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Dear reader,
The good guys are often book people in stories. That idea is woven through children’s literature. Books are a sign of security and wholesomeness to kids who read a lot. For some of us during childhood, books may have been the safest retreat from an otherwise overwhelming world.
I recently reread The Mysterious Benedict Society, a 2007 children’s book. As in many children’s stories, the good guys are book people and the bad guys are not. It’s sometimes hard for me not to see the world in those terms.
Consider the ways books appear in a story like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The White Witch doesn’t have books, but Mr. Tumnus does. While he’s off making tea, Lucy looks at his books, which have “titles like The Life and Letters of Silenus or Nymphs and Their Ways or, Men, Monks, and Gamekeepers; A Study in Popular Legend or Is Man a Myth?”
The titles themselves are an intriguing imaginative mystery, which one could explore much more deeply, as Charlie Starr does in The Faun’s Bookshelf. But to the bookish child, the books are a hint that Mr. Tumnus is really the right sort of person. He almost turns Lucy in, but we know he won’t because he’s a book person.
If I’m ever abducted, it’ll probably be because I’m lured by books. It’s my weakness. I tend to trust people who love books. I figure that at least if I’m trapped someplace with books, I’ll have something to read.
Andrew Spencer
Associate Editor
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New from TGC
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Book Review
Bob Thune
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“Contrary to the voices on both left and right who assert our troubled democracy can be repaired through ‘political will and smart public policy,’ Hunter argues the problem is deeper: ‘We no longer have the cultural resources to work through what divides us’ (18). If his reasoning is correct, our societal illness is more advanced and our moment more urgent than we realize.” Read the review.
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Book Review
Andrew Le Peau
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“Schaeffer sought to live out his message. In the early 1970s, George, a friend of mine, spent a summer at L’Abri, the work-study community Schaeffer and his wife established in Switzerland. Night after night, he heard Schaeffer speak. George was impressed that no matter what challenges to Schaeffer’s positions were posed, whether offered combatively or from genuine curiosity, he gave a full and serious answer. He sought to disagree lovingly, whether or not the other person was a Christian.” Read the review.
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Book Review
Trina Hyun
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Book Review
Stephen O. Presley
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Book Review
Ed Smither
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Book Review
Josh Philpot
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Book Review
Jonathan Threlfall
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Book Review
Ryan Welsh
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Book Review
Kristie Anderson
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Book Review
Andrew Spencer
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Links for the Reading Life
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| 1. |
Elle Griffin, “No One Buys Books” (The Elysian)
“The Big Five publishing houses spend most of their money on book advances for big celebrities like Britney Spears and franchise authors like James Patterson and this is the bulk of their business. They also sell a lot of Bibles, repeat best sellers like Lord of the Rings, and children’s books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. These two market categories (celebrity books and repeat bestsellers from the backlist) make up the entirety of the publishing industry and even fund their vanity project: publishing all the rest of the books we think about when we think about book publishing (which make no money at all and typically sell less than 1,000 copies).”
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| 2. |
Lincoln Michel, “Yes, People Do Buy Books” (Counter Craft)
“Much of the overall thrust of Griffin’s article is right: Most people don’t buy many books, sales for most books are lower than many think, and big publishing works on a blockbuster model where a few couple hits—plus perennial backlist sellers—comprise the bulk of sales. But I hope Griffin wouldn’t mind my offering a rebuttal of a few points here. As I think a few things are off.”
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| 3. |
Michael Dirda, “10 Rules for Reading from Someone Who Does It for a Living” (Washington Post)
“As someone who has been lucky enough to earn his living in the rarefied world of book reviewing, I’ve gradually developed reading-related habits as part of my work. Some of them—listed below—may even be similar to yours. At the least, I hope a few of my customary routines and practices will be useful in your own reading life.”
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