Resolution52 – Brian Utley & Jenny Dalton

I haven’t been buying a lot of “actual” books lately. With the availability of digital books, and with the ability to have them instantly “in your possession” when the mood strikes you, buying a physical book has become less common. I certainly don’t buy books at bookstores, hahahahahaha!!  Who does that anymore? It’s like I said almost two years ago on Twitter:

So between books, I found myself at Costco, browsing the books. Costco actually does a good job at picking its book inventory, they always have 5-7 books that are of interest to me. I was with Jenny, who as I have mentioned before helps me take things less seriously, helps me enjoy life, and somehow steers me in a direction where I’m bound to bump into something interesting. I’ll admit, I judge a book by its cover quite often and this book caught my attention. A boat, a silhouette, and the New York skyline of long ago. And the title, “Only Time Will Tell”. I was in a relaxed mood, and I felt like it was time to dive into A STORY. A real story, rich with characters and settings and page-turning narratives. After a quick check of the important aspects of the book, which in my opinion are:

1. Who the author is.
2. The opening paragraph.
3. A random paragraph from the middle of the book.
4. The length of the book, usually to match the estimated time of expected interest.
5. Context of the story.
6. What people say about the book.

The book passed in all areas except number 6. Curiously, not a single quote was about the book itself, but about the author, Jeffrey Archer, who I hadn’t read before but was familiar with. Now, when all the accolades within the book make no mention of the book, that is usually a sign that the book underachieved and that the publishing company hopes to sell copies based on the merit of the author, not on the merit of the story. Despite this glaringly obvious sign that such was the case, I purchased the book. Although I put it down twice before I reached the checkout but finally made the decision after Jenny told me the actualy price was much lower than what the back of the book said. So, for roughly $5 I bought an actual, physical, real-life book, with paper and a spine and everything. I didn’t know at the time what I had gotten myself into.

The book was marvelous, and reminded me at times of Tobias Wolff’s “Old School”, but on a much grander scale. MUCH grander scale. As it turns out, I had unwittingly picked out a book that would was the first of a five-book story that would span roughly one hundred years. It covers the life of Harry Clifton, born into a tricky situation that quickly becomes uncommingly and mesmirizingly more tricky with each turn of the page.

The more I read, the more I was presented with great writing, crisp and clear without wasted sentences or tangential sections. Everything is so neatly packaged that turning the page became an almost subconscious act, keeping pace with the characters and matching the pace of the story and the pace of the writing as if it all came out of Archer at once.  But then it was never too fast, never too slow, everything being presented in perfect order, and even the waiting and anticipation so thoughtfully spaced as to catch the reader not just off guard, but off guard at the perfect time.  There’s a difference, trust me.

I’ve never been good at talking about stories. Which is why I hardly ever do, despite this being a blog about literature. Even with movies, I can’t tell somebody what a movie was about, but I sure can go on and on about what the movie meant to me, what feelings were conveyed, and oh yea, it had something to do with a spaceship having trouble in space, or about a guy whose Dad died and he meets this girl. Yea, that’s the story and the story had depth and all that and most people, when asked “What was the movie about”, can start at the start and finish at the end, and do a great job of summarizing what the movie was about. I’m terrible at that.

I watch movies and I read books similar to how I listen to conversations. And this is something of a pet peeve of Jenny’s.  I listen, but I listen to find the meaning. Contrary to what she sometimes thinks, I understand what she says, and I’m listening to what she’s saying, but what I’m really looking for is what she means. Deep down I’m trying to discover why she’s telling me the story, what is the motivation behind it, and what response she is looking for. Not that she isn’t a great communicator, she is, and not that I always try to placate, because I don’t. Great communication is something that we’ve had from day one. But every person has their own way of saying what they mean, few people come right out and say it, at least the important things, in a way that is without metaphor, or hidden within context that masks the core message. And that paragraph, readers, is a giant tangent. Bottom line is I’m horrible at summarizing stories, but I can analyze the motivation of the person telling it all night long. Jenny might say, “I’m not so sure about living in Pleasant Grove.” Simple enough statement, right? But what were the thoughts behind it? Did something specific happen to make her think that? Is she wanting to improve what she has here? Is she wanting to move altogether? Is this a loose reference to marriage, and the idea of relocation? Is she a spy and has suddenly been discovered? Witness protection program? Knowledge of an impending flood? Can she see the future and had a vision of a string of burglaries? I mean really, her statement could MEAN ANYTHING!

(Catching breath) So, the author, Jeffrey Archer, is pretty incredible. I’m surprised I haven’t read anything of his before. Check out his Wiki page. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s an amazing storyteller.

Lucky for me that once I was far enough into the book I happened upon unexpected news, that this was the first installment of a five-part series. The next book is being published right now and available next month. I can’t wait to find out how the heck Harry Clifton, now an adult, heading into WWII, comes to America and due to unforeseen and miraculous events, choses to take on the name of a dead man, and unselfishly allows reports of his death to spread across the Atlantic to England and collection of people that have become extremely familiar to the reader, with huge implications of his death affecting them all in very different ways.

It’s a great book, a fantastic story, and it has just begun. Highly recommended to all. I’d tell you more about it, but I’m not so good at that.

2012, Book Thoughts, Brian Utley, Jeffrey Archer, Only Time Will Tell Amazon, Brian Utley, Costco, Jeffrey Archer, Jenny Dalton

Christmas morning. I don’t remember the exact words, but it was something along the lines of “it looked like something you’d be interested in”. A present from Jenny. The book was VERY interesting, one of the most engaging books I’ve read in a long time, with a cast of authentic and relatable characters. While reading a book that focuses on how little people really know about each other, I reflected, in turn, on how well Jenny did know me, with the book as solid proof right there in front of my face. Jenny and I are different in many ways, but we know each other. She knows enough to read a few words on a book cover and know it’s right up my alley. I’m glad I have that in my life.

I was primarily impressed by the imagination of the author, writing from the perspective of so many different people, and doing it so aptly. It never seemed like it was a single author writing about several different characters, using only his limited knowledge of life gained from his own experience. It ALWAYS seemed like a very personal 1st person narrative. Each writer brutally honest, sincere, and completely revealed, with all their faults and weaknesses. To quote NYT: “[the book] is so good I had to read it twice simply to figure out how he pulled it off. I still haven’t answered that question, nor do I know how someone so young … could have acquired such a precocious grasp of human foibles. The novel is alternately hilarious and heart-wrenching, and it’s assembled like a Rubik’s Cube.”

The views were refreshing. We all struggle. We all have fears and pain and fight the feeling of loneliness. These characters buoyed me not by telling me the loneliness was going away, or that there is always a resolution, they buoyed me because in a lot of ways we are all the same, we all have our frailties, and because of this, we’re not alone. We all fight the good fight, and even though the book was filled with failure and ineptitude, could there be any other single unchangeable thing that we all have in common and ties us all together than our lack of perfection?

I get trapped in the idea of judging myself in many areas based on the relative “distance” I am from someone else in those areas. For instance, if I wanted to be an accomplished author, I picked the wrong book to read because the author is a couple years younger than me and has written a bestseller. Some of the characters were the same, measuring their success on how successful those around them are, or have been. The reader’s advantage is being able to see all the characters from above and see that when comparing people, success, happiness, there is no usable metric. I can’t help but feel that if someone tried to use a metric, deep down inside it would be skewed to side of “I’m not doing enough”. There’s the young, rich publisher who is as alone and as empty as Scrooge himself, and then there’s the old, destitute, and redundant writer who finds safety in a charitable and unconditionally loving son. And who’s better off? Money, family, career, love, accomplishments….In the algorithm of life and happiness, which elements are worth more than others?

2012, Book Thoughts Brian Utley, the imperfectionists

So here I am, 732 days later.  I’m gonna do something again.  Coming into December I’m always thinking of the past year and the year ahead, and much like December of ’08, I’m thinking about resolutions and accomplishment.  It has been a couple years since I was last here and now I am returning.  I remember ’09 to be a great year filled with lots of amazing memories and images conjured by the 52 books.

This attempt will be a little different than ’09 though, this time I won’t be doing it alone.

Jenny is a mother of two and owner of many books.  She graduated Summa Cum Awesome with a degree in English Literature and has earned several teaching certificates.  She is a voracious reader, follower of celebrity gossip (of which she keeps me well informed), and has an estimated IQ of 213 (I’m good at estimations)  So yea, she’s a genius, and the funniest  person I know.  A small portion of Jenny’s appeal is her lack of concern about publishing her life online, coincidentally, she has NO online presence.  But if there is one thing she loves, it’s literature, so she agreed to be a part of Resolution52, ’12 and I’m very excited because of it.  The site will no doubt be richer, more insightful, and funnier than it currently is, and you will, in time see that.  I’m very excited. It’s a natural partnership.  From the day we met, one year ago, with help from Hornby & Sedaris, books have connected us.  One of  our favorite pastimes is discussing books and authors.  Visits to the Beehive Tea Room are often followed by trips to the used bookstore of Ken Saunders, where we peruse the shelves and recant memories and events that certain books bring up from the past.  And what she says captivates me.  What she says tells me I’m not alone.  And in a certain way, her views and her intelligence and her passion for understanding that is beyond explanation, draws me to her constantly.  We explore our past as we explore the shelves and then leave hand in hand knowing more about each other and knowing more about literature.  Of course there is more to Brian & Jenny than that, but this is a website about literature, not couplehood.  But with her I don’t need to explain what I’m explaining.  She is a woman of unique insight, of incomparable intelligence, and visits to the bookstore are like a cheat sheet into understanding the power that she possesses, the understanding of the world that she holds close and on rare occasions lets me have a quick peak.  And what I see is wondrous, and I beg for more, more of this woman that is unlike any other, a woman that I’ve only imagined in once-thought impossible worlds.

We began reading together a few months ago, without a thought about Resolution52.  I began reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and shortly after, she began reading Murder of The Orient Express by Agatha Christie and followed that up with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd as I was finishing Holmes.  Them we swapped.  She told me I would enjoy Agatha Christie.  It was that simple.  See, Jenny knows things.  She knows what’s important and enjoyable and rewarding.  She also knows me better than most people.  So when Jenny says I would enjoy something, I don’t need convincing.  If she thinks it, I know it will be so.  So, I read my very first mystery novel ever.  EVER.

And I’m entranced.  I’m entertained.  I’ve learned once again that this woman will bring amazing things to my life.  I know she knows me.  I know she’s seen my collection of books (which she helped shelve), listened to me pontificate, and because of the trust I have in her, she wouldn’t say something is good unless it is.  And this is my new gospel.  And her recommendations are held in the highest regard, as I hold her character, which is as close to flawless as I ever thought possible.

This year we will share with you what we find in literature, in ourselves, and occasionally, if you’ll allow us, in each other.  And I know she’ll pester me about how many commas I just used, and I’ll smile when she does, knowing that she’s probably right, and knowing that I’ll work on it.  Because she’s smarter than me, smarter than most, and having her in my life will reap rewards beyond what I can express in a blog post.  But this much I can tell you, she sees things that only the unique and gifted can see.  She’ll entertain you and teach you and keep you coming back.  Because she’s that type of woman, with exquisite taste.  She doesn’t waste her moments of reading, each word counts for her.  It’s worth it to listen to what she has to say, and I for one can’t wait to hear what that is.

Book Thoughts, Mystery Novels Agatha Christie, Brian Utley, Jenny Dalton, Resolutions, Sherlock Holmes