Are you on Facebook?  If so, please “like” Literary Masters, directly to the right of this post you are now reading, and you can read/weigh in on the conversation regarding critics’ responses to The Goldfinch.  See you over there!

Happy 2014 to you all!  Have you made your new year’s resolutions?  Have you made your new year’s reading resolutions?  Hmm…I’ll have to do another post about that one of these days.  Today, though, I want to share a little gem of a book with you:

 I saw this in a book store and immediately bought it to give to my friend, Kim.  She’s always drinking out of a mug that say Keep Calm and Carry On; it kind of fits her personality, to be honest.  She has an aristocratic demeanor about her.  I thought I’d give her this book to show her how we non-nobles cope.

When I went to the counter to pay, the clerk asked me if I wanted it wrapped, and I said ‘no’ so I could enjoy the book first.  (Is that a bad thing?)  Well, days later…hmm…weeks later…I am still enjoying it! 

It’s a collection of maxims from various people, one on each page.  Let me share one or two with you:

“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on.  It is never of any use to oneself.”  ~Oscar Wilde

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.” 
~Albert Einstein

Or how about this zinger:

“Forget the past–the future will give you plenty to worry about.”  ~George Allen, Sr.

Or:

“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” ~Edgar Bergen

Or:

“Experience is a comb that life gives you after you lose your hair.” ~Judith Stern

If you. like me, find wisdom in pessimism, this book will crack you up.  And if you’re an optimist, read it and see how the other half thinks.  As for Kim, I think I’ll let her just Keep Calm and Carry On for a bit longer…

I told you that I just love this time of year!  Crisp mornings, sunny and warm afternoons, the Nobel Prize, the Man Booker, and now the National Book Award has released its list of finalists!  Click here  for all the info; I mainly pay attention, as you know, to the fiction category:

 The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
 The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
 The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
 Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
 Tenth of December by George Saunders

As you also know, this season Literary Masters book groups and salons are reading Rachel Kushner’s previous novel Telex from Cuba and The Lowland by Lahiri.

Have you read any of these books?  Your thoughts?

I love this literary time of year!  Literary Masters book groups and salons have started up again, the Nobel committee awards its prizes, and suspense builds for who will win the Man Booker Prize.  If this blog is the first media that you turn to each day

you’re just learning that Alice Munro is the 2013 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature.  Congratulations to a master of the short story!

Now we can all look forward to next Tuesday, when the winner of the Booker will be announced.  In case you need to be reminded of the short list, here it is.

Enjoy!

Hallelujah!  Finally, a study that proves what I’ve known ALL ALONG and have tried to convince others of: reading literary fiction, the type of fiction we Literary Masters members read each and every season, is GOOD FOR US!  It makes us more empathetic and understanding of others; it strengthens our emotional intelligence.  If you ever, ever, ever have had any pang of guilt while reading our monthly selection, if you ever have thought, “Oh, I shouldn’t be reading; I should be doing something more useful,” well, think again!  Clearly, reading literary fiction will make you a better person, which will lead to a better society all around.

To find out more about how reading literary fiction is the solution to all the world’s problems (OK, maybe I’m getting slightly carried away here, but still…) click here to read the fascinating article from The New York Times.

Then go sit down and read a great novel!

Everyone loves lists, right?  They make life easier.  So, even though I have no clue who the author Bidisha is, I am willing to see what she deems to be “the ten best books about women” in her recent article in the UK’s Guardian.

What a list!  I’ve only read two of these books, but one was very influential in forming my literary “career”–Reading Lolita in Tehran.  And because that wonderful book is on Bidisha’s list, I’m willing to give the others a try.  I am particularly intrigued by Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words and Intercourse.  Wow, the TBR pile next to my bed just got higher!

Click here for the full list.  What would your Ten Best Books About Women list look like?

If you’re in one of my Literary Masters book groups or salons, you know that whether or not you like the book we’re discussing is of absolutely no importance.  I’ve made you one promise: I will not make you read junk.  We read literary treasures that allow us to ‘dig deep’ and learn about ourselves, others, and the world around around us.

However, this 2013/2014 season, I am trying something new.  I put out a long list of book titles and asked my Literary Masters members to vote for the eight books they’d like to read.  What fun!  If I were a psychologist (perhaps in another lifetime), I would have a field day with this.  One thing is for sure: it is an impossibility to please all the people all the time.  I didn’t even have one book group that voted unanimously.  Just goes to show–you don’t join a book group to like what you’re reading.  You join a book group to be open to the new, to learn, to grow, and to connect with others.

So, what titles were on the long list?  And what titles ended up on the final 2013/2014 Literary Masters reading list?  Stay tuned and all will be revealed…

Satantango by László Krasznahorkai, translated from the Hungarian by George Szirtes (New Directions; Hungary)

Let me know if you read it!  

Just in time for the holidays! A friend of mine has illustrated a gorgeous picture book for children that tells the story of the Nativity. Entitled The Friendly Beasts, it is an “illustrated version of the French Christmas carol. In simple, rhyming verse, the stable animals welcome the new baby Jesus and describe the gifts they each give to him.” If you have any nieces, nephews, or young kids of your own who like books, you can order from Amazon and receive it in time for Christmas (check delivery to make sure, though!). Check it out:

The National Book Awards were announced today!  Congratulations to Louise Erdrich for winning in the fiction category for Round House, and to Katherine Boo for winning in the non-fiction category for Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity.  For a full list of winners, click here.