Julie R. Neidlinger: Lone Prairie Art Works

You can follow the summer's blog posts here.
You can read my experiences trying to learn to fly, which is here.

A great library.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 3 comments link this post

Despite this article, I can't say enough about how in love I am with a library here in Bismarck.

Great layout, great resources, free WiFi, and -- get this -- a little Italian coffee/lunch/gelato shop in the corner.*

I've certainly never been in quite this kind of library before, and if I could, I would hide in it at night and try to live here. It's that wonderful. It's also making a great place to study, with access to internet and silence and the smell of books and coffee.

Here I sit with my textbook and notebook and pen and a delicious beverage, all in the relative silence and hushed talk only found in libraries. Fabulous.

I would be totally relaxed and unstressed (beyond the actually pressure of learning something new) if I could find a resolution to the other rather pressing problem that I'm trying to figure out ASAP.

But, for now, studying here at the library.

* It serves Big Trains, Anna. Weep in jealousy.

Labels: books, my life, summer 2008, tour north dakota

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Joiners.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 12 comments link this post

I'm not a joiner.

I don't join stuff. I don't join groups, organizations, causes, unions, political parties, or even my church¹.

Right now I'm reading a book, written by Marcia Ford, called We the Purple: Faith, Politics and the Independent Voter. I'm not far enough into it to talk about the book, but the idea is that voters who refuse to swear allegiance to a particular political party aren't doing so because we're confused, unable to decide, fickle, wanting to destroy America, or waiting to the last possible moment.

We just aren't joiners.

What happens when you join something?

You have to adhere to a set of guidelines.
You feel like you have a bit of protection, since there's safety and power in numbers.
You often have to send in membership dues, with your money being used however the group sees fit.
You are associated with the entire organization and it's policies, actions, and reputation.
If you want to stay a member, you lose a bit of autonomy of action since you have guidelines to consider.
The longer the group is in existence, the more likely it is that the preservation of the group itself becomes the goal, and not the original purpose or reason that the group was formed in the first place i.e. the focus is lost.
There is pressure to not rock the boat and to maintain the status quo within the group. Solidarity within is necessary for the appearance of strength on the outside.

Is the Republican party more interested in the success of the Republican party, or the success of the people? Is the Democratic party more interested in the success of the Democratic party, or the success of the people? Is the National Education Association more interested in the protection of their members and the power of the entire group or in the actual education of children?

You can substitute just about any group in this verbal equation and get the same result.

These groups have been around a long time. Their focus has shifted to now being the preservation of the organization. And if I join, despite the seeming benefit of being part of a crowd and the feeling that someone has my back, my money -- which, I believe to not be my money but God's money -- is used how it should not be used. (The money I send in for my taxes, and how it is used, is distressing enough.) My voice, even in dissent within the group, is only adding to the volume of the group's general message because I'm still a member. By being a member, I am giving credence to whatever the group stands for, by sheer numbers².

I will continue to avoid joining stuff as best I can. I don't want to find myself in a situation, someday, where the groups and organizations I've joined are demanding that I sacrifice my ideals or conscience for the "greater good" of the organization. I am responsible for my actions, whether they are direct (what I do personally) or indirect (the actions of a group I'm part of). I will have to answer for them someday.

My voice is my own. No one else speaks for me. And even if that means I'm barely or rarely heard, so be it. At least it's my true voice.

¹ I don't see why I have to "officially" join a church and become a "member" when all Christians are "members" of the body of Christ, i.e. "the church." I'm perfectly willing to accept and understand that that means I can't vote and take part in decision making of my local body. I'm not a person that thinks I should receive any of the member benefits without being a member; I'm perfectly fine with understanding there really are "members only" situations, beyond the ugly jackets from the 1980's.

² I understand the dilemma facing teachers and the need for liability insurance and other things the NEA provides. There are other alternatives, I guess, but again, it's still another group to join. Tort reform would be good right about now.

Labels: books, essay, politics

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A mystery solved.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Remember the book and cartoons and Corky Normart?

Last night I received and email from a C. Normart, and I had the answers to a few questions at long last:

Dear Julie
You found me. I kind of recognize the book but can't recall the teacher. I think it was a Junior College class because the drawing of the football player being kicked has my number (50) and we did play Vallejo that year. But it's not my signature and some of the drawings are not my style, even back then. You're right, my family had a fur store that was established in 1895 and lasted over 100 years. But my interest has always been art as you can see from my web site at cnormart.com. I might even up date it one of these days.

[...]

I'm not certain that all of the drawings are mine. The car is my style, the outhouses might be, players maybe but the signature and the comments I just don't recognize. I'm sure I did the rubber stamping.

I mentioned to him that I had received more than a few emails from random readers who happened upon that post and were curious as to the seemingly missing ending. With his permission, I shared the above emails with you.

Ah, the feeling of a tied-up package, no loose ends.

Do visit Mr. Normart's web site; the art is fantastic.

And, maybe, start doodling and mystery-creating in a book of your own; then send it into the wild. You never know where it will end up.

UPDATE: The book will be making its way back to Mr. Normart and his family tomorrow. It's had an interesting life, this book.

Labels: books, clippings

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Being Fanny Price.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 3 comments link this post

The ideal heroine is Elizabeth Bennett, of course, but whenever I read the book or watched the films I always felt that out of all of Jane Austen's wonderful heroines, I was most like...the servants in the background. I'm not kidding. I really, really think that asking "if I were in that story which main character would I be" is a deceptive question. Who said we'd be the main characters?

"See that guy in the back, leading the horses into the stable? That's me. If Mr. Darcy would just step to the side, you could see me better."

I can identify.

One reason I liked the movie Gosford Park was that it gave me a view of the world of the servants which I knew, had I really lived in some previous era, would be my lot in life. I would be a servant person. The one who slopped the pigs.

Whatever.

There are about three million different online "which Jane Austen character are you" quizzes on the web.

::That was not a scientific estimate. I'm not good at estimating amounts and distances and I no longer feel like attempting anything ballpark.::

I think I took one of those quizzes once, but noticed none of the options included "peasant servant girl in background" so I doubted the qualifications.

So my friend Naomi invites me to add the "Which Jane Austen character are you?" application on Facebook a few days ago.

Grrr.

I take the quiz and find out it's one where you can't get your results unless you invite something along the lines of 200 friends which, if you do it, you'll have less friends. I might be a servant person, but I'm not dummy. So I canceled it out.

But, through the gift of crappy application programmers, my results still showed up on my profile despite my rejection of the order to invite, and I found out which Jane Austen character I was most like. At long last, I can agree:

Your result is: Fanny Price
You are smart and shy, a quiet beauty with brains that intimidate everyone around you. You often feel out of place, homeless and alone. As an intellectual idealist, you long to be heard and understood, but rarely waste your time trying to defend yourself to those who could not possibly understand. Time and experience is making you bolder. Despite your clever genius, you long for simplicity, and the love of your soul mate, who is a socially surprising and unlikely match.

Ha ha ha. What tripe. "That's me! That's me! Clever genius!"

These dumb quizzes annoy me, like some kind of literature-based horoscope.

I do, however, admit that I loved Fanny Price's character in (OK, I haven't read Mansfield Park and I know the movie is a severe bastardization but nevertheless, her character was fantastic) the movie Mansfield Park. The quiz is referencing the movie and not the book. In the movie (unlike in the book), she was smart and sharp and a witty writer and had a backbone and also came from more realistic non-elevated servant-esque family and circumstances and...was a servant of sorts.

And no one told her what to do.

Which is tricky, when you're a servant. Even a servant of sorts.

::Go, Fanny, go. It's unfortunate about your name, but we can't have everything, can we?::

Labels: books, facebook, friends, internet, movies, my life

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Some great politically incorrect guides.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

A thank you to the newly-almost-revealed semi-anonymous Lone Prairie blog "fan" who sent me some great books for my birthday! I am the proud owner of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible, and The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution.

Excellent!

Labels: blogging, books

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The book of John.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

John used to be a youth pastor in the town I attend church in. I knew him for a few years; since he was single, people were a little annoying for a while until they just left us alone so we could be friends. He suckered me into painting a bunch of murals for free in the youth center; it's a youth pastor's skill. He also informed me he hands out (to those he thinks need to read it) one of my many handy free guides available on this site. And, lastly, he went to Nicaragua on the first few trips I went on, until he moved. He's going again, this year, though not in my group. At our last meeting this past weekend, he lent me a book that deals with differences in culture; it's a good book. Useful. Easy to read.

But, John being John and Julie being Julie, I decided to harass him via email. I can't stop myself from being this way.

-------------------------

Me: I accidentally drove over your book. Sorry.

John: Just stick it in the garbage disposal and that should fix it right up

Me: Oh my gosh, John, it's terrible! Your book! Wild goats! I am sooo sorry!

John: Wild goats need to survive and we as humans have infringed upon their environment.

Me: Gasp! John, it's awful! I had no idea the matches would ignite the paper like that! Who knew the pilot light was out! I didn't even know we had a pilot light! I am so sorry! Your book is ruined!

John: It is great that you have learned about paper and matches I am always about learning and experimentation. Anything I can do to promote growth and knowledge is a positve in my view.

Me: Today it was a bad storm. Your book plumb flew away. Sorry.

John: Just leave it out till spring it will be fine when all the snow melts.

(The book in question is actually a very good book, and perfectly fine. I'm very careful with other people's things. Even though John would have it coming if I dog-eared a page or two since I lent him some radio plays and the CD cases came back in less than mint condition but I've totally forgiven him for it and would never drudge it up.)

Labels: books, friends, nicaragua

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The Golden Crisis.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 4 comments link this post

I've already gotten about six emails pointing to the Snopes article regarding Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and the upcoming movie of the first book, The Golden Compass. I've written a couple of long emails detailing my thoughts on the book and the movie and whether or not I'll be seeing it.

I've been aware of the books for a while -- they're not exactly "brand new." I haven't read them, simply because I have about 20 other books in my youth reading pile that I haven't read, either. The preview to the movie was high-quality and lush.

I'd contemplated writing a post on this, but just the thought of another Da Vinci Code-style Christian brouhaha that will likely take place, and the exhaustion of being part of that discussion in any sense, kept me from doing it. I figured this would be yet another "golden crisis" for some Christian leaders to get all the minions worked up, protesting, avoiding, and buying books and other materials so they can be ready to give the answer they are told to give.

Luckily, Michael Spencer did a bang-up job of writing on the matter and saved me the effort. All I have to say is, go read it.

UPDATE: Here are a few more blog posts on the film which I think you'll find interesting.

Labels: books, links, movies, religion

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Ends.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 5 comments link this post

It's easy to forget that Chris McCandless only speaks to us from the mind of a conflicted youth. He -- and those of use who know his story -- did not have the benefit of getting past an experience and seeing it from ten years on the other side.

His is a story that ended before the loose ends were tied up, a piece of music that ended on a chord of tension that didn't get a chance to resolve before ending. Too many foolish people refuse to enjoy the gift of the song they had the opportunity to hear and instead fret and concentrate on the six measures that they didn't.

"One day, if you're lucky -- you will find yourself withered and old, surrounded by a loving family in a comfortable home, with a heart full of fond memories.

Or you can do what Chris did: Live hard. Die young, and make a pretty corpse. In other words, throw your life away for nothing.

What a waste," Anonymous said.

Lucky? Comfort and fondness are not the end all people wish to have. If we're lucky, we live a life that is rich and honest right now, which has nothing to do with the when and how at the end. If we're lucky, we don't make our comfort and safety at the end of life the goal that defines how we'll live our life.

Waste? What a fool to see waste because of early death, because of not collecting the usual experiences or traveling the usual paths in life. A wasted life can end in comfort, at old age. We mistake brevity and accumulation for waste, as if longevity is the only true sign of a full life!

Throw a life away for nothing? People throw their lives away all the time, for money or a career they hate. People throw their lives away for safety so that they live long, retire, and end up in a home before they die. The manner and time of death has less to do with throwing a life away than what a person does with the few measures of the song they have to work with on this earth. Anyone who leaves a last note and says, as McCandless did, that he "had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!" did not die in failure or waste.

"... 'the cage' you keep referring to only exists in your own mind," Anonymous said. But I say, what worse place to have a cage, than in the mind? There is no freedom when the mind is held captive. The mind is the ultimate prison.

People, such as Anonymous, seem to think McCandless' story is only about the struggle and the failure to win, instead of considering that his story was more about his hope and his desire to dig deep inside and find that key to the cage in his mind. The human story is not only about the struggle, though I used to think the struggle was the story, wrongly separating a person's hopes "in-midst of" and "in-spite of" and "because-of" as something removed from the struggle.

When I read comments such as were left by Anonymous, I am disheartened. It is yet a reminder to those of us who do not want to live in a "usual" way, those who feel in nearly every moment that we are not yet living life honestly, sacrificing what we know we should do so that we make no one uncomfortable -- it is a reminder that there is no understanding except from those traveling the same road. It is a reminder that being dishonest with ourselves is rewarded by being let alone and in peace.

Some of us are not content to be old, weathered and comfortable. That is never our goal, even if that is how some will find their stories ending. The uncomfortable brings us comfort. It says "you're fighting the fight, you've not given up just yet." It defeats a peculiar and destructive kind of guilt that sometimes drives us with a whip in our mind. We are all, really, trying to find a way to honestly live that will let us live with ourself. Some just trade that in for that peace early in the struggle, shelving hopes in boxes of "wouldn't that have been nice."

"In my book, it's better to live a life full of adventures AND have some nice mementos to commemorate those experiences."

That is your book, Anonymous. Not mine. Sometimes mementos are bricks in a wall. It's fine as long as you exist outside that wall.

Labels: books, essay, personal

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A wrinkle in time.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

First Pavarotti, and now Madeleine L'Engle.

Gee.

I really loved her writing, both when I was a kid and when I got older. Her book Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art is one of those books I've read and re-read. So much gold in there...

Although L'Engle was often labeled a children's author, she disliked that classification. In a 1993 Associated Press interview, she said she did not write down to children.

"In my dreams, I never have an age," she said. "I never write for any age group in mind. When people do, they tend to be tolerant and condescending and they don't write as well as they can write.

"When you underestimate your audience, you're cutting yourself off from your best work."

She made me feel good about being a reader. She'll be missed.

Labels: books, celebrities

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Into the Wild.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

I got a phone call a week or so ago, from a photo editor of Men's Journal. She wanted to know where I found the photo of Chris McCandless that I used in an earlier post because they were working on an article about his story to coincide with the upcoming movie. I told her I didn't know, and that I couldn't help her find out who owned the copyright to the photo. I was mildly surprised since I thought she'd know the story of McCandless; I assumed that since it is a photo of him in front of the bus up in Alaska (where he was alone before he died) that it was off of his camera and would, therefore, be the property of his family. But I never said anything.

That early post of mine is one of those unusual posts that never really sink into oblivion here on this blog. I still get emails from people over it, and have had a college out on the east coast link to it and reference it for online students for a class. For me, what I wrote then, I still hold to today. That is also unusual.

The story of McCandless doesn't go away.

Labels: books, movies

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Library Thing.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 0 comments link this post

Any kind of free web site that is as vague and promising as one called "Library Thing" has to be good.

Thanks to my D.C. gifting friend for pointing out this site to me so that I could waste much time filling up my allotted 200 books (more, if you want to pay).

Check it out: ~~200~~ 767 of the books that I own.

It's pretty easy to use, and I've not really even delved into it; I have merely punched in ISBN numbers and little else. It is so tempting to just have all the books I have online because I'm obsessed with cataloging stuff.

For now, just 200*. I probably have another...200 more I could put on there. And then some more... ack.

*UPDATE: I've just been given a lifetime membership to Library Thing which means I can put my entire pile of books online! To the person who gave me the membership: many, many thanks. I think it's very cool. And, as a writer, I am allowed to write poorly like that to express my thanks. Hooray!

Labels: books, internet

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The literature of the new miscreantism.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this post

Today I paid ten cents to be insulted.

"Hi stinkybutt ha ha ha"

My niece informed me of this via a text message. That was the eloquent prose I was exposed to. As I calmly pressed the delete button to the dark side of the moon and back, I wondered from what background such a greeting could have arisen.

What is the founding literature of the new, young miscreants?

Surely, the Captain Underpants¹ series has a place in the library of such individuals. Books such as Everyone Poops² (a bold claim, indeed) may also play into the rich and varied literature under question. Further influence, such as the Walter the Farting Dog³ books have legitimized "pottymouth-bonics."

As all educational professionals are aware, young miscreants (i.e. "children") need more encouragement to focus and discuss bodily functions such as flatulence or legitimize the heroization of underwear as an outer garment. The rich and varied literature listed above, now available to "children" is prominent in encouraging this new language as well as a liberating, new permissiveness.

The end result is an impressive mix of the new miscreantism and technology in which a young niece was able to call her much-respected auntie a "stinkybutt."

For ten cents.

----------

¹ Questions as to whether the Captain wore boxers or brief were never seriously entertained due to concise diagrams contained within the volumes.

² Some confusion has been documented regarding the cover illustration of the book, since, clearly, apples do not poop.

³ Scientists at Berkley have noted an increase in methane production in connection to the name "Walter." One scientist on staff, "Walter Doe", was expelled from the study.

Labels: books, humor, my life

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Meme: A little late in coming, but here it is.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 3 comments link this post

Todd tagged me to do this, oh, about 40 years ago.

Here are the instructions:

Grab the book closest to you.
Open to page 123; go down to the fourth sentence.
Post the text of the following three sentences.
Name the author and book title.
Tag three people to do the same.

Here's me, participating:

In doing so, he taught me how to move beyond myself. As I look back now on the cloister of Southern fundamentalism in which I grew up, I wonder if perhaps I suffered from a narcissistic disorder. (Perhaps all adolescents do?)

Author: Philip Yancey
Book: Soul Survivor: How Thirteen Unlikely Mentors Helped My Faith Survive the Church

Now, about tagging three people...how about I just say that if you want to do it, anyone (blogger or not) go ahead. Put it on your blog, leave it in the comments, do nothing. It's up to you.

I always hated tag.

Labels: blogging, books

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What to do with disappointment.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 5 comments link this post

I was at a small gathering recently and, as is my anti-social way, I was reading a book while people were talking around me.

"So, good book?" a man asked me.

"Yes," I replied, hoping he wouldn't push any further.

"So what's your book called?"

"It's Disappointment with God," I said.

Long silence. As I knew there would be.

Philip Yancy's book has been a challenge to me. I will tell anyone reading this post, whether you're a Christian or not, to read this book. He doesn't shy away from the question of pain, unfairness, and the inability of humans to make sense of what seems to be a God that doesn't act rationally. He makes no irritatingly pat answers, no judgments.

So I find myself in the midst of Yancy's wonderful discussion, towards the end of the book, on time and a God that is not bound by either space and time, only to discover a website, Rational Responders, dedicated to converting Christians and non-Christians over to the religion of non-belief.

I'm not sure of the connection I'm trying to make between what I'm reading and the site, but I know that there is one; not only to the book as a whole, but the section I am now in. Both seem to have a foundation of the same sort, that of humans trying to understand a God that makes no human sense. Yancy isn't always happy with his answers, but he accepts not knowing. The people at Rational Responders have done the opposite and decided to believe their rational human response instead of in God.

You will find videos on the Rational Responders website of people trying to damn their soul by denouncing the Holy Spirit. You'll find products to buy and requests for monetary support so that they might reach more people and bring them over into human rationality. Maybe you'll find, as I did, that your heart feels cut inside after watching the videos and reading the material, a cut not from anger but from extreme, wrenching sadness.

I often wonder about this love of logic, this willingness to put everything into the hands of humanity's supposed ability to be rational. I wonder why A must connect to B must connect to C and that, if the connections aren't logical to our plane of existence and to our understanding, everything must be thrown out. I am wary of people who must have every answer before moving forward. Why this need to prove and have proof before believing? Why is something considered proven or disproved, based on the simple fact that there is no answer yet?

They offer a free DVD to Christians, a DVD that proves Jesus didn't exist. The offer comes with a few simple provisions that must be met. I must include a link to my website to "prove" I'm a Christian, and I must answer the following question: "If you were given proof that your god doesn't exist, would you accept it, or would you continue to believe?"

I wondered, as I found my way to the free DVD page, how it is that such smart and logical men and women have claimed to fully understand and prove that God does not exist while at the same time (I'm willing to bet) they don't even understand the ways and workings of the opposite sex. I wonder how we put our trust in mankind and still can't understand friends that back-stab, enemies that show kindness, and feelings of love and rage that exist at the same time within us. Pity to the scientist that has nailed down the grandeur of the cosmos and can't even understand why the wife he lives with is unhappy.

I paused for a moment, wondering if I really wanted to bother requesting the DVD. I paused, not out of fear that I couldn't have an answer for all that is raised (because I know I can not possibly hold my own with any sort of expert), but because I wondered if it was really worth my time. I wondered if there was any more room left in my mind for additional doubts, for I have enough on my own from my own thinking. I felt that I was supposed to do this, in the end, so I provided them with my name, my email, and my website address.

And I answered their question of whether or not I would still believe.

I could have said that for every expert that proves Jesus never existed, I can find books and videos filled with experts that say he did. I could have said that for every example of God not answering prayer I surmise that I could find an equal amount of examples when He did. I could have rehashed all the points and rejoinders and ripostes from all the apologetic and atheist debates ever hashed out across time, in magazines and books and blogs. I could have argued that the only proof humans could offer that God did not exist would be merely human proof. I could have written a paragraph on why or why not. I could discussed my own theories on the similarities to the story of Jesus Christ and other mythology, including the Hero's Journey. I have no shortage of wonderful apologetic material by great Christian thinkers that I could have used. I could have explained how admittance of doubt is not a "gotcha" but merely and admittance of doubt.

But I didn't.

I've had some disappointments and struggles as of late - no more than any other person I suppose - but it's gotten me quite down. People have said to me that I should cheer up, that I should be more positive, that there is no reason for me to feel this way. I wonder, when I hear that response, why they think reason has anything to do with it? What does reason have to do with anything that really matters, that's really real?

And so I answered these people who claim to have proven that God doesn't exist, who wonder if I, once I see their overwhelming evidence, will still believe in Him, the only way I could: Yes.

Disappointment in life, and disappointment with God, is what it is. It feeds the doubt, it bolsters the questions, and it cuts the legs off of our answers if it lasts long enough, eventually leading to those moments in our minds and hearts where we scream at God, demanding that He make himself known.

"Show yourself! Explain yourself!" we demand, as if He is a monkey on a leash.

Then there is silence, beginning it all again.

It does not mean there shall be no faith, because without doubt there is no faith. So the answer is yes. I will believe anyway.

Labels: books, essay, religion

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Life is not a toggle switch.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 8 comments link this post

The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. It's not that easy.

For that reason I am extremely loathe to sidle up to a political party as if it were the Christian way, making an uncomfortable bedfellow with someone I normally would not just because, for one issue perhaps, we agree. The crooks and liars and schemers abound in each party and I have been watching, with regret, the increasing politicizing of American Christianity and para-church organizations, and the subsequent degradation and downfall that comes in the compromising arena of politics.

For that reason, I am interested in buying David Kuo's new book Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. Kuo, a Christian, has an interesting family story as well as a career littered with four-star political figures he's worked with and for, including President Bush. The book contains his spiritual biography -- a vital part of the story -- but what is mainly being hyped are his statements on how Christians in this country are being duped by the various political parties and organizations just to get their support.

Normally I don't buy hardcover books hot off the press because they're expensive, take up too much room on my already groaning bookshelves, and the paperback versions often contain an update or revised appendix. However, I've had Kuo on my blogroll for a few months now and have never regretted reading his blog when I've made it over there. World Magazine's recent article on the book has piqued my interest considerably, especially since they weren't so gung-ho about the book and some of Kuo's ideas such as his suggestion that Christians take a two-year fast from politics (not to be confused with an advocacy of not voting, mind you). I'm thinking that when I'm in Fargo in a few days, I may have to pick up a copy.

Labels: books, current events, religion

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Blogs, books and the no-man's land in between.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 2 comments link this post

There are a few ways to connect blogs to books: books about blogs, and blogs turned into books. It kind of makes me throw up a little in my mouth, just saying that.

Starting with the looming glut of books on how to blog, how to change the world with your blog, and how to blog without changing the world, I discovered a gem of a post that sums it up nicely. Yes, this post made me laugh. The writer discovered a book in the bargain bin and was a little horrified at what it was about:

"Can you read the title of this book? It's called: "No One Cares What You Had for Lunch: 100 Ideas for Your Blog."

What? A book to give me ideas of what to "blog" about? The concept seemed foreign to me and still does. And I slightly was annoyed by it. Here's why. If you don't know what to blog about ... maybe you just shouldn't have a blog. Or! If you don't have anything to blog about ... why wouldn't you just wait until you do?

The things is, this book isn't the only one out there instructing people how to blog. There's a whole market full of "how to blog" books just waiting to be placed in the discount bins at a super store near you. I, however, do think it's odd that people are making a living off of writing books instructing people how to go about blogging. I shouldn't be surprised though. People make money off of the lamest things. I'm probably just bothered by it because I didn't think of it first."

Both Jim and Eric have talked about the new blog-book fad. This, of course, is the reversal of the books about blogs, of traditional authors making money off of blogger-readers. This is the concept of a blog being turned into a book. Maybe not so hot, anymore, this fad.

If you think it's still a fabulous idea, maybe this guy can help you. Like any good self-help encouragement guru, he's narrowed down his luck-of-the-draw success into pointers to offer to people who don't understand the definition of "stinkin' lucky." Ironically, he also provides a link to...a book about blogs.

If I were to buy a lottery ticket, I'd use my Blogger blog ID. It's the same thing.

Perhaps an earnest blogger desiring a blook with his name on it should consider this article, which contains a two-sentence summation of the whole mess:

"Not every blog is worthy of publication, however. Just because someone writes a blog doesn’t make that person a writer. Most blogs are rambling pieces of self-indulgence."

Yes. Because the question is one of whether a blog book (the new term is blook, sadly, a twice-defiled word made from a word made from two other words) even makes for good reading. Nevertheless, there is an award for blooks, the "Blooker Award." It is important to note, however, that it is sponsored by a self-publishing company (one I've used for my Bob stuff, no complaints). The fact that the official blook award comes from a company that most other paper-published bloggers use to birth their own blook at their own hands with their own determination and efforts to put blog to paper should maybe be given another name, like "blaward."

Blah.

Of course, if it is true that blogs are the modern version of commonplace books, again, I'm way ahead of the game. In true blogging spirit, much like the Celtic designs where the intertwined animal was eating its own tail, I already blogged about commonplace books.

This post is a shambles. It's writing like this that will prevent me from achieving that impressive 2,000-copy blook sales status I so long for.

I repeat, I'm way ahead of the game. I've had a little graphic on my blog for almost two years announcing the near arrival of a book made from my own blog. Two years. Way ahead of the game. Of course, these guys were way ahead of the game, too. And it looks like the game is over.

Books about blogs, blogs about books, books turned into blogs, blogs turned into books...is there no purity anywhere?!

It's enough to make me want to blog about it.

Labels: blogging, books

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Books: A canticle for the reading group.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 11 comments link this post

I feel like I pulled a fast one over on the readers' group. I admit to behing hypocritical, not wanting to read another Nicholas Sparks book or Oprah book club book, and quitting without really quitting.

Yeah, I just stopped going.

The last time it was my turn to pick a book, I chose The Historian and I got the impression that it might not have been a hit.

OK, so it was a huge, huge book. And it may have been hard to get into. And maybe it wasn't so much of a frenzied page turner as it was a literary gothic novel about Dracula through the veil of Turkish history, librarians, and flashbacks. It was a good book.

But what I heard at the meeting (or at least what I remember) was how they could only get through the first 300 pages, that they couldn't find a copy, that it was too expensive -- we barely talked about it at all and I just felt really stupid for picking a book like that and took it as a sign that since I couldn't read another "heart rendering chick lit tragedy between sisters and/or lovers and a child dies" book, and that since the books I pick don't seem to go over well for some of the group, that this was not the group for me.

It's a great reading group and a fine bunch of women but I feel mannish when I'm there because I like reading non-fiction and history and mystery and sci-fi and old books and anything but the kind of books that are stickered and tagged in the stores as "book club" books. Obviously the point of a reading group is to read things that you wouldn't normally read, but after a while, all I can do is gag. Also, I don't play well with others.

But I got an email from the leader wondering if I had quit. And I just didn't have the heart to say yes. And I really do like to read books and am always wishing I could talk to people about what I've read and theoretically a reading group should be perfect for me. So I said no. No, I hadn't quit. Great, she said, because October was my turn to pick a book.

Yes, it's been that long since I attended a meeting. A year.

So I picked a book. I chose A Canticle for Leibowitz.

I'm re-reading it now and forgot how incredibly complex and full this book was. It's hilarious and serious and dark and forboding and sad, all at the same time. It's so full of everything that I think I could talk about it for hours; I'm already jotting down notes and questions for discussion. It's a great book that I heartily recommend.

What do you think? Think it'll fly?

Labels: books

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A kindness.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger 3 comments link this post

This post is not about books, th

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Books: A canticle for the reading group.

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A kindness.