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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst and Other Mutterings

I've finally begun reading S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst.

I ordered it a couple of weeks ago and have been saving it. I started it Sunday night and could have read an entire book in the time it took to get through 45-50 pages!  Why?  And why am I still fascinated?  And how long will it take me to finish? 

Brief Description:  "One book. Two readers. A world of mystery, menace and desire
A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown."

I'm not certain how I came across the article in The New Yorker, but once I did, there was no point in trying to avoid purchasing it.  And I really don't like to pay for books--I read too many, and between the library and NetGalley, I manage to get most of my books for free.  This book, however, I knew I'd want to own.  


via N.Y.T. article
Not everyone likes marginalia, but my lit crit books are full of them from when I was teaching and wanted to make connections between novels and poems with the same themes, symbols, image, or archetypes.  I've always marked up my non-fiction whether they were about literary criticism, sociology, gardening, history, or yoga.  I don't mark my fiction for some reason, although I have used post-it notes for references-- even that is rare.

So...A conversation between two people studying the same mysterious book intrigued me, but I admit it took me an hour or so to decide how to read it.  Some people say they read the marginalia first, even depending on the color of ink.  First, the blue and black comments, then later, those in purple, red, and gold.  Some read the printed text of the novel first, then the marginalia.  There are all these strands going on:  the novel, the comments about the novel, the personal comments, the footnotes, and all of the inclusions of newspaper articles, postcards, telegrams, and other ephemera.

It's fun, but reading and keeping things straight requires concentration.  

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Snail mail posts continue on my other blog.  I'm behind right now and have several letters to answer.  My plan is to get to them tonight.  

Lately, I've been making fabric postcards.  I did this years ago and participated in a couple of exchanges.  They take a while to make, and I can't just stick them in the mail box--they have to go to the P.O. to be hand cancelled.   The backs are cardstock, and I stitch the little quilt to the postcard back, write my note, add stamps, and then go to the P.O.  They are fun, but maybe a little too time-consuming.

Today, Suzie is coming over, and we will make something.  Don't know what yet, but there will also be wine and tabouli.  She is up from New Orleans and will be here for another few days so we will have time to get all of the updating done, all the discussions about the state of the world, family re-caps, etc.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!

16 comments:

  1. Your fabric postcard is so wonderful. I've never seen anything like it. It is beautiful.

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    1. Thanks, Nan! They are like making 4x6 tiny quilts. :)

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  2. I had to own S, too... Still haven't read it. It has been on my nightstand waiting for me to read it forever.

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    1. I understand. It took me a while to work up my courage to break the seal and open it. Then a little longer to decide to begin!

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  3. Um, I like JJ Abrams, but I did a little googling on this book, S, and it just seems so complicated! If I was guaranteed a satisfying ending that made it worthwhile to go through all that trouble... but I don't know if that's my type of story. I binge-watched Lost a couple of years ago and was disappointed in the ending. I hope that you enjoy the heck out of S since you purchased it.

    Your book by Maynard Sims looks like more my style, being a mystery and set in the 1950s. I snuck in under the wire to be around in the '50s :) though since I couldn't speak yet I don't remember what it was like, and it certainly wasn't those "Happy Days". Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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    1. It is complicated and challenging, and I'm not reading it like a normally read. I can't. But I'm enjoying it!

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  4. Isn't S fun? I had SUCH a good time reading it, and actually, I really need to go back and reread. I loved taking all the little pieces out of the book and unfolding them and seeing what they said. So great.

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    1. I didn't realize you'd read S (or The Rook), did you review them? Yes, all the inclusions are great! I love reading them, especially the clipping from the college newspaper about the flooding of the English building. :)

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  5. S looks amazing; it reminds me of Nick Bantock's books. I might have to splurge and buy me a copy of this one. :)

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    1. Yes! Not as visually satisfying as Bantock's, but much longer and more complicated. I only read the first Griffin & Sabine trilogy (waiting eagerly for each new installment when they were first published) and didn't even realize Bantock had done a second trilogy about the pair! Of course, I will want those books, too.

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  6. S sounds like an interesting read! Now you've me curious about it.

    Oh, that fabric postcard looks lovely! And so unique, too! :-)

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    1. Definitely interesting! I'm having to be careful with all of the ephemera as I don't want to lose it, but certainly the authors have chosen a unique way to tell a story. :)

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  7. S is totally my kind of book! Like Lark, I was also thinking of the Nick Bantock books. Which by the way, I've heard there's a new one coming out. Great review.
    Your fabric postcard is so adorable. I hope you and Suzie have a great time.

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    1. I read about a new Bantock recently, but I haven't even read the second trilogy!
      I'm reading other books as I slowly make my way through S--books that don't take much stretching of my limited brain. S is what I pick up at night and give undivided attention. :)

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  8. I've only ever been mildly interested in but I think you just sold me on it! And you fabric postcard is super cute!

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    1. The book is fascinating...but even after finishing, there were things that were not explained. And the conclusion was anticlimactic. I'm still glad I read it, but debating about how to review without being too positive or too negative!

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