To be honest I am not really sure how much time I will have to read and post.  But I changed the theme because I think a simpler and less image focused blog is much more likely to reflect my actual focus and time – and thus the content that will appear here. I might post short reaction to books I have read. I might post more short posts with ideas or quotes. But I think this layout works well and will suite me for the time being.

I appreciate all of the folks who have been regular readers of this site and the kind folks who leave comments in particular.  Of course, I appreciate the web surfers who drop in and read particular reviews or posts too.  Hard to believe I have been doing this as long as I have.  Not sure what the future holds exactly but thought I would give you an update to go along with the different look.

Thanks.

Image via Wikipedia

There used to be a rather hearty debate online about what exactly defines a blog. What sets a blog apart from a webpage or magazine or other online format?

This is not one of those posts. Instead, it is just my pixelated version of asking the question: to be successful at blogging do you need to read and comment on blogs?

I think if you want a certain amount of traffic and influence the answer is yes.  And this has presented me with a more and more pressing dilemma.

Because I don’t really read a lot of book or literary blogs anymore; and almost never comment if I happen to stumble upon a post. Basically, my free time has been squeezed by work and family and I have a limited amount of true free time. Since I love to read, books take up a chunk of that time.

Much of the time I have left gets eaten up by social media; Facebook, twitter, etc.  In fact, any blog reading I do will usually come from links found at these sources.  Add in the fact that I have a wide variety of interests (I not only read a lot of different genres plus non-fiction, but I also focus on issues like sports, politics, and faith. This means a lot of people to follow and information to process which creates a dangerous time suck.

More and more this means very little blog reading and no commenting to speak of.

I think this does a couple of things. First, it limits my traffic. I am not really part of a community of bloggers anymore and so few people know about this blog or have an interest in what I say.  When I was engaged in the lit blog world, I had debates, left comments and generally had a sense of a larger group.

Except via Twitter to some degree, I don’t have this sense anymore and it impacts the site traffic. The vast majority of traffic comes via search engines with a little from direct links and social media.

I am not complaining. Really, I am not – I haven’t put in the hard work that builds traffic and I know this; neither am I some natural genius when it comes to reviews. I am just noting this as part of my thoughts on the subject.

The other thing it impact is comments on this blog. When you frequently comment on other blogs people are much more likely to comment on yours. Again, because you are part of a community and engaged in the debates and discussion they entail. And because of a natural sense of reciprocity.

A perfect example of this engagement is the young adult books debate I have posted on a couple of times lately. These post have much high traffic and have comments because they are part of something more than just my stream of conscience book reviews. They engage an ongoing conversation and touch on what others have written.

The irony here is that it is unlikely I am going to change my habits much. I just like reading books more than blogs. And if I have to sacrifice something it is going to be blogs not books.

Allow me to apologize in advance for not reading your blog, or commenting on it, but if you have something to share about this post please leave a comment (be sure to post your URL so I can come and visit).

His relationship with her borders on kinship, and he admires and admonishes her as he would a family member, with whom he shares a bond both genetic and cultural.

When asked to choose a specific piece of writing that’s had a significant impact on him, Tom chose O’Connor’s short story Good Country People, but then he threw in two others — Everything that Rises Must Converge and Revelation. As Tom explains, these three stories chart O’Connor’s careful trajectory, her unique vision, and her genius.

Click over and give a listen if you are so inclined. And check out ThoughtCast it looks like an interesting resource.

The previous theme had the featured post slideshow setup I really liked but I couldn’t get the stats tracking services to work. This might seems like a small price to pay for a nice, and free, theme but it was one of those things that really got under my skin because I couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working.

So I switched back to this theme to verify that the theme was the problem. And sure enough, as soon as I switched to a different theme the stats plugins started tracking traffic again.

Just thought I would make a note of this for informational purposes and in case there were any technical folks reading this who might be interested in helping me solve this problem.

Synopsis

Fed up with our arrogant federal government? Don’t want massive programs we don’t need and can’t afford? Then join the Red State Uprising! In his new book, RedState.com founder Erick Erickson clearly outlines what needs to change in Washington and what we can do locally to make it happen. Red State Uprising is not about anarchy or a revolution—it’s about reshaping government to maximize economic growth, individual liberty and private property rights. Barack Obama has shown his determination to move the country towards a socialist nanny state, culminating in the government takeover of health care. The vast majority of Americans reject this vision and Red State Uprising calls upon this majority to stand up and take action. There is a “right size” for government, Erikson argues, but it is much smaller, much cheaper, and much less intrusive than what we’ve got now. Red State Uprising offers conservatives a plan to take back the people’s government.

Image via Wikipedia

I asked the following question on Twitter and then realized the 140 character limit might make it hard to answer:

What  are 5 book/literary blogs you think are under-appreciated? And 5 that you couldn’t live without?

So consider this post a chance to answer the question with as many characters as you need.

(Don’t be shy, feel free to recommend yourself.)

I suspect that when somebody says that blogging had a “golden age,” the person means that there was a time (circa 2002) when it felt new and exciting, and the media wanted to do stories about it, and some people got a lot of attention really quickly (book deals! movie options!), and everybody got to have lively discussions and post pictures of puppies or argue about string theory, and it was a thrill because we all had a brand-new toy to play with and we knew who was reading us and we were finally, finally, getting some interesting e-mail. That moment has passed, so it’s easy for media folk to say blogging is old hat and move on to the new. But blogging remains a valid form, and Twitter is no replacement for it. (Twitter is more a supplemental form, I think—a supplement to a supplement.) What other online format besides blogging allows people to write at various lengths, distribute to a wide audience, and spark conversations? I suppose Facebook might qualify, but it’s a poor vehicle for lengthy, considered thought, and its system is designed to push your ideas only to your closest friends. If blogging is over, nobody’s created a suitable replacement for what blogging does.

Image via Wikipedia

I have not posted in a while.  A variety of things contributed to that which I will not bore you with.  On the bright side, I really like the new look of the site and WP 2.8 is working well.

I have for the most part tried to keep partisan politics off this blog.  This is for a number of reasons.  I started this blog to get away from politics and feel that books can be a source of common ground for people who disagree politically.

I started The Right Reads as a place to review and discuss non-fiction dealing with right of center politics.  It seems better to keep that separate from a site that still mostly reviews fiction, history and creative non-fiction rather than political activism and philosophy. I will link to content here when it seems appropriate – and vice versa – that way readers are aware of it and can read it if they so choose but it doesn’t distract from the focus

With that in mind, here are some links from a couple of memoirs tied to William F. Buckley Jr.:

–> Right Time, Right Place by Richard Brookhiser

As the subtitle – Coming of Age with William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement –indicates, RTRP is a blend of history, memoir, and political commentary.  I find this type of “creative non-fiction” can lack focus, often jumping between subjects and styles, but Brookhiser’s unique perspective, style and flair for language make this a remarkably focused and powerful read.

It is a very personal and honest look at the man and magazine at the heart of the conservative movement’s rise to power, and eventual return to earth, while at the same time a meditation on the dangers of hero worship and the nature of mature relationships.

–> Q&A with Richard Brookhiser on Right Time, Right Place

–> Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley

I was prepared to be angry about Christopher Buckley’s latest book Losing Mum and Pup.  I have been a fan – idealized is probably more accurate – of his father’s since a very young age and worried about any attempt at sullying that reputation.  I was so sure a tell-all book about losing both of his parents within a year would be offensive.  Throw in Christo’s (the name his parents used for him) less than astute political judgment of late and I had all but pronounced him beyond the pale.

But I decided to read the book first.  And, despite the difficult nature of the subject, I am glad I did.

Here is a brief bio for those who may be unfamiliar with her work or background:

Laila Lalami was born and raised in Morocco. She earned her B.A. in English from Université Mohammed V in Rabat, her M.A. from University College, London, and her Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Southern California. Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post and elsewhere. She is the recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant and a Fulbright Fellowship. She was short-listed for the Caine Prize for African Writing (the “African Booker”) in 2006. Her debut collection of short stories, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, was published in the fall of 2005 and has since been translated into Spanish, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Norwegian. Her first novel, Secret Son, will be published in the spring of 2009. She is currently Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California Riverside.

My questions and her answers are below.

1) What is the most challenging part about moving from the short story format to a novel and what is the best aspect?

The structure of my short story collection made it possible to take out one story and revise it, or even get rid of it and replace it with another, without having this affect the shape of the entire book. But with the novel, changes to one chapter inevitably meant changes somewhere else in the novel, so the revision process was much more labor-intensive. On the other hand, working on a novel really enabled me to stay with the same story for a long time, to inhabit it, if you will, and to keep adding layers to it.

2) How would you describe your writing style? What authors have influenced your writing?

Perhaps it is up to critics to describe my writing style. I have a hard time looking at my work with a critical eye, since there is no possibility of being completely objective. My favorite authors-and I think these are the people who have influenced me the most, since I go back to them often-are J.M. Coetzee, Chinua Achebe, Ahdaf Soueif, Graham Greene, Joseph Conrad, Leila Abouzeid, Mohammed Choukri, Tayeb Salih, among others.
3) What sparked the idea for the character of Youssef?

I think I started with this image of a young man walking back home to the slum where he lives, having just watched a movie. In some sense, this journey from idealized dreams to stark reality-from lies to truths, if you will-takes place throughout the book. For instance, when Youssef’s mother reveals to him that he is the illegitimate son of a wealthy businessman, she only gives him a small part of the story of his birth, and then she changes that story several times in the book. Or when Hatim promises Youssef that he will publish an article about what happened at the university, the piece that comes out bears only a small resemblance to the events as Youssef experienced them.

4) Fate is a theme in the novel. Does the Middle/Near East have a different concept of fate than the West/America?

I tend to think that people are pretty much the same everywhere, so my instinct is to say no. When people are faced with disastrous events (e.g. a flood, an earthquake, a terrorist attack, etc.), they want to have a reason for why these events took place, which is why the idea of fate is so powerful. The concept of fate can basically be summarized as “shit happens,” except of course it’s said in a prettier way.

5) One reviewer felt the change of perspective was problematic while I felt the last third of the book really kicked it up a notch because of the tension and drama of those different perspectives. What were you seeking to do by bringing in the voices of Alma, Nabil, and Rachida when Youssef had been dominant early in the book?
The book is told from the point of view of Youssef, but I felt compelled to bring in the voices of his father, his half-sister, and his mother because I think they add a huge dimension to the story. In each case, the father, the half-sister, and the mother make decisions that have a huge effect on Youssef’s life, and yet he isn’t even aware of these decisions or the rationale behind them. I don’t think that the three chapters disrupt the flow of the book, and I suppose it’s possible to skip them altogether and still experience all the main events in Youssef’s story without any interruption, but then as a reader you’ll get something very different from the novel. Secret Son asks you to consider the extent to which Youssef’s actions are really entirely under his control. How much choice does he have? Is the choice he faces even possible? Let me give you an example from early on in the book. When Youssef meets his father, he has no idea that his father is in the middle of a huge row with Amal, which is why he is so receptive to Youssef in the first place.
6) It is hard, IMO, to see any of the characters as a true villain – or hero for that matter (all of the characters are complicit in the events that unfold). Was that intentional; to have complexity and grey areas in all of the characters?

Yes, absolutely. Character is primordial for me and I tried to make each one as complex as I could.

7) The ending is something of both a dramatic flourish and a cliffhanger. Was that hard to pull off? Were you tempted to add an epilogue or wrap it up somehow?

I was tempted, but in the end I desisted. I felt that it was more important to get the reader to ponder what is going to happen next rather than to feed her a simple answer. I do think that, as a character, Youssef reaches a point of closure, in the sense that he is clearer about exactly who he is.

8) Do you worry that your writing will be pigeonholed as immigrant, Moroccan, or some other category?

In some ways, I fear it already is. I’ve seen my books described as being “political,” which I find a little startling. After all, the work of other writers-someone like Jonathan Saffran Foer, say-depends on a specific social and political context, too, and yet it’s rarely described in those terms. Perhaps it’s because my fiction is set in Morocco, an unusual setting for American reviewers, which renders visible some things that are less visible with other writers.

9) You were one of the early lit bloggers. What do you think literary blogs add to the discussion of books? What might be their biggest weakness?

I think they provide a greater diversity of perspectives on books and literature, engage in conversation with one another and with readers directly, and cover many books that are left out of the mainstream press. But, just as with any other field, there are varying levels of quality.

10) Things look dire for newspapers, but if you were given control of the local (meaning most prominent paper in your area) newspaper’s book coverage what are three things you would change or implement?

I am not a book editor, so I hesitate to answer that question. I would say that, as a book reviewer, the greatest challenge I see is to match books with the most appropriate critics-those who can provide a larger literary and cultural context for a book.