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March 5, 2014

—By Kristi Spuhler for LitLovers—
In the last few years, we have all seen major changes in reading. With the advent of ebooks and ereaders, the materials that people read, where they read and how they read have been flipped upside-down. Gone are the days when people would peruse a quiet bookstore to find their next reading project - with a wifi connection and a series of clicks, readers have a virtual library at their fingertips.

Technology aside, there have even been developments in the way people read. Speed reading has grown in popularity among the college-age set for years and who can blame them? With such a massive amount of text that we’re all dying to pour over, we have to cut out time somewhere! Enter Spritz, a revolutionary new reading system developed by a team in Boston.

The Spritz claim-to-fame is its alleged ability to cut down the 80% of total reading time your eyes waste while moving from word to word. When reading, your eye searches out the ORP (optimal recognition point) in each word. Once the ORP has been located, you then begin processing the information. Repeat this process for every word on a page and you’ve spent quite a long time just moving your eyes!

With Spritz, the ORP in each word is highlighted for you. Each word in a sentence then flashes across a display screen with the ORP cast in the same area each time. This process completely removes your need to move your eyes and allows you to focus fully on the words in front of you. Where before it was necessary to focus on each word, now you can sit back, relax and let your text come to you.

Though the technology behind this new reading system is intriguing, we have to wonder how such a drastic change in reading would affect our audience of LitHounds. When the Kindle and the Nook first started making their appearance a few years back, there were rumblings that the publishing industry would be forever changed. Since that time, we’ve seen differences in the amounts of books that are published in the more traditional fashion, and a marked increase in the prevalence of self-publishing. Even though technology has taken a strong hold in literature, the popularity of the ink and paper book has endured - but can it survive another blow from a popular lit-gadget?

Though it’s easy to be skeptical, it may be best to give Spritz a try before passing judgement. To see what this new gadget is all about click here and then scroll over the blue link in the right upper corner of the page.

What do you think about text streaming - is it here to stay, or will it be gone in the blink of an eye? Leave us a comment below and tell us what you think!

February 13, 2014

—Kristi Spuhler for LitLovers—
We know—it can be difficult to find excitement in a story whose first sentence is a paragraph. (A Tale of Two Cities, anyone?) Just looking at a sentence like that can make us go cross-eyed! For this reason (among others,) younger readers are not as quick to devour antiquated works.

Enter sites like thug-notes.com (**Warning: The videos on this site contain some strong language**)

With modern lingo and a hip edginess, Dr. Sweets, (the moniker of comedian Greg Edwards,) takes well-known titles from the high school English classroom and breaks them down into bite-sized morsels fit to grab the attention of even the most attention-lacking reader. Distilling well-known titles down to their base elements, these video reviews break through the austere shell of many "classic" works and highlight the intrigue, violence, romance and excitement that many readers are seeking - but may not be able to find- in classic literature.

Using pop culture to interest audiences in classic stories isn’t a new idea. We highlighted a few examples of fine works that have been translated into movies in our last post (scroll down), and tv series like Wishbone filled roughly the same purpose to a younger audience. With the prevalence of vlogging* and social sharing sites, it seems that it was only a matter of time before literature would become a topic of conversation on these forums, too. As we should have suspected, the internet has allowed a number of unique interpretations to take hold.

What do you think about modernized video reviews of literature? Are they good for inspiring future LitHounds to explore the classics, or do these stylized versions detract from the original beauty of the work?

*video blog or video log

January 21, 2014

Our last post highlighted a sizeable list of 2013 films inspired by some of our favorite books. If the following list is any indication, it looks like we’ll be hitting the library before we go to the theaters again this year, too.

Books-to-Movies in 2014
Click on titles for Reading Guides

	Monuments Men (January) Book by Robert M. Edsel Movie with George Clooney, Matt Damon, et al. A group of American art specialists come together during World War II to recover world masterpieces stolen by the Nazis.
	Winter's Tale  (February) Book by Mark Helprin Movie with Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay Peter Lake, a thief, falls in love with a woman as she dies in his arms. After discovering his ability to revive the dead, he is determined to save her.
	Serena  (April) Book by Ron Nash Movie with Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper When Serena Pemberton discovers she cannot bear children, the life that she has built with her husband, George, begins to unravel.
	Child 44  (June) Book by Tom Rob Smith Movie with Tom Hardy, Joel Kinnaman Investigating a series of child murders in Stalin era Soviet Russia, Leo Demidov must battle the odds to expose a threat the State won’t admit exists.
	The Fault in Our Stars  (June) Book by John Greene Movie with Shailene Woodley Hazel and Gus are an inseparable pair of teens who meet in the most unlikely of places—a cancer support group.
	Under the Dome *  (June 2014) Book by Stephen King TV series (Season 2) An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small town, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. What is the dome and why is it there?
	The Giver  (August) Book by Lois Lowry Movie with Meryl Streep Living in a seemingly perfect community, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elder about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.
	Outlander (Summer) Book by Diana Galbaldan TV series (Season 1) Claire Randall, a wartime nurse, lives a double life: a husband in 1945 and, by inadvertently touching an ancient stone, a lover in 1743.
	This Is Where I Leave You  (September) Book by Jonathan Tropper Movie with Jason Bateman In order to honor their father’s final wish, a non-practicing Jewish family must sit Shivah together for one week.
	Gone Girl  (October) Book by Giullian Flynn Movie with Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck It doesn't take long for Nick to become a suspect when his wife Amy goes missing. But are things always what they seem?
	The Hobbit (Part 3)  (December) Book J.R.R. Tolkien Movie with Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly In this third installment, the company of Thorin have reached Smaug’s cave, but can the group reclaim the dwarven treasure?
	Before I Go to Sleep (TBA) Book by S.J. Watson Movie with Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth As the result of a tragic accident in her past, Chrissie Lucas awakes everyday with no memories. One day, she discovers new truths that force her to question who she can trust.
	Wild  (TBA) Book by Cheryl Strayed Movie with Reese Witherspoon In order to cope with a series of catastrophic life events, Cheryl embarks on a 1,100 mile trek on the Pacific Crest Trail.

* Carry-over from 2013.

We know we've missed a few, so let us know which ones. And tell us which ones you can't wait to see.

January 15, 2014

Books hit the box office in a big way last year. Just in case you were visiting another planet—here's a list of notable books found on the screen in 2013. Don't worry, though: if you were clueless about a few...so were we!

Books-to-Movies in 2013
Click on titles for Reading Guides

	Austenland Book by Shannon Hale Movie with Keri Russell Jane, a single, modern day New Yorker, is in search of her own Mr. Darcy. What else to do but sign up at a two week fantasy resort for Austen obsessed women!
	Beautiful Creatures Book by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Movie with Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert In a few months, when Lena turns 16, she will be "claimed" by the Light or the Dark. Along with her boyfriend Ethan, she must fight off supernatural powers.
	The Book Thief Book by Markus Zusak Movie with Sophie Nelisse, Emily Watson Coming-of-age story story in Nazi Germany. Leisel learns to read, and is driven to collect stolen books and a set of peculiar friends, including a Jewish refugee.
	Catching Fire Book by Suzanne Collins Movie with Jennifer Lawrence Katniss won the Hunger Games and should feel secure in her family's safety. But she becomes the face of a popular rebellion—and now the capitol wants revenge.
	City of Bones Book by Cassandra Clare Movie with Lilly Collins Teenager Clary Fray witnesses a murder, but the body disappears into thin air. Then she meets Jace and is suddenly pulled into the world of the Shadow Hunters.
	Enders Game Book by Orson Scott Card Movie with Harrison Ford Government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers to fight a hostile alien race. One future soldier is brilliant young Andrew "Ender" Wiggin.
	The Great Gatsby Book by F. Scott Fitzgerald Movie with Leonardo DiCaprio Baz Lurhmann's take on the great Great Gatsby, an American classic that highlights our penchant to remake ourselves. Upper class shinanigans lead to tragedy.
	The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Book by J.R.R. Tolkien Movie with Ian McKellan Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and the Dwarves continue their quest to reclaim their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.
	Labor Day Book by Joyce Maynard Movie with Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin Henry Wheeler's life is changed forever when he and his emotionally fragile mother show kindness to a stranger with a terrible secret. A story of love, and treachery.
	The Reluctant Fundamentalist Book by Mohsin Hamid Movie with Riz Ahmed and Kate Hudson Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. Princeton, Wall Street, and beautiful Eric. But 9/11 changes everything as he discovers more fundamental allegiances.
	Safe Haven Book by Nicholas Sparks Movie with Julianne Hough and Josh Duhame A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
	Silver Linings Playbook Book by Matthew Quick Movie with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence A young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.
	12 Years a Slave Book by Solomon Northup Movie with Chiwetel Ejiofor The memoir of a black man born free in New York state but kidnapped, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before the American Civil War.
	Under the Dome Book by Stephen King TV series (Season 1) An invisible and mysterious force field descends upon a small town, trapping residents inside, cut off from the rest of civilization. What is the dome and why is it there?

*We snuck Silver Linings in from late December 2012.

Let us know if you've got a favorite...or about one that disappointed. Are any of the films better than their books? (Most of us think it's the other way around...but not always.) Did any film inspire you to read the book afterward?

Next up—Books-to-Movies scheculed for 2014. Stay tuned!

November 14, 2013

We got some guff from guys objecting to our tale of woe—the woman's book club who invited their husbands to join. Well, here's the other side—here's what happens when MARS opens its door to VENUS.

Book Club Calendar

"First the RULES," the ladies tell us— NO T-shirts. NO cigars. :-(	50 Shades—whoa! Hot. Who knew? :-)	NO BEER??? A nice Merlot...? What the hell's a Merlot?
YES! The Masters!! Whaddya mean we can't reschedule? Whyyyyyy?	Nicholas Sparks? Again? Are you KIDDING?	We go "as a club" to see The Help. It feels, eh…girly.
A picnic. We wear T-shirts! We drink beer!! We are MEN!!!	No sci-fi, no westerns, no spy thrillers. Not one work of history.	Q: What's the difference between History and historical fiction? A: ROMANCE.
Breakthrough! What women call Romance, we call Soft Porn. High Five, guys!	Our 4th book on Tudor England. Shoulda seen it coming.	Christmas party: $150/couple plus $35 gift. That's it, we're outta here.
	Superbowl—yes. Tudors—no. Sparks—never. Who's got beer?

October 24, 2013

It was hard not to notice the number of recent books with birds on the cover. So I made a brief little survey of book covers just for fun.*

Pause over the cover mage to see title and author; click for a link to our Reading Guide or Amazon (if we don't have a guide).

*A few others got there before me. See...Pretty Peculiarities and HTML Giant.

October 10, 2013

Feeling guilty about all the reading you do ... and all the chores you DON'T do? Relax. It turns out you're a finer person for keeping your nose in a book. So keep reading.

A new study shows that books enable us live up to our better selves. The researchers, Emanuele Castano and David Comer Kidd, found that people gain empathy and social intelligence after reading certain kinds of books. 

What kind of books? Well, not the blockbuster kind. So nix the heart-thomping thrillers or the steamy romances. The study refers specifically to "literary fiction"—well-developed characters and storylines that explore complicated human relationships—the very kind of books we read in book clubs.

One of the books used in the study was Round House by Louise Erdrich, which (at the time of this writing) happens to be the 3rd most requested book on LitLovers. (See our Popular Books page.)

There's a reason why books like Round House matter. According to the New York Timesarticle:

[L]iterary fiction leaves more to the imagination, encouraging readers to make inferences about characters and be sensitive to emotional nuance and complexity.

You can read the full story in the NY Times HERE. It's fascinating and well worth the time.

For Book Clubs: Consider taking time during one of your meetings to talk about the books that have altered the way you perceive people and the world around you. Which books have enlarged your ideas about life and your role in it?

September 25, 2013

Thinking of inviting your husbands to join your book club? Well, think again, Dear Reader. Take a look at a sorry tale of ONE LITTLE CLUB that thought it could.

Book Club Calendar

Happy New Year! Our husbands join our club for the first time!	Great meeting! The guys get along really well. They're adorable!	No more brie & bruschetta. They want beer & pizza. Um...sure, why not?
No Nicholas Sparks. EVER. Or they walk. Okay...we're flexible. :-)	Quite a year so far …what with books on football, golf, & lawncare.	Two couples couldn't find sitters—had to bring the kids. No problem.
Sonia watches the kids. The rest of us discuss Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.	Everyone shows up with kids. There're just..... so MANY. Omg.	Meeting cancelled. Runny noses & strep. The whole club's infected.
Back together again! Need volunteers to watch the kids. Men don't budge.	One kid screams, they ALL scream. Men don't hear a thing. Not. 1. Thing.	Women & kids at home. Men get together for beer & pizza. Merry Christmas.
	Happy New Year! We'll be devoting the entire year to NICHOLAS SPARKS. Objections? Too bad.

Find out what happens when the men's book club invites the wives.

August 5, 2013

Interpreting literature can be boorish business; just skim book reviews in major dailies—or customer reviews on Amazon. Even book clubs can work themselves into a lather over different ways of reading the same words.

Yet if we learned anything from Post Modernism, it's that words don't confine themselves to a single meaning … which is why it was so gratifying to come across this comment by Margaret Atwood.

I’m not comfortable giving interpretations of my work. If I were to provide one, it would become the definitive interpretation, inhibiting readers from finding their own meanings.

Talk about humility. Atwood acknowledges that while an author may exert full authority over plot and characters, she has no such control over her readers.

Readers should feel free, she seems to suggest, to derive meanings, separate from hers. That would imply separate from other readers, too—all of whose ideas may be equally valid.

Words of caution. The operative word in the above sentence is "may"—other interpretations may be equally valid—which means we're not free to go off the reservation and shoot at anything that moves. Interpretations need to be supported by evidence within the text and consistent with the general sense of the work.

In other words, Robert Frost's "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" is pretty much NOT about Santa Claus. (I had a student once who insisted it was—mistaking a literary parody for the real thing.)

June 12, 2013

Mention worthy:  Publishers Weekly (PW) posed a question to Claire Messud in a recent interview that roused a remarkable response. So remarkable, it's worth reporting on here.

The question concerned the heroine in Messud's new book, The Woman Upstairs.

PW said: "I wouldn’t want to be friends with Nora, would you? Her outlook is almost unbearably grim."

Messud Responds . . .

For heaven’s sake, what kind of question is that? Would you want to be friends with Humbert Humbert?

Would you want to be friends with Mickey Sabbath?
...Saleem Sinai?
...Hamlet?
...Krapp?
...Oedipus?
...Oscar Wao?
...Antigone?
...Raskolnikov?
...Any of the characters in The Corrections?
...Any of the characters in Infinite Jest?
...Any of the characters in anything Pynchon has ever written?
...Or Martin Amis?
...Or Orhan Pamuk?
...Or Alice Munro, for that matter?"

If you’re reading to find friends, you’re in deep trouble. We read to find life, in all its possibilities. The relevant question isn’t “is this a potential friend for me?” but “is this character alive?"

Don't Mess with Messud!—was how PW responded to Messud's response. It's comment had clearly "rankled" the author, PW admitted, BUT...it gave Messud a chance to "show her chops. We're so glad we had that conversation," ended PW graciously.

Messud is the author of the 2006 The Emperor's Children (see reading guide here; see LitLovers review here), as well as this most recent 2013 novel, The Woman Upstairs.

For book clubs to consider:
1. Do we read to find friends?
2. How important is it to like the characters in the books?
3. Do we feel let down when we dislike them?
4. Talk about some of the books you've read and whether or not your enjoyment of them—or disappointment in them—had to do with the likability of the characters.