{"id":3841,"date":"2005-05-13T23:11:46","date_gmt":"2005-05-14T03:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2005\/05\/13\/sticks-and-tomes\/"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:57:43","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:57:43","slug":"sticks-and-tomes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2005\/05\/13\/sticks-and-tomes\/","title":{"rendered":"sticks and tomes"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s taken me two weeks to pick up The Stick<\/em> tossed to me by weblog friend<\/font> George M. Wallace, from his Fool in the Forest<\/em><\/a> perch. It’s the 7-question quiz<\/font> about reading habits that has been orbiting the blogosphere over the past few<\/font> months. Just as I hate answering True\/False questions without being allowed<\/font> to drop footnotes, I can’t imagine answering questions about my reading habits by<\/font> naming only one book at a time. Back when I was practicing law (and only reading<\/font> about one book a year), a snapshot in time might have been illuminating, but I think a time-elapsed photo is needed to do this subject justice.<\/font><\/p>\n

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an open book
\non the porch swing
\nfirst fireflies<\/p>\n

…………….. by Billie Wilson<\/strong><\/font><\/a> from <\/font>A New Resonance 3<\/em><\/font><\/a>; Hawaii Haiku Contest 2002\u00a0<\/font><\/em><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/em><\/font><\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Be forewarned<\/em>: I am not going to alter my responses to appear higher-brow than<\/font> I am in real life. Don’t be shocked — open yourself to the possibilities.<\/font><\/p>\n

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zoo peacocks <\/font><\/font> <\/font>in full array — the shirtless<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font>fat man reads Shakespeare<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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…………………………………… by dagosan<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/a> [May 13, 2005]<\/font><\/em><\/font><\/font>
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The Stick<\/strong><\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

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1. You’re stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do <\/strong><\/font>you want to be?<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

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One Hundred Years of Solitude<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/a> — by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s the first<\/font><\/font> novel that I ever wanted to read twice (and then actually did). It brings a sense <\/font>of <\/font>humor, magic and irony to a <\/font>deeply tragic world. It reminds us of the importance (and slipperiness) of memory. <\/font><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?<\/strong> <\/strong>I hate to sound <\/font><\/p>\n

ancient, but I really can’t remember whether I had “crushes” on characters in <\/font><\/p>\n

books as an adolescent or young man — for one thing, there weren’t a lot of<\/font> heroines featured in my reading list. (Does lust count?) My first crush on a <\/font>movie actress playing <\/font>a character from a novel was Julie Christie<\/font><\/a> in Fahrenheit 451<\/font><\/a><\/em><\/font><\/font> (1966, when I was 16). That might have created the groundwork for a related crush-fantasy when I read the book shortly thereafter.\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n

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If a woman in a <\/font>novel were a cross between medical examiner Kaye Scarpetta<\/a>,<\/font> M.D. (from Patricia <\/font>Cornwell), bounty hunter Stephanie Plum<\/a> (from Janet Evanovich) <\/font>and U.S. Park <\/font>Ranger Anna Pigeon<\/a> (from Nevada Barr), I almost certainly would develop a crush.\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n

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click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a> for photo-poem
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reading in bed<\/font><\/font>
\nmy pulse flickering<\/font><\/font>
\nthe lightly held bookmark<\/font><\/font>
\n <\/font><\/font>
\nMichael Dylan Welch<\/font><\/a> from Open Window<\/a><\/em><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

3. The last book you bought was…<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

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– fiction<\/em>: Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone<\/a><\/em> [after enjoying I Know This Much <\/font><\/a><\/em><\/font>is True<\/font><\/a>] Snobs out there: P<\/em>lease don’t hate Lamb just because Oprah likes <\/font>him. Ms. Winfrey makes <\/font>some excellent book choices. <\/font><\/p>\n

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– non-fiction<\/em>: Betrayed Profession<\/a><\/em> by Sol Linowitz [food for the lawyer’s soul,<\/font> and a good source for f\/k\/a<\/em> sermons]<\/font><\/p>\n

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– haiku<\/em>: Some of the Silence<\/font><\/em><\/a> (Red Moon,1999) by John Stevenson<\/font><\/a> [a gem<\/font><\/font><\/font> with some <\/font><\/font><\/font>sharp edges]<\/p>\n

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4. The last book you read was…?<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

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— just finished:<\/em> <\/strong> <\/em><\/font><\/font>Gorky Park<\/em><\/font><\/a> by Martin Cruz Smith [still great, after 25 years]<\/font><\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

— A Fatal Glass of Beer<\/em><\/font><\/a> by Stuart M. Kaminsky (audio) – a<\/font> mystery featuring W.C. Fields; flawless narration by<\/font> George Guidall (it’s got me “doing” Fields a lot lately)<\/font><\/p>\n

— reading now<\/em>: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close<\/a><\/em>, by [wunderkind] Jonathan<\/font> Safran Foer. 9-year-old Oscar Schell is<\/em> unforgettable. <\/font><\/p>\n

—\u00a0 Legal Reason<\/a>: The Use of Analogy in Legal Argument<\/em>, by<\/font> LLoyd L. Weinreb (2004). A few pages at bedtime and . . . <\/font><\/p>\n

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\"fishing<\/font><\/p>\n

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first day of spring<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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all the fly-fishing books<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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out of the library<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n


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MATT MORDEN<\/strong><\/font><\/a> A New Resonance 2<\/em><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/a><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/span> (Red Moon Press 2001)<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

6. Five books you would take to a desert island… <\/strong>After figuring out how to<\/font> stay alive, I may be doing a lot more napping and daydreaming than reading on <\/font>that desert island — and the<\/font> five-book <\/font>limit better not preclude large notebooks for<\/font><\/font> writing haiku.\u00a0 That said, I hope to findthe following volumes in my island den:\u00a0 <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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Wilderness Survival<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/a> — by Gregory J. Davenport. Forget Robinson <\/em><\/font>Crusoe<\/em>, I need non-fiction and lots of detailed advice (where the<\/font> skills and energy will come from is another story).<\/font><\/p>\n

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Prayers from the Ark<\/em><\/a> <\/font><\/strong>— <\/font>by Carmen Bernos De Gasztold, translated<\/font> by Rumer Godden. My first lesson in how much could be said (and <\/font>unsaid) with just a few words.<\/font><\/p>\n

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The Painted Bird<\/font><\/strong><\/a> (1965) by Jerzy Kosinski. An important book in <\/font>my life as a reader. The young protagonist’s struggle for survival in<\/font> a brutish world is a call to conscience and a reminder of man’s <\/font>capacity for evil. It is also a testament to the power of lean verbiage.<\/font> [I’ve even got the Large Print edition, in case I lose my glasses.]<\/font><\/p>\n

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Plainsong<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/a> (1999)– by Kent Haruf. With a very different kind of plain<\/font> prose, <\/font>Haruf shows how open minds and hearts <\/font>can make “community” <\/font>a <\/font>reality among disparate folk, despite a world of problems. The<\/font> <\/font><\/font>compassion of the characters engulfs the reader.<\/p>\n

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The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language<\/em><\/font><\/strong><\/a> (4th Ed.,<\/font> 2000 — or then-current edition). There’s is so much information in the<\/font> 2000 pages, presented in such interesting and useful ways (and with<\/font> great illustrations), that it’s a treat for any lover of the English language<\/font>. <\/font><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Yikes, I can’t count! Of course, I must<\/em> take a volume of English-language haiku. <\/font><\/p>\n

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If I have to choose one, it would be<\/font><\/p>\n

The Haiku Anthology<\/font><\/em><\/a> (2000) by Cor Van Den <\/font>Heuvel. It has 800 haiku<\/font> from the best haijin of the past half century. If I could <\/font>sneak one more<\/font> book, it would be <\/font>Haiku: This Other World<\/font><\/em><\/a> by Richard Wright <\/font>[author <\/font>of <\/font>Native Son<\/em>], who discovered the wonder of haiku while living in Europe,<\/font> and whose family published 817 of the poems years after his death. <\/font> <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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new paperback<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/font>the sun sets<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/font>without me<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

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david giacalone<\/em><\/strong><\/font><\/a> from The Heron’s Nest<\/font><\/a><\/em><\/font><\/font><\/font> (March 2005)<\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

7. Who are you passing this stick on to and why?<\/strong> I want to pass this Stick<\/font> to my twin brother, Arthur, whose professional, community and family obligations <\/font>have robbed <\/font>him of the joys of pleasure-reading for far too long (as they once did me).<\/font><\/p>\n

Since <\/font>the Carrot hasn’t worked <\/font>to get him to change his habits and find time for<\/font> himself, I’m hoping the Stick will <\/font>convince him that he needs to rediscover his inner<\/font><\/font> avid-reader. (This might interfere with my campaign to have Arthur start a weblog.)<\/font><\/font> I’m also passing the Stick on to the RiskProf<\/a><\/em>, Martin F. Grace, because (1) I just<\/font> love making work for our tenured friends, and (2) I’m curious to know how a law professor uses all that free time (and what his favorite children’s books might be)<\/font><\/p>\n

update <\/strong><\/em>(May 14, 2005): It appears that a proper Stick should end with three<\/em><\/font><\/font> Stickees, so I’m hoping the mysterious sarni<\/a> at Infernality<\/em><\/font><\/a> weblog, <\/font>our shivering <\/font>(from the cold, certainly not from fear) law <\/font>student in Australia, <\/font>will give others a<\/font> glimpse into her curious and unique brain, which she has shared with me through <\/font>email the past few seasons.\u00a0 What does she read when she is procrastinating?\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n