http://avengingsybil.typepad.com/avengingsybil/2008/09/way-too-cranky-for-a-friday-afternoon.html

As a reward to myself for finishing New Moon, I chose Bebe Buell's 2001 memoir, Rebel Heart: An American Rock 'n' Roll Journey, as a follow-up. For those unfamiliar with Ms. Buell, she is a singer and a former model and is the actress Liv Tyler's mom. She is also widely known as one of the most famous rock star "groupies" (a label she adamantly resists) because of the slew of well-known musicians with whom she has had relationships. At first I thought this rollicking and juicy rock'n'roll history would be the perfect counterpoint to the drama and extreme swooning of the Bella-verse, but upon closer examination, I find that our heroines are not so dissimilar (Bebe Buell? Bella? Coincidence?).

Both have a fatalistic streak and fall madly in love with  beautiful, godlike boys who like to boss them around. Both have little going for them beyond what they were born with (Bella's irresistibly yummy blood, Bebe's natural gorgeousness). Both have an endless parade of admirers. Both alienate friends and family and put their entire existences on the line for love. But where Bella is a joyless doom junkie, Bebe is oddly endearing with her generous and loving descriptions and her compulsion to rock at all costs.

I appreciate that Ms. Buell has righteous anger about  women being maligned for the behavior that men are expected to--and celebrated for--engaging in in the rock world if not the world at large. But while on one hand she is unapologetic about her many lovers, she at the same time sends a mixed message by reminding the reader that it was the 1970s in New York, and everyone was having affairs, so it was her duty to keep up. You get the feeling that at heart she would have been happy to live a monogamous life with one of her great loves if only they would have consented to it which of course is a perfectly wonderful choice, but why make excuses for her free will? It nags at me.

Rebel Heart is worth reading, though, if only for some great stories about icons such as Mick Jagger and David Bowie and the weird, grand proclamations to which she is prone, for example, that the word "bimbo" was first applied to her, and that "everyone!" just assumed that Prince's "Little Red Corvette" was written about her even though she had never met the man. Hell, maybe all that's true, it's too amusing a notion for me to bother to research.

A striking (but I suppose unsurprising) thing about Bebe Buell is that she freely admits her abandonment issues stemming from the lack of her father in her life, and she doesn't make any bones about how most of her choices were informed by this--she attempted to fill this void by way of domineering men.

Interestingly enough, I read another memoir that is driven by a similar theme right on the heels of Rebel Heart, Kerry Cohen's Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity. This book actually lost me on page two, in the introduction, where the author relates the experience of trying name all of her sexual partners but losing count somewhere in the 20s:

"For a man this might be a pleasant trip down memory lane, counting up his conquests. But for a girl, it's a whole other story. I had let these men inside me, wanting to make that matter to them. Wanting to make me matter."

It really bugs me that she takes this story, her personal story which she saw fit to publish, and implies that it is universal, that things are one way for a man, and another for a girl, and that's how it is, baby. Certainly evidence points to society agreeing with this assessment, but her wording is deliberate: this is MY story but it is a fact that  I am just a GIRL (not a woman) and if I were as MAN (not a boy) it would be different. There is also the implication that the nature of intercourse sets women up to be victimized, that by being penetrated, something is automatically taken away from her where sex couldn't possibly mean as much to her male counterparts because they are the ones doing the penetrating. The way she buys into this imbalance of power as fact throughout the book ruined it for me. 

I can't and don't judge her experience personal experience, her pain and regret and eventual healing. I am not seeking to be unnecessarily harsh. But she's published her memoir, and to me, the question is why? What is it about her story that makes it compelling? She seems to pinpoint right away the (already obvious) reason for her years of promiscuity, and the book is her way of working through her issues. Surely there's the cautionary aspect - her parents were selfish, distant, and do you see, parents, how easily these things happen? How the failures of parents can send their daughters astray? How the way she seeks to fill her life with meaningless and joyless sex is a symptom of her need for love you didn't give her? But hasn't this been written about time and time again?

I think Cohen is probably a good writer, and I give her credit for her unflinching honesty, but to what end? Honesty for honesty's sake is not enough for me. Especially combined with the troubling way she assumes the audience will share the same certain ideology about sex and the sexes. I hear tell that she's written young adult novels titled Slut? and Easy. I have got to check these out, if only to see if the fiction aspect allows her the freedom to make any interesting variations on what seems to be set in stone for her in real life.

Written material copyright 2008 Dawn A. Emerman

http://www.megcabot.com/diary/?p=637

http://www.hbook.com/blog/2008/09/invigilator-strikes.html

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2008/09/05/another-reason-im-not-answering-email/

http://justinelarbalestier.com/?p=2194

Because I’ve spent the ENTIRE MORNING on hold with AT&T. And people wonder why I HATE the phone.

http://yzocaet.blogspot.com/2008/09/blonde-with-some-books-walks-into-bar.html

• a joint review of Purge by Sarah Darer Littman and Nothing by Robin Friedman
• Sorority 101: Zeta or Omega? by Kate Harmon
• another joint review: The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie and Playing With Matches by Brian Katcher
• Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine
• Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

Tune in at 8PM tonight for the Stand Up 2 Cancer telethon!  Airing simlultaneously on all three networks!

Starring...

Jennifer Aniston, James Taylor, Scarlett Johansson, Meryl Streep, David Cook, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Jack Black, Kirsten Dunst, Charles Barkley, America Ferrera, Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Forrest Whitaker, Jimmy Fallon, Keanu Reeves

AND....

The Vrettos Family!

Yep, a few weeks ago my dad (who has been living with lung cancer for the past couple of years), my mom, my brother and I (along with the baby) filmed an interview that will air during tonight's mega-telethon!

I will tell you now, I have *no* idea what I said during the interview.  My heart was thumping in my ears, words were falling out of my mouth and all I could think was "You know, I really should have at least put on some chapstick"

Here's hoping the powerful one-two punch of Halle Berry and my dad brings in a bus-load of money for  cancer research!

www.standup2cancer.org

xoxo
AMV

http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2008/09/brooklyn-bridge.html

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse.

Joseph feels trapped in his Brooklyn apartment surrounded by the Teddy Bears that his family invented a few months ago.  The bears have taken over their lives, their space and their toy store.  Now Joseph spends his days stuffing bears, packaging them, and being responsible for his younger brother and sister.  And all he longs to do is go to Coney Island, the symbol of all that is fun and all that is not his current life.  But life isn't that simple, as he quickly finds out as he faces falling in love, a death in the family, and much more during the summer he's fourteen years old.

Hesse has created a novel filled with characters that are so well written they come to life.  Even the more extreme characters in the family ring true and have hidden complexities to them which are a treat to discover.  Joseph himself is a true teen with a certain focus on himself rather than his family.  It is when he faces hardship that his true character shines through.  Hesse's voice as a writer is equally strong here with attention to period detail that make the setting as much a part of the story as the characters.  Never intrusive, her voice is a guiding light bringing the period to life for children who may have no knowledge of it.  Hesse has also blended humor, tragedy and a real family into this story.  One never knows quite where the book is heading because of her skillful writing, elevating what could have been a simple quiet story into something with dramatic tension that is hard to put down.

Highly recommended as great historical fiction that is very well-written and conceived, this book is appropriate for 10-13 year olds.  It would also work as a book to read aloud and discussed in a 5th or 6th grade classroom.

http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2008/09/my-little-book-of-chinese-word.html

My Little Book of Chinese Words illustrated by Catherine Louis, calligraphy by Shi Bo.

Just as the title implies, this is a small book, about five inches on each side.  Inside is a treasure trove of Chinese words accompanied by illustrations that aid in seeing the concept behind the calligraphy.  Each word has the ancient Chinese character, the modern Chinese character, the translation to English, an illustration to aid in understanding, and the pronunciation of the word in Chinese. 

Louis' illustrations are prints with thick black lines and simple subject matter.  Often the images as so perfectly matched with the Chinese character that they astound.  The illustrations are what make this book work so very well, creating a book welcoming to children learning Chinese.

http://www.hbook.com/blog/2008/09/theres-thousand-library-trustees-just.html

http://thelongstockings.blogspot.com/2008/09/bookmarks-business-cards-books.html

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2008/09/05/thank-you-and-sorry/

http://justinelarbalestier.com/?p=2158

Lately, I’ve been receiving a slew of lovely fan letters mostly about HTDYF but also about the trilogy. More than I’ve ever received before. Thank you so much.

I’m really sorry I haven’t replied yet. Right now there are more than three thousand emails in my inbox. And lots and lots and lots of other more pressing matters—you know, the kind that pay bills—have to be dealt with before I can get to the non-urgent email. Please forgive me.

Obviously I’m not very good at managing my time, but I’m working on it. I will get to your letters I just don’t know when. Please bear with me.

In the meantime, I remain committed to blogging every day. So if all else fails you’ll always hear from me here.

I just wanted you to know that your letters and comments make my day. Thank you.

And if anyone can loan me a time-enlarging device, I’ll be your best friend.

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2008/09/05/maureens-excellence/

http://justinelarbalestier.com/?p=2154

Maureen Johnson has surpassed herself with this post on the importance of honest sex education. Go read it.

http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/2008/09/n-p-arrr.html

http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2008/09/arts-supplies.html

Art's Supplies by Chris Tougas

Enter the wild and wonderful world of Art's room, filled with paint, markers, chalk, and anything else you would need to have a party with a pad of paper.  This book captures the joy of creation, the fun of art and the release of imagination.  As Art uses each type of art supply, they comment with silly puns and laugh-out-loud jokes, adding to the hilarity and pace of the book.

Tougas' art is wonderful, each page capturing the medium being used and the differing feel and techniques.  Children will immediately be drawn in to the explosion of art and inspired to create their own messy party.

Recommended not only to encourage art in children, but also to instruct on the variety of media that can be used.  An inspiring and fun look at the diversity of art.

http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2008/09/mattland.html

Mattland by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert, art by Dusan Petricic.

Matt has moved three times with his family and now they have moved to a place filled with mud and water and no trees.  So when Matt picks up a stick, he is tempted to break it or throw it, but instead he starts to draw in the mud.  And as he draws, a world appears before him filled with lakes, rivers, mountains of rock, roads and houses.  The closed doors of the other houses begin to open and an outsider joins him in building his land.  When disaster strikes the tiny world, Matt's own world has expanded enough for lots of hands to be there to help.

This book is about the power of creativity, the strength of play and the formation of connections without trying.  The illustrations are a large part of the book with their skillful and restrained use of color to show where imagination has touched the dirt and changed it.  The text is wonderfully bristly at the beginning, filled with Matt's anxiety.  By the end, it has transformed to be eager and free-flowing.  The amount of text on each page make this book appeal to a slightly older audience, so it will be appreciated by elementary art classes as well as teachers and librarians looking to get children thinking creatively.

Highly recommended, this book will get you feeling free and easy too as you survey what may be your muddy and rocky place and find imaginative ways to make it magical and friendly.

http://kidslit.menashalibrary.org/2008/09/friendfeedspy.html

I know you all the time in the world to play with FriendFeed, sign up for friends, find like-minded people, and just linger.  No?  Well, one option of how to get a quick glimpse of what's happening on FriendFeed is to use SPY.  Head to the site and you will see everything that is being posted to FF at this moment.  You don't have to have a FriendFeed account to use it and there is no need to refresh the window to see updates.  Yes, it is a glimpse of the entire FF network, but items do still float to the top.  Very quick, easy to use, and you can see the range of interests represented on the service.  This is something I would certainly use when demoing the FriendFeed service.

http://www.sparksflyup.com/2008/09/tour-dates-and-locations-for-paper.php

And then, someone saw this:

http://thelongstockings.blogspot.com/2008/09/live-where-you-are.html

http://www.theboyfriendlist.com/e_lockhart_blog/2008/09/mojo-on-the-rampage.html

Go read what Maureen Johnson has to say this morning. I agree. 

http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2008/09/04/in-which-i-disagree-with-meg-cabot/

http://justinelarbalestier.com/?p=2134

Meg Cabot just wrote something wrong on the internet! It really pains me to take her to task because, as I may have mentioned one or two times, I am a huge Meg Cabot fan. I adore her books, her fashion sense, her blog. She is quite possibly the most fabulous person in YA. Pointing out her wrongness, well, ouch.

But here goes. In her latest post she made the following claims:

I think some people, when they’re asking authors about inspiration, are actually mistaking the word inspiration for motivation, ie, “What motivates authors (motivation = willingness to complete a sometimes onerous task) to sit there and keep their butt in a chair for so long that they’re able to finish a whole book?”

If authors were really being honest, they’d admit there are only three things that motivate them to finish their books. They are, in order of motivational effectiveness:

–Chocolate (any kind, cheap, expensive—doesn’t matter)
–Just wanting to get the damn thing finished so they can get on with their lives
–Panic over inability to pay their mortgages if they don’t get paid

There may be other motivational devices authors use to encourage themselves (music; Cheetos; revenge on their enemies), but the above are the main sources of motivation for most, I think.

Chocolate?! Chocolate?! Ewwww!!! I am a writer and chocolate has never motivated me to do anything except throw up. I’m sure I am not the only writer completely not motivated by chocolate or by Cheetos for that matter. (I’m not exactly sure what Cheetos are but they begin with a “ch” and that makes me suspicious.)

Her second reason is also suspect. Why, I hug each and every book to my chest and never want to let it go. I’m sure if you search this blog you will not find a single sentence where I express anything but sadness at having to part company with one of my beloved books.

As for no. 3 . . . Well, frankly I’m shocked. I have never in all my days come across such a mercenary statement from a writer. Me and my writer friends tap out our creations for the pure love of it and require no more payment then to be allowed to keep doing so. Money? I can’t believe she would even mention something so low.

My inspiration to write comes from the sweet lovely muse who floats in through my window to whisper sweet and pure creative thoughts into my head as golden petals float through the air and nightingales sing and . . .

Forget it. I can not keep that line of palaver going a second longer. Muse schmuse. Cabot’s right about 2 & 3. Wanting to finish the damned thing has gotten me through more books than I care to count.¹ And knowing that a cheque will come once the manuscript is accepted is very very motivating indeed. Even though the speed of that arrival is rarely greased lightning. But if I don’t finish it don’t arrive.

I am also motivated by

• wanting to write the next shiny shiny new new book because I am bored with the current one.
• Not wanting Scott be mad at me for abandoning a book I’ve been reading to him. He hates narrativus interruptus.
• Not wanting to piss off my agent or publisher.

I know some writers are motivated by a fear that if they ever fail to finish a book they will lose their ability to write another sentence ever again. That fear motivates me to start the next book but is useless in getting me to finish.

Those of you who’ve finished a novel or two: what kept you going all the way to the finish line?

WARNING: I will delete anyone who craps on about their love of chocolate. I am uninterested. I know that many people’s taste buds are seriously warped on that subject. I have zero interest in hearing more about their perversion.

1. Actually it’s only seven. I don’t even have to stop using my hands to figure it out. I bet it would take AGES for Meg Cabot to figure that out.