Should Writers Unplug?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: With our recent mentions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, I have been thinking about Dickens. An edition that includes his original manuscript is available on Kindle, and I've been peering at those scribbled pages in wonder. 

How did he even decipher them, much less turn them into the published story that we read and love almost two hundred years later? It must have taken immense concentration and focus, as of course did the longer novels. And I have to wonder if we modern writers, spoiled by keyboards and word processing, could duplicate such a feat. (A CHRISTMAS CAROL was published in 1843 and the first commercial typwriter would not be available for another thirty years!)

The Times has been interviewing writers as part of a series on the shocking decline of reading in the UK. The author Zadie Smith was quoted as saying she does not have a smart phone, and that writers need to unplug in order to "protect our consciousness." That would mean a definite nix on social media...

Honestly, although I say I'm not a big fan of social media, and I'm always encouraging people to put down their phones and pay attention to what's going on around them (and to read a book!) I have to confess that I am a little addicted to Instagram. I follow a lot of London accounts and that gives me a sense of being there in real time. But lately I have been shocked when my phone sends me my weekly screen time report and I see I spent THAT much time on IG! (And, no, I'm not saying how much!) So recentlyI've been making an effort to cut back on my phone use, and I do feel that it's allowed me a little more creative space to let my mind wander.

To all the primary school teachers who told me to stop daydreaming, I have to say that experience proved you wrong. Daydreaming can be a very good thing, and it's certainly essential for writers. 

I've cut back on my audiobook listening, too. As much as I've championed audiobooks as a way to enjoy reading, if I'm listening to a book while I'm washing the dishes or watering plants, my characters are not talking to each other in my head and I am not solving my latest plot hiccup.

I know asking if smartphones are draining away our creativity is a huge question, much bigger than anything we can tackle in this little space. But how do you feel, personally, dear Reds and other writers, and all of you dear readers here, because we are all creative even if our job is not putting words on paper. 

Do you find that the distractions of your phone are taking up way too much time in your brain, and if so, how are you dealing with it?

P.S. There are writers managing to write massive novels. Check out this Washington Post list of the heaviest books of the year. I'd love to ask them how they deal with smart phone distractions.

P.S.S. Zadie Smith has written her own Victorian novel, called THE FRAUD, which is not quite Dickensian in length as it comes in at a mere 416 pages.

I bought it months ago but have not read it, because I'm too distraced. Sigh.

P.S.S.S. Also note that Dickens would have been using a dip pen. Fountain pens did not come into common use until the 1880s.

Christmas Reading Treasures

DEBORAH CROMBIE: One of my favorite traditions of the holidays is getting out my well-loved Christmas books. Some of them are quite bedraggled! Look at this much-patched copy of Clement C. Moore's THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Other than the dust jacket, the book is in beautiful condition.

And the book plate, with my maiden name in my still loopy schoolgirl handwriting!

Or how about A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 1961 edition, illustrated by Ronald Searle? This one is stamped inside with my parents' name and address.

And this is a replacement copy of my decades old paperback copy of Dylan Thomas's A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES, illustrated with woodcuts by Ellen Raskin. I still have the tattered original, and I have different, newer editions, but none of them have quite the same charm.

There is also a 1984 edition of THE NUTCRACKER illustrated by Maurice Sendak!

Aren't these illustrations fabulous??

But most treasured of all is my copy of the Christmas story published in 1973 by my late uncle, A.C. Greene, A CHRISTMAS TREE, illustrated by the painter Ancel E. Nunn, who was his great friend. It's about his childhood Christmases in west Texas, and one particular year when the Christmas tree didn't quite fit. If ever you can find a copy, snap it up!

Unfortunately, the book was at one time shelved on a lower shelf in one of our bookcases and some puppy or other, I don't remember which one was the culprit, chewed a corner quite thoroughly.

Now the book is kept safely stowed on a top shelf!

All of these have pride of place on our coffee table for the season, just waiting to be read. The only problem is finding the time to sit down and enjoy them!

Dear REDs and readers, do you have treasured Christmas books? And which is your favorite?

Curl Up With Our Favorite Christmas Reads

 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Recently we talked about our favorite Christmas mysteries, but going into the hustle and bustle of Christmas week, let's push that out a bit and share our favorite Christmas READS. What do you pull off the shelf when you need a gingerbread latte-sized dose of the warm and fuzzies?

 

I always, always read Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales, a tradition that I've given to the Kincaid/James family as well. Even though I have a nice, new illustrated copy, before bed on Christmas Eve I will pull out my little much-loved, paper-covered copy with its woodcuts by Ellen Raskin because it's not Christmas until I've read it all the way through.

 

 

Then there is my very battered copy of The Night Before Christmas, illustrations by Arthur Rackham, and an almost equally battered copy of A Christmas Carol, illustrated by Ronald Searle (although they both miraculously still have their dust jackets!) J.R.R. Tolkien's Letters from Father Christmas. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsberg. An old book about gnomes which isn't exactly Christmas but is such fun.

And because nothing says Christmas like a little romance, I'm going to add Notting Hill in the Snow by Jules Wake, We Met in December by Rosie Curtis, Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans (the book is better than the title, I promise.)  And I'm looking forward to The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan.

 

 

I know I'm leaning way British here, so chime in, dear REDs, and share what books say HOLIDAYS to you.

HALLIE EPHRON: With my daughters and grandkids arriving soon, Debs you’ve inspired me to scour our many many many bookshelves for holiday stories, hard because Debs grabbed off the classics and because Jerry’s encyclopedic brain isn’t around to point me to the correct room, never mind the right shelf. 

I’m a huge fan of A Child’s Christmas in Wales, especially the opening stanzas that say winter more than any other work I can think of. 

Now I have a little stack ready to go. The Night Before Christmas of course… for the eponymous night. The Grinch That Stole Christmas. And more. Then queuing up music: The Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah and Elvis’ Christmas Album. 

And adding hot chocolate and marshmallows to my shopping list.

LUCY BURDETTE: I love both of your lists, but I confess not to being much of a rereader. I can recommend Jenny Colgan’s CHRISTMAS AT THE ISLAND HOTEL. I found it in the pile of light reading I’d bought during the pandemic months and didn’t have time to read. At first, I thought it was too light to keep my interest, but by the end, I was yearning for the story to continue. She is so good at bringing cold, remote Scottish settings and quirky characters to life–this one is set on the fictional island of Mure, halfway between Norway and northern Scotland. And the action takes place in a new hotel kitchen leading up to Christmas–it hit all my sweet spots!

 

DEBS: Lucy, I LOVE Jenny Colgan's Bookshop on the Corner trilogy so much that I hated for the books to end! These are set in a Highland village on the shores of Loch Ness and by the time you finish them you will be hunting for your passport!

 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: My step-dad used to read from A Child’s Christmas in Wales to us every year when we were little. We could not figure out what was so great about it, and fidgeted. Now, I see. (As can be said for so much.)  What books say holidays? On First Chapter Fun last year, we read out loud the first and last –I think they’re called “staves”--of A Christmas Carol.  I could not get through mine without crying. I urge you all to re-read.

This year we are doing something a bit different, but a bit the same. See you there! And you will be surprised at what books take place at Christmas!

 

DEBS: Ooh, can't wait! Mark your calendars!

JENN MCKINLAY: The Night Before Christmas every Christmas Eve forever and ever! Then I roll into my favorite Christmas mysteries always set in England, by our Rhys and Kate Kingsbury. Cozy reads by the light of the tree with a hot cup of tea - perfection. 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Love Christmas mysteries and romances. In fact, I just finished reading several of Carla Kelly’s novella collections. She’s one of my favorite Regency writers, but there aren’t any dukes and marqueses in her books - her characters are most often men and women whose lives have been torn apart by the Napoleonic Wars, which lasted half a generation. SO GOOD. And speaking of Regency, one of my favorite seasonal mysteries is Georgette Heyer’s A CHRISTMAS PARTY - if you’re a fan of Rhys’ THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS or GOD REST YE, ROYAL GENTLEMEN, you’ll like this.

For the classics, I’m a Dickens gal, and when the kids were little, Clement Moore’s ageless poem as well. I would read The Polar Express and bawl at the end, because I was a grown up and couldn’t hear the magical sleigh bell ring.

 

DEBS: Julia, if I ever read the Heyer, I've forgotten it! Searching now...

RHYS BOWEN: My Welsh grandfather used to insist on A Child’s Christmas in Wales, so I felt that I’d had enough of it, until recently when I rediscovered it and it took me back to my childhood. The Polar Express both moves me and scares me. I don’t want to think of Santa’s place as a giant factory! I’m also a sucker for Christmas cozies–and movies like The Holiday. But who has time for reading right before Christmas? I have family arriving: 15 people for quite a few meals. When they’ve all gone again I’ll curl up by the fire and read.

 

DEBS: Rhys, somewhere I have a DVD of Denholm Elliott reading A Child's Christmas--it was that dramatization that was done years ago on PBS, I think. So lovely. I also have a recording (somewhere) of Dylan Thomas reading, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I can't understand most of it with his very heavy accent! 

READERS, what faves have we missed? Oh, and has anyone read Mr. Dickens and his Carol? 

 

It's a novel about Dickens writing A Christmas Carol and has such fabulous reviews that I've ordered it.

The December Book Haul — and What We're Reading in 2015

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Happy 2015, everyone! 

If your home's anything like ours, books played a big part in the seasons festivities. My bookish presents included VINTAGE SPIRITS AND FORGOTTEN COCKTAILS: From the Alagazoozlom to the Zombie 100 Forgotten Recipes by Ted Haigh. 

It was from the Hubby, who knows how to give gifts that keep on giving — and one that also counts as research for more Maggie Hope novels!

The Hubby also received books, including THE ESSENTIAL SCRATCH AND SNIFF TO BECOMING A WINE EXPERT: Take a Whiff of That by Richard Betts and Wendy MacNaughton. No, I'm not kidding. Yes, that's why I had to get it.




As did the Kiddo, who got the Knopf Everyman's Library edition of Charles Dickens's classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL, as well as the entire set of THE BOXCAR CHILDREN (which, er, just happens to be one of my favorite series, too, hmmm....)


One of the great things about being a Red is getting advanced copies of books. I nearly fainted away like a Victorian maiden when I opened the package containing Charles Todd's newest Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery: A FINE SUMMER'S DAY. Yes, it was an advance copy, but the book will be out soon — January 6, 2015, so not long to wait!

And I'm delighted to announce that Charles Todd (really the mother-and-son writing team of Caroline Todd and Charles Todd) will be guests here on Jungle Reds!  Join us here TOMORROW, Tuesday, January 6, to meet the illustrious Todds!


Reds, what new tomes are you most itching to get your hot little hands on in 2015? 


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Happy New Year! Susan,  I understand your swoon over the new Todd (s)! And how brilliant of them to... well, we can hear about it tomorrow.  Cannot WAIT to read. I am in love with Rutledge. 

Anyway,  I have been telling everyone about a book called WHAT IF, which I picked up by chance, hoping it was a compendium of mystery plots (:-))  but it turned out to be a completely fascinating and hilarious book of "real answers to ridiculous hypothetical questions" — like, what if everyone in the world showed up at the same place and the same time and jumped up and down? And — could you make a rocket ship if you had enough hair dryers?  I love it, I must say, I am enchanted and enthralled. 

We also got a wonderful book called A YEAR IN ART, which is a huge volume, with a date on each day, and each day has a  gorgeous color plate of a painting and info about the work.  So we wake up to looking at our painting of the day. Plus, it has the added benefit of letting me know what day it IS, for which I am grateful.

HALLIE EPHRON: Friends and family know better than to get me books because I get so many sent to me and then I have to agonize over what to get rid of since my office is tiny and shelf space limited. But this year I bought myself a book/present: THE WORLD OF RAYMOND CHANDLER: IN HIS OWN WORDS. It's a compendium of quotes from his novels, essays, letters strung together with connective tissue about his life by editor Barry Day. A cross between a biography and a memoir. 

It's so nice to have a book that doesn't have to be read, start to finish. Where the ending is pre-ordained (he dies.) I dip into it regularly for inspiration... and to remind myself what writing is all about. 

So right now I'm opening at random as I often do... and find this from THE BIG SLEEP: "Under the thinning fog the surf curled and creamed, almost without a sound, like a thought trying to form itself on the edge of consciousness."

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It wouldn't be Christmas without books, now, would it? My daughter gave me HUMANS OF NEW YORK, which I absolutely adore, and has been given pride of place on the coffee table. She also gave me the new Jamie Oliver cookbook, Jamie Oliver's Comfort Food, which I am less enamored with even though I asked for it.  I have most of Jamie's books, love them and use them regularly, but I think this one will not be a fave--too many things I would never cook, although it may come in handy for the feeding-lots-of-people recipes. (I gave my daughter Ottolenghi's Plenty, which I love so much I've now had to order a copy for myself...) And my friend Gigi gave me Cary Elwe's The Making of The Princess Bride, which is huge fun.

Hallie, I love the Chandler quote!  Shivers...

And Susan, I brought my daughter Enid Blyton books every time I went to England (the days before you could just order them) so she grew up with The Famous Five and The Secret Seven, as well as The Boxcar Children. Brilliant stuff!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Add me to the list of readers anxiously awaiting A FINE SUMMER DAY - which, btw, got an excellent review from Marilyn Stasio in the New York Times Sunday Book Review yesterday. For Christmas, I got  A BETTER WORLD, the second book in Marcus Sakey's BRILLIANCE series, and I have to say it was just as good as the first. Can't wait for the third book to be released! I also got FOXGLOVE SUMMER, the fourth in Ben Aaronovitch's RIVERS OF LONDON series, a marvelously conceived world where London's Metropolitan Police has a department of magic, and where ancient British nature gods are real. Debs, you might really enjoy these books.

For Ross, I found (at a used book store) almost the entire run of Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin saga in a very nice trade paperback edition. He's happily reading THE COMMODORE as I write. Youngest got a book on the pre-revolutionary Russian royals (she's the only 14-year-old I know who has a thing about the Tsars) and all three of my kids were lucky enough to get generous Amazon gift cards from their Uncle Pat and Aunt Julia, so I'm sure more books will be forthcoming soon.

DEBS: Julia, I ran across the first Ben Aaronovitch, Rivers of London, quite by accident when I was staying in a flat in Covent Garden a few years ago. I saw it in the window at Waterstones, went in, bought it, then stayed up all night. (He used to work at that Waterstones.) You'll understand when I say I've never looked at Covent Garden in quite the same way again! I've since bought every book as soon as it came out--must have the UK editions, not even sure they're being published here now. I loved Foxglove Summer. Not quite as dark as the previous two books. I just wish Aaronovitch would write faster. Oh, where have we heard that???

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Lovely readers, what mysteries and thrillers did you get for the holidays and what titles are you itching to get your hands on in the new year? Tell is in the comment section!