Neil Gaiman and James Thurber

Neil Gaiman is hosting The Wall Street Journal's (WSJ) book club this month, and has chosen "The 13 Clocks" by James Thurber for discussion. I fell in love with this book about a year an a half ago when I picked up a copy after hearing Thurber, whom I came to know through his New Yorker essays, had written quite a few children's books. Turns out, the fact that I could even get a copy is credited to Gaiman. Thurber wrote "The 13 Clocks" in 1950 and it had been out of print, and mostly forgotten, until Gaiman blogged about his love for the 'skewed' fairy tale. The New York Review Children's Collection reached out to Gaiman and in 2008 the book was reprinted, complete with an introduction by Gaiman. In an interview with WSJ Gaiman states:   

"It was one of those books which I grew up believing to be a children's classic, in the sense that I couldn't imagine getting through childhood without having read it, like "Alice in Wonderland," I suppose, or these days, "Harry Potter." You assume every kid has probably read it. Coming to America, I figured, now I'm in the home of James Thurber. But I would mention it to people and I would get blank looks. I slowly realized that this thing that I thought was required reading in order to be a human being was a book that actually only a tiny minority had read, and in fact had been out of print when I came to America. So that was the point where I started my little campaign to bring it back into print." (Interview: The Wall Street Journal)

Every time I re-read "The 13 Clocks" I find something new to love about it. It's just that kind of book.. 

"A fair wind stood for Yarrow and, looking far to the sea, the Princess Saralinda thought she saw, as people often think they see, on clear and windless days, the distant shinning shores of Ever After. Your guess is quite as good as mine (there are a lot of things that shine) but I have always thought she did, and I will always think so" (Thurber 120-1). 

WSJ Book Club

Neil Gaiman's blog

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

Since Maya Angelou's recent passing, the web has been alight with posts of her quotes and bits of her biography. By far, my favorite one that has been making the rounds is this one:

"I’ve always had the feeling that life loves the liver of it. You must live and life will be good to you, give you experiences. They may not all be that pleasant, but nobody promised you a rose garden. But more than likely if you do dare, what you get are the marvelous returns. Courage is probably the most important of the virtues, because without courage you cannot practice any of the other virtues, you can’t say against a murderous society, I oppose your murdering. You got to have courage to do so. I seem to have known that a long time and found great joy in it."

I can't read any of her words without hearing her iconic voice in my head. That husky, deep throttle with just the tang of a southern accent. The subject of this quote is classic, maybe even a little cliche, but when she spoke, even the tired worn out cliches breathed with new life. 

I have had her children's book, Life Doesn't Frighten Me, on my Amazon wish list for a while now and was drawn to it originally, not just because Angelou wrote it, but because of the title. I see it as a mantra, something to be said during the dark times and repeated in order to remind the speaker of its truth: Life doesn't frighten me.  

RIP Maya Angelou 

You Can Go Anywhere!

A vestige of my childhood is coming back! Reading Rainbow was one of my favorite shows growing up. LeVar Burton and his team are bringing it back; their new Kickstarter campaign earned its goal in less than a day! Reading Rainbow will be back on the air, on the web, and free to schools in need. Check out the Kickstarter, donate if you can, and definitely watch!

"I think reading is part of the birthright of the human being. It's just such an integral part of the human experience — that connection with the written word." -LeVar Burton

When I grow up, I want to be a Librarian

A new book entitled The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson, includes two of my favorite things: photography and libraries.

SLIDE SHOW: AMERICAN PUBLIC LIBRARIES GREAT AND SMALL via The New Yorker