News Flash: Is Book Swim the Netflix of Books?

Before I dive into the primary topic of this post, I'd like to say that I made an error yesterday. I'm on page 300 of Julie Orringer's The Invisible Bridge, not page 200. The 92-degree heat and the glass of merlot I was drinking yesterday must have addled my brain.

Book Swim! Have you heard about this new subscription program that allows its members to rent books, including bestsellers and top current titles, for a fixed monthly fee?

First of all, I must say that like many of my friends living here in wildermania, Ken and I love Netflix. Love may be too mild a word for the rapture we experience. We treasure it so much that we carry the most expensive subscription--something like $18+/month.

So the idea of Book Swim tantalizes. Just think: Instead of the online haggling with our regional library system to wait in line for new books, I could get three recently published books at a time for a monthly fee of $23.95. No due dates. Keep them as long as you want, though of course you will continue to pay the monthly fee.

But wait a minute. Three books. Would that work out to be three books per month? Or, if I were a fast reader, could it work out to six books per month? I don't know. Book Swim has a number of other subscription levels. Five books at a time. Seven books at a time. And so on.

Please visit the website and give your opinion about what you think about the Book Swim program. I think it would be ideal for someone with a big job, a big income, and a minimum of time to go roaming from library to bookstore to get their books.

One complication I envision is that lots of the books I want to read are not available through Book Swim. Back titles, obscure books--it couldn't possibly supply all my reading needs.

It's too bad there's not a free trial available. I imagine the company might go broke if they tried it, especially because they're just getting started. But doesn't the minimum subscription of $23.95sound like a great deal of money? That's nearly $300/year, which I consider a huge investment in books that you rent and never own.

Please weigh in with your comments.

Arcadia Falls & The Invisible Bridge

A few days ago, Danielle of the incomparable book blog A Work In Progress (see the link to the right) asked for my opinion about Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman. It's a gothic, for sure, set in an arts-oriented boarding school in a beautifully rendered setting in upstate New York (an area south of where I live).

I found the writing to be lyrical, quite lovely, in fact. But the plot and the characterization disappointed me, which was exactly the criticism I had about Lake of the Dead Languages, Goodman's first novel. If you adore gothics, don't miss Arcadia Falls. That would be my advice. But if you are lukewarm toward them, I would not recommend that you seek this one out.

Danielle, what was your opinion of the Goodman novel you read? I'd be very interested to know what you thought.


Oh, The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer! I'm in awe of this historical novel, set in Europe from 1937 through the latter part of World War II. At 600 pages, a sprawling book indeed. And I'm so in awe of Orringer's writing.

What I appreciate most are the intricate, colorful details she weaves into each scene. I explained to a friend that at times I feel I'm involved in the events or that I'm engrossed in an amazing film made just for me. I can see exactly what's happening and can feel the emotions of the characters. Excellent characterization, by the way, and though I'm only on page 200 (I know I can't utter a judgment on the plot), I will say the plot is engaging me thoroughly.

Anya Seton--Am I Ripe for the Gothic Challenge?

Although I've got five Chunksters under my belt for the Chunkster Challenge and am reading a sixth--The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer (scroll down)--I'm faring far worse with The Gothic Challenge. I've read only one Gothic, Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman.


I considered withdrawing from The Gothic Challenge, mostly because I've been thinking that I'm wasting my time with these novels, especially because I don't enjoy them nearly as much as I did in my youth. Even so, they have an indescribable allure.


I chanced upon a blogger discussing Dragonwyck by the incomparable mid-twentieth-century American author Anya Seton. As a high-school student, my mother the librarian got me hooked on Katherine, a historical novel about Katherine Swynford, the wife of John of Gaunt, of the House of Lancaster (an English royal of the 14th century--actually I believe their children were Lancastrian, though I'm not at all sure John of Gaunt was considered so during his lifetime).

I believe I also read Seton's Green Darkness , though I have only the vaguest memories of it.

Dragonwyck beckons, and it's a true Gothic published in 1941, at the height of Daphne DuMaurier's "Gothic" fame.

How about This Book Cover?

I laughed uproariously at this book cover, largely because summertime is the time of year that we are "entertained" by black bears. I know the cover is a portrait of a grizzly bear, a dreadfully dangerous species that doesn't live in the East, but still, the cover sends everyone here into a tizzy of wild, somewhat hysterical chuckling.

Most of our black bear visitations are either mothers with a couple of cubs in tow or juveniles (bears from 2-? years that have not attained maturity). They all make the rounds, especially from dusk until dawn. As long as we're impossibly neat with our trash, and keep it locked up in the garage, they don't cause any problems.

Anyway, the book cover led me to investigate the author Sloane Crosley. I have ordered from the library her first book I Was Told There'd Be Cake. I don't usually read humorous essays, but in this case I'm making an exception, because her first book is about her initiation into life on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a part of the city I love.

I should be cooking dinner, a meal my husband sneered at when I revealed the evening's menu several hours ago. Ouch. I happen to love a mushroom frittata, but he doesn't. Ken was an only child, you see, and to that I attribute his fussiness about many foods. I grew up in a family where the rule was, "Eat it or starve!" Fortunately for him, Ken's sweet and very kind in dozens of other ways or the cook would go out on strike. Maybe I can coax him to a meal at the Black Mountain. That might sweeten his mood.

Okay, readers! I'm fully engaged in Julie Orringer's The Invisible Bridge and I won't return it to the library until I've read all of its 600+ pages! (Please refer to my previous post for more info.) I will likely accrue a fine, but it will be worth it. Orringer describes every scene in intricate detail so that the reader is there, fully participating. And she's a master at pacing and plot. I love that. And right now, in the first 100 pages, the setting is Paris, so what's not to like?

The Independence Day Weekend is approaching, and lots of cool weather is coming(isn't that marvelous?), so maybe I can spend my early mornings reading and walk Sophie in the late morning. I'm so excited about the cool, dry weather coming that I have lots of outdoor projects planned. Some gardening, some hiking, some butterfly and dragonfly investigations.


Back to Books: I am trying to understand all the hoopla about The Hunger Games series (Young Adults). I checked our library system catalog and the books are out everywhere, including the original title published in 2008! What is the vast appeal of this series? I'll reserve The Hunger Games from my library, and though it may take awhile to arrive, I'll see what the fuss is about. If you have a clue, please add your comments.

And, what are you reading this final week in the beautiful month of June? Please tell all!

To Chunkster or Not to Chunkster?

Another silly blog post heading, I know, but not as ludicrous as you might think. By Chunkster, I'm referring to books that can qualify for The Chunkster Reading Challenge, a 2010 event sponsored by caribousmom. To be a Chunkster, a book must be at least 450 pages long.


Today I faced a moment of decision at the library. Would I take home The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer? (Don't pass up a visit to amazon.com for an edge-of-your-seat interview with Orringer about her familial inspiration for this book.) I nearly bought it when I went on my book-buying birthday spree, but to be honest, I set it aside because the cover and spine of the one book available had a bad ding. I must confess that I want the books I buy to be PERFECT! I'm quirky that way.

The Invisible Bridge is an epic set in World War II Europe and it appears Orringer did painstaking research. I'm a devotee of historical research, so it came home with me and I have just two weeks to read another 600-page book!

So Chunksterism is the subject of this post. I want the opinion of all of my readers, but I must tell you I prefer NOT to read enormous books because of the huge time commitment involved. How will I know the time spent on just one book will be worth it?

I love short, pithy novels, but they're fairly uncommon. What drives me to take a book into my reading nook is dependent entirely on what the book is about and the recommendations of others.

I'd love to know your opinions about Chunksters and how you feel about the length of the books you read.

What Chunksters have you read this year?

A Hearty Happy Hour Post

Titles can be teasers, and this is indeed one. I do have a glass of red wine by my elbow, though. A fairly beautiful day today--I spent the morning walking, some of it with our dog and some of it with Ken in our woods. The bugs were not too bad, which surprised me!

I spent the afternoon online, beginning to prepare for the classes I will teach this fall. It's fun to plan, but I can't seem to switch the planning and searching button to the "off" position.


Big News! Paul Auster has a novel (nearly 400 pages) to be published this coming November entitled Sunset Park. It seems strange, because Invisible (which I highly recommend) was published not that long ago.

Your Opinion: The Best American Short Stories

Do you ever read any of "The Best" annuals? Perched on a kitchen counter by my elbow is The Best American Short Stories of 2009, edited by Alice Sebold, author of the bestseller The Lovely Bones and one of the best memoirs I have ever read, Lucky.


Don't let another year pass without reading Lucky! And don't let the warnings of violence make you turn away--it is a brilliant memoir of a college woman's rape on campus. That may sound like an oxymoron, but considering the statistics that the majority of women have been a victim of some sort of sexual assault during their lifetimes, this book may resonate and help heal you. It helped me.

Back to "The Best:" I'm impressed that almost all of the stories in the 2009 short stories volume were first published in small, independent, barely surviving literary magazines and most of the writers are "unknown." That's terrific. Not infrequently, the short stories' annual is a compilation of universally known authors whose stories were published in the "big" magazines of the preceding year: The New Yorker, Harper's, etc.

When Salman Rushdie was editor in 2008, half of his choices were written by older established writers. Sure, they're great, but I had already read the stories! Alice Munro, T.C. Boyle, Tobias Wolff, Nicole Krauss--all excellent practitioners of the craft, yes, but I'm so glad that for once Alice Sebold took some risks with her choices.

What short stories have you enjoyed? And what authors?

Book Recommendations for Nancy!

My friend Nancy has been begging me for book recommendations. She's just returned from a trip to France, England, and Scotland, and later this week she and her husband will return for the summer to the sailboat that was their only home for many, many years. The boat is docked on a pier in Long Island, New York. (Readers, I've added the state for my international readers.)

Nancy zoomed through Stieg Larsson's Milennium Trilogy. I've read only The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The reason why I've read no further may surprise you. I loved it so much, I don't want to read the second book, because then I'll read the third book, and the series will come to an end! I'll get used to the idea of Larsson's death eventually, but right now I can't bear the thought of finsihing that third book.


Nancy is an artist; a painter, to be more specific. So I recommended a novel I adored, Spending by Mary Gordon. Gordon is a serious writer of fiction, but this book, despite its serious themes, was such a pleasurable romp! The main character is an artist living in New York City. She is recently divorced and spends the summer and part of the fall in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. This book is so delicious. Imagine a bowl of rich vanilla ice cream, covered with your favorite toppings, sitting right in front of your face. With each page, you spoon that syrupy, creamy goodness into your mouth. That's how the read was for me. I have since bought it at a book sale and must read it again.

I finished Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes yesterday. I was satisfied with the ending, and very happy to return to the world of 2010 in the Adirondack Mountains. No, I won't be recommending it to Nancy--her tastes do not run to Vietnam combat novels, I'm afraid, though I do wish that women would rise up and read it.


Early this morning I started reading an Elin Hilderbrand novel I borrowed from the library, The Castaways, and as Hilderbrand always manages to do, she hooked me in the first 20 pages. Hilderbrand's novels are definitely "beach reads," but they hold my interest every single minute. Imagine dreams of idyllic Nantucket Island. I remember our almost-mystical vacation there two years after we were married, and the schoolgirl trips with the Girl Scouts, and another with my mother, brother, and cousins. I hope to return one day. (But it takes lots and lots of cash nowadays!) With Hilderbrand's novels I'm there, remembering.