Hello Genius, It's Your BookWag!
Dear Wags,
Last week, I interviewed a famous author, and a big bookseller interviewed me. In both cases, I heard myself say: How have we never met before?
Such encounters make a life in books wonderful. When you connect with a stranger who shares your passion for reading, they are unlikely to bore you. You don’t have to agree about every novel. In fact, arguing about literature with a smart friend is delightful. All you need share is the abiding sense that books matter.
My own crew of fellow readers includes authors, librarians, critics, and civilians who make their living doing far more sensible things. They are twentysomethings and octogenerians, bloggers and prize-winning novelists. They live in farmhouses and in Upper West Side co-ops. Unlike much of our media, books still have a way of transcending petty differences.
I wish the actual publishing industry appreciated that power. Since September, I’ve been teaching a course called Literary Editing and Publishing at American University in Washington, DC. Sadly, the more my students learn about the book business, the more dejected they get. They think it’s siloed in New York City, a place few of them want to live, even if they could afford it. For all kinds of reasons, they think its doors are shut to all but the hyper-connected and pedigreed.
My students deeply love books. They are come from a diversity of backgrounds and hold a variety of religious and political beliefs. They can’t believe publishing salaries are so low. They are offended that some outlets assume they can write for free. They wonder why the C-suites of media conglomerates are still dominated by the same old Ivy League villains. They wish the book business could thrive in their America, a place of small cities, immigrant neighborhoods, and rural areas. They know firsthand that there are insatiable readers in every corner of this country.
My students have a lot of questions, and I don’t have many answers. But I do want them to to break into the industry, and use their talent and experience to make it better. I introduce them to colleagues who may be able to help them get a leg up.
But I also tell them: Look around the room. Meet your colleagues, the magic network that will help you rise. You will never have to say How have we never met before? to them. When you find a kindred spirit, keep them close. Book people will sustain you. Sometimes, we are all we have. Your comrades will attend big publishing launches and obscure readings, buy that offbeat short-story collection and recommend your quirky poetry. And when you want to abandon hope (probably often), they’ll keep cheering you on.
By the way: How have we never met before? I’m so glad we are finally connected. Let’s keep in touch.
Yours ever,
BKP
Listen: On Music, Sound, and Us by Michel Faber
Yes, this is the Faber who wrote The Crimson Petal and the White (one of my favorite historical novels). What’s he doing writing about the nature of sound? Turns out he’s an audiophile who is deeply interested in what happens to us when we experience music and other noises. The author isn’t looking for a gig as a critic, but he’s sharp and opinionated without coming off as a jerk. Reading Listen is like sitting with that guy from school who knew everything about music. Now he’s all grown up and more accepting than obsessive. A great holiday gift for the music lover in your life.
The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel by Nita Prose
I rarely review books that are part of a series, especially if they are thrillers. But I’m making an exception. This is only the second book in Prose’s Maid series, and I adored her first installment, The Maid, which won the Anthony Award for mystery writing and is already being developed as a movie. Molly Gray, Prose’s irresistible heroine, works as head maid at the Regency Hotel, which might be located in any major city in any number of time periods (that vagueness is all part of the fun). You may want to read the books in order to understand Molly’s trajectory, but if you don’t, Prose provides the backstory needed. This time out, a famed mystery novelist’s death wreaks havoc on The Regency’s staff.
We Must Not Think of Ourselves by Lauren Grodstein
Yes, it’s a Read with Jenna December 2023 Pick, but this novel really is something special. It’s the tale of a group of Jews in 1940 Warsaw who risk their lives to maintain an underground archive so their culture won’t be erased by the Nazis. Grodstein, an elegant writer, was inspired by the real story of Warsaw Ghetto’s Oneg Shabbat project. In this fictionalized account, Adam Paskow is tasked by elders to record testimonies from neighbors and friends. The experience forces him to make impossible choices. With so few Holocaust survivors still among us, this lyrical work feels more important than ever.
Alice Sadie Celine by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright
Whoa, Nellie. After decades (centuries?) of reading stories about fathers seducing their daughters’ friends, here comes a mother who does the same. Celine is a famous gender scholar who attends a production of The Winter’s Tale starring Alice, the best friend of her daughter Sadie. Before you can say “Perdita,” Celine and Alice have begun a long affair. This isn’t a deep psychological novel, but a romp that takes the same-sex erotic element for granted. Blakley-Cartwright’s characters act like real people, not avatars of Big Ideas. The three women at the center of the action are all adults when the affair begins, and their grown-up decisions will wind up surprising — and delighting — readers.
Ruined by Sarah Vaughn, illustrated by Sarah Winifred Searle and Niki Smith
Regency romance fandom doesn’t seem to be sweet on this graphic novel about a marriage of convenience, but it was something new for me. I’ve been reading Georgette Heyer books for longer than most romance fans have been alive, and it was fun to see a tale like this come to life. Ruined doesn’t have the long build-up to passion of a traditional romance, and there aren’t many new twists in the story of girl rumored to have lost her virtue. But it’s delightful to check out the period clothing and furnishings, rendered meticulously in pen-and-ink. Bridgerton lovers may know of other graphic novels that do it even better. I’d love to know about them (bookwag at culturewag.com). Meanwhile, enjoy!
Questions and suggestions for BookWag? Please ping bookwag@culturewag.com, and we’ll get back to you in a jiffy.
