read-a-Thon begins tomorrow morning at 8am.


For my second choice, provided I finish The Time Traveler's Wife, I've selected About a Mountain, by John D'Agata.

I know little about this book, but it comes highly recommended by one of my closest writer friends. I was first intrigued by this quote, which he had posted some time ago:

"This is not an honorable place. It is not the marker of a glorious deed. Here is nothing at all of worth buried. This place is a message and a portion of a message-world. Pay attention well. We are earnest. This message-giving was great for us. It seemed to us that we were a very great people."

The blurb on the back of the book describes it thusly: "When John D'Agata helps his mother move to Las Vegas one summer, he begins to follow a story about the federal government's plan to store nuclear waste at a place called Yucca Mountain, a desert range near Las Vegas. Here is the work of a penetrating thinker whose startling portrait of a mountain in the desert compels a reexamination of the future of human life."

I expect that I will, after all's said and done, regret not having read this promising book sooner.


Should I complete both The Time Traveler's Wife and About a Mountain before 8am Sunday morning, my final choice is Henry Miller's Tropic of Capricorn.

Miller's Tropic of Cancer—the first in a trilogy, of which Capricorn is the last volume—is renown for being one of the first major victories against censorship in the 20th century. All three volumes (Cancer, Black Spring, and Capricorn) explore Miller's life and struggles as a writer. I had begun reading this back in June, but my introduction to Miller was quickly supplanted by numerous volumes of Hemingway's work. By the end of the month I'd taken up fishing, and left Miller's deftly woven proto-Beat stylings by the wayside.

Before that had happened, though, I had come to appreciate the way that Miller had turned his life into literary material, and was struck by how much I identified with much of his experiences. Having previously experienced some difficulty convincing myself to write my story, I was emboldened by his success, and became inspired to attempt a similar effort. As my NaNoWriMo novel will be written in this vein, it behooves me to immerse myself further in Miller's world, and I can think of no better time to do so than amidst the obsessive reading frenzy of Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon
 

So for now, I'm doing my best to clear a number of comfortable reading places, prepping the coffee maker, and hopping off to bed at an uncharacteristically early hour. 8:00am comes pretty quickly, and I'm going to need my rest—it's going to be a long, exciting, amazing day of reading.