Happy birthday to Margaret Atwood

Happy, happy birthday to my all-time favorite author Margaret Atwood! This lovely, talented, intelligent author is turning 75 years old today.

I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret this spring. I blogged all about it back in May.

Goodreads, my favorite online literature reviewer, recently interviewed Margaret about her illustrious career and the plans for a TV series based on her work. She also did a cool project where she wrote an essay to the future that will be opened in 100 years.

If you're new to Margaret Atwood, might I highly recommend 2 of her books that are my personal favorites? The Handmaid's Tale is her most famous, classic novel. I also suggest The Robber Bride, which coincidentally has a character named Charis, though she pronounces it differently than I do. Her latest is Stone Mattress, a collection of short stories that I currently have on hold from the Boston Public Library.

Midnight musings on writing and technology

This week was the first curriculum night at Lu's school, where she is attending kindergarten. Her teacher talked a lot about how she is teaching the students to read through small group instruction. I am so excited for Lu to learn how to read, because I know what an exciting new world this will open up for her. I have dreams of our whole family lazing around the house on a Sunday afternoon, each engrossed in our respective books.

People are often surprised when I tell them about my background as an English major and first job as an editor. I moved my career to technology because I was interested in the subject matter. My career path has not surprised me, because I feel that strong writing and communication skills are a fundamental component of any employment. This is especially true when it comes to technology, with complex architectures and detailed project plans. Even though I'm rarely the most technical person in the room, my ability to translate complex technological ideas into laymen's terms makes me a valued asset to the businesspeople present.

Despite leaving my English major and editing roots, I have never lost my love of reading and communication. I am an avid reader and have written on this blog about how I love to read and adore my local library.

In my blog post today, I am blogging to raise money for the literacy charity Reading is Fundamental. Low literacy is more of a problem than you might think! It's correlated with poverty and incarceration, and affects 22% of the US population. For more facts on low literacy and what you can do about it, please visit Grammarly's blog post, which inspired tonight's ramblings.

Starstruck

I met Margaret Atwood yesterday. I still can't believe I just typed that. I saw a few weeks ago that she was appearing at the Brattle St. Theatre in Harvard Square before a showing of the movie based on her epic book The Handmaid's Tale. I bought 2 tickets immediately and eagerly anticipated the event. Since we are moving in 2 weeks, the 2 hardcover copies of The Robber Bride I keep in my library as my go-to birthday gift are packed away in storage, so I had to visit the Harvard Coop to pick up a couple of paperbacks in case I was lucky enough to get an autograph. My dear friend agreed to go with me and we waited in line to get in, and got some excellent seats a few rows back near the middle. I was sitting there, waiting for the show to start, when I realized that Margaret Atwood was seated 10 feet away across the aisle, and only 1-2 people were waiting to talk to her! I immediately scrambled into the ad hoc line and chatted with the woman in front of me about how awesome Margaret Atwood is. She mentioned that she felt she was a Canadian national treasure. I grabbed my purse from my friend so I could try to get a photo, which the girl in front of me took and I reciprocated. I gave her my card so she could email me for her photo.

When I got to sit next to Ms. Atwood, I said what an honor it was to meet her, and told her that she is my all-time favorite author. I said that I wrote my honors English thesis at Bates College about The Robber Bride and The Handmaid's Tale, and that I'd won a grant to travel to Toronto to photocopy her original manuscripts so I could analyze the notes. She replied, "That sounds like a lot of work!"As she signed my books, she commented on my name, Charis "like the character in The Robber Bride," and I told her, yes, that's why I originally read the book, except you pronounce my name Charis not Karis like the character. Fortunately, I had practiced what I would tell her with my friend over dinner at the Beat Hotel, a poorly named bar and not hotel but a good restaurant around the corner (try the buffalo cauliflower appetizer!). The practice run alleviated some of the jitters and allowed me to be slightly less starstruck in the face of greatness.

We watched The Handmaid's Tale, which stood up better than I expected. Atwood's introduction of the movie was so insightful. She mentioned that the voiceovers of Natasha Richardson were removed, which was supposed to convey an inner dialogue, and that the late actress had been annoyed about this because she thought it made the silences that had been voiced over seem awkward. She also mentioned that many people were disappointed with the ending, which deviated from the original. Lastly, she told the audience that a TV series of The Handmaid's Tale is in the works! I was on cloud nine the entire evening, and still am! I'm going to try to find out how to get in touch with my Bates English thesis advisor so I can share this blog and photo.

Thanks to Marie for suggesting this blog topic!

Why I don't mind my 45 minute commute

That's 45 minutes each way, no traffic, about 70 miles round trip. Lu winning the kindergarten lottery means we will stay in Boston for the foreseeable future. I just accepted a new position at my company, so the commute stays.

I use my 45 minutes to enjoy listening to audiobooks. It is such an escape, like having a travel companion on a long road trip who is the best storyteller. Thanks to the Boston Public Library (BPL), I have access to a nearly unlimited selection of stories from world-renowned authors, plus relative unknowns. I never know when I'll discover my next favorite author. BPL has 2 great online services for audiobooks, eBooks, and more, OverDrive and Hoopla. The best part is that all Massachusetts residence can access these for free.

I manage my wish list of books on Goodreads. I have about 80 on my to-read shelf. That should keep me listening for at least a few more years. Not to mention all of the awesome books that have yet to be written.

We're shopping for a new place to live in Boston. I'm holding out for a house that has a bookshelf like this.

Edited 8/6 to offer this handy tip from a colleague: Check out this post on how to set it so that your iPhone or other device remembers where you are in an audiobook: http://lifehacker.com/262759/set-your-long-mp3s-to-remember-playback-position.

The life of the literate

I've been thinking a lot recently about how reading a good book really transforms you, transporting you to another reality where anything is possible. I possess a lifelong love of reading. I estimate I've read between 40,000-50,000 books since I started at 3, and I have no intention of slowing down. People ask me how I read so quickly, and I don't know, other than practice. My childhood friends can attest that my favorite spot was under a tree reading a book, and not much has changed. I read between 60-80 books each year and visit my library weekly, often daily. There's nothing else for me that can reduce the stress of a long day. I love curling up with a good book, and emerging transformed by a totally unique perspective. These pictures from Grammarly strongly resonate with me.

I will read just about anything: board books to my daughter, my online moms'  forums, Facebook, and Twitter. Literature remains my favorite, consumed in many forms: hardcover, softcover, eBook, audiobook on iPhone, audio CDs.

I'm currently listening to The Goldfinch on audio (iPhone), and I'm at part 28 of 32 approximately 1-hour sections. An unanticipated trip came up this weekend, with 5 hours of driving, and I was looking forward to the chance to listen to 5 more hours of the book. I drive best when I'm listening to an awesome book: mind engaged, eyes on the road.

The Goldfinch is a wonder, a masterpiece. Though at times some of the narrative is superfluous, at other, more frequent times, the prose is so eloquent that I feel transplanted into the lives of the characters. Without giving too much away, the main character gets into some trouble. Objectively, if I had just heard about Theo's situation, I would have an immediate distaste for him. But somehow, perhaps through Tartt's use of the first person and introducing the protagonist at such a young age, I feel true concern for Theo and his future, and like him despite his situation. The Goldfinch is the rare book that I will grieve over once I finish it, and wish for the time to reread it immediately. There's only a handful of books I place in this category, many of which I devoured in one sitting: The Handmaid's Tale, The Robber Bride, Freedom, One Day, Where'd You Go, Bernadette, The Marriage Plot, She's Come Undone. I'm sure I'm missing a few.

Literature is my most favorite art form, even more so than music. Captivating lyrics are the common thread in all of the musicians I enjoy, an otherwise seemingly random group including Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, They Might Be Giants, Guster, and Regina Spektor.

Here's a quote from The Goldfinch I especially enjoyed, about how the way we enjoy art is so personal: “If a painting really works down in your heart and changes the way you see and think and feel, you don't think, 'oh I love this painting because it's universal' 'I love this painting because it speaks to mankind'. That's not the reason anyone loves a piece of art. It's a secret whisper from an alleyway. Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes, you. An individual heart shock. . . .A really great painting is fluid enought to work its way into the mind and heart through all different angles, in ways that are unique and very particular.” 
― Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch

Look for me on Goodreads, where I try to review everything I'm reading. I also finished Maxed Out: American Moms on the Brink this weekend. A very courageous, honest story, and a must read for moms working outside the home.

I'll end tonight's musings with one last image from Grammarly.